Helping You Rock Out Your Site Like A Rockstar!

I am a beta tester at DeviantArt. I thought since I have been there almost 5 years (username – pixvex), that it was time I jumped in and tried to give back. Although some of the policies that DeviantArt I do not agree with, I do like that people can share their artwork. Recently, DeviantArt posted a message in my inbox about Portfolios. Of course, right now they are in the beta stage, but I tried it out.

The portfolios allow you to load images outside your DeviantArt account or add from your account. You can also insert your resume and any information for potential clients to know like live links to previous work. One thing I found and I actually posted about it, was that you can only load certain sizes. This means you will have to enlarge your logos, if you are a person that creates logos.

Other things you get to do is register your own domain and point your domain to the servers that DeviantArt lists. Otherwise, you can use a custom subdomain URL. Mine is http://blondishnet.daportfolio.com/. As you can see it is very plain as you can only choose black or white. Also, the images in the screenshots area do not appear, and of course, I could not load my logos.

Needs a lot of work, and I think that since people pay already, they should get to customize their portfolio further with css. I really am not impressed. I am just going to continue on my plan to revamp my own portfolio. However, it did not hurt to at least check it out. At least I can give some credit for DeviantArt for trying, but I think something better can be done. I believe DeviantArt forgot what a portfolio was in the first place. A portfolio is a way to allow a person to put their work up for display with their best effort. These will not suffice as they are as plain as paper (sorry for the cliché.)

Would you like to be a beta for this project? If you would like to be a beta, you have to have a premium membership with DeviantArt. If you are already a beta there, have you tried portfolios out?

Computer security is important for everyone! As general of a statement, it is the truth. So many people still complain about their computers being hacked or they had obtained some anti-virus. Problem is, the scary part when I asked them if they had at least an anti-virus program, they said “Oh, I just go around and use trial versions.”

I always wanted to say “Wrong answer!”

Scarier than that, there are some that say they do not have anything!

Antivirus Software is important and trial versions will not cut it. Some trial versions or online scanners do not even remove all or sometimes any of your computer’s viruses. It makes the difference between having a computer or not having the computer, or saving yourself some money. It also saves time from taking it to a computer fix-it store or having to send your computer into the manufacturer.

I would recommend trying VIPRE Antivirus + Antispyware as it has a free trial offer time of 15 days, and if you like it, it is $29.95 to purchase a 1 year subscription. The anti-virus is built by Sunbelt Software and Download.com gave it 5 stars. So, it is worth the shot in trying to keep your PC clean.

What do you use for your anti-virus software?

I know it is a couple months old, but being me, some things need some cool off time, like why in the world is Yahoo! closing Geocities? Believe me, I did need the time. I had to go out of my way to go and download old files before I forgot. Being me, October 2009 would have rolled around and I would have lost some of my old writing.

I remember the days when I ran some Yahoo! Clubs (which has been Yahoo! Groups for close to a decade) and had some Geocities hosted website. The banner ads were obtrusive, but at that time, I was still learning web design and only cared that at least I had some space. I tried Freewebs (which is now just Webs.com) and even Homestead and Tripod.

A long time ago, when I joined Geocities, I had to join a certain ‘street’ and then park on a lot number. Later, Yahoo! allowed users to have their username in the URL. So many sites and yet Yahoo! is closing it. Unfortunately, the ‘award’ winner webhosting they offer is junk. I have seen more complaints than anything with their hosting. Is it because of Geocities? It is because of the economy and something had to be cut. Yahoo! does not give much of a reason in their Geocities help section on “Why is Geocities closing?”

On the other hand, they seem like authorities evacuating a toxic spill zone by redirecting them to other services. Not only that, Yahoo! 360 and Geocities! Plus (offered to their AT&T clients) are also closing. I just want to say – this is Yahell! (That is an old phrase.)

Is Geocities too much to handle or worthless to be bought by another company?

Another nifty bookmark site has surfaced: TopRoundups.com! This one is focused on quality articles in the web and graphic design world. The project creator is Webmasterish, who also created SimpleFunctions.com. I had blogged about that site with Back To The Simple Things: SingleFunction.com not too long ago. Some of the popular articles are in the design, web design, and WordPress sections of the site.

TopRoundups allows users to submit their articles. You simply fill out the form with your blog articles information. The site allows people to vote or even leave comments. It is a great way to get trackbacks for your articles as well as attract traffic with a similar interest in what you blog. To navigate the site, you can go by tags, author, and publisher.

