Teleflora's out-of-the-box website

[jared]

Quick question for those of you who have experience with using Teleflora's out-of-the-box websites.

I have someone who wants a blog setup on their site, however they have a Teleflora site. They e-mailed Teleflora and told them they wanted to have a blog installed - Teleflora replied and told them they would do a redirect for theirdomainname.com/blog to the location of their choice. Great. x_x

Obviously to have the full benefits of a blog it would be best to have the actual blog hosting in a directory on the domain.

If I poke Teleflora with a big stick will they be able to be a little bit more accommodating and give me an FTP account for the /blog directory?

Surely someone else has installed a blog on a Teleflora site...

Otherwise I guess the only other option would be to setup theirdomainnameblog.com and have theirdomainname.com/blog foward over... but that just sucks?

Whatcha think?

cheers

 

[CHR]

If I poke Teleflora with a big stick will they be able to be a little bit more accommodating and give me an FTP account for the /blog directory?

Are you crazy? Not gonna happen.

It appears the only blog they'll host is their own.

<sarcasm on> Why would they want to help their florists have their own voices? Then they couldn't control it. </sarcasm off> Yes, I'm still PO'd they won't let florists link to FloristDetective.com from their own sites.

 

[jared]

Yes, I'm still PO'd they won't let florists link to FloristDetective.com from their own sites.

That might be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

It's YOUR site that YOU are paying for yet they tell you what you can and can't put on their? Ludicrous. Talk about censorship.

I wonder if that is in the Terms and Conditions you agreed to when you setup the site? If not, I would give them hell about it.

Ok, well it seems like I will be looking to another solution then since Teleflora thinks they own the intrawebs. :boggles:

Thanks for the heads up.

cheers

 

[Carrington]

Surely was ever thus with sites provided by wire services. The ones we have here feature all the products on offer (including drop ship items I believe), take the orders through their own pay carts and then feed it back to the florists whose site the order was placed on. Not sure how the databasing works but I have a shrewd guess.
C

 

[clay]

That might be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

It's YOUR site that YOU are paying for yet they tell you what you can and can't put on their? Ludicrous. Talk about censorship.
Thanks for the heads up.

cheers

Welcome to the world of "big" business......everything is not "fair" and "right"......

I think Cathy's answer about Teleflora not allowing florist website links to floristdetective pretty much answers the blog question......

 

[BOSS]

Ignorant question but...can folks add their own images and stuff?

If not, why would you even want one?

If they can, TF must not allow access to the front page or anyplace they could put up a linked image?

 

[jared]

sorry, a little venting.

 

[Chezbloom]

I Love It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[felicityflowers]

That is THE funniest thing I have ever seen..... seriously, I can't stop laughing.

 

[BOSS]

That is pretty funny...

 

[spellham]

I'm all for a blog being located directly on the florist site - but also with such a large number of website users I understand the challenges of building such a system.

Some of our FSN members have made requests to have a blog integrated into their site as well and we actually do have a beta running that integrates with a customer blogger account.

We did have to allow FTP access for blogger to upload files to our servers specifically for this user in order to allow automatic post updates, but I necessarily agree with TF's decision to not allow third party access to their servers. I'm of the same mind with the sites and servers that we maintain.

I would think that their user base is too large to moderate ftp account requests for every third-party web developer that wants to add pages or features to the template sites. FSN has some of those same challenges. We try to accomodate them if we can without compromising security and stability of our servers.

As we've encountered challenges and limitations with the beta blog interfacing to Blogger, I'm thinking that a customized multi-user wordpress install would be the best way to accomplish this in a 'template' environment - it will just take time to implement.

My apologies to the moderators if this seems like self promotion for FSN, that is not my intention. I'm just trying to help users identify with the challenges of implementing customization for sites in such an environment.

 

[BOSS]

My apologies to the moderators if this seems like self promotion for FSN, that is not my intention. I'm just trying to help users identify with the challenges of implementing customization for sites in such an environment.

No harm..no foul....

 

[theRKF]

Agreed, no problem here. It's good to get another perspective.

With our new florist sites we deploy them with an optional Movable Type blog. By preinstalling, we don't have to worry about 3rd parties. That said, we're giving only MT as a blogging option, we can't start supporting WP and other platforms.

Ryan

 

[jared]

I'm all for a blog being located directly on the florist site - but also with such a large number of website users I understand the challenges of building such a system.

Some of our FSN members have made requests to have a blog integrated into their site as well and we actually do have a beta running that integrates with a customer blogger account.

We did have to allow FTP access for blogger to upload files to our servers specifically for this user in order to allow automatic post updates, but I necessarily agree with TF's decision to not allow third party access to their servers. I'm of the same mind with the sites and servers that we maintain.

I would think that their user base is too large to moderate ftp account requests for every third-party web developer that wants to add pages or features to the template sites. FSN has some of those same challenges. We try to accomodate them if we can without compromising security and stability of our servers.

As we've encountered challenges and limitations with the beta blog interfacing to Blogger, I'm thinking that a customized multi-user wordpress install would be the best way to accomplish this in a 'template' environment - it will just take time to implement.

My apologies to the moderators if this seems like self promotion for FSN, that is not my intention. I'm just trying to help users identify with the challenges of implementing customization for sites in such an environment.

While I agree, offering users the option for an FTP account could be a "safety issue" and could pose some scaling issues (especially depending on how they have things setup on the backend), but I think there are other things they could do to completely not shut out the option.

