Interactive, Engaging, Shareable

Social Media Software is the name given to the type of online content management systems that allow users to interact with the website, to engage others in various types of online communication and to share information in many digital formats -- from text and photos to audio and video media.

While there are many software platforms that allow someone to create a blog, a chat-room, a message forum, photo gallery, and other systems for building a website where multiple users contribute and interact with the information, there are now several Swiss Army Knife application suites that tie all the user management and content management features together under a single unified interface.

The deciding factor for many organizations and the website developers who have to build the sites and the webmasters who will manage them is whether the software is a hosted solution, (also called "SaaS" or "Software as a Serivce"), and software which can be downloaded or purchased in box and installed on your own web server. Some solutions are available in both SaaS and DIY, ("Do It Yourself" - install and manage), varieties.

Typically, SaaS applications are faster and easier to set up, but are usually limited in how much customization can be done. On the other hand, install-it-yourself type software may be more difficult to install and configure, but since most web based software is written in a server-side scripting language such as Php, Perl, ASP or other, the customer is free to modify and customize the software to their liking.

The field for Social Media CMS packages has really opened up lately, and no single article could review and compare all available platforms, features, options and pricing models. For more info, read the individual reviews in our Social Media section and check out some of the available solutions they link to.