using IP.Blog as apposed to Joomla

we currently have IPB 3.3 and run the community with that and our main page with joomla.

ive been saying we should just get IPBlog and use that


which is better? keep joomla? switch to IPBlog? is there a conversion if switch?

 

You wouldn't get IP.Blog, but rather IP.Content.

And yes, there is a Joomla to IP.Content converter.

 

okay then. is IPContent that much better/smoother? or just stick with Joomla?

 

Well, let's break it down like this.

IP.Blog - This is a multi-user Blogging System. Much to the same effect as Blogger, or WordPress' Hosted Solution. Any of your members can create their own Blog to post content too. This application is more generated towards User Generated Content, rather than content controlled by you and your staff. A great feature to have, for example, if your members wish to create a Blog on your site rather than starting up their own Blog site, however if you wish to limit content generation to yourself and your team... this is not what you want and/or need to replace Joomla. While it COULD replace it, as far as posting News Articles is concerned... the feature set it has is not meant to be a replacement for Joomla. (Though, don't get me wrong, IP.Blog in itself is great at what it was built to do.)

IP.Content - This is a Content Management System, much like Joomla. You can create "Pages" as well as post "Articles" similar to Joomla. The content generated here is strictly controlled by you (or your members, or staff, or specific people, so on and so forth... it's up to you). The advantage here is, everything is integrated within the IP.Board Admin CP. using the same Login and interface as everything else. Not to mention, we have a converter which will migrate your Joomla content to IP.Content. If you wish to post a News Article, you can do so directly inside the IP.Board Admin CP. The best part about IP.Content, though, is that you can set it up so the part of your site that is generated by IP.Content can have a completely different look and feel from the Forums, but retain the IP.Board Admin CP integration, as well as "Single Sign On" integration with the site and forums.

Take the IPS website itself, for example: http://www.invisionpower.com/

This is IP.Content. The entire website is controlled by it... now, go deeper... http://www.invisionpower.com/clients/

Our Client Area is IP.Nexus. It's the same installation for both locations, just set up so IP.Content is routed via the root of the site, and Nexus is set up as the default application for the client area location. All of this can be done without any modification to the core code.

Further to that... look at our Company Forums here: http://community.invisionpower.com/

If you click the Client Resources menu... everything there, except for Client Area and Translations, is strictly generated and built using IP.Content. (And actually... the "IPS Client Resources" drop down menu there is also built using IP.Content.)

My point is... if you are looking for an IPS product to replace Joomla, then IP.Content is your best bet. Both are within the same "vein" as far as what their focus is. Both are Content Management Systems.

EDIT: And I just thought about this... but take this website for example as well: http://www.rootzwiki.com/

Their main website is powered by IP.Content, and the forums powered by IP.Board. Both of which are under a single installation.