Friday, June 8, 2012

Demonstrate Your Cooperation With A Location Tracker-gps tracking device singapore,gps car tracking device,gps tracking,gps tracker

Demonstrate Your Cooperation With A Location Tracker


by Anna Thorns


One of the more principal capabilities of a GPS track is to give refuge to you, to individuals you love and to the things that you own. With its chief operate of monitoring or keeping place of whatever or whoever the tool is attached to, you can have important information that can offer you peace of mind. A location tracker is ordinarily used in automobiles for organisations and businesses. When it comes to persons, this can be useful for elders in addition to kids. Pet owners can gain from this also. Other features are as follows.

A Location Tracker Can Be A Fine Trade Application

There are firms such as persons concerned with delivery that use a location tracker for their vehicles. This provides accountability on the personnel to be heedful of his routes, his timetable and even of his stops. This approach, in turn, makes a major effect on the worker and business productivity. It is also good for sales people who may need to run extra appointments should he or she happens to be located in the same area.

Geofencing is one extra assistance that can be used with a GPS track. This is best used by persons companies that should only be operational within a precise area. Should there be any kind of violation with reference to the locale of designation, expect alerts to be sent to concerned people.

Making Sure Your Loved Ones Have Location Tracker

This would be helpful for parents that fret about their teenage kids driving. It may be able to provide them the security besides the assurance given to their kids. One other feature that this can get is the navigation system. In case the driver is uncertain of the directions, a system like this can be incredibly helpful. If, in case, the car owner gets in reality lost, the tracker is the one to turn to.

From time to time, a location tracker is meant for individuals that can be by themselves but would still call for steerage. Those that own pets can maximise this also. There is no need to be anxious if just in case the pet goes lost. In some situations, mobile phones can be put in with a tracking piece of equipment. With this, being in the loop and getting straightforward access are reachable.




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Tweaking Digital Photos With Photoshop CS6-Photoshop CS6

Tweaking Digital Photos With Photoshop CS6


by Eddie Jones


Adobe's much-anticipated Photoshop CS6 is finally here. Having currently upgraded to CS6 at the office, we can state that so far it looks to be a fantastic upgrade, with many different additional features to generally be excited about. A number of red herrings have already been thrown in for good measure, like the Content Aware Move tool, and also at first glance you'll see the shiny new charcoal interface among the many new Photoshop edition attributes.



Even though there were a great deal of modifications to regular tools, you'll likewise see the addition of a few new ones also, including the Tilt-Shift Blur function.



In this article, we go on a quick look at half dozen Photoshop CS6 additional features and explain how they function.



Adobe's Camera Raw engine is actually at ACR 7, plus the combination of the Brightness and Exposure scales into one Exposure slider makes life much easier. The brand new Highlights and Shadows sliders mean it is possible to eke out more image detail without that HDR-like look. The Adjustment Brush can now selectively tweak White Balance, also.



The very first thing you'll detect if you open a picture could be the overhaul the Photoshop screen has gone through. It's now a charcoal grey. Other alterations towards the layout, panels and tools are logical. Mini Bridge, launched in CS5, may seem to work properly this time round, and really should certainly be a big help to workflow.



Navigate to the Filter dropdown and you'll notice that the various tools also have a welcome clean-up. Field, Iris and Tilt-Shift Blur filters happen to be introduced, and they all come with 'on image' controls to help you tweak the planes of focus for toytown effects. The intuitive controls mean you don't even need to take your eyes off of the image.



The revamped crop tool offers the exact same crop capability as in Lightroom 4, with all the image revolving and the crop marks remaining static. The non-destructive editing system takes a tad of getting used to, but when learned its valuable Rule of Thirds and Golden Spiral grids will be handy should you don't get composition right very first time.



Adobe features the Mercury Graphics engine for CS6, so particular tools and procedures make better usage of your computer's graphics card. Together with the previously slow Liquify tool, for example, there's no lag. The Background Save characteristic is additionally amazingly beneficial, assisting you to start other projects as a file is kept.



Content Aware Move, nestled with the Patch and Healing tools within the Tools panel, is supposed to let you move an object from one portion of a photo to a different one. On the other hand, it appeared to work well in the Adobe demos but not with the images we tried out. Otherwise, keep on shooting with all the elements within the right place to start with.



