Need better blog script than WORDPRESS

[davelev]

Hello,

I am managing a new site for a client and he needs a blog script.
I personally had a very bad experience with WordPress, as a client had his whole blog hacked and literally nothing remained out of it. Was erased and replaced with dubious content.

Of course: WordPress is the most renowned, easy to use, etc. But: WordPress is vulnerable to attacks.

I could make my own scripts, but that would be lower quality than WordPress and would require coding

Client needs something like WordPress, but without the security vulnerability.

What do you recommend?

Not Drupal, tried it. Worse than WordPress, i.m.o.

Kind of a dilemma. My client is sort-of-a journalist and will put up like 700-800 pages per year, according to estimates. Will require a RELIABLE platform.

BLOG. This will be part of a bigger site.

[NastyBlast]

It sounds like you're at the point where you need something custom. People do blogs because they're cheap and easy to set up and maintain. But blogs alone are rarely profitable.

And right now you're heading for a logistics brick wall because managing multiple blog sites takes a lot of overhead time.

Another reason to go custom is because you can do much more extensive navigation then the rigid templates of a blog regardless of which blogging software you're using. People say WordPress is great on Seo. But that only applies to what WordPress deploys as a site which isn't very much.

You could not run a major company off a blog. A blog is a side component at best.

To answer your question I really think you should consider going with custom software. It's expensive but it sounds like you have enough of the client base to justify it.

[davelev]

This blog is only going to be a part of a site... Yes, this is a side component of a big site
Owners will manage their own blogs, just needs to be set up

I think custom is too complex now.

Blogs are necessary, because people like to interact... Leave comments, get in touch with a more dynamical side of the site...

I need some free software.

Oh, well, I think I'll go AGAIN WORDPRESS!
Only that I think I should take more care of that security issue.

How to protect WordPress blogs from potential attacks? There are hackers who "scan" the internet with software (i heard) and then attack WordPress accounts one by one. I had several such incidents with clients.

One client had her whole site destroyed.

I am looking now for a safer way to back up, even keep malicious software away...

So how to protect WordPress?

[snakeair]

Wordpress is safe but there are plugins and other settings to change to make it more secure. Don't just trust wordpress to be secure right out of the box. I found a blog post with some tips.
http://www.mastermindblogger.com/201...-being-hacked/

At the end of the blog post, there more links to useful blog posts to read.

Here is one plugin i have installed you can take a look at. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/...roof-security/

[NastyBlast]

Originally Posted by davelev

Blogs are necessary, because people like to interact... Leave comments, get in touch with a more dynamical side of the site...

if you want people to interact really the best thing is a forum. They become a hassle though as you have to moderate them but people do tend to interact in a forum more than they would in a blog.

When you look at the size and proportion of blog posts versus the amount of interactive elements forms are definitely superior. People can have profiles leave long and detailed posts start their own posts/threads and a lot more than you can do on a blog.

Some companies get it in their head that a blog is necessary. But it's just one of the tools in the shed. It's best for company news (if anyone really cares). From what I've seen blogs don't really drive much traffic. Whereas a forum can drive traffic a lot harder and be more unique in content.

Blog comments are really not a big deal when it comes to building content. I've seen a lot of companies be hard-core about having their own blog. The aggregate some kind of hood ornament they need on their site.

[solar44]

You might want to take a look at http://www.movabletype.com/; while it is not that flexible as wordpress, I have some clients that prefer it because they feel it is more secure. In general, the more popular something is, the more open it is to attacks.

[NastyBlast]

Originally Posted by solar44

You might want to take a look at http://www.movabletype.com/; while it is not that flexible as wordpress, I have some clients that prefer it because they feel it is more secure. In general, the more popular something is, the more open it is to attacks.

It's not just the secure aspect or the flexibility. It's a site unique structure and navigation that gets people's attention. I was just talking to someone at DP that was very frustrated that they could not grow there blog based website because of navigation limitations.

Obviously security is a concern for everyone. But you're actually increasing your vulnerability by using a widely known software. I can't remember or count how many times people have constantly boasted about being hacked and having to constantly upgrade their WordPress version.

Blogs are like a printing press. They come out in an orderly fashion that is easily identifiable. One of their biggest flaws is that their titles and URLs are often date driven which is another automation element you want to avoid when you're trying to be aggressive on SEO.

People using blogs become trapped like the person I was talking to. Sadly there is no solution for him/her. All I'm saying is don't get trapped in that corner.

[Tedel]

Have you tried Typepad or Tumblr? Easier than Tumblr, almost impossible.