Word Press Blogs - How to customize and add themes, plugins and optimize your blog

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Word Press Made Easy

Word Press can be an excellent blogging platform. As an open source item it is easily added to and updated to be exclusively yours.

Being open source allows lots of people to create themes and plugins to help you make your blog extremely effective. The downside is that most of these themes and plugins are created by programmers and they sometimes assume knowledge that us average bloggers don't have.

It is not done on purpose but it does happen. This can create havoc for the writer who is not also technically adept. That is the major reason that I created Word Press Made Easy. This allows anyone to be able to create, update and use a custom blog no matter what their technical capabilities are.

Please take the time to vote in the various polls here, add your blog to our links section and ask your question in our survey. Your input is appreciated.

New Table of Contents 

Using sales or squeeze pages as part of your blog 

Just finished testing out the new Flex Squeeze theme. It allows you to have a squeeze page or sales letter with totally different formatting included in your blog. It is a paid theme but highly recommended for anyone selling their own products on line.


The power of this is that you can make your sales letter or squeeze page part of your actual blog and remove all of the leaks that a blog has at the same time.


Here is a live example.


http://blogging4seniors.com is a brand new product I just released but if you go to http://blogging4seniors.com/second-income/blogging-for-seniors-almost-ready/ you will see that the actual blog behind the sales page is totally different but interlinked with it.


Here is how I plan to take advantage of it. I did my keyword research and have a list of keywords to create articles on that should be commercially viable and achievable with a bit of effort. (If I did my research right ;) )


Use those for blog posts and articles and I should be able to start driving traffic regularly to the new site.


Now to the theme itself.


If you have used the free version of Flexibility it will be quite easy to use. Previously I have done a review of the theme which you can read here.


There are tutorials and sample page included to show you how to get the formatting right. They have a forum for support along with video tutorials.


If you are used to just straight HTML there will be a learning curve but the advantages to this type of site structure are worth the effort in my opinion.


Check out Flex Squeeze theme.


As always your questions and comments are welcomed.


Mike Paetzold

WordPress 2.8.6 Upgrade Announced 

Yesterday I posted a quick blurb when I first saw the upgrade link in one of my blogs. It actually showed a few minutes before the upgrade notice in the feed reader. From the WordPress blog.

"2.8.6 fixes two security problems that can be exploited by registered, logged in users who have posting privileges. If you have untrusted authors on your blog, upgrading to 2.8.6 is recommended."

If you have multiple author accounts it is an upgrade that you should do ASAP. For others I would still upgrade when you get the opportunity but it is not a hot priority.

Upgrading is relatively painless but if you would like it done for you go to WordPress Upgrade.

WordPress 2.8.3 A Security Upgrade 

Just a reminder that even though they just released 2.8.2 WordPress has found they did not quite fix all the security problems so they have released 2.8.3. Please make sure that you upgrade asap.

15 Minute Blog Traffic Results Blog 

Real results from new blogs to generate traffic

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WordPress Auto Upgrade 

One very important thing with the new upgrade feature inside WordPress is backing up first.

Most of the time it will work flawlessly and you will not have any need for it but...

The one time you do will make all the backups worth the time. Watch the video below for step by step instruction.

Using the auto upgrade on WordPress 

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What if upgrading messes up my blog? 

That has to be one of the biggest questions I get when people ask should they uipgrade their blog? I created a video to walk you through not only the upgrade process but how to undo it if your theme causes a problem.

The key is to make sure that you have backed things up FIRST.

You should back up your data base, wp-content folder and the wp-config.php.

The video is about 8 minutes long but with the pauses the whole process of upgrading and undoing it took less than 15 minutes.

Check out the video below.

How to go back if your upgrade messes up your blog 

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WordPress 2.7 Preview 

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WordPress 2.6.3 Update 

WordPress came out with an unexpected update yesterday. With all their work on 2.7 they were not planning this but a security flaw that involves the Snoopy library was announced then.

Because of that they came out with an almost immediate update and it is easy to do but necessary. You will only need to download 2 files and overwrite them. They both go into the wp-includes folder.