You can discover more information on The Tech Labs.




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Essential Factors To Keep In Mind When Picking A Web Design Company-internet

Essential Factors To Keep In Mind When Picking A Web Design Company


by Miguel Rivera


A high number of organizations have gone through rough times especially when the web design firm they hired turned out to be a fraud. This is realized long after they have been paid and the site handed over. Such a website designed in a below par fashion fails to take off from day one. To be on the safe side, it is essential to keep these factors in mind.

The first factor is to check out other sites your preferred designer has created. Most professionals in this line of work have a signature method that they use to handle sites. Ensure that what you see on their portfolio page tallies with what you desire and if it does not, you can always move on.

A good website creator is honest; they should advise you on what may or may not work. Sit down with them and discuss all the details, letting them know how you want things done and the deadline you would love the work delivered. Having been in the business for long they understand what is new and then advise you accordingly.

Do not be fooled by website creators who claim they can make search engines list you on top. Their work is to create a site according to the agreed specifications. To make a particular site appear among the first in search engines require special input from optimization experts and you; and this takes some time, tactic and updated content.

You should also consider choosing a website creator who is constantly online either reading and writing blogs or just scouring the net for self-development purposes. They stand a better chance of knowing what would or would not work out for you. They understand the pitfalls that other sites have had to contend with and therefore avoid them when making your own.

Consider bringing onboard someone from your company to help keep the website creators on check. An individual who loves spending their time reading webpages stand a higher chance of knowing how things happen on the internet. They can even tell when you are about to be swindled.

It would also be wise to consult widely from family and friends. They probably know of an excellent web design company that can work on your project. Many people when given a good service by a provider would never fail to recommend them to their colleagues or family; so ask widely.




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The Benefits Of Using IT Support Manchester Companies-IT support Manchester,networks,data recovery,software,hardware,business,data security,computers

The Benefits Of Using IT Support Manchester Companies


by William Cappelini


In the current setting, almost every business requires some form of communication that demands the use of information technology equipment and applications. As a result, many firms have been compelled to employ computer specialists. For those who cannot do the same, it is important to contract IT support Manchester firms.

Having to keep a big team of information technology experts can be a very costly affair. This is because all of them will demand salaries and other benefits that every employee is entitled to. With the average wage of an information technology specialist being very high, it can be draining on small firms.

Smaller firms that do not have so many computers in their offices however may not find the idea of having permanent technical employees viable. This is because they may not have enough work to justify their inclusion on the payroll on a full time basis. In such situations it is better to contract outsiders.

While some companies prefer to keep their internal affairs secretive and confidential within the company, others do not mind much as long as their systems are well maintained and performing to their expected standards. The decision to outsource or not will depend on the kind of business you do.

They also come up with a routine that will allow them to inspect and service your system from time to time to ensure they remain in good working condition. It gives you as the company owner the peace of mind knowing that everything will be fine. The other benefit is the fact that you will only pay a minimal amount.

There are lots of IT support Manchester companies operating within the region. They are instrumental in ensuring that all companies that do not have the capacity to keep permanent information technology engineers in the payroll also get the technical assistance whenever they need it.




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Get Your Brand Noticed: Suggestions For Marketing Online-internet marketing, affiliate marketing, home business, earn money

Get Your Brand Noticed: Suggestions For Marketing Online


by Wayne Merrit


When you first start out marketing on the internet you need to be well prepared. If not, you may not be successful in your efforts to promote it. It might be an item of craft merchandise. Make a budget, create a website and keep your information organized. Here are some tips to get you started on an organized, successful business.

Consider which methods you wish to employ on your website. Some easy ways to share your site are to post on blogs, use social media, and put posters in businesses in your area. There is an abundance of methods for attracting visitors to your website. You just need to use a bit of creativity.

One of the things that you can do when marketing online to encourage your visitors to buy from you is to give them discounted prices. All you need to do is show discounted pricing next to the regular prices. For quicker sales, offer the special prices and discounts for a limited time.

Use a banner that has your brand or slogan on it. This adds an official feel to your website, and lets your customers know what your purpose is. Doing this is a great way to bring attention to services that you offer.

