There are about 17 gazillion web creation tools out there these days.
There are options for nearly everyone.
- the super simple
- Blogger
- WordPress.com (the WP-hosted version)
- Wix
- Other “plug in some information and it will show up on a page” type tools
- the content management all-in-ones that take a little more know-how
- Joomla
- Weebly
- WordPress.org (the self-hosted version)
- the social media sites
- Tumbler
- etc., etc., etc….
- the build-your-own traditional website tools
- Dreamweaver
- Adobe Muse
- Ummm… there are probably hundreds of tools and software packages out there
This site… surprise… is built on WordPress. WP is, in many ways, the gold standard. It’s easy to use. You can build a good-looking website very quickly. There are tons of plugins and themes so you can have a customized look that suits your needs.
But WordPress also has some drawbacks. One of the key ones is that updates to the framework have a habit of breaking plugins. Not cool. Seriously not cool if you have a huge, complex website and what breaks is a key component that is absolutely necessary to keep thousands of paying members happy. That actually happened to Holly Lisle, and she is still working out the long-term fix.
That fix will include getting off WordPress, which has broken for her more than once because of updates and plugin problems.
Personally, I’m not quite at that level of stress with WP yet. But as useful as WP is, I know it could be better, especially for authors.
There are a bunch of special/customized needs that authors have.
- The ability to link to reviews
- The ability to post new books easily along with sales links and images
- The ability to stay connected with readers and fans
- The ability to easily share posts on social media
- The ability to easily share snippets of current writing without jumping through annoying formatting hoops
Lots more that I’m not thinking of just offhand.
The good news… I know of at least two systems that are coming.
The bad news… neither one of them is available yet.
One is called ReadershipPro. It will be an all-inclusive web site hosting service, specifically geared towards the needs of writers.
The other is being developed by Holly Lisle. She doesn’t yet have a specific site link for the project, but you can check this post if you’re interested.
Both of these are potentially awesome solutions for writers who want a one-stop means of self-promotion. As more information becomes available, I’m sure I’ll talk about it again.
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