Kommonwealth.com

On Elephant’s backs: Why use WordPress as a CMS

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 01:03:01 +0000

A variety of ready made features to support Search Engine Optimization

WordPress has a lot of great features that help with your site SEO. Natively this includes things like giving authors the ability to change titles (maintaining keyword focus), clean page urls, and tagging. Adding a few free plugins extends your SEO options to include tracking via google analytics, google sitemap, optimizer, and dozens of additional options. In fact at the time this article was written there are 800 SEO plugins in the WordPress extension directory.

Easy content updating

While this is true for all Content Management systems, WordPress is particular offers a lot of flexibility including the ability to update and add pages and posts, update the primary and secondary menu, post blogs, update page styles by choosing between templates.

Easy to use and expand

Language Support

Author roles

Revision Control

A variety of ready made features to support Search Engine OptimizationWordPress has a lot of great features that help with your site SEO. Natively this includes things like giving authors the ability to change titles (maintaining keyword focus), clean page urls, and tagging. Adding a few free plugins extends your SEO options to include tracking via google analytics, google sitemap, optimizer, and dozens of additional options. In fact at the time this article was written there are 800 SEO plugins in the WordPress extension directory.

Easy content updatingWhile this is true for all Content Management systems, WordPress is particular offers a lot of flexibility including the ability to update and add pages and posts, update the primary and secondary menu, post blogs, update page styles by choosing between templates.

Easy to use and expand

Language Support

Author roles

Revision Control

Featured Item One

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:16:30 +0000

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:23:28 +0000

Mauris a urna metus, quis ullamcorper risus. Etiam ut tortor eu nibh gravida ullamcorper. Sed lacinia purus quis augue scelerisque facilisis. Cras porttitor augue et felis molestie rutrum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nulla porta erat eget libero placerat sollicitudin. Donec a libero purus, vel cursus nulla. Nulla adipiscing varius erat nec tincidunt. Fusce sit amet neque eget nisi consequat feugiat vel id tortor. Vestibulum in ligula at leo bibendum pharetra vel in urna. Curabitur elit turpis, tempus sodales ultricies a, tristique ut tortor.

Praesent risus diam, blandit vitae consectetur vitae, sollicitudin euismod orci. Nunc porttitor odio id purus rutrum vehicula. Integer ac elit at mauris interdum interdum scelerisque vel orci. Vestibulum dignissim velit eu leo convallis varius. Nam eleifend, arcu sit amet imperdiet posuere, tellus dui aliquet justo, eget venenatis est sem at turpis. Mauris nisl ipsum, volutpat rhoncus porttitor vel, dapibus quis metus. Vestibulum varius massa vel massa tempus vitae eleifend odio ullamcorper. Integer a magna at diam eleifend auctor rutrum id ligula. Nunc auctor, velit condimentum rhoncus rhoncus, justo lorem lacinia lacus, eu pellentesque nibh sapien vel nisl. Maecenas faucibus, quam nec rutrum imperdiet, nulla velit interdum ipsum, nec molestie magna ipsum id magna. Nunc tempor lobortis tincidunt. Phasellus id magna eget ligula lacinia adipiscing. Mauris nec hendrerit velit. Sed libero nisi, pellentesque in dictum sed, faucibus vitae dolor. Duis id purus augue, eget facilisis elit. In tempus lacinia diam, quis hendrerit augue tincidunt at.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut volutpat, sapien id venenatis imperdiet, libero leo feugiat urna, at viverra dolor dui nec dui. Proin vel mauris non massa lacinia pharetra. Vivamus suscipit, nibh vel convallis sollicitudin, lorem mauris sagittis purus, sit amet porttitor orci ante pellentesque nulla. Integer felis nibh, consectetur at consectetur eu, convallis non nisl. Nulla aliquam, lacus sit amet porttitor ultricies, felis augue condimentum metus, quis eleifend nisi nibh sit amet ante. Donec non nulla vitae ligula iaculis aliquet non volutpat augue. Sed commodo odio non metus dapibus consequat. Integer fermentum, lectus molestie imperdiet sodales, justo augue aliquet dolor, at interdum tortor ligula quis sem. Nunc sed tortor vitae nisl aliquam hendrerit quis at eros. Aliquam erat volutpat. Duis rhoncus ante non ante consequat venenatis eu sit amet ipsum. Nunc id erat non purus bibendum hendrerit vel sit amet ipsum. Donec nec lacus est. Integer iaculis, velit ac tempor vulputate, dolor nisl varius magna, ut aliquet ipsum urna vitae nunc. Sed sed pharetra erat.
Mauris a urna metus, quis ullamcorper risus. Etiam ut tortor eu nibh gravida ullamcorper. Sed lacinia purus quis augue scelerisque facilisis. Cras porttitor augue et felis molestie rutrum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nulla porta erat eget libero placerat sollicitudin. Donec a libero purus, vel cursus nulla. Nulla adipiscing varius erat nec tincidunt. Fusce sit amet neque eget nisi consequat feugiat vel id tortor. Vestibulum in ligula at leo bibendum pharetra vel in urna. Curabitur elit turpis, tempus sodales ultricies a, tristique ut tortor.
Praesent risus diam, blandit vitae consectetur vitae, sollicitudin euismod orci. Nunc porttitor odio id purus rutrum vehicula. Integer ac elit at mauris interdum interdum scelerisque vel orci. Vestibulum dignissim velit eu leo convallis varius. Nam eleifend, arcu sit amet imperdiet posuere, tellus dui aliquet justo, eget venenatis est sem at turpis. Mauris nisl ipsum, volutpat rhoncus porttitor vel, dapibus quis metus. Vestibulum varius massa vel massa tempus vitae eleifend odio ullamcorper. Integer a magna at diam eleifend auctor rutrum id ligula. Nunc auctor, velit condimentum rhoncus rhoncus, justo lorem lacinia lacus, eu pellentesque nibh sapien vel nisl. Maecenas faucibus, quam nec rutrum imperdiet, nulla velit interdum ipsum, nec molestie magna ipsum id magna. Nunc tempor lobortis tincidunt. Phasellus id magna eget ligula lacinia adipiscing. Mauris nec hendrerit velit. Sed libero nisi, pellentesque in dictum sed, faucibus vitae dolor. Duis id purus augue, eget facilisis elit. In tempus lacinia diam, quis hendrerit augue tincidunt at.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:22:56 +0000

