Comment by rednb
5 hours ago
Polished and easy to use website builders have been around for a long time, from Wordpress all the way to Wix.
The fact is, most people aren't builders and never will be. Building software is about formalizing and automating processes, and 95% of folks aren't interested in putting even the most basic effort into improving their business by approching it at a strategic level. Too focused on keeping the lights on and/or more interested in field operations.
For another example look at the many businesses using @gmail addresses to run their business while Google Workplace has streamlined custom domains for a while.
So in practice, ChatGPT Sites will mainly enable software agencies to build websites and offload maintenance to the customer : just manage it from your ChatGPT account. The equivalent of Bring your own cloud for Mom and Pop businesses, and other small companies. Not even sure ChatGPT Sites will create meaningful downward pressure on agency rates.
Lesson learned the hard way.
> Polished and easy to use website builders have been around for a long time, from Wordpress all the way to Wix.
The issue with the Wordpress and Wix is that the site stay polished for approximately 1 second after it has been initially published. In 6mo~1yr it's unmaintainable pile of dogshit that is easier to redo from scratch.
Also: The Wordpress Block Editor is a mess and has a very steep learning curve.
could not agree more! most people really aren't builders. AI enables builders
Oh come on. Sure, it might not be a production-capable system. But comparing an Astra 6/Sol 6.1 powered sites to wordpress and wix is apples and oranges.
An Astra powered site is your representation of a polished and capable business website. For the average joe, a Wix website fits the bill, their representation is not the same as yours. They focus on items such as whether or not the theme is beautiful.
I would bet there’s a (very) nontrivial number of people who have attempted to build something in Wix etc and got bogged down and frustrated enough to quit.
Lots.
I’m a pretty sophisticated user (both a designer and software engineer) and I’ve ragequit several of these tools before.
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I mean Wordpress been around for decades, it’s solid, mature and everywhere. I’d even say way better than any vibe coded site
I tried to set up a Wordpress site for someone last month. I suggested it because of the reasons you said.
I’m convinced that’s the only reason Wordpress is still popular. The administrative experience was atrocious. Actually, that is an understatement.