Ask the audience: How crowdsourcing can help you tailor your messages

I'm giving a presentation on WordPress to our local Web Developers group in a few weeks. In the past I've given 60 min. talks geared towards users, but this is aimed at a more technical audience. I'd like to cover installation, theme development, plug-ins and other functionality, but I also realize that 90 min. isn't really enough time to cover the breadth and depth of the WordPress Codex. So I want to focus on whatever points would be most useful to a Web developer (someone comfortable with HTML, CSS and a bit of PHP) who is about to do his/her first WordPress site.

If you're thinking about using WP and haven't yet, what would be helpful to you? Or if you're already comfortable with WordPress, what do you wish someone had told you before you did your first WordPress installation? Thanks for your input!

In return I received 13 answers suggesting topics including:

§  Security

§  Search Engine Optimization

§  Parent/Child Themes

§  Theme Frameworks

§  Spam prevention

§  Hosting Requirements

§  Theme Customization

§  Client Training

§  Categories

§  Plug-ins

Trying your hand at a little Web development work? The task probably seems pretty daunting, as experienced developers are typically entrenched in a sea of scripting languages that make the layperson wrinkle their eyebrows in utter confusion. But hey, anyone can do it if they set their mind to it—and if you set your mind to learning one language at a time, it’s more than do-able for the average tech enthusiast who has an ample amount of fortitude.

Fortunately, the same technology that has made Web development such an essential part of the world today has also made it possible for skilled development gurus to share their tactics with the world at large through blogs. And there are plenty of developers who have chosen to share their hacks and tricks for the benefit of newbie developers. We’ve rounded up 25 of the most useful resources for beginning developers which include tricks, step-by-step instructions and a plethora of other essential information. Most of these blogs talk in easy-to-understand language, so even if you’re not up to par with developer lingo and you’re trying to figure out how to code a specific project, you can probably follow along. Listed in no particular order of importance, here are 25 blogs we suggest for beginner developers. Oh, and a little bonus section with five useful tutorial sites.

Lotus – An Open Source Framework for Ruby

Some people think that working for free or for very cheap is always the same as working on spec. This is most certainly not the case, and here’s why: when you work on spec, you’re providing the same level of service that you ordinarily would charge for.

                       

This is bad. Really, really bad.

Designers who do this are not only devaluing their work, they’re also stunting the growth of their entire careers. When a client realizes that they can get thousands of dollars worth of work from you for mere hundreds, there’s a mentality that develops in their head about you, and about designers in general. Basically, they start to believe that your work just isn’t worth thousands of dollars, and you will be forever branded as a cheap, low-end designer.

Type design is visually complex as well as highly technical – however it is easier to begin making type now than ever, partly because of the availability of free tools like FontForge. FontForge is a free (libre) font editor for Windows, Mac OS X and GNU+Linux. Use it to create, edit and convert fonts in OpenType, TrueType, UFO, CID-keyed, Multiple Master, and many other formats. While being a handy tool with which to begin, FontForge is not just for beginners. It has an advanced toolset and is rapidly improving at the time this book is being written.

FontForge aims to offer technical help and general insight into planning a type design project, and also offers advice about how to make your workflow more efficient. If you wish to help them, you can contribute to making FontForge better by giving feedback or even by contributing content and fixes on GitHub.

The key, like being on a diet or pushing yourself to finish a long, tedious project, is to think of free or low-paying work as a temporary arrangement, rather than an indefinite circumstance. If you give it all away for free or for very cheap, or you continue working for low rates for longer than is necessary to build your client network, your clients will never consider you for higher level work.

Why would they? If you’re lodged in the client’s mind as a $200 designer, why on earth would they automatically think of you when they have a $5,000 or $10,000 project? It’s just not going to happen.

On the other hand, if you’ve been providing your client with an appropriate amount of work for that $200, and they know you’ve been holding back on certain deliverables, they’ll be much more likely to consider you for higher paying work.

Tips to Follow While Dating Online

Online dating sites serve as one of the quickest and easiest ways for one to get closer to a dream date. It is obvious that these sites work as online forums where men and women meet to visualize their dreams of finding the right match. Unfortunately at times, the end results are unsuccessful; however, it is important to note that in most of the cases people do manage to find their dream partner through these sites.

Through online dating can bring you many rewards, it can come with some risk factors, so you should stay a little careful and conscious. Here are some easy steps that you can take to enhance your security and safety while dating online.

Whether you are dating online or chatting with a person in a chat room, the first rule for online dating that you should always keep in mind is "Take it Slow".

Use Dating Sites That Are Safe:

There are many dating sites on the web, most of which ask you to begin by completing your profile. Before filling up the profile, make sure that you read the privacy policy of that website properly. Some people are not very honest; they don't give exact information about them in their profiles. Although, the experts ask you to stay honest because some people might stretch this fake truth a little.

Some websites have taken serious steps against these filthy acts. They are now making sure that people who are registering themselves is being honest. Before making a match, they are first checking the candidate's background. Always remember that online websites can find you a perfect match, but you need to judge him correctly. Make use of your common senses and take things a little slow.

Secure Your Identity:

Do not include your personal information on your profile, unless you know that the website secures all your information with itself. Never put out your phone number, your address or your real name on the profile, until the website you are using to date a reliable one. In place of your real identity, you can use a nickname because revealing personal information is not always a good idea.

Demand for a Photograph:

Appearance of a person matters a lot, especially when you are dating online. Picture of a person helps you a lot to decide whether the person you are talking to is the same one you see in the picture.

If he or she isn't sending you any pictures, stop corresponding with him or her. Do not think that the person you are talking to is always telling you the truth.

These are some important tips that you should keep in mind while dating online. Your love of life is in their on the web, you just need to search a little.