Elements and blogging - explain it like I'm 5

Elements
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I’m basically an idiot who pushes buttons until I get what I want when it comes to web design. I haven’t been fluent in code since Netscape 3.0 was the thing. I am self employed and just manage to do enough to get my sites where I need them.

I rely pretty heavily on Classic’s built in blog and I’m not sure it’s even possible to migrate smoothly to Elements. I don’t understand CMS nor do I control the server my sites are on. I tried converting a project from Classic to Elements and it was a disaster. I am open to redesigning my sites from scratch, they could use a refresh. But if I can’t migrate the blog component easily I don’t think Elements is workable. Unless I’m totally missing something, which is just as likely as any explanation.

I’ve searched the forum and there’s talk of CMS and things in the works but it’s not clear what the state of blogging in Elements is right now.

Any help is appreciated and I’m grateful for the patience of you more experienced users.

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Short answer: if you want to blog, you’ll be using the CMS. The CMS looks daunting at first, but once it’s actually explained to you how it works, it is fine. Many of us are now blogging in Elements.

However, the component that isn’t yet published yet is being able to blog without doing it within Elements itself yet (e.g. an online entry and editing system). That is coming soon and will be optional.

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Thanks Thom! If I dive in and educate myself on CMS will I find a good way to port my old blogs to CMS?

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Just so you know… @thominator wrote a book on this very topic, if you want you can download the Little Book of Elements here.

Here you can find more information about the book:

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Thank you, I’ll check it out

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“Port.” Uh, no.

The way Elements does CMS is different than Rapidweaver did “basic blog.” There’s simply no easy way to export/import, port, or whatever you want to name the process.

Can you achieve the same thing in Elements as in basic Rapidweaver? Yes, and then some, with more coming very soon now. You have much more control and sophistication over how pieces of the blog (CMS) presents itself.

Can you achieve the same thing in Elements as in something like Total CMS installed on Foundation installed on Stacks installed on Rapidweaver? No, not yet. But Total CMS is a remarkably deep, wide, and complex product, with an insane amount of flexibility if you buy the full package.

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Hi, we can port this including the blog for you. Please see https://classic-to-elements.com for additional information. You can contact me there or here via message :slight_smile: