WP Themes

WordPress How To Videos

Nikki — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:06:24 +0000

WordPress is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, but everyone needs a little help taking their website to the next level from time to time. The incredible range of WordPress how to videos available can be a godsend for users during those times when assistance is required.

Helping Hands from the WP Community

Part of the reason that WordPress is so successful can be attributed to the mammoth community behind it – the people contributing to the platform’s continued development, as well as those actively supporting other users to learn how to use the tool to their full advantage.

The WordPress community is a living, breathing, growing beast – bursting with users, enthusiasts, coders and developers who are genuinely passionate about sharing their knowledge and expertise. You can read more about WordPress Communities: Hints and Hacks in a recent post.

Hooray for How Tos

How to instructional clips have drastically changed the way people learn and grow new skill sets, and this is especially true of the WordPress community of users, who frequently share their knowledge, tips and tricks via video on platforms such as YouTube. If you’re brand new to WordPress, you can learn all of the basics of setting up and launching your new WP website simply by watching a couple of informative WordPress how to videos and following the step-by-step instructions.

If you already have an existing WordPress website but you want to pimp it out with some clever plugins or add greater functionality or further customise your design, searching the web for some clear, educational WP how to videos is likely to be all the assistance you’ll need to putting your web plans into action.

WP Themes WordPress How To Videos

WP Themes is all about helping users master the art of WP blogging and website building – so of course, we have our own YouTube channel where we host a series of useful WordPress how to videos.

Subscribe and Share

You can subscribe to the WP Themes YouTube channel to receive updates whenever a new WordPress how to video is posted. And if you could use a little video tutoring on a certain issue you’re currently having with WordPress, be sure to let us know so we can work on addressing it in an upcoming video.

-- WordPress How To Videos orginally published on WP Themes

WordPress FAQs

Nikki — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:27:18 +0000

Whether you’re entirely new to WordPress.org or you’ve been using the platform for a while now, there’s always more to learn. We’ll be running a new series on Frequently Asked Questions, from the most basic to the more advanced. Be sure to comment at the bottom of this post with your own questions, queries and brain-teasers.

What’s the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?

Essentially, the difference between WordPress .com and.org is that one platform is full-hosted, and one is self-hosted. WordPress.com is a free service (though premium upgrades are available) blog network using WordPress software. WordPress.org offers users the option to download the WordPress software, and upload it to a web server to run their own WordPress website.

Hosting your own WordPress website with WordPress.org requires a degree of technical knowledge, and the cost of web hosting – however it also allows for greater control over the look and feel of your site. Hosting your site or blog on WordPress.com requires very little technical know-how, and means you don’t have to download software, pay for hosting, or manage a web server.

Can I customise my website’s 404 page?

The 404 or Not Found error message is the standard response indicating the requested page of a website was for some reason not able to be found, or no longer exists. Though obviously, the goal is to ensure no broken or dead links are present on your website to negate the need for 404 pages to appear altogether, it’s almost inevitable that during some part of their browsing experience, your users will stumble across one.

Many website owners choose to customise their 404 page to include a friendlier and less jarring description, branding, a search form, a feedback form, or an invitation to return to the homepage. A good custom 404 page will help your readers or customers find the information they were looking for – and might even make them laugh, like some of these great 404 Not Found examples – rather than completely disrupting their web experience.

You can read step by step instructions on creating an Error 404 page via Codex.

Widget versus Plugin?

There is often some confusion as to the difference between widgets and plugins – particularly for users new to WordPress. Basically, a plugin adds greater functionality to a website or blog (SEO, spam blocking, advertisement placing etc) via a software script, while a widget (often derived from a plugin) is an object which can be added via drag and drop to a website or blog’s sidebar.

We want your FAQs

What burning questions do you have about WordPress? About the platform in general, or usability, or plugins, or themes, or customisation, or anything at all when it comes to building and managing your WordPress website or blog. What question has been plaguing you for weeks, maybe months, that you haven’t yet found the answer to, or you keep forgetting to put to a WP expert?

The old cliché, the only silly question is the question not asked, certainly applies here – so step up one and all and post your questions here in the comments section below, and we’ll endeavour to answer each and every one in due course.

We’ll be running regular Q&As addressing issues from both novice users and fully-fledged WP whiz kids, so be sure to stay tuned, and follow WP Themes on Twitter and Facebook for regular updates.

