While it is true that WordPress is made locomotive strong, it can set even the best on their backsides resulting from attacks, or coding conflicts. Rare, but it does happen, and when it happens people tend to think they have opened Pandora’s Box. If the site has been kept current with updates, and is backed up properly the site will be back online in no time.

The newest versions of WordPress have automatic updating for the Core as well as the installed plugins, and themes. I highly recommend installing the WP-DBManager before entering the first bit of data. It is also a good idea to make a back up of the wp-content folder occasionally just to be safe. With an updated core, plugins, theme, and back ups of the database and wp-content your site can be recovered easily to the last safe point. Every website owner should at least know how to push the button that upgrades the system, and every developer should set up a database back up program for every WordPress site they build.

Check your site today for upgrades, and make sure you are backed up before you do.

Every program I had installed that relied on the Rosetta Translator was moved to an incompatible software file.  Doing a check to see how many Power PC apps prior to the upgrade may convince some to not upgrade at all.  Switching back is very difficult to do and should be researched prior to embarking on the upgrade.

Many programs will fail to work properly after the upgrade, and some will require a paid upgrade that may cost as much or more than Lion itself.  I was lucky, and only had to pay $25.00 for a Lion compatible Grammarian.

It is recommended as with all upgrades that a clone of your drive is made just in case.  There is nothing worse than facing a screen of death as I had with the Snow Leopard Upgrade.  Do the due diligence before making the choice.

The Lion OS is supposed to offer 250 new features.  I find Launch Pad, and Mission Control to be good for productivity although there were similar features in Snow Leopard.  There are other little features throughout that enhance an already fantastic OS, but I have noticed Lion is buggy at this stage.  The beach ball spins more than it used to, some programs become unresponsive, and I believe the OS is definitely slower than Snow Leopard.

All things considered; Lion will be a great OS after third party software catches up with the changes.  If I had the choice to do it over I wouldn’t hesitate.

My first DROID really changed the way I perceived phones after being a Blackberry user for two phones before.   The DROID made things possible that had been very frustrating on the Blackberries before.  So here I have the new version of one of my most trusted tools, a bigger more powerful version the DROID3.  I have already seen articles that warn about the loss of the boot loader, tiered data plans, and other complaints of the naysayers.  If you owned the original DROID, and have been waiting for the next generation, you are done waiting.  DROID3 is here, and does the original proud.

Right out of the box it is easy to tell that some very nice thinking went into the phone. The phone has a nicer appearance, feel, and look of quality than the previous DROID sliders that came before.   The slider is more refined having minimal play, and a positive open detent.  Underneath the slider is a very nice five row keyboard offering slightly rounded keys with a host of options for the writer, and coder alike.

I had a load of applications on my phone so the download took some time, but everything went very seamlessly as I have become accustomed to with a DROID.   After the phone was finished with the apps I went to work on email, and social media.   If there were any issues, I have to admit they were because I forgot a password or something similar.

Some applications may not work with the Gingerbread operating system, but that is unfortunately, the price of progress.  I imagine some disappeared due to the tiered data plans as well.  On the bright side the OS has a more refined appearance, and a seemingly rock solid performance that surely owes some allegiance to the new Dual Core processor under the bonnet.  Verizon has installed a backup that keeps your important setup and contact information stored in a cloud.

DROID3 is refining its artificial intelligence, with word guessing while typing that grows with your use of the software.  It doesn’t do much at first, but after writing a while, the predicted words start to show in green.  DROID3 remembers where you are in setup processes, and should you get distracted, everything is right there when you come back.   This smartphone just got smarter.

Over the next several weeks I will highlight individual features of the DROID3, but for now it is time to smoke test it.

We made a choice early on to support a CMS so our clients could make their own changes, add new content, and be involved with the overall success of their site.  WordPress was an easy choice for us to make for many reasons, and it has never let us down yet.  The code is clean, easy to shape to do our bidding, and does an excellent job of updating its core as well as the plugins installed.  Written in php, using a mysql database, and blessed with the Jquery library of special javascripts effects, WordPress is a great choice for almost every project we encounter.

