I received an email from a very frustrated blogger.
She purchased the Thesis WordPress theme through my affiliate link after watching my video I posted three years ago.
To put it mildly, she was NOT a happy camper, and was completely overwhelmed with how to customize her site.
The video she watched was for Thesis 1.0. Since then, version 2.0 has been released and I’ve been reading through some of the reviews.
Overall, they haven’t been too great.
So What Happened?
If you were following me in 2009 you know I was a HUGE fan of the theme. I was even lucky enough to have my demo video posted on the Copyblogger homepage for a short time.
Commissions were flowing and everyone was singing the praises of the Thesis WordPress theme (including me since I was using the theme then).
At the time, Thesis was revolutionary. As far as I knew, there were no other themes with drag and drop features and the amount of admin panel customizations.
I was so stoked because I could actually select the number of columns I wanted AND set the widths to specific values. Not to mention there were a handful of other admin options no other themes came close to offering.
Along Comes 2.0
In October, Thesis 2.0 launched. The reviews were less than impressive, but I wanted to give myself more time to actually use the theme more before I decided if I was going to continue recommending it.
So after I received the email from the frustrated blogger, I performed a new install on a “dummy” site.
All I have to say is I was incredibly surprised and overwhelmed by how different Thesis 2.0 is from 1.8. I can tell the framework is powerful — way more powerful than 1.0, but the user interface is confusing.
I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn’t prepared to learn about packages, boxes, and holding down shift keys to drag containers. Wow.
It’s one of those things where you can see the potential because there are so many options and details, but it was going to require way more learning than I was prepared to do just to get my site to look how I wanted.
It was nothing like I expected it to be. Perhaps as more skins are developed and better documentation surfaces, things will get smoother, but I just have no intention of diving into it anytime soon.
For the record, now that I’ve had time to thoroughly test Thesis, I added an annotation on the video stating I no longer recommend Thesis except for v. 1.0 and removed the affiliate link from the description.
Bye, Bye Commissions
From an affiliate standpoint, it was quite disappointing to drop the theme because let’s face it, you can earn up to $65 per sale. But I just can’t keep recommending something I barely understand how to use.
In fact, a skeptic thought I dropped Thesis in favor of the Genesis for higher commissions…
Actually no, Ramsom. I didn’t receive a better offer. I earn a lower commission with Genesis since it’s cheaper, but Genesis is what I use now.
However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t salivating over the opportunity to make another Thesis tutorial video and hopefully rack in those commissions like I did in 2009.
Oh well, not this time. 🙂
Still Want to Dive Into Thesis 2.0?
If you are interested in learning more about Thesis 2.0, there are some tutorials floating around from Kristarella that have helped people make better sense of the newer framework.
Hesham of FamousBloggers has produced some write-ups of Thesis 2.0.
He happens to be a fan and explains why some bloggers are having trouble wrapping their heads around the functionality of Thesis 2.0 in his article Why It’s Hard to Understand Thesis.
For now, I’ll just stick with the Genesis Prose Theme. I love this theme. It’s mobile responsive (meaning the layout auto adjusts for smaller devices) and has a lot of the admin panel customization options that Thesis 1.0 had.
Although, I have a feeling there will be better Thesis packages, skins and releases down the line that will make Thesis 2.0 much more user friendly. Perhaps I’ll give it another try later.
And from what I’ve read and seen, I actually do think Thesis continues to wear the revolutionary crown and is ahead of its time. Unfortunately for the average WordPress user, this release may have been too far ahead.
What about you? Have you made the switch to 2.0 yet? What are your thoughts?
Does it look cheap if you just use a free blog like blogger? That’s what I’m doing because I’m not affiliating myself with anything. I’m just writing a book and putting it on a blog. Does it look bad to have that .blogspot.com part. Should I just pay the money and get rid of that extension?
Hi Lisa,
thanks for your honesty with this. I was thinking about getting Thesis 2.0 after hearing all the things about Thesis before. Now I’m glad I haven’t done so far. I will stick to Genesis for now which can be easily modified as well 🙂
Absolutely agree that Thesis 2.0 quite different from 1.8. Just need to read the tutorials/descriptions more carefully. I started from Thesis 2.0 straight away after a long research. But I could see potential in Thesis 2.0 and that was rewarding!
