There are some awesome Holiday specials going on right now, all over the web. If you’ve been thinking about setting up a web site or just getting a new theme, now is the time! Check out these deals:

Hosting:

Hostgator

Right now they are offering 20% off your first month! Use Coupon Code – SNOWMAN

This is my preferred host – I use them for all my domains (and they totally saved my bacon when my previous host severely dropped the ball). They are reliable, with robust offerings and responsive support (in my opinion, THE most important aspect of a host). Plus, they offer something I haven’t seen anywhere else – free site transfer from another host. So, if you are unhappy with your host but worry about having to move your site – get a Hostgator account and they will do it for you (one site only). Usually only takes a few hours.

Click this banner:

PLUS – Don’t Forget: purchasing hosting through this link means you qualify for a free Wordpress Setup! Come back after you’ve gotten your account setup email from Hostgator and visit our Signup page to get started.

Premium Themes

There are a lot of great free themes out there, but sometimes you just need a little more. Better support, more features, better design. Right now there are some awesome deals available for premium themes, so if you’ve been wishing for one, don’t wait. I don’t think you’ll see prices like these again for a while.

Woo Themes

Woo!! This is such an incredible deal. Woo Themes is offering a 5-for-1 sale until December 24. Most of their themes go for about $70, so that means you’re getting 5 high quality, premium themes for only $70!!

Premium themes for 14 bucks each. It doesn’t get any better than this guys, so don’t wait.

Click this banner:

OBox Themes

Obox has some beautiful and unusual Wordpress themes, and they also do themes for Tumblr and Posterous. Right now they are offering a 4-for-1 deal. Since their themes are very reasonably priced at only $50 all the time, this is a steal! Use Coupon Code “Christmas” until December 26th to get 4 premium themes for only $12.50 each!

Click this banner:

Sorry guys! I had a bogus coupon code! This one is no good.

iThemes is putting on a free 30 minute “Wordpress 101″ Webinar tomorrow, which will give some basic training on using Wordpress, creating posts and pages, moderating comments, installing themes and more.

If you are new to Wordpress, thinking about giving it a try or just need a refresher course, click on this link to sign up.

Space is limited, so sign up now to get your spot!

Free WordPress 101 Webinar Sept. 29

One of my favorite sites is Smashing Magazine. They regularly feature great how-to articles and free downloads to help us all improve our web sites.

Today they posted an article entitled 10 Useful Usability Findings and Guidelines. Many times articles like these aren’t much help to those of us who aren’t coding from scratch or full-on web designers. But everything on today’s list are things that we can – and should! – all apply to our web sites, whether they are HTML, Wordpress or something else.

Here’s the summary of what you should do to your site today to improve your visitor’s experience:

• 
  Put the form label above the field, rather than next to it.

  Bonus Tip: Don’t bold the label, either. Believe it or not, it actually increases the time it takes to fill out a form.

 

 

• Use images of faces that are facing toward the things you want your users to read or do. Users are drawn to faces, and then they naturally look wherever the face is looking. So, plug a face in there and make sure it’s pointing toward the *next* thing you want your visitor to do.
• Make your site look professional. Seems like a no-brainer, right? But studies show that users first judge your site by how it looks, then by the content you provide. Clinch that first impression by making sure your site is clean, error-free and looking good.
• Put the most important information Above the Fold (the area your visitors sees when they first load your page, without scrolling). The vast majority of users don’t scroll down, so make sure you’ve got the good stuff where they’ll see it.
• Use blue for links. Users are used to blue=link. Give them what they expect and they are more likely to hang around and click.
• Make your search box 27 characters wide (not spaces – characters). Apparently, this is the optimum size so people don’t get frustrated and leave. Wouldn’t you hate to find out that a visitor left your site rather than learn your critical info, all because your search box was too small? That’s something that is just way too insignificant to lose visitors over. Fix it now.
• Use enough white space. This is another one of those things that seems like a no-brainer, but it’s all too easy to start cramming stuff onto your site (especially when you’re trying to keep it above the fold). There are so many great features available! But learn to ask yourself – is this really critical to my user? Delete the extra stuff and keep that site clean and clutter free.
• Do user testing. Bottom line? Any testing is better than none. So if you have zero budget, get your buddies, your family or the guy who lives next door to do it. But do it.
• Give your visitors all the information they need. If you have information pages for products or services, make sure that what your users need is there. If it gets too cluttered, put some details on an obviously linked page, but make sure they get what they need to make a decision.
• Don’t confuse content with advertising. If you have any links or info boxes that look like ads – change ‘em out, fast! People are expert at ignoring advertising. So if your stuff looks like ads – that means it’s being ignored.

This is just a snapshot of Smashing Magazine’s much more detailed report. For how-tos and background information, be sure to check out their article.

Now, go tweak your site. I’m starting on mine right now!

There are a lot of blogs out there, and a lot of blogs about Wordpress, too.

But there are a few that stand out from the crowd. That consistently provide good, solid information; solutions to the problems we are actually having.

There’s no point in me reinventing the wheel, so here are links to some must-read articles by the Wordpress pros you should be following.

