So here are a couple of websites I did circa 2002 to 2005. I think it’s fun looking at old stuff like this — I mean, these are whole screen screenshots, and they take up a fourth of my screen now. One of them is even from before I used Firefox?! Enjoy the time trip and have a laugh!
Releasing Functions and Shortcodes mu-plugin for WordPress Developers
So I am releasing a plugin for WordPress. It’s pretty simple and contains helpers, functions, and shortcodes I typically use in WordPress installations. Some useful stuff like phone numbers (which can change, and are a total pain in the butt when they do change). It’s honestly just been very helpful for me to be able to quickly clone this into my WordPress installs, so I figured if it helps someone else… why not. Download Plugin Why mu-plugin I figure a downloadable mu-plugin is probably better than something I put in the WordPress plugin repository itself — at least until I […]
Basic On-Page Search Engine Optimization for Web Developers
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is another discipline of the web — albeit one not exactly relevant to design or development. More broadly, SEO is “web marketing.” More narrowly, however, for your purposes as a web developer — SEO is simply the process of making your website more understandable to search engines. Even if you do not plan to be a web marketer, when you build a site you should usually adhere to basic SEO standards. This information is primarily relevant to on-page SEO. There’s such a thing as off-page SEO, too, where you focus on gaining links to your website […]
2015 Workstation Revisited
Upgraded my computer! Actually since my last hardware post I’ve pretty much replaced most of my computer… ASUS CM1740 MicroATX Case AMD A4-3400 APU (2.7 GHz) + EVGA 500B 500W 80PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V/EPS12V 500W Power Supply Western Digital Caviar SE 160 GB — Dead after 58448 hours and change powered on. Was starting to run way hot. It was at 58 degrees for absolutely no reason when I noticed and decided it had to go. :( 6 GB DDR3 RAM — Mismatched sticks, a 4 GB and a 2 GB. Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB Windows 7 Home […]
Looking for a New Job
So! It looks like my job is moving to Wayne, New Jersey. We’re currently in Kenilworth. The thing is — they can’t take me with them! Only a few employees are moving on to Wayne. So it looks like I’m looking for a job again after only ten months — not where I wanted to be! It makes me sad because I really like my coworkers (wrote two of them recommendations on LinkedIn!), everyone I work with is awesome. I also really liked doing what I did, of course… but that’s just the nature of contract work, too. Here’s to […]
My Start Hosting on Linode
So I’ve been hosting most of my sites forever on JustHost. I’ve basically never had a problem except when a bunch of sites aside from mine were down for a couple days. It’s cheap shared hosting and I’ve been here since 2009 without issue — so why move? Well. I wanted to learn more things about running a VPS, and setting up an actual server.
Basic Server Administration
The separation between server administration and web development is hazy to most beginners and non-technical folks alike. They are related and there is crossover (especially with the advent of servers specifically designed to run applications built on a certain technology). But rest assured — administering and maintaining a web server is generally a different skill-set altogether from web development. For a related analogy: the person who builds the fancy safety systems in a new car might not know the first thing about building the car’s frame. Nonetheless: as a web developer, you will benefit from knowledge of basic server administration […]
WordPress Content Syndication with FeedWordPress
I was looking for a way to easily move posts from one WordPress installation (hub) to another (spoke), without migrating or moving sites. The export, hub, or sending site is a private “author’s hub” where all posts are written. Import, spoke, or receiving sites are the actual blogs where the content goes public. The hub site needed to retain a copy of the post. Note: There are no SEO concerns here regarding duplicate content, because the sending site is private.
FOLAS Gets a New Website
Happy to announce that one of my local animal shelters has a new website! FOLAS has a complete site redesign live as of today. I created a new custom WordPress website for them after their old site was hacked. Read more in my portfolio!
Twenty
I’ve launched twenty sites since January 1st, 2015. Some of them were just adjusting pre-existing themes, so it’s not like I’m developing from scratch. Only three of them were totally from scratch. I’ve done them all alone, as far as design and development. Copy was generally done by someone else. Seventeen were from work, one is a non-profit (which actually has yet to launch, but is probably 90% done) I did in my spare time. Here’s what I’ve got: Custom Underscores blog-styled theme for dating site messages Custom Underscores blog-styled theme for celebrity images Custom Underscores private site for authors […]
