Do you want to win a free $50 Google AdWords credits? Just write an article on your blog about our Default Sense Adsense ready WordPress theme, and then let us know the link via comments. It’s simple enough. You will have the chance to get $50 advertising credits to promote your sites/products online. The winner will receive a $50 worth promotional code of AdWords, then you can redeem it anytime you want.

Requirements

Anyway, there is just a few basic requirements.

• The article must be original and at least a few paragraphs long, not just a “blurb”.
• We want your readers to know what Default Sense is, and why you like it, so that they in turn want to come to our site and check it out.
• Link to our site at least once with the anchor text link “Adsense ready WordPress theme” or “Default Sense”.
• A screenshot of WebmasterCrunch.com within your article would make it a lot more interesting, and it’s also required.

How to Win

We will random withdraw a winner using WordPress MySQL query method, so make sure to leave the link of your entries at comments.

The contest starts today, ends on 4th October, Monday. Please note that we must receive at least 10 entries before we can draw the winner. Good luck!

Original Post: Giveaway: Free $50 Google AdWords Credits

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If your WordPress sites don’t show up avatar for people who comment on your site, this post we would share with you how easily to implement Gravatar manually on your WordPress theme.

Enable Avatar on WordPress

First you need to enable avatar function on WordPress. Under Settings, select Discussion, at the Avatar section, select Show Avatars option, and then save changes.

Add Gravatars to WordPress Theme

Now you need to edit the theme file to add Gravatar codes. Select Appearance tab, choose Editor, and then select comments.php . Add the code below to where you want the avatars to appear. I would recommend you paste it near the commentator name. The number “25″ signifies an avatar size of 25px by 25px square, you can edit this to suit the size of your current theme template.

<?php if(function_exists('get_avatar')) { echo get_avatar($comment, '25'); } ?>

Style Your Gravatar

You have to add a CSS class to style the Gravatar. Try some CSS examples below and edit it to blend with your template design. You can also use img .avatar to style the tags. Using different CSS styles, you can position or align avatars wherever you like.

#comments .avatar {
	float: right;
	margin: 0 10px; }

Get a Gravatar

If you don’t have a Gravatar, signup today for free. Almost all WordPress sites support Gravatar, it can enhance your comment visibility. For more information on how to use Gravatars on WordPress, check out WordPress Codex.

Original Post: How to Manually Implement Gravatar on WordPress Theme

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Annoyed by adverts? Troubled by tracking? Bothered by banners? Install Adblock Plus now to regain control of the internet and change the way that you view the web.

It’s right sometimes when you visit a website, a full page Flash ad or popup block advertisement is quite annoying, and then you may consider to install a plugin on your web browser like Firefox & Google Chrome to block these ads. As a general reader, it’s not a big deal to block the ads. But if you are a publisher, blogger and webmaster, people who use Adblock are selfish and looks like a thief.

Adblock is a very powerful application that almost block any type of ads including HTML banners, Javascript and Flash in a finger-tip. If you use Adsense on your sites, you may probably know that Adsense allows publisher to add maximum 3 ad units and one link unit on a single web page only. Do you think whether it’s reasonable to block these Adsense ads? Is it annoying and disturb you online?

Like many other webmasters, my point is clear. People should not use Adblock on serious websites and blogs except those spammy sites. For publishers who offer and share free content, they should have the rights to make money form selling ads. It’s not evil and i would say it’s a win-win deal. For example, bloggers spend lots of time to research and write quality posts, it’s a bonus to encourage them to publish more value content for free if the blog can generate revenue form advertisement like banner ads on sidebar. And the money can also cover the charge of web hosting, domain name and other potential cost.

How to fight against Adblock? You can quickly search with the term “how block adblock” to find a solution to block Adblock, we won’t disclosure here. If you are a WordPress users, Anti-AdBlock is a handy WordPress plugin to detect and then displays a notification message to those visitors who have turn on Adblock and then humbly asking them to turn it off. This plugin can actually block Adblock, it’s still a nice touch though. Moreover, Who Sees Ads is an advanced ad management that allows you define what condition your visitors can see the ads. There is a bunch of rules to decide whether to display the ads. For example, you can disable ads for visitors who are general readers of your site. It’s an alternative solution to fight back Adblock.

Someone might worry about the traffic sue to blocking Adblock. Anyway, i don’t believe your audiences will leave it right away and never go back since you block Adblock. It’s simple and true. People will continue to read your site if you can offer good content. In summary, as a blogger and webmaster, we should first ensure that all ads are not annoying and bother your audiences. Share your thoughts with us on comment.

Original Post: Webmaster, Should You Block Adblock Visitors?

