I really haven’t seen a tool that can do as much as this DVD Software says it can. I’ve used free solutions, online solutions which either produce a low quality end-product, or just don’t have the availability of the formats I would like.
Aside from the long list of audio and burning formats that it can convert to, it has a video encoder that supports almost any type of format that you desire. For example, do you want that .MOV file turned into a .mpg file? Simple.. Just used the MOV converter thats also built into the program.
Don’t take my word for it, heres a picture of the interface of the application:
I haven’t personally tested it, but it looks like it could be really useful for anyone that edits videos/music.
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There is a tag in your Wordpress header file that generates it’s version number, every time someone loads the page. A simple view of the source code will reveal that you have Wordpress 2.x. If you’ve chosen not to upgrade because you like 2.3’s interface or have some plugins that will not be compatible, your don’t want people (ahem, hackers) knowing that do you?? I thought not.
The Simple Fix:
- Download your current theme’s “Header.php” via FTP, or edit it in the Wordpress Theme Editor.
- Open it up in Notepad++ (That I Recommended Last Post) and find the line that says:
meta name=”generator” content=”WordPress <php bloginfo(’version’); >” / <!– leave this for stats please –>
- Delete it and save your file.
- Your Done! Wasn’t so hard was it?
I actually knew about this fix for a long time, but I even still had it in my theme. Doh! 
Affiliate links are hard to get clicks on. Rather than giving you the money for referring the potential visitor, they just type the URL in and save that money for themselves (I’m even guilty for that). I however, have found a plugin that allows you to change any URL you wish to a desired name. For example: I can link to my friend Yan’s blog (Thoushallblog.com) by creating a custom redirect for him.
Original URL:
http://thoushallblog.com/why-you-should-invest-your-time-money-for-a-custom-wordpress-theme/ (A Guest Post Of Mine)
My Custom URL:
http://bradblogging.com/go/yan
Not only will this plugin convert your links, it can disguise affiliate links too, to seem more natural. The plugin is called GoCodes and is free for Wordpress. I highly recommend it for any outbound URL that you would like to shorten/cloak.
Personally, I would rather click on a link that looks customized and short than a 20 digit referral number. (Perhaps it makes the link seem more natural??)
The only downside to this plugin?? Rick-Rolling (No.. The Gocodes Link in this post is not a rick-roll link.. I was thinking about it though) got a whole lot easier
I saw this new plugin in my blog dashboard this morning called, “Liz Comment Counter“. It’s description is as follows:
Liz Strauss Comment Counter is a highly configurable badge (very similar to the Feedburner one, except it’s more configurable) to show off the number of comments your blog has.
Now, I know the author took a while to create the plugin to open up to the Wordpress community (And to get some trackbacks/links am I wrong? ) which I think is good. But seriously.. What is the use of it?
It’s supposed to replicate Feedburner’s interface to show R.S.S Subscribers (which helps you in turn, gain them to your feed - read more about that here) but what does the plugin accomplish? More comments? A better reputation because people have chosen to say their piece on your post?
If I saw that on Problogger or Shoemoney.. I would say something along the lines of:
Wow. They have over 1 million comments* over a course of their entire blog life…
* - Not actual number, just my exaggerated estimate.
I think this plugin would result in sidebar/above the fold clutter that really doesn’t help your readers or visitors see or accomplish anything. Whats your thoughts?
Hope you all had a great weekend. This post is dedicated to Teknopsis for asking the question on a post that I did a couple weeks ago (We Want Your Questions).
He asked:
I want to make a ’sidenotes’ section to my blog, is there a wordpress plugin that does this? Or should I just code it myself?
My Answer:
There are numerous ways you can do this. Depending on how good you are with CSS, I will list the easiest ways to do this at the start.
- Twitter Updates. Simply sign up for a free account and insert the widget. Any updates you give will appear on your sidebar. If you’re a C.S.S whiz, you can style it to match your blog.
- Wordpress Widget. - I personally don’t use them on my blog and my custom theme doesn’t support them. Nevertheless, I believe you can add a “Text” widget. Whenever you wanted to update it with a new note, you could just edit it in your Wordpress Admin.
- Wordpress Plugin. - A simple Google search revealed a plugin that syndicates feeds. Perhaps if you only want to show links, this would be the way to go.
- Coding Your Own Plugin. - Never tried this… Imagine how much traffic you would get to your site if you made a type of thing like that had a WYSIWYG editor and would update whenever you want
Hopefully this has helped Nottin’s problem. If you have a Wordpress/Blogging question, feel free to ask me via email or on the post in a comment.
