This post is the first in what we hope to be an ongoing series of case studies looking at low-cost or no-cost web design solutions being used by business and non-profits who have realized the power of open-source software.
Today I want to highlight FriedmanFacts.com, a site created by Richard Lorenc and Nikki Sullivan, two Chicagoans who wanted their voices heard as controversy erupted around the formation of the Milton Friedman Institute at the University of Chicago in the winter of 2009. Lorenc and Sullivan turned to open-source software to help them defend the legacy of Friedman, winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Economics and one of the most well-known economists of the 20th century.
Lorenc outlined why the site was started and just how easy it was to build in an email to ReadyMadeWeb:
Student groups brought speakers like journalist Naomi Klein to campus to speak of Friedman’s “disaster capitalism,” and a number of humanities professors sent petitions and letters to the university administration. In response, FriedmanFacts.com illuminated Friedman’s work and legacy.
Based on the free open-source WordPress platform, it includes a petitioning system powered by a free plugin from FreeCharity.org.uk, videos, and a number of posts concerning Friedman, his wife, and the institute itself. Additionally, the site uses a free SEO plugin (All In One SEO pack) to improve exposure, and a plugin to make integration with Google Analytics easier (Google Analytics for WordPress).
The site was made at no cost in a single day and continues to operate today.
Lorenc and Sullivan’s work illustrates how a CMS can be powerful because of its simplicity, not despite it. WordPress’s ease of installation and customization—especially the wide array of plugins available—meant that FriedmanFacts.com could be launched quickly enough to be relevant to the ongoing debate. Lorenc and Sullivan could then focus on telling their side of the story, rather than negotiating with web contractors.
Your business, non-profit, or even group of citizen activists should take a lesson from this example and begin planning on how to make WordPress a key piece of your rapid-response toolkit.
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