More and more people today are joining the community of wordpress 2.0 themes. WordPress started as just another blog service, but soon grew up to become something totally different! The wordpress software helps “dress-up” your blog or site in whatever way you like colors of your choice, layout, accessories, and all the rest of the works! And the best part is – you don’t need to be a programmer to do all this! You don’t even have to be a designer!

Community Building With WordPress Themes
Different people are born with different sets of skills and temperaments. While some people are more visual oriented, some tend to express their creativity through music. Yet another group of people are good at creating their “1000 Continue Reading »
WordPress 2.0 Themes Bringing People Together

Most of us spend many hours online, and shoppers are no exception. Many businesses have an online store that helps bring in new customers everyday and anytime. The Internet has made this possible, and there are new forms of social media that have generated widespread popularity due to their ease of access over the Internet. You can expand your online business’s reach even further when you use search engine optimization with a knowledgeable search engine optimization service and apply it to social media.

An SEO company will use social media such as blogs, podcasts, e-mail, instant messaging, wikis, to promote a website. What connects them all is the Internet, and because they are all online, the way many people access them is through a search engine. Continue Reading »
Search Engine Optimization & Social Media

A website is not just something you stare at on a glowing screen.  These days, a website is a multi-dimensional beast, a complex character that deserves thought and attention.  Great website development involves so much more than just design and color scheme.  Creating a great website is a careful, step by step process that begins with domain name selection and ends when visiting customers convert to sales.  And once your website is designed, up and running, continued maintenance and promotion is key to keeping visitors coming back for more.

Let us take you through a brief description of each step along the Yellow Brick Road of Web Design.

Domain Registration
Your domain name is what you type into the address bar of your browser (it is your URL).  It is what your visitors will be typing into their browser, so selecting an easy to type and understand domain name is important.  It is your home on the Internet. Make it easy to get to.  Some examples of domain names include google.com, and NBC.com.  You know exactly where you are headed when you type those into your browser.  However, with millions of domain names already registered, it may feel like all the good ones are taken.  But be creative and patient and the right name will come along.

Web Hosting
If your web page is like a paper flyer, than your server is like the bulletin board you stick it on.  You will need to sign on with a web hosting service so you can store your files on their server.  Your host is who makes your site available to the public, not just to you.  When choosing a web hosting company, you should take into account how much space you’ll need, how much bandwidth, access, and so on.  There are numerous web-hosting terms that may be new and confusing for you.  For example, you may come across will be “Secure Server” which you will need if you plan on doing any sort of eCommerce. Another strange term you might see is “FTP Solutions.” FTP is short for File Transfer Protocol.  FTP is what is used to “upload,” or move your site from you computer to the host computer “bulletin board.”

Site Design
Although design is not the only important aspect of creating a website, good design is still vital to having a successful site.  You only get one chance to make a first impression, and studies show that the average person’s attention span is only about 8 seconds when looking at a site.  Make those 8 seconds count by having a clean, clear, easy-to-read site that conveys information while also being aesthetically pleasing to view.

While graphics and animation are snazzy and fun, they aren’t necessary to making your website work.  Sometimes simpler is better, easier on you and easier on the customer.  If you do choose to use advanced graphics and animation, remember that good visuals should be eye-catching but NOT distracting.  Do not crowd your page with spinning vortexes and dancing bears.  Utilize appropriate graphics that go with your company.

Remember:  Sloppy website design does not make your product look very desirable.  If your website is quality, it implies your product is quality, too.

Site Layout
Your layout is an aspect of design so important we gave it its own category.  Layout, navigation, and usability are the active components of your design.  The color is important to the eye, but how your site is navigated is important to its utility and efficacy.  “Navigation” refers to how your visitor moves about your site.  What do they read?  What links do they click on?  How is information organized?  If you have lots of information, do not dump dozens of pages of links into one section; break them up under various categories to make them easier to look through.  A carefully planned website can make it easier for your customer and for yourself.  Also allow for growth, since your business will develop over the months and years, and you need your website to grow along with it.

Content/Copy
Your text, information and page layout is called your copy.  It is the words on your page, but equally the charts, graphs, pictures and the layout of all these items.  Remember that Internet copy is different than paper copy, and oftentimes a wall of words will overwhelm a visitor to your site. Keep your copy clear and concise, since visitors’ attention spans on the web are notoriously short.  Determine your site’s chief purpose, your thesis.  Are you about building your brand, selling your product directly over the Internet, or getting a buyer to visit your store?  Keep your purpose in mind as you create your website copy.  Tell it like it is.

