Join me and the rest of the Bitwire Media crew for too much fun this Saturday, December 19, 2009, for the annual Holiday Marathon from 6AM to 6PM PST.

Each year, the Bitwire Media team celebrate the holidays with a live podcast and video marathon, with interviews, stories, laughter, games, contests, and a lot of holiday spirit from around the world. The cast of characters from the Bitwire includes myself, Dave Moyer and Kym Huynh of the popular WordPress podcast, WordCast, Jonathan Bailey of Plagiarism Today, DeBorah Beatty of Living a Created Life, Christina Roberts of Aimless Agenda, Lee Sze of Best of the Net, and of course, you!

This year is even more exciting as it will be broadcast live by Bitwire, but also live and rebroadcast on Internet and terrestrial radio stations around the country!

Here are some highlights of this weekend’s 12 hour marathon:

• Holympics: We’re looking for your best “ho” as in “ho ho ho!” You can call now toll free at 888-721-4126 to record your name, email, and location, and give us your best ho. Or call during the show live. We’ll be playing the best entries during the show. We’ve got some fun prizes for the winner(s). So give us your best ho!
• John Pozadzides with Wealth Nation: John will discuss smart money tips and advice during the holiday season, taking your questions online live to help you with your money issues. John is the CEO of Woopra and host of Wealth Nation and One Man’s Blog.
• Cali Lewis with Geekbrief.tv: Get the best tips and suggestions for last minute high tech gifts from Cali Lewis of Geekbrief.tv, answering your questions on finding the right gift for the geek in your life.
• Charity Chats: Dave Moyer and the team will interview a variety of charity organizations about their efforts and how you can help them make the holidays special for kids, families, and those in need, such as the US Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
• Chat with Alek, The Christmas Lights Guy: Alek’s Christmas Lights and Decorations, one of the most unusual holiday lighting experiences in the world. A personal fun event and fundraiser for the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research, every year Alek decorates his home and connects it all to his website for visitors to control the lights through the site controls and webcam.
• Xmas in July: Join Dave, Kym, and Christina, hosts of Aimless Agenda, for a little tropical heat wave for your holiday festivities, especially with Kym as he tells stories about boxing kangaroos and celebrating Christmas in Australia’s summertime.
• DeBorah Beatty and Lorelle on Handmade Gift Giving: DeBorah and I are long time handmade gift givers and we’ll be talking about some of our favorite and fun handmade gifts and give you some tips to make your own. We’ll also be taking your calls to discuss your favorite handmade made gifts over the years.
• Share Your Holiday Memories: We’re talking to people all over the world, asking them to share their favorite holiday memories. Stop in and share a story with us.

Anything can, and has, happened during the annual Holiday Marathon, so please join us for the 12 hour event, or just stop in for a chat and sip of our nog. The call-in number for this year’s event is toll free 888-334-4248. Or tweet us or follow along on @holidaymarathon on Twitter and track the hashtags #holidaymarathon and #hohoho.

Bitwire Media is a multimedia publishing network, producing podcasts and video shows including WordCast, The Aimless Agenda Show, Liz and Lorelle Show, Living a Created Life, Best of the Net, and Bitwire: Behind the Scenes.

Don’t forget to stop in at a sister marathon, the 30 Hour Day, with our friends, Cami Kaos of Strange Love Live and Rick Turoczy of Silicon Florist, my fellow Portland, Oregon, bloggers. They are working hard on December 18-19 non-stop for 30 hours to raise money for great charities and entertain you through the long hours. Hopefully, we’ll be checking in with them during our own event to see how they are doing through their final hours, cheering each other on.

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen.

Posted in Blog Babble, Blogging News

As I catch up with all the backlog of my life and work after a solid month on the road, I’m still stoked by my amazing time spent with Alan Dean Foster.

While preparing for my meeting, I found a fascinating quote by Alan Dean Foster in an interview with Science Fiction and Fantasy News. He was being asked about the challenges of writing books from movie scripts:

I always tell people that no matter how good the special effects are, you will not have a successful film without the human element. People go to see Star Wars and they say the cities and battles are great, but they really want to see what happens to Luke and Vader and Leia. All the other stuff is window dressing. And I feel that way about books as well. You can write big ships, and space travel, and big battles, but if there’s not that human interest, whether it’s a human being or an alien or whatever, but if there’s not an emotion at the center, you have no story.

I feel that way about blogs.

Have You Lost the Human Element in Your Blog?

The key to writing a good blog post is to share your experience. I’m thrilled that the new iPhone whatever has been released, but your blog isn’t a newspaper. How about sharing how this new gizmo will impact your life and work. How do you use it? How will my life be better with it?

While there is a place for citizen journalism, most of us aren’t in that league. We are offering our tips, training, experiences, drawing from our own experiences and expertise. However, we often get caught up in the message, not the intent, and we tend to leave our voice out of the words.

People return to your blog because of YOU. Sure, they like the content you deliver, but it is how you deliver the message, it’s your words, your thoughts, your ideas that keeps them coming back for more. The rest is window dressing.

Think of your favorite television shows, podcasts, columnists, cartoonists, even your favorite authors, book series, or movies. You don’t keep coming back to them to see what they are wearing, what they are talking about, or their latest hairstyle. You keep coming back because you are vested in their personalities, their characters. What would a Harry Potter novel be without a Harry Potter to keep you interested? Would you really read a Scarpetta book by Patrica Cornwell with no Scarpetta?

What are your readers coming back for?

Step Outside of Yourself to Find the Human Element

We’ve been at this blogging gig stuff for a while now. We need to put more of ourselves back into our blogs, but we also have to step away from ourselves to find the magic in the world around us worth sharing with our readers.

In the same interview, Foster talks about his love of travel and how he gets some of his best ideas from his adventures. Discussing his book, “Sagramanda: A Novel of Near-future India,”and how he found his opening line from a taxi driver in Calcutta.

I had an Indian driver from New Delhi whose English was very poor, just as bad as my Hindi; but we managed. His family comes from a little village in the Himalayas. As I found him in New Delhi, I asked him why he was living here rather than in his village.

He gave me two reasons:
1. There was no work in the village for money.
2. A leopard ate his dog.

That kind of line you just can’t invent, and that’s how I started the book. “Sanji Gosch came to Sagramanda when a leopard ate his dog.” It’s like southern California where coyotes eat poodles. Since we don’t have leopards, we think it’s exotic. Travel teaches you things that you simply don’t expect. Had I not been to India, I’d never have known these cities, met these people, and written a book.

Over the past two years, I’ve been slowly working on changing this blog so it reflects more of your voice and your needs on blogging and WordPress. Next year, you will see things move in that direction. I stepped outside of my world and saw that the WordPress Community has a lot to say about how they blog and use WordPress, and I’m eager to share it with you.

I expect you to step outside of your world to find new thoughts and ideas as well. Here’s to courage and risk!

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in Blogging Tips, Writing

As I prepare for my meeting with Alan Dean Foster, one of the world’s most prolific and famous science fiction authors, I’m not the only one inspired by the whole concept of making dreams come true.

Robyn Seaton introduced Alan Dean Foster to me after she and I met at WordCamp Phoenix, and PodCamp Arizona last week. She didn’t have a blog yet. After a fully packed weekend, she was ready but overwhelmed. What to blog about?

She twittered and emailed me that she wanted to help me in my quest to meet Alan Dean Foster. In the process, found her blog passion and voice. A few days ago, she started her very first blog in WordPress, Robyn Transforms, and now has two posts published on the blog. She says she was inspired by me, but I feel inspired by her!

I want to share a few of her questions on blog writing, as they also apply to my upcoming meeting with Alan Dean Foster.

How do you break away from a post? In other words, how do you know when to stop fussing with it? One of the reasons I hadn’t posted before was because I kept going back and rewriting. Every time I look at something, I find something about it I want to change. I’m sure I completely rewrote my About page at least 4 or 5 times, even after I had published it. (Should this go here? Would it be better in a post? Blah, blah, blah.) I suppose the answer becomes as simple as “when you get too tired or find something else to do.” I hope it’s really that simple.

How Do You Know to Stop Writing a Blog Post?

I assured Robyn that her questions and feelings are normal. Birthing a blog is like birthing a baby. There is a lot of anticipation and anxiety, a ton of questions and great unknowns, but once it’s born, it’s a responsibility. After a while, and a few accidents along the way, the answers come instinctively. You somehow know what to do as you get a little more experienced.

Honestly, there are no rules for how long a post must be. In my training workshops and keynotes, I tell everyone to write until the job is done, then edit, edit, edit, edit, re-read, edit, and hit publish. Trust your instincts. If it feels too clunky or makes too many points, then break it up. If it feels right, hit publish.

Here are some more specific points on the basics of writing a blog post:

1. Write Until It’s Done: Sit down at your blog post or text editor and write until the thought is done. Don’t worry about self-editing, spelling, grammar, or what others will think. Just write. You’ll know when you’re done, but focus on pulling all the thoughts out of your head first.
2. Edit, Edit, Edit: The true art of writing doesn’t come with just the writing but the editing. It’s rarely perfect the first time out of your head. I call that stage the “brain dump” as I pull all the thoughts out as they come. Then the editing process kicks in to clean it up, restructure, and break up the thoughts into the final form. Sometimes it takes a lot of writing to make all the critical points in one document, and other times a few words do the trick and you’re done. Editing helps you make those decisions as you sift through the thoughts you’ve just written.
3. Write in Complete Thoughts: Do not write with the expectation that the reader can read your mind. Edit your thoughts so they make sense and we can follow all the dots. Don’t assume we’ve read what came before. Give us a recap of the history, if necessary, and help us understand where you are coming from.
4. Don’t Be a Perfectionist: Unlike published books or articles, you can always fix a blog post.
5. Make Your Point and Stop: It’s that simple. Don’t try to shove 84 points into a single blog post. Make your point and stop. Save the other points for more blog posts.
6. What’s the Right Length for a Blog Post: There has been some research over the past few years on the correct length for a blog post. While short and concise usually wins, the reality is that if the post is well written and pulls the reader through to the end, they will read until the end. Don’t write to a word count. Few people really judge the quality of a book by it’s page count, nor should they blog posts. You will know instinctively when a post is long enough or too long. Trust that.
7. What is Your Point? “Make your point and stop.” That’s true, but it only goes so far. What’s a point? What’s your point? What if your point takes a long story to tell in order to make the point? What if you need 3 or 10 points to get your message across? While there are template formats for writing a “proper blog post,” write in your own style and voice. Tell your own story your way, after all, it’s your story! We’re reading your blog for you, not for the format. Let you shine through and make your point your way.