• Introduction to Blogging – direct from the makers of Wordpress itself.

• 10 Steps to Develop Killer Blog Articles
• 10 Things Bloggers Tend to Forget, But Shouldn’t!
• 7 Tips for Handling Flamers & Trolls

• 10 Techniques for Finding Blog Readers
• Search Engine Optimization (“SEO”) for Blogs

• Keyword Research for Bloggers: A Comprehensive Guide
• Don’t Read This (or the Kitty Gets It!)
• How to Write with a Knife

• Writing for the Web

• 10 Elements of Highly Effective Articles

What is Wordpress, exactly?

This may seem obvious to those of us who use it everyday. But for someone just starting out, just getting their feet wet with web applications, it can be very confusing. So, here is an explanation of exactly what Wordpress is and how it can be used.

In a nutshell, Wordpress is a software that helps you publish a dynamic website. Instead of coding HTML to create a static web page, Wordpress uses PHP (another web programming language), along with MYSQL (a database) to dynamically create and serve web pages each time a viewer requests them.

What this means to you, as the blogger or web site owner, is that it is much, much easier to create and maintain your site. Let’s explore the advantages Wordpress can offer you as a site owner, especially if you are not experienced with HTML.

Web Based Admin Screen Means No Coding

Once installed, Wordpress is managed with an easy to use web-based admin screen. This means that when you want to make a change to your site, most of the time you can just go into your admin screen, change a setting, add or remove a plugin or change your template and you’re done. No messing around with code.

This makes Wordpress an ideal web site solution not only for those who do not know how to code their own site, but for anyone who doesn’t have time or inclination to mess with those details. Small business owners, for example, have so many other things to take care of – why waste time tinkering with code when you don’t have to?

Always Up To Date with Dynamic Pages

With a traditional, static web site, each time you add a new page to your site, you have to create the HTML page, then create a new link on an existing HTML page to link to it. Over time, you will probably find that your site begins to get confusing. The more you add, the more you have to go back and fix and add links on existing pages, more opportunities are created for broken or missed links and your content may get lost. The navigation structure that worked fine when you only had 10 pages can’t quite cut it when you have 100 (and what if you have 1,000?).

Wordpress is dynamic, which means that the data itself – the words that make up an article, and all the other bits and pieces of your site – are stored in a database. When someone goes to a page on the web, Wordpress calls up the most recent information and builds the page right then.

Because it works this way, your site always remains up to date. The standard setup for Wordpress is that the latest article is at the top of the page. Instead of your newest article being buried back on some other page, it’s right there on your home page for your visitors to see.

Easy Layout Changes with Templates

Also, because all your data is stored in a database, you can easily change the way a Wordpress site looks. With a static HTML site, if you want to change the look, you have to rebuild it completely. With Wordpress, you just select a different theme. Voila! Your site instantly looks completely different.

Here is an example site shown with two different themes. Same exact data, different themes – screen shots taken within moments of each other.

A theme is a collection of template files. When Wordpress creates a page on the fly, it takes the template files you have identified and plugs the data into the correct spots. So, if you want to change the look, you just change the template files. There are literally thousands of Wordpress themes available for free, and many “premium” themes for sale, so it is easy to customize your site to look exactly the way you want it to.

Quickly Add Functionality with Plugins

One of the biggest advantages to Wordpress is its flexibility. Wordpress is easy to extend and change by adding functionality with plugins. Instead of having to code changes directly into your web site, with Wordpress you can just add (and just as easily remove) a plugin via your web based admin screen.

Plugins do many different things. Some of them provide back end functionality like security tweaks to your Wordpress installation, or adjusting behind the scenes SEO settings (i.e., meta tags). Others allow you to add features to your site like polls, photo galleries or contact forms. As with themes, there are thousands of plugins available for just about any function you can think of.

Conclusion

Can you tell I love Wordpress? I do. It’s because it’s powerful, it’s easy to use, it’s flexible and it’s free! It’s the perfect solution for bloggers, artists, small businesses and anyone else who wants a good looking, functional and easy to use web site.

Get your free Wordpress installation & optimization now!

FreshEventure.com is hosting a contest for Best Customized Wordpress Blog. There are a bunch of fun prizes including premium Wordpress themes, some plugins and some blog training memberships.

Go to Best Wordpress Design 2009 for all the details.

I’ve entered Posh Blogs, although I don’t expect to win, since my site is considerably more simple than most. There are lots of beautiful sites entered, but I figured I’d throw my hat in the ring just for the heck of it. If you are so inclined, vote for me during the month of September!

If you have a Wordpress blog, be sure to get your entry in by Monday, August 31! Voting begins Tuesday and runs through the month of September.

For some of us, terms like “domain,” “url,” “web host,” and “blog” are natural parts of our daily conversations. We take it for granted that everyone understands what they mean but the reality is, there are still lots of people who don’t really get all those words.

So, here is a list of some basic Internet terms that you need to know if you are thinking of starting your own blog, in the order I think you’re most likely to encounter them.

