From Plugin Chaos to Peace of Mind

Taking over TechInform in April 2025 felt like being handed the keys to a classic car. It had history, personality, and a ton of potential — but yeah, the backend dashboard looked like it hadn’t been cleaned out since 2013. That’s no knock on Ryan Schultz, the guy who founded this site back in 2010 (shoutout to him and his other brainchild, E39 Source). He did what so many of us did at the time: built something great on WordPress.

But 15 years later, it was time for something different. WordPress got us here — but Ghost is going to take us further.

This isn’t a “WordPress vs. Ghost” post. This is the story of why we made the change, how it’s reshaping the site, and what you can expect moving forward.

Core Breakdown – What Changed and Why

The WordPress Years (2010–2025)

WordPress was the backbone of TechInform for a long time. It worked. But over time, it started to feel like duct tape over duct tape:

• Plugin overload (some critical, some… who knows)
• Slow load times
• Backend bloat that made posting feel like a chore
• Update panic every time we clicked “upgrade all”

It wasn’t broken — but it wasn’t built for where we wanted to go either.

Enter Ghost: Built for Publishing, Not Patchwork

Ghost is a lean, modern publishing platform built on Node.js with a sleek Markdown editor, built-in newsletter tools, and no reliance on plugins. Our setup now is:

• Clean, fast front end
• Distraction-free editor
• Built-in SEO and email tools
• Hosted with a modern Docker + NGINX stack
• Caching and performance boosted via Cloudflare

The tech stack got simpler, and so did our workflow.

Real-Life Impact – What It Means for Us (and You)

Honestly? The biggest difference isn’t the speed — it’s the clarity.

We don’t spend hours messing with settings anymore. We write. We publish. That’s it.

And that’s the whole point.

We’re rebuilding TechInform to focus on content — thoughtful reviews, opinion pieces, and feature stories from someone who actually uses this stuff. No fluff, no filler, no SEO-chasing. Just honest tech coverage, built for humans.

We’re also planning for the long haul:

• A clean, fast experience for readers
• Direct newsletter communication (no algorithm games)
• A platform that can grow with our audience
• A system we actually enjoy using

The Trevor Score – What It Is and Why It’s Here

You’ll see this on most of my articles going forward — I call it the Trevor Score. It’s not scientific. It’s not sponsored. It’s just my personal way of saying, “Here’s how this thing made me feel after really using it.”

It’s not a product review or a pros-and-cons checklist. It’s a vibe check. A gut reaction. A moment of honesty.

So with that in mind…

Trevor Score: 9/10 — Fast, Focused, and Finally Free of Plugin Drama

Ghost isn’t perfect. You give up some of the flexibility and “there’s-a-plugin-for-that” convenience of WordPress. But for a focused, content-first site like TechInform? It’s a dream. Clean, simple, stable — and it gets out of the way so we can get to the good stuff: storytelling.

Final Verdict – The Right Move at the Right Time

Switching to Ghost was about more than technology. It was about direction. It’s the platform that supports the kind of publishing we want to do — thoughtful, independent, and actually enjoyable to create.

WordPress helped build the foundation. Ghost is helping us build the future.

Major props to Ryan Schultz for building TechInform from scratch all the way back in 2010. If you’re into classic BMWs and precision car knowledge, check out his work over at E39 Source. We’re just lucky to take the keys for the next leg of the trip — with a tuned-up engine and a smoother ride ahead.