Kick the Web Geek

Facebook Page Themes

Jeremy Phillips — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:15:38 +0000

Creating a Facebook landing page has been a business strategy for awhile now. It has especially been popular for churches.

The idea is to send people to more of a page look when they go to your Facebook address. This gives you more control over the content that people see when they arrive. They can still go to your profile and wall pages, but the first impression is intentional.

This has been a challenge however if you are not a great coder. In addition to HTML Facebook also implemented something they called FBML [Facebook Markup Language] that was somewhat different from regular code. I am not sure what the exact differences are, but you did have to take some time to figure it out. Now it looks like they are phasing it out, so the process should be easier if you know HTML.

There is a Premium WordPress Theme called Facebook Page Themes that attempts to help with Facebook landing pages and make the process easy for them to look great. Please note that I have not personally used this theme, but have purchased and used premium WordPress themes from this site before and they have worked out well.

If Facebook marketing is something you are looking to do and you use WordPress, check out the theme using the link [affiliate] below.

>> Facebook Page Premium WordPress Theme Link

Has your WordPress Blog been Hacked?

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:01:59 +0000

Websites, Blogs, Facebook and Twitter accounts are extremely vulnerable to getting hacked. It is not a good day when you receive a message from your Mom scolding you for the inappropriate material you are posting on Facebook. Of course, you did not do it. But this is your Mom. She has no idea. We are all still surprised she is even on Facebook.

I had a WordPress site that I had created for my parents church that was hacked by a Turkish Militant group. They had not visited their site in awhile and had not realized it. We do not know how long it had been like that.

I have no idea why they did it, but they replaced the entire site with a one page document. When you went to the site it showed the flag and played some sort of military song. It was annoying, but whatever. I removed that file and everything was fine.

The bloggers at Churchm.ag gave an extremely simple and free solution to preventing a lot of this. Much hacking occurs over public wifi. The problem is that most bloggers like to hit up these places to post and create.

Their solution? Check it out at the link below.

>> How To: Prevent Your Blog from Being Hacked Article

Mentioned on Geeks.com tech-tips Blog

Are you willing to learn WordPress?

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:18:16 +0000

When you think about WordPress, it is really challenging to realize the scope and reach that it now has. Like anything, it started small. The amazing thing is that it is still free for the self-hosted version at www.WordPress.org even though its earning potential would be huge if it was a paid service.

Of course, WordPress is definitely making money. From www.WordPress.com and the extra features it charges for to support and service products. But, if you take the time to learn it can be free for you. I just want to simply challenge you to learn all you can. There are great resources our there and you can see your online dream turn into reality if you are willing to learn.

Check and Improve Your CSS

Jeremy Phillips — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:30:31 +0000

In case you are not familiar with the basics of how websites are created… HTML creates the structure for websites and CSS creates the look and style of the website around the HTML.

There are other aspects and code that can go into a website. PHP is one of the main components of WordPress. But HTML and CSS are the current primary tools for website creation.

WordPress makes it easy to adjust and change a lot of this right from your WordPress Dashboard. But, actually changing it correctly is not so easy. This post is not going to teach you how to create HTML and CSS. That is a much bigger topic.

However, if you already know some and are just trying to adjust and improve what you have changed, check out the link below. It is a post from ChurchCreate.com linking to 5 CSS tools that can check and improve your CSS.

I am definitely in this category. I do not know HTML and CSS inside and out so I rely on tools like these to help me make things work.

LINK >> 5 CSS PreProcessors You Should Check Out

Differences Between WordPress.org & WordPress.com?

Best Way To Embed Videos In WordPress

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:55:58 +0000

I found this simple tutorial from TentBlogger.com about setting your WordPress install to automatically embed videos at the correct width for your blog.

It is very easy to mess up embedding video when you begin playing with the width/height ratio. Check out the link below for a better option to embed your YouTube, Vimeo and other clips.

This solution also helps make sure your video embeds are set up for mobile viewing and that a link is left to click if the video does not actually show up for some people on your blog.

LINK >> Embed Videos in WordPress the Right Way

When WordPress Backup Plugin Bites Back

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:31:12 +0000

I had a unique experience with my website hosting company recently on another website that I manage. [Yes, I still recommend them!]

I received an email saying that I was in violation of their terms of service. They said I was storing too many files with them that were not being used. Basically telling me that I was treating their web hosting service as an online hard drive storing files.

I tried to figure it out. I only had around 100 medium sized audio files and then 3 WordPress installs. I was using and had linked nearly everything that I had uploaded. After a few days, they actually shut the site down because of the issue. I was amazed and I could not figure out the problem.

Then it hit me. I had installed the BackUp WordPress Plugin a month or so before. Evidently it had been creating backups inside on my web hosting account. Not only was it backing up the files, but also the audio…multiple times. I had at least 4 complete copies of everything!

I deleted the backups and got back online. Just know that the BackUp WordPress Plugin works great! But, be careful how you set it up. It could bite you in the end. You can check out the hosting company that I use and recommend using graphic link below.

LINK >> BackUp WordPress Plugin

Share and Follow WordPress Plugin

Jeremy Phillips — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 15:30:15 +0000

Recently I had someone in my church ask for a simpler way to share our audio podcast on their mobile phones. Yes, of course you can copy and paste the web page address of the specific podcast and email it. But, that is more annoying to do on a mobile phone {smart or dumb} than it would be to do on a computer.

So, as I do when I need to add more functionality to WordPress, I searched for a WordPress plugin. I am sure there are other great ones our there. But, after some searching I found the Share and Follow WordPress Plugin.

It is very simple to install using the Add New plugin link in the plugins section of the WordPress dashboard. Simple to configure too. You can see how I used it by checking out a podcast post at my Owasso, Oklahoma Church. Check out the Share and Follow WordPress Plugin using the link below.

LINK >> Share and Follow WordPress Plugin

Unlimited Website Hosting Storage or Not?

Jeremy Phillips — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:47:22 +0000

A couple of days ago I received an email from the legal department of my website hosting company. It was giving me a gentle reminder that I had too many files uploaded in my unlimited website hosting storage account that were not in use on the actual website. How can that be if it is unlimited?

This site was not kickthewebgeek.com, but the WordPress website I created and manage for my church. I had created a new design and switched it over a few months ago. We have an audio podcast on the site. Instead of linking the old .mp3 files to the new podcast, we decided to start fresh from that point on.

That means that I had about a year and a half worth of audio left on the site that was not linked and not being used. So, they are asking that I take it off the site.

My statement to them on their live chat was, I thought when I purchased website hosting it said UNLIMITED Website Hosting Storage. After talking with them I can see their point.

