الجمعة، 10 مايو 2013

What Is a CMS? By Roger J Webb


A CMS, or Content Management System is defined by Wikipedia as
... a computer system that allows publishing, editing, and modifying content as well as site maintenance from a central page. It provides a collection of procedures used to manage workflow in a collaborative environment...
They provide a mechanism whereby anyone, irrespective of his or her knowledge of computer languages such as HTML or CSS can create a sophisticated site and invite friends, colleagues, of people with a shared interest to add their own material.
Back End
In the back end of your site - the end that only you and your co-administrators see, the CMS provides the substructure necessary to build a commercial site such as:
  • Access control through 'login' and 'register' procedures
  • Logical data organisation allowing visitors to find what they want or need quickly and intuitively
  • Menus Searches and links
  • Blogs, forums and comments
The Front End
The visitor to your site sees none of this. What he or she sees as a single integrated webpage actually consists of:
  1. Articles - the main body of text and pictures - your content - that you and your visitors add to the site

  2. Blocks - usually part of the side-bars, header and footer that may include snippets of content but more often contain functional content like your login block, menus, special offers etc. Blocks - particularly menu blocks - often appear on several pages and may appear conditionally - ie the login block may disappear once a visitor logs in.

  3. The Theme which controls the webpage's look: the width and location of the sidebars, the fonts and colour of the text, the artwork in your header, the overall colour scheme
Of course, you don't have to make all these links, the software searches the data base for the elements of a page, sorts them, combines them and presents them on the screen. You simply generate the content.
WYSIWYG and Wiki Sites
Modules and eCommerce
  • WYSIWYG is an acronym for 'what you see is what you get'. It is the function that allows anyone who can type in a word processor to cut and paste material into your site - provided he or she qualifies through the login system.

  • Wiki sites are sites, like Facebook or Wikipedia, where the content is generated by the visitors. CMS sites allow your site to be a Wiki.Many eCommerce sites are in fact CMS sites; some with the community aspects suppressed, others with them intact. In neither of the CMS packages we investigate, 'Joomla' and 'Drupal' are the eCommerce packages part of the core download, but both can be extended quite simply by downloading additional eCommerce Modules.

  • Modules extend the functionality of the CMS core. Some modules allow you to create picture galleries, others help with the Search Engine Optimisation, others add commercial capabilities.

  • eCommerce modules such as Drupal Commerce provide a full commercial capability with Shop Front with Ubercart, Shipping, Stock Management, Coupons, File downloads, PayPal, and many more...
Roger Webb is a retired CEO from Small and Medium Sized (SME) companies in the UK and Continental Europe. In thirty years' experience at life at the top he has been instrumental in turning around and setting up a number of specialist subsidiaries in Europe, Africa and beyond, in every case producing stable profits in some of the most testing corporate environments imaginable.
Finding retirement a bore, he set up two social networking sites gathering up the business experience and knowledge of their members and visitors.
The first, http://computer-virgin.net deals with the issues raised when a newcomer sets out to start a new business from scratch.
The second, http://mywebtrade.net builds on the first and covers the issues specific to on-line business.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7136288

WordPress CMS - The Features and Benefits of Using a Customizable Platform By Pradip Srivastava


In this highly competitive world everyone wants to design their website which will look different from others and will be cost efficient and easy to use. It should also be quick to download with simple instructions on how to use. If you are looking for such a platform then WordPress is the right place to look. It is a web development free open source software of content management system. It was developed by Matt Mullenweg on May 27, 2003. This is used for creating blog and websites using plug-in architecture and a template system available in its core package. It is one of the best CMS software with over 60 million users using this for customizing their website in their own way.
WordPress allows the user to some basic features:
  1. Themes installation- The themes allow the user to install themes from its directory and bring in a fresh look to your sites. Themes that are available are- Coraline, Suffusion etc.
  2. Plug-in installation- It is an important feature of WordPress, through plug-in architecture a user can change the functionality of the basic structure provided in this open source software in a more sophisticated form and also allows WordPress customizing. Some of the plug-in that are available are - Tumblr Importer, WP Super Cache etc.
  3. Widgets- Widgets are usually used for adding functions to the site such as slide-show and it can also be used as small blocks on-screen such as clocks, event countdowns, daily weather etc.
  4. Comments - your visitors like to connect with you and leave their comments on the blogs and other services the liked or did not like. The owner of the site has the control in his hand to enable or disable the comment posts.
  5. Full User RegistrationWordPress has a built-in user registration system allowing people to register themselves with the particular site also write posts and comments. The site owner can block this comment page for non registered users.
  6. Multiple Authors - WordPress has an advanced user system allowing multiple users to edit and publish content.
  7. Easy Installation and Upgrades- Installing WordPress is extremely easy and hardly takes any time. Now even upgrading it to the next version is also equally easy.
WordPress has an effective e-store feature too which are as below:
  1. Automatic instant digital product delivery.
  2. Encrypted Product download link.
  3. Variation control for digital product.
  4. Automatic Link Expiration.
  5. Ability to offer multiple file downloads per product.
  6. Customers can use Multiple Payment Gateways and can pay via PayPal, 2-Checkout, Authorize.net or a manual process.
  7. Mysql Database driven.
  8. The WordPress e-Store Admin can see the Customer Database (When a Customer purchases an Item his/her details are stored in the database).
Another benefit for opting for WordPress is its online community and forums which can solve your queries and issues. WordPress is not complicated like other CMS. WordPress today is used by business houses, entrepreneurs, internet marketers, direct sales professionals and others. It also helps in creating an e-commerce site with shopping cart and payment gateways.
Today WordPress is one of the fastest and user-friendly development tools which can be easily installed and for being an open source CMS it is easily available to anyone. WordPress blogs and websites can be used as a commercial platform for internet marketing and can also be very valuable for the development of your company. The installation of this software is free and takes just few minutes to install. As new versions of WordPress Open Source CMS are being upgraded therefore the software has been designed keeping scope for future up gradation. The latest WordPress version is 3.3.1 released on January 3, 2012.
Red Chilli Media has gained remarkable position in the website designing and development industry. Its service package is inclusive of Custom web designing, website development and Search Engine Optimization.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7116081

