Need help with new website

[Hometutor]

Couldn't you set up a membership site, even forum based. You get a monthly membership fee and the students and tutors look for each other?

Rick

[Clarrie]

Personally I'd be very wary of trying to do this with any of the off-the-shelf packages like Wordpress / Joomla etc. It will require quite a bit of customisation, and you run the risk of having to compromise the functionality you want to have to fit it into the WP framework, and at the same time customising WP etc can leave you with a WP installation you can't easily update, in itself a potential security problem.

What you are talking about here sounds quite straightforward - so from a cost point of view I suspect the difference between a developer hacking WP around might not be very different from building from scratch.

Also, if you want some of the WP functionality for managing content pages, then consider using WP for your general pages, but create your custom application on the side.

But before you make a decision about which way you want to go, I'd recommend creating a storyboard of the process and detail the features you want, and how you want it to work, then sit down and talk to your prospective developer[s] and get their input. Good developers can be really helpful in finalising a spec and should be able to give you advice on the best way to go.

I'd also say it's a good idea to use a developer close enough to you that you can meet with when you need to, particularly with a significant project - makes it much easier to keep everything under control.

[LD]

Probably Drupal or Joomla.

Which one, and reasons why would help the OP much better than just stating the above.

[morestar]

Personally I'd be very wary of trying to do this with any of the off-the-shelf packages like Wordpress / Joomla etc. It will require quite a bit of customisation, and you run the risk of having to compromise the functionality you want to have to fit it into the WP framework, and at the same time customising WP etc can leave you with a WP installation you can't easily update, in itself a potential security problem.

Yes the customization has been address, in a few of the OPs cases, he should definitely hire a programmer but there is no risk of compromising the functionality of Wordpress nor woud there be a worry about the customization fitting into the WP framework from what I've gathered. Most Wordpress customization is properly done within theme or plugin folders and touching WPs core files aren't necessary.

...and at the same time customising WP etc can leave you with a WP installation you can't easily update, in itself a potential security problem.

If the person who installs WP and does the customization does it right it's impossible for WP not to be able to be updated - easily. Again all theme, template and custom files would be placed within directories that aren't affected by Wordpress updates.

What you are talking about here sounds quite straightforward - so from a cost point of view I suspect the difference between a developer hacking WP around might not be very different from building from scratch.

Building the site with it's requirements from scratch is A OK too but if it can be done using Wordpress - of which it can - then why not as Wordpress comes packed with so many awesome features related to so many facets of the web world like SEO, Social Media and so forth - all within a few clicks.

I'd say in the end, the developer who does so from scratch will be scratching his/her head in the future when the client wants all their posts or new page articles to be cross posted to their Twitter Feed and Facebook page - looks like more difficult programming and so more difficult money from the client - I guess. With Wordpress, adding almost any new functionality can be done in a few simple clicks.

Also, if you want some of the WP functionality for managing content pages, then consider using WP for your general pages, but create your custom application on the side.

Why? With Wordpress you can simply setup "template" scripts within the theme folder that take care of any extra functionality that's needed.

But before you make a decision about which way you want to go, I'd recommend creating a storyboard of the process and detail the features you want, and how you want it to work, then sit down and talk to your prospective developer[s] and get their input. Good developers can be really helpful in finalising a spec and should be able to give you advice on the best way to go.

As my programming teacher used to tell us and I'm sure kgun would too, pencil and paper are always the best way to start off any programming/scripting projects. Good advice Clarrie.

[weegillis]

Any blog template will accept custom content. Why not develop the app AWAY FROM the web page stage, and get it up and running without any chrome, for the time. Build forms, database, logic, and error/success pages, etc. then test, test, test. When you have the wrinkles ironed out, THEN insert it into a production page. Keeping it simple will keep your eye on the big picture, not the bells and whistles.

[Clarrie]

@morestar

I accept all the benefits of WP you put forward!

but what I was trying to say was that my take on the outline spec that jerrymarketing is putting forward is that it will require quite a bit of custom programming, that it is not likely to be met by an existing WP plugin (or other CMS component). In my view it then becomes a moot point whether it is worth creating a plugin for WP / Joomla etc, or creating something standalone.

If you don't actually need all the functionality provided in WP for your custom application, do you really gain anything by integrating it into WP or another CMS? My experience of creating custom applications to plug into an existing CMS is that the process of integrating said application can be quite time consuming, over and above the creation of the application, and raises problems of its own, particularly if you have custom user account / admin interfaces and ACL to take into account.

I'd say in the end, the developer who does so from scratch will be scratching his/her head in the future when the client wants all their posts or new page articles to be cross posted to their Twitter Feed and Facebook page - looks like more difficult programming and so more difficult money from the client - I guess. With Wordpress, adding almost any new functionality can be done in a few simple clicks.

And that's why I wouldn't rule out the hybrid approach - "Also, if you want some of the WP functionality for managing content pages, then consider using WP for your general pages, but create your custom application on the side." means you get all the benefits of WP but without the complication of full integration of your application with WP.

[jerrymarketing]

@morestar

And that's why I wouldn't rule out the hybrid approach - "Also, if you want some of the WP functionality for managing content pages, then consider using WP for your general pages, but create your custom application on the side." means you get all the benefits of WP but without the complication of full integration of your application with WP.

I actually thought of this too, but nobody recommended it so i guess it isn't recommended. Would probably have some issues with the hybrid method if there are template changes in the future.

[morestar]

I actually thought of this too, but nobody recommended it so i guess it isn't recommended. Would probably have some issues with the hybrid method if there are template changes in the future.

How so Jerry...
Wordpress template files, and all the other files within the theme folder can be created in such a way that only the main heading and post info is in them and the rest of the page structure is left for the header, footer and sidebars...

A future template change wouldn't and shouldn't be an issue and without the 'hybrid' method there wouldn't (or I guess most likely wouldn't) be an option to easily change the templete/theme of the site.