Maintenance
Your company will be growing, so your website should as well! As you organize, allow for new categories, new products, and new links.  You should perform regular maintenance to make sure your links are working, your contact information is correct, your forms are working, and that everything is up to date, including copyrights.  You want to keep your content current.

You can also use tools that will track what is working best for your website, what is getting results, and what pages are being visited the most.  Good statistics about where your visitors enter your site and how they move through it can help you tweak your site to improve sales and to create more effective layout, copy and design.  You never know where your company may go, and good maintenance of your website will keep it, and your customers, with you every step of the way.

Marketing
You want other people to see this website you put so much hard work into, so you need to find internet marketing to get it out there.  These days one of the best ways to reach your customers is via Search Engines, because that is where customers are looking for you.

A search engine is a site such as Google or Yahoo where one can go and type in any sort of keyword and be led to sites that feature whatever they are looking for, be it “mouse ears” to “oven racks.” In order to ensure that YOUR website is among the top of the list of results, you need to practice what is called “search engine optimization.” You see, search engines rank the results they find, and if you sell staplers in Butte, you will want to be sure your site will rank well when someone types “Butte staplers” in the search box.  Search engines rank their results based on very specific information from the copy and underlying code of your website.  There are millions upon millions of websites that search engines have to sift through for each search, so “optimizing” your website will make is easier for a search engine to recognize that your site is relevant.  If you have the time and the inclination to learn, you can optimize your website yourself.  However, optimization is something many companies choose to outsource.

Remember your website is not like a printed document.  It is not a one-dimensional, non-interactive page.  Your website is a completely new kind of marketing medium and must be approached as such.  From choosing the right domain name to converting visitors into buyers, through the creation and implementation of your navigation, copy and design, from choosing your host to search engine marketing, every aspect must be carefully considered. Best of luck!

About the Author:
Wintress Odom is a professional copywriter with over half a decade of experience in writing technical and advertising copy. She runs a successful copywriting agency, The Writers for Hire.
Article Copyright © 2007 The Writers for Hire, Inc. All rights reserved

These days, the exciting visuals on websites have started to overshadow the meat of the content, the words. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but really, how many words does a dancing monkey or rotating starburst convey to you? How can that bouncing frog in the upper left hand corner of the page tell you what you need to know about, say, lawn care? Not much, though he may be cute to look at.

The website is a new medium in the world of television, newspapers, magazines, and radio. This form of communication is something of a combination of all of those that have come before it. Needless to say, when there’s a new kid in town, new rules apply. But we can’t throw all the old rules out either.

The copy (text) of your website is where the action is. This is where you hold the attention of your audience, and this is where your word choice and grammar are critical.  People can think your exploding fireworks graphics are cool, but if you misspell your product caption “cheep fireworks,” they are going to laugh at you and click the back button.

There are several mistakes that should always be avoided when writing your website copy. But if you follow these basic guidelines, and always keep your visitors in mind, you can come up with something that will wow and amaze even the most jaded web surfers.

Tip 1: Please, please, please be careful that your spelling and grammar is correct. If you are writing your copy on your own, you may wish to consult something like the Associated Press Style Guide, Strunk and White’s Elements of Style or another solid grammar guide. They are quick and handy references in case you are unsure if you should use a colon or a semi-colon, and they can help you keep all ten thousand comma rules straight in your head.  Also pay attention to your spellchecker. Almost all word processors have them nowadays. Good grammar and spelling is not only expected of you, but it gives your site an air of professionalism that customers deserve.

Tip 2: For Pete’s sake, keep the exclamation marks to a minimum! They sound overly dramatic! They make people antsy! They make you sound like a guy wearing a clown suit on a used-car commercial! It’s annoying! And, bottom line, exclamation marks don’t make your sales pitch more effective.

Tip 3: Keep it simple. While we stress the importance of words, we don’t suggest you use too many of them, either. A customer faced with a wall of words before them may be too bored or too busy to read them all. People have short attention spans in this click-click net navigating world, so keep that in mind. Use simple, concise, easy to understand words and you’ll do much better than if you try to talk your website visitors to death.

Tip 4: Keep it scannable.  White space is your friend. It’s hard to read online, so you want to keep eyestrain to a minimum.  Be a razor-sharp editor and cut out anything that might be dragging down the rest of your copy. Don’t use run-on sentences. Don’t make your paragraphs too long and bulky. Use big text, descriptive headlines and short paragraphs. Use bold text to help make your copy scannable, but use it judiciously. If you make everything bold, it defeats the purpose.

