I met Chris online probably about 18 months ago while working with BuddyPress. From memory we were helping each other figure out how to configure the forums in the very early versions of BuddyPress, before V1 was even released.

On the back of sucessfully completing the project and realising we work pretty well together, we have decided to team up on a permant basis and create WP Specialists.

By joining forces we are able to provide our customers with wider range of experience and knowledge as we both have years of experience with WordPress and website design. We also have the advantage of living on the opposite sides of te world to each other so can work of projects around the clock.

If you know someone who needs a WordPress project completed, whether it be a custom theme, new install and config, modifications, plugins, or anything else WordPress related, please check us out!

I spent a while searching around Google trying to figure out how to add social networking buttons into the products page. I basically wanted people to click “Share on Facebook”, “Tweet This” and more recently “Buzz This” and send the product name, the URL and any other text I wanted.

All you really need to know is

• <?php echo $this->htmlEscape($_product->getName()) ?> – Product name
• <?php echo $_product->getProductUrl() ?>- Product URL

I have added the below to the view.phtml page, found in templates/catalog/product.

Twitter

<a title=”Send this page to Twitter!” href=”http://twitter.com/home?status=Check out the <?php echo $this->htmlEscape($_product->getName()) ?> at <?php echo $_product->getProductUrl() ?> @foodoAU” target=”_blank”><img src=”YOUR BUTTON HERE” alt=”Follow foodoAU on Twitter”/></a>

Facebook

<a href=”http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=<?php echo $_product->getProductUrl() ?>&t=Check+this+out” target=”_blank” title=”Share on Facebook”><img src=”YOUR BUTTON HERE” alt=”Share on Facebook”></a>

Google Buzz

<a href=”http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=<?php echo $_product->getProductUrl() ?>&title=<?php echo $this->htmlEscape($_product->getName()) ?>&srcURL=YOUR URL&srcTitle=YOUR SITE NAME” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow external” title=”Google Buzz This”><img src=”YOUR BUTTON” ” alt=”Google Buzz This!” /></a>

As usual, living in Australia means that we are the last country to receive anything. It has been better in recent years with regards to television and movies, but technology still seems to take at least 3-4 months if not more to catch up with the rest of the world.

Living in Ireland, they were pretty much on the same schedule as the UK, so I got things when they came out and not 6 months after the rest of the world was already sick of it.

The Google Nexus One was released a few weeks ago to 4 countries. One of them not being Australia, and probably not the fault of any Australia telco. Looking at reports from various online sources, Vodafone look like they are going to carry the phone in Australia but have said it will be available to us “sometime in 2010″. That means they probably haven’t even seen the phone yet, let alone be in the process of testing it.

With no confirmation date, and with no date likely to be annouced for a while I am going to get a friend to buy me one from the US and get it shipped here. It will probably work out cheaper for me anyway, with the final cost of the phone plus shipping to be somewhere around AUD$650, maybe even cheaper.

I have been waiting for an Android phone for a while now. In a post  a few months back I mentioned that I was waiting for the next generation of phones from Acer, Motorola and SE. Following that, HTC announced their new 2010 lineup and I was set on the Bravo, now I want the Nexus One.

By the time Vodafone Australia launches the N1, it will be old. The Nexus 2 probably would have been announced, or even released and I’d once again be wanting the latest device. There is always going to be something better, so I figure I will get the N1 now from the US before I see what is coming later this year, or I will never get an Android phone.

I am going to order it next week, I”ll let you know what it is like. But before then, I have to find to Aussie carrier that won’t charge me an arm and leg for data. That’s another thing we are behind in, the falling of mobile phone costs! I’ll leave that rant for another day.

Being a personal blog I like the idea of sharing my twitter feed, photos, links, etc with my viewers. I was trying to get that across with my last theme, but failed due to the theme being a bit rough around the edges.

I took Jono’s advise and surfed over to Woo Themes where I took a look at the free themes. Most of the free ones are pretty decent, very professional looking.

If you want to pay for themes, Woo Themes has some pretty decent prices depending on what you are looking for.

So if you are a WordPress user, and looking for a new theme, check them out…

From memory we used video conferencing software called CUSeeMe to talk to our team members, which in 1998 was nowhere near as advanced as it is today. I think we even used a dial up Internet connection. Other methods of collaborating were forums and emails.

In total I was part of the contest 3 years in a row. In 1998 we didn’t place, in 1999 we came third in our group and in 2000 we won. The winning prize including a trip to Hong Kong.

Looking back on the website that won, it was the years before Flash, CSS, XML, CMS software and I don’t even think we used Dreamweaver. We used a HTML editor called Adobe PageMill, which was later replaced by Dreamweaver after Adobe brought Macromedia. The site was mostly pure HTML and JavaScript.

I tried to find the winning site, but I think it may have been taken down.

The video below was filmed by our Chris Betcher who was the teacher who headed up our teamIn it we discuss what it is like working together as a team, collaboration and technology. Check it out….

