TinyPortal as a Blogging platform?

[netwerker]

I have also posted this question in the Dutch forum, so if this is seen as a double post, please remove the Dutch version ....

I'm searching for the best way to turn a few of my websites into a "Web 2.0" kind of form. Away from the static website with one sided info by and from the webmaster to the interactive web 2.0 form like most Social Communities and Blogs do nowadays, with video, members' profiles, photoalbums, members posting and so on ...

I'm not sure if I should turn them into a blog (using Wordpress or Nucleus free software) or an SMF forum with a TinyPortal front.

I already have a few websites where I use SMF and TP (see www.programsofprofit.com/forum and www.netwerkers.info/forum) but the fact that everything is organised around the forum kinda disturbs me.

Question:

Would one be able to use TP as a Blogging Platform, and if so, what advantages or disadvantages would that create?
Is it as good as Wordpress or Nucleus?

- people (members and non members alike) can post comments to articles in TP and rate them
- there are enough plugins available to make TP look like a real Blog (with forum)
- the sidebars in TP can be organised just like the sidebar widgets in Wordpress & co
- ...

What do you think?

Patrick.

[netwerker]

One of the disadvantages would be that I wouldn't be able to give other people permission to post articles, right?
They would have to post in the forum instead ... 

Or is there a plugin that can handle this?
Maybe TP is even capable to do this without a plugin? 

Patrick.

[Zetan]

Well, TinyPortal is a Portal for a Forum.. It's not a blog. Though it does have an Article system and with TP 1.X.X Article permissions have been included. No release date for TP 1 yet.

Felblog is a package for SMF. You can download it at SMF.

[Ken.]

There are other options as well for a blog style site, if you check on SMF you can find a bridge mod for WordPress/SMF that has been in development for some time now. I've not tried it myself but in reading the comments posted there it seems to be coming along nicely.

The TinyPortal article system currently in place works very well and as mentioned by ZTN the permissions settings and management will be lots easier to deal with in the next release.

[netwerker]

I think I expressed myself incorrect by using the terms "Blogging Platform".
I have checked out both Felblog and SMF Blogger but those mods are adding the ability for each registered user to have their own blog, and that's not what I was looking for in the first place, although I might add it in a later stage ...

What I was looking for were your opinions in wether I should use TinyPortal instead of things like Wordpress or Nucleus to blog myself, as the admin.
I only wanted a way to blog myself, as the admin, and have users comment on my posts rather that giving them their own blogs each ...

What are the pro's and con's of TP against WP or Nucleus?

Patrick.

[Ken.]

Well that dose change my understanding of your question somewhat. 

I think the ZTN has already given you the good answer... TinyPortal is not a blog, but having said that it is also true that there are many features that make it useful for publishing blog style posts and pages. The article system works very well and allows you to permit comments to an entry if you wish to do so.
It is also possible to pull a full blog like Wordpress into the forum using articles and as mentioned by ZTN the FelBlog is available as a package for SMF.

Well, TinyPortal is a Portal for a Forum.. It's not a blog. Though it does have an Article system and with TP 1.X.X Article permissions have been included. No release date for TP 1 yet.

Felblog is a package for SMF. You can download it at SMF.

As for my opinion?
I use both WordPress iframed into an article on my forum and FelBlog installed to SMF.
I like them both and much prefer using those two as opposed to trying to turn TP into some kind of a blog vehicle.

[bloc]

At some point a true blog module for TP can be made - or several lol. Its really a few things a blog like Wordpress does that doesn't quite "fit" within TP articles concept. But a module will be able to adress that for itself and also add into the rest of TP with custom blocks and functions to tap into.

But right now things are not firmly laid out in the module area so that will have to wait some.

Best bet is either use articles as they are, or install Felblog..or even iframe (though not too fond of those myself lol) as Ken explains here.

[iceblock]

Why not just create a board just for the blog, with new post permission by admin and reg users to post reply as comments, and display posts from this board in the front page of TP?

This is a lazy solution, using what's already there  without the need to add mods or integrate with other systems.

[Dragooon]

Or even a better idea. Make a board with permission an show it on front page as said by ice. And use a bloggy theme for that board.

[netwerker]

Why not just create a board just for the blog, with new post permission by admin and reg users to post reply as comments, and display posts from this board in the front page of TP?

This is a lazy solution, using what's already there  without the need to add mods or integrate with other systems.

That sounds nice!
I didn't even know we had that option! 
I might just try that out.

1) Is this only possible for one particular board?
2) How do I do that? (displaying those posts on the frontpage I mean)

Now, if I want it the other way around, putting several posts about different subjects on the TP frontpage that each should go in their respective boards in the forum, would that be possible too?
Or rather: taking individual posts from different boards to put on the TP frontpage? 

I also read somewhere there's a mod that only displays the first -let's say- 200 characters of a post on the frontpage?
(where to find it and would that work in combination with the previous?)

Sorry for all the questions, but I can only be sure about the viability of this new project when all these functions/features are present ...

Patrick.