Tip 5: When it comes to word choice, choose words that are descriptive and helpful. Be specific. Words like “great,” “awesome,” “super,” “new” and “improved” don’t tell you much.  But words that explain just why your product is great and improved are much more helpful. For example, if you sell shampoo, and you want to tell everyone that it is now “new and improved,” explain that now it has a cleaner, fresher scent, won’t leave a greasy residue, and won’t spill if you drop it in the shower. Now that’s something that tells me what I want to know!

Tip 6: On a related note, don’t use words that are too flowery or colloquial. Write appropriately for the subject. If you are selling cowboy boots, you can probably throw a few “pardners” and “l’il doggies” in there, but that probably isn’t so impressive if you are writing for your office’s money marketing page. Also, while you may have a well-versed Harvard vocabulary, many of your customers may not. If you are inclined to use words such as “sycophantic” and “pedagogy” or “fungible,” you might consider leaving them out. Also, though you may really want to use the word that means, “to swarm like ants,’ you probably ought to avoid having your visitors read, “The 6th graders formicated all over the playground.” Your site’s readers may not have a dictionary handy.

Tip 7: Organize your information.  Start simple, and then get to the details. There’s no need to tell them everything at once. While your homepage is really like the welcome mat to your Internet abode, the rest of your pages are like the rooms. Make sure they are friendly and inviting and organized, not a cluttered, musty mess like at your Uncle Leo’s house. Your homepage should focus on telling your visitors specifically why they want to enter your home. What’s in there for them? On your inner pages, you can go into more detail. A lot of information is good, but break it up into well thought-out, organized pieces that are easy for your visitor to handle. Who wants to tackle a page 10 scrollbars long? But 10 pages, correctly organized, can help your visitor find the information they need and will make them comfortable, happy customers.

Tip 8: Lastly, if you are not fully confident that you can create the exact kind of copy you are looking for, you can always hire an experienced professional to help you. They may help you see potential for your website you might never have thought of on your own. And they can help stop you from making a fool of yourself if you accidentally say, “all sinners will be vaccinated on Tuesday” when you meant to say “all seniors”.

You can have the greatest layout, the prettiest shade of background color, the easiest navigation bars, but if your copy is messy, hard to read, or uninformative, your website is going to tank.

About the Author:
Wintress Odom is a professional copywriter with over half a decade of experience in writing technical and advertising copy. She runs a successful copywriting agency, The Writers for Hire.
Article Copyright © 2007 The Writers for Hire, Inc. All rights reserved

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a new way to broadcast corporate news and structured information. RSS offers a quick, easy corporate communication channel. The RSS contents are published as a feed and the feed’s content keep customers, partners and journalists abreast of corporate news and information. The RSS feeds are read using a tool referred to as a news aggregator, or an RSS reader. The aggregator periodically checks to see if the RSS feed has been updated. As the feed is updated, new information will automatically appear in the RSS reader.

While RSS was at one point only considered to be a means to deliver news headlines, RSS has quickly become a powerful medium to disseminate all kinds of information. As traditional marketers are attempting to rein in content delivery, measuring e-mail open rates, click-throughs and conversions, Internet users are fighting to gain control over the content they receive. Savvy marketers and business owners are

Continue Reading »
Innovative Business Use of RSS as a Technology

RSS content syndication is relatively new legitimate practice in the world of search engine optimization (SEO). Marketing professionals specializing in SEO techniques are beginning to recognize the value of RSS content syndication however, and it seems that the more popular this technique becomes the more effective the results.

The value of RSS content syndication lies in the links contained within the content. This is because the big search engines like Google and Yahoo! pay a whole lot more attention to incoming links to a website than they did in the past. We’ll get to content a little later, because it still counts, but it is so important to understand why syndicating content to RSS feeds across the web may make you more money and cost you LESS!

RSS feeds are appearing on websites across the internet in order to keep people up to date with the latest news or information on a particular topic quickly. And we all know that users expect quality content, but even more so they expect that content to appear immediately! And, they want to see the content. They do not want to look for the content. They do not want to link to the content. They want the content to jump off of

Continue Reading »
Marketing Power of Content Syndication

Considering the ever-increasing support for RSS in online communities, we have compiled a list of resources and products that will benefit webmasters, web surfers and publishers in their quest to understand the power of RSS. RSS has rapidly become an alternative communication venue. In order to understand the full benefits, consider utilizing some of the following tools and resources.