You can get the two files from WordPress or download and install the full version. I just grabbed the two files and added them to each blog as it was much quicker. You can get the full story and downloads here.

Quick WordPress 2.6.3 UpgradeTips 

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WordPress 2.6.2 - Need to upgrade 

Finally caught up enough to download and install the new WordPress 2.6.2. Don't see any major changes inside the blog but there is a good reason to upgrade ASAP if you are using any of the 2.6 versions.


To quote from the WordPress blog



Stefan Esser recently warned developers of the dangers of SQL Column Truncation and the weakness of mt_rand(). With his help we worked around these problems and are now releasing WordPress 2.6.2. If you allow open registration on your blog, you should definitely upgrade.


You can read the whole post at the link above.


With any security flaw I always recommend upgrading and as there are a few minor bug fixes the primary reason is listed above. You can check out the minor bug fixes here.

WordPress 2.6 is here 

Well while I was away yesterday WordPress released the new version 2.6.


As soon as I added it I saw something that I love.


Image1


It will now let you know if your plugins have updates. A great new feature.


Now to the important thing. All the plugins I recommend work and the upgrade was painless. I will be adding it to each of my blogs as soon as possible.


There were 4 other big changes and a lot of little ones.



  • Post revisions

  • Press this!

  • Shift Gears

  • Theme preview

The two that really caught my eye though in just a quick glance are the plugin upgrade notice and the theme preview. I will have to play with the others before I can comment on them. The rest of the changes can be found at WordPress blog.

Video review of WordPress 2.6 

WordPress 2.6 Review

http://wordpressmadeeasy.net - A quick tour of some of the changes in the new WordPress 2.6 release

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Tweet My Blog 





Tweet My Blog will allow you to integarate Twitter and your WordPress blog easily.

Automatically post your new blog posts to your Twitter and show your latest Twitter posts on your blog through a widget.

Great way to leverage two great traffic sources and improve both.



WordPress 2.5 - Really surprised this time 

Well my hat is off to WordPress on this one. So far in limited testing this has been one of the best upgrades I have been through and there have been quite a few.

Have not yet found any plugin incompatibilities and really think the new interface is much more intuitive.

Now I have not tested the WYSIWYG as I rarely use it but will be later this week.

The update to plugins is a nice feature but I have had a few upgrades that did not work out but most have. It may be a minor glitch on my server too so it will take more testing.

Feel that this seems to be stable for new blogs and have used it for a couple with no problems but have not started upgrading my older blogs.

Will report more once I get into those.

Tweaking the look of your WordPress blog 

One of the good things about WordPress is the ease with which you can add plugins and new themes. If you can FTP it is really easy.

Upload the theme or plugin to the right folder and log in and activate it. Your site has changed.

One of the tougher things is to edit some of the code.

First you need to make sure that the permissions on the actual files in the theme are writable (chmod to 666). Then you can edit them in your dashboard by clicking Design - Theme Editor.

Now here is the trick especially if you are unfamiliar with css, php etc. Open a notepad and copy the page you want to change into note pad. Save it and don't touch it until you are finished.

This is what works so we keep a copy.

Then I prefer to work in an editor so I will also open Edit Plus and copy the files into the page there to edit. I use this because of the search functions.

If I want to change the background color of the menu I'll look for the spot where it says #menu in the css file. In there will be a hexidecimal code that would look like this if it was a black background #000000. I replace that with the appropriate color code and I can replace the original file with the file I changed and save it.

Look at the site and if it is fine we are done. If it is not or something went back then I copy back my original file that I saved and save it. Back where I was but everything works again.

As long as you make a back up first you really can't hurt your blog for longer than it takes to copy back the backup. It is a good way to teach yourself how your blog works and you will learn each time you do this.

If you are looking for further instruction on how to make these types of tweaks and be able to watch a step by step process check out Advanced WordPress Videos.

WordPress 2.3 Review 

Well this review has been a long time coming. There has been a good reason for it though.

When it first launched the changes were huge and I have had to restructure the plugins used. The primary problem was caused because of the native tagging that was an added feature.

Title tags are the key to getting good search engine rankings and the structure I was using required using the Ultimate Tag Warrior in conjunction with SEO Title tag. The problem is with the new native tagging UTW did not work.

