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WYSIWYG

What you see is not always what you get

It is the holiday season and from the comfort of one’s computer, a person can find everything they want from around the globe…even love. As the internet connects the world, finding a love connection online via a chatroom or dating site is no longer a social taboo, but instead a frequent and growing trend. Though it is popular, this single intern will never do it.

Internet dating is not for me not because I think I am too good for it. I have the game of an unemployed clown with a twitch. I personally can’t do it because what you see is not always what you get. Via cyber space, a person can create themselves into whomever they want, with no reality to back up their cyber front. At least when I go out to the bar, I can know the looks and basic personality traits of the vast number of women with whom I’m not going home with.

A company’s website is like a dating profile; it has to draw the desired people to it. Whereas it is expensive and time consuming to change a person’s appearance, changing and managing a webpage is relatively cheap and easy with the right tools. WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) is a tool that enables users to manage the display of their page content. Without having to type in any code, a user can control the layout of a page, viewing changes and updates as they go.

Before falling in love and locking down a specific WYSIWYG system, a user should test drive a few systems first. Much like a strict Vegan and a Carnivore might have issues, depending on what system a person uses will affect the usefulness of a particular WYSIWYG tool. TinyMCE is a very popular one right now, but if you use Internet Explorer 7, it doesn't work. Web Easy Media uses FCKeditor, which has great features and is easy to use. WYSIWYG tools work on any CMS, but Drupal has a module which makes finding and installing the right tool pain free.

Finding and utilizing the right tools to manage the content of one’s website is vital for the site’s growth and relevance. WYSIWYG is a very useful tool for those of us who are better with words than code. As with all manners of the heart or business, make sure any tool you use is compatible to your system and always stay flexible. Don't be afraid to divorce any WYSIWYG system when a better one comes out...I guarantee it won't go after half your stuff.