I talk with so many people who have small businesses and would like to have a web presence but don't know the first thing about how to even get started. Some of the reasons I hear are:

- I don't know how to build a website.

- I have enough work to do... when am I going to maintain a website?

- I don't want to keep paying someone everytime I want to update my website.

So when I tell them they CAN have a website without the technical knowledge, without taking a lot of time, and without hiring a webmaster, they are eager to find out what this incredible solution is.

The solution is a CMS!

What the heck is a CMS?

A CMS is a Content Management System. CMS's are the newest technology for the non-technical business person to easily maintain a website without technical assistance. A CMS can be quickly installed onto your existing website, contains its own database that stores all of your website information, and gives you a nice user-friendly administrator window that allows you to easily update everything on your site without having the need to understand html or hire someone else with technical knowledge.

You can publish your own articles, newsletters, calendar events, run your own forums and chats, display photo galleries and much more! All of the content is completely under your control. So when you get that GREAT idea in the middle of the night, you don't have to call your webmaster. You can simply log in and make the changes yourself!

A content management system can be used for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. Some of the features include:

Advertising management (banners, etc).

Media (images, documents) upload and management.

Content display scheduling.

Content syndication (RSS).

Internationalisation (interface translation).

Advanced and separate system administration system.

Advanced package/addon/template deployment system.

Simple but powerful template system.

Heirarchial user access groups.

Basic visitor statistics.

Multiple WYSIWYG content editor support.

Simple polls.

Content voting/rating system.

Extended user profiles.

Forums.

Media galleries.

Document managers.

Templates.

Scheduling Calendars.

Categorized Weblinks.

Content management systems are popular because of their ease of use, diverse functionality, and user-friendliness. So what are you waiting for? Get yourself a CMS and spend your time running your business... not maintaining a website!