Thanks for the post) Was nice to read you, as always!
Sometimes “bigger and better” doesn’t mean much if it’s heavier and clunkier to use. I definitely see your point for Thesis.
The Thesis theme is kinda expensive for a theme, I think there there are many good things said about the theme but I think it’s just not for everybody.
hey Lisa!
i will not switch to 2.0. i think you are right, that it has confusing user interface.
I really liked your pieces of advices.
Thanks.
Matt
I also love the theme but the lack of support make me wonder should i make the switch or not
David Recently posted Clash Of Clans Hack
I’m a WordPress novice and use the earlier Thesis. I heard so much bad about 2.0 that I posted a question in the forums. Here is the thread.
Re: What happens if I don’t upgrade to 2.0?
Nobody says you have to upgrade, thesis 1.x will continue to be supported for as long as it makes sense to do so.
I.e. demand remains high for it.
Sooooo… we neophytes are safe. For now.
There is no right answer. These frameworks have grow beyond being simple themes into full pieces of software themselves. I’m a Headway user myself and love it but it does have a learning curve like anything else and so does Thesis.
Thesis is very complex, Genesis for beginners. If you’re WordPress beginner, you should choose Genesis
Just to give an example of Chris’ aggressive attitude towards any negative comments, this from twitter today:
https://twitter.com/pearsonified/status/282142863897276416
Hello Lisa – Nice tips to customize thesis blog. I am looking for how to move logo to the top navigation and make it fixed. If you can please help me?
Hi Hira
I’m a bit confused. This post was not about Thesis customizations. As you can see, I no longer use the theme. You may want to try the Thesis forums for help as I am not familiar with 2.0.
Radically changing the background for something as good as Thesis never resonates well. I really can’t fathom what they were thinking when they decided on that.
It was released way too early and, for a product which is so radically different from what the market is used to, the decision to release with no support documention was a major error of judgement. The marketing is at best misleading and builds an expectation that quite evidently can’t be delivered, at least for one section of it’s target audience. I’m sure Matt Horne is correct in his comments but as a developer he comes at this with a different skill set and someone who makes a living understanding this kind of stuff. I don’t have the same skill sets, nor can I be bothered learning them, and after all, even the sales copy says ‘why should I?’
I was willing to bide my time and wait for 2.0 to evolve before having another go but I’m now of the mind that I will never use a DIY product again. The sole reason for this is the appalling attitude and lack of respect Chris Pearson shows to his customers. Looking at his twitter feed he seems to only have time for those who heap praise on him, and to those who make any negative comment he is downright rude and aggressive. Somebody recently tweeted about the difficulty in not having a good grasp of html which made using 2.0 difficult and his response was ‘you have no business using the 2.0 skin editor then’. When asked why the sales page clearly targets an audience with no knowledge of code there was silence. Chris is no doubt an excellent developer but he’s definitely not a people/customer person and likes to play by his own rules, which are ‘I’m right, everyone else is wrong and if you don’t like it get lost’. Irrespective of whether his theme is the best thing since sliced bread I can’t line the pocket of a person like that.
Seems like they forgot (or didn’t understand) who their real customers are. They were building a product that they felt is better because it has more powerful features. Big mistake – they should have built something easy-to-use for us ordinary blioggers out there. Look what Apple does, they get this part right!
Well said. Thesis made a name for itself because it was one of the first themes to make complicated blog updates easy. So they drew in a lot of “ordinary bloggers.” From what I’m reading, this alienated a big part of their core customer base. Sure, if you want to take the time to learn the new framework, it’s probably awesome. The problem it’s drastically different and it launched with no documentation so it sort of felt like they were catering to a different crowd.
I’m not in favor of using themes when I can create them with Artisteer. I regretted I purchased Thesis 2 yrs ago. Even Art. is too limiting for me. It’s like why spend time learning how to trick someone elses theme when I can just do it with WP directly.
The only one benefiting, is the one selling them. WP out of the box has come a long ways with features and 1000s plugins.
Like everyone else, I’d rather not update either. Will bad things happen to me if I keep the old version? If my not wanting to upgrade eventually causes the end of the world this Friday, please accept my apologies in advance. 🙂
The worst that could happen is they will stop supporting it. So if you have a bug/issue you won’t get help. But I’ve heard they will continue to support 1.x for some time.
