Website Automation is Important

Are you Automating your content and site upkeep?

While there are so many things that must be taken care of with an online business, Internet based businesses need to analyze their processes and procedures to see what can be taken care of in a more efficient and/or automatic manner.

It really doesn't matter what kind of business you have. Whether you are a blogger or a merchant selling tangible goods or perhaps you're somewhere in between like a blogger, you need to see where you can improve.  An investment of a week or two now could save you much more time in the coming months or years.

Check for repetition

If you're like me you probably don't know where to start and you probably started your web site as a hobby or as a supplement to your regular brick-n-mortar physical store.  That's ok, just start with where you are at now.  Ask yourself what tasks have to be done regularly. It might be a good idea to make a list of activities that you have to do every day, every week, and every month.

See which activities are very repetitive. Those activities are good candidates for automation.

Automation Examples

Consider using a CMS

Are you writing your web pages in plain HTML and copy/pasting product information in?  Parts of your website creation process can be automated. You could save the time spent on adding HTML, page layout, and menus, by installing a CMS such as Wordpress, Drupal, or Joomla or a forum like bbpress, or Simple Machines Forum.  By installing a CMS or Forum on your website, you preset the design and categories, and entries get added to menus. You'd just work on adding the content to entries such as blog posts or forum threads.

Automate your product displays

If you are an affiliate marketer or a merchant, you'll want to look into automating your display of products using a database.  In affiliate marketing, many merchants make datafeeds available which are electronic spreadsheets with a list of available products and other relevant information.  Affiliates can use PHP and MySQL to integrate those datafeeds into dynamic pages that visitors can browse or search.

HTML Make-a-Page creators are a short-term solution

While some affiliate networks offer HTML page creation with code ready to copy/paste into a website or blog entry, that static page information will soon become out-of-date and will require updating.

Don't rely on static HTML pages

I had made the mistake of relying too much on static and other difficult-to-update displays on my sites and found myself caught between spending half my time updating existing pages or creating new content. It was very frustrating because it worked, but I didn't know how to progress. I was so busy updating product information that I didn't have time to write original content!

Learn PHP and MySQL or hire a programmer

In this case you'll most likely want to hire a programmer or learn PHP and MySQL yourself.  I know it sounds complicated, and yes, PHP is a programming language unlike HTML which is just simple coding, but once you finish your first couple scripts, you'll find that it isn't too difficult with a little planning and patience.  If you are an affiliate marketer you'll need at least a couple scripts. You'll need one to import datafeeds into your MySQL database and another for displaying products. You can then expand your ability by allowing user search or by displaying products by keyword, category, or really any other feature you can think of.

Automate your XML Sitemap

Another great option for automation is your XML Sitemap, also called your Google Sitemap.  You can write your Sitemap in PHP and submit your php script to Google Webmasters.  If you have dynamic content this is crucial otherwise you'd have to do it manually!  That could take weeks for a large website.

If you have a small website, you might not think it matters, but what about when your site is larger in a year or two? Your Sitemap was easy to update manually when you had only 30 pages, but it won't be so easy-to-update when it has 200.  If you later delete a page from your site, you'll have to look through 200 pages to find it while a well written sitemap script will include all pages that currently exist.

Standardize your website design

If you have multiple websites, consider what goes into maintaining and updating them.  Are you customizing each site, or are you making different aspects modular?  If you need to update your CMS or your custom scripts, could you copy the files over to the other site and have them just work?   By standardizing things like page width, and locations where your scripts and software are installed, updating could just be a matter of uploading everything to the same place on each site.   There are tricks you can do in PHP that let you get the IP address and website name which you might need in the script, so instead of having to open and configure your configuration file, you could tell your script to look up the domain and IP it is running on and do different things based on that information.   By autoconfiguring your scripts, you'll save plenty of time when you need to upgrade. I only wish CMS designers would do the same thing!

Servers are good workers

Servers once set up and running can save you plenty of time once everything is set up. Servers don't get tired, sick, or bored. They don't limit themselves to business hours either. Any activity that you can give them is going to be much cheaper than paying someone or spending the time to a task by yourself. Even with shared hosting, you just go to your webserver's control panel and add a "Cron job". Cron jobs just tell a server to run a script using the frequency that you set. So if you want it to run a backup, or a datafeed import at 2:00 am, just set it up. If you can write or pay for a script to do a task, you can later set it up as a Cron job, your script will run, and the task will be done, rain or shine, or even when you're on vacation!

