Journal
WordPress Frustrations
24 October 2005 › 19 comments
Okay, I’ve been using my WordPress.com Blog for about a day so far, and other than the nice Ajax effects, there’s really no benefit to using it. The wizzy-wig editor is pretty cool at first, until you realize that it outputs invalid code. For instance, if you end your article with a list, it will place an empty set of OL or UL at the end of the content. In light of that, I find it incredibly ironic that there is typically an XHTML validation link on each and every page. Due to Live Search, some of these templates don’t even validate by default.
Unlike a self-installation of WP, you are unable to easily access and make changes to the look and feel. Sure, you can pick one of the cool templates that have been provided, but there is little additional customization that can be done. I am also very confused as to why there are BR tags everywhere, even right before the ending of a paragraph. It wasn’t until I turned off the visual rich editor that I actually got the page to work correctly. It seems to me that Textpattern has far superior text-parsing, when it comes to determining where to begin a paragraph, or when to just have a simple line-break.
The one thing I do like is that if you are logged in, there is a link to edit whatever post you are on. Likewise, if you are viewing someone else’s WordPress.com blog, there is a top-bar, much like in Blogger, allowing you to go directly to your WP Admin area (presumably to cut and paste something from their blog). That’s the only point to it that I can see so far, as there’s nothing distinctively different about the top-bar when you’re on some else’s blog. It would make more sense to me if there were options like Blog This or Flag (ala Blogger). As it is now, there’s really no point in having that top-bar present, other than to remind me that I’ve not yet left the WordPress.com domain.
So, my final verdict on the WordPress.com venture is this: If you have the know-how, and are really dead-set on using WP, just go to WordPress.org, download a copy, and install it on your own server. You will get far better flexibility and functionality than if you go with the hosted sub-domain option. Sure, it may cost you a bit extra for the hosting, but at least you will have your own domain. However, if you are tech-savvy enough to do that, you might as well go ahead and get Textpattern up and running instead.
If you’re just the Average Joe and you don’t want to mess with all the hosting and installation headaches, I’d recommend using Blogger or LiveJournal, because your chances of actually getting an account there are significantly higher. Or, if you have a little money to spend, go check out TypePad. No doubt some of you hard-core WP users out there will disagree with me, so feel free to leave me some feedback below, and convince me why I’m wrong.
Discussion + Dissension
Comments closed after 2 weeks.
#1 Joe
Nathan,
Thanks for the quick-critique. It is sort of refreshing to hear someone in the industry not play kiss-up to one of these many blogging tools out there. I have been researching for weeks on blogs and various blog software, as I am toying with the idea of relaunching my newly relaunched brand/site…um…er…relaunch.
I have been reading about WordPress, MovableType and the like and was wondering if there are exceeding benefits of buying these services as opposed to a free tool like Blogger other than the domain power (myname.blogspot.com does not look as nice as myname.com). What are your thoughts?
Thanks!
Joe
#2 Yannick
“If you have the know-how, and are really dead-set on using WP, just go to WordPress.org , download a copy, and install it on your own server. You will get far better flexibility and functionality than if you go with the hosted sub-domain option.”
As Nathan said above that is one reason to go with Wordpress.org as opposed to using an online solution.
I haven’t used Wordpress.com but I have used Blogger.com and I have found that with the downloadable version of Wordpress you get a lot more features and more control over your website/blog. Also you have the ability to add plugins that help to add even more functionality to your website.
Another aspect you have more control over relates to the design of your blog. Sure these services have templates and you can edit a few things to the visuals but I don’t think you get anywhere near as much control as if you used Textpattern , Movable Type , or Wordpress.org .
In the end it’s all up to the user. Do you just want to get a blog up and running for free and make posts? or Do you want to have more control over almost every aspect of your website?
