WordPress as CMS
Kyle Jones, Library IT Specialist
Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library
October 26th, 2009

WordPress as CMS Slide 2
The (Perceived) CMS Battle
© Photo by: http://drupal.org/node/9068 © Photo by: http://s.wordpress.org/about/images/logos/wordpress-logo-notext-rgb.png
Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 3
Not So Much
-Both CMS are unique
-Each has their advantages...
-... and their disadvantages
-Each may share the same core
values (publishing, taxonomy, etc.)
-But how they accomplish this is
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individually done
Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 4
Going Big? Go Drupal
-Extremely comprehensive
-Does well with larger sites
-Extensible/flexible
-Huge community
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Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 5
Some Drupal Stats
-206,792 active installations as of
10/18/08 1
-251,955 open forum topics 2
-4,015 modules/plugins 2
-461 themes 2
1-http://drupal.org/project/usage/
2-http://tinyurl.com/drupalstats
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Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 6
Simplicity your Aim? WordPress is it
-Amazingly usable administrative
interface
-Focused on simple pages and posts
-Content creation is simple and
straightforward
-Friendly, huge community
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Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 7
WordPress in Numbers
-3,816,965 downloads in 2007 1
-296,974 open forum topics 2
-7,011 modules/plugins 3
-1,029 themes 4
1-http://wordpress.org/about/
2-http://wordpress.org/support/
3-http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/
4-http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
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Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 8
Define what you need, Define what you want:
Then choose a CMS
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Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 9
Using WordPress at Elmhurst College
library.elmhurst.edu
© Photo by: Elmhurst College Marketing Department
Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 10
Why we chose WordPress
-Currently hosting 400+ First Year
Seminar blogs using WPMU
-Had experience building the system
and training users on how-to use it
-The evolution of our site led to a
need for a simple, usable CMS
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Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 11
The Evolution to WordPress
Static Site Dynamic Site
-FTP downloads/uploads -Take ownership of content
-Working in Dreamweaver -Make global changes
-Security risks -Be able to fix problems on the fly
-Minor PHP global includes -Enhance access with plugins
-Inflexible theming/CSS -Focused on page content (nothing
fancy)
Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 12
Unperceived Advantages...
-Enjoyable admin/content creation
UX led to near instant buy in
-WPMU sub-domain sites provided
opportunities (Sandbox, BlackBoard
Help, IMC, digital archives?)
-Much easier theme updates
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Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 13
...and Disadvantages
-Special page layouts (columns, etc.)
takes knowledge of CSS or unique
page templates (not wysiwyg)
-CCK-like plugins are on the way,
but they still require PHP
knowledge
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Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 14
Our Custom Theme
-Homegrown by myself
-Only minimal theme development
pre-EC theme creation
-Uses 7 special template pages
-Employs jQuery for some trickery
-Uses basic WordPress template tags
Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 15
Plugins we use
-Advanced Excerpt -Google Analytics Dashboard
-Broken Link Checker -Google XML Sitemaps
-Capability Manager -Quick Search
-Contact Form 7 -WP-reCAPTCHA
-TinyMCE Valid Elements -WP to Twitter
-WP Custom Login Logo
Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 16
What we have yet to take advantage of
-Full-on multimedia integration with
plugins like NextGEN image gallery
and PodPress
-Exploring the need for the CCK-
like plugin Pods CMS
-Opening up our site to our users
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with the BuddyPress suite of plugins
Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard

WordPress as CMS Slide 17
Find out more about WordPress as a CMS
-Twitter ramblings: @thecorkboard
-Follow the hashtag: #wordpressCMS
-Tutorials and such: http://thecorkboard.org
-E-mail me: kylejones@thecorkboard.org
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments
Kyle Jones | Library IT Specialist | Elmhurst College A.C. Buehler Library kylejones@thecorkboard.org | Twitter @thecorkboard