Which Site Builder Software?

[Steve Wyer]

My wife wants to have built (or have me build) a website which she can run herself and I need to find the right software.
She has always had a passion for cooking and wants to have a website where other like minded people can share recipes, ideas etc.

The most important criteria are that it is social media friendly, that can be integrated with twitter, you tube, digg etc.
We want to make sure that it is easy to set up and modify on a regular basis.
She also wants at some stage to add affiliate product pages.

I have a couple of websites which use joomla software which we both use to alter content occasionally, I also have some software called "xsitepro" which is designed for internet marketing but I read on another forum that it is awkward to set up for social media use.

So, does anyone have any suggestions as to which software, website editor would be best for the job?

Many thanks

Steve

 

[She Says]

Have you looked at ning?

 

[Steve Wyer]

No, I'll take a look, Thanks.

 

[da8iwr]

Check out Joomla.org, you can buy pre-made sites form places like joomlart or rocketthemes.

Joomla has tons of modules, components and plugin (addons) that allow you to show your twitter feed, youtube videos, and is VERY easy to use.

 

[the locksmith]

I recently started using "Web Easy Pro 8".
To be honest it is not the easiest programme to "learn" but the end results can be fairly satisfying. You do not have to have any html knowledge (but it helps) and there is an almost endless supply / variation of templates. IIRC you can down load a trial version first. I did this a while back and to be honest I really didn't get on very well but I persisted and eventually bought the full package. If you do a fairly extensive search you will end up getting it for about £25. (there are various sites offering download as opposed to to dvd/cd version).

If nothing else try the trial version and if it's no use you haven't lost anything !

 

[Steve Wyer]

That's interesting, as i said i have these 2 websites which were built for me and are still a work in progress, which i have to do both SEO and SMO on. They are:
audiohouse.co.uk and midlandalarm.co.uk both built with Joomla and i have the back end editor logins which i understand a little.

For my wife's site it would make sense to use Joomla as we would both have to have knowledge on the same software. How does Joomla rate as a web editor out there? is there anything better, easier? are there any downsides to it that i need to look out for?

Thanks

Steve

 

[Dawg]

Wordpress. There are loads of (free) food related themes, there are some food specific plugins, it is social media friendly, it is SEO friendly, it is relatively easy to build with, (after an initial learning curve, very easy), and there are lots and lots of other food sites, so good for an initial blogroll.
It does ads, affiliates, in fact it does exactly what you want except build itself, boil the eggs and make the coffee.
(Wordpress.org is the way to go, hosted yourself. Wordpress.com, hosted by Wordpress is OK and a good learning route, but I'd recommend just going the whole hog.)

 

[awebapart.com]

a website where other like minded people can share recipes, ideas etc.

That requirement suggests that not only will you be creating content on the site, but also your visitors will be creating content too. This will rule out quite a few solutions.

The most important criteria are that it is social media friendly, that can be integrated with twitter, you tube, digg etc.
...
She also wants at some stage to add affiliate product pages.

Those requirements can be achieved with solutions whereby you are the main content creator, but it is your previous requirement that really is the main requirement which limits your choice of solution.

Do have a look at platforms like ning, but also consider forum solutions too, like vbulletin (which this forum uses).

 

[Steve Wyer]

Someone else in the thread suggested ning, i've been having a dig around today and came across "socialgo.com" which looked like it might fit the bill regarding support for someone not quite so teccy and also for others adding content etc.
Anyone got any experience or opinions on socialgo?

 

[Dan Brady]

Squarespace is another easy way to create a site, But Wordpress simply can't be beaten - it's so flexible and well-supported. And it's free (plus there are lots of free themes - basic 'templates' to start your site).

The real question is whether you want to spend the time to learn how to create a successful site (a mix of design, usability, technologies, best practice and general web-saviness). For some people this is a great challenge and they are prepared to invest the time and positively enjoy the learning curve.

For those who would rather spend their time working on their core business, and leave website design and coding to professionals, but not break the bank, try siteroom.co.uk - Wordpress sites built using the best designed templates available. Full disclosure: this is my venture, about to go live soon. We're sure our pricing will appeal to many small businesses who are considering building their own sites.