Simplest way to update the simplest website?

January 2, 2009 4:11 PM

What is the most dead-simple way for a non-technical person to update a single-serving website?

The website is one page, and consists of one word that's either yes or no. Is there something I can set up that will allow a user to change from YES to NO via texting from their cell phone, or by sending an email? Third best would be going to a second URL and doing something very very easy to flip from yes to no.

I haven't made the site yet, so I'm open to platforms.

posted by stupidsexyFlanders to computers & internet (6 comments total)

CushyCMS.

A single form. Formatting/styling would be applied externally, initially, one time. Not textable without getting a lot more complicated.
posted by disillusioned at 4:18 PM on January 2

">Wordpress post via e-mail

Or, since you mention sms, Quick SMS for Wordpress

Perhaps too complicated a backend, but imagine it would work easily from user's end.

You would just have to strip out a lot of code from the home template and only have the most recent post show up.
posted by Outis at 4:41 PM on January 2

Sorry, messed the first link up.
Wordpress via e-mail
posted by Outis at 4:42 PM on January 2

It is possible to remove all formatting from a .blogspot blog so that only a single word is displayed. You can also set it so only the most recent post is displayed. Then, you can send in new updates to the "blog" via email. I have no idea if blogspot can handle updates from a text message.

I realize this is only the most cursory info, but if this sounds like it would fit for you, let me know and I will provide you with more detail.

blogspot provides free hosting, and you can purchase a domain for 1 year for around 10 dollars.
posted by davidstandaford at 5:29 PM on January 2

CushyCMS was just the right mix of ultrashort setup time for me and ultra easy admin for them. The site and the admin were up and running in 10 minutes including buying the domain ;)

Thanks!
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 5:56 PM on January 2

If the page really only needs to be able to say "yes" or "no", I've seen simple Linux shell scripts in the past that use netcat to do something like that, without even a web server.
posted by XMLicious at 5:26 AM on January 4