WP3 Multi Blogs Questions

barmaid
(@barmaid)

14 years ago

Hi

I have a few questions I need some clarification on if anyone can give it a look. For the record I am mostly clueless to php and the more technical stuff so if you could give me the DA version it would be appreciated. I’m learning but it’s mostly bits and pieces.

Anyway, I have my core website domain (via Hostgator) and set up a tester blog in a directory there called home. It’s all up and running without issues, I got the hang of installation anyway ;p

I am interested in/planning on a mini network of blogs covering several theme topics (i.e. media, politics, crafts, etc) that will each be residing in the main website domain, so along with home, there might be other directories for games, politics, crafts, etc…each one having a WP installation…and would be called from a menu on the index page of the main site. mysite.com/politics and mysite.com/crafts etc.

So far I’ve only done home, so before proceeding I am looking for the best route. I’ve called them mini sites but I guess technically they’re a series or network of blogs. That’s my first area of confusion when I’ve checked the forums…people referring to networks of sites, multi sites…

Q1. Are they actual full on websites with blogs included, or are they various blogs called sites?

Q2. Is my above way the best way to go about that option or is there another option that is more appropriate? If so, what is it?

Q3. I am not sure whether to wait for WP3 or go ahead and just make the series of blogsites. If I have multiple blogs in the main domain, will WP3 be able to recognize them or how will that work? I am assuming that each blog will need to be upgraded to 3.0 when it’s released, but the whole multiblog multisite thing has me confused as to what’s going on where.

Q4. If I set up 5 separate blogs, each one will have a database and user info, as well as the main admin login per blog. Is there an easier way to go about that with just one login info for all of them? I’m thinking in terms of networking them together – and the same question for visitors. Will they have to register per blog or does their user info work across all wp blogs?

Q5. When WP3.0 is released, and if I had 5 separate blogs, is it going to recognize them all automatically or will I have to reinstall or retheme or redo everything all over again?

Q6.Is there some (easy to understand) instructions or more info to be found somewhere? I’ve read the forums and browsed WP main site but can’t find what I need to answer the questions.

I guess I’m getting the impression WP3 will let me name off the blogs to be used in a multiple blog option, and work on any of them from a common administration area, whereas at the moment, I’d need to log in to each blog’s admin to do whatever.

Thanks!

EDIT PS: I’m seeing this WP3 Alpha, and have a vague idea what that’s about, but if I were to get a copy and put it in another directory to check out, online – not on desktop I know nothing about servers or all that – will it automatically upgrade with the final release? Will its installation mess up any other blog/s on the same host? I’m interested to check it out but a little intimidated.

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 19 total)

1 2 →

ChaosDrgn
(@chaosdrgn)

14 years ago

What your looking for is something like WordPress MU or WordPress 3.0 when it comes out. You could do multiple installs of WordPress using 2.9.2, changing the table identifer from wp_ to something distinct in each wp-config.php. With 3.0 Mu is being merged into the normal wordpress. What mu/3 will do is allow you to run multiple blogs with one install.

If you go the wp 2.9.2 -> 3.0 situation it won’t recognize each blog when you upgrade, that’s why I suggested MU. Hopefully it’ll notice them all.

Andrea Rennick
(@andrea_r)

14 years ago

“I guess I’m getting the impression WP3 will let me name off the blogs to be used in a multiple blog option, and work on any of them from a common administration area, whereas at the moment, I’d need to log in to each blog’s admin to do whatever.”

Well…. for the multi blogs/sites coming up in 3.0, you’re setting up a mini wordpress.com.

There’s one codebase, one database. If you want separate domains, you’ll need a plugin. you have one plugin directory, one theme directory – all blogs/sites see them all. (with exceptions – you can lock down theme selection.

you have one admin area to manage certain things on each blog/site (like adding or removing new ones, or users) but on an *individual* basis, you go to the backend of each one and post from there.

The blogs terminology currently in WPMU is being changed to sites in 3.0.

Here’s some old WPMU admin area screenshots:
http://wpmututorials.com/basics/the-site-admin-menu/

These will be under Super Admin in 3.0 when you enable the Network. Instructions in progress here:
http://codex.wordpress.org/User:Andrea/Create_A_Network

If I were you, I’d go and get the Alpha version from trac, enable the network and start playing. I think it suits your needs exactly.

Thread Starter barmaid
(@barmaid)

14 years ago

Hi Andrea

Thanks for the reply. Since asking, I did go ahead and install wp3 alpha in a separate directory in my root domain. I have a blog already in another one. I’ve since figured out through messing with it that it’s like a blog distribution system, like you said, wp.com – but I don’t want to distribute blogs to others…I really just want my own personal special topic blogs, each with its own directory, and would be called as mysite.com/blog 1, mysite.com/blog 2 etc.

Now where I’m greatly confused is if I set them all up with the current version and next month the upgrade comes for 3.0, can they all remain standalone blogs? I think I remember reading that I’d have that option.

The question is though, none of them will be using the root domain, my actual website is there. So will I need to designate one of the blogs as a “mothership” blog that will link up the others? Or will that even be a function/option? Or is there a way to link them all together network style?

