There are thousands of Wordpress themes available on the Internet. You only need to go to your favourite search engine and type in “Wordpress Themes” and look at the number of results that are returned (Google: 21,200,000 results). Many of them are available for free, you simply have to browse through designs until you find one that suits your style and your needs. Then there are the ‘premium’ themes which are sold in multiple amounts at more affordable prices. These are designed to give a professional, crisp design at a lower price than your standard graphic designer’s fees. Finally, you have the option to contact a graphic designer and ask them to come up with a custom design to suit your needs and niche. You will be paying top dollar for this, so you would expect a very good quality design for your money.

Free Themes
These are the most easily affordable themes for people looking to setup their new Wordpress site or perhaps change the look of their current design, since they cost…absolutely nothing. The other major advantage of using a free theme is that you save yourself a lot of time and effort with the design work as everything has been built for you. All that you need to do is download the theme, plug it into your Wordpress site and away you go.

However, a lot of people do make mistakes in choosing a theme for their websites and end up with a finished result that is completely different from the design they imagined before they started. Similarly, since the design was not created by themselves and was instead offered as a free theme if they wish to customise the design/layout and they lack the sufficient design knowledge to achieve this, they may hit a stumbling block and have to pay someone else to customise their free theme. Suddenly that free theme doesn’t seem so appealing does it?

One of the most common mistakes that you can see as you browse blogs across the net are people who jump on a bandwagon and use a theme because it is popular. This ends up with your site lacking uniqueness and credibility and your visitors can become bored by seeing a design that they see several times a day.

So what do you do if you really want to use that popular theme? Well, why not change some of the colours around and perhaps change the default font that is used so that you can give yourself more of a unique look. Changing colours would be as simple as opening the CSS file and playing around with the colours.

Tip: Before editing the colours or playing around with a CSS file, you should ensure that you make a backup of the files first. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to get carried away, make changes that you are unable to reverse, and then you realise that you’ve deleted the files from your PC and you don’t have a back-up. It will save you hunting through the free theme websites just to download another copy of the theme.

The most simple and obvious changes would be to add a new header image and/or logo to your Wordpress theme. Perhaps the layout fits your niche, except the header is of a car when your website is actually about computers? No problem, just source yourself a new image (I use iStockPhoto and sxc.hu), trim the photo to size and you’ve got yourself a new header.

Just be careful about how long you spend editing the theme, should you choose to do so, as the whole point of a website theme is to save time and effort in the creation of your site. Should you customise the theme to a position where it is completely unrecognisable from the theme that you downloaded, then I would suggest that you have gone too far. Whilst it is good that you have a completely unique design, you’re defeating the point of the website theme, which is to give you a canvas on which to paint your art.

Premium Themes
Why would you want to spend a little money on a theme when you can get one of thousands for free? I’ll tell you why…

• A premium theme gives you a chance to stand out from the crowd of the ‘popular’ free themes.
• You can see the design before you buy and you know exactly what you’re going to get - plus on many sites, you can see showcases of how people have customised the theme (more on this shortly).
• Ideal if you don’t know PHP/CSS/HTML.
• You can get a theme that has been designed specifically for your needs. Perhaps you’re starting a celebrity blog and you want to get a ‘Magazine style’ media theme - no problem, there are many of these around.
• Excellent value for money as you get a theme you can tweak and make your own, which has been carefully designed.
• Product support - If you have a problem with your theme, you can contact the designer and they will help you to resolve your problems.

Of course a premium theme would not be suitable for every user. The main useage for these themes are going to be the media, news, technology style blogs, who rely on a magazine style layout and a really crisp and professional design. For these types of sites, content is their number one priority, so the less time that is spent on designing and implementing the theme, the more time there is available for adding content and value for the website’s visitors.

As an example, one of the more popular premium Wordpress themes is Brian Gardner’s Revolution Theme. This magazine-style theme currently comes in 9 different flavours, which cover a broad spectrum such as music, news, sports and technology. The themes cost $79.95 for single use, and in my opinion represent excellent value if they suit the style of your website. Take a look at a few examples of a customised Revolution theme in the showcase. One of my favourites is floatrightmedia - which looks absolutely outstanding, considering it was based on the ‘Revolution: Pro Media” theme.

