Are you thinking about starting your own website for your personal interest? Whether you are looking at a topic related creative outlet or a site designed to promote a product or service, the first thing you should consider is the tools available to you.



How do you go about writing and publishing a webpage? You can use Microsoft Word, but while the capability is built into this popular software, there are limits. There are many other options to consider.

One option is buying a website creation software package. These programs do have a learning curve, but have the capacity to manage and publish your website, and offer many great features.

There is another direction you can take, and that is choosing a content management system. These systems are integrated web site design and pubishing programs that give your website a foundation. Themes and add on features are always available for these systems.

There are two very popular content management systems that are available as open source, meaning that the code is freely shared with other designers to create and promote community and free enterprise. Wordpress is a very well known name in content management system, as well as Joomla. Both take a little learning, but are worth the time spent.

Joomla is an content management system with many available features. A good start with Joomla is to visit their website. You can see what add on features are available, down load the base software as well as templates and plugins, and read the forums.

Wordpress is a very popular content management system. There are many plugins or add on features available as well. Themes can be downloaded at Wordpress, or found at many websites. You can use Wordpress on your own hosted site, and this program can be installed using Fantastico or following the simple installation guides.

If you want to have a community type setting you can always consider Wordpress MU. This software is a variation of the typical wordpress installation, but lets you run multiple sites with only one install. You can control the features available for each subdomain within the MU community.

Choosing a content management system will have a big impact on your website design and performance. Once you make your decision you will likely continue to find features and new developments that will prove that you made a wise decision.