We need some clarification in the terminology that has sprung up over the years as WordPress has grown and matured. Originally WordPress was a blog. That was easy. Then it gained the ability to add pages and other non-blog content. Was it still just a blog or was it actually a website? Then came extended content and the associated management facilities. Was it just a website or was it a true content management system (CMS)? Now it has single site or a multiple site capability withing the single installation.

So is it now multi-site or do we continue to think of each website as a blog? And what’s all this network stuff? WordPress now refers to the multi-user (MU) capabilities of the latest WordPress package as a network, as in “network of blogs or websites”. Sure, WordPress can still be installed and used as just a blog — some blog! — but it is more often than not installed as a complete multi-page, multi-function, website; a full content management system. And, when you expand the installation to support multiple,simultaneous, individual, independent, websites or content management systems, then the term network certainly applies.

The term website or just site is, I believe, preferable to blog for an individual installation. The term network is great for an installation comprised of multiple websites under a single WordPress umbrella. As we move ahead with the new structures these terms will become more common place and more comfortable in normal use.

But whatever you call it, WordPress is undoubtedly the very best choice for many varied website needs. I’ll be glad to help you decide how to best utilize it for your specific online needs.

From Andrew Nacin on the WordPress site July 29, 2010

After nearly 11 million downloads of WordPress 3.0 in just 42 days, we’re releasing WordPress 3.0.1. The requisite haiku:

Three dot oh dot one
Bug fixes to make you smile
Update your WordPress

“This maintenance release addresses about 50 minor issues. The testing many of you contributed prior to the release of 3.0 helped make it one of the best and most stable releases we’ve had.”

Download 3.0.1 or update automatically from the Dashboard –> Updates menu in your WordPress site’s admin area.

Generally I just don’t like the For Dummies series of books for the implicit put-down the title conveys but, getting past that, this book is a comprehensive guide to getting started with, and using, WordPress. It is well written and easy to understand.

The author is thoroughly versed in her subject and presents practical advice in an easy-to-follow manner making this book an excellent step-by-step guide to WordPress. It also offers a selection of places you can go to find additional resources.

Topics covered include plug-ins (extensions to the basic WordPress system), hosting your own stand-alone system, themes (both selection and development) and migrating your blog from an existing site.

You won’t go wrong with this book.

If you want to do a little more with your site than just blog, perhaps offer items for sale, host banners or pay per click advertising, or any of a number of typical revenue generating activities, then you will quickly discover that you have pushed beyond the limits of either the functions or the rules of your host site, or perhaps both. If you are already blogging you’ll want to move up to a self-hosted or commercial blog. If you haven’t started yet you really should consider where you will ultimately like to take your blog and, therefore, where you really should begin.

Managed Blog Sites Both the single stand-alone and the multi-user installations of WordPress allow you to create powerful multi-page websites with integrated blogging support. The new WordPress extends well beyond blogging, offering the site owner all the features of custom e-commerce websites and then some.

Whether you install and manage a WordPress installation yourself, or hire someone like me to do it for you, having your own website with integrated blog allows you to control what you do, for both personal and commercial use.

A multi-user installation (WPMU) allows you to manage multiple independent blogs from the same control panel or sub-let blogs to others, passing along independent control of each blog to it’s respective user while still maintaining over all master control.

WordPress Themes Often called skins on other packages, WordPress themes allow for an easy way to change the look of your website. Free themes abound and can be great choices, though there is a very good chance you will run into many others using the same one you choose. Commercial themes will have a more limited distribution though some are sold many times. Custom themes are also available providing a unique image and identity for your site.

Be sure you check out your theme choice carefully as not all themes are suitable for all purposes. Some are designed just for single-page blogging sites. Some have limited support for multiple pages or other add-on features that you may want now or in the future. Some will no longer be functional on current WordPress releases.

I can assist you in choosing the right theme (free or commercial) for your WordPress site, I can modify a theme that doesn’t otherwise support the feature(s) you need, or I can create a custom theme specifically suited to your needs and plans for the future. I can also edit or redesign an existing theme to suit your business.

Contact me to discuss your needs. My rates are very affordable. Discussing your needs, and the solutions I can offer, is always free.

AMBASSADOR BOARD

A Wildcat! BBS

For six years AMBASSADOR BOARD was Dufferin County’s premier BBS — and the longest running 24 hour board, too! But sadly, in January of 1996, AMBASSADOR BOARD was closed permanently, primarily due to financial and time-contraint considerations.

In it’s hey day it sported five local lines, extended area lines including Flesherton, Dundalk, Feversham, Grand Valley, Orangeville, Caledon, Caledon East, Palgrave, Bolton, Castlemore, Victoria, Brampton, Malton, Woodbridge and the entire 416-metro Toronto dialing area — not bad for a tiny BBS in the little town of Shelburne, Ontario, Canada.

The ‘bass grew to a regular user base of over 1000 and offered over 200 doors (most registered!), over 8000 files on-line (HD) as well as 52 CDs serviced via ROMDOOR database and two CD drives. Puny by today’s standards for even the smallest ISP, but considering this was a time when hard drives cost more than a dollar per megabyte and single speed CD drives were over $400 a pop, it wasn’t too shabby.

Local mail was augmented by echo mail from NANet, WildNET, MSI SupportNET as well as UseNET NewsGroups and Internet e-mail via UUCP using Mustang Software’s powerful wcGATE suite. A satellite feed via Planet Connect guaranteed fresh files and up-to-date news feeds daily.

