PopShops, Datafeedr, Wordpress or a Site

[debdenby]

Okay, I've gone round and round in circles, read everything and viewed every video several times, posted, etc. and I'm completely overwhelmed.

I'm definitely going to have to rebuild my site to take it from my current host which doesn't support datafeeds, PHP, cURL, etc., to one that does. Got that out of the way.

I think I'd like to create a blog rather than a site again. If that's the better way to go. From what I've read it sounds like it might be, since Google seems to like blogs.

Here are my questions:

1) I've already used the basic PopShops for adding content to my current site and it is relatively easy. I'll want to go to one of the paid options in either PopShops or Datafeedr. I'm impressed with both.

With either one--if I pick a template from Wordpress -- i.e., Gridfocus --
in what sections would I put my products, my smaller banner ads, maybe a youtube video, and also my blog posts? I'd have to replace the existing ones that are part of the basic template -- i.e., recent post, archive and blog roll.

Right now my web site and my blog aren't connected because my blog isn't set up for the paid advertising.

2) What are the benefits of PopShops and what are the benefits of Datafeedr. I know Datafeedr is only set up to work with Wordpress.

3) Which would be easier for me to use? I've already been creating affiliate links on my current site, as I mentioned, but obviously I'd be creating different links because I'd have parent and child links.

4) Are the templates different for Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org?

Thanks!

 

[Clintoc]

There are more templates for the self hosted versions of Wordpress than wordpress.com. You will end up with a .com membership anyways, so get that out of the way.

There are a few really nice pay themes out there too, but with a little work modifying PhP isn't too scary not to customise any theme you end up with.

 

[debdenby]

There are more templates for the self hosted versions of Wordpress than wordpress.com. You will end up with a .com membership anyways, so get that out of the way.

There are a few really nice pay themes out there too, but with a little work modifying PhP isn't too scary not to customise any theme you end up with.

Hi Clintoc,

Sorry, having trouble understanding what you mean. When you say the self hosted versions than worpress.com -- you mean the ones that allow advertising?

Thanks!

 

[Linda Buquet]

The self hosted means the Wordpress blog you host on your own domain with your own hosting program. There are TONS of templates.

 

[debdenby]

The self hosted means the Wordpress blog you host on your own domain with your own hosting program. There are TONS of templates.

Yes, an overwhelming amount!

Still trying to figure out how they work.

My head is spinning!

 

[Ron Bechdolt]

A couple days ago I experimented with building a site from scratch with Datafeedr. Took me a good part of a day, but this also included building the WP theme. It's not an easy task and takes a lot of work but it can be done and I finished the site by the end of the day. If it had not been for the videos and written instructions there I would have taken much longer and I'm sure some frustration. What I specifically liked is they present their program at all different levels so if you have no clue how to load wordpress on your server, they even cover that.

I understand there is a new version of Datafeedr coming out this week that has some wonderful new features that help further define your search queries.

Hang in there. If it was easy everyone would be doing it.

 

[debdenby]

A couple days ago I experimented with building a site from scratch with Datafeedr. Took me a good part of a day, but this also included building the WP theme. It's not an easy task and takes a lot of work but it can be done and I finished the site by the end of the day. If it had not been for the videos and written instructions there I would have taken much longer and I'm sure some frustration. What I specifically liked is they present their program at all different levels so if you have no clue how to load wordpress on your server, they even cover that.

I understand there is a new version of Datafeedr coming out this week that has some wonderful new features that help further define your search queries.

Hang in there. If it was easy everyone would be doing it.

Hi 7 Days Ron,

It's really good to know that they present the program at different levels of expertise. Just out of curiousity, which Wordpress theme did you choose? Did you go for a more basic design or a more stylized look? I like Arthemia (Free version if it's compatable) but haven't been able to find it. Thanks for the pep talk, I needed that!

 

[Ron Bechdolt]

Deb,

I discovered something really cool last week at artisteer.com, which lets you create your very own templates. With this one can quickly pick the colors, layout, style, font, columns, etc. There is even what I like to call a "Do you feel lucky" button where it will suggest a design for you, all color coordinated. I like this option and just keep clicking until I find something that looks good, then go and modify it as needed. You can save the design and reedit it anytime you want. You export it to your hard drive, then upload it to your server and activate it just like any new theme. Not free, but very reasonable.

 

[fire3fly]

Wordpress With Your Own Hosting

I use Wordpress on my own hosting. There are a lot of themes and Wordpress plugins available for free. I really like that you don't have to worry about optimizing a Wordpress blog that much. Most everything is done.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Deb keep in mind Ron has years of site building experience so what comes easy for him will still be a learning curve for you. I consider something like Artisteer, a more advanced tool for pros that want to build their own theme.

