Have you looked at your site on a smartphone? If not, I encourage you to do so.

Some of the problems you run into are error codes, unreadability, excessive scrolling required, and confusion on the part of the reader. If it’s not easy for them to find what they are looking for, they’ll go somewhere else.

If you don’t use a smartphone, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about. If that’s the case, go to the high school student or Gen Y professional next door and get them to show you. You might be surprised at how clunky your site is on mobile devices.

The folks at iThemes and PluginBuddy – my favorite resource for WordPress themes and tools – have developed a plugin to make it super easy to create a smartphone-ready version of your site.

“Mobile” is a professional WordPress plugin that allows you to easily build an iPhone version of your site in minutes using the built-in style manager, mobile-ready themes and custom header uploader.

No, the mobile version of your site won’t look exactly like your website, but that’s the point. You want it lean, easy to navigate, and easy to see what is most important without having to scroll around too much.

To make the setup even easier, this premium plugin, which is currently only $45 for use on a single site (quite the steal!) has:

• starter themes – so you don’t have to create anything from scratch
• custom header uploaded – so you can make a smaller version of your header for instant recognizability for your mobile readers
• mobile style manager – which makes it super easy to match your colors, fonts, headline styles, etc. to those on your site, keeping your branding consistent and in perfect order.

The Mobile plugin includes Smartphone and Mobile Platform Support for …

* Android Devices
* Apple iPad
* Apple iPhone
* Apple iPod, Touch
* BlackBerry Device
* LG Phones
* Motorola Phones
* Nintendo DS
* Nintendo Wii
* Nokia Phones
* Opera Mini Devices
* Palm Devices
* Sony Ericson Phones
* Samsung Phones
* Sony Playstation Portable
* Sony Playstation 3
* Windows CE Device, Mobile IE
* Apple Safari (desktop; for development)
* Google Chrome (desktop; for development)
* Microsoft Internet Explorer (desktop; for development)
* Mozilla Firefox (desktop; for development)
* Opera (desktop; for development)

If you need help setting this up, let me know.
My guess is you won’t, though, since it’s such a piece of cake!

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Conscious Business Tribe

Here’s the brief descrpition from the Conscious Business Tribe website:

Has blogging lost its zing for you? Are you new to blogging and looking for a strong start on the mechanics and the mindset? Join us for a conversation on:

• What to write about to keep your readers coming back for more
• Where to find juicy topics your audience, and search engines, will love
• Creating headlines that hook your readers into engaging your content

Make blogging easy, natural and fun. You’ll not only look forward to blogging, but your blog will have an authentic flair that will serve your readers, build your list, and position you as an expert, etc.

To sign up for the call you need to go here!
Read about the Conscious Business Tribe to see if it’s for you, but make sure you sign up for the class HERE.

Remember…if you don’t have a blog or site set up yet, I can make it a snap – often having you up and blogging within hours. I help business owners and leaders design and implement practical, effective search engine optimization strategies that fit your individual lifestyles…which means you have more time to be and do what you want.

You know…less worry. less hassle. more blogging.

Related posts:

1. 9 common blogging mistakes and how to avoid them.
2. Top 4 Reasons Businesses Should Be Blogging
3. Keywords & Blogging, Part 3

If you are, I’m right there with you. I use a little video here and there, but haven’t learned all the specifics.

Like you, I’ve heard how important it is to use video in my marketing – and on my blog – but honestly, most people still aren’t doing it.

Do you know why?

It’s because we don’t know how to do it….or, we think it must be really complicated…and mostly because we don’t know where to start.

I’ve seen probably 20 different people try to explain why video marketing is important and how to do it the “easy” way. Only none of the info was what I would call “easy”.

I’ve recently learned that it’s actually quite straightforward and doesn’t require thousands of dollars of equipment and software to get going. And wouldn’t you know it…I learned it from one of my own mentors!

Kim Doyal, one of my favorite WordPress experts (and not JUST because she featured my other site, PersonalGrowthPrincess.com as one of her highly recommended ones) is sharing some new information and secrets about video marketing.

In this video, Kim Doyal, aka The WordPress Chick, shares some staggering facts about
WHY you need to using video to drive traffic to your site and increase sales!

She’s also written a free report which explains why you don’t need to be Steven Spielberg
or spend tons of money to get started! (That’s my kind of plan. )

Check out the free video and report here:

Let me know what you think!

Don’t get left behind because you’re not using video.