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut volutpat, sapien id venenatis imperdiet, libero leo feugiat urna, at viverra dolor dui nec dui. Proin vel mauris non massa lacinia pharetra.Vivamus suscipit, nibh vel convallis sollicitudin, lorem mauris sagittis purus, sit amet porttitor orci ante pellentesque nulla. Integer felis nibh, consectetur at consectetur eu, convallis non nisl. Nulla aliquam, lacus sit amet porttitor ultricies, felis augue condimentum metus, quis eleifend nisi nibh sit amet ante. Donec non nulla vitae ligula iaculis aliquet non volutpat augue. Sed commodo odio non metus dapibus consequat. Integer fermentum, lectus molestie imperdiet sodales, justo augue aliquet dolor, at interdum tortor ligula quis sem. Nunc sed tortor vitae nisl aliquam hendrerit quis at eros. Aliquam erat volutpat. Duis rhoncus ante non ante consequat venenatis eu sit amet ipsum. Nunc id erat non purus bibendum hendrerit vel sit amet ipsum. Donec nec lacus est. Integer iaculis, velit ac tempor vulputate, dolor nisl varius magna, ut aliquet ipsum urna vitae nunc. Sed sed pharetra erat.Mauris a urna metus, quis ullamcorper risus. Etiam ut tortor eu nibh gravida ullamcorper. Sed lacinia purus quis augue scelerisque facilisis. Cras porttitor augue et felis molestie rutrum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nulla porta erat eget libero placerat sollicitudin. Donec a libero purus, vel cursus nulla. Nulla adipiscing varius erat nec tincidunt. Fusce sit amet neque eget nisi consequat feugiat vel id tortor. Vestibulum in ligula at leo bibendum pharetra vel in urna. Curabitur elit turpis, tempus sodales ultricies a, tristique ut tortor.Praesent risus diam, blandit vitae consectetur vitae, sollicitudin euismod orci. Nunc porttitor odio id purus rutrum vehicula. Integer ac elit at mauris interdum interdum scelerisque vel orci. Vestibulum dignissim velit eu leo convallis varius. Nam eleifend, arcu sit amet imperdiet posuere, tellus dui aliquet justo, eget venenatis est sem at turpis. Mauris nisl ipsum, volutpat rhoncus porttitor vel, dapibus quis metus. Vestibulum varius massa vel massa tempus vitae eleifend odio ullamcorper. Integer a magna at diam eleifend auctor rutrum id ligula. Nunc auctor, velit condimentum rhoncus rhoncus, justo lorem lacinia lacus, eu pellentesque nibh sapien vel nisl. Maecenas faucibus, quam nec rutrum imperdiet, nulla velit interdum ipsum, nec molestie magna ipsum id magna. Nunc tempor lobortis tincidunt. Phasellus id magna eget ligula lacinia adipiscing. Mauris nec hendrerit velit. Sed libero nisi, pellentesque in dictum sed, faucibus vitae dolor. Duis id purus augue, eget facilisis elit. In tempus lacinia diam, quis hendrerit augue tincidunt at.