How to Upgrade WordPress

How to upgrade WordPress introduction

Sometimes it seems that by the time I get my websites upgraded there is a new version or minor update to WordPress. After a while, upgrading WordPress seems as easy as brushing my teeth or tying my shoes. I do understand that for a beginner, this process can be frightening. In reality, WordPress is probably the easiest and simplest CMS or Blog software available. I have personally tried Joomla (which I like) and Drupal (which I don't like). I also tried Google's Blogger which has obviously been dumbed down to the least common denominator so that you can't customize it.

I do not accept liability for your ability to follow these steps, nor to I accept liability for any changes that may occur to Wordpress or its upgrade methods. Essentially, I'm saying that these steps have worked for me for upgrading the last few versions of Wordpress and they probably won't change in the near future. This article/post assumes that you know how to use FTP and how to download a file from Wordpress.org.

Short version - Steps for upgrading WordPress blog/CMS software

1. To be safe, backup your database via your webhost's control panel via PHPMyAdmin (ask your webhosting company how)


2. Disable all plugins


3. Download the newest version of Wordpress from wordpress.org.


4. Extract all of the files to your copy of Wordpress on your computer (your backup, you do have one right?) overwriting the older files with the same name.


5. Upload your Wordpress directory or your website via FTP to your server overwriting files with the same name.


6. go to http://yourdomain.com/wordpressdirectory/wp-admin/upgrade.php or http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php and follow the steps until it says it is finished.


7. Re-enable your plugins

If you never installed any plugins, then you can skip steps 2 and 7. The options in step 6 depend on whether you have Wordpress installed in your main directory or subdirectory. When uploading your updated files you could omit the wp-content/plugins and wp-content/themes directories. The default theme might have been updated, but your custom themes and plugins are not updated with Wordpress. Plugins and custom themes are maintained by their authors.

Don't forget to update your plugins!

Sometimes a plugin stops working due to a change in Wordpress's API. After you upgrade, be sure to check for new plugin versions. The most recent versions of Wordpress will warn you when your Plugins are out-of-date. You'll need to replace the plugin with the same name in your wp-content/plugins directory and upload the plugin via FTP. It is recommended to disable a plugin before uploading a new version and reenable it afterwards. A plugin will sometimes break otherwise. If you don't and you find errors just disable and reenable the plugin and that will take care of most issues.

How to get started with affiliate marketing?

I'm sure that many of you are interested in affiliate marketing due to the flexibility it gives. Perhaps you just want to make a few extra dollars or pounds for your next vacation or to save for retirement. That is ok too! You can put as much time and effort into affiliate marketing as you want because you are your own boss.

The problem for many is how to get started and people make some bad decisions, waste thousands of dollars on gimmicks, and then give up. You won't be making thousands of dollars per day unless you spend hundreds on advertising your sites, but you don't have to! I have been doing affiliate marketing since September 2007 and I haven't spend on advertising at all except for a coupon I got for Google Adwords for $25 I got from my web host. Without spending a dollar on advertising, I made almost $400 in December even though I've only been doing this for a couple hours a day for a few months. If I had put in 40 hour weeks I would have made much more.

Here are the basic steps involved:

1. Plan! What kinds of products and services do you want to promote? Pick something that interests you and that you have at least a little knowledge about. If you love to cook, you might want to have a website about gourmet foods and kitchen products. If you like sports, perhaps you'll go for exercise equipment, supplements, and sportswear. In any case pick a topic you enjoy! It will be difficult to motivate yourself to work if it isn't something you like.

2. Brainstorm! Make a mind-map of the topic that you chose and then make an outline and think about how you might organize your website. Also think about the visual aspects of your website so that it will also be attractive. Decide what kind of interactive or social features will benefit visitors. What kind of content will you use?

3. Pick a name! You need to give your website a name so make a list of possible names based on your topic and mind-map and put them in order.

4. Sign up for web hosting! You need a home for your website, so sign up for a cheap shared web hosting account. I recommend signing up with BlueHost or HostGator. In fact, I am currently using Bluehost for all of my current websites.

5. Register your website when you sign up for hosting.

6. Start your site using either HTML pages or a CMS program such as Joomla, WordPress, or Drupal. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Many web hosts have a quick install option for CMS or blogging software. Both BlueHost and HostGator have special quick installs for WordPress and Joomla! called Fantastico.