Joomla or Drupal - The Entrepreneur's Choice By Roger J Webb


Joomla and Drupal are the most commonly used open source content management systems and both are used in thousands of sites, many of which would not, at first sight, be seen as CMS sites.
Structure
Both share the same basic structure with:
  1. A core containing the main workings of the CMS, its infrastructure and most of the' sine qua non' of a structured site
  2. Menus and information structure
  3. Access control and security
  4. Content generation facilities
  5. Modules and Plugins extend the functionality of your site so that you can do things not included in your core. The 'Superfish' module creates menus that expand to show sub-menus when touched by the cursor.
  6. Templates control the appearance of your site, controlling layout, colour schemes, fonts etc.
Joomla has a larger, more inclusive core meaning that you need to upload fewer modules, and when you do need an additional module the process of uploading is simpler.
On the other hand Drupal has more modules available allowing a greater range of functionality.
You might think that Joomla, being more inclusive, has the advantage in the early stages when you can do more in the core, whilst Drupal has the long run advantage.
Intuitive
By intuitive we mean doing what you expect it to do. That of course depends on what it is you expect it to do, and the logic of some elements of both packages defies normal day-to-day logic. For instance both Joomla and Drupal default to non-search engine friendly urls.
It's a technical issue, but very relevant. The URLs of your pages should be as simple as possible, "yoursite/yourpage" so the search engine can read them.
User friendliness
On the face of it Joomla wins hands down on the user friendliness count. Its core is larger, meaning much more can be achieved with the core package, and the procedure for uploading modules, plugins and templates is much simpler for the user. Unfortunately simpler for thus user invariably means more complex for the system and I have always found the uploading process flaky.
The use of modules etc. on CMS sites, particularly the open source sites, has always provided discipline issues with modules often lagging behind core upgrades.
In general, and despite the clumsier uploading processes I find Drupal superior in this aspect.
Content
The critical element for any new starter on the internet and particularly in CMS sites is 'how easy or difficult is it to create content', and at this very basic level the advantage has to be with Joomla. Straight out of the box, and with no IT skills a page can be created by simple typing. The border of the Article Text box allows you to create a wide range of textual content including bold, underline, headings, lists etc.
The Joomla system for inserting images is definitely better than the Drupal equivalent.
However, and at a later stage, any serious site builder will want to learn a little HTML and if this is the case might be wise to go with Drupal from the start.
Multisite
It might seem a strange consideration, battling as you are with getting your first site up and running, but Drupal has a facility not offered by Joomla. In Drupal you can run several sites on the one core and modules set.
As a matter of personal choice I think Joomla definitely has the edge at the entry stage, but when your needs get more sophisticated Drupal is more flexible.
Roger Webb is a retired CEO from Small and Medium Sized (SME) companies in the UK and Continental Europe. In thirty years' experience at life at the top he has been instrumental in turning around and setting up a number of specialist subsidiaries in Europe, Africa and beyond, in every case producing stable profits in some of the most testing corporate environments imaginable.
Finding retirement a bore, he set up two social networking sites gathering up the business experience and knowledge of their members and visitors.
The first, http://computer-virgin.net deals with the issues raised when a newcomer sets out to start a new business from scratch.
The second, http://mywebtrade.net builds on the first and covers the issues specific to on-line business. This article is one of a set for newcomers to the CMS scene.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7151284

Simple and Effective WordPress Website Development By Johan Neslen Ferink


When starting a company one of the first things that will come to mind is creating a website that will link the outside world to your products or services. If you're new to developing a website, you're going to want something that is simple to create and maintain as well as being effective on the internet. WordPress website development is a great solution that many businesses have implemented today. This platform offers an easy way to customize a website that best suits your business needs. Being an open source management system WordPress creates great flexibility for business owners to design their website that specifically caters to their businesses online development initiative.
The market is full of WordPress website development specialists that can help you to make tools that will matter most on your webpage such as customized themes as well as easy-to-use templates. If you already have a website, they can also help you to re-organize you page into an original portal that mirrors your company's style and your overall marketing objectives. Besides the ease of using the WordPress platform there are many other benefits for companies looking to develop a name for themselves online.
When you think about web development, the first thing that may come to mind is cost. Many would think that in order to create a unique and effective website, you will have to shell out a lot of cash that in many cases you don't have. Many business owners who have chosen WordPress website development have actually saved money. WordPress has inexpensive options that allow you to create a great website that your customers are happy to use time and time again. Find out how you can get your idea across without spending a lot of money by calling a WordPress developer.
Developers love to create a website that can be created easily. Some other platforms create a lot of hassle as well as a lot of time to create the ideal page. If your professional has to spend a lot of time creating a webpage, that may mean more money for you to spend. With WordPress, developers are able to design an attractive and user-friendly site very easily.
It is important that when you begin to think about creating your website that you remember your customers. Not only do you want to create a page that is easy to navigate through, but you want to also create a page that protects your customers' personal information. You want to make sure that your customers feel safe to put such personal information into your database. WordPress website development can offer your page unique security features that will protect their personal information and passwords, and protect them from spam.
WordPress is probably most beneficial in its helping your website to implement search engine optimization. Once you go live, your WordPress website development will begin to send you innovative ideas to get your page noticed. It has been known to greatly increase the quality in internet marketing. If you hire the right team of developers, they will utilize a series of principals to create a properly working WordPress site that can be optimized to appear on many search engines. With the proper positioning on major search engines, you are able to reach thousands more customers each and every day.
Looking for a great team to offer you WordPress website development that is cost effective and professional? You can approach Turboecart.com for information on how to get started.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7145831

