Blog for Teaching

May 15, 2004 2:44 PM

I'm looking for new blogware to support a technical writing class I'll be teaching in the fall.

Anybody want to recommend an inexpensive blogware/content manager that I can have installed quickly and learn in a summer? (more inside)

I’m looking for a system that will let me have five blogs total with about 40 users total. I’m also looking for robust notifications systems, comment-spam control, and possibly blog-by-email. The users will be college sophomores and above, most of whom don’t do much beyond email.

I’ll be the administrator, and I’m a non-programming non-technoweenie but a pretty high-level user that can do basic HTML, some CSS, and alter a few basic scripts, but that’s about it. I’m going to have bribe someone or pay someone to install whatever I choose, so that is a factor too.

I use MT for my current personal blog and I’m pretty happy with it but I’m looking to use something different in my class because frankly their licensing stuff concerns me and I don’t want to wait for the dust to settle.

I also use PostNuke for one of my blogs and I like that a lot. It is my understanding that it isn’t being actively-developed (is this true?). Other then that, I have no complaints about PostNuke.

In the education community, many folks use Drupal in their writing classes and they seem to be happy with it. I’m not sure Drupal has the features I want though, and I’m also concerned because it looks so unfinished to me.

Anybody want to recommend an inexpensive blogware/content manager that I can have installed and learn in a summer?

posted by answergrape to education (6 comments total)

There's about 1000 suggestions in the MT flamefest post from yesterday. Also, opensourcecms.com.
posted by gramcracker at 3:09 PM on May 15, 2004

Yes, but I have some specific wants, and I wasn't sure which systems addressed my specific wants.
posted by answergrape at 3:21 PM on May 15, 2004

After reading the thread on the new MT prices, I tried out WordPress for the hell of it, and found it to be very easy to install and very powerful!

Having only tried it out for 48 hours, I say give WordPress a spin.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 3:28 PM on May 15, 2004

I know I recommened it before, but Pivot will satisfy all your needs. It is GPL, has unlimited authors and blogs, and a very active user community (forums) that will answer all your questions.

If you want to fork out money it also has a hosted solution. However looking at it in preview, the hosted solution is only in Dutch.

Bob, you need an English version as well
posted by sebas at 4:27 PM on May 15, 2004

Hey! I know you from kairosnews. Will the new blogger meet these needs? I had my tech writing students use the old bloggah. I didn't implement it that well. The new comments on blogger can be set to allow postings only from registered blogger users...
posted by mecran01 at 10:28 PM on May 15, 2004

I use MT for my current personal blog and I’m pretty happy with it but I’m looking to use something different in my class because frankly their licensing stuff concerns me and I don’t want to wait for the dust to settle.

We've got educational discounts for Movable Type, you might want to get in touch to find out what we can work out. You should be able to (keep) doing all you need with MT.
posted by anildash at 1:39 PM on May 16, 2004