I can have unlimited storage as long as I am actually using the files on my website. I CANNOT use it as an online hard drive just to store backups of my files. That was not my intention, but that is what I was actually doing.

This is a shared hosting service which means that the hosting block is shared with other websites. They disperse the load of the sites on many servers so it works great. My performance has been fine, but what I do could possibly have an affect other people. So that is why they have that guideline. Use what you upload.

This was a good reminder to me to take better care of my sites. Keep things clean and updated. Great kick in the pants for kickthewebgeek.com too. If you want to check out this website hosting that I still definitely recommend, use the link below…

Google Analytics Step by Step

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:15:59 +0000

One of the challenges in creating a blog is figuring out how many people are reading and where they are coming from on the web. In most cases, it is probably not worth writing your blog or maintaining your website if nobody is finding or reading it.

What keywords are they using to find you? Did they find you from a referring site? How many people visited the sales page last week for your new product?

Thankfully this has now been simplified in the Google Analytics free tool. This works great for your WordPress website, but you do have to configure it and place a small piece of code into your site for it to work. It is not hard, but you do have to know specifically what to do in order for it to work.

Tentblogger has written a post showing you step by step how to install it onto your site. You will want to setup your free Google account first if you don’t already have one. Then go to www.google.com/analytics to get started. The link to the article is below.

LINK: A 10 Step Visual Guide to Setting Up and Installing Google Analytics

Differences Between WordPress.org & WordPress.com?

Jeremy Phillips — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:40:25 +0000

We have been talking over the past few posts about the benefits of website hosting. Website hosting for WordPress is needed only when you use the free software found at WordPress.org.

You can avoid having to purchase website hosting by using the WordPress.com version, but you will end up paying for services offered by web hosts anyway such as linking a custom domain name to your blog. You will also be very limited in WordPress theme designs for your site.

I am sure that the .com version is going to continue to improve the free features. But, the way they make money is through upselling you on the things that really make your website functional. That is okay if you want to go that direction. But, I would rather put a little money into website hosting for WordPress.

How much? You can get by for as little as $50 a year with a free domain name. You can spend much more than that, but for the average website or blog the option that I recommend below should work fine.

I found a great post from www.TentBlogger.com about the differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Check it out using the link below and check out the website hosting for WordPress option as well.

Article Link: 10 Differences Between WordPress.com and WordPress.org
Hosting Link: Website Hosting for WordPress

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Benefit #3 | Best WordPress Website Hosting

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:30:39 +0000

Multiple FTP accounts

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, but is simply a method of getting files for your website from your computer onto your website hosting account and in use on your site.

One very helpful feature of the WordPress website hosting that I recommend is that you can setup multiple FTP users for different parts of the site.

Since you also have the ability to setup multiple websites on one hosting account, you can then setup an FTP user so that they will only have access to that site and not the entire account.

When you setup an additional website in your main hosting account you do it by creating a folder or directory within the main site inside of your hosting account, then put all of the other site’s files into that folder. Everything for that new site is pulled from that folder.

You just have to add whatever you named that new folder to the website address. Or, setup a new domain name and point it to that folder. It is simpler than it sounds. They make the tools easy to use in the admin panel of the hosting account. They also have great free 24 hour chat support if you need help.

So with the ability to setup multiple FTP user accounts you can restrict access to someone for just that site and they would not have access to the rest of your files.

A scenario where this could be helpful is if you had a main site and then a podcast as well. You could outsource the podcast work and have someone else have access to those files and not the rest of the site. There are many situations where this could be useful.

So, why not get started? Check out the best WordPress Website Hosting Solution HERE.

Benefit #2 | Best WordPress Website Hosting

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:57:09 +0000

Multiple website addresses on one website hosting account

Aside from getting a FREE Domain Name just for signing up for an account, you can also operate multiple website addresses from one account with my recommended website hosting.

This can be very helpful in a lot of situations.

Park a website address in your account for future use.
Point multiple website addresses to one website. An example would be to get the .com .net and .org addresses for your site and point them all at the main website. This would make it easier for people to find you and keep competition from getting a similar website address as yours.
Host completely different, fully developed sites on the same hosting account. This is huge because it can save you the cost of purchasing an additional account. This is a great option and cheap for testing out new site ideas.

The ability to host multiple domain names on one hosting account has been one of the most helpful aspects to having WordPress Website Hosting.

So, why not get started? Check out the best WordPress Website Hosting Solution HERE.

Benefit #1 | WordPress Website Hosting

Jeremy Phillips — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:15:38 +0000

WordPress One-Click Install

Some people like doing things the hard way. Some like to do things the easy way.

The simplest option is not always as easy to figure out as we would like. Even though some would say that using a free WordPress.com site is the easiest, WordPress.org can be just as quick to setup using WordPress Website Hosting.

Most web hosts offer some sort of one-click install for WordPress, Joomla and many other types of websites. In the past, using this option was somewhat of a problem. The version of WordPress was not always up to date so you would end up having to do a manual upgrade after the simple one-click install.

This really is not a problem now though. With the newer versions and updates, you can upgrade WordPress without having to use an upgrade plugin. It simply gives you the option to do a WordPress Automatic Upgrade and it does everything for you. So even if you do begin with version that is a couple of updates back, you can simply do a couple of clicks and easily upgrade it.

One tricky part of the traditional installation which I show you how to do in the tutorials featured on this site is creating and connecting a MYSQL Database. The one-click install does this automatically for you.

So, why not get started? Check out the best WordPress Website Hosting Solution HERE.

What WordPress Website Hosting Solution is Best?

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 22:58:10 +0000

There are a lot of options out there for WordPress Website Hosting. At some point you have to settle on a web host that works well, provides the speed and tech support you need as well as one that you can afford.

You will need website hosting if you are going to setup and install a WordPress blog, podcast or website on your own website address.

Yes, you can go to WordPress.com and get a free website that does not require hosting. And, you can purchase an option that allows your site to look like it has a custom website address instead of yourwebsitename.wordpress.com, but it is not a great option for a professional blog or website. It just does not have the options or flexibility that you will most likely want.

Why would you create a site that essentially runs like a Blogger.com site that is limited in customization options when you can create your own custom WordPress.org site with just a little bit of knowledge?

I recommend PowWeb for my WordPress Website Hosting. It has a lot of benefits that I will discuss in upcoming posts. I have tried and used others for myself and website clients, but this has been the best I have used so far.

Check it out the best WordPress Website Hosting Solution HERE and the [nogeeks] Video Tutorials on this site to begin turning your website dreams into a reality.

