Archive for web design

What is WordPress (self-hosted version)?

Posted by Cat 
· Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 
· No Comments

What is WordPress (self-hosted version)? The WordPress self-hosted software (not WordPress.com or WordPress MU) I am referring to is FREE, open-source software that…

  • is constantly evolving by an international community of developers (not Microsoft or Adobe)
  • is the #1 blogging software available (and is also used for websites)
  • anyone can download and install on their own web hosting (I use SiteGround)
  • is easy to learn how to use (FAR easier to use than Dreamweaver!)
  • is highly customizable with WordPress plugins and themes (learn which ones to use!)
  • must be kept up-to-date and be backed up regularly (the not-so-fun, but still easy part)
  • can be used for e-commerce, embedding audio and video and as a CMS (content mangagement system) in addition to blogging (you can make money easily)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Watch the What is WordPress? video:

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Categories : General Information, learn wordpress, Wordpress
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Comparing WordPress to Joomla

Posted by Cat 
· Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 
· No Comments

Joomla_Symbol_Color_normal

Although most of my experience building websites has been with WordPress, I have also used Joomla and I have a few things to say about my experience with it that convinced me that I strongly prefer WordPress.

1) Ease of use

I started working with computers at a pretty young age – copying code out of PC Magazine and writing programs on our family’s Commodore-64.  Navigating the Joomla system was counter-intuitive.  I had to consult with a developer in the Netherlands to learn how to use it.  With WordPress, I figured it out on my own.

2) Visual/HTML editor

The greatest beauty of WordPress (and deep gratitude to all the PHP developers across the world who collaborated to develop the software) is that users don’t need to know html – not a wink of it.  Of course, it can be helpful in certain situations, but it is not needed.  You can copy html code into WordPress’s html editor window and then go into the visual editor to see what it will look like where you can align and adjust.  This is the golden jewel of WordPress.  Though I do know basic html, many of the people I serve have no interest in learning it.

3) WordPress can be just a website or a website with blog

WordPress does not have to be used for blogging – it can be a stand-alone website.  Blogging just happens to be a great tool for internet marketing, so using the blog component of your WordPress site is a huge bonus.

4) Google-friendly

Google finds WordPress sites much faster than regular websites due to the way the permalinks are structured.  Google loves WordPress sites.

What has your experience been with Joomla compared with WordPress?  Leave me a comment.

Here to help you make your finest dreams come true,

-Catherine

Related Articles:

http://dukecarico.com/index.php/Technology/Joomla-Vs.-WordPress.html

http://www.seomoz.org/ugc/wordpress-vs-joomla-a-handy-guide

http://www.stevepavlina.com/forums/technology-technical-skills/3915-wordpress-joomla-desicion.html

http://www.miracletutorials.com/wordpress-vs-joomla-review/

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Categories : General Information, Google, learn wordpress, SEO
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Design Portfolio: Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain

Posted by Cat 
· Monday, November 9th, 2009 
· 2 Comments

Picture 19

Patt Lind-Kyle has created a book and companion CD set to support people in changing their lives for the better.

Her WordPress website incorporates the following features:

  • Blog
  • YouTube Channel
  • Social Media Icons linked to Social Media sites
  • Free MP3 incentive for joining email list
  • WordPress as fully-functioning website/CMS
  • Custom graphic design and layout to match product branding
  • Embedded audio players for interviews and samples of work
  • SEO techniques
  • Re-sizable fluid width for different screen sizes
  • Facebook Fan box
  • Dark background with light text color (to match product)
  • AWeber email marketing with Blog Broadcast feature
  • Blog sync with Facebook Page and Twitter account
  • Google Analytics reports within WP dashboard and by email
  • Automatic weekly Database backups
  • Plugins: Spamblocker, Security, Super Cache (for faster load time)
  • Feedburner RSS feed optimization
  • Teleseminar Registration possibilities for the future

What do you think of Patt’s website?  Leave me a comment.

Here to help you make your finest dreams come true,

-Catherine

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Categories : Design Portfolio
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Free alternative to BrowserCam: Browser Shots

Posted by Cat 
· Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 
· 3 Comments

Picture 4

BrowserShots is a free, open-source program created by Johann C. Rocholl that allows you to see how your website looks in dozens of different browsers on different operating systems including Linux, Mac and Windows.  It works by making screenshots of your web design from different browsers and sending those screenshots to a results page on the BrowserShots server where you can see them all.

If you design WordPress websites, this is a very important tool considering that, although in my opinion, many WordPress sites look better in Firefox or Safari, the majority of people are still using Internet Explorer on Windows machines.  And for someone like me, who works primarily on an iMac, this is the only way I can see what my sites look like in Windows browsers because Microsoft does not support Internet Explorer for Macs anymore.

Check your site out at BrowserShots and leave me a comment with your experience.

Here to help you make your finest dreams come true,

-Catherine

P.S. For a complete set of tutorials on topics related to using the self-hosted version of WordPress, take my free e-course.

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Categories : General How-To, General Information, learn wordpress, Open Source
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