< 6 things you should look for when choosing a website system : Having more than just a blog >
On the face of it, systems such as Wordpress and TypePad are helping lots of sites to run smoothly. But scratch the surface and you might find a couple of things that are rather strange. Read on and see what you think.(These are not supposed to set off alarm bells, but they are real examples.)
Wordpress and their wiki
Wordpress is a blogging tool. A wiki is a tool for larger websites. On the Wordpress Codex site, they talk about the difference between a blog and a CMS (content management system - again, for larger websites). The site implies that Wordpress is an advanced blogging tool that can also be used as a CMS.
In that case, why is the Codex site powered by a wiki and not by Wordpress? I'm all for using the best tools for the job, but is Wordpress an advanced tool that can handle more than basic blogging, or is it simply a blog?
The many arms of Six Apart
Something I've never really figured out is why Six Apart has so many similar products on their site:
- Vox - personal blogging taken to the next level
- TypePad - the choice for professional bloggers
- MovableType - the best choice for business blogging
Meanwhile, look at TypePad and MovableType. Firstly, what's the difference between "professional bloggers" and "business blogging"? Secondly, I didn't think MovableType was specifically a blog, more of a CMS.
Sometimes the unexplained things just don't matter.
Does this make the systems bad? Of course not. But while the company websites will obviously give glowing praise to their respective products, you could quite easily find things that aren't perfect. How much does it matter to you?
Room for one more?
Many of the above systems are very successful and you might find out of them suits your needs. I've decided to throw our proverbial hat into the ring by publishing a new page over at Injader.com - Why use Majestic?
So, remember to look at both the good and the bad when you evaluate a system - it will help you understand the full picture.
Tags: wordpress, wiki, cms, six apart, vox, typepad, movabletype, livejournal, majestic
Posted by Ben on December 03, 2007 22:37 / Edited: Never
Comments
2
Thanks Leuq for the comment. :) That's a better description of a Wiki, certainly. But that particular section doesn't seem like the kind they would want anyone to edit.
You can give other users access to add and edit content in a CMS too, but you would own your content. For instance, I can see a CMS being used for a website and also providing member blogs within the same system.
I've always thought of Wiki as a system that allows any large number of people to edit an article or paragraph section:
-It's commonly understood that even if you wrote the initial article on a Wiki (especially Wikipedia), you don't "own" it, and it can and likely will be edited or updated by any other authorized visitor to the site. (Who is "authorized" differs among the various wikis - Wikipedia allows editing by anyone, unless an admin blocks due to history of vandalism or destructive behavior... or smaller sites such as those found on Wikia, allowing only registered users)
-A single Wiki article is usually expected to be continually updated.