Related posts:

1. What do physics and marketing have in common? [video]

WordPress 3.0 is live and rarin’ to go!

If you’ve been a bit out of the loop, here’s a post I wrote about some of the cool new stuff coming in 3.0.

And of course you’ll want to be ready for it – so make sure you take a look at the tips I gave for preparing for the transition.  Specifically I recommended using a plugin that helps with the backup process, so you won’t lose any valuable info if things go a wee bit kaflooey.

You’ll probably want to take a look at the official release announcement for a thorough understanding.  There is a video from Matt Mullenweg giving a “State of the Word” address, so you can understand where this release fits into the history. You might think that would be too geeky, but truthfully it is really fascinating, particularly given this is all done via open source, with volunteers. Pretty impressive.

And if you’re impressed, and grateful, that you get to use such impressive and constantly improving software for free, consider a donation to the WordPress Foundation.

Here’s a video that demonstrates the newest features and functions of WordPress 3.0.
If you have any questions, please let me know.

Oh, and if you are using the themes I recommend, from iThemes, or any of their plugins, you are good to go for 3.0. 

Here’s the video:

Let me know what you think!

Related posts:

1. Are You Ready for WordPress 3.0?
2. Cool changes coming with WordPress 3.0
3. Live Wordpress Training – by iThemes

Actually, WordPress 3.0 will be super-exciting and I can’t wait for it to get here. There are some major changes that will make it easier for the average WordPress user to modify their sites, but if you generally aren’t an “early adopter”, then you may want to wait for the first revisions to 3.0. It has gone through painstaking testing, but once it is out among the millions of users, there are sure to be a few glitches found.

So what do you need to do to get ready prior to WordPress 3.0 being released?

First, if you are not already updated to version 2.9.2, then update lickety-split. (By the way, if you are not using 2.9.2, the latest version that was released 4 months ago, then you are most definitely not an “early adopter”.) While not all hosting companies will make 3.0 immediately available, you want to be in control of what version you upgrade to when. If you make sure you are on 2.9.2 now, you won’t have to worry about jumping from 2.5 to 3.0.)

Second, update all your plug-ins – even the ones that you currently have deactivated. There’s always the chance that you could run into a snag updating your plug-in after 3.0 comes out. If you update now (as in asap), you can rest assured that you have the latest version that works with version 2.9.2.

And third – as always, make sure you are backup your site on a regular basis.
But not just the database – which only includes pages, posts, comments, custom fields, categories, and tags – you also want to back up all your site files on the server.
(For just the database, log into your dashboard, then go to Tools>Export. You will save the export file to your hard drive.)

To back up your entire site, some hosts, like hostgator, have a wizard to walk you through the process in the admin panel (cpanel) – remember you’ll be saving the backup to your hard drive, so remember where you save it.

Or you can use a plug-in like BackUp Buddy.

If you take care of at least those three tasks, you’ll be sitting pretty when 3.01 comes out.

Curious about what’s coming? Read about some of the changes with WordPress 3.0 in this post I wrote, or check out  WordPress.org.

Related posts:

1. It’s Alive It’s Alive!…WordPress 3.0 is here
2. Cool changes coming with WordPress 3.0
3. Is your blog ready for 2010?

This is a major update to WordPress software, full of lots of exciting changes. Some of the changes are more exciting to developers and designers than anyone else, but there are some that the average user will be thrilled with right away. (Plus you’ll be thrilled with what the developers find exciting, too, because it means they can do that much more for you!)

• a very cool drag and drop menu feature (like on the widget management page) based on the navigation styling from Woo Themes. Not only will it make it easier for you to order what goes where on your menu, you’ll be able to easily combine pages, categories, and even specific posts or other links, on the menu. So if you wanted a link to BasicBlogSetup.com to show up on your site’s navigation bar, you could do it in a snap!
• a new default theme – “Twenty Ten” – way more fun than the Kubrick and Class you’re used to.
• custom background support – so with a teensy addition to the code to the default theme, you’ll be able to upload your own custom background. (Some themes, like many of the iThemes, already have this. But for people using the default theme – and others that support this function – this will be huge.)
• author specific templates – so not everything has to look the same.
• new support for child themes, which may not be relevant for everyone, but will be if you are using a theme like Builder.
• and a Welcome Guide to help users get familiar with WordPress. That should make many new users very, very happy.

There are some other new features, such as the ability to host multiple sites on one installation (sort of like WordPress.com does – there are thousands of sites, all on the same domain, WordPress.com) and Custom Post Types, but the average user won’t get going with these right away.