#3 Nathan Smith
Joe: First of all, you have an amazing portfolio of work! That being said, here’s a bit of clarification about CMS’s: WordPress and Textpattern are entirely free. You can download them, and tweak them to your heart’s content. MovableType has some licensing restrictions, as far as using it for client projects. I think with MT, you can do up to 3 blogs with one author, free of charge, and then the pricing goes up from there…
www.sixapart.com/movabletype/kb/licenses
As far as quality, they can all be made to do whatever you want. I’d say that WordPress is slightly better at just running a blog (has comments RSS, etc). Textpattern is better at running a multi-section site, and MovableType can be used for either, but is sort of the older of the three. Another good one is the Expression Engine, but it’s probably the most pricey. Most of the people in 9rules use one of the following: WordPress, Textpattern, MovableType, Expression Engine, or TypePad. I of course, prefer Textpattern. :)
#4 beth
Nathan, if you use Firefox, I believe you can get a “Blog This!” extension.
#5 Nathan Smith
Cool, do they make one for Textpattern? ;)
#6 beth
I will let you know, I think I’m going to set up a new project I’m working on with Textpattern. I use Wordpress now (I like it), and would like to see the difference between the two. Also, if you’re a bit of a code-head, you might be able to dissect the Wordpress plugin and port it for Textpattern, or see if someone’s beaten you to it.
#7 Mark Priestap
Nathan – thanks for the tips. I’ve been scared off by WordPress simply because I heard it was a bear to install for non-techies (like me), though I heard Dreamhost has a nifty .exe installer for WordPress.
Molly H. seems to have figured out how to get WP to validate. I wonder how she did it.
#8 Nathan Smith
Mark: Just to clarify, I was saying that the default WordPress.com blogs aren’t that great. Of course, if you have full control over your own installation, you can make just about anything validate. That’s half the fun of tinkering with all the XHTML + CSS. The hosted blog “solution” lacks any such enjoyment (or headaches, depending on your definition). By the way, my WordPress blog validates (not that it's anything to be proud of).
#9 Robert
As one can I see, I run WordPress for my blog. When I first started getting back into technology – I am a finance guy by trade with a background in comp science – I didn’t know Textpattern. I heard about WordPress, Movable Type, Mambo, Php-nuke, etc. I first started using Mambo and didn’t like it at all. It was too vast for what I wanted to use it for. So, I looked into Movable Type and WordPress. WordPress being free and seemed to have more people developing plugins for it, I went with it.
It wasn’t that hard at all to install. All you have to do is follow the directions given and it is quite easy. If you are familiar with phpMyAdmin to create a database for WordPress and know how to write in an http address into the browser you should be good.
It is when you want to get into theming, plugins, etc that tech-savy comes in. Until then, you can just download the many themes out there and plugins and learn from them. That is what I did.
Currently though, I have textpattern setup and have been working in it to create a new theme some things that I currently use on my WordPress blog – scripturizer and Scripture of the Day. I have got both running in textpattern, but haven’t written them as plugins.
Basically, I am just seeing which I like better. I am more used to WordPress, so my bias goes with it, but I really like the backend of TextPattern. I think it needs an overhaul in the design, but like how much flexability it has.
Also, I am tinkering with the Calendar XHTML/CSS you made Nathan. I have rewritten it in PHP and am now working on the database creation/extraction for adding in notes. Then I will write the backend. I haven’t ever written a tiny CMS like this before, but it is fun.
#10 David Merwin
I LOVE WordPress. As an open source product, it has proven to be very flexible and powerful. In fact, I will be releasing a surprising version of WordPress in about three weeks. Look for the announcement on betachurch.org and other sites.
What I love the most about it is the collaborative environment. I have had some very tricky issues and have been able to solve quickly on the support forum or in the IRC chat.
I have not tried the worpress.com solution and from the sound of it, I probably won’t. I depend on that flexibility.
#11 beth
Some hosting providers offer a one click install, I know Bluehost (that’s who I use does) and I think Dreamhost might as well. Wordpress.org has a list.
#12 Nathan Smith
Robert, that’s awesome! Thanks so much for taking on that calendar project. I’m sure many churches will benefit from a simple, lightweight CMS.
Dave: I agree. WordPress itself is a great system, but this new attempt at rivaling Blogger breaks down because it’s too advanced for the average user (wizzy-wig breaking site layout), and too basic for the designer / developer (no flexibility in templating or layout). It amazes me the stuff that some of the 9rules guys (and gals) have done with WP. It’s shining point is flexibility, which breaks down when on a pre-fabbed platform.
