Easier Writing and Editing in WordPress 3.9 (Have You Upgraded Yet?)

Posted: 06 May 2014 03:40 AM PDT

WordPress 3.9, named "Smith", came out mid-April … and if you've not upgraded yet, you definitely should.

This version has introduced some significant changes to the visual editor, making it easier than ever to write, edit and publish great-looking posts in WordPress.

Here's a quick run-down of some of the new features that relate to the visual editor (for more features, see the official WordPress announcement).

You Can Paste in Text Directly From Word

I never had problems posting directly from Word previously, but I know some people struggled with messy styling. Now, you can simply paste straight into the visual editor (the "Paste from Word" button has gone).

You Can Crop and Rotate Images

Uploaded an image that's not quite right? Rather than deleting it and starting over, you can make adjustments directly in WordPress. You can also drag-and-drop images straight into the visual editor, rather than having to open the uploading window first.

There Are Slightly Different Buttons in the Visual Editor

While version 3.8 changed the look and feel of all the buttons (now I'm used to it, I love it), this new version has changed what's actually there.

This is the 3.8 version:

wordpress-buttons-3point8

And this is the new 3.9 version:

wordpress-buttons-3point9

I really like the new "horizontal line" button — to the right of the blockquotes button — which saves me having to enter these as <hr/> in the HTML view.

As mentioned before, the Paste from Word button is gone (no longer needed), and it's interesting to see that the "Distraction Free Writing" button is gone too.

So … have you upgraded yet? Do you have a favourite new feature? Let us know in the comments.

Wanna learn how to make more money with your website? Check the Online Profits training program!

Does Your Blog Make New Visitors Feel Welcome?

Posted: 05 May 2014 01:09 PM PDT

If you’ve been running your blog for a while, especially if you have a loyal following of long-term readers, it’s easy not to think much about new visitors.

But of course, if you want your blog to grow, you need to cater for newcomers. They need to feel welcome – not excluded by loads of in-jokes, or confused about what’s happening on your blog.

These four tips should help you strike a good balance, so that visitors are able to find their way around quickly, but long-term readers don’t feel like you’re constantly re-explaining the basics.

#1: Have an Up-to-Date About Page

Regular readers aren’t likely to visit your About page (unless, perhaps, they’re blogging about you and want some extra information). Newcomers, though, will often head there on their first visit.

If your About page is clearly out of date, it’s not going to create a good impression. And even if new visitors don’t realise that you’ve not updated it in months (or even years!), old information is unlikely to help them understand your blog and feel at home.

#2: Explain Series of Posts

If you’re part-way through an ongoing series of posts, it’s easy to assume that everyone has read the previous posts in the series and knows what’s happening. But if someone comes to your blog for the first time, they may well end up beginning half-way through the series.

This is why it’s always a good idea to include an introductory line or two at the top of your series posts (you can see how we did this for each of the Writing Clinic posts).

#3: Make it Easy to Subscribe

If someone new enjoys your blog, they may well want to subscribe to read more. Make sure it’s as easy as possible for them to do so. This means:

Including a link to your RSS feed (could be an icon or a link).
Including the option to subscribe by email – unless your readers are quite techy, you’ll find most people prefer this.

Some new visitors may be quite new to blogs in general, so give clear instructions on how to subscribe. You may want to avoid using the word “subscribe” as people might think it means they’ll have to pay.

#4: Have an Uncluttered Sidebar

Most new visitors will arrive on an individual blog post, not on the home page of your site. So even if you have a static homepage that acts as an introduction to you and your blog, it’s important that your sidebar helps them find what they’re likely to be looking for.

It’s up to you what you include, but you’ll at least want to consider:

A short “About” section.
A list of blog categories.
A list of top posts.

Take a look at your blog today. What one thing could you do to make it more welcoming to new visitors? Let us know in the comments.

Wanna learn how to make more money with your website? Check the Online Profits training program!

Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills

How to Find a Technical Co-Founder

Posted: 05 May 2014 06:06 AM PDT

This is a “continuation” of the post Why You Can’t Find a Technical Co-Founder

If you spend more than 4 hours of your day on a computer or some sorta device, I’m sure you had that spark of inspiration for the next killer app.. or some way to improve some thing.

New idea, of course, means a new way of doing things… and that means you need someone technical to bring your idea to life. If you ain’t got the skills or the cash to pay for the skills to bring it to reality, then what do you do? Look for someone who is willing to take a risk on your idea with their time. i.e. SWEAT equity.

