
Ask HN: Info/Affiliate site and social: Will pre-built platforms hurt me? - _jdams
If I was looking to create an informational website and potentially implement some affiliate links, and wanted to also build a community around it, would using a bunch of pre-built services do the job to get me off the ground quickly?<p>I was thinking either Squarespace or Wordpress for the initial setup, so I can start adding posts for content.
Then implement a Discourse forum or Slack chat and embed either of the option into the page.<p>I&#x27;m thinking custom development would stall the idea rather than help me get it running quickly. Have any of you done this type of thing before with pre-built products&#x2F;platforms such as the ones listed above?
======
wazanator
I would be cautious about using WordPress. It has a history of being very
insecure. Right now there's even a mass attack happening.[0]

From your description all you really need right now is a static site. Look
into something like Jekyll. It requires some HTML and CSS knowledge but
nothing an evening going through codecadmey wouldn't fix (they also have a
lesson on Jekyll). Plus you can initially launch and host for free on GitHub
or GitLab then once you have your server setup with Discourse move it over as
well. [http://jekyll.tips](http://jekyll.tips) has some good tutorials and
information along with templates.

[0][https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/attacks-on-
wo...](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/attacks-on-wordpress-
sites-intensify-as-hackers-deface-over-1-5-million-pages/)

------
skaplun
WordPress is used for tons of affiliate sites :) you're on the right path.

