FACES of WORDPRESS: Alisha Lampley

alisha-lampley-origami-owl

Coily Locks is more than Alisha Lampley’s blog; it’s a perfect example of the power and gravitas that WordPress provides for its users. “I started this blog as a way to share my natural hair journey, the craziness that is motherhood and my love of food, fashion and most importantly…wine!”

“I was on Blogger,” she says. “And then I joined a couple of blogging groups. A lot of people told me that if I wanted to make money and monetize, it would make more sense to switch over to WordPress.”

Alisha’s been using WordPress for over two years. She loves being involved in the WordPress community, as well as the free resources, tools, tech support and plugins. Alisha’s constantly challenging herself to learn new tricks and best practices. “There’s still plenty of stuff where I’m like, oh, I didn’t know it did that!”

That’s the beauty of WordPress, just like wine, it only gets better with age.

In fact, learning the basics of WordPress has allowed Alisha the opportunity to start a home business in addition to her blog, selling custom jewelry through Origami Owl.

“I wouldn’t have done that otherwise and it’s where all the traffic to my site comes in,” she says.

For new users, Alisha recommends the following plugins:

  • NoFollow. This plugin provides fine-grained control of linking for SEO purposes, containing a package of tools to increase your control of the rel=”nofollow” tag on every link on your blog.
  • JetPack. Jetpack is a WordPress plugin that supercharges your self-hosted WordPress site with the awesome cloud power of WordPress.com.
  • Broken Link Checker. This plugin will monitor your blog looking for broken links and let you know if any are found.
  • Google Analytics. The Google Analytics for WordPress plugin allows you to track your blog easily and with lots of metadata.

And for those of you looking for some expert advice on wine, be sure to check out her blog: http://coilylocks.com/.

The problem with off-the-shelf WordPress themes and SEO

by Jon Henshaw, Raven Tools

One of the best things about WordPress is that you can get a great looking website without doing too much work.

WordPress makes this happen with a feature they call Themes. Themes control the overall look and feel of your site. You don’t have to change any of the core WordPress code to use them. Plus, most WordPress software updates don’t affect the themes. Just press a button to upgrade to the latest version of WordPress, and you’re done!

sponsor raven toolsThe ease of use and popularity of theming abilities helped create an entire market that focuses exclusively on making and selling WordPress themes.

At one time, WordPress theme makers didn’t concern themselves with search engine optimization (SEO). They would use Flash, table based layouts and other coding methods that interfered with a search engine’s ability to fully comprehend a page’s content.

Today, almost every reputable theme provider touts its themes as SEO friendly. In reality, most are just SEO friendlier.

The Top 4 SEO issues with off-the-shelf WordPress themes are:

  1. Self-Promotion: Many themes include a hard-coded footer link back to their site. Those links are usually unrelated to the website using the theme and can be seen as unnatural (spammy) links by Google’s algorithm. Other themes include additional elements that aren’t as obvious to the site owner, and they only exist to serve the interests of the theme maker.
  2. Too Much Code: To make the theme do the cool looking things that got you to buy it, theme makers often include large JavaScript libraries. Depending on the theme, this can adversely affect the speed and load time of the site. Search engine algorithms devalue websites that are slow to load.
  3. Lack of Focus: Search engine algorithms consider the context of the content on your page. The more focused the experience, the better. Therefore, themes that use three columns and/or enable the display of a multitude of widgets and navigation items are not optimized for SEO (or a good user experience). Website navigation should be limited and focused, and the main content should be at the forefront — preferably in a one column layout. Everything else is a distraction and could dilute the context you’re trying to communicate to search engine algorithms.
  4. Cookie Cutter: There’s a very good chance that a theme — even a theme that passes all of the items on an SEO checklist — is being used by spammers. While this may not affect your site’s ability to perform well in search results, it may affect the first impression and trust level of first time visitors. That’s especially true if they subconsciously identify your theme design with the spammy sites they’ve visited.

Ultimately, the most SEO-friendly WordPress theme is a custom theme. Not only can you control the code, design and focus of your website, your website won’t have spammy looking links by default.

Also, you can take steps to improve the SEO of your website. For example, when writing the HTML, you can label your content with schema.org microdata. This microdata is invisible to humans but helps search engine machines determine whether they’re looking at a movie review, a recipe, an event and much more.

The best place to start with a custom theme is with a starter (a.k.a. barebone, blank or naked) theme. The start theme that I recommend is Roots, which incorporates Bootstrap, Boilerplate and Grunt. Bootstrap gives you a mobile ready framework; Boilerplate provides modern HTML5 code; and Grunt minifies and concatenates the CSS and JavaScript for faster loading times.