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DreamHost

DreamHost is one of very successful web host in US with more than 800,000 customser. DreamHost offers good solid and reliable webhosting. After ten years in the business DreamHost has grown to become one of the strongest competitors in the webhosting industry.

Dreamhost rewards program allows their affiliates to choose either get 10% lifetime recurring rewards of referrals plus 5% for people they refer, or receive a one-time payment $97 plus $5 for sub-referrals. You can also create your own promo codes depends on free domain registration, unique dedicated IP bonus, and solid cash discounted for monthly, yearly and Two years web hosting plans. The rule is simple, you get less rewards if you offer more bonus for your referrals.

Pros:

• Ability to create own promo coupon codes
• High payout, up to $97 per referral
• Payments directly on your DreamHost bill
• Cash out rewards payment directly to Paypal or via check

Cons:

• Long pending payment period, up to 97 days
• 5% reduction fee for cashing out by Paypal

>> Visit DreamHost.com

HostGator

Founded in 2002, and HostGator is one of the fastest growing shared and reseller web hosting companies in the United States. One of their unique qualities is that they provide access to the industry leading SiteStudio website designer, which is an extremely easy program to use to help even the greenest beginner with their website development. Also priding themselves on customer care and approval, HostGator has received many positive customer reviews.

Join HostGator Affiliate Program can make up to $125 per sale, it’s probably the highest paying commission in this industry. The affiliate system is simple, you make more money if you refer more customers to them monthly. For example, if you have more than 21 referrals in a month, you will simply get $125 x 21 = $2,625. HostGator has claimed that over $400,000 paid out to affiliates every month.

• 1-5 a month – $50 per sign up
• 6-10 a month – $75 per sign up
• 11-20 a month – $100 per sign up
• 21+ a month – $125 per sign up

Pros:

• Huge collection of affiliate banners you can use
• Easier to convert sale, since HostGator offer various hosting service
• Detailed affiliate tracking system with traffic source & graphed report
• 60 days cookie tracking for referral link & 60 days payment hold period
• Accept check and Paypal

Cons:

• $50 per referral for the first five referrals, in other words the commission is lower. (DreamHost pay $97 for each sale no matter you get one or ten referrals per month)
• HostGator Affiliates is saturated actually, so it’s harder to get new sales.

>> Visit HostGator.com

BlueHost

BlueHost, as providers of web hosting solutions since 1996, has developed a strong reputation in the industry. They are currently one of the top-ranking hosting firms on the marketplace today and well known throughout the web for excellent customer service and award-winning support system.

The BlueHost Affiliate Program pay you one-time commission $65 for each referral. The affiliate cookies period is 90 days. You are eligible for payment for a balance of $100 or more, and all affiliate fees are locked 45 days after the end of the month in which the sale occurred.

Pros:

• Create custom tracking links to manage multiple campaigns
• Various banners for promotion
• Receive commission payments via check or Paypal
• Tax form is required before you can receive payment

Cons:

• $100 minimum payout limit is reaquired

>> Visit BlueHost.com

Original Post: Make Money Online with Web Hosting Affiliate Programs

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1. .COM is King – Always select .COM generic TLD as your first choice, this is because not only .COM is original intended purpose for business, just think for generally you won’t type Shopping.net/Shopping.org directly on your web browser address bar when you want to shopping online. Anyway, if you are running a local business outside of the United States, use a local country TLD such as .co.uk/.us/.ca/.de wisely. For a personal blog you might try using .ME or .IM to add a personal touch. Non-profit? Go for a .ORG. Have your own video production company? Try using .TV.

2. Shorter & Simple is Better – The shorter, simple & memorable domain name is easier to let people remember/type/ verbally about your website. Again, you want your visitors to remember your domain name, so you want it to be as easy as possible to type.

3. Avoid Typo – Try to find a domain that only has one possible spelling and is not easy to confuse your website visitors with typo issue.

4. No Hyphen – People are more likely to treat a hyphen domain as a substitute. You are sending your type-in traffic to the same/similar domain without hyphen obviously. You need to avoid using a hyphen in your domain name if you can. So, think an alternative if all possible are registered. It’s better for SEO and make not hard to remember.

5. Avoid Trademark & Copyright Infringement – You should be very careful and clear to avoid any trademark issue when register a new domain. NewYorkNewYork.com & TeachBook are two good examples. If you have doubts about copyright issues for a particular domain name, search the US Copyright Office first before you buy.

6. Keyword Rich – Choose a domain name that is full of keywords that are related to your website. For example, if your website an online store of books, you can register a domain including the keyword “books”. If you are a domain trader, the value of keyword-rich domain is can go very high.

