Web Content Management (WCM) systems, also known as Content Management Software/Systems (CMS), make it simple to maintain scalable websites with extensible features through a web-based interface with any number of users who can be given variable roles and access levels. They typically offer many other functions as well, and their features may be extended through add-on modules.

As social networking and social publishing exploded in the "web 2.0" era, many WCM/CMS systems were already delivering social networking and social publishing functions, and they have continued to evolve further in that direction. Some more recently created WCM-like applications have been built from the ground up with a social architecture, such as Elgg, which is open source. Its first version was created to be a collaborative, online classroom environment, and this model turned out to be widely useful in many contexts. Wikis with their native collaboration and social features are also used for WCM purposes.

A wide variety of open source software solutions for WCM and social-collaborative websites exist today, alongside affordable and sometimes no-cost white label options. Among the most popular open source options, there is even the possibility to integrate two different WCM systems, white label applications, and other standalone open source web applications.