7. Sign up for affiliate marketing programs for your topic. I recommend starting out with .

8, Start adding content and mix relevant and useful affiliate links in with your content. Don't hard sell! You are providing a benefit for the visitor.

9. Integrate a website statistics service into your website, so you can see what works and what doesn't. I suggest using Google Analytics which is free. Also check your statistics in the affiliate network to see where your sales are coming from and which programs are converting to sales.

10. If a program doesn't convert and you know that your content is good, replace the program with one of another merchant and see if you get better results. When I first started I had used some programs that just wouldn't convert. I tried some others and they did. What do I mean by convert? Your statistics will tell you when a visitor clicks on an affiliate link on your website, If the visitor makes a purchase on the merchants site and the sale registers, it "converted". In other words, the click through converted into a sale.

Joomla 1.5 Problem isolated: The URL is not valid and cannot be loaded or http:///

If you remember from earlier posts I had started with HTML many years ago, I've updated my HTML knowledge but now I'm learning PHP and Javascript and I'm looking for a way to integrate or at least harmoniously have Wordpress and a CMS on my sites. Wordpress is powerful, and easy to use however it isn't Javascript or external PHP friendly. It also doesn't work with Iframes so that work around isn't available. I have made the comment in the Wordpress website how an integrated IFRAME option for pages would work around many problems and I have my fingers crossed. ;-)

I had tried Drupal but due to several issues including confusing options, overall bad administrative design, and posts that got cut off half way through, I have decided to drop Drupal until I feel like torturing myself.

I had stopped my adventure with CMSs, Content Management Systems, after installing Joomla 1.5 and getting the following error in Firefox:

The URL is not valid and cannot be loaded

I had posted the error in the Joomla forum hoping for an answer and I started working on other projects. I finally realized this morning that I still didn't have a solution so I reposted the error.

I quickly got a reply from a forum moderator to try a nightly install version. I deleted Joomla from the server, downloaded the nightly 1.5 version and uploaded it all into a new folder, /business.

I checked it and I didn't get the error. I was so happy I went into configuring the installation. Joomla has a very nice graphic menu system so I am able to check those settings quickly.

I marked SEO friendly URLs, Modrewrite, and I enabled a few modules that were preinstalled but by default deactivated. I tried again to log in and guess what?

Firefox gave me: The URL is not valid and cannot be loaded

When you get this message you can later click on OK and change settings. IE doesn't let you do anything.

and Internet Explorer gave me http:/// with a white page.

I went back to the admin options and tried changing the normal settings and I disabled all but the Wrapper module.

I got the error again and then I realized I hadn't tried disabling the Wrapper module as it was by default. I did so and the error went away. I went back into the wrapper module and I saw that there is a field in the right 'parameter' column called URL:

The URL field was blank. I don't know what it is supposed to do but I added the URL for my Joomla install. I reactivated the wrapper module and I don't get the error anymore.

Trying out Joomla 1.5RC after using Wordpress and trying Drupal: Part 1

Trying out Joomla 1.5RC after using Wordpress and trying Drupal: Part 1

As you can read in previous posts, I had attempted to use Drupal as a blog and I tried to get to know the different features it has. After finally noticing that it cut off my long posts after about a page I decided that enough is enough! If it is going to cut off my text without warning then I can't even use it as a CMS. I still haven't deleted it from my system.

I am of course still using Wordpress for blogging. I think it is great. I have only come across three problems:

1. You can't insert javascript.

2. You can't properly insert iframes. I tried two plugins but neither would display correctly.

3. You can't easily modify the menus. They are handled by the themes.

What I mean by changing the menus would be a way to do it through the administration or page writing menus. It would be nice to be able to select a list or category and a type of menu and move it over as a widget.

These limitations are the reasons why I am trying to use an additonal program for site management. If I could do those things then I wouldn't install anything else.

Remember that the less time you have to manage your site, the more time you'll have available for adding more content, making sales, and other activities.

So finally I'm going to try testing Joomla 1.5 RC. I didn't want to do it yet since it is still technically a beta version and there are limited modules/plug-ins available.

Why test with 1.5 when there are the 1.x versions?

If you check the Joomla site, it tells us that Joomla 1.5 and 1.x.x versions are incompatable. This is to say that you can't easily patch the upgrade on top of your 1.x system.

