Best blogging platform

[Bulldozer Dawn]

I have over the years written a lot of content for Thai Visa.

I figure a much more effective use of my efforts would be to start a blog and if successful commercialise it.

In my old life I worked as a content and software developer.

I can code in xhtml, css, php and more recently have just familiarised myself with html5 and responsive web designs.

And so, it would be easy for me to just build my own website with blogging functionality.

I am aware that there are lots of other options out there such as Wordpress. I would be grateful if anyone could explain to me, in simple terms like I was a four year old or a golden retriever, why using one of these off the shelf solutions is more advantageous.

I like building my own stuff but I am also very pragmatic and very, very lazy nowadays.

And so, if anyone would like to suggest the fastest, simplest and easiest way to build a blog site (with the prospect of scaling it up for ad and/or subscription revenue) I would be very grateful for your input.

[KittenKong]

Use Wordpress because it:

1) is free

2) is easy

3) does everything you want (with the help of the right plug-ins)

[jcisco]

Sir this is one of those it depends topics. Look at some technical fundamentals such a the format of copy and it's transportability and use in your work flows. Especially if the blogging system will be more than just a target at the end of the production process for content.

Also longevity and content management over the long term with such issue as perm linking and redirects etc etc.

I know not giving you products only question so consider but I hope it may help

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Sir this is one of those it depends topics. Look at some technical fundamentals such a the format of copy and it's transportability and use in your work flows. Especially if the blogging system will be more than just a target at the end of the production process for content.

Also longevity and content management over the long term with such issue as perm linking and redirects etc etc.

I know not giving you products only question so consider but I hope it may help

As a pragmatic person, I always try to develop my own stuff. Because at the end of the day you don't have any third party entity that can shut up shop or do something else that may endanger the shelf life of your project. However, I am also well aware of the benefits of the leverage that comes from using a open source product such as Wordpress, especially the fact that most bugs are well documented and discussed and hopefully resolved by end users.

With regard to the comment above that WP is free. That really isn't an issue for me. It is also free for me to build my own site, and the time I would loose doing so is offset by the learning I would have regarding the html5 standard.

I guess another way to look at this puzzle is to identify the top bloggers at the moment and look at what platforms they are using?

[NeverSure]

It's critical that you have an upper level domain name and register it and have it hosted. That can all be very cheap and the software can be free and plug and play. For any who don't know what I mean, you need www.myblog.com and not www.webhostcompany/myblog. In the second case webhostcompany is the upper level domain name which belongs to them and you are using that as a sub domain. If nothing else you'll be less likely for search engines to pay attention to you.

Make sure you own the domain name and register it yourself rather than have it be captive to a big company that offered to register it for free in exchange for hosting. They can hold you hostage to their service.

I don't know who to recommend these days. I used 1&1 and wasn't happy. I haven't used one since. Unless someone here knows the answer google is your friend.

[NeverSure]

Sir this is one of those it depends topics. Look at some technical fundamentals such a the format of copy and it's transportability and use in your work flows. Especially if the blogging system will be more than just a target at the end of the production process for content.

Also longevity and content management over the long term with such issue as perm linking and redirects etc etc.

I know not giving you products only question so consider but I hope it may help

As a pragmatic person, I always try to develop my own stuff. Because at the end of the day you don't have any third party entity that can shut up shop or do something else that may endanger the shelf life of your project. However, I am also well aware of the benefits of the leverage that comes from using a open source product such as Wordpress, especially the fact that most bugs are well documented and discussed and hopefully resolved by end users.

With regard to the comment above that WP is free. That really isn't an issue for me. It is also free for me to build my own site, and the time I would loose doing so is offset by the learning I would have regarding the html5 standard.

I guess another way to look at this puzzle is to identify the top bloggers at the moment and look at what platforms they are using?

We could write a blog using Notepad and a picture hosting company like photobucket, upload it to a server and register it in DNS. Heck, we could upload pictures to the server, index them and pull them to the webpage. Any free FTP program will upload your files.

But all of that seems silly when there are GUI tools online parallel to the hosting company that allow a person to just start creating the actual blog content.

[jcisco]

It's critical that you have an upper level domain name and register it and have it hosted. That can all be very cheap and the software can be free and plug and play. For any who don't know what I mean, you need www.myblog.com and not www.webhostcompany/myblog. In the second case webhostcompany is the upper level domain name which belongs to them and you are using that as a sub domain. If nothing else you'll be less likely for search engines to pay attention to you.

