Thank you Wordpress
May 28th, 2008
Accessibility, Managing your Site, Promotion, Web Design, Wordpress
- Created text files on the server that the client could change. I’d include these files into various parts of the website to achieve a low cost solution.
- Researched into the various CMS systems to find a good fit. Once I found the right fit, I would have to install and customize it, then train the client to use it. Either I didn’t look hard enough or simple, customizable & flexible CMS systems did not exist.
- Hired a consultant to create a custom database and write the querys to store/display/edit the data.
That changed when Wordpress came along. While it’s certainly not the end-all solution to every website need, it has drastically reduced my time spent, cost and general frustration associated with creating web sites. That’s right, web sites. Not just the websites that clients require the ability to edit themselves. I think it’s pretty standard that ALL sites are made so that the client can add and edit data.
Wordpress simplified my life because:
- It takes less than 5 minutes to install. Plus many sites come with Fantastico, which automatically installs it.
- It works right out of the box. You can immediately start adding categories, creating pages, etc.
- It’s really simple to extend wordpress with plugins. They are easy to find, upload and install.
- It’s really simple to work with the template tags, which allow me to pretty much place whatever I want wherever I want, without the need of a programming background. Not to mention that the support community is huge and very helpful. If you cant find documentation, you can ask, and usually get what you’re looking for.
- And my favorite - the user interface. Not so much for myself, but for my clients. It’s very simple and people who aren’t technologically inclined (nerds) can pick it up pretty quickly. The control panel is powerful, centralized and fast. Posting news is fast, and adding media to posts is incredibly simple.
Basically, Wordpress is so powerful, easy to work with and scalable that I can use it for many different applications. The more I work with it, the better I get at manipulating it. This means I spend less time wading around in code. Since I’m saving time (labor), I’m also charging less, which reduces the turnaround and cost of a web site. My clients kinda like this part. Plus there is plenty of online and offline documentation to help.
I just wanted to post this as a thanks to the Wordpress team.
May 28th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
I’m with you - I love Wordpress too. I’ve recently been playing around with creating ebay sites using Wordpress, and the functionality is great so far.
May 28th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Thanks for the comment! What a great example of how flexible Wordpress is.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:36 am
Additionally, I’ve been looking into modifications that will make Wordpress a multi-blogger tool, like wordpress.com runs.
June 1st, 2008 at 12:44 am
Have you heard of WPMU?
http://mu.wordpress.org/
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:09 am
Hi Kevin,
I’m completely with you on this one. WordPress makes the whole process of setting up websites very simple. I’m writing an eBook for small businesses and freelancers who want to set up their own website and have complete control over the content.
And now that there are some very good quality free themes and some business-style premium themes out there, they don’t have to make all the common design mistakes that make sites look amateurish.
June 10th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
I LOVE Wordpress and am just getting into using it as a CMS and total website solution.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I agree! thank you wordpress. Wordpress changed my life and made it possible for me to create the websites I’ve always wanted to. It is by far the easiest content management system available.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I have to say that I couldn’t agree more with this. Wordpress is the stuff!
August 17th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
So it works well for clients? I have been looking for a solution for this exact problem and was wondering if WP would be the answer.
One Question: Have you ever had a client who turned out to be familiar with WP and objected to paying for soemthing that is essentially free? I can see that coming up with a few of my clients…
August 18th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Perhaps we can make a new club, “wordpress addict”
I too love it and always keep making new blogs with it.