Q: Can anyone recommend a good, flexible CMS platform for an industry-specific news site? Currently using Drupal but considering a re-design and wondering if there’s anything better suited for the job. Social integration is a must.
A: Gotta go with WordPress. I use MS Sharepoint, Joomla! and Drupal on various web site projects, but love how easy to use and straightforward WordPress is. Which CMS you choose really depends more on how much news content you need to manage, archive, etc. If you have a “deep” site however, (4-5 pages deep across 10+ categories), with downloadable content (pdfs, forms, etc) it may be good to use a more robust system, like Joomla! (Think of any municipal website –here are two I work on public school or town websites — and you’ll get an idea of instances where a LOT of static content and fluid content needs to be managed hierarchically).
Technical Mastery
I do think the Joomla! and Drupals out there have gotten a bad rap, only because there is a bit of a steeper learning curve to master using them than for WordPress. Document management, FTP, servers… you need to learn it all and it’s a headache if you’re not willing to dive in and occasionally fudge things up a bit while you learn, so yes, Joomla! is more “technical” in that you need to learn how to use it, but it allows very easily organized and managed content and amazing customization.
Web Management
Would you have a webmaster or self-manage or have multiple site contributors/editors? If the later, WordPress may be the safer choice. One final note: There are a lot of free WordPress themes out there, but it’s worth it to pay for one that has been customized exactly to your specifications/integrated with social media features, like “like” or “tweet” buttons.
I hope I’ve helped! Good luck!
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