How To Get Your WordPress Site Up And Running With The Essential Plugins By Greg Rickard


So you've got your domain name and hosting and have installed WordPress for use as your CMS. You have your "wp-admin" login and are in the Dashboard area.
What next? How do you get this thing up and running as soon as possible?
The first thing to do is delete the sample Page and the sample Post. Just plain old delete them. Click on Pages on the left there in the Dashboard and you'll see the sample page in question. Delete it and repeat the process for Posts. Great.
Next, in the Pages section again, create a new page titled Home and click Publish over there on the right. You can also type My First Page or something like that in the body area, then click Update where the Publish button once was. We will use this as the home page of the site very soon.
Next, click Plugins, Add New. In the search box, type "Tinymce Advanced".
It will come up at or near the top of the results. Install it, find the Settings section of Tinymce, then right down the bottom tick the box that says Stop Removing P and BR (paragraph and line breaks). Save the changes and you're done with that.
The next plugin you'll need is WordPress SEO by Yoast. Search for and install it. You'll see that it appears at the bottom-left of your WordPress dashboard. It will have a heading, SEO. Click that and go to Permalinks.
Under Permalink Settings, tick the top one that says Strip Category Base. Go to the bottom and Save your changes.
Next, go to XML sitemaps in the SEO menu, just above Permalinks where you just were. Tick everything there except for Posts and Pages, Save and you're done.
Next plugin you need is Shareaholic. This is used for putting social media buttons on your site so people can share and like your content in their Facebook Newsfeeds, in their Twitter accounts and so on.
It comes with a fairly easy to follow control section of it's own that gives you lots of options. The plugin is also known as Sexy Bookmarks.
For visually-appealing photo effects, install the Lightbox Plus plugin. There's a bit of a learning curve with it but if you know a bit of HTML it will be very easy and the plugin has it's own help website, as do the others mentioned.
Lightbox is the effect you see on some sites where you click a photo and the screen goes dim, with a full-size photo overlay appearing. Very slick.
It's just a matter of wrapping the img tag with an a href tag to the same image address, but including the rel="lightbox" attribute. For those familiar, it means the image will become a hyperlink, just linking to a Lightboxed larger image.
The image that appears on the page should be smaller than the linked Lightbox image. This can be achieved using the width attribute within the img tag.
Next, go to the Settings menu at bottom-left of the Dashboard, then click Reading.
Under Front Page Displays, select a static page. Click next to the Front Page dropdown box and select Home, the page we created earlier. Save changes.
Next, go to Discussion in Settings. Untick the top three, at least for now, then Save. This will disable comments from site visitors and other spammers. When you are ready to deal with it, you can simply come back and enable those options.
Finally, go to Permalinks under Settings and select Custom Structure. Put the following in the space provided:
/%category%/%postname%/
... exactly the same as that. Save and you are done.
That is a relatively quick and easy way to configure WordPress and have the necessary plugins in place.
When you view your site you will see the Home page you created, which you can now edit as you like.
I would recommend becoming familiar with custom menus as the next step, as it will allow you to control the order of pages in your site menu, using an easy drag-and-drop organizing feature.
Greg Rickard is the owner of http://www.grwebsites.com, an Australia-based service helping small business owners getting a website online for their businesses.
Specializes in WordPress CMS installation and optimization, with links to logo and cartoon mascot designs.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7146040

Structuring Your Joomla Site By Roger J Webb


Once your site grows to more than half a dozen or so pages you will need a logical data structure so that your visitors can find your way through it. What seems logical and natural to you may seem confusing to your visitors who may be at the early stages of researching their needs.
Reverting to my search, earlier this year, for a wood burning stove I had to learn a complete new vocabulary before I could make a reasoned choice, and although I did this by physically driving round the available suppliers, I was still astounded by the number of issues involved.
  • Stove output - measured in kilowatts
  • Stove fuel - wood or dual-fuel
  • Stove dimensions
  • Stove material - cast iron or steel
And that's just for starters.
Don't Make Me Think
One of the first principles of web design, after the 'three click' rule, is the 'don't make me think' rule. Your site must lead your visitors step-by-step to their destination without imaginative leaps and without having always to head back to your home page before setting out on the next journey.
Structure in CMS Sites
One of the strengths of CMS sites is their ability to attract content notwithstanding the IT skills or lack of IT skills of the contributors. In fact many CMS sites are deliberately set up as 'Wiki' to attract visitor contributions.
Whilst you might give visitors permission to add their own material in the form of blogs, comments, forums and even original articles, you would not give them access to your menu structure. They need to categorise their own input so that it will appear in an appropriate place on your site.
Our Own Categories
We like to set up genuine sites as we assess products like Drupal or Joomla. In our case we were setting up a commercial site designed to bring new internet entrepreneurs together with the people that can help them get up and running. So we have three main categories
  1. About Us: general pages about the site, and us as owner/operators.
  2. eEnrepreneurs: people who need help to get an eBusiness up and running.
  3. eProviders: people who can provide that help.
Sub-categories
Within these categories we have sub categories. Taking the eProviders main category we have:
  1. Content Providers
  2. Website Providers
And within Content Providers we have
  1. Copy Writers
  2. Image Providers and Manipulators
Setting up your Joomla Categories
  1. Login to the Back End of your site (yoursite/administrator>
  2. Click on the Category Manager short cut.
  3. Click on 'Add a New Category'
  4. In the 'Title' field write "eProviders"
  5. Click on 'Save and Close'
  6. Click on 'Add a New Category' again
  7. This time type "Content Providers" but this time scroll down to 'Parent"
  8. Scroll down within parent to reach "eProviders"
  9. Click on 'Save and Close'
Now you can carry on by adding "Copy Writers" with "Content Providers" as its parent.
Roger Webb is a retired CEO from Small and Medium Sized (SME) companies in the UK and Continental Europe. In thirty years' experience at life at the top he has been instrumental in turning around and setting up a number of specialist subsidiaries in Europe, Africa and beyond, in every case producing stable profits in some of the most testing corporate environments imaginable.
Finding retirement a bore, he set up two social networking sites gathering up the business experience and knowledge of their members and visitors.
The first, http://computer-virgin.net deals with the issues raised when a newcomer sets out to start a new business from scratch.
The second, http://mywebtrade.net builds on the first and covers the issues specific to on-line business. This article is one of a set for newcomers to the CMS scene.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7151321