When WordPress made the choice to think outside of the box with the use of child themes, we quickly jumped on board.  There are so many great Frameworks today it is difficult to choose one, and that is why we chose to use several.  Currently we work with Woo Themes, Studiopress, Theme Hybrid, and the default Twenty Ten Theme.  Every framework has traits that make it more desirable to work with for a given project so choosing the right one is all about function.  In the end, a well-supported framework that receives consistent updates is head and shoulders above other choices when the child theme strategy is implemented effectively.

Woo Themes is probably our favorite for many reasons.  The Woo Framework has been kept very close to the core of the WordPress Platform, and the Woo drag and drop menu system that WordPress Admin uses is proof of that.  Woo offers more than most people or designers for that matter will ever need within each theme, and they require a minimal amount of plugins to operate.

Studiopress has some very nice theme choices that are fairly easy to customize, and extend with minimal effort for those with some knowledge of web design.  The Genesis Framework is very reliable, fast, but is very proprietary making it somewhat rigid to being customized.  Studiopress includes almost everything right out of the box that is needed for most themes making it a great choice.

Theme Hybrid is one of those sleeper sites that has more than you can imagine, and that is especially if you are attempting to learn about the deeper workings of bending WordPress to do your will.   The site is the product of a developer named Justin Tadlock, who as near as I can tell has attained some very special Yoda type skills with WordPress.  Join this club for some good themes, and a potential to learn some very good WordPress skills.

Twenty Ten is more than a default theme that comes with WordPress, it is a highly customizable, reliable, and easy to use framework to build a wide variety of sites from.  The Twenty Ten Theme works with almost any plugin, accepts child theming beautifully, is free, and is as close to the core development of WordPress as it gets.

There are countless other very good choices one could use that are available to work with, but we have chosen to work with these few to make supporting our customers easier.  The right choice is always going to be the one that matches the functional needs of the website, because with a few lines of CSS dramatic visual changes can be made to any theme.  Remember beauty is skin deep, and nowhere is that more true than in web design.  The code is where the real poetry happens.

The first place to start after an idea has come to life is the local building department to define the feasibility, scope, and any new requirements.  Be sure to take the Assessors Parcel Number, writing supplies, thorough notes about the project, and some patience.  The building department has a negative stigma that can make many people want to give up before they even start.  Stay on task with relevant questions about your project and you may find the building official helping you to be very positive.  As with all agencies there are some people that are much better to work with than others, ask around to see if a certain person stands out, and then call to make sure they are working before making the trip.

Unless one has a lot of knowledge of construction it is time to call a professional to discuss the options.  Generally it is recommended that three contractors be called unless of course you have a rock solid recommendation or first hand experience with one.  It might be wise to call an architect, appraiser, and real estate agent as well, but a great place to start is with a reliable General Building Contractor.  General Building Contractors are paid to be the management hub of a project, and are experienced dealing with agencies or necessary professional services.

The secrets to child themes vary from parent to parent, and can sometimes be drastic.  There are many tutorials on the internet that help solve issues, but as everyone finds out, they don’t all work with a particular installation.

Child Themes draw their power from several key documents within them:

• Styles.css makes any theme magically morph into something else if the right styles are applied.
• Functions.php is where the dynamic beast is turned loose.
• Page template files enable pages to look however it is desired they look.
• Header.php optimized for speed, and function.
• Footer.php optimized for speed, and function.
• .htaccess can power some security, linking, and optimization.

All you need to do to create a child theme for Twenty Ten is a Styles.css file and the following statement.  Modify the “Your Name“ the relevant info for your theme.

[css autolinks="false" classname="myclass" collapse="false" firstline="1" gutter="true" highlight="1-3,6,9" htmlscript="false" light="false" padlinenumbers="false" smarttabs="true" tabsize="4" toolbar="true" title="example-filename.php"]
/*
Theme Name: Your Theme
Description: A Child Theme of Twenty Ten
Template: twentyten
Author: Your Name
*/
[/css]

Make a folder called “your-theme” and put your new styles.css file in it.  Upload the “your-theme” folder to the themes folder in the WordPress install, and you have a new theme that will appear as “Your Theme”.  Once “Your Theme” is selected the website css can be edited from the css that is added to /your-theme/styles.css.