Praesent consectetur facilisis pellentesque.

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:16:57 +0000

We had an interesting chat the other day about being…

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:47:05 +0000

…based on their web impact alone.

Guy Kawasaki didn’t count (because he was biz-famous and book-famous well before he became everyone’s go-to guy on Twitter) but Dooce did, and so did iJustine and Jeremiah Owyang. (Tris voted for himself, but Colleen and I both vetoed that idea; I told him he was more in the realm of Internet-popular than Internet-famous.)

But I digress. Does microfame on the Internet actually make an impact? Or are we just playing with microtrends that will evaporate into nothing? Is a meme a blip or a profound social construct that will matter in a historical sense?

Recently, New York Magazine published an article on microfame, detailing the rise and rise of Internet personalities and how to mack on their game. Focussing on the more raucous, self-styling iconoclasts like Tila Tequila, Ze Frank and Perez Hilton, Rex Sorgatz argues to make noise, make it loud and make it often.

I’m not really sure that Sorgatz clearly identifies the difference between traditional PR and social media promotion in that respect, but his article demonstrates something I’ve been thinking about for a while. It may be easier to build a connection with an increasingly diversified global culture through the Internet, but I’m not certain working social media alone can make people famous. Perez Hilton swung into the big time when he started getting picked up in the glossies, and Elaine Lui only started selling massive ad space on her site when she got her TV gig alongside Ben Mulroney on eTalk. Folks like Tila and Ze who up the ante on frantic and silly behaviour (Sorgatz calls it “oversharing”) will get attention no matter what the medium.

I guess it all depends on what your definition of ‘famous’ is. In the 80s, we called it having a ‘household name’. Nowadays, Lui calls it reaching the ‘Minivan Majority’. I wonder if microfame is actually more akin to Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes than true celebrity.

What social media can do, however, is level the playing field, allowing more entrants into the game. We all know it increases transparency as more conversations are opened to criticism, but that in itself provides balance for oversharing and our bombastic social id through a reactionary community ego. And those who truly have something profound to say transcend the idea of meme and create a longstanding philosophical connection with societal ideas, drawing connections between multiple media and communicating across socio-cultural boundaries.

We had an interesting chat the other day about being ‘Internet-famous’. Two of my favourite B5 bloggers, Colleen Coplick and Tris Hussey, were trying to list off people they thought were truly famous based on their web impact alone.Guy Kawasaki didn’t count (because he was biz-famous and book-famous well before he became everyone’s go-to guy on Twitter) but Dooce did, and so did iJustine and Jeremiah Owyang. (Tris voted for himself, but Colleen and I both vetoed that idea; I told him he was more in the realm of Internet-popular than Internet-famous.)But I digress. Does microfame on the Internet actually make an impact? Or are we just playing with microtrends that will evaporate into nothing? Is a meme a blip or a profound social construct that will matter in a historical sense?Recently, New York Magazine published an article on microfame, detailing the rise and rise of Internet personalities and how to mack on their game. Focussing on the more raucous, self-styling iconoclasts like Tila Tequila, Ze Frank and Perez Hilton, Rex Sorgatz argues to make noise, make it loud and make it often.I’m not really sure that Sorgatz clearly identifies the difference between traditional PR and social media promotion in that respect, but his article demonstrates something I’ve been thinking about for a while. It may be easier to build a connection with an increasingly diversified global culture through the Internet, but I’m not certain working social media alone can make people famous. Perez Hilton swung into the big time when he started getting picked up in the glossies, and Elaine Lui only started selling massive ad space on her site when she got her TV gig alongside Ben Mulroney on eTalk. Folks like Tila and Ze who up the ante on frantic and silly behaviour (Sorgatz calls it “oversharing”) will get attention no matter what the medium.I guess it all depends on what your definition of ‘famous’ is. In the 80s, we called it having a ‘household name’. Nowadays, Lui calls it reaching the ‘Minivan Majority’. I wonder if microfame is actually more akin to Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes than true celebrity.What social media can do, however, is level the playing field, allowing more entrants into the game. We all know it increases transparency as more conversations are opened to criticism, but that in itself provides balance for oversharing and our bombastic social id through a reactionary community ego. And those who truly have something profound to say transcend the idea of meme and create a longstanding philosophical connection with societal ideas, drawing connections between multiple media and communicating across socio-cultural boundaries.

So Plurk is all about creating karma

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:43:34 +0000

I mean, to me, karma’s about doing good and being rewarded. Plurk’s about talking about yourself in, possibly, a very inane way. It’s about being popular and joining a clique. It’s about being able to click on smiley faces. It’s about having the time to obsess about your little karma number going up and down.

