A new “blog” has been birthed – The Real Estate FAQ.
For roughly the past 18 months, unbeknown to millions, I’ve had a real estate FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) site running on phpMyFAQ, a decent, open source “FAQ System”. The problem with it is it was overrun by spammers, and I had to take it off line.
The thought of having a site that is pretty much nothing but a real estate FAQ repository has intrigued me for a long time. Combine that with some freakish innate desire to poke around with different web software, and you now have the newly revamped Real Estate FAQ.
The FAQ site is running on Drupal, an Open Source CMS platform (CMS = Content Management System). I don’t know if it’s a blog, a standard website, or what. It’s kind of a hybrid cross between the two. Drupal is really cool software, and very powerful. Likely more powerful than I’ll ever know.
Currently the site contains 32 FAQs, a very weak glossary and even weaker forum section. More FAQs and glossary terms will be added. I have no idea if the forums will stay or go.
You do not have to register, but registration allows one to add FAQs (including links, but if it’s abused, shutting that off consists of two keystrokes), as well as add forum topics. More user “perks” will come as I learn more about the capabilities and power of Drupal.
So if you have a moment, take a peek. I’m interested in any feedback — good, bad or indifferent — that anyone might have.
Stay tuned!
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[tags]Real Estate FAQ, Drupal[/tags]
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My “other” site is on Joomla… another CMS. It is a great option. It combines a blog and page platform. The CMSs are dynamic. I’ll have to check it out.
Local Phoenix guy here.
I’ve been reading your blog for some time now and always enjoy your content.
If you ever need help with the CMS’s out there, just give me a shout. I’m running a business based on these things and love to work with other local business people.
-=Chris
Lane – I’ve played with Joomla some too. It’s great stuff. Too early in my Drupal experience to really compare the two.
Chris – thanks for reading, and I’ll sure keep you in mind!
Jay,
I was going to say, “What a great idea!” but then I read this post, “10 things you should stop doing immediately on your blog,” that Brian Brady linked to over at Bloodhound Blog. It says, “2. Stop slobbering over each other in comments.”
So… Happy New Year, Jay!
Jay- I have been looking for a source to link to on my posts that is a little more authoritative than Wikipedia yet more neutral and non-commercial than straight up realtor sites. Your FAQ site is a perfect balance. Thanks for setting it up, I plan to link early and often.
John C
Excellent use of Drupal, Jay! I am just putting my toe into the Drupal and Joomla waters. What about adding a tab for searching local homes, using an interactive (as in soft lead capturing) IDX solution? It seems like an excellent, but low-key way to help your readers further, yet gently lead them to you for solid business.
On another topic, what are you using for anit-spam on your comments here? Do you pick the security words? I loved the word generated for me and I’d like to spread the gospel of happy security words. =-D
Great idea Tracy, I’m going to have to add that to the list. I don’t want it to be “in your face”, but getting business is the ultimate goal…
I use “Peter’s Custom Anti-Spam” plugin for the comment “captcha’s”. And yes, you can pick your own words — as many as you’d like. That feature, plus the fact that the words are easy to read, is what led me to use it. It is available here:
http://www.theblog.ca/anti-spam
I just looked at this for the first time and am very, very impressed with the content and the platform.
How does (I know I can google it) Drupal compare – for how you use it – to WP?
Jury is still out on that Jim. I have a LOT more experience with WP than Drupal right now. I certainly could have used WP for the FAQ (I just wanted to play with Drupal).
Drupal does seem to lend itself better to “collaboration” than WP, but that area is almost *completely* unexplored for me. For now. I suspect Drupal is far more powerful than I know. I just haven’t had much time to mess with it yet.
Hi there I was doing a search for mortgage rate and found myself here. My family could read this blog, and that makes a change I can tell you. You are a great find. Informative too.
Just found the FAQ, and I like it a lot. I used it for a good bit of looking around, and will actually turn some buyers in my area on to it. Thanks!
I have just ran into Drupal this week, and have no idea where to start for my own site. You have definetly provided the ideal setup for FAQ. Thanks!
Definitely sounds like a great blogsperiment. How did the experiment end up anyway?