Dave Taylor is the communications director at David Suzuki Foundation. The organization uses Marqui’s CMS to manage its site.
What were your basic requirements when you began looking for a CMS?
We needed something simple that didn’t require technical expertise to use, had a built-in subscriber database capacity, and a timed release function.
What other CMSes did you look at besides Marqui?
We looked at one other—there weren’t many back then. I think it has since been absorbed by another company or gone out of business.
Since CMSes are so customizable and not easy to “try” before you buy, how did you look at the various CMSes to determine whether or not it met your needs? In other words, what was the process to shop for a CMS?
Marqui (Maestro at the time) suited our needs, was a local company, offered
a decent rate and had functions the other did not. It also had good
references.
How long have you been using it?
Five years.
Whoa! What are the things that have changed most in the five years you’ve been using Marqui (Maestro)?
Customer service has vastly improved since we started with Maestro. The technology has also greatly improved. It still isn’t perfect, but it works for us and the company continues to improve it.
How many use it? What are their roles?
About a dozen have access and half that number use it regularly. Mostly
communications specialists, but some biologists and administrators too.
What was the process of getting started with it and set up?
We imported our site into Maestro quite easily. Then it was a process of
ironing out any bugs or missing sections and links. We have a huge site, so
that took a while, but the problems were easily fixed.
How did you roll it out to your organization?
We just turned it on! We also emailed our members and urged them to check it out.
What kinds of feedback do the users have about Marqui?
Our users like it because it is reliable and easy to use. It also enables us to react quickly and reach out to our members on developing issues. Knowledge is power. Getting the right information to the right people at the right time is essential to bring about change.
Disclaimer… blah blah… Marqui pays me… blah blah… to blog my opinion… yadda yadda. 🙂
