Sometimes we are asked to "Compare CMS and wiki", or asked for a "Blog and wiki comparison". Or, "Should we have a forum or blog?". Here is an appraisal of what each does, and how they work. You will be able to see from this which would be more appropriate for your own purposes.

All these applications are dynamic server-side programs, with a very few exceptions. That means they are software that is installed remotely on a server and that interacts with a website visitor's browser. They present content from a database on the webserver to those who request pages or other information - other media can be served, like images, video, music and so on.

Therefore, they are substantially different from the older style of website that consisted of pages on a server. These applications (or 'apps') have no existing pages, and serve content from a database, which is an information storage program that holds the text and publishing instructions. Some files exist in the usual directories (folders on the server), such as images - and the occasional static page such as an error page - but the majority of the content is supplied from a database. This applies to text, and to the publishing parameters; though if a substantial part of the site's content happened to be pictures or some other non-text media, then this material would come instead from the usual server folders. All text, and publishing / site management instructions, comes from the database - there are no pages on the server.


Database options
All of these apps therefore need a database. There are cut-down versions that do not need an SQL database, but instead use a flat-file database. This is not really a full DB, it is a text file of some sort. In fact a flat-file site can in theory hold 20,000 pages plus, but there are a lot of issues at this sort of size. A more practical limit would be a thousand pages; and in any case these applications do not normally have all the features of a normal database-run app. They are cut-down versions that can be used in otherwise impossible situations, such as where there is no access to a database, or to the server management functions that are needed to set up DB configuration. The flat file solution works on an IIS (Windows) server, which in some cases may have no PHP-SQL software on it, which is the database management software that 95% of blogs, wikis, forums and CMS use.

Databases hold information in an SQL format - ''structured query language'. This simply means an organised format as against random text. The most common DB is MySQL, an open-source (ie free) application. In essence the Internet runs on it, as it provides the backbone for countless services. The most popular proprietary equivalent is Microsoft SQL Server, which is the SQL DB used on Windows servers. There is a very much smaller user base here. Do not confuse this with MS Access, which is strictly for personal use on PCs, and was not designed to run on a server. Server technology has to be able to be hardened against attack, as it is constantly bombarded with threats of one kind or another; and Access cannot be hardened 100% as it was not designed for this scenario.

Always use Microsoft's SQL Server databases on a Windows web server, never MS Access. You will usually find that hosting with this facility is not offered at the bargain end of the scale. For example, on LAMP server hosting (the standard type), you can find a basic hosting deal with 5 databases for about £20 ($40). On Windows hosting, an account with just one or two MS SQL Server DB's might well be £100 ($200) plus.


Open source
OSS (open-source software) is very strong in this area. Commercial software only challenges in the CMS department. This means there are a multitude of free software options, and often only some of the more advanced plugins will cost; even then, they are likely to be inexpensive. This has probably been a major driving force in the expansion of the modern dynamic website field.

WCMS - website content management systems - are the modern way to run a large website; or one that has regular content changes; or one that needs extended functionality; or one that needs a multimedia capability; or, of course, a combination of these requirements. In fact, especially so in that case.

Like the other dynamic apps described, a CMS resides on a webserver and works with a database. Or, it usually does - but there are exceptions as with everything. Essentially, you may upload content of any type (text, images, graphics, video, music etc); edit pages quickly online; move your content around and display it as you see fit; and allow website visitors many privileges and interactive functions that were impossible on old flat-HTML websites.

A CMS is usually template-based, meaning that the design and layout is pre-set but can be altered; and that design and operation is separate from content. Whatever you do with the actual content (the text, articles, pictures etc) does not affect the page layout or site operation. This is in direct contrast to a flat site, where the content basically is the site.

The CMS route is the best way to manage large amounts of different content types that need regular or even occasional edits. These apps tend to be focused on one or two operational models: in other words, each works best for a particular purpose. These might include: as an online brochure or 'shopwindow'; as an ecommerce application with multiple content pages; as a community or news publishing app; as a multimedia publishing tool; as a team collaboration tool; as a multi-team tool; and so forth.

There are thought to be over 2,000 CMS applications available, both commercial and free. There are some very expensive commercial systems like Broadvision, which may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement; or free ones that are both compact and simple to use - such as CMS-MadeSimple. For multimedia you might choose Joomla, which is free, extremely flexible, capable, and well-supported. Drupal CMS is a quality application that has good ACL (which put very simply is the ability to limit users to certain pages or sections). For an enterprise-class WCMS framework you could use eZpublish or Plone, though these require specialist hosting and support.

Because of the large numbers of CMS applications, there are many codebase and installation options. However, a popular choice is the standard PHP / MySQL base, since it is capable, robust and easily developed. Community-use CMS apps need to be able to be remotely installed via FTP and browser, though a CMS used by teams within an office can be local machine installable only. Commercial CMS applications come in many and varied codebases, server types and installation options.


