9 WordPress Myths That Might Surprise You |
- 9 WordPress Myths That Might Surprise You
- 5 Plugins for Magazines and Newspapers
- Creating Sample XML Data for Multiple WordPress Sites
- Produce Perfect Blog Posts Every Time with Wordy for WordPress
- WordPress Font Changes Made Easy
- Photocrati Acquires Popular WordPress NextGEN Gallery Plugin
- At Long Last, Facebook Allows Native Scheduled Posting
- A Great Way to Learn PHP Coding at Lunch
- Daily Tip: Add Pocket Read It Later Links to WordPress Posts
| 9 WordPress Myths That Might Surprise You Posted: 19 Jun 2012 11:15 AM PDT If you are new to using WordPress you may have heard a number of things about WordPress that held information that was slightly less than the whole truth. Here in the WordPress community we refer to these misrepresentations as “WordPress Myths”. WordPress Myths are either completely fictitious or an exaggerated conception of what WordPress really is. The problem with Myths is that they tend to be a widely held but false belief in what typically contains some truth to it. Myth 1: Too Many Plugins Slow Your Site
Myth 2: Inactive Plugins Slow Your Site
Myth 3: Inactive Themes Slow Your Site
Myth 4: Too Many Revisions Slow Your Site
Myth 5: Keeping a lot of Trash or Not Emptying the Trash Slows Your Site
Myth 6: WordPress is for Blogs
Myth 7: WordPress is Unprofessional
Myth 8: WordPress Websites are Low Quality
Myth 9: WordPress is Insecure
There are many more WordPress Myths floating around. I would love to hear some of the crazy things that you have found (or heard from potential clients) to be myth as you became familiar with WordPress. No related posts. |
| 5 Plugins for Magazines and Newspapers Posted: 19 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT Are you starting your venture in the online newspaper or magazine world? There are many plugins out there to help you style your posts to replicate physical newspapers and magazines articles. The standard font provided by the WordPress text editor is plain old Arial and only basic typographic and styling options are provided, however if you would like your online magazine or newspaper to look a little fancier, then you'll need to install some plugins or change your CSS file. Below are some plugins to make your posts and articles seem more like their counterparts in the physical world: FD FootnotesDemonstration of FD Footnotes FD Footnotes is a plugin that adds footnotes to your posts. This is especially useful if you're posting an essay, research paper or even a news article to your WordPress. This plugin will even display the relevant link to the footnote in the post. Magazine ColumnsTwo Column Display Magazine Columns allows you to split your post into two or more columns, this is especially useful in the 'single post' view where you have more room to maneuver and play around with. You can split the post into as many columns as you would like with the <!–column–> tag. TTFTitlesUpload your Custom Fonts in the Admin Area TTFTitles gives you the ability to add custom fonts to your posts. Technology has changed so much that you do not now require your viewers to have a custom font installed on their machine in order to view it. Installation is easy and you can upload new fonts from your WordPress installation as well. Simple Pull QuotePull Quote Demonstration Simple Pull Quote allows users to easily insert and display pull quotes in a unique and clean way. The pull quote area can also be styled to your liking through the CSS files. Drop CapsDrop Caps Drop Caps in Post Drop Caps in Comments Drop Caps is a plugin that allows you to enlarge the first letter of your post and prominently display it over multiple lines, just like what is done in articles printed in physical magazines. You can even adjust the plugin to display drop caps in your posts' comments. There is another method to display drop caps as Joseph Foley showed us in a previous post, however that method requires changing your CSS file manually. There are many other plugins to manipulate typography and the style in your posts. Do you use any of the ones listed above? Which other ones do you use? Drop Cap image courtesy of CircaSassy. Feature image courtesy of FontShop. Related posts:
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| Creating Sample XML Data for Multiple WordPress Sites Posted: 19 Jun 2012 09:15 AM PDT
But constantly populating those new sites with posts, pages, and comments can be a real chore; and for the developer, it doesn't bring any measurable return. That's why efficient designers don't create new test content for each client. Instead, they make use of sample XML data to get even the newest WordPress installation up to speed quickly with template posts, pages, media, and admin settings. For admins running WordPress Multisite, sample content can be extremely powerful. If you're planning to work with clients creating and designing blogs, here are a few tips that will save you time populating those sites with sample content using WordPress' built in import/export functionality. Use WordPress Tools to Import and Export ContentIn the TOOLS section of the WordPress admin dashboard you will see two options; Import and Export. For such a small menu item with no discernible settings, this WordPress functionality packs some power, and allows you to become the ninja designer you want to be. Simply put, EXPORT allows you to take the current site's posts and pages and export them to an xml file for use outside the blog. IMPORT allows you to import external posts and pages into the current site. Creating an XML Export of Your WordPress ContentIn the export settings menu WordPress gives you a short explanation of the XML format and what it can be used for. You'll notice the built-in exporting feature allows you to make a copy of posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, and tags. If you have custom post types those options will also be available to choose from downloads, and will show up underneath standard posts and pages.
