Using Wordpress as your CMS

[somecallmejosh]

I will have to get a copy of wordpress, will it write the content to various sites or ust 1???

Thanks
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http://www.kernelpoweruk.com

Drupal can handle this functionality with the core installation.

[gavo2o]

I use Wordpress as the CMS for my sites theese days due to the ease of updateing it.

[jessebhunt]

We build LOTS of websites using WordPress as the CMS. I've found it to be easy to use, easy to theme, and fairly flexible (so far I've been able to find a plugin for just about any feature I've needed.)

I've used numerous other CMS's in the past, including Drupal, Joomla, Website Baker, ModX, and others. However, I've found WordPress to be the most user friendly, which is a HUGE benefit when building websites for clients that lack technical savvy.

My only gripe with WordPress is that I feel like they release too many updates. I find it very frustrating that they release new versions faster than I can keep them updated. I really wish they would release fewer, more thorough updates.

So, to answer the original question ... yes, WordPress is perfectly suitable as a CMS for a portfolio site.

[moramata]

I think wordpress is better than drupal. drupal upgrade is a headache. I cringe when ever i think about upgrading my existing drupal site. Drupal image embedding in contents is terrible. Drupal is extremely slow.

Being said that, if you are an expert in drupal or you want to be one, than it is the best CMS becasue of its flexibility and modular desing and availability of large number of third-party modules.

[Tailslide]

My only gripe with WordPress is that I feel like they release too many updates. I find it very frustrating that they release new versions faster than I can keep them updated. I really wish they would release fewer, more thorough updates.

Oooh yes I agree with you on this one - big pain, especially on sites with a ton of different plugins that may or may not work with the update.

[rochow]

Oooh yes I agree with you on this one - big pain, especially on sites with a ton of different plugins that may or may not work with the update.

And the fact it won't update automatically, you have to download the entire thing (yet you can automatically update plugins by just clicking update... strange). Considering there's probably been, hmm, maybe 50 updates since it's released (at a guess) that's TONS of time spent downloading/uploading the new files, let alone theme and plugin fixing.

[rveram]

And the fact it won't update automatically, you have to download the entire thing (yet you can automatically update plugins by just clicking update... strange). Considering there's probably been, hmm, maybe 50 updates since it's released (at a guess) that's TONS of time spent downloading/uploading the new files, let alone theme and plugin fixing.

I totally agree with you, the update thing was a pain in the ***, but after I installed this plugin all the problems where solved

http://techie-buzz.com/wordpress-plu...2-release.html

Give it a try

[rochow]

Isn't it annoying when things are stupid by default, and other people have to come and fix it up? Basically like Microsoft tons of there stuff is rubbish (like Vista) yet follow some tweak guides on the net and its 1000% better.

As long as it has a rollback option it'd be perfect, nothing worse than finding their is something wrong with the update and not having the old files anymore

[Dan Grossman]

Absolutely use WP as a CMS. I've converted some nice big sites over to WP without any change in design, URL structure or functionality... but get the benefits of a CMS when something needs editing, themes for managing design, plugins, etc.

[Blue Sky]

would you recommend WP as a CMS if you only have knowledge of HTML and CSS? eg no js or php skills ??

[rochow]

Yes. WP is made for people who don't even have HTML or CSS knowledge.

[K. Wolfe]

I was once a fan of using wordpress as a cms. I actually just yesterweek finished a wp design for a client. This last design showed some problems with adding html (espcially divs) into the posts when spans are also used (this is how wordpress aligns and changes text). This is a problem even when the feature to auto fix code is turned off.

IMO if you are looking for a quick solution and looking at a very simple design in which the editor will not being doing anything too fancy in those posts, then WP can be the way to go. Anything past that you might want to consider other options, including making yor own simple DB driven cms (which I am serously thinking of doing).

[rochow]

including making yor own simple DB driven cms (which I am serously thinking of doing).

If you want to do that, I'm happy to partner with a backend programmer. I can handle the design and HTML/CSS. My issue with WP is that exact problem - it decides to edit the HTML which wrecks the page, no matter how many plugins I installed that are meant to stop it doing that.

[davexp]

wordpress is good for small sites or blogs . better use drupal for serious sites .

[risoknop]

If you want to do that, I'm happy to partner with a backend programmer. I can handle the design and HTML/CSS. My issue with WP is that exact problem - it decides to edit the HTML which wrecks the page, no matter how many plugins I installed that are meant to stop it doing that.

I have the opposite problem I am good with backend programming but I'm not very good with design and graphics (don't misunderstand me, I know XHTML and CSS very well but I somehow don't have the skill for making nice web 2.0 designs in Photoshop - every design I make looks spooky ). I've got my own small CMS written in PHP, if you want to take a look at it, send me a pm and I will send you the files.

[rveram]

Absolutely use WP as a CMS. I've converted some nice big sites over to WP without any change in design, URL structure or functionality... but get the benefits of a CMS when something needs editing, themes for managing design, plugins, etc.

I have a little project using WP as a CMS, I have a question, how do you manage to make the navigation menus in wordpress?

[Hierophant]

Since menus exposed by Wordpress are simply unordered lists, you can use any menu technique available. Most use CSS menus but there are suckerfish and other javascript hybrids available. Using PHP in your template, you can place the menus wherever you want to.

[rveram]

Since menus exposed by Wordpress are simply unordered lists, you can use any menu technique available. Most use CSS menus but there are suckerfish and other javascript hybrids available. Using PHP in your template, you can place the menus wherever you want to.

Thank you! I'll try setting up a beautiful menu today

[azmartha]

I use WordPress to run both my website and my blog. I agree with the other posters who say that WP doesn't have much oommph in and of itself. To run a good portfolio site, you will need some plugins. I have several running mine.

One more thing: If you're not skilled at backend programming, find someone who is. That makes all the difference.

[Musicbox]

wordpress is the only solution to build personal websites or for those people who just dont know anything on the web and want to have there own identity on the web through wordpress.

[domainsatretail]

Wordpress is a great idea for CMS. I use it for more simple sites like you are thinking of using it for. Portfolio sites are a good suit with Wordpress, and you get SE Friendly URL's. If you build a site where you want some extra extensions I like Joomla as there is so many free ones, but I'd say half my sites run WP.

[renet]

Wordpress is great. Probably the best. You can go with an out of the box theme and can tweak it with css.

[Dan Grossman]

I was once a fan of using wordpress as a cms. I actually just yesterweek finished a wp design for a client. This last design showed some problems with adding html (espcially divs) into the posts when spans are also used (this is how wordpress aligns and changes text). This is a problem even when the feature to auto fix code is turned off.

Just turn off WP's auto-paragraph filter from your theme's functions.php.

remove_filter ('the_content','wpautop'); 

There's a plugin that lets you do it on a post-by-post basis: WP Unformatted

Turn it all off and it'll show the raw text you put into the post body, WP doesn't do any filtering that can't be turned off without editing WP.

[K. Wolfe]

I know XHTML and CSS very well but I somehow don't have the skill for making nice web 2.0 designs in Photoshop

Ditto.

[K. Wolfe]

Just turn off WP's auto-paragraph filter from your theme's functions.php.

remove_filter ('the_content','wpautop'); 

There's a plugin that lets you do it on a post-by-post basis: WP Unformatted

Turn it all off and it'll show the raw text you put into the post body, WP doesn't do any filtering that can't be turned off without editing WP.

Nice. This will definately come in handy for my previous sites. I think I will still come up with a cms for simplicity reasons and for learning purposes though :-)