Become the Media » Uncategorized

6 Critical WordPress Plugins

Donovan — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:29:28 +0000

On the Everything Basecamp weblog, they list 6 critical WordPress Plugins you should have installed.

60 Free WordPress Themes

Donovan — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:49:20 +0000

Backup your WordPress database with this plugin

Donovan — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:41:08 +0000

Over on Yoast weblog, he discusses the benefits of a WordPress plugin called 'Online Backup for WordPress'. It's a plugin that backs up your WordPress database to a server for free. If you aren't backing up, stop reading this post right now and install this plugin.

Start with a BLANK WordPress Theme

Donovan — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:28:14 +0000

If you are looking to create your own WordPress theme from scratch, sometimes starting from a blank theme makes more sense.

Blank is a WordPress theme with all the functionality of a typical WordPress theme but almost none of the styling. The idea is that when starting a new theme, it is far easier to use this as a base then a theme that is already finished and styled.

WPBeginner is a wonderful resource for the newbie WordPress blogger

Donovan — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:48:55 +0000

Today I discovered WPBeginner, an excellent site devoted to the WordPress beginner.

"Everyone starts out as a beginner. We have created the perfect guide for you so you can maximize the potential of your blog."

A post I found on the site, 21 Most Useful Time Saving WordPress Shortcuts, is especially handy since I'm a firm believer in using the keyboard as much as possible instead of the mouse. For instance, when you are typing your next post, try this command to make a word bold: Alt+SHIFT+b.

I've added WPBeginner to the hand-picked assortment of WordPress specific blogs that flow through Become the Media. Just click on the 'WordPress Blogs' tab and you'll always find the latest posts from the best WordPress focused sites on the net.

Getting Sites Built. A Case Study.

Donovan — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 04:03:59 +0000

THE ASIA FOUNDATION is a nonprofit, non-governmental, philanthropic organization that works to build a peaceful, prosperous, and open Asian-Pacific community. Getting Sites Built has developed a number of web solutions for this organization. We are also their contingency webmasters. Here are three examples of the work that Getting Sites Built has done to address their website development needs.

Bringing the exhibit to the web

The Asia Foundation wanted a web-based version of the 'real world' Afghanistan Exhibit that was on display in Washington, DC. Getting Sites Built created a custom Flash-based solution in less than three weeks. An interactive, web-based, Flash timeline now seamlessly displays the text and images from the physical exhibit. Work Done: Research; Flash production and web staging; version detection; compatibility testing.

Creating In Asia

The Asia Foundation needed a means of sharing weekly news and information outside of the main website. Getting Sites Built created In Asia. This separate website utilizes RSS feeds and email tools to broadcast content, while keeping the presence and feel of the parent site. Now there is an effective and easy way to disseminate weekly information. Work Done: Research; Site installation and customization; graphics, training.

Embedding with integrity

The Asia Foundation asked us to solve a problem they were having with the existing Flash video player. The display on the interface of the gallery page only allowed for a small number of videos. The webmaster found the existing Flash-based answer too difficult and time-consuming to be useful. Getting Sites Built created an elegant solution. We embedded the basic interface of the Flash player directly into the web page, maintaining the integrity of the presentation while addressing the root cause of the problem. It's simple to add new videos now. The webmaster creates a new page in Dreamweaver and enters the URL to match the new video's URL. That's it! No need to jump through hoops just to add more video content. Work Done: Research; Flash extraction and web staging; version detection; compatibility testing. We build the website you've always wanted.

Keep the color blind in mind when designing websites

Donovan — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:14:39 +0000

Jeff Sarmiento of FreshBooks alerts us to a useful online tool that allows you to check what your images or website(s) look like from the eyes of someone who is color blind. The site says, "Roughly 1 in 20 people have some sort of color vision deficiency." I haven't had any feedback yet regarding this issue but it's nice to know I can properly design future sites with this in mind.

What Would Seth Godin Do? A Plugin for WordPress.

Donovan — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 01:00:38 +0000

Seth Godin advocates using cookies to determine new visitors to your site. Here's an example of what he's talking about. Let's say I am visiting Tod Maffin's site, todbits, for the first time. I'd see his site and a boxed in area right under the title of the first post. Inside this boxed area is a message, written by Tod, specifically for those who are visiting his site for the first time. Pretty neat, I think. The real magic of the What Would Seth Godin Do WordPress Plugin is that after a few visits, the number of which you get to configure, the boxed area goes away so that regular visitors aren't burdened by the message. After refreshing the page three times, the message went away as you can see from the screenshot below. I think this plugin is an excellent use of cookies and is so easy to use, why wouldn't you use it?

Just Launched: Philanthropy Associates Redesign

Donovan — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:50:32 +0000

Philanthropy Associates wanted a redesign and the ability to easily update their site without having to always depend on a webmaster. Getting Sites Built redesigned the site, giving it a fresh look and a header that pops off the page. For ease of maintenance and scalability, we built the site on the WordPress foundation and provided basic training on how to update the site. Some of the subtle details include sidebar graphic elements that change, depending on which page of the site you are viewing. The email links are encoded to avoid spambots from harvesting them, resulting in less spam. FeedBurner handles the RSS feed so that blog subscriber results are easily tracked. Likewise, Google Analytics is installed so that basic site stats are only a click away.

New York Skywatch Site Launched

Donovan — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 06:24:18 +0000

New York Skywatch is a WordPress powered website built and customized by Getting Sites Built. In addition to WordPress, a Gallery was also installed which will make it very easy for the site owner to upload photos.
The site was built in less than two weeks. It features nice touches like a FeedBurner RSS feed so that subscriber stats can easily be monitored. There is the Podpress plugin which will allow for easy and elegant podcasting abilities. And, as with all WordPress sites installed by Getting Sites Built, it has a 'Reports' plugin which allows the site administrator to quickly see a snapshot of their Google Analytics, revealing important information at a glance about site visitors. Please visit the site and subscribe to the New York Skywatch RSS feed.