-- WordPress FAQs orginally published on WP Themes

Three Key Benefits of Guest Blogging

Nikki — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:30:32 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the value of accepting guest posts on your blog. I wanted to follow that up with a post about the value of submitting guest posts, and being featured as a guest blogger on other sites.

First of all, forget about link building. Despite what many people will fall over themselves to tell you, guest blogging really isn’t about link building. Sure, it’s nice to leave a little trail of virtual breadcrumbs so more people can find your blog – and links on relevant, quality sites are good for SEO – but the real value in guest blogging is in building relationships with new readers.

Exposure

Increasing your visibility and reach online via relevant, quality blogs is a fantastic way to increase your own following, fan base and blog traffic. The key here is to be consistent. You can’t submit two guest posts and expect your unique visitors to go through the roof. Experts estimate that in many cases your brand needs to be exposed to a reader around seven times before that reader will visit your directly. The more quality exposure you build, the greater the benefits.

Credibility

Just like featuring a guest post from a well-known industry expert enhances your blog’s credibility, so too does being featured on a respected blog. By building your association – or relationship – with other industry experts and leaders, your own reputation and perceived authority will be bolstered. You can also use your position as a guest blogger as social proof of your credibility on your own site. For example, if you have a post published somewhere like the Huffington Post, wouldn’t it be cool to be able to brag about it on your own blog?

Improve your writing

Writing guest posts is a great way to continue to improve your writing skills, while stretching your existing capabilities. When writing solely for your own narrow niche or audience, it can be easy to get caught in a narrative rut. Challenging yourself by writing for new audiences and adapting to new styles can be an excellent exercise in taking your writing to the next level – and letting your voice evolve and change. You’re probably superb already, but every great writer aspires to improve.

Follow Up: Receiving guest posts

After publishing the previous piece on accepting guest posts on your blog, a couple of you commented asking how best to go about publishing submissions.

In short, how you go about accepting and publishing guest submissions is entirely up to you, although there are two key options you’ll probably want to consider. The first is to simply accept submissions as a text document, which you can then proof and edit as necessary and then copy and paste to publish. This is a good option, because you then retain complete control over the content featured on your site. It may be a little more time consuming, but when it comes to maintaining full editorial control, taking a few extra minutes to copy and paste yourself can be a good trade off – particularly if you’re new to accepting posts from guest bloggers.

The second option is to set up a guest user account in your site’s admin and have your guest bloggers submit their content directly into the backend to be saved and approved by you for publishing. This option can save a lot of time, but is generally favoured only in cases where site owners have worked with the same guest blogger previously and have already established trust.

It really comes down to what you feel comfortable with – because how you receive submissions is entirely at your own discretion. If you want to promote the fact that you are looking for guest bloggers, consider dedicating a page to submission guidelines and making this visible in your main navigation or menu.

-- Three Key Benefits of Guest Blogging orginally published on WP Themes

Creating a Brief for your WordPress Developer

Nikki — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:18:29 +0000

If you have a new WordPress project on the horizon and you’d like to employ the expertise of a professional to develop your site, creating a good brief to guide the process is essential.

It can also be easier said than done if you’d never had to brief a developer or designer on a project previously. Feeling stuck? Wondering which aspects are important and which will be worked out during the dev process?

I spoke to Daniel Hay from The Fold and WordPress developer Justin Soong to find out what they like to see in a brief for a new project.

As a developer, why is it important for clients to give you a good brief?

Dan: For most companies in our industry a good brief is vital. It not only provides the primary information of what the client wants, but sets the tone for what they expect. It allows us to accurately respond with timeframes, estimates and also recommend features that might enhance their project that the client otherwise hasn’t thought of.

In a way, you can also measure the success of a project by what was outlined in a good brief (providing the primary goals have remained the same throughout the development process). A good brief sets the boundaries of the project while also allowing for some freedom to make changes along the way. Because the brief comes from an idea; an idea is always evolving and so should a website.

Justin: A brief is the high-level blueprint of objectives and requirements. It’s an essential part of the development process, because it forms the basis of deliverables, it gives the developer context and focus, and it helps to avoid costly miscommunication. A good brief is simple and concise, and allows the developer to add value to help the client achieve their goals and objectives.

What are the five most important things people should include in a brief for a developer?

Dan: In no particular order…

Budget. It’s important to establish this early on. There are many ways to approach website design and development, each with its advantages, disadvantages and price tags.

Clearly identify your audience. This helps us create a user experience that’s in line with the capabilities and expectations of your target market.