In this screen, you can select whether you want certain types of content, like just posts, or just pages, or all content to be exported. When you’re done, simply click "Download Export File” and you will have a portable version of your blog’s data, which can then be imported into another WordPress installation, or any site that accepts XML data imports. Importing an XML File to WordPressImporting data in your WordPress back-end is just as easy as exporting. The first import menu screen shows you the different types of data you can import. You'll notice WordPress' standard importing features allow you to pull in data from eight of the most popular blogging platforms. Since the data we exporting was directly from WordPress you'll choose "WordPress." If this is the first time you've used the WordPress Import feature, the system may ask you to install WordPress's import functionality. That is actually done through a plugin. Simply follow the instructions on-screen and you will be taken directly to the import plugin for installation. Activate it, and navigate back to the WordPress Import Settings to bring in the XML data. A file upload dialog box will prompt you to find the xml data. WordPress parses the data and strips out authors and images for further processing. If the xml data includes content from multiple authors, WordPress will ask you to whom in your current blog those posts should be assigned. If the blog into which you are importing is new and only one author exists, all those posts will be attributed to that author. If the imported content contains images and file attachments, WordPress will import those attachments attempt to place them in the posts and pages for you automatically, and import them into your media library as well. To perform that function, you'll make sure the check box for "Download and import file attachments" is selected before clicking the Submit button to finish your import. On the final import screen you'll see a running list of imported data. If all goes well, you will get a message that all the data is imported correctly, and WordPress will tell you to "Have fun!" If there were errors, WordPress will list them for you. Usually import errors occur when functionality from one blog doesn't mix with the second blog. For instance, if you have custom post types setup in the export blog, but not in the imported blog, those posts might fail to upload correctly. Also, if you have categories setup in the first blog which do not yet exist in the second blog, you might see a fail error. It's usually best to import into blogs which have roughly the same setup as the blog from which you exporting. That's why creating sample xml template data is best done in the early stages of a blog, or for blogs which will be used as simple demo sites for your clients. SummaryUsing XML template files allows you to quickly take sample data from one blog to another blog, without having to constantly create content for new clients. Experienced WordPress developers use this method when designing new themes and showing them off or creating live demo's for potential clients and theme purchasers. If you use WordPress' multisite configuration, you can also populate all your network sites with the same sample data, including pictures, media, and post content – making it even easier for your users to get up to speed with their new blogs. No related posts. |
| Produce Perfect Blog Posts Every Time with Wordy for WordPress Posted: 19 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT
I consider myself a pretty decent writer, but my design skills leave little to be desired. And because blogging demands competency in a number of disciplines (such as writing, design, and marketing), there are very few of us who can nail all the different areas. So there is nothing wrong with getting a little help. And if you feel that your writing skills are a weak link in your blogging process, Wordy for WordPress may be able to help. What is Wordy?First of all, there is a distinction I should make. Wordy is a service – the Wordy for WordPress plugin makes it easy for that service to be used by WordPress bloggers. So let’s check out Wordy first. Take a look at this brief video: That should give you a pretty good idea of what Wordy has to offer – professional editing and proof-reading services for a very reasonable price. If you feel that your blog posts could benefit from a polish, Wordy might be right up your alley. What really impresses is their claimed turnaround time of just 25 minutes. If you are the impatient type and can’t wait to get your content published, Wordy won’t hold you up for long. Wordy for WordPressThe Wordy for WordPress plugin makes it easy for you to submit your WordPress blog posts to the Wordy service from within your dashboard. Once you have linked the plugin to your Wordy account, you can submit your content (with comments) directly from the post screen: Once a job has been submitted, you will be presented with a summary of the details: Finally, Wordy for WordPress includes an editorial comments section, so that you can be instantly informed of any issues and/or the job completion: The integration is very slick. If you are already a Wordy user and blog using WordPress, installing this plugin is a no-brainer. If you are not yet a Wordy user, but feel that you might benefit from their services, now may be the ideal time to give them a go. Download Wordy for WordPress here. No related posts. |
| WordPress Font Changes Made Easy Posted: 19 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT
