ManicNirvana.com’s main purpose is to share information about Robert Plant’s fabulous solo career. Over the past 10 years I’ve tracked how visitors use the website and gotten feedback about what fans are looking for and how they want to get their information.

The first message board was set up in June 2001. Since then technology has moved forward and made more things possible with internet-based platforms. In 2005 ManicNirvana.com was redesigned to take advantage of the WordPress blogging platform and all it had to offer. The more WordPress develops, the more I’ll be able to streamline the processes. This means more information and cool things for fans and those just now discovering Robert. While WordPress is still a “blogging” platform, it really is a great content management system (CMS) that allows great functionality with ease.

While the message board platform is a bit more interactive, it’s not as comfortable for the wide range of people who are looking for information. Many people would rather participate in a blog conversation than on a message board.

WordPress also gets the information out there faster. Items posted in the Town Hall will hit the search engines within a matter of moments, while items posted in the Plaza may take hours, days or even weeks.

The blog platform also offers the capability of signing up for RSS or Atom feeds. Many people prefer to get their news via news readers where they can read all of their subscriptions at once.

The blog platform engenders a different type of conversation that many people find more comfortable. While it still has a community feel, it’s not perceived as “chatty” and responses become expanded and in depth–more like an interactive writing project. I think Robert’s fans are smart, savvy and music oriented! The Town Hall should allow for a wider cross section of fans to feel comfortable joining in.

Overall the ManicNirvana.com site will remain simple and streamlined. It’s unlikely you’ll ever see Flash based pages or things that spring out and jump around when you put your cursor over them. The information is the important thing, and offering it in a simple manner, but with powerful functions is the goal.