At this stage you have enough to do to learn WP. So I would just use an already built theme.

His site is about a specific GEO location so has custom photos of the area that you would not find in an off the shelf theme. Since he has the knowledge to build a custom theme, it worked out really well and looks fantastic.

 

[debdenby]

Deb,

I discovered something really cool last week at artisteer.com, which lets you create your very own templates. With this one can quickly pick the colors, layout, style, font, columns, etc. There is even what I like to call a "Do you feel lucky" button where it will suggest a design for you, all color coordinated. I like this option and just keep clicking until I find something that looks good, then go and modify it as needed. You can save the design and reedit it anytime you want. You export it to your hard drive, then upload it to your server and activate it just like any new theme. Not free, but very reasonable.

That's a interesting option. Thanks for the tip!

 

[debdenby]

I use Wordpress on my own hosting. There are a lot of themes and Wordpress plugins available for free. I really like that you don't have to worry about optimizing a Wordpress blog that much. Most everything is done.

That's good to know fire3fly. I'm leaning that way. I just have to find a theme/template that I like, I guess and go for it. So many options, yikes!

 

[debdenby]

Deb keep in mind Ron has years of site building experience so what comes easy for him will still be a learning curve for you. I consider something like Artisteer, a more advanced tool for pros that want to build their own theme.

At this stage you have enough to do to learn WP. So I would just use an already built theme.

His site is about a specific GEO location so has custom photos of the area that you would not find in an off the shelf theme. Since he has the knowledge to build a custom theme, it worked out really well and looks fantastic.

Thalnks for the heads up, Linda. I'll have to take a look at Ron's site to see what he was able to do with Artisteer. I think it is a little bit too advanced for me, based on what I saw of it. I think Wordpress will be the way to go. I'm going to bite the bullet now and select a web host and then select my wordpress template and get stared with either PopShops or Datafeedr. There's so much to read, I almost don't feel ready, but if I don't start already, I'll be waiting forever to get going! I think I've finally chosen a direction for everything.

I really appreciate everyone's input!

 

[Linda Buquet]

I'll have to take a look at Ron's site to see what he was able to do with Artisteer.

It's not the one in his sig FYI.

 

[debdenby]

Think I'm Biting Off More Than I Can Chew Here -- What Do You Think?

It's not the one in his sig FYI.

Oh, hmm, then I'm not sure how I'll view it. Oh, well.

Okay, on to possibly biting off more than I can chew:

I set up my account with my new host, I chose hostgator, and found the WP theme that I like it's called Arthemia and here's what it looks like on

michaelhutagalung.com

Am I being unrealistic, as a person new to setting up a WP blog, to take on a magazine style blog like this one and at the same time have a learning curve with either PopShops or Datafeedr? I'm not sure feature for feature which would be an easier product to work with as a "newbie." I've read mixed things about ease of use on each.

Regarding this magazine style blog: I like how clean and crisp this magazine style is. I actually saw a mock-up of a blog using the Arthemia theme that was set up for demo purposes, on datafeedr. Maybe there's an easier magazine style theme to work with? My head's still spinning!

Would anyone like to help me try to figure out what course of action I should take?

Here's what I'm thinking, if it's possible:

1) hostgator says that they may "possibly" be able to "transfer (is that the right word?)" everything over from my current host to the new host, which would mean that I could possibly keep my site up and looking the way it does today, but have the PHP, cURL and whatever else capabilities that I currently don't have on Homestead

a) AND use one of PopShops paid programs to put all of my products on the page. Then I could work on the blog separately -- and not worry about having it available for viewing on my site -- since I need to learn how to learn how to work with it, with the ultimate goal of later on scrapping the site all together and just working with a blog

or


b) Keep my current site up and running on it's current host while I rebuild the site using the Arthemia theme -- also using PopShops or even possibly using Datafeedr--I know that with Datafeedr, they're set up only to work in a WP format.

I like Datafeedr for two reasons:
1) I think I remember reading that the way you set it up, you don't immediately go to the merchant's site
2 ) like the idea of the drip function, if I want to use it.
3) I like the idea of all of the videos they provide
4) Eric, from datafeedr answered two or 3 emails from me on a Sunday.


I like the ease of the basic PopShops -- but

a) don't know if the paid option is as easy to use.

b) I'm not sure which would be easier to get familiar with faster -- PopShops or Datafeedr. I've read mixed things about ease of use for both of them.

c) I'm not sure if they have videos if I get stuck or what their support is like, if I get stuck and can't figure out what to do.

Any thoughts, suggestions?

 

[Chunkles]

I have the exact same question as Deb above; has anyone tried both? Also, I heard that if you quit, you lose your Popshops functionality, but can keep the Datafeedr feeds ... is that true?

