Boutique vs. Open Source CMS (Content Management Systems)

Boutique Management Systems are custom built systems used by web development houses. They are designed to meet the specific needs of that specific development house. Boutique systems often offer unique and even eye catching user interface system to make them seem more user friendly. You will often pay through the nose to use one of these custom built systems as well.

Open Source Managment Systems are developed by a community of developers and users and are free to use because the code is open scoured and there is no licensing attached to them. Open Source systems tend to have a bit more of a learning curve then Boutique systems, but often give you significantly more flexibility and robustness.

Each system has advantages and disadvantages, but I want to highlight what I have come to see as the two most important differences.

Cost and support. I'm not talking short term while the site is being built customer service support. I'm talking about the long term after the project is finished a year from now support. This I believe is where almost all of the Boutique systems fail. A Boutique system is designed by a small group of people to support their small group of clients. Sounds like a nice customer support friendly system, until...

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We are very proud to unveil the website for Valor Works! After many months of planning (and some unplanned setbacks, mixed in with some stalling), we are launching ValorWorks.com! This will be your one-stop shop for everything we are up to in the worlds of design, social media and web development. You will also find interesting, informative, funny and useful news and info here on many things ranging from computers and electronics to everything web related and all the stuff in between! we will share things that make us laugh, make us think, and anything else we think you will find fun and useful!

Take a look around, share the site with your friends and if there is anything we can do for you, let us know. We will be glad to help you make sure that everything related to design and the web "Just Works" for you!

When we think about the internet and how to reach people, it can give us a headache! The net is a great tool, but it can also be a big pain if we’re not prepared to use it to it’s full potential.

What are your goals? Why do you want to do the project? These are questions we have to help people answer everyday. I love the challenge of fresh creativity. Everything starts with an idea and then transitions into (hopefully) a clear vision, followed by a plan to make it work. Whether it’s the puzzle of social media, or the maze of organizing content, I want to help make your goal reachable and the journey fun and rewarding!

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