Lower the cost of publishing on the web by effectively using open-source software tools

Because there are a number of open-source software options available, figuring out which tool makes sense for your organization can be overwhelming. At the 2011 Association Media & Publishing Annual Meeting, Patrick Peak, chief technical officer at Brower Media, and Kwesi Agyeman, web/e-communication specialist at American Gastroenterological Association, explained the benefits open-source solutions can offer an association. They also outlined the best ways to take advantage of these tools, and how to overcome some of the unique challenges associations face when implementing these solutions.

Meaning of Open Source Software

Open-source software has freely available source code and may be redistributed with or without modification Even if you don’t see it, it’s everywhere. It’s storing and sending emails, Tweets, etc. Google uses Chrome and Android operating systems. Facebook, Apache, and Firefox all use open source software.

Open-source software advantages include:

• Freely available source code.
• Free to make changes, alterations.
• No wait time for release from vendor.
• Freedom to fire! If you have a bad relationship with the vendor, you can change without abandoning project due to the wide adoption generally enjoyed by open source products.
• Widely supported.
• A majority of web hosts support open source programming languages (e.g., PHP) and rely on open source hosting software, (e.g., Apache)
• Changes software to bottom-up adoption.

On the other hand, open source does have its challenges. Just because it’s built on open source doesn’t mean it’s free. Hire professionals to build your website. In a majority of open source environments, chat communities and IT support are run by volunteers, so there may be significant wait time for replies.

Here are three open source options:

1. WordPress

• Simple blogging tools.
• Easy to use admin interface.
• Easy hosting with the option to self-host whenever desired.
• Design is generally inexpensive for a theme, but customization options may be limited.

2. Drupal

• More complex content management system (started as a discussion forum, now it runs very content heavy sites such as the White House Web page.)
• Many features are readily available.
• Custom content friendly.
• Solid track record for complex sites, such as The Economist.
• May not provide free support, however, companies who participate in the Drupal community usually provide support & general consulting for a fee.
• High learning curve.
• Is the middle ground between a blog and platform.

3. Ruby on Rails

• Developer framework.
• “Ruby” is the language it uses.
• Currently powers popular applications for businesses such as Groupon, Twitter, Living Social.
• Fastest growing, heavily adopted Dev framework.
• Productivity, can build big websites with small number of people.
• More responsibility, definitely a programmer’s tool. Suited for custom projects.

Advance Planning

The right team with the right tool can make a great website, the speakers say. The best way to determine what open-source platform will work for you is to start with a story, analyze how the content is produced, what needs to change to make it suitable for the web, and how you will make it happen. Then, think about what features each open-source platform has to offer.

Finally, the speakers told association publishers to treat their website like an ongoing investment because you’ll have more chances for refinement, and you won’t kill your staff with too much work at one time.

*Originally published in the Association Media & Publishing online newsletter, Final Proof, on August, 8, 2011.

Read more posts by Emily Randisi