When new features and patches come available I will be able to use them with 1.5, but that isn't the case with the 1.x.x versions.

Yes, there aren't many modules avalable for testing but I hope that if I decide that I like the system, I will be able to get the updated modules as they come. If I don't like Joomla 1.5 either then I will probably wait another 6 months or so for significant updates and keep using Dreamweaver with templates even though it isn't dynamic and a pain to upload changes (templates in dreamweaver are modified in each page so if you make a change you have to reupload every modified page. It is simple but slow).

I downloaded Joomla 1.5 from its website and I extracted the files to /joomla, and uploaded them to the server. I then went to my webpage URL + /joomla to see what would happen since normally you have to type in the full installer addresses when putting new programs on a server.

I was surprised to find that it went directly to the installer and I had no conflicts. My php configuration was ok. I later had an option to install sample data which I selected. I of course had to enter my database name, host name, database user name, and database user password. This is normal for any installation of a program online.

Once the installer finished, it told me to delete the install folder. Once the installation folder is deleted or at least renamed, you can enter Joomla.

It showed me the sample data on a page with a lot of blue and a white background and a column layout. There were no instructions, so after reading the sample data I found a log in box in the lower left hand corner.

I entered the administration user name and password that I had entered in the installation stage and a new menu 'box' appeared in the left sidebar.

I clicked on 'administrator' and I got a log-in screen which later took me to an attractive and organized control panel screen.

This was a big change from my attempt at using Drupal! Drupal was messy and hard to read. The admin stuff only appeared as a menu on the side bar.

For a Release Candidate (beta) version, it seems less of a beta than the Drupal version I had tried.

There is a horizontal menu bar on top with:

Site, Menus, Context, Components, Extensions, Tools, and help.

I can tell right away that I can easily modify menus through the menu menu.

Using Drupal after using Wordpress. Part III: Other quirks for using Drupal as a blog.

I hope you like these posts regarding the use of Drupal as a blog after first using Drupal.

I will probably stop cross posting my entries to the Drupal blog. I will however continue to test it for making web pages since that is the original purpose. I am however seeing that it is very inadequate as a blog when there are superior products like Wordpress out there.

Other quirks (issues) when using Drupal's blog.

1. Viewing posts.

I don't know why I didn't notice it earlier, but the titles of my posts in Drupal are not capitalized even though I typed them that way. Yes, I'm sure there is a configuration setting somewhere to fix that buy please tell my why would they program it to do that? It seems idiotic.

In Wordpress, the post titles and their corresponding categories appear as you entered them or as you edit them.

2. Posts are not automatically organized in Drupal so the URLs look messy.

In Drupal, I enter a name of how a post should appear in the URL. You'd think I'd like it. Well, I don't.

It isn't elegant and it makes my posts look like an advertisement.

In Wordpress I can choose to view my posts' URL in different ways using the administrative options and then they will automatically appear using that method.

I currently have it set to file posts by date and name which I consider to be elegant. Better yet, it is automatic once set.

3. What happens

Ok so I filed my last post in Drupal as 'drupalwordpress2' and I logged out to see how it would look to a visitor. So far so good except my Google ads in the content were weighted to be one above and one below the posts and well they are both below. *pulls on hair in frustration*

I saw a summary of the posts I've made and I think well it isn't so bad is it?

And just think the people in the Drupal forum when I searched for Wordpress said that a plug in 'wasn't needed since Drupal did it all, well I disagree. Dupal seems to be a nice and flexible system but Wordpress has beaten it so far on every round!

Anyway, I digress. I clicked on the post and first I notice that the sidebars disappeared! That's right, one moment I see my recent blog entries with the sidebars and the next they are gone by a single click to view the post. Yes, I know that there is probably a setting I need to check to have the sidebars NOT disappear but again I ask WHY 'on God's green (and blue) Earth' would it be by default set up to do that?

It isn't as if the post takes up the entire space because it doesn't I have the post in the content area and a big empty space where the sidebars should be. It isn't logical.

Let's say that someone visits the Drupal version of the log and reads this post but wants to read another or see other related posts (still not categories but Drupal with modules does have a recent post option for sidebars).

Since the sidebars are no longer visible, the visitor can't see the other posts and will most likely leave the site completely.

That is a blogger's nightmare!

