SiteCM Content Management Reseller FAQ

What will I have to give up?
How much design flexibility will I have?
What do I need to know to implement SiteCM?
How hard is it to learn to implement?
What support do you offer Resellers?
How long does it take to implement?
What web design software do I need?
What does the Dreamweaver Toolbar do?

What will I have to give up?

The main thing you will have to give up as a SiteCM Reseller are things you probably want to give up anyway: last minute content updates, hours of tedious page layout, training on an open source CMS, ongoing support of the users, and software upgrades.

You will have to give up control of the layout of each and every page. SiteCM gives your customers control of their web content area. The good news is that SiteCM enforces standard site wide styles and allows you to create custom ones to suit your specific needs. SiteCM also allows the Content Owners to clone pages. If you have a particularly complex page, your clients can clone it and replace the content to provide design consistency. Many Resellers will actually include a certain amount of content deployment in their proposals to ensure the top layers of the site are as attractive as possible.

We would rather give up the sale than have you give up your creativity. If you have a design or a prospect that does not fit our web content management system, we will tell you. With hundreds of licensees, we have learnt to stick to what we are good at. It keeps our licensees, our Resellers and our customer support team happy.

SiteCM Web Content Management System is designed to help businesses easily maintain information rich sites, not interactive, media rich entertainment sites and if that is your plan, then you will need to look elsewhere. SiteCM does support video (both hosted and embedded YouTube), Flash multimedia, and audio podcasts so talk to us about your plans and we will give you an honest answer.

How much design flexibility will I have?

Most web sites follow fairly standard layouts. We have prepared sample foundation templates of the most common, but what you do with them is up to you. Sites can use multiple page templates so you can easily have sub-sites or content specific branding if required.

There are some general CMS best practices that we recommend but these are guidelines not hard and fast rules. For example, it gives the end user a lot more flexibility to change their site if the navigation is CSS styled text, but we can teach you how to use image based navigation with SiteCM and to update them as required.

We also generally recommend leaving the area that your customers will be maintaining fairly simple. Keep the content owners skill in mind. The more complex the content area is, the harder it is for the end user to manage and the more likely they will either scrap it entirely, or be generally dissatisfied. Complex layouts can be used for higher level pages to draw users into the site, but the bulk of the content will likely be laid out quite simply. 

SiteCM does allow page cloning and code snippets so if your content requires a more complex page layout, the end user can clone your foundation page to ensure the standard is maintained, or drop in section templates stored as code snippets.

As always, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your specific requirements.

What do I need to know to implement SiteCM?

SiteCM uses HTML with CSS to control layout and appearance of most elements so it will be easier if you are already familiar with these concepts.

1. HTML – knowing basic HTML can make integrating SiteCM into your design a much easier process. It is ok to use “WYSIWYG” HTML Editors, but we do recommend knowing ahead of time how to also read and write HTML in plain text, as you will be required to update the HTML on this level to integrate the SiteCM controlled elements.
   
   If you are just getting started with HTML or need to brush up your skills, please follow the following link for a great tutorial on HTML:
   http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp
2. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) – The ability that CSS gives you when it comes to design is something graphic designers only dreamed of just a couple of years ago. Knowing how to write CSS, understand how CSS is applied to HTML (inheritance, specificity, etc) and be able to assign a CSS class or id to your HTML elements is very important when using SiteCM.
   
   If you are just getting started with CSS or need to brush up your skills, please follow the following link for a great tutorial on CSS:
   http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp

How hard is it to learn to implement?

If you understand HTML and CSS then we think it is pretty easy to learn. Like any new technology though, you will probably have more success starting with a fairly simple layout based on one of our standard foundations. You can work your way up to integrating more complex layouts and multiple site templates over time.

We are also happy to help and you can call our toll free support number to talk to an experienced SiteCM designer during regular business hours.

What support do you offer Resellers?

We want you to be happy with your choice of SiteCM as your content management solution so we provide a number of resources for Resellers. We have a Reseller site with in depth documentation on the style sheets, and standard foundations. If you have questions that are not covered in the documentation there is a toll free number you can call during business hours and speak to an experienced designer.

It is our goal to make implementing SiteCM easy and profitable for both you and us.

How long does SiteCM take to implement?

Like anything new there is a learning curve associated with SiteCM.  Your first few implementations might take 5 to 7 hours, and once you are familiar with the system, this can easily be under 1 hour. Time involved also depends on the complexity of your design.

What web design software do I need?

Nothing that you don’t already have. With the release of the Dreamweaver Toolbar you are able to use Dreamweavers WYSIWYG design mode. You are able to implement most design controls with the toolbar. If you prefer to code by hand, we have complete documentation of all the controls available on the Resellers Website.

Most of our current Resellers use Photoshop and Dreamweaver. We also have customers using Homesite and InDesign among others. 

What does the Dreamweaver Toolbar do?

The Dreamweaver toolbar allows you to implement SiteCM components with Dreamweaver. It allows for easy implementation of SiteCM components using Dreamweavers' "WYSIWYG" environment.  You are able to implement the majority of the available designer controls with the Toolbar.  More information about the toolbar and a video are available here.