What are the goals for this project? Ultimately, why are we doing this? Which often lends itself to, how do we do this? Often there is more than one approach you can take to develop a site. Knowing the end goals can help identify which method/s would be better served over others.

What are the measures of success? When a site is launched its important to track how its measuring up to its goals.

Functional requirements. This is the core of what we will base a quote and timings from. The more accurate and detailed this section is, the better we can provide a realistic quote and timings.

Justin: The five most important things people should consider, include…

Business Goals and Objectives. Doing this allows the developer to help think of solutions and requirements which you may not have necessarily thought of initially. A good developer not only delivers the end result, but also helps you to choose the best option to align with your goals and objectives. Having a clear set of objectives also gives the developer a point of reference to work with, and is an excellent way to measure a site’s success.

You Budget. WordPress sites can be kept simple, but can also become feature-rich and complex very easily. In tandem with your business objectives, stating your budget from the very beginning of your project allows your developer to give you guidance when it comes to selecting different options while developing your site. A developer should be able to realistically match your expectations with your budget, and often will help you develop a strategy to optimise your budget, and plan for future upgrades.

Timeframe. Being clear on your timeframe is very important. Like your the budget, your timeframe is a constraint that should definitely be made very clear early on and formally in your brief. This allows the developer to realistically set expectations, and advise on the best possible approach to meet your project deadline.

Users and Target Audience. Your developer should know who the users of the website will be. Including this information in your brief allows the developer to help choose the best design and technology options.

Design. Design considerations and your preferred aesthetic are also important to include in your brief. Ask yourself how you want the site to look and feel. Do you want lots of imagery or videos? Or do you want the focus to be on content? Should the site be designed with mobile devices in mind, for greater accessibility? You developer is unlikely to be looking for extremely detailed requirements here, so aim for a general overview rather than specifying font-sizes and colour choices.

If a client knows they need a website, but they have no idea what they want or need, what’s a good way for them to get started? What homework can clients do to create a good brief?

Dan: It’s not a bad thing not knowing what you want or need early in the concept stage of the project. You don’t want to constrict your idea with technology boundaries to early on. Understanding the relevant market and audience is the key. From there, it’s a matter of meeting with several dev companies to discuss your idea and ask for their recommendations. A good dev company can assist in making a brief that helps define the needs of a website.

Justin: There are three key things you can do to get started when you’re feeling lost…

Look at other websites, and use them as examples. Pick out features and aspects of design you like from these sites, and provide your developer links as points of reference.
Spend time clarifying what your business objectives are. This step is crucial as it helps to shape what you really want. As for what you need, that is where a good developer steps in.
Engage your stakeholders and target audience. Talk to the people who the website is intended for. Knowing what your users want and who they are really helps to create an awesome brief.

What’s your pet peeve as a developer? What should people avoid at all costs when providing a brief for a new web project?

Dan: Set a budget. You can save everyone a lot of time by letting people know how much you want to spend on the project.

Justin: Avoid approaching a developer with very generic requirements in your brief. Doing your homework and following the advice above should help give enough points of reference for the developer to work with.

Not sure how to find the right WordPress developer for your project? Check out the recent post on Choosing a WordPress Developer.

-- Creating a Brief for your WordPress Developer orginally published on WP Themes

Bloggers to Bookmark

Nikki — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:08:58 +0000

You have to read well to write well, and blogging is no exception. If you’re maintaining a business blog, hobby-blogging or looking to turn your passion for writing into a fulltime online career, it’s important to not to write in a vacuum – and that means reading a lot of great blog posts from a wide variety of writers to expose yourself to different styles and perspectives.

Becoming a devoted blog reader will crack open and enhance your blog writing skills in ways you may have never considered. So who do you read? And which blogs should you bookmark?

Darren Rowse

Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger site is considered one of the premier resources on making a living from blogging. Darren has been blogging since 2002, and as well launching ProBlogger and building a fanbase of thousands, has written three popular books on the subject.

The ProBlogger 31 Days to Build a Better Blog series proved extremely popular with fledgling and experienced bloggers worldwide, and went on to inspire one of Darren’s most successful books.

His blog is a great resource for all bloggers – particularly those looking to monetise their sites. Follow Darren on Twitter at @problogger.

Gala Darling

New Zealand-born and New York-based blogger Gala Darling is one of the blogosphere’s favourite It girls, and her hugely successful blog has spawned her position as an expert on the subject – and led to the establishment of The Blogcademy worldwide workshops.