In my experience, custom themes almost always outperform off-the-shelf themes when it comes to search engine visibility and organic traffic. And while it’s true that creating your own theme can take significantly more time than using an off-the-shelf theme, the long-term SEO benefits often make it well worth it.

Note: This is one in a series of guest posts from our local sponsors. Jon Henshaw is a founder and chief product officer at Raven Tools. He will be speaking in Track 1 at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. His talk is delightfully called “How to SEO the crap out of WordPress.”

WordCamps by the Numbers

What in the world is WordCamp?

It is an event that brings together users, site owners, developers and advocates of WordPress, the world’s best open-source publishing platform. Open-source means free. WordPress people give generously of their time and expertise in forums, on websites and at MeetUps throughout the year but a WordCamp brings everyone together to share, learn and celebrate.

WordCamp NashvilleWordPress turns 11 years old in May. It was first released on May 27, 2003. Nearly 20 percent of the top 10 million sites in the world use WordPress. Starting in 2004, major updates to WordPress have been code-named for important jazz musicians. WordPress 3.8, released in December 2013, is codenamed “Parker,” for sax player Charlie Parker. “Smith,” named for jazz organist Jimmy Smith, was released to the public on April 16, 2014. Like a week ago. WP 3.8 has been downloaded more than 20 million times.

Nashville is in distinguished company by organizing its own annual WordCamp. Our first official WordCamp Nashville in 2012 shared the stage with WordCamp New Zealand – held same day, separated by continents and cultures but united in appreciation of WordPress. In 2013, on April 20, we split the the stage with Seoul (Korea) and Slovakia. This year, three other cities will join us on May 3, including Zurich, Switzerland.

The first WordCamp was in San Francisco in August 2006 and drew more than 500 people. By 2013, according to statistics compiled by the hard-working people at WordCamp Central, the landscape looked like this:

  • Number of WordCamps: 71
  • Number of WordCamps in the USA: 31
  • Number of WordCamps outside the USA: 40
  • Total Number of WordCamp attendees: over 19,000
  • Total Days of WordCamp: 117
  • Number of sessions presented at WordCamps: 1,565
  • Number of people who spoke at WordCamps: 1,176
  • Number of companies that sponsored WordCamps: 522
  • New WordCamps: 15
  • WordCamp videos published to WordPress.tv: 474

A $20 ticket is about so much more than Nashville WordCamp 2014, though we’re delighted to host you. The international WordPress community is generous, inclusive and growing. With input from local organizers, WordCamp.org sets standards and guidelines to keep these grassroots events about WordPress, learning and sharing best practices and new tricks with the platform many of us know and love.

Check out the schedule, and grab your ticket to WordCamp Nashville while you can.

#WCN14 After-Party Lands at The Flying Saucer

A WordCamp without an afterparty is a bit like a site page without a title tag – useful, but far from optimal.

Breathe easy, for WordCamp Nashville 2014 is all about optimal. The official after-party will be at the Flying Saucer in downtown Nashville from 5 to 9 p.m.flying saucer word camp

Visitors to Nashville may not know about the Flying Saucer, or what we locals call, “The Saucer.” The venue boasts about 120 beers (some tap, some draft), plus other stuff to drink, good food and a fun atmosphere. It’s in downtown Nashville, near the Frist Museum and the fancy Union Station Hotel. (The Saucer is not fancy.)

After 9 p.m., linger longer or use the location as a jumping off point to explore Music City’s entertainment and entertaining epicenter on a Saturday night.

Make sure when you arrive from WordCamp, which ends at 4 p.m., you park in the lower level lot behind the bar. Get your ticket validated inside The Saucer and pay a scant $3 when you exit the lot.

Party sponsorship from Pantheon allowed us to secure a great venue for four hours and provide drink tickets and some coin toward food. Thanks, Pantheon and Cal Evans!

Pantheon

The Flying Saucer
111 10th Avenue South #310
Nashville TN 37203

many beers

Did someone say beer?

 

WordCamp Nashville May 3 features WordPress sessions for beginners, developers, site owners

Kate O’Neill, speaker, consultant and entrepreneur, to deliver keynote talk

About 300 people who use WordPress – ranging from true beginners to advanced developers – will converge on Music City May 3 for the annual WordCamp Nashville 2014.

Twordcamp-header1.pnghe daylong learning and networking event celebrates WordPress itself and the large global support community around it. WordPress is free and open-source publishing software admired by fans for its ease of use, flexibility and ability to customize. The platform drives everything from websites of major companies such as Sony Music Entertainment, TechCrunch, and BBC America to simple, single-author blogs – and everything in between.

Tickets are $20 and include lunch, a t-shirt and admission to an after-party.

