The benefits of being an OpenEdit Partner

Ian and I began creating web applications for business owners over a year ago. With an education in engineering, our strengths are technical in nature. Throw in an element of problem solving with each new client, and the process of designing and implementing effective web applications was starting to progress smoothly. That is until we transitioned into maintenance of our sites.

The first dilemma was the time required to manage features such as dynamic menus and content that required frequent updating.  Manually updating new links via struts was tedious and prone to small errors that could take precious time to trouble shoot.  At this point, all our sites were deployed on a java framework. While this allowed the integration of cool technologies such as online forums and custom interactive features like the news module on metromotoring.com, the maintenance cost was prohibitive.

To add to the problem, every single change to the each of our sites had to be done on a local jsp server and then uploaded to the live site via ftp. Allowing the client to make changes to their site was pretty much out of the question.

So we went in search of a Content Management System.  Our statement of requirements was as follows:

1. editable text boxes - multiple areas within a single page needed to be editable
2. the edit feature must work in a browser
3. built in eCommerce (at this point we had not yet installed a full eCommerce site but we had a few clients starting to inquire as to the cost of an eCommerce solution)
4. java compatible - we were not interested in transitioning to a new programming language
5. light weight - we were not looking to manage a database with each new web application unless the site warranted the use of one
6. open source - while the reduced cost associated with open source is attractive, we also felt it was important to have access to the source code. We are already deploying custom web applications with robust feature sets, it didn't make sense to deploy future sites on a platform with limited capability for growth.
7. easy to use - Ian and I could bridge a learning curve with ease however we felt that a proper user interface was crucial for our clients. Implementing software that allows our clients to edit their site via a tool that is too complicated to use seemed a bit short sighted.

After testing a few options, we arrived at OpenEdit. We began like most designer companies by downloading the software and installing it on our staging server. The first site we deployed on the OpenEdit platform was www.thatpetfoodguy.com. As a small business owner, Tom Bragg was looking for a simple web application with built in eCommerce that he could manage himself.  He also had a very fixed budget. I created a template, gave him some instruction on expanding his menu and he was off to the races. Within a month his site was full of valuable content which he inputed himself. Next we enabled the eCommerce solution, instructed him integrating PayPal buttons, and once again sat back and watched as this new section of the site grew. After 3-4 months of work, Tom has a very comprehensive web application that works hard to grow, expand, and serve his customer base. Without doubt, Tom could benefit from a few hours of work by a professional web designer in cleaning up a few display issues that have crept in throughout the development process but all in all his site is works extremely well. We were able to implement an extremely powerful and affordable web application for a very affordable price. Tom was very happy.

Since our first site was deployed, we have since built many many new sites using OpenEdit. While our clients love the easy to use editing capability, forum, blog module, and built in eCommerce, the real surprise is the number of designers that are now looking for IJ Solutions to provide these powerful technologies to their clients.

IJ Solutions - OpenEdit Partner

Somewhere during the past few months we have begun to grow a list of web designers who excel at creating excellent HTML web sites but are too busy to keep pace with new technology. Business owners are beginning to demand nothing less than a comprehensive content management system and those who can't provide this technology are losing clients. To solve this problem, smaller design firms are looking to companies such as IJ Solutions to bridge the gap. Because OpenEdit is open source, the only cost associated with providing this technology to their clients is the integration of the software during the design phase.

Meeting the Demand

With limited in house hosting capability, Ian and I began corresponding with the development team of OpenEdit in an effort to create a hosting package for OpenEdit Partners. The first thing we accomplished was the ability to deploy new web applications on the OpenEdit platform via an online form. Now I can deploy a starter site in minutes. The second accomplishment was to secure 60 days free hosting for each new site. This really benefits other designers as I can deploy a new site to a temporary url and build the application for the designer over the course of two months. The designer can monitor progress, provide feedback ,etc. then transfer the finished site to the client's url. The invoice for the managed hosting then gets transferred directly to client. Everyone wins.