Sure, you can hack into the stylesheet to make changes to the fonts… but yuck! If you’re like me, one of the main reasons that you use themes is so that you’re not stuck custom coding. Enter the Fontific PluginThe Fontific plugin gives you a coding-free method to manipulate the CSS on your theme. You can customize the fonts used throughout your site to get the look you really want from whatever theme you like. Here’s an example of the same theme running on two different sites – the fonts on each have been customized using Fontific to match the branding on each of the sites: When I find a new theme – I get obsessed with it. So, I end up using it over and over again. As you can see in the titles circled above, Fontific helps me make each of the sites look different, while still being able to use the theme options I’m gaa-gaa over at the time. A Look Under the HoodWhat I love most about this plugin is that you don’t have to touch your stylesheet. You simply enter the tags you want to override, and tell Fontific what you’d like to see instead of your theme’s settings. The font choices come from the Google Web Font directory – and though the entire database isn’t available, there is a decent selection to chose from. The interface is simple: You can change:
As you make changes on this panel, you’ll see the preview font on the right change (the red script in the example above) to show you what you’ve selected. Saving the new settings updates your site automatically. Both of these features make it easy to “play” with the look and get it exactly as you’d like it. Some WeirdnessWell… I guess these aren’t all that weird… but they are the things that I get caught on the first time around:
2 – Above, you’ll see that I circled the H1 tag. The first time that I logged in, it wasn’t clear that the blank space there at the top of the rounded-corner box is where the tag should go. Again, just one of those things that can take you a minute the first time around. 3 – It doesn’t pull a list of tags from your stylesheet. Now, I’m probably asking for too much here… but it would be nice to not have to open the stylesheet at all, or not need to guess at what all the tags might be. (I use the “Inspect Element” feature on the front end of the site to ensure that I’m choosing the correct tag to edit. It takes a lot of guesswork out of the process.) Despite these factors, the tool is easy to use and can help you remove a point of compromise from your decision making process when choosing a new theme – or will allow you to reuse a theme over and over again without it looking like the same theme over and over again. Photo: Letterpress wood type arrangement from Pixmac.
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| Photocrati Acquires Popular WordPress NextGEN Gallery Plugin Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:30 AM PDT
The big news this week is that NextGEN Gallery has just been acquired by Photocrati. Photocrati provides all-in-one WordPress websites and galleries for photographers. They’ve got big plans for adding new features to the plugin, including:
These features will be moving into the testing phase midsummer, though the first major update will not be until later this year. The team at Photocrati also plans to add full integration for NextGEN Gallery and their very popular Photocrati theme. Want to get in on the action early? Photocrati is planning to introduce a beta testing program. Get in touch with them if you are interested in being a beta tester. For more information check out the announcement on the newly relaunched NextGEN Gallery blog and the Photocrati website. Related posts:
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| At Long Last, Facebook Allows Native Scheduled Posting Posted: 19 Jun 2012 06:30 AM PDT Despite Facebook’s incredible growth over the past 8 years in terms of registered users and features, the platform still lacks a number of capabilities that users have been requesting for some time. One such feature is native post scheduling for Facebook Pages. Pages allow businesses to professionally organize and structure their engagement with their followers. The ability to schedule posts ahead of time is a big deal to brands of all sizes as well as independent entrepreneurs and marketers. Thankfully, Facebook has finally heard the pleas of users and developed native post scheduling for all manner of Pages. The Problem & The SolutionFor a long time, Pages required third-party tools to schedule the publication of content at a future date. Facebook’s roll out of scheduled post functionality finally brings a native feature to the service that has traditionally been the domain of ancillary apps. Social media managers can now compose and fine-tune their posts beforehand from within their Facebook accounts quickly and easily. In addition, Facebook now allows for easier management of admin privileges. That means that Page account overseers can determine which members of their organization can perform certain actions. Admin privileges come in five different levels, from Manager to Insights Analyst. Using Facebook’s Scheduler