Putting out a press release is a great way to increase traffic for internet marketing. A press release is basically a news snippet which briefly describes anything fresh and exciting going on with your business. If it's well written and informative, it can draw people to your site in droves. In addition to boosting your brand, you will also increase your business profile.

You want to do your online advertising on the most popular websites you can find. This may be a big investment, but it can make a great big difference. Look for pages that receive lots of traffic each day, which introduces your business to large numbers of potential customers.

Offer something unique on your site that none of your competitors have. An e-book of genuinely useful advice or even some good cartoons that share your website's focus can draw a lot of attention. Offering something that is not readily available gives you an advantage.

You can attract customers to your website with a free offer. One easy freebie to offer is an article specifically geared toward your business. For instance, if you're a contractor, let your website visitors have a free article that details basic home maintenance tips. This will help your customers become more informed about your industry and show them that you know their concerns and are willing to help them succeed.

If you are trying to sell a product, make a video of it being used. That way the customer is going to see you use the product. Demonstrate the features of the product, as well as its benefits. Upload this video to sites such as Youtube, and put it on your blog.

One Internet marketing tactic you may not have considered is to target image searches. Including images on your site with relevant captions and text and help drive traffic to your site, instead of just have a text based site. Your site could inadvertently attract visitors who have stumbled across it while looking for others. It also gives the customer a visual that will make them more likely to remember your product.

If you're going to do any kind of Internet marketing, you need to get used to using social media. A Facebook page where people can leave feedback and comments is a good place to start. You could also use Twitter to interact with people and find out what your customers think of your products.

Reward customers who bring your referrals. It is not hard to transform a single sale into five if you offer people a freebie or a discount for referring five people to the website. People love freebies, and it's been proven that higher traffic leads to higher sales.

You have seen Internet marketing and how it can be a strong way to attract new customers. Existing customers can be communicated with easily using this tool. The Internet allows interaction never before possible. If you use these ideas, you will connect with customers and make a impact on the Internet marketing industry.




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Growing your Business with Twitter-Social media,social media marketing,social media marketing services

Growing your Business with Twitter


by Bobby Baker


Before, firms relied heavily on paid advertisements and word-of-mouth to market their products. Today, internet advertising is among the most sought-after means to market assorted things on social networking sites. One of the most well known sites that a social media company can use for its clients is Twitter.

In 2006, Twitter greeted society as a messaging service inside little groups. Using 140 characters is a convenient strategy to talk, share info, or inform others how one currently feels. Eventually, Twitter graduated to being a useful business tool.

Internet marketing consultant: With the right knowledge on tweeting, being followed, following others, and doing re-tweets, a social media company can make firms succeed. Tweets are statements that folk behind twitter accounts talk about like quotes, links, contests, for example. Many firms use Twitter for contests to publicize their services and goods, which permit them to have more fans. Supporters are those that choose to have a recurring Twitter eat accounts they would like to follow. The statements that are tweeted by the accounts they follow can be favorite or re-tweeted. Re-tweeting is like citing a statement. Folk re-tweet statements they like, agree with, or want to make other people privy to the people who made the first tweets.Retweeting may be employed for companies to advertise themselves because this can increase their fan count. More proponents can make them and their products more preferred, and therefore , can increase their profits.

Being restricted to 140 characters can be difficult. Nevertheless there are applications which make folk tweet longer, often for big announcements, contests, for example. Twit-Longer, Big-tweet, and Long-tweets are some illustrations. There are sites that allow the shortening of links like bitly and TinyUrl. Using shortened links makes folks tweet in 140 characters or less.

For those that wish to build up their presence online through Twitter, but are time-constrained to do it they can schedule tweets thru some sites like Hootsuite and Future-Tweets. Using scheduled tweets is a time saver and it allows the marketing of enterprises both on the Internet and in the real world.

Even though there are many types of advertising, there is no doubt that Twitter can create a gigantic buzz for companies. To help them , a social media company can be tapped for businesses to be acquainted with the different techniques and applications that can be used to use Twitter as a dynamic business tool.




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Does your home page answer these 5 questions ASAP?

Does your home page answer these 5 questions ASAP?


