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My conversation with WordPress

• Brandon: Hrm... I need a CMS. ExpressionEngine or Drupal?
• WordPress: Pick me! Pick me!
• Brandon: Well, I don't know. Isn't everything a post in a single table to you?
• WordPress: I'm still a CMS! You can do custom post, er... content types!
• Brandon: Wait. Is it custom content type, or post type? Are they separate tables now? How'd I miss that?
• WordPress: Well, it's custom something types, they're all posts in the same database table.
• Brandon: Even pages? Custom event types I create?
• WordPress: Yep. It's easier. It's all the same really, you're *posting* content.
• Brandon: So they aren't discrete tables in the DB? I can't access them in a more direct way?
• WordPress: Nope.
• Brandon: Ok, then. So how about media. Is there a way to see all of the images in a different view?
• WordPress: With a plugin.
• Brandon: Okay. So back to these content types. How do you create them?
• WordPress: A few lines of PHP, or a plugin.
• Brandon: Okay, so I did a plugin. Why does it look like the other post pages? Can't I create a simple screen with only the fields I need?
• WordPress: That's a plugin. Or some more PHP to abstract those fields for your use. Be sure to write it with your theme files.
• Brandon: Ok. That sounds like a lot.
• WordPress: It isn't, you just have to know some basic PHP. Or hire someone. You can always hire someone.
• Brandon: But isn't some of the allure that it's a versatile, flexible kit that even small business owners can use?
• WordPress: If you can pay someone. Or buy a premium theme and plugins.
• Brandon: Okay. This is starting to not make sense. It is simple or not?
• WordPress: It's simple if you understand. Read the documentation. Or hire someone.
• Brandon: Here's the deal - I know some PHP, more HTML/CSS than that. You're telling me I need to hire someone? The documentation is hit or miss.
• WordPress: But you don't get it. it's GPL. It's all about community and openness. Anyone can fix things.
• Brandon: I guess you have me there. It is free. But the perceived cost is much lower than the real cost, I guess.
• WordPress: What do you mean?
• Brandon: Well, it smacks of bait and switch. It's so simple, a neanderthal can do it, yet for some of the simplest things, I might have to hire someone, or pay here and there. Thus, it's not nearly as simple as it's made out to be. Moving on, what about media? How can that be managed? I have a lot of images and video to control.
• WordPress: It's all built in, even image editing. If you want more control, write a plugin.
• Brandon: Okay, editing is nice. This is starting to sound like Drupal. Everything is a plugin.
• WordPress: Don't use too many though. It'll slow down your site. Or you could install a caching plugin as well. Or move to a bigger host.
• Brandon: What? But I have needs that aren't met natively. I'll need a lot of plugins.
• WordPress: You were warned. You can pay someone to help you with it.
• Brandon: So WP seems like a blogging platform with some CMS things for good measure.
• WordPress: No, it's a CMS. It does manage *content*, doesn't it?
• Brandon: It does. But that's using a very broad definition. I'm thinking of the popular conception, where you know, you have different kinds of content. Whatever. Just whatever.
• WordPress: So you agree.
• Brandon: We're done here. I can't get a straight answer that makes sense. I'll just use ExpressionEngine.
• WordPress: You'll pay for it. Dearly. The community isn't as nice and large either.
• Brandon: Well, I need for this thing to not have so many growing pains to best serve my client.
• WordPress: You forget how much we can do. In a plugin, or just pay up.

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