I tend to agree with Matthew Thorne, but it took me a few minutes after installing Thesis 2.0. 😉
Upon first install, I was utterly stumped. Had no idea what was going on. And I had really only installed it on one blog to give some feedback to a client! And, OK, the no docs thing is completely dorky. Yea, they did it to meet a deadline — because it wasn’t really READY at the deadline. (And, seriously, 2.0 looked like it was going to be vaporware, didn’t it?)
So, after a while of staring blankly at my site — that was completely blank — I went to Build Your Own Business Website and worked through all the 2.0 tutorials, step by step.
In doing so, I got a feel for how the theme works. And THEN I got really excited. It is freakishly powerful and adaptable. Puts earlier versions to SHAME.
All that said, it DOES take willingness to learn a bit of tech to manage it. But here’s the thing, a good chunk of my clients DO want that much customization!
I own a blog network and even with 100s of themes (including the old Thesis) at their disposal, I’d say 30% are always asking how to do customizations that they cannot do without getting under the hood. And they get a bit perturbed if they can’t do it. For them, the barriers to Thesis (like Matthew said), seem mostly to come from being fixed in a particular worldview. Those who don’t have it, don’t seem to encounter as many problems.
What you recommend depends a great deal on the client, but for anyone willing to look at themes in a new way, Thesis 2.0 is amazing.
That’s great it’s working for you, Alison. 🙂 And as you said, it’s about your client’s needs.
Hi Lisa, I love the way you care about your customers. I think you don’t have to feel bad about the change that happen during the upgrade. It wasn’t your fault. I think making this post clarifies everything and I am sure that your customers will understand what had happen.
Lisa! This post was perfect timing for me. I was just about to purchase Thesis for one of my blogs, but definitely don’t have the time to spend hours upon hours figuring out how to use it. Hope all is well with you 🙂
Great compare and review. Thanks for posting it up.
I also upgraded to Thesis 2.0 but returned back to lower version immediately after I found out how difficult 2.0 to use. I love thesis but the complexity of the new version irked me. Now, I wish there would be no bug or security issues to the lower versions because I am currently use them on all my wordpress sites. Now I am thinking of Genesis theme, because I love your blog design Lisa 🙂 Happy holidays!
interesting post – I have read the same across the web. I am still on the old Thesis platform for several of my sites and will keep it that way – big fan of the original Thesis.
that said, I will (and encourage others to do the same) go back and specify in Thesis related posts that the recommendation is specific to the initial version. one of those things we need to stay on top off as tools evolve. a perfectly good tool that we use today may become stale tomorrow…can happen to any product, anytime
Yeah I felt kind of bad when I got that email. I had forgotten about my old videos and posts so people bought assuming to get one thing and got another. Oops!
I switched from thesis 1.x to 2.x on the release day and since then I have not looked back. In fact just working with the old thesis makes me feel like im travelling back in time.
The thing is, people are too comfortable with the way the web works, the way to build a site with wordpress etc. In the comming years major changes are coming such as full transition to HTML5, responsive design, new server updates, new methods of improving efficiency, the death of IE 8 and other old browsers, thank god.
In order to work with thesis or any of the new up to date methods of building a site you need to stop thinking about how it used to be done. It’s not a thesis thing, its not thesis that is hard, it people’s ability to accept change.
You can’t build and manage a site with zero knowledge of how a site works, what html it, what css is, you don’t need to be an expert, but you should have some basic knowledge of what your doing.
You cant take a spanner to modern car, it’s just not going to work, modern cars use computers and this need a computer and someone who has an idea of how to use that computer to fix the problem.
Point is, there is nothing wrong with thesis, it’s just some people are having trouble adapting.
I have had emails from clients who are looking to build a brand new site, never use wordpress before, never built a site before, asked me what to recommend, I recommened thesis, a few resources for general web development, so they have a general understanding of websites, not thesis, but websites in general.
Later they get back to me, finished result, people who are starting from scratch and with no prior knowledge of wordpress seem to be doing just fine which is why I conclude that people have problems because there thinking about making a site the way they did before.
What makes thesis 2.0 powerfull is its ability to easilly create different html structures and style them, to make unique sites, to add snippets of code, i.e. boxes exactly where its needed.
Reducing the need for plugins which are highly inefficient.
