Due to the technology currently available, the publishing of a website can be completed in only three steps. These include:

• Create the website
• Find a hosting plan
• Upload the site

Depending on your skill level, a website can be created manually utilizing Dreamweaver or notepad. On the other hand, sites can be almost automatically created with numerous open source programs. The second method is the easiest and requires the least amount of programming.

One of the most popular methods of website creation is WordPress, a content management system. It was originally created to help create blogs, but this has been extended to any type of website including stores. There are thousands of user-created themes for your website. Additionally, plugins, widgets and other tools are available to the user for different tasks, most are free.

Another helpful content management system is Joomla which creates the site and manages the content. To use Joomla simply install it properly and that’s it! There are tools for site creation if you have the need.

Once the website is created, its time to find a hosting plan that fits your needs. Generally you don’t want to use a free service since the quality is usually not up to par. Since most web hosting companies are charging beans for service, it’s almost free. The most important aspects of choosing a web hosting provider are scalability, storage, bandwidth, CPU and cost.

Once you’ve found a web hosting provider, its time to upload the site. Find a free FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program and connect to your site through the IP address. Simply drag the files from your computer to their server and that’s basically it. Many web hosting providers can automatically install CMS’s like WordPress.

Creating a website has come a long way in a short amount of time. There is so much software available to create a website without any programming knowledge needed. With the addition of freeware and open source software, it’s also extremely inexpensive. As technology continues, this task will become even easier and almost everyone will have a website.

Performance

Most of the problems associated with web hosting stem from high traffic and memory consuming applications. Eventually these problems slow down servers and cause downtime for websites. Hosting Controller provides  a software based load balancer that guarantees optimal performance for your website and server.  This load balancer has the ability to optimize the use of your server space and capabilities.

Simple Installations

Even though most web hosting services offer support for many third-party applications, the installation process involved with these applications can be difficult at times. With the integrated installation utility, Hosting Controller makes the process of installing new applications quick and simple. Some of the more notable softwares that are automatically included with Hosting Controller are: phpBB, WordPress, osCommerce, Gallery, Post Nuke, Web Calender, Joomla and Mambo.

Cluster Management

Maintaining multiple servers can be a complex process that is very time consuming. Improper server management due to an incapable control panel can result in server downtime that can directly affect your online business. Hosting controller let’s you manage multiple servers from a single effective administrative interface. Therefore you no longer have to log into each servers administration module separately, which in itself can take up a lot of precious time. In fact, Hosting Controller was specifically designed for clustered hosting.

Compatibility

Unlike most control panels, Hosting Controller is compatible with both the Windows and Linux operating systems. Although it is compatible with both of these operating systems, it is important to note that the master server must run on the Windows operating system. Hosting controller also has the capability to work seamlessly with both IIS and Apache servers simultaneously within a singular interface.

Even the above features do not begin to describe the efficacy of Hosting Controller. In fact, this software is one of the few notable administrative alternatives to Plesk and cPanel.

A content management system (CMS) is a system that manages the content of a website. The software organizes and aides the creation of documents and other forms of media. A content management system is most often a web application that manages the sites and created content. Most websites would not exist if not for the availability of content management systems.

Most Popular CMS Examples

There are hundreds if not thousands of content management systems available on the web. Since it’s too difficult to collect all of them, the most popular content management systems include:

• WordPress
• DotNetNuke
• Joomla
• Freestyler
• Drupal
• Metadot
• PHP-Nuke
• RedDot
• Mambo
• Ez Publish

The main appeal of utilizing a content management system is the ability to update the content on a website with little hassle. This is extremely attractive to those with little technical knowledge as they can maintain their website without needing to know any advanced techniques.

There are many reasons website owners want to update their content depending on the type of site. Some of these reasons include; updating news and events, displaying the latest products and services, updating contact information, creating case studies, formulating articles and showcasing clients.

Content management systems can be used in many ways such as a product catalog, for document tracking, as a corporate intranet site, for job postings, for e-commerce applications, and as real estate portals. The diversity of uses of a CMS is limitless allowing for flexibility and growth.

The best features of a content management system include the easy handling of multiple users according to their roles such as an administration role, editor role and viewer role. Also, continent management systems allow for an easy update of website content through backend forms.

