plainbeta

Use Wordpress Update Services to Obtain New Visitors

2009-04-15T05:09:55Z

Since Web 2.0 (Learn more: Wiki) enables virtually anything we choose to be automatically processed and published, content creators (Bloggers, etc.) need to know how to take full advantage of such services. Thankfully, Wordpress allows bloggers to use these automatic services for free and with ease. However, taking full advantage of these automatic services requires a small addition to your control panel.

Go to “Settings” and then to “Writing” and scroll down.
There will be a text box titled “Update Services.”
Add these links to that box.

http://rpc.pingomatic.com/
http://api.feedster.com/ping
http://api.moreover.com/ping
http://api.my.yahoo.com/rss/ping
http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2
http://ping.amagle.com/
http://ping.bitacoras.com
http://ping.blo.gs/
http://ping.feedburner.com
http://ping.rootblog.com/rpc.php
http://ping.syndic8.com/xmlrpc.php
http://ping.weblogalot.com/rpc.php
http://rcs.datashed.net/RPC2/
http://rpc.blogbuzzmachine.com/RPC2
http://rpc.blogrolling.com/pinger/
http://rpc.icerocket.com:10080/
http://rpc.newsgator.com/
http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping
http://rpc.weblogs.com/RPC2
http://topicexchange.com/RPC2
http://www.blogdigger.com/RPC2
http://www.blogoole.com/ping/
http://www.blogoon.net/ping/
http://www.blogsnow.com/ping
http://www.blogstreet.com/xrbin/xmlrpc.cgi
http://www.lasermemory.com/lsrpc/
http://www.newsisfree.com/RPCCloud
http://www.popdex.com/addsite.php
http://www.snipsnap.org/RPC2
http://www.wasalive.com/ping/
http://www.weblogues.com/RPC/
http://www.blogsdominicanos.com/ping/
http://www.xianguo.com/xmlrpc/ping.php
http://www.feedsky.com/api/RPC2

Now, when ever you add a new post, these pingback services will be notified which allows more websites, services, and potential viewers to be alerted of your new post.

Happy blogging!

Quick Update & Domain Names for Sale

2009-03-27T22:04:14Z

I’ll post the next part in my What Makes Web Minimalism Effective series this weekend (read part 1) and will most likely finish plainbeta’s new theme this weekend as well, or next week.

I am also now starting to use Twitter - it’s quite fun!
Follow me on Twitter!

And finally, I have accumulated a handful of assorted domains over the years, and I don’t need/want them any more. So I am putting them up for sale on Sedo.com
Check ‘em out.
Most of them already have PageRank!

BloggingEtiquette.com
BrintItWorld.com
InnovateInitiate.com
InspirationMedia.org
StepOutOfLine.com
TheSecondWorldWar.net
TripOverNothing.com
WorldDesignAssociation.com

I’ll catch ya this weekend.

What Makes Web Minimalism Effective (Part 1 of 2)

2009-03-27T22:05:21Z

Sure, design trends come and go - but one trend that seems here to stay is the oh-so-popular Minimalism style. Though Minimalism can easily be a pitiful excuse for design, Minimalism (if used right) can be extremely powerful. However, in order to use Minimalism effectively, we must first understand what makes Minimalist design so effective and powerful.

The underlying principal is extremely simple.
Minimalism strips down the work to its “most fundamental features.”^wiki

By stripping away all excess clutter, we remove all distractions from the message of the web site. For example, Apple.com’s design is clean, simple, and to the point - Minimalist. Upon loading the page, visitors know what is new and/or popular on Apple.com in seconds. To reiterate my point, look at 80/20 Studios. Even though it contains less visually than Apple.com, it is no less effective. Within seconds of loading 8020studio.com, visitors know who they are, what they stand for, and that 80/20 has worked for many major cooperations like Apple, BMW, AT&T, Google, and more. Not bad for a few seconds of viewing.

To contrast Minimalism, let’s look at some non-minimalist designs. STUDIO7DESIGNS and Web Designer Wall are a good examples. Though the designs are both very visually appealing, it takes more viewing time to determine who owns the websites and why they’re on the web. Again, I am not saying that is a bad thing or that it is ineffective - I am simply saying that it is a different style.

So let’s do a quick review.
Minimalism strips work down to its fundamental features.
In doing so, it removes all distractions to add focus to who owns the website and/or what ever the website stands for.
Though having visual aid is not necessarily a bad thing, it can distract from the website’s purpose.

