This is what we want:

1. import users from an access db (prob via a CSV file)
2. automatically generate an email when new users are added which includes their username and an automatically generated
3. direct members to a landing page (e.g. members.php) when they log in (keep them away from the dashboard)
4. show members content that only they can see based on their type of membership

And, well, it is possible:

1. Use the Role Manager plugin to create different types of member logins
2. Use the dd-users-import plugin to import users and create new users. If you add a user via this plugin rather than wp’s default method it’ll send them an email with an automatically generated pw.
3. Use the Peter’s Login Redirect plugin to control what happens when a member logs in. Create new templates to determine what they see.
4. Use shortcodes to show member only content. The great thing about this is that you can use shortcodes in any bog standard template. So you could show a ‘Hi username‘ message in header.php to indicate that the member’s logged in.

The only issue I’m having at the moment is the email that is sent to new users. It’s the default wp email, so it’s not particularly user friendly.

So combine this with the outsourcing content principle and I reckon I could redesign my org’s website.

1. Set up Twitter account
2. Add Twitter badge to website
3. Hand to client
4. Client logs into Twitter
5. Types in box and hits enter
6. Website updated

So this is good for decentralising your website. However, some clients may struggle with (for example) Google Calendar.

What do we do then: give up on a calendar? Make the site really simple?

Do the real work elsewhere, perhaps.

Jamie Cavanaugh has a good article on this.

Useful from a work point of view too.

In short: those who deride Twitter really just don’t get it. It’ll overtake Facebook within months.

1) categories for article/magazine blogs
2) tags for logs/journals

So this site would be best served by tags.