Finally, after much testing and tweaking I have found the correct plugins that are both compatible with 2.3 and give me the same site structure as the old way.

We are now on version 2.3.3 wiht this writing (I told you it took me a while to get this done) and I am now fairly happy with the changes and am still getting the results I need for this to be a viable uograde.

You do need to do a bit more on the upgrade with this version if you were tagging your posts to get them to synch with the native tagging but that has been the primary downfall I have found.

Are you taking advantage of the power of tags? 

One of the things I see when consulting with customers is the total lack of understanding of the power of tagging and tags.

Using tags properly can easily add numerous double listings and improve your ranking for specific keywords.

There have been quite a few good articles on my blog at WordPress Made Easy and if you have questions you can ask them there.

Getz - Word Press 2.2 Review 

Seems to be stable in the short time I have had it up. Does have a few nice features that I like.

If you use lots of plugins it won't activate a plugin that will cause a problem. Nice little feature.

They have built widgets right into the script so you no longer need to get a widget plugin. If you have one you will need to make sure that it has been turned off before you do the upgrade. You may also need to resort your side bar but with the widgets that is a relatively simple task.

The upgrade does make some changes to your data base.

The one thing that I don't care for is you actually have to click to get a preview of the page after you have saved your work. I liked just being able to scroll down to see it but you do get a full page view so it is not all bad.

This makes it very important to follow the upgrade steps to the letter. Make sure you have turned off all your plugins and pulled a backup of your data base.

I haven't tried to restore a blog back to the previous series but would want a data base backup in case the changes caused a problem and you want to go back to an earlier version.

Overall if you like the latest and greatest do the upgrade. No big reason to rush to upgrade if you are current on either the latest version of 2.0 series or the 2.1 series.

If you are adding a blog I would use the new version. All in all seems nice but no features or reasons that I can see to change all my blogs but I will use it on the new blogs.

Creating a Profitable Blog 

Check out 15 Minute Blog Traffic to discover how to increase your blog visitors.

6 Steps To A Profitable Blog

http://www.15MinuteBlogTraffic.com

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Do you have a strategy for getting blog traffic? 

Social bookmarking, RSS directories, and others can sure help

The number 2 question that I get in my survey is "How do I get traffic to my blog?"

There are a variety of ways but taking the time to bookark your site at the social bookmarking sites and submit to the various RSS directories can be a big help.

It doesn't provide immediate results but it does start to increase over time. It also helps to increase your ranking in the search engines which will also help to generate more visitors for you.

Taking the time to do these little things on a regular basis can make a huge difference in your visitor count.

One of the surprising things is the number of visitors you can get from your RSS feed. Being in the directories only increases that.

If you would like more tips check out the replay of a teleseminar I did with Ross Goldberg on Web 2.0 and SEO Tips that is availble below.

Web 2.0 and SEO Tips

How to upgrade your WordPress blog 

How to upgrade your WordPress blog

http://www.wordpressmadeeasy.net Step by step video walk through of how to upgrade your WordPress blog

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Happy Birthday WordPress 

WordPress just had it's 5th birthday. CONGRATULATIONS!

Here is to many more and continued improvements in one of the best blogging platforms available.

What's new at Word Press Made Easy 

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Add Google Analytics to track your visitors 

Add Google Analytics to your WordPress blog

http://www.wordpressmadeeasy.net Easy step by step way to add the Google Analytics code to your WordPress blog

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Looking for input. 

One of the tough things to do is decide what kind of content people would like. Now I am Old, Bald and not endowed with ESP. So I had a brainstorm.

Yep even old bald guys get one occasionally. I decided that if I wanted to know the best way is to ask. (Didn't say my brain was smart.)

If you can help me it would be apperciated just go to this page and fill in your question.

==>Your Question

You will see the results of this survey in future content here and at my Word Press Made Easy blog or you can see the latest answers in the RSS feed below.

Thanks in advance for your help

Podcast your articles? 

I am trying something new and would love to find out what people think about it. Now I not only write my articles but I do then in a podcast format. At this time they are rough but I have ordered an intro and exit done professionally and am looking for a higher quality microphone. Let me know if you like having the option to listen or read.

