Rapidblog alternative

RapidWeaver Stacks
#1

In trying to sort out my problems with Rapidblog I got the following response from YourHead:

We have looked into the issues that we are having, and we seem to get similar errors.
As you know. we took this project over from LogHound. We have been working on updating all of the LogHound plugins. Unfortunately, we have not been able to resolve the issues with RapidBlog. We have looked into the problems, but there is definitely a concern that with this particular plugin the issues are just too fundamental to fix. We will certainly do the best we can, but we just can’t say for certain that these issues will be resolved. Unfortunately, if you are looking for a resolution in the near term, it might be more worthwhile to look for an alternative solution. I am sure there are users on the forum that can recommend alternative ways. I just don’t want to keep you hanging on when I can’t say for sure whether we’ll be able to resolve the issues.

So, can anyone suggest an alternative remote blog platform that works with RW? I have several clients using Rapidblog so I would need to extricate them too. Also to say I do use RSS feeding through from the “real” blog to the homepage (“Latest news”) so need that function too.

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Rapidblog Rapidweaver 5
#2

I have replaced Rapidblog with Armadillo https://www.nimblehost.com/store/armadillo/ and it works great. You will need to move the existing blog posts manually though if you want to keep them. An import tool for Blogger is planned but when it will be added to Armadillo, I don’t know. Armadillo requires the Stacks plugin.

#3

I want to add that Armadillo also requires a MySQL database. I can highly recommend this plugin and use it on several client sites. Another option would be RW Write form Blueball Design, a Tumblr Blog (imported into RW with the Tumblr stack from Joe Workman), Pulse CMS from Michael Frankland or the blog from Total CMS from Joe Workman. So as you see there are a lot of options… :slight_smile:

#4

As @RapidBase said there are so many blogging options. I personally have @joeworkman Total CMS Blog, Tumblr & NimbleHost’s Armadillo. Without a doubt I would go with TCMS Blog. It works like a dream.

If I was you I would just spend some time analysing the different options that fits your requirement the best, especially on here and https://weavers.space.

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#5

One of the coolest thing about using Total CMS is the ability to make your admin page. Building your own admin portal is pretty darn simple with Total CMS. It also has the tools to help you build a much more powerful and flexible admin page then any other CMS (toggle, select, video, date, etc). Let’s say that it takes you 30 minutes to make the admin page with Stacks. You now have a completely custom admin page for your website. It has the same look and feel as your website as well. Its a custom made CMS just for that website. If you are building websites for customers, that is a big sell. People will notice the difference between custom and logging into a pre-made service. One last thing about building your own admin page, you do not need to worry if the CMS admin portal is localized to your language, since you can use your own language in the creation of the admin page.

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#6

Always good to search first: CMS Solutions w. Foundation: Armadillo? Dropkick? Other?

You can also use http://typed.com with http://rapidweavercommunity.com/addons/stacks/blog-stack

The nice thing with Pulse CMS (from @yuzool ) and its blog is that you don’t need a DB, or create an admin interface by yourself (which is already translated to 18 languages): http://rapidweavercommunity.com/addons/stacks/pulse-cms-stack

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#7

@mts77 Sounds like PulseCMS will be your easiest and quickest blog to implement and also has the shortest time needed to learn how to uses it.

Why? Well it only take a fews minutes to setup one PulseCMS installation fully. Then you just copy that same same folder to each domain (or just add into RW7 resources) and add the new license text for each. That is all you do!.

There isn’t any admin panel to build because that is already included and fully configured and you can of course add in videos, images, change the date, PDF downloads, drop zone, etc… Should you do want to customise the admin panel then just change one logo file or even change the colours in the well laid out CSS. Only the login administrator will see the admin customisation anyway, so if the client is willing to pay more for that service, then why not. However, the default admin panel is perfect without doing anything whether you log in on a browser or use the PulseCMS App. All customers love having an App.

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#8

This is a great question.

With RapidBlog you build a mirror blog on a RapidWeaver built-site of a Blogger.com blog.

