Blank is a WordPress theme with all the functionality of a typical WordPress theme but almost none of the styling. The idea is that when starting a new theme, it is far easier to use this as a base then a theme that is already finished and styled.

"Everyone starts out as a beginner. We have created the perfect guide for you so you can maximize the potential of your blog."

A post I found on the site, 21 Most Useful Time Saving WordPress Shortcuts, is especially handy since I'm a firm believer in using the keyboard as much as possible instead of the mouse. For instance, when you are typing your next post, try this command to make a word bold: Alt+SHIFT+b.

I've added WPBeginner to the hand-picked assortment of WordPress specific blogs that flow through Become the Media. Just click on the 'WordPress Blogs' tab and you'll always find the latest posts from the best WordPress focused sites on the net.

(Via UsabilityNews)

Which Twitter/WordPress plugins do you use?

Written by Chris Coyier and Jeff Starr, Digging Into WordPress is available as a spiral bound book for $67 or as a downloadable PDF for $27.

The book promises 400 pages of practical information, sample code, maintenance tips, and more. I'm tempted to purchase the PDF and will post a review here on Become the Media if/when I do.

Have you purchased this book? What are your thoughts?

The theme, priced at $59 for a Single License and $149 for a Multi-License easily installs into WordPress and provides you with custom control panel screen. From the control panel, you can easily set up tab names and add your Google Analytics code. You can also configure which tab will represent your WordPress Blog.

Adding feeds to your newly created tabs isn't intuitive at first. I had to dig around the FAQs on the website to figure it out. Basically, you visit the Widgets section of your WordPress Dashboard, drag the 'Accumulo RSS' widget into a 'home tab' sidebar and then add the details such as Blog Title, Website URL, Feed URL, and a link to the site's Favicon. Once you've added one, it's simple to add the others. However, as a paying customer, I would have expected this kind of information to be made available in a readme file that accompanied the theme rather than having to visit the Pro Theme Design site FAQ for the answer. Perhaps there is documentation that accompanied the theme but I can't find it.

The good news is that Pro Theme Design has a forum where you can get support for whichever theme you've purchased. I left a few support questions after purchasing this theme and they were answered in a short period of time. However, one of my questions, 'how do I get an RSS feed for a Google search?' resulted in an answer that hasn't led me to figure out how. I'm still hoping to figure out how to do this. And since one of the examples on the Accumulo theme demo site shows Google searches aggregated onto a page, I once again wish Pro Theme Design would go the extra mile and provide step-by-step directions for their customers on how to make the best use of the theme.

These nit-picks aside, I'm extremely happy with the Accumulo theme. It was well worth the money and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants this style of aggregated website.

Bringing the exhibit to the web

The Asia Foundation wanted a web-based version of the 'real world' Afghanistan Exhibit that was on display in Washington, DC. Getting Sites Built created a custom Flash-based solution in less than three weeks. An interactive, web-based, Flash timeline now seamlessly displays the text and images from the physical exhibit. Work Done: Research; Flash production and web staging; version detection; compatibility testing.

Creating In Asia

The Asia Foundation needed a means of sharing weekly news and information outside of the main website. Getting Sites Built created In Asia. This separate website utilizes RSS feeds and email tools to broadcast content, while keeping the presence and feel of the parent site. Now there is an effective and easy way to disseminate weekly information. Work Done: Research; Site installation and customization; graphics, training.

Embedding with integrity

The Asia Foundation asked us to solve a problem they were having with the existing Flash video player. The display on the interface of the gallery page only allowed for a small number of videos. The webmaster found the existing Flash-based answer too difficult and time-consuming to be useful. Getting Sites Built created an elegant solution. We embedded the basic interface of the Flash player directly into the web page, maintaining the integrity of the presentation while addressing the root cause of the problem. It's simple to add new videos now. The webmaster creates a new page in Dreamweaver and enters the URL to match the new video's URL. That's it! No need to jump through hoops just to add more video content. Work Done: Research; Flash extraction and web staging; version detection; compatibility testing. We build the website you've always wanted.