This is my last post using the DNN Blog module...

This was bound to happen. But it didn’t have to. For an open source framework like DotNetNuke, so powerful and widely adopted, yet blogging or even publishing an article was an after-thought. In the OpenSource world they say, “The product has to be absolutely top-notch to succeed” and yet instead of harnessing and shoring up on the success of DNN, the Blog module stands there, lackluster in every sense, reeking of neglect, derelict, unending wait  except for the oohs and aahs of what’s about to come in the next version.

It’s 2009 Q3 and trying to compile a .NET 1.0 code may still be acceptable. As some of my friends and readers pointed out though, it is entirely unacceptable to be fighting your Blog rather than using the Blog module! I’m not saying I did not have a choice. Wordpress, Livejournal, MovableType were/are just a few of the alternatives. In deciding to stick it out with the DNN Blog module, part of my reasoning was –“I can always extend it!”

To be fair, the DNN Blog has a basic working blog framework. It works like its supposed to. There’s nothing that it claims to do but doesn’t. The problem is, this was fine for 2005, even the 3.05.01 release would have been fine four years ago, it just doesn’t cut in today.

Like a fool I am, instead of moving on to better things, I decided to fill in the functionality-gap, by myself. Part of the blame lies with a few good souls at DNN who I must say surprised me with their anytime-of-the-day advice and willingness to help. I also found a few good things over at SnowCovered, ITCrossing and Radiant SW that did tide me over some rough spots.

At some point, however, as with every work-life balance scenario – where day-job takes precedence over will-innovate-if-time-permits, the focus shifted to just buying something that “works for now,” rather than finding time to actually code and extend the Blog module. Now that I look back, I spent quite a few of my hard earned dollars into something that was supposed to be open-source, free and working, “right-out of the box.”

by ITCrossing $70.00	ifinity URL Master $295.00
by iFinity $30.00	Automatic SEO plugin by XP Idea $50.00
by Radiant-SW $0.00

It’s not that I never found time to get around and work on the DNN Blog module myself; I did build the …

1. PageViews

Yeah, with all of them multiple IP addresses, multiple visits, cookies and users accounted for. One cookie= 1 page view.

2. Related Posts

Yeah, related posts, when the aim is to enhance user experience, to retain a visitor, to make it easy for them to find their way. Not having to wade through the clumsy Archives counts as one of them.

3. Threaded Comments

A discussion right there, a social network, right at your blog, a threaded comment view is something the DNN Blog module still lacks! In this age and year! Or maybe they thought, “who uses DNN Blog to have a discussion anyway?” Yeah, right!!

I just thought its cool, so built it!

4. A Reply to a comment!

Not being able to reply to a comment? Kinda gopher:// protocol versus http:// is the same as DNN Blog versus Wordpress!

I reckon, I get 200% more traffic simply because people come back when they’re replied to.

5. Crosspost from DNN Blog

Yeah, I keep multiple Blogs. But that doesn’t mean I have time to type and or post to them separately. It just means I figured some convoluted way of doing a crosspost to 20 something blogs!

6. Keeping tabs on twitter, facebook, flickr, tumblr and other social things.

All from one place; My DNN Blog. You really think I would bother about updating one line status messages from 50 odd social networks? Or be checking each one of them every few minutes? Nope. I post at my Blog and if and when I get a reply somewhere, I get a notification to which I can reply.

7. I’m not running Blind

I need to know exactly who comes here, what did they like, how did they arrive here and what could keep them longer. Isn’t that SEO? Yeah, and the modifications to the Blog module let me do that. This is not about Google Analytics. This is about the Blog. which post leads to another post? Which ones get good Search coverage, which ones people bookmark.

Who is that spammer? When did he visit last? That anonymous comment, is that from the same person named “Joe?”

Question: When did Don Worthley visit me last?

Answer: February ‘09

8. There were more, but …

Something happened. I realized I was spending more time coding than blogging. I had a lot more to write. But very few ways of expressing what I wanted to write without modifying the blog code. The other day I wanted to do a survey from within a Blog post. Hey, there’s a survey module in DNN! Or, for that matter when some friends found a neat workaround (around) the CAPTCHA; turned out the way DNN Blog implemented it, it could be cheated! Or, when I got into an argument with one ‘Stacy’ over something trivial, she showed me such a flaw in DNN’s security, my eyes were wide open for one whole night. Not good, not good. And here, I thought the only flaw in Blog module was it did not implement categories.

It could be argued that the DNN Blog provides what is a basic functionality, what I’m trying to do with it is much more than a Blog yes; If DNN Blog were to do all in itself, how would people make money at SnowCovered? Its a delicate balance for, if you look at the DNN Blog team, every developer is a kickass programmer by himself, you can’t find fault with knowledgebase or capability. What keeps the DNN Blog from competing with the likes of Wordpress or Typepad is anybody’s guess. Maybe just not living in the Bay Area means –’unaware!’ or something like that.

I even went ahead and offered to contribute my modifications to the official DNN Blog module, partly because I wanted everybody else to benefit and see DNN Blog succeed. There’s an old adage - “Empty vessels make a lot of noise.” I hear the noises, I just can’t figure out who is the empty vessel – me or somebody else?

So, short of moving to

GoodBye DNN Blog. Hello SpeedBlog

Alright, enough bitching about the DNN Blog. It helped me for the last two years. And even though I’ve been set back by a couple of dollars  in buying modules which should have been incorporated in DNN Blog in the first place, it was my stepping stone to DNN programming. Expect a few hiccups while I program for my new blog.

This is my last post using the DNN Blog module... Maybe this means I won't blog nomore, maybe I'd return with a Blog module of my own. In any case, thanks to all members of the DNN Core, DNN Blog team who've helped me any way they could. You guys rock! See you on the other side!