In an Dig Museum, Alan Dean Foster actually answers this better than me.

Do you remember what was the first thing you wrote (not necessarily published)?

Yes. It was a story about an aluminum Christmas tree that was thrown out with the trash…and took root, and grew. Nice idea, not enough story.

If you don’t have enough story, don’t publish. If you have too much story, edit it down. When the story is right, publish.

You can find more guidelines on blog writing in “Blogging Is About Writing” published on Darren Rowse’s Problogger, and in my Writing category.

Putting This Into Perspective and Reality

As I worked with Robyn to calm her fears and stay focused, I realized that I’d spent the last few days feeling exactly the same way.

Knowing you are going to meet your rock star fantasy hero in two days gives you time to get past the giddy, passing out, swoons and fears, and into some serious contemplation and planning. I’ve been reviewing all of Alan Dean Foster’s more than 100 books and stories, sorting through the memories of the stories I’ve read two to four or more times each. I’ve recalled where I was in my life for each of the books, and how that book impacted my life and helped me change direction, or keep moving forward. I’ve reviewed many of his articles and interviews, including info on his Wikipedia page and listened to some of my favorite podcast interviews with Foster on The Future and You. I’m finding the man behind the stories as I read and listen again to my favorite author’s thoughts on writing, movie making, movie script writing, publishing, and science fiction, but am I? Who is he really?

I’ve been gathering questions from fellow fans on what to ask Alan Dean Foster, and coming up with a huge list of my own. With two days to think about it, I’ve had time to think up a million questions. Too many. I organize them, try to find structure, edit non-stop in my head – unable to sleep and starting to panic that these questions are old ones, asked a million times before, or that I’ll overwhelm him or myself in the process – or worse. Think too much and blow the whole thing.

When Robyn emailed me about her own panic on how to write a blog post and knowing when to stop writing, I realized that I was doing the same thing. Over-working the entire process in my head.

I stopped. I am treating the upcoming interview like my blog. It has to be organic. Natural. Whatever will happen will happen. Listen, feel, and let the experience flow.

You have to do the same with your own blog writing.

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in Blogging Tips, Writing

I’m in Arizona after a very exciting and busy series of conferences, including the very successful WordCamp Netherlands, WordCamp Phoenix, and PodCamp Arizona, visiting family living near one of my favorite authors in the world, Alan Dean Foster.

During WordCamp Phoenix and PodCampAZ, I shared with my audience that I was too excited to just be “this close” to the one man who completely changed my life when it came to writing, actually helping me become a professional writer. Robyn Seaton stepped up to my challenge and connected me with the master himself. This is just one more amazing reason why I love WordPress and WordCamps!

In the next few days, I hope to connect with Alan Dean Foster and tell him thank you and hug him. Hopefully, I’ll also get time to interview him.

Alan Dean Foster is on my top ten list of people I want to meet, hug, and thank for having such a profound impact on my life, changing my path and encouraging me to stay focused on my passion. Earlier this year, the first person on that list was met, LeVar Burton, giving me a chance to say thank you for changing the conversation about disabilities. The list includes Bill Cosby, Shirley Maclaine, Terry Pratchett, and Orson Scott Card. My husband met Card, saying thank you for me, but that’s not good enough. As you can tell from the abbreviated list, authors have played a very strong role in my life, but Alan Dean Foster was the mentor whose knees I sat at and whose words I drank like a sponge.

After arriving last night, we walked the streets of Prescott and stopped in the lovely galleries and shops along Whiskey Row. I bought a key chain and postcard from Prescott to take home and put in my office as a reminder that I was this close to Alan Dean Foster, knowing he’s probably walked these streets and shopped in these stores, or ate at the Hotel St Michael Bistro where we had the best and most beautiful meal, hoping that would just be enough. Waking early this morning to find an email from him, instigated by Robyn, wanting to meet me has me over the top with joy and all the fears that come with making your dreams come true.

When I stop shaking and can compute all of this, I will tell you more about how Alan Dean Foster’s writings rocked my brain from the inside out, teaching me about turning a phrase, storytelling, and understanding the mastery of dialog no school has ever taught, and how knowing his life was richer for traveling spurred my own travels and willingness to jump off the cliff and live on the road full-time for almost 16 years…it’s amazing how one person you’ve never met can influence your life so much. The more I think about the powerful effect his writings and lifestyle has had on mine, the more I’m overwhelmed with emotion and stunned that I may get to actually met him.

For now, I’d like to ask you two important questions. First, if you could ask Alan Dean Foster a question, what would you want to know?

Second, what is stopping you from living your dreams? I’m living mine, with the help of friends, so why aren’t you? What’s your dream and what is getting in your way?

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in Blog Babble, WordCamps, WordPress News

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 same weekend. Speakers include Matt Mullenweg, Merlin Mann of 43 Folders, John Hawkins, Brent Spore, and Dave Moyer of Bitwire Media and WordCast. Oh, and little ole me.

The Phoenix WordPress event will be live streamed thanks to sponsor, GoDaddy, so you can watch the event from around the world from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MST.

Registration is almost sold out, so get signed up right now to ensure you have a seat. You can follow all the Twitter fun on the phxwc tag and hashtag.

WordCamp Netherlands

WordCamp Netherlands a week ago was amazing. The speakers were fantastic, great fun at the WordPress Genius Bar was had, and lessons learned more from the audience at times than the speakers! What an amazing group.

The attendees at this WordCamp in Holland were not beginners by any means. They were, for the most part, experienced WordPress users and bloggers. They had intelligent questions to challenge myself and the other speakers and attendees, including a couple representatives from Automattic. While we converted a few non-bloggers and non-WordPress users, for the most part, they challenged us on how to use WordPress better and more.

The enthusiasm was amazing, and a WordPress Meetup was quickly arranged and held Wednesday afternoon in Rotterdam, attended by about 20 people from all around Holland. Wow!

I’ll be heading back to the states in the next few days for a day or so of rest and then on another plane to WordCamp Phoenix, my last WordCamp of the year.

2009: A Packed Year of WordCamps and WordPress Events

I’ve learned a lot this year from all the WordCamps I’ve attended, including WordCamp Toronto, WordCamp San Francisco, WordCamp Las Vegas, WordCamp Whistler, WordCamp Columbus, WordCamp Dallas, WordCamp Portland, WordCamp Seattle, and WordCamp Netherlands! Whew! That sounds like a lot, and still doesn’t include all the many non-WordPress events, conferences, and workshops I spoke at and attended.

To find a WordPress Meetup or WordCamp in your area, check out WordCamp Central, which includes instructions and guidelines for running a WordCamp. There are also news, events, and articles with tips and techniques for WordPress Meetups and WordCamps on The WordCamp Report and WordCast, as well as on blogs by those who have run these events.

Check out WordPress Meetup Groups where you can browse a map and list of cities where there are WordPress events and activities and where ones are wanted. You can also search Yahoo Upcoming events for WordPress, WordPress Meetups Upcoming Events, and Upcoming events tagged with “WordCamp” or “WordPress.”

If you are interested in creating a WordCamp or WordPress Meetup, check out WordCamp Central and the articles I’ve written below, as well as more on the WordCamp Report.

• WordCamp and WordPress Meetups: The Events Heard Round the World
• How WordPress Changes Lives
• WordCamps 2009
• Do You Have All the Information on Your WordCamp Blog?
• Exploring WordCamp Logo Creativity
• What You Need to Consider When Planning a WordCamp Event
• It’s What Happens After the Event That Counts
• WordPress Event and WordCamp Speakers Rights Release Form
• When WordCamp Sponsorship Raises Questions
• Why You Should Get to a WordCamp Near You
• It Takes a Team to Do a WordCamp
• WordCamp Dallas: What Does a WordCamp Cost?
• Tips for Planning and Organizing a WordPress Event and WordCamp

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in WordCamps, WordPress Events, WordPress News

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 can happen anywhere and in many formats, all focused on WordPress fans getting together to talk about WordPress and their online world.

For those familiar with the WordCamp experience, you will not be surprised at my announcement. For those who haven’t had the joy of a WordCamp, you are about to learn how magical that experience is.

WordCamp Portland is donating USD $750 to WordCamp Seattle to help them with their event.

That’s right. One WordCamp is helping another overcoming problems with finding sponsors and funding for their event. That’s love, folks. Pure WordPress love, and an example of the overwhelming support of WordPress fans for their community.

On Monday, just a few hours after WordCamp Portland completed a very successful two day, sold out event in Portland, Oregon, WordCamp Seattle found out that negotiations with food services had gone astray. Five days before their event, 250 people attending the event were going to be without the promised lunch and snacks.

Seeing a chance to help, several volunteers on the WordCamp Portland team swung into action. Tweets went out around the world, with retweets following one after another as it spread out to the WordPress Community and the Seattle food blogging community. Led by DeBorah Beatty, the requests for food, drinks, and snacks spread like wildfire, with people eager to contact their “lists” via Twitter, email, and their blogs.

Worried about their sister city in the Pacific Northwest, WordCamp Portland organizers decided they now had a purpose for the extra money left over for their very successful event. They had talked about saving it as seed money for next year’s event, but when the call came out that Seattle was in need, they knew it would be the right thing to do: Give to the WordPress Community in Seattle.

That’s the magic of the WordPress Community at work.

Your Help Needed for WordCamps Everywhere

WordCamp Seattle continues to need help with food, drinks, and snacks. This generous donation is a fantastic step to help feed 250 WordPress enthusiasts this weekend, along with the many volunteers it takes to run such a huge event, but more is needed. Your help is needed for money, food, non-alcoholic drinks, and other event support. Contact @DeBorah Beatty and @JoshH to help them out.

Help is not just needed for WordCamp Seattle. The organizers of the Seattle event have been so stunned and grateful for the donation from WordCamp Portland, they have offered to give any money left from their event to another WordCamp, starting an amazing interaction between WordCamps beyond their community. It’s the WordCamp Wave!

