Tag Archives | tips

WordPress Recipes

Aug/24 in Web Development Tutorials

It isn’t often that I write up a post to highlight somebody else’s post – but this one is so great I had to share.  This list of over twenty WordPress recipes is a collection of code that anybody who deals with WordPress should keep close at hand.  Via this link you can find out how to:

  • Display Tags In A Dropdown Menu
  • Automatically Insert Content In Your Feeds
  • Display Most Commented Posts In 2008
  • Display Related Posts Based On Post Tags
  • Display The Future Posts
  • Randomize Posts Order

Plus a whole lot more.  That is barely scratching the surface.  You can check out the full collection here:

Also, for more WordPress code snipits you can use in your own layouts and designs, be sure to check out WpRecipes.com, another great resource for neat ways to modify your WordPress powered web site.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

3 Easy Tips to Help You Get Award Winning Support

Jan/09 in Hot Web Topics

Tech Support It is easy to go a little bonkers when dealing with technical support.  I’ve been in those shoes many times before, and I have worked as technical support in one way, shape or form for a little over half a decade now.  So how can you guarantee yourself a quicker and more reliable tech support experience?  Follow these three simple tips.

Gather Your Facts

The first thing you must do is collect as many facts about the problem as you can.  Be sure to write down dates, important information and anything else that might have happened before, during or after the problem took place. 

For example, if you were working on your web site, changed a template file, and then the web site wasn’t working, you need to be sure to write down the dates each change was made (the best you can), the files that were edited, what you did (if you can remember) and the error codes or problems you had afterwards.

Be Upset, Not Angry

It is alright to be upset when something is so bad, you have to go ask or report it to a support team, however getting angry isn’t going to help get the issue resolved any quicker.  I’ve seen many people who think, “Well, if I just yell at them enough – they’ll get the message” and that is actually the worst thing you could do.  Keep a calm head on your shoulders, and remember – even when asking for help – you’ll catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar.

Explain Your Entire Problem the Best You Can

You don’t have to write a novel about the issue, but do make sure that you explain your situation the best that you can.  If somebody request support, and just says – “Hey, (insert object here) is broke, FIX IT!” that is not going to cut the cake.  Present the facts that you have gathered in a way that anybody could understand it. 

You might have to write it, re-read it and make sure it makes your case.  Explaining things well the first time will keep you from having to go back and forth as the tech support worker tries to recreate the situation on their side, so they can find a fix for you.

If you can master those three things, then the next time you contact any support team for any reason, your situation is going to be a much better one indeed. You will get a better support experience (in most cases) and get the result you are looking for quicker as well.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Best of December 2008

Jan/01 in Odds & Ends

Wow, so this is the last best of post for 2008!  It was one heck of a good year here at Mitchelaneous – where we saw both subscriber and visitor numbers grow by leaps and bounds.  Here is a look back at the best December 2008 had to offer via your number one stop for geek candy, Mitchelaneous.com.

Hope you all have a great new year, and 2009 brings you all the good things you, want, need and love.  I’ll keep doing my thing here, day after day – doing my best to deliver you the best random geek candy from around the Web.

Also, be sure to check out the best web hosting podcasts of 2008 too!  Great list of great shows!

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Different Quote Level Colors for Thunderbird

Aug/13 in Desktop, Personal

tips_quotelevels Scrolling down a really long e-mail trying to sort where one message ends and another one starts can be a pain. Thank goodness though for this Thunderbird tip that will add different colors depending on the level of the quote you are at.

Just copy and paste this to your userContent.css file for Thunderbird:

/* Quote Levels Colors */
	blockquote[type=cite] {    color: navy !important; background-color: RGB(245,245,245) !important;
	}
	blockquote[type=cite] blockquote {    color: maroon !important; background-color: RGB(235,235,235) !important;
	}
	blockquote[type=cite] blockquote blockquote {    color: green !important; background-color: RGB(225,225,225) !important;
	}
	blockquote[type=cite] blockquote blockquote blockquote {    color: purple !important; background-color: RGB(215,215,215) !important;
	}
	blockquote[type=cite] blockquote blockquote blockquote blockquote {    color: teal !important; background-color: RGB(205,205,205) !important;
	}

There are a handful of other Thunderbird config tips and tweaks you might want to check out from Mozilla’s site too. This is the best one in my opinion though.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

10 Best Paint.NET Tutorials

Aug/07 in Desktop, Popular Posts

Logo3I have been playing a lot more with Paint.NET lately, trying to get back in tune with my more creative side.  One thing I never realized was there are a lot of great tutorials out there for it, but it is hard to find the best ones.  Here are the top ten best Paint.NET tutorials I have run across so far.

It is amazing how advanced Paint.NET has gotten over the years. Also, if your used to the graphic editor layout – it is really easy to pick up and use too.  Know of any other great tutorials?

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Don’t Be Afraid to Pimp Yourself on the Social Web

Jul/22 in Hot Web Topics, Personal

socialize As I remove MySpace and add Plurk to my own Mitchelaneous side bar, I thought this would be as good of a time as any to bring up the fact that you should not be afraid to socialize and meet new people.  Sure, some places build a fan following because of great content but great content alone can not win any popularity races. 

You have to get out there and proverbially pimp your goods.

Let people know at least a few places where they can follow you or be your friend, and they are given a few more “gateways” to get back to your blog and content.  Think of it this way, which am I more likely to be friends with:

  • The guy who’s web site I never knew about because he doesn’t push it out in the real world
  • The guy who is trying his best to make friends, and inform the public he’s out there and ready for his close up

I’m not afraid to mention anybody who wishes to can add me as a friend on:

Twitter | Facebook | Plurk | MySpace | Pownce | LinkedIn | Flickr

Don’t be afraid to promote your favorite social web site profiles.  By not doing so, you are missing a good chance not only to make a few friends but get some free press for your own web site.  Don’t be a wall flower, be that comfy chair everybody likes to sit on. 