• Domain (aka URL) – the address of a particular website. This is the text name that corresponds to the numeric address (IP address) of a computer on the Internet. Basically, this is what you type into your browser to get to a website (i.e., www.PoshBlogs.com). A domain name must be registered with an accredited domain registrar so that no exact duplicates can occur. We recommend Godaddy.com. Registering your domain name is the first step in getting your own website or blog.
   
• Host – the computer where the files that make up your website reside. Web hosting companies specialize in providing space on computers that are connected to the Internet 24/7 so that your website can be accessed at any time. In order to have a website, you need to sign up for a web hosting account, or provide your own server that is connected to the Internet at all times. Most people go the web hosting account route.
   
• Nameservers (aka DNS) – the setting at your web host that connects your domain name with your IP address, so that when someone types in your domain name, the correct page comes up. When you sign up for a hosting account, your welcome email will contain the correct Nameserver setting, which you need to set at your domain name registrar.
  
  Once you have your domain registered, a web hosting account and your nameservers set up, you are ready to start building a website or blog.
   
• Blog (aka Weblog) – a web site or part of a web site displaying posts most commonly in a reverse-chronological order.
   
• Wordpress – software that provides an easy to use, dynamic website that can be maintained entirely via a web-based administration screen, and which automatically updates the site without need for writing HTML. Wordpress is currently the reigning champion of blogging software because it is free, easy to use, powerful, flexible and has a thriving community for support and expansion. It can be used for blogging, but also for business, hobby and other types of websites.
   
• Wordpress.com vs. Wordpress.org – Basically, Wordpress.com is a free version of the Wordpress software on someone else’s account and under someone else’s control. Wordpress.org is where you go to download the Wordpress software which you can then upload to your own server (at your web hosting account) and use to run your blog or website. Watch for a post coming soon with a full comparison of these.
   
• RSS – RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. Basically, it is a way to receive notifications automatically whenever a site posts an update, so you don’t have to keeping coming back to check. It can save you lots of time and keep you updated effortlessly. You sign up for RSS at sites you want to be notified by, then access your notifications in an RSS Reader. There are many readers available, most free. I like Google Reader because it is free and easy to use, but there are lots of others. Just search for RSS reader. To add a site to your RSS Reader, just find the RSS button or link on the site you are interested in.

  Look for this commonly accepted and widely used symbol for RSS, or some variation of it. Also, note that some sites will just have a regular text link.
  
  For an easy to understand description of RSS, see this article – How to Explain RSS the Oprah Way

I’m definitely forgetting some things here. Feel free to ask about other terms you are unsure about in the comments and I’ll update this post to make it more complete.

Smashing Magazine, one of my favorite online magazines, has a great article up right now about corporate blogging. It examines why and how corporate blogging is implemented and gives a bunch of great examples of how some big companies out there are using blogs for “reputation management” and to create a connection with customers.

Check it out – Corporate Blogging: Trends & Examples

Excellent post at the20life.com – 9 Tips for the Brand New Blogger.

A must read for anyone just getting started. Check it out!

Why Start A Blog

Photo by Nikopoley

The very first steps to creating a new blog are to decide why you are blogging and what you will blog about. Deciding these basics about your site before you do anything will help you to achieve a much more cohesive end result – your domain name, your site design and all other aspects of your blog can reflect your chosen topic.

So how do you choose your topic? Well, the first thing to do is to identify why you are blogging in the first place. Some reasons for blogging may be:

• To record personal thoughts, problems and the events of your life (diary style)
• To share ideas and opinions on a topic in which you are interested (i.e., cooking, parenting, bicycling, etc.)
• To establish yourself as an expert in a certain field
• To promote your business
• To make money

These are some very common types of blogs (see Blogs Beyond the Box for more), but there are as many different reasons to blog as there are people. Your blog can be whatever you choose, so take a few minutes to think about this. Get a piece of paper and jot down some of your thoughts about why you want to start a blog and what you want to achieve with it. Going through this process can really clarify where your head is at and help prevent you from making a false start with a blog that ends up not being what you really want.

What to Blog About

 Once you’ve determined why you are going to blog, it’s time to decide what your blog will be about. Is there a particular topic about which you are passionate? Politics? Motorcycles? Needlework? Organic gardening? You may already know exactly what you’d like to write about but if not, here are some ideas to jog your imagination:

 

• Something you love to talk about, even with those who don’t agree with you – if you have a blog, eventually someone will disagree with your perspective
• Something you want to learn more about – writing for a blog is a great way to stimulate learning, as you research your topic to back up your comments and find new and interesting happenings to talk about
• Something you are an expert in – sharing your expertise is a great way to build a blog

Whether you already have a topic in mind or are still debating, be sure to ask yourself two very important questions:

1. Can you see yourself still wanting to write about this topic 6 months from now?
2. Can you write about this at least once a week, probably more?

If not – keep looking. You don’t want updating your blog to be a chore.

Above all, make it fun! Brainstorm ideas and write everything down, no matter how silly it may seem. You can always mark it off the list later, so let your mind free of its regular restraints and see what comes out. You might be surprised at the creative ideas you get.