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!