One of the best tools for working with styles is the Firebug plugin in Firefox.  Firebug will allow style changes on the fly that can apply all of the power of CSS like position, margins, padding, images, colors, etc.

There are a bunch of frameworks out there today, and most of the ones you can find easily are good.  As a premium theme we use Studiopress for a variety of reasons.

Years ago an innovative team came up with a theme called the “Revolution” for WordPress, and that theme laid the groundwork for what is now known as Studiopress.  Studiopress has come a long way since then, and boasts a very robust Theme Framework Company.  They have plugins that compliment their framework, and a nice forum for users to glean knowledge from.

Studiopress is very proprietary in everyway, and maybe rightfully so.  The parent theme Genesis should never be messed with just like with other frameworks, however that is where the similarity to other frameworks ends.  Genesis child themes behave nothing like their counterparts, and have a set of rules all unto the Genesis Platform.  There is a learning curve to get past to make these themes sing, but once past it Studiopress does not disappoint.

There are a few steps that can be taken with a WordPress installation that will greatly improve the speed and efficiency of the website.  The magic happens in the .htaccess file.  This little file holds the key to many things, and speed is one of them.

This article comes after a fair amount of experimentation, failure, and finally the desired successful result.  This code may or may not work with all installs of WordPress, and was used on a GoDaddy shared host.

Proceed as follows:

1. Backup your .htaccess file, database, and wp-content folder.
2. Download the Smart Optimizer.   https://github.com/farhadi/SmartOptimizer
3. Read the instructions that come with it.
4. Upload it to your server.

WordPress should now be much faster, and have better Yslow scores.  Of course if this works, one should consider at least some kind of a nod to Farhadi for some excellent coding.

That is enough of the doom and gloom. Here are a few simple ways to protect your website, domain name, and maybe even your reputation:
1. Always use a secure password for any online activity. Usually a secure password will have 6 letters (one or more in caps), 3 numbers, and a symbol of some type. A username should be unique easy to remember, but have some level of security to it as well, maybe a cap thrown in.
2. Never send password info through the email. If you reset a password through an online system that sends a temporary, be sure to change it right away.
3. Beware of the free stuff requesting to use your login from Facebook, Twitter, etc.
4. Watch out for renewal notices coming by mail or email regarding a domain name ready to expire. These things are insidious, and once you sign up with them getting your domain, or your money back may be next to impossible.
5. Always use a reputable hosting company for any website you care about. The cliche “you get what you pay for” couldn’t be more true.
6. Programing, coding, and design work should be done by a reputable company. Beware of outsourcing with a cheap provider.
7. Watch out for the SEO gurus that are flooding the market today ready to put you at the top of Google. These characters approach us on a regular basis with return emails usually ending in gmail.com. Trust your web developer to do this for you, or go online to learn about it. By investigating SEO the insight necessary to make these choices will be more apparent.
8. Linking campaigns are still a rage on the net, and with very good reason. Having the proper links really helps to provide the user with avenues to find the information they are looking for. However, the sharks are here as well with automated software looking for linking partners. Sometimes it is very hard to tell who is legitimately trying to link to you. Relevance is always the key, check out the proposed link and if you like it make a reciprocal link with them.
9. Blogging comments are the breeding ground for the link finders. These marketers are leaving comments on any blog they can so they can have a link to their site. Always use administrative approval for comments, unless the site has been programmed to eliminate these nuisance, and sometimes damaging commentors.
Comments for additional content, links, etc, on this subject are greatly appreciated. Help us to help protect you from the Cyber Crooks that stalk the Internet.

Want to add some nice heading fonts to your website? Here is the way to have nice fonts like the Lobster font used here at Muncrief Designs.

What you will need:

• Basic html and css knowledge
• Access to your site files probably with an ftp client
• A text or html editor
• Google Font Directory

That is all you really need to get your website fonts looking a whole lot better.

