The newest issue of flyte log is going out today with the headline: Updating Your Web Site with Contribute.

Many small business owners want to update their own Web sites. Sometimes this is because they’ve been working with a Web developer that takes 6 months to make a simple text change. (You’d be amazed how often we get clients this way.)

For these Web site owners whose main concern is getting changes done quickly, knowing flyte can turnaround most work in 1 – 3 business days is a good enough solution.

For others, they want to make frequent changes and see immediate results, or their creative juices don’t start flowing until we’ve gone home for the day.

For these people, we can recommend a content management system (CMS) that will give them the ability to update their Web site without any HTML knowledge. Depending on their needs, this can be a few hundred dollars or a few thousand (or more.)

A third option is Contribute by Macromedia. Contribute is the consumer-level version of Dreamweaver, a professional-level product used by many Web developers, including flyte.

For the last month, I and members of the "flyte crew" have been testing Contribute 3 (the latest version) to see if it’s an appropriate tool for Web site owners who aren’t comfortable with HTML or a program like Dreamweaver to update their own Web sites.

Here are our findings on Contribute:

Overall, I can give Contribute a qualified thumbs-up. My thumbs-up is qualified because the program is right for some people, but others may find it too difficult or not worth the time and energy it requires.

I found the program easy to pick up. There’s a nice video tour that shows some of the more important functionality. Making changes to text on the page isn’t much more difficult than making changes to a complex Word document.

Where it might get tough for some people is in creating new pages, and then linking those pages to the rest of the Web site. I didn’t find this task too difficult, but if you’re not familiar with how the Web works (conceptually,) it might be tough to grasp.

You can also use Contribute for minor image editing work, such as cropping and resizing. Heavier-duty editing, such as masking, filters, etc., need to be done with an outside product.

Also, for better or worse, there are limitations on what Contribute can do. If your Web developer has used Dreamweaver Templates or Library Items there may be parts of each page that you won’t be able to update. (This might be a good thing, as you won’t be able to destroy your Web site accidentally.) Templates and Library Items are used to allow developers to make changes site-wide very easily; they’re often used for navigation. Thus, you may need your Web developer to make changes to the primary navigation of your Web site if that changes.

Contribute is best used for updating content on the page, but not the structure of the Web site or the framework of individual pages. Not to say you couldn’t use Contribute to rework navigation or make structural changes, just that it’s not the right tool for the job.

Finally, a couple of thoughts. If you plan on having your Web developer also update your site, remember that he/she will have to download the most recent version of the site each time. Depending on the size of your site this will add time to any update and may cancel any savings you thought you might reap.

Also, consider whether you’re passionate about updating your own Web site. Personally, I find Web development very cool, which is why I started doing it in the first place.

If your passion lies with your business, whether it’s dog training or accounting, you may be better suited to putting your time and resources towards what you do best. I’m a firm believer in doing what you do best and outsourcing the rest. Which is why I use a bookkeeper and bring my car to Jiffy Lube.

For a more detailed review, check out Updating Your Web Site with Contribute, or download a free trial today.

Rich Brooks
Web Strategies for Small Business