Make sure you own the domain name and register it yourself rather than have it be captive to a big company that offered to register it for free in exchange for hosting. They can hold you hostage to their service.

I don't know who to recommend these days. I used 1&1 and wasn't happy. I haven't used one since. Unless someone here knows the answer google is your friend.

Seriously if you are registering domains it doesn't matter who registers the domain, as long as it is done correctly. Simply having the correct registrar Whois details correct and verifiable mitigates Any problems. If you have failed at ensuring this information is correct, ever, well ..... You would probably give advice that is yes helpful just kinda right.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Sir this is one of those it depends topics. Look at some technical fundamentals such a the format of copy and it's transportability and use in your work flows. Especially if the blogging system will be more than just a target at the end of the production process for content.

Also longevity and content management over the long term with such issue as perm linking and redirects etc etc.

I know not giving you products only question so consider but I hope it may help

As a pragmatic person, I always try to develop my own stuff. Because at the end of the day you don't have any third party entity that can shut up shop or do something else that may endanger the shelf life of your project. However, I am also well aware of the benefits of the leverage that comes from using a open source product such as Wordpress, especially the fact that most bugs are well documented and discussed and hopefully resolved by end users.

With regard to the comment above that WP is free. That really isn't an issue for me. It is also free for me to build my own site, and the time I would loose doing so is offset by the learning I would have regarding the html5 standard.

I guess another way to look at this puzzle is to identify the top bloggers at the moment and look at what platforms they are using?

We could write a blog using Notepad and a picture hosting company like photobucket, upload it to a server and register it in DNS. Heck, we could upload pictures to the server, index them and pull them to the webpage. Any free FTP program will upload your files.

But all of that seems silly when there are GUI tools online parallel to the hosting company that allow a person to just start creating the actual blog content.

NS. Thanks for your two posts. That is sage advice regarding holding control over your own domain...viz...www.myblog.com as opposed to www.othercompany/myblog.com. However, it is something I am well aware of. Why build visits to a site if you don't own the domain....good advice. And exactly the reason I want to move away from posting on TV...

My dilemna arises out of building the actual architecture of the site. I do in fact just code in notebook, but, in the past have just written everything myself...from a blank page so to speak. I like that approach because is it like building a car yourself. If, in the future there are any problems, you can fix them yourself, and you don't have to rely on a mechanic. However, the flip side to that argument is that if you use WP or another program all of the monkeys have already been shaken out of the tree by other users.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

To avoid the thread heading off in the wrong direction, lets assume that I have already:

1. Registered a domain name using name cheap. The whois data is protected by a proxy.
2. Paid for hosting on a secure server in Singapore.
3. Will use a VPN when connecting with CPanel to work on the back end of the site.

[CharlieH]

Wrong forum,

MOVED to Tech/computer

[Yme]

WordPress

[craigt3365]

I've been looking into this a bit also, not from the technical side, but from a business perspective. I've met lots of bloggers lately. Some are doing OK, but spending tons of time doing it to make a very little amount of money. Seems you really have to love it...seems like too much work to me! LOL

If you have the time, TBEX will be in Bangkok in October. Not expensive to attend, and I'm sure will be very educational. Quite a few travel bloggers I know will be there. Should be a good event.

http://tbexcon.com/2015-asia/

Also, the international travel meetup.com group normally has bloggers doing the talks. The meetings are well attended and great fun. You can talk with these bloggers after the event at the bar.

http://www.meetup.com/The-Bangkok-International-Travel-Group/events/221696878/

[KittenKong]

My dilemna arises out of building the actual architecture of the site. I do in fact just code in notebook, but, in the past have just written everything myself...from a blank page so to speak. I like that approach because is it like building a car yourself. If, in the future there are any problems, you can fix them yourself, and you don't have to rely on a mechanic. However, the flip side to that argument is that if you use WP or another program all of the monkeys have already been shaken out of the tree by other users.

I could spend months writing all the code for a website, but why bother? Even when I do create a site from the ground up I would use Dreamweaver and probably a proper php editor to do it rather than a vanilla text editor. It's just too cumbersome and slow otherwise, especially the css and php.

