I am creating a new website and want to avoid problems as I grow.

What CMS should I use? Joomla, Drupal, Wordpress?

What blog system should I use?

Are API's required or just nice?

I am feeling over my head at this point please help,

Thanks everybody

Hey LeaAnn,
That's certainly a legitimate concern. I would suggest to you that there really is no blanket answer and the reason is that every company's circumstance is different and their strategy for the future should be taken into account during the decision process.

The ones you listed are certainly some of the more well known...we built our site on the Joomla platform and run our blog on Wordpress, but we offer a fully customizable CMS solution as Infusionsoft Consultants.(I just don't have the flashing CMAC lights below my picture.)

The best advice I could give you is to first come to terms with your company's strategy. That should help considerably in trying to determine which solution would work best for you.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I'd be happy to help you sort through this stuff and help you to feel more confident about your decision.

Elliott

you start with wordpress for basic CMS and later try to learn joomla..

I agree. There is no correct answer, per se. Wordpress and Joomla are both solid for CMS. What you have to ask yourself is if building your own site is really a skill set that you have. Pretty much anyone can learn how to build their own blog. But in the end, will it properly reflect your brand and positioning? Will it look like a professional built it? Will the plug ins and functionality meet the needs of your marketing plan and business model? Do you need a shopping cart and other features to be integrated into the site? What are the strategic goals for the site? Should you be investing your time in developing other aspects of your business instead? Be honest with yourself about these questions. Happy to help you think through the issues, costs, functionality, design, etc.

Here is a tongue in cheek decision matrix (with some grain of truth in it):
How to Choose Between Joomla, Drupal and Wordpress

Interestingly enough, Infusionsoft themselves are running on Joomla 1.5.

That is a great synopsis. I think the other reality is many business owners think they'll save money by trying to develop their own site, even if it's only a blog. And then it looks completely lame and not reflective of a high quality brand. I know a lawyer who had her husband the re agent build hers. Oops. I know a glass company owner who had his daughter do his. Ooops. I just picked up a new site build and this entrepreneur was having his friend build his site. Then the divorce hit. And the dog ate his sitemap. Oooops. Expensive and short sighted in each case. Sometimes I question the thinking.

Absolutely Cliff... open source does not mean free, it means you are not trapped in a license and can read the source code

Most importantly, people who aren't experts in building websites, regardless of the platform, shouldn't build their own websites. They should leverage the talent of real professionals just like they do in tax, legal, etc. This way they get results and can focus their energy on what they do best.

nkkie123 wrote:
you start with wordpress for basic CMS and later try to learn joomla..

I second that... putting a bit more emphasis on "try to learn Joomla"

While I agree that some things are bst left to professionals, I also think that to the extent possible, one should be able and willing to do some of it.

The ultimate result may not be optimal, but what better way to learn the CMS part which will later befall you anyways?

Pick a theme you like and go for it.

Later, if you feel your theme needs adjusting or a complete makeover, you will be in a better position to explain exactly what if is that you want/need.

A good CMS will keep design and content separate, so that your time investment in your content is preserved.

As to which CMS, I would highly recommend Wordpress for all the right reasons, and there are many, many to choose from, not just the fact that our plugin is made for it.