16 Premium WordPress Themes Websites

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:00:05 +0000

Check out these websites for some great premium WordPress theme designs. Put in a few bucks and you will usually get a much more functional and beautiful design.

Premium verses Free WordPress Themes

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 07:00:55 +0000

I still recommend using free WordPress themes for personal websites. If you are just wanting to blog or setup a family website, free themes are probably the way to go.

However, if you are wanting to create a small business website or something that you want full control over, you are probably going to want to avoid free WordPress themes, for the most part, and put just a little money into a paid premium WordPress theme design. I know there are exceptions, but in my opinion you are safer going the paid route for business.

Here is a list of why I have started going premium. And by the way, most premium theme designs are not that much money. You can get most of them for under 50 bucks so why not use them to your advantage?

More design effort is put into premium themes.
More options within the designs are becoming available.
Many premium themes use hooks which are easy ways to change complicated aspects of the design. You change it in your WordPress dashboard interface instead of in the code.
Much more flexibility in changing footer information. Many free themes have links to luggage, casinos and other products that are sometimes difficult to remove. In fact you are not supposed to remove those links. I don’t want links to luggage in my footer, sorry.
More effort is put into premium theme designs so you get better looking and more functional designs just for paying a few bucks.

Using Google Calendar for reminders

Jeremy Phillips — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:00:10 +0000

People use calendars for a lot of different purposes. In the book Getting Things Done, David Allen suggests that a lot of people put way to much on their calendars and he says that to be effective you should only put actual day and time specific information on your calendar. Then you should use a different system to keep track of the rest of your projects.

I mostly agree, however I have been using Google calendar for another purpose. In addition to adding day and time specific information, I am also using it for what he calls a tickler file.

Tickler files are not as funny as they would appear on the surface [ha, I know, I'm hilarious]…but they are something you setup to remind you of day and time specific information in the future so that you can set it and forget it. That is exactly what Google calendar can do for you.

Simply put in a piece of information for a specific time and date in the future that you do not want to forget. Then set it up to send you an email reminder a few minutes before the scheduled event.

One of the keys to getting things done is to get things off your mind. Google calendar is a free way to do that and I have used it with a lot of success lately. And you can set it up as far in the future as you Google calendar will allow you.

I even have the QuickList app for my Android phone that lets me input Google calendar events with my voice on the go! Simple.

Get a Gmail account and start using it to keep your projects and life on track.

Bubbl.us and MindNode | simple online mind map tools

Bubbl.us and MindNode | simple online mind map tools

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 07:00:30 +0000

Many people believe that Mind Mapping is the easiest way to get thoughts out of your head and then organized into a series of next steps to complete a project.

I was skeptical at first because I did not understand what a mind map was and it just sounded like something mystical that weird people tried who did not know how to write an outline. I was wrong.

After using a mind map to figure out next steps for a very complicated project, I have become a fan of the process. Basically all that is involved is starting with the main thought in a box or bubble in the center, writing out all of your brainstormed ideas and steps around it connected by lines, and then organizing those steps and eliminating ideas that are unneeded. This creates your action steps or process for the project.

This process makes brainstorming simple, but also provides a visual to make it easy to write out an outline of steps to complete the project from the brainstormed ideas.

My problem was that I did not want to write it out on paper, I wanted to do it all online. I found two tools that can help you do this.

I like Bubbl.us and have started using it for my mind mapping brainstorm sessions. It is bubble based so you can make bubble boxes around all of your ideas automatically. It also lets you save and download your creation as a .jpg picture file which I really like. Another one that people seem to like that is online and available for Mac download is MindNode.com. I have not used it, but a lot of people are using it and really like it.

Try them out using the links below…

>> Bubbl.us

>> MindNode.com

Evernote.com | a simple organizational tool

Evernote.com | a simple organizational tool

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 07:00:42 +0000

One of the most amazing tools I have found so far for Getting Things Done is Evernote.com.

In addition to allowing you to create basic text notes, Evernote also gives you the flexibility to insert pictures and website clippings into your notes as well making it extremely easy to keep track of your work. And even better, almost all of the features of Evernote are available for FREE.

A key to getting things done in your life and work is to have a tool or system that can be duplicated between home and work. Evernote allows me to do this by having an online version that I can connect to anywhere I have an internet connection. But, it also has a downloadable desktop version that is slightly easier to use than the online version. There is even an Evernote app for my Android phone that allows me to snap photos, insert text notes and even record audio notes to myself for later processing.

Start organizing your life and put this tool to work for you. Check out Evernote.com and take control today.

You will never get your website done!

Jeremy Phillips — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:00:17 +0000

No matter what you are trying to accomplish, no matter how bad you want to get it done, no matter how hard you work… You will never get much done if you don’t know how to get things done. Um…should be obvious.

This has been a struggle for me because I am great at starting projects, but not as good at finishing them. After searching for a resource that could help me do more, I finally found a book about Getting Things Done.

I have read time management books before and their principles work for about a day or until you get one interruption. As soon as that happens all of the time you put into setting up your process nearly goes out the window. You spend more time adjusting your system because of the interruption than actually getting anything done.

I have been amazed, however, at how well the system by David Allen in Getting Things Done has allowed me to maintain his system through the distractions and for the past few weeks. I am still doing it and the clarity and focus it has brought to my work and life has blown me away.

If you have been struggling to deal with life as well as finding the time to get a website online, this book may be a great place to start. Even if you consider yourself fairly organized, this book can still change the way you live and work.

Check it out using the link below. Since I was strapped for time when I wanted to read it, I opted for the audiobook from Audible, but you can of course pick up a hard copy at Amazon or a bookstore.

>> Getting Things Done book by David Allen

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New Features in Version 3.0 of WordPress

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:55:34 +0000

WordPress 3.0 has arrived and people are uncovering many new features to make your WordPress blog and website much easier to create and more functional to use thanks to the new version.

The core functions of WordPress are still the same and if you have ever used WordPress before you will not have any learning curve. It is still basically the same, but they have made some things in the setup and dashboard easier to use.

One of the things you will notice right up front during the install is the ability to change your main username to whatever you want it to be. Before you were stuck with admin as the main username. You could still add other users and name them whatever you liked. Not a big change, but still just another step to make your installation more customized to you.

There are several other changes including a new default theme design that has a built in header replacement system to make it easy to change. Even though I will probably never use the theme that it comes with, it is a welcome change as the old one was definitely not even in consideration for use in my opinion.

Check out the link below for a full post about 10 changes that come with WordPress 3.0 …

>> 10 Great New Features in WordPress 3.0 | Post

You should follow me on twitter!

