Community Website. Go with Wordpress or Joomla?

Alright, so I've been using Wordpress for the past couple of years for everything I do, mainly affiliate marketing stuff and niche websites. However, I've had an idea to create a website which is more user generated versus myself having to generate the content. I would love some feedback on which CMS you think can handle the specifics of what I want. I don't know anything about Joomla, but I'm willing to take the time and learn, as this will be a side project I'll be working on when I have downtime.

1. First I want to create just the main website with all the information and a section for the blog.
2. Second, I want to make it where users can make accounts and submit articles to the blog section of the website. (A good example of this is http://www.bloggingstocks.com on the left it has the authors and their post counts).
3. Third, I want users to be able to create their own blog off my domain name. For example, if I own the domain name www.example.com they can create their own blogs off of my domain name www.user123.example.com
4. Fourth, before implementing the create your own blog feature, I want to charge the users a monthly fee of $5 to have their own blogs. So I would somehow have to have something tracking who signs up for point #3 and re-bill them every 30 days.

Now after looking around a while if I used wordpress I would need:

Wordpress
Wordpress (to make the regular website)
Wordpress Mu aka WPMU (so users can register and create their own blog)
What do I need to users can become authors?
What do I need to be able to bill users for creating a blog with WPMU?

Joomla
Jomsocial?
What would I need so users could become authors?
What would I need so users could create their own blog (like with WPMU)

In my mind, I think joomla is more customizable; however, a steeper learning curve. The only problem is that I don't know anything about it, but I would love to learn. I just need to be pointed in the right direction as to what I would need to use joomla or which CMS has these capabilities I'm looking for and which one would be easier to implement (assuming I know everything about wordpress and joomla). Just forget I don't know anything about joomla and give me your opinion. Thanks

 

Oh, well.. would likely need some more specifics but there are a ton of ways to extend wordpress into pretty much whatever you want for free such as http://buddypress.org/

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-invoice/

Tad rushed right this sec but I would clearly go with wordpress and multi blogs is now built into wordpress as well. http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-enable-multi-site-option-in-wordpress-3-0/


Need a bit more info about the big picture to fully outline how to cobble this together but it is still a piece of cake.

I hate joomla for a range of usability issues, hacking concerns etc.

hope that helps,
Nigel

 

I was looking at buddypress, and that is so you can create a more social network/community from my understanding correct?

Invoicing a monthly rebill plan to have a personal blog is way into the future, but thanks I'll have to check that out more in-depth before I start implementing that aspect of my website.

I think after looking around a bit more, I'm going to stick with wordpress as I am more comfortable and know more about it than anything else. Plus the developers in my opinion are creating anything and everything for it. I think wordpress is going to become more mainstream for any kind of websites not just for blogs. However, more to the point...

I didn't know that wordpress 3.0 allows you to implement multi-blogs. Does this function allow users to create blogs if they want? Just from reading http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-enable-multi-site-option-in-wordpress-3-0/ it seems as if this new option allows the administrator to create multiple subdomains for himself, not allowing users to be able to pick a name and create one themselves? Thus, I'll still be needing WPMU still?

Also, I'm still not sure if any of these new functions allow people to register as authors and contribute articles/news. I'm hoping that WPMU will handle all of this.

 

In my opinion, drupal is a better solution for community website. It was built with multi user in mind, so that would be a better option then wordpress which was built for blogs and joomla which was built for noobs.

 

I think it is impossible to make fully independent multi-user contents control system in the WP and Joomla.
Someone mention that it can be done in Drupal.
But, I have not ever tried.
I always prefer to program web site from scratch, because we allowed a maximum adaptation to the needs of users.

 

Alright, so what you're both saying is that it will be difficult to allow users to sign up and become individual authors who can post content in individual categories pertaining to the topic they're writing about? (i.e., http://www.bloggingstocks.com/). There is no plug-in that I'm aware of that allows people to sign up as authors and do this, unless you give them each access by creating an account for them. If you do know of a plug-in that allows users to sign up independently from myself having to create an account for them, please tell.

 

I am Sorry glhawk. But I don't know yet for such kind plug-in. But I will try to find some if there.

 

WP is a blog software, Joomla is a regular CMS. Why don't you want to use niche community software. Just do a google search by "community software" and you'll find a lot of niche solutions.

 

Joomla is generally better - more options, more mods, and more uses then just a blog.

 

Go with Drupal

1. .....
2. It's very easy to set up multiple user blogs, with user permissions, you'll be able to control who allowed to make blog, for post count use statistic module. Blog and statistic module already in Drupal core, you dont need any 3rd party modules.
3. Use subdomain module
4. You can use ubercart module

Hope this help

 

i think wordpress is easy to use!

 

Hmmm, I was really trying to avoid drupal as I've heard it has a very steep learning curve. But thanks, I'll look into this.

Since I've started this thread, I have been messing around with Joomla more just to familiarize myself. I'm still researching around, and am probably going to decide within the next week or so which CMS I'm going to use. Thanks sharing the other social network scripts

 

It's not hard to make the site as you mentioned above, you don't have to be a Drupal Ninja (expert), a Drupal beginner can do it.

 

I would use WordPress w/ BuddyPress personally.

 

Why don't you look around for more better options like Ning or Dolphin etc.