Does your home page answer these 5 questions ASAP?

Posted: 07 Jun 2012 02:45 AM PDT

Unless you’ve been living under a rock – which is not a very comfy existence, so I doubt you have – you probably already know that you have, like, no time to get your first-time visitors’ attention once they land on your home page or other entry page (e.g., PPC, email).

Here’s some July 2011 data (from Google) on home page bounce rates*:

  • On average, 47% of visitors to a site will bounce
  • Bounce is higher for visitors arriving direct (i.e., they typed in your URL) and via organic search – at 47.2% and 47.9%, respectively – than for those arriving via PPC (41.4%)
  • Bounce is higher on iPhones than it is on desktop/laptop computers

More about bounce in this KISSmetrics infographic

Naturally, in the harsh presence of that icy reality-hit - OMG! Half my hard-won traffic leaves me! - your question as a copy hacker surely becomes this:

“How the Helsinki do I reduce bounce rates so more visitors stick around to give me a chance?”

A number of factors influence bounce: page load times, pop-ups, browser issues, and simply a poor match between some/lots of your traffic and your site.But we’re copy hackers.

So we’re going to focus on the copy issues that can affect bounce.

Because your copy can positively influence your bounce rate.

So here you go: there are 5 questions you need to answer quickly and clearly in your home / entry page copy to keep visitors on your page….

…and those questions are:

Question #1: “What is this?” / “Who are you?” 

True, most people arrive on your site with an understanding of who you are and/or what you do. (The keywords they use to get there are a huge indicator of this.)

But one of the biggest flubs you can make in copywriting is assumingthat your visitors “get” you.

They don’t.

Please, please, please don’t depend on your visitors to remember, guess, infer or generally figure you out. That’s hard work. Too hard.

Instead, recognize that, although your visitors arrive on your site with expectations & intentions, you NEED to reflect those expectations & intentions in your landing page copy. A-S-A-P.

Bidsketch.com does a fantastic job of this in both the headline and hero copy of their home page:

(DOWNLOAD THE SCREENSHOT OF BIDSKETCH'S HOME PAGE)

Question #2: “What’s different or unique about you/your product?”

(“BTW, I need to want it. It needs to be a desirable difference.”)

This question is at the core of your value proposition / USP - which is a statement of the 1 thing that’s unique + highly desirable about you or your product.

The answer to it doesn’t have to read like some sort of mission statement. ……In fact, it shouldn’t! Not at all!

(Nothing on your site should sound corporate. Not even your About Us page.)

The answer to Q2 doesn’t have to be a single statement, either. It can be several short lines, like in the following Kayak.com example:

(SEE THE VALUE PROP ON KAYAK.COM)

(BTW, the Kayak copy is to the right of their form, shown above.)

Now, when you’re talking about differentiating yourself, you may end up asking yourself the question, “What do we do that no one else does?”

Good! Put the answer to that on the page.

Although you don’t have to write that you are “the only ones that do X”, it sure doesn’t hurt to do so. When you’re explicit with what’s unique about your solution, you quite simply eliminate a question cluttering your visitors’ minds… and that’s critical to keeping them around.

Question #3: “What’s in it for me? Why should I care and stick around?”

Because we talk about benefits sooooo much when we talk about copywriting, this question is very likely one you’ve already answered — several times — on your home page.

All of your messages should, in some [very real] way, make it clear to visitors that there’s a LOT in it for them if they stick around.

That said, this question is not only about benefits. It’s also about your promise.

Yes, your promise.

…I know the word “promise” is scary… but a promise is critical to help people stay on your site longer and understand why they should, ultimately, give you their email address or credit card number.

Don’t worry! You don’t have to dream up some promise.

If you have a value prop, your promise is probably inherently tied to it or built-in as a part of it.

For example, the M&Ms value prop is “the milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hands”… and that’s also its promise.

For EnergyMarketExchange.com, the promise is clear and positioned as the headline, where a value prop would normally live:

(DOWNLOAD THE HEADLINE FROM EMEXPOWER)

Pretty straightforward, right?

Remember: This question isn’t, “What’s in it for everyone?”

Your copy needs to showcase what’s in it for your target visitor. Not your Nana. Not your nanny.

