Customizing Twenty Fourteen (Take Two!)

Originally posted on The WordPress.com Blog:
Twenty Fourteen is this year’s default theme, and the first magazine-style default theme — something y’all were waiting for, judging by its skyrocketing popularity. We’ve already looked at how a few early adopters customized it, as well as how some bloggers have stripped it down for a minimalist…

Portfolios on WordPress.com

Originally posted on The WordPress.com Blog:
Creating a beautiful portfolio just got much easier: we’re delighted to introduce you to the new Portfolio Content Type. Portfolio Content Type Once enabled on your site, your dashboard gains a brand new “Portfolio” section, where you’ll be able to manage all your portfolio projects in one place, separate from your posts and…

The Top 13 Resources for Insanely Good Design Freebies

Everyone loves free stuff, right? From posh swag bags to ball game t-shirt cannons, freebies can run the gamut from smash to trash. From the thousands of links populating my Twitter feed every day, these sources constantly stand out by providing roundups of quality free downloads on a regular basis. Whether you’re looking for new, responsive WordPress themes or a selection of PSD logo mockup templates (as I used to create the Free Stuff graphic above), the following 13 design resources have you covered. Continue reading →

New Theme: Twenty Fourteen

Originally posted on The WordPress.com Blog:
For the first time ever, the yearly default theme for WordPress is ready to go before its namesake year begins. Consider it an early holiday gift from the WordPress community to you, a tradition we hope to continue for many years to come. Say hello to the default…

The $64,000 Question: WordPress.com or WordPress.org?

Originally posted on The Daily Post:
If you’ve been using WordPress.com for very long, you’ve likely run into some variation of the grand “com v. org” debate. And it’s possible that any explanation you received raised more questions than it answered. So, what’s the deal with the two WordPresses? What are the advantages of one…

SEO Basics for WordPress Users and Beginners

Reblogged from Collaborate with WordPress: According to SearchEngineWatch, WordPress now powers one-sixth of all websites. That’s a staggering number of sites and a massive achievement considering the wide range of hosting and development platforms out there. It’s a testament to just how beneficial, and easy to use WordPress as a CMS is. Continue reading →

Customizing Imbalance 2: The Patterned Plate

Originally posted on The WordPress.com Blog:
Imbalance 2 is a clean, modern, grid-based theme great for blogs, portfolios, and magazine-style sites — and one that easily transforms into a cheerful, mouthwatering food blog. Carrie of The Patterned Plate combined free theme options like a custom header, featured images, and footer widgets with font, color, and CSS…

How to Pocket Sweet Links to Fill Your Buffer

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? You’re browsing online and discover a fantastic article or post you’d love to read… later. You email yourself links daily, only to have your already clogged inbox receive dozens more emails… from you. You bookmarked a great video on your desktop earlier… but now you’re using your tablet before bed. This was me several months ago before discovering Pocket, a website/app combo that shifts your bookmarking into overdrive. Continue reading →

Happy 10th Anniversary WordPress: An Infographic

Ten years ago, Matt Mullenweg & Mike Little forked an existing blogging software to expand and improve upon, and WordPress was born. WordPress has since grown steadily into the amazing, free, open source blogging and content management system (CMS) that we all know and love. It dominates the total CMS market share at 66%, and powers an astounding 15% of all websites worldwide, including company sites for Pepsi, Ford, eBay, UPS, and The Wall Street Journal. Continue reading →

Customizing Comet: Before and After

Originally posted on The WordPress.com Blog:
Who doesn’t love “Before and After” home improvement shots? It’s always amazing to see how just a couple of changes, like a coat of paint or a quick do-it-yourself project, can transform a living space dramatically. It’s no different when it comes to WordPress.com blog themes, in which…

How to Create Your Own Custom Social Media Icons Widget

WordPress.com’s functionality is awesome for getting a blog up and running quickly, but sometimes simply displaying a row of social media icons on your site can be a challenge. My free theme, Fresh & Clean (now retired), didn’t include any icon placements that i could take advantage of, beyond using the default Twitter feed and Facebook Like Box widgets. Here’s how you can get around this and create a selection of icons customized for your personal social media presence. Continue reading →

Beyond “Contact Me”: Engaging Your Readers with Forms

Originally posted on The Daily Post:
Bet you never knew there’s a whole world of creative possibilities hidden right in your blog’s contact form. Get ideas for new posts, go deeper than just “likes” and comments from your readers, and have some fun (really!), all with a few simple tweaks. Used in new and creative…