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Voice Training Tips for Podcasters

Apr/07 in Hot Web Topics, Personal

I have more talent in my big toe...

Searching the Web for ways to make myself sound better when recording I ran into a lot of voice training tips for speaking and singing. Funny enough, some of the singing ones work too to help you sound better when recording a podcast (such as the Web Hosting Show).

Here are a few of my favorites:

Yawn three times before you start talking. Now I am sure there is some science behind this I don’t understand. I do have to say though it helps a lot, especially if you think you sound a ‘bit nasally when you record your voice (think Fran Drescher).

Hum to yourself for a few minutes, without having your top teeth touching your bottom teeth. Try going up and down in pitch and see if you can find the right tone for your voice that way. Try to stay natural though, or you’ll sound like your doing a bad Barry White impression.

Last voice training tip that I think a lot of people would get use out of would be to practice. Record yourself talking and see what you like or don’t like. Maybe you need to speak a little lower? Maybe you need to speak a little louder? Maybe you need to speak a little slower? Any long time listeners to my podcast can tell you I can get easily excitable – but I have been trying to do a better job at telling myself inside my head to sloow dooowwwn.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

5 Thing to Twitter About

Feb/27 in Online Apps

twitter I have friends that come to me and say…

"Ok Mitch, I got a Twitter account, now what?"

Many people look at Twitter and either don’t understand it or use it to give me a summary of what they had for breakfast (just in case you were wondering, I had toast). Here are five ways of twittering your way to success:

  • Share with me one of your bookmarks, or an article on a site you found interesting today
  • Grab a photo from your Flickr (or any other photo sharing service) site and link me to it
  • Plug your own blog, projects and work so I can check it out
  • Use a service like Twitter Feed to bring your other RSS feed content into your Twitter account
  • Invite your interesting friends, that you think should be twittering

If your looking for your first friend on Twitter feel free to use me:

http://twitter.com/mitchkeeler

I once was one of those people who thought that Twitter was nothing more than a waste of time. I am happy to say though I am a full fledged Kool-aid drinker now. Honestly I see no reason why any person or company shouldn’t be doing this. From a marketing stand point alone it is another great way to get yourself out there.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

WordPress Help, After the Install

Feb/25 in Web Development Tutorials

wordpress-logo It isn’t a big secret that I love WordPress and feel like it could be used for just about any project out there, blog or not. There are a lot of guides out there on how to install WordPress, but not many tell you what to do after you get it on the server. Now everybody has their own methods after a WordPress install of how to configure things but this is what I do.

Configure the Basic Options

First, login to your WordPress admin interface and click on Options > General and setup the General Options. Need to check and make sure your blog title and your addresses are correct. Next go to Options > Discussions and edit your comment and trackback settings. I like to make sure I get e-mailed when anybody leaves a comments, and I like for comments to be filtered through me before they get posted. With the plugins I’ll give you in a few hopefully we will get rid of the need for you to moderate too many.

Grab Your “Must Have” WordPress Plugins

Here are the WordPress plugins I like to use on the basic install of any WordPress powered site:

Update Your Permalinks for SEO Friendliness

Now you need to go back into Options > Permalinks and choose the Date and name based option then hit the Update Permalink Structure button. If your .htaccess file is set to be writable, then it should update it automatically. If not, then you can copy and paste the permalink code from WordPress into your .htaccess file.

Past this point, you may want to go check the rest of your settings, add a blogroll and configure your theme. I think I have gotten most of the important steps out of the way. If you stumble into any problems always remember to go check WordPress.org. They have tons of information on installs, backing up, upgrading and more.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }

Basic Podcast Tips from a Hosting Media Rock Star

Feb/20 in Personal, Web Development Tutorials

Sony Headphones SuckThe end of the month will be the Web Hosting Show’s third year of production. Hard for me to believe that hundreds of people have been tuning into me week after week, but I appreciate any and all of them more than they would ever know. To do my best to pay something back to the community I thought I would share some of the podcasting tips I have picked up on over the past three years so maybe you can get your own audio podcast project off the ground.

Try moving the mic around!

That is the number one audio recording tip I would give anybody. You would be amazed how differently you can sound depending on where the mic is. Most will tell you to put it under your chin so you don’t “pop your p’s” but for me, I like to keep it at a distracting eye level (that is with a headset mic).

Move in a little closer…

You don’t want to sound like you are in an empty room, echoing around – unless you are pretending to be the booming voice of god in your audio podcast. Make sure your close enough to the mic to where you don’t sound too loud but your not sounding too far into the background either. This will take some time to find the exact spot that is right for you.

Try to speak from the heart!

Having a guide or show notes is good for a base, but don’t be afraid to go off on your own. Often times I’ll pre-write my show notes and as I record get off when I had wrote down. Why? Well after hearing it out loud I think to myself, “Well it would be better if I go off in this direction instead”. Then I’ll update my notes later to reflect that.

Stick yourself in the Cone of Silence?

Try your best to eliminate any and all background noises. That means if you have a loud heater in the winter months, turn it off to record. If your air conditioner’s buzz is being caught by your mic, turn it off in the summer months. Suffer for your art so your listeners aren’t left wondering – what was that noise I just heard?

The last ‘bit of advice I would have for you is have fun! Don’t think of your show, audio recording or any other side project like this as a job. Treat it like a hobby. Audio podcasting might not be for everybody, but there is no way to find out if you like it unless you try. As long as you try to have fun with it, your listeners will pick up on that positive energy and will tune in again to hear more.

Read full story · Comments { 0 }
← Older posts Newer posts →