Orange Coast Virtual - Websites for the web challenged

The Evolving Web Environment

Websites and the Internet have evolved over the last 15 years with the proliferation of social networking and more user-friendly websites. Along with this evolution has come a change in the way websites are implemented and maintained. It is no longer necessary to have knowledge of HTML programming or hiring a webmaster to change the information on your website. You can add your own text and images as well as reorganize the site's information and even the appearance.

Content Management Systems (CMS) are at the forefront of this evolution. The administrative control panel in these programs allows the site owner to make changes to almost all content in the site. Mastering the administrative control panel is similar to learning a word processing or spreadsheet program.

For most people the beginning steps to acquiring and installing the site initially are the difficult parts. Most people are not inclined to learn the technical aspects of installing and maintaining a website on a server. Websites are sometimes static with their content remaining the same except for infrequent updates or additions. Other sites are dynamic and may change daily or even by the minute such as with forums and blogs.

A practical solution to obtaining a functional website is to get a CMS package with software, installation, and hosting all combined. Once installed, you are able to add content and perform site maintenance as easily as using a word processor. Using a template for the framework cuts design costs by 80 %. Design elements are changed to meet the requirements of the site and the images and text can then be installed.