Custom Themes
A custom Wordpress theme doesn’t always have to be expensive, but with only one or two exceptions, you do get exactly what you pay for in the design industry.

Sure, you can head on over to a Freelance design website such as GetAFreelancer, and post a job - but the majority of applicants for your job are going to be underskilled and will try to fool you with a pre-existing Wordpress theme that they have modified slightly and declared as their own ‘unique’ design. Don’t get me wrong, there are exceptions and there are some fantastic designers out there, but by and large these designers do not have time to post on Freelance websites and they will command a much higher fee.

The average fee for a completely unique theme seems to range from $300 to $1000+ , dependant on the needs of the client. If you’re going for a unique look you should definitely be budgeting for at least a $300 spend to ensure that you give yourself enough money for a quality design.

SitePoint’s Marketplace often has a number of Wordpress themes for sale, mostly unique. If you’re quick and have the money ready for an immediate purchase, you can snag a good bargain here. I’ve bought a few themes in the last 3 months within an hour of them being listed. Including one theme that was purchased for $199, which we then used on a client’s website and sold to him for $800.

There are many choices as you can see, and I’ve not even covered half of them. Look out for a future update with more evaluation of your choices and some recommended designers. Why not tell us about the theme that you use on your Wordpress blog? Leave a comment below…

The Shadowserver Foundation who track the number of infected computers, have seen a threefold increase in the last three months alone.  More than 450,000 computers are now part of zombie networks or botnets, run by hi-tech criminals, they said. The rise is believed to be linked to the number of attacks that booby-trap websites or try to infect the machines of users.

Criminal gangs are very keen to recruit new machines to a botnet to create a resource that they can use or that they can hire out to other criminal gang for profit. A lot of spam and junk mail is routed through the machines, forming the botnet. The botnet can then be used to launch attacks on websites, as an anonymous store to collect details and stolen data, and to help with phishing scams.  Most of the machines in the botnets are PCs running a version of Microsoft’s Windows.

The jump in individual zombie numbers is linked to a series of wide-spread attacks that inject malicious code on to legitimate websites that tries to compromise any visiting machine.

In recent months many hi-tech criminals have turned to web attacks to recruit new victims rather than rely on sending viruses out via e-mail.

Typically, a machine is compromised via a vulnerability in one of the programs it runs. Inside this initial attack program will be code that directs it to contact a C&C server which then downloads software to put it completely under the control of a botmaster.

Based on Microsoft’s current Operating System - Vista, Windows 7 is currently expected to be released in January 2010.

The announcement about the release of Windows 7 details was made on a new Windows 7 blog, which is being written by the engineers who are designing and creating the software. Writing on the blog, Jon Devaan and Steven Sinofsky, two senior engineers on the project, said that Microsoft had been keeping details about Windows 7 fairly quiet as they didn’t want to ‘talk up’ features that may never make it into the finished product.

What we know about Windows 7, is that it will be using core components from Windows Vista and it will have a touch interface, that when coupled with the right type of screen, will allow the system to recognise gestures to complete tasks. For the current technology trends with people purchasing iPhones in droves, these sort of features will be very welcome.

The one hope we here at Cupoftech.com have, is that Microsoft make Windows 7 a lot less bulky than Windows Vista is. Please think of the more advanced end user as well as Joe Bloggs who is using his first computer and appreciates ‘pretty’ interfaces.

The game allows you to take control of your own footballer and pit your skills against other players from around the world as you compete to improve your player and work hard with your teammates. You earn experience points based on your stats from matches that you play in, and you can use these points to improve your players stats, earn money and increase your fame.

Football Superstars will be free to download and play, however you will need to subscribe to gain access to all of the options available. It remains to be seen whether it can compete against the top football games currently on the market, such as Fifa, Pro Evolution Soccer and Football Manager, however - the FPS-style control of your single player and the ability to work as a team with 10 other players from around the world will certainly appeal to many football fans.

The game is currently in a private beta and looks like it will be released in the 4th quarter of this year. Watch this space…

Netflix have announced that they already have over 10,000 movies available for download and they plan to offer more titles every week. The set-top box is really an extension of their current service where they allow users to stream content to their PCs, but using the set-top box they can now play these movies in their living rooms which are undoubtedly going to be more comfortable and convenient.

