Blog > Injader > 10 tips I've learned from developing Injader on an active blog

10 tips I've learned from developing Injader on an active blog

Posted by Ben on August 17, 2009 | Permalink | Hits: 480 
Tags: injader, features, sitemaps, plugins, benefits, captcha

< 10 things that Injader can do without plugins | Injader |

When I first started working on Injader, I didn't have a lot of sites to use it on. This changed as the years went by, but many of the sites were not updated regularly, and few people visited them.

Now though, I have a few sites that people subscribe to and comment on. Some people have even started to use Injader for their own sites. If you've ever commented on my blog, you've used Injader. This has often resulted in people including a suggestion or two in their comments.

Going beyond that, I've learned quite a few tips due to developing Injader on blogs that people actually visit. This post lists 10 very useful tips I've discovered along the way.

(Today's post uses an image from Paul Hudson.)

1. Using your own system gets the name out there.

Not everyone reads every bit of text on every blog they visit. However, those who do might be interested to follow some of the links to find out more. Some new readers are quite surprised to see that I don't use a better known blogging platform, and instead use something totally different. It pushes them to check out what the system is all about.

Using Injader also shows that I have faith in my own project. Actions speak louder than words. However, I didn't always do this - Top Ten Blog Tips originally started as a WordPress blog. This is because at the time, Injader didn't have all of the features I wanted to use. Gradually, I started to build Injader into something that could be a serious competitor to the other systems out there, then I migrated my posts to Injader and launched a brand new design.

Getting the word out about your blogs and your other projects is very important.

2. A CAPTCHA is unpopular with most people.

For a long time, Injader forced you to use a CAPTCHA (a word verification image). Originally, I added reCAPTCHA as a way to combat comment spam. It worked - but it also reduced the amount of legitimate comments. I then developed my own CAPTCHA and a few people noticed it was far more legible than the previous image, but most were still unhappy with it. Finally, I added an option to turn the image off, and added some anti-spam checking.

It's not perfect, but people have been a lot happier to comment on my blogs since I turned off the word verification. Spammers were starting to get around the CAPTCHA anyway. I do think that people are far too quick to rule out a CAPTCHA as an option, though, due to some totally crazy versions that are completely unreadable. I created a version that used one of the most legible fonts you can get - it was actually designed to teach children how to do handwriting. I really tried to make an image that was easy for people to read that was still tricky for spammers to break. I still believe it was a good way to block spam - but some people just refuse to use it.

So, while I did learn a lesson here, it was pretty disappointing because spam is still a problem. No anti-spam system is perfect - there will always be new spammers with new tricks.

3. Some people do subscribe to comments by email.

Much as I thought it was a little-used feature, a few people like it very much. It was Rarst who posted a comment saying that he missed the feature. So, I decided to get the feature into Injader. It was a fair amount of work - but it was worth it.

Now, I am much more likely to see people returning to a post when someone else comments on it. I really do believe that more people should add this to their blog - and more people should use it when commenting, too. It's very easy to use, and very easy to unsubscribe.

4. Optimised links help with your search ranking.

It was very revealing to watch the results after I started including post titles in my links. In a fairly short space of time, I found that all of my blogs were getting more visitors via search engines.

Now, it's a no-brainer really. Although the default links in Injader aren't great, they do still contain keywords. If you're using WordPress and your links all have ?p=1 on the end, go into the Dashboard and change them! It's really worth doing.

5. A sitemap gets more of your posts indexed faster.

I never realised how much of a difference this could make until I developed a sitemap for Injader and submitted it to Google. It's a great way to get your new posts picked up quickly, and it also helps Google to find all of your posts. Without a sitemap, some posts may get missed.

6. Using custom code in a theme adds a lot of flexibility.

I initially built a series of templates that allowed you to modify how your site looked, but it was very confusing and inflexible. It also clogged up the database and slowed everything down.

I then developed a new theme system and realised that a lot of "most wanted" features had suddenly become a reality. Most of the things you'd ever want to do can be done with this type of theme system.

7. Using third-party addons is essential for certain features.

Some things, such as a WYSIWYG post editor, are really important to get right. It's also a nightmare to develop yourself, due to browser inconsistencies. This is a classic case where using a third-party addon is a wise move. TinyMCE is a great product and has reduced all the problems I had when I tried building my own editor.

However, you do have to use third-party addons as part of a larger platform. If the entire system is a hodge-podge of other people's code, it will be an inconsistent, unstable and difficult to modify mess of a system.

8. I can write Injader-specific tips.

Granted, this hasn't happened too much yet, but publishing tips for users of Injader is a great way to show people what it's all about. Actually, I'd like to see a few more people writing about Injader, as there is very little information out there at present.

9. I often think of ways to improve it.

Using Injader for my main blogs allows me to identify things that could be improved. Commenters often suggest things, too. While I can't do absolutely everything (and it's best that I don't try to), this means I am building a well-rounded system that is easy to use.

10. Not relying on a dozen plugins is very convenient!

In 10 things that Injader can do without plugins, I pushed one of my strongest beliefs: you shouldn't have to rely on a dozen plugins just to make a system half-decent. If you run multiple blogs, you have to install all of those plugins for every blog. It became too much work for me and I have since made a concerted effort to improve Injader's "out-of-the-box" experience, so most of the default tools and settings are ready to go immediately after installation.

What do you think? Have you learned anything from Injader? Have you got any of your own projects that help you to improve your blog(s)?

Comments on 10 tips I've learned from developing Injader on an active blog

Name *
Email *
URL
* Required Fields. Email will not be shown.
Help Enter your comment:
Email follow-up comments Preview