Award-winning web development since 1995
Written: June 28, 2010
As a web developer I’ve spent the time to become proficient in learning, using and customizing WordPress, the most popular Content Manage System (CMS) around. Today I looked at another CMS called Concrete 5 to see how it compares to WordPress.
Installation
Here it is clear that Concrete 5 is easier to install than WordPress because I just upload the files, browse to my folder, supply the Database info, and I’m done:
With WordPress I have to edit the config.php file, upload files, then run the admin/install.php script.
I get confirmation that the Install was OK:
Sample Content
In the Install screen I selected, “Install sample content” so my first impression is wow:
I see a pleasant web layout with panoramic images that rotate, a horizontal menu navigation, content area, sidebar, etc. At the top I can infer that editing will be WYSIWYG instead of the WordPress dashboard concept.
Editing My Home Page
I have read zero documentation on Concrete 5, I’ve just downloaded the files, installed, and am playing with it to see how intuitive it is compared to WordPress. I click the icon on top named Edit Page, mouse over my content on the Home page and click Edit again:
The fact that I can navigate my site graphically makes Concrete 5 more intuitive than WordPress, which makes me navigate pages through a Dashboard and text names, not graphically.
WYSIWYG Editor
Editing my Home page is quite simple. The WYSIWYG editor is similar to what I use with WordPress, except now I don’t have to click preview to see what my page looks like, so I’m saving time with Concrete again.
Sidebar and Adding Email Form
It was so easy to edit my main content, next I edited my sidebar and then added a simple form to capture email names:
Initial Impressions
Well, after only a few minutes with Concrete 5 I am impressed. I haven’t had to read any documentation and already I have installed, edited my home page, and feel confident that this CMS is much more intuitive than WordPress. My next quest will be to see how easy it is to create my own custom layouts to meet client requirements.
If I were working at WordPress I would certainly have an eye out for the folks at Concrete 5 because the user experience is much friendlier with Concrete 5.
Written: June 21, 2010
In the past three weeks I’ve seen three friends get their online accounts taken over, also called being hacked:
The intention of the hackers is typically one of the following:
How can you protect yourself from being hacked?
Mostly it is a matter of choosing a password that is hard to guess. Security experts suggest the following password guidelines:
It’s a real hassle to get your identity back after an online account has been hacked.
Written: June 12, 2010
The fish logo is a symbol of Christian faith. Thank God that I grew up in a household of faith, and at the age of 17 became born again, experiencing a spiritual awakening that introduced me to the Creator of the universe in a personal way.
God is absolutely Holy, however we are separated from Him because of our sin. To bridge the impossible gap between His holiness and our sin requires judgment.
Fortunately for us, He provided someone who was judged in our place, and His name is Jesus. You see, this Jesus took upon Himself the punishment for our sins by offering His life in our place.
He then rose victorious from the dead and now offers us a gift of eternal life with Him in heaven. We cannot work our way into heaven.What must I do to receive this awesome gift? I must admit my sin, ask God for forgiveness, accept Jesus as savior and lord, then confess it to another person.
Welcome into God’s kingdom.
Written: June 6, 2010
Cruisin Sherwood is an annual event on June 12 this year and they wanted to show all the shuttle bus locations on their web site, so I used Google Maps:
View Shuttle Bus to Cruisin Sherwood in a larger map
To do this visit http://maps.google.com then click My Maps, Create New Map.
Enjoy creating custom maps with multiple locations.
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Hi,
Thanks! I don't think wordpress has anything to worry about from us. They're a blogging platform, and while people use it as a CMS, I believe their strategy is very much focused around the creating of content and monetizing that through ads…. Blogs.
Anyrate – thanks for taking the time to share your review, if you have a concrete5.org user account private message it to me and I'll shoot you some karma points:
http://concrete5.org/community/karma
best
-frz
ceo, concrete5
Franz,
I use WordPress in many client sites as a CMS because people are asking for it. I'm going to spend more time learning what concrete5 is all about because this first peek was encouraging.
I'm up to my ears in user accounts, so will pass on the invite for karma points (plus I'm a Christian and don't believe in karma).
franz,
I was a bit surprised to discover that my theme in Concrete5 didn't support drop-down menus, then I searched for any theme that did support drop-down menus but couldn't find any after 30 minutes of effort.
Why are drop-down menus so difficult to find in a theme?