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Here is help for the number 1 question I get 

How can I make money blogging?

One of the biggest questions I get asked in my blog survey is how do you make money with a blog?

Well the answer isn't quite simple because there are quite a few ways to do it. It depends on what you liike and the topic that you pick. To make a lot of money with a blog you need a lot of traffic. You also need the right topic.

Just read a free report by Michael Green titled "How to blog for cash". Now I grabbed this report because this is actually a topic that I have been doing a lot of research on only because of the number of times the question comes up in my surveys.

Took me about 30 minutes to listen to the audio and if you prefer reading instead of listening you can do that even quicker.

I was a bit put off though because he has already put together the information I have been working on and didn't miss any of the pieces. Now I do have to tell you that it is just an overview but still worth the time to understand what it takes to make real money with a blog.

If you have truly been looking at blogging as a way to make real money you need to get a copy of his report and more importantly read or listen to it.

Grab it today.

=====> How to blog for cash

Avoiding Blog Spam 

Why you need to activate Askimet

Askimet is probably my favorite plugin. It comes with the standard download of WordPress for the last few versions. It will help you control spam comments.

One of the problems with blogging of late is the proliferation of these automated comment software. I just changed a blog over that was getting crushed with spam to WordPress just for the Askimet plugin. I was spnding all my time dealing with the penile enlargement, drug and porn spammers.

Haven't had to delete one since I made the change. Askimet does the work for me. The spammers haven't stopped but now Askimet deletes them and I can worry about providing content. The first 4 days it caught over 60 spam posts.

Now if you have a brand new blog this may not be a problem but eventually the spammers will find you. They have just started on this blog but Askimet makes my life easy.

To use Askimet you need to turn the plugin on in the plugin section. Then if you do not have a WordPress API key you will click the link on the Askimet configuration page and sign up at WordPress. They will email you the API key and all you need to do is add that key into the appropriate space and you have Askimet working for you.

It is not 100% but it will learn from posts that you mark as spam. I very rarely get garbage posts that it doesn't catch. Take the time to add it to your blog today.

Have a question about Word Press or blogging?

Ask it here

Then look for the answer in my posts at my Word Press Made Easy blog or in the RSS feed from it below.

Do you contribute to the conversation? 

One of the great things about a blog is the ability to have a conversation. If you like or don't like what I have to say you can tell me what YOU feel about my topic.

One of the biggest problems I have found is the number of people who spam blogs instead of contributing to the conversation.

I am more than happy to allow a link back to your site if you are adding to the conversation on my blog. Just make sure that it is done in context of the conversation.

Now if I am talking about a plugin and giving my opinion I have no problem with you linking to your views on that plugin that you have already posted if it is done correctly.

Lets use Askimet for example. Recently I gave it a good review and love that particular plugin. IF you disagree and were to comment in the following manner -

"I disagree and have had 3 problems with it. It did not do a, b and c for me. Because of that I have written a contrary review of it at (Your post link).

That contributes to the conversation and gives my readers another viewpoint. If you were to just say check out what my viewpoint is at (Your post link) I personally would not let that through because you have made no effort to contribute to the conversation just to try and get visitors from me.

So when you comment do you add to the conversation or not?

I have my blog on a domain I control - Yes or No 

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Is a blog right for your small business? 

by Mike Paetzold

More and more small businesses are considering using a blog to promote their business. A blog can be used in a variety of ways.

Here are just a few

Get the word out to your customers about your services and products
An easy way to keep your employees updated
A way to allow interaction from your customers or employees

There are a few advantages and a few pitfalls to be aware of before you start. It is important that you lay out a plan and decide what the purpose of your blog will be. Decide how often it will be updated and keep to it. Blogs that aren't updated on a regular basis lose their advantage.

You may need more than one blog because the tighter the focus your blog has - the more effective it will be. Keep your blog on topic and don't allow it to range far and wide with your topics just because you can. If you want to stray from your major topic you may want to consider creating another blog on that topic.

