Business Blogging
I just came across this at the Wordpress site and thought I’d share it here as it’s worth knowing about. Business Blogs are becoming very functional now, and with these additional facilities, it makes it even easier.
This information comes from http://codex.wordpress.org/Business_Blogging_and_shopping#Business_BloggingÂ
Business Blogging
Business blogging is really starting to take off. More and more people are starting to use WordPress to power their websites - especially now that there are so many powerful plugins. Let’s take a quick glance at some of the plugins we use to turn your average WordPress install into a business blogging solution.
1) Static Front Page. You might now want the front page of your web site to be your blog. The static front page (http://www.semiologic.com/software/static-front/) plugin lets you easily stick a static page to the front page of a WordPress site - as a rule of thumb we call this the home page.
2) Forums. Use bbPress (http://bbpress.org/) & WP Forum (http://www.fahlstad.se/wp-plugins/wp-forum/) depending on the requirements. Both are easy to install and both have a range of useful features.
3) Email Newsletters. Use WP Campaign Monitor (http://www.instinct.co.nz/wp-campaign-monitor/) because it is simple to install and easy to get the hang of. It also integrates with WP e-Commerce lite.
4) Surveys. Information is power. Use the Survey Fly (http://plugins.starkware.net/) plugin because it is powerful and easy to use. Administrators can download .csv reports that they can manipulate internally using proper spreadsheet software.
5) Statistics. Use wp-slimstat (http://www.duechiacchiere.it/wp-slimstat/?cp=21) or wp-slimstat-ex (http://082net.com/2006/756/wp-slimstat-ex-plugin-en/) because they are both so easy to install. WP slimstat ex is based on wp-slimstat but full of AJAX goodies.
6) Google Analytics. Google Analytics tells you everything you want to know about how your visitors found you and how they interact with your site. The Google Analytics Plugin for WordPress (http://boakes.org/analytics) adds an analytics panel to the WordPress admin website.
7) Search Engine Optimization. Search Everything (http://dancameron.org/wordpress/wordpress-plugins/search-everything-wordpress-plugin/) enables the searching of Pages, Comments and more. No Hacking or modifications necessary, just install, activate the plugin and configure it under Options > Search Everything.
So, there you have it! KMT
Wow!! It certainly has come a long way since I started using it about 2 years ago. However, I think that even with these enhancements, Wordpress is still too blog oriented for many business sites. I’m thinking in particular of sites that have large amounts of static information, which sophisticated navigation is paramont. Also, for database driven sites, I’m not sure it is suitable.
Perhaps not, but there are so many widgets and extras being developed, it probably isn’t that far off, if it hasn’t already been achieved. Mind you, not every business might be suitable for a business blog style. But it does suit a lot of people and is a good way of giving business owners control of their own sites if they don’t wish to use a website designer. Thanks for visiting.