WordCamps are non-profit and non-commercial events. They are social gatherings and educational opportunities to learn from each other on how we use WordPress. Some communities can support huge events with big sponsors, while others are content meeting in a park or community center with no sponsorship. Our hope is that WordPress will help us create a fund that will help sponsor WordCamp events and attendees around the world. It’s early days, but your help is needed to help others in the WordPress Community.

Thanks to all who give so much to the WordPress Community! And especially to WordCamp Portland for their generosity. You continue to set an example for everyone to follow!

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in WordCamps, WordPress Events, WordPress News

Otto42 of OttoDestruct, a key WordPress developer and supporter, reports that there is an “attack” on older versions of WordPress right now. The number of sites hit by this is growing every hour. Protect your WordPress blog now: UPDATE NOW!!!

Update your WordPress blog before you continue reading this post. That’s how critical this issue is.

Things You Need to Know Now

Here is what you need to know right now, constantly updated with news as we get it.

1. UPDATE NOW! Reports are that this attack impacts ALL versions of WordPress up to 2.8.3 and 2.8.4, the most recent release.
2. Report from WordPress on Attack: How to Keep WordPress Secure. Information on the most recent update of WordPress that prevented this attack on updated WordPress sites: WordPress 2.8.4: Security Release.
3. Which Version of WordPress is Secure? I’ve just talked to Matt Mullenweg and have a better understanding of the version confusion. When this worm first hit the web, WordPress released 2.8.3 to deal with it. Since then, WordPress 2.8.4 was released, unrelated to the worm. Once the worm has infected your site, surface fixes do not remove the “back door” the worm injects into your database and system, as happened with Robert Scoble. Once infected, upgrading does not fix the issue, so those reporting they were now infected after upgrading, were infected before upgrading. Versions after WordPress 2.8.3 are safe, but upgrade to 2.8.4 anyway as it included other fixes.
4. What Version Am I Using? If you are using a WordPress version after 2.7, the nag screen on the WordPress Administration Panels will alert you to upgrade. If you are using an older version, upgrade now. Don’t know what version you are using? Without a nag screen to tell you to update, you’re using an old version. Checking the Administration Panels footer will help, but don’t waste time looking. Just update now!
5. Use a WordPress Plugin for Protection: Do not rely upon a WordPress Plugin to protect you. There are many reports of Plugins that will “help” in the comments. While they might help in other ways, please upgrade now. That is the only solution if your site has not been impacted.
6. How Does This Worm Work? We’re awaiting details from security experts on how this worm works. Personally, I’m waiting for the name of this thing since that does make searching for details on this worm easier. Anyone got a name for it yet? Since it isn’t exclusive to WordPress, calling it the WordPress Worm would not be appropriate.
7. WordPress is Not Secure: WordPress is incredibly secure and monitored constantly by experts in web security. This attack was well anticipated and so far, WordPress 2.8.4 is holding. If necessary, WordPress will immediately release a update with further security improvements. WordPress is used by governments, huge corporations, and me, around the world. Millions of bloggers are using WordPress.com. Have faith they are working overtime to monitor this situation and protect your blog.
8. Fear of Upgrading: This attack is serious enough to overcome all your fears of updating. If older WordPress Plugins are holding you back, update them to the latest version or replace them with new. If your Theme might break, contact the Theme author and update or replace it. There are thousands of free Themes to choose from, probably some better than what you are using. If you are using a recent version of WordPress, updating is as easy as clicking a couple buttons. If you are using an older version, download the most recent version and upgrade now.
9. Other Issues? Whatever your issue is that keeps you from updating WordPress, get over it and update now to protect your site.

When we have updated news, we’ll add them to this post and/or post a new article.

How Do I Know If My Site Has Already Been Attacked?

There are two clues that your WordPress site has been attacked.

There are strange additions to the pretty permalinks, such as example.com/category/post-title/%&(%7B$%7Beval(base64_decode($_SERVER%5BHTTP_REFERER%5D))%7D%7D|.+)&%/. The keywords are “eval” and “base64_decode.”

The second clue is that a “back door” was created by a “hidden” Administrator. Check your site users for “Administrator (2)” or a name you do not recognize. You will probably be unable to access that account, but Journey Etc. has a possible solution.

WordPress.com blogs are not impacted as they are up-to-date. Only versions prior to WordPress 2.8.4 are impacted.

To Prevent Your WordPress Blog from Attack

To prevent this form of attack, update your WordPress site IMMEDIATELY to the latest version. Change ALL passwords to a strong password immediately, including WordPress blog access for all users, database, FTP, control panels, everything.

See the articles below for more helpful information on how to harden and protect your WordPress blog.

If Your WordPress Blog Has Been Attacked

If your site has already been attacked, it appears that the hack attacks the database, going deep. You can find help in the WordPress Codex article on how to deal with a hacked WordPress site.

We’re looking for specific solutions, but the easiest appears to be to export all your content with the built-in XML WordPress export (pre 2.1 versions, try the WordPress-to-WordPress Import WordPress Plugin) and literally remove your WordPress installation totally (save images and general files). DO NOT EXPORT YOUR DATABASE! Install the latest version of WordPress and add the “clean” backup of your WordPress Theme, then import the XML export. The export will contain your posts, Pages, and comments, and hopefully no other hacked code.

“How To Completely Clean Your Hacked WordPress Installation” by Smackdown is a good article on how to reinstall WordPress after being hacked, but take care to keep your export limited to the post content and comments (and Pages), not the entire database as the hack goes into the database.

How to Respond to a WordPress Attack

WordPress has been requesting users update as soon as an update is released for several years. They also now have a excellent team to track down this issue and quickly protect WordPress with any necessary updates.

Please blog and Twitter about the attacks. It’s important that we spread the information throughout the WordPress Community as fast as possible, encouraging everyone to update WordPress. Take care not to promote rumors, just the facts, until we know more.

If you have pertinent information that will help the WordPress team track down and stop this attack, please report it to security@wordpress.org.

Check the WordPress Support Forums for more information and support. Also check for news and announcements on security issues and updates on the WordPress Development Blog and in your WordPress blog Dashboard Panel.

Please, keep your WordPress site constantly updated. You are now informed of updates directly through the Administration Panels. Act upon it.

Here are some other articles and information that may prove useful.

• WordPress Codex – FAQ – My Site Was Hacked
• Journey Etc – WordPress Permalink RSS Problems
• SmackDown – How to Completely Clean Your Hacked WordPress Installation
• Protect Your Blog With a Solid Password
• WordPress Codex – Hardening WordPress (security protection)
• Fear, Uncertainty and Disinformation About The WordPress Exploits and Spam
• BlogSecurity – WordPress Security Predictions in 2009
• WordPress Security Prevention, Reactions, and Scares
• Mark Jaquith – WordPress Security
• Matt Mullenweg – On WordPress Security
• Technorati: Vulnerable WordPress Blogs Not Being Indexed
• Weblog Tools Collection – Maximum WordPress Security
• The Correct Way To Report A Security Issue With WordPress
• WordCamp Toronto 2008 – WordPress Security with Mark Jaquith (video)
• Matt Cutts: Alerting Webmasters to Webserver Vulnerabilities
• WordPress Security Whitepaper
• Blog Security – Interview of a WordPress Hacker
• Guvnr – 10 Tips to Make WordPress Hack Proof
• Web Hacks, Worms, Infections, and Viruses: Is Your Blog Prepared
• Firewalling and Hack Proofing Your WordPress Blog
• Daily Blog Tips – Make Sure Your WordPress is Not Hacked
• Noupe – WordPress Security Tips and Hacks
• Vladimir Prelovac – Improving security in WordPress Plugins using Nonces
• Smashing Magazine – 10 Steps To Protect The Admin Area In WordPress

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in WordPress News

It’s time to celebrate blogging and summer in the Portland, Oregon, area. If you are a blogger, come join the summer Blog-b-que!

We’re hosting the first ever Blog-b-que at the home of Lorelle and Brent VanFossen in North Plains, Oregon, on Sunday, August 30, 2009, and you are welcome to join us.

We’re inviting WordPress, WordPress.com, and all bloggers (and web and social media fans) to a picnic party on Sunday, August 30, starting about noon! The theme of the party is “Summer Food” and you are invited to bring food that reminds you of summer.

In addition to summer food and drinks, bring something to sit on, sunscreen, sunglasses, and binoculars as this will be the final day of the famous Oregon International Airshow in Hillsboro. We have a view of the skies and areas west in the valley the planes will be flying through. We have a hot tub, so bring suits (and we have some to borrow).

We are limited to 75 attendees. Sign up on the Upcoming Announcement where you will find directions and more information. You can also contact us with questions via the comments below, @lorelleonwp or via our Contact page. We live about 35 minutes from downtown Portland off Highway 26. Coming back from the beach that weekend? Stop in and rest before heading back to the city!

We will help you arrange carpools from downtown Portland, and will do one or two pickups at the Hillsboro Trimet Blue Line (Hillsboro · City Center · Gresham), the last stop on the Blue Line. If you are interested in taking the train out, let us know so we can arrange pickup times.

The Oregon International Air Show will feature some great airplanes and air performances on Sunday including the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Jump Team, high performance aerobatic airplanes, The Robosauraus car-crushing, fire-breathing, metal giant of a dinosaur plane, comedy air performances, vertigo air shows, hammerhead aerobatics, antique airplanes, experimental aircraft, and plenty more.

We will feature music, laughter, stories, and a ton of food! Whose bringing the keg?

Come meet fellow WordPress and other blogging fans and join the summer fun.

We have trails through the woods and down to the creek at the bottom of the property, plenty for kids (adult kids, too) to run around and explore. Elk, deer, rabbits, frogs, coyotes, and birds are around much of the year. We have a few indoor and outdoor games, but bring your own.

This is a no smoking event!

Note: Thank you to everyone who has been so helpful and supportive during my long health recovery. I will be back in action very soon and look forward to seeing everyone at this fun Blog-b-que!

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in Blog Babble, WordPress Events, WordPress News

My name is Jonathan Bailey and I usually blog at Plagiarism Today, where I write about content theft, plagiarism and copyright issues on the Web. Lorelle has asked me to fill in while she’s away with a few posts to keep things a little bit more active. So please pardon the change in voice and fret not as Lorelle will return soon.

