Taking wordpress mobile.
The growth of the smart-phone market has made mobile web surfing a part of daily life. For this reason, it’s increasingly important that your web content is easily accessable for the mobile market. If budget weren’t an issue, I would recommend creating dedicated mobile applications for the major mobile platforms (iphone, windows mobile, blackberry, and android). Unfortunately, development of custom mobile apps accross multiple platforms can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it’s not always easy to take your app mainstream.
Luckily, there are a few plugins for Wordpress that make your site ‘behave’ as if it were a dedicated application on smartphones. MobilePress formats your content for Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Android. iWPhone provides excellent formatting for iPhone. If you’ve got a Wordpress site already, I would strongly suggest installing these plugins.
If you’ve got a mobile smartphone feel free to view pull up IndyAwesome dot com to see what I’m talking about.
Installing Wordpress for Beginners
Today I though I’d walk you through a typical wordpress install, as well as a little about how wordpress works. Though some web experience and tech-savvy is helpful, I believe that virtually anyone who has any knowledge of how the web works should be able to figure out a wordpress installation.
Note: There is a ‘five minute install’ procedure at wordpress.org. I do it a little bit differently, because I think my way is a little faster, but feel free to try it either way.
1 – You can download wordpress for free from worpress.org. This packet includes all the software you’ll need to run wordpress
for your site.
2 – Like most content management systems, wordpress runs off of a database that’s stored on your hosting server. This
database stores your blog posts, the pages on your site, your users, meta information (bits of information that describe and add context) for all the previous, comments, blog categories, and links for your blogroll. Setting up your wordpress database is easy, because the software basically does it for you.
In the back-end of your hosting service (I use godaddy currently), go to the ‘databases’ section and create a database. You’ll be asked to make up a name for the database as well as a username and password.
3 – Next you want to upload the wordpress packet you downloaded to your hosting server. I do this with the ‘file manager’ tool in godaddy, and most server back-ends will have such a tool.
4 – Unzip the wordpress packet. Inside there is a file called wp-config-sample.php. First you just rename the file so it says wp-config.php (I really don’t know why they do it that way). Then you open the file in the editor (all the hosting services I’ve used have a basic code editor built-in, if yours doesn’t, then you can open it in notepad on your PC). You’ll see a place where you can enter your database password, user-name, password, and hosting location (in godaddy they provide you with this after you create the database. If you’re not given any info regarding a host location, leave it at ‘localhost’ and try step 5). Make sure you save the file when you’re done.
5 – Here’s where it gets fun. Open a new browser window and type in http://your domain.com/wp-admin/install.php . It will ask you to name your new site, then it will finish creating the database and after that you’re are done!
The wordpress people say that the process should take 5 minutes. I would say that it’s moderately easy to do. Don’t be afraid, just embrace the power of wordpress.
Wordpress Week!
I’ve decided to dedicate this next week’s posts to my favorite website platform, wordpress. A few months ago wordpress 2.7 was released and I think that with the updates it has truly crossed the chasm into the mainstream.
I began using wordpress during the 2.6 release era and I was fairly impressed with the power and ease of use of the platform. I initially regarded the release of 2.7 as a primarily cosmetic advance. The user interface was indeed greatly enhanced, but it took me a few months of using the new wordpress to realize the tremendous improvements bundled in the new package.
The biggest improvement in wp 2.7 is that you can now install plugins from within wordpress. In 2.6 you had to upload them directly to your hosting server. So, for example, if I wanted to install a calendar plugin I would have to download the plugin, log into my hosting server, upload the file to the wp-content/plugins folder, unzip the file, then log into wordpress and activate and set up the plugin. With wp 2.7 you simply click on the plugins function and you can search for the plugin you want and install it right there. It’s so much easier!
Another problem with 2.6 was that it was difficult to update to a new version of wordpress when it was released. One solution I found was to install the ‘automatic upgrade’ plugin, but it didn’t always work and it took several steps and a significant amount of time to upgrade. The other option was to backup your theme and database and install the new version on the backend, which I never even tried because it seemed like such a pain. With wp 2.7, automatic upgrade is built in and it takes maybe 10 seconds to get the upgrades you need.
The improvements in wp 2.7 make wordpress so easy to use that I can see it gaining even more popularity in the future. My only request would be that they make it just as easy to install new themes as it is to install plugins. That would really make the whole package complete.
Wordpress – Everything you always wanted to know.
What is wordpress?
Wordpress is an open source website and blog management tool that is extremely popular right now. Wordpress was first released as a blogging tool in 2003, and has since evolved into a full featured content management system with amazing functionality. It is coded in .php and runs on a mySql database, which means it is compatible with virtually any web hosting service.