Member Retention: Welcome Procedure By Rebekah Zobel Jones


When someone new joins your membership site, how do you respond? I'm sure you have at least a welcome email through your autoresponder and they probably receive a receipt for their purchase. But what else do you do? Starting off the relationship right is a great way to build the connection and keep the member coming back for more. Changing up your welcome procedure can be the perfect member retention strategy. Here's some things you could consider:
  • After Registration Page: In WishList Member, you have a great and often overlooked opportunity to build that relationship from the get go. By crafting the perfect After Registration page, you are able to share information with your brand new member -- on a one-time basis. This page only shows up when someone initially joins your site. It's a great place to repeat the features and benefits from your sales page, with links to where that content is. So if they joined your site to access a certain item, they can get to it immediately. If your site has information for different categories of folks, share "getting started" links and "advanced" links so they know where to start with your site. You can do the same on the After Login page; perhaps adding a "Dashboard" with sections for the various topics of your site would meet the needs of your members.

  • Phone Call or Snail Mail: Receiving a personal phone call or note through the mail in this era of online communication can be quite a surprise. Consider setting aside some time to call your newest members, welcome them to the group and ensure that all is going well for them. If a note is more your style, make sure it's not a form letter but a handwritten card. I received one just last week from a client and it made my day!

  • "Getting Started" Webinar: If you have members joining your site on a consistent basis, you may choose to have a regularly scheduled introduction webinar. This would give new members a chance to interact with you, as well as learn to navigate the site and where to find specific information. For a self-study program, you may want to make a video that shares how to get started.
As you can see, the theme here is reaching out personally to your new members, restating how welcome they are and ensuring that they find exactly what they need right away. They say that "you never get a second chance to make a first impression" and that's never more true with online business!
Rebekah Zobel Jones is a Membership Site Creator, Coordinator and Consultant. Learn more at http://myfabulousva.com


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7163669

Joomla - Your First Article By Roger J Webb


Now, at last, we're ready to post our first article, but first one last issue to resolve.
Posting to the Home Page
The home page of most social networking sites consists in part of a number of 'teasers' enticing the visitor to click through to the article proper. Joomla uses the first sentence or so of the article for this purpose so you need to ensure that those first one or two critical sentences are a draw to the article itself.
This is a limitation on your style but perhaps also a useful discipline.
Creating Your Article.
In Joomla it is very simple. You:
1. Log in to the 'back end' of your site (mysite/administrator);
2. Click on the 'Add New Article' short cut;
3. Type in your article 'Title';
4. Ignore the 'alias'
5. Set the 'category', (part of the set up procedures);
6. Leave Status at 'published,' access at 'public ' and ignore 'Permissions';
7. Set 'featured to 'yes' and 'language' to all
8. Then type in your test and when you've finished click 'Save and Closed' at the top-right of the screen.
It really is as easy as that!
Improving the Presentation
Before you leave this screen look at the top of the 'Article Text' box and note the familiar text setting facilities, 'bold', 'Italic' etc and perhaps the most useful, 'Format'. Hovering over this box reveals a drop-down menu with
1. Paragraph
2. Address
3. Pre-formatted
4. Heading 1
5. Heading 2 etc
Use these to break up block of text and add interest to the page.
Adding Pictures
At the bottom of the 'Article Text' box you will see 'Image' button - very useful. To use it
1. Place the cursor on the place in the text where you want the image;
2. Click on the 'Image' button;
3. A new box appears, click on the 'site' directory link and then 'browse';
4. You will find yourself in the directory system of your local computer, locate the picture you want and then on 'open'
5. You will be returned to the 'site'. Click on 'Start Upload' and then when the picture appears on 'Insert'.
Some Helpful Hints
Click on your picture, now inserted into the text, and then on the 'Insert Edit Picture' icon (second row, tenth icon at the top of the 'Article Text' box and:
1. Ignore 'Image URL', you already have it;
2. Add a description if you need one;
3. Add a border (1,2,or 3) if you want one;
4. Set the alignment as 'right' or 'left' to keep the images at one side of your text;
5. Set the dimensions of your picture, choose a standard width - we use 180px - to keep your site looking neat and tidy;
6. Put the number '12' in the 'Vertical Space' and the 'Horizontal Space' to leaver a white space between your picture and your text.
And you're done.
Now click on 'Save and Close' to save your work.
Roger Webb is a retired CEO from Small and Medium Sized (SME) companies in the UK and Continental Europe. In thirty years' experience at life at the top he has been instrumental in turning around and setting up a number of specialist subsidiaries in Europe, Africa and beyond, in every case producing stable profits in some of the most testing corporate environments imaginable.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7157654