Twenty 10  is looking like it will be an interesting year for me. I have a new project on the way, which I will announce soon – once it is all up and running. I am also looking to do a lot more with this blog, as I promised last year. Still not sure on the direction of it , or if there will be any direction at all. It might just continue being full of my ramblings. But I promise I will find a new theme! I have had a few people tell me it looks rubbish, so I will change it soon!

Last year was such a mixed year, with travelling and moving to the otherside of the world, the blog took a bit of a backwards step. I haven’t kept up to date with the latest developments of WordPress and BuddyPress, but hopefully when I find the time I will get a chance to look at whats coming up and how I can implement the changes in the work I am currently doing.

As always I am continuing to look at what I can do next. I know I keep saying it, but one of my projects will take off sooner or later. I think I am onto something good with my latest one, but I will keep it under wraps for now. But I will say that is something no one has done before in Australia…..

That is all for now! Check back soon, I will try and update this a few times a week.

I think the iPod is a great product as a music player and for all the apps it offers. I have an iTouch and I think it is great – although a bit useless without a Wi-Fi connection which I suppose is where the iPhone comes in and fills that gap.

But I do not like the way Apple want to control what you have on your phone – both in terms of Music and in the applications you can download. I also don’t like how everything must go through iTunes and the AppStore. They don’t even allow Bluetooth!

I have been exploring the possibility of an Android phone. The version of Android I am not worried about, nor am I worried about the custom modifications the manufacturer make. All this can be changed due to the freedom of open source software.

It is all about the hardware. Do I go for the first generation handsets such as the HTC Dream or the Samsung Galaxy, or wait a few more months until Sony Ericsson, Acer, Motorola and HTC release their new Android based handsets. The later are due out toward the end of this year and first quarter of next, so waiting a few more weeks isn’t going to hurt right?

That’s what I said before the Samsung Galaxy came out and I still have brought it due to the fact that something better is around the corner. But by February the big manufacturers have would have announced what is coming midyear, and after that they’ll be announcing what’s due this time next year. That’s the world of technology, either you buy now or you’ll forever be waiting for the next model and will never buy anything.

I have my eye on three phones at the moment, all due out next year.

Acer Liquid

They make laptops, so I am not sure how good they’ll be in the mobile phone market. They specs look good, with a 1Ghz processor, 3.5inch touch screen and 5MP camera. In the looks department, it looks great. It is due to come out at the end of this month, so if I was in a hurry I’d buy it, but with other phones due out after Christmas I’ll wait…

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

This is the phone I have had my eye on fir the past month or so, and it was officially announced a few weeks ago. The only thing I don’t like about this phone is the size of it. The screen is 4inches, which is a little big for my liking. I am sure the quality of the video is great, but at 4 inches I doubt my pockets will like it. Still – it has an 8mp camera, 1 GHz CPU and supports up to 16MB micro SD cards.

Motorola Droid

This is the phone that is said to go head to head with the iPhone. It has both a soft and physical keyboard, 3.7 inch screen, 5MP camera, and Android 2.0. According to TechCrunch the differences between the Droid and the iPhone 3GS are trivial, which is pretty impressive considering this is Motorola’s first attempt at an Anroid based phone. One thing that Motorola have over Apple is that they have been making phones for decades.

All three phones will most probably suit my needs, and the differences are probably minimal. The OS is the same and is open source, so I can probably make the same customisations to all the phones. The only difference here is the hardware, aesthetics and usability. I think it will come down to the feel of the phones in my hand as to what I base my final decision on.

Hits were about 5500 on average each month and the site was pretty well listed in the search engines for keywords based around “BuddyPress Themes”. I had a few ads on the site and was making a small income from them each month.

I offered the site to a fairly well known business involved in the WordPress MU community and I think they’ll do a great job with it. It needed some commitment and dedication and I just didn’t have the time to commit to it.

It really like starting a new life moving countries. Only this time I moved back home to all of my friends and family, but it is pretty much a clean slate and a new beginning.

I have also decided to give this blog a bit of a new beginning, as you can see by the new look. It is the first time it has changed for over a year. It is more of a lifestream than a blog now, but it eventually will incorporate various aspects of my online life (which is pretty much MY life).

Let me know what you think…

However all good things must come to an end and now it is time to get back to reality.

I have started looking for full time work this week. It doesn’t seem as bad out there as many have mentioned, but I’ll have to sit tight and wait for some interviews.

While I am off I will start to get back into blogging and working with WPMU and BP. I am planning on refocusing this blog and updating the design in the next week or so.

Explore With Me has done OK while we have been away. The 40 day tour blog got some good hits, however the main blog is still struggling and new members are few and far between. We’ll seriously have to look at that website and decide what to do with it in the near future. It may also be necessary to refocus the site and slim it down a bit. I think we are trying to do too many things with it at the moment.

Free BuddyPress Themes is the only blog of mine that has done well while I have been away. Traffic has been on the rise, even if no one is sending me new themes. Though the next version of BP is set to dramatically change the way themes are used so maybe people are holding off for that reason.

Expect some changes and annoucements over the next few weeks!