SEO for CMS
There are many more complex issues when search optimising a CMS than with an HTML website. These essentially fall into two areas: firstly, since you cannot (normally) alter the framework page code, the core application developers need to have paid a lot more attention to accessibility and SEO than in a hard-coded site; and secondly, even if the base application is good in this respect, poorly-coded templates and other plugins can easily destroy a good foundation.

Forum software

Forums are a core part of the social web. In addition, they can provide some of the best technical support options. Because of the vast numbers of people who use them, much useful information can be obtained; or you can just get into a discussion on what's the best rum.

A forum will normally comprise several separate Boards, which are the individual topic-centred discussion pages. You can read through others' posts (meaning the text they have placed on the page), and reply yourself; or you may start a new topic with a question or a statement. As with many areas there are conventions, etiquette and best practice to be learnt, but this need not handicap a newcomer. The forum can be both browsed and posted to via the ordinary web browser, and of course this is part of the power of these webapps - only a browser is needed to communicate fully in both directions with a forum, blog, wiki or CMS; so a lack of software or facilities cannot hamper anyone.

The best-known forum applications are SMF (open source) and vBulletin (commercial). There are many plugins for each, which all dynamic applications need or they cannot function fully in the modern Internet environment.

Forums are an online conversation tool where all can read others' opinions and post (upload) their own views. Each topic is completely separate from other topics, which means a forum is a better-organised affair than a blog. The difference between a blog conversation and a forum one is that a blog is a triangular  affair, with the author / owner at the top; they control the direction of the conversation, since they own the site and posted the original article. A forum, in contrast, is a round table affair where individuals may start their own topic or reply on any one of dozens of other topics. A forum is can be read, posted to and returned to at intervals; a blog post tends to be done and dusted after a couple of days or so. Forums have a searchable database of information, often of great value where experts on the subject post to the forum on a regular basis.

A forum is installed by FTP and browser command, using a database, normally of the MySQL type, with the usual PHP codebase. As with all these applications, there are alternative options using the ASP codebase for those sites using a Windows server.

All-in-one Blog - Forum - Wiki

Is it possible to find an application that does all these jobs (and more)?

Sure - install a CMS. Most content management systems can have these other functions plugged in as required. The simplest solution we know that performs really well in all these areas is Joomla CMS. If you expand it to include all these options it won't be simple for a beginner to set up or to run, though, but that is only to be expected. There are plenty of places to get help but the best solution is probably to find a mentor who will help you - unless you can take the commercial route.

It is necessary at the outset to choose between a commercial, semi-commercial or open-source application. In the CMS field, there are plenty of all types. There are fewer commercial versions in the blog, wiki or forum areas.

Open-source is free software with published code - though there are a lot of variations on this theme - and essentially means that costs are minimal for the software, though some plugins may need to be purchased. Even commercial plugins are often inexpensive, in this area.

The first thing to recognise here is that the quality of the applications is often superb, and equal in every way to commercial ones. Of course, offerings vary between the limited, through the competent, to the outstanding. The Internet mostly runs on open-source (more servers run on it, using Linux and Apache, than on any other solution), so there is no question of this being a second-class option. However, support services vary from non-existent to extensive, depending on the software. Community support is very important in this area. There are always costs associated with managing a complex online presence, and even if the original software was free, this does not apply to any other aspect.

Semi-commercial normally refers to an open-source core application with mostly commercial plugins. These CMS apps are typically mature and stable tools with extensive plugin availability and support options. The costs are normally slightly less than a full-commercial set-up will approach; with the bonus that there are going to be more options in most departments than with a commercial product, and most likely a lot more plugins.

The average commercial CMS software one-off license costs from £2,500 upward - though there are some at a fraction of this. Usually, though, a license at £2.5k and up (or $5k in USD) will include initial implementation. A license at for example £500 cannot include this, so the initial cost will probably be the same once implementation is taken into account; this is for 'value' options at the lower end of the scale. Commonly, a full commercial set-up will run from £10 to £20k ($20 - $40k) plus for a smaller mid-range implementation.

There are advantages to trialling an OSS CMS first, whatever the intended eventual route; and many enterprises stay with an OSS solution even though they could afford a mid-range commercial solution. As costs escalate, with multi-site considerations and extended functionality, it is normally found that the initial software license is not the largest percentage of the final costs, even with a more expensive commercial CMS license.

LAMP servers

Ninety per cent or more of these modern dynamic web applications are designed to run on a normal server, ie a standard Linux / Apache server, which is the most common and universal type, and often called a LAMP server. There are alternatives of course, such as Sun, Lighttpd, and Windows. Some of these are effectively the same as a LAMP server, as the operating system or server application variant behaves precisely the same as its LAMP equivalent. Unix works about the same as Linux; Lighttpd works about the same as Apache - at least, for all practical purposes.

However, there is one type that stands alone: the Microsoft Windows IIS server. These are used when the main website application is ASP and/or .NET based. You should always specify Linux / Apache hosting unless you have a specific and potent reason to do otherwise, since there are vastly more options in all areas when using LAMP; and your costs will inevitably be higher on a Windows server.