Blogger.com is a Google property so it’s quickly indexed on Google itself as well as RWbuiltsite.com.

In RW, RapidBlog can then be used to add links back into pages, sections, images–anything linkable on a RWbuiltsite.com.

These links are then immediately indexed with Google through both RWbuiltsite.com and also through Blogger.com and then be optimized to rapidly ascend in SEO rankings.

I don’t think PulseCMS or TotalCMS can be used to build SEO rankings like RapidBlog, and I really, really wish YourHead would reconsider their decision to end RapidBlog development.

PulseCMS and TotalCMS are Content Management Systems. They’re tools of convenience, but not much more.

I have used RW to build multiple RWbuiltsites, then used RapidBlog to in turn achieve Top 10 Google rankings in specific categories within 6 months or less–all via strategically constructing internal links back into content of a RWbuiltsite.

It’s my fervent hope that YourHead rethinks their decision.

Why abandon a product that can enable every RWbuiltsite to achieve a top 10 Google rank within 6 months?

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#9

@labcoatguy Why not try to create a solution with something like importing a Blogger blog. IFTTT has several recipes to transfer Blogger blogs. The missing piece of this puzzle would be to import to a RW blog. PulseCMS has a very simple structure, i.e. each PulseCMS post is a distinct text file in a folder and uses the naming convention of 1.txt, 2.txt, 3.txt, etc., where 3.txt is the latest post. It would therefore, seem to be a relatively easy thing to use IFTTT to import using the existing IFTTT function and write or get someone to write an IFTTT output to PulseCMS recipe. When I say relatively, I mean relative to the amount of work needed to resolve the issues with RapidBlog.

Also, full featured Blog and CMS solutions such as PulseCMS & TotalCMS are not just “tools of convenience, but not much more.” They are hugely powerful and so much more you think.

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#10

It is also possible to use a FTP sync tool and a local Markdown editor to update the blog:

https://www.pulsecms.com/docs/markdown

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#11

What are the issues with RapidBlog, exactly?

#12

Absolutely no idea other than your quote states that Yourhead said “the issues are just too fundamental to fix”. I can only assume there is an amount of effort required that is too significant for it to happen.

That’s why I suggested an alternative approach.

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#13

The problem I have, and which precipitated this thread, is that I get constant error messages and interference with uploading the RW project and syncing with Blogger. All things being equal I’d love to continue using this product but it seems like the developer themself is saying to find an alternative. It would appear they’ve looked under the hood and cannot resolve things easily.

#14

Are the error messages anything to do with authentication? I know Google has this ‘thing’ about less secure apps trying to access your account. It’s a setting in your Google account that you have to change.

Rob

#15

I have continuing problems getting Armadillo to recognise my database. I am so fed up with the experience, I am looking for a good alternative. Any ideas please? Thank you

#16

Hi Brian,

do you mean the preliminary setup where you’ve created the MySQL database, published the page and now can’t get the two to ‘talk’ to each other?

I’ve just set up two Armadillo blogs in the last 24 hours with different hosts and both worked first time. If you can outline what’s happening I - or others - may be able to get you moving forward. It really is a good solution.

#17

Hi Rob

Many thanks for taking the trouble to reply. It is exactly as you describe. I have tried set this up in exactly the same way as I did one last year, but since then I have changed web hosts to Namesco (Register 365).

The page has been published, but it will not recognise the database. I have tried wth both the numerical prefix, as well as without. I attach a screenshot (I have changed the numbers for security reasons).

Any help you can give would be appreciated

Brian

#18

Looking back through previous comments about this it seems it’s the Database Host entry ‘localhost’ that’s the issue.

I wonder if @nimblehost has an answer?

Rob

#19

As @robbeattie suggests, the database host could very well be the issue since you’ve changed hosts. Though many hosting companies use localhost it is also common for the database host to be something like db12335.hostedresource.com or something similar ((for example, GoDaddy, 1&1, etc use this type of pattern).

#20

Thanks Rob. I’ve sent a message to the web host about this, as I suspect you are right. Not sure how to rectify that one though, so I will wait and see.

Many thanks

Brian