8 Secrets of Learning CSS Fast By Victor O Onwong'a


The easiest task in web design is styling with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). When you are starting out to learn how to use CSS, you may be overwhelmed by the quantity of materials to learn. If you take a look at the overall picture you may want to change your career. If you look at CSS as a composition of modules which make the whole picture, then you are on an interesting and fulfilling career. We are going to take a trip through this journey together. I will share with you the secrets of learning CSS that sailed me through the whole process.
Secret number 1: Before you set off to learn CSS. Understand what CSS is, why CSS is important, what you will achieve by learning CSS. Having these factors in mind, you will be able to appreciate CSS and understand every aspect of it with ease. Learn the basics of JavaScript and server side scripting languages. Once you know what they are and their uses, you will know what you will use CSS for and what CSS will not be able to do for you.
Secret number 2: Learn and understand HTML and the DOM model. You will never be able to have effective use CSS if you have no understanding of the DOM model. With proper knowledge of the DOM model, you will be able to apply selectors, which is the main part of the two part CSS syntax, well. With Knowledge of HTML and the DOM model, yu will be almost halfway in learning CSS. You will never go wrong when it comes to applying selectors with that knowledge.
Secret number 3: In any application scenario, each piece of CSS syntax is divided into two parts; Selector and Declaration. Ensure you understand the syntax structure before you start learning the application. The first thing to do when using CSS is to identify which HTML part of your webpage is affected. The affected CSS forms the selector, what you want to change forms the declaration. You can have several selectors with one declaration or one selector with many declarations. As a beginner, be in the habit of using only one selector with all its declaration at one point. As you advance, you can then be able to combine the selectors.
Secret number 4: The art of learning CSS is divided into two key areas; learning to use the CSS elements and CSS best practices. If you give the two areas a go at the same time, you are likely to be overwhelmed and give up the race. Start by learning the elements. When you are comfortable with the use of the elements, you can then start learning the best practices for each element. Best practices are all about giving the site visitor good usage when they visit your site.
Secret number 5: Break down the entire CSS into modules. Identify all the areas in CSS and then divide them into segments. Have a look at the best designed websites. This will give you a sneak preview of what you need to learn. You will also get a clue of what you will need to cover and how to do it better. Consult an expert to guide you through CSS features that can be achieved by CSS and what features are achieved by other web application technologies. One way of breaking the CSS into modules could be: Selectors, layout, text modification, transformations, transitions, form styling and effects. Learn each module to completion before you move to the next module.
Secrets number 6: When you have completely learnt the elements that make up CSS, learn the best practices. The most important best practice is the use of the reset stylesheet. Each browser has its default CSS which is used in the absence of any CSS. Resetting the CSS will give you an almost neutral result when it comes to different browsers. Learn on how different web browsers render each CSS element. That way, you will know how to handle any inconsistencies that may appear in some browsers.
Secret number 7: Visit blogs and forums to learn what is trending. The best way to learn anything is to learn it from experts. Do not be afraid to copy and use any CSS that is given out freely to learn. Copy and paste the codes and run it to find what effects is brings on the webpage. Play around with the code to find the changes it brings. You will be able to learn and grasp more using already created codes.
Secret number 8: As you learn, create pages applying the CSS you have learnt. Improve the pages with any new knowledge acquired. You will be able to hold all you have learnt when you apply it well. Show out your webpages to others so that they can critique to help you improve your skills. In all you do, remember that you are doing everything for the user. The result should most importantly please the site visitors.
The 8 secrets of learning CSS fast will give you a guideline to Start. The duration of learning depends on your learning goals and how firm you stick to your goals.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7156493

Advantages of Using the WordPress CMS System By Abhishek Kumar Khandelwal


  Before looking at the advantages of using the WordPress CMS system, let's take a look at what CMS platforms are meant to be. Basically, these platforms are free software programs that help people create and manage their websites and blogs. They make it easier to organize content using great templates.
One of the most popular and trusted CMS platforms used by top bloggers and web designers is the WordPress platform. It's completely free, easy to use and flexible to meet the requirements of the person building the blog or website. These amazing features have made it the most used CMS system in the world.
There are plenty of advantages of the WordPress CMS system; if you know them you would be able to use these features effectively. A few of the important features include:
Ease of installation and use
When you use WordPress, you won't have to install the entire website from scratch as it comes along with pre created templates and plugins. WordPress is really easy to install and you could easily do it without the need of following any instructions or manuals. Once you get the hang of it, you could take it to the next level and use your programming skills to enhance the websites that you've created as well as fix any issues that are already present.
Complete customization
The websites and blogs that you set up using WordPress are completely customizable and you could change each and every aspect of it. There are plenty of free templates available and you could even buy some or create one from scratch to perfectly match your needs.
Cool Plugins
No one would be able to use a website that doesn't have any useful plugins. Even text needs plugins right? WordPress had thousands of free and premium plugins that you could use to monitor and drive traffic to your website. If you have something in mind, you could even hire a developer to create a custom plugin for your website.
Permalinks
URL's to all the articles on your website are termed as permalinks. WordPress helps create permalinks, links that search engines love. Therefore, WordPress also helps you with SEO, thereby helping your website rank higher on search engines.
Social media integration
Social media is something that everyone needs, gone are the days when it was optional. If you don't have the funds to advertise online, you would need to make effective use of social media to drive quality traffic to your website.
WordPress has made it possible to integrate social media to your websites and even allows people to log into your member accounts using their Facebook, Twitter and Google accounts.
These are just a few of the many advantages that the WordPress CMS platform offers bloggers and developers.
If you're looking for amazing client file upload plugins to enhance the looks and functionality of your website, you would love the plugins available. Check out the WordPress file upload plugins