For a blog site I would install Wordpress, find an acceptable theme and spend a few hours/days on the css to get it looking the way I want it to. If you really want a hands-on experience then you could write your own Wordpress theme, and even if you do use someone else's theme you can still create your own php code and functions, and your own individual pages and page types. If you dont do that you are going to have to write your own php code to handle the comments and conditional access, and to do that you would have to interact with the database directly which is yet another skill set to learn. I have better things to do.

To use your analogy, if you were building your own car wouldn't you just assemble the parts rather than actually build a foundry and cast your own engine block and make your own pistons with a lathe, and grow your own trees for the rubber? I would.

[finy]

Wordpress dot ORG, not dot COM.

Go self-hosted and you own your property.

Here is an example of a few sites I own with a basic premium theme so you can get an idea what they look like - http://ninjabody.com http://lucidability.com

Perhaps you'd be able to build something better on your own, but something like that is okay to get started.

I know you didn't ask but I'd get my domain name from Moniker or Namecheap, the hosting from BlueHost or HostGator.

Don't get name and hosting from same company as they can hold your name to ransom if there is a problem with your site.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

I've been looking into this a bit also, not from the technical side, but from a business perspective. I've met lots of bloggers lately. Some are doing OK, but spending tons of time doing it to make a very little amount of money. Seems you really have to love it...seems like too much work to me! LOL

If you have the time, TBEX will be in Bangkok in October. Not expensive to attend, and I'm sure will be very educational. Quite a few travel bloggers I know will be there. Should be a good event.

http://tbexcon.com/2015-asia/

Also, the international travel meetup.com group normally has bloggers doing the talks. The meetings are well attended and great fun. You can talk with these bloggers after the event at the bar.

http://www.meetup.com/The-Bangkok-International-Travel-Group/events/221696878/

Thanks for your input Craig. This thread is developing nicely. TBEX is a splendid idea. Have you attended in the past?

With regard to a travel related blog, that has been done to death, thus little if any profitability. My planned projects would focus on a technical niche in the extractive industries. Can't find any blogger competition in that niche to date.

[craigt3365]

The guy who runs that international travel meeting introduced me to it. He's at one right now in Spain, and has attended several in the past. He knows this area fairly well and is relatively well connected. He says they are great.

If you go to TBEX, let me know and I'll introduce you to him. Or, if you are in Bangkok, stop by one of his meetups!

[Bulldozer Dawn]

My dilemna arises out of building the actual architecture of the site. I do in fact just code in notebook, but, in the past have just written everything myself...from a blank page so to speak. I like that approach because is it like building a car yourself. If, in the future there are any problems, you can fix them yourself, and you don't have to rely on a mechanic. However, the flip side to that argument is that if you use WP or another program all of the monkeys have already been shaken out of the tree by other users.

I could spend months writing all the code for a website, but why bother? Even when I do create a site from the ground up I would use Dreamweaver and probably a proper php editor to do it rather than a vanilla text editor. It's just too cumbersome and slow otherwise, especially the css and php.

For a blog site I would install Wordpress, find an acceptable theme and spend a few hours/days on the css to get it looking the way I want it to. If you really want a hands-on experience then you could write your own Wordpress theme, and even if you do use someone else's theme you can still create your own php code and functions, and your own individual pages and page types. If you dont do that you are going to have to write your own php code to handle the comments and conditional access, and to do that you would have to interact with the database directly which is yet another skill set to learn. I have better things to do.

To use your analogy, if you were building your own car wouldn't you just assemble the parts rather than actually build a foundry and cast your own engine block and make your own pistons with a lathe, and grow your own trees for the rubber? I would.

Thanks Kitten K for your input.

All of what you say is true. And although I can code stuff from a blank page, as I stated earlier in the thread I am also very pragmatic and, nowadays, very lazy.

I am well aware of the many off the shelf templates available as well as off the shelf code resources such as code river.

So in reference to your great analogy, I am happy buy "parts" for my car if they are fit for purpose, cheap (or free), and bolt neatly into the overall project.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Wordpress dot ORG, not dot COM.

Go self-hosted and you own your property.

Here is an example of a few sites I own with a basic premium theme so you can get an idea what they look like - http://ninjabody.com http://lucidability.com

Perhaps you'd be able to build something better on your own, but something like that is okay to get started.

I know you didn't ask but I'd get my domain name from Moniker or Namecheap, the hosting from BlueHost or HostGator.