7. Brandable & Unique – Think something different. Keyword-rich domains are good for SEO, but sometimes a brandable and unique domain can be more easier for marketing. You may notice that most of Internet giants own a brandable domain such as Google, Amazon & Yahoo!. Try to use a domain suggestion tool to help you pick a fresh domain name.

8. Reject Numeral Substitution & Slang – Numeral substitution is described domain that use the numeral “4″ instead of “for”, “2″ instead of “to”, etc. These domains can easily confuse your visitors and is harder to remember anyway. If a domain use “U” instead of “You”, it’s a slang domain. Stay away from slang spellings of words and numeral substitutions.

Any other suggestions you’d offer for choosing domain names? Share your comment with us.

Original Post: How to Register a Good Domain Name

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The basic navigation list might look something like this:

<ul id="navigation">
<li><a href="#">Page One</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Page Two</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Page Three</a></li>
<li><a href="#">Page Four</a></li>
</ul>

Here we’ll put in a few if statements. This will let PHP determine which page the user is on and allow it to put “current” in the right spot.

<ul id="navigation">
        <!-- To show "current" on the home page -->
        <li<?php
                if (is_home())
                {
                echo " id=\"current\"";
                }?>>
                <a href="<?php bloginfo('url') ?>">Home</a>
        </li>

        <!-- To show "current" on the Archive Page (a listing of all months and categories), individual posts, but NOT individual posts in category 10 -->
        <li<?php
                if (is_page('Archive') || is_single() && !in_category('10'))
                {
                echo " id=\"current\"";
                }?>>
                <a href="<?php bloginfo('url') ?>/archive">Archive</a>
        </li>

        <!-- To show "current" on any posts in category 10, called Design -->
        <li<?php
                if (is_category('Design') || in_category('10') && !is_single())
                {
                echo " id=\"current\"";
                }?>>
                <a href="<?php bloginfo('url') ?>/category/design">Design</a>
        </li>

        <!-- To show "current" on the About Page -->
        <li<?php
                if (is_page('About'))
                {
                echo " id=\"current\"";
                }?>>
                <a href="<?php bloginfo('url') ?>/about">About</a>
        </li>
</ul>

Now we need to add some CSS that will style the highlight the appropriate list item based on what $current is. For example, do a simple highlight by adding a underline on the highlighted item. CSS might look like this:

#current {
text-decoration: underline;
}
</style>

With this method, you can create a dynamic highlight menu for homepage, single page, category page or any single post. Head over to WordPress Codex for further reference.

Original Post: How to Create a Dynamic Highlighting Menu on WordPress

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Photo Nexus — Demo / Download

A premium photographer theme for WordPress, jQuery powered, paginated and animated featured post slider on homepage, fader/lightbox on images, “Smart Image Resizer” implemented for automatic thumbnail generation.

WP ProPhoto — Demo / Download

WP ProPhoto is a clean and simple feature rich theme designed for WordPress installations. It’s geared towards photographers but could also be used for any gallery type site.

Delicious Photography — Demo / Download

This theme is best for photographers or other artists who want to showcase their work in a very modern and unique way. AJAX powered, Flash-like animation, unique gallery layout and much more features.

Photographer Dream — Demo / Download

This theme was particularly built for photographers. Visitors will see photographer’s works straight from the main page saving time for the unwanted clicks are eliminated. It also allows you to see how the picture would look with a different background.

Photographer Dream — Demo / Download

Contrast, a wordpress theme which is suitable for photographers, graphic & web designers, corporates with a kickass features.

Gallerific — Demo / Download

A premium photographer theme for WordPress, jQuery powered, paginated and animated featured post slider on homepage, fader/lightbox on images, “Smart Image Resizer” implemented for automatic thumbnail generation.

Liquid Gallery — Demo / Download

A simple minimalistic web page gallery with 3 color variation (Default, Dark and Bright). This gallery theme simply comes with minimalistic design. This theme is great for those who need a simple way to publish and showcase gallery of photos.

Flashlike Photographer — Demo / Download

Flashlike Photographer is CMS Theme for photographers. It allows you to publish your photos and present them in the best way possible. features including fullscreen photos, slideshow mode, threaded comments with AJAX submission, auto thumbnails generation, drop down menu for categories & Twitter integration.

LightBox — Demo / Download

LightBox Photos, Movie and Image Showcase is a portfolio blog with an elastic grid for aLL portfolio categories. Stretch your window and the image items fall into place. Easy to maintain and has numerouse php and jquery enhancements. Theme Switcher, Option Page, 5 Widget Areas, Jquery Enhanced.

Shutterspeed — Demo / Download

Shutterspeed – The Photographer’s Toolbox was designed to display large collections of images effortlessly. Supports custom jQuery slider/viewer with virtually unlimited photos, multiple images in posts with separate styling for portfolio posts & light and dark design template.

