I recently purchased a special through Mighty Deals which was a package of short codes created by Lizatom. I am really not a huge fan of plugins, but the added functionality of these Apps for WordPress websites are alluring. Lizatom offers premium plugins, which makes me feel safer about adding them to my site. Lizatom also offers Premium WordPress Themes, a Developers Package is only $59 for a year and personal use is only $19, so the point of entry is quite affordable. (more…)
Tuesday, August 7th, 2012
Tuesday, July 31st, 2012
As part of my theme of Living in Beta, I thought it would be appropriate to share some places where I find inspiration or gain knowledge on the web, sites that challenge me a little or open my mind to new things.
I am in a few forums, which I always feel is a terrific use of time. It is my virtual water cooler for bouncing ideas around or getting answers to tricky problems. It may feel odd to jump into a group online, but I have had lots of really positive experiences and have been really pleased with the level of mind share that goes on. (more…)
Tuesday, July 17th, 2012
No lie, I had to Google this myself; however, it totally worked, so I like to share.
To allow shortcodes in sidebar widgets in WordPress:
- Navigate to the Dashboard of your WordPress Site
- Under Appearance -> Editor -> Functions.php file add the following code:
I recently figured this out when using the Royal Slider Plugin. One other thing to note when using the Royal Slider in a widget for WordPress, make sure the Preload Skin option is selected.
Let me know if I can help!
Saturday, June 9th, 2012
To achieve the slight shaded effect behind the page of your WordPress website you need a simple piece of CSS and follow these steps:
- Navigate to your Dashboard and look for Appearance
- Click on Editor
- Look for the line /* You can add your own styles below this line. */
- Insert:
#header {
box-shadow: 0px 4px 4px 4px #706459;
-webkit-box-shadow: 0px 10px 10px 10px #706459;
-moz-box-shadow: 0px 10px 10px 10px #706459;
}
#page {
box-shadow: 0px 10px 10px 10px #706459;
-webkit-box-shadow: 0px 10px 10px 10px #706459;
-moz-box-shadow: 0px 10px 10px 10px #706459;
}
Note: you may adjust the pixels size to be greater or less than what I have here. Also, the hex number can be modified to suit your color scheme. I use my eyedropper tool on my mac to get the hex code of the background color, then go a few (or more) shades darker on the color grid. I used this code for the SmallBiz Theme from Expand2Web, it may vary slightly for other themes.
Please be in touch if you have questions or need help.
Thursday, April 5th, 2012
It is not a secret that web designers are getting fined for using images on their websites and blogs that have copyright protection. The use of images is a tricky one, which I explored a bit recently in another blog post: Using Images From the Web On Your Website & Blog Posts.
We would never walk into a brick and mortar establishment and take a CD, video or piece of art. Yet in our current digital age using something that we have found on the internet doesn’t match the sinister definition of stealing. In reality someone else owns that image and I know that you, like me, want to figure out how to do the right thing. So, I have turned to my peer group (and online colleagues), at the Expand2Web Experts Group.
This post is a compilation from members in the group as we address the issue of using images on our WordPress Websites and Blog Posts. (more…)
Friday, March 30th, 2012
Friday, March 23rd, 2012
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
The SmallBiz theme comes with a built in Contact Page form. This video shows you how to modify the text and add a link by editing the Contact Form Page template (contact_page.php). (more…)
Friday, January 6th, 2012
I am going to show you how to edit the CSS file of the SmallBiz Theme for WordPress to change the background color of the four feature boxes on the homepage of the Rotator or Rotator-Video Layout.
To do this, use your favorite ftp client (Text Wrangler for Mac users or Filezilla for PC or Mac’s are both free to download). Navigate to the layout and look for CSS file of the layout you are using, it will look something like this: (more…)
Friday, January 6th, 2012
Monday, January 2nd, 2012
I am going to show you how to edit the CSS file for the SmallBiz theme for WordPress mobile homepage which will allow you to change the default color of the header & the font style.
For my client, Cassy West, a real estate broker in Marion, MA, I wanted to do a little customizing to her mobile layout, changing the color of the titles from black to white. (more…)
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
I am going to show you how to change the color of the default header in the Mobile layout of SmallBiz WordPress theme from Expand2Web.
