I had heard about Amazon’s S3 storage for some time, but really never got around to trying it out until I discovered two interesting WordPress plugins that use the service. If you’re unfamiliar with Amazon S3, it is really inexpensive storage for your files. Amazon has lots of server space available and a content delivery network that can place your content locally all over the planet. Plus their servers are lightning fast which could potentially cut your page load time. So here are the two plugins that have gotten me to leave two widely used standards to these new products.

W3 Total Cache

I have been a user of WP Super Cache almost since I started using WordPress and it does work, but W3 Total Cache takes the concept to an entirely different level. Not only can you cache your pages, but you can also cache your database, plus gzip and minify your CSS and javascript. As I looked through the setting though what I was most excited to see was the option of hosting many of my site’s files on Amazon S3. This would allow me to serve my images and other files much more quickly than my own server would allow.

All that is required is for you to sign up for an account with Amazon’s S3 storage. You will need two security codes and you’ll be ready to go. the plugin will create a bucket for your files and then copy all of them to S3 for serving. Then you activate your changes and you’re good to go. It’s that simple. If you look at the source code of this page, you will notice elements served, not from ThemeWeaver.net, but most images from S3.

I only ran into two issues with the plugin, neither of which deal with S3. On Theme Weaver, the minify option conflicts with WishList Member which I use to power the member part of the site. Thankfully I can turn that portion of the plugin off on the options page and still run the rest of the features. On BillRobbinsDesign.com, my image rotator is not capable of using remote images, so I’ll have to make changes, but I consider the benefits worth it.

So here is the question that matters: Can I tell a difference? You bet. Plus my grade on Y! Slow improved. Now that Google is factoring site load time into it’s algorithm, it’s in all our best interests to make our sites as fast as possible. Using W3 Total Cache can really make a difference. Learn more about the plugin here.

Automatic WordPress Backup

I’ve been using WP Database Backup for a long time to create database backups of my sites and the ones of my clients. The one problem though is this automated solution doesn’t backup the files. Obviously theme files are a simple matter since I maintain local copies of those, but what about all the images I’ve uploaded or my clients have added to their sites? While researching alternatives, I came upon Automatic WordPress Backup and have swapped all my sites for this more comprehensive solution.

Like W3 Total Cache, Automatic WordPress Backup uses Amazon S3 storage for backups, but unlike WP Database Backup, this plugin backups your entire WordPress site–all your files and your database automatically. Setup is a breeze and once you’re configured, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. It really is fix and forget it. If you have a busy site, you can set it to backup frequently–say daily, or less often if you don’t publish content as often. You can learn more and download the plugin here.

If you’ve uncovered a use for Amazon’s S3 service that you’ve found useful, share it with us.

There are literally millions of WordPress powered websites and blogs on the internet and millions of other sites using other blogging platforms.  Sometimes you just need a fresh look at things.  That’s why I’m bringing you the “Down Under” theme for WordPress.  It’s so easy to have one site start to look just like every other, so I set out to create a functional site with an unique layout.

The main post list for Down Under features a large thumbnail, that is automatically generated from the image of your choosing for each post.  This list also contains vital information like the title, date and number of comments.  Plus a quick excerpt from the post content.

This layout is not only unique it is flexible for many types of blogs.  It is superb as a photoblog or portfolio site.  The theme even includes a portfolio post layout to show off a collection of images or proofs.  Down Under would also make a great magazine site or traditional blog for people who want to show off great imagery with their posts.

One of the great features that comes built into the theme is Type Kit.  Type Kit is a tool that allows you to use great typography on the web.  Plus with free accounts available even for commercial sites, there’s no reason to leave it out.  I’ve created an option in the theme control panel where you can enable Type Kit and add the fonts you’d like to use.  Part of what makes Type Kit so great is that it has partnered with many font foundries to offer some really great fonts for us to use–far better than the free ones available on the web.

Here’s a quick list of the main features:

• Built in support for Type Kit so you can use great fonts on the web (optional, not required)
• Automatic thumbnails
• Portfolio post template to show off your work
• Built in Fancy Box gallery with valid XHTML code to replace WordPress’ built in function
• Optional sidebar ads widget so you can display ads on your pages and posts
• Optional ad space after the first post on each page
• Easy to use theme control panel
• Archive page to provide a quick way of seeing all your posts in one place
• Five styles that you can easily choose in the control panel
• Use your own logo or the site’s title
• Valid XHTML code and exciting use of CSS 3 for browsers that can use it
• Previous and Next page buttons integrated into the footer navigation
• Cross browser checked
• Amazing support straight from the theme author

What to do after installing WordPress from Theme Weaver on Vimeo.

Flow is an elegant WordPress theme ideally suited to people who want their content to shine.  This blog style theme features a prominent image, video or quote from each post in a stylish list style.  Here are just a few of the theme’s great features:

• Easy to use control panel to completely configure your theme
• Five color styles to choose from
• Three shadow styles available to use for post thumbnails
• Videos are playable from the post list (not just on the post itself)
• Space for sidebar ads (can be turned on and off from the control panel)
• Disappearing sidebar (can be turned on and off from the control panel)
• Choose from three post styles–image, video or text
• Enhanced WordPress gallery with valid XHML code and Fancy box image viewer
• Option to use your logo or your site’s title
• Works in Internet Explorer 6 +, FireFox 2 +, Safari 3 +, Chrome 2 +, and Opera 9 +
• Valid XHML for compatibility and CSS3 features to make your site stand out

Flow has even more to offer than these features.  Join today and start using Flow on your site (or your client’s) today.

At Theme Weaver, we are excited to offer a fantastic deal on all our themes. You can get unlimited access to all our themes for only $50. This not only includes are currently released themes, but our future ones as well. Plus if you act quickly you will gain a lifetime membership for only $50.

We are offering at least one theme a month, so before this year is over you will have at least 12 great WordPress themes for only $50. Many companies charge more than that for just one theme! So what are you waiting for? Join our club today and have the themes you’ll need this year for yourself and your clients. It’s too good of a deal to pass up.