Though originally focused on fashion, Gala’s blog is now geared toward her Radical Self Love Project, and is a great source of inspiration for lifestyle bloggers. Follow Gala on Twitter at @galadarling.

Chris Guillebeau

Blogger, traveller, self-professed authority challenger and author Chris Guillebeau is perhaps best known on the blogging scene for his manifesto, A Brief Guide to World Domination, his blog on The Art of Non-Conformity, and his personal 11-year challenge to travel to every country in the world, which he achieved earlier in 2013.

Jam-packed with ‘unconventional products’, ‘los manifestos’ and articles on everything from 279 Days to Overnight Success to Why You Should Quit You Day Job and Travel Around the World, Chris’ blog is a beacon for entrepreneurs and bloggers who want to design extraordinary lives. Follow Chris on Twitter at @chrisguillebeau.

Alexandra Franzen

Offering laser-lucid lessons on life, writing, creativity, work and more, Alexandra Franzen writes about how to be a better writer, and has worked with a number of noteworthy entrepreneurs, including bestselling author Danielle LaPorte and the CEO of B-School, Marie Forleo.

Penning books and running writing workshops and retreats in her spare time, Alexandra’s blog is a wonderful resource for bloggers and writers looking to hone their craft. Follow Alex on Twitter at @Alex_Franzen.

Seth Godin

Bestselling author of no less than 14 books, founder of Squidoo.com and marketing guru Seth Godin has changed the way people think about marketing and work. His books have been translated into more than 33 languages, and his YouTube clips have draw thousands of views globally.

Seth’s blog is recognised as one of the most popular marketing blogs in the world, covering a diverse range of topics from How to write copy that goes viral to Eleven things organisations can learn from airports. Follow Seth Godin on Twitter at @ThisIsSethsBlog.

Penelope Trunk

Founder of Brazen Careerist, Penelope Trunk’s career advice is featured in 200 newspapers, and her speaking engagements have riveted and inspired audiences across the United States. Audacious, to-the-point and sometimes controversial, her blog posts cover everything from what startup life is really like and living up to your potential, to how to pick a career you’ll like.

Her blog is a great resource for bloggers looking to transition their passion from part-time to full-time, who want tell-it-like-it-is advice and been-there-done-that wisdom. Follow Penelope Trunk on Twitter at @penelopetrunk.

Of course, who you enjoy reading on a regular basis really depends on your preferences, but the above six bloggers are a good place to start. Looking for further inspiration specific to your area of interest or industry? Try a Google search, or browse Technorati’s blog directory to see what stands out.

-- Bloggers to Bookmark orginally published on WP Themes

The Bizness

charles — Tue, 14 May 2013 02:31:22 +0000

The Bizness is another new theme exclusively for our subscribers! Subscribe below and we’ll send you the download link instantly.

Out of the box The Bizness is a cool and flexible theme with handy customization options:

Upload your own logo
Change the theme colors to match your brand
Add social media icons for your preferred networks
Add a background image
The theme also comes with an alternative home page template which features a classy and configurable image slider, making the theme great for small businesses who don’t want the home page to be a blog. Create a static page, apply the Alt_Homepage template and set this as the home page.

If you like the look of this theme you can download it right now when you subscribe to the WP Themes newsletter…

Subscribers get exclusive access to great themes like this as well as tips and advice on building and developing your WordPress powered site.

-- The Bizness orginally published on WP Themes

WordPress the Most Popular CMS Among Top 100 Blogs

Nikki — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:28:53 +0000

If you needed any further proof that WordPress is the most popular blogging platform among the blogosphere’s biggest and brightest, here it is.

According to website monitoring leader Royal Pingdom, “WordPress is strengthening its position as the dominating blogging platform or Content Management System (CMS) used by the world’s top 100 blogs”. Pretty impressive stuff for a humble, open-source platform which is only now on the brink of its 10^th anniversary, right?

As illustrated in Royal Pingdom’s annual study and subsequent report, WordPress is currently used by 52% of the world’s top blogs – which is up from 48% in 2012 – demonstrating WP’s position as a global CMS giant is only strengthening.

So what exactly is this study based on?

Essentially, Royal Pingdom works off Technorati’s list of the most popular blogs around the world, and use these as a benchmark to measure overall trends in the popularity of different content management systems, including WordPress, Drupal, Gawker, BlogSmith, Moveable Type, TypePad, Blogger, Ceros, Joomla, Tumblr, and custom CMS.

Founded as the first blog search engine and now regarded as the leading blog directory on the web, Technorati indexes in excess of one million blogs and has become the definitive source on the authority and influence of blogs, as well as who and what is most popular in the blogosphere.

