After a long few weeks of testing various content management software (CMS) for my membership site, I finally settled for Mambo. You can take a peak at the final result if you want.
I’ve always wanted a better way to manage my tutorials, tools, articles and downloads at the WebSite Workshop but I was just too lazy to switch my existing site (which was just the good ole static web pages) to something more dynamic.
But as I added more and more content to my membership site, a switch to a CMS was inevitable.
At first I wanted a simple CMS. Nothing too bulky.
If you’re looking for a free CMS, a great place to check out is OpenSourceCMS. Not only will you find a list of popular open source CMS, you even get to take a test drive. OpenSourceCMS installs a demo of each CMS they have on their list. It’s a great way to get a feel of the CMS before you install it on your site.
What I did was, I only checked out the CMS that was already available on my web host’s script list. That way, I can install it at a click of a button. Not sure what I’m talking about?
You see, some web hosts offer the ability to install several open source scripts at a click of a button. All you have to do is access your hosting control panel, find a script that you like and click on the install button and PRESTO, the script is ready for you to use.
Anyway, my web host had several pre-installed CMS scripts. Because I was looking for something lite, I checked out the "Lite" category at OpenSourceCMS.
After checking out some of the demos, I quickly came to realize that my site have outgrown the lite category.
After playing around with several full blown CMS, I settled for Mambo. Why?
- Firstly, it had all the features that I needed.
- Secondly, I found it to me more user friendly then the others. I didn’t think so though, when I first used it. But after trying out other scripts, I quickly returned to Mambo.
- Thirdly, and I think this was the main reason I chose Mambo, it had a great community. I posted a few questions on the forum and almost instantly received a reply. Which to me is important, because if I do get stuck, I’d like to have a place I can ask for support without having to pay big bucks to.
Now, that I have my CMS up and running, I am hoping that it will be a lot easier to handle the content on my site. Only time will tell … 
