Very Simple CMS site needed

[AuctionHugh]

So I went over to a friend's house tonight. His daughter has created a website for him but she is busy and can't keep it up. It is database driven and she says it would be too complicated for him to keep going.

He asked me for advice. His site is basically a simple site that has a homepage, about us, how to order (call him), and then another menu link that then has several sublinks. If it was a furniture site it would have a main products page. Under the products menu tab at the top is a flyout menu that lists beds, dressers, tables, chairs, etc etc. Then each of those pages is basically formatted text and pictures.

My friend is very not technical. He has used godaddy website tonight and struggled with how to change the photos.

I have not used them but I wonder if it would be pretty simple to set up a joomla site for him. Set up the masthead and the menus, then have him use the cms interface to add words and pictures to the pages.

Am I on the right track here? Or would something like wordpress be easier for him? It must look like a website not a blog.

While I'm on the subject, if anyone wants to set this up for him and is inexpensive, PM me with a cost estimate. Assume we are using his godaddy hosting.

Thanks.

[hittjw]

Hugh,

If your friend is going to run a catalog, why not use catalog software like Zen Cart. That would let him sell products easily, changing pictures is as easy as an upload, and additional products can be added without issue. If your friend is just running a website, then Wordpress is easy and doesn't have to look like a blog. Both products are available to install via GoDaddy's application panel.

Best,

Justin

P. s. Unless he's got traffic, I wouldn't worry too much about hiring a designer. It would be better for him to use a template service or design system. Instead, invest that money in marketing.

[jannmirch]

I've used WordPress as a simple CMS for a couple of clients and they are happy with it. Joomla, from what I understand is a bit more involved in setting it up.

There are dozens of Widgets in WP that allow you to add photos and words for a gallery. Or you could just insert them right in the post or page using the WP interface.

I'm sure some of the programmers around here will post with the benefits of Joomla, which I'm sure there are many. but I'm not sure if the learning curve is warranted for this project.

[newconceptdesign]

From my experience I would say that Joomla or similar CMS systems may be too difficult, when considering your summary. I have seen users really struggling with them, even thought they were quite literate when it comes to the computers or the Internet.

Zen Cart may be difficult to work with as well.

My advise would be to go with someone who can create a web site based on their CMS, assuming that they can remove not needed modules, leave only what is necessary to maintain the web site and teach him on how to use the CMS.

[RHunt]

Justin,

This is the most sage piece of advice that I've run across. Do it simple, use funds for marketing. Enough said.

Hugh,

If your friend is going to run a catalog, why not use catalog software like Zen Cart. That would let him sell products easily, changing pictures is as easy as an upload, and additional products can be added without issue. If your friend is just running a website, then Wordpress is easy and doesn't have to look like a blog. Both products are available to install via GoDaddy's application panel.

Best,

Justin

P. s. Unless he's got traffic, I wouldn't worry too much about hiring a designer. It would be better for him to use a template service or design system. Instead, invest that money in marketing.

[microtekblue]

Joomla is the right way to go. It is the best open source CMS with TONS of Extensions, modules, plugins, components and very helpful community.

You will find huge amount of resources to use with Joomla sites. Lots of tutorials available on the net and Joomla.org

Joomla also doesn't require you the end user or web developer to have any knowledge of php or mysql. Html and css is good to know if you want to change your sites look and feel.

Joomla also has built-in blogging features. Not out of the box really for blogging like Wordpress might have, but Joomla isn't just a blogging platform.

If you just want a blog go with Wordpress etc. but if you want a Content Management System which is ideal for most web sites small, large, or even enterprise.

I would personally stay away from just Cart software such as Zencart or OSCOmmerce etc,. They don't give you a great deal of flexibility and they are meant for just one purpose, and should be an add-on to a site instead of being the whole entire site.

With Joomla you can easily create, update, add onto, and manage the site yourself!

I've been using Joomla and alot Open Source platforms for years, and I would have to say In My Opinion Joomla is by far one of the best if not the best open source CMS currently available.

[a53mp]

THis really depends. What is the daabase being used for? Manage the products? Content? Nav? How did that content get populated in the first place? Was it manually via phpmyadmin or an excel sheet?

Was is the cms supposed to control? All the pages and content or just products and pricing?

There are a lot of variables. You could go with a basic cms built strictly for the site or go with a script like joomla (crappy), wordpress (n00by), drupal (advanced) or more of a cart script like those mentioned already. All of which might be overkill

Can you please post your site and I can take a look at it. If the design is to stay the same and you just want a cms to interact with the current database I can create a custom cms for his site at a reasonable price that let's him manage exactly what he needs to and isn't polluted with a bunch of other things that he will never need or would be too confusing. Feel free to send me a pm if you are interested in learning more

whatever way you go with you want to remember that it has to be fool proof and easy enough for even someone who is computer illiterate. I can provide that solution at a fair price.

[a53mp]

And I have to mention that if your friend wants to keep his current layout/design and goes with joomla/wordpress or any other solution he WILL need to know HTML and php to integrate the script into the layout or hire someone

[crossland]

Earlier on this year, I had a similar experience. To start with, I set up Joomla (which I am a big fan of) and it was too complex for my client to get to grips with. After a while, I replaced it with CMS Made Simple, another open source CMS and they were able to use it to build a large amount of content. Have a look at CMS Made Simple, it is free and a lot simpler to use (although it doesn't have the range of options that Joomla can give you).

Tim<please use the signature file>

[computergenius]

I have set loads of Wordpress sites up, users find it very easy to use, and it can be done inside an hour - and I do them all on Hostgator.

Is it furniture, or did you just say "it might be"

Not everything sells well direct from the pages, so a contact form might be all that was required.