How to Evaluate a CMS — Writing Interface
If you’re considering a particular Content Management System (CMS) for your own website, determine if it provides a writing interface you like.
You get a website so you can publish your words.
You need a writing interface that works for the way you write.
There are three major writing interfaces:
Writing interface 1. WYSIWYG
WYSIWYG stands for “What You See Is What You Get.”
It means as you type, it looks like the final product.
Most people prefer a WYSIWYG writing interface.
If you use Microsoft Word, you are familar with a WYSIWYG interface.
You write your words, and you can style them.
If you prefer to write in a WYSIWYG interface, evaluate whether a particular Content Management System (CMS) supports that. Not all do.
Writing interface 2. Markdown
This is a simplified way of writing stylized content.
Markdown was founded by John Gruber in 2002.
Since then, it has become very popular. Many journalists and bloggers write in Markdown.
Wikipedia uses Markdown.
I myself prefer writing in Markdown.
If you want to use Markdown, by all means get a CMS that supports it.
But not all CMSs support Markdown.
Here is John Gruber’s summary of Markdown.
If you prefer to write in Markdown, evaluate whether a particular Content Management System (CMS) supports that. Not all do.
Writing interface 3. HTML
Beneath the surface, all web content is written in HTML.
However, most people don’t know that. They write in a normal way. And behind the scenes, their CMS turns it into HTML for them.
So most people are not fluent in HTML.
To be sure, writing in HTML takes longer. And it is much more tedious. And if you don’t already know how to write in HTML, you will have to learn it.
Here’s a sample of raw HTML content:
<style type="text/css">
.tab { margin-left: 40px; }
</style>
<p>This is a paragraph.</p>
<ul>
<li>Bullet 1</li>
<li>Bullet 2</li>
</ul>
<div class="margin-left">
<p>This is an indented paragraph.</p>
</div>
If you prefer to write in HTML, evaluate whether a particular Content Management System (CMS) fully supports that. Not all do.
And of those that do support writing in HTML, some provide for it only partially.
Originally published on December 25, 2018
Last updated on July 12, 2023
TOPICS: CMS, Website,