Wix Ad Bashes WordPress

I think that it is kind of funny when one company puts itself above all the rest and feels the need to try to make themselves superior to another company.

Why not simply create an outstanding product and avoid the trash-talking?

Recently I saw a Wix commercial bashing WordPress. I am not sure if this was intentionally to bash WordPress or simply meant to be a joke, but in truth it doesn't entirely matter.

While I have not used Wix in the past, I believe I am never likely to ever in the future.

Why is this?

Because I am now and have been a long time web-platform developer. This means I use WordPress. I mean I use it all teh time, every single day, all day, and would likely never want to live without it.

While I have used many Content Management Systems (CMS) platforms in the past, WordPress has always been one of my go to favorites. Especially if I am not writing custom coded websites.

This is not just a "fanboy" attitude speaking but comes from years of practical experience.

I have been working online since 2003, and over the years I have made hundreds of websites for both myself and clients and depending on the needs of the site in question is when I decide which CMS is going to be used.

I am a Enterprise Application Engineer by training. This means I can create, build, code and troubleshoot all levels of programming languages. My jobs in the past have included Java development for a financial brokerage firm, managing a webhosting company, and developing mission and life critical software systems for emergency response services.

For me and those jobs having custom built software was often the rule not the exception. But when it comes to creating a website less can sometimes be more.

Doing custom software using C#, C++, Java, or any number of other programming languages is time consuming. It can literally take years to troubleshoot millions of lines of coding written by a predecessor.

So why for heaven sake wouldn't you want to use a platform that makes things easier on you?

In the past for websites I have used other CMS like Drupal or even Joomla. I even have had several of my own personal sites on those platforms.

But why would I choose a simplified option like WordPress?

Well, to be honest, because it is simplified. As a programmer I find that there is almost always some aspect of a site that will need to be changed at the basic coding level.

For WordPress this means knowing PHP, MySql, and HTML. These three skills have pushed me far in my endeavors with building websites.

While the other platforms do offer the same level of coding requirements, I often find that WordPress is just easier to actually use.

In the past I have often found less support for many items that I might want to implement on other platforms. Joomla sometimes has just too many moving parts so to speak.

Don't get me wrong. I love all those platforms, but there are also other factors involved with this decision.

Some of the websites I create are going to "non-technical" clients. This is sad to say but true. Not everyone out there has the same skill levels. If the site I am creating for someone is going to be managed by someone who is less technically skilled then I find explaining WordPress to them is easier then explaining Joomla or Drupal.

While Joomla does have a more robust level of functionality I think, and it does not default to the normal "bloggish" feel of WordPress, I have also found that there is very little that you can't make WordPress do if you plan it out right.

WordPress does also have the "Lions Share" of the market. The developers of WordPress would love to the the "Word Wide WordPress" and in truth it might just happen someday.

There are so many features available to the WordPress community that one can easily find multiple ways of doing whatever functionality they might need.

In the past those sites that I have used Joomla for have often become a greater hassle to work on. The complexity of the menu system and modules can increase quite dramatically if you are not paying attention.

As a web developer my job is to create websites that work based on the criteria (and pocketbook) of the client. If I can accomplish that goal in a few weeks on WordPress, while keeping costs down, build times quicker and maintain the same level of quality as another platform, then WordPress often wins because it will just be easier and simpler for me to implement, not to mention building hundreds of websites on the platform give me experience.

To see a site like Wix bashing WordPress, whether lightheartedly or not, kind of gets under my skin. If you are going to bash a program that millions of developers use every single day to run their businesses, how would you expect the community to feel about it?

While I am sure Wix offers a great service. They too are simply a type of CMS. If the sites Wix creates are not custom, one-off builds then I find that their system would likely have many of the same concepts going for it as WordPress.

Each system likely uses "code blocks", which is exactly what plugins are. All good programmers will understand the benefit of re-usable code. If I write a Java program that does inventory management for one job, why shouldn't I be able to reuse that code to create another inventory system in the future.

I guarantee large software developers are reusing code blocks. In fact you can'e really program without them.

Why wouldn't you use a "blogging system" after all Google, the big boy on the block for web SEO, loves the WordPress blogging community. Google is all about the user experience. They want sites that load fast, offer frequently updated content and have key SEO features like user-friendly urls.

Using plugins to extend WordPress functionality can have adverse affects on your site, but these can generally be mitigated simply by removing the plugin and swapping it for another one.

Some systems like Drupal, while they have a great community, the number of competing plugins is quite a bit lower. This means there is much higher and greater level of competition within the WordPress community is well.

As with any market there are always some people whom have less then stellar quality products, such as a bad plugin, but there are also other vendors out there who might have better options. This can't be said of all other CMS options out there.

Wix is a website building platform. You pretty much get whatever they allow you to have. This means that the admins and system decide what you can or cannot really do.

Much like this Blogger platform. There is only so many options available to me for editing, tweaking or adding features. Compared to what I can do on any other platform this is quite limited. This is done to prevent massive numbers of users running scripts and bots that could adversely affect their servers.

Hell, this is a free service and they have the right to limit my functionality. However if I was paying for this blog you bet I would want greater control over what I can do with it. This means I am willing to make those changes based on my own skills as a programmer and software engineer.