I know each installation can do it with sites inside that system but if they’re already all using wp before the upgrade, I’m totally lost on how to work out the networking angle.

That brings me back to the original question – if they’re individual installations, there will be X many login info per blog, right?

And is there going to be a global login option for visitors, like registering to post comments? Or will they have to register for each separate blog?

Believe it or not, I slept 3 hrs, stayed up all night into daylight this morning reading, tinkering with wp3 and I’m overloaded and confused worse now than I was when I asked above! ;-p

Thread Starter barmaid
(@barmaid)

14 years ago

…or, is that basically what you said? Heh. Arrgggh!

WordPress would be perfect if it was like drag & drop cut & paste style like dynamic drive. It’s easier to learn by just doing. Php frightens me still but I’m sort of getting to understand some of it anyway.

Andrea Rennick
(@andrea_r)

14 years ago

“but I don’t want to distribute blogs to others…I really just want my own personal special topic blogs,”

Then turn off signups. 🙂 See? You can do that.

“each with its own directory, and would be called as mysite.com/blog 1, mysite.com/blog 2 etc. “

That’s completely do-able, and remember each direcotry there is *virtual* You will not see it on the server. The content lives in the datbas and is served at that URL via rewrite rules.

“Now where I’m greatly confused is if I set them all up with the current version and next month the upgrade comes for 3.0, can they all remain standalone blogs?”

If you have a number of standalone installs and upgrade to 3.0, they’ll still be standalone.

The Network of sites in 3.0 refers to sites in one install. It will not pull in other sites on other installs, from other databses.

That will help with the confusion. 😀 You’re not setting up multiple installs, you’re setting up ONE install. Then you’re adding multiple blogs like you would as a user at wordpress.com. Except you’re the one in control.

Here’s an example: http://atypicalife.net

This is my personal blog, and if you look at the front page, there’s a few blogs in the system belonging to other family members, all in subfolders like how you want.

I have ONE login & password, and I can get in to all of them, because I’m the Super Admin (no cape tho). The logins are global. They sign up at the main blog, and they can comment everywhere.

Thread Starter barmaid
(@barmaid)

14 years ago

Awesome! Thanks sooo much for the clarification. I appreciate it much!

massayoshi
(@massayoshi)

14 years ago

I didn’t see an answer to Barmaid’s Q4. When she says “same question for visitors. Will they have to register per blog or does their user info work across all wp blogs?”

Because I’m having the same question. I see via phpmyadmin that there’s only one wp_users but when I’m logged as an author from a subblog, the main blog doesn’t seem to recognize that user.

Andrea Rennick
(@andrea_r)

14 years ago

They have the same user/pass across the entire site. Their profile info is tied to their main blog (if they have their own). they have a pseudo-subscriber level on all other blogs.

If you want them to have an actual userlevel on a particular blog, you have to add that user to the blog. Go to the Users menu in the backend of the blog itself.

massayoshi
(@massayoshi)

14 years ago

Hmm I see. I’m gonna find a way to do that automatically because I have over 2000 subscribers, I can’t add one by one.

massayoshi
(@massayoshi)

14 years ago

And also, I need them to be logged in all sites at once. Is it possible?

pubwvj
(@pubwvj)

14 years ago

There’s one codebase, one database. If you want separate domains, you’ll need a plugin. you have one plugin directory, one theme directory – all blogs/sites see them all. (with exceptions – you can lock down theme selection.

Can you explain the plugin / directory / multiple domains issue further.

I have blogs at:

http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog
http://NoNAIS.org

and several on blogger.com / blogspot.com which I would love to administer all on WordPress 3.0 but each with its own domain name.

Maintaining my current google rankings and URLs is important.

Google’s blogspot.com is closing down FTP blogs May 1st so this is becoming somewhat of a pressing issue.

Many thanks,

-Walter

Andrea Rennick
(@andrea_r)

14 years ago

several on blogger.com / blogspot.com which I would love to administer all on WordPress 3.0 but each with its own domain name.

You install MU.
You install the domain mapping plugin.
You make a blog in MU for each blogspot blog. then import the content. now map the domain.

It’s a little more involved than that, but those are the basic steps.

pubwvj
(@pubwvj)

14 years ago

Thank you. I’ll play with the Alpha. I wish that Google were allowing a little more time so WP3 were ready. *sigh*

Andrea Rennick
(@andrea_r)

14 years ago

They aren’t removing blogspot entirely. The FTP part just stores the flat html files on your server instead of theirs. you’ll still have a blogspot blog.

i’m sure they’re doing something about still keeping TLDs

pubwvj
(@pubwvj)

14 years ago

Unfortunately they are making it so that it changes from http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog to http://blog.sugarmtnfarm.com/ and I must host on their system. I have a lot of other stuff already on my established web hosted system. The html files are already stored on my server. But, the good news I suppose is they are pushing me to finally make the jump to WP with all my family’s blogs. Currently I have one on WP and the others are on blogspot. I just wish I had more time so the WP3 would be fully ready. Life is. Thanks for the help.