How It Helps Page OwnersPost scheduling and advanced admin management help businesses and other organizations in a number of ways. The most obvious advantage of the new functionality is improved time management. Social media can become pretty time-consuming if you don’t have the right tools for the job, so the ability to bang out posts and announcements in one session and schedule them for later publication is a big plus. In addition, admin privilege management allows for better control over the contents of any Page. The new Facebook Page admin scheme makes delegation of tasks and access to resources a whole lot simpler in the long run. Users with low-level admin rights can check on things like Facebook Insights without inadvertently interfering with the post schedule. Impact on Third-Party ToolsObviously, native post scheduling on Facebook eliminates the need for third-party applications that are focused solely on providing that capability for Pages. However, few applications put all of their eggs in one basket and provide just one function. The more popular social media management apps like Hootsuite and Buddy Media will remain relevant precisely because they offer much more than just the scheduling of content publication. These “dashboard” apps may notice a slight, temporary drop in interest from users who rely on Facebook alone for their social media needs. Regardless, it’s unlikely that native Facebook post management will cause any long-lasting damage to their business or revenue. The Last WordScheduled posts may not seem like a very big deal to the average Facebook user, but they’re a major step in the right direction when it comes to helping businesses and brands increase their ROI from their social networking efforts. Despite the fact that scheduled posts won’t radically change the way that Pages work in everyday usage, they’re still a nice touch that will make the platform more versatile and convenient for business users. As the social media marketing game continues to become more competitive, a structured approach to customer interaction will become all the more important. Viewed in that light, Facebook’s native post scheduling is a big deal to any company that’s using social media to gain a competitive edge. Related posts:
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| A Great Way to Learn PHP Coding at Lunch Posted: 19 Jun 2012 05:45 AM PDT  Now all you need for lunch is a book. LunchI am a lunch reader. Always have been. Give me a half-hour to forty-five minutes and I will break out a newspaper and start catching up on yesterday’s happenings. I recently decided to make my lunchtime habit a bit more productive, though, by reading a chapter a day (give or take, sometimes I do like a lunchtime nap) from PHP & MySQL : The Missing Manual. The Missing ManualPublished by the good people at O'Reilly, PHP & MySQL : The Missing Manual aims to teach the average user (they wrote for an Advanced Beginner or Intermediate level of techy-ness) how to begin creating applications in PHP. By the end of the book, the reader will have created a website where users can securely login, create a profile, and log out. Not necessarily the most exciting application ever put to code, but one that runs a user through a heap of useful PHP & MySQL functions: writing SQL commands, creating tables, getting information from users, retrieving that information from a database, and authenticating and authorizing users.  Now all you need for lunch is a sandwich. More Importantly…But that is only half of the value of a foundation-forming book like this. What it really ought to do is to teach the reader how to think and act like a real, honest-to-goodness programmer. And that it does:
WordPressIf you are a WordPress user who is looking to learn a little bit more about how it all works (or someone who is looking to deepen their knowledge of server-side scripting), I dare you to read this book and not feel pushed to rush off and start poking around your WordPress database (just be careful!). Related posts:
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| Daily Tip: Add Pocket Read It Later Links to WordPress Posts Posted: 18 Jun 2012 05:16 PM PDT If you’re a fan of the Pocket ‘Read It’ Later service, you may want to consider getting your WordPress site hooked up to it. Pocket is a free service that lets you access your personal reading list at a more convenient time on your iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire or in your browser. Pocket Read It Later Links is a new plugin that automatically adds a “Read It Later” button to your WordPress posts. Here’s how the buttons look when added to your posts: This is especially useful for sites with lengthy blog posts. You can even add your own custom CSS to change the placement of the button. Download the Pocket Read It Later Links plugin for free from the WordPress repository. Related posts:
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It depends. According to Mike Little, the co-founding developer of WordPress, some plugins are slow, some plugins are fast, some plugins have absolutely no effect. Some plugins are built and designed specifically to speed UP your site.
Inactive plugins have nothing to do with the speed of your site. It is worth noting though, that inactive plugins, among other things, on your site should be kept up to date. Outdated plugins on your site do pose a security risk.
Kerry Carron on Google+
We all have our fortes.
Fonts can make a big difference on a website. And, if you rely on themes for most of your designs, fonts may be an area where you’ve allowed yourself to compromise on what you really want.
1 – You’ll find the settings under your Appearance menu. Sure, it makes sense that it would be here – but after installing a plugin, I always jump to the Settings menu and glance around for a new item on the toolbar. So, it took me a minute to find the new “Fonts” item on the Appearance menu:
Many of you are familiar with the wildly popular 
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