Tutorial Blog

Awesome Customizations: 10 websites based on the Yamidoo Magazine Theme

Barbara Holbrook — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:18:39 +0000

Premium WordPress themes can be a designer’s best friend. But most websites worth visiting know better than to use a theme straight “out of the box.” Your site design is part of your branding and it’s the first impression visitors will have of your product. It only takes seconds for a new visitors to decide whether your site is “reputable.” And, like it or not, they will make that decision based on looks.

That’s why when you’re deciding which premium theme to buy the most important question you can ask is, “Can I make this theme look custom without reinventing the wheel?” To help you make this decision, TutorialBlog will begin showcasing a selection of sites all based on the same theme. Take a look and see for yourself some of the customized themes that started with a premium foundation.

Today, we’re taking a look at customization ideas for the Yamidoo Magazine Theme from wpzoom. (...)
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How to Use Google Maps with WordPress Blogs: 5 Plugins to Get You Started

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:06:27 +0000

It wasn’t long ago that Mapquest was the only quality mapping tool online. Then, the rise of Google Maps, possibly the best and most sophisticated mapping tool available online.

Google Maps inspired regular people to become cartographers — mapping our lives, mashing up old maps in new ways, and creating a new way to share our world. Even as the maps have become more sophisticated, the general tools have become simpler. In fact, if you’re using WordPress inserting a Google Map can be dead easy with the right plugin.

A note of caution, inserting Google maps into a WordPress website without a plugin can have unexpected results. Be sure to place the embed code in the HTML Editor, and never save your post or page while in the Visual Editor.

Better yet, forget about embedding maps with html! Use one of these handy Google Maps plugins for WordPress. You’ll thank us later. (...)
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Sync Your Life: Great Tools to Sync, Backup and Store your Files

Derek Walter — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:00:20 +0000

You probably remember that one time when you really needed a copy of that spreadsheet for the meeting; only to realize it was sitting on your hard drive at home. Or the time you wrote up that great list of ideas and forgot to e-mail it to yourself.

If you use multiple devices for computing, the good news is these potential hazards can be avoided. There are now some great online tools to keep your files, notes, and other essential data synced between your desktop, laptop, and mobile phone.

Here are some suggestions for Getting your Digital Life in Sync.
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Freelancers: Invoice your clients

Oli — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:00:09 +0000

Create invoices and manage account receivables online using one of these 9 web apps. You’ll save time and maybe even earn more money.

The ability to successfully run a freelance design business, requires more than just graphic skills. You’ll need to know how to drum up business, manage competing demands and perhaps most importantly how to get paid.

As a freelancer, choosing the right invoice software can make your job easier. These web apps can create invoices online, track payments, and more. Many offer a free trial, others are completely free. All you need now is determine which online invoice software works best for you.

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Target Your Marketing Campaign with Facebook Ads

Barbara Holbrook — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:29 +0000

Facebook ads are quickly becoming the top choice for targeted online ad campaigns. Whether your goal is lead generation, sales, or improving brand recognition, a targeted campaign will always have better results.

Google Adwords used to be the king of online ad campaigns because they can target users based on their current search priorities. Facebook ads are the next generation of targeted text ads.

Learn how to get started and why you should create a Facebook ad. (...)
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5 Photo Gallery Plugins for WordPress

Spencer Spellman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:28:11 +0000

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If so, then these photo gallery plugins for WordPress must be worth volumes. Each plugin creates the photo gallery a bit differently — jquery slideshows, flash slideshows, automatically from your flickr set — which you choose is purely a matter of preference.

Image galleries are one of those features that can help your website or blog rise above the rest. Quality photos can draw in your visitors and keep them on your site longer. Sure, you can still add eye candy to your blog using the default installation of WordPress. But if you really want to go for sugar-overload, then you need to include a photo gallery.

Here are five WordPress photo gallery plugins that can add some interactivity and pop to your blog. Now that’s sweet. (...)
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Free Photoshop Shapes: Download Custom Shapes Sets

Barbara Holbrook — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:41 +0000

Photoshop shapes are different than Photoshop brushes, although some people use the terms interchangeably, they refer to completely different tools. Both tools will allow you to easily add custom elements that be stamped out over and over again, used to create patterns, transferred from one design to another, and stored in your Photoshop library for use on your next project.

The big difference between custom brushes and custom shapes is that brushes create a bitmapped element that is permanently painted onto a layer. Custom Photoshop shapes will add an editable vector shape on it’s own layer. This is especially useful because it makes it easy to change the color or size of your custom item should you change your mind while working on the design.

Adding custom brushes and custom shapes to your Photoshop presets is an invaluable timesaver. Today, we’ll help you start your collection with this list of 10 Places to Download Free Custom Shape sets for Photoshop. (...)
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5 WordPress Comment Plugins to Engage Users and Promote Discussion

Spencer Spellman — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:16:05 +0000

If you’re a new user to WordPress, then you’re probably perfectly content with the comment features you already have. You may not yet realize the positive effect that adding a comment plugin (or three) can have on your site.

Better comment functions are a great way to encourage discussion and build community on your blog or website. Whether your goal is to encourage people to leave comments, reward them for doing so or even just make your comments look better, there is a WordPress plugin that will do the trick.

Try these 5 WordPress comment plugins to enhance your blog.(...)
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Choosing the Best RSS Feed Plugin for Wordpress

Barbara Holbrook — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:59:29 +0000

Using RSS feeds with Wordpress for fun and for profit. At one point or another most bloggers will want to display articles from another website. You may be sharing articles with a syndicated author, setting up a news ticker, or simply listing the current headlines from news sources in your niche. Whatever your reason, RSS feeds are usually the best way to pull in content from another source.

Today we’ll discuss how to import an RSS feed and display the feed items in a WordPress blog. There are plenty of methods to fetch and display the RSS feeds: plugins, third-party feed websites (such as feedzilla); and custom PHP scripts. Here are best Wordpress plugins for RSS feeds. (...)
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5 Ways to Prevent Social Media Disaster

Spencer Spellman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:00:00 +0000

As the NFL season kicks off in the U.S., I’m just waiting for this year’s top end zone celebration to be someone pulling an iPhone out of their pants and sending out a tweet or updating their Facebook status with a misplaced comment that reveals the team’s new playbook.

Social media continues to pop up in unexpected places. But, what’s wildly entertaining for us, could be considered disaster to an NFL team. In fact to prevent loose lips (or careless keyboarding), the NFL has created strict social media guidelines for players on game day.

The popularity of social media, has caused many disasters for corporations around the globe including(...)
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