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'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/platforms such as the ones listed above?
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]<p>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.
<a href="http://jekyll.tips" rel="nofollow">http://jekyll.tips</a> has some good tutorials and information along with templates.<p>[0]<a href="https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/attacks-on-wordpress-sites-intensify-as-hackers-deface-over-1-5-million-pages/" rel="nofollow">https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/attacks-on-wo...</a>