The Spinning Donut

It’s here - WordPress 2.5 has been released.

A different look and feel, and for those of us using self-hosted WordPress, some huntin’ and peckin’.

I wrote about running and reviewing WordPress 2.-beta1 and how you can set it up on your PC to start playing around with it. You can do the same with the final release as well.

Some folks are going to wait to upgrade because of the pain that could ensue. The pain of the unknown and having to spend time figuring it out when you’re too busy already. The pain of broken plug-ins and the time it will take to find out if your plug-ins still work in 2.5. Or the pain of finding one line of code you placed somewhere a year ago and forgot about it, which will break something important to you.

You might delay upgrading to WordPress 2.5 because you use Fantastico at your hosting site and you’re waiting on them to offer the one-click, automatic upgrade that Fantastico is so wonderful at. But, no matter how you slice it, you’ll have to upgrade sometime. And if you can afford it you can hire it out and have someone else do it for you. You can also wait to see how many revisions come flying out the door until things settle down and people are talking about how WordPress 2.5 is now stable.

For now, here’s a video of how to install WordPress 2.3 and 2.5 on your PC so you can run both side by side and do a comparison.
(21 minutes)
Here’s the video chunked up into three parts and not as good quality:

How To Run WordPress 2.5 On Your PC - Part 1
How To Run WordPress 2.5 On Your PC - Part 2
How To Run WordPress 2.5 On Your PC - Part 3

Here’s the outline I used for the video - Running and Reviewing WordPress 2.3 and 2.5.

1. Download and install xampplite from www.sourceforge.net
   1. Run setup_xampp.bat
   2. Run xampp-control.exe
2. Download and install WordPress 2.3 and 2.5 from www.wordpress.org
   1. Copy to C:\xampplite\htdocs\wordpress23 and wordpress25 respectively
   2. Copy wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php
   3. Change Database name, user name and password in wp-config.php
3. Browse to http://localhost and add two databases – wordpress23 and wordpress25
4. Browse to http://localhost/wordpress23 and wordpress25
   1. Change random-generated password to your own standard password so you don’t have to remember the random password.
5. Download and install two WordPress Themes from www.dailyblogtips.com and www.courtneytuttle.com. Of course, you can download any theme you like.

Fini!! Now Go Play!!

More videos to come in future posts…

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photo credit: mewtate

Yesterday I provided some links to articles on making money online. So I thought it would be good to provide an article on saving and investing money online as well.

Now, saving and investing is going to be different for everyone especially since the online world is spread across the world. So I can only write to what I do in the United States.

“There are many ways to pay for the big tickets in life – college, weddings, moving, etc. But there’s only one way to pay for retirement and that’s by saving and investing as much as you can over a long period of time.”

The money I’m talking about saving and investing applies to any of the following folks:

• single
• in your twenties
• have no inheritance
• just finishing college
• getting married soon
• paying your own bills
• have some school loan debt
• don’t want to figure it out all by yourself
• have no “extra” money from any additional sources
• you’re a “bootstrapped” individual and not a “funded” individual
• currently working in some kind of form that you are compensated for
• currently looking for work that applies to what you’ve studied in college to improve your financial resources, acquire health insurance and all the other stuff that goes with working like a 401k, 403b, etc.

However, this can also apply to savers and investors of all ages. Whether you’re in your teens, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and even 60’s, I have to say, “It’s never too late to start saving and investing”!!

“Money grows on the tree of patience.”

I’ve consolidated saving and investing into three actions. If you can do all three, that’s great. If you can only do one of the three actions, then that’s great too. The more you do now, the better off you’ll be later.

When it comes to saving and investing, there are many scenarios and situations that might determine how you save and invest. There is also a personal belief system that will guide you as well and hopefully not hinder you from saving and investing.

My saving and investing challenge to you is:

• earn more than the people who came before you
• save more than the people who came before you
• invest more than the people who came before you
• give away more than the people who came before you
• contribute more than the people who came before you
• take care of others more than the people who came before you

…and hopefully we’ll all be around so you can tell us about it!!

3 Easy Steps

I’ve consolidated saving and investing in three steps:

1. Open an Online Savings Account
2. Contribute to Your Employers Retirement Plan
3. Open and Invest in a Roth IRA

There’s a great saying floating around…

“Live like no one else so you can live like no one else.”

