Book Technical Editor

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 10/27 at 08:58 PM • About the Book(s)

I’ve got a tech editor for the book! Paul Chaney of Radiant Marketing will be reviewing my deadline-induced technical errors and will no doubt improve the book hugely.

Welcome aboard, Paul!

 
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Using Expression Engine—Instead of Movable Type

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 10/21 at 03:58 PM • Blogging Tools

I know most blogging books use Movable Type as their example of a great independent blogging tool. And it is a great piece of software, but I think Expression Engine is better.

I’ve tried both Movable Type and Expression Engine, and I have found that both have a steep learning curve; they aren’t for the faint-of-technical-heart, but investing time and energy in using them results in a more powerful, flexible blog. Expression Engine, however, surpasses Movable Type in several key areas:

1. No re-building. Any user of Movable Type is familiar with the rebuilding necessary to implement a change in templates, categories and other edits. It’s annoying and slows down workflow. Expression Engine doesn’t have that.

2. Customization. With Expression Engine, I can set up my own fields for each blog I implement—something I can’t (yet) do with Movable Type, where I’m tied to the standard fields they provide. The result is better for me, but especially for any non-tech folks I want to be able to use the system.

3. Non-blog applications. The structure and flexibility of Expression Engine make it ideal for any site engaged in content publishing, whether it’s a blog or not. I like that I can use this tool easily for non-blog sites, and for sites that want a blog and some non-blog pages as well.

4. Installation. Both these tools are hard to install, even for reasonably tech-savvy people. But Movable Type is just a little harder.

5. Pricing. Expression Engine has only two pricing options, Movable Type… well, let’s just say there are a lot of different possibilities.

They are both great tools—and you’ll get a great blog from either. But, since I was writing the book, I went with the tool I use myself and recommend to my clients.

 
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