a heavily modified WP site

  • dividespace

    (@dividespace)


    20 years ago

    Just got around to finishing a site I worked on over the last few months.
    https://vitw.org/
    It’s not a standard blog, but I was so impressed with WP a few months back I had to get the hell away from MT and develope this site using WP.
    I’m just wondering what people think of the design and layout, and my use of WP as a publishing tool.
    I have several authors that keep the site updated, as well as myself, so WP is really getting heavy use as a real content management system with this site and the users love WP.
    The categories are almost infinite on the site, but only appear on pages where they make sense. I put some good plugins to use. I’m currently uses 1.3 alpha 3, and want to upgrade once 1.3 stable comes out, but the alpha is quite stable. The site gets an average of 5,000 unique visitors a day, and I haven’t had one complaint about speed or anything broken. Just wanted to say how stable the alpha version really is.
    Wp is a fantastic blogging tool, but as CMS it is stable and the RSS capabilities are really great compared to most “pay” CMS that I looked over about a year ago (stupid javascript syndication).
    The about page will be up soon, where I’ll give WP and the other open-source the kudos they deserve.
    Without this forum, the users and developers I would have been lost. Thanks all.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 32 total)
  • idowens

    (@idowens)

    ds, other than the fact that there are a ton of images on the front page, the two opposing nav bars (top and left side) make the site look cluttered. However, you’re talking to a minimilist so I’m a bit biased…

    TechGnome

    (@techgnome)

    Not bad. It’s a bit clunky to load (the images) but it isn’t bad. There’s a lot there, but I think it’s laid out decently – I’d like to see the center col a little wider. It’s not as cluttered as other sites I’ve seen, but it isn’t bad.
    Tg

    Nola1974

    (@nolageek)

    I think it looks very good. Fascinating read too. Great job!
    ng

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    Very nice. This should go in the WP hall-of-fame. …Do we have one?

    Thread Starter dividespace

    (@dividespace)

    Thanks for the comments. It’s been a long time getting familar with WP and converting the movabletype over, not to mention the redesign, plus the other part of the job, getting articles, writers, interviews, video, etc. And also making it validate and the all css layout was a chore, but a great learning experience.
    I do agree about the center column being too thin. It was difficult getting all the info on that page without the clutter and also keeping the people working with projects for us happy with their “spot”.
    Plus it’s not done just yet. I’ll take the clunkyload time into consideration when I get a chance.
    Thanks everyone. WP rocks.

    Roar

    (@rori)

    I think it is FANTASTIC.

    iraq

    (@iraq)

    I am an Iraqi Blogger and just want to ask you how did you do the the header image?

    Thread Starter dividespace

    (@dividespace)

    Hi Iraq,
    I created the header with photoshop. You can use other programs similar to photoshop, like inkscape (https://www.inkscape.org/) or if you use linux you can try the Gimp. The are both free.
    My friend, Safaa, translated the “Voices in the Wilderness” into arabic, and then we scanned the writing and I used photoshop to smooth it out. I found a map of Iraq, then cut out the center. I have thousands of photos from Iraq from photojournalists and ordinary people that have gone to Iraq as delegates with Voices (starting in 1996 and through the current occupation) Then I set up a small php script to rotate the header so that each time you come to the site 1 of 10 images is shown randomly.
    Hope that answers your question.
    What’s your blog address? Where in Iraq do you live?

    drj

    (@drj)

    Great looking site.
    Is the continue reading a feature of 1.3 or a hack?
    I was trying to find a feature like this in the WP 1.2 but to no avail

    Thread Starter dividespace

    (@dividespace)

    Iraq,
    No problem, go ahead and use the graphic.
    Dr J,
    No it’s standard in 1.3, but I think it’s in 1.2 also, almost positive. In your entry, put the < !– more — > tag where you’d like it to cut off.

    Anonymous

    Great looking site. In fact, it was your site that got me looking around for some blogging software! Seriously. I eventually found WP and will be installing this soon.
    I like the layout, looks good. I’ve written a lot about the Iraqi war, so you’ve a friend here.

    Thread Starter dividespace

    (@dividespace)

    Thanks Anonymous. Let me know what site your intending to blog on. If you feel like it send me some of your writing on Iraq. My contact info is at https://vitw.org/who_we_are/, Scott Blackburn.

    I was wondering if you would share the specific technical things you did to create your blog. For instance, the rotating image script in the header. It’s wonderful.

    Also, how did you get rid of the dates on some of the “entries”? You mention controlling the categories so they only appear “as needed”. How? I also noticed that the sidebar info on the right changes dependent upon the category and page. How was that done?

    Very nice and good to know there are people out there making a difference….in the world as well as with WordPress and blogging ??

    Great looking site. Good content too!

    Thread Starter dividespace

    (@dividespace)

    Lorelle,
    The rotator script can be found at
    https://automaticlabs.com/products/rotator/

    I’ll get back to you about the other questions.
    Thanks

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 32 total)
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