Beth: You’re right. Dreamhost recently started offering a one-click install of WordPress. I was thinking of possibly building a blog for my wife via that method, but might stick to TXP. I’m still unsure.
#13 Yannick
Nathan: hehe, I would say give Wordpress a try for the wife. It would be good to play around with it a bit and get a little comfortable with it. If all else fails you can just use TXP.
#14 Khaled
I can’t believe you’re putting txp over wp. I mean honestly, what’s that all about. You know full well which is more powerful :). It’s like a mac versus windowz arguement ready to start.
Personnally I went for WP because the community was/is a lot more active than the TXP community. That was what made me go for WP rather than TXP, nothing else.
#15 Nathan Smith
Khaled:
Actually, I like WordPress quit a bit as a CMS. I just didn’t really care for the whole WordPress.com system of doing things. I guess I’m spoiled. I’m used to more flexibility, and the way their new hosted version works seems too watered-down for my tastes.
What drew me to Textpattern initially was the XHTML-eqsue tag structure, and the way it natively handles separate site sections. I agree, the WP community is bigger, but the TXP community has become more active, especially after the 4.0 stable release.
#16 Robert
One thing I am not too crazy about in TXP is the theming. I don’t like how it is held in a database and prefer how WP handles themes.
What I like about TXP is that it does handle pages better than WP, in my opinion.
I haven’t gotten into TXP plugins too much at all, are there any multiple blogs plugin for 1 TXP installation, so one installation can have multiple authors with separate blogs?
#17 Nathan Smith
I agree, Textpattern isn’t as “Plug and Play” as WordPress, but I think it’s more developer-friendly. The ability to edit my CSS on the fly, and be able to one-click backup my site (including CSS, articles, comments) is very valuable to me. This means I can be working on a website on a dummy domain, export the database, and re-import on a client’s domain with minimal headaches. I’m not saying the same thing isn’t possible with WP, but I just like the seamlessness of it in Textpattern.
As far as I know, there’s no real way to do multi-blogging with Textpattern, aside from asigning multiple authors to a site, and having them write to different sections (which could be skinned distinctively). If you asked around on the Textpattern Forum, they’d be able to better answer that question.
#18 craig
The wysigyg editor is an addon from HTMLarea I believe. Blame that for the bad HTML. :) I know the WP.com guys know about this and were working to fix that.
But what you basically say here I agree with. WordPress.com doesn’t add anything to the user experience, especially if you have come from such freedoms of hosting your own blog. You do however get a few perks. You get a free blog withouth bandwidth limits, you get use of the new spam machine that is Akismet, you become part of a community (sort of). Basically that means there’s a list of recently updated blogs on your Dashboard page and I used to get tons of traffic from this when it was small and no one had invites. :) But not anymore.
You learn a new way of paragraph blogging with the wysiwyg editor, you become frustrated that you can’t do lots of things you want to. You learn to live with less. Learn to focus on writing. On your ideas. Thoughts. Instead of continually tinkering away with design. When ever is that finished? :)
It is a different way of doing things.
One that doesn’t appeal to all. But may some.
And I believe you’ll be able to customise theme’s once the billing plugin comes online. That and there’s already talk of hosting your own domains there. For a dollar or two. No more craig.wordpress.com etc.
It is limited, yes, it is limited for a reason I believe. To get you to upsize. ;)
I’ve not used textpattern, though I did look at it before installing WordPress on my own host. I didn’t like parts of it’s interface. And yes, wp-cron and wp-backup plugins will email backup your WP databases. :) And should be included as standard.
I’ve been playing a little with squarespace.com and liking that. It’s different. Another hosted alternative.
#19 Nathan Smith
Craig: Thanks for the comprehensive response. I like to write up reviews of things while I’m still fired up and annoyed, so your detailed explanation and experience with WordPress is appreciated. I agree, nothing really compares with being able to host your own site and tinker with it un-hindered. WP.com will probably shape up to be quite a bit better than Blogger, simply because of the nature and dedication of the people behind it. For now though, it’s iffy.