Original Post: 10 Kicka-Ass Portfolio & Gallery WordPress Themes for Photography

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CatWhoBlog had shared a solution to display average Feedburner feed readers. This method works well on any PHP site with cURL enabled but not only WordPress. Follow the steps below to display a plain text average RSS reader counter. You can see what it exact look like at my top menu bar.

1. Login to Feedburner dashboard, under Publicize, active Awareness API.

2. Paste the code into your WordPress function.php.

function get_average_readers($feed_id,$interval = 7){
	$today = date('Y-m-d', strtotime("now"));
	$ago = date('Y-m-d', strtotime("-".$interval." days"));
	$feed_url="https://feedburner.google.com/api/awareness/1.0/GetFeedData?uri=".$feed_id."&dates=".$ago.",".$today;
	$ch = curl_init();
	curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
	curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $feed_url);
	$data = curl_exec($ch);
	curl_close($ch);
	$xml = new SimpleXMLElement($data);
	$fb = $xml->feed->entry['circulation'];

	$nb = 0;
	foreach($xml->feed->children() as $circ){
		$nb += $circ['circulation'];
	}
	return round($nb/$interval);
}

3. Paste the following codes where you want to display the counter, and don’t forget to replace webmastercrunch by your feedburner id on line 2.

<?php
$nb = get_average_readers('webmastercrunch');
echo "I have ".$nb." RSS readers";
?>

The function display an average of 7 days, but you can define the desired number of days using a second parameter.

<?php
$nb = get_average_readers('webmastercrunch', 30);
echo "I have ".$nb." RSS readers";
?>

Don’t want to show the exact average number? Okay. Using this code you can round the counter by replace the last number with zero and add a plus sign. For example, if you have 163 RSS readers, it will show 160+ readers instead.

<?php
$nb = get_average_readers('webmastercrunch', 30);
echo substr_replace($nb ,"0",-1).'+ readers';
?>

Original Post: How to Display Average Feedburner Feed Counter

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ACE Affiliates recently has published an infographic (enlarge version) on affiliate fraud. They pointed out that there are 6 types of general affiliate fraud:

1. duplicating – creation of deceptive clones of legitimate sites
2. spamming – sending mass emails under the guise of a legitimate brand
3. squatting – creating sites under common misspellings of legitimate domains
4. diverting – creating deceptive links that do not pay the intended affiliate
5. faking – creating the illusion of many clicks on an affiliate link to drive up earnings on a CPC program
6. stealing – making purchases with a stolen credit cards to earn bogus commissions or drain a merchant’s coffers

ACE Affiliates suggested 6 solutions for combat affiliate fraud:

1. forums – join a forum that shares info on frauders.
2. communicate – talk with affiliates about their business and tactics
3. blacklists – maintain your own lists of frauders
4. track – use cookies that identity fraud by tracking IPs
5. checking – thoroughly check affiliate’s sites

As a webmaster and affiliate, do you have any suggestion for affiliate program managers to prevent affiliate fraud?

Original Post: Types of Affiliate Fraud and the Solutions

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You can see the left and right slider below:

Original Post: Double jQuery Content Slider – dualSlider

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Recently i came across a blog and commented on one of the posts about website submission tools. There is no any option on the comment section to allow commentators select whether subscribe or not to the post comment. See below, a few hours later i was alerted by an email:

The question here is i never subscribe to this post comment, why they send the notification to me without my permission? It’s absolutely an offensive trick to attract more traffic. The worst thing is you can find any unsubscribe link on the email. Right, you can see that i have received several comment notification emails on the next few days about the same post. Finally i dropped this annoying email address to my spam folder, thanks Gmail did a great job! You can imagine the blog owner will probably use all their readers’s email to do something dirty, such as send spam emails or resell your email to someone.

You know you can’t leave a comment without an email, so create an exclusive email address to blog comment usage only. Do you think whether it’s offensive? Will you use this dirty trick on your blog? Share your comment below.

Original Post: Subscribe Blog Post Comment without Permission

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The Starter Plan is $10/month or $100/year with 3 Websites & 3 Users, up to 500,000 pageviews/month, and 5 years of archived data. If you are already a lucky beta user like us, Reinvigorate was very kind to offer a $5 Founder Plan exclusively for founding users with 50% reduced price. On other hand, the Freebie Plan has only basic stats with NO real-time or heatmaps. If you are looking for another free real-time web analytics service, Clicky offers a free plan supports real-time statistics that you can track one site with limited features of course. It’s not a bad deal though.

Original Post: Reinvigorate Drops Beta, Ready for Launch with Paid Plans

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