Need to find the right CMS solution

[jdahlheimer]

I need to find a CMS solution for our customers. We are a wholesale grocer so websites for us are usually just for show and tell as our customers are always going to have a brick and mortar store but what we have seen is that it is nice to have some kind of web presence that at least gives them a spot to post their ads in case someone wants to view them online. We service everything from small convenience stores to fairly large grocery stores but the majority of our accounts have a difficult time with email so to have them update their own website seems like a dream to us but perhaps with the right software it might be possible.

What we are thinking about offering is like a 3 page website that is completely static. A home page, maybe an about page, and an ad page that displays current ad and we need the most simplest cheapest CMS Solution that would allow them to change some of the text if need be and replace the images every week.

 

[Foamcow]

Take a look at Cushy CMS.

http://www.cushycms.com

I don't think a CMS can get much simpler than that.

You could, of course, roll your own and for what you describe that would be very simple but is dependent on what server platform/database platform you have available (if any).



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<honk>*:O)</honk>

Tyres: Mine's a pint of the black stuff.
Mike: You can't drink a pint of Bovril.

 

[jdahlheimer]

That looks pretty slick. I only have a couple of issues with it. I would like it stand alone. Something we install on their computer put in user names and passwords and the initial setup and leave them be. Wash our hands of it. If there is an administrative console we will be having quite a few questions as people will know we have some control. I am not to keen on having to put in the extra tags. Not that big of a deal but I kind of liked Contribute in the fact that it is able to automatically see the text and images but I did not like the $100 price tag per user. And I think it gives them a bit more functionality than they need. As for developing it ourselves we want sell this as a here is the package do whatever you want with it. Host it with anyone we will help with the initial set up and then you are on your own. And with that I think trying to create our own we are going to limit them to hosting with someone that supports some kind of web programming language and I am kind of a JSP kind of guy and it seems that most hosting services either don't support it or charge a little extra for that one. Thanks so far. Let me know if you have any other ideas.

 

[jdahlheimer]

After reading my post it sounds like I am saying that cushy gives them to much functionality just want to clarify that I was saying Contribute gives them a little to much.

 

[Foamcow]

If you install something on their computer then you need to support that.

I don't see how using a hosted service such as Cushy is any different. I'm not really seeing where your objections to it might lie as it seems to fit your needs (as expressed here) perfectly.

It also makes sense in that you don't need to employ a developer to build/install the CMS. Adding a few classes to a web page is a trivial 10 minute job.

Don't get me wrong, I've used a few CMS in my time, even built my own. I've also used Contribute and another similar product (the name of which escapes me and I've never heard of since). I've nothing against them and would often prefer a more rounded/complex solution. But given what you've described Cushy seems a perfect tool for the job.

As for Contribute - $100 is chump change really. If you like Contribute then why not use that but limit what they can edit? Isn't that how Contribute is meant to be used. Besides, someone with a degree of technical know-how should be administering a Contribute managed site, setting up accounts, approving published content etc. It's not "fire and forget" by any means.

If you are baulking at that cost and aren't going to develop your own system (which is going to cost more than $100 for sure) then go with Cushy or another similar service. You can brand it yourself (for, iirc $25), use an 'unbranded' domain and to all intents and purposes sell it in as your product.

Failing that, add the necessary classes to the sites and let your client use Cushy - thereby removing any support issues on your behalf.

Cushy is simple, cheap and fits the model whereby you don't have to worry about what's hosted. It works the same way as Contribute in as much as it updates flat files on the webserver via FTP and maintains a revision history. What's more it's less expensive than Contribute.



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<honk>*:O)</honk>

Tyres: Mine's a pint of the black stuff.
Mike: You can't drink a pint of Bovril.

 

[quantage]

Why don't you go for drupal? Best CMS of 2008.