How to Install a WordPress Plugin

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Laura

The easiest way to install a WordPress Plugin is through the built-in installer on your site’s backend. This isn’t always an option. Unless it’s right there, you may need to go through FTP publishing to get your plugin published to the correct area. If you have an independent blog, or “WordPress.org,” blog, here is a tip.

First, when you locate the desired plugin, download it to your desktop or another folder that’s easy to find. If it’s zipped, open it up just to make sure there aren’t further installation instructions in the “Read Me,” file. If there are, follow them. Once it’s ready to go on your site:

  • In your WordPress Dashboard, go to “Plugins.”
  • Click on “Add New.”
  • Select “Upload” in the fine print at the top.
  • Click “Browse,” to open your computer and find the downloaded plugin.
  • Select, “Install Now,” to begin the process.

This is far easier than going the FTP route to get a plugin onto your site.

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Can You Create a Joomla Template?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Laura

Custom Joomla templates are often a fine point of web design that webmasters miss once transitioning to the CMS program. It can be difficult customizing someone else’s template and, if purchasing your own custom template from a designer, it can be incredibly expensive to find just the right “look” for your site.

Can you create a custom Joomla template from scratch? Yes and no. A custom Joomla project is best left to those who already know how the software works. Most webmasters who are skilled with coding can quickly come up with a nice design. Most webmasters who are only accustomed to CSS/HTML web pages will not have the same experience.

An HTML template is easy to make. You simply work with the background, choose the appropriate fonts, images, colors, and decide where your columns or tables will be. Joomla is an entirely different process. For example, you’re template will need to be broken up into parts. Your directories for a Joomla template will be like this:

  • templates/mydesign/
  • templates/mydesign/language/
  • templates/mydesign/css/
  • templates/mydesign/language/en-GB/
  • templates/mydesign/images/

In addition, you’ll also need files like:

  • templates/mydesign/templateDetails.xml
  • templates/mydesign/index.php

This is far from the standard index.html and “images” directory needed with a regular web site.

Sometimes it’s better just to invest in a high-quality template for your web site and this is such an occasion. Should you wish to pursue the matter, here are some expert sites for building your own Joomla template:

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Ebooks and Promotion- Part 2

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Laura

Continuing the discussion of ebooks as a means of promotion, you must look at the benefits. For many industries, offering an informative guide even to the simplest practical information can be a wonderful tool. For example, a landscaper may simply create a guide to proper lawn care. A contractor may list the most common warning signs when a DIY project will require professional attention.

Here are some other considerations for creating a promotional ebook:

  • Length- Before you get worried, the typical free ebooks used by businesses will not be the same size as professional publications. It’s quite common for promotional ebooks to only offer 15-30 pages, with a few graphics. You are free to choose any length you wish.
  • Audience- Will you be catering to new customers? Striving to gain further attention from previous clients? Most businesses will wish to do both.
  • Budget- Do you have a set budget for creating your ebook? Or will you be doing this in-company? It is always wonderful when you can DIY, but if your schedule is particularly hectic, or you have doubts about current staff or employees authoring such a book, seek the services of a professional. It will be a wise investment.
  • Format- What formats would you like the book available in? The most common ebook formats today are .epub and .pdf files. It is generally best to offer a variety of formats.

Planning your ebook now is key to creating an effective and successful marketing tool. The most important facet to remember is to avoid rushing. This opens the doors to mistakes and inaccuracies that will not make the impression you are seeking.

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Using Banners and Advertising in Joomla

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Laura

One of the best ways webmasters can earn extra cash, or even create a thriving business, is through the use of banners and advertising. While Joomla is fantastic when it comes to organizing your content and streamlining your navigation, the implementation of banners or text advertising can be frustrating.

In all versions of Joomla, including the beta 2.5, you will find the most success by creating specific modules to hold your ads. Most Joomla “sample data,” files will have this feature already incorporated. You are free to customize this, should you wish, but creating your own module for advertising is very simple.

Log into your Joomla backend. Go to your Module Manager and click, “New.” Then, select, “Custom HTML.” Fill in the details on the next page. HOWEVER, do not enter any code or text in your WYSWYG editor. At all. Be sure you select, “show/hide,” to allow simple code. If you insert it into your editor, you’ll just have a block of code in your space.

Another excellent way to become familiar with Joomla’s advertising functioning is to examine the sample data and carefully evaluate the generic advertising module’s details.

Advertisers quickly see that Joomla is nothing like an HTML/CSS page when it comes to banners or advertising, but it’s easy to learn how to manage your page and your banners.

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WordPress Role Assignment

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Laura

WordPress is an excellent CMS program for multiple-user sites. This can be a magazine, an ezine or simply a group blog. As the number of users grow within the usage, it can be difficult knowing precisely what role does what. You may not want everyone to have access and privileges that the administration does. The solution is to work with your user roles.

Here is the list of possible roles for WordPress users:

  • Administrators (Admins)- They can do everything, from changing themes and plugins to deleting or editing content. This is something you will probably only want one or two individuals to have.
  • Super Administrator (Super Admin)- This is the individual who will be in control of a series, or network, of WordPress blogs. This is a new role included in the 3.0 release.
  • Contributors- These are basic members who are allowed to work with their own posts (create, edit and delete), but their contributions must be approved by someone who is at least an Author.
  • Author- These can publish, upload and delete files and delete posts that have already been published.
  • Editor- This is one step above an author. An editor can manage permissions when it comes to publishing. They can edit both posts and pages. They can moderate comments and have some management of categories, links and similar functions.
  • Subscriber- This is the ever-faithful blog reader. Subscribers follow your blog, your new posts and usually receive some sort of update when new posts are made.

