Tagged: lists

Some great WordPress plugins from 2011

Using too many WordPress plugins can really slow down a WordPress website. With that in mind, here are a number of excellent WordPress plugins which I had other alternatives for and were disabled on one or more of my CMS websites. Not that these plugins aren’t great. Try them out and see if they do the job for you.

WordPress Security PLUGINS

  • AntiVirus - Security solution as a smart, effectively plugin to protect your blog against exploits and spam injections.
  • Secure WordPress – Careful using this plugin, don’t enable features without knowing the consequences. Basic security checks for securing your WordPress installation.

WordPress Post Editor PLUGINS

  • Duplicate Post – Creates a copy of a post.
  • Tiny Table – Add table controls in the TinyMCE Rich Visual Editor
  • WP-Table Reloaded – This plugin allows you to create and easily manage tables in the admin-area of WordPress.

Social Media Plugins

  • Follow Me – The Follow Me plugin is designed to allow users the ability to add links to their social media profiles in their blog.
  • FollowMe – WP FollowMe is a wordpress plugin that allow you to add a twitter Follow me badge on your wordpress blog.
  • Like-Button-Plugin-For-Wordpress – This Plugin provides the most settings for the Like-Button of Facebook.
  • Social Media Page – Generates a list of social media profiles on a given page or as a widget.
  • Social Slider – This plugin adds links to your social networking sites’ profiles in a box floating at the left side of the screen.
  • TweetMeme Follow Button – Adds a button which lets you follow Twitter users.

Font Customization Plugins

  • Font Burner – The Font Burner Plugin allows you to easily add Font Burner Fonts to your site through WordPress.

Slideshow Plugins

WordPress Admin PluginS

  • Search & Replace – -One of the most helpful plugins when you move a WP website. A simple search for find strings in your database and replace the string.
  • Sticky Note Plugin – Write your own notes at the Admin-dashboard, and help yourself remebering.
  • Vice Versa – Convert Pages to Posts and Vice Versa
  • WP Custom Menu Filter Plugin – This filters the WP Custom Menu based on whether user is logged in or not.

Mobile WordPress Plugins

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Steps to launch or migrate a WordPress website

Setting up a WordPress website usually involves creating a test installation of WordPress to develop the theme and web content before you launch the website. To launch a WordPress website use a Linux hosting account like Bluehost [read: not shitty Godaddy.com shared hosting].

The steps involved to migrate a WordPress website may look like this:

  1. Backup your test WP website MySQL database.
  2. Export the WordPress database of your test website using MySQL. Do not use the WordPress built in Export XML feature as it does NOT include plugin settings and will only export posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, and tags.
  3. Download all the WordPress files to your hard drive from your test website using FTP and edit the wp-config.php to reflect the new server’s database settings.
  4. Go to your new host and either manually or automagically install WordPress.
  5. Upload/replace the wp-content, .htaccess and wp-config.php files to the new host overwriting the new files with the old (test website files).
  6. On the new [live] website host, use phpMyAdmin to select the new WordPress database and import the old/text MySQL file from step #2.
  7. On the new live site, use the Search and Replace plugin to look for all occurances of the old website’s URL and replace that with the new website’s URL.
  8. Change the DNS of your domain name to your new/live website’s DNS numbers.
These steps to migrate your website should be easy and again, the best WordPress hosting service we recommend is Bluehost.com

Client Testimonials Template

One way to show prospective local clients that your business is trustworthy, valuable and cable of getting the job done is by creating a list of client testimonials. These letters can be created requesting that your customer write a short note about their experience while working with you. This client testimonials template lists some important points to cover while directing your clients on what needs to be included in a testimonial.

Testimonials template

Here are some basic points to request that the client hit which should include in a testimonial.

  • Who is the customer?
  • How did the project help the client?
  • Ask the client to describe you and the service you provide (in their own words).
  • What made an impact for the customer?
  • Ask the client to back up their testimonial by including the contact information include:
    • First and last name
    • City, State
    • Company & Title

Other important client testimonial

  • Be credible
  • Create a desire for the reader to want you as a vendor
  • Include real details
  • Explain the benefits
  • What were the results of using your company

The Best WordPress Security Plugins

This is an un-original list of my best WordPress plugins which tackle security issues for your favorite blogging software. In my opinion, which I admit is still in its infantile stage, the most likely case of a WordPress installation being hacked into comes from what I call password scanners. You know what they are called.

Lock down your self-hosted WordPress websiteFree Domain Names with FatCow web hosts

Use this list of best-of essential security plugins. These are all free of coarse and most of them are well supported, most.

  • Akismet
    • Akismet checks your comments against the Akismet web service to see if they look like spam or not.
  • Secure WordPress
    • Little basics for secure your WordPress-installation.
  • SI CAPTCHA Anti-Spam
    • Adds CAPTCHA anti-spam methods to WordPress on the comment form, registration form, login, or all. This prevents spam from automated bots.
  • WordPress Database Backup
    • On-demand backup of your WordPress database. Search for WP-DB-Backup in the WordPress free plugin directory. This plugin can also perform scheduled email backups in ZIP format emailed to you.

This may be a short list but these powerful WordPress plugins will provide the best security for your self-hosted WP install. Search for more plugins at the WordPress free plugin directory.

This post proudly sponsored by BeerSmith Home Brewing Software and Free Domain Names at FatCow Web Hosting!

PowerPoint Presentation Writing TIPS

Here are some PowerPoint presentation writing tips which I am using to prepare for grant writing workshop presentation tomorrow here in Dodgeville, WI. These tips are based off a video by Lawrence Bernstein.

  1. Don’t bore the audience with tons of words on each PowerPoint presentation slide.
    1. The slides are not your notes for your presentation.
    2. Keep your slides and the presentation script separate.
  2. Make the slides interesting.
    1. Use no more than 10 words per slide.
    2. Use funny graphics if possible.
  3. Don’t use technical stuff.
    1. Try to ammuse the audience not bore!
  4. Use a story to make the presentation.
    • What you want the audience to take away from the speech.
    • Overall philosophy.
    • The story keeps you focused which you can continue to come back to.
  5. Don’t go into too much detail.
  6. Make sure to include pauses for them to take in the slide then talk.
  7. Make the presentation informal, ask questions, engage the audience.

Pandora Radio Tips and Tricks

pandora_logoAs you can see in my Lifestream, I am addicted to Pandora Radio.

I use Pandora in my home office while preparing and eating dinners. I often find Pandora to be anoying as I get distracted rating music. This free online music service plays music based on your thumbs up/down ratings of artists, songs and albums.

User Notes – Pandora Tips & Tricks

These tips and tricks in the video blog below show how to get more variety or how to fine tune what kind of music plays on your Pandora radio stations.

For more information about Pandora and the Music Genome Project, view my Pandora profile or use the “P” Pandora icon under “Follow Me” in the sidebar below.