So, what is a content management system anyway?  Well, in the old days, we hand-coded our web pages from scratch.  But, over time, as our number of pages grew, it became increasingly unmanageable … especially when you need to make a global change to all pages.  Certainly, methods like server side includes (SSI) helps with those global header and footer changes, but what we really needed was a way to dynamically deliver content from a database management system (DBMS) and allow multiple authors to contribute content to the website.  This is what a CMS does.

A good CMS will have the following features:

• Ability to assign user roles and privileges for:
  • Author/contributors
  • Editor/publishers
  • Administrator
• Provide a WYSIWYG editing interface for nontechnical writers
• Provide robust search and find features to discover content
• Search engine optimized out-of-the-box
• Remote/decentralized management of content
• Template based, dynamic, database driven delivery

Certainly, you can custom build a content management system.  Or, you can buy one off-the-shelf.  We call that a commercially availabile off-the-shelf product (COTS).  Don’t ask me why we don’t call it CAOTS.  Maybe COTS actually stands for, “commercial off-the-shelf.”  Anyway, COTS CMS products are plentiful.

Typically, you need to determine if you want to pay for it (proprietary) or if you want it free (open source software).  Personally, I like it free.   But, you can pay for it if you like.

Open Source Software CMS products include:

• Joomla
• Drupal
• Mambo
• WordPress

Proprietary CMS products include:

• RedDot
• Ellington
• TypePad
• MovableType

Custom CMS developers include:

• inQbation

Of course, we also deploy plenty of COTS CMS products as well.

When Los Angeles accent reduction coach, Kelly Reiter, of Reel English Coach came to us needing a new website design rocked out over a period of 2 weeks, we knew that we had to use rapid application development tools.  Our tool of choice was WordPress.  The beauty of using WordPress as a content management system is that it is extraordinarily easy to use.  WordPress has a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing window that is as easy to use as writing an e-mail.  Within minutes, Kelly can create news or update her web pages.

Typically, we start all WordPress template designs from scratch, like a clean canvas.  We ask our client to invest time completing a comprehensive web design questionnaire.  With that, we can go to work creating web design concepts.  Pick your favorite design, borrow elements from the others, and iterate 3 times until we nail it.  Once approved, we create custom WordPress templates from the winning design.

Typically, it takes about 3 days to nail a design and 4 days to implement it in WordPress.  That is 7 days creative labor at $40/hour =  $2,240 from start to finish … building a WordPress template from scratch.

The other cool thing about working with WordPress is the hundreds of WordPress plugins already developed.   There are photo galleries, search engine optimization (SEO) tools, embedded video players, e-commerce, polls, statistics, etc.  Almost any kind of functionality that most websites need are already developed in the way of a WordPress plugin.

So, if you need a website fast, search engine optimized (SEO) out-of-the-box, an extraordinarily easy content management system (CMS), and at a price you can well afford, call the WordPress experts at inQbation.

Serving the Washington DC Metro Area

Photo: Blake, founder of inQbation™ (DC Web Designer)

A Washingtonian native, Blake Newman, founder of inQbation™, brings a fresh and exciting perspective to the Washington DC web design space. His team of passionate and talented web designers bring an incredible combination of skills including:

• Brilliant designs
• Search engine optimized websites – out of the box
• Incredibly easy content management system (CMS)
• HTML validated code
• Websites delivered in weeks, not months

If you are looking for a phenomenal Washington DC web designer, stop looking.  We are here!

Adobe’s Flash and Apple’s iPhone may not play together, but WordPress and the iPhone do.

July 24, 2008, San Francisco, WordPress introduces the first Open Source app that lets you write posts, upload photos, and edit your WordPress blog from your iPhone or iPod Touch. With support for both WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress (2.5.1 or higher), users of all experience levels can get going in seconds.

WordPress is one of the most fantastic products available on the web.

•  For one thing, WordPress is free.
• Secondly, it’s a snap to get started – you can be up and running in less than half an hour.
• Third, it is search engine optimized out of the box.
• And fourth, you can assign separate user levels for authoring, editing, and publishing

WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

For those of you who have never seen the inside of WordPress, this brief user’s guide will take you through basis operating steps.  I am assuming that you already have WordPress installed on your site.  What you are reading now, by the way, was generated through my WordPress editing interface.

WordPress Dashboard

When you first sign into your WordPress admin page, you will notice a few things:

1. Top level navigation:
   1. You have the ability to write and manage pages and posts
   2. Moderate comments to you blog left by website visitors
   3. Manage your blogroll – a key SEO tool and strategy
   4. Change the presentation to a completely different look and feel
   5. Manage your plugins, which are mini applications
   6. Administer users and their relevant privileges: author, editor, publish
2. Dashboard snapshot of latest activity, posts, stats
3. Quick links to write a post, update profile, change blog theme

The beauty of WordPress is in its simplicity.  Both my 10 year old daughter  and my 80 year old grandmother could figure this thing out.  In fact, I don’t know why I’m even writing a WordPress user’s guide, it’s that simple.

WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS)

Things to note on the WordPress editing interface:

1. You can manage either your blog or your website with WordPress.  When you “Write Post”, you are making a blog entry.  When you “Write Page“, you are managing your website.   The primary difference is that with your website, you typically have permanent pages, that are prominantly accessible in a primary navigational section, and the page names are static, they do not get dynamically generated.
2. If you or one of your contributing authors have started a page but it has not been published, then it is very easy to see at the top of the page under a section called, “Your Drafts“.  Sometimes, especially in a busy news room type website, it is easy to accidentally forget to publish a news release.  This section makes it obvious.
3. The title section is extremely important for a couple reasons.  First, search engines like Google and Yahoo both look very closely at the blog title to figure out what the rest of the blog is about and whether it is relevant to a surfer’s search query. Second, you need to write headlines using keywords that both grab your website visitor’s attention AND would include the types of keywords that they would put into Google when they are looking for sites like yours. So, pay particular attention to your blog post title.
4. There are two types of editing windows: 1) a Visual interface, and 2) a Code interface.  The visual window is what we call WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get.  You don’t need to have any technical or HTML skills in order to use this visual interface.  It’s as easy as writing an e-mail.  The code interface is for people who have at least basic HTML skills.  Usually, the only reason I go into the code section is when I want to deliberately create a header tag or perhaps change the border size on an image to zero.  Then, I toggle back to the visual interface.
5. You have all of the normal font treatment and format tools like Bold, Italics, Strikethrough, bullet lists, numbered lists, indents and blockquotes, justification (left, right, center), links, insert image/photo, and the ability to split a long post with a More >>> tag.
6. The final element to the extraordinarily simple and easy WordPress editing inteface is the ability to categorize your posts.  Categorizing is important for a couple reasons: 1) It helps with your search engine optimization, especially if your categories contain the keywords that your website visitors would most likely Google to find you.  2) As your blog and website grow into hundreds of posts, it helps people find  specific and browse relevant articles more quickly and efficiently.

Well, that’s all for now.  Tune in later for more WordPress tips and templates by inQbation, Washington DC web designer and Los Angeles web designer.

In the old days, if you wanted to start up a business the first think you did was to print up a business card.  Business cards were expected.  If you meet somebody and end up talking about your business then, inevitably, they will ask you for your card.  If you do not have a business card you come across as ill prepared.

Nowadays, it goes one step further.  In fact, before you even get that business card printed up you’ve got to do one thing first: get a website.

For one thing, when you do get your business cards printed up, you need to know the name of your website to print on your card.  So, obviously, you need to at least know the name of your URL or domain before you go into that print shop.  Thinking one step ahead, you’d better get that website up and running before you hand out that first business card or you will either have to explain why it’s “under construction” or take the risk of disappointing the website visitor when they try to open up your website and get that Error 404: Page not found.

Secondly, if you are in conversation with somebody by telephone or e-mail or instant message, you can’t exactly hand over your business card.  BUT, you can send over the link to your website.  Not only that, if you have a URL or domain name that is easy to say, easy to remember, and easy to spell, then you can just verbally pass that on at a cocktail party or meeting if, gawd forbid, you do not have a business card.

Pop Quiz!

What comes first, the chicken or the egg, the website or the business card? Right, the website.  So, pick up the phone and give us a call to discuss your website needs.

Online marketing through social bookmarking

• Digg
• del.iciol.us
• Technorati
• StumbledUpon

Have you noticed these things throughout the Internet, especially on blogs?  What are they used for?  What do they do?  Why do we have them?  WTF?

Social bookmarking websites accomplish a number of things, namely:

• They allow you to  bookmark your favorites on a central website that if you frequently or periodically change computers, you always have your growing list of favorite websites.  No more will you lose your bookmarks just because you changed laptops or upgraded your internet browser.
• They allow people to actually comment on their favorite sites
• Just like American Idol, they allow people to vote on their favorite sites and help socially promote, through a sort of online viral marketing, worthwhile web sites.
• They help build in-bound links, which are particularly important for search engine optimization (SEO).

What is Digg and Diggit?

Well, it’s not dumb and dumber.  The Digg man, Digg guy, or Digg icon, is a well-known brand representing www.Digg.com.  You know your pages are popular when a bunch of people Digg your site.  You can even place a Digg badge on the page to show how many times people dug it.

Because Digg is all about sharing and discovery, there’s a conversation that happens around the content. Digg promotes that conversation and provide tools for the community to discuss the topics that they’re passionate about.

Visit inQbation’s Digg profile

If you are a screenwriter and want to get your screenplay made into a movie, your first source should be www.PitchQ.com. PitchQ.com is basically an online screenwriter’s agent that will help you make your dream and vision into reality.

We are so passionate and enthusastic about PitchQ, that we are assisting and monitoring their online marketing and search engine optimization efforts.  If you want to help PitchQ help other screenwriters get their screenplays made into movies, please help us by linking from your blog or website to PitchQ.com.  We need as many inbound links into PitchQ as possible.  Remember, PitchQ is your online screenwriter’s agent.

This is out status so far.  Last week, we earned an 11/100 on WebsiteGrader.com report.  This week, we scored 12/100.  Help us achieve 100/100.  See the Website Grader’s Report.

Call me crazy, but I knew this was a fake the first time I saw the photo of the Lost Amazon Tribe on Yahoo.  For one, the grass hut has a traditional A frame architectural and engineering design.  And second, there is a pile of Starbuck‘s cups behind the red man.  I thought the Blue Man Group had a great act, looks like the Lost Tribe of Brazil has a Red Man Group.

Yes, it is possible to own the first page of Google

As you should. For any solid reputation management program, it is important to have at least a dozen online presences including multiple:

• Websites
• Blogs
• Social Networking Profiles
• Online Press Releases
• Directory Listings
• Photos named after your company
• Videos named after your company

You need to focus your SEO efforts exclusively on your name and your brand.  This is, after all, BRAND MANAGEMENT.  Your ultimate goal is to own the entire first page of Google, when somebody Google‘s your company or your brand.