Big Signs Can Send Big Confusing Messages

You have a message that you want to deliver to your users. Maybe you are trying to explain a concept, or maybe you are attempting to sell a product. You know what message you are trying to convey, but is it clear to everyone else? Shouting the message NI GIB SRETTEL (that’s “in big letters” backwards) doesn’t make a message clearer. All it does is make the message bigger. Need... read more

How To Make Your Users Hate You

Rule #1. Don’t frustrate your readers. Rule #2. Don’t make your users mad. Rule #3. Make sure stuff works. Or you can do what two extremely big sites did today that frustrated and angered its users. Scenario #1: A huge travel site, which shall remain nameless, had a problem with its payment form. Every time I filled out the form, it errored out saying that I had failed to supply the... read more

Three Cool WordPress Video Plugins

Video is hot. Never turn your back on hot. If you can utilize video on your site or in your blog posts, you give your users the new media they crave. You don’t have to use it often, but occasionally dropping a Youtube or similar video into a blog post can really engage your visitors. If you want to use video in your blog posts, I recommend you check out 3 WordPress plugins. Easy Video Insertion... read more

Start An eBook Today Just For The Experience

Recently, I showed you how quick, easy, and free of cost it could be to create your own eBook. The problem, of course, is the content! You have to actually write something in this eBook of yours, now don’t you? Part of the procrastination process is fear. We are afraid to try something new. We are fearful that what we attempt to create will be inadequate. I say, SO WHAT? Do it anyway. Start... read more

Jumping on New Ideas

Many people, when attempting to make a living online, will concentrate on one idea and one site only, and that’s ok for them. But some people are what I call “idea people”, and I happen to be one of those kinds. Ideas spring forth like weeds from my brain, and while I don’t act upon every single one, I do tend to act upon at least a dozen or so each year. Some are really bad... read more

Ultimate Time-Saving WordPress Plugin

I know I’ve listed both my favorite and essential WordPress plugins before, but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell you about an incredible new(ish) WordPress plugin that everyone absolutely must have! Want to save time and frustration? Download the OneClick Installer Plugin. Never ever download, unzip, open your ftp program, and upload a plugin – ever again! I don’t know about... read more

Modernize Your Site or Blog

Does your site look like it was created in the 90′s by your nephew? Wait, it was? Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to be insulting, but if you’d like to give your site a seriously more modern look, you might want to start by looking at the various Crystal Clear icon packs that are available. If nothing else, these should inspire you by giving you an idea of what modern even looks like. Or,... read more

WordPress 2.2 Upgrade Theme Problems

I just thought I’d document a problem I ran across 3 times today when I upgraded three of my WordPress blogs to the newest version (2.2.2). Suddenly, my themes looked all out of whack, with the sidebars having issues. Sections weren’t in the correct spots, and things I hadn’t had in my sidebar for a long time were there again. Turns out, it was an issue with old widgets suddenly... read more

A Dozen Essential (and Eight Optional) WordPress Plugins

Three months ago, I posted a list of my favorite WordPress widgets and plugins. Since then, I’ve restructured several blogs and changed my mind about some things, so I thought it might be a good idea to revisit this topic and give a similar list that may not coincide exactly with the first. The first section below is a list of a dozen absolutely essential plugins that I would advise anyone to... read more

Chat With Your Site Visitors via Your IM

Yesterday, I mentioned that I would be pointing out some noteworthy widgets in the future, and the future is here today. Today’s noteworthy widget is Plugoo. Plugoo lets you very easily chat with your website’s visitors via your own every day IM client. Whatever instant messenging client you normally use – Yahoo Messenger, MSN (Live) Messenger, AIM, Google Talk, Jabber, or ICQ –... read more