[gonzogone]

Ok, so I think just about everybody is agreed that WP can be a pain in the arse when it comes to updates and some plug-ins and such.

A couple people have said that they may end up going another direction...
A couple people are not sure how long G and the other SEs will look kindly on blogs...
A couple people live by (or live with as the case may be..) WP and blogging...

Lots of opinions for sure.

So what I'm wondering is what do you feel is the advantage of using WP (or other blog) versus doing the same things with a static site or other CMS? Is it the ease of posting content without having to muck around with code? The extensive list of plugin options? Other?

Is WP really worth the effort at this point? and what if the SEs stop looking kindly on blogs? Will WP still be worth the effort?

whatcha think?

[Gaystoryman]

I'll bite. First though I need to find the magnifying glass to read what I am typing

I use wordpress exclusively these days. I simply have no time to code the css, resize the images, then ftp the stuff into the server and all that good static page stuff.

I can have a post about a sponsor content in under 15 minutes, and I am just one guy. No added help here, so to upload an image, align it in the post, add a gallery, add some text, a banner, a call to action, takes me about 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how much I write, that is what really takes the time.

A static template, takes much longer, as I need to still write the content, and then have to make sure the page is properly aligned, so one section isn't longer or shorter than the others.

Then comes the graphic work, which is simple enough, resize and all that, but then you have to fit it in, and make sure it is all aligned properly.

Adding the banner, or other goodies, to make sure it works is about previewing first, then changing, which isn't a simple click of the button as it is in using wp. Least for me.

I can pull anything into a new page, using the gallery options, no searching for it on the hdd to use in a new static page.

WP lets me put the new stuff right up front, no need to hope or direct the surfer, it's there where they can see as soon as they come to the site.

Ideally I'd love to use static, but reality is, I simply don't have the time to manage the various sites. To throw up a single html page, for one video, is not effecient use of my time, while I can do several posts and even schedule their times, by using wp.

Maybe if I was a programmer, or knew php to make dynamic use of it, for the static pages, I might have a different view, but I don't, nor do many webmasters. To take time to learn, is just, again, not effecient enough to warrant its expenditure.

Yes the latest round of updates is annoying. but its the trade off, for being able to get new content up, from various sponsors, in a timely manner. Now maybe a change to a different program might alter that, but nothing out there comes close to offering the free stuff that comes with wordpress. Not in themes, not in plugins, and certainly not in security.

I mean the less used programs out there, might have security issues, but due to not having a huge user base, that information can be slower in coming.

Even firefox had issues, once it became more popular, and so, to me, I'll stick to wordpress.

As to the SE, aspect, well, they could also decide against css driven sites, php sites. I mean how supportive are they now about say flash driven sites, or javascript. Its the gamble, but with millions of wp users, I rather don't expect any of the two giants to stop looking favorably on them. I mean that would be a lot of angry customers, and in fact, I see both Bing & G, seeking out more blogs, not less.

but hey, just my opinion on a frazzled tuesday

[Tigger]

good saying comes into play here

don't put all your eggs in one basket

Whilst blogging does offer many advantages you need to keep the old html site alive as well, in fact yesterday I put up a new static site and I've got another planned for later this month

From an affiliate marketeer route especially the adult industry blogging does throw up some pretty big problems after all its primarily a means of handling text and we all know how we struggle to write content for sites ( well some of us ) so with a blog that you need to feed regular "unique" content too and with most webmasters being challenged when it comes to doing content this is going to throw a problem up, after all we can all throw together a 5 page website with say 500 words per page, but then further add content of a similar amount at least once a week is a lot harder

On the other side we know SE don't crawl HTML sites in the same rate so adding content inst as important and for most sites if you add a page as least once a month that will keep the thing ticking over and hold onto the ranking you have

so they both have benefits the blog whilst the handling of data and working with the site is faster has the drawback of needing more attention after its built, where as the static site will take more effort initially but then far less work once established

So keep you fingers in both pies

[Bill Benson]

I'm still just playing around with it on a test site. I haven't looked at it in over a week.

With some programming skills it seems you could pretty easily copy much of the program and modify it to meet your exact needs. Modify it just enough to not have to worry about security issues.

Do you understand how the database keeps track of navigation for pages and subpages? It seems like there are two tables for that, but I haven't played around with it enough to figure out whats happening.

Ian, why don't you farm out some of the stuff? Is it just to hard to get the quality you need. I'm trying to move toward outsourcing what I can. It's the only way I can see getting ahead.

