What Is Wix?
Wix is a website builder that's touted as very easy to use, which is kind of true. Okay, that's a long topic in and of itself, so I'll just say that it is pretty easy to use.You just drag and drop website elements, and you basically get the chance to build your site the way you want without needing to know HTML or CSS. But it's not without its limitations and imperfections.
Blogging on Wix
For now, I want to focus on the blog part of Wix. Honestly, you can really make the blog part of Wix look awesome.But it's missing one very important thing, one that all blogs should/need/ought to have. What's that? The comments system.
Built-in Comments Feature
That's right. Wix doesn't have a built-in comments feature. Don't ask me why not. I don't know either, but I've seen many questions about it on the Wix site, with Wix members requesting the feature. And that's understandable. Don't you want comments on your blog posts?Since Wix doesn't have a comments feature, its default comments system is the Facebook plugin, which means that people need to be signed on to their Facebook account if they want to comment on your posts.
Maybe some don't mind this, but others do. Not everyone wants to go through the trouble of logging in or signing up or creating an account on some site or other just to leave a comment on a single article. If people have to go through so many hoops just to comment, who'd bother?
Wix Comment Apps
Wix also has some comment apps, but these have a lot, and I mean a lot, of limitations. One, the free versions of these apps have so many limits that it's pointless to use the free version. But what about the premium and paid versions? Well, I don't know.Maybe they're better, and, really, they ought to be considering they're not free. But, do you really want to pay for a comments feature when other platforms have this for free? Besides, these apps were made by third-parties and not Wix. You'll have to do a lot of research if you want to make sure these apps are safe and legit.
Also, consider this - even Tumblr (microblogging platform and social networking site) doesn't have a built-in comments system, but the difference with Wix is that Tumblr actually lets you use Disqus, a free commenting system.
Plus, some Tumblr themes already come with the Disqus codes built-in, so all you need to do is add your Disqus shortname, and you should be all set. So, what do you think about all this?
Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:
UK_Writer wrote on February 12, 2015, 11:43 AM
Whether they use FB or disqus is irrelevant - people still have to log in to comment. Pain in the butt really.
FreyaYuki replied to UK_Writer on February 12, 2015, 11:52 AM
I thought Disqus was like that at first too, but they actually have the option to allow anonymous comments. You just need to turn this on in the settings of your Disqus account. One confusing thing about Disqus is how this isn't readily noticeable in their comment form so I add instructions on how to comment anonymously using Disqus on my blogs that use this comments system.
UK_Writer replied to FreyaYuki on February 12, 2015, 12:37 PM
I turned off commenting on my blogs when I was inundated by thousands of spammers.
FreyaYuki replied to UK_Writer on February 14, 2015, 11:54 AM
Ah, I see. Some blogging platforms do come with anti-spam plugins like WordPress. And Disqus has anti-spam measures in place too. You can set it so that all the comments will have to be moderated first before they appear live on your blog or site.
LeaPea2417 wrote on February 12, 2015, 1:45 PM
I have not heard of Wix. Thanks for the information. I will think twice before using it.
FreyaYuki replied to LeaPea2417 on February 14, 2015, 11:57 AM
You're welcome 😃. I'm still thinking of using Wix though only the free version and not as a blog (definitely wouldn't want to blog there because of all the issues with the comments, etc), just as a website of sorts.
The free version has lots of limitations though like the huge ads for Wix and having your links nofollow. From what I've been seeing so far, it seems that even the paid version has lots of limitations. There's also the thing with their odd URL link addresses.
nbaquero wrote on February 12, 2015, 5:17 PM
FreyaYuki thanks for the information, I don't use Wix but I have seen ads for their services. I still can't figure out Tumblr.
FreyaYuki replied to nbaquero on February 14, 2015, 12:05 PM
You're welcome 😃. Wix is being advertised as an easy-to-use website builder, which can help you build your very own site without knowing how to code and use HTML and CSS.
