I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Thesis theme for WordPress, developed by DIYthemes.
It’s a paid theme, $87 for a single user, single site.
Typically, I resist purchasing themes. But this morning I finally broke down.
I have to tell you that I just started using WordPress. As a matter of fact, I set up this blog (using WordPress) only a few weeks ago. See, I’m a Drupal man. And I’ve created several sites using Drupal. Drupal is open source, flexible, and powerful. I have never been tempted to purchase a Drupal theme.
So why did I decide to use WordPress for my personal blog? And why did I decide to purchase Thesis?
Lots of people use WordPress. As a web designer, it makes sense that I should know it. What better way to learn than by running my own site on WordPress? I currently maintain three of my own Drupal sites. jeffyoung.me is my only WordPress site… so far. Since I now have clients who want to set up their sites with WordPress, I need to get on the stick.
It’s not a problem though. Both Drupal and WordPress are CMSs: Content Management Systems. So, yeah. not a problem. There are interface differences, but they basically do the same thing. Each system has its strengths and weakness.
So why pay for a WordPress theme when there are so many free themes out there?
Ease of use and customization. Ease of use is essential in any website. Both for the end user and the visitor. Oh, and the designer too. (That would be me.)
I admit that I have had my eye on Thesis for a long time. I am a fan of such blogging legends as Chris Brogan and Copyblogger and Pearsonified. They all use Thesis. The way I see it, Thesis makes the design work so simple that it frees you up to do what you really want to do (and what your readers / customers / clients want you to do): create killer content.
I like that.
So, after only two hours of playing around with Thesis, I have to say… I’m happy. jeffyoung.me is not finished. I have other projects on my plate, and I need to get busy. But, I can see hammering out a decent and appealing site with just a couple of more hours of work (read: play). Maybe I can get to that this evening.
So, if you are considering going with a paid WordPress theme, I suggest you check out Thesis. Highly customizable. Easy to use. Delightful to the eye. And you don’t have to be a professional web designer to make it pretty and effective.
What do you think? Do you use Thesis? Do you have any suggestions on how I can rock out jeffyoung.me? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Comment below.