The good news is that WordPress.com is a relatively spam and garbage-free site. The bad news is that, even on the best blogging sites, with the most vigilant admins, sometimes spammers, scrapers and other bad guys do manage to set up shop.

It’s easy to see why spammers would want to get on WordPress.com, with a PageRank of 9, great SEO and a built-in community, it could be haven for junk content. Many do try but the admins have been surprisingly effective, for the most part, at keeping them at bay.

This isn’t to say that they are perfect. They can’t pre-screen everything that is posted to the site and some do get through. The site depends on users to report spam, copyright infringements and other forms of unwanted content so it can be cleaned up.

However, there is a correct way to file such complaints. As great as Lorelle is, she is not an official representative of Automattic, the maintainers of WordPress.com, and Matt Mullenweg, though the founder and CEO, is not the person directly responsible.

If you want a quick resolution to a WordPress.com abuse complaint, all you have to do is follow the instructions on this page. However, if you want more details or advice, read below.

Copyright Complaints

As someone who has filed hundreds of copyright complaints over the years, I can say without a doubt that Automattic has been very responsive to copyright complaints. However, there is a very strict protocol that one needs to follow in order to have their complaint acted upon.

Automattic is a U.S.-based company and its servers are located with in the country. As such, it is bound by U.S. law, most notable the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). This law provides a safe harbor to Web hosts, such as Automattic, to prevent them from being held liable for copyright infringement perpetrated by their users without their knowledge.

The caveat is that hosts are required to “expeditiously” remove or disable access to infringing content once they receive proper notification. The law itself lays down strict requirements for what constitutes a proper DMCA notice.

As such, though Automattic does comply with the DMCA and remove content very quickly when properly notified, it is filing the proper notification that is tricky.

If you find that a blog on WordPress.com is infringing YOUR copyright. You can file a DMCA takedown notice by using the email address at this page and using the stock DMCA notice to host available on my site.

If you properly fill out and send in a DMCA notice, most likely the content will be removed in 1-2 business days.

Spam, Spam, Spam

If you find a spam blog operating on WordPress.com but it isn’t infringing on your copyright, either posting excerpts, using gibberish or someone else’s content, you can still be able to report them to Automattic and get the blog removed if it is a violation of their terms of service.

The Spam blog reporting tool is extremely simple to use. All you have to provide is the URL of the blog, ensuring that it is a WordPress.com blog, and stating the reason that you think it is a spam blog.

If it’s scraping content from another site, link to the original site. If it is posting junk content, say so. Provide any evidence you can that the site is a spam blog and try to make it easy for the person processing the complaint to understand what the issue is. A few sentences of clarification can help speed up the process greatly.

Other Content

WordPress.com has a strict policy about protecting user freedom of speech. Though Automattic may remove defamatory content, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act does not require them to do so.

WordPress.com also allows mature content on the site, so long as it is properly flagged and removed from public searches.

In short, unless the content is illegal or threatening, Automattic will be very hesitant to take any action. Still, if you wish to report something that you feel is a violation of the site’s terms of service, you can file your report by emailing the support@ address.

Caveat

It is important to remember that this only applies to sites that are hosted on the WordPress.com servers. Just because a site users WordPress as the blogging platform does not mean that they are on the WordPress.com servers.

Millions of blogs use WordPress as the platform but are hosted on other servers and are beyond Automattic’s control. In those cases, they merely produce the software that used to make the blog work, they do not run the blog or the servers it is on. It would be like blaming Microsoft for unwanted content generated using Word.

Before filing a complaint with Automattic, make sure that WordPress.com is in the URL of the site. You can also double check the host of the site by using Who Is Hosting This?.

Though the confusions is understandable, it is important to make sure that it is a WordPress.com site, not a WordPress.org (meaning self-hosted) before reporting to Automattic.

Bottom Line

When it comes to matters of copyright and spam, Automattic does a great job in removing the garbage when properly notified.

The difference in the time it takes to file a complaint the right way and simply shouting to the first person who will listen is negligible. However, it can be the difference between getting a swift response or no answer at all.

Any time you report abuse to a site, you should take a moment to familiarize yourself with that site’s policies and act accordingly. A few minutes of preparation and planning can literally save days in response time.

Posted in Blogging Tips, WordPress News, WordPress Tips, Wordpressdotcom

John Pozadzides of One Man’s Blog has been putting together the final videos from WordCamp San Francisco 2009 and WordCamp Dallas. So far he’s released:

• WordCamp Dallas 2009: Cali Lewis – Building A Vibrant Community
• WordCamp Dallas 2009: The WordCamp Panel Discussion
• WordCamp San Francisco 2009: Chris Pirillo – Community WebVisions
• WordCamp San Francisco 2009: John Lilly – Lessons From Mozilla

There were a lot of tremendous speakers at these two events, with more videos anticipated over the next couple weeks.

If you haven’t caught them, check out the many speaker videos from WordPress.tv in the WordCamp category, such as these recent videos from WordCamps around the world:

• Gil Asakawa: Media and Publishing – WordCamp Denver 2009
• Matt Mullenweg: State of the Word – WordCamp Denver 2009
• Panel Discussion: Web Design and WordPress – WordCamp Denver 2009
• Hailin Wu: Secrets of Blogging – WordCamp Hong Kong 2009
• Matt Mullenweg: State of the Word – WordCamp Hong Kong 2009
• WordCamp Egypt 2009: Write Your First WordPress Plugin Session
• WordCamp Tokyo 2009: Hideo Kashioka – Advantages of WordPress for Web Dev Businesses
• WordCamp Tokyo 2009: Matt Mullenweg Keynote
• WordCamp Tokyo 2009: Michael Pick – Introducing WordPress.tv
• WordCamp Tokyo 2009: Takayuki Miyoshi – Introducing WordPress Regional Community
• WordCamp Tokyo 2009: Tenpura – 3 things you need for using WordPress in Japanese
• WordCamp Tokyo 2009: Yuriko – Ktai Style Plugin for Japanese Mobile Phones
• WordCamp Tokyo 2009: Mizuno – Examples of Useful Shortcodes
• WordCamp Tokyo 2009: Higashi, Micho, Nao – Ligitning talks on WordPress themes
• Matt Mullenweg’s State of the Word: WordCamp San Francisco 2009
• Andy Peatling – Cooking With BuddyPress: WordCamp San Francisco 2009
• Timothy Ferriss: Blogging Without Killing Yourself – WordCamp San Francisco 2009
• Ben Huh: I Can Has WordPress – WordCamp Denver 2009
• Jane Wells: Open Source Community – WordCamp Denver 2009
• Jon Fox on Commenting: WordCamp Denver 2009
• Micah Baldwin: Measuring Online Influence – WordCamp Denver 2009

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in Blogging Tips

I and Patrick Havens are live blogging as much of WordCamp San Francisco as we can. You can track it at WordCamp Report.

So far, the event has been very exciting, well produced, with some very hot speakers covering some great WordPress, social media, and content and community building. The big party tonight is an anniversary party and everyone is welcome to join.

See you there! Hugs are free!

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in WordCamps, WordPress News

This weekend is the granddaddy of WordCamps, WordCamp San Francisco 2009 on May 30, 2009. Registration is closed at over 700 attendees for this one day event packed with a ton of the top blogging, social media, search engine, business, and WordPress experts. I’ll be there, so be sure and find me for a hug.

That’s part of the joy and difference between a WordPress event and other social tech events. WordPressers serve up hugs, not just hand shakes. What I hear over and over again at these events is how we all know each other, so meeting face to face is just another step in the relationship process that began a few months to a few years ago. We’re already friends!

This year so far it has been my honor to be included and speaking at a variety of WordCamp events including WordCamp Las Vegas, WordCamp Whistler, WordCamp Toronto, and WordCamp Columbus, and you will probably find me rattling around WordCamp Dallas, WordCamp Portland, WordCamp Seattle, Netherlands – WordCamp NL, WordCamp Israel, and WordCamp/Podcamp Hawaii.

According to the WordPress Meetup Groups on Meetup.com, there are 32 Meetup Groups focused specifically on WordPress, representing 3,394 Members in 5 different countries among 32 Meetup groups in 28 different cities. There are almost 2,000 people interested in a WordPress event and meetup without a group near them.

Here is a list of the most popular WordPress-specific Meetup Groups on Meetup.com from around the world. The number next to some of the group names represents the current number of registered members.

• The London Bloggers Meetup Group (592)
• The New York City WordPress Meetup Group (415)
• NY Bloggers Meetup Group (354)
• Dallas/Fort Worth WordPress Meetup (296)
• The Austin WordPress Meetup Group (172)
• South Florida WordPress Meetup Group (164)
• Atlanta WordPress Users Group (147)
• The Bay Area WordPress Meetup (138)
• The Boston WordPress Meetup Group (110)
• The Chicago WordPress Meetup Group (97)
• The Vancouver WordPress Meetup Group
• The East Bay WordPress Meetup Group
• Las Vegas WordPress Meetup Group
• The New Jersey WordPress Meetup Group
• The Southern California WordPress Meetup Group
• Greater Charlotte Area WordPress Group
  

  Matt Mullenweg, Andy Skelton, Mark Jaquith at WordCamp San Francisco 2008

• The Scottsdale WordPress Meetup Group
• The Ferndale WordPress Meetup Group
• Raleigh WordPress Meetup Group
• OKC WordPress Users Group
• Singapore Blogger Meetup Group
• Seattle WordPress 2.0
• The Bonita Springs WordPress Meetup Group
• Gulf Coast Twitter/WordPress Group

While there are WordPress meetup groups around the world, there are a lot of people are shouting out for one in their area. Copenhagen (61 interested), Philadelphia (45), Houston, London, and Denver are among the many. Some of these have had or are about to have a WordCamp event, so why aren’t there regular WordPress meetups?

WordPress Meetup Groups on Meetup.com offers a map of all the places where there are WordPress events and activities and where ones are wanted. You can browse a list of cities hosting WordPress events or go directly to your region to find out where one is or who might be interested in putting one together.

What is the Difference Between a WordPress Meetup and WordCamp?