Now we know the “why” of Minimalism, but what is the “how” of minimalism?
Design isn’t math; there isn’t a Minimalism Equation. We can isolate some of the key components of Minimalism and learn how to use them effectively.

I’ll explore some of the components of Minimalism in my next post - so stay tuned.

Grievances with New Versions of Wordpress

2009-01-28T17:47:17Z

As most of y’all probably know, Wordpress 2.7 [Coltrane] has entered the scene.
This new version of Wordpress sports yet another interface change, and a bunch of new (and rather amazing features). Though I haven’t upgraded yet, I have played around with the new interface over on Wordpress.com - and I’m impressed. It appears to be well done, easy, and more efficient. Many of the new features, like built-in stickies, mass post editing, and replying to comments right in the dashboard, have me drooling. However, I am reluctant to upgrade.

The trend for new version’s of Wordpress result in an “urgent” security fix/bug fix just a few weeks later is very consistent. While I think the people over at Automattic are awesome, and I love them for continuing to improve the (arguably) best blogging platform in existance, they always seem to create problems with new versions of Wordpress. (they’re already talking about v2.8)

New versions of Wordpress, (practically) always introduce new security problems, bugs, and (with few exceptions) outdate plug-ins. I’m almost done with plainbeta’s re-design, and I don’t want to upgrade to Wordpress 2.7 because I haven’t been able to find a Related Posts and/or a Popular Posts plug-in that works on Coltrane!

Once I do find such plug-ins, I will gladly upgrade to what appears to be the best version of Wordpress yet. Until that time, I’m going to stick with Wordpress 2.6.

Haven’t heard about Wordpress 2.7? Check it out!

via Just Stuff I Find

Add Social Network Links to Any Page Without a Plug-In

2009-03-29T23:44:08Z

It’s actually not hard to add Social Network links to your Wordpress blog! All it takes is knowing what code to put into your Wordpress page.

Technorati
<a href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=<?php the_permalink();?>">Technorati</a>

Stumble Upon
<a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=<?php the_permalink(); ?>">Stumble it!</a>

Digg
<a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url= <?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Digg</a>

delicious
<a href="http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&jump=close&url=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">delicious</a>

Google Bookmarks
<a href="http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&output=popup&bkmk=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Google</a>

Yahoo Bookmarks (Does anyone even use Yahoo anymore?)
<a href="http://myweb.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet? t=<?php the_title();?>&u=<?php the_permalink();?>&ei=UTF">Yahoo</a>

Reddit
<a href="http://reddit.com/submit?url=<?php the_permalink(); ?>&title=<?php the_title(); ?>" >reddit</a>

Blogmarks
<a href="http://blogmarks.net/my/new.php? title=<?php the_title();?>&url=<?php the_permalink();?>">Blogmarks</a>

Ma.gnolia
<a href="http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add? url=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Magnolia</a>

And here’s the whole list!
<p>Social Networks : <a href="http://technorati.com/faves?add=<?php the_permalink();?>">Technorati</a>, <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=<?php the_permalink(); ?>">Stumble it!</a>, <a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url= <?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Digg</a>, <a href="http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&jump=close&url=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">delicious</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&output=popup&bkmk=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Google</a>, <a href="http://myweb.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet? t=<?php the_title();?>&u=<?php the_permalink();?>&ei=UTF">Yahoo</a>, <a href="http://reddit.com/submit?url=<?php the_permalink(); ?>&title=<?php the_title(); ?>" >reddit</a>, <a href="http://blogmarks.net/my/new.php? title=<?php the_title();?>&url=<?php the_permalink();?>">Blogmarks</a>, <a href="http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add? url=<?php the_permalink();?>&title=<?php the_title();?>">Ma.gnolia</a>.</p>

And I’m sure there’s more Social Links you could easily incorporate into your Wordpress blog without a plug-in. I may end up searching around for more, which I’ll post here if I find any. And if y’all find any, please let me know so I can incorporate into this post!

4 Lessons I Learned from a Bad Client

2009-01-13T13:36:13Z

Over the past four months I have been slaving over a one month job. I am walking away with only the half I received up front. Though I’m out a lot of time and money, I have learned (and re-learned) several lessons.

1: Have a Contract

I normally require this - always, period, no exceptions. However. This web job was through a friend, and I worked with her throughout the entire job. Not going with a contract is now biting me in the butt.
Always, always, always have a clearly stated contract. That way, if you don’t get paid, you can have a judge to get your payment from the client. A clear-cut contract also removes grey areas like revisions, job requirements, and such.
A great guide for design contracts

2: Record Everything

Always make sure you have everything in writing. This way, you have proof of job requirements, time-lines, and other specifics for personal reference and if you end up hitting the courts.
To increase security on such matters, require an email (or some form of recorded instruction) before you do anything. If your client wants a revision, have them send you an email before you start the revision. That way, if they change their mind and claim they didn’t want you to revise the design, you have proof.