Release of WordPress 3.0 is anticipated in mid-June, which means any day now! Look for my post this afternoon on how to get ready!

Let me know if you have any questions or need help getting ready.

Related posts:

1. Are You Ready for WordPress 3.0?
2. It’s Alive It’s Alive!…WordPress 3.0 is here
3. How To Use The Read More Tag in WordPress

Nina East, Lead Developer at www.BasicBlogSetup.com and Wordpress expert, knows plug-ins – the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you use Wordpress to run your site or blog, you most likely have plug-ins installed on your site. And, if you’re like most Wordpress users, you probably have some that you don’t use or don’t understand. The problem with this is that you may have some that conflict with your theme, interfering with performance, or even worse, shutting down your site.

Nina has more than a thousand of hours of experience working with Wordpress and a whole variety of plug-ins. In this webinar, Nina will show us her favorite Wordpress plug-ins and how they work, as well as how to evaluate if they are right for you.

If you use Wordpress to run your website or blog, this webinar is a MUST.

Join us on Wednesday, February 17, to learn about the best plug-ins for 2010, and how to select the ones that make your site work better so that you can work less.

Register Today:
If you are not yet registered for the Free Webinar Wednesdays series, click here to register. We look forward to seeing you online!

Free Webinar Wednesdays was created as a community building tool to bring professionals together to share pertinent business development information, provide subject matter experts with a platform to open a learning dialog, and inspire small business owners to reach their professional goals.

Free Webinar Wednesdays is sponsored by Community Bank Consulting, Inc. and WSI Internet Consulting.

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If you’ve got a social networking account – and who doesn’t these days?! – WebMii runs a simple search that gives you a rundown of how much of your content is accessible to the masses on the web right now. It can also show you if anyone else with the same name is showing up as part of your historical internet record.

WebMii is great for those of you who want to monitor and reduce your online presence by limiting what strangers have access to online, but if you’re looking to become an Internet superstar, WebMii will also give you a PeopleRank score to show how visible you are online.

Take a look and make a comment below about what you learned…

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Just put your name and email in the space below the yellow envelope, and you’ll get the 2010 Blog Planning Guide sent right to your inbox.

It will help you be more consistent and creative in your blogging, as well as allow room for spontaneous posting on current events. No more wondering what in the world to talk about each week or month.

p.s. this is a total freebie – and can be shared with others.

Related posts:

1. Is your blog ready for 2010?
2. Best Wordpress Plugins for 2010
3. Recapture Your Blogging Zing – teleclass

iThemes, one of my all-time favorite premium theme companies, is offering a live, in-person 2-day workshop in Dallas, Texas, Jan. 29 & 30 (Friday and Saturday).

–The WP Theme Bootcamp–

I just finished a 6-hour webinar training led by the same people who will lead the 2-day training.
Yes, 6 hours. On a FRIDAY, no less.
It was amazing. I don’t really think I’m all that geeky – I do ride a Harley, after all – but I was totally engaged the entire time. I can only imagine what having 2 full days with these guys will be like.

They will answer a lot of questions, including:

• How do I customize my theme with CSS and graphics?
• How do I setup and optimize WordPress?
• How do WordPress themes work and how can I take them to the next level?
• How can I leverage WordPress as a CMS? (cms = content management system)

So as you can see, it’s not just for developers. Basic users who want to know more will gain tremendously. Not just skills…but also the confidence to take steps on your own. (I know, I shouldn’t be pushing that since this is how I make a living, but it really is so great that I think it’s worth it if you have even the teensiest interest.)

Plus they’ll also cover things like:

• The keys and benefits to using WordPress as a CMS
• How to install and optimize WordPress for search engine optimization and every day use
• The best plugins to extend the power of WordPress
  
• How to backup, restore and secure your WordPress sites
• What WordPress theme files do and how they work
• Graphic design tips and tricks to personalize your WP sites
• Tips for customizing WordPress themes with CSS
  
• Using the WordPress Widgets feature to fine tune your sites for conversion

They are only accepting 50 people, so if you want to go, you’ll want to hop on the bandwagon.

It’ll be great. And I hear Dallas is beautiful in winter.

Let me know if you sign up!

Related posts:

1. Cool changes coming with WordPress 3.0
2. It’s Alive It’s Alive!…WordPress 3.0 is here
3. Is the iThemes team really that nice?