If you're like most people who've heard the term CMS thrown around, you may have wondered what it means. Well, wonder no more. Read on and soon you'll be able to impress your friends and family with your "CMS savvy."

It's Software.

CMS is an acronym for "content management system" and "content management software." (Those terms are used pretty much interchangably.) A CMS is a category of software, just like a word processor, a photo editor, a web browser are categories of software. Just as there are numerous word processors (such as Microsoft Word, Apple Works, and OpenOffice Writer) and numerous web browsers (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari), there are numerous CMSs. And just as in these other categories of software, not all CMSs are created equal.

It's Online.

Unlike traditional software which must be installed on your computer and upgraded ocassionally, CMSs are in a new class of software that is web-based. This measn that there's nothing to install on your computer, nothing to maintain, and nothing to upgrade. Even better, you can use a CMS from any computer in the world. Use it from the office, from home, from a hotel... from anywhere that you have access to the interent.

It's for Managing Websites.

CMSs are specifically designed to allow non-programmers to edit, update, and otherwise maintain websites. You'll still need somone to build the site and host it, but a CMS allows you to take it from there. Most reputable CMSs offer a wide array of features for editing pages, manipulating text and images, working with media, building site menus, calendaring, forms, etc. While feature sets vary, the key to a good CMS is it's ease of use for non-technical church staff and volunteers. If you'd like to see what we mean, take Radius for Churches™ for a test-drive with this demo and see how easy it can be.