A WordPress Meetup is a frequent meeting of WordPress fans. If you would like to start a WordPress Meetup group, find a meeting place and announce it among your friends, and add a listing to the Yahoo Upcoming events for WordPress and WordPress Meetups Upcoming Events and tag them “WordPress Events” and “WordPress”, as many track WordPress event announcements there.

A WordPress Meetup allows locals to get together and learn from each other on how to use WordPress. There are formal WordPress meetups and informal ones, covering nothing but WordPress or including WordPress as part of other topics on web publishing and social media. WordPress meetups are usually held monthly or quarterly.

A WordCamp is a day or two long event with sponsors and dozens if not hundreds of WordPress fans gathering annually. WordCamp Toronto was the first, I believe, to have a three day WordCamp event, but there are no rules. It differs from a WordPress Meetup because it is offered rarely instead of regularly.

WordCamps were originally formatted on the Barcamp structure, loosely put together, grassroots gatherings of WordPress fans in a day long unconference style. While this works for some communities familiar with the unconference style, some stick with a more traditional conference format.

While a WordPress Meetup can cover any topics of interest to their members, a WordCamp event is focused on WordPress for the majority of the programs and workshops.

Many distinguish the two events based upon the length and speakers. WordPress Meetups tend to last a few hours where WordCamps are day long events. The speakers at WordCamps can come from your region or around the world.

How Do I Start a WordCamp or WordPress Meetup?

If you would like to sponsor or host a WordCamp, check out the new official site for tracking WordCamps is WordCamp Central, which includes instructions and guidelines for running a WordCamp. There are also articles with tips and techniques for WordPress Meetups and WordCamps on The WordCamp Report, as well as on blogs by those who have run these events.

In general, you need to have a team of at least 5 active volunteers, a location and date, speakers, sponsors, and food or easy access to food. The rest of it is up to you.

Get a free blog on WordPress.com or host your own for the WordCamp, until WordCamp Central finishes setting up their WordPressMU blog network. Get a Twitter account and add a listing to the Yahoo Upcoming events for WordPress and WordPress Meetups Upcoming Events and tag them “WordPress Events” and “WordCamp. These are tracked by many WordPress fans around the world, many whom are willing to fly in to the various WordPress and WordCamp events.

How Do I Get WordPress Rock Stars to My WordPress Event?

While Matt Mullenweg, myself, and other representatives of WordPress and Automattic try to get to as many WordCamp and WordPress events as we can, look to your own neighborhood and community for your own WordPress experts and rock stars.

Many think it helps to have a “big name” to help attract attendees. In some large cities it does, but promote the event as a chance to learn about how to use WordPress in your business or personal life, and you’d be stunned at the number of people who will show up, just because they love WordPress.

To ask one of the press-o-rati, contact them through their blogs, email or Twitter accounts. To request someone officially from Automattic or WordPress, use the WordCamp Central contact form and ask. You can be vague and invite whoever is willing to come, or be specific and request someone who is an expert in WordPress Themes, Plugins, BuddyPress, bbPress, PollDaddy, Intense Debate, or any of the other WordPress and Automattic specific features and services.

I highly recommend you make your WordCamp and WordPress event about your community. WordCamp/Podcamp Hawaii brought in local social media experts, musicians, and tourist industry representatives familiar with WordPress to speak to attendees, giving them the local perspective that their community needs. WordCamp Toronto brought in members of the local art community to display interactive art work and held community competitions for the event logo, blog designs, and Plugins, involving as many people and groups as possible to make the event a social one. WordCamp San Francisco 2008 had a fund-raising event “Scavenger Hunt” for a local educational charity on the day after the WordCamp sessions.

There are a lot of ways you can involve your community and help others blog and share their voice with the world and benefit your community in general. Make your WordPress event inclusive not exclusive

To publicize your WordPress event or WordCamp, contact WordCamp Central, The WordCamp Report, Yahoo Upcoming events for WordPress, WordPress Meetups Upcoming Events, and Upcoming events tagged with “WordCamp” or “WordPress,” and contact me by email for inclusion on the Blog Herald and my site and other WordPress fan sites.

Upcoming WordPress and WordCamp Events

Upcoming WordCamp and WordPress Events include:

May 2009

• Akron, Ohio – Ohio WordPress Meetup – May 28, 2009
• WordCamp San Francisco 2009 – May 30, 2009
• San Francisco Area – The East Bay WordPress May Meetup – May 31, 2009

June 2009

• WordCamp Chicago – June 6-7, 2009
• North Carolina – WordCampRDU 2009 – June 13, 2009
• Los Angeles WordPress Users Group – June 14, 2009
• WordCamp Brazil – June 21, 2009
• WordCamp Dallas 2009 – Dallas, Texas – June 27-28, 2009

July 2009

• Canada – WordCamp Montreal – July 11-12, 2009
• United Kingdom – WordCamp UK, Cardiff, Wales, July 18-19, 2009

August 2009

• Alabama – WordCamp Huntsville – August 15-16, 2009

September 2009

• Los Angeles, California – WordCamp LA – September 12, 2009
• Portland, Oregon – WordCamp Portland – September 19-20, 2009
• WordCamp Seattle – September 26, 2009 (WordCamp Seattle Twitter)

October 2009

• WordCamp New York City 2009 – October 24, 2009
• Netherlands – WordCamp NL – October 31, 2009

Upcoming WordCamps not scheduled or confirmed:

• WordCamp Indy (Indianapolis)
• WordCamp Augusta
• WordCamp Argentina
• WordCamp San Diego
• WordCamp Perú
• WordCamp New Zealand
• WordCamp Israel

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in WordCamps, WordPress Events, WordPress News

The best Plugin competition, The Weblog Tools Collection WordPress Plugin Competition 2009 (3.0), is underway. WordPress fans rejoice.

The annual WTC WordPress Plugin Competition has rocked the WordPress Community since 2005. Each event brings out the best and most creative WordPress Plugin authors competing for prizes, and many of the award winners and entrants are now among the most popular WordPress Plugins in the world.

Some popular past winners and submissions include WP Easy Uploader, OneClick, Who Sees Ads, WP Comment Remix, WordPress Automatic Upgrade, and Popularity Contest.

As most of you know, I’m a huge WordPress Plugin fangirl. Jonathan Bailey of Plagiarism Today recently covered “5 WordPress Plugins I Never Blog Without” on the Blog Herald, with some great recommendations, and in 2007, I spent an entire month writing daily about WordPress Plugins, including showcasing your favorite WordPress Plugins and a huge list of your lists of WordPress Plugin recommendations, since users often say more about WordPress Plugins then those who write them.

Please lend Weblog Tools Collection your support by helping to spread the word and the love, and help test the Plugin submissions and have your say on the ones you enjoy the most. If you would like to help sponsor the event, you are also welcome as this is a fantastic way to give back to the WordPress Community, especially to the Plugin authors who make our blogs run better and faster with little or no compensation.

I expect to see some WordPressMU and BuddyPress Plugins in addition to single hosted WordPress Plugins in the list this year. It should be one of the most exciting WordPress Plugin Competitions ever!

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in WordPress News, WordPress Plugins

Of all the WordCamp events to track, WordCamp Toronto this weekend, May 8-10, 2009, has been one of the most product and prolific. The Schedule is three very packed days of events, speakers, and…everything.

Starting at 8AM on Friday and closing Sunday afternoon with an awards ceremony, it’s going to be a packed weekend event – and I’ll be there to share in all the fun and adventure!

One of the exciting parts of the conference is the FlashPress event. FlashPress is a WordPress Plugin which integrates a WordPress PHP based CMS and Flash site. One Method and BackSpaceStudios teamed up for this open source project which will feature the rebuilding of the One Method site from the ground up with the FlashPress bundle. They will be documenting the process, code, and challenges along the way as participants lend a hand in the process.

There is plenty of social during this three day event, including the Opening Night Party at Lou Dogs on Friday, a popular southern barbecue and blues locale.

The Speakers list is amazing, featuring some of the best of the best in WordPress and blogging from around Canada and the world. Speakers include:

• Christopher Wulff
• Dan Zen
• David Peralty
• Duncan
• Erin Blaskie
• Glenn McKnight
• Ilya Grigorick
• James Walker
• Jeremy Clarke
• Joe Taiabjee
• Joey DeVilla
• Nick La
• Paul Laberge
• Paul Morrison
• Peter Flaschner
• Rannie Turingan
• Terry Smith

Oh, and me, Lorelle on WordPress.

Members of the local b5media team will also be speaking and in attendance, one of the popular blog networks built on WordPress.

The event will feature three tracks each day, with the third “track” being mostly social interaction and barcamp style unconference meetups. Everything from the technical aspects to the creative design elements, to writing styles and social media will be covered – with a lot of partying and coding in between.

I believe there are a few tickets left so hurry for this exciting WordPress adventure in Toronto, Canada.

Throughout the past few months, there have been t-shirt giveways and ticket contests and all kind of events and activity around the WordCamp event. I believe this is the second WordCamp in Toronto and they are truly setting a standard for WordCamps around the world. Raising the bar, they are!

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in Blogging News, WordCamps, WordPress Events, WordPress News

I just published “Glenda Watson Hyatt: Is Your Blog Disabled?” on the Blog Herald. I summarized the outstanding presentation the famous Left Thumb Blogger, Glenda Watson Hyatt of the Do It Myself Blog, gave at Successful and Outstanding Bloggers Conference (SOBCon) this past weekend.

Glenda is a major fan and proponent of WordPress, and I was delighted and honored to be a part of her powerful presentation on web accessibility, for which WordPress wins high praises (and a few whines).

Her How POUR is Your Blog presentation is available on ebook for free and I highly recommend you download it, and sign up for her newsletter while you are at it. You want your blog to be as open, accessible, and usable as possible, and she has the tips and information you need to know, simple and easy, whether you are using WordPress or not.

Oh, and get her book, I’ll Do It Myself. It’s a highly personal look at the struggles of a brilliant young woman fighting through her physical limitations to connect and interact with the world around her – and often against her.

Here is a short excerpt of her presentation at the conference, and it’s worth the wait for the laugh at the end. She had us falling out of our chairs at times on what would normally be a dry subject.

