2009-07-15 posted in Wordpress and Blogging Tips

Once a while, I receive enquiries from users asking about some of the the basic Wordpress related questions. I think it is good to write a post to put together questions for Wordpress newbies here.

What is Wordpress?
WordPress is the most popular web blog publishing software installed on the web server of the user. The open source software was released in 2003. It is written in PHP and makes use of MySQL database.

It is primarily noted for its broad features. WordPress is a user-friendly software that can be used by both the beginner and the advanced programmer. It comes with an interface that is loaded with features. Users can also choose from a wide range of templates for their WordPress themes. On top of these advanced features, users can also enhance the site using dialogs like password protection, user feedback and user registration.

What is the difference between Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org?
WordPress comes in two forms: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is the open source web blog publishing program. This means that the software is free to use and can be modified by users to suit their specific requirements and needs. However, these open source software present some limitation.

On the other hand, WordPress.org provides users with the software in order to create your blog, but will not provide you with hosting service. The user will have to hire the services of another provider to get a domain name to host your blog site online.

The advantage of WordPress.org over that of WordPress.com is that it provides customization and flexibility to its users.

WordPress.org is basically a free web publishing software where bloggers can install plugins and themes, modify the database, run adverts, and change the PHP code. Anyone can download the software but the users must have it installed on a server before it can be used. Bloggers will have to pay for the web server and it will be their responsibility to host their own WordPress.org blogging software.

This is where the difference lies. In WordPress,com, the blogger doesn’t have to do any software download, get the service of a hosting provider and manage your own web server.

More Wordpress related basic guides

2009-05-22 posted in Wordpress and Blogging Tips
This post will be constantly updated when I find new sites that accept theme submission.

After releasing my theme, how do I promote them? One way is to submit them to the sites which accept Wordpress themes. In this post, I show you the list of the theme directories and forums that I used to submit my themes to.

Theme submission can only be done manually so you can imagine submitting to more than 100 sites will be such a tedious and time-consuming process. Ever since I found a site which offers submission service at a low price, I never want to do it myself anymore.

Wordpress Theme Submission via Theme Directories
http://www.afreetheme.com
http://www.bestwpthemez.com
http://www.bgthemes.com
http://www.bgthemes.com/upload.php
http://www.blogskins.com
http://www.blogzoop.com
http://www.csstemplates.net
http://www.delicious.com
http://www.designbump.com
http://www.designfloat.com
http://www.designm.ag
http://www.designmoo.com
http://www.designyourway.net
http://www.digg.com
http://www.dinothemes.com
http://www.fbrushes.com
http://www.freelayouts.com
http://www.freeminders.org
http://www.free-template-design.com
http://www.freewordpresstheme.info
http://www.free-wordpress-theme.net
http://www.freewordpressthemeblog.info
http://www.freewordpressthemes.com
http://www.free-wordpress-themes.com
http://www.freewpblogthemes.com
http://www.freewpthemes.info
http://www.freewpthemesite.com
http://www.gothemes.com
http://www.hq-templates.com
http://www.indeziner.com
http://www.ithemes.org
http://www.iwordpressthemes.com
http://www.joyoge.com
http://www.looppress.com
http://www.mixx.com
http://www.premiumtemplate.org
http://www.reddit.com
http://www.satinder.net
http://www.scriptsz.com
http://www.sponsoredtemplates.com
http://www.stumbleupon.com
http://www.talktheme.com
http://www.templatebubble.com
http://www.templates-free.com
http://www.themeboss.com
http://www.themebot.com
http://www.themes.mwolk.com
http://www.themes.satinder.info
http://www.themesandmods.net
http://www.themesgate.com
http://www.themesjunction.com
http://www.themespack.com
http://www.themestudio.us
http://www.themezoo.com
http://www.thepimppanther.com
http://www.thetutorialist.com
http://www.thewordpresstheme.com
http://www.top-best-themes.com
http://www.topwordpresstheme.com
http://www.tripwiremagazine.com
http://www.twitter.com
http://www.webdesign-ne.ws
http://www.webfrap.com
http://www.widgetreadythemes.com
http://www.woork.blogspot.com
http://www.wordpress3themes.com
http://www.wordpress4themes.com
http://www.wordpresssite.com
http://www.wordpress-solutions.net/freebies
http://www.wordpressthemebase.com
http://www.wordpressthemesbook.com
http://www.wordpressthemeschart.com
http://www.wordpressthemespark.com
http://www.wpappearance.com
http://www.wparchive.com
http://www.wparena.com
http://www.wpclassic.com
http://www.wpcorner.com
http://www.wpdaddy.com
http://www.wpflx.com
http://www.wpsite.net
http://www.wpskinner.com
http://www.wpskins.org
http://www.wp-templates.com
http://www.wptemplates.org
http://www.wptheme.net
http://www.wpthemedb.com
http://www.wpthemedesigner.com
http://www.wpthemes.co.za
http://www.wpthemes.me
http://www.wpthemesbot.com
http://www.wpthemesdir.com
http://www.wpthemesgalore.com
http://www.wpthemeslibrary.com
http://www.wpthemez.com
http://www.xhtmlvalid.com
http://www.yourtemplatezone.com
http://www.zabox.net

