What are the best WordPress sites? Putting the community in my WordPress community chapter.

by Tris Hussey on March 9, 2010 · 6 comments

in Books, Using WordPress, WordPress

The final chapter of Using WordPress is all about the WordPress community. We all know that the WordPress community is fantastic. The forums, email lists, IRC, WordCamps, everything shows the strength of the WordPress ecosystem.
I can’t think of a better way to really show off the community than to ask the community for suggestions of great WordPress sites.
Yep, the last chapter of my book is going wrap up with a community-assisted section.
Please leave your suggestions for your favourite WordPress sites (not running WordPress, but talking about WordPress) in the comments [...]

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Appearances can be deceiving-Things I’ve learned about WordPress 3.0

by Tris Hussey on March 7, 2010 · 5 comments

in Books, Using WordPress, WordPress

Did you hear that sound? That low, thunking kind of sound? Yeah that’s the sound of a writer working on a book about WordPress banging their head against a wall (or desk). In case you didn’t know, book publishing timelines are rather long. Not as long as say, Microsoft OS releases, but typically longer than the release schedule for WordPress. Using WordPress is slated to be release in July (feel free to pre-order now), and in case you hadn’t looked at a calendar it’s March and my first draft of [...]

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Automattic’s Sphere of Influence is Going Beyond WordPress

by Tris Hussey on March 4, 2010 · 0 comments

in Social Media, Web 2.0, WordPress

Automattic scooped up another very talented person recently. Ian Stewart of ThemeShaper and creator of the Thematic theme framework has joined Automattic as a Theme Wrangler. Sure big news for Ian, but why should this be something we all take note of? Because more and more Automattic is making slow and steady moves to become a company that could rival Google, Microsoft, or Apple in its importance to how we use computers and the Internet. See I read more into this short statement than just “I’m going to be working [...]

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Hide in the office (or work at home) and get more done

by Tris Hussey March 4, 2010 Books

I’m not a huge fan of working in offices anymore. Not only am I rather out of practice (only one year in the past 10 have I gone into an “office” everyday), but I find them one of the biggest anti-workplaces I know. I enjoy writing and working in a coffee shop more than an office. Why?
People.
In an office there are people (well, duh), but because there are people you have to abide by standard social norms. If someone calls your name, not responding is considered rather rude. Never answering [...]

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WordPress-powered Blogs Poised to Own Google Search Results

by Tris Hussey March 4, 2010 Blogging

There were two semi-related bits of news yesterday that have the potential to give WordPress-powered blogs even more of an edge in Google search rankings. Two small changes that are going to change how we find and use information, and it all comes down to one word: PubSubHubbub (PuSH).
First we got word that all 10.5 million WordPress.com blogs would support not only RSSCloud but also PuSH. That’s a lot of blog content there. Enough to make a serious difference on its own. At the same time Automattic released the PuSHPress [...]

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Is there a perfect blog editor? Does anyone care if there is?

by Tris Hussey March 3, 2010 Blogging

Very soon after I started blogging, I started using a blog editor to power up my blogging (and prevent the “aiiigghhh I lost my connection and my post!!!!” which was very common at conferences, still is actually). In those days I was using Qumana for the most part, which makes sense since I was a part of the company and helping guide the growth of the app.
For its time, Qumana was a fantastic blogging app. It was almost perfect (I was always pushing for more and better refinement), but Qumana [...]

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Olympic Lessons: Going All Out is Going for Success

by Tris Hussey February 22, 2010 Random Bits

I’ve been glued to Olympic coverage pretty much since the opening ceremonies. I’ve been following a lot of sports and watching as much as I can. During this time I’ve seen the entire range of human emotions. People winning and losing. Achieving their personal bests as well as performances they rather forget.
I paused to consider the success I’ve had thus far in life and the people I know who are also successful in what they do in terms of the Olympics. I’m pretty sure that the chances of me ever [...]

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The Rights and Wrongs of Learning and How We Need to Let Ourselves Learn

by Tris Hussey February 22, 2010 Mind Mapping

It’s pretty well known that I’m a huge fan of mind mapping and am a very visual learner. It’s also well know that school wasn’t easy for me growing up. Yes, I did well, but there were times I thought Chemistry and pre-calculus were going to be the death of me. Even through undergrad and grad school many things (again Chemistry) didn’t come easily to me. Oh how I wish I knew then what I know now about myself and my brain.
I wonder if I had been helped to hone [...]

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It’s Your Community Stupid

by Tris Hussey February 20, 2010 Blogging 101

Your ever wonder how people keep blogging for years? Decades? It isn’t because these people just never run out of things to say. Okay, maybe some of them don’t ever run out of things to say, but for the most part I think it’s the community they build around their blogs that keeps driving them. Community doesn’t equal traffic either. Community can be the loyal following of a few people who comment on most of your posts. Who inspire you and help refill the creativity well when it runs dry. Community [...]

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How the Mighty Have Fallen: b5media Shutters a Prime Channel

by Tris Hussey February 16, 2010 Blogging

Wow times have changed. Once the world’s third largest blog network, b5media is certainly on a deathwatch now with today’s shuttering of the entire Entertainment Channel to launch Crushable.com—B5media To Launch New Celebrity Site Wednesday, Bathed In Fired Blogger Blood, Mass Firings At b5media: Entire Entertainment Network Shut, The end of b5media—and it isn’t the concentration of bloggers into a super channel that is the problem, it’s that b5 has lost vision and credibility in social media.
I worked at b5 as a blogger, channel editor, and then the training manager. [...]

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Heading into the Home Stretch with Using WordPress–Watching for WordPress 3.0

by Tris Hussey February 16, 2010 Books

I hit a big milestone tonight with Using WordPress, reaching the 75% mark finishing writing chapter 13 tonight. I still have to format them in the Pearson Word style, take some screenshots, and record the audio-video parts, but the hardest part is done. This book has certainly been a whirlwind thus far, a huge difference from Create Your Own Blog. There is a bit of an unknown to manage–when WordPress 3.0 comes out and how much of the book will I need to update.
I knew this would be part of [...]

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