Background to question: I'm a full time dad, full time graphic design "Admin" (doing paper work and brainstorming concepts for my wife's graphic design business), full time (or wish I was) activist for some greenie stuff and political reform in Australia, and I'm trying to lose a few kg's. 
I know a group of fantastic activists for some badly needed political reform in Australia that excites even a greenie like myself. Thing is, while they all have Phd's in their various academic fields in legal and constitutional matters, they're stuck on an old email list! This conversation needs to go PUBLIC in a big forum, and do it NOW!
I only have a little spare time and am not a web developer, or even web-designer, or even graphic designer for that matter (that's my wife). I'm just beginning to learn the basics of XHTML and CSS, don't know Dreamweaver (but have it as part of Adobe CS4), don't know Dreamweaver plugins for styling WP, don't know mysql or phpmyadmin or database management stuff.
I thought I could learn it all as I went along and got these activists up and running. However, then things started to go wrong. We had to move from one server to another and I didn't know enough database stuff to get our old forum out of phpbb and into SMF (both of which I thought seemed like 'complete' forum software at the time).
My question is this: can WP 'dumb it down' enough for me?
If I just went with 'standard' themes, 'standard' forum plug-ins and backup stuff so that I'm code-free (not having to play with mysql commands etc) would I have a high degree of confidence that I can handle their community development needs (which are for a basic blog and basic forum) and move servers etc in future, or a low degree of confidence, or run screaming for help getting a 'proper' web developer onto it? (One who passionately wants to Abolish Australia's states and donate some time to it... yeah, I like my chances! ;-)
How much SQL should I learn if I'm diving into Wordpress?
Isn't there a wordpress "drop and drag" way to do all this yet?
PS: I heard there is a 'basic' forum plugin for Wordpress, but who thinks a 'fully loaded' BBpress plugin will be developed? BBpress operates on a 'keep is simple' philosophy that drives me nuts because I'm the guy that wants ALL the options 'straight out of the box', and don't want to have to add dozens of plugins to work like most other forums (like phpbb or SMF) do out of the box. I especially don't want to worry that BBpress might not be compatible with dozens of essential plug ins when BBpress upgrades.
I know a group of fantastic activists for some badly needed political reform in Australia that excites even a greenie like myself. Thing is, while they all have Phd's in their various academic fields in legal and constitutional matters, they're stuck on an old email list! This conversation needs to go PUBLIC in a big forum, and do it NOW!
I only have a little spare time and am not a web developer, or even web-designer, or even graphic designer for that matter (that's my wife). I'm just beginning to learn the basics of XHTML and CSS, don't know Dreamweaver (but have it as part of Adobe CS4), don't know Dreamweaver plugins for styling WP, don't know mysql or phpmyadmin or database management stuff.
I thought I could learn it all as I went along and got these activists up and running. However, then things started to go wrong. We had to move from one server to another and I didn't know enough database stuff to get our old forum out of phpbb and into SMF (both of which I thought seemed like 'complete' forum software at the time).
My question is this: can WP 'dumb it down' enough for me?
If I just went with 'standard' themes, 'standard' forum plug-ins and backup stuff so that I'm code-free (not having to play with mysql commands etc) would I have a high degree of confidence that I can handle their community development needs (which are for a basic blog and basic forum) and move servers etc in future, or a low degree of confidence, or run screaming for help getting a 'proper' web developer onto it? (One who passionately wants to Abolish Australia's states and donate some time to it... yeah, I like my chances! ;-)
How much SQL should I learn if I'm diving into Wordpress?
Isn't there a wordpress "drop and drag" way to do all this yet?
PS: I heard there is a 'basic' forum plugin for Wordpress, but who thinks a 'fully loaded' BBpress plugin will be developed? BBpress operates on a 'keep is simple' philosophy that drives me nuts because I'm the guy that wants ALL the options 'straight out of the box', and don't want to have to add dozens of plugins to work like most other forums (like phpbb or SMF) do out of the box. I especially don't want to worry that BBpress might not be compatible with dozens of essential plug ins when BBpress upgrades.
