‘Benny’ swings on WordPress 4.0

My son and I were headed into Ralph's the other day, and the sat radio had Benny Goodman doing an Afro-beat number featuring a long mad solo by Gene Krupa. We sat there in the parking lot, jaws dropped, until it was over. Hoping for a similar gobsmacking from the latest WordPress iteration, 4.0, named Benny in honor of that same bandleader. Enhancements in the text entry process (long needed), the presentation of images in the media library, preview of embeds and plugins, etc. I'm testing … [Read more...]

The missing links

Was reading about a study the other day, one whose sad and startling results I wanted to share with readers of my distracted driving web site. Problem was, the article's author didn't identify the study -- by title or sponsor or anything -- a flunking matter in any Journalism 101 class. Even worse, although the article was online, there was no link to the study. The first offense is unusual in professional publishing, but sadly the second is not. Newspapers are among the biggest offenders … [Read more...]

The tao of Dash Rip Rock

Unless you're famous or incredibly well connected, it's lonely work starting a blog. Especially before the search engines acknowledge you're there. The traffic comes in single digits, no one comments and there are only a couple of posts to show for all your efforts setting up the site. The temptation is to slide and wait for the action. It could be a long wait. In the early stages it's important that new bloggers write as if they had a large enthusiastic audience. Make every word … [Read more...]

Fear of blogging: The lay of the land

I once had a client seeking better visibility for his landscaping web site. He was a good guy, in the country a few years out of Israel. The landscaper showed me beautiful color images of his work, spread out there on the kitchen table. He didn't have the budget to upgrade his web site, which was a mess. I suggested doing a simple blog. One with a minimalist WordPress theme designed to show off images. I'd done something similar for an interior designer the year before. He hated the … [Read more...]

An appointment with your blog

When it comes to blogging, what a difference a day makes -- especially if it's the first one of the month. I strive to update all of my blogs come the start of each new month. The previous post may be only a day old -- maybe even a few hours old -- but that item sinks into fish-wrap waters the second the month rolls over. Maybe readers don't care. I'm betting they do. At the very least, it's good motivation to update -- and lord knows we all need that. Don't have an idea? You'll think … [Read more...]