A Blog as a Membership Site?

[Bonnie Lowe]

Anyone using WordPress as a membership site platform?

Lynn's recent email about Static Blogging got me thinking (as all of Lynn's emails do). I'm planning to start a membership site, and never considered using WordPress for it... until her email.

I know there are plug-ins for making a WordPress blog a private membership site, and for adding a discussion forum and even a live chat feature. So I know it's possible to use WordPress for a membership site.

But is it a good idea? What would be the pros and cons for using WordPress as a private, paid membership site?

[Lynn Terry]

This should make for a great discussion, Bonnie!

FYI, the issue Bonnie is referring to can be found online at:
http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/a ... 102307.htm

[MommyEnterprises]

[ChristyK]

There have been recent introductions of some WordPress plugins that make it into a membership site. I happen to have recently beta tested one. Charles emulated a very expensive membership script but tailored it to work with WordPress. The idea being that you again can make use of the ease of maintenance and updating offered by WordPress. He has not done an official 'launch' because he's about to head off on vacation but you can check things out at http://www.fastmembershipsites.com/

So far, I've only done specific testing of certain features and payment processing, but I promised I'd get a full site put together over the next few weeks. I'll get back to you with a review including any advantages I see in using WordPress for the membership site.

Christy

[Bonnie Lowe]

Hi Christy,

Thanks for that link!

I'd been checking out this site:

That looked like it could be based on a blog platform, to me. But I wasn't sure. This sample site (from a testimonial on the previous site) looks even MORE like a blog:

Now that I've seen what Charles has done, and he SAYS it's based on WordPress... it makes sense!

Those other sites are using MemberGate... and wow, is it expensive! It's a jam-packed, all-inclusive service, but it's way beyond my budget.

The site Charles put together looks a lot like a MemberGate site. Is that the "very expensive membership script" he emulated?

His price is within my range, and I don't think I need all the bells and whistles of the more expensive options.

From those examples (and more I looked at yesterday), it appears to me that WordPress could, indeed, be a good platform for a membership site.

But I wish I could've checked out the forums that are part of those sites (only members get access). I foresee the forum as the most important part of my membership site. I've looked at one WordPress forum plug-in, and wasn't satisfied with it at all.

Christy, can you shed any light on that--the forum aspect of Charles' application?

I like phpBB (as a user; I've never tried setting up my own forum). I suppose a site could have the WordPress blog as the key ingredient, and you could set up the forum separately in a subdomain or something through cpanel? Can you tell how clueless I am?

I'm wondering if there are any downsides to using WordPress for a membership site. I don't have a lot of experience with it, but it does seem to need updating on a fairly frequent basis. The process of updating to new WordPress version(s) that come out seems like it would be a hassle.

My "ideal membership site" would be a very EASY "set it and forget it" as far as the application, scripts, & other technical stuff goes. That way I could focus on the content and members.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to your review, Christy - thanks again!

[ChristyK]

[Bonnie Lowe]

Thanks Christy!

For another blog-based membership/subscription idea, check this out:



Actually, I guess that's more of an email-based membership program... but it's initiated from a well-established blog.

Here's a similar email membership (no blog tie-in):



Now I'm not just wondering Blog vs Site... I'm wondering full-blown membership site vs simple email subscription!

[ChristyK]

I also like another approach I've seen some use. They have only a post here and there that is password protected for members. So a reading is going along learning to really value and appreciate your content, now suddenly them come upon a post title that seems really interesting but they can't see it unless the join paid membership. Gives them the "I gotta see that one!" feeling

[Bonnie Lowe]

[AlexNewell]

[Bonnie Lowe]

Hi Alex.

I've looked at just about every membership script out there over the past few months (including LFM). I settled on two.

I've recently bought (but haven't yet used) Instant Membership Site Creator and Simple Member Pro.

Instant Membership Site Creator is a very simple password script, with no bells and whistles... but it's only $7 and you can install it on as many sites as you want. I've heard from people who are using it that it's very good at what it does.

Then I bought Simple Member Pro because it has a lot of the extra features I was looking for... including integrated forum and affiliate program, plus some other cool stuff. Unlike aMember, you buy this once and can use it on an unlimited number of sites. Then there's my favorite word right in the title: SIMPLE. That was key for me. Plus the author of the script, Johnny Slater, was very responsive to my questions during my "research" phase. For me, customer support is as important as simplicity when it comes to software applications.

Anyway, I'm sure all of the membership scripts are good at what they do. Like you said, it's just a question of deciding what features you want and how much you want to pay.

[AlexNewell]

Oh No Bonnie, 2 more scripts I hadn't heard of!

I'll be really interested in how you get on. I've used LFM but must admit it's like wrestling with a rhino sometimes.

The ambition of "simple" is a great one!

Meanwhile WP as a Content Manager remains an ambition. In fact I just came up with this http://www.wpboard.com/plugins/wordpres ... ip-plugin/

One more thing to fill up my Saturdays!

All The Best

alex

[kowhai]

I have been very interested in the same thing. Lynn's email on static blogging was wonderful and I have since started creating a couple of site like that with wordpress. The next logical step I think is to set up a membership site of some sort. So I have found this thread really interesting.

Many thanks

Anthony

[Bonnie Lowe]

Forgot to mention this before, but there's currently a WSO (Warrior Forum Special Offer) for the Simple Member Pro script:

[ChristyK]

I'm so sorry, Bonnie. I completely dropped the ball on you with this one. It sounds like you are all set. Too little, too late lol, but Charles uses Simple Forum wordpress plugin for his memberships just as we do for Static Blogging support. The problem I've come up against is that he currently only has a clickbank module for integrating affiliates into the script and I didn't really want the fees associated with clickbank.

Christy