The Technorati Top 100, ranked by Technorati Authority, lists the top 100 blogs in the world and is updated daily. Blogs frequently included in the Top 100 list include Gawker, The Huffington Post, TMZ.com, Mashable, MacRumours, and Jezebel, and indicate each blog’s category and change in ranking.

Royal Pingdom took Technorati’s March 20, 2013 Top 100 list and tried to identify which blogging platform or CMS each of the sites listed is using. Out of those top 100 blogs, Royal Pingdom was able to identify the CMS used by 94 of those sites – and compiled a breakdown of the statistics.

52% of Top 100 blogs on the WordPress platform

WordPress was overwhelmingly recognised as the most popular platform, and identified as the CMS for the following (March 20, 2013) Top 100 blogs. Be sure to check them out for some inspiration regarding what can be done using the WordPress platform to create a hugely successful site.

This year’s results show a substantial increase in the number of Technorati Top 100 blogs on the WordPress platform, as opposed to just 27 percent in 2009.

For a closer look at the breakdown, you can check out Royal Pingdom’s original graphic illustrating this year’s results here. Like the graphic used in this post? You can create your own using Infogr.am.

-- WordPress the Most Popular CMS Among Top 100 Blogs orginally published on WP Themes

Social Sharing Tools and Networks to Watch

Nikki — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:23:35 +0000

Tired of tweeting? Suffering Facebook fatigue and Insta-exhaustion? Exciting new social networks and platforms are popping up across the web all the time, offering us tons of innovative and awe-inspiring ways to connect, share and communicate.

Here are five of the most intriguing and creative up-and-coming social sharing tools and networks you’ll want to check out for yourself.

Path

Reportedly growing by more than one million users each week, Path offers a more intimate social networking experience – where friend networks are limited to 150 connections for each user. Self described as a ‘smart journal that helps you share life with the ones you love’, Path is private by default, and is designed to simulate a ‘dinner table experience’, where you would share stories and moments in a safe environment with the people closest to you.

Chirp

Remember how blown away smartphone users were when the Bump sharing app was released? Well, Chirp is based on a similar concept… but with even more oomph. Essentially, Chirp is about sharing via sound – giving users the ability to share a link or image or even a document with an entire roomful of people. No more emailing multiple accounts or trying to pair devices via Bluetooth. With Chirp, your phone emits a high-pitched, two-second squeak, which other phones running the app within audio range recognize, allowing them to instantly download the shared information. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in a boardroom or a crowded bar, or trying to reach a larger audience by embedding your chirp into YouTube videos.

(The New) Myspace

Though the old MySpace (with a capital S) was once the social media king boasting more than 100 million users in its prime, it has long been regarded ad the has-been of the social networking world… that is, until the launch of the new Myspace 2.0, with the backing of Justin Timberlake. The new interface is visually driven, although the focus on music is still central to the platform. Using Myspace, users can listen to the latest tracks from undiscovered talent and upload their own to find new fans; connect with music, artists and friends to get customised recommendations for new music; access exclusive interviews, videos and mixes; and curate and share their own music and photo mixes.

Thumb

Thumb is all about personal crowdsourcing in real time. It was created with the goal of helping people get instant opinions while shopping, but since its launch in 2010 it has evolved into a community of users happy to give feedback on virtually every area of life – from artwork and music to movies, food, relationships, and everything in between. Not sure which blog topic to post about today? Deciding between two logo concepts for your business? Want to ask real people if they’d buy a new product before you invest time and money creating it? Put your question out into the world, see the thumbs ups and thumbs downs rolling in, and engage in conversations with people from all over the world to help you make your decision.

Chirpify

Leading a revolution in online payments and selling, Chirpify is the only in-stream social commerce platform – enabling users to sell digital and physical items directly in stream on social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To make a purchase users simply reply ‘buy’, to enter a contest they reply ‘gimme’, or to donate to a social fundraising initiative they reply ‘donate’. Chirpify also enables users to send and receive payments to multiple people with one tweet or retweet by including the hashtag #chirpify. No credit cards or tedious online checkouts necessary.

-- Social Sharing Tools and Networks to Watch orginally published on WP Themes

Choosing a WordPress Developer

Nikki — Fri, 10 May 2013 03:00:12 +0000

Are you in the initial stages of finding a WordPress developer to whip your website into shape? Selecting the right person for the job isn’t always easy. Different developers offer different strengths, some specialise in websites for particular industries, and not all web developers have the same level of experience developing for the WordPress platform.