The single style sheet, another bonus, using all the latest practices such as HTML, schema, built in authorship ready for the gplus boom.
Thesis isn’t built for the now, its built for now and the future.
Speed is becoming an ever more important factore in running a site. If your site is inefficient, poorly coded and has poor performance, your going to fall behind fast.
As for reviews, you mean those people who jumped the gun touched thesis for an hours and wrote a review on it, that in my book is not how you write a review. A review can only be written and be valid if the person who wrote it actually knew what they were talking about, never mind reviewing.
This is by no means a rant of any sort, but I hear the same rhetoric over and over….
I urge people to take the opportunity to learn a little more about what there doing, it will help them in so many ways, to be that little bit more independant with there site, to bettering there sites rankings, performance etc.
Thank you and I hope i didn’t sound to blunt…
Regards
Matthew, no you didn’t sound blunt at all. I appreciate the different views and welcome them here. If we all agreed it would be super boring. 🙂
But look at these comments on this post. It shows that many people were thrown off by 2.0. I do understand what Chris wants to do with 2.0 and for people like yourself who are willing to dive in and learn then it’s going to be like a theme wonderland. However, my audience and I would even assume for the average blogger, it’s simply too complex.
Most people just want a theme they can tinker with and launch their site. The average WordPress user doesn’t want to go and learn web dev. Not saying it won’t help to do so, but based on all the people I’ve mentored over the years, I can tell you they don’t.
For people like you who don’t mind rolling up your sleeves and getting a little dirty, then Thesis is going to be the bomb dot com! lol But I think there was just a mismatch with the expectations and what was launched. People (including myself) were expecting an upgraded version of 1.0, not a completely different framework.
As you said, it’s about adapting and that’s where people are struggling. Perhaps if there was better documentation it would have helped. I think there is a disconnect between what was expected and what was actually launched — and without adequate tutorials, people lost patience.
And when you read all the features, you’re right — it is built for the future. Sounds awesome! Unfortunately, though, I think average blogger (particular 1.0 users) are having a harder time seeing that because it’s just so different. It’s hard to see the forest through the trees.
Every person who raves about Thesis 2.0 seems to be a little more on the tech savvy side (or at least patient enough to learn more about web dev). I know my audience and that’s not them — which is why I can’t recommend it now.
They are not going to be as patient as you, and that’s fine. Thesis 2.0 is going to be great for certain people — just not me and my average visitor. The comments here clearly show that. That’s why there are theme options. 🙂
Hi Lisa,
I review WordPress themes for my blog and talk about all things WordPress as yet I have not reviewed Thesis but plan to in the future.
What is it that you do not understand about Thesis? Is it poorly documented? Sloppy code or just not very user friendly?
Cheers
Ben
It’s not user-friendly and it was released with no documentation.
That does seem a little strange just to release a theme update without any appropriate documentation to accompany it? I think they may well have shot themselves in the foot in that case then!
It seems there was way too much focus on innovation and less on making it user friendly — which was such a contrast to 1.0. The reason why 1.0 went over so big was because it was revolutionary and people understood it. 2.0 is also revolutionary if you are a developer. The problem is, that’s a much smaller percentage of the WordPress community.
I understand what you are saying Lisa, however it may well be an assumption (wrongly) by the theme creator that every blogger has the know how and indeed the ability to alter or tinker if you will with themes and settings.
I think that a lot of bloggers are simple folk. I do not mean this in a derogatory way, I mean in terms of using WordPress themes to accentuate their subsequent copy.
Not everyone wants a billion different options, some do granted, however if you get lost in theme settings you’re never going to post anything, you never post anything you never get visitors. Simple.
Thank you Lisa! I am not a coder or WP guru by ANY stretch of the imagination. I started my biz about 3 years ago, realized I needed a blog and went with what I researched was the best out there at the time – THESIS. I was happy. I taught myself WP, tweaked my theme and have continued to make little improvements along the way. It has served me well. I have one biz blog and two family blogs running on it now and I’m in charge of all of them.
