Convert from Zikula to CMSms

[Wendell]

I currently have several sites running Zikula. There is one in particular that I am worried about moving to CMSms. From what I have read here in the forum and by reviewing the available modules, it seems that CMSms can fully do what I need it to do. But I'm still not completely sure and am wondering if I can tap the collective minds here about what it might take and if it's even possible.

First of all, the main site in question is http://www.flakelist.org. It was a highly popular site until I upgraded to the latest version of Zikula and then suddenly the pages stopped being indexed by Google. Using a sitemap module, I had submitted the site via Google Webmaster Tools. Shortly after the upgrade, somebody pointed out to me that the latest flake submissions were not being indexed by Google immediately like usual. Suddenly, it was taking 2 weeks for Google to find them. So I investigated and found that GWT was only indexing 4 of the nearly 2,500 URLs in the sitemap. The sitemap was accepted by GWT with no errors or notices and it even confirms that it sees 2,500 URLs, but will only index 4. I was getting 1,500 daily unique visitors, now I get 200 if I'm lucky. I should also point out that I've tried using shortURLs in hopes that it would somehow help GWT, but alas, that has not worked either.

Secondly, the scenario above was the last straw. I have been looking for a suitable replacement for about 6 months. I didn't want to be in a rush and I wanted to find the best replacement even if it took some time. It was to be a delicate matter. But now that I have this GWT issue, I'm rushing to find a solution before my regular users abandon me altogether.

Third, I have looked at many, many, many different solutions and I always end up coming back to CMSms to see how it compares to the others. I'm already very familiar with Smarty, so that helps. My biggest fear is that CMSms will not be able to do what the Pagesetter module in Zikula does for me now. I have zero budget as work is very slow so I need to somehow find a way to replace Pagesetter on my own or with free help (although I would like to think that I could eventually donate some cash to helpful volunteers if things go well).

Ok, so to explain how the site works... anonymous visitors can search for flakes, scammers and spammers before making deals, applying for jobs or responding to ads on Craig's List. People love it, if they know about it. It even got mentioned on a local TV station. Registered users can submit flakes of their own for inclusion in the database. The Pagesetter module is what I used to setup the "Report A Flake" form, the listing on the homepage of all the flake submissions, the display page for each flake, the RSS feed, the site's static pages, the cartoons and the blog. Pagesetter allows me to create "pubtypes" which includes the submission form, lists, display pages, RSS feeds and side blocks. It uses a workflow system which allows me to setup how submitted publications are to be handled. It also can handle plugins that allow you to fully customize its abilities. It may help you to know that Pagesetter is much like the CCK module in Drupal.

Is there a stable module in CMSms that can handle this type of setup? Or maybe a group of modules that would do the same thing? Also, is it possible to semi-easily convert all my users and flake data to CMSms? I'd hate to have to hand-enter everything and that could likely kill the idea of moving to CMSms.

I seriously want to get away from Zikula and CMSms seems to be the best option for me. Your thoughts and ideas are welcomed and highly appreciated.

[jmcgin51]

I see nothing here that couldn't be handled by CMSms, with some creativity.  Getting data FROM your existing system INTO the CMSms system might be a challenge, though.

I would see you using the following third-party modules, in addition to the core modules:
FrontEndUsers
CustomContent
CGBlog

I don't know exactly what kind of "workflow" you have right now, but that part could be a challenge with CMSms, as right now there really ISN'T an integrated workflow.

[Wendell]

I don't know exactly what kind of "workflow" you have right now, but that part could be a challenge with CMSms, as right now there really ISN'T an integrated workflow.

Ah yes, I should have provided that information. In a nutshell, a registered user reports a flake. I, the administrator, receive an email notification that a new flake is waiting. I visit the site, review the flake report, make any corrections necessary, and approve it. At that time, it becomes available to the public.

Thank you for the reply. I think my next course of action will be to install CMSms with the modules you recommend so I can do some comparison with the web interface and MySQL database. I could probably manage to write a PHP script that would read the old db and then store it in the new db.

[jmcgin51]

I don't know exactly what kind of "workflow" you have right now, but that part could be a challenge with CMSms, as right now there really ISN'T an integrated workflow.

Ah yes, I should have provided that information. In a nutshell, a registered user reports a flake. I, the administrator, receive an email notification that a new flake is waiting. I visit the site, review the flake report, make any corrections necessary, and approve it. At that time, it becomes available to the public.

This would be no problem with CMSms.  You could use the News module or one of the blog modules for these reports.  Either will allow user submissions in different categories, and will allow administrative approval prior to public posting.

[Wendell]

Sorry I left this thread hanging. I just wanted to check in and say thank you for the helpful responses. I'm still in the process of deciding what to do. But CMSMS is way up on my list.