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 05:05:30 +0000

>>You should follow me on twitter HERE

I enjoy writing this blog, but twitter helps me have a way to share a more personal side as well links and information that I am not able to get into blog posts. If you have a twitter account or have wanted to create one now is the time to connect!

Finding and Installing WordPress Themes :: WordPress Installation Series

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:00:12 +0000

Probably the greatest benefit to WordPress is that you have people around the world working hard to create WordPress designs for you. Many of these are free and there are also a lot of websites where you can purchase themes.

There are many ways that you can find WordPress Theme designs. The first is to go the the WordPress Themes Directory and see if there is something that matches the vision of the site you are trying to create. The theme directory is free and has thousands of options for your site design.

The other way is to simply do a Google search for free or premium paid themes. You will pull up literally thousands of options so you may want to add some description to what you are looking for. Try adding the color or style descriptions to narrow down your Google search. If you are wanting to create a simple business or personal website free themes will work fine.

However, if you want to have full control over the design you may want to try purchasing a premium theme design. Designers have started putting ads in the footers of some free themes that are very difficult or impossible to remove. Just saying that you may not want an ad for luggage in your business website footer.

When you find a theme design that you want to use download and unzip it, then upload it to your WordPress installation into the wp-content/themes/ folder. Then login to your WordPress dashboard and activate it. There is also a theme finder in the WordPress dashboard where you can search and install without having to use FTP.

You don’t have to be a website designer to have a great website. Use other people’s work to your advantage and put WordPress themes into use on your WordPress website.

Finding and Installing WordPress Plugins :: WordPress Installation Series

Jeremy Phillips — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 07:00:48 +0000

One of the main benefits to WordPress is the flexibility and functionality of the WordPress Plugin. There are free and paid plugins available. If you are just starting out, I would guess that the thousands of free plugins in the WordPress Plugin Directory will be a great place to start.

In addition to the directory, a quick Google search for free and premium plugins will pull up too many options to choose from. So a better approach is to determine what you are trying to accomplish on your website and then search for that specific plugin. You can do this search both in the WordPress plugin directory and on Google. Most likely you will find whatever you need from administration plugins such as the Automatic WordPress Backup to plugins to display your photos on your site.

After you find and download the zip file for your plugin you can unzip it and load it into your WordPress installation. To do this you will open your FTP program and login to your website and locate your WordPress files. Then you find the wp-content/plugins folder and upload the plugin file or files into it. Then login to your WordPress dashboard plugins area and activate it.

Another way to search for plugins is in the WordPress dashboard itself and there is a search feature. You can avoid FTP and find, upload and install plugins right from the dashboard. One word of caution about plugins however. Don’t upload too many and especially get rid of ones you are not using. They slow your site down so delete them.

What do you want to do with your website? Begin searching the WordPress Plugins Directory and add more functionality to your website.

Backing up and Upgrading WordPress

Jeremy Phillips — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 21:10:27 +0000

Before you upgrade your current WordPress installation to 3.0 Thelonious or any future versions you will want to back up your website and database. Not much is worse than upgrading your website and losing everything in the middle of the process. I guess the only thing I can think of that would be worse is losing a website you were upgrading for someone else.

It really is not that difficult now with a little effort and some plugins. I currently use the Automatic WordPress Upgrade Plugin and it works well for me. At some point I may write out a detailed upgrade process, but a blog I follow has already done it for you. Check out the link below for a quick overview of how to create a backup of your current WordPress website.

Worry Free Upgrade, Update and Backup Process for WordPress

WordPress 3.0 – Thelonious

Jeremy Phillips — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:40:16 +0000

The latest version of WordPress has officially been released. WordPress 3.0 Thelonious is the newest version and is full of bug fixes and upgrades to the free WordPress software for your website, blog or podcast.

I will be upgrading this website and others to 3.0 as soon as I get the chance. Before upgrading though you will want to backup your current WordPress install and check to make sure your most necessary plugins are compatible with the new version.

One of the reasons I am waiting is that my WordPress Membership Plugin is still developing an update to make it compatible. It is definitely worth the wait if you have any questions about whether or not your plugins will continue to work.

At some point soon I will be working with 3.0, but for now just wanted to let you know that it is out there for you as an option. For sure, if you are creating a new website you will want to start with 3.0. I will update the KicktheWebGeek Video Tutorials in the members area at some point to the 3.0 version, but for now the basics of setting up your WordPress site will still be the same and the tutorials will guide you through the process.

Below are a couple of videos related to the release. Enjoy the WordPress announcement and Matt Mullenweg’s take on 3.0.

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Complete WordPress Installation :: Step #6 – WordPress Installation Series

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:35:40 +0000

The final step in installing WordPress on your website is to complete the installation in your web browser. If you have installed WordPress in the main directory or public_html of your website you will simply type in your website name and add /admin/install.php so it would look like this – http://www.yourwebsitename.com/admin/install.php [remember to put your actual website name in place of yourwebsitename.com].

If you created a subfolder to put your website on a separate section of your website such as /blog then you would add /blog/admin/install.php to the end of your website address or whatever you named the folder.

If you have completed the other steps correctly a WordPress installation screen should appear and will walk you through another couple of quick steps. Really difficult things like entering your name and email address. After walking through those couple of steps you should be set to access your new WordPress website.

To login you will go to http://www.yourwebsitename.com/login.php [once again, remember to replace yourwebsitename.com with your actual website name].

If you do not end up being able access the WordPress installation screen, simply go back over the previous steps and make sure you have done everything correctly. Usually when I have something go wrong it is something small that I have done wrong or forgotten. Sometimes, your WordPress files may have not completely uploaded so you might want to reupload the files.

If you have done everything correctly and it still does not work, I would suggest getting on support chat with your website hosting and checking to see if something is wrong on their end. Sometimes there is something small that they can do that will fix it.

If you have further questions about how to complete a WordPress installation on your website check out the links below…

>> [nogeeks] WordPress Video Tutorials
>> WordPress Famous 5 Minute Install

Edit the wp-config-sample.php :: Step #5 – WordPress Installation Series

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:13:07 +0000

After creating a database in your WordPress hosting account for your WordPress installation, you will need to edit a specific file that you downloaded from wordpress.org. You will need to enter your database information into a file named wp-config-sample.php.

The wp-config-sample.php file is located right inside of the WordPress installation folder that you downloaded and unzipped from the WordPress site. You can open up this file in a text editor or an html editor and there is an area within the file to enter your database name, login name and password. You will also probably want to add in the server name which you can find in the database creation section of your website hosting account. It says it is optional, but I have found that it is more helpful to include it in the file.

