When I said I blogged five years ago, people looked at me as if I was crazy. Well I was, but blogging didn't drive me to insanity. Today it is a bit more mainstream and bloggers are everywhere. I actually like blogging. I enjoy it and it has been a huge help to me professionally. Last weekend I attended WordCamp Detroit and I was surrounded by bloggers. I wasn't prepared for that one, as I use WordPress for website design and I guess I assume everyone in the room would too. Was I wrong. There were bloggers everywhere. Many who had day jobs and blogged at night about their Read more
Blog Management
Thirty Top WordPress Plugins
Posted in: Blog Management | October 1, 2009
If you've ever used WordPress, you know the mass of WordPress' functionality resides in the plugins. Any high quality theme, blog, or website is loaded up with plugins. The problem is not the ability to locate plugins, but the plugin's actual ability to work without the need for special coding. Below is a list of my favorite plugins. These plugins are both functional and easy to use. The augment WordPress' core functionality and require little or no coding. Add to Any: Share/Save/Bookmark Button - Help readers share, bookmark, and email your posts and pages using any Read more
Get a Good Ping List and Ping Me Baby!
Posted in: Blog Management | August 27, 2009
Ping list? What is a ping list and why do I need it? Website traffic is the answer! A ping list is a list of websites that will be notified automatically each time your website posts a new blog entry. It is simple, effortless, and a critical aspect to obtaining website visitors. You post a new entry or update an existing entry and these websites will automatically be notified of this activity. Now that I’ve told you about pinging, you may ask how do I know who to “ping”. A complete list of ping URL’s is provided below. If you are using WordPress, all you have to do is input Read more
This Ain’t Your Nephew’s Blog
Posted in: Blog Management | March 19, 2009
Blogs, schmogs. My nephew blogs. They're for kids. Why does my company website need a blog? This string of unfiltered comments is a realistic example of the response I receive when spewing the virtues of business blogs. While many smart and intelligent businesspeople question the purpose of blogs, they do server a tangible purpose and they are important to the overall success of a corporate website. The most common misperception is that blogs are solely written and read by the teen set or worse, by unsocial computer nerds who blog about topics no one ever reads. This thought process is 100% Read more