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7173765

WordPress Plugins - What Are They? By Abhishek Kumar Khandelwal


WordPress is by far one of the best CMS systems that you can find today. Earlier it was a simple blogging platform. But, now it's exceeded this, and many huge companies and websites use WordPress for their work.
Since many people use it, there's a growing community as well. With the crowds come the developers - they've created custom plugins for WordPress - some are free and some you would have to pay for.
What are they?
When any platform is first built, the original developers have something in mind and they've created the platform to suit what they think most people would need. However, not everyone thinks the same way and therefore, people would want newer stuff - rather than the using the same basic features of the package. That's where plugins are needed.
Therefore, you could say 'Plugins are a package or code that increases the functionality of an existing platform'. WordPress is open to plugins and you're free to add as many as you like. They've made it really easy to add your own plugins.
Adding them to your WordPress Site
You could install your WordPress plugin using the administration area on WordPress or automatically using the directory which is hosted by WordPress. If these options don't suit you, you could also try doing it manually via FTP or as an upload.
There are very few cases wherein you would have to install new plugins manually, however with the development of CMS and developers creating new plugins this option is needed more and more.
Kinds of Plugins
There are basically two kinds of plugins free plugins and Premium Plugins. The Free Plugins are created by everyday users like you and me as well as professionals who are offering a free version of their plugins that have limited features.
If you want to download free WordPress plugins all you need to do is search for them on Google or on the WordPress plugin directory.
Premium Plugins on the other hand have to be bought from the developer's website itself. If possible hire a developer to create a custom plugin for you. This way you're ensuring that yours is unique and at the same time you get everything that you need.
Using Plugins, you can transform your WordPress site from a simple blog into a business website, with member logins and various other cool features. There's no limit to what you can do once you've got the right plugins for your site.
If you're looking for amazing client file download plugins to enhance the looks and functionality of your website, you would love the plugins available Check out the WordPress download plugins


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7173553

Why Choose WordPress When You're Looking for a CMS Platform By Abhishek Kumar Khandelwal


WordPress is definitely the best CMS platform existent today. Ask any blogger on the web and that's the answer you'll get. But, what makes WordPress special? Why is it regarded the best?
There are plenty of reasons as to why this platform has defeated others and has stood the test of time - only growing stronger as the days pass. Let's take a look at some of the reasons that have made this happen:
It's Free to use
Since WordPress is open source software, it's completely free to use. Most of the other CMS platforms available are either bad in what they offer or charge users a fee. In addition to the paid platforms, you would come across some that offer a huge array of features for free, but there would be a few features that only paying members could use - very often at least one of the key features that one needs to set up a successful blog or website are included in the paid features.
Easy hosting for your WordPress sites
Most of the hosting companies support WordPress and therefore it's extremely easy to find the right hosting plan for you. That's not all, most of the popular and best hosting companies have made it even easier for people using WordPress as a platform to host their WordPress site with the click of a button - specific WordPress hosting options is what you'd find. So, if you've got a WordPress site you could have it up and running within minutes of finding the right hosting plan.
Cool Plugins
Plugins are pieces of software or codes that are used to expand the features already available. WordPress has thousands of cool plugins as well. Of course a majority of them are premium plugins and you'd have to buy them in order to use them. But, there are quite a few amazing plugins available for no cost at all - cool right?
If you've got something special in mind, you could easily hire a programmer to create plugins for your specific needs. So, complete customization is possible when you use WordPress.
SEO - Even after the Penguin and Panda
Everyone looking for visitors to their website knows that Google is the largest source of Traffic and search engines in general are the prime sources. WordPress sites are SEO optimized and therefore search engines love them. There are plenty of plugins available just to optimize an existing site to suit the changing algorithms of Google.
There are plenty of other features and benefits that make WordPress one of the best CMS platforms available, you'll never really know why unless you give it a try.
If you're looking for amazing wordpress file upload plugins to enhance the looks and functionality of your website, you would love the plugins available. Check out the site and their Client file download options


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7173586

Put Your Idea And Creativity Into Your Own Newspaper Website With Newspaper Templates By Jhon Alester


Browsing through hundreds of websites and turning the pages of the morning newspapers might have brought you into the throes of exasperation. Things might not be as interesting to impress you or the quality of news articles may be boring. If you are interested to break the monotony and at the same time help the netizens and people around you, get newspaper publishing software and get set to bring about a change in the way newspapers are being perceived.
No more will the reading of news articles in newspapers or magazines be boring. Going through the online newspaper templates, one would find it great to look at in the first instance. By the help of a newspaper CMS, the articles and blogs can be put in a very systematic manner. CMS is a software program that allows people or website owners to arrange and manage their contents.
By means of a newspaper CMS, people can put in interesting news articles, without having to write them in any language programs such as Java or HTML and directly upload the articles. You can also add photos and other videos with the help of such CMS, which is bound to make the online newspaper interesting. Through the use of such magazine templates or online newspaper templates, the looks of the newspaper is quite attractive. You can select the designs of the pages and the backgrounds. Even, different colors and designs can be put for different themes of the pages.
Dullness and monotony of printed newspapers can be completely changed when the news is read through such website builder. When the newspaper website is opened, people can easily browse through the pages and they will find each page interesting because there are many online newspaper templates. Those who are publishing them can give a personalized touch to the papers. It can be made to look like a blog page or dedicated articles can only be inserted through website builder.
Newspaper publishing software is a great way to unleash your creative side, and compensate for the things which are missing in the daily morning newspaper. Although newspaper hosting is being done for the same papers which are being printed, yet this particular option of using templates and specific software is a very different approach. Without the need to have computer programmers and website designers, the online newspaper software gives a chance for even the amateurs to have their own website and that too, something which is a great looking newspaper.
There are many people who have the tinge of creativity in them, but are not getting the right platform to showcase their talent. If you are one of such dreamers, then your dreams are sure to take wings in the creation of a beautiful magazine that is dedicated to something which you always wanted to do. Here in the magazine, you can put your own blogs, articles, discussions and also publish things which are close to your heart.
A group of friends can start such a magazine or even a newspaper that can make a difference in the society by taking up social causes, which are plenty in number, waiting to be brought into the public opinion. It is true that internet is a great medium to create a change in society, and by using the online newspaper software, you can be the instrument of a great change.
TechCruiser offers most comprehensive and affordable Start Online Newspaper, Newspaper Software Website Builder Newspaper Hosting.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7183999