Essentially, Plurk is engaging you in a game rather than a distinct form of social connectivity. Unlike Twitter, where the content of your tweets determines your value in the community, Plurk values frequency and absurdity (what’s the difference between a ‘friend’ and a ‘fan’? No one I’ve asked on Plurk even seems to care).

How does this increase one’s ability to connect and share through media? I’m not sure yet if it does. In fact, I think that it bypasses the ‘social’ part of social media in a way that encourages anti-social behaviours, to a certain extent. People trying to drive up their karma numbers will pollute the timeline with valueless fluff and winking yellow faces, bringing in additional players to the game.

Twitter may be falling apart half the time, but I’ll take dharma over karma any day of the week.

So Plurk is all about creating karma. I’m not sure I get it.I’m familiar with the term but I’m not sure how it applies to this particular form of social media.Let’s look at what increases your Plurk karma: microposting, replying, getting more ‘friends’ and ‘fans’, using icons in your posts, and inviting people to join.I mean, to me, karma’s about doing good and being rewarded. Plurk’s about talking about yourself in, possibly, a very inane way. It’s about being popular and joining a clique. It’s about being able to click on smiley faces. It’s about having the time to obsess about your little karma number going up and down.Essentially, Plurk is engaging you in a game rather than a distinct form of social connectivity. Unlike Twitter, where the content of your tweets determines your value in the community, Plurk values frequency and absurdity (what’s the difference between a ‘friend’ and a ‘fan’? No one I’ve asked on Plurk even seems to care).How does this increase one’s ability to connect and share through media? I’m not sure yet if it does. In fact, I think that it bypasses the ‘social’ part of social media in a way that encourages anti-social behaviours, to a certain extent. People trying to drive up their karma numbers will pollute the timeline with valueless fluff and winking yellow faces, bringing in additional players to the game.Twitter may be falling apart half the time, but I’ll take dharma over karma any day of the week.

Something worse than No

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:39:48 +0000

I was recently given some negative feedback on a estimate I gave for a new web development contract. You may think that the worst that can happen is to not get hired.There’s even an expression for it: “the worst that can happen is that they will say no”. This, I can tell you, isn’t true.

Something worse than NO is to receive an email explaining why it can be done cheaper and a sort of “what’s the matter with you,” and worse still, a between-the-lines “you are a pirate of the digital sea and likely have plans with my underage daughter,” (this last part is embellished).

I won’t say what the competing price was, but I can tell you it shouldn’t even cover the mock-ups (or even the project management for that matter). Yep, shitty software comes cheap — but why build it? Why have terrible design created by a programmer (rather than someone with user design experience), no user testing, no exciting features, and do nothing innovative?

The other thing about bad software — it can actually cost you more in the long run. Taking the time to plan carefully results in a better end product, which is more usable and actually provides a return on investment. Piecing something together for $500 that actually costs you an hour a day in downtime and user problems isn’t worth $500. Making a good investment means calculating your ROI and putting in the cash to make things work well for your company and its clients.

I tried to explain this without overstepping my bounds. I could tell from the response that he didn’t get it, and he never would.

To anyone looking to hire a development firm — please be gracious. Be thankful people experienced in web development worked for free to provide an estimate. Simply say ‘no thank you’ if you can’t afford it. Mercedes knows that there is a cheaper way to build a car than the McLaren, but it isn’t really worth it. Don’t assume a development firm will try and provide a quote for bargain-basement, garbage software. Any worth their salt won’t bother.

Built-in CMS component control for systems like WordPress and Drupal

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:23:55 +0000

Kommonwealth contains specific components to allow for advanced CMS system styling. You can create a template for Drupal or create a theme for WordPress and take advantage of tens of thousands of plugins and features.

Kommonwealth uses specifc CMS components like site header, title, footer, etc, to easily create and style industry leading web systems. For example, add a menu and style it to your exact specifications with Kommonwealth point and click features. Then export your site as a WordPress theme and WordPress will automatically dynamically populate the menu you created. You can also create advanced layouts and specify where you want the CMS to add content to your design.

Easy to design and edit professional web elements

Gregory Thomas-Tench — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:23:19 +0000

In addition to providing the basic building block for style Kommonwealth also provides premade elements to style common web features.

In this example all of the standard buttons states our listed in easy to understand design pallets. As with all Kommonwealth elements this can also be selected and broken apart into more complex style components for even more advacned control. Even these more advanced styles are also point and click.

We will soon be releasing additinal User Interface elements such as tabs, accordions, carousels, galleries, and other moder UI components designed to make your sites more dynamic.