I can’t tell you how many times I see this statement: “WordPress as CMS.” Somehow that statement has gained widespread acceptance. Unfortunately for those who use it, it doesn’t make sense.
The definition of a Content Management System (CMS) at Webopedia.com:
Abbreviated as CMS, a content management system, also called a Web management system is software or a group or suite of applications and tools that enable an organization to seamlessly create, edit, review and publish electronic text. Many content management systems offer a Web-based GUI, enabling publishers to access the CMS online using only a Web browser. Also, a CMS designed for Web publishing will provide options and features to index and search documents and also specify keywords and other metadata for search engine crawlers.
You may have noticed that the keys to a web site CMS are: 1) It’s software; 2) It manages content; 3) It has a user interface to manage the web site and content. These are the key elements of a web site CMS. WordPress is software. It manages your web site content. It has a user interface. Therefore it’s a CMS. It always has been a CMS!
Why do people use the incorrect statement, WordPress as CMS? I believe it’s being used incorrectly because WordPress was originally designed as a blogging tool. Bloggers create what are called posts rather than individual pages. Posts are the writings of the blogger. They are typically short (a few paragraphs) but may be longer. Posts are organized by categories which provide a mechanism to group related posts. A blogger typically updates their site on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. The most recent posts are typically displayed on the home page. WordPress always had the ability to create pages but posts were emphasized for blogging. In the past, most WordPress users were bloggers who wrote posts.
Blogging is different from business web sites only in the way content is organized. Bloggers use posts and business sites typically use pages. The information on business pages tends to be a bit more static than blog posts. But there’s not a whole lot of difference.
In the past few years, people have begun recognizing how powerful WordPress has become. It’s being used more and more for web sites displaying only pages or mostly pages with a blog. Somewhere, somebody said, “Hey, this is like using WordPress as a CMS!” Ouch! They may have thought they discovered something new about WordPress. In reality they discovered nothing new.
To say you will use WordPress as a CMS is wrong because that implies a new use. It would be better to say you will be using WordPress for a page-based web site. WordPress is a CMS and it always has been one.
Tags: CMS, Content Management System, web site help, WordPress help