Kate O’Neill, principal of KO Insights, consultant, entrepreneur and former founder of [meta] marketer, will be the keynote speaker. She is a Nashville Technology Council and Evolve Women board member and a visible, passionate advocate for women in leadership and technology as well as the city’s growing technology community.

The keynote session starts at 11 a.m. at Nashville School of Law. This is the third WordCamp Nashville, and past events attracted participants from Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri and Indiana in addition to Tennessee.

WordCamp Nashville is part of a much bigger picture. WordPress, which powers more than 75 million personal and business sites on the web, has provided a starting point for many new developers, helping fill gaps in the technology talent pipeline. Each year, volunteers in cities across the globe organize WordCamps to share best practices and new approaches, including how to use WordPress in tandem with other programs.

Attendees may choose from three tracks based on skill level but are not locked into any of them. WordCamp Nashville organizers this year added a daylong Q&A and Help Desk available to everyone, regardless of skill level or experience.

Expect a crowd that loves tech, problem solving, entrepreneurship and business. The event is entirely volunteer-run and speakers are not paid. WordCamps are run under the auspices of the WordPress Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

FACES of WORDPRESS: Alex Patin

Alex Patin

  • Alex Patin
  • WordPressing since 2010
  • WP Level: Developer, WordCamp Nashville 2013 speaker
  • Website: Alex Patin http://alexpatin.com

If you want another example of how WordPress can enable you to be master of your own destiny, look no further than Alex Patin. Alex has been working with WordPress since version 2.9-ish, in 2010. He started as a user, and has been developing full-time for two years and is now a freelancer full-time.

He was introduced to WordPress after a friend convinced him it was better than Joomla, another open source publishing platform.

“I do a lot more development than design now. Back when I first started I had limited coding skills. Finding WordPress and great open source themes was a way to put my work up on the Internet immediately. I instantly thought, ‘Yes, this is awesome.’”

Learning WordPress itself that pushed Alex to beef up his development skills. “I wouldn’t be working in web development right now if it wasn’t for WordPress. I’m a person who’s very passionate about learning new things and developing new skills, and the fact that WordPress exists is why I’m able to do what I do. It’s involved in everything I do.”

While the WordPress platform pushes Alex to keep learning and growing, the community that surrounds it is what has made the work a stable, successful and fulfilling career choice. If he gets too busy, he refers projects on to friends.

“I knew that when I left my last job, I would still be able to feed myself, because I got work from my friends because they’re too busy. I’m to the point now that I pass on work to other people. The people in the WordPress community just pay it forward.”

WordCamps are a big part of Alex’s involvement, starting with WordCamp Birmingham in 2012. He was a speaker on the WordPress Themes panel in Nashville 2013 and has been part of the design team for this year’s camp in Music City.

“I learned so much there and had a great weekend.. Since then, I’ve been going to as many different WordCamps as I can. There is so much to be learned from other people, and I like to experience what other people are doing with WordPress in different places.”

FACES OF WORDPRESS: Liz Fulghum

Liz Fulghum NoSleepForSheep

A decade ago Liz Fulghum was a freelance web designer who started exploring options beyond static HTML to give her clients more control over updating their sites.

At the time, the main blogging platforms had been b2 (the precursor to WordPress) and Movable Type. Developers were hacking them to run regular sites, and a cadre of what became WordPress founders launched an early version they said was “born out of a desire for an elegant, well-architectured personal publishing system built on PHP and MySQL.”

They named it WordPress. Liz tried it and hasn’t looked back. She used it to develop microsites for artists as part of the digital design team at Sony BMG. She launched her own agency, NoSleepForSheep, in 2011 and she and her team design and develop custom WordPress sites for artists, businesses, non-profit agencies and are moving in to app development.

“These days, there’s a certain elegant simplicity to WordPress that is particularly remarkable given how powerful the platform really is,” Liz says. “WordPress maintains an incredibly user-friendly front end while allowing developers the ability to create pretty much any type of functionality you’d need for a modern, database-driven website.”

WordPress is a forgiving platform that allows newbies to learn at their own pace. “Don’t be afraid,” Liz says. “Push the buttons. All of them. Almost anything that can be done also can be undone.”

For budding developers, Liz advises they learn how to build themes from scratch.

“A theme requires exactly two files to be fully functional,” she says. “Even if all you do in your career is customize pre-built themes, you can’t beat the level of understanding you’ll earn from building out your own theme at least once.”

As part of the build-up to WordCamp Nashville 2014 Faces of WordPress will highlight members of Middle Tennessee’s great – and growing – WordPress community. We will feature WP users at all levels, newbies to advanced developers. And mark your calendar. This year’s Big Event is May 3, 2014.

