A week after my initial thought of migrating away from MT (currently running MT4.something), I had a change of heart. This was not only because the migration process would be such a performance for my 10+ blogs, but when I had a sneak peak at what MT5 had to offer, I was quite impressed.

Most notably, I really liked how Custom Fields is well-integrated site-wide and can be assigned on a per blog basis. I like how it also can be an option to include certain Custom Fields in an entry post/page depending on which category is selected. In my MT5 install, the Zementa plugin was included which is an amazing tool for automatic tagging and for finding images with a Creative Commons license.

That, and all the things that MT fans love about MT, pretty much sold me on staying with it.

However, the catch is, I would recommend starting with a fresh installation of MT5. After reading about the many trials and tribulations of upgrading from MT whatever to MT5, and a quick pep-talk from the-ever-reliable Pavel at LivingDot (our webhost provider), starting with a fresh install was the safest bet to maintaining your sanity.

Of course the thought of this process might feel like a knee to the groin for some, but it’s really not that bad and how often in life can you start with a fresh clean slate.

I am currently in the rebuilding process now with thegreenpages.ca, and what I have been trying to do is rebuild my original template and fit it in with their existing MT template system (I choose the Professional template as my base). Luckily, I am not really tied to the look and feel of my design template and the whole rebuilding process has actually been quite refreshing and rejuvenating (a renewal of one’s self if you can imagine).

My advice, try not to feel compelled to modify their templates or at least, just simply add on more custom modules or widget sets. It would be like trying to rearrange the engine components of a new car if you do, which I certainly did with my MT4 installation (mainly because I was trying to figure out how the CMS worked).

Now, I certainly understand and appreciate the beauty of how MT is designed, especially since MT5 has Websites and Blogs as separate entities.

Anyhow, I’ll keep you posted on how things go.