I have extensive practical experience with Unix systems,  databases, and software troubleshooting. Even I do my share of correcting errors, even on WordPress sites, but those are often template issue, occasional plugin conflicts, or something I screwed up by accident.

I like having control over what I do with a website. That's what I get paid for.

I find Wix's bashing of another long-time powerhouse application such as WordPress only doing a disservice to the millions of loyal fans that abound within the WordPress community. We are professional developers and hobbyists alike working with a platform that we love and enjoy using. Taking a shot at WordPress is taking a shot at all of us.

Tasks to Accomplish This Holiday Week

Looks like the holiday is upon us. 

For those of you out thee celebrating the 4th of July please take extra care to avoid heat exhaustion, sun-burn, or accidentally blowing off a finger with the fireworks. 

I'll be sitting home with a cold drink trying to get some work done. I might take some time to bring the family out to our local parade, until I melt. 

It's always great to take a little time off as well. But once that is done it's back to work. 

This week I have a few projects to get done and think I might do write ups for if anyone wants to see them add your comments below..

This week's tasks:

1. Building a computer for our daughter. 
1. As part of her educations I was going to let her help in the building process to put together a pc. Let here learn about the technology that goes into making a PC. Kids need to learn that not all computers are IPads.
2. Getting daughter ready for summer programs.
1. This year she is attending a 2 month long day camp. She is looking forward to it. At the age of 9 I hope she will enjoy it and not run into any problems. Kids in camps can be such a pain sometimes. You never know which ones will be "too rowdy". 
3. Setup a NAS system:
1. Been looking for a decent, viable, personal Data Management System (DMS) that I can use at home. After dozens of options I still haven't really found one I like. Tons of great products out there but none really appeal to me. Not entirely sure what I don't like about them, just nothing jumps out at me. If anyone has a must have suggestion let me know in the comments below. I would prefer Windows or Linux, Open source would be nice too.
4. Another Niche project coming up for my wife. Looks like wifey is finally looking to start a non-traditional business. I love the Internet. You guys out there are awesome. 
1. Without giving away the niche. Looks like I will have some work ahead of me to get her started in the right direction. 
2. Brainstorming Ideas:
1. Niche selection - already known (plus she has a passion for the industry, already has high level contacts in the field, been offered jobs in the field, and has a large potential following already. 
2. Keywords - Will need to determine what she wants to specifically rank for within the niche. It can be highly lucrative, so buyers kw are great. This should be a fun project. 
3. Viability study - The niche is gaining ground everyday. Tons of material, its evergreen as green can be. Tons of great products, material to write, and professionals to interact with and interview. 
4. Pick a platform for website (most likely WordPress, we just love WP around here) ;)
5. Design and layout. will have to find her several options for design of her new site. I like to take into account many factors. Such as imagery, color palette, fonts, you name it. 
6. Domain name for the new site - This will likely be the hardest one to come up with. Already thinking of brandable names for this. But as it will be her project I will have to let her decide and see what we can come up with. 
7. Content creation systems - Will have to decide how she wants to get content generated for the site in the beginning. Guest posters will likely be a great first option. With the contacts she has this should be relatively easy to accommodate. She's not the fastest typing (hey, me neither), but she will probably want something to use that is better then an IPhone keyboard. Sure phones are great for Twitter but who really want to write 5,000 word posts on a phone? This likely means putting together a computer for her as well. Perhaps she would prefer a laptop? will have to see what option she likes better.
8. Pre and Post launch check lists will have to be created. This is always a great idea to have in place. How else will you know if you get it all done? my last website has taken several weeks to get hundreds of steps done. There are always a ton of minute tasks that come up during a new website / business. Better to flesh everything out. 
1. A Pre-lauch list - I create a list of those options that must be done so that a site may launch. This means domain name for instance has to be in place before hosting, so it can be accessible. 
2. Post-launch list - Just what you think. Stuff that can wait til after the site is live. This can be tons of stuff. New plugins, email address, forms, new pages, etc...
9. Competitive analysis - will have to spend some time looking over the competition she will face in her chosen niche. One of my favorite task is finding sites that can be outranked using simple SEO tactics and great content. 

Well that should be enough to fill up most of my week. These are just the tasks that I added to my schedule recently. As always I will continue to write about and blog stuff, find useful links and suggestions for my readers, continue to read a little every day and continue to work on my own sites and business. Thank you all for reading.

How to Build an Amazon Affiliate Website

Came across this great post today. Check it Out.



A couple quick notes regarding a couple points in this post though.



In many cases the Amazon affiliate program can ban you if your not following the strict guidelines regarding shortening / hiding the affiliate links and showing the prices.



For example Amazon only lets you show prices if they are being grabbed directly through their automated API system. Since the prices can change all the time, often for the lower, they want peoplt to get the best prices.



Another thing to consider is showing the prices can lower click-through rates. This in turn can lower your overall sales. You should make sure to split test these issues and see which one performs better.



So take this into account if creating these sites. Make sure to check all current policies regarding the Amazon TOS.

How to Build an Amazon Affiliate Website - Make A Website Hub: When it comes to making money online you’re going to have a lot of options at your disposal. Frankly, it can be quite overwhelming just choosing an online business type to run with. There are blogs, niche sites, selling your freelancing services, and on and...