Don't get name and hosting from same company as they can hold your name to ransom if there is a problem with your site.

Thanks F for your input.

Yes...keeping your domain name supplier and hosting supplier separate is sage advice. I have worked online now for decades and so I am well aware of that tip.

I go with namecheap as the also provide whois protection for free.

I will be hosting in Singapore. BlueHost and HostGator, to my knowledge, do not have server in that country.

[rwdrwdrwd]

If you're self hosting, these days I would go with Ghost - https://ghost.org/ - very modern tech, great UI, open source but frankly much cleaner code than WordPress (both core wp and the vast majority of plugins).

You can even use docker for deployment, which will automate the vast majority of server setup for you. https://github.com/docker-library/docs/tree/master/ghost

In terms of hosting, I'd go with AWS and an EC2 instance on their Singapore node - free for a year and pretty cheap after that.

That approach would make the whole process both extremely simple, and very cheap.

Edited May 6, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[Bulldozer Dawn]

If you're self hosting, these days I would go with Ghost - https://ghost.org/ - very modern tech, great UI, open source but frankly much cleaner code than WordPress (both core wp and the vast majority of plugins).

You can even use docker for deployment, which will automate the vast majority of server setup for you. https://github.com/docker-library/docs/tree/master/ghost

In terms of hosting, I'd go with AWS and an EC2 instance on their Singapore node - free for a year and pretty cheap after that.

That approach would make the whole process both extremely simple, and very cheap.

Thanks wasn't aware of Ghost. Have reviewed it and only the installation if free, the user then pays fee based on blogs and visitation. The fees/prices link is located right at the very bottom of the vast scroll down on the splash page.

I also note that SSL support is still under development so that might limit payment options if seeking to commercialise the blog.

[rwdrwdrwd]

If you're self hosting, these days I would go with Ghost - https://ghost.org/ - very modern tech, great UI, open source but frankly much cleaner code than WordPress (both core wp and the vast majority of plugins).

You can even use docker for deployment, which will automate the vast majority of server setup for you. https://github.com/docker-library/docs/tree/master/ghost

In terms of hosting, I'd go with AWS and an EC2 instance on their Singapore node - free for a year and pretty cheap after that.

That approach would make the whole process both extremely simple, and very cheap.

Thanks wasn't aware of Ghost. Have reviewed it and only the installation if free, the user then pays fee based on blogs and visitation. The fees/prices link is located right at the very bottom of the vast scroll down on the splash page.

I also note that SSL support is still under development so that might limit payment options if seeking to commercialise the blog.

No, you're misunderstanding the pricing page.

The paid options relate to a hosted version. - It's 100% free if you're self hosting, it is open source. There are no fees for anything if you self host, regardless of blogs or visits.

The source code is freely available at https://github.com/tryghost/Ghost and is open sourced under the MIT licence.

In terms of SSL, this is also something you can manage yourself with a self hosted install, the 'coming soon' relates to SSL for the hosted version, which is complicated in that instance due to domain aliasing. This is not a limitation if you are hosting your own installation.

Edited May 6, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[Bulldozer Dawn]

If you're self hosting, these days I would go with Ghost - https://ghost.org/ - very modern tech, great UI, open source but frankly much cleaner code than WordPress (both core wp and the vast majority of plugins).

You can even use docker for deployment, which will automate the vast majority of server setup for you. https://github.com/docker-library/docs/tree/master/ghost

In terms of hosting, I'd go with AWS and an EC2 instance on their Singapore node - free for a year and pretty cheap after that.

That approach would make the whole process both extremely simple, and very cheap.

Thanks wasn't aware of Ghost. Have reviewed it and only the installation if free, the user then pays fee based on blogs and visitation. The fees/prices link is located right at the very bottom of the vast scroll down on the splash page.

I also note that SSL support is still under development so that might limit payment options if seeking to commercialise the blog.

No, you're misunderstanding the pricing page.

The paid options relate to a hosted version. - It's 100% free if you're self hosting, it is open source. There are no fees for anything if you self host, regardless of blogs or visits.

The source code is freely available at https://github.com/tryghost/Ghost and is open sourced under the MIT licence.

In terms of SSL, this is also something you can manage yourself with a self hosted install, the 'coming soon' relates to SSL for the hosted version, which is complicated in that instance due to domain aliasing. This is not a limitation if you are hosting your own installation.