After you enter that information into the file you will need to save it. You need to be very careful to make sure you are actually saving it as a .php file and not a .txt or some other format. After saving it, you will want to rename the file to wp-config.php. All you are doing is taking the -sample out of wp-config-sample.php and making it wp-config.php. It then becomes the config file where your WordPress installation will look for the database information.

The final step to complete the config file edit is to upload the newly edited file into your website hosting account using FTP into the same folder that you had uploaded the wp-config-sample.php file. After uploading it you will then want to delete the wp-config-sample.php from your files in the hosting account.

This process is not as hard as it sounds. To access of video tutorial of how to do this check out the WordPress [nogeeks] video tutorials in the Members area of this site.

Create a Database :: Step #4 – WordPress Installation Series

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:40:11 +0000

After you have chosen a domain name, purchased website hosting, and downloaded and uploaded the WordPress installation files from the WordPress website, you will need to create a database for your WordPress installation.

WordPress allows you to login to your website and utilize a simple user interface to add pages, posts and content to your website. It uses a database that you setup using your website hosting account to hold all of this data.

The good part about databases is that if you needed to move the content of your website to another website or transfer your web hosting to a new account, you can take all of that data with you by simply transferring the database. This is one of the main key benefits to using WordPress to develop your website.

I show you exactly how to do this in my WordPress website video tutorials. It really is something that is better shown on video than written. It is much simpler than it sounds thought and can be setup in just a few minutes.

Download WordPress Files :: Step #3 – WordPress Installation Series

Jeremy Phillips — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:11:14 +0000

Awhile ago I started an overview series about how to install WordPress. I only posted the first two steps and did not get to the complete installation series. It is time to fill you in on those next steps.

The first two steps were Choosing a Domain Name and Purchasing Website Hosting. The next step in the process is downloading and uploading the WordPress files from WordPress.org.

The WordPress files are free to download and use. You can get them by going to wordpress.org/download, clicking the download link and downloading them to your computer. After downloading them, unzip the folder and then you can upload them using your FTP program. You upload the actual files within the wordpress folder into either the main section of your site or into a folder if you are wanting to create a separate section of your site such as yoursitename.com/blog.

FTP is a simple way to upload files from your computer into your website hosting account If you do not have an FTP program there are several free options, but the one I recommend most is the Firefox plugin FireFTP. [of course you will need the free Firefox web browser]

After uploading the files you will be ready for the next step which is to create a database for WordPress in your website hosting account. I explain this in more detail in the [nogeeks] Members area in my installation tutorials, but you can find out how to use FTP with a simple Google search as well.

Build an iPhone Version of Your Website

Jeremy Phillips — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:43:29 +0000

So, everyone seems to want an iPhone. I however have actually wanted it in the past because I am a Mac computer user and it would be more compatible, but have resisted making the purchase.

My current phone is actually an HTC Hero Android Phone from Sprint. I love it. But, there are a huge number of people who have iPhones, and it is probably not in our best interest to ignore those people.

The guys at iThemes.com are selling a WordPress plugin that could be your solution to serving iPhone users the best viewing experience.

Now I will be honest and say that I am not using it yet as I have just found it. But I think it is at the least a great idea, and most likely knowing the guys at iThemes, a great plugin as well.

Some of its features according to the site are…

The ability to make your iPhone mobile site look at least similar to your actual WordPress website.
Upload a mobile header graphic for your site to customize the appearance.
Built in iPhone templates that you can use in case you don’t want to have it look like your site.
Built in compatibility for other devices such as iPad and Android phones.

For a complete list of features, a more detailed description of the plugin and the price visit the plugin website at the link below.

Of course to actually use the WordPress IPhone plugin you will need to know how to install WordPress. To learn how to do that check out my WordPress Video Tutorials using the other link below. The world has gone mobile so I guess we cannot afford to be left behind. Check it out!

>>iThemes – iPhone WordPress Plugin
>>[nogeeks] WordPress Video Tutorials

Self Proclaimed iPhone App Geek

Mentioned on Geeks.com tech-tips Blog

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:39:14 +0000

Just received a link from Deloris Mansfield from the Geeks.com tech-tips Blog. The post was a very well written and informative overview of WordPress, and what jumped out at me of course was the link to www.KicktheWebGeek.com.

The post talked about the WordPress Video Tutorials on this site that I am offering and gave a great recommendation for the videos. To check out the post and what was said use the Geeks.com link below and read down to the Learning Tools Section. [read the entire post of course...great stuff] If you have not yet gained access to the video tutorials you can use the link below to get started! Thanks Geeks.com!

Please Note: Geeks.com mentioned that the tutorials were one dollar. That was a short term offer and now they are only $10. Still a cheap way to get your website up and running!

>>Geeks.com tech-tips Blog WordPress Article
>>WordPress Video Tutorials – Click here to get started!

New Blog Category – Stuff I Found

Purchase Website Hosting :: Step #2 – WordPress Installation Series

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:34:15 +0000

The first step toward installing WordPress is to choose a domain name or your website address. Doing this step first helps you to think through the purpose and vision of the website before you get started. The last thing you want is to get half-way through your website creation process and realize that you are wanting to change direction.

Once you have chosen your website address, you will purchase it when you purchase website hosting. In my opinion the website hosting that I recommend has been the best solution for the WordPress websites I have created. I have worked on websites that have been for churches, small to large businesses, membership websites, personal websites and even this website and all have done well with the WordPress website hosting solution.

Check out my website, blog and podcast hosting solution…
CLICK HERE FOR WORDPRESS WEBSITE HOSTING
and get started creating your WordPress website today! The PRO option gives you a FREE Domain Name and lets you create unlimited websites on one hosting account.

After the Deadline for Firefox

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:30:02 +0000

Firefox is almost the only web browser that I use. Initially I began using it because it has extremely effective pop-up blocker capabilities. I am amazed at the number of pop-ups I get when I use Internet Explorer or some other browser. It is annoying to say the least.

Another reason why I really like using Firefox is the free plugins. The Cooliris Plugin allows you to transform a picture gallery into a 3D experience. [not with the glasses, but just check it out and you will see what I mean] Feedly for Firefox allows you to turn the simple [and sometimes not very user-friendly] Google reader into a very user-friendly interface for your blog and podcast subscriptions.

Today while searching through my Feedly I found a video post from www.wordpress.tv that shows how to use a new Firefox plugin that I just installed. This is created by the developers of WordPress so it really caught my attention. It is called After the Deadline for Firefox and it is FREE as with most things that are connected to WordPress.

This is a very useful plugin that helps you spell check within the context of your writing no matter what website you are on including Twitter, Facebook and the back-end of your WordPress website. Very useful and pretty amazing. Check out the links below for download links and a short video showing how it works. Remember to download Firefox first!

