Building a site
WordPress (WP) has been an awesome publishing tool since it’s inception, but now it’s really emerged as a publishing platform, or content management system. I’ve been impressed with how this tool has morphed over the years, keeping our favorite ease of use, while expanding in phenomenal ways.
Originally, WordPress was design to publish simple content like blogs. There wasn’t much to it, and the interface was so easy to use, we just didn’t expect much from it. There was a time when it didn’t matter if you used WordPress, Blogger, or just threw up an HTML page on your site. At that time, I would never have recommended anyone use it as an actual site.
Over the years, it has grown impressively, and it’s kept up with the times, as in search engine optimization (SEO), and plug-ins for added functionality and social media interaction. It’s evolved into a true content management system (CMS). Additionally, with 3.0 you can create multiple sites through once instance, which is so important in connecting content via the same database, look and feel if you want, etc, assuming you have super admin privileges.
I’ve used other blogging software, and content management systems. Some are total crap, which I won’t bother to point out, and some are decent contenders. For small personal or business sites, WP provides a wonderful, easy-to-use publishing platform in which you can add all kinds of bells and whistles. I no longer create sites for people, but I have tutored quite a few into doing their own sites in WP because it is so easy to maintain content once you are set up. In fact, my own site is in WP because it makes it easier for me as well.
Drupal is a great content management system too, and for someone like me who is a total geek, it more than does the job. But for people who truly need an easy interface, have mostly straightforward static content, and want to include dynamic feeds from outside sources, WP is awesome.
If you want to build a site using WP, I recommend you get your own web space, with an installation of WP, rather than getting a free account through wordpress.org. Free is not, but you lose tons of flexibility for creating, using, and changing themes, adding necessary plug-ins, etc. Besides, it’s always better to have your own domain.
This week I plan on redoing my sites with Thesis Theme Framework, which allows you to configure themes easier. I’ll let you know how that goes and if I recommend it.
