Content Management Systems or "CMS" are important elements of our sites. A CMS allows our clients to update the content of their websites (text, photos, navigation, products, etc.) without knowledge of (X)HTML or other technical web skills. Editing a page is as easy as word processing -- which puts control into the hands of the site owner and eliminates fees for updates and edits.
If you have ever maintained a static (simple HTML only) website, you know what a hassle it can be. Editing and uploading HTML files, manually fixing broken links and learning the ins-and-outs of HTML and HTML editors can be challenging and intimidating tasks for even the most savvy of site owners. Static sites are also time-consuming to re-design, making it difficult and expensive to keep up-to-date. A well-implemented CMS solves these challenges.
Gorton Studios usually recommends one of two content management systems depending on the needs of the project. The open source Drupal CMS is a powerful full featured package that can be extended to meet most requirements, while the Kachunker—developed in-house by Gorton Studios for PBS projects—combines the power of a CMS with the simplicity and portability of a static HTML website for situations where dynamic server-side code is not an option.