Configuring the sidebars in Drupal vs. Wordpress

1. Adding items to the sidebar in Wordpress

Ok, almost everything in Wordpress can be added to a sidebar using a widget or through the option menu.

Widgets are great because you can drag and drop them in the Presentation menu so that they appear in the order that you want them to. It is fast and easy.

2. Adding items to the sidebar in Drupal

It really feels like pulling teeth when compared to Wordpress, but it is still easier than coding a 'sidebar' on a normal HTML page.

I had to go to the 'sitebuilding menu' and then choose 'blocks'. This is where you go in Drupal to configure the positioning of Google ads and all the other stuff. As I mentioned before, you don't have direct control over the order in which the items appear except through their 'weight'. You can set the weight of an item and in which section it should appear then cross your fingers and hope it puts everything in the correct order.

In the 'blocks' section I have to select an item from the list, choose a section to put it in through a menu and then save it. Then I can choose some settings and save again.

Using Drupal after using Wordpress. Part II: Configuring a site for Google Adsense and posting to the 'blog'

I hope you are enjoying my posts about using Drupal as a new user after using Wordpress 2.2.

I am of course still using Wordpress for this blog. I am only crossposting the articles to make a valid comparison being a a relatively new user of Wordpress as well.

I want to clarify that I am doing this without first checking the help files on either site. Why? I didn't check first because almost no one will search for a help file except to handle the installation. We look for help when we get stuck or we'll watch a video tutorial.

Posting to the blog function of Drupal vs. posting in Wordpress

1. Posting to the blog was easy.... hey wait, where is the visual HTML editor?

I selected the blog function that was hidden in the big mess of management links that appear on the Drupal installation when logged in to my Drupal installation and stated typing...

So far so good, right? Well I wanted to set a few words as a header. Yes of course I could do <H3>This would be a subheader</H3> but it seems a bit silly that I shouldn't have an option do to so 'out-of-the-box', doesn't it?

In fact, Wordpress lets me set those basic functions and of course I can copy & paste basic html code into the text as well as edit html in the post I'm working on.

2. HTML editor for Drupal

The Drupal had a module for adding an editor which was two part.

A. install the module files, and

B. install the actual editor inside that

I did all that but it still isn't working right so I have to experiment more.

3. Editing my posts in Drupal compared to editing posts (and pages) in Wordpress

When logged in, and viewing my blog, I am able to see an option to edit my posts, but I don't see it as being as easy as using Wordpress.

With Wordpress, my most recent posts appear in the administration panel in the 'dashboard menu'. I can click on them, edit, and click on save. With Drupal it seemed like one extra step.

4. Inserting special code into Drupal's post.

In my previously post I added a button for Google Adsense like the following:



Only it didn't work. It mangled the script so it wouldn't show!

Check out Google Adsense to earn money on your websites:

Check out Google Adwords to promote your website:

With Wordpad, I can click on the 'code' tab in the post and page editor and paste my code. I can then either switch back to the visual editor by clicking on the 'visual' tab, or I can finish editing in the HTML.

5. Call them what you want, I can't easily see where the Categories are!

I still am not sure where they are if at all in Drupal. I can assign keywords using Drupal but it seems very inferior to the categories side menu that appears when editing a page or post in Wordpress.

6. How to use Wordpress categories

Wordpress categories are very simple to use. If I write a post about Startrek Voyager, which is only of my all time favorite series, I can on the right type in the text box, Voyager, and click on the Add button. The newly added category will be automatically checkmarked (ticked for the British). I can repeat the process for the term Startrek. Later when I write another post about Voyager, I only have to click on the box to the left of the category word to select it.

Lets say you write a post and you forgot to select a Category? No problem edit the post and select the category and click on save.

Sorry Drupal, you're not doing very well in part II.

Adding Google Adsense to the blog & pages in Drupal vs. Wordpress

1. I want to pay the bills!

I wanted, of course, to add Google Adsense to my new Drupal install. As I had mentioned in Part I, I installed the Adsense module from Drupal's website.  It is much easier to get someone to click on an ad than have them give a donation.

I had also done the same for a plug-in that I downloaded from Wordpresses website.

2. Both seem to work.

Both modules/plug-ins seem to work but I like the Wordpress one more since I can do all of my ad configuration in one page.

Then I can use the Widget function for sidebars to place the ad. (advert for Britsh :-) )

In Drupal there are currently no widget options, but I was able to select in which part of the screen I wanted to place the ad.

