Hi! I am considering switching from Homestead / Intuit Website Design to Coffee Cup but have some questions. Unfortunately, bcause I started in the WYSIWYG editor, I have limited html knowledge and don't know how to use CSS at all - but I'm a quick learner. I am looking to expand as I have built multiple websites for friends and strangers alike I have messed around in Dreamweaver and liked what I could do, however, didn't have the time to go through massive training being that it was very different from what I'm used to.

One of the important things that I need to be able to give my customers is basic CMS abilities. As updating content is so important these days. So here's a few questions I have...

Do you think that Coffecup could be for me? Is it easy to learn and implement?

Does Coffee Cup offer any way to give people access to login to websites and make limited changes?

Thanks for any feedback you can give me.

Sincerely,
Kim

Here's some of my sites:
http://www.slim3weightloss.com
http://www.regencybaptistchurch.org
http://www.isitecity.com
http://www.judyboothby.com

Hiya Kim,

Well I'd love to say that CC's programs would fit you perfectly, but it may not be the case fully for you. CMS capabilities aren't inherent in CC's programs, that would be something you would need some PHP scripting for which is not part of the CC family yet. The HTML Editor is definitely as nice as Dreamweaver without being near as hard to figure out, but in the end you would still have to understand what to use it for and how to code in order to use it properly.

CC does have a program called Visual Site Designer which allows you to create fully functional and very creative websites using the WYSIWYG system that you have already gotten used to. The system is definitely not the same as Homesteads, but it might be what you would need to get started with.

As for the editing by others and having accounts, there would be only a couple ways you could do this with using CC software. CC has a program called Website Access Manager which basically allows you to protect specific pages or entire folders with ID's and PW's by allowing you to setup accounts for people you want to have access to them. This is a manual system where you would need to create these accounts yourself and upload the file when you create one and then supply those needing access with their ID and PW to access the pages or folders.
This would however not be a CMS system as this would not have an actual Login, just an access box that gives them access. Nothing is logged anywhere to show any login status, or changes made or anything like that, it's a windows login box and nothing more that gives access and then ends it's function right there.

The editing part would be the most difficult part to work around. Being "not" a CMS system, there isn't any fancy editor, and if you do decide to use VSD (Visual Site Designer) it could get pretty messy with the files since it needs a specific file for uploading and each person would have to download that exact file in order to edit the file last edited etc. Not a login situation with any editing capabilities in any Admin panel. Basically each person would have to have their own copy of the VSD program, or if you decide to go with the HTML setup they would need their own editors and of course need to know how to edit them.

Wish I had better news for you on it, but it is definitely doable, just depends on what you're wanting to spend time with

CC, doesn't have built in CMS capabilities, but then again most software doesnt. However, the software is very easy to learn. I began a few years back knowing nothing about coding, began with CC products learned the code and now have my own development company. I have also developed my own CMS strategies as well, using CC products. You could very easily use something like CushyCMS in conjunction with CC software and it would work fine for you.

*needs to really check out that CushyCMS* lol, thanks for the reminder on that Eric.