Is it possible to use the default blog page in RW or do I really need total CMS (or Easy CMS) to blog? From what I understand, you can edit your blog online with Total cms but I guess that is more useful if you are building websites for other people. As this website is for myself, I will have access to RW the whole time. But I guess the layout options on the built-in blog are really limited so you can’t really go without a stack.
Which theme do you want to use?
I am using the (free) Voyager theme by Elixir Graphics.
Then you are able to use the the default blog page.
If you need additional layout options, you’re able to use Total CMS, Armadillo, or Poster Stack. Or various other stacks to import blog posts from other platforms into RW.
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Thank you. Can I start writing with the default blog and later change to using a stacks or will that mess up everything? I would like to keep the theme general look but if adding a blogging stack later on will mess that look, I prefer to not put a blog on it for now and add in later.
Similar question for Disqus comments: if I change to a stacks-based blog, will I lose comments or are they kept safe? I am not sure about blogging using the default RW: do I have to republish my site everytime I add a blogpost?
You would have to copy/paste the content from the RW blog to the new blogging solution.
Most probably you will then loose the SEO index from search engines, which could be fixed with redirects in a htaccess file.
Depends on the new blogging solution.
Depends how RW and the new solution is managing disqus comments. I guess there is a way in disqus to reassign comments to another post if the original post is not available any more.
Yes
Thank you for the replies. I guess I can wait a bit with adding blogging on my website. I think that your addon Poster 2 looks the most to what I want for comfortable editing from within Rapidweaver. So concretly with that addon: I can stay with the existing theme (in my case Voyager)? Also with Poster, I have to republish my site everytime I add a blogpost, but the URLs stay the same, Disqus comments and SEO indexing are retained, correct?
Yes
Yes
Yes
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Thank you!
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If blogging inside RW is your requirement, I can wholeheartedly recommend Poster2.
I use it here, on the Template Repo site: Pre-built projects for Rapidweaver
I also have a free project called PosterBlog available here: Pre-built projects for Rapidweaver That project is built using the UIkit3 framework, but it’s easy enough to replace with your chosen stacks.
Poster 2 is a extremely versatile stack, with many many uses. It be built into a very complex solution, or used as a simple blog.
Recommended.
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I felt that need to answer since Total CMS is my product. I have to say that @instacks answers were 100% fair here. You do not need Total CMS to blog with just RapidWeaver. If you are going to be using a theme, then the out of the box theme can work great for a simple blog. If you are using a stacks based theme, then I would recommend using a blogging solution based on stacks. That currently means Total CMS or Poster.
When the time comes, compare the features of the two and determine which might be a good fit for you. Online editing isn’t the only feature of Total CMS. Although it’s a very convenient one, even if just for yourself. 
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@sitebuilder do you already have the Stacks plug-in/addon? I couldn’t tell from your posts, as you’ll need Stacks whether you choose Total CMS or Poster 2.
Stacks create an infinite number of possibilities for RapidWeaver-built sites. Get Stacks 4
Poster 2 can be used on the same infinite number of sites, but Total CMS can only be used on one site for $100.
Total CMS has a steep price, but virtually any content can be managed easily via Total CMS. Here’s an example of what the administrative area of Total CMS looks like:
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There’s also Armadillo
Armadillo - Remote blogging and online content editing for RapidWeaver
You have to setup a mySQL database, but that’s pretty easy nowadays at most hosting companies. With Wordpress (also requires mySQL) being so popular.
Thank you for you answer! I mentioned Total CMS because that seemed to be the most prominent one that came up. I really appreciate that you dare to advice for a competing stack. It shows how you care more about the needs of a user than about making money
Hi, I already have stacks. That’s what everybody has been banging into my head when I bought RW: you miss out on alot without Stacks. Thank you for the example, it’s quite impressive: I think Total CMS is really for when you build websites for other people who want to edit parts themselves without having to pass by you every time they want to add some content. In my case, I am only making a site for myself at the moment so with the other people advising, I am going to get Poster 2.
Poster is terrific. And as others may have said, going forward you may find all sorts of other uses for it, apart from a blog.
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Look to alloy from elixir
Total CMS and Poster are both theme and platform agnostic though. They both work with everything. Having the freedom to choose the best tool that suites your needs is a good thing.
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Or even ElixirGraphics Alloy stack. I have used both Poster and Alloy. I find a poster stack more useful though
Been a while since I checked into it, but isn’t Alloy only for Foundry? Which is not the them the OP said they were using.
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