Author Archives: Owen

Do I need a better theme?

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I had switched to the WordPress default theme some time ago on this blog. The main reason was to test some plugins in a neutral scenario, but it sort of grew on me and I never changed it. I guess that’s a good sign for a default theme, but maybe time has come to add a bit more flair here.

The thing is, which theme should I use? I’ve been thinking about switching my personal blog to a wordpress photography theme, after all, I use it mostly for photos of the kids! So maybe I could use that theme over here.

Not sure though what do you like to see on a WordPress Guru’s blog?

WordPress 3.0.2 Available

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WordPress 3.0.2 is now available as a mandatory security release. More from the WordPress blog:

WordPress 3.0.2 is available and is a mandatory security update for all previous WordPress versions. Haiku has become traditional:

Fixed on day zero
One-click update makes you safe
This used to be hard

This maintenance release fixes a moderate security issue that could allow a malicious Author-level user to gain further access to the site, addresses a handful of bugs, and provides some additional security enhancements. Big thanks to Vladimir Kolesnikov for detailed and responsible disclosure of the security issue!

Download 3.0.2 or update automatically from the Dashboard > Updates menu in your site’s admin area. You should update immediately even if you do not have untrusted users.

10 E-commerce solutions for WordPress

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One of the great things about WordPress is that it can serve as a platform to deploy a fully fledged site. I’ve just come across a blog post about 10 e-commerce solutions that can turn a plain WordPress site into a selling machine. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling ballet shoes or blu ray disks, an online presence is pretty important for your service and it’s important to make sure your site looks the best you can, and WordPress lets you do that.

Read about 10 Powerful Shopping/Ecommerce solutions for WordPress.

All you ever wanted to know about caching

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I came across a great article about what’s the best caching strategy for WordPress. It’s a run down of the top caching strategies for WordPress together with some pretty exhaustive testing and stats around which is best in which circumstance. Caching plugins are a pretty important strategy for making sure your site can scale. It’s not like you can give your site creatine powder to beef it up; these plugins are the best way to ensure your site keeps running regardless of whether it’s bombarded by hundreds or thousands of requests.

Read the post on WordPress caching and take what you can.

The Hacker’s Diet

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Here’s an interesting plugin for someone on a diet. The Hacker’s Diet is a WordPress plugin that helps you count calories and track weight loss. Whether you’re using fat burners or struggling to keep on the Atkin’s diet, this plugin helps you calculate where you’re going; figure out trends and predict future weight loss.

It’s great to see how you can get plugins to do pretty much anything you’d like to do. Don’t you just love WordPress, together with it’s awesome developer community!

WordPress for iPad and iPhone

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Image representing iPhone as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase

There’s a new version of the WordPress application for iPad and iPhone with some great new features:

  • Video. Record, upload, attach, and play videos within the app. Yay for being able to catch your friends’ and co-workers’ most embarrassing shenanigans creative moments with iPhone video and publish them immediately for all the world to see on your WordPress site.
  • A total rewrite of the way local drafts are handled, to prevent the unintentional loss of your pending posts.
  • Autosave/post revisions. Bam! One of the “oh, thank goodness” features of the web app makes it into the iOS version.
  • Easier setup. Faster and easier process for adding your sites to the app.
  • Media Library. We’re gradually getting closer to the media management you’re used to in the web app.

Some great goodness in there. You’ll soon be able to get everything bar the pedestal sinks in these applications. Now .. who out there is still using the web interface? I know I am ;)

A directory of WordPress sites

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If you’re looking for a directory to list your WordPress site, you can find a specific WordPress Directory that can match your needs. Directories are a great place to try and get some more traffic to your site and free directory submission is a great way to do some easy SEO for your site.

There are also some plugins and themes that you can use to set up your own directory. I might do a few reviews of these in the future, but so far I haven’t really had the time to evaluate any of them. If you have any experience, feel free to drop a comment and let us know what you’ve used and what you thought of it.

Is it Christmas yet?

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A Danish Christmas tree illuminated with burni...
Image via Wikipedia

Well, there are mince pies in the shops already and I hear you can even get a Christmas tree if you know where to look. The problem is that it’s still September and there’s still some way to go till Christmas, but if you really want to crack out the C9 led christmas lights, the inflatable snowman and all the matching reindeer; well no one is going to stop you.

If you want to bling up your blog, well, check out WP Christmas, a special plugin that adds that festive spirit to your website.So, who else loves Christmas?

Auction plugin for WordPress

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Have you ever wanted to run an auction on your site? Well WP Auctions is the way to go. With a myriad of different features and multiple ways to run an auction experience, WP Auctions will keep your visitors on their toes; coming back to your site for me. It’s easy to use and you can use it to run auctions featuring anything from cheap cigars to luxury sport cars.

There’s a free version to try and choice of fully fledged versions. The premium version includes a multi-site license and bunch of add-ons to make your auctioneering more effective. Check it out!