Just the 20 to 35% of your traffic that is most likely to convert.

Question #4: “Is this product/service right for me, in particular?”

Most startups are targeting a subset of a market, a small market or a niche.

If you are, put it on the page!

Tell your niche that they’ve arrived on the right site by using an “ideal for” statement, like Freckle does:

(SEE FRECKLE'S IDEAL-FOR STATEMENT)

Or you can go a slightly indirect route, like Jobpuck does:

(DOWNLOAD THE JOBPUCK SCREENSHOT)

Question #5: “Who else is already using this?”

Ah, good ol’ social proof. Thank you, Mr. Cialdini.

Yes, the answer to Question #5 will likely appear on your page in the form of testimonials, logos, etc. – any clear indicator that tells your first-time visitor, “No, you’re not alone. Others are already doing this. You do not have to lead the pack on this one.”

The truth is that only the rare exceptions out there want to lead the pack; for the rest – the majority – there is comfort in the herd. (This is called “herd behavior”.)

So do as InspirePay does, and reassure your visitors – in multiple ways – that they’re 1 in a million:

There you have it! In answering those 5 questions – and doing so using appropriate levels of prominence - you help the right people stick around.

Please remember: your answers to these unspoken visitor questions need to be succinct and easy to digest.

You don’t have to get wordy. You don’t have to get clever. In fact, youshouldn’t do either.

You just have to message in a clear way that your target visitor will find compelling… and optimize the rest of your page (and site) from there.

Now, here’s your task: Go to your home page – just open it up in a new tab – put on your customer hat, and assess if your copy effectively answers:

  1. Who are you? / What is this?
  2. What’s desirably different about it?
  3. What’s in it for me?
  4. Is it right for me?
  5. Who else is using it?

If you fail to answer any of those questions, well, dear copy hacker, you’ve now got yourself a test or two!

Extra note: There’s a whole lot more you need to think of when writing your home page. This is just the beginning… but it’s a super-solid beginning.

*I’m defining “bounce rate” as the % of visitors that land on your home or other landing page without visiting another page on your site. If you define it as spending <5 seconds on the page, that’s cool, too. Works either way.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Guide to Get More Blog Readers - Text Link Ad FAQ


Comment


Posted: 07 Jun 2012 05:02 AM PDT
Definition of comment.
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Learn everything you need to know about getting more traffic to your blog and increasing your blog readers in this comprehensive guide.
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Learn to write blog contest entry rules to protect you from unhappy losers.
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Learn what a text link ad is and how you can use them to make money from your blog or website.
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New Themes: Portfolio and Grisaille

New Themes: Portfolio and Grisaille


New Themes: Portfolio and Grisaille

Posted: 07 Jun 2012 09:18 AM PDT

Feeling creative? You’ve come to the right place–we have two new, fantastically artsy themes for your viewing pleasure!

Portfolio

First up is Portfolio, a clean, sophisticated premium theme by The Theme Foundry. Catalog all your creative efforts–photography, illustration, sculpture, poetry, and more–with a flexible and easy-to-use interface. Drag-and-drop simplicity coupled with a generous featured post slider helps you create an attractive, professional site with ease–which means you can spend more time making beautiful things!

Read more about how to create your own Portfolio on the Theme Showcase.

Grisaille

Next comes Grisaille, a free theme by Nudge Design. The term “grisaille” refers to the practice of painting in monochrome, particularly shades of gray, to achieve a three-dimensional effect–very appropriate for this classic, grayscale theme!

Grisaille is the perfect combination of grunge and minimalism, and it’s sure to complement to your work no matter the subject. It’s a great way to share your experimental pinhole photography collection, showcase your local museum’s latest exhibits, or blog for your contemporary painting class. Maybe you’re not into art and you just want a classy look for your site–that’s cool, too. Whatever your passion, it’s sure to flourish with Grisaille! Read more about its features on the Theme Showcase.


16 Time-Saving WordPress Multisite Plugins for Managing Your Network

16 Time-Saving WordPress Multisite Plugins for Managing Your Network


16 Time-Saving WordPress Multisite Plugins for Managing Your Network

Posted: 07 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT

Managing a very active multisite network can be fairly intense and time-consuming. Between answering user support emails and troubleshooting network issues, you also have to keep the core and all the plugins updated and in working order. Here are 16 plugins just released this year that will save you tons of time in managing your WordPress multisite network. Grab a cup of coffee and install all of your new favorites.