What are the benefits of using wordpress to manage your website?
The biggest benefit of any open source software application is that there is a massive community of developers working continually to improve and expand the platform. In addition, most open source software (like wordpress) are free-of-cost to anyone who wants to use them. What this means in the case of wordpress is that there are literally thousands of free templates available on which to build a website. The only cost for anyone who wants to use wordpress to manage their site is to have a wordpress developer design and customize a template so it works for you.
Wordpress also benefits from an active community of plug-in developers. Plug-ins are small software packets that extend the functionality of the platform. For example, if you want to have a calendar function on your site, there is a plug-in that will allow you to easily implement it. If you want an image gallery, contact form, or survey, there are plug-ins that allow that to happen. In addition there numerous back-end plug-ins that can help ensure that you’re ranking on search engines (like google, msn, or yahoo). A wordpress developer can help you choose which plug-ins are best for your website.
Are there any drawbacks?
Worpress is not appropriate for every website. Sites that are extremely complex with custom applications and and large numbers of pages might not be the best fit. Also, worpress sites are extremely flexible as far as custom designs, but certain designs might not be right for this platform. A qualified wordpress developer can help you evaluate if it’s a good choice for your website.
For information on how to get a customized worpress site at a great value check out my forum post on SmallerIndiana.
Stay the Course
It’s sometimes hard being a serious blogger, especially if you track your traffic religiously. I find that the old George H.W. Bush adage of ’stay the course’ is the best advice. I’ve learned to forgive myself for not always writing the most compelling content. At the end of the day, it’s much more important to be persistent and be yourself.
‘Be persistent and be yourself’ … that’s not a bad line. It’s at least as good as ’stay the course’ when it comes to blogging. Life and business are a series of ups and downs and hopefully you grow along the way both in money and in spirit. I like to think that I get a little better every day.
The road is long, and the road is rough, but I know that I always try to do the best that I can. I trust in the faith that I have for the things that I believe strongly about and I rarely give up. It’s a long life after all and we should all find a little happiness.
Papa's Got a 'Brand' New Bag
If you’re a regular visitor to Indy Awesome, you might have noticed that I’ve changed things up a bit with a new design. I think a new look was a bit overdue. When I put together the old theme, I had just begun learning the ins and outs of the wordpress platform (that’s the blogging software that makes this blog tick). Now I’ve worked with the platform for a while and have a much better grasp of how to manipulate the back-end code.
I even created the custom header at the top on photoshop, which for anyone who knows me is quite a feat. I’m not a very visual person and to get anything that’s even remotely useable is usually impossible. I do think I’ll get a professional designer to rework it sometime soon, but mine will do for the meantime.
I sincerely hope that the new look will contribute to your enjoyment of INDY AWESOME DOT COM!!!!!
Is Dell hurting for 'search' visability?
In a recent post in his ‘blogging best practices blog’ Chris Baggot discussed the issue of Dell Computer’s recent loss of market share to Heweltt Packard. He suggested that focusing on a search-oriented strategy involving his company’s corporate blogging software would help them regain the lead. He also claims that a social media strategy would be ineffective at making up the necessary sales.
I decided to do a little research to see where Dell was ranking for several keywords on Google. I found that Dell ranks at or near the top of the page for almost every keyword that I could think of. They even rank #2 for the term ‘computer’ right under wikipedia’s entry. I concluded from this research that Dell has absolutely NO problem ranking for nearly any term relating to computers. Do they really need special blog software? They already have search supremacy.
So, does Dell need to think about a social media strategy? Again, I research. At the bottom of their homepage, Dell has a section titled ‘participate’. This section offers the ability to join the discussion, read and post reviews, read their corporate blog (they have several key executives and employees who actively blog), and share your ideas. I’d say Dell pretty much has the social thing covered too. In fact, in the book ‘Groundswell‘, which was put out by Forrester Research a while back, they discuss in great detail the development of Dell’s vast social strategy, and it’s pretty impressive.
So why is Dell losing market share to HP? I don’t know for sure, but it does seem like I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about what great computers HP has been producing lately. I can’t say that I’ve heard the same things about Dell. It’s not that Dell makes bad machines, it just seems that HP’s are slightly better, and from what I can tell people are noticing and talking about it.
Another factor is likely the rising market share of Apple computers. A LOT of people talk about how great Apple is too. So, if you ask me, the best way for Dell to regain its market share would be for them to improve the quality and performance of their computers so much that people would have no choice but to take notice. What do you think? Does Dell need to improve its marketing or its computers?