Although this security issue may be fixed in newer versions of Wordpress, your truly screwed if your password gets cracked by a hacker. Since Wordpress only requires one to get all the administrative privileges to your blog, it would be best to limit the /wp-admin/ folder to just yourself (by your IP address, see below). How you might ask? With .htaccess files.
The Fix:
*Note* - If you have a dynamic IP (meaning that your IP changes from time to time), this method will not work for you.. You could block yourself out of your own blog!
1. First, Determine your IP address from any free service, such as: WhatIsMyIp.com
2. Second, Download your .htaccess file from your blog server in the /wp-admin/ folder (Do NOT Replace it on your blog directory.. Only in the Wp-Admin Folder) and open it with Notepad++ (A free utility that makes coding and code editing a breeze).
3. Add the following code to the file:
AuthUserFile /dev/null
AuthGroupFile /dev/null
AuthName “Example Access Control”
AuthType Basic
<LIMIT GET>
order deny,allow
deny from all
allow from xxx.xx.xx.xxx
</LIMIT>
4. Replace xxx.xx.xx.xxx with your IP address you found on the WhatIsMyIp.com website
5. Save the file and reupload to your server, and you should have full access to your blog, but nobody else will because they don’t have your IP.
Now you have one less thing to worry about in terms of security, hope you’ve enjoyed this Saturday tutorial!
Credits: http://www.reubenyau.com/
Disclaimer: Brad Blogging is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within the site. While the information contained within the site is periodically updated, no guarantee is given that the information provided on this website is correct, complete, and up-to-date.
This is a guest post by Yan from thoushallblog.com - A Blog that helps Beginners to blog better. I’m inviting you to join our friendly community to share and learn the best of blogging tips.
Getting targeted traffic has always been a topic of discussion in the blogosphere. However, many of the discussion revolves around the on-site optimization. Little has been said about the off-site method of gaining exposure and driving new traffic through Guest Blogging.
Guest blogging is a under-used method adopted by bloggers to increase blog traffic where bloggers write posts to be published on other bloggers’ blogs.
With guest blogging, not only will the host’s blog receive new fresh content from a different perspective, the guest blogger will gain a link and the all important exposure to their target audience.
Today I’m honored to present to you the 5 reasons why I think guest blogging is good for you and why you should start today.
1. Extra Exposure
When you write a guest post, the host will allow you to insert a blurb usually at the beginning of the article where you can introduce yourself and what your blog is all about. Guest blogging is a great way to introduce yourself and your blog to a new set of audience. Obviously, the amount of exposure you get will largely depend on how popular the host’s blog is. Needless to say, the more popular the blog is, the higher the barrier of entry is.
2. Increase Traffic
With the extra exposure, you will inevitably stand to gain increased traffic to your site. It’s an excellent way of attracting new audience to your site and convert them to be your loyal readers. It all boils down to the quality of your guest article and the kind of niche audience you are targeting. In this case, choosing the right host is equally important in choosing the right article.
3. Gain New Subscribers
If the readers like your article, they will probably be more inclined to visit your site and eventually subscribe to your RSS. Simply said, guest blogging is probably your one-time chance to showcase your knowledge and your writing style to pitch the already existing audience to become your subscribers.
4. Permanent Backlink
Arguably, the primary reason why bloggers are interested in guest blogging is to gain natural one-way link pointing back to the author’s site which is valuable from SEO standpoint. Hence, not only guest blogging is an excellent way of getting your name (and your blog’s name) out there, it is a sure-fire way of getting permanent backlink for better search engine ranking as a result. If outbound links are allowed, maximize the opportunity to link to your best articles which are relevant to the post.
5. Improve Credibility
Credibility leads to trust and as we all know it too well, it’s one of the hardest thing to earn when it comes to blogging. No one cares about your opinions till you have that certain credibility. Now imagine that you have ever made several appearances on John Chow or other recognized blogs, you will certainly gain authority and credibility among other bloggers. In this way, guest blogging is opening the door for you to build your online profile.
Conclusion
Guest blogging is a win-win situation for both guest blogger and host blogger. It helps to grow traffic for both blogs and strengthens blogger relationships. Don’t be afraid of asking other bloggers (including me) for the opportunity to write a guest post. All you need is to do everything in your power to sell yourself well.
I’d like to thank Brad for the opportunity to post on BradBlogging. If you enjoyed this post, please do visit Blog for Beginners - A Blog that helps Beginners to blog better.
*Editor’s Note* - Thanks to Yan for this great article about Guest Blogging. We currently are accepting new guest bloggers for articles that they think would benefit the readers here at Bradblogging.com. Drop me an email if your interested.