I highlighted Glenda not long ago in the video and presentation, How WordPress Changes Lives, where she shows how she blogs with only her left thumb with WordPress. The excellent level of accessibility features of the WordPress blogging platform and easy integration with Windows Live Writer helps her connect with the world around her, crossing borders seamlessly.

Work is underway to have Glenda speak at some upcoming WordCamps around the world, as well as other conferences and workshops. If you are looking for a lively, entertaining, and motivational speaker who will change you and your business’ outlook on the abled and disabled, Glenda Watson Hyatt, the Left Thumb Blogger, will accept the challenge. We have so much to learn from Glenda, a top social media and blogging expert and consultant, and a proud living example of why accessibility on our blogs is important. For everyone.

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in Blogging News, WordPress News

Tomorrow, April 23, 2009, I’m the keynote at Real Estate BarCamp, in Portland, Oregon, at Cubespace. The event is free but sold out. If you are interested in attending, check first.

I’ll be speaking to Real Estate agents, brokers, and related industry members about blogging, social, media, WordPress, and Woopra – though not all at the same time.

My keynote presentation will be on blogging and finding your voice on the web. I’ll talk about blogging your passion and creating your online identity that carries into your professional, and even personal, life. In the afternoon, I’ll be talking about web analytics and statistics and using tools like Woopra to learn more about your demographics and the connections you make on the web.

I’ll also be a part of a WordPress lab where we will sit down and answer any WordPress issues, offer tips, set up WordPress blogs on WordPress.com, and help attendees with their blogging needs hands-on.

How the Web is Changing the Real Estate Market

I grew up in the Real Estate industry with both parents, however, my mother was the ground breaker in the Real Estate industry, becoming a company owner, teacher and industry leader. Her work on a state and national level, the world for the buyer and seller are safer today than they were many years ago. I even studied for my real estate license, though life took me in other directions.

So I’m eager to be back in the world I grew up with, surrounded by people who sincerely care about helping people find the home of their dreams as well as make the right investments for their future.

The Real Estate world has changed dramatically since I was directly involved. Then, social media meant being an active member in your community, going to social events, meeting people how and when you could, signing deals on the hoods of cars, chasing down every lead you could with phone calls, brochures, newsletters, signs, social meetings…I guess little has changed.

What is different is that while some of the old marketing techniques work, the web changes things. Instead of working your community for leads, a client can come from Britain, Dubai, or Hong Kong. You might never meet them in person, but you can build a relationship enough to call them friends as you shake virtual hands and make those direct connections across the web.

Blogs are today’s brochures and newsletters, bringing the news and information to clients, old and new. Where it once was a fad to put your face on your business cards and signs, it’s now a requirement to put your face on your blog and videos, and your voice on podcasts.

It’s not just about being a good sales person and marketer. You have to write great content, knowing how to communicate and interact with the written word.

Social media tools like Twitter changes things even more, as do tools like iPhones and Blackberries. We’re connecting through 140 characters instantly – and people demand an instant response in kind.

It’s confusing and there are so many technological changes happening, but I believe that at the very core, all businesses are successful when they serve the needs of their customers on an individual basis – or at least put their focus on the individual not just the collective. The members of the Real Estate industry are experts at connecting with the individual.

And I hope to help them connect better with individuals online.

Is your world being totally changed by the web? If you are in the Real Estate or personal service industry, what would you want to know about connecting online and finding customers and building communities? What would you like to hear me talk about at such a workshop?

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in Blogging Tips, WordPress Events, WordPress Tips, Writing

I’m working on a series of articles about personal blogging, but I wanted to share with you a perfect example of a personal blog. It’s by my cousin, Duke DesRochers.

You may remember Duke from the story I did on him called, “Future Social Media Renaissance Man,” on Lorelle on WordPress or the one on the Blog Herald called “Exploring Social Media: Social Means Personal” as part of my Exploring Social Media article series.

When Duke first emailed me to vote for his audition tape to be the next The Next Food Network Star, I was dumbfounded by his well done audition video showing how to carve vegetables with a lathe and drill in his garage, then cooking them up to make the most incredible side dish presentation. While he didn’t make it into the finals, an oversight on their part I’m sure, he did follow through on my encouragement to create a blog.

Truthfully, I signed him up and set up his WordPress.com blog in about 20 minutes and told him, “Go blog.”

He had no idea what I was talking about.

Where Do You Begin With a Blog?

Isn’t that where everyone starts? Totally clueless. Everyone is talking blog this, blog that, social media, Twitter, Flickr, tweet, but really, until you dig in, you have little understand about what this bloggy thing is all about. Other than occasionally surfing the web, his only interaction with the web world was through email. Now, he’s a proud blog owner and getting a taste of the power of the blog.

At first, Duke did his best with his blog. He put the audition video in and wrote some posts about the process, spreading the word to his friends and family, who showed up faithfully to leave a comment or two and cheer him on.

As everyone does, he poked and prodded his way along the bloggy path, learning as he went. For a few weeks, I coached him on how to uncategorize posts from the uncategorized category and give them a category of their own. I showed him how to make a link, add a picture, and some very simple basics. He even had to learn where and how to leave a comment, copying his whole blog posts into my blog comments to show them off, not realizing he could have just left a link. We all make mistakes along the way.

As I hit the road to speak at conferences and workshops, luckily he had my book, Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging, a Christmas present, by his side to help him fend for himself through the murky, bloggy waters.

He jumped in, writing whatever story he wanted to share as he tried to explain himself to the world. He dug into his past and found some stories worth telling. After the first few terrific posts, the excitement faded. His interest turned elsewhere. Then he had what he called “My Recent Art Attack” which brought him running back to his blog to share his excitement with the world.

Besides being an incredible chef and cook, Duke is an amazing artist. Last year was his first gallery showing in Vancouver, Washington, and he has more lined up for this year. He collects odds and ends he finds everywhere and puts them together into small and large and fascinating art…sculptures, wall hangings, pictures, headboards, mirrors, furniture…things.

In “LORD of the THINGS” he describes himself, his history, personality, and his artwork this way:

“9 Blakely Way.” That was the address of our home back in 1957; the year I was born. No NW, SW or Southeast just, “9 Blakely Way.” We lived in a small housing project built from the 30’s to the 40’s which was on the outskirts of The Dalles, Oregon. It was a time of paper boys and the milkman, yes and Service Stations with .25 cent a gallon gas. Common was Mom charging groceries on a tab at the market and Dad working a couple of nights a week cleaning up the butcher shop to pay the bill.

Our home phone number was 6-9414; that’s right, just 5 digits, no area codes or mandatory prefixes. Looking back I can honestly say it was a simpler time. I was born the last of six children and I admit I was a bit of a momma’s boy. All of the others had a time when they were the baby, but it only lasted until the next uninvited child came along, but me, I didn’t have that problem. No one came after me…

This meant I spent a lot of time hanging with my Mother and her other stay at home mom friends. I was a curious sort in my pre-school years and would ask questions like,” Do trees have blood?”

I learned at a young age that there were treasures to be had if a boy would keep his eyes peeled and on the ground. It happened when I was walking the neighborhood. Something shiny caught my eye. It was a glorious silver dollar. It filled my hand out to the very edges of its span. It was embossed with stunning detail. Man, it was beautiful. I wanted to keep it for ever!

…Remembering this; from then on, when traveling by foot I always kept one eye on the ground. You never know what you might find. In my travels however the treasures seamed to be few and far between. Oh sure there were plenty of sticks, rocks and lizards to be had and I did revel in shinier, more magic ones. Sometimes my attention would be drawn to a particular stick or rock. I would pick them up and after surmising that they were of no particular worth and not possessing any magical powers. I would drop them back to the ground.

As I walked away I imagined the object pleading with me not to just leave them there. The stick would reason with me that by picking it up I had gotten it’s hopes up. Perhaps it had dreamed of coming home with me, maybe even finding a nice cozy place in my room on the headboard of my bed or in a dresser drawer.

…Instead of being enslaved by the objects of my life, I like to think of myself as their Master. Maybe even the Lord of what I possess, heh… maybe even, like… the lord of my things. That’s it! I am “The Lord of My Things. No wait, try this. “Lord of the Things”. I like it! I am “Lord of the Things”. More like a “Junk Whisperer,” really.

We are swept away back to a time when a found coin, stick or rock could be a wondrous experience. To a time before huge grocery stores and department stores filled with plastic distractions. To a time when we were still close to the ground in age, size, and interest, pondering over the found wonders around us, evaluating the “magic” and usefulness in each one.

We are led through his story back to the present, as this now grandfather looks back over his life and realizes that he is the master of all he collects. Don’t we all wish we were the master of the junk we collect in our lives. Yet, we learn and find value through his self-discovery process.

Which is a prime example of why I call Duke an example of a perfect personal blogger.

The Art of the Story

There are all kinds of blogs, and many definitions for the different types of blogs. The definition for me of a personal blog is one that tells a story, a personal story. It doesn’t matter how the story is told, by words, pictures, video, cartoons, artwork, audio, or combination of all of them. Storytelling defines a personal blog as personal.

A personal blog helps the blogger tell their story, be it the story of their life or of a moment in time. It can be a rant about how X company pissed them off, or how they figured out how to successfully plant a rose bush this year. It can be a collection of random gossip about fellow students or co-workers, or an insightful collection of essays on food and cooking. It can be about a hobby, about school, work, raising children, being a parent, parenting parents, raising grandchildren, or sharing expertise on any subject – as long as it is about the personal experience.

A personal blog is about sharing personal stories with readers – readers that might be family, friends, or strangers.

It’s also about focusing on the story, not the commercialism and monetization. The site may or may not have ads, but the blogger isn’t obsessed about his or her stats, clickthroughs, and such.

It’s about being personal, not distant, with the reader. It’s about sharing. It’s about the story.

Duke continues to post stories about his life and artwork, which are hard to separate from each other. Explaining how he thinks differently from most people, Duke explains with a great sense of humor in “Astronauts And Moon Pies:”

I am a humble Renaissance Man. Inventive and creative ideas are thrust at me like stones from outer space. Fortunately I am able to shield my brain quite effectively with a large screen plasma TV.

It’s poetic. He also writes poetry on his site. In “DESERT TROUT,” he describes his poetry like his artwork:

I write my poems like I sculpt… with bits and pieces…

In “My Recent Art Attack,” Duke shows off his colorful and animated storytelling abilities, changing a typical “Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while” into something entertaining and unique.