The big advantage of a blog is the ease of use and the ability to be interactive. At the same time that interactivity needs to be controlled to keep your blog on track. Your blog needs to maintain a consistent purpose. Unfortunately, not all comments will add to the conversation you are creating on your blog so make sure you control the comments.

Worry less about the technology and more about the purpose for your business. Now if you are in the music business then adding sound clips and video may serve your purpose. Don't just add technologies because they are available add them because they improve the conversation.

Remember, that blogs are a conversation. Consider that when posting and adding content.

In summary - If you take the time to plan out your blog's purpose, how often it will be updated and schedule the time necessary to achieve this, you will find a blog can be a valuable asset to your overall business plan.

If you are not willing or able to do this then you will be disappointed with the results you receive from your blog.

5 Reasons You Should Use A Blog 

by Mike Paetzold

It is becoming more common but the big question I get when talking to people is "Why use a blog?".
Off the top of my head I can think of 5 major reasons.

A blog is:

Easy to update
Easy to get started
Liked by the search engines
Creating feeds automatically
Allows people to interact with you

Before I start let me take just a minute to define the term blog. The following is quoted from Dr. Mani one of the earliest marketers to embrace blogs.
"A blog is short for "web log" a sort of online personal diary where "anyone" can reveal his/her innermost thoughts, feelings, desires, dreams, ambitions, fears, hopes - you get the meaning.

Yes, it's a website. With one small difference. It lists posts ordered by date in a personal journal format, and is easier to create than a website - just involves typing into a form and pushing the PUBLISH button"

The ease of push button publishing of most blog platforms make them one of the easiest web sites to update. On most platforms you don't need to know HTML though it does help. If you can create a word document you can update a blog.

They are extremely easy to get started. Blogger and Word Press both can be started without much more than creating an account and clicking a few choices. Now there are huge advantages to hosting your blog on your own domain. But even there if you have cpanel hosting with Fantastico it is an almost fill in the blank process to get started. No great technical skills needed.

Search engines like blogs. They are usually updated regularly because it is easy. Compare the type and push a button to update of the average blog platform to creating an HTML page uploading it either through the cpanel or FTP. Much easier so it happens much more often. Blogs tend to have fresher content.

The search engines also like the RSS feeds that are created. Properly used feeds can allow you to generate links from other authoritative sites such as Technorati, Feedburner and others. These high PR sites create backlinks to your site which will make the search engines rate you higher. People can easily subscribe to your feed and know when you have updated your site through various RSS readers.

Finally, the biggest advantage is that blogs can be interactive. Most blog platforms allow your reader to comment on what you have written.

This does two very good things for you. You get additional updated content (which the search engines like) and you get feedback on what you have written.

Blogging books 

Vote for your favorite or add yours to the list

Tell us how often you upgrade your blog 

Word Press has been upgrading every couple of weeks or more often of late. Do you keep current or just upgrade when things go wrong? Maybe somewhere in between?

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What's new at The Old Bald Guy 

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Product Reviews 

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Kudos to Word Press - Ella Rocks!!! 

Word Press just released their latest version the first of the 2.1 series. It is named Ella after Ella Fitzgerald. Quite truthfully as it is the third update this month I wasn't thinking of recommending it to my membership.

Now if it fixed security flaws as the last 2 have I would in a minute. Too many people out on the web with nothing better to do then try and exploit security flaws in unsuspecting people just becauuse they can.

Now that could create many articles on what I think of those sorts but I will get back on topic.

I read the write up on the Word Press blog, downloaded the new version and installed it on one of my blogs.

Well as soon as I tried it and started playing with the new features I just had to tell others about it. Sent to my membership and then set about upgrading the rest of my blogs.

If you have ever lost a post, cussed the html editor, worried about the lack of a spell checker and much, much more then you have to go get this upgrade. There are a lot more features but just the changes in the writing area make this a must do for any one that posts regularly.

Yep go upgrade to 2.1 and see if you love Ella as much as I do.

You can tell me what you think at the Word Press Made Easy blog. I look forward to hearing from you.

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by MikePaetzold

Mike Paetzold is an old bald guy from the coal region of Pennsylvania.
He has created a few products to help the non technical among us to have a custo...

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