Can someone point me in the right direction on this?

18 replies
I'll try and make this as painless to read as possible.

I have a customer who would like a website built. They would like anyone who visits to be able to leave a "review" or comment about a specific experience, about ANYTHING. Ive done a few websites but never came across a request like this. I'm not really sure how to approach this due to the social aspect of this website. ( visitors being allowed to leave comments about anything seems tricky)
#direction #point
  • Profile picture of the author Will Edwards
    Wordpress!

    Will
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Mayo
    WordPress › Blog Tool and Publishing Platform

    You should be able to install it from your sites cPanel.

    Have a great Day!
    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author JSThompson
    I second the wordpress comment.
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  • Profile picture of the author rosetrees
    Originally Posted by big jeffrey View Post

    I'm not really sure how to approach this due to the social aspect of this website. ( visitors being allowed to leave comments about anything seems tricky)
    As the others said - use Wordpress. Being able to leave comments on posts is a built-in feature.

    However, you will need to use an anti-spam plug-in. I have a blog that receives comments on a daily basis. I have it set so that ALL comments (that aren't instantly spammed) have to be moderated. Make sure your client understands the need to do that. That will allow him/her to make sure that nothing is posted that will harm the site or its reputation.

    I also use a captcha plug-in which vastly reduces the number of people/bots trying to post rubbish.
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  • Profile picture of the author Newbieee
    i hear 3rds and 4ths for wordpress ???
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    Pain is a perception, so is defeat & happiness!
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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    Actually, WordPress will NOT let anybody to leave comments about anything and anywhere.
    As you guys all know - it lets you comments ONLY on posts... and common sense would expect the comments would be related to that specific post - not about "anything".

    Make him a forum where anybody can rant about anything
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    • Profile picture of the author rosetrees
      Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post

      ........

      Make him a forum where anybody can rant about anything
      I think that's already been done. It's called WF

      Joking aside - Istvan's right. But as I said above, make sure he moderates it. Comments on specific posts inviting comments on a specific range of topics might be easier to handle. Depends on whether or not he wants to set up a dialog. You'll need to discuss the specific requirements with your client.
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    • Profile picture of the author big jeffrey
      Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post

      Actually, WordPress will NOT let anybody to leave comments about anything and anywhere.
      As you guys all know - it lets you comments ONLY on posts... and common sense would expect the comments would be related to that specific post - not about "anything".

      Make him a forum where anybody can rant about anything
      Hello, Istvan,

      You are absolutely right, this will not be a blogging site. Its intention is for people to be able to come, and write a specific comment, and it be there for everyone to see. I know wordpress will let you comment on posts YOU'VE made. but my client doesnt want to make posts. He wants that left up to the visitor to come to the site. post. and leave.

      sorry if that is confusing? I've seen ONE site like this before but i cant find it anymore. it had something to do with black books? like littleblackbook.something or blackbook.com
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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    Yes, it's confusing. Either your client has no idea what he wants... or you have difficulties formulating your question.

    It's difficult to imagine a site that has only "comments" made by visitors. Comments, per defitionem, require a starting piece of content... and the comments go along that.

    Again, if he wants just a site where anybody can start a discussion about whatever - forum software is the way to go.

    So, maybe it's time to go back to the client and ask very specific questions about his needs or his wishes. Sometimes we also have to educate clients telling them the idea is nonsense (but before you do that, make sure you asked zillion questions forcing him to formulate as clearly as possible his vision about the site...)
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Here's another angle, if you can find the right script.

      Back in the olden days, many sites had pages called "guest books" where visitors could leave comments. The proliferation of spammers and poorly-coded guestbook scripts made for a security nightmare.

      I'm told that there are now secure guestbook scripts out there. If you can find one, that might be one way to go.
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  • Profile picture of the author onlinecasinodeck
    Originally Posted by big jeffrey View Post

    I'll try and make this as painless to read as possible.

    I have a customer who would like a website built. They would like anyone who visits to be able to leave a "review" or comment about a specific experience, about ANYTHING. Ive done a few websites but never came across a request like this. I'm not really sure how to approach this due to the social aspect of this website. ( visitors being allowed to leave comments about anything seems tricky)
    There are many Content management system out there, Like wordpress, joomla, vivo, drupal and worpress-Mu, the thing you are describing is called "comment box".
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  • Profile picture of the author azmanar
    Hi,

    John's right. Guestbook it is.

    Find a GuestBook scirpt you can actually customize to match the design of your web site..

    But if you want the site to be viral, then you can actually develop an FB comment app using PHP and also linked it to the Social Graph API.

    Here is the link : Home - Facebook Developers
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    === >>> Tomorrow Should Be Better Than Today

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    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      Great comments so far. Here's another way to "skin the cat."

      Use a CMS (content management system). There are many available on the market. My experience is with one called Website Publisher. It sets up with simple push button ease.

      In the admin panel, you can set up the site so that anyone can be an author (with or without admin approval - that's up to you).

      All the various posts can be searched by author or subject matter so your client could track all the posts by a particular person. The software is very robust and could handle tons of input.

      People can also comment on the posts.

      Check it out here if you want: Website Software | Content Management System Software | Website Designer Software | PHP CMS

      Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author big jeffrey
      Originally Posted by azmanar View Post

      Hi,

      John's right. Guestbook it is.

      Find a GuestBook scirpt you can actually customize to match the design of your web site..

      But if you want the site to be viral, then you can actually develop an FB comment app using PHP and also linked it to the Social Graph API.

      Here is the link : Home - Facebook Developers

      Could you expand on this? the "viral" part? So would this lead his visitors to facebook? or would they stay on the site? I think the facebook thing is a great idea because it sounds like this guy wants it to go viral. (who doesnt)? but what i mean is that he has spent $ on advertising and has no website yet.
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  • Profile picture of the author Wild
    Sounds like phpBB would work for you. it's an open source solution so there's a lot of community support. I set up a pretty killer off the shelf solution that would work as well but it is about $600. And it's uses a lot of space. It would need a dedicated hosting service.
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  • Profile picture of the author Suthan M
    Let me try to add some variety here..

    And if the person finds wordpress too "clunky", a simpler solution would be Tumblr.

    But then again, Wordpress is the best cut for what you are looking for :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author big jeffrey
    Yes. thank you! you all have given me great ideas. I like the idea of the guestbook . I am familiar with joomla and can probably set this up with a plugin
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  • Profile picture of the author JaySaldivar
    It's simple with wordpress you can enable comments, I would recommend you install the recaptcha plugin to save headaches that spammers can bring you. Now, I also have an offline business regarding web design and internet marketing consulting, my advice is also to analyze if the client is worth it in the first place. I've fired a couple of clients because a) they take too much time with silly requests and feature overload and b) they produce me little profits. If it's going to give you big profits well take in consideration, in my experience those who makes the company less money are the more that requests more stuff. Just my two cents, but if you are looking for a solution Wordpress can do the trick.
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