Joomla Content Management System By Vojislav K Kovacevic


Joomla is a content management system (CMS) used to build all kinds of websites, from simple blogs to complex websites. It is very well organized and easy and intuitive to use once you get to know it a little. It has a great organizational structure and is made to be a serious CMS platform for websites.
Extra functionality in Joomla (for example newsletters, ecommerce, registrations etc.) comes from joomla extensions which can be either plugins, modules or components.
Today many people turn to CMSs because they get their websites get done faster and cheaper, and many programmers concentrate on writing for CMSs.
Many of the extensions for joomla are free but some are commercial, though once you purchase them you can usually reuse them, plus if the specific functionality you are after is not listed in the extensions directory, there are many companies and individuals offering custom made joomla plugins, modules and components.
With a CMS (especially Joomla) it is very easy for the site owner to manage their site on their own, to add content, edit content, with with the extensions installed in the backend etc.
Joomla also allows various degrees of access to the website backend, so if you have a big website and you want to have certain people only be allowed to change / edit / add certain things, that is possible by assigning them access level. For example one person with access to backend may be allowed to edit the content of some articles but not add new articles, while some other person might be able to edit existing articles, add new articles and delete articles as well.
It is also really easy to get started with joomla, made new menus, add content, install extensions etc. so I encourage you to give it a go if you are into making websites. IF you've used other CMS platforms you will surely come to appreciate the power of Joomla CMS.
Due to its great organization and the fact that it was built as a serious CMS to be used as a platform for websites, as of this writing nearly 3% of all websites are running on joomla.
Don't be misled by the popular opnion that joomla is hard to learn or that it is intimidating to new users, anyone can learn the basics of joomla easily and be on their way to becoming a professional joomla user and website developer.
If you would like to learn joomla and master making completely custom joomla websites, visit http://www.psdtojoomlavideotraining.com for complete video training


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7186690

Top 20 Things YOU Can Do With WordPress By Pragati Bidkar


WordPress CMS is one of the most popular blogging platforms today. It lets you do a lot of cool things at the click of a button. I was literally blown away when I first moved to WordPress after being on Blogger for 4 years. But that's not all. The biggest advantage is that you can set WordPress up so that it looks like a business website - yes, an official, prim and proper looking site. And you can still have a blog as part of it.
Although there are hundreds of features WordPress provides you to build a fully functional website, here are my top 20 -
1. Choose a free theme that's great for your business.
2. Add your own attractive header to your website
3. Add your own logo to brand your website
4. Add a footer that is visible on every page
5. Create pages and allows nesting within pages
6. Create blog posts and schedule them
7. Create different categories for blog posts based on topic
8. Assign various tags to blog posts to make them search engine friendly
9. Change the look and feel of your website by choosing various background colors, font colors etc. depending on your theme
10. Assign a special tag line for your website
11. Choose and assign a time zone for your blog
12. Choose the layout you want - one column, 2 columns, no sidebar etc.
13. Choose the way your links appear in search engines( permalinks)
14. Create a separate summary or excerpt for blog posts
15. Add pictures or videos on your pages
16. Create forms, portfolios, photo galleries etc.
17. Add Social Media icons so that people can follow you
18. Add share buttons so people can share your content
19. Add various plugins to add functionality to your website
20. Choose the appearance of a page
The list can go on but I do not want it to be overwhelming. This might seem like a lot, but it is really easy once you get the hang of it. As long as you can operate a word processor or a computer, you should be able to grasp WordPress pretty quickly. And then all you will have to do is choose the right theme.
But remember, it is a good idea to stick to what a theme can give you when you are a beginner. With hundreds of free themes out there, you can surely find one that suits your purpose most. And then it is just a few hours of work to build your first website.
This might sound unbelievable but it is true.
Visit our website to get this free WordPress guide that teaches you how to build your own website step by step. You will have an attractive functional website up in no time.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7195075

Choose the Best CMS CMS for Your Website - WordPress Vs Joomla Vs Drupal By Aryan K


