How Would You Go About It?
Right, I could do with your help.
I’m currently talking to somebody who wants to integrate a blog into their website. They aren’t in any way web-savvy, so they need their web designer to do most of it for them, but they seem to be fantastically keen to start one.
They were just on the verge of letting the designer build a page which allowed them to to update their content and have comments enabled, but that’s it - no permalinks, trackbacks, or blogroll. I said it was far better to have a blog that looked like part of their website than to have part of their website look like a blog.
You’ve got to understand that I’m no consultant and I’d hate to think I was giving them some bum advice.
I immediately told them to hold their horses and to consider getting their web designer to upload Wordpress 1.5 and to skin it the same as the site, then simply provide a link to the blog in the navigation bar.
In the name of all that is BLOGthentic, how would you go about it?
Filed under: How to Blog, Paul
That is how I’d do it. Being a WordPress fan, I’d use that platform.
However, regardless of the platform, your suggestions of “permalinks, trackbacks, or blogroll” are keys to success. Add to that - RSS feeds. If there is no link for the post feed and comments feed, then you are shutting yourself out of a potential large audience.
Absolutely, thanks for pointing that out
My only consideration/worry is whether something like WP is a bit too difficult a platform for a complete novice to start off with. The person in question has never touched Cpanel, for example.
I love WP, but maybe Typepad? I dunno.
I think we might have to do a BLOGthenticity blog platform test.
It’ll be quite interesting to see how everybody sees each platform from their respective experiences.
Now if only I could get my hands on a free-for-life Typepad account.
Good questions. There are some hosting providers that will now set up a WordPress blog for you. So, that’s another option as well.
You’ll also be pleased to know that said web designer can’t see the point of them having a blog in the first place.
They’ve also only installed one version of a blog script over three years ago. They also have no idea about permalinks etc.
It’s shameful…..it really is.
I’d have to go along with Robert on this one, if the website host already has MySQL and PHP already installed.
Most current day hosting solutions offer accounts with both MySQL and PHP. If that’s the case, just drop WordPress into the websites directory structure, edit the configuration file, skin your templates, and get on with it.
That’s the solution I’m in the midst of implementing for the office. I’m running a Windows 2003 Server. I’ve already installed and tested PHP. I’ve downloaded and installed WordPress into a virtual subdirectory.
Next, I’ll install MySQL and ensure that MySQL is configured properly.
Then, I’ll configure WordPress and MySQL to play nicely and share toys.
Finally, I’ll figure out how to make the blog match the website its being integrated into.
Like Robert, I’m a big fan of WordPress. WP is very well written and is very easy to learn. Having your own copy of WordPress enables you to take advantage of several very clever and useful plug-ins.
If you have your own copy of WP, one tip is to rename your comment form from its default name to anything else. Many comment spammers target WP due to so many WP-based blogs having a common name for their comment form. I’m sure there’s a couple of other WP files that you have to edit if you rename your comments file.
That’s what I’d do, but they need their web designer to look after everything and their hosting doesn’t have mysql support.
Unfortunately they’ve gone with the option of get their web designer to use something he’s only done once in three years and doesn’t ‘get’.
From the very off I was astonished how many web designers didn’t understand SEO. It was the first thing I taught myself. And I know of quite a few who don’t know about blogs.
They’re fantastic at holding you to ransom over your own website though.
It’s a problem…..alot of people just want a site in the same way they want brochures etc. And you can’t blame them.
And now people want blogs, but you can’t just leave a blog to its own devices .