Though Wordpress has its critics as a content management system, there are still profound advantages in using it. To this end we have found plugins that make Wordpress a better CMS and which you should be able to utilize for your blog. Obviously, the requirements that you need Wordpress to do as a content management system will influence which plugins you will use, and it will be up to you to assess Wordpress’s capabilities as to its suitability for your requirements.
More Fields. This allows you to add extra fields on the write/edit page, and can be positioned either left or right of it. It allows you to add an extra level of categorisation to a post. So a food post which shows a receipe may be categorised as suitable for vegetarians, for example.
Custom flutter. In essence this plugin will allow you to make a custom write panel, whereby you can edit fields and add drop down boxes. This means you can tailor your needs around it, and in theory should make it easier for you and your clients to enter content, which is what content management is all about.
Post Template. This plugin is designed for people who need to enter information into the same structures. This is also good if you have writers who are unfamiliar with using CMS tools, as it effectively shows them what to do.
WP CMS Post Control. By using this plugin, you completely control what your writers can use and see. In essence this turns Wordpress into a content management system. You can hide custom fields and revisions etc, to name but a few.
User Access Manager Plugin. In effect, this plugin allows you to partition areas of your blog for specific user groups, such as authors, members, and so on and so fourth. Here are some of the features.
User groups
Set separate access for readers and editors
Set access by user groups
Set access by post categories
User-defined post/page title (if no access)
User-defined post/page text (if no access)
Optional login form (if no access)
User-defined comment text (if no access
Role Scoper. This plugin focuses on permissions, by creating a CMS-like options in Wordpress. By using this plugin you can create specific roles on a page-specific, category-specific, or other content specific bases.
Role Manager. As you have probably guessed, this allows you to define and set roles for subscribers. You can also create your own roles, if you are not happy with the ones you are given at the beginning.
Member Access. This allows each page to be manipulated in terms of who can view it. The default setting is global access, and options such as limiting pages or posts to be viewed only by members can be set. The beauty of Member Access, is that the pages can be set individually to override the global setting.
Wordpress Navi. Allows for a more advanced, and on the whole, funky navigation system and graphics. You may or may not want to add this to your blog.
This list is by means no covers all the useful plugins to turn Wordpress into a viable content management system. We are however, trying to bring you more plugins to make this a reality over the next few posts.
Content Management Systems, come into their own if you have a blog with multiple contributors, and these plugins will help you manage your site to the nth degree. So though Wordpress does have its critics, it has in its favour many options to create a good, solid CMS, and like everything else Wordpress, oodles of support behind it.
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July 30th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Awesome post, especially the User Access Manager.
Thanks!