If you’re a technical person who’s ever been pitched, I’m sure you know … it’s annoying as f*ck. Here’s one I got recently from some lady, who just happened to find me. Now, I usually just delete these types of messages, but she was cute as hell, so well… i read it.

Now, let me break down what this email means.. LINE by line

> Hi,

Dear code monkey,

> I am in the beginning stages of creating a vertically integrated fragrance company. I have a background in e-commerce, operations, buying and merchandising but lack the technical engineering, creative marketing, and growth hacking skills so looking for a co-founder who does.

So… I don’t know SHIT about selling anything online, and I was hoping you could… 1) code it up 2) market it and 3) make me rich. I have MBA “skills” so my job is to crack the whip… feed you some occasional peanuts so you don’t die of starvation. My job is very important: I am the “idea” person. I bring together all the slaves to do my bidding.

> The situation:
> -Fragrance industry is a dinosaur without any real innovation ever.
> - Industry works through licenses and distributors and therefor there are a ton of mark-ups of the products before it reaches the customer.
> - The fragrance market is over 25B world wide and 4B in the US so lots of opportunity.

Look! It’s shiny! Oooooooooooh….. aaaaaah….

> The problem:
> - Fragrances of way over priced
> - The cheap alternatives are really horrible because they are filled with a high alcohol content and thus smell pretty pungent
> - marketing is all around a signature scent however if 2M people buy chanel a year is it really your signature scent?
> - Due to the expensive nature of high end fragrances people tend to buy 1-3 a year
> - It is a luxury item that sits in your bathroom, hard to transport, and excess packaging

I didn’t talk to one single soul, but hey, i’m pretty sure my gut hunch is right. I also think Pets.com, WebVan.com, Friendster.com, and Excite@Home were great companies.

> The solution:
> Direct to consumer fragrances that cut out the middle man to allow you to sell it for 1/3 of the price of luxury options.
> In this way you will shift purchases from 1-2 per year to 4-5 per year and thus allow consumers to have a closet of layer-able scents to mix and match depending on their mood, occasion, and season. Have smart new products in terms of applications of fragrances to allow for easy transport.

There is this “magical” thing called ecommerce… ever heard of it? It’s ok because only special MBA students like me have access to this thing called the “in-ter-net”. I would tell you more but I would have to kill you.

UMMM.. Right

YOU want a technical co-founder?

I don’t want to tell you the basics of selling.. like

believe in your idea strongly
have some freakin’ experience in the industry that you want to “disrupt”
show some effort – either with cash or with work
have some sort of revenue to prove out your concept (you can even use freebies to attract some potential customers)

In another words, tell your potential partner that your business idea has legs, and that the business risk is low.

Because if you DON’T have that, you’re not gonna convince anyone.. not even yourself.

So if you have done some work, here’s some PRACTICAL stuff you can do – hang out where they hang out, and earn their trust first.

1) Join a coworking space

In crowded cities, real estate is becoming more expensive and flex space like coworking spaces are getting quite popular with freelancers, contractors, small businesses, and generally 1 person companies.

Here you will find tons of guys and girls who are quite great at programming, and are very receptive to hearing ideas.

2) Go to hackathons

Muscle heads go to bodybuilding competitions.

Actors go to auditions.

Car fanatics go to car races.

Nerds, who really love what they do, go to hackathons, especially if they’re somewhat entrepreneurial.

Just google “hackathons <name of your city>” and you will find one at least 1 a week near you.

3) Help them with marketing or sales

Believe it or not, nerds are not good at marketing or sales. That’s why, if they are entrepreneurial, will seek out people who are good at hustling in marketing or sales.

Do you know how many apps get released into the app store every day? THOUSANDS.

How many websites get registered every day? TENS of thousands.

The odds of the developer (you’re trying to woo) having some sort of web property that he wants to generate traffic for or get sales for is fairly high.

Offer him your marketing skills … build up a rapport.. let him/her see that you have something to offer.

What i do NOT recommend

Spam linkedin – tiring & super effective
Attend those “founder matching/dating” sites or networking events - It’s just like dating… the odds of you finding someone you want to enter a relationship might be high, but because of the competition & excess “buzz”, you’re likely to waste time

In other words…

give first.. ask for the “sale” later

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