After reading this post (and reader comments) and some other grumbles on the net, there is NO way I will be upgrading to version 2.0 – I have already put in my learning time, and now I would just like to run my biz, thank you 😉
I know what it’s like to be burned by a crazy confusing theme…. I tried the HEADWAY theme, which I bought and cried over in frustration for an entire week last year. I tried to set up my hubby’s blog with it cuz EVERYTHING I read said that it was so much fun, designer friendly, super user-friendly and customizeable. As a Photoshop user, I loved the idea of all that. OMG. NOT!!!!!! NOTHING made sense and it was NOT user friendly or intuitive. At least for me…. So all the hype out there for Headway, and now Thesis 2.0, as you say, may apply to developers who love to play in that park, but for the rest of us average, yet capable bloggers, why bother? Thanks again Lisa.
When they made the switch from Headway 2.0 to Headway 3.0, for me, that was when that framework lost its charm. I LOVED the way HW2 worked and truly allowed you to get a great-looking blog up-and-running from the very start. That all disappeared with the new version (which, in fairness, they have addressed) – but it still put a lot of people off and saw a lot of previous users consider making a switch elsewhere, or not even upgrading.
Really? I’ve been thinking of testing Headway but have heard mixed reviews. Some people say what you just said and others thing H3 is way better. Guess I’ll just have to give a test drive and decide for myself, eh?
The newer update is better, since they now have a quick start framework you can build from. But the first iteration was much like Thesis 2.0, a completely blank page, and you started from complete scratch. The UI was also confusing, compared to HW2, which they do seem to be addressing.
It’s ironic, I used to be a huge proponent of Headway but found the jump from 2.0 to 3.0 confusing and too soon (sound familiar?). It’s still a powerful framework but, as someone who just wants to concentrate on content, I don’t want to have to learn from scratch again when I’ve just got used to a platform.
I tried HW2 (got it RIGHT before HW3 was announced) so I only can speak for my experience with HW2 – but it was truly learning a new framework from the ground up and honestly, it made NO sense to me. They kept touting it as WYSIWYG – and while some stuff worked well like that – colors, fonts, sizing – the overall layout and structure set-up (I still can’t tell you what a “leaf” is) was like Greek to me. You had to keep switching between the regular WP dashboard and a design dashboard to make any changes. And if I made a change, I could not preview anything! Kept having to update the site. Oy, can’t remember all the ins and outs, but I really was tearing my hair out, I finally gave up and built that blog on the old Thesis.
Oh wow. Maybe I’ll rethink that purchase. lol
Lisa, I have been enjoying Build your own Business Website Thesis 2 tutorials on youtube. Link: http://www.youtube.com/user/byobwebsite. Search for thesis 2 videos there. He also offers a good website as well http://www.byobwebsite.com. I recommend that you check both links out.
I too was put off by Thesis 2, then again I’m somewhat confused about how wordpress and themes work. Lots of trial and error work that I find frustrating. Not like a photo app or word processing app where you can see your changes right on the screen as you make them.
Love your style and your helpful site. Thank you.
Hi Rich, I’m glad you posted this because there was one other tutorial blog I ran across in addition to Kristarella’s and it was YOURS but I couldn’t find it when I was writing this post. So thanks for posting.
Thanks for such a candid post.
I was wondering if you have tried Catalyst or had any insights on how it may compare to Genesis?
I never tried Catalyst. That’s a WooThemes theme right? I used the Headlines WooThemes theme before this one, and that’s the only one I tried by them. Genesis has more widgets than the WooThemes and I think that’s my favorite part of the Genesis family. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a theme that has so many widgets.
Catalyst is a standalone framework from the guys that made the Frugal theme. It’s very good for non-coders that have patience, and developers that like to get their hands dirty. They just released a plugin that allows Genesis users to work with the Catalyst framework and get the best of both worlds.
Hey Lisa, I own both platforms (Genesis & Thesis) and I believe that the ‘upgrade’ from version 1.8 to 2.0 was tremendous.
I understand the excitement of the Thesis developer since it’s his own “program” but the learning curve is really steep even for technical people.
If I had to put up a new full working Thesis site right now, I wouldn’t use version 2.0, it’s as simple as that. I may install it on a dummy site just for testing/learning purposes but that’s it.
Like you, I am dissapointed to see the upgrade and the new GUI and way of doing things, is way beyond confusing or at least, not what I expected.
I did see Kristarella, Hesham (and a few others) articles on understanding the new framework but I still think that if you have to explain something that hard, then the framework is not really user friendly.