What you need to do:

• Access fonts at the Google Font Directory and select a font, we will use Lobster for this tutorial. Acquire the embed code
  [css autolinks="false" classname="myclass" collapse="false" firstline="1" gutter="true" highlight="1,2,3" htmlscript="false" light="false" padlinenumbers="false" smarttabs="true" tabsize="4" toolbar="true"]<link href=’http://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lobster’ rel=’stylesheet’ type=’text/css’>[/css]
• Use the embed code in the head of your html page, header.php, or equivalent
• Acquire the css from the Google Font Directory and apply it to the elements in your css that you wish to have display Lobster
  [css autolinks="false" classname="myclass" collapse="false" firstline="1" gutter="true" highlight="1,2,3" htmlscript="false" light="false" padlinenumbers="false" smarttabs="true" tabsize="4" toolbar="true"]h1 { font-family: ‘Lobster’, arial, serif;}[/css]

The embed code only needs to be added one time per document, however it is possible to style as many of your text elements as you like using the new font through the CSS.

Adding shadows to the text in a document really is cool, however there are certain browsers that do not support this feature, but for those that do it is a nice treat. The results will look like this.

If you want to walk on the wild side by adding shadows to your website fonts then add this little text-shadow code to your CSS.

• [css autolinks="false" classname="myclass" collapse="false" firstline="1" gutter="true" highlight="1,2,3" htmlscript="false" light="false" padlinenumbers="false" smarttabs="true" tabsize="4" toolbar="true"]h1 { font-family: ‘Lobster’, arial, serif;text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000;}[/css]

Typekit offers a similar service for fonts. The resources at Typekit are quite extensive, and work similar to the Google Fonts. Typekit offers a free trial offer with two fonts, and three other paid programs.

Wtih the Google Font Directory, Typekit, and who knows what other provider there is no reason to have boring fonts in a website anymore. Display sizes can vary like with all fonts with different weights so be sure to double check the size with the alternate selected. Have fun with font

Simple steps that are consistently taken will ensure a website that has the necessary factors for search engine readiness.  There are many different philosophies, software programs, and expensive courses from some guru on how to get traffic to your site all will point back to the basics at some point.  Funny how the basics never seem to go out of style.

Basics in SEO are pretty straight forward.  They can be put into two categories, on page optimization, and off page optimization.  Let us define what these are.

On Page SEO

• <title> The title of the site should always include the page name as well as the site name.  Shows in search results.
• <description> Grammatically correct description of what the page is all about.  Shows in search results.
• <keywords> The words placed here should accurately reflect what is on the page.  Spam in this area only hurts ranking.
• Content is where the magic really happens.  Think of the content that you like to read, and create keyword rich text with anchor links/links.
• Images should be optimized for size, name, title, and alternate text.  Always replace 45020929.jpg with something meaningful like red-robin.jpg.
• Navigation title should reflect keywords, and frequently are also the title of the page.
• Use the footer area to list an auxiliary navigation to legals, contact, etc., as well as copyright info.

That is pretty much the recipe that all SEO professionals will work with in the on page optimization of a website.  These principals have proven to be somewhat timeless in these early years of the world wide web, and should always be considered necessary for traffic.

Off Page SEO

• Submit url with accurate descriptions to Google, Yahoo, Bing, and DMOZ at a bare minimum.
• Become interested and educated in using the webmaster tools provided by the large search engines.
• Place business on every map, and subscribe to business listings with search engines.
• Join social media groups and get involved.
• Digg, Reddit, Stumbleupon your good work.
• Find communities, and forums that resemble your business then get involved.
• Start a link building program.

There are many off page avenues that can bring traffic to your website so be creative.  Getting involved in worthy areas is always worth much more than the fly by night push button software that solves all your problems.

Search Engine Optimization is a very demanding, precise method that can make a website attractive to the search engines, and to the visitor as well.  SEO that is done correctly will place a site somewhere in the mix of the competition, and provide a good foundation from which to improve.  There is no secret code, magic bullet, or super program that does this work for anyone.  Take the work at hand one step at a time, do things correctly, and most of all be patient because good ranking takes time to build.