Chapter 20. Using WordPress for Alternative Blogging

IN THIS CHAPTER

  • Photoblogging with WordPress

  • Implementing a Twitter-style blog

  • Using Press This for a tumble blog

By far, the most traditional way of blogging is the article/comment model. It is not only the most established model, as it has been around the longest, but also it is the most typical one. WordPress is built out of the box to be used in a text format and the themes bundled with it are designed in such a way to present content in this manner.

However, blogging does not have to be this simple. It has evolved into a multi-media format, which includes videos and photographs. Further, the wide adoption of micro-blogging services such as Twitter, challenges the traditional model of blogging.

Fortunately, the WordPress software is versatile. I have seen it power large sites like the 2007 Detroit Auto Show Web site as well as used to behave like a digital rolodex by organizing contact information. WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg even uses it to filter his e-mail!

One innovative developer built a virtual rolodex with WordPress (the WP Contact Manager) using WordPress custom fields, a custom design, and a few essential plugins to make access to the information private and to enhance searchability of the data. You can find the WP Contact Manager theme at http://artisanthemes.com/themes/wp-contact-manager/.

WordPress is only limited by the imagination of developers and designers. This why you see many alternative uses for the software ...

Get WordPress® Bible, Second Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.