Building a Website Using a CMS in 90 Minutes

This is another in the "In Ninety Minutes" series, which offers the reader a comprehensive but easily readable and easily digestible text covering a specific topic in an hour and a half of study. There are many free Content Management Systems available. These 'websites in a box' allow complex site structures to be up and running in a matter of hours, using nothing but a web browser. In 90 minutes, readers will be able to identify the best CMS for their needs, locate a suitable hosting company, upload the code and configure it to match their design and functionality needs. Topics covered include the overview of CMS systems vs static HTML or 'home-grown' sites; evaluating CMS systems; choosing the right web space and server functionality; installing a CMS (focusing on the Mambo and Joomla! CMSs); building your content's structure; installing additional modules (including forums and ecommerce); modifying the look and feel of the site; optimising the CMS for search engines; modifing the back-end database using phpMyAdmin; and backing up the site.