Question #1: "Can I modify the site templates/code myself?" - As with most CMS systems (Content Management Systems), the NewfangledCMS allows all of the content of a website to be easily updated by non-technical administrators. Unlike most CMS providers, Newfangled is NOT in the business of selling CMS software to companies so that they can build their own websites with it. We are in the business of building websites for our clients. We believe that CMS should be provided free of charge for every website, not just for those that can pony up tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars for CMS/database software licenses. That's why we give absolutely free user licenses to every client, large or small. Many people wonder whether or not we provide and support a developer license - so that a company's IT department can develop with the system after we've built the initial site.

Answer: If you really want it, yes, we will provide a developer license. But please read the following explanation, because in the end most of our clients realize they don't really want or need one.

Explanation: The structural design and the functional construction of a website are the work of a web designer/developer. Newfangled acts as the NewfangledCMS developer for clients. We provide not only the technology for the website, but also the experience, consultation, design and expertise for the entire project. For clients without an IT department, this is a perfect arrangement. For clients who have IT professionals with development skills on staff, this arrangement begs the question of whether or not they will be able to further develop the site after it is done. Typically, the answer to this question is no. We don't usually provide developer licenses and support. However, if our client really wants to be able to work on the site, we will provide a developer license. But before you ask for this kind of arrangement, let me re-state the question to highlight a subtle difference in motive. The question could be asked, "I want to be able to work on the site myself. Or it could be asked, "I want to be able to work on the site myself. Our answer differs depending on the way the client emphasizes the question. In the first case, the client asks the question because the IT staff really wants and intends to build the site themselves. In the second instance, the question is whether or not the IT staff would be able to work on the site themselves should the need arise.

We are much more sympathetic and open to supporting to the second question. An IT professional is responsible for evaluating technology, and their recommendations often form the basis for final decisions. If they greenlight our services and the site is a dud (which would never happen!), they would have to answer all the complaints. Nobody wants to find themselves in a situation where they are held accountable for problems they have no capacity to fix. This is scary. I don't blame any IT professional for shrinking away from such situations. That's also why we answer "yes" to the question of developer licensing when it is asked this way. However, we expect to do a fantastic job, to create a site that meets all expectations and to provide prompt, professional and reasonably priced services. In this case, the developer license is a safety net, and if we fail in any of these ways (which we won't), the IT guy can access the site to take care of the problem. Since we only have a couple of clients with developer licenses, we arrange the costs and support terms of such licenses on a case-by-case basis.

The first way the question can be asked, "I want to... work on the site myself," is less of a fit for Newfangled. Sometimes an IT department wants to build the site themselves. Web development can be fun...if it wasn't, I wouldn't be doing it! I can understand why an IT department would want to be design and develop the company website. They might feel burned by the hiring of an outside development firm to do the job. The appeal of building a website and the desire to protect the company from bad technology or a difficult vendor leads many IT departments to keep the site in-house. Although the motive for keeping the site development in-house is understandable, the end result is not usually very desirable. It's better to fully scrutinize an outside firm (like mine!) and to develop a positive working relationship.

1. Web development is an intricate mix of technology and design. Most IT departments, while there are exceptions, aren't known for design skill. As a web development company we provide a balance of diverse skills.
   
   
2. Once a site is done, most IT professionals I know are not eager to have the marketing, HR, customer service, sales and other departments knocking on their door for website help or requests for adjustments and new features. Our door is always open, and we continually and proactively invent new ways for marketing departments to use the web more effectively.
   
   
3. To get solid CMS capability, an IT department must either spend a lot of money on software licenses or build a home-grown CMS. While the idea of building their own software may be appealing to the IT professional, unless it is their main job, they are not likely to reproduce most of the capabilities available in existing CMS systems. We've been building ours since 2000.
   
   
4. Assuming that at the end of the day the costs for outsourcing are less than internal development, it's much more efficient to let experienced developers who deal with one system day in and day out handle site development, so that busy IT staff can focus on the many tasks associated with their primary areas of responsibility.
   

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