Thanks

 

[debdenby]

I have the exact same question as Deb above; has anyone tried both? Also, I heard that if you quit, you lose your Popshops functionality, but can keep the Datafeedr feeds ... is that true?

Thanks

I found out from someone on another forum that it helps to be ftp savvy if you're going with datafeedr. What do you mean about keeping the Datafeedr feeds? How would they stay active if you're not a paying client of theirs? That's the way I'm interpreting your question, but it might not be what you mean at all.

 

[Ron Bechdolt]

There is not a lot of ftping with datafeedr. You do need to ftp the plugin files up to your server and set the permissions. Occasionally you need to ftp the datafeed file to your server if it is too big. Most everything is done at the Datafeedr.com site or on your wordpress site.

If I understand what you are asking above, if you leave Datafeedr, your site still exists and can generate income for you. You are not connected with Datafeedr in any way. But, you can no longer modify the datafeed and it may be out of date after a while.

As I see it, you pay a small fee a month to set this up at Datafeedr and you will soon know if it is working for you or not. All it is going to take is one to two sales a month at your site to pay for Datafeedr so you'll know soon enough if it is something you want to continue using.

I've been experimenting with it a great deal the last week to see if it is a viable tool for the affiliates we work with and I am confident it is. The product is sound, the support is excellent, the videos walk you through at your own pace. And with the update they implemented today, building your store is even easier.

That all said, Popshops is a good product too. Both are different and offer something unique. Best to see what works for your style, but if you use only Wordpress, I feel the datafeedr route much easier to use.

 

[debdenby]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for responding!

There is not a lot of ftping with datafeedr. You do need to ftp the plugin files up to your server and set the permissions. Occasionally you need to ftp the datafeed file to your server if it is too big. Most everything is done at the Datafeedr.com site or on your wordpress site.

Okay, if you wouldn't mind, I need a translation of what you mean here in very basic English, LOL. I just learned the other day, that FTP is file data transport, as I did this the other day. When you say you occassionally need to ftp the datafeed file to your server fi it is too big, what do you mean? Can you give a very basic example? I truly feel like I'm literally learning a new language and how to create sentences with the new language -- as if I moved to a different country and now how to learn how to communicate there!

If

I understand what you are asking above, if you leave Datafeedr, your site still exists and can generate income for you. You are not connected with Datafeedr in any way. But, you can no longer modify the datafeed and it may be out of date after a while.

What happens if someone tries PopShops and decides to leave it? For instance, if I used one of the paid options with PopShops for a while for my site?

As I see it, you pay a small fee a month to set this up at Datafeedr and you will soon know if it is working for you or not. All it is going to take is one to two sales a month at your site to pay for Datafeedr so you'll know soon enough if it is something you want to continue using.

I've been experimenting with it a great deal the last week to see if it is a viable tool for the affiliates we work with and I am confident it is. The product is sound, the support is excellent, the videos walk you through at your own pace. And with the update they implemented today, building your store is even easier.

That all said, Popshops is a good product too. Both are different and offer something unique. Best to see what works for your style, but if you use only Wordpress, I feel the datafeedr route much easier to use.

If I went with the free option am I able to set up subcatagories in PopShops or would I need to use Pro or Pro Unlimited? Also, how do the datafeeds of hundred of related products work--do they get generated automatically based on the products that I've selected?

Thanks, Ron, for your response. I think, at least initially, it would make sense to get familiar (at least I think, based on what you've written) with PopShops first, since I still want to keep a web site for the time being and work on a blog at the same time and then, eventually, I might switch over to a blog format and work with either PopShops or Datafeedr, depending on what I want to accomplish. Just taking one step at a time, at this point.

By the way, how exactly does the drip feed work? For instance, Eric at Datafeedr, gave me the link to his demo babycarrier site, I couldn't figure out if anything was drip "fed" into it?

 

[Ron Bechdolt]

Hi,

I should clarify that I have never used any to make money as an affiliate up to this point. I have, as an affiliate manager, tested all of them to see if they are useful and practical for affiliates, especially if our own affiliates are looking for some way to promote our products. I know dozens of people how have used these programs and I get their feedback as well.

One of the best things to do is go to the forum for each of these programs and see what has been said, see if the questions you are asking have already been asked and if not, ask the current users there for their opinions.

Goldencan.com is another one you might want to consider.

As to your FTP question, you can upload your Datafeedr datafeed directly from your Wordpress admin panel in the Datafeedr section. If the file is too big to load that way, it tells you that you need to FTP it up to your server. I've tried a half a dozen uploads and only once did it say it was too big.

The drip feature lets you drop a product image and description into a page one after another at whatever interval you choose (1 min, 10 min, 28 min, 3 days, etc). It helps keep your site fresh for search engines and repeat visitors.

Hope that helps.