On a funny note, while writing this post the plugin told me that WordPress was spelled wrong. Funny since it was created by the developers of WordPress, but anyway…

1. Download Firefox Web Browser
2. After the Deadline for Firefox
3. WordPress.tv Video Post
4. Matt Mullenweg’s post on After the Deadline

New Blog Category – Stuff I Found

48 Best WordPress Plugins

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:28:20 +0000

If you have taken the leap into WordPress you are always looking for great plugins to make your life easier. This is especially important when you are looking to create a website for your small business or church. You have to keep things simple and plugins do that for you.

Here is a list I found with 48 top plugins that can make your life easier using WordPress. We will go into some of them in more detail in future posts, but for now here is the link which includes…

Search Engine Optimization Plugins
Content Subscription Plugins
Advertising Plugins for Banner Ads and Google Adsense
WordPress Security Plugins

>>48 Best WordPress Plugins

Easy WordPress Plugin Installation

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:26:07 +0000

Okay, so as promised I am going to try my best to do WordPress the easy way this year. So my first step is to get in the habit of searching for and installing WordPress plugins within the dashboard instead of searching all over Google.

So, to find and install plugins for WordPress simply log in to your WordPress dashboard and scroll down to plugins on the left hand sidebar. In the plugins section click on Add New.

Within the Install Plugins section can type in the name of a plugin or something you are searching for. You can also upload and install a plugin that you have already downloaded as a zip file on your computer. You can also search in the featured, popular, newest or recently updated categories.

When you find a plugin that you want to install click on the install link on the far right of the screen. This pulls up all of the information for the plugin. Click on Install Now and complete the process. Hope this helps.

episode #16 :: Should I do the one click install of WordPress? – WordPress Installation Series

Easy WordPress Shortcuts

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:23:21 +0000

I don’t know why I try to do things the hard way. While I think there is very little value in becoming a Web Geek [unless that is what your goal is], I do like at least trying to figure out how to do things the right way. But, that can sometimes get in the way of finding the simplest solution.

For example, when installing plugins for WordPress up to this point I had always done it the hard way. I searched on Google, downloaded the plugin, uploaded it using an FTP program [FireFTP for Firefox] and then logged in and installed it in the WordPress Dashboard.

So even though I knew shortcuts were in the WordPress dashboard for finding and installing themes and plugins, I still did it the hard way. My goal this year is to take every shortcut possible. That may not be up to my Web Geek friend’s standards, but it will helpful for you as I will try to point out some of those shortcuts. Look for them sprinkled in to the blog in upcoming posts.

No related posts.

Matt Mullenweg talks about WordPress Use

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:20:41 +0000

Okay, I will admit this video is a little geeky. But it does give some reassurance on how we can use WordPress for our websites.

If you use WordPress for very long you know that in almost every theme the designers put their own links in the footer of the theme and tell you that you have to leave that link in place exactly as they put it in there.

I really do not have a problem giving credit where credit is due. However if I am creating a site for a church or something along those lines I don’t want a link to an online casino in the footer. Just not the best advertising for the church in my opinion.

A lot of really good themes are created by people who like to link back to and promote some not so great websites. In the video in the link Matt Mullenweg the all mighty WordPress guru talks about how that under the WordPress license we have the right to change themes any way we like.

Watch it for yourself and see if you come to the same opinion. Here is the link…

>>Matt Mullenweg talks about the WordPress GPL License

No related posts.

New Blog Category – Stuff I Found

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:17:34 +0000

Okay, so yes I am creating a new category on this blog. It is called Stuff I Found.

Basically this section of the blog will probably not be recorded for the Blogcast Episodes, but some of the links could show up in a future Podcast possibly.

I thought about calling this category Link Dump but thought better of it for obvious reasons. However it is somewhat accurate because basically this category is a place for me to clear out my Google Reader and Feedly finds.

So my goal is to only bring the best links to you and if I don’t find something worth posting that week I promise I will not post it. If I find something that I don’t feel like elaborating on, but still think it is good I will probably post that on Twitter so be sure to follow me there at www.twitter.com/jeremymphillips.

Look for links to some great stuff about creating websites using WordPress soon!

No related posts.

Choose a domain name :: Step #1 – WordPress Installation Series

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:13:39 +0000

The first step in setting up your WordPress website is to choose a domain name or website address for your site. Of course many people and companies have been grabbing up website names over the past few years so it may be difficult to find the exact one that you want. You need a plan.

There are a couple of things that you can do to try to get close to the website name and address that you want. First you can add something small to it. This will still make it easy to remember for people and give you basically the name that you want. Try adding even something as simple as the or my to the front of it and see if it is available. So www.freekickgeektutorials.com would become www.myfreekickgeektutorials.com if the first was not available.

Another approach you can take is to go for something other than .com. I prefer .com domain names, but that may not be necessary for your particular site. You could get a .net .org or .tv and many more. Yes .com domain names are probably easier for people to remember, but if it means getting something closer to the name that you want it may be worth the trade off.

Basically you will just have to try until you get something close to what you want. And you never know, you may get exactly what you want! What I would do is head over to www.domain.com and enter some choices and it will tell you what is available.

Do not purchase your domain at www.domain.com! If you get the Pro version of the website hosting solution that I recommend you will get your domain name for FREE. Domain.com is just an easier place to search for options.

So get out there a choose a name! In the next step we will purchase website hosting and get the process started.

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #17:: Choose a domain name – WordPress Installation Series

episode #16 :: Should I do the one click install of WordPress? – WordPress Installation Series

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:11:04 +0000

When you purchase website hosting and setup your account in preparation for installing WordPress you have a choice. Do you go with the one click easy install option that the website hosting account provides? Or do you manually install it yourself as I explain how to do in my wordpress video tutorials and in the members training area?

My choice? Learn how to manually install WordPress yourself and avoid the one click install option. Here is why.

First, when you use the one click option the website hosting provider may not have the most up to date version of WordPress available for that first download and install. WordPress is constantly updating the free software and if you continue to follow this blogcast I will show you a simple to use WordPress plugin that will make keeping your site up to date with the most updated version of WordPress extremely easy.

If you want to go ahead and check out that plugin visit the download site of the WordPress Automatic Upgrade Plugin. So if the one click install is not the most up to date version you will have to upgrade it manually or with the plugin anyway.

Second, a lot of website hosting solutions will only offer one free WordPress install per account anyway so you are going to have to learn how to manually install WordPress if you want to add more sections to the site or add additional websites to the account using WordPress. At some point if you begin using WordPress for the websites you create, you will need to install it manually anyway so it makes sense to take the time to learn how to do it.