Class Blogs

Class Blogs is a plugin that simplifies the process of blogging as a class by making it easier to find, organize and analyze the work created by students. It comes with teacher admin pages, student admin pages, themes and tons of widgets to show recent student posts and comments.

Download Plugin

AP Gravatars

AP Gravatars is a simple plugin that adds a user’s gravatar to his profile page. If the user does not have a gravatar account, the plugin will display a link to create one. It’s multisite-compatible so that you can use it across your network.

Download Plugin

Approval Workflow

This plugin creates a workflow approval process within WordPress. If a user doesn’t have permission to publish a post, an email is sent to one of the approvers when a post is submitted to be published. It also works within multisite so that sub-sites can take advantage of the approval workflow as well.

Download Plugin

Network Shared Media

Network Shared Media is a very useful plugin that lets you access media across the network through a new tab in the media library. This can be very convenient if you find yourself posting to multiple blogs or simply want to make a set of images or documents available to other users.

Download Plugin

Multisite TOS

This plugin adds a Terms of Service agreement field on the multisite signup form, similar to the wordpress.com TOS field. It also supports localization so you can add your language file.

Download Plugin

Subsite Theme Activator

This plugin is designed for use in multisite networks where the same theme is used across all sites. After you have network enabled a new theme, you’ll get a new option to “Subsite Activate” the theme, which will apply it to every subsite on your network. This is very useful if you have lots of sites and don’t want to manually change each site’s active theme.

Download Plugin

MU Manage Comments Plugin


This is a pretty cool plugin that will show you a list of blogs with spam or unmoderated comments, which enables the the network administrator to manage the comments on all network blogs. It is recommended for use on small to moderate sized multisite installations.

Download Plugin

Akismet Wedge for MU Plugin

This plugin provides a wedge between multisite and Akismet by globalizing the Akismet API key so it can be used across blogs. Multisite network blogs can then use the Akismet API key without having to configure each blog or edit any PHP files.

Download Plugin

BBG Record Blog Roles Changes

This plugin records all changes in user blog roles (wp_x_capabalities usermeta) across an entire WordPress installation. It can be a lifesaver to have installed if you find yourself having to troubleshoot mysterious role changes within your multisite network.

Download Plugin

Blog Copier

Blog Copier is a very handy plugin for multisite network admins. It enables you to copy a blog, including all its widgets, template settings and more. You can elect to copy or not copy the files. GUIDs and URLs in post contents are automatically migrated for you so you don’t have to manually change anything!

Download Plugin

Dead Blogs

The Dead Blogs plugin lets you filter blogs, based on specific criteria in order to sort out which blogs are dead. You can locate the blogs by when they were last updated, number of posts, number of pages, or whether or not the blog uses the default theme.

Download Plugin

Multisite Robots.txt Manager

Multisite Robots.txt Manager lets you manage all Network Websites robots.txt files directly within the Network Admin. Each Website within the network is able to have a unique robots.txt file. You can also instantly add Sitemaps URLs to all network websites and mass update the entire Network or individual site.

Download Plugin

TuKod MultiSite Site Names

TuKod MultiSite Site Names overrides the normal restrictions that WordPress places on site names. This plugin gives you expanded site name choices in the multisite sign-up process. It enables you to use dashes (-), dots(.), tildes (~), underscores (_), capitals (A-Z) and even change the minimum length.

Download Plugin

WP Changes Tracker

WP Changes Tracker is a very useful plugin that logs changes made to your WordPress structure: core, network, plugins and options. In the near future it will also log changes to themes. These logs are only available to the network admin when used in multisite.

Download Plugin

Move to Subsite

This new plugin lets you move posts in a category and/or a page hierarchy to a subsite, while implementing seamless redirects. You can actually move content to another site on your WordPress network with a single click.

Download Plugin

Network Plugin Auditor

This is a plugin that nearly every WordPress multisite installation can benefit from. It adds columns to your network admin to show which sites are using each plugin and theme. It will help you know which plugins and themes are in use and which can be safely removed without affecting your subsites.