Sergio
EXACTLY. Thanks for coming by and sharing my post, Sergio!
Hey Lisa,
I have stuck with using thesis 1.8. It took me a while to wrap my head around 1.8 and after reading this post it seems like way too much effort to go back in and learn 2.0 lol. I dont think i’ll be upgrading.
Hey there Lisa,
Thesis 2.0 is awful. What I find so disconcerting is Chris, yet again, says it’s as good for non-coders as it is for more experienced developers. Uh, no it’s not – it’s hugely confusing and the lack of documentation is terrible. Imagine buying a new lighting system and not having instructions on how to safely install… yeah, right.
I even tried buying a skin to get me up and running quickly, and that doesn’t work either – it’s certainly lacking when compared to Genesis and what the Studiopress guys are doing.
Hi Lisa,
Readers are more important than affiliate marketing. I am not using this theme, but advised by many to use that.
Thanks
Sapna
Lisa, I really appreciate you being honest on this.
I totally understand your friend’s frustrations, and I see how Thesis 2 turned off many old users and fans.
To me, it was a little different because I am involved in Thesis Skins development since a couple of years, which helped me to find my way much faster, however and just to let you know, a lot of developers are having big issues working with it.
However, I must say that Thesis 2 has a future, it need more time to reach 1.x version popularity!
Thesis USED to be revolutionary. There are lots of other themes that are just as good now. If you want a FREE theme with a bunch of options, but a very slight learning curve, take a look at Graphene or Weaver II. 🙂
Hi Lisa,
being an old fashioned template user with SBI, I haven’t delved into the world of WordPress at all, however, I like the clean lines of the wordpress templates and tend to agree with you that some of the old school styling of SBI templates is\was starting to look a bit old.
Excuse the wordpress-for-dummies type question, but is there more web admin to do with WordPress sites? i.e. database admin, backups, hosting etc. An SBI user who was doing his own hosting and site maintenance mentioned he just couldn’t put in all the hours needed to do it himself, and preferred to let SBI handle it all in the end.
Glad I am not the only one who took a look at Thesis and was dismayed with how hard it is to use. A great, powerful theme framework which can be very good looking. But the user options are a clear case of letting the theme developers design the instructions and option pages … not someone who is versed in plain English and has no interest on showing off how complicated they can make things.
As you now have found, Genesis is so, so much more designed for folks who actually want to run websites rather than continually play with option after option, running around in circles.
Genesis is working great for me. I have seen some great looking sites running Thesis, but they didn’t get that way from the options built into the Thesis user interface, that’s for sure.
I’m another blogger who purchased Thesis 1.0 based on your recommendation, and I’ve been pleased with the helpfulness of the forum. That said, I’m not a programmer, and I don’t have time to become one, so when the support for Thesis 1.0 fades, I’ll be at a loss as to what to do. Does the Genesis theme have an active forum that is as responsive as DIY-Themes forum?
Hey Doug,
I’ve honestly never used the forum, but they have a very helpful eBook you can download that shows you how to edit the theme. You can take a look at it. http://www.studiopress.com/download/genesis-for-beginners.pdf
Doug – the Genesis people have one on one email support now. So if you have a problem as a Genesis license holder you just send them an email with your question.
Liz
“If you don’t use a product it doesn’t make sense to endorse it or promote it.” (Ileane) That is one of the key reasons I follow Lisa – her ethics and honesty. I’m the same way. I’ve been approached by people to promote this or that and I say, why? I don’t use it and I wouldn’t use it, so I won’t promote it.
As for WordPress themes, I’m on a really low budget and I’m having a ball with the Atahualpa theme which is free and has no affiliate links or commissions. But I love it so I promote it and refer readers to that theme. I don’t make any money from it, but I’ll still promote it because it’s what I use.
The Ata-WHAT-a theme? LOL! Never heard of that one, Karen. 🙂
Excellent post Lisa,
Lots of people are on the fence between genesis and thesis and it’s all very confusing especially with the “sis” suffix in the name.
Sometimes adding more options can be a gift and a curse.
People tend to get caught up trying to tweak every single little thing and we all know how these sites end up looking.
LOL @ the “sis” analogy. Well in my book it’s not even close anymore. I think Thesis is more powerful, but Genesis is easier for the average user.
