I have been developing websites for quite some time now and I am very familiar with the LAMP stack. Therefore, developing a website in WordPress was a weird experience. First of all, I am used to having complete creative freedom when I write my own website from scratch. I create every page, every system, I style every element, and I am familiar with the database. If I realize that my system needs another functionality, I quickly write it.
WordPress, on the other hand, is the opposite. I tried setting up a website using that tool this weekend and personalizing it, which was very hard. There are many constraints, especially when it comes to placing and scaling images. The style and format of pages and posts is also quite strict and it is not easy to change at all. WordPress likes to be in charge of everything and define every design detail. However, after a few minutes of exploring the tool I found a way to choose a more customized style through free online templates. WordPress contains many of those. To use them, all I had to do was press a button. Minor style changes can be made by adding a layer of CSS on top of the template through an option the system gives you. After an hour, I realized WordPress is not about working on the look and the structure of the site per se, it is a way to easily post content online. This made everything become clear and intuitive. My goal is not to make a very customized website, it is posting something online, and WordPress is excellent at it.
Once I got used to the goals and the structure of the platform I realized it is really easy to use and very effective. I can create and customize posts in a matter of seconds. I shouldn’t bother with style very much, only choose a theme that looks nice and make some minor tweaks using css. Installing plugins is easy and intuitive. But the best part is that a whole system can be created done in an hour. The website that I would take weeks to develop can be created in a couple of minutes, with a couple of clicks, which is extremely convenient.
I am currently exploring how to add new pages and create new posts. I am still not very satisfied with the looks of my site, but I am very happy with the text editor and the ease to write posts. I hope to post more content on my website on the next few days
3 thoughts on “My experience using wordpress”
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I like the differentiation you made between WordPress and individually developing sites. I think it’s amazing how quickly someone can create their own online space and post whatever they find interesting. What aspects of WordPress do you think need to change in order for it to retain its ease of use but also possibly add some of the features you described while making a website from scratch?
Before taking this class, I had never really thought about how many different ways there are to make a website. Is definitely a different experience starting from scratch versus using the pre prescribed set ups from wordpress, even though they have a lot of options. While maybe more constraining, I agree that the convenience of WordPress is a huge plus.
I took a computer science class during my early high school days. I remember being assigned a project that aimed to create a sample website using HTML and CSS. The website’s first iterations were bare and empty, looking like a page from the 90s: a blank page punctuated by text and some bad graphics. However, as you said, site building with WordPress is an entirely different feeling. I was able to design a visually appealing website with more clicks than typing, and it looks better than anything I could have made in my CS class. I understand the customization available when creating from scratch, but I feel WordPress is perfect for casual site builders and beginners.