Download Plugin

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  2. Daily Tip: New Network Blog Manager Tool for WordPress Multisite Super Admins WordPress Multisite power users will enjoy this new tool available...
  3. 9 Super Useful WordPress Multisite Plugins For Network Managers When you first enable WordPress Multisite you may be surprised...

How to Automatically Remove Links from WordPress Images

Posted: 07 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT


In most cases (unless your theme is set up otherwise), you will find that images in a WordPress post are automatically linked to an image file page. Some may like that. Others, however, may not.

If you happen to be one that doesn't, then there's a quick and simple fix to this issue. You can place the following code (found at stackexchange) in your functions.php file. (Appearance > Editor > Theme Functions – functions.php)

add_filter( 'the_content', 'attachment_image_link_remove_filter' );  function attachment_image_link_remove_filter( $content ) {   $content =   preg_replace(   array('{<a(.*?)(wp-att|wp-content\/uploads)[^>]*><img}',   '{ wp-image-[0-9]*" /></a>}'),   array('<img','" />'),   $content   );   return $content;   }

And that's it.

If you would like to make your own simple plugin for this task, you can learn how to do that here.

Photo: Broken Chain from BigStock

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Major Changes in the Use of WordPress in Education

Posted: 07 Jun 2012 08:43 AM PDT

I was first introduced to the world of WordPress in 2008 when I was looking for a good way to build a website for a math course I was teaching. My school offered an archaic website solution and, though I don’t remember why, I first tried out both Drupal and Joomla.

All I wanted was a quick and easy way to post notes, videos, and assignments for my students – and provide parents and students an easy way to subscribe to new posts by email.

Today, I have the best job in the world in that I get to work with educators around the world using WordPress over on Edublogs. We host well over a million blogs for education, and we also do expert hosting of private Multisite networks for hundreds of schools and universities with what we call Edublogs Campus.

How WordPress Is Used

Traditionally, we’ve seen three main ways that WordPress is being leveraged by educators and students:

Class Blogs

Exactly like what I originally wanted to do. A web presence to share daily info with students (and parents).

Here are a couple of examples: Example #1 | Example #2

Professional Blogs

See Larry Ferlazzo’s blog for what I mean here. Practicing educators share tips, ideas, and resources with others in the field.

Blogs (along with twitter) have facilitated powerful connections for many. See how to build a Personal Learning Network for more.

Student Blogs

Here’s a list of 30 excellent student blogs from many different locations and age groups. Students often blog as part of class requirements – improving writing, critical thinking, and technology skills.

What major changes are happening?

You’ll notice that the three most common uses of WordPress have historically all been for blogging.

But, just as we see a parallel shift outside of education with the increased use of WordPress as a powerful CMS, we’re also finding more and more creative ways of classroom and school use.

For example:

School Websites

In just the past few months, we’ve migrated over several schools’ entire websites to our WordPress Multisite hosting environment. Administrators love the ease of use for posting new content, and the technical teams like that we manage all hosting and support for often much cheaper than what can be done locally ;)

ePortfolios

Many schools and universities are adding student (and even staff) portfolio requirements. Electronic portfolios built in WordPress can travel with their owners wherever they may end up and are a fantastic way of keeping archives of work, thoughts, and sharing videos and other media.

Perhaps the best resource out there for implementing ePortfolios is from Dr. Helen Barrett, which can be found here.

News Publications

For the same reasons that print media is on the decline in the real world, many student-ran newspapers are going fully online. We host tons of student publications. Moderation tools are popular so that editors or school officials can approve all content before it is live.

Collaboration

Using themes like P2 and advanced privacy settings, many are turning to WordPress to create private collaborative spaces for professional development, project planning, and more. We know of one major university that does all of its budget planning right on a blog!

What’s next?

There are tons of other ways we see WordPress in action in the education space on a daily basis.

BuddyPress is growing in popularity and there are quite a few handy education related plugins in the repository.

If you’re interested in keeping up with more, we regularly post blogging tips and news for educators over on TheEdublogger.com.

Do you have any WordPress in education resources or examples to share?