Lisa,
I agree with you regarding the changes to Thesis. I loved it for the many customization options it gave me in my website design. But after waiting so long for version 2.o, I was very disappointed with how much it changed. Now it seems like Thesis is only for developers and not for people like me.
I enjoyed using Thesis, but now I am slowly switching my sites over to Genesis.
Hey Clara,
I think that was what was so disappointing. All that waiting and anticipation only to find out it’s really a completely different framework altogether. As others have said, it should have had a new name or been branded for developers. If you’re the type who loves to develop, it’s probably an awesome tool. Thesis 2.0 definitely has its place. Just not in my life right now. lol
Hi Lisa,
I was one of those people who bought Thesis on your recommendation a couple of years ago. I have two sites running on it now, and it’s serviceable, and I learned some php. And I considered it all worth it because of the SEO advantages they claimed (but of course I have no way to verify).. But I’m not a graphic designer and I struggled to make my sites look attractive.
I was a bit disappointed when I saw that you had switched to a different theme. I know it’s not rational, but I felt a bit betrayed. On the other hand I know circumstances change and products fall behind or surge ahead, etc.
Anyway, after reading this, I won’t be upgrading to 2.0 for sure.
I have two other sites running on Elegant Themes. What do you think of those?
Thanks for your honesty!
Hey Reka,
It’s interesting though that when I stopped using Thesis, people just automatically assumed I didn’t like it anymore. Not at all. I just wanted a new toy. I left before the 2.0 upgrade. If you could still buy the 1.8 version of the theme, I’d support it. But when 2.0 came out that’s a different story. I can’t promote a theme I don’t know how to use.
I’ve used the PureType Elegant theme. I like the cleanliness of it, but it’s not my favorite by any means. Right now Genesis wins in my book. 🙂
Thanks. I’ll check out genesis, but I don’t think I’ll be paying money for a new premium theme. I’ll try to make the best of my Elegant Themes subscription…
Personally, I use the Socrates theme and LOVE it! Just wanted to put my $.02 in for the frustrated Thesis owners.
Hey Tony,
Never used Socrates but glad you love it! 🙂
Hey lisa, I recently tried to use the new Thesis with a new site that I am working on, and so far, its been a joke. I really hate it. I agree with a lot of other people here, its great for developers, but I used Thesis for ease of use. I was just getting the hang of hooks, and now I got to start all over on learning the new one.
For now, I will stick with the other themes I have, which are easier to use for non techies, and wait for Hesham to rock out some new Thesis Awesome skins compatible with the new framework.
Agree, James! Definitely a developer tool.
James, I appreciate it. I’ve actually dropped a couple of Skins for 2.0, and working on a new one to be released soon.
After having been “burned” by the loss of support for Brian Gardner’s Revolution Theme, I vowed to never buy another theme framework. I love the possibilities, though, so I play around with PyroCMS, PageLines and good ol’ TwentyEleven.
Non-coders, I feel your pain, but sometimes, you just gotta roll up your sleeves and get yours hands dirty.
Cheers,
Mitch
Hey Mitch,
I think that’s the exact problem. The average user doesn’t want to roll up their sleeves and I know my readers would be disappointed so I just couldn’t go there. And I’m usually one who is not afraid to get in there and tweak things so if I was turned off I can imagine what my average reader would feel like. Yikes!
Thanks for coming by. 🙂
lol, my sleeves are up, i’ve been sweating buckets for the past 6 hours and my new thesis site stil looks crap, lol! ah well, back to the workplace… ! great blog! glad I found you! 🙂
Hi hear ya, Clare. Very frustrating for a lot of beginners indeed. It’s such a sharp contrast from Thesis 1.0 that I raved about 4 years ago. Really disappointing. Good luck.
Lisa, I’m glad you wrote this post! I’m also on the previous version of Thesis and not planning to upgrade anytime soon. It just looks overwhelming! It seems that it was made for developers, NOT for the ordinary user. Developers will be able to make skins and sell them or whatever, but Thesis is NO LONGER an out of the box theme made for the end-user that is easy and intuitive to use. 🙁
What Thesis should have really done is continue supporting the previous version, and release Thesis 2 under a different name for developers. Call is Thesis Pro or something. It is really not possible for a new blogger, or even an old one with no programming skills, to use Thesis 2. Yet, they try to say that! It is horribly mis-advertised! 😕
Having said that, my developer can’t get enough of it! He LOVES Thesis 2! Just another proof that it is meant as a toy for tech-persons. 😉
Great idea about the name and branding! It really is like a different product. Or maybe they should have bumped the version number way up to like 10.5. LOL!!