I know someone great said that, I just can’t think who right now. But, I think it’s a great reminder of how over spending throughout life can do to folks later on in life when they look back after all the stuff, all the trips, all the food, etc. and they don’t have enough to enjoy their golden years.

CAN ANYBODY REMEMBER WHEN THE TIMES WERE NOT HARD AND MONEY NOT SCARCE?

- RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Action One - Open an Online Savings Account

This is your “Rainy Day” savings for when bad things happen like unplanned car repairs, you need to buy a new water heater for your home, your furnace breaks down, you need to meet that insurance deductible if you’re in a car accident, you lose your job and need to continue paying the bills for a few months, etc. This is NOT an account to be used for “fun” stuff like a new computer, dinner and a movie, etc.

The minimum to open up one of these accounts is $1.00. Then, setup an automatic monthly deposit and feel your security grow. Increase your monthly deposit annually or as you earn more money.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Browse over to www.hsbcdirect.com or www.emigrantdirect.com and open an online savings account currently (2008) returning 3.05% and 2.75% respectively. In 2007 both were paying 5.05%. Don’t worry, both will be back up there - I hope. Can’t make a decision? Close your eyes and start clicking in this general area of the page. Hopefully you’ll click on one of the two links I just listed. If not, open your eyes and pick one of them. Just get going.
2. Do NOT pick the option that you want an ATM card. This account will be for deposits only for the majority of its life. We don’t want to be withdrawing money using an ATM card. Why? Because it happens all the time. You’re out on a Friday night and you’re short of funds to enjoy a few hours of fun. So, you decide to use your ATM card and withdraw funds from your “Rainy Day” account. Do this for a few Friday nights and see what’s left over when you really need it.
3. Link it to your bank checking account so you can setup a monthly deposit from your checking account into this account. The point is to make the deposit automatic so it happens monthly. If you don’t make it automatic, most likely it won’t happen. Check your bank to make sure no fees are incurred at either end of the transfer.
4. Check your balance quarterly, monthly, twice a year, or at a minimum of once a year, whatever makes you feel comfortable and sleep at night. Just don’t touch it…if you absolutely don’t have to.

Remember, this is your emergency fund or “stash”. Try and get it to grow to that standard we always here about, 3-6 months of your income or ask yourself, “what would it take to cover 3-6 months worth of my expenses if I was out of work?”
With consistent automatic deposits over a long period of time, you will reach your savings goal.

Note: We will watch the return on our money (yield) to make sure these types of savings accounts don’t go out of favor. However, to keep this automatically simple, we’ll have to be heavily persuaded. We’re shooting for systematic savings that is boring to watch yet very effective.

“We have become 99% money mad. The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for the proverbial rainy day which is due to come, can almost be listed among the lost arts. “

George Washington Carver

More to come…

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Filed Under Making Money Online | 1 Comment »

photo credit: nbonzey

In this list of links I’ve concentrated on making money online. There are many ways to do it and everyone wants to know how to, the least expensive way and the quickest way.

Marketing Your Website On A Tight Budget by SEOpher at JohnChow.com

How I Made $860,538.38 PROFIT in 4 Months! by Zak Johnson

Yaro Starak presents a 43 minute podcast about Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula 2.0. Even though Yaro’s promoting Jeff’s course, Yaro provides some valuable information on his experience with his own product launch, the importance of email lists, the benefits of purchasing someone else’s course, turning all that into income, and much more.

Caroline Middlebrook on Making Money with your blog.

Group Interview: What Do Online Advertisers Look For in a Website? at DailyBlogTips

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photo credit: Unhindered by Talent

Recently I’ve read a couple articles on writing for your blog and how you need to make quality time for writing by not being distracted. Well, while preparing a blog post I thought I’d share what was going on in my world as I tried to write. Now, I know this isn’t different than a lot of folks and some might have horrific tales that can top mine, but at some point it warrants time to stop and focus on what you’re trying to accomplish. Which means getting all the stuff out of the way that’s making you unfocused. The stuff that affects the quality of your writing.

Chaos

I was running Firefox while writing in WordPress. Some other applications I had open while writing included Flock with four tabs open to four different blogs and two social media sites. I had two other Firefox windows open, one with Gmail so I could check my email between words. The other Firefox window had my wife’s Blogger blog because she wanted me to check out her latest blog post and make sure her spelling and grammar looked ok, move images around and align them, etc.