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Credit: Image School Bus by BigStock

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WordPress Plugin Developers – Showcase Your Wares!

Posted: 07 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT

WordPress Plugin Developers - Showcase Your Wares!As you will already know if you’re a regular reader of my posts here on WPMU, I’ve rarely got a bad thing to say about free WordPress plugin developers. If it weren’t for these selfless folk, my blog would be a shell of its true self.

I also happen to be a big fan of irony, which is why I like the rather clumsily-named WPORG Repo Plugins…plugin. The idea of a plugin developer using a plugin to showcase their plugins amuses me. But then perhaps I am easily amused.

That shouldn’t however detract from the fact that this plugin will actually be rather useful for plenty of developers – and for WordPress fans in general. Its functionality is simple enough – it will return a list of any particular developer’s plugins (as listed on WordPress.org) in a widget. So rather than manually listing your plugins, it takes care of it dynamically, as such:

WPORG Repo Plugins

Dodgy tartan-style background optional.

You can list plugins from any developer, so this potentially holds value to anyone interested in WordPress plugins.  Listing your favorite’s developers plugin is made easy.

What makes WPORG Repo Plugins even handier is that you can customize exactly what information is displayed via shortcodes:

WPORG Repo Plugins

It would be nice to see further functionality, such as the ability to sort plugins by number of downloads and/or ratings, and the ability to list plugins via a shortcode with posts and pages. A version for theme developers would be good too.

Download WPORG Repo Plugins here.

Creative Commons image courtesy of christian.senger

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Be Ready For Offline

Posted: 07 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT

The worst just happened, my internet went down. As in down for hours, not minutes, and no reprieve in sight. This points to obvious holes in my workflow towards some clients at Odd Alice, necessary holes in all but one cases, but holes nonetheless.

You see I prefer to develop on a live server. For most sites that's not a problem, you won't destroy things with your code if you're careful and keep your development install separate from the public one. Some projects are unsuited for this, possibly because faulty code could kill the server or something, I don't know, I'm just saying it so that you'll be cautious.

All that aside, developing on a live server when the internet is down is pretty hard.

That's why I keep local copies, as up to date as I can be bothered to. Ideally all these should be in svn or git, making them always up to date, but we're transitioning now so all that stuff isn't setup for the optimal workflow.

Man, do I regret that now, writing this column on my iPhone at a very quiet office.

The lesson is this: Be ready for offline so that you won't lose any work time.

Got it? Good. Then I can get back to work, because I've already learned this lesson the hard way, despite whatever I wrote above. I just took this opportunity to procrastinate a bit, and tell you a story I wish I had heard before.

Now if only I could publish this column…

Photo by photosteve101 (CC)

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WordPress 3.4 Out Next Week

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 09:56 PM PDT

RC2 for WordPress 3.4 is out and in the wild.

According to Nacin, we should expect a release early next week – perhaps Tuesday.

By all accounts the latest release of our favorite semantic personal publishing software shoudl include:

  • Serious improvements to custom headers and backgrounds
  • Live previews and the theme customizer
  • New XML-RPC API
  • Internationalisation and localisation improvements

There’s a bunch of links here to items that various folk have written up.

So, hold onto your horses y’all and enjoy the 3.4 goodness, all in time for your summer (or, for me, winter) holidays.

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Daily Tip: Get the Responsive Design Bookmarklet for Website Design Testing

Posted: 06 Jun 2012 02:27 PM PDT

If you need to do some quick responsive design testing, check out the Responsive Design Bookmarklet. It’s a quick tool that you can use from your desktop to test any website’s responsiveness.

Add the Responsive Design Bookmarklet to your bookmarks so that you can click on it from any website. You’ll get a toolbar at the top with buttons for different screen resolutions.

Here are some extra cool feature of the bookmarklet:

  • Toggle a fake keyboard – This allows you to see how much space is visible when users are entering data in forms.
  • Toggle CSS Refresh – As soon as you save a CSS-file, the changes are directly implemented, without having to refresh your browser. It only works in a server environment.

To install the Responsive Design Bookmarklet, simply drag the button in the middle of the page to your bookmarks toolbar. Visit any web page and then click on your bookmarklet to launch it.

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