How to facilitate guest posts on my blog?

"Wordpress comments" aren't really any good any more. I need to allow people to submit their own "mini article" where others can comment on that.

Given the nature of the content on my blog, people like to contribute a little bit themselves with their own experiences. Something that would allow them to submit a guest post and add their own headline (some very basic design options).

Can anyone recommend something that will enable this, possibly a plugin or other?

Thanks.

 

No plugin, just create them an account and assign them the appropriate role.

 

In my experience, you're better off NOT going the multi-author route. Doing this opens your blog to an enormous amount of abuse by spammers and retarded marketers - they WILL post a load of bollocks all over your blog if you don't moderate.

So, I would suggest one of two possible routes:

a. Post a page with guest posting info on it, so the process is clear. Tell people you accept mini-posts, lay out your requirements and give them a means to send the post - Contact Form 7 or similar will do this wonderfully, or you can use an email address.

b. Allow people to register, set them as contributors and install the WP Status Notifier plugin by iDope. That will send you an email whenever someone hits "Submit for review" on their article, so you can check the content.

If you want to go more towards the Article Directory route, with easier submission and so on, it's possible to set it up using only free plugins. I have one that I run like that.

 

TIEro is right. Giving other people access opens you up to a world of horrible possibilities.

There are a ton of options for getting quality guest blogs. My Blog Guest and Blogger Linkup both have a great community that you can get personalized posts from--both are free to sign up as well!