Well, you are familiar with WordPress and heard a lot about it. It is easy to use, fast and SEO friendly CMS but, you may have heard about other CMS and their features too. Some of them are Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, eZ Publish, ExpressionEngine, Typo3, SilverStripe, Concrete5, Textpattern, Symphony, MODx, CMS Made Simple etc... There are many more but, most popular CMS are: WordPress, Joomla and Drupal
Every CMS has it's pros and cons and it all depends upon for whom is is built for? For example WordPress is built for bloggers and writer in mind and thus very friendly for them but not much developer friendly.
Although it is possible to make a complex site with WordPress but, Drupal may be a better guy for this job. On other hand Joomla has user friendliness and and provides mature programming approach it has several drawbacks. IMHO Joomla has a better administration interface than Drupal but not better than WordPress, whereas Drupal has better programming approach than Joomla and WordPress.
So, WordPress could be your choice for a simple, sleek and creative site but, for a highly complex Drupal or Joomla is the way to go. However it doesn't mean you can't build a complex site in WordPress but, it is a little painful.
WordPress is the most popular CMS and approx 14% websites are using it. Even some giant magazine websites are powered by WordPress. It also has tons of plugin-ins and free themes to use. It is the CMS of choice for designers and bloggers.
Drupal programming API is really awesome, and if you are a programmer you'll love it. For non-programmers is very troublesome. Administration is really confusing but you can use some other admin themes like RootCandy to make more easy to use yet it can't beat Joomla or WordPress. I didn't make much effort to understand Joomla and WordPress interface, it was pretty clear for me, whereas for Drupal I had to watch several videos.
Drupal lets you create complex functionality but puts some limits on creative design. However you can use you HTML and CSS tricks to win it.
Joomla is also an excellent CMS but I have found it difficult to customize and it development it tedious if compared against Drupal. However I really like its administration interface. Joomla also has tons of matured plugins like Virtuemart for shopping cart.
So, do a little more research, give every CMS a try on you local system and go with the best-fit for your requirement.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7190953

Choosing The Best Free WordPress Theme For Your Business By Pragati Bidkar


WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems out there today. I love it because it is so versatile and yet easy to learn and pick up. You can choose the depth you need to go into depending on your need. Are you a small business owner in a hurry to put up your own website to advertise your business? WordPress is the answer. Or are you into handmade jewelry that you want to sell in your own online store? That is a breeze too with WordPress. Whatever your goal, it is very easy to get started with WordPress.
What is a WordPress Theme?
One of the main components of WordPress is a theme. A theme is like a house. It has its own design and features, and it also lets you add features to it. When you buy a house or rent an apartment, there are some things like the floor plan, lighting, fixtures, and appliances etc. that come with it. And then you decorate a bit, painting according to choice or adding pictures etc. But you chose that particular house because you liked the basic underlying structure and look and feel. You definitely are not looking to start building the house from scratch.
A WordPress theme is pretty similar. There are thousands of themes out there - some are free for use, and some you have to pay a pretty penny for. But there is a lot to choose even among the free themes. You can search for these themes based on your business category - food or restaurant, realty, eStore, Blog, Magazine etc. When you choose a theme that has been made for your niche (several are), you have chosen something that satisfies your needs about 70-80%. Sort of like your house. And the rest can easily be obtained by decorating or enhancing the theme.
Some of the enhancements you can add or change are headers, background colors, social media features etc. It is necessary to apply a good design sense because there is no limit to the various frills you can add. But you need to maintain a clear vision and choose only what is good for your business. Just as in life, clutter on your website can also be distracting.
The easiest way to discover some good free themes is search for terms like 'best WordPress theme', 'free theme', 'best restaurant theme', 'WordPress theme for estore' etc. I am sure you get the idea. Once you install a theme you like, you have taken an important step toward completing your website.
Learning Wordpress is easy with the right resources. Get this FREE WordPress guide and you can have an attractive functional website up in no time. You can also watch our training videos on YouTube and let us know if they help.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7199535

Dreamweaver Breaks The CMS Barrier By Theresa C Bossan


Dreamweaver has held one of the top positions globally as a specialized HTML editor that does significantly more when compared with any other HTML editor. For years, Dreamweaver fans have loved an ever-growing array of capabilities which make their general tasks less difficult. Some of the latest functions are:
*Multiscreen Confirmation Tool-This particular capacity enables you to make sure your page layout is also a benefit to individuals with alternative displays. You will see how your web page will be in pc tablets, cell phones along with other devices.
*Dreamweaver CS5 is prepared for HTML 5 as well as CSS 3. This program not merely can handle these innovative flavors, the LiveView function is now able to support the QuickTime Video tag.
*jQuery Equipped-You can include all of the interactivity you like together with Dreamweaver CS5. The JavaScript recognized standard nowadays is jQuery and the latest version of Dreamweaver can help you develop your site content.
*Enjoy BrowserLab-This element will help you to see what your web page will render as with a range of different internet browsers. This is the best insurance with regard to your designs.
*Android and iOS applications a piece of cake!Dreamweaver CS5 will permit you to not just build, but also to package applications for both Android and iOS together with the brand new, open source PhoneGap add-on.
Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of CS5 will be the ability of making use of CMS software. This task has been extremely difficult for the majority of site owners in previous years. CMS software is inclined to utilize many scripts for a single web page. Editing each and every file in Dreamweaver generally brought on clashes and inconsistencies that made the task time-consuming and demanding. Dreamweaver CS5 has united these issues and found a simple solution. .
Dreamweaver can now connect with your hosting server records, in live time, and allow you to develop the necessary documents for that web page simultaneously. You can even revise these in design mode. The new Dreamweaver not simply recognizes the most frequent CMS, it will comply with the specifications used in those CMS applications.
Simply because Dreamweaver is such a vast system with so many functions, experts suggest newbie or rookie site owners to get started slowly and gradually with the program. Rate your familiarity with the software and make use of the great number of cost-free Dreamweaver courses and manuals obtainable throughout the web.
Dreamweaver tutorials bringing a great help of producing CMS. Create your own website now by starting to learn Dreamweaver.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7200835