Ok.

But why is it a better option than WP?

[Chicog]

But why is it a better option than WP?

I thought he said that....

"very modern tech, great UI, open source but frankly much cleaner code than WordPress (both core wp and the vast majority of plugins)."

[innerspace]

Woof woof woof ( you said explain it as though you were a golden retriever)!

Or in human terms... how does your car drive with its nice round wheels and inflated rubber tyres? Reckon you could invent something better? Possibly, but unless you have an amazing idea it will be a lot of work for minimal gains at best...

Wordpress is the round wheel of content management systems. Anything can be done and so much available already, that is the beauty. I can (and have) built my own CMS that does a lot but whats the point, use wordpress and I have the support of thousands of other developers. You own what you make and can still make it your own. But no need to reinvent the wheel and the combustion engine when they already exist.

Ghost may be another option, dont know it so well, but it is already round and drives... not so many garages will work with it but a long way ahead of a kit car.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

Woof woof woof ( you said explain it as though you were a golden retriever)!

Or in human terms... how does your car drive with its nice round wheels and inflated rubber tyres? Reckon you could invent something better? Possibly, but unless you have an amazing idea it will be a lot of work for minimal gains at best...

Wordpress is the round wheel of content management systems. Anything can be done and so much available already, that is the beauty. I can (and have) built my own CMS that does a lot but whats the point, use wordpress and I have the support of thousands of other developers. You own what you make and can still make it your own. But no need to reinvent the wheel and the combustion engine when they already exist.

Ghost may be another option, dont know it so well, but it is already round and drives... not so many garages will work with it but a long way ahead of a kit car.

Thanks for your input. Good you mentioned garages. Perhaps Ghost is a great new player on the street, but I wonder if my hosting company support it on their server in Singapore...

[Chicog]

Woof woof woof ( you said explain it as though you were a golden retriever)!

Or in human terms... how does your car drive with its nice round wheels and inflated rubber tyres? Reckon you could invent something better? Possibly, but unless you have an amazing idea it will be a lot of work for minimal gains at best...

Wordpress is the round wheel of content management systems. Anything can be done and so much available already, that is the beauty. I can (and have) built my own CMS that does a lot but whats the point, use wordpress and I have the support of thousands of other developers. You own what you make and can still make it your own. But no need to reinvent the wheel and the combustion engine when they already exist.

Ghost may be another option, dont know it so well, but it is already round and drives... not so many garages will work with it but a long way ahead of a kit car.

Thanks for your input. Good you mentioned garages. Perhaps Ghost is a great new player on the street, but I wonder if my hosting company support it on their server in Singapore...

If it's Open Source, the chances are yes.

[KittenKong]

These new CMS platforms are all very well, but so many of them fall by the wayside after a few months or years.

And I doubt that Ghost has anywhere near the number and range of plug-ins that Wordpress has. Documentation is probably a bit lacking also; it usually is with these projects.

I'll probably stick with Wordpress until Ghost has a million websites under its belt.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

These new CMS platforms are all very well, but so many of them fall by the wayside after a few months or years.

And I doubt that Ghost has anywhere near the number and range of plug-ins that Wordpress has. Documentation is probably a bit lacking also; it usually is with these projects.

I'll probably stick with Wordpress until Ghost has a million websites under its belt.

New is not always better.

[rwdrwdrwd]

The most popular isn't always the best either.

https://blog.sucuri.net/2015/05/jetpack-and-twentyfifteen-vulnerable-to-dom-based-xss-millions-of-wordpress-websites-affected-millions-of-wordpress-websites-affected.html

Most recent of many, and these are not small third party plugins, this is the current default theme and a recommended addon developed primarily by the same company that hosts wordpress.com, that is owned by the founder of wordpress.

It's popular simply because it was the first large scale open source blogging system, it is dated, security issue prone, has a wholly terrible database architecture - it's basically one massive disorganised MySQL table. The whole thing could do with being completely rewritten.

These issues, in combination with it being an enormous attack surface, is why I neither use it nor recommend it.

Edited May 6, 2015 by rwdrwdrwd

[KittenKong]

These issues, in combination with it being an enormous attack surface, is why I neither use it nor recommend it.

Great. So what do you recommend that has the same flexibility, the same level of documentation/support, and the same number and range of available plug-ins/themes?

Everything else I have looked at doesn't even come close.