Advice on setting up a blog page for a non technical user

Hi,
I’ve been asked to set up a blog page on a clients existing MODX managed site. I’m not familiar with MODX and I’m facing a huge learning curve. I’m sceptical about my client coping with the complexities of updating the blog page using MODX but it may be that the site I’m seeing has none of the functionality hidden. If I set my customer up as a user, is the interface to update the blog as simple as say Bloggers is?

Thanks for any help you can give.

The MODx "interface" is not as simple as Blogger thats for sure.

If the client really needs a blog system then I would take a long look at Wordpress. Its probably the best blog system going.

But, (you knew there was a "but" coming) if the client needs more than just a blog, or requires a lot of custom design and layout options then MODx might be just the ticket.

A while back one poster made this observation: "its easier to make MODx blog than it is to make Wordpress act like a full CMS with a custom design."

The other thing worth mentioning. Everyone thinks the whole blog thing is so cool. But very few people who begin a blog system have anything to say, or have the writing skills to say it. Most blogs start out with an initial rush of posts but soon fall fall into a state of awkward neglect. I also sense that the web world has sort of grown tired of the traditional blog format.

MODx can do most of what a blog system offers. You can create any great design/layout and then use tools like Ditto, Wayfinder, tagging, and custom template variables to build an efficient content and blog system that does not look like tired familiar blogger pages you see everywhere...

Thanks for your reply. I take on board what you say about Wordpress. And I agree that a lot of blogs run out of steam after a few entries. I would say that’s because few people can continue writing for an audience if the audience remains silent. Feedback is essential. Blogger has good features for updating blogs - like updating via an e-mail. That would help in this situation.

To give a little more information:
The site isn’t just a simple blog and I’m not starting from scratch. There is already an existing site promoting a range of products. It’s not an e-commerce site just a promotional aid for a retailer. My client is insisting on having a blog integrated into the site to generate more traffic. The existing site is built in Modx so I don’t think I have any choice about whether I use it or not. I have to use it if I need to build a blog actually on the domain.

I guess if I were to boil this down to a specific question it would be: Does anyone know how I could set Modx up to accept an email to update a page/blog?

It just so happens that I got curious about this myself some time ago...

http://www.sottwell.com/email-posting.html