I’ve been considering redesigning PlanetJK for at least a year now. I’ve been truly considering it for about 3 months. One of the main problems I run into is Content vs. Aesthetics. I could justifiably ramble on for a long time about that topic alone, but realistically speaking I just want to focus on telling what I’m trying to do and go from there.
I’m immensely proud of the fact that the current design exists because of me manually coding PHP, CSS, and XHTML 1.1 Transitional files. I have my own homegrown template system that allows me to change the code on one include file and affect the entire site, whether it be menu, header, footer, content, or overall layout. Alas, the time to maintain such a setup eroded years ago, and I’ve been limping along ever since. It’s time to focus on content.
I really like WordPress as a blogging platform- I’ve been using it for years, and the backend is easily maintainable using DreamHost’s One-Click options. But now that I’m trying to incorporate WordPress as the sole website publisher/ controller/ editor/ etc, I find myself wanting assurances that it will be stable, secure, and work solidly for what I need.
Unfortunately, as an IT Security guy, I also know that WordPress has the potential to be more vulnerable than other CMS’. And yes, I know that virtually EVERYTHING is rife with vulnerabilities: the debate is fierce and will thrive for some time. At the same time, Zope and Plone have been relatively safe from exploits- yet, they’re much tougher to customize the way I want.
In the end, getting things the way I want is my first priority, so for now I’m strongly leaning toward WordPress. A very close second is being safe from exploits. Wish me luck in finding the appropriate level of compromise.
3 Comments
WordPress is an awesome platform; if only it didn’t have a tendency to act up (or get hacked).
I must say that since we started implementing some security measures on all WP sites that we build, successful hacking episodes have been reduced. So maybe it’s worth doing some research into measures that can be taken to secure a WP site and implementing them.
Good luck with the redesign!
Have you considered any SaaS model CMS platforms? While security can still be an issue, it is fortunately not your responsibility to maintain. Our CMS, Eden Platform, is offered as a hosted SaaS model. I should also note that Eden Platform is a CMS, not a blogging platform.
@Neil- looks intriguing, but the cost of WordPress will keep me as a customer. If I take on any more projects helping friends set up business websites, I’ll keep it in mind.
@Miriam- I’ll definitely look into securing things as one of the final phases of the redesign. Thanks for the note.