Out-of-the-box solutions offer the personal blogger or site news manager the kit they need to get a dynamic and active news site up and running in no time. There is currently a huge range of systems to choose from that provide a means to this end, and that are easy to rebrand and develop beyond the original installation.

With the open source licence any business can leverage a means to communicate corporate news and updates, or to encourage internal interaction and collaboration.

Do automated blogging and content management solutions hold the power to upset the industry of web design and development?

This is rather a delicate situation in the industry, touching on the business prospects of freelancers and corporate consultants alike. Last month Web Designer magazine held a forum with designers and consultants from various backgrounds who contributed their thoughts.

Jeffrey Tarter Web design CEO

“Advances in technology have made it extremely easy for people to set up a ready made site but there is a lot more to it if you want to stand out in the crowd.”

Glyn Moody Auther, Rebel Code

“The rise of free open source packages means that anyone can experiment. All you need is passion and creativity – something pre-packaged solutions can never offer.”

Cheb Dagher Creative Director, Elastique

“While software like WordPress has made it easy to be heard online – it’s nonsensical to suggest web design is a dying art.”

Lee Debnam Strategy director, Punkyduck Ltd

“The question clients need to asks themselves is whether saving money on cheap or free solutions will end up costing them more in the long run.”

The feeling seems to be the same running through all facets of the industry: there will always be pre-packaged solutions with a side-order of keen developers and designers looking for ways to better the product that comes off the shelf.