techhub2012: Wordpress: Pros & Cons

If you are studying MIS, Web Development or Computer Science, it is inevitable that at some point one of your friends or relatives will pop the question: “You do websites, right? Want to help me make one?” Your near future holds evenings filled with sitting next to your Aunt Shirley while she flips through computer images of her cats so you can set her up a site dedicated to Scratchy and Milo for the entire internet world to (hopefully) never see. While there is nothing more invigorating than having a computer layman peer over your shoulder as you attempt to set up their hosting account, answer a hundred questions and begin to wonder if this is worth all the hassle, there is a better way.

Save yourself the suffering and introduce Aunt Shirley to Wordpress. Although it was originally released as an open-source, free software used for blogging development and maintenance, it has now developed into a full-service website platform and content management tool used by novice bloggers, small business and even by large firms to develop sites to track and guide customers to advertise their services and products. Many web hosting companies such as Go Daddy, Bluehost, Hostgator and Fat Cow have jumped on the bandwagon and added Wordpress hosting to their features.

There are a number of great features gained by using Wordpress. An uncountable bank of themes which are searchable by keywords, colors, or even by creator offers users unique backgrounds so there is no “cookie cutter” look to the site you create. There are hundreds of built-in settings that assist in basic site layout, privacy settings, display options and page order. For those of use with programming know-how, there is also the option of going directly to the Editor settings so you can code the entire site using html, php and a css stylesheet. This allows advanced users to override settings for any theme or plugin.

Here are a few things to consider before jumping on the bandwagon yourself:

Pro:

It’s easy to use, even for Aunt Shirley. If you can manage your Facebook account, you can handle navigating through Wordpress. The menus are self explanatory and there are help menus at every turn. If you run into a question, you can be connected directly to Wordpress or be directed to a forum related to the issue you are having at the click of your mouse. There are also a number of books regarding Wordpress use and tips for using the program to its fullest potential.

Con:

As with anything “easy to use”, there are issues associated with it. Although the Wordpress application allows for the user to have no previous coding knowledge, there are times when it is helpful. For example, a user may choose a theme that has sidebars which have a default width that is too small to properly insert the content. Someone with no experience in php and stylesheets would need to choose another theme, instead of simply changing a few numbers to widen the width of the theme template.

Pro:

Wordpress offers tons of plugins and widgets to choose from. These are add-ons that extend your sites capabilities beyond the basic Wordpress dashboard. For example, if you want to add SEO functions to your site, you can download a plug-in that will offer you options and settings all related to SEO keywords, meta keywords and ways in which you’d like to use it on your site. Widgets allow you to add calendars, stock tickers, and even tools to count the traffic to your site. With over 20,000 plug-in and widgets to choose from, you can find one for anything. There is even a plug-in which allows Aunt Shirley to add a photo slideshow to her site to display her feline friends.

Con:

Sometimes less is honestly more. Plugins may offer every tool you need to implement SEO functions, prevent spam or even use sign-up forms on your site. Unfortunately, they all require updating when the creator makes a new version. You can expect to update at least a few of your plugins every time you log in.

Pro:

Easy uploading of images and other media. This is what causes the most appeal to those who want to be able to upload photos on a weekly or daily basis. Images, logos, videos and files can be uploaded into a Media Library where the user can either simply store the items or add them to any page. If you want to remove a media item, you simply delete the link, leaving the media in the library for later use, if desired. The upload process is a basic “Browse My Computer” platform and process time is instant.

Con:

No matter how smooth the media uploading process goes, you will still find yourself having to resize or adjust certain images to get them to fit perfect. Wordpress offers a way to edit your media after it has been uploaded to the Media Library, but it is still another step that can sometimes be time consuming.