Sarah Sampsel

globalerie.com

GlobalErie is an online community and blog network that features writing from former and current Erieites who want to make a difference in a community they love.

I co-created this site with the goal of forming a global community of people who are connected in some way to Erie, Pa. I took on the enormous task of building the blogging platform in WordPress, implementing a database for each blogger, and designing an interface that would make it easy for users to quickly scan our content and find what they’re looking for.

It’s been a fun experiment and I’ve learned a ton in the process. Creating this site has given me a crash course in the technical side of building blogs, working with plug-ins and PHP calls, and building advertising guidelines, ad design and implementing an advertising management system.

Technical knowledge aside, building this site gave me a better understanding of user experience and the need for flexibility and customization. While it’s been a crazy amount of work, and still continues to receive lots of my attention, it has been worth the effort. It has opened a door for me in understanding different ways to manage content and use blogs as a tool for client sites.

Here are some excellent resources I’ve found while working in WordPress:

• Web Designer Wall – WordPress Theme Hacks
• Smashing Magazine – WordPress Developers Toolbox
• InstantShift.com – 30 Most Wanted WordPress Comments Page Hacks