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Best approach for blog network with identical configurations different domains

Hello,

I would like to set up 250 blogs from a WPMU install so that each blog is located at a unique domain (e.g. site1.com, site2.com… site250.com).

Other than their title and location (on the separate domains), I would like all the blogs to be identical with the same plug-ins (including plug-in configurations if possible), the same theme (and again identical configurations to the theme if

there are any configuration), and the same username and password for the main admin user. I would be the only one at least initially writing to the blogs. I don’t need the created sites to be able to create other child sites (just need the 250 standalone blogs)

Not sure if this is the correct term but I would like to have one main template blog and then "clone" the other 249 blogs if possible in some automated way to save having to do the settings manually so many times.

I was hoping I could get some guidance on which approach you think would work best in this situation. I had a few ideas about different approaches but wondered if someone had been in the same scenario and found a good way to do it.

I have spent many days of looking through this forum, the others and general google search but still not much clearer on the best approach.

A few possible options.

1) Install WPMU with subdomain approach, set up the main blog, install the Default theme plugin and the New Blog Defaults plugins to get the template of

what the other sites should look like, install the rest of the desired plugins, then install the Batch Create plugin to create subdomains for the other 249 blogs, then finally set up Donncha’s MU Domain Mapping to link the subdomains with the domain names (e.g. site1.com, site2.comm I realize I would have to set these up one by one). If this worked, to make the posts would I log on to the individual sites, to the subdomains on the main site, or to

the main site? What I like about this approach is that all the plugins are from the premium forum and trust that they work and are supported (except for MU Domain Mapping but that one I guess must be solid coming from Donncha)

2) Use Multi-Site Manager

(http://wpmudev.org/project/Multi-Site-Manager).

From what I can understand it might do the same thing as approach #1 even though I don’t need child blog on the domains? I found some references to

this in the forum but couldn’t find much details. I read the threads in the mu.wordpress.org forums (e.g. http://mu.wordpress.org/forums/topic/10045)

but this didn’t address my questions about "cloning" the set up of all blogs. I’m leaning away from this approach.

3) Use Yet Another Multi-Site Manager tool

(http://joejacobs.org/software/yet-another-multi-site-manager/). I just contacted the plugin author to find out more to see how this is different than Multi-Site Manager but wondered if anyone had experience using this.

4) Use WP-Hive (http://wp-hive.com/). Only problem with this one is there is no batch create so sites would have to be set up one at a time, also isn’t

way to clone the settings.

5) Other options? Maybe there is some kind of cloning plugin that already does this or maybe it’s in the works?

Sorry for the lengthy post. Thanks in advance for any help you may be able to offer.

Thanks,

Cyri

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 4:56:31
  • cyri
    • Flash Drive

    Thanks for your response Andrew.

    I did look at the New Blog Defaults plugin and that looks like that is the best one to use.

    I just wondered in general if the best approach for a single-admin, single MU install with multiple blogs on different domains was the following:

    1) Install WPMU with subdomain approach,

    2) Set up the main blog

    3) Install the Default theme plugin and the New Blog Defaults plugins

    4) Install other desired plugins

    5) Use Batch Create plugin to create new sites on subdomains

    6) Use Donncha’s MU Domain Mapping to link the subdomains with the domain names

    Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I was wondering if there was a plug-in or tool that did all of steps 2-6 as one package (WP-Hive seems to come close but doesn’t have batch create).

    I thought it would be not such an uncommon thing for someone to want to create multiple blogs on different domains but be the only adminstrator and user (not trying to create further child blogs on the domains and not having need for lots of if any multiple users)… so before integrating the various plugins above I just thought I should ask in case I was trying to re-invent the wheel.

    Maybe it’s a possible future plugin? It seems lots of people are wanting to set up small network (5-20 sites) in their market niche so probably lots of people that would use. I know this is different than usual use of WPMU with lots of users but WPMU still seems like good tool even for the single-admin, multiple blog situations.

    Any further insights, suggestions would be helpful even if it’s just "that looks like the best way to go". I’m a newbie with this and although I have done a ton of reading of the forums and on the Web to get as up to speed as possible, I still feel like maybe I’m doing something stupid or missing an obvious alternative tool or approach.

    Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

    Cyri

  • Andrew
    • Champion of Loops

    Hiya,

    Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but I was wondering if there was a plug-in or tool that did all of steps 2-6 as one package (WP-Hive seems to come close but doesn’t have batch create).

    I don’t believe you’re going to find a plugin that does all of that for you in one step. You would probably need to have a custom plugin coded.

    Maybe it’s a possible future plugin?

    We’re happy to look into it if enough members would be interested in such a plugin.

    Thanks,

    Andrew