OK, I’m sorry! To the great multitude of my blog followers, I am truly sorry. It has been a very long time since I’ve posted anything and I know many of you were worried about me.

The rumors are true; I did have an Art Attack. It all started very suddenly and I wasn’t able to call for help for months. My body is showing the signs of the wear and tear that such a major event can have on someone. For example. My belly is sticking out as far as it ever has and all my t-shirts are stained with paint and globs of glue.

One day I even found a screw behind my ear. I spent many long hours, hunkered down in my garage under hot lights with the fumes of thinners and spray paint.

I lived only on Diet Coke and sunflower seeds.

A well-told story is one that is visual, emotional, and features a great climax, a powerful point in the story. It’s a rare talent to combine the visual arts and written arts with passion and style.

In the few short months since Duke started his blog, his stories, and artwork, has evolved. He shares the stories behind his artwork through his blog. RETRO-ACTIVE is about a new mirror wall hanging that features a tire hub cap he spent a couple hours pulling out of a river swim hole a couple years ago, combined with a microphone he bought at a rummage sale in 1970. Each of these two treasures in his “stash” of odds and ends have their own unique and fascinating stories, adding to the wealth of imagery and history behind the final piece.

The description of finally succeeding with family and sheer determination to wrangle the hub cap out of the river mud is a great description of self.

…So I went back at and after another hour was able to free it from it’s watery grave. “Aah haaaa!” I yelled as I thrust it into the air along with an arch of river water trailing the motion as I waved it like a flag.

The people at the swim site did glance over at me for a second, then realizing it was just a crazy old pasty white guy with an enlarged, overly exposed belly, they quickly turned away.

I proudly sloshed my way up the bank and presented my trophy to my wife like a proud Golden Retriever with a freshly bagged duck in its mouth. She, in all her beauty and wisdom, said, “Nice, the trash can is over there.”

“Are you kidding” I quipped. “This thing is awesome, I’m keeping it”.

To which she replied, “What are you going to do with that thing?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m keeping it, thank you very much.” And I did as you can see.

I can see the two of them having that conversation, she with a straight face and dry humor, a slight smile itching to be free, Duke determined and grinning proudly from ear to ear with amazing self-confidence.

A personal blog works when the walls are dropped. You can blog anonymously, but your words and stories are personal. They come from the heart – your heart – as you share yourself with others. The more transparent you are about who you are as a person, about your personality, your spirit, energy, thought process, beliefs, and the lessons learned, the more the reader can connect and relate.

It’s not important they know who you really are. It’s important that they know who you really are beyond a name and address and job. Duke is a great example as he is so willing to totally expose himself through his blog’s words and images.

Duke’s blog has also helped our family recall moments that would have been lost to time and age, part of the magic of a personal blog for other family members. Remembering my father, his “Uncle Bud,” Duke wrote “The One Time I Kicked My Uncle Bud’s Ass” telling a story I don’t remember from my childhood.

It seems that he’d learned about using food coloring a short time before, turning a simple baked good into a something special with a few drops of food dye. He colored some peanut butter blue and fed it to my five year old brother. Duke was unaware my brother had a reputation for swallowing things and tucking things in body crevices, as some children do, that often required trips to the emergency room. My father took one look at the blue greasy smear on Duke’s cousin’s face and roared after the two boys.

Duke combines the memory with a great flash forward of understanding and compassion about how he would react if it were his child.

We all screeched to a stop and slowly turned to face him.

With his eyes bugged out about as far as any adult could possibly bug out their own eyes the scream turned into, “Oh My #@!%$&! What have you fed my kids?”

Our faces were frozen with fear and our hearts were trembling. I slowly looked over at my cousin Loren and saw his face smeared with this greasy blue paste.

I can only now as a parent myself begin to understand the horror that was going through his mind. When I think about how our faces must have looked. Any sane person could only surmise that we all had just eaten some sort of gasket sealer or toxic epoxy.

As you can imagine I tried to explain to him that it was only harmless blue peanut butter but it took several minutes before I was able to speak. Our leftover portions were quickly snatched from our mitts and I was soundly informed that I was never to feed another thing to my cousins… I sometimes like to think… this was the one time I had kicked my Uncle Bud’s ass.

I love you Uncle Bud and I miss you…

My father died a couple years ago and the loss is with me every day, but his wonderful story made my father come alive again for a few moments. Stirring memories with good storytelling is the sign of a great storyteller.

While most of his current posts are about his artwork, filled with stories of how he creates them and the stories of the individual parts and pieces, the “things” in his artwork, he still loves telling just a good story.

In “Welcome To Christmas, Welcome To America,” he shared a story about embracing immigrants in his community through his relationship with an immigrant co-worker. Knowing they didn’t have much money, Duke brought them a Christmas tree that they could decorate and enjoy for the holidays only to find that they literally had nothing in their home. No furniture, television, nothing save a small kitchen table and single chair. Working with his church and community, he decided a tree wasn’t enough.

…That night at home I told my wife about what I had seen and she and I agreed we had to do more than just a tree with no lights…After a couple days I made another appointment to visit with Dohn at his home again.

This time I was not alone. We had three cars and two trucks behind us. I knocked at the door and when it opened a precession of strangers began to enter with armfuls of items he and his family desperately needed.

…Few words were spoken while hands were grasped and arms draped around one another.

Many years have passed since the night we shared in that wonderful Christmas. I often wonder about Dohn and his family. I am sure he has been in a position to reach out and help someone in kind.

I do know this for sure. Anytime we reach out to help, and by so doing, lift a fellow human being, we ourselves are elevated.

Finding Your Own Voice in Your Own Blog

Duke didn’t realize that he was on a journey when he started his blog. Neither did I, all those many years ago.

A blog, especially a personal blog, is a journey to find your voice, as well as to find yourself.

I may tease people when I ask them if they’ve taken a look at their blog categories lately. They’ll look at me and ask, “I don’t know what to blog about.” I tell them to look at their categories and see what they’ve been blogging about the most, and blog that.

Blog your passion. You probably already are. It’s that simple.

It’s also that hard.

Blogging is a commitment. When you aren’t blogging for bucks, it’s also a discipline. You have to feed your blog. If you keep feeding it, it’s amazing what you learn about yourself, isn’t it?

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in Blogging Tips, Writing

WordCast celebrates 50 episodes this week with a fun podcast featuring WordPress and WordCast fans Liz Strauss, Jonathan Bailey of Plagiarism Today, and myself, along with hosts Dave Moyer and Kym Huynh in WordCast 50: Our Semi-centennial!

It was amazing to have Liz in Chicago, Dave in Denver, Kym in Australia, Jonathan in Louisiana, and me in Portland, Oregon, all chatting away and debating about once again calling Brian Gardner and talking to his answering machine. We had some questions about his new WordPress Theme lines. We got so carried away talking about Liz’s butt, among other WordPressy things.

While there was much discussion about our favorite WordPress features over the last few years of releases, WordPress history, and WordPress 2.8, we also talked about Liz’s butt at SxSW in a lovely photograph by Brian Solis, SOBCon 2009, a great WordCast intro by Matt Mullenweg, a lesson in how Liz Strauss taught Matt Mullenweg to order me around, a fabulous rap by Kym called the “WordCamp Rap,” a quick look back at some of the WordCast jingles, and a lot of other nonsense.

Congrats to Dave and Kym for a great 50 episodes full of WordPress information, tips, and giggles. And here’s to 50+ more!

WordCast, the WordPress Podcast, is released weekly, usually on Tuesday, and is part of the Bitwire Media Networks.

Isn’t 50 old in podcasting years…or is that dog years?

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in WordPress News

In my Blog Herald WordPress News, I used to feature a round-up of WordPress-related podcasts and fan blogs offering great tips and useful information on using WordPress from the beginner level to advanced techniques. I’ve decided to continue this tradition here on Lorelle on WordPress.

Every week or so, I’ll publish a Round WordPress post featuring highlights and most recent articles by some of the top WordPress blogging experts. I encourage you to visit these blogs and add them to your feed reader as they continue to provide invaluable WordPress tips, techniques, news, resources, and information.

This week, the talk around the WordPress Community is fired up over the discussion started by Weblog Tools Collection on retiring the Kubrick/Default WordPress Theme, Google/WordPress Summer of Code, WordPress 2.8, voting for new WordPress IRC ops and moderators, and the new WordPress Widget API.

WordPress Podcasts

WordCast: The WordCast features news, interviews, and great laughter on WordPress-related topics. This week’s episode is WordCast 49: Barbaric Blog Herald Barrage with Lorelle VanFossen as guest co-host, covering the delay of WordPress 2.8, WordPress/Google Summer of Code 2009, WordCamp Toronto’s efforts to involve their community in their WordPress Event, Celebrity Pressers help needed for Blog Herald WordPress News, WordPress for iPhone, contributing to WordPress, the Making of WordPress.tv, and more tips and news on WordPress.

WP Tavern WordPress Weekly Podcast: Jeffro interviews Andrew Ozz, the person responsible for the JavaScript load optimization articles and features, TinyMCE integration and updates, and other key and core WordPress features.

The most recent episode of the The WordPress Plugins Podcast featuring the MailPress Plugin and Search And Replace Plugin.

WordPress Fan and Expert Blogs

Weblog Tools Collection:

• Is It Time For Kubrick To Retire?
• Plugin Review: cSprites for WordPress

WP Engineer:

• Pages & Subpages – Is Parent?
• WordPress Plugin Readme File Generator

WPRecipes:

• WordPress shortcode to display related posts
• How to: Show related posts without a plugin
• How to: Resize images on the fly
• How to: Force using SSL on wp-admin directory
• How to: Display your most popular content in your blog sidebar
• How to: Display the number of results in WordPress search
• How to: Allow your visitors to send your articles by email to their friends

WPTavern:

• WPWeekly Episode 48 – Interview With Joost De Valk
• WordPress Plugin Readme Generator
• Where To Draw The Line With Support Models
• Vote For WordPress In Webware 100
• Vote For New WordPress IRC Channel Ops
• Vladimir’s Plugin Developer Tips
• Since When Has Matt Been Right Anyway
• Leland Returns! ThemeLab To Continue
• If CMS’s Were Operating Systems
• Automattic ALMOST Acquired At One Point
• Addicott Web Suggests 6 More Plugins

WP Hacks:

• Optimize Your WordPress Database with Optimize DB WordPress Plugin
• Tools & Resources for Multi-Author WordPress Blogs
• How To: Prevent Images from Being to Large

Yoast:

• On WPWeekly Episode 48
• Optimizing WordPress database performance

Featured WordPress Fan Blog

If you aren’t familiar with our WordPress experts and fans up north, check out Planet WordPress Canada, an aggregator similar to WordPress Planet, the official WordPress aggregator, dedicated to Canadian WordPress experts.

