WordPress 2.1 is out and contains some significant upgrades that publishers will really like. Drupal 5.0 was recently released and contains some significant upgrades that make it easier to use and more flexible than ever. So which one should you use to satisfy your web publishing needs?

First off, if you’re currently invested in one package or the other I would recommend that you upgrade and stick with your platform for the time being. There are too many variables in place with each implementation to justify me blindly recommending migration.

If you’re starting fresh then you have an opportunity to consider your options. I’ll try to make my assessment as simple as possible.

There are a few similarities between WordPress and Drupal that should be pointed out. Both sites facilitate traditional blogging for one to many authors. Both platforms foster interaction via commenting. Both sites have vibrant developer communities contributing themes and plugins. Both sites can handle rich media and integration with other communities. Both also have hosted options available via WordPress.com and Bryght.

I like WordPress for sites where publishing content among a defined set of authors is the primary objective. I like Drupal for sites that require community input, persistent presence and/or aggregation from other sites. By persistent presence I mean the ability for a community member to set up a profile and return to contribute information at later dates of their choice.

WordPress is simpler to implement and manage. But Drupal has more powerful features that allow you to scale your site into a full blown community if that’s what you want.

The choice is yours. Think about the kind of web presence you would like to build. Think about who will be contributing content. Think about whether or not you will aggregate information from external sources. If you have the time and inclination you should set up a couple of test sites and try out both to get a feel for the experience.

Both tools provide the backbone for a lot of great sites. You can’t lose by considering and trying out either of them to meet your needs.

[tags]Social Media, Tools, Drupal, WordPress, Drupal 5, WordPress 2.1, Comparison, Blogging, Community[/tags]