Use visual editor for widgets!

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” … Read more

A Powerful Point about SOPA and PIPA

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 … Read more

Handy Plugin – Proper Network Activation

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 … Read more

Alternative to EventBrite?

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.

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Color Choice Can Make the Difference on a Sale

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.

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Low Cost or Free Stock Photography sites

When developing a website, it’s always very handy to have stock photography to work with. Problem is, the starting costs at big-name stock photography sites can be $20-$50. If you’re searching for that perfect image for an ad campaign, it’s worth every penny. If you’re looking for some filler images for your website, that can get quite expensive quickly.

Here’s where “Microstock Photography” comes to the rescue. Listed are some less expensive stock photography sites that we’ve come across. We’ll catalog them as we use them. At the bottom of the list are sites we’ve stumbled across but haven’t actually used yet.

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Plugins We Install on Every WordPress Site

(In No Particular Order) Google XML Sitemaps – Arne Brachhold Contact Form 7 – Takayuki Miyoshi Contact Form 7 to Database Extension – Michael Simpson Cloudflare – Ian Pye (CloudFlare Team) All in One SEO Pack – Michael Torbert Broken Link Checker – Janis Elsts Redirection – John Godley MailChimp List Subscribe Form – MailChimp … Read more