But as the expression goes, “with great power comes great responsibility.”

A typical mistake we see is that site administrators upload very large images to these content management tools and then use the tools to “resize” the image. However, content management systems often leave the image the original size and compress the image to fit the space you have “resized” it to, in the same way one might use a shoehorn to make a shoe fit that doesn’t. When this occurs, the image can appear distorted and can take a long time to load.

Luckily, there is an easy way to fix this: resize the images before you upload them. On Windows XP, download and install the XP Image Resizer Powertoy (by Microsoft). On Windows Vista or Windows 7, download the Image Resizer (a clone of the XP version that other developers made). These tools will let you resize the image by right mouse clicking on it. You can even select multiple images and right mouse click to change many at once.

Either tool will help you resize your image. Remember to always downsize your images before uploading them to your Web site.

Open source software is software that grants users access to its source code (think of source code as the building block for the software’s functionality). Open source software licenses grant rights to users that would ordinarily be protected under copyright law. This permission allows users to modify and customize the software for their own needs, and even redistribute it in its original or modified form. Another benefit of open source software is that it is usually free. Though, it is important to keep in mind that most business owners won’t be modifying the source code of the software or programming their own changes.

Why would you want to use open source software for your CMS? (Did we mention that it’s usually free?) Seriously, though, the biggest benefits to open source software are time and money, as you are neither starting from scratch nor spending a fortune for software that may need modification anyway. The trick is finding the product that adequately meets your needs.

Drupal is one of the most commonly used open source content management systems. The software contains the basic features common to most content management systems. It consists of many modules, allowing users to pick and choose which modules best suit their needs. It is designed to allow third parties to add new features and custom behavior. It is good for blogs and discussion boards, newsletter postings, podcasting, and picture galleries. It also creates search-engine friendly URL addresses, something that other options don’t have. It’s excellent for non-profit organizations and companies looking to build an interactive community with their Web site, though it has a higher learning curve than some of the other CMS options.

Joomla! is the other most commonly used open source CMS for publishing content on intranets and internet. Like Drupal, it is written for the PHP platform; it also uses the MySQL database to store information. Unlike other CMS systems, however, it does not support more than one Web site. It is well-suited for small business Web sites with its easy-to-use e-commerce module, which includes tax and currency options. Its core software includes news articles, polls, blogs, calendars, search, and RSS feeds. Non-techies will find Joomla! easy to use.

DotNetNuke is slightly less well-known than Drupal or Joomla! It is written for the ASP platform, and uses skins and modules to manage intranet, extranet and Web sites. Skins change the look and feel of the software application, but not its functionality. It works well for moderately sized e-commerce sites, supporting banner ads and referral programs. You may need to factor in the cost of licensing and purchasing Microsoft’s SQL server if you’re storing any information, and DotNetNuke runs only on a Windows platform which may also cost more money at your hosting company.

Plone is less well-known than the Big 3, and less-used. Written in Python, and supported by the Zope Management Interface, it may require steep learning curve. Its strong emphasis on standards compliance means that once you learn it, online support and add-ons are a breeze to implement. Plone is a modular, template-based system requires that your company has its own dedicated server rather than a hosting company. Content management is made easier by the fact that you can make changes from any computer, using your internet browser. It’s also easier to control who can edit which sections of your Web site than with other CMS systems. Plone is best for larger companies with dynamic content. If you what you have is a simple brochure Web site, Plone is simply too much.

Probably even less well-known than the four options previously discussed is Alfresco. It combines document and records management with Web site management in one easy package. The enterprise content management system features a shared-drive interface and is easy to use, integrating well with the Windows desktop. It’s also probably best used by larger companies, or companies who have a need for strong and integrated content management.

Even with our discussion this month about various open source CMS, we realize that it can still be daunting trying to choose which one best fits your business. That’s why we’re here to help! Contact Curvine today; we’ll help you choose the best system that meets your needs.