Some weblog software programs, such as Wordpress, Movable Type and Community Server, support automatic pingbacks where all the links…

Good post.

While I’m not using WordPress, I have started using myBig Idea Blog more and more as the go-to point for my newsletter subscribers and article bylines, largely following the suggestions of you and Alex Mandossian.

All things considered, it blogging really is the easiest way to connect, add, and post content with your network without having to be a software / design genius. For me, I find I’m able to focus on the ideas I want to share rather than the “how” I’m going to share them.

Crystal

You hit the nail on the head in regards to WordPress being used for so many things beyond “just a blog”. In fact, I continuously have a back-and-forth debate with one of my closest friends on this because he comes from the traditional web world and has some hesitations about making WordPress “do stuff” it’s not meant to do.

My thoughts are this…

The technology is so flexible that it’s not about forcing it to “do stuff”. It’s about discovering what it’s already capable of doing.

To prove my point, we recently spent several thousand dollars and about 2 months of work to create the ultimate membership site management software – that’s powered by WordPress

It’s mind boggling in many ways but now I am able to get a membership site up in record time and still enjoy all the other benefits that WordPress provides. I’ll share more about this later but the experience of developing this membership software really opened my eyes to what’s possible with WordPress – it really is exciting!

Did I mention that I love using WordPress? Hahahaha.

I agree with you in that the interaction side of having a blog is extremely valuable. Initially I didn’t “get it” and have only started to see the light. It’s a much faster way to build a relationship with your customers and clients… plus it’s fun!

I have a high traffic blog and I think the best thing about it is “social proof”. I also couldn’t imagine working hard and not getting “feedback” from the readers. I have never had a static site and I can’t imagine what it would be to work so hard without knowing what people were thinking and feeling about your articles. The benefit to constant feedback is that you find “gaps” in your niche that can be filled with a product.

Love your blog by the way…this is is my first comment!

I’ve long thought that Wordpress was a much more powerful tool than merely being a “blogging platform”. And that a blog was about so much more than just updating people with the randomness of your life.

Wordpress has been and will continue to be the content management system of choice for all serious internet entrepreneurs. Sure, there are several other choices out there, but all are very restrictive in what they are able to do and are only catching up on Wordpress development from a year or so ago.

The Wordpress platform can be used for anything from running a membership site to marketing affiliate products. I would tell everyone to stop thinking so small and trap yourself into thinking that your blog can’t be anything other than a blog. You’ve got your hands on a very powerful tool, use it to the fullest extent.

Your post has re-opened the issue for me. I have a concern that making the blog more commercial might inhibit the creativity and make it “selly”. The jury’s still out, but I appreciate the questions you raise.

Tsufit
Author, Step Into The Spotlight! : A Guide to Getting Noticed