We know there's some of you still confused about all the CMS babble spreading around the web, so we thought it'd be a good idea to put together the top 10 pros and cons web designers should take into consideration when pondering on whether or not using a CMS app.

You can pretty much find "drop-dead-amazingly-easy-to-use" CMS apps anywhere, they're actually sprouting like mushrooms on wet grass. So, just in case you still haven't hopped into the wave and are wondering whether you should surf these waters, stay tuned... here's a list of things to keep in mind.

Oh, and by the way, CMS stands for Content Management System... just so you know. :)

PROS :

• Complete control over contents. Yep, this is one of the best features. Your clients get to update their own dynamic contents themselves. No programming skills required... you won't be getting any more annoying phone calls asking for site content updates on your end.

• Easy integration of new functionalities. Since CMS tend to be divided into modules or plug-ins, adapting it to your own needs is extremely easy.

• Separation between site content and layout. Any changes that need to be done to a site's layout will have no aftermath effects on its contents. It's all about making things easier.

• Cheap. Or so it seems. You'll find plenty of 100% free open source code to work with around the web though we'd recommend watching out on these apps since they may backfire on tech support issues.

So right 'till this point you're probably wondering where on earth has this gift from heaven been all this time, huh? Well, it's not that much a bed of roses... here's the dark side to it:

CONS :

• Limited flexibility when designing. Since CMS work with templates, you'll find yourself having to work around some annoying layout restrictions.

• Programming skills. Probably the most irritating feature of them all - unless of course you're a techie and enjoy dealing with code. You'll need some more programming knowledge than just bare HTML if you want to edit the default template.

• Learning curve. You're gonna need some time to digest all the ups and downs of CMS implementation. Though useful, it takes a fair amount of time getting familiar with these type of apps.

• Code tags. They can get to be a pain in the neck since they're all mixed with the site's layout. Restoring one of this little devils when deleted by mistake is a time-consuming process, especially of you're not a code monkey.

• Lack of professional tech support. Don't get the wrong idea... free CMS apps tend to have some type of support community or forum you can turn to when in doubt but they rarely ever have a full-time professional to cover users questions.

• Keeping up with updates. While new and better versions come out you'll constantly have to be on the lookout for the latest updates... or pay someone else to do it and install them for you.

While all the pros were indeed a big step forward, the list of cons kept nudging us. So we decided to start scratching our own itch. Not to sound commercial here, but Inserit does sway around CMS countereffects while keeping all the good stuff.