I have a TV card in the PC I use for writing. So, I was watching March Madness (Basketball). I also had my twhirl (Windows Twitter Client Software) running. Twhirl pops up a little window on the lower right-hand side of the Windows screen, so every time someone sends a tweet, you get a pop-up and it disappears. So does Outlook if you have that feature turned on, which I do. More pop-ups - weather and news alert software sitting in your system tray ready to spring to action.

I forgot to tell you, my PC TV is on mute so I can listen to streaming music from Pandora.

Windows Explorer was running because I was moving some image files around, in my spare time between words. Internet Explorer was running because I’m logged into my Gmail account as me with Firefox and my wife’s Blogger blog using her Gmail account in IE.

In addition, I also have two small dogs (above) who are always hanging around my office door as if they need something all the time. Whether I put them outside, play with them, take them for a walk or feed them they’re just sitting there looking at me. Mommy bloggers are special. I can’t imagine having my kids little again and trying to blog while having them running around.

During my blogging breaks there’s always something to fill my time - checking my online accounts to make sure money is moving here and there - bill pay, investments, etc.

Oh yea, another pop-up, one my daughters sending me an instant message and my Gtalk pops-up to let me know. Talk about train of thought on the wrong tracks now.

The days events rushing through my head, since I write at night. Today I drove 90 miles from home to an office of about twenty people I support and back. Of course I had a list of tasks to accomplish while I was out there and the moment you arrive the drive-bys start - “Bill can you do this, can you do that while you’re here.”

Well there ya’ go, an article about what was going on while I started to write this. There are plenty of articles out there that can help you write during your writing time. I’d provide some links here but it’s time for bed. The ultimate distraction - in a good way. I’ll let Google do the work.

Now, here are some links:

Challenge: Put On Your Blogging Blinders by DailyBlogTips

Research Sources for Writers: A Guide to Backing up Your Words by Write To Done

3 Steps to Productivity by AnyWired

Filed Under Productivity | 2 Comments »

In yesterday’s post I talked about how to find out who’s visiting your blog and other blog statistics using StatCounter.com. When I finished the video and uploaded to YouTube I thought I’d try Revver since I haven’t tried that service yet and I first saw Darren Rowse at Problogger use it.

Below you’ll see the difference. The same video uploaded to both services. Pretty interesting results. Considering the small screen and the content that I recorded, Revver by default looks pretty darn good. You decide.

YouTube Version

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Revver Version

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If you’re a new blogger and you want to find out who’s visiting your blog or website, there are a few ways to do it. Actually, quite a few ways. One way is to start is with the statistics counter at StatCounter.com. StatCounter has a free service and a paid service. Here’s the break down.

To start, I recommend using the free service.

StatCounter works in a Project metaphor, which means for every blog or website you put StatCounter code on, that blog or website is considered a project. After you’ve run the StatCounter code on your blog or website, you login to your StatCounter page and you’ll see a list of your projects with a quick view of the count of visitors today, yesterday, this month and a running total. When you click on a project, you can drill down and view the type of stats listed below.

A Summary Page

StatCounter’s summary page shows a nice simple bar graph of your visitor count.

In this particular graph the huge spikes are what StumbleUpon can do for you. When someone submits one of your blog posts to StumbleUpon and the traffic follows, you get a huge quick spike of traffic. Which is good because when you’re first starting to blog it can be very motivating to see this effect. But, that’s for another day.

Popular Pages

Here’s a list of your popular pages.

For the rest of the StatCounter statistics I’ll just list some of the features and not provide screen shots.

Popular Pages

The popular pages stat list the count of visitors to particular pages on your blog. This can help since it might be telling you that a particular page is more popular to your readers than some of your other blog posts. With this information then, you could focus more blog posts on the more popular topics your readers like.

Recent Keyword Activity

This stat will show you the search terms people used to get to a particular page on your blog. This is helpful because you could write blog posts that contain more of those keywords that searchers used to make it to your blog.

Recent Came From

This tells you where your visitors are coming from. What sites are referencing your site or who’s linked to you. It also shows the landing page at your blog or website that a user showed up on.