The biggest reason you MIGHT need to join Twitter.
Okay is everybody ready? I’m giving away my best pearl of wisdom here so pay attention…
If they’re talking about you on Twitter, then you NEED to be on Twitter
It’s that simple. Go to search.twitter.com, enter your name, your company’s name, your slogan; anything that might indicate that people are talking about you. Then, if you find that they are, go to Twitter.com and set up an account immediately.
Then, enter @colinaclark into the text box and the words “I read your blog, they’re talking about me on twitter. Help me!” I will message you back within 6 hours with further instructions.
Blogworthy?
I was thumbing through the Indianapolis Star last Sunday when I came across an Oscar Meyer add claiming that their new Deli Creations Flat bread sandwiches were ‘blogworthy’. Interesting, I though. A product that was worth writing about and talking about… or is it?
I was dying to find out if Oscar Meyer’s new product was indeed worth writing about, talking about, and ultimately purchasing and consuming. I thought to myself, ‘Self, this must be one delicious flat bread sandwich. I’ve never had a sandwich that was so good I HAD to blog about it.’ So I did a Google blog search to find out…
Here’s what Kathy at the Lunch Box Blog had to say about the nutritional content of a blogworthy product…
BOTTOM LINE: Zippo fiber, too much sodium, saturated fat, cholesterol and chemical preservatives/additives. Too many not natural ingredients. Is this lunch of a chemistry experiment?
So I’m sorry Oscar Mayer, but my blog is probably not what you intended. Maybe you underestimated the standards of bloggers and blog readers.
Okay, I get it. It’s not healthy. Big deal! I eat lots of unhealthy stuff. Most of the most delicious stuff I know of isn’t exactly good for me. Here’s what buzzfeed had to say…
Food Buzz Oscar Mayer’s marketing department takes on the Internet. On one hand, this is a fairly decent take on the deli meat meme, and on the other, it’s annoying viral-bait. On a third hand, they’ll probably get a lot of attention regardless. So the real question is: would you eat that pita?
This was the first thing that I got when I Googled ‘blogworthy oscar meyer’. Didn’t they at least try the sandwich? Can’t they tell me if it’s delectable or not? I thought the SANDWICH was supposed to be blogworthy not the AD. Back to the drawing board. Eat me daily posted this….
“With newspapers falling all over each other to eulogize themselves, maybe sucking up to the blogosphere isn’t such a bad idea.”
Wait… isn’t Eat Me Daily a food blog? How does it taste? Do I need this product? Is it finger lickin good? Why is the product blogworthy? It seems that the ad is definitely blogworthy. Lots of people are writing about including myself, but no one that I can find is writing about the product, except Karen who only talks about how unhealthy it is. Is this what Oscar Meyer had in mind? Are they going to sell sandwiches or make fools of themselves? Does ’sucking up to the blogosphere’ help your brand?
Yahoo needs to think Socially
I was reading Robert Scoble’s blog today and he was comparing the release of Google’s new service Latitude with Yahoo’s new service searchpad. I’m not going to go into the specifics of what these services do (all the tech blogs are sure to cover it, this isn’t really a tech blog), but I would like to discuss the way that yahoo has again failed to think socially. Here’s Scoble’s take…
When Google releases things it usually has some goodies for alpha geeks. There’s usually an API, or an advanced feature or two that only people who read Stack Overflow, Scripting News, or Life Hacker can appreciate. Yahoo’s announcement this morning? No such thing. Google’s announcement? Has tons of language that appeals to early adopters. When I interviewed Yahoo’s Tom Che, Senior Director of Product Management yesterday he admitted they were going after everyday users with Search Pad. When I asked him if I could bundle up a bunch of things in a Search Pad and forward them to Twitter, the answer was “no.” When I asked him if I could get a URL to the Search Pad, the answer was “no.” When I asked him if I could share a Search Pad with my friends, the answer was “no.” When I asked him if it would work with Google’s search engine (sorry, most of us won’t switch to Yahoo) the answer was “not really.” (You can manually enter things into a Yahoo Search Pad that you’ve found on Google, but it won’t automatically build a Search Pad for you the way it would if you were over on Yahoo’s search engine).
My problem here is that they’re shutting down their mechanism for growth. Why, when google has scooped up the vast majority of yahoo’s market share, would they make it even harder to share their service? What sense does this make?
Hi, I'm Colin Clark, President of TribeSwell. We specialize in helping small businesses utilize online technologies to drastically expand their business. From social media consulting to search engine marketing, we have the skills and knowledge to take your business to the next level. read more 