Login to your WordPress site and navigate to:
Dashboard >Appearance >Editor >CSS
Copy and paste this code into your CSS file:
#headerstrip{
background:#000000;
} (more…)
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
The SmallBiz Theme from Expand2Web has the Arial font installed by default.
If you would like to modify the font, ftp into your website:
/public_html/new/wp-content/themes/smallbiz/css
open the CSS file. Change Arial, Sans Serif to whatever font family you would like. (more…)
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
“More kids know how to use a smartphone than tie their shoes.” Google.
Are smart phones as ubiquitous as shoes? If mobile use is even CLOSE, then it is time to get a mobile version of your website.
My favorite WordPress theme, SmallBiz, is mobile ready. What this means is that there is a designated section for uploading your mobile content, a space for a link to your Google maps and the ability to uplaod an image. The process takes only a few minutes and will make a huge difference in the ease of use by your clients.
Google is uber focused on mobile and has this site, HowToGoMo.com you can enter your sites url and it will show you what mobile visitors will see on the site. It also asks you a few questions about the site and will give you a rating from 1-4.
Sunday, December 4th, 2011
I am a virtual fan of snow! To get this gentle snowstorm on my site I used the Tribulant Software plugin called Snow Storm.
If you need some holiday decorating ideas for your WordPress website, please be in touch with WordPress Web Designer Eileen Lonergan, 508.317.7355.
Sunday, October 30th, 2011
Monday, August 22nd, 2011
I really like the look of clean background with the header and navigation bar extending the width of the screen. I used this technique for a WordPress Site that I recently built for Ram’s Spinal Care. Dr. Ram is based in Butler PA and treats his patients through the non-surgical method called DRS Protocol.
I built the website using the Classic Layout with Video, which is one of eight layout choices from Expand2Web’s SmallBiz Theme.
To create this background I wanted to match the exact colors of the header background and the navigation bar. I use Photo Shop Elements for graphic work, so I created a new file, selecting transparent as the background layer. The key to achieving this look is in the height, the width can be incredibly narrow, as with the Small Biz theme Background uploader you are able to select repeat and align so the slightest sliver of background is all that is needed.
I used a width of 100. Then I created a layer that is 170 pixels high, I added in the same color as the header background. Then a second layer was created at 30 pixels high, the exact color of the navigation bar. The remainder I left transparent. I saved this as a jpg and uploaded the background, and viola – a nice wide looking top that stretches the width of any size screen or browser window.
If you have any questions, please let me know. If you are curious to learn more about DRS Protocol, visit the video library on Dr. Ram’s Parikh, D.C.’s website.
Pro Tip: To examine the background image on any website simply right click on the page. You will link to another screen that has the image, right click on the image and you can save it to your hard drive, upload it to Photo Shop and customize the colors.
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
I first began to understand the power of QR codes when reading my friend Eamon’s blog post on vintners using wine labels as part of their social media strategy.
There is no doubt that QR codes are a big deal in marketing today, not just for the brands but for the consumers. QR codes make it easy to bridge online information accessed from the offline world through the use of smartphones and other mobile devices.
I have recently begun to see custom designed QR codes, which means, if you are sporting the traditional black and white you are yesterday’s news!!
This site, Custom QR codes, has a terrific portfolio, but may be out of my budget.
I found Paperlinks.com which is free, and although aesthetically can’t match what MTV has got going, there are some super cool features! If you scan my QR code on the left, you will not only get my phone number and email address you can add a custom introduction, images, comments and full contact details, including a link to activate a phone call.
QRStuff.com has a color picker, so you can customize the look to match your brand identity.
Mashable offers a great post How to Make Your QR Codes More Beautiful
I am always on the lookout for the latest and greatest (and most affordable). If you have any suggestions, I would love a comment below!
and another on 15 Creative QR Codes.
Monday, July 25th, 2011
googleCards is a google+ wordpress plugin. It adds a widget to your blog that will display a link to your google+ profile so people can add you to a circle (follow you). It also displays your name, profile picture and the number of people who have you in circles.
Friday, June 24th, 2011
eileen@eileenlonergan.com