If you’ve read about ways to increase your blog traffic, one way is to comment on other blogs that you read and like. When you comment, you usually have the opportunity to leave the link to your blog with that comment. The Recent Came From stat will show you those visitors to your blog that came from those comments. So, keep leaving great comments at all those other blogs you love.

There’s plenty of other statistics you can browse through and drill down to discover where visitors are located around the world, how long they stayed, what browser they’re using, the size of their screen resolution and even the operating system they’re using. It’s fun to dig in and view all those stats.

Blog Statistics Addiction

Watch out though, a lot of bloggers including new bloggers who find out how to track statistics can get caught up in them. This can either be a driver or a downer. What we keep being told by the pro bloggers is to stick with it and that the first three to six months or even year are the toughest and for some every month and year can be tough.

How To

You might be asking, “How do I get StatCounter to work on my blog or website?” Well let’s walk through the registration and setup. Here is a video of how to get started with StatCounter. I use a test Blogger blog to show you how. It is just as easy for a website or any other type of blog like WordPress. If you need help, please ask in the comments.

Filed Under Blogging | 2 Comments »

photo credit: flattop341

I’ve downloaded and installed Windows Vista Service Pack 1. I’ve been running Vista Home Edition and Ultimate Edition for a bout one year now. The file copy, file zipping and unzipping and file deleting are sometimes super duper slow and has been discussed by many. I decided to check out what’s changed with the zipping and unzipping of folders and files.

Vista Folder Compression

Zipping files in Vista has been an ok experience for me. I took a folder with over 2,200 files of mostly small (<100KB) to medium-sized (between 100KB and less than 1MB) files, right-clicked on the folder and selected Send To…, then Compressed (zipped) Folder. It took about 3 minutes to zip up the files. Not too bad. It took 7-Zip about the same amount of time. So I’m good with that.

Vista File Extractor

Don’t do it!! Vista’s unzipper is extremely slow. We’ve known this for a while now. But how slow is it? Even after installing Vista SP1 on Vista Home Edition as well as Vista Ultimate Edition, the performance wasn’t much better. I tried to unzip the same zipped up file containing over 2,200 files as above.

I started the file extracting process by right-clicking on the zipped file and selecting Extract All… I knew the process was slow from the orgininal release of Vista and, well, nothings changed after installing SP1.

After starting the process and seeing that Vista was going to take up to 12 hours to unzip it, I decided to go grocery shopping which took about 50 minutes. When I came back, Vista reported it would be a remaining 2+ hours to finishing unzipping. Remember this is after letting it unzip for 50 minutes.

So I canceled the unzip process and realized that Vista hasn’t changed as far as unzipping files go. Even with SP1 installed.

I downloaded 7-Zip . 7-Zip is a file archiving program and it unzipped the 2,200+ files in under 1 minute. Well, at least that tells us there’s a strong need for a third-party market when it comes to Vista.

Filed Under Free Software, Microsoft Windows, Productivity | Be The First To Comment »

There seems to be a lot to check out in the browser world lately. With Apple’s automatic download of their Safari browser this week as well as the recently released Internet Explorer 8 beta1 and Firefox beta 3. It’s just too munch to handle. But I think it’s great fun.

Although I favor Firefox, I love using Apple’s Safari because its the closest thing for me to see my blog as it would appear using an Apple. I need to buy me an Apple. One of these days.

Internet Explorer has to stay in my browser arsenal because I’ve developed ASP.NET web apps. IE 7 is clunky and slow and big and clunky and slow and big, oh, did I say clunky and slow and big too many times.

Microsoft really needs to kick butt with IE 8 and future versions of IE, it just doesn’t feel good and and IE’s future doesn’t seem too bright. There are quite a few big companies out there that have written old web applications that require and run under IE, but when those apps come to end-of-life, there will be more opportunity to phase out IE from corporations. Just my opinion.

Apple’s Safari Browser for Windows

Click image for larger view (800 x 600)

Firefox 3 beta4

Click image for larger view (800 x 600)

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 beta 1

Click image for larger view (800 x 600)

One nice feature about Firefox now is the ability to save your open tabs when you shut down Firefox. Firefox will ask you if you’d like to save your tabs and not be asked in the future. That’s extremely nice and convenient. The Opera web browser has had that for quite some time now.

I don’t have any detailed review or features list at this time as I haven’t really started digging into these browsers yet.

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