Helping You Rock Out Your Site Like A Rockstar!

I build plugins myself and have shown my own appreciation for other WordPress plugin developers by either mentioning them or donating.

However, I am having a big issue with seeing an alarming number of plugin developers put up a Dashboard widget in the WordPress backend when I install a plugin. Frankly, I am usually tolerant of the default WordPress dashboard widgets. The extras – not so much, especially if it has nothing to do with the direct function of my website.

Some of the ones out there are kind of spammy. One plugin (not mentioning which one) has a special widget dedicated to actually asking people to donate to their plugin’s development.

While I understand the frustration of not feeling appreciated, remember – if you put it out for free, you may not see more than a few dollars roll your way, and THAT is just being lucky. And trust me, this comes from someone who has 2 PHP scripts that have had over 150,000 downloads.

I think there should be extra etiquette involved in plugin development. If you want to have your plugin put up a dashboard widget, you need to make sure it also allows a field for the plugin user to not permit it. For example, Blogplay’s Sociable plugin allows this with a simple checkbox.

The most acceptable place for a plugin developers donation askance is in the plugin’s actual settings page, where it seems less like spam and “in your face.” Same goes for news. If a user is truly interested, they will go to that page.

Are you a plugin developer? What are your thoughts on this? If you are a blogger, do you get annoyed with the extra dashboard widgets installed by each plugin you use, or do you just ignore it?

WP Report Post is a plugin that is pretty much self-explanatory by title alone. Created by Rajeevan, this plugin is for WordPress blogs with multiple authors or users. It is a way report dead links, duplicate material, or even inappropriate content. The plugin works with Ajax and iQuery. Other features are: Ability to restrict reporting to logged in users Specify the reason for reporting Ability to customize the HTML form See display of reports in dashboard and much more… As I said this is a plugin that is best suited for multiple authors or users. Also if you use Yet Read More →

I originally had this video over at WPAddict, but since I have decided to move all my WordPress content over here, I re-did the screencast video for A Walk Through WordPress 3.2.1 using my chosen fonts for my brand. I have also decided to to a screencast for each version. Older versions will appear and be dated as older posts, and the videos will be on my Youtube account – blondishnet.

There are so many people out there in the world, and even millions upon millions of websites out there. Each person is knowledgeable in their own field. Whether it be novice or an expert, when you begin a site, you should not be telling people you are an expert in your field. In fact, I discourage it even as you gain followers, traffic, and overall, influence. Why should you not say that you are an expert? Someone else might come along and know more than you. It might a possible battle of egos in the making. Unfortunately, it does happen Read More →

It takes work to get your content out there for others to see. Whether by social networks, social bookmarking, message boards, and more, it all is based on how you deliver your message. That is how social media works. If you have people who are visiting, you will retain a few, but possibly have some that come one time and never glance back. What do you do to keep them coming back? Well, if your site has valuable information, you may need to make sure you are delivering it in an understandable way. Not everyone thinks and understands as you Read More →

I originally spoke at on my presentation Rocking Out Your Site With WordPress at WordCamp Chicago in 2010. I realized that just hosting my power point on Slideshare is not enough, so I decided to podcast it. You can follow the slideshow while listening to the podcast. Rocking Out Your Site With WordPress – Powerpoint Presentation Rocking Out Your Site With WordPress View more presentations from Nile Flores Rocking Out Your Site With WordPress – Podcast Presentation If you have any questions, or comments, feel free to comment.

A lot of people like to use forums and social networks for communicating. Did you know you can have your own community, much like those forums through your blog’s comment system? Did you know that it should be one of your goals to convert people to comment on your blog? Well, its true! Each person who comes by and leaves a comment, is leaving their mark on your site and might have a good opinion… even if it does not completely agree with you. Those comments make your site dynamic as no other site will have the same exact comment Read More →

Of course, when you go to your own WordPress admin panel and update your profile, you will see that it says you cannot change your username. A lot of people usually choose admin as their login username. This is very common. For those who are using ‘admin’ for their username, it is best to change the password for security reasons since it is a very common username. This tutorial will help you change that. However, for those who later realize it might be best to change your login username, you CAN change it! 1. Go to your database management in Read More →