I’m also a Thesis user. I’m also definitely non-techie when it comes to WordPress and coding, so I’ve held off on upgrading to 2.0.
I’ve heard that DIY themes will continue to support 1.85, at least for awhile.
Hey John, thank goodness! Good to know. I wasn’t aware of that.
Lisa, I’m still using Thesis 1.8 and after reading Hesham’s post I doubt if I will upgrade.
The thing I like about your post is that you are sticking to your principles like you always do! If you don’t use a product it doesn’t make sense to endorse it or promote it. Kudos for removing your affiliate link from the YouTube video description.
Thanks for being a role model to so many of us and I hope that more people join the fold everyday and follow your lead like I do.
Awww, thanks Ileane. I was actually thinking about you and some others I know who are still rockin’ 1.8 and was wondering if you had any plans to upgrade.
Ileane, as you may know, there is no actual upgrade between 1.x and 2.x, the whole thing has to be done from -almost- scratch, it’s like using a brand new theme and moving all of your functions and styles. So, you really don’t want anything to go wrong.
I personally doubt if I will upgrade the FB blog any time soon as it’s heavily customized!
HI lisa,
You have done excellent job because readers are more important then Any of affiliate product.Loyal readers is the soul of blog&once you have lose your readers then it will be very difficult to get them again.B you can get affiliates product any time.
Thanks, Ali!
Very true. I do not believe it’s Lisa’s fault though for the angry person who bought Thesis through her affiliate link. People should be able to look at the date and see when an article or video was published. Not everything stays up to date forever.
Some people I guess.. :/
correction: I meant to type “I have no idea why it was released WITHOUT either.”
The fact they released without documentation was terrible. It was almost like it was rushed. I was so hyped about the new release too.
Lisa,
I know what you mean I was pretty happy about it myself, and it was a big let down at first, from links not working to all the bugs that came with 2.0! I must have uninstall 2.0 3 or 4 times before I force myself to learn how use it when 2.0.3 came out. I must say I don’t think this was created with the newbies in mind, this them has step into the world of programmers.
I final understand how to use it and I am really liking it now, but I honestly wouldn’t promote Thesis to anyone but Programmers, and you still might run into a problem if they are use to the old Thesis.
With 2.0 you have to a basic understanding of coding other wise your not going to use it.
As always Lisa Awesome Post,
Willie,
P.S
I like the honest.
hey, I LOVE the idea that I can create sites however I want and I had been using the Headway theme that I was STOKED about.
I got as far as I could and then needed to get my tech guy on the case with some complex stuff above my head.
He told me headway is really sluggish and the code isn’t great, its really hard to optimize those sites to load fast, so I was persuaded to try Thesis.
All my fears about not being able to drag and drop stuff and needing to know code have been confirmed in the last 6 hours. I have followed tutorials to the letter and still only have 1 column, full width, no idea why it doesn’t look like it is supposed to.
I agree with you, how can they possibly release something this complex without proper documentation?? even in the forums there are no sticky posts with tutorials, nothing. my tech guy tells me when 2.1 comes out (sometime soon) they will have loads of things but that doesn’t help people trying to build sites and a business right now!
anyway good luck, I am going to stick with it because my tech guy swears by them and can help me format, but it is definitely NOT for beginners…!
Hi Lisa, I haven’t made the switch over yet. In fact, I just created another website a few weeks ago and opted to use Thesis 1.85. I needed to get my site up and running and did not have the time to start with learning how to build my site using Thesis 2.0.
I have patiently waited for some official videos and documentation and that just has not happened. I have no idea why it was released with either.
My concern now is that forum support and theme updates for Thesis 1.85 will eventually end. Will 1.85 continue to receive updates so that there are no issues whenever there is a WordPress update?
I am not sure how that all works, but I really like 1.85 because it’s very user friendly for non-coder and non-designers. Thesis 2.0 is way over my head. I may play around with it when I have some free time, but for now I will continue to roll with 1.85.