But it's not really as easy as it seems and there are a number of limitations like having your links nofollow if you're using the free version, the price of the paid version, the URL links, etc.
What problems are you having with Tumblr? Is it the theme? I find that you get more flexibility with Tumblr because you have access to the template's HTML and CSS codes though the platform also has its limitations.
nbaquero replied to FreyaYuki on February 14, 2015, 12:40 PM
Thanks for your response FreyaYuki
Regarding Tumblr it's not really a problem per se, I have just not really put the time to understand its functionlity and take full advantage of the features they offer. I have only used it previously to share links to old post at Bubblews.
grandma20121 wrote on February 12, 2015, 5:33 PM
i never heard of the WIX site before but it sounds to me like it would not work out very well without an area for people to leave their comments
FreyaYuki replied to grandma20121 on February 14, 2015, 12:10 PM
Yes, that's what I thought too. Comments are essential when it comes to blogging, so it's important to give people the opportunity to leave comments if they want to. I've read of a lot of Wix users that also don't like how Wix doesn't have a built-in comments feature and doesn't even let them use Disqus.
At least Weebly (simialr to Wix) actually has its own built-in comment system and you can even choose to use Disqus (thought I'm also not planning to blog there). So I'm not planning to use Wix as a blog but I think I'll still be trying to build a site there.
bestwriter wrote on February 12, 2015, 7:46 PM
I have yet to go about doing justice to my blog and so going anywhere near Wix is not on my schedule (lol)
FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 14, 2015, 12:12 PM
Ah, I see. Good luck with your blog 😃. What platform are you using?
bestwriter replied to FreyaYuki on February 14, 2015, 7:20 PM
I think it is blogspot. I want to delete my account and start afresh. It is not allowing me to.
FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 18, 2015, 4:19 PM
Do you mean your blogger account or just the blog itself? There should be a delete button there somewhere. And you can also just create a new blog then make that old blog private and invisible to search engines so no one can access it.
bestwriter replied to FreyaYuki on February 18, 2015, 6:24 PM
I want a new account. Is that possible?
FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 19, 2015, 12:51 PM
Yes. You can just create a new Google account if you want. You'll also get a new Gmail with it. From there, you can create new blogs on Blogger.
bestwriter replied to FreyaYuki on February 19, 2015, 6:02 PM
Why is Google so stubborn that we cannot delete a blog and to get a new one we must get a new gmail. Funny!!
FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 20, 2015, 9:39 AM
If it's just a blog that you want to delete and not your whole Blogger account, then you can do that without getting a new Gmail. When you log on to your Google Blogger account, you should see your created blogs listed.
From there, you can find the option to delete or edit your blog. If you prefer, instead of deleting it, you can just change the site address then install a new theme or template then begin adding your content.
allen0187 wrote on February 12, 2015, 8:16 PM
That just sounds so awful. I won't bother leaving a comment if I had to go through all that stuff. Thanks for the heads up about this site.
FreyaYuki replied to allen0187 on February 14, 2015, 12:17 PM
You're welcome 😃. And I agree. I don't like having to go through so many hoops just to comment. That's why I've the comments feature on my own blogs set so that anyone can comment even anonymously or as guests.
BarbRad wrote on February 13, 2015, 3:34 AM
I've never used my Wix site for anything yet. I'm still trying to figure out where I want to take what I started on Weebly.
FreyaYuki replied to BarbRad on February 14, 2015, 12:22 PM
Ah, I see. I'm actually working on both Wix and Weebly while also working on Blogger, WordPress and Tumblr. Good luck with your plans for Weebly. I noticed that it's a bit more restrictive than Wix when it comes to the drag-and-drop features (on Weebly, you can't really drag and drop them anywhere you want).