1.) RSS Tools – RSS feeds bring automatically updated information straight to your desktop. You can monitor or promote news, job listings, personals, and classifieds using RSS. The following tools assist webmasters in using RSS to maximize their time.

RSS Readers – RSS readers are designed as tools to view RSS feeds, making it easier for users to view and manage the content of a feed. Feed readers make it easy to mark feeds as read or flag items that are important. The following are some of our favorite RSS readers:

FeedDemon – FeedDemon is a client that can retrieve and organize RSS feeds from the Internet. It comes pre-configured with several news feeds, and you can easily add your own by adding the URL for an RSS feed of your choice. FeedDemon offers an attractive and easy-to-use interface with integrated web browsing.

http://www.feeddemon.com

FeedScout – Feed Scout is a RSS/ATOM/RDF reader that can be used directly from Internet Explorer. Feed Scout enables you to view RSS/ATOM feeds from different sites directly in Internet Explorer. You can even set your Home Page to show your favorite feeds. http://www.feedscout.com

2.) RSS Creation Tools – As RSS feeds have increased in popularity and breadth publishers and webmasters have struggled to find a solution to create RSS feeds. The following tools will assist webmasters in creating RSS feeds:

FeedForAll – Desktop software used to create, edit, manage and publish RSS feeds. New RSS feeds can be quickly and easily created with FeedForAll. Advanced features enable you to create professional-looking RSS feeds quickly. Existing RSS feeds can be repaired and enhanced with FeedForAll. RSS feeds generated by other means can be automatically repaired, so that they conform to the RSS 2.0 specification. Existing feeds can be enhanced to contain advanced feed properties, and give them a more professional look.

http://www.feedforall.com

3.) RSS Articles and Tutorials – Articles and tutorials based on RSS and designed to demystify Really Simple Syndication for users and publishers. RSS Specifications – RSS Specifications contains a collection of articles related to RSS and news feeds that assist both publishers and users in deciphering Really Simple Syndication.

RSS Specifications – RSS Specifications contains a collection of articles related to RSS and news feeds that assist both publishers and users in deciphering really simple syndication. http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-articles.htm or

the articles can be read in an RSS feed. http://www.rss-specifications.com/article-feed.xml

Make RSS Feeds – Step by step instructional tutorial detailing how to manually create an RSS feed.

http://www.make-rss-feeds.com

4.) Ebay Monitoring Using RSS – Monitor online auctions for specific items of interest. As eBay has grown it has become difficult to discern and locate specific auction items. By using RSS tools users can easily recieve instant notification when a specific item is being auctioned.

Free Bidding Tools – FMonitor online auctions for specific items of interest. As eBay has grown it has become difficult to discern and locate specific auction items. By using RSS tools users can easily receive instant notification when a specific item is being auctioned.

http://www.freebiddingtools.com/

5.) Web Monitoring – Monitor the Internet for specific news items or blog topics of interest. A number of free online RSS tools make web monitoring very easy.

PubSub – Monitor the Internet for specific news items or blog topics of interest. A number of free online RSS tools make web monitoring very easy. PubSub – Every day, PubSub’s matching engine performs billions of matches of new items against user subscriptions. The instant a match is made, PubSub alerts the user via RSS. PubSub monitors more than 6.5 million blogs, as well as 50,000 USENET newsgroups, all SEC/EDGAR filings, press releases from major wire services, and FAA airport delay alerts.

http://www.pubsub.com

Google News Monitoring Using RSS – This free online tool turns a Google news search into an RSS feed.

http://www.justinpfister.com/gnewsfeed.php

6.) Other RSS Tools – Alternative tools for creative webmasters.

RSS2Wap – The RSS2Wap site is meant for online conversions of RSS feeds into WML for access on WAP devices (RSS2WML, RSS WAP or RSS-to-WAP). It’s free and you can make a link on your web site.

http://www.rss2wap.com

7.) RSS Graphic Tool – Websites that have RSS feeds available use colorful graphics as flags to indicate to web surfers that RSS feeds are available for specific content.

RSS Graphic Tool – Websites that have RSS feeds available use colorful graphics as flags to indicate to web surfers that RSS feeds are available for specific content. RSS Graphic Tool – Customize RSS buttons. If you have limited time and lack artistic abilities, use this free online RSS graphic tool to create an RSS button. The button’s color and text can be customized to suit the look and feel of your website. http://www.feedforall.com/public/rss-graphic-tool.htm

8.) Displaying RSS – Many webmasters display the contents of RSS feeds on their web pages as a fresh source of content and information that changes on a regular basis.