Here are some highlights published recently on the aggregator.

• [BlueFur.com Web Hosting] WordPress Wednesday: Revision Control
• [BlueFur.com Web Hosting] WordPress Development: Creating Top-Level Menu Items
• [BlueFur.com Web Hosting] WordPress Wednesday: Page Management
• [See How Two] Unschedule a post so it will publish immediately
• [See How Two] Change the colour of an individual text link
• [See How Two] Create a link within the text of posts or pages
• [See How Two] Flowing text around images in posts or pages
• [RiteTurnOnly.com] Hide Themes When Using Theme Switcher Plugin
• [RiteTurnOnly.com] WordPress Magazine Themes Revisted
• [RiteTurnOnly.com] Keep Your Images In Check
• [RiteTurnOnly.com] Twitter Meets WordPress
• [RiteTurnOnly.com] Plugin Review: Front-end Editor

Other WordPress Tips and Techniques

Every week I collect WordPress tips and techniques from around the web to publish here and on my @lorelleonwp Twitter daily. Here are some goodies I’ve found recently. They may apply to older versions of WordPress, but they still are helpful articles, probably featuring things you didn’t know you could do with WordPress.

• Get the latest sticky posts in WordPress
• Offline Blog Editing Tools
• Tutorial: A category based archive on WordPress
• WordPress Theme Hacks
• WordPress Tutorial: Hide Posts From Home Page, Only Display In RSS

The WordPress Community generates some of the best WordPress tips, techniques, and resources. If you would like your WordPress tip and technique included in my lists, see Tips For Writing Good WordPress Tips and Writing and Publishing Code In Your WordPress Blog Posts. When its ready, contact me at lorelleonwordpress@gmail.com.

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in WordPress News, WordPress Tips

As most of you know, I’m extremely passionate about supporting and encouraging WordPress Plugin authors. I’ve written a love letter to WordPress Plugin authors, spent a month writing over 36 posts on nothing but WordPress Plugins, published extensive tips on how to install, configure, and use WordPress Plugins and another guide for finding Plugins, “Where to Find WordPress Plugins.” I’ve researched lists of your favorite WordPress Plugins pointing out the most popular WordPress Plugins WordPress fans recommend, and even feature a WordPress Plugin a day on my @lorelleonwp Twitter.

Okay, I’m a WordPress Plugin obsessed fan.

Some are saying this will be the year of the WordPress Theme with the addition of the auto-load and update feature for Themes in WordPress 2.8, but I think it will be the year of the WordPress Plugin as so many are now exploring more Plugin options with the WordPress 2.7 search, auto-install, and update for WordPress Plugins. With the release of the new WordPress Widgets API and Validimir Prelovac’s new book, “WordPress Plugin Development Beginner’s Guide,” it’s time for WordPress Plugins and their authors to get the support and respect they deserve. Without them, how would our WordPress blogs survive?

As I prepare my weekly Blog Herald WordPress News, I collect a lot of tips and articles for and about WordPress Plugins. I will be moving those here to Lorelle on WordPress, publishing summaries of news and articles WordPress Plugin authors need to know on a fairly regular basis.

If you are a WordPress Plugin fan, there will be a ton of great information here, too.

New WordPresa Widgets API Feedback Wanted

The WordPress developers are seeking testers and feedback on the new Widgets API which will be released with WordPress 2.8.

WordPress Plugin Checkoff List

All WordPress Plugin authors need to check the article Weblog Tools Collection recently published called the “Top 10 Characteristics of a Great WordPress Plugin.”

It is a checklist to follow when reviewing or coding a new WordPress Plugin. Print this checklist out when preparing their Plugin for public release, as well as the recommendations I made in my own list for WordPress Plugin authors and you will make WordPress fans around the world love and adore you.

WordPress Plugin Developer Center

Have you seen the new Developer Center within the WordPress Plugin Directory?

It is a general guide on how WordPress hosts WordPress Plugins and how to get your Plugin into the directory.

Not all WordPress Plugins are found in the directory, but all WordPress Plugins found through the new built-in WordPress Plugin search and install feature in WordPress 2.7+ are found only within the Directory.

To get into the WordPress Plugin Directory, there are a few requirements.

1. The plugin must be GPL Compatible.
2. It can’t do anything illegal, or be morally offensive.
3. Use of the subversion repository is required to host the Plugin.

Automatically Generate WordPress Plugin Readme Files

Check out the news WPEngineer wrote about with the new WordPress Plugin Readme File Generator by Sudar Muthu. This Plugin automatically creates and validates readme files for WordPress Plugins. Many WordPress Plugins need to have instructions to help users install and use them, so this is a very useful tool for the WordPress Plugin author.

Scott Reilly On WordPress Plugin Development Overload

A year ago, the incredibly prolific WordPress Plugin author, Scott Reilly of Coffee2Code, and creator of the powerful Customizable Post Listings WordPress Plugin, spent 14 days releasing a Plugin a day. By the end of the two weeks, he’d created 14 new WordPress Plugins and updated 20 more. Now he’s at it again.

So far, he’s created or updated Admin Per Page Limits WordPress Plugin to control the number of posts per page, pages per page, and comments per page that appear in the Administration Panel listings of posts, pages, and comments; Restrict Usernames WordPress Plugin to restrict the usernames that new users may use when registering with your WordPress blog; Linkify Categories to turn a string, list, or array of category IDs and/or slugs into a list of links to those categories; Linkify Tags to convert a list of tag IDs and/or slugs into a list of links to those tags; Disable Search to turn off the search capabilities of the native WordPress search; and Configure SMTP updated for configuring SMTP mailing in WordPress with support to send email via SSL/TLS (like Gmail), with more on the way.

I’ll be covering more of his new odyssey in WordPress Plugin production as he moves his way to the top of the list as one of the most prolific WordPress Plugin authors in the WordPress Plugin Directory, giving the likes of Michael Torbert, Matt Mullenweg, Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan, Arne Brachhold, and Andy Skelton a run for Plugin fame.

Top Niche WordPress Plugins

The Top WordPress Plugin Niches by W-Shadow is a list based upon the top 100 most downloaded WordPress Plugins to determine their “niche” categories. It’s an interesting look at the types of Plugins most WordPress users desire and use.

There are now various ways to check out which WordPress Plugins are the most popular on the WordPress Plugin Directory.

• Most Popular WordPress Plugins
• Highest Rated WordPress Plugins
• Newest WordPress Plugins
• Recently Updated WordPress Plugins
• By Tags

WordPress Plugin Podcast

I’m not the only fan of WordPress Plugins. Check out the most recent episodes of the The WordPress Plugins Podcast featuring the MailPress Plugin and Search And Replace Plugin.

Past episodes included:

• Plugins 001 – Blubrry Powerpress Podcasting Plugin
• Plugins 002 – 7 Minutes on Blubrry Powerpress Podcasting Plugin
• Plugins 003 – Peters Custom Anti Spam
• Plugins 004 – CFormsII Custom Forms
• Plugins 005 – Google XML Sitemaps
• Plugins 006 – All In One SEO Pack Plugin
• Plugins 007 – Special Guest Peter Keung author of Peter’s Custom Anti-SPAM Plugin
• Plugins 008 – WP-DB-Backup Plugin
• Plugins 009 – Share This Plugin
• Plugins 010 – Contact Form 7 Plugin
• Plugins 011 – Search And Replace Plugin

Highlights of WordPress Plugin Tips and Techniques

Here are some past goodies to warm you up. Some of these related to older versions of WordPress, but don’t discount them. There are invaluable lessons to be learned from such articles. The topics cover a wide range of WordPress-specific tips and techniques for Plugin and Theme developers, as well as PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, AJAX, and jQuery.

• WordPress Functions Implementation History Tool
• ThemeLab – WordPress Template Tag Lookup Tool
• Validimir Prelovac – WordPress Fundamentals for Newbies
• Pearsonified – How You Can Use WordPress Functions to Run a Smarter Blog
• DBSWebsite – WordPress Template Tags Reference Guide
• 5 Helpful Tips for Creating Secure PHP Applications
• 25 Resources to Get You Started with PHP from Scratch
• WordPress Development – Converting Default Widgets to the New WordPress API
• WordPress Development – Optimizing script loading, implementation
• WordPress Development – Optimizing script loading part 2
• WordPress Development – Optimizing Script Loading
• WordPress.tv – PHP Cross Reference of the WordPress Source (Video)
• Installing WordPress locally with WampServer
• Will Norris – Authentication in WordPress 2.8
• Secrets of the Conditional Tag Revealed: How to Gain More Control Over Your WordPress Templates
• Nettus – What You Must Know About jQuery UI 1.7
• Nettus – 10 Reasons Why Your Code Won’t Validate (and How to Fix it)
• Webdesigner Depot – 7 Interface Design Techniques to Simplify and De-clutter Your Interfaces
• Lester Chan – New WP_Widget Class In WordPress 2.8
• Preparing for WordPress 2.8: Using JavaScript in WordPress Plugins
• Justin Tadlock – What’s in store for WordPress Themes in 2009?
• Nerdaphernalia – On Attribution and Plugin Priorities in WordPress
• Justin Tadlock – My Plugins are Now Hosted on the WordPress Plugins Repository
• Custom Theme Design – Building a Control Panel for Your WordPress Theme
• WordPress Codex – Formatting Date and Time in WordPress
• WordPress Codex – WordPress Conditional Tags

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Copyright Lorelle VanFossen, member of the 9Rules Network, and author of Blogging Tips, What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging.

Posted in WordPress News, WordPress Plugins