CSS Optimization: Cleaning Up Your Stylesheet Analysis

Blogging Pro has an interesting analysis on CSS Optimization that is definitely helpful if you are considering your website’s design optimization as well as your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Just be careful using these on WordPress Themes. I have been spending some time looking at CSS Optimization tools today. I wanted something free, online, and […]

Web Page Design and Styles: Let The One Who Has Never Hacked A Stylesheet Throw The First Stone At Me

I will have graphic details on the new design of this blog, as well as tips and tricks for working with the new CSS Editor on WordPress.com and Sandbox Theme shortly as life has gotten in the way. Until then, take a look at this brilliantly written, and perfectly descriptive, essay by Mandarin on “Stylesheet […]

WordPress.com Custom CSS – All The Styles for the Sandbox Theme

While not complete, here is my first attempt to put all the styles together from within the new WordPress.com Sandbox Theme stylesheet. You can copy the styles from this CSS file. This style sheet does not include the core layout architecture. You choose that from the “skins” after selecting the Sandbox Theme, setting the columns […]

Investigating the Connections Between Blogging Styles and Traffic Stats

Mister Snitch takes a look at “Blogging Styles and Traffic Stats” to find a correlation between the two. Just as there are different styles of investing, there are different approaches to traffic generation. Aside from the occasional, reclusive J.D.Salingers, most writers want to be read as widely as possible. Some bloggers literally will do anything […]

Finding Your CSS Styles in WordPress

Tips Apply to the Full Version of WordPress. Since 1999, all web pages are to be styled with style sheets called Cascading Style Sheets or CSS. Basically, the HTML page holds the structure of the page with descriptive titles to each section called “selectors”. In an attached file, called style.css in WordPress, all of the […]

Judging Blogs by their Post Content Styles

I talk a lot about the importance of content in blogs, as well as websites, but I want to point out the different types of posts found on blogs to help you understand a little more about what they are, how they work, and whether or not they are effective content styles. There are four […]

CSS Switching Styles for the Low Vision User

Digital Web – Strategies for CSS Switching discusses how to handle switching CSS style sheets and why and when you should, depending upon browsers or intent. After all, the true wonder of the Web is its promise of universal access: an avenue through which a user can gain instant and complete entry to any topic, […]

Blog Exercises: How Long Are Your Paragraphs?

How long are your paragraphs? Have you measured them lately? One of the telling differences between traditional writing and writing for the web is the length of the paragraph. Look at the example below. Which is easier to read? On the left, the paragraphs are huge, long blocks of text. On the right, the paragraphs […]

Blog Exercises: Do You Teach or Lecture?

Do you teach or lecture on your site? We all write with a specific “voice” and “style,” representing our perspective on the information we are presenting. On this site, I’m a teacher, sharing with you lessons to help you blog, use WordPress, and publishing on the web. You may share your expertise or your experiences […]

Blog Exercises for April

April seemed to fly by in this Blog Exercises series. Have you been able to keep up now that we are done with month four of improving your blog? A lot of the blog exercises this month deal with interactivity and links, tips for building a community with your site. One of my favorite exercises […]

Blog Exercises: How to Add Headings to Your Post Articles

I’ve mentioned using headings in your post articles throughout these Blog Exercises. Let’s look closer at these HTML tags that help you structure and increase the readability of your blog posts. Headings are HTML tags used to set the section or subsection titles within your blog posts. They divide your content into sections, but they […]

Blog Exercises for March

March was a busy month in my Blog Exercises series. Wow, are we already done with the third month in this year long series? The participants explored a wide variety of blog exercises on editing, blogger identity, content organization, and web writing. There were exercises to motivate and inspire you, and help you inspire your […]

Writing for the Web Course Starts June 3, 1013

I will be teaching “Writing for the Web” at Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education in Vancouver, Washington, Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 3 – July 8, 2013. The class will be at the West Coast Bank Building in downtown Vancouver, Washington, just a few minutes from downtown Portland, Oregon. Writing on the web is now […]

Creating Footnotes in WordPress

Among the many techniques students and clients request in my WordPress and blogging workshops and classes1, requests for creating footnotes in WordPress are rare, but they do happen. There are very distinctive differences between traditional writing and web publishing styles.2 Footnotes have been replaced by links to cite a reference or resource to support the […]

Classes and Workshops

The following are classes and workshops offered by Lorelle VanFossen. Writing for the Web June 3 – July 8, 2013 Clark College Corporate and Continuing Education Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am – noon in the West Coast Bank Building in downtown Vancouver, Washington, just across the river from Portland, Oregon. USD $179 This writing class […]