Third, the knowledge you get learning how to install WordPress is also very useful when you need to upload plugins to your WordPress installation, upload WordPress themes, upload media files and change out graphics for your site. If you do not know how to complete an install using an FTP program, you will have a tough time accomplishing the other parts of the process.

My thought? Learn how to install WordPress yourself. It is not that hard! You can do it!

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #16:: Should I do the one click install of WordPress? – WordPress Installation Series

episode #15 :: Setup a Gmail email address

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:07:55 +0000

As we go through the process of how to setup your website using WordPress you will find that you will be asked to provide an email address several times throughout the process. When you setup your website hosting account, when you install WordPress, when you setup your feedburner account to have email subscription and an RSS feed for your website and if you try to setup an ITunes podcast to name a few.

You can of course setup your website hosting account first and then create an email address to use for this purpose. But I have found it easier to setup a Gmail email address from the start and forward all of the email addresses I created for the website into that account. [of course if you already have a Gmail account you can use that one or create one specifically for your website use] You will want to make sure you setup all of the email addresses you forward to it to look like you are replying from them when you reply out of your Gmail account. Once you have done this you can also compose new emails from any of the ones you have forwarding to it and people will not know you are using Gmail.

The main reason I suggest this is that it is more compatible with Google’s Feedburer, YouTube, Notebook, Apps and Web Developer tools such as Google Analytics, Adsense and Adwords to go ahead and setup a Gmail email to setup your Google account. You can use other email addresses to setup the account, but it is cleaner all the way around to use Gmail.

This is just a suggestion that could help you get off to a smoother start as you will probably want to take advantage of all that Google has to offer in the process of developing your website. Setup your Gmail email address now by going to www.Gmail.com.

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #15:: Setup a Gmail email address

episode #14 :: Just do it and install your WordPress website!

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:04:39 +0000

Before we get into the specific steps to creating a WordPress website, I want to give you some encouragement. I know it can be a challenge to learn something new. But if you have a desire and dream to either make money online or just launch a website for personal use you will need some of this knowledge. But it can be a challenge sometime to turn that dream into a reality.

When I was in college I was not an overachiever, but I did always seem to complete my projects early. One of my friends, however, was always staying up all night before every project was due in order to complete his projects. He was an extremely frustrated, and of course tired, college student.

One day he asked me what my secret was to getting things done. I was kind of amused by his question. Because I really had no secret. My only advise to him was this. Just do it. There was no secret. i just started earlier than him and stuck with it until it was done. My only advantage was that I did not procrastinate and waste my time on unimportant things that did not help me reach my goal of completing the project.

Awhile later I went to his apartment and there was a handwritten sign under a magnet on his refrigerator. Just do it. I thought it was funny that he needed a sign as a reminder for such a simple concept, but I think we all need that reminder.

So as we get into the specific details of setting up a website using WordPress. I want to say to you. Don’t give up. You don’t need a Web Geek to do this for you. You can do it yourself. Just do it!

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #14 :: Just do it and install your WordPress website!

Over 300 WordPress Plugins and Tools

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:02:00 +0000

So you have setup your website using these WordPress video tutorials. Then you might be asking what else is out there to help you run your new WordPress website?

The answer is that there are a ton of plugins and tools to run your site. I found a list on Mashable that provides links to over 300 of these plugins and tools. I am looking over it now to check out what new features and functionality to add to my site. Check out the free wordpress video tutorials to help you get your WordPress website up and running. Then check out the list below to see what features you can add to it.

This list includes WordPress plugins and tools for everything from spell checking to podcasting to photo galleries. I can almost guarantee you will find something that will be useful for your site.

>>300 Plugins and Tools for Running WordPress

No related posts.

episode #13 :: Gain website flexibility and credibility using WordPress website hosting

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:59:07 +0000

In the final episode of the Website Hosting Benefits Series I simply want to say that there are many more specific benefits to purchasing website hosting for your site than I have mentioned. But primarily having website hosting gives you two overall benefits that make it worth the money. Flexibility and credibility.

It seems like an easy option to just setup a free blog at www.blogger.com and put some adsense ads on there and try to make money. But that is a very limited view of what your site can become. Since you are reading or listening to this you are probably interested in starting a website. Many of you will want to make money with that website. While you can do that with a free non-hosted blog, it is most likely not flexible enough to grow with you in the future. Taking the step of purchasing website hosting for your site gives you the most flexibility for your online presence in the future. Setting up unlimited custom websites for around $10 a year is pretty flexible.

The second overall benefit is credibility. When you have the ability to setup your own branded email addresses, have your website only have the ads you want instead of being forced to have ads from blogger, hosting your own media and having it link back to your own site and having your own web address instead of something that ends in .blogspot.com adds credibility.

You can get started today by checking out my wordpress video tutorials. Then follow the steps and get started with your own custom WordPress website and website hosting account today.

Coming up in the next series we will be walking through the specific steps to installing WordPress. Then after that we will go through some specific things you can do to tweak your WordPress site to make it better and make it your own.

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #13 :: Gain website flexibility and credibility using WordPress website hosting

episode #12 :: Setup multiple websites on one wordpress website hosting account

Jeremy Phillips — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:53:02 +0000

One of the greatest advantages to purchasing a website hosting account is that you have the ability [at least if you use the website hosting solution that I recommend] to setup multiple websites and host completely separate website files on the same website hosting account for the same price [currently under $100 per year].

If you go through the steps in my wordpress video tutorials series you will become familiar with using an FTP program. FTP programs are simply used to transfer files from your computer to your website hosting account to be used on your website. I recommended using the free Fire FTP that you can use if you are using Firefox for your website browser. It works great on a PC or a Mac. For my Mac though I usually use the free Cyberduck program which also does a great job.

To setup a separate website within the same website hosting account you simply create a folder within the main folder of the website and name it anything you want. You will put all of the files for the new website into that folder. Of course the quickest and easiest way to do this in my opinion is to setup a new WordPress installation for it just like you would for the main website, but that is up to you and your web development training and skills.

After you have setup that folder you can move to the next step. In your website hosting account you can purchase a domain name in addition to the main website address you have with that account. You simply click into the website domain manager and point that new website address to that folder and you have a new website. No additional hosting cost! So all you paid for was the website domain name which should be under $10.

How does that help? If you want to launch a new idea or new product you probably do not want to purchase additional website hosting to it. So with the website hosting solution that I recommend in the wordpress video tutorials you can setup unlimited domain names on the same account in their Pro version which is still under $100 per year.

