What is a Content Management System?

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A piece of software that is used to organize, manage or change the content of a website.
-- Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

A Content Management System (CMS) is software or a set of programs used to create, manage, and change digital content. It's designed to make it easy for individuals or teams to publish, edit, and organize content on a website or online platform without needing advanced technical skills.

Is MediaWiki a CMS?

Technically, MediaWiki is a content management system, although it is not commonly labeled as such. This distinction arises because MediaWiki was primarily crafted to facilitate the collaborative editing workflows of a globally accessible encyclopedia. As a wiki, MediaWiki also inherits certain constraints inherent in this category of software.

On the other hand, MediaWiki stands out for its flexibility and scalability. With its open-source nature and modular design, coupled with the freedom and ease of incorporating custom scripts and styles directly through wiki pages, it emerges as an ideal choice for numerous CMS use cases.

MediaWiki Extensions
Adaptability

Extensibility of MediaWiki

While standard CMSs are typically designed for specific use cases such as “blog”, “news”, or “shop”, MediaWiki offers adaptability to accommodate a wide range of CMS use cases. It can be customized for traditional scenarios, a combination of them, or entirely new applications, such as a football match tracker or an electronic stamp album.

MediaWiki benefits from a robust system of extensions developed by the community. These extensions enable users to interact with data, create interfaces and workflows, and integrate numerous additional features.

MediaWiki CMS
Approach

WikiTeq-style CMS powered by MediaWiki

While a wiki can fulfill many requirements for a content management system, it may not cover all needs. As a company specializing in MediaWiki, WikiTeq has devised an approach that transforms the abstract weaknesses of MediaWiki as a CMS into tangible benefits.

MediaWiki Access Restrictions
Access Level

Restricting Access

Designed for broad content sharing, MediaWiki offers relatively limited restrictive rights management. It supports user groups and permissions for specific page actions such as "edit", "delete", "move", selectively by namespaces. However, MediaWiki cannot apply different permissions to pages in the same namespace for users in the same group.

As indicated by the banner on mediawiki.org extension pages, most hacks or patches claiming to add per-page or partial page access restrictions are likely to have flaws, potentially leading to the exposure of confidential data.

Rather than distributing access rights across a hierarchy of user roles, MediaWiki employs mutual control workflows for content discussion, aiming to achieve consensus about changes under the soft supervision and moderation of experienced contributors. Content creation and conflict resolution in a flatter organizational structure may take more time compared to a rigid hierarchy where superiors can make decisions more swiftly.

MediaWiki Content Publication
Publication

Content Publication

In contrast to many CMS platforms that require the "publication" of a finalized piece of content, in MediaWiki, content is published immediately upon saving changes. There are extensions available to add more explicit and imperative content moderation and approval workflows if the default behavior is not desired.

Configuring MediaWiki Extensions
Customization

Configuration and Extensions Management

Traditional CMS platforms typically provide interfaces for configuring options and managing extensions. MediaWiki has an extensive feature set and its position as a hub within an ecosystem boasting hundreds of extensions. However, most of the customization must be performed by an administrator or MediaWiki professional.

This does introduce some complexity but makes it possible to configure your CMS platform specifically to your needs. Administrators can customize aspects such as site name, logo, skin, and other essential settings. Also, user account configuration is available for logged-in users through their preferences page.

MediaWiki Maintenance

Maintenance

Unlike many other CMSs, MediaWiki may require periodical maintenance to ensure that all parts of the system are up to date and work as expected.

WikiTeq’s Approach to Delivering MediaWiki CMS

Unlike any other, we possess an in-depth understanding of both the strengths and limitations of MediaWiki. Leveraging our experience and innovative solutions, we strive to provide an unparalleled MediaWiki-based CMS for our clients. Our approach is founded on key principles:

Listening to Clients

Understanding the unique needs and preferences of our clients is at the forefront of our strategy.

Proper Scoping

We dedicate resources to meticulous scoping, ensuring that project parameters are accurately defined.

Careful Features Planning

Every feature is thoughtfully planned to align with the client's goals and enhance user experience.

Optimal Core and Environment Configuration

We optimize the configuration of the MediaWiki core and its environment for seamless performance.

Best Extension Choices

Our expertise guides us in selecting the most suitable extensions to augment functionality.

Permissions System Alteration

We tailor the permissions system to ensure a secure and controlled user experience.

Interface Improvements

Enhancing the user interface is a priority, making interactions more intuitive and enjoyable.

Custom Coding

Where needed, we implement custom coding to address specific requirements and achieve optimal outcomes.

Staging and Sandbox Environments

We create staging and sandbox environments to test and refine functionalities before deployment.

Efficient Backup Policies and Tools

Robust backup policies and tools are implemented to safeguard data and ensure system reliability.

Support and Maintenance

Beyond implementation, we provide ongoing support and maintenance, ensuring the continued smooth operation of the system.

MediaWiki as a CMS

At WikiTeq, our commitment is to deliver a comprehensive and tailored MediaWiki CMS solution that not only meets but exceeds the expectations of our valued clients.

Get started today

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