Posted by Phil on November 21, 2007 – 11:13 am
More and more in real world development projects I’m finding WordPress to be a robust Content Management System that is very configurable for developing small to mid-size websites. The functionality and extensibility of WordPress is ever increasing for rolling your own CMS.
In addition to my continued development of ets-lindgren.com, the main website for ETS-Lindgren, I’ve been a busy beaver at work on some key projects. In October we launched a new marketing initiative for WiMAX Radiated Performance Testing (WiMAXRPT) which entailed a website and flash video launched from conception to production in a couple of weeks using a WordPress platform at wimaxrpt.com.
A Prime Example of a WordPress Project
As a freelance project, I’ve been tasked to revamp the site onedayacademy.com. The current site as of this posting is quite common to many web 1.0 sites, created with online tools with static information to distribute information:
The initial visual prototype starts with a stream-lined, clean and reductionist approach. While the end result may go through some cosmetic adjustments, this basic design gives me the basic architecture and layout to start the development process.
When I started into this project, I by-passed WordPress. My initial research was centered on Drupal, Joomla and other CMS platforms. As I delved more into the scope requirements of the site and potential extensibility of WordPress, WordPress emerged as the leading contender for the project.
I’m certain there are many developers who would argue otherwise. But here are a few key factors in my decision:
- I know WordPress very well. While you could call it a cop-out, given my short time-line it looks to be a solid choice for the development of this specific site.
- WordPressMU. WordPressMU is a very powerful install of WordPress that allows a non-techie admin to setup new users and blogs on the fly. This was a critical requirement for the site. Being an academic environment, it allows all faculty members to have their own website/blog.
- The WordPress community is impressive. I’m blown away by the rapid development of new plug-ins and functions being rolled daily in the community. The developer community is a huge factor in selecting any CMS platform.
So there you have it. I’ll be blogging some of the step-by-step processes to developing this site as I go along. This may prove instructive for some and certainly handy as one persons process for developing a project.
What are your development experiences with WordPress or other CMS platforms?
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Posted by Phil on March 22, 2007 – 8:59 pm
After working probably too many late nights,
CedarRidgeChurch.net is live. The site was built using WordPress which made it technically easy to install. It just took a while to get the right direction and think through the future development of the site. Eventually the site will be extended-out as the church grows. It’s been fun to help start this new fellowship in a growing part of town and using tech skills for God is always a joy for me. The site will continue to go through visual refinement and development, we just needed to get something functional up quickly as we are moving to weekly services at a local middle school the beginning of April.
The rest of the church communication infrastructure is run on Google Apps. For more info on Google Apps and what it can do for an organization, read my blog entry "Why Google Apps is so Cool".
Posted by Phil on March 19, 2007 – 8:13 pm
OK, so I’m still doing some design on the Thoughtsparks Logo. Number two and three are another Option. Any thoughts? I appreciate your feedback. Still working through look and feel for thoughtsparks.net. Which color scheme? is the question mark with "sparks" the way to go? Do I use a different mark for the icon?
Posted by Phil on March 14, 2007 – 8:24 pm
New logo idea for ThoughSparks. Once I settle on the logo, I’ll develop out the look and feel of the site. If I go with this concept, it will be fairly easy to find a Word Template that I want to use and develop out the graphics. I like the energy and pseudo retro feel of it. Bright and chipper. I’d love feedback positive or negative and any other "bright" ideas you may have. Once I’ve anchored down those elements I’ll tweak the graphics and transition the blog officially to thoughtsparks.net hosted on my 1and1.com account. Let me know what you think!
Posted by Phil on March 12, 2007 – 8:48 pm
OK, so I had this idea in the middle of the night Friday night, why not blog about Wikipedia? It’s a controversial and powerful tool that is on an amazing upswing. I’m currently working on several projects, so it may take a while before I start developing and posting the site.
Thoughtsparks (soon to be Thoughtsparks.net) is designed to cover a broad range of topics. I use it to express views and ideas that I harvest from the corporate mill. I enjoy the opportunity to go in many directions and talk about what works and doesn’t work, everything from online apps to washing machines.
EyeOnWikipedia.com is a different kind of experiment. Here I will focus on Wikipedia and it’s derivatives. It will seek to inform, educate, warn and encourage users to realize all there is to be gained through using and editing on wikipedia. The search is worth the pursuit.
This is kind of a pre-announcement. I’ll be hoisting the sail and sending-out word when it’s a real deal, probably in a month or so.