WCN14 Sessions, Speakers, Schedule Announced!

WordCamp Nashville 2014 has something for everyone – new users, businesses owners who want to better understand how their site works, intermediate folks and seasoned developers.

We had an extraordinary strong pool of submissions and narrowing it down was tough. Part of our “theme” this year is Celebrating Nashville’s WordPress Community, and we gave preference to presenters from Tennessee (and Southern Kentucky) to showcase local talent.

WordCamp Nashville Schedule

WordCamp Nashville 2014 is Saturday, May 3

You’ll see familiar names and some new ones. Samuel Wood, known to the WP community as “Otto”, is back! He’s a WordPress core developer who lives in Memphis and he’ll talk about JSON API(s) in Track 3. Nashville’s Kate O’Neill, a champion of Music City as a technology hub and women in tech and leadership, is the keynote. This year, the keynote will be before lunch, at 11 a.m.

Mike Toppa makes his third consecutive WordCamp Nashville Track 3 appearance. Jon Henshaw of Raven Tools will talk SEO. We’ve got detailed sessions on JetPack, Gravity Forms, SEO, WordPress for Nonprofits and more awesome stuff, including a panel on Women in WordPress.

So get your ticket and join us.

FACES OF WORDPRESS: Mario Scott

Mario Scott

  • Mario Scott
  • WordPressing since July 2013
  • “Advanced amateur”

Mario Scott is no stranger to technology – he was a technology information systems operator/analyst for the U.S. Army for six years; maintained and provided technical support for software, hardware and networks at Fort Campbell for three years; and, as a contractor, reviewed and monitored risk management procedures for information systems for Department of Defense accreditation.

But he didn’t meet WordPress until July 2013 when he was researching content management systems for a website to serve as umbrella for integrated media/entertainment projects. WordPress was the perfect fit for the nascent Mario Scott Enterprises.

What struck Mario, beyond the platform itself, was the large, supportive ecosystem of the WordPress community. “The breadth of the community is just huge,” he says.

He began attended WP Nashville MeetUps in January 2014 after getting a new job as a client services analyst at The Tennessean and no longer had to commute to the Clarksville area. Mario’s been experimenting with different templates on WordPress.com as well as learning CSS and tinkering with custom post types.

“It is not a steep learning curve, and you don’t have to go into the code if you don’t want to,” Mario says. “It meets you wherever you are and you can go as far as you want.

“That’s what I like about WordPress,” he says. “It’s the Swiss Army of websites. It’s nuts what you can do with it.”

FACES OF WORDPRESS: Beth Downey

Beth Downey

Beth Downey, a self-taught front-end WordPress developer with sprclldr, started her career in graphic design but later decided to transition to web development.

“As wonderful as design is, the subjectivity of it can be frustrating. Code is like math, it either works or it doesn’t. It’s like baking versus cooking.”

She started web development by teaching herself HTML to code MySpace pages—”stupid-easy” work that got her interested. After taking a CSS course tailored for print designers, she knew she wanted more. In 2012, she started working with WordPress and hasn’t looked back.

“Once I got a little taste of the magic happening, PHP got slipped in on me,” she says. “I like to say that web development is like Fraggle Rock. HTML and CSS are the Fraggles, that’s what everyone is looking at. Meanwhile, the Doozers underneath are doing all the work but no one knows. That’s PHP.”

Her origin as a graphic designer gives her a unique perspective on the development process. At Sprclldr, she and founder Kenneth White work with designers and small agencies to create custom themes.

Understanding the design aspect lets them stay true to the visuals, while WordPress makes all that “Doozer” work of site functionality easy.

“Because WordPress is so malleable, it’s different than other platforms, in my experience. You have so many different ways to do something,” she says. “But someone can walk into it and figure it out if they have just a modicum of experience with the internet.”

The openness of the WordPress community supports Beth’s drive to figure things out on her own. At MeetUps she found the opportunities to learn were abundant. “People are extremely generous with knowledge,” she says. “You almost don’t even have to ask. You can show up and learn. People want to make it easier for others.”

Her advice to anyone interested in learning more is to do exactly what she did – go to meetups and be open to what others have to offer.

“Attend as many WordPress meetups and Wordcamps as you can,” Beth says. “There is knowledge being distributed for free in the WordPress community. It’s yours for the taking. Everyone is still learning and everyone has something valuable to share.”

As part of the build-up to WordCamp Nashville 2014 Faces of WordPress will highlight members of Middle Tennessee’s great – and growing – WordPress community. We will feature WP users at all levels, newbies to advanced developers. And mark your calendar. This year’s Big Event is May 3, 2014.