The themes on Weebly also look pretty similar to each other so there isn't much variety. But at least the free version of Weebly doesn't have such huge glaring ads/attribution links unlike with Wix who actually has 2 - on both the header and footer.
midastouch wrote on February 15, 2015, 1:18 AM
Well it really is a bag of mixes
some persons to not really bother about blog comments particularly the ones that seem to be very discouraging so they prefer to make their blog posts and just move on; for such persons Wix would just be ideal
FreyaYuki replied to midastouch on February 18, 2015, 4:16 PM
Yeah, there are some who prefer to disable the comments on their posts so they wouldn't have a problem with using Wix for that reason.
Still, it would be nice to have control over the comments section of your blog like you can turn it on or off depending on what you want or on a per-article basis.
AliCanary wrote on February 18, 2015, 4:39 PM
I might not mind not being able to leave comments. I don't get a lot of comments on my blogs because I use Google's Blogger platform, and they make you create an account just to leave a comment, which is too much trouble for most people. It might be better not to have a comments feature at all!
FreyaYuki replied to AliCanary on February 19, 2015, 12:56 PM
I'm currently working on a few Google Blogger blogs. As far as I know, you can set your comment form to allow people to comment as guests or anonymous so they don't have to log in or create an account just to comment.
You can also use Disqus on Blogger. They have instructions for this though I haven't gotten 'round to trying it yet since I'm still working on fixing up the blog's layout, etc. But I'm using Disqus on Tumblr, and you can set it to allow people to comment as guests.
I also don't like having to go through so much trouble just to leave a comment, which is why I prefer it when people are given a choice as to how they want to comment - like if they want to comment using their Facebook account, Twitter, anonymously, etc.
AliCanary replied to FreyaYuki on February 19, 2015, 5:37 PM
Oh, I had no idea! I'm kinda new to it. Thanks for the info!
haze wrote on February 22, 2015, 6:58 PM
I didn't realize the Wix didn't have a comment section. You have to have on. Thanks for the information. I will keep looking around at sites.
FreyaYuki replied to haze on February 23, 2015, 10:36 AM
Wix doesn't have a built-in comments feature. They make you use a Facebook plugin instead, which isn't all that good if you have readers who either don't have a Facebook account or don't want to log on to their account just to comment.
Wix also offers some third-party commenting apps, but you have to pay if you want to use the full features of these apps because the free versions are all severely limited, which isn't a plus for Wix at all since there are many other platforms that offer comments feature for free.
You can check out Weebly if you're looking for something similar to Wix. It's a site builder too, and, while it has its limitations and weaknesses, it does have a built-in comments feature. Plus, you can use Disqus (free 3rd party comment system) on Weebly.
BrenndaMarie wrote on February 23, 2015, 3:51 PM
I have never even heard of Wix but thanks to you i would never start a blog there. It sound like to much of a pain for the readers just to comment. Does not sound like it would be worth the time and afford you have to put into a blog
FreyaYuki replied to BrenndaMarie on February 24, 2015, 10:06 AM
Yes, I agree. I'm still working on a Wix site, but am not planning to blog there. It's better to go with blogging platforms like Google Blogger (has a built-in comments system, and you can use Disqus as well) or Tumblr (you can use Disqus, a third-party commenting system that's free and won't force commenters to log in or create accounts just to leave comments on your blog).
GemstonePink wrote on February 25, 2015, 5:45 PM
I have never created a blog, but thanks for the information that will help many here.
FreyaYuki replied to GemstonePink on February 26, 2015, 11:47 AM
You're welcome 😃. There are other platforms aside from Wix for those who want to blog. Other platforms can be easier to use as well, and, for those who don't really want to tinker with their theme's CSS and HTML, they can easily start blogging as soon as they create an account on those sites and set up their blogs.
rana199426 wrote on March 8, 2015, 11:16 AM
I already made one a year ago but I never use it anyway
*Notes:
- This was previously published on Persona Paper on February 12, 2015, 11:09 AM
- Image is by GraphBerry (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt
