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Twitter’s Snarky ‘Page Not Found’ Page
Posted by Kyle Wiebalk on Mar 25, 2009 in interactive, web design
How to Become a Rockstar WordPress Designer
Posted by Kyle Wiebalk on Jan 14, 2009 in social media, web design
WordPress is a web publishing platform with typical applications ranging from blogging to a solid content management system (CMS) for more business-oriented websites. The best part is that WordPress is focused on what is lacking in most web frameworks (and hence so many websites): aesthetics, web standards, and usability. It’s all open source (free) and centered around a huge development community, which means you’ll receive constant updates to improve features, security, etc.
Rockable Press, publisher of How to Be a Rockstar Freelancer, has just released a book all about making WordPress websites as useful and impressive as possible. $29 is money well spent on building out such a powerful website, especially considering the cost of professional web development.
Best Twitter Backgrounds
[image by -nathan]
I’m been increasingly immersing myself in all types of social media in order to help grow a few businesses I’m involved with. The latest type I’ve been experimenting with is microblogging–or twitter to most of us.
Of course with nearly everything on the web, design & usability are two of the largest influences on an online reader/viewer. Check out these great Twitter backgrounds; they even have a monthly top ten contest.
2 Best Ways to Enjoy the Internet Experience (Hint: Google)
Posted by Kyle Wiebalk on Dec 12, 2008 in web design, workflow
Here’s how to instantly improve your Internet surfing experience:
1. Use Google Chrome.
I just updated from an earlier Beta release to the new stable release 1.0. Check out its features. TechCrunch published a post on how Google introduced this product with a series of cartoons. The earlier version seemed to be somewhat like a better browser, but a few annoying things forced me to stop using it. So once I randomly updated Chrome again, it actually performs now. And, it was built in an apparent amazingly fast 100 days.
Matt Mullenweg Reveals Future of Wordpress
Watch this fascinating interview by Robert Scoble of FastCompany.TV with Matt Mullenweg, founder of popular online publishing software Wordpress. An increasing number of content creators and publishers are using Wordpress, which is so much more than a blogging platform. Check out my portfolio here, which is also based on Wordpress. It looks like lots of changes are ahead…
Innovative Online Video: Temporary Areas
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-5XK-2Ufd4
[La Blogotheque #41 - Arcade Fire - Neon Bible & Wake Up]
Looking at the evolution of online video since broadband Internet became more of a standard than a luxury, much has happened in terms of presentation and usability. French filmmaker Vincent Moon is founder and director of La Blogotheque, a showcase of his “Take Away” shows. These are weekly videos of an invited artist or band playing several live songs, often filmed in random places around Paris. Watch the Arcade Fire video above.
Vincent Moon’s latest venture is a website called “Temporary Areas,” where some of his content is presented through Flash in a full-screen map. Designed by dzlv studio, the website doesn’t follow the traditional website form, but is more of an art installation experience. He calls it a “map of streams,” which is appropriate to the viewing experience.
Special KWWphoto Dreamhost Coupon
Posted by Kyle Wiebalk on Nov 21, 2008 in web design
I’ve been searching for a great web host for quite a while now. After the GoDaddy fiasco, I vowed to do as much research as possible to discover a simple and (more importantly) reliable service. Dreamhost has been fantastic, allowing me to focus on creating content rather than solving technical nightmares.
Use the special promo code “KWWPHOTO” when signing up with Dreamhost, and you’ll get:
- $20 Off One Year Hosting
- 1 Free Domain Registration
Bananas & Coffee: An Experiment
Posted by Kyle Wiebalk on Nov 19, 2008 in graphics, web design
Designer Niki Brown has an interesting data visualization and CSS experiment online called Bananas & Coffee. Quite a unique way to present a set of otherwise unexciting data…something to keep clients on their toes!
Start a New Blog Using Wordpress in 6 Simple Steps
Posted by Kyle Wiebalk on Oct 8, 2008 in web design
After deciding to breathe new life into my several-years-old HTML portfolio website, I changed to a better host and installed Wordpress after hearing so many people raving about it. After a little experimentation, I realized how powerful the engine really is. I use the technology to power my blog, as well as my portfolio website (less uncommonly used just as a CMS). It can be customized however you want it to look–there are so many great examples of this (see below).
For those hosting their blog on a site like blogger.com, seriously consider switching it to a domain of your own. I use Dreamhost as an inexpensive and reliable host, after many horrors attempting to use GoDaddy. Wordpress is so flexible and fast, it’s actually fun to work on. Follow these 6 simple steps and give it a try for yourself:
1. Set up a subdomain or folder on your server
2. On the Dreamhost left-hand menu, click on “Goodies,” then “One-Click Installs”
3. Choose “Install new website software (advanced mode).”
4. Make sure the Wordpress button is checked, and the subdomain or folder is shown in the install window.
5. Enter a name under “Database Name” field, and choose the correct subdomain under the “Hostname” field.
6. Click on the “Install” button at the bottom, and follow (and bookmark) the login link sent to you in the welcome email.
That’s it! Choose a theme and you’re off and running. Take a look at these helpful links toward great Wordpress theme templates:
Move From GoDaddy to Dreamhost
Posted by Kyle Wiebalk on Sep 18, 2008 in web design
After lots of pain and slowness attempting to configure my website and blog at GoDaddy hosting, I’ve since switched my domains and hosting to Dreamhost. What a great change this is!
I went from my Wordpress blog loading in 30-50 seconds on GoDaddy (I’m not the only one, see this search for a widespread problem) to the same Wordpress setup loading in 1-2 seconds. Not only that, but Dreamhost’s control panel is so easy to use, it kills me to think I was suffering with GoDaddy so long.
