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Wandering the CMS jungle

Authored by: Anonymous (Anonymous User) on Friday, May 09 2003 @ 11:11 am EDT

theres a plugin for links with all the bells and whistles.

theres a plugin for a gallery.

theres a plugin for file management.

I agree we need a "why geeklog is the best", and a happier theme.

Wandering the CMS jungle

Authored by: rv8 on Friday, May 09 2003 @ 12:07 pm EDT

Where is this links plugin? My site uses Squatty's phplinks hack, but I am not aware of any plug-in, not in the way that plug-in is defined in GL.

---
Kevin

---
Kevin Horton

Wandering the CMS jungle

Authored by: Anonymous (Anonymous User) on Friday, May 09 2003 @ 01:15 pm EDT

Sorry I guess its not a geeklog defined plugin. But I think everybody understood what I was trying to say.

Maybee next tyme u kan korrect mes grammer two.

Wandering the CMS jungle

Authored by: Anonymous (Anonymous User) on Friday, May 09 2003 @ 04:50 pm EDT

hey you spelled stuff wrong. :)

Wandering the CMS jungle

Authored by: Anonymous (Anonymous User) on Monday, May 12 2003 @ 10:08 am EDT

Nice to see that you welcome the feedback Geekers!

Regarding plug-ins, I have the same complaint here that I have about most CMS sites. Since many shoppers might be sold on the product, based solely on a particular plugin, a test-drive site that has ALL (or many) of them installed would be a huge selling tool. The most useful site I have found yet, is OpenSourceCMS.com, where I can try out the admins of various systems. I would ensure you keep that site current, but having your own test site would be best. Perhaps one with any and all major plug-ins ready to run. Obviously, when multiple plug-ins are available, a switcher would be ideal. I realize that isn't trivial, but it sure would demonstrate your flexibility, and your desire to really support the needs of the non-programmer.

As for Anonymous's comment about Xsilver being "serious," obviously, such issues are a matter of preference. And while it's very common for technical people to have that preference, I could easily point out many of the most technically adept sites on the web, none of which rely on drab to imply "serious." Clean and uncluttered is serious, for me. And that doesn't have to mean funereal. There is a hacker culture that enjoys dark text on black backgrounds too. The fact that it's impossible to read, is to them, a hip thing. But to the rest of us, it's just incomprehensible and arguably rude.

Since I'm discussing the purely subjective, let's pull out all the stops and touch on another issue. Impressions mean a lot. That's why we always make an effort to make them, so it stands to reason that the actual impressions made receive some critique.

You have two slogans, which many marketing folks would suggest is a big mistake. Best to keep your message simple, and repeat it often. If Geeklog were merely a single product in a family of products, it would make sense to have a second slogan that was different from your primary slogan. I would standardize on just one.

As for which one, I would choose neither of your current flavors. Let me give you my reasons.

1) Nifty Stuff by Nifty People: I think many serious people, of which I count myself among, have an aversion to "Nifty" things. It's somewhat trivializing. I expect a cute little animation to be "nifty," but not the tool on which my business or career might be depend. I realize that this may be an effort to appear folksy and down-to-earth, but the net-effect on me was "young developers trying to appear cool and laid back." Since I was looking for serious tools, for serious purpose, this was an immediate turn-off. The rule of thumb I use is this: would I be comfortable walking into a board room of a billion dollar company, and showing them a proposed solution that relied on a "nifty" product? Most PR and advertising people would answer: "not if you like paying the mortgage."

How prevalent this impression is with others, I can't say, but my hunch and experience tells me it's not a rarified response. Granted, the billion dollar company may not be your market, but I would argue that even the casual web site operator often has serious intent, and can come from a disciplined corporate background. Old culture dies hard.

2) The Ultimate Weblog System
Again, I can't speak for everyone, but I am inherently suspicious of anything that claims to be the ultimate anything. Geeklog is a nice product, but the ultimate is a pretty big bite of hyperbole to swallow. You rarely see mature products, services and companies making such claims. They might initially, but when the image makers step in, that changes fast. There is a reason for that. Hyperbole can convey a sense of the undisciplined, the naive, the arrogant, or the terminally deluded.

IMHO, the safer and more memorable route is a slogan that decribes your benefit, philosophy, or what you do for people. While I don't claim these have any sizzle, and I don't have time to come up with any that do, consider approaches like:

Geeklog: When content counts.
Geeklog: Tools for the interactive age.
Geeklog: Weblogs with a difference.
Geeklog: Content Management,Weblogs and more.
Geeklog: A simpler approach to content management.
Geeklog: The very un-geeky solution.

The last is offered mostly with tongue firmly in cheek, but it raises another issue that any slogan might help with. The name "Geek"log says to most of us "a solution by, and for, techno-nerds." This is precisely the opposite of what you actually want to convey to your market. Your entire philosophy seems geared to making technically robust solutions easier to use by the non-technical person. Thus, the name and goal are working at cross-purposes. But you have already branded your name, and I wouldn't suggest changing it. But I would think about using a slogan to offset this effect somehow. You might also somehow address the contradiction in the very first paragraph of any About section you develop.

Again, all of the above is merely my opinion. I hope it's useful, if only for stimulating discussion.

Keep up the great work. I look forward to examining all these plug-ins.

--Matt

Wandering the CMS jungle

Authored by: Anonymous (Anonymous User) on Monday, May 12 2003 @ 03:36 pm EDT

Although constructive criticism is welcome, you need to remember the Open Source community is run mainly by volunteers who aren't compensated for the time and energy spent. Most people contributing to these projects do it as a hobby or to learn some programming not as a paid job. They usually gain nothing other than experience and perhaps some self-satisfaction if others use their software. They lose nothing if other people don't use it unless they are charging money.

You are evaluating these OS CMS projects in the same light as one would do to a commercial product developed and maintained by full-time paid employees and that is a very big mistake on your part. Recommending things like a test-drive site with all the plugins and blocks is a nice idea, but it's unreasonable to wish or expect someone else to absorb all the expense and time needed to build and maintain this. If you plan to continue suggesting things which require a lot of effort or expense, at least put up your own hand and volunteer to help or pull out your wallet and be willing to pay someone else. The OS community is filled with many people who have all sorts of great ideas and recommendations but they quickly disappear when someone turns to them and says: "Yeah, that's a great idea. How about if you help out?"

Some of your recommendations for improving Geeklog's image are valid and good and I agree with them. Call it selfish, but I would rather see the developers spend their time working on new features and bug fixes. Things like a name and slogan are important in the commercial world not in the OS world where people's motives are quite different. It doesn't matter if 1,000 or 100,000 use your software unless you are making money off of them. If the developers want to attract more businesses in the hope of getting contracts, by all means spend the time. If not, IMO a complete image makeover like you want them to do is a waste.

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