I use both WordPress and Drupal quite a bit so I thought it might help the community to provide my thoughts on how I use both of these great open source platforms.

What They’re Good For

WordPress is great for creating a single or multi-author blog. There are many single author blogs (like WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg’s Photo Matt)out there so most people get that concept. One good example of a multi-author blog running on WordPress is the All Things Digital site. I think that WordPress is also a great tool for creating a corporate or personal website. The ability to create static pages (and designate one of those pages as the front page) gives you the ability to mix static and dynamic content.

In general WordPress is great for publishing lightweight media. By lightweight I mean text and images. There are some shortcomings in WordPress when it comes to publishing audio or video (like a lack of integrated upload) but you can link to media files and embed video from other sites that provide embed codes. Podpress is a useful plug-in that enhances WordPress media publishing and podcasting abilities.

Drupal is great for building communities on the web. You can use Drupal to create a blog publishing site (single or multi-author) like Dries Buytaert or a more corporate type website with a blog like the folks at Lullabot have done. Where Drupal really shines is in the creation of social networking sites. The two key features that enable social networking are the user profile system and varied content creation capabilities. With Drupal it is a very simple process to start a site and allow others to create a profile with a picture while also allowing them to create their own content. I’ve been able to achieve this with my Amazin Moments Clubhouse without needing to write any extra php code. Another Drupal-based social network worth checking out is the Canadian site called Change Everything.

The real killer feature of Drupal is the ability to create custom content types without needing to resort to programming. In a custom content type you can define each of the types of fields in your new content type. You can then design one or more views to display your new content items on your site. In addition, you can set permissions to restrict creating that content to a certain type of user. I know it may sound a bit complicated. So if you’re interested in this I recommend that you check out my screencast on custom content types in Drupal.

Drupal is a bit better than WordPress when it comes to publishing rich media. The basic Drupal install will allow you to upload and attach media files to posts. And you can add advanced audio or video publishing functionality via add-on modules.

Extending These Systems

Both WordPress and Drupal have large developer communities. As a result there are many add-ons that you can use to extend the out of the box functions of these systems. WordPress add-ons are called plugins while Drupal add-ons are called modules. I have found Drupal modules for just about every function I’ve wanted to add to my Drupal-based sites. Likewise WordPress has a robust like of plugins that cover many of the features you might want to add to your WordPress-based site.

Both WordPress and Drupal have a variety of free options for creating a nice design for your site. Both systems call their design templates themes. You can find Drupal themes here and WordPress themes here.

Syndication And RSS Feeds

Both systems are great when it comes to RSS feeds. In WordPress you have a site level feed, comment feed and category RSS feeds. Drupal will provide a site level feed and a feed for every blog author as well as feeds for every custom content type you create. Both systems allow for subscription to content via email through add-ons.

Ease Of Setup

WordPress has fewer choices and is generally an easier setup experience from my perspective. Another thing that makes WordPress simpler is the fact that some web hosts, like Dreamhost for instance, offer one-click installs and upgrades for WordPress. The setup for Drupal is a bit more involved because there are so many choices under the hood. It is worth it to take some time to read the great Drupal Handbooks before you get started to get an idea of how you want to approach things. Its also a good idea to give yourself some time to play on a test site prior to setting a deadline for completion of your Drupal-based website.

Old School Resources

Even though we’re in a web based world it is very helpful sometimes to sit and read a book to help speed up the learning process. WordPress and Drupal books are available from Packt Publishing. I have not read these books but I have read Pro Drupal Development and continue to refer to it as I work on my Drupa-based sites.

My Final Thoughts

If your main goal is to publish basic content types (think title + body) that other people can view and subscribe to then I would choose WordPress as the system of choice. If you want to create a user generated content site/social network or you want to have the ability to customize one or more content types then I would use Drupal as the basis for the site. Both can work as corporate or personal website building tools but you have more flexibility in future growth (adding forums, social networking, user generated content) under a single login using Drupal.

Hosted Options

If you don’t want to get involved with all the setup for these systems there are hosted service options for both. Wordpress.com offers free blogs with minimal setup required. For $19.95 per month a company called Bryght provides a hosted Drupal installation with many great features and add-ons. You lose a little bit of control with the hosted versions of these systems but you also get a much easier admin experience.

Notable Drupal Sites

www.theonion.com, www.twit.tv, www.kellyclarksonweb.com

Notable WordPress Sites

www.gigaom.com, www.techcrunch.com, center.arc.nasa.gov