Don't Use WordPress Multisite

Run away! This is terrible! Never use it! It's the worst thing ever... No. No it's not. Multisite is AWESOME. As long as you understand what you're getting into.

Transcript

1. Don’t Use WordPress Multisite!
   The best solution is using the right tool
   (by Mika “Ipstenu” Epstein | http://helf.us/wcsf2013 )
   

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2. DreamHost
   WordPress Support
   Manager and
   Community
   Specialist
   (aka ‘Guru’)
   Mika “Ipstenu” Epstein
   Half-Elf, Half-Unicorn
   •  Support Rep
   •  Plugin Reviewer
   •  Core Contributor
   •  Beta Tester
   •  Trainer
   WordPress.Org ….
   

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3. MULTISITE IS GREAT …
   EXCEPT WHEN IT’S
   NOT
   Just Because I Can … isn’t a great business model
   

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4. Multisite is a Good Sharer
   —  One install of core
   code
   —  Common user base
   —  Shared plugins
   —  Shared (controlled)
   themes
   

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5. Multisite is a Bad Secret Keeper
   —  Logged in users are
   logged in for all sites
   —  User profiles are the
   same for all sites
   —  Changes to theme
   files are changed for
   all sites
   

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6. It Can’t Do Everything Easily
   —  It’s not easy to share
   content or menus
   —  SubFolder sites have /
   blog/ in their URL
   —  Restricting plugins is
   complicated
   —  Creating special user
   roles is hard
   —  Moving it (or just one
   site off it) is tricksy
   

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7. DO YOU REALLY REALLY
   NEED MULTISITE?
   Plan before you build, know your limitations
   

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8. Look Before you Leap
   —  Who is the site for?
   —  How do they
   currently use
   WordPress?
   —  Will you always want
   them on the
   network?
   

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9. Plan For The Future
   —  Mapped domains
   —  Custom email
   —  SFTP/Shell access
   

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10. Consider Your Themes & Plugins!
    —  Plugins are not evil
    —  Good themes are
    totally awesome
    —  Put your own
    ‘functions’ in mu-
    plugins
    

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11. FIFTEEN REASONS
    YOUR SITE SHOULDN’T
    BE ON MULTISITE
    Unless you’re absolutely, totally, 100% sure…
    

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12. Categorizing
    Posts
    “I have a site I want to organize by
    categories.”
    

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13. The Same
    The Same
    The Same
    “All my sites should look 100% the
    same.”
    

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14. Non-
    Admins
    “My site admins won’t change things.”
    

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15. Sections
    “I need a special section for videos.”
    

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16. Dissimilar
    Sections
    “Each section has to be different.”
    

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17. User
    Privacy
    “Users on one site cannot know about
    the other sites.”
    

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18. Different
    Profiles Per
    Site
    “Each user should have a different
    profile per site.”
    

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19. Small Sites
    “It’s just one small site...”
    

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20. Rookie
    Client
    “It’s for my client, but they’re new at
    WordPress.”
    

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21. iframes and
    javascript
    “My admins need to insert iframes and
    js in posts and widgets.”
    

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22. Installing
    Plugins &
    Themes
    “My admins need to install their own
    plugins and themes.”
    

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23. BuddyPress
    “Each site on the network needs its
    own BuddyPress instance.”
    

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24. Dev Work
    “I want to build it on Multisite and
    move it as soon as it’s done.”
    

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25. Stores
    “Every site should share the same store
    database.”
    

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26. Shared
    Content
    “I need the same post on every site on
    my network.”
    

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27. The End!
    You can find me at http://halfelf.org
    Grumpy cat images credited to http://www.grumpycats.com/
    

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