You wouldn’t hire a builder to construct your home without talking to them and getting a few recommendations – and selecting the right person to build your website shouldn’t be any different. The problem is, many people really don’t know what questions they should be asking when talking to potential developers – and not asking the right questions can lead to a breakdown in communication and unmet expectations for both parties.

I wondered what those questions were myself – and decided to go straight to the source for an insider’s perspective. Stephen Price from WebMAD gives us the skinny on what you should ask prospective WordPress developers before choosing your perfect match.

From your perspective, what are the Top 5 questions people should ask when they’re deciding which developer to work with?

“What other WordPress sites have you worked on in the past, with examples?”

This will give you an idea of the skill level of the development team, and whether they have an eye for the sort of site you are after. It will also enable you to get an idea of page load speeds from their examples etc. You get a feel for what they can offer.

“What other sites have you worked on that relate to the content of my site, or potential experience with my site’s subject matter?”

The more they have done close to your field, the more they will know your market, and will be able to optimise for your needs. It also cuts down on communication time as you don’t need to explain why you want things a certain way, as they have worked for a similar client before. It just makes the whole process easier if you are talking to someone who can speak your language.

“What is the process to get my site live and what happens after? From design, to implementation, to ongoing support?”

Its best to know as a client what you are getting and what the process is, and the steps to the next part of the process so that you can hold the developers accountable at each stage in the process. For example some teams exclusively work to their own designs, others prefer designs to be provided by the client. It’s best to be able to compare apples with apples when weighing up developers. In terms of after the site goes live, every web system needs regular updates – WordPress is no exception. Security patches, feature refinements – a great development team will be able to offer ongoing support services to make sure your site stays online, rather than just helping you get it up and leaving you to it.

“How and where is my site to be hosted?”

Knowing your market, and optimising the location of your hosting to your market to reduce page load speeds is critical especially with high media content sites. Also if your site ends up on low cost ‘cram them in’ hosting (hundreds of sites per server) then your site will be under-resourced and run slowly. This is critical with database intensive content management systems like WordPress especially if you are using plugins that are not yet mature.

“What will it cost and what are the payment terms?”

Often problems arise over different expectations of what will be delivered for a certain cost. This generally ends badly for both the client and the developer. Make sure the developer gives you a clear written quote that outlines the cost and what they will (and won’t) do for that cost.

Pet peeve. What question do you constantly get from people which makes you want to bang your head against a brick wall?

“Can I get this done yesterday, and call you at 10pm because I think an image I have supplied isn’t quite right?”

Unfortunately developers don’t necessarily fit into the stereotype. We have lives too, and love it when we only do a 9-5 day rather than sacrificing our lives for your project’s more trivial issues that could wait until the next morning. Having said that, if a developer is passionate about what you are doing they may offer to do this on occasion – treat it as the exception, not the rule.

What homework, if any, should people do before contacting prospective developers?

The web developer will need a detailed specification of what features you want in your site. This is the single most important bit of homework you can do before engaging a web developer, and will yield you the best results in terms of final product, and accuracy of quote. The more detailed you are, the better, but be prepared to be flexible around the more finicky features. Often it’s cheaper for you in the long run to use a pre-built module that may do 99% of what you need rather than sweating the small stuff at this stage.

What’s the single most important thing that person can do to ensure they find the right fit for them and their project?

Either meet your developer face to face, or use people who have been recommended. Built trust with them so you are all on the same page. Ask questions, and make sure you are not closed out from asking questions. You don’t want a dentist drilling into you without knowing why or what the end result will be? At the end of the day, you are the client, and you will most likely be the person who has the longest relationship with the site, so you need to know what things do so you can pass it on to other development teams if things go south.

-- Choosing a WordPress Developer orginally published on WP Themes

Blogzine

charles — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:49:31 +0000

Say hello to our newest theme, Blogzine! It is the little brother of the popular Magazino theme, featuring many of the same stylings and customization options but reflecting a more traditional blog layout. Download info below.

You can easily upload your own logo or background image, choose any primary theme color and it has a really flexible home page slider. With the slider you can feature the latest posts (default) or control which posts to feature using the sticky posts feature of WordPress. Overall a really nice, clean and flexible theme.

This theme is only available to WP Themes subscribers, but it is free to join and when you do we’ll instantly send you the download link for this theme. Grab it now…

-- Blogzine orginally published on WP Themes