I can place an ad in the header, footer, content area, or in one of the sidebars.

3. Disadvantage of placing Google ads in posts and pages in Wordpress.

Here is finally a point for Drupal. While adding an ad to Drupal doesn't have widgets I AM ABLE TO put them in the content area without having to edit the template files. In Wordpress you can insert them in your posts using simple code but there isn't a way to automatically have them appear in your content area unless you ad simple PHP code into the template.

4. Disadvantage when inserting Google ads in Drupal.

Since Drupal doesn't have widgets which allow you to precisely place the ad before or after other widget items (Wordpress), Drupal has a less elegant, weighted approach where you have to choose a weight for the ad and the system compares the weight value with the others. It makes it more complicated and I'm still trying to use it.

In Wordpress using a sidebar widget I just drag and drop the ad before, after, or between the others and I know exactly where it will appear.

Using Drupal after using Wordpress. Part I: first impressions

Hello everyone!

I am trying what I was trying to find out about, and after many hours of searching, didn't find.
What it is like going from using regular HTML pages with some PHP applications and Javascript games to using Wordpress and later Drupal.

Background

First of all, I am not new to using the internet, computers or websites.
I made my first web page in 1995 or maybe 1994 on a free site. I used HTML and I coded it in a basic text editor. It had hyperlinks and photos and some profile info. It was on a university server.
After leaving the university I didn't really make an effort to have a website since for one hosting was very expensive and 2. I didn't have an internet connection at home. I did try once to have an Angelfire free site but the URL was so confusing I would keep forgetting to log in and I didn't bother giving it out so I forgot about it in only a few months.
I am as I said not new to computers. I first used them around 3rd grade. My parents bought an Apple IIgs when I was in either middle or high school (I can't remember), and I got my first computer, an Apple Powermac, when I was 18.
I even had two jobs in the computer industry more than a few years ago. I worked 18 months for Apple Computer when I lived in Austin Texas doing Technical Support. After that I worked for Dell Computer, now just Dell, doing technical support. First in telephone support, then in e-mail and internet based support and I finally got bored and quit and moved to Mexico City where I've lived since January, 2001. I've been teaching English as a second language. I also do the occasional Spanish-English translation.
I put up a website a year ago to promote my classes and mostly to have an e-mail address as a 'company' which I legal have, even if there are only 3 of us working. I have been using Dreamweaver as an editor along with free opensource applications I find and later adapt. So far it has worked well but I decided to make some changes.

1. Getting back to making a website

For a basic website a normal editor and HTML files along with a PHP send mail script are really perfectly adequate if not exciting, but over time things got difficult to update. In fact it was fun at first. I felt like a 18 year old again! :-)
Later It got frustrating. I eventually stopped using tables and started using CSS with DIVs. Keep in mind that CSS and DIVs didn't exist when I started. I now use CSS for everything. It does make things easier but not dynamic.

2. Website programming languages and their frustrations

I looked into Java, Javascript, and PHP but I really am not a programmer. If you don't make it perfect a PHP file just gives you a blank page! I don't see how checking for the missing quote or misspelled variable or extra bracket is supposed to be fun.

3. The need for more dynamic content that can be updated more quickly and easily

I really started to want something more dynamic
I noticed that we have CMS and LMS, and blogs... .whatever those are. I know that they existed but the first time I heard blog was around two years ago when once of my students asked what they were. I thought they were just glorified profile and picture pages for teenagers ... and I was right...
However I was also wrong. Blogs can also be independent programs used for many topics not only your rantings and trip journals but also news and review sites, etc.

4. Choosing Wordpress

I finally took the plunge only a few days ago and I decided to install Wordpress on my hosted server. I did it because I was posting updates to my website on a table which at first sounded good but really it became a pain. I'd have to add a row, type the date, save it and upload the file using FTP through Dreamweaver. First of all that is a slow process and second, it doesn't look very nice.
I thought I could do this with a blog!

5. Taking the blog plunge with Wordpress.... absolutely no regrets

So I had read up on different types of blogs. I knew I didn't want it to be hosted separately. I want to be in control and I want to be able to change the configuration as needed. I also didn't want to have to pay more for it since my funds are limited. I am very happy I went with Wordpress.

