Guest blogging over at WordCount today, offering several tips for protecting the precious. Check it out:
http://michellerafter.com/2012/05/20/6-ways-to-defend-your-blog-copyright/
6 Ways to Defend Your Blog Copyright
Has Recycling Jumped the Shark?
Got this free sample at the 16th annual Furry Scurry, a Dumb Friends League charity, two mile walk/run and expo with over 6,000 dogs in attendance:
That's right. it's a ziploc baggie full of dog doo.
WordPress Widgets Everywhere–or Not?
WordPress widgets are lovely little nuggets of content that display across all pages and posts. Sometimes, however, you want to control where they go. That’s where conditional widget plugins come in. Which is the best?
First, a video introduction to WordPress widgets by Dan at WebsiteDesigner.au. I love this video not because it has great production value, but because Dan’s Australian accent makes it fun for American ears.
If you don’t know what the fiddle I’m talking about, this video is for you. If you’re familiar with widgets, skip down!
The reigning queen of conditional widget plugins is called Widget Context. It’s user-friendly and effective. For the vast majority of WordPress users, Widget Context will be more than sufficient.
| WordPress › Widget Context « WordPress Plugins
Dec 18, 2009 … Show widgets in context – only on certain posts, front page, … Widget Context allows you to specify widget visibility settings. …
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But, Widget Context cannot control the display of widgets in specific categories as well as it claims. Wildcard URLs only work if your permalink structure is identical to theirs–and their structure is bad news for SEO. Therefore, other plugins are needed to fill the gaps.In walks Widget Logic.
| WordPress › Widget Logic « WordPress Plugins
Mar 2, 2010 … Widget Logic lets you control on which pages widgets appear. It uses any of WP's conditional tags. It also adds a 'widget_content' filt …
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Widget Logic is tiny and absurdly powerful, an innocent-looking ninja killer of a plugin.
But, to make it work, you must master a little PHP code in the form of WordPress Conditional Tags. If you can conquer them, however, you can fine tune Widget Logic to do almost anything. I’ve worked with it for so long that it cooked me breakfast once.
Here are some Conditional Tag resources that you may find handy when you’re getting started:
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WordPress Conditional Tags: Learn How to Use Them in a Few Minutes
Let’s say you want your Recent Posts to appear on one specific page of your WordPress website. To accomplish that, you would create a special function and hook the Recent Posts into place. I know those two words-function and hook-are scary, but bear with me.
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| Conditional Tags « WordPress Codex
Languages: English • Français • 日本語 • Türkçe • Português do Brasil • 中文(简体) • (Add your language) The Conditional Tags can be used in your Template files to change what content is displayed and how that content is displayed on a particular page depending on what conditions that page matches.
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There are a few other notable plugins like Display Widgets and Slayer’s Custom Widgets, each with their own quirks and perks. Few, however, manage to cleanly accomplish what Widget Context and Widget Logic provide.I won’t dive into full instructions here–it’s best to install the plugins, activate them, and give ‘em a whirl. Unfortunately, you can’t use Widget Context and Widget Logic simultaneously in the same widget, but you can switch back and forth on a widget-to-widget basis.So, what did I miss? What’s your favorite widget plugin and why?
How to Find Post Revisions in WordPress 3.1
Here’s something I hear all the time: “HELP! I can’t find my post revisions in the newest version of WordPress!”
Not to worry, WordPressarinos—they’re not missing, they’re simply hidden! After you’ve created enough content that the auto-save feature kicks in, you can view Post Revisions by turning them on with Screen Options, an oft forgotten (and quite handy) feature in the post-editing area. Just check the appropriate box and you’re on your way! Here’s a screenshot to help you:
Guest Post: Websites for Writers
I’m guest blogging over at LisaSamalonis.com today on how the objective of a writer’s website should affect its design. Is your website an appetizer, an entree, or a dessert? If you don’t know, click here to find out.
REACTION: McDonald’s Marketing and Ronald McDonald Come Under Fire – WSJ.com
The link: McDonald’s Marketing and Ronald McDonald Come Under Fire – WSJ.com.
Here’s why I support the 550 health professionals who penned this open letter to McDonald’s: In elementary school, bullies and insensitive twits called me Ronald McDonald (and Ronald Reagan). Please, by all means, kill that stupid clown.
I can’t support, however, an argument against McDonald’s marketing. Yes, marketing plays a role in food choices—and all those crappy little Happy Meal toys and the colorful clown with his rag-tag bunch of friends are certainly affecting a child’s attraction to cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets.
But there’s one big piece of the marketing puzzle glaringly omitted: the McDonald’s PlayPlace.
For many kids, McDonald’s Playplace is the only affordable option for gross motor activity in urban or winter environments. Those colorful tubes and slides are, in my opinion, far more alluring than a freaky clown or plastic toys.
I used to eat at McDonald’s once per year, just to reaffirm that it’s revolting. Now I’m shoving a Big Mac into my face several times per year because my daughters need a place to blow off steam in the winter. Ronald McDonald won’t change that—but having other options will.
If these health professionals really wanted to make a difference, they’d draft open letters to municipal governments, demanding public indoor playgrounds for children. They’d help spearhead marketing campaigns at healthy restaurants to get (BPA and lead-free) toys into their kids’ meals. And they’d ignore McDonald’s, deny them this free publicity, and cultivate the future they want instead of hacking away at the past.
What do you think?