The one thing that stands out about this site it uses the WordPress core, TDO Mini Forms, and some extra tweaking.

Go ahead and check it out! If you have a related article, submit it and look at the other articles available.

I found this opportunity for Elearning and thought it might be a great thing to share. Learn.com is a place that allows you to keep on top of your career.

The site works a couple ways. You can take courses or if you are an expert in an area, you can create a course. In fact, if you create a course, Learn.com will give you 70% commission if your course has been taken by other users.

These days, it is about what your experience/skills are rather than your education. With the economy not doing that great, employers are seeking people with experience. The skills from taking Learn.com courses can help you develop the experience you need to get ahead. Some of the courses available are even connected with accredited colleges.

I know that for myself, I am seeking to increase my own skills with business management and my IT skills. I already am enrolled in college, but I think a place like Learn.com can help me develop things that my schooling may not cover. For Learn.com I selected IT and Microsoft Productivity because I already have previous college courses in this field, but I had not finished my certification. These would help eliminate the time spent in class and I could just take the exam when ready. Right now, I do not have the time to sit in a classroom, so this is convenient.

Have you tried Learn.com or a similar service? What did you think of it?

I recently joined Swagbucks, a site that when you use it, you can earn ‘swag bucks’ that you can spend on items they offer.

Ways you can earn ‘swag bucks’ are shopping using their referral system. Some places award you 1 swag buck for so many dollars spent. Some places offer discounts. However, one big thing is using the search. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter. On occasion, they will give out swag bucks codes and there are even random members picked daily to get more. One of the main ways to earn swag bucks is using their search tool when you need to search for things online. Swagbucks.com offers a toolbar that you can download and use that works the same as the search on their site. It does not cost to sign up nor does it cost to use their services.

I thought I would sign up and give it a try. If you have signed up, please tell me about your experience with Swagbucks. Would you recommend it? Have you received anything from Swagbucks?

Some sites use Disqus, some sites IntenseDebate, some use static pages with Haloscan, and others use what comes with their WordPress or blog platform.

The first two offer their own plugins so users can log in with it and you can be connected with others users. Apparently it increase visitors and even cuts down on spam. However, I am aware from some users through conversations via Twitter, email and instant messenger, that these two do not always cut down on the spam.

Haloscan, well… it was one of those things I used when I first started blogging – before I got into b2 and eventually WordPress. With Haloscan, you could have your comments hosted with them, but you would have to manually write your blog to your page and then insert the code from Haloscan. It was nifty and I actually liked it until I wanted to have my own, so I coded PixelledComment (I do not offer it for download like I use to. In fact, I took it off in 2006.) Same concept as Haloscan, but I could host all of my comments.

Since then, I have come to WordPress. I have tried Drupal, Joomla, Movable Type, CuteNews, and even GreyMatter. I shudder to think about the last two I mentioned…evil. If you are still using them…do not. In fact, I refuse to link them.

My own opinion is that I really recommend using WordPress and playing with the coding. There are plenty of plugins available just for the commenting system alone. Askimet is not bad, but there are plenty of plugins you can include to prevent bots and spammers.

My suggestion is to try the comment system that WordPress offers if you are comfortable with coding. If not, choose a good system. Other things are to either harden your blog’s security and to make sure to keep your WordPress up-to-date.

What commenting system do you use? Why? If you use WordPress, what plugins do you use for your comments? Do you have any extra suggestions for others who are wondering what they should choose?

A lot of the topics at WordCamp Chicago worked around social media. One of the sites that were plugged was Lijit, which is a free service you can sign up. What it does is once you sign up, you insert all the social media places you have an identity with, and then you can put a widget (or as Lijit says – ‘wijit’) on your blog. The widget is a search field.

I am sure that you are saying, especially if you are using a content management system: Why would I need another search form when I already have one built into my site?

Well, Lijit, as explained in their About section that it is like social media. People will seek information from people they trust first before going out into the internet to find what they want to know. When your visitor types a search into your Lijit search, it will go through all of your social identities that you put in your Lijit profile and pick up whatever results are closest to the topic they are trying to find. In a way, it kind of helps keep your visitors on your site.

Not only that, but Lijit gives you the ability to see what your visitors are searching for so you can provide the information they need. It is a pretty cool tool. Try it and see. There is even a WordPress plugin for Lijit Wijit too. Pretty cool, huh?