Content Management systems allow a web owner to change the contents of their web pages without needing to know html.

The pages still require a template, but most of the systems include multiple “skins”. If you want to change the appearance, it requires someone to edit that template so that it has individualized style and colors, but once the basic set-up is in place, the content on the page can be changed with no more difficulty than you experience using a word editor.

There are a number of these systems. some focus on blogs, some allow other categories of content. It all depends on what level of complexity, how many users, and what types of plugins you want to use.

For a first effort, it might be best to try out blogger, hosted on blogspot. This is supported by Google, which not only has a simple interface, but also offers free hosting on blogspot. All you have to do is sign up. Like any free lunch, you pay a price. You give them your name and email, and you offer them a look at free content. If you are a descent writer, you may find that you will outgrow blogger. You do not have to leave your content on blogspot. Blogger will work on your own site. But if you install it there, be sure to set up a folder with a secondary FTP in your website. Posting requires a password, and you don’t want the Google API to have your main password, or to be able to post to your main site.

More on this topic later.