A content management system (CMS) is computer software used to create, edit, manage, and publish content in a consistently organized fashion.[1] CMSs are frequently used for storing, controlling, versioning, and publishing industry-specific documentation such as news articles, operators' manuals, technical manuals, sales guides, and marketing brochures. CMS tools have the ability to efficiently publish all forms of content to their respective online locations without involving technical resources. CMS is becoming increasingly relevant to both large and small businesses as content continues to grow exponentially and search engines struggle to spider that content online. [2] The content managed may include computer files, image media, audio files, electronic documents, and Web content.
A CMS may support the following features:
identification of all key users and their content management roles;
the ability to assign roles and responsibilities to different content categories or types;
definition of workflow tasks for collaborative creation, often coupled with event messaging so that content managers are alerted to changes in content (For example, a content creator submits a story, which is published only after the copy editor revises it and the editor-in-chief approves it.);
the ability to track and manage multiple versions of a single instance of content;
the ability to publish the content to a repository to support access to the content (Increasingly, the repository is an inherent part of the system, and incorporates enterprise search and retrieval.);separation of content's semantic layer from its layout (For example, the CMS may automatically set the color, fonts, or emphasis of text.).
Some of the Major players in WCMS are listed below with the features they have.One have to choose based on their requirements. I feel small and medium business have lot of choice but need to be careful.Webcontentor is an upcoming WCMS and have good features. I feel Price they offer is very competitive and their service is fair enough i think so.....
Web based Content Management System
1. Yahoo
Design options
Support for third-party tools like FrontPage 2000/2002 and Dreamweaver
PHP version 4.3.11 and support for PHP functions
Perl version 5.8.7 and support for the standard library plus 12 additional modules
MySQL 4.1, with unlimited databases
Support for most FTP accounts
Support for Flash, Shockwave, videos, and more
Blogging options include WordPress and Movable Type
Web site enhancements, like guestbooks, PayPal payment, Yahoo! Maps, site search, phpBB bulletin boards, and PHP-Nuke content management
Free, automatic submission of your site to Yahoo Search and Google
Shopping Cart and Checkout
Single or multi-page checkout
Customizable page layout
Set up custom fields for order info
Automatically calculate tax and shipping
Progress indicator to orient customers
Gift wrapping options
Support for downloadable products
Shopping cart contents saved for up to 2 weeks
Support for CSS for a custom design
Marketing
Search engine-friendly pages
Automatic submission to Yahoo!
Automatic submission to Google
$100 credit with Yahoo! Search Marketing**
Free Yahoo! Local listing
$50 credit for Google AdWords
20% off Yahoo! Shopping default minimum bids in all categories
Free trial on Shopping.com-$50 value
$50 free traffic from Shopzilla
1 month trial with Campaigner by Got (email marketing)
Application Integration
Export transaction information to QuickBooks
Order Motion
UPS Online Tools
Chase Payment
2. joomla
Features:
• Advanced link plugin
• Template Manager plugin
• Scripts Elements Extension
• Media Manager plugin
• Image Manager plugin
• IFrame plugin
• File Manager plugin
3.Webcontentor
• ASP application
• Custom ASP application development
• E-commerce programming
• Intranets and extranets solutions
• A secure intranet and extranet application
• Rich internet application development
• E-commerce RIA development
• Scrolling text
• Dynamic menu
• Blog
• Newsletter
• Forms
• User management
• Directory services
• Advertising module
• E mailers
• Web statistics
4. paperthin
Framework
1 Complete Web Publishing Framework.
2 Browser-Based Application.
3 XML Capabilities.
4 Templates.
5 Elements.
6 Custom Elements - Content Reuse.
7 Cascading Style Sheets Support.
8 Container Element
Authoring and Publishing Content
1 WYSIWYG Rich Text Editing
2 Innovative Authoring Interface
3 Context-Sensitive Help
Content Reuse - Custom Elements
1 Browser-based Image Editing.
2 Document Management
3 Preview Mode
4 Content Collaboration - Collaborative Authoring
Managing Content
1 Content Freshness Reminders & Content Expiration
2 My Pages
3 Link Management
4 Addressable URLs
5 Register External Pages
Workflow and Approval Processes
1 Approval and Workflow
2 Visual Difference
3 Pending Actions
4 E-mail Review and Notifications
Advanced Features
1 RSS, Atom & Podcasting Feeds.
2 Blogs, Wikis and Calendars
3 508 Accessibility Compliance
4 Simple Forms & Datasheets
5 Query By Example Element
6 Multi-Language Support/Content Localization
Personalized and Dynamic Content
1 Dynamic Self-Updating Indexes & Navigation
2 Content Personalization
3 Import/Export Module
4 Extensive Metadata Support
5 Taxonomy Management
6 Taxonomy Term Editor
7 Taxonomy API.
8 Facet-Based Navigation
9 Access Based Roles & Privileges
10 Distributed Administration and Security
11 User Authentication
Architecture
1 Database Managed Content.
2 CommonSpot Pages.
3 Sites and Subsites.
4 Dynamic Browser-Based Authoring.
Enterprise-Level Features
1 Advanced Cache Management
2 Static Site Generation
3 Verity Full Text Search
4 Content Replication
5 Cluster Support for Load Balancing
6 Transaction Logging/Audit Trails
Integration and Customization
1 Custom Application Development Framework
Knowledge Sharing and Discovery
1 Knowledge Tools
5. 352media
Web Development
Web Design
E-Commerce
Content Management
Custom Programming
Flash Design
Information Architecture
Web application
ASP.NET Applications
Intranets and Extranets
Rich Internet Applications
CD AND DVD PRODUCTION
CD Production
DVD Production
CD + DVD Replication
Business Card CD Design
Motion graphics
Flash Design
Tradeshow Presentations
Web Video Hosts
Video Effects and Integration
Digital Signage
3D Graphics
Silverlight Development
More services
Web Marketing
User Interface Design
Web Strategy Consulting
Printed Materials
6. vasont
• Custom Web Application Development:
• Security and Protection
• Built-In Development Technology
• Versioning
• Workflow
• Document Management
• Digital Asset Management
• Multi-Channel Delivery
• Vasont Universal Integrator
• Exclusive Processing Options
• Advanced Link Management
• Multilingual Translation Management
• Unique Data Storage Model
• True Single-Sourcing
7. Crown peak
CMS
1 Complete Web Site Management
2 Online Marketing Solutions
3 Intranets as a Software Service
4 On-Demand services for your business
Hosting
1 24-7-365 Support
2 Secure, managed hosting packages
3 Options for every budget range
Search
1 guided navigation
2 E I commerce
Exact target email
1 Manage Your Email From Within The CMS
2 Manage Subscription Forms From Within The CMS
Web trend analytics
360° Degree Visibility on Site User Behavior
Market Leading Analytics Software