3: Have One Point of Contact

While this isn’t absolutely necessary, like a contract, it is helpful. With this job that screwed me up the butt, communication was a major setback. Several times I was told one thing by one contact, and another by her boss. Having multiple contacts also means more work to keep everyone informed.
Keep it simple. Try and converse with one person, and have that contact converse with the rest of the company.

4: Know Your Client’s Server’s Capabilities

If your client already has a web host or running server, don’t assume it is up to date. I was hoping to use Wordpress as a CMS, but my client’s server was running PHP 4.1.3 while Wordpress required PHP 5.0. A small mis-understanding such as that cost me many hours of work, and probably ended up to the client dropping the job - even though it wasn’t my fault.

It all comes down to clarity I guess.
Make sure you communicate clearly and efficiently and things should go smoothly.

I hope you learned something and are able to keep yourself from running into such trouble.
Good luck in all your design endeavors!

Excellent Typography Video: Advent Conspiracy

2009-03-27T23:57:15Z

Thanks to a friend of mine, I stumbled upon this video: The Advent Conspiracy (by AdventConspiracy.org)
I personally think this video has an incredible message on many levels. Y’all may disagree.
Even so.
This video has EXCELLENT typography.

Get involved and learn more: Advent Conspiracy .org

Another Apology

2008-11-14T13:29:13Z

…
Yes.
I haven’t been posting.
I apologize.
I’ve been busy with school, tests, and projects.
I will try to stick to the promised post-a-monday schedule, but I’m not going to make any promises.

However.
I am going to promise a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule over on Project 1071 (though the Wednesday post may have to be a bonus).

Keep an eye out for a post on Monday, it’ll most likely come.

Until next time!

Project 1071 - Another Design Showcase

2008-11-01T17:48:05Z

Here it is!
I have finally launched one of my pet projects - Project 1071.

Project 1071 is a design showcase that allows visitors to easily search sites based on extensive tagging. With Project 1071, visitors can search the archives for all sites using top navigation with a grungy look and any other combination of design elements. Project 1071 also features a decent amount of info about the site, it’s designer, comments by the visitors, as well as a review by yours truly. Furthermore, visitors can vote on the website and (in a few weeks) will be able to view the highest visitor rated sites.

Excited?
No?
Oh well - doesn’t matter to me. Project 1071 is pretty much a place where I can archive all of the websites I like and easily search for them. That way I’m not scratching my head when I remember a website that implemented a good technique that I want to study and I can’t remember which website it was.

So here you go.
Project 1071.
I hope you enjoy it.
See y’all next week.

Contact Forms 7

2008-10-26T06:05:50Z

Everyone knows about cforms II.
It’s heavily used and is feature packed.
It is also very clunky.

I’ve used cforms II and it has served me well. Heck, I’m using it with this blog right now - though I’m using version 8.4. Version 9.0 has come out and it is supposedly 200% faster than the old version - especially with larger forms.
But is 200% faster of slow fast enough? Or just decent?

I am currently working on a pet project that I had planned on launching today - or rather, today four and a half hours ago. Unfortunately, it (obviously) hasn’t come together as quickly and completely as I hoped and I’ll have to launch it next week. In that pet project, I need a submission form. Naturally, I used cforms II. I’ve used it before. Lotsa people use it. Why not?

As I was working on the project, I noticed the site was running very slowly and would often get hung up. After about an hours worth of searching, de-bugging things that worked, I found the problem - cforms II. cforms II has become just like the K2 Theme - feature packed and very clunky. Easy for the plug-and-go, but lags.

All of this is an extremely long segway into a Wordpress contact form plug-in that I will be using - until I find a better one or this one becomes too clunky.

Let me introduce you to Contact Form 7.

(original names huh?)

Contact Form 7 allows for multiple forms, and easy (much easier than cforms II) and full CSS and XHTML customization - you just gotta know how. Which works for me - allowing for smaller file sizes, faster load times, and easier customization.

Ok, so this was no quick Blog Perfume link drop - but I promised updates every Monday - and it’s already early Tuesday morning for me. My pet project that I hoped to launch today isn’t ready and I have classes today…

Next week I’ll be launching something - so please stick around after this pathetic excuse for a post.