WordPress Custom Fields Contest

Update: This contest has been extended to March 30, 2007.

There is an often-overlooked aspect of WordPress that adds functionality that is more geared to a Content Management System than a blogging platform. And that’s why, perhaps, the world’s #1 blogging software finds that many users don’t really use Custom Fields.

I think that’s a travesty.

Conversations in the blog software world always toy with concepts that look forward to what should be introduced in a blogging software. A lot of these conversations circulate around breaking blogs out of the status quo which are “typical blogging templates”. Different approaches were taken at different times in the history of the blogging platform. For instance, the conversation around categories and how conversations could really be more granular than simple categories led to the advent of tags which are seen around the blogosphere. Trackbacks were used to alert another party of your conversation surrounding them but as spammers started exploiting trackbacks, pingbacks were invented which were more passive and allowed discovery of conversation surrounding the blogger.

Evolutions come and go, yet, blogging by and large remains a linear concept that is driven mainly by content creation and reader interaction. To that end, themes are built to this standard.

But what if the standard is just too limiting? What if the standard can be enhanced and changed? What if simple personal blogs could be turned into effective content properties?

Custom Fields may be the answer to the question, how do you make the mundane reach these goals?

I’m running a contest here at Technosailor and there are prizes involved. There is also judging. But there is time.

The Contest

The contest is simply: who can demonstrate the most effective use of custom fields on their WordPress blog. Judging will be done on three levels:

• Visual Aesthetics - How creative, and aesthetically pleasing the design is implemented on a live blog.
• Code Example - You may use plugins, however you will be required to provide code snippets of how the custom fields were implemented. We should be able to replicate the functionality with the code you provide, should we want to.
• SEO benefits - How well the marketing and SEO benefits of the blog entry are enhanced.

This project must be a new one! No existing custom-field use will be accepted!

The contest will be judged by five judges, none of whom are experts in all of these areas, but all of whom have an expertise in at least one. In the event of a tie needing to be broke, I will break it.

• Jay Allen
• Ben Bleikamp
• David Krug
• Darren Rowse
• Andrew Eye

Prizes

$200 cash prize for the winner. This includes $100 from me and $100 from b5media who has agreed to sponsor this contest. $100 worth of Amazon products as well from Darren Rowse, who incidentally, as I mentioned is a judge. Dave Taylor (i.e. “Famous Dave”), is contributing a copy of his book Complete Idiot’s Guide to Growing Your Business with Google. I am still looking for sponsors, particularly for significant gifts such as a Nintendo Wii, an iPod, etc. Cash sponsors are also welcome. Please contact me directly at the email address in the sidebar.

To Enter

Send an email to the email address in my sidebar with the following bits of information:

• Your Name
• URL to view design
• Attached code samples (do not include inline in the email please)
• Brief explanation of what you have ccomplished

End Date

Finally, you have time. This contest will go through the end of February (February 28, 2007 - Midnight ET) at which point, entries will be turned over to the judges for judging.

Good luck!

• 
• Stumble it!

About the Author: Aaron Brazell is the lead editor of Technosailor.com and a social media expert. His passion is to see companies and individuals use the internet and web technologies wisely and effectively to promote their brands and companies. He served as Director of Technology at b5media from 2005-2008 and is currently an independent consultant.