[jello]

First of all i totally agree with Ian it`s exactly how i do business it saves me tons of time, in todays game you have to put a lot of sites up if you want to make a regular income and WP blogs makes that easier

but most important is the design at which i suck and i mean really suck no not just a little bit i do suck at design big time!!
With a Blog and a nice template i got a nice looking site in a few minutes.

As for the need to update a Blog at least once in a while i don`t believe that`s true i have some Blogs which i don`t feed posts anymore and traffic is still steady.

[Gaystoryman]

Tigs, I haven't abandoned the html/static sites, merely haven't done much to them, and they do indeed still pull in sales.

As to content, well, with blogs, there are rss feeds from sponsors. That does it all for you, basically, and with wordpress, using a feed plugin, one can simply have it on auto pilot. Not an optimal solution, but if one was more astute, they could easily translate it into a unique site.

The RSS Feed supplied by several sponsors, provides text, graphics, and layout, that is updated as they update their paysite. Putting the feed on 'hold to review' allows you, to actually manipulate the text, completely remove it even if you want, or change most, some, all, none of it.

That option works best, because then you aren't using content that is in a hundred or thousand blogs, in other words, you can make it your own, but by using the feed, you get the idea of the marketing to use for that particular content.

Added bonus to it, all your linking codes are in place for you, graphics are all linked, and in some instances, a video clip is included, so that all you need is the video player on your blog. In some cases, they actually host the clip, thus reducing any bandwidth for youl

Bill, outsourcing works, if you find the right people for the job. Unfortunately there are a ton of so called writers, so called graphic artists, who don't know a comman from a layer, or a head shot from a proper noun. Until you find the right type of people, it can be costly, and very time consuming.

True too, Tigs, on not putting all your eggs in one basket, and yet, isnt making your sites all link to AEBN just that? I agree, they are good, but then iBill was the top adult processor, and we all know how that one went.

A good mix of sponsors, along with types of sites, is ideal, but again, it comes right down to time management. What happens when HTML 6.0 comes out and all the html code used for your existing static sites becomes depreciated, penalized for being out dated? In other words, it comes down to risk assessment, and yes, a gamble.

[Tigger]

True too, Tigs, on not putting all your eggs in one basket, and yet, isnt making your sites all link to AEBN just that? I agree, they are good, but then iBill was the top adult processor, and we all know how that one went.

true, but we all know the hardest part of being in this game is getting the traffic and by me saying about not putting my eggs I mean not investing all my time into one type of traffic source

IF AEBN went tits ups changing affiliate links would be a pain but doable, if G stopped liking blogs you traffic would vanish - that was my point - so nah !

[Gaystoryman]

But if G dropped listing blogs, there wouldn't be any sites in their index, and some other se that did list blogs would suddenly replace G, so NYAH back at ya

[Tigger]

[jello]

[Tigger]

fortunately my stick is a LOT bigger than Ian's little weenie so I win

[VoyGeorge]

Don't miss the forest for the trees. This isn't about static hand-built sites vs CMS, but static CMS-driven pages versus active CMS-driven pages.

ANY CMS will save you time. WP isn't special here, just widespread. That's why people use CMSs. The question is, is there a better way to derive automated page output than to use WordPress, and all the issues it entails.

Assuming you don't have a lot of active content on your blog (plugins for user ratings, comments, etc.), one way around this is to turn your finished WordPress pages into static pages. One method is to install the WP Super Cache plugin, and then either click all your links, or wait a few days for your surfers to. It will cache all the pages, which you can then use as your static content. There are a couple of gotchas:

This works best if your blog is physically in a subdir, but you have rewrite rules to put it in your main dir. Then all your URLs stay the same.

Limit the ways into your pages by not using tags.

Turn off the search feature of your blog.

You can then disable your active blog by putting in an htaccess file into its directory that simply denies all. Even you can't get to it until you FTP back and remove the htaccess file. Remember that you have to take the htaccess file out if you do any kind of automatic upgrade.

The WP Super Cache method is clumsy, and I'm willing to bet a vacation to the eastern seaboard of Spain that eventually there will be not one but several plugins for automating the creation of static pages from an active WordPress blog.

[housekeeper]

Great topic, I'm gong to jump in when I get back from lunch. Anyone need anything from the Deli?

[Tigger]

if its good coffee grab me one - batteries are starting to run low

[jello]

ham on rye with mustard
Please