Articles

SPF Checker

March 20, 2025July 14, 2017 by Bill Forsyth III

Update 5/11/2023: DMARC analyzer has shut down their SPF lookup tool. Here’s another that will count the lookups: DMARCly. dmarc analyzer is, hands down, our favorite SPF checker. Not only does it validate the domain’s SPF record, it expands out all of the calls, AND tells you the count of the DNS lookups. One of …

WordPress Database Search and Replace

March 20, 2025April 2, 2016 by Bill Forsyth III

If you ever need to make changes to your database, but are afraid to mess with data stored in serialized arrays. Interconnect/IT’s Database Search and Replace Script in PHP is the tool for you. It’s an extremely powerful tool that will make a snap of performing search and replace actions on your WordPress databases. Be …

Install WordPress via SSH

March 20, 2025February 20, 2015 by Bill Forsyth III

If you have a WordPress website that is damaged, infected, or just won’t update, you may need to reinstall WordPress to get things kickstarted. Sometimes a site may be so out of whack that you can update/replace from the WordPress dashboard. If that’s the case, use this handy script to pull the latest version from …

How does your WordPress server stack up?

March 20, 2025February 15, 2013 by Bill Forsyth III

Just found an extremely handy tool. We are assisting a new client and their WordPress install just seemed sluggish. We weren’t sure if we were imagining things or just being impatient. As we like to say: “There’s a plugin for that”, so after searching we found a plugin simply and aptly titled “Benchmark” by Mark …

Use visual editor for widgets!

March 20, 2025December 14, 2012 by Bill Forsyth III

One of our few disappointments with WordPress is that the Text Widget is pure HTML. That makes it really hard to turn over any sidebar text for the end users to manage. Here’s a plugin to make that worry go away: Black Studio TinyMCE Widget. This plugin simply creates a widget called “Black Studio TinyMCE” …

A Powerful Point about SOPA and PIPA

March 20, 2025January 18, 2012 by Bill Forsyth III

You hear everybody talking about the dangers of SOPA and PIPA, but Wikipedia has taken it a step further and gives us all a vivid example of what the internet could look like if SOPA and PIPA are enacted. Wikipedia has shut down the english language encyclopedia for a 24 hour period. I never realized …

Handy Plugin – Proper Network Activation

March 20, 2025November 18, 2011 by Bill Forsyth III

Ever had a plugin that worked wonderfully in “single site” WordPress, but when switching to multi-user mode (WPMU), it doesn’t work on any other site than the initial site? Here’s why. And even better “there’s a plugin for that!” This handy plugin will make some of those stubborn plugins work beautifully under WPMU. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/proper-network-activation/ From …

Alternative to EventBrite?

March 20, 2025November 2, 2011 by Bill Forsyth III

Stumbled across an interesting possible alternative to EventBrite. It’s called “Event Expresso“, and it looks like it can be a completely self-hosted equivalent to EventBrite. In some ways, it may be more trouble than it is worth, but if you run a number of paid events through EventBrite, it will definitely be cheaper to buy and host your own version of Event Expresso, rather than paying EventBrite’s transaction fees.

Color Choice Can Make the Difference on a Sale

March 20, 2025June 14, 2011 by Bill Forsyth III

Minuteman Press in Stow, OH offers one of the best summaries of how color affects buyers:

Whether you know it or not, your buying decisions are oftentimes based on color. The next time you’re looking at an advertisement or packaging for an item you’re considering, pay special attention to the colors you see. Observe how those colors make you feel. Once you understand the effects of color on buying habits, you can make marketing decisions based on that knowledge.