Content Management
Visual Appeal vs. Handcuffing the internet.
Alternatively, "The rant that turned into some useful things to think about for your next website project".
As a software professional, I get asked a lot to help people out with their internet pages. Not a problem for me as most of us techies understand the basics of Html to be able to provide some support. Unnervingly, what I'm noticing more and more is tools like these content management systems, web pages builders give you great visual sites but then restrict what you can do outside of that platform to enhance them, and even then it's not free or necessarily cheap.
If that's the way the internet and website building is going, then please stop reading now and find something else do with your day.
These systems are both a blessing and a curse I feel. You can save yourself the costs (sometimes very expensive) of a graphic designer and a web developer and do it yourself. But I have seen some pretty awful websites clearly done without the considerations most web developers and designers think of as the basics. Things like functionality, usability, readability and responsiveness I could go on. I've also experienced some of the worst user interfaces and experiences I have ever come across in trying to use these tools. It seems to me (and I could be wrong) that there is more emphasis on the way a site looks rather than how it works. The laughable thing is those same websites offer development professionals as an extra service, I've heard some eye-watering rates getting mentioned. So don't employ a web professional and do it yourself, oh and we have web professionals for you to hire when you get stuck.
For me when I visit a website I want some information and I want it quickly. Personally I am not impressed by swanky graphics and animations, they're not a bad thing, they just add no value to me, especially if they slow me getting to the information I want or need, be it a product or service or just information. Those features are lost on me. If I visit a website that has swanky graphics and animations on the landing page, I don't go any further and that site has lost me forever. And to be fair unless you have daily doodles to keep my interest then after the first visit they're kind of pointless.
Anyway getting back to what I wanted to write about and mentioning no names but I'm sure you can think of a few of those quality content systems yourself, they appear to me to restrict the basic functionality of the internet, to essentially tie you into a subscription for something feature that's essentially free or really simple or have I missed something. I mean we've all got to put food on the table right. I've looked at or been involved with a few of these and I'm not impressed, because I can do these things (as many of us techies can) with 100% access to all of the internet, HTML, CSS, java (other web technologies are available), I don't see these systems as something I would invest in nor recommend. (But hey, what do I know). Anyone that knows me, knows I have never been a fan of Content Management Systems because they make simple concepts complicated and something I can do in seconds.
To give a couple of examples. First I was asked to add some basic java functionality to a web page, something that would normally take me about 5 or less to do using javascript or JQuery and a smattering of Html. On this platform, it's impossible to do, they have managed to remove that capability entirely, something that is the very basics of a web a page.
Second example. While I'm no ISP, linking a domain name to some webspace, most of us would consider trivial. You buy the domain name, configure a few DNS settings, other than the propagation delay its a few minutes work. With this platform, you have to pay a subscription for the ability to do that and if that's all you need to do I don't consider it value for money. But I suppose the market is whatever it is.
Third example. I wanted to put a link on a page, to an email, you know the time-honoured <a href="mailto:"..., I couldn't do it, there was no feature or function to allow this. In the end, I had to hack the published Html to add it manually, and even then I had to wad through their generated Html to find the right place to add it. So I ask, what chance would someone have who doesn't know Html.
The point I want to make is that before you consider using these systems be clear about what you actually want to achieve. That's my favourite saying to which most people smirk, and then usually ends up with me avoiding the obvious opportunities to say "I told you so". I'm not always right I wish I was as I'd be doing the lottery rather than trying to give advice based on my experiences. I'm not an expert and font of all knowledge, but I've been at this long enough to have a pretty good idea about what's what.
If you want a great looking and informative website and user experience is low on your list and that all then jump right in. However, if you've seen that killer feature on a website elsewhere and you want to use that on your site, then be prepared for a potential disappointment. If you want to do that simple thing that would take a line or two of Html that you can find all over the internet then be prepared to be frustrated. Understand that free, isn't always free. You're probably going to have to pay the piper somewhere down the line and you need to be clear about that.
Take the time to understand what you want to do, the features and functionality you want on your site, and then ask questions. Lots and lots of questions. Unless you have a sizable budget (and let's be honest if you are using these sites you probably have little or no budget), take the time to find out for yourself. There are numerous forums and resources for free and paid professionals that aren't as expensive as you think, especially if you are very clear about what you want to do. Oh and don't blow all your money on design, make sure you divvy it up to include functionality. If someone is visiting your site they want something, they want some reason to engage with you further. That swanky front end can easily put people off your site and they most likely won't come back. Thanks to the likes of [insert favourite search engine here].
Oh and finally I read somewhere that over 50% (near 60%) of web traffic is viewed on a mobile device. So when you start your design musings, don't start with the desktop.
Be thankful I didn't rant, otherwise, this article would have been a lot, lot longer.