There were no upload:download ratios, file limits or post:call ratios. Users were free to use their time as they saw fit. For some strange reason the board was never beset by file-base plunderers nor were message conferences bereft of mail. It seems that if you treat callers like human beings they will participate openly and often! The ‘bass set the standard of excellence for others to follow. And many did. Many bulletin boards grew up in the area as would-be SysOps who had cut there BBS teeth at the ‘bass foraged out into new territory and created such virtual worlds as Megabyte, Cat!acombs, Hotel California, AOU, and others. Several of these boards continued to operate successfully for several months after the ‘bass was closed. The last one, Cat!acombs, closed it’s electronic doors for the last time in October of 1999.

AMBASSADOR BOARD was a fun place to visit and according to most callers the best BBS they had found. Calls came from as far away as Madrid, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Dalas, Miami, Melbourne and Igloolik! Many regular users were with us for the entire six years.

Over the years five Co-SysOps shared with Steve in the running of the ‘bass. A special thanks to Ed Howard, Bill Pooley, Don Cortell, Rob Brown and Paul Curtis. Callers and SysOps both will miss the ‘bass!

Maybe someday there will be an AMBASSADOR II…

When I started the site was nowhere to be found on the SERPs. We typically check the first 100 pages. Of course, if your site isn’t in the first ten it probably doesn’t matter. We just like to get a base line. As originally designed the site had about 20% of the good factors that would rank it on the first page and a lot that would keep it off. This contract was going to be a challenge.

At the time of this writing we have begun the process of updating code and content and already have more than 50% of the factors in place to get it to the first page. There is lots more work to do and I’ll post here again with an update when there is good news to share.

The Dog Lover Store features a wide selection of dog gifts, dog ornaments and figurines, dog clothes, collars, leashes, and custom dog items. It’s worth a look.

Built on a WordPress foundation, using the Templatic WPShop e-commerce theme (shown below), this website offers as complete a range of features and functions as any I’ve seen and allows for extensive customization.

Because it is built on WordPress it has, of course, an integrated blog. And, because of the new WordPress structure, it has the ability to easily add pages which appear, as if by magic, in the already established menu structure. No confusing HTML, CSS, or JavaScript coding here. And adding content is easy too. Post a blog, add a page, type in text, drop in pictures, upload and re-size — it’s all controlled from the built-in control panel called a dashboard.

And the WPShop theme integrates a complete inventory management, shopping cart, and payment processor system. It’s feature rich yet not over-loaded. It offers the things you need but not a lot of fluff you don’t. And, best of all, it uses the familiar blog/page posting process to list items. Listing is as easy as posting a blog entry! Nice.

Here’s a screen capture of the home page of a recent installation:

He was barely getting by and he knew he needed to do more so he began forcing himself to do the various things he needed to do and to track the results of each thing. He found that there were a number of factors that went together to make an initial sale and, again, a number that lead to add-on business and renewals. He had to put out flyers, pass out business cards, mention his business to others, ask the all important sales question, “Who do you know…” and so many other things that anyone who has ever engaged in outside sales will know so well.

Anyway, the result of his tracking was that he discovered he needed to do ten things each day in order to result in enough sales to produce the income he really wanted. Just ten. Sure, he had to do the things he didn’t like but the things he did like were in the mix too. But hey, just ten! He could handle that. And, he realized, if he got the ten things over quickly he was free to do other things that he liked so that added new enthusiasm, even for those things he didn’t really want to do.

He figured out the time that would be involved and he new that he could effectively start his day at about 8 a.m. It turned out he could work in all ten things before noon — just half a day! This was getting better and better.

He wrote out a little card that said, “10 B4 12″ and put it on the dashboard of his car. Every morning he went out knowing that if he got his ten daily chores out of the way by noon he could quit for the day and enjoy life. That sounded pretty good.

Each time he felt shy about speaking to a new person he repeated to himself, “Ten before twelve!” and pushed ahead anyway. No more multiple gas station stops or going to three stores to spread things out. He embraced the job that needed doing and got it done. In a few months he was making more than he had hoped and was enjoying afternoons with his wife and more time with his kids. He became the number one producer in the nation in his field.

Social media marketing is like that. It’s a lot of little, often less than desirable, things you have to do, but there is a fixed number you need to do each day. Figure out what you need to do to move your business to the point you want it and establish your own 10 B4 12 (whatever numbers and times will work for you!) and get it done.

You will be amazed at the results!

Two: A WordPress blog is extremely user friendly. Ease of use is the holy grail of websites. WordPress blogs offer many options to present your visitors with an array of features that may be easily set up, clearly presented, and, like everything else, administered from the Dashboard. You present, and control, a structure targeted directly to the theme or concept you wish your visitors to experience.

Three: WordPress blogs receive the most exposure of any websites on the Internet. The versatility, extensive content, and continual updating, allow it to control your selected keywords in search engine results. Of course you are not the only one using a blog to your advantage so it still takes consistent application of the right stuff. WordPress blogs just make it easier.

Four: Your income potential with a monetized WordPress blog is pretty much limitless. If you have correctly targeted your blog content to attract a niche readership and you add the right offerings for them using AdSense, Amazon, and other affiliate programs, your blog can be working for you around the clock. It takes work and development over time but it is possible. Many are already doing it.

Five: A WordPress blog is affordable. The software, many pre-designed themes, and most plug-ins, are free so you can get started without much outlay. All you need is hosting space and your own domain name. You can even get started with free hosting and a sub-domain (someone else’s domain) but it is really best to start with your own if you are serious.

I always enjoy his wonderful aerial photography. Mostly he does real estate related work — you know, expensive property views — in and around the Sydney, NSW, area, but he also shoots fantastic scenery, including a lot of spectacular coastline views.

To me Australia has always presented some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet. I am always keen to see what Tim has captured recently.