I have another option I am scheming about that I think might be a work around, but my question for those Teleflora users is: do YOU own/control the domain name or that all done through Teleflora as well?

Agreed, no problem here. It's good to get another perspective.

With our new florist sites we deploy them with an optional Movable Type blog. By preinstalling, we don't have to worry about 3rd parties. That said, we're giving only MT as a blogging option, we can't start supporting WP and other platforms.

Ryan

I don't think MT has quite the bells and whistles (plugins mainly) that WP has, it is by far one of the top blogging platforms out there. Either one would be, dare I say, leaps-and-bounds better than any built in package the other services could offer.

Cheers

 

[spellham]

While I agree, offering users the option for an FTP account could be a "safety issue" and could pose some scaling issues (especially depending on how they have things setup on the backend), but I think there are other things they could do to completely not shut out the option.

I agree, that is why we are pursuing a solution for all of our users to have built-in blogging capabilities... I don't know that TF sees the value for 'themselves' in providing that functionality, regardless of the possible positive benefits for their florist sites.

I have another option I am scheming about that I think might be a work around, but my question for those Teleflora users is: do YOU own/control the domain name or that all done through Teleflora as well?

I know what you are thinking in this respect... and was about to point you in that direction, but you beat me to the punch. In my experience of dealing with domain transfers away from TF goes both ways... they either (1) are all registered under their own (customer, florist) account or (2) TF transfers them out to a stand alone network solutions account when customers depart from their websites. I do think that TF handles the accounts under a global administrative account though, many customers don't know the first thing about DNS - nor do they care to. If you were able to get TF to release access to domain administration you could take a number of approaches to rendering the blog as if it appeared under the same domain.

I don't think MT has quite the bells and whistles (plugins mainly) that WP has, it is by far one of the top blogging platforms out there. Either one would be, dare I say, leaps-and-bounds better than any built in package the other services could offer.

I would have to agree, I'm fairly certain that WP has a larger user base and more user contribution to its development - therefore more features. But certainly either would provide a great blogging platform - and its a great thing that florists are thinking about blogging and service providers such as ourselves are trying to figure out ways to enable them to do so.

 

[RJD]

This is one of the major reasons I started FloristBlogs.com.

 

[Carrieann]

I am completely fed up with MY teleflora website! I have asked them to stop adding items to MY site about 30 times now. I have always been told not a problem and then they look up my account and tell me I am already marked for not adding items. But they still add items and change my prices ALL THE TIME!! I have spoken to 3 supervisors and they are STILL doing it. They even put Thanksgiving pics up under Easter!!! WTF

At Mday time we noticed some our web orders were coming through with the $5.00 co-op coupon code!! I checked the coupon and it states to go to teleflora.com for a discount. Called web services they said I will get reimbursed for these coupons. I asked for something in writing stating this. Nope can't give me anything in writing. Ok fine, take off the box for putting in a promotion code all together. Nope can't do that either because the box is a teleflora fixed thingy and it can't be removed. This is MY website, I pay for it, it is NOT teleflora's website and I want that box gone! I argued with three people and finally told them you either remove the box or I will shut down my dove and reject every Mday order I have received so far!
The next day the box was gone!!

I am right now in the process of looking at another web site host. I have had more than enough!!

To answer a question asked earlier, yes, you can put your own images on the site and yes, they can be on the homepage. But, you have to email EVERYTHING to teleflora and they make the changes. I emailed them 17 pics for Mday. Only 3 showed up. Had to call and fight for my other pics! ARGGG

Sorry so long, I am still very livid with them. Can't wait to get rid of the teleflora website.

 

[master J]

I have a TF site, I have tons of my own images, I also have a link to Floristdetective on my tf site, and I never have a problem adding anything I want, so not sure about the blogs, but I can add links and my own images, I have never had a problem getting I want done on my tf site, so not sure this thread is totally accurate.....if you don't like tf sites, then get rid of it! I happen to think they do a great job keeping the sites up to date and always adding new features and keeping it user friendly!

Believe me, I could complain about a ton of things that TF does but web sites is not one of them.....JMO

( now if you want to complain about tf product then Im right there with you, Im still willing to pay somebody to take those fav mom 12 pak off my hands!!!):mobile:

 

[CHR]

I also have a link to Floristdetective on my tf site

For a long time, you and I had the only TF hosted sites they allowed to link to FD. Do you feel special?

Two years or so ago, a few members here at FC requested web hosting add links and they were denied. I called HQ, spoke with two senior members, and was told TF had determined they did not like the site's content and therefore would not allow florists to link to it. (All outbound links require TF's approval.)

This morning, I looked at the inbound links via Yahoo and do now see a couple new TF hosted sites - so either their policy has quietly changed or a few more have slipped under the radar.

That TF editorial policy was the final push I needed go with an independent company.

 

[theRKF]

I don't think MT has quite the bells and whistles (plugins mainly) that WP has, it is by far one of the top blogging platforms out there. Either one would be, dare I say, leaps-and-bounds better than any built in package the other services could offer.

Cheers

MT is far more SEO friendly out of the box, and much more secure than WP. It's used by more fortune 500 companies than any other blogging platform.

WP does have bells and whistles (most can be replicated in MT), but it's much more labour intensive to manage from an admin point of view.

Ryan