WordCamp Netherlands Rocked; WordCamp Phoenix Will Rock!

WordCamp Phoenix is all set to really rock and roll with great WordPress, blogging, and SEO experts on November 13, 2009, in Arizona at the Arizona Grand Resort. Some of the hottest folks in WordPress and web tech are lined up to speak and attend, taking advantage of PodcampAZ and Az Entrepreneurship Conference happening the […]

WordCamp Portland Donates to WordCamp Seattle

You know I’m a huge WordCamp fan. I attend as many as I can, speak at many, and work hard with the The WordCamp Report, Blog Herald, and this blog to help promote WordCamps all over the world. For those unfamiliar with WordCamp, it is a grassroots gathering, formal or informal, of WordPress fans. It […]

WordCamp Portland: How WordPress Changes Lives

When I was asked to speak on how WordPress changes lives at WordCamp Portland in September of 2008, I was faced with a dilemma. While WordPress does change lives, blogging changes more lives. How do I connect the dots between WordPress and the life changing experience of blogging? I didn’t realize that the WordPress Community […]

WordCamp Portland: How Has WordPress Changed Your Life?

The agenda of speakers for WordCamp Portland is out and I’m the keynote speaker. And I need your help. I will be talking about how WordPress is changing lives, not just from the blogging experience but truly changing your life from stem to stern. WordPress and WordPress.com free blogs give a voice to those who […]

Custom Search Engine Landing Page – Customized Welcome Mat

Heard the term “landing page” or “landing site” in relationship with e-Commerce and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? It is the page people arrive on your site from a search engine. If you are searching for “wordpress plugins” in a search engine, it will call up a list of results. Click on one of those results […]

Local Blogging Tour Guides – Cornfield Mazes, Cabins, Flying, Satellite Photos, and Landmarks

While some bloggers babble about politics, medical issues, and current events, some share their love of their area and the exciting and fun things going on in the neighborhood – or at least within driving distance. Wasted Days Wasted Nights blogs about going on a date through the nearby cornfield maze in Huntsville, Alabama. Neat, […]

Blog Exercises: How Does Your Blog Make You Money?

In an interview with Daniel Scocco of DailyBlogTips, he asked me how long a blogger should wait to monetize their blog. Ha! Forever! I do not think bloggers should monetize their blogs. I think that people who want to get into the business of blogging must make a business plan on how they will use […]

Help Spread the Word – Writing for the Web Class

There is still room available in my Writing for the Web course at Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education in Vancouver, Washington, just across the river from Portland, Oregon. This professional development course runs from June 11 – 27, 2013 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9AM – Noon. The class size is limited so there […]

Blog Exercises: Under the Hood Spring Cleaning

One of my students in my Portland Community College WordPress class reminded me that clutter is clutter, no matter where you find it. Peter Smith reminds us that too many WordPress Themes is a waste of resources. Today, I feature his post to remind us all to clean up our sites under the hood. I […]

Blog Exercise: Take Yourself on a Bloggy Vacation

Writer’s block is a tool — use it. When asked why you haven’t produced anything lately, just say, “I’m blocked.” Since most people think that writing is some mystical process where characters “talk to you” and you can hear their voices in your head, being blocked is the perfect cover for when you just don’t […]

Happy Birthday, WordPress!

Today is the 10th Anniversary of that famous moment when Matt Mullenweg reached out to the world, and Mike Little replied, and WordPress was born. A blog post that changed the world. Happy Birthday, WordPress! I’m off to celebrate with the Portland WordPress Meetup Group of Oregon. Cake? Subscribe Via Feedburner Subscribe by Email Copyright […]

Blog Exercises: What Are You Missing?

Frogs redefine my thoughts about amphibians annually. As a child, spring was for tadpoles and summers were for frogs in the swamps, ponds, and ditches around my country ranch in the Pacific Northwest. Moving to Oregon’s Coastal Mountain range west of Portland, my winters are spent driving up the foothills like a crazy person, avoiding […]

Blog Exercises: Backups and Alternatives

I didn’t expect to return home after a meeting this morning to find I have no telephone or Internet access on this bright sunshine, calm weather May day. I’ve got classes to prep for, sites to review for students and clients, article deadlines, these blog exercises to publish and keep to my year long commitment, […]

Blog Exercises: Current Events for May

Been watching the news lately? It’s time to blog the news and current events for May in our Blog Exercises. Have you enjoyed blogging the news? I’ve only asked for one newsworthy blog post a month. Some of you have gone a bit overboard, while others still struggle to find something from the news to […]

Blog Exercises: Writing Poetry and Recipes in Your Blog

Do you publish poetry on your site? Feature many quotes? Share recipes? Addresses? If so, you may need to learn how to publish content with single lines instead of double. In WordPress and other publishing platforms with a WYSIWYMG interface, hit the Enter (Return) key and a wide or double space will appear. Each line […]