The box doesn’t have an internal hard drive, so the movie content will need to be streamed directly for the duration of the film. Roku recommend that you have at least a 1.5Mbs connection, and depending on your speed you will be able to access a variety of levels in stream quality. These currently range from less than DVD quality, right up to DVD quality streaming for users with faster connections.

Unfortunately for those of us in the UK, Netflix are primarily based in the USA and are unlikely to ever reach our soils. With the recent comments from top UK ISPs about the amount of bandwidth that users are consuming, blamed on current streaming services such as BBC’s iPlayer or Channel 4’s 4OD. Secondly, many of our connections in the UK are still archaic so there may not be enough demand in the UK to justify a launch of a product like this over here yet. Only time will tell for the future, but if this is to be successful in the UK we will certainly need a complete overhaul of our current Internet connectivity. H2O had better start digging up some more sewers and laying fibre-optic cable as soon as possible…

The purchased sites include: ZDNet, Gamespot, News.com, TV.com, MP3.com and Download.com - all of which already have a very good following - with Download.com being particularly popular for software and driver downloads.

I don’t think that this is going to be the last of the traditional TV networks breaking into the online world and purchasing digital property. After Rupert Murdoch’s (Sky) purchase of MySpace, and now the CBS acquisition of CNET, there will certainly be TV execs around the world looking for the next juicy target. Any predictions on who will be next?

The price of the Bebo brand is rather insignificant when compared to the price that Microsoft paid ($240m)for a paltry 1.6% of Facebook last year. Or in fact, the price that was paid for Myspace by News Corp ($580m) in 2005. News Corp now value the Myspace brand at more than $15bn. I’d love to have some of what they’re smoking…

There has been a lot of interest in social networking sites over the last couple of years and it is easy to see why. Social networking websites are seen as a very valuable method of online advertising due to the fact that the sites’ members post information about themselves and their interests and adverts can be targetted specifically towards those interests.

It will be very interesting to see what AOL do with the Bebo brand, as they’ve really failed to deliver anything useful in the ISP stakes over the last few years. I’ve lost count of the customers (mainly home users) over the last few years who I’ve supported and helped with removing AOL due to the software being bloated and about as fun to use as poking yourself in the eye with pins. Likewise, there isn’t a day that goes by without someone spamming me with Bebo invites and telling me to come and share my life with them on yet another social networking site. So with Bebo’s spam and AOL’s awful ISP reputation, I’m predicting that this will now be a ticking timebomb.

What do you think about AOL taking over Bebo? And does anyone have anything nice to say about either brand?

This is an amazing statistic and just goes to show that losing a battle with a rival in the current technology climate can have huge implications on your year-end profits, let alone the fact that if you are not established in other markets you could go out of business altogether.

I don’t know about you, but when I read out $1bn to myself, I’m saying it in an Austin Powers voice.

Out of interest, did any readers purchase a HD-DVD unit? If so, what will you be doing with it now? Do you have a creative use for it?

From the 14th March, the 20Gb hard drive model will cost €270 across Europe, which is a price drop of €80.

In the UK, the entry-level Xbox 360 console (which does not have a hard drive!), will be available for £159.99. This is a price drop of £40 from the previous price of £199.99. The top level Xbox 360 console which is Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Elite will be on sale for £259.99. The Elite has a 120Gb hard drive.

Microsoft’s price drops mean that their consoles are now cheaper than both their Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii counterparts. The PS3 currently sells for £299.99 (40Gb hard drive), and the Wii retails at £180.

The price cuts are due to Microsoft losing ground on their rivals, as both competitors have been outselling the Xbox 360 on a monthly basis. There’s no doubt that Sony and Nintendo will be viewing these price cuts with added interest and it’ll be fun to see how they react.

Do you own an Xbox 360 or will these new lower prices entice you into getting one?

As an example domains such as VIP.com ($1.4mil), BEER.com ($7mil), BUSINESS.com ($7.5mil) and SEX.com ($11-14mil depending on which report you believe), have all sold for very very high amounts of money. Of course these are generic domains and are valuable tools with the right marketing strategy, but it’s still a hell of a lot of money to throw down for a domain name.

Due to the prices that we see some of these domain names sell for, this has led to an increasing number of Internet speculators who will register a domain and then either park it and make money from the advertising revenue or they will try to sell it at one of the top domain auction sites, like the aforementioned Sedo.

