Archive for Updates
Photocrati Theme Users – Theme updated for new WordPress version
Posted by: | CommentsThe Photocrati theme is updated for compatibility with the new WordPress version.
Here is what’s new in Photocrati 4.5
- NEW: Added support for post thumbnails. See http://codex.wordpress.org/Post_Thumbnails
- Changed: Updated Pope Framework to v0.3
- Changed: Updated JQuery UI to to v1.9.2, provided by WordPress
- Bugfix: Sorting problem via drag n’ drop using WordPress v3.5
- Bugfix: Fixed compatibility issues with Internet Explorer v10
- Bugfix: Gallery placeholder corrupted using WordPress v3.5
- Bugfix: Empty customization tabs using WordPress v3.5
Note: If you are not seeing the update right now, it may take 1 day for the update to appear in your dashboard.
The Best WordPress Plugins
Posted by: | CommentsThis post is a living document since I keep finding great plugins!
When I first mentioned “WordPress” a few years ago, most people didn’t know what I was talking about. Now, with the growth of blogging and new media structures, WordPress has become so popular that large companies like National Geographic, Yahoo.com, Sony Playstation, Tech Crunch, and WSJ / Wall Street Journal use the content management system called WordPress. But WordPress is pretty vanilla without what are called plugins. Developed by a hugenormous developer community, plugins are third party addins that make WordPress flexible and the amazing platform it is today. New plugins come out all the time, and I will talk about those I find as I come across them. Other plugins have become a ‘standard’ of sorts to make a website search engine friendly, load more quickly, redirect pages to the right place, backup the databases to even backing up the entire website.
I started pinning some of these to Pinterest, but since the plugins pages don’t always have screenshots, those pages can’t be pinned. So I want to share them here.
Even though WordPress is supposed to be optimized to be the best SEO platform available (and Everyone wants to be #1 on Google:), you still need some tools to help you along. All in One SEO’s settings help you control the search engine optimization aspects of your every tag, page, and post, allowing you to override WordPress’ defaults.
Headspace2: update coming soon
Backup Buddy (my personal affiliate link)
I use Backup Buddy. I use it on my websites and recommend it to my customers. It is from iThemes and backs up your entire single or Multisite WordPress install. Including the widgets, themes and plugins. You can also use it to migrate your site to another host. This is a Must Have. You can click above for my personal affiliate link or go to iThemes to purchase.
You can compare Backup Buddy to VaultPress HERE.
An on-demand backup of your WordPress database. Note: this only backs up the database. It does NOT back up the information stored on the server such as download files and pictures. To do that you need another program, like Backup Buddy (and why Backup Buddy was developed).
Re-captcha is an anti-spam method originating from Carnegie Mellon University, then acquired by Google. Instead of generating nonsense words, re-CAPTCHA actually uses words, then, when enough people have purportedly spelled them correctly, Google uses the results for their OCR book digitizing, doing good for the World. 
New Office Location
Posted by: | CommentsWe are proud to announce the opening of the Stevensville office, located in the Kohl building, @115 W. Third Street, Suite 108. Completely accessible/first floor access/windows for signage on the street side/secure server room/ phone (406)777-GEEK (4335). How cool is that?! Phones will be in on Thursday. Yaaay:)
F.lux – Saving You from the Monitor Monster
Posted by: | CommentsKudos to Geoffrey for telling me about F.lux. This is a fantastic utility for those who work (or play:) on their computers into the wee hours. Even better, have you awakened in the middle of the night to do some work on your computer, only to be blinded by the screen?! Holy light from beyond and back — the glare is terrific!
There are studies suggesting that, although blue light is beneficial during the day, late at night, blue light can negatively affect your sleep pattern. My own experience suggests that F.lux not only makes it easier to work on your computer at night, but apparently my sleep pattern WAS being interrupted; I now find I am sleeping better and for longer than my normal 4-5 hours a night. You can adjust the settings and, if you need to work on web design (exact colors, etc.), you can disable the utilty for an hour. If you are simply writing code, the lighting will not affect your results. This is a small-footprint application with a large payoff and I am so grateful Geoffrey told me about it.
Necessary Evils – financials
Posted by: | CommentsA banker told me yesterday, “Most people are passionate about their business. Rarely are any of them passionate about their financial statements.” I guess that is probably true! In addition to the software that I use and support, there is also additional software I use, but don’t support because I am not an expert for that software. Specifically, QuickBooks; the best financial software program around. I finally took the plunge and purchased it last month and have to say, while the process was not painless, my books are in order. Yay! You can purchase QuickBooks here. With QuickBook’s help, even I can do financials! It is certainly a necessary function for any small business. Here’s to happy numbers crunching!
Apple’s iPad Début
Posted by: | CommentsApple’s iPad débuted this week and oh what a début! They had been working on this for 7 years. While all the other PC makers were introducing touchpads, Apple wanted to get it right. Awesome. But, like any introduction, I would wait to puchase one until at least the second or third generation. It can’t task more than one application at a time — for me (and most users) Read More→