Java Options – Using Java to display RSS feeds is a very easy way to provide dynamic content with very little effort. Unfortunately, when you use Java to display RSS feeds, search engines do not see the feed’s content, so the content is not spidered and ultimately will not help with search engine optimization.

Quick RSS Feeds – Free online tool that allows you to simply enter the URL of the RSS feed, define the number of items you would like displayed, and the Java script will be automatically generated.

http://www.quickrssfeeds.com

FeedRoll Continue Reading »
RSS Tools

RSS is the interactive communication tool being popularized by bloggers. It is also the newest method for ezine publishers to deliver their content to the web.

RSS puts control back where it belongs. Publishers have control over their content, and subscribers have control over what they read.

This system requires that subscribers manually subscribe to the feeds they choose to read. One simply cannot just enter an email address and hit a subscribe button, attached to an autoresponder.

RSS feeds require an aggregator to read them, similarly to the way a browser reads HTML on a web page. As a result of this necessity, absolutely no one can be subscribed to a feed without consent. This makes the reader 100% responsible for the acceptance of the content to which they have subscribed. The receipt of feed content can never be unsolicited, nor can it be redundant. One cannot have more than one active subscription to a particular feed.

Rather than having to open an over-flowing mailbox, to find the information you are looking for, RSS acts as a special delivery agent, placing the content right next to your toast and coffee. Feeds are delivered straight to the desktop of the subscriber via the aggregator, providing the subscriber with freshly updated information, as it is refreshed by the source [publisher].

The subscriber receives the most recent headlines available, not a bulky periodical, and from there, can choose which articles they want to read, by clicking on that particular headline. When the reader finishes reading the feed, they just exit the program. There is nothing to store, nothing to delete.

Because RSS is set up as a dynamic, interactive system, publishers can allow, and often encourage, reader comments. This fascillitates dialogue between authors and readers, in real time. It invites the reader to express opinions, or ask questions. It provides readers with access to their mentors, that is non-invasive, yet direct.

One consideration to keep in mind is that not all RSS feeds are created equal. Not all aggregators can read all feeds. This is not a case of one size fits all. There are several different versions Continue Reading »
Publishing With RSS

What is RSS?
You probably have seen this three-letter acronym in the course of your internet surfing. RSS stands for
Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary; syndicating means republishing an article that comes from another source such as a website.

An RSS is a means of publicizing updates about websites. It may or may not include a summary and photos of the latest posting. But those that provide summaries (thus Rich Site Summary) allow users to skim through the article so that they could decide later on if they want to access the website source. The RSS feed usually contains the title of the update
originating from the website. It is also usually the link to the website source.

What are the benefits of RSS? RSS gives benefits to both readers (users) and web publishers.

1. It gives you the latest updates.
Whether it is about the weather, new music, software upgrade, local news, or a new posting from a rarely-updates site learn about the latest as soon as it comes out.

2. It saves on surfing time.
Since an RSS feed provides a summary of the related article, it saves the user’s time by helping s/he decide on which items to prioritize when reading or browsing the net.

3. It gives the power of subscription to the user.
Users are given a free-hand on which websites to subscribe in their RSS aggregators which they can change at any time they decide differently.

4. It lessens the clutter in your inbox.
Although your email address will be required to enjoy the services of online RSS aggregators, RSS does not use your email address to send the updates.

5. It is spam free.
Unlike email subscriptions, RSS does not make use of your email address to send updates thus your privacy is kept safe from spam mails.

6. Unsubscribing is hassle-free. Unlike email subscriptions where the user is asked questions on why s/he is unsubscribing and then the user would be asked to confirm unsubscribing, all you have to do is to delete the RSS feed from your aggregator.

7. It can be used as an advertising or marketing tool.
Users who subscribe or syndicate product websites receive the latest news on products and services without the website sending spam mail. This is advantageous to both the web user and the website owner since advertising becomes targeted; those who are actually interested in their products are kept
posted.

What are the drawbacks of RSS? The disadvantages of RSS use are brought about by its being a new technology and some user-preference concerns.

1. Some users prefer receiving email updates over an RSS feed.

2. Graphics and photos do not appear in all RSS feeds. For conciseness and ease of publication, RSS feeds do not display the photos from the original site in announcing the update except for some web-based aggregators

3. The identity of the source website can be confusing. Since RSS feeds do not display the actual URL or name of the website, it can sometimes get confusing on what Read the entire article