Messy port to Multisite

1. If you want to use subdomains, you MUST put WordPress in the root of your site. If you don’t mind having the subfolder name in your sites (i.e. domain.com/wp/ ) then you can put it in a subfolder.

2. Yes, it’s all separate, subdomain or subfolder. One database, separate tables.

3. You could also convert your single site into multisite, but yes.

4. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh. Yes, but god knows I would never want to again!

But is it true I then cannot use subdirectory sites?

No, Everyone misreads what the satement actually says.

You cannot put multisite in a sufolder and have it act like it is in the root.

That is it.

If you want to use subdomains, you MUST put WordPress in the root of your site.

Only becasue that is how most hosts have it set up.

3. Move a prior single site subdirectory blog into the new environment.

Ye,s you can do this. Simplest way is the export button.

complicated way:
https://sillybean.net/wordpress/migrating-single-wordpress-installations-into-multisite-networks/

4. Move another prior MU subdomain blog into the new environment. And keep outside links and RSS feeds hooked up.

Well unless you;re also keeping the same domain name on it, those links & feeds are gonna die.

But surely the content doesn’t get jumbled into one giant mass? A doc I read seemed to imply it did.

no.

the content in the db goes in separate tables. The uploaded content (media files) go in separate folders.

multisite works like you running your own tiny little wordpress.com install. When users have a blog there, all their stuff is not smushed together.

Ipstenu & Andrea_r,

Thank you both for the great replies. I am encouraged.

I think I will give it a try, and use subdirectories. I hope I can keep the old subdomain redirected to the new subdirectory for prior links, and switch over to publishing it as https://www.ourstore.com/products instead of blogs.ourstore.com. There are other blogs.

Do I understand the first site of a multi-site installation gets a /blog/ subdirectory, at least for its content? Do people often set up a test blog to take this one?

Our multiple authors are internal groups. We could use categories, and this might even have advantages for our visitors in searching. But could categories have different templates?

Thanks again,
Paul

Didn’t wanna get into the semantics of wildcard subdomains, Andrea ?? SOME are okay if you put it in subfolders, others mock you. It’s easier to just put it in root.

Do I understand the first site of a multi-site installation gets a /blog/ subdirectory, at least for its content? Do people often set up a test blog to take this one?

ONLY if you a using subfolders, not if you use subdomains.

And most people just use it for their forward facing blog.

Didn’t wanna get into the semantics of wildcard subdomains, Andrea ?? SOME are okay if you put it in subfolders, others mock you. It’s easier to just put it in root.

yeah it is. ?? ??

Do I understand the first site of a multi-site installation gets a /blog/ subdirectory, at least for its content?

yes, and as stated only in a subfolder setup. I use it to my advantage on the main site. I made a page template to show my blog posts and set it to that page, with a static page set as the front.