Boldly Exploring Blogging Software: A Initial Review of ExpressEngine (With Some Comments on WordPress Thrown in)
While I have not made the full migration to ExpressEngine from MT as yet, I have been working to figure out how it works to determine if I will make the move. Right now I would put the odds at 70-30 in favor of a switch, as I have figured out a great deal about the program. I find EE itself to be more sophisticated than MT in terms of features and flexibility. However, the increased sophistication leads to more complexity, and therefore more to learn.
I also did some experimentation with WordPress, which is far less complex and was a breeze to set up and has an elegant interface. WordPress looks move to me like the next MT (i.e., a free, nicely written blogging packing), and EE has the feel of a professional package. I will say the WP feels a tad incomplete, but that may be due to my lack of experimentation.
INITIAL MISTAKES I MADE:
My initial trial run with EE was not successful (see here and here). However, I have messed with it some today and have found some errors in my approach and/or understanding of the program. Here are some observations:
Trying to do a quick, down and dirty, upgrade without really understanding the new software is a mistake–EE doesn’t work just like MT, and to assume that it does can lead to frustration.
Essentially I did the classic male/technogeek route and didn’t read any of the documentation. Reading the docs was quite helpful.
EE STUFF I LIKE (in no particular order)
more stats (both in the control panel and for display on the blog)
template management is more complete than in MT.
The in-program new entry area and the bookmarlet have more features and HTML tags (which are customizable) than MT (also true of WordPress). Indeed, using the bookmarklet is about halfway between the features of MT and those of w.Bloggar.
the Deny Duplicate Data feature is a great anti-comment spam tool, given that lately I have been hit (even with the new MT-Blacklist) of multiple identical posts.
the built-in CAPTCHA support is nice.
EE STUFF TO ADJUST TO
being used to static pages in MT, it takes a bit of a mental change to think it terms of dynamic pages.
TRACKBACK ISSUES
The bookmarklet has checkboxes to allow you to ping other blogs
which not as nice as Mt’s automatic pinging, it isn’t a big deal, and it does work. For some reason the control panel version of the publish screen doesn’t have the checkbox. I had problems with manually cutting and pasting the trackbacks.
In test the EE test blog successfully pinged weblogs.com, blo.gs, and blogrolling without any problems (I did not follow-up on technorati). I have had an intermittent problem with blo.gs, however.
I have not testing to see what happens if a url is cut and pasted into the entry in terms of whether it will auot-trackback like MT.
MISC PROBLEMS SOLVED.
The first time I tried to use the captcha system to block comment spam, I rec’d an error stating something about not being able to retrieve the glyph or somesuch–and the word did not appear in the catpha box. By going to Image Preferences (under System Preferences in the Admin menu), and turning off TrueType for Captcha solved the problem.
Make SURE you place the blogs name in the appropriate EE tags in the index page–otherwise it might call info from the wrong blog. Indeed, I would highly recommend reading the sections of the User Guide on templates and tags carefully, especially if you are used to static pages such as in MT.
One I figured out the templates and their linkage to the individual weblogs in the Admin section and the EXP tags, having multiple blogs was a snap. And while this process is initially more involved than MT, I can see that EE provides more flexibility.
In fact I think that it was misapprehension of the way the tags worked within the templates that caused the problems I had with comments the first time I tried to use EE.
MISC EE INFO
Captcha info: words are stored in /lib/words.html
The query, tag and dynamic page cacheing, if it works as advertised, allays some of my fears about user-end speed.
You can ping pmachines to show updates on their site as well. The UserGuide has the info.
WORDPRESS V. EE
If you are looking to do an easier migration from MT to a new platform, the more to WordPress is easier–mostly because it is a less complex program than EE and therefore there is less to learn.
The importation for both platforms was relatively easy, although I hit a few bumps with EE when I messed with it last weekend and eventually scrapped it and started from scratch. However, the problems were as much my lack of understanding of the way EE worked as it was anything to do with EE. Plus, I tried to do the templates and everything immediately, which was part of the problem.
The WordPress import was a breeze–although I never tried to set up the templates and such.
EE DISCUSSIONS
blogoSFERICS: Template Work Is on Today’s Agenda
Boots and Sabers: ExpressEngine after action report.
TooMuchSexy.blog - ExpressionEngine Site Now Live
WORDPRESS DISCUSSION
Apropos of Something » The upgrade: sixteen hours later
Insults Unpunished Plus!! and MT 3.0 And WordPress
On The Third Hand : MT 3.0 redux
COMPARATIVE DISCUSSIONS:
Wizbang: WordPress vs. Expression Engine
Blog Software Breakdown (via OTB)
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Blogging Software II
Steven Taylor gives the blow-by-blow of his experimentation with Express Engine and WordPress….
Trackback by Outside the Beltway — Friday, May 28, 2025 @ 10:04 pm
You’re a gem. MT is starting to feel kind of tight and archaic and I’m glad there are brave pioneers like you to find a lot the bear traps and abandon mines laying about.
Comment by Hal — Friday, May 28, 2025 @ 10:19 pm
One tries to be of service
And I think in that is a good description of MT: it is feeling “tight and archaic.”
Comment by Steven — Saturday, May 29, 2025 @ 10:13 am