6. Wordpress is easy to install and configure. Use widgets to save time and write more!

Wordpress is easy to install and setup. You literally can be 'blogging' in minutes with only minimal configuration. The theme templates use CSS fil es, and there are lots of free themes available on the Wordpress website.
Wordpress also uses widgets. Widgets allow you to add special plug-in programs to modify the code and make it more dynamic. Widgets are great because it means you spend less time editing files and more time doing what you want to do.
It would have taken me all year programming to set up a working blog with many plug-ins in what took only a couple days using Wordpress. Best of all it is free! Using the blog I can post the 'updates' to my website and they automatically appear with the date and the category I choose.

7. Wordpress allows you to make 'pages' which you can link to your main page.

I noticed that you can also create 'pages' with static information and links which got me thinking.... If I can change the appearance, organize my pages, and make it more dynamic using Wordpress, why don't I see if I can do that for the rest of my site?

8. Wordpress has limitations, and other CMS, Content Management Systems, exist.

While I love Wordpress, I can see that it is limited when it comes to website development. I started looking into CMS, Content Management Systems (which also didn't exist years ago). I see that most people use either Joomla, Mambo, or Drupal. Yes, I know there is others, but if you use one that isn't popular, you'll have to wait longer to get updates and plug -ins supposing you get any at all.

9.  Joomla, Mambo, and Drupal ... oh my!

I read that Joomla came from Mambo and that they are very similiar but that the new version is different. Unfortunately the 'new' version that is supposed to fix all the problems I kept reading about, is only in beta. That leaves me with Drupal. Who names these things?

10. Joomla will have to wait since it is still in beta.

I really wasn't convinced by what I read online either. It really sounds like the developers don't care. There isn't a plug-in for integrating it with Wordpress either. I did read it is flexible and small and like Joomla there are many plug-ins. I can try Joomla CMS when the 'new' version is finally released.

The installation

1. Drupal installed using Fantastico

I used the fantastico installer provided by my webhost and it went well. I did have to download the update from the Drupal website and ran the upgrade.php as instructed. This is because the fantastic installer was one minor version off.

2. Minor upgrade and modules were installed.

The minor upgrade went without a problem.
I made sure I could log in and then started looking at the different modules (plug-ins) available for download.
I saw the ones I needed. I needed one for paypal, for donations and for translation payments. I needed one for google adsense to more easily work with that and I needed one for Amazon since I love reading.
I still have to test those to make sure they work. I'll let you know in another post how they go.
The modules seemed to more or less install and I went on to looking for themes. Those seemed to install ok too.

 3. The lack of Drupal themes

There aren't many themes if your compare Drupal with Wordpress.
I couldn't really find a theme that I liked much for Drupal whereas Wordpress has many wonderful themes to choose from. I want my blog and my website content to match even if they aren't integrated.

4. Chosen theme doesn't match but at least the colors do ... for now.

I picked one theme I had installed and stared playing with the CSS using Dreamweaver and I changed the colors to match a blog for the same site. The Theme's layout doesn't match at all. Only the colors match.
I edited the pictures to make a custom picture for the name of the site.

5. Which site is being used for the Drupal test?

I forgot to mention that I am testing Drupal on my new page http://crucialbusiness.com
Don't bother going there yet (if you aren't already) . I'm currently only using it for testing blog plug-ins and Drupal.
If it works, I will configure it Drupal for use on my main website which is http://portallanguageservices.com
which has activities for helping people learn and practice English.

6. Drupal's administrative panel is not very intuitive compared to wordpress.

One thing I don't like is the way you manage Drupal. While Wordpress has an intuitive administration panel that is very fast. I found Drupal's administrative options to be unorganized and unintuitive. It was like going from A Macintosh to IBM compatible computer all over again.

7. Adding links and categories is much more complicated using Drupal compared to Wordpress

While it is very simple to add a link or page to Wordpress I saw that I had to choose more options to add a link to Drupal.
What link? I linked The blog to the Drupal page. I will have to do the same later in Wordpress.

I noticed that Drupal doesn't have a WYSIWYG editor. What is the point of using it if I still have to edit my pages in Dreamweaver?
There was a module for installing one but It seemed awfully silly that one wasn't already integrated.

This message was written originally using Drupal's blog option but I copy/pasted  it to my Wordpress install since I actually know how it works :-)

I couldn't find a way to put in categories for the article in Drupal while Wordpress made it easy to add Drupal as a category.