If we take a look at some of the recent sales on Sedo, we can see that even the most normal looking domains can fetch fairly high prices. For example: musicvideo.info ($1114), caregiverz.com ($1588), glorylane.com ($2188) and malehq.com ($1800), have all made their respective owners a very healthy profit. Based on the fact that a domain costs on average $8-9, this is a very good return on their investments.

So how can you get caught out?

When you have a new business idea or you decide to start a new website, unless you are lucky enough to already own a suitable domain name, you will often spend a few hours searching for something you like. There are even some websites such as Domains Bot or Make Words, that will allow you to enter keywords and give you suggestions based on your keywords.

The biggest mistake that people make when finding and choosing their domain name is that they don’t register all of the extensions. This allows a domain speculator to come along, register the other domain name and then they will try and sell it to you or to a 3rd party for an extortionate amount. Even worse, a competitor could register that domain name and then point it to their own website. Both of these options will result in you potentially losing traffic/business.

A couple of real-life examples

1) A good friend of mine Everton, over at Connected Internet set his website up 3 years ago. He registered connectedinternet.co.uk but he didn’t register the .com of his domain. The domain was picked up by a domain speculator and it is currently for sale for…. $300,000! An absolutely crazy amount of money, but they obviously feel that if Everton or someone else wants the domain - then they can pay a premium for it. In Everton’s own words he says: “In the past I’ve toyed with purchasing connectedinternet.com, as I feel that not buying a .com address was my biggest ever blogging mistake. However, the owner asked for a ridiculous amount and now that connectedinternet.co.uk is well established, I doubt that I would benefit from the move.”

In a way he is right, as being well established with around 2000 subscribers to his feed and many more thousands of visitors each day, he has turned his website into a huge success. However, I’m sure he would agree that owning the .com of his domain would make him a lot happier.

2) When I first purchased the domain for one of my own companies, I too only registered the UK extension. At the time, I didn’t really think it would make a difference if I had a UK domain or a TLD that gave a more global appearance. So again, a domain speculator swooped in and registered the .com version, and then tried to sell it on to me for $15,000.

Like Everton, I’m very unwilling to pay a silly price just for the domain, so I declined their offer. I believe at present they want $7,000 for it, but I’ll still never pay that sort of money. Also, since my company is UK based and deals mainly with UK customers, I’ve not really lost any business because of this. Although, I do still have customers telling me on a weekly basis that they sent an email to us on sales@url.com instead of .co.uk.

5 Tips to stop you from being caught out

1) When choosing and registering your new domain, always try and obtain the .com of your domain first. When a customer hears your website or brand name, the first thing they are likely to enter into their web browser is your brand name followed by .com. If you don’t own that domain, that is a customer you could be losing.

2) If there is already a site using the .com version of your domain and they have good authority, think of a new name. It is far easier to think of a different domain name than it is to try and compete with a website using a name very similar to yours, with the best TLD and with more authority.

3) Register all of the relevant TLDs! The order I usually register my domains in is: .com, .net, .co.uk (if I will be aiming at UK customers/visitors as part of my business), .info and .org (only if the brand name really needs it). You should always get the .com and .net no matter what. At $8 each, they are not going to break the bank and you can save yourself a lot of money by ensuring that you have control of that name rather than a competitor or speculator.

4) Be careful where you search for your domains. There has been a lot of talk recently about Network Solutions registering domains that have been searched on their websites and then holding them for 5 days. Something that is known as ‘domain tasting’. Always make sure that you are able to register your domain name(s) as soon as you find them, rather than thinking you will get them and then waiting for someone else to get the name. Also, some registrars actually publish a list of recently searched for domains, so if someone sees something you’ve searched for and feels there is money to be made, they may well register the domain that you really wanted.

5) Don’t use any trademarks or existing company names in your domain. For example, registering something like ebayguide.com is likely to land you in hot water with eBay themselves. Anyone who owns a registered trademark or believes you are squatting on a domain that contains their business name, with no real intent to use it, can take legal action to reclaim that domain…leaving you with nothing. Better not to waste that $8 right?

Please let me know if this proves helpful to you and also if you have had any experiences similar to the above, I’d love to hear from you.