WordPress makes user management just as easy as content management, you simply need to know which role is suitable for the individual.

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Ebooks and Promotion- Part 1

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Laura

One of the most valuable tactics webmasters can use for promoting their web site is the ebook. These gems have done more to keep web site visitors happy than perhaps any other possible offering. Ebooks accomplish a number of goals:

Professionalism- Your own ebook proves to visitors that you are very familiar with your subject matter. Regardless if your publication is 30 pages, or 300 pages, a well-written book can build your image, or that of your company, to a superior level.

Accommodation- Your own ebook proves you already expect the average web visitor will not have your level of knowledge or skill. An ebook can be an excellent supplemental offering to help them understand how your company functions. For example, a plumbing company may produce an ebook on what homeowners can do to prevent the most common leaks in the household.

Regard- If you offer a free ebook to visitors, you have already proven you really want to help them. Many companies have found they can offer an introductory ebook for free and make a small amount of secondary cash by compiling a sizable, more in-depth volume.

Ebooks have been a boon to webmasters globally and you can harness the power of the written word as well.

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Basic Webmaster Lingo

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Laura

Newer webmasters often see many common terms online and it can be confusing. Here is a very basic list of the most common and what they are:

.Php- This is not a design language. It is used by CMS programs. It isn’t an HTML editing program or publisher. This gives your page interactivity and function. Design languages are HTML and CSS.

Dreamweaver- This is a program by Adobe for web development. It can do the basic HTML editing, but can also work with most popular design languages. The latest version of Dreamweaver can also work with CMS programs directly on your server.

Domain Name- This is the URL, your internet address. You purchase this first when building a web site. This will be www.mysite.com, or whatever name you choose. Be very careful when picking a name. Most often, this costs between $9.95 and $15.95 per year.

Hosting- This actually means hosting service. Unless you’re running your very own server (most webmasters are not) you will need to purchase hosting services to store your files online. Unless you are running a high-end company site or require advanced capabilities, you should look at spending $5.95 to $10.95 per month. Many companies offer discounts for paying a year in full.

Meta tags- These are strings, or “tags,” of data that are placed in your web page. They go in between the < head > and tags. There are many varities, the most common being keywords, keyphrases, and author name.

Upload- This is when you FTP, or publish, your files to your hosting company.

It can be confusing, but once you develop a sense of these terms, it will all become far easier.

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WordPress Emergency #1- Backing Up

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Laura

Webmasters encounter a number of emergencies when working on a web site. Even webmasters who have implemented a CMS program will still encounter situations where a sudden site back-up is necessary. This can be incredibly intimidating, but fortunately, WordPress makes this process easy.

It can be tricky, as normally the WordPress does offer the export option (Tools > Export) which will copy your comments, articles and pages. This option does not copy images, which has annoyed many webmasters for a long time. Some versions do offer the option of “downloading attachments,” when you import into a new blog, but you may have no interest in moving your site.

The easiest method is to incorporate a browser add-on, such as Firefox’s “DownloadThem All.” These add-ons help you to download specific information quickly and keep it in one location.

It is recommended to regularly back-up your web site, regardless of your platform or your content. Disasters occur online almost as frequently as they do on your own computer. Servers go down, get hacked into, and data can always get corrupted. While your host likely has safeguards in place, it’s better to err on the side of caution when it comes to your hard work.

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Scraped Content and the Webmaster

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Laura

There is a growing issue on the internet about “content scraping.” If you haven’t heard the term, this is where dubious web sites literally “scrape,” content from others’ web sites. Once, it was easy to see which sites were doing this, but technology has advanced to the point where even search engines have issues distinguishing between original and scraped content.

Fortunately, you have two options.

You can ignore the practice altogether, but you have a golden opportunity. Much of the scraped content includes links. So, you can place several links pointing to other areas on your site. This will provide you with free promotion, at least. Some scrapers do run content through a program which strips links, but this is a fraction of those who do copy content.

You can take action and get to work. WordPress has a “leech” protection plugin available. For those who aren’t running WordPress, you can also work in-depth with your .htaccess file, if you know the scraper’s I.P. address.

Scraped content is a frightening aspect of the web, especially for new webmasters who do have valuable and original content. However, Google, the biggest search engine, is capable of seeing which site published the original content first. Just as technology improves for the scraper, it’s improving for the webmaster, as well.

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Exploring Free Blogs

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Laura

Many people often wonder about the numerous free blogging sites available online. Which are the best? Which should you trust?

Thankfully, with contemporary technology blogging platforms are more stable and accessible than ever. This means that everyone can have their own free blog. It also presents the problem of too many options.

Most major blogging platforms are reliable. Most offer a number of excellent design options. Most allow you to customize your blog’s appearance. Here are some considerations to help you narrow your choices down:

  • Do you want to earn revenue from your blog in the future? If so, Blogger is the only blogging option. This is the only platform that will let you run ads to earn extra income on a free blog.
  • Is appearance important to you? If so, browse the blogging community. Some platforms are visually simple. This blog will only slightly differ from the next. If design is important to you, be certain you go with an option that will let you utilize your graphic skill and create the design you like. Blogger and WordPress seem to have the most adaptable and flexible formats.
  • Do you want to be part of a community? If so, you want a blog company that functions more like a community. Many smaller blogging platforms offer free blogs and leave it at that. There is no community, you aren’t linked in any way and there’s no real way for visitors to find you beyond your own marketing. Stay with the major platforms for the best exposure and interaction.
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