Saving money

Many large news companies use expensive content management and web publishing systems. And sometimes, being saddled with such systems is a detriment when it comes to adding new features in a timely manner. I know one major media company that doesn’t even support user comments on its articles, because its web publishing system is too ungainly to easily add it. (Its online editors are incredibly frustrated by this situation.)

Think about that! A major media company is hamstrung from doing stuff that any blogger can do using open-source platforms like Wordpress, Drupal or Joomla. Indeed, the blogging platforms (which is a misnomer, because these can be full-fledged content management systems; they’re not limited to producing blogs but are flexible enough to host a wide array of website types) are in some ways better than those corporate web publishing systems. Continued

A common criticism of news websites — especially ones run by small and medium sized newspaper companies and TV news outlets — is that they don’t invest enough in programming or web development talent. Perhaps their sites don’t look as professional, or are not as full featured as they could be because not enough resources are devoted to online operations. They’ve not adapted adequately to the new media environment where having enough geeks around is a requirement for long-term survival.

This won’t be for everyone, but there are several related web services that can get some of your development and design tasks done for reasonable, often very low rates. Using them is a way to extend the web development and design staff you have by off-loading some of their work. Continued

This item is about saving money, not making it. … Look at the top of this page. See the graphic site logo or masthead with the flames? That cost $1.30 to produce. OK, maybe you get what you pay for, you’re thinking … but I kinda like it.

So the story is that I found the graphic with the flames on iStockPhoto.com, a wonderful and inexpensive web stock imagery resource. The site has a huge database of images — photos, illustrations, Flash graphics, video — with new imagery coming in every day. Prices for licensing are dirt cheap compared to traditional stock agencies. That’s because the work doesn’t come from high-priced pro photographers and artists, but rather any photographers or artists who want to add their work and make a few bucks. Continued