Web Development

Using Shortcodes in a Genesis Custom Field

Raw WordPress Custom Fields – Nutritionally Sound? In a previous post I had showed an example of how to display a custom field using Genesis. Site visitor Michael had asked if he could use shortcodes in a Custom Field, and I was unable to answer at the time. Today I finally got a chance to … Read more

WP-Table Reloaded: One of the Best WordPress Plugins

Grand Prize

NOTE – just today in Feb. 2013, I got the upgrade notice to switch to Tablepress. Tobias has completely rewritten his application, and I can tell you it’s just as excellent as I would expect from him. I installed Tablepress, followed his conversion procedure, and am now enjoying a converted table.

Tobias is nearly a genius, I’d say, and sure enough, he’s studying for a PhD. in an advanced engineering specialty. Not only that, but though he is German, his English is just outstanding. Be sure to give a brother some and donate if you can!

I’ve tested and used many great open-source scripts, and some less-than-stellar ones as well. WordPress is truly a favorite of mine, and I’ve built a lot of sites with it, some bloggish, some not. With plugins that extend its capabilities, it’s even better. I use and test plugins frequently, and the number of them available is enormous. In a geeky way, it’s like shopping in a store full of great free stuff!

I have about a dozen plugins that I use a whole lot. But once in awhile you find one that really rises to the top.

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Is WordPress Good for Beginners? Yes, But Not Always

Why can’t WordPress do everything I want, AND read my mind?

WordPress is such a nice system that its popularity has skyrocketed. It’s easy to use, and has a phenomenal feature set. As its fame increases, many newbies are now coming into the fold, and while many are happy, some of them are having a lot of trouble.

WordPress has been the premier open source tool for blogging for quite some time now, and people are also discovering that it can be used for other types of sites. The developers (and plugin authors) have done a superb job adding features and making the system easy to use. While this has allowed people with moderate computer skills to use it, an inevitable byproduct of such popularity is emerging: a lot of people cannot figure out various parts of the system, and they are having trouble getting technical support, even though there is a nice free support forum where people can join for free and ask questions.

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Be Sure You Own the Domain Name of Your Website

I shouldn’t even have to write about this, but the problem still hasn’t gone away. When you set up your website, part of the process is choosing the web address of your site, such as YourGreatStore.com and so on. This is also known as the site’s domain name. It’s fairly easy to register and purchase the domain name online.

But many newbies were unwitting victims of a subtle trick: the web developer they hired registered the domain name himself before building the site. The site is running, it looks fine, everything’s fine, right? Just one little problem – the original client does not own the domain of their site, the web developer does. Why does this matter? I know of a case where a fellow wanted to update his website using a new designer. He went back to his old web developer and told him of his new site plans. Guess what? The developer said, sure, you can have access to your domain: I’ll sell it to you for $600. Otherwise, get lost.

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