Content management systems are the most viable option available for the organization and updating of content, handling of users as well as the diversity of uses and number of systems. For web newcomers and veterans alike, content management systems can improve business, organization and overall online presence.

1. Drupal: One of the most popular and powerful content management systems available. Many believe Drupal is the best.

2. WordPress: While this CMS was originally made for blog publishing, it has quickly become a one of the most popular CMSs on the planet.

3. Joomla: Considered to be in the top three of any CMS list, by any CMS user. Joomla has been used to build many corporate and professional websites, such as the United Nations page.

4. b2Evolution: A fully functional weblog creation utility/CMS that provides support for several categories/sub-categories, skins, multiple blogs, comments, statistics, photo management, and anti-spam filters.

5. Movable Type: Similar to WordPress, Movable Type is also a very capable blog creation utility which is commonly used for creating dynamic sites.

6.Alfresco: A very capable professional CMS providing a variety of document management features.

7. Xoops: This expandable object-oriented CMS is extremely simple to use, and is very popular amongst PHP coders.

8. e107: Another popular PHP-based CMS specifically designed simple and fast creation of community portals and professional sites.

9. DotCMS: A Java wCMS (Web Content Management System) with included events management e-communications,  and personalization/CRM tools, an AJAX calendar, eCommerce hooks and much more.

10. ImpressCMS: An open source CMS designed for efficient site building and maintenance. This CMS is supposed to be an excellent solution for business users who are building a business oriented community website.

11. Exponent: A competent CMS that lets webmaster conveniently create and maintain dynamic sites   with absolutely zero coding experience.

12. KnowledgeTree Document Management System: A comprehensive document management system specifically designed for business collaboration and easy document storage and organization.

13. Liferay: This CMS provides an enterprise portal solution using Web 2.0 and Java technologies.

14. Pivot: A CMS utility designed for the management of dynamic websites, blogs and online journals. Includes a variety of post organization features.

15. Magnolia: Commonly used by Government websites, this CMS provides a user-friendly editing interface that lets authors preview content exactly as it would be seen by the website visitor. This CMS has the top of the line (best-breed) JAVA technology.

Conclusion

The above list is by no means a comprehensive one, however. There are many more open source CMS available, and the only way to make a fully informed decision would be to review every CMS you can find. If you;re not willing to do so, then the above list will help you decide which CMS is right for you based on the key features of each CMS listed.

The beauty of Drupal is that the design of your entire site can be controlled within one central database. Although the process is fairly simple, to fully take advantage of Drupal’s design features, there are a few things you should know.

Choosing Your Theme

Obviously the first thing you’ll want to do is select several themes that would fit your website. You can find themes in many places on the internet, such as third party websites. Simply do a web search for website design templates and themes, and you will find a huge selection to choose from.  While selecting the themes it is important to note whether or not the theme is supported by the version of Drupal you’re using. If you’re having trouble finding a theme that suits your needs, then you may want to hire a web designer to assist you in creating a custom made template.

You can find web designers that are willing to work for a relatively low price on many of the freelancing sites and forums online. Make sure you only work with reputable freelancers, as this presents the least amount of risk possible. You’ll also want to hire someone that is familiar with Drupal’s compatibility, and you’ll need to make sure they are wiling to make revisions if you are not satisfied with the template. Designing a website has to be a collaborative process that involves team work and trial and error. Make sure you theme matches the goals of your website as well. For example, you wouldn’t a soccer theme on a site about American football.  Once you’ve selected your theme, it is time to install it.

Installing Your Theme

Now that you have the theme of your dreams, it’s time to get it up and running on the world wide web. The first thing you’ll need to do is go through any README files or other support documentation that was included with your theme, as they may contain important information regarding the correct installation of your theme.  Once you’ve become familiar with the installation process, you can upload the them to the correct location. Usually this location will be: /sites/all/themes/yourThemeName. (Note that your user name and hard drive precedes the previous file path.)

Now you’ll need to log into your site as an administrator to finish the process. You can access your site’s administrative interface by typing: “thenameofyoursite.com/admin”: in the URL address bar in your browser. Once you’re in the in the administrative interface, locate the Site Building area, and the click on Themes. You should see the theme you uploaded on the list. To set the theme as your default theme, simply check the appropriate boxes. You can make this theme your default theme by checking the radio box. Once you’ve finished clock on Save Configuration to finalize the process.