This is huge! And you can create these sites simply and quickly using the self-hosted version of WordPress and free WordPress themes found online as I explain in the WordPress Tutorials in the [nogeeks] WordPress Training members area. Don’t play around with non-hosted freebie’s unless you want challenges in the future. Gain the ability to create websites in the future for around $10 by purchasing a website hosting account for under $100 per year. Much better choice.

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #12 :: Setup multiple website on one WordPress website hosting account

episode #11 :: More customization of your website using WordPress website hosting

Jeremy Phillips — Thu, 20 May 2010 05:30:11 +0000

One of the main benefits to getting wordpress website hosting to setup your website is that it is much more flexible for your website uses and needs in the future. If you setup a free www.wordpress.com or www.blogger.com website and then want to change from using the blogger or wordpress software to a more traditional or flash website you have no control to be able to do that.

Now I will say that I am a complete convert and believer in using the self-hosted version of WordPress to power almost everything on the websites I create. It can even be used to create membership websites using a plugin called Wishlist Member. It is not free, but is inexpensive [under $100] and is the easiest and most effective way to setup a membership website using WordPress in my opinion. Check it out here.

But maybe at some point you decide that you want to do something different with your free blog converting it from www.blogger.com and turning it into an actual functioning website. You cannot do it without purchasing website hosting because you are locked into the Blogger system. But with a website that you host yourself you can change it to anything you want.

Even if you start with a simple self-hosted version of WordPress and a free WordPress theme that you learned how to setup from my wordpress video tutorials, you can always have someone create an entirely new site without WordPress and the only difference your website visitors would see is the look of the site.

Free and simple is wonderful if all you need is a basic version of a website or blog. That may be all you need right now at this moment. But if you setup your site on a system that cannot grow and change with you in the future you are setting yourself up for a headache. Why not start right at the beginning with the most flexible option? Begin your website journey with a simple install of WordPress using the wordpress video tutorials to get going and you will be set for whatever direction you choose in the future. Simply CLICK HERE to learn how you can claim your wordpress tutorials.

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #11 :: More customization of your website using WordPress website hosting for your WordPress website, blog and podcast

episode #10 :: Host your own audio and video files with WordPress website hosting

Jeremy Phillips — Thu, 20 May 2010 05:26:30 +0000

There are all kinds of free places to host your media files. You can upload video to YouTube, Vimeo and several other video hosting sites and there are also all kinds of places to upload and host audio files if you are wanting to launch a podcast such as www.PodBean.com. But as with most things that are free there are usually limitations.

YouTube currently only lets you upload videos that are less than 10 minutes in length. The free version of Vimeo only lets you upload 500MB of video per week. PodBean only lets you have 100MB of monthly file storage space per month [At least at the time I am writing this. I am sure that will change at some point.]. For certain purposes this may be perfectly fine for what you are planning to do online.

For our church we use Vimeo to host our videos and the 500MB limit per week is no problem because we usually only upload a few videos a month. But if we were putting our sermons online the files would be much larger and that solution may not be feasible. We may need to bump up to the paid version at that point.

However, for our sermon audio podcast we host all of the audio files on our own website using our website hosting to store all of the files. In the Kick the Web Geek wordpress video tutorials I show you how to upload WordPress files using an FTP program [simply a program used to transfer files from your computer to your web hosting account]. You use the same program to transfer and upload your audio or video media files as well. Then you simply use one line of html web code to insert that media file into a post or page on your website. It is really very simple once have done it a couple of times.

The website hosting solution that I recommend currently says that they offer unlimited file storage space in your website hosting account for under $100 per year. I have not even come close to hitting a small percentage of what I can upload on my church site and I have almost 300 media files uploaded to the site plus a lot of video as well. Even if there is a limit the average user and even podcaster will probably never come close to running out of space with this option.

Media File storage is just one more benefit to having your own website hosting for your site instead of going with a non-hosted version such as www.blogger.com.

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #10 :: Host your own audio and video files with WordPress website hosting

episode #9 :: Setup custom email addresses with WordPress website hosting

Jeremy Phillips — Thu, 20 May 2010 05:23:12 +0000

I actually have both a Yahoo and Gmail email addresses. I use them for different purposes and forward a lot of other email addresses into them so that I can have one or two main places to check my email. I have set my reply address up within them so that people will not even know that I am using the Yahoo and Gmail. They think that I am using my other website branded email addresses. Yahoo and especially Gmail email addresses are great for that purpose.

What they are not great for though is using them as your main email addresses that you give out on your website. While there are ways to create more professional looking email addresses without website hosting the best way to do this is to simply have a website host that not only hosts your website files, but can also allow you to created unlimited email accounts that are associated with your website.

I usually create different email addresses for each account for different purposes. I usually put at least one with my name in it which would be jeremy@kickthewebgeek.com for starters. But depending on what you are wanting to do you may want to create multiple email accounts such as video@, products@, webmaster@, givemefreemoney@ or whatever you need to accomplish the purpose of your website and keeps the information flowing in separated.

Of course you can always forward all of them to your main email account on the site or a Gmail or something to make it easy for you to keep track of. But having these email addresses branded with your website name leaves a much better impression on your site visitors that giving out a Yahoo or Gmail address. You can do this with the website hosting that I recommend on my wordpress video tutorials or you can check out the website hosting by clicking here.

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #9 :: Setup custom email addresses with WordPress website hosting

episode #8 :: What are the benefits of purchasing Website Hosting for WordPress?

Jeremy Phillips — Thu, 20 May 2010 05:18:01 +0000

In the next few episodes of the [nogeeks] Blogcast we will be talking about the benefits of having website hosting for your website. Of course you can choose to use a completely free version of WordPress at www.wordpress.com or at something like www.blogger.com, but those are extremely inflexible and come off as unprofessional. And, they do hit you with a lot of charges if you want to do anything customized to your website! Yes, they will work if you just want a simple blog, but are not a good option in my opinion if you are trying to develop a personal or professional website presence that will make an impact.

As a side note, I completely understand that some very famous bloggers and websites are on these free sites. Like I said, they work. But if you have the opportunity to start from scratch I would not go that route. And remember, you will be charged anyway for anything special or customized.

For under $100 a year you can purchase website hosting that works extremely well with WordPress that will start you off with a much more flexible and professional website. My WordPress Video Tutorials walk you through on screen exactly how to set this up.

Still not convinced that getting website hosting for your site is the way to go? Over the next few episodes we will look at more advantages and ways that website hosting can benefit your web presence. Stay tuned.

>>MP3 Version ::
[nogeeks] Blogcast Episode #8 :: What are the benefits of purchasing website hosting for WordPress?