OPEN SOURCE (FREE) MOBILE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

 

Content management systems for mobile sites are definitely different from CMS for websites. Specific software or particular modules make mobile site building smoother and friendlier for end users, and there's always the problem of designing a site that displays properly on thousands of mobile phones. Some mobile CMS packages allow integration between regular sites and mobile sites, cutting down on design costs and frustration.

When you download free content management systems, you often get what you pay for—limited features, high technical learning curves, and associated expenses for hosting, design, and so on. Before getting into any open source software, read up on its capabilities.

Also be sure to explore the company offering the open source solution. During our research for this article, we found several supposedly-recommended sites that had disappeared—some in less than a year. Choose a provider that offers stability, customer support, and has an active user community to avoid being left empty-handed.

Plone [http://plone.org]

Plone is a web-based CMS that is somewhat multichannel-friendly right out of the box; certain addons increase mobile development flexibility. If you're familiar with how WordPress open source blogging software works, Plone will be easy to understand.

Features:

• Free, open source mobile CMS
• Available in more than 40 languages
• Administrative support available via chat, forums, and local user groups; full online documentation
• Multiple themes with customization available
• Hundreds of addons, plugins, and widgets
• Choose themes that are geared toward mobile optimization
• Requires some technical knowledge and a learning curve for new users
• Developers with markup language skills can customize endlessly
• Install on your own host and server

 

Volantis [http://www.volantis.com/community]

Volantis open source CMS is a good solution for developers who can modify code and have medium-to-advanced skills. The free version is much lighter-weight than the enterprise Volantis solution, but may be just right for smaller businesses with a less-demanding mobile market.

Features:

• Free, open source mobile CMS
• Limited version of enterprise (paid) Volantis content management system
• No administrative support except through forums and user community
• No app creator included in the open source version
• Covers most major mobile devices, serving content dynamically based on the type of phone or tablet
• Includes many pre-designed widgets and tools
• Dynamic image serving detects device protocols and compensates for differing requirements
• Download and install to your own server

 

Wordpress [http://wordpress.org, http://wordpress.com]

Wordpress is one of the biggest names in blogging, and the open source community has responded to the call for mobile-friendly blogging and CMS. Light-weight themes and widgets make building a mobile blog fairly easy—customization takes some coding skills, though.

Features:

• Free, open source mobile CMS and blog software
• Available in multiple languages
• Administrative support available via highly active chat, forums, and local user groups
• Hundreds of free and paid themes available, but not all are optimized for mobile
• Plugins and addons make WordPress more mobile-development friendly
• Developers with markup language skills can customize endlessly
• Install on your own host and server

 

BuzzTouch [http://www.buzztouch.com]

BuzzTouch is more of an app builder than a content management system, but is very good at what it does. If your business would benefit from both a CMS and an app, look into this free app-building software.

Features:

• Available in English
• Free, open source app builder for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices
• Administrative support available via email
• Easily offer your app in iTunes, Android Market, Eclipse, and other app stores
• Streaming video and audio, YouTube videos, maps, social networking, light weight mobile sites, quizzes, RSS reader, and document readers available
• Easy to use out of the box, and can be customized for your needs
• Offer apps free to users or sell them in app stores
• Pre-built screens such as Email Us, Call Us, Map to Location, and social sharing are included in basic package
• Administrative control panel allows for changing the app after launch

 

Wap-2-Go [http://www.wap-2-go.com]

Wap-2-Go has advantages and disadvantages for users. If you're looking for a mobile site builder that's streamlined and uncluttered, this one might be just right.

Features:

• Free, open source CMS for mobile devices
• Available in English
• Administrative support provided by active forum
• Includes basic pre-designed themes, fully customizable
• User preferences help determine how content will be managed on-the-fly, images may be disabled by users
• WAP markup language compatible with older mobile sites and the most current sites and devices
• Intuitive interface allows for easy content management
• Upload to your own server and host

 

These five mobile content management systems offer designers options and are certainly budget-friendly. Basically, Plone is the “most” mobile friendly, but if you already use Wordpress or Volantis you should stick with what you know and engineer a mobile site from addons and widgets. If you're looking strictly for an app creator, try BuzzTouch. Wap-2-Go is offered by a smaller provider but that's not always a bad thing—if you go into mobile site design with some knowledge and a plan.

Make sure you factor in what your time is worth before embarking on a free CMS solution for your mobile marketing. Mazero offers you a robust mobile design and analytics package that may be far less expensive in the long run. Contact us today to find out more.