Since Web 2.0 (Learn more: Wiki) enables virtually anything we choose to be automatically processed and published, content creators (Bloggers, etc.) need to know how to take full advantage of such services. Thankfully, Wordpress allows bloggers to use these automatic services for free and with ease. However, taking full advantage of these automatic services requires a small addition to your control panel. Continue reading…
I’ll post the next part in my What Makes Web Minimalism Effective series this weekend (read part 1) and will most likely finish plainbeta’s new theme this weekend as well, or next week.
I am also now starting to use Twitter - it’s quite fun!
Follow me on Twitter!
And finally, I have accumulated a handful of assorted domains over the years, and I don’t need/want them any more. So I am putting them up for sale on Sedo.com
Check ‘em out. Continue reading…
Sure, design trends come and go - but one trend that seems here to stay is the oh-so-popular Minimalism style. Though Minimalism can easily be a pitiful excuse for design, Minimalism (if used right) can be extremely powerful. However, in order to use Minimalism effectively, we must first understand what makes Minimalist design so effective and powerful.
The underlying principal is extremely simple.
Minimalism strips down the work to its “most fundamental features.”wiki
By stripping away all excess clutter, we remove all distractions from the message of the web site. For example, Continue reading…
As most of y’all probably know, Wordpress 2.7 [Coltrane] has entered the scene.
This new version of Wordpress sports yet another interface change, and a bunch of new (and rather amazing features). Though I haven’t upgraded yet, I have played around with the new interface over on Wordpress.com - and I’m impressed. It appears to be well done, easy, and more efficient. Many of the new features, like built-in stickies, mass post editing, and replying to comments right in the dashboard, have me drooling. However, I am reluctant to upgrade.
The trend for new version’s of Wordpress result in an “urgent” security fix/bug fix just a few weeks later is very consistent. While I think the people over at Automattic are awesome, and I love them for continuing to improve the (arguably) best blogging platform in existance, they always seem to create problems with new versions of Wordpress. (they’re already talking about v2.8)
New versions of Wordpress, (practically) always introduce new security problems, bugs, and (with few exceptions) outdate plug-ins. I’m almost done with plainbeta’s re-design, and I don’t want to upgrade to Wordpress 2.7 because I haven’t been able to find a Related Posts and/or a Popular Posts plug-in that works on Coltrane!
Once I do find such plug-ins, I will gladly upgrade to what appears to be the best version of Wordpress yet. Until that time, I’m going to stick with Wordpress 2.6.
Haven’t heard about Wordpress 2.7? Check it out!
It’s actually not hard to add Social Network links to your Wordpress blog! All it takes is knowing what code to put into your Wordpress page.
Technorati
<a href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=<?php the_permalink();?>">Technorati</a>
Stumble Upon
<a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=<?php the_permalink(); ?>">Stumble it!</a>
Digg
<a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url= <?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Digg</a>
delicious
<a href="http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&jump=close&url=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">delicious</a>
Google Bookmarks
<a href="http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&output=popup&bkmk=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Google</a>
Yahoo Bookmarks (Does anyone even use Yahoo anymore?)
<a href="http://myweb.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet? t=<?php the_title();?>&u=<?php the_permalink();?>&ei=UTF">Yahoo</a>
Reddit
<a href="http://reddit.com/submit?url=<?php the_permalink(); ?>&title=<?php the_title(); ?>" >reddit</a>
Blogmarks
<a href="http://blogmarks.net/my/new.php? title=<?php the_title();?>&url=<?php the_permalink();?>">Blogmarks</a>
Ma.gnolia
<a href="http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add? url=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Magnolia</a>
And here’s the whole list!
<p>Social Networks : <a href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=<?php the_permalink();?>">Technorati</a>, <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=<?php the_permalink(); ?>">Stumble it!</a>, <a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url= <?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Digg</a>, <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&jump=close&url=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">delicious</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&output=popup&bkmk=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Google</a>, <a href="http://myweb.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet? t=<?php the_title();?>&u=<?php the_permalink();?>&ei=UTF">Yahoo</a>, <a href="http://reddit.com/submit?url=<?php the_permalink(); ?>&title=<?php the_title(); ?>" >reddit</a>, <a href="http://blogmarks.net/my/new.php? title=<?php the_title();?>&url=<?php the_permalink();?>">Blogmarks</a>, <a href="http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add? url=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Ma.gnolia</a>.</p>
And I’m sure there’s more Social Links you could easily incorporate into your Wordpress blog without a plug-in. I may end up searching around for more, which I’ll post here if I find any. And if y’all find any, please let me know so I can incorporate into this post!
Over the past four months I have been slaving over a one month job. I am walking away with only the half I received up front. Though I’m out a lot of time and money, I have learned (and re-learned) several lessons.
I normally require this - always, period, no exceptions. However. This web job was through a friend, and I worked with her throughout the entire job. Not going with a contract is now biting me in the butt.
Always, always, always have a clearly stated contract. That way, if you don’t get paid, you can have a judge to get your payment from the client. A clear-cut contract also removes grey areas like revisions, job requirements, and such.
A great guide for design contracts
Always make sure you have everything in writing. This way, you have proof of job requirements, time-lines, and other specifics for personal reference and if you end up hitting the courts.
To increase security on such matters, require an email (or some form of recorded instruction) before you do anything. If your client wants a revision, have them send you an email before you start the revision. That way, if they change their mind and claim they didn’t want you to revise the design, you have proof.
While this isn’t absolutely necessary, like a contract, it is helpful. With this job that screwed me up the butt, communication was a major setback. Several times I was told one thing by one contact, and another by her boss. Having multiple contacts also means more work to keep everyone informed.
Keep it simple. Try and converse with one person, and have that contact converse with the rest of the company.
If your client already has a web host or running server, don’t assume it is up to date. I was hoping to use Wordpress as a CMS, but my client’s server was running PHP 4.1.3 while Wordpress required PHP 5.0. A small mis-understanding such as that cost me many hours of work, and probably ended up to the client dropping the job - even though it wasn’t my fault.
It all comes down to clarity I guess.
Make sure you communicate clearly and efficiently and things should go smoothly.
I hope you learned something and are able to keep yourself from running into such trouble.
Good luck in all your design endeavors!
Thanks to a friend of mine, I stumbled upon this video: The Advent Conspiracy (by AdventConspiracy.org)
I personally think this video has an incredible message on many levels. Y’all may disagree.
Even so.
This video has EXCELLENT typography.
Get involved and learn more: Advent Conspiracy .org
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