Continuing on from my last post about domain name alternatives (HERE), there are other tools freely available online that should be part of any webmaster’s toolbox. This post will include links to the ones that I use most frequently and have found easiest to use.
There’s no point in struggling through with your web site, you may as well take advantage of the free resources that are available to you – and there are lots! All you need to know is where to look for them.
So, you’ve decided you want to have your own web site – either for a personal blog, interest site, or some business venture (or whatever else) and now you need to decide on the domain name that you want. Unfortunately, there’s quite a lot of other people that have had exactly the same idea and there’s increasing competition for the best web names out there.
Even if you’ve decided on a really cool name, it may already have been taken by someone else that has launched their own web site – or could have been secured by a cyber-squatter, who’s going to try and charge an exorbitant amount to allow you to take it…. so, what’s the alternative?
I’ve come across another good plugin that I like and have decided to add to my site(s) – it’s called the WP Socializer.
It’s an all-in-one plugin that includes links to all of the popular social networking / media web sites, but importantly, it allows a fair amount of customisation too. If you click on the full version of this post, you can see the plugin in effect, with the email, print, facebook, linkedin and twitter icons appearing rather faintly just at the top of the post.
If you’ve noticed the NY Times or other online publications have now started using a slide out tool and thought it was pretty fancy – then you may be pleased to know (as I was) that there’s a helpful, free plugin that allows you to achieve the same effect on your WordPress blog.
Worryingly, Facebook have added an automatic photo tagging system now which suggests photos that you appear in, based on photo recognition, as opposed to relying on individuals physically tagging you in them. If you don’t want to have this feature active – which, incidentally, is enabled by default – follow these simple steps:
It’s as simple as that!
There’s a relatively easy way of making sure your WordPress site or blog is readily accessible from the growing number of smartphones and mobile devices out there, whilst still retaining much of the functionality and style that you’ve worked so hard to create with your site.
WP Touch is a handy, free plugin that will simply reformat your WordPress site if it detects that is being viewed on a mobile browser. It doesn’t change the viewing experience in a traditional browser on a desktop or laptop, but works behind the scenes to make your site that much easier to view and navigate on a mobile device.
This is my first chance to use the Android WordPress plugin and I have to say that despite the small screen on my HTC, it’s actually fairly easy to use. In fact, this post is being written on my mobile!
I think my biggest reservation about the app was typing a long post and not being able to save it in draft format, or losing the info somehow. Well, the app allows me to save drafts and return to them at a later date to edit and/or publish. And it’s fast too; faster than I expected it to be.
I think the biggest advantage of the app will come from being able to view and moderate any blog posts whilst I’m on the move. It should help make the blog a bit more interactive, responding to visitors more quickly – but also allowing me to make micro-posts on the move.
I’d give it 4 stars out of 5 overall. It’s missing some of the advanced plugins I have on my desktop, but for remaining connected and up to date whilst mobile, I can see it becoming invaluable.
It’s a shame I’ve not come across any Android apps for Chester (there’s a niche in the market for any budding developers!) – but there are a couple of iPhone apps that look pretty handy.
The best of the bunch seems to be the Chester Races iPhone app. You download it HERE from the itunes store. It’s completely free and includes the following features:
I came across this picture resize tool the other day and thought I’d share it, since it’s actually quite handy. Not everyone fancies setting up Batch processes in Photoshop to resize multiple images, so this should certainly help in that instance.
Amazon and Play.com are two high profile sites that have addressed the ‘long tail of search’ and have built their operating model predominantly around selling high volume at low price, where small margins will collectively add up to large profits – and it’s something that seems to be working really well for them. For the regular customer, the two sites provide a first class online retail experience, often undercutting the high street and even other online retailers. However, the prices quoted on Amazon and Play.com aren’t necessarily the best prices.
As long as you’re willing to accept second hand products, then the Amazon Used and New feature and Play.com’s Playtrade offer the same familiar interfaces of these well regarded sites, but the products here are second hand. All listings include an explanation regarding the condition of the products and it’s not unusual to find used products for half the retail price, or even less!