Recently it seems that those wonderful individuals who take the time to make plugins for WordPress (and even Blogger) must be on summer vacation (or skiing if it’s winter where you live). Whatever the reason, I’ve had a heck of a time finding a plugin (other than WordPress’ own – which is third party and not at all accurate if you self-host).

But today I’m making the rounds of the blogs in the network, updating each with the latest, working one called SlimStat.

A simple but powerful real-time web analytics plugin for WordPress. It doesn’t require any subscription to external statistic services: all metrics are kept on your local server, private and accessible to your eyes only. Features the famous one-click install-and-go. Results are shown in real-time! (Description courtesy of WordPress)

It’s new, so I’ll have to see how long it lasts. But it’s “light weight” and even if you haven’t gone to the 3.0 level yet (we haven’t and for a reason), it works like a charm.

So if you’re a stats nut, and really want to know who, what, where, when and how, give it a whirl

This morning, after reading the news of the day, and of course stumbling several of the news items of import, I also started stumbling (using StumbleUpon of course) one of my favorite categories, Web Design.

Immediately, I came across two that I would like to draw your attention to:

o CSS Basics
o Nice and Free CSS Templates

The first is a lesson-by-lesson, 18 “chapters” leading you by the hand so you can create your own website stylesheet. You can also choose to download all the chapters, or even print them all out (put in a binder, sometimes it’s easier to reference points via print).

The second web site actually gives you 11 pre-made stylesheets. From a single box on a page to a full four-column layout, all your css stylesheet components are right there! Of course this would be the easy route to take, however, I urge you to also visit and study the principles behind doing anything online.

Sure there are WordPress, Blogger, Moveable Type, and other blog frame works from which you can work. There are also numerous html editors one can use to create web sites themselves. I, personally, believe that everyone needs to know the underlying reason and/or methods used that make the magic of a blog or website happen.

Ten years (plus) ago, I knew absolutely nothing about web page creation. In fact, my first “web site” consisted of nothing but banners centered down a page. At the time, I was thrilled to have accomplished even that much. But, as we all should know, that’s just not going to cut it out online. Visitors need a sense of uniformity and the means to navigate a website or blog. Knowing how to do this yourself, independent of the program you use, really understanding the coding involved in linking up, inserting images, creating the framework page, and navigation are but a few of the “I really need to learn this” strategies I would recommend you learn.

Then, you are no longer confined to a web site given to you (or one you pay for or use for free). You have learned a new, and highly valuable skill. In fact, for job seekers or those looking to add to their present skills, learning and implementing coding can be a good job skill enhancement.

Coding by hand is an art. Coding an entire website of say over 100 pages without understanding how it all comes together is insane. After visiting the above, you might also like to check out an article I wrote quite a while back titled, How to Learn HTML Without Even Trying.

Go for it! You can do this – it’s fun and you will never be at the whim and mercy of others. I’ve seen people pay exorbitant prices for web pages (websites) not worth a fraction of what they spent. When you learn a new skill, duh, you grow. Today is your day to do just that

Earlier today, a good friend of mine was struggling to get high quality ads placed inside posts (not on the sidebar) of WordPress. While it’s easy enough to incorporate photos and the like, and get your text to wrap around said items, two highly used sources (videos and ads) continue to drive people crazy when it comes to wrapping their words around them.

YouTube videos and ads from Pulse360 are just two examples. Often one is forced to leave blank space and start the next paragraph underneath. No amount of playing around with obvious methods seems to satisfy your requirements. However, thanks to remarkableblogger the solution is super easy. (It just takes persistence using the search engines, yes your answer is out there.)

Here’s a screen shot of the highlighted code you would enter around say a YouTube video (you can visit the remarkableblogger above to actually see its placement): (more…)

I’d like to call your attention to a news website (the banner has been in my sidebar for a few months now) that anyone who fancies him or herself to be a TRUE news fanatic should explore. The WorldNewsVine is strong and growing even more so minute by minute.

The WNV is (for now) actively seeking bloggers who are:

o  Already familiar with WordPress in an MU setting
o  Competent writers who will properly classify and tag their reporting, and
o  Ready and able to actively participate on an already-recognized, yet young-enough-to-grow-with, news website.

Obviously they are seeking individuals who “report the news as they see it.” Regionally, locally, throughout the globe. Above all, professional. Now by professional, I mean:

o  You need to know the difference between fact and fiction
o  Be willing to research what you write, and
o  If you’re so inclined, receive true Press Credentials – an honest to goodness press kit.

With full press access, you’ll be able to report on local meetings, State or Province happenings, get interviews, etc.

So if your thing is, or has always been, to be a REAL reporter, check into joining the team at  WorldNewsVine.