Research on the WordPress, Web Development, and Web Design Job Market

In 2012 and 2013, I did extensive research for the grant program to develop and rewrite the Web Developer degree program at Clark College. This research included an analysis of current and future job opportunities for students graduating with that degree with a solid understanding of WordPress. Now that the program has completed its first […]

Blog Resources: Researching the Research, Finding the Facts, and Seeking Supporting Evidence

As part of my ongoing series on blog resources, covering the many online resources I use to help me blog, you can tell that I don’t deal with rumors or guesses. I like facts. I don’t mind a few estimates, but I like being right when I make a claim or statement, so I work […]

Where Do You Go For Your Blog Research and References?

I needed to know the dimensions of a US quarter compared to the Euro coins. Where should I go? Hmm, maybe I’ll hop in the car and drive to the library to dig through the shelves for coin collecting books. Nah. Maybe I’ll drive over to that coin and stamp collecting shop I saw over […]

Please Don’t Use Google To Research References

I’m a huge fan of Information Wants To Be Free, a wonderful blog for librarians by Meridith Wolfwater. I’ll be writing more about her blog later, but I wanted to point out a great article called Whatever you do, don’t use Google. After we teach our students how to distinguish between authoritative and unauthoritative resources, […]

Research: Tips for Surfing the Net for Information on a Deadline

Surfing the Net on Deadline – Staci D. Kramer’s Tips for Reporters, Editors and News Directors is a great checklist and how-to steps for bloggers as well as reporters. Here are some highlights: * Rule #1: Troubleshoot your software when you aren’t on deadline. * Build — and maintain — a bookmark file for your […]

Blogger as Researcher – Almost a Journalist?

In a short and well-written post, Gail Fisher of the The Los Angeles Times writes about the “Journalist as Researcher” on Poynter Online. While aimed at journalists, it made me think about the blogger as a form of journalist, reporting upon the world around them. Here are some important points she makes. Read: Be well-read. […]

Research and Choices You Make in Website Designs Can Make or Break Your Website

“Design Choices Can Cripple a Website”, by Nick Usborne on A List Apart, explores how the choices you make in choosing and creating a website design can make or break your site or blog. Here’s how design choice can make a difference Here are just a few of the design elements we have found can […]

Benefits of Using Furl and Del.icio.us Together for Research

Furl and Del.icio.us: Almost Perfect Together is an interesting correllation between Furl and Del.icio.us and protecting research material. To understand the benefits of these two tools better, this is seriously worth a read. As I’ve mentioned before, two web-based tools I use extensively to keep track of important or interesting online information are Furl and […]

Blogging Resources and Sources to Help You Blog

As a blogger and professional editorial and technical writer, I have collected a variety of online resources and references to help me write, blog, and work. The following are a list of Internet resources, sources, references, guides, and tools that help me with my basic blog writing research and publishing. I use these resources to […]

One Year Anniversary Review: Accessibility and Usability

In “Usability Isn’t Expensive. It’s Practical. Usability is Useful.”, I explained the differences, and similarities between accessibility and usability: Accessibility is the development of a website or blog to be accessible to everyone. This means that the design must meet web standards and pass a range of validation tests in order to be compliant with […]

Genealogy Blog: Starting With a Purpose and a Plan

A bit ago I announced I was starting a series of articles about building a new WordPress blog from scratch. Here it begins. I’ve been researching my family’s genealogy since I was a teenager, and recently a fantastic series of events resparked my enthusiasm. Over the past few months I’ve been doing even more research […]

Blog Exercise: New Years Reboot, Restart, Kick Ass

“It’s that time of year when the world falls in love…” The Christmas Waltz by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn I’d like to think that New Year’s thinking includes bringing back the love to your blog. You might not think that, but let’s go with that belief as we continue with this year’s Blog Exercises. […]

Blog Exercises: Which Stats Matter

In this ongoing series called Blog Exercises, let’s explore the stats that matter, the ones you should be paying attention to on your site and off. On your site, you should be paying attention to: Most Popular Posts: Are your most popular posts related by topic? If so, there is clearly a driving interest in […]

Blogging Tools: DownThemAll Browser Add-on

DownThemAll! Firefox Extension is another tool for your blogging toolbox. As a reminder, most power bloggers use Firefox or Chrome web browsers. Not just because they are “better” in the terms of meeting web standards, but also because of their powerful extendable features. Browser extensions, add-ons, or plugins allow you to extend the features and […]

Blogging Tools: Jing Screen Capture and Video

One of my favorite blogging tools – okay, tool I use for teaching, writing, and research – is Jing by Techsmith. It’s a must-have tool for bloggers and blogging. Jing is free. It allows capturing still images (screenshots), basic video, and animation, and allows you to share them on the web or save them to […]