Wordpress Theme Submission via Forums
http://www.9mb.com/forums/
http://www.adminfusion.com/forums
http://www.affiliatewebmasterforum.com
http://www.australianwebmaster.com
http://www.bloggeries.com/forum
http://www.blogtrafficschool.com/forums
http://www.bulawebs.com/forums
http://www.byet.net
http://www.bzimage.org
http://www.devhunters.com
http://www.directoryjunction.com/forums
http://www.divisionbell.com/bb
http://www.estetica-design-forum.com
http://www.experienceadvertising.com/forum
http://www.focused.org
http://forum.kahuki.com
http://www.forum.zced.com
http://www.forumcraze.com/forums
http://www.forums.digitalpoint.com
http://forums.ukwebmasterworld.com
http://forums.vmoptions.com
http://forums.webicy.com
http://forums.webtemplatereviews.com
http://www.freehostforum.com
http://www.freewebsitetemplates.com/forum
http://www.helpingwebmasters.com
http://www.iguides.org
http://www.istorya.net/forums
http://www.mypagadian.com
http://www.namepros.com
http://www.netbuilders.org
http://www.newwpthemes.net/forum/
http://www.seobum.com
http://www.seotalkforums.com
http://www.siteownersforums.com
http://www.talkfreelance.com
http://www.talk-mania.com
http://www.tareeinternet.com/forum
http://www.templatesforums.com
http://www.v7n.com/forums
http://www.wbtalk.com
http://www.webcosmoforums.com
http://www.webcosmoforums.com
http://www.webdesignchat.org
http://www.webicy.com
http://www.webjuniors.com
http://www.webmasterads.com
http://www.webmasterforumsonline.com
http://www.webmastermalaysia.com
http://www.webmasters.org
http://www.webmasterserve.com
http://www.webmasters-forum.org
http://www.webmastersheart.com
http://www.webmastershelp.com
http://www.webmaster-talk.com/blog-themes
http://www.webtalkforums.com
http://www.web-talks.com
http://www.webtemplatestalk.com
http://www.webzpoint.com
http://www.wpforums.com
http://www.wpsnap.com
http://www.zymic.com

2009-05-01 posted in Wordpress and Blogging Tips

Now you can start blogging from anywhere. The new facility of ‘WordPress for iPhone’ allows you to access this advanced blogging tool using your iPhone. WordPress for iPhone assists you in accomplishing a number of tasks. You can write posts, upload photos, edit pages, make a comment on any blog you visit and manage comments on your blog as well.

This move of WordPress offers a great experience for all those who are familiar with the functions of iPhone as well as the WordPress tools.

The ‘WordPress for iPhone’ uses an open source programming so anybody can provide his/her inputs in the development of this plugin. It is launched under GNU, the General Public License. This tool is available in 2.5.1 or higher version. If you are still not aware of this feature, you can check out Wordpress official site for the tutorials and guidelines which are important to learn this advanced tool.

Till now, many people have used this feature and gave a positive feedback. What are you waiting for? Start blogging today with the help of your iPhone.

2009-04-02 posted in Wordpress and Blogging Tips


The link advertising in the footer/sidebar of the Wordpress themes has proven to be an effective way in promoting your sites in two ways. Not only will you get direct traffic from the blogs’ visitors who click on your footer link, it’ll also increase your site’s link popularity, hence your search ranking.

When you sponsor (you buy a footer/sidebar link) a Wordpress theme, the more users download a theme, the more sites will have your links. Currently, there are 3 advertising models available in the market.

Model 1
You sponsor a theme and your links will be permanently placed on the theme. The theme will be promoted via submission to forums and theme directory sites.

Model 2
You sponsor a theme and your links will be permanently placed on the theme. The theme will be promoted via submission to forums, theme directory sites as well as the website of the theme owner.

Model 3
You sponsor a theme and your links will appear on the theme until a certain number of downloads have been fulfilled.

Now the question is: how do you know if your investment returns good results? To answer that question, you need to know 2 things.
1) How many times the theme have been downloaded?
2) How many websites use the themes?

The first question is actually redundant because ultimately, you want to know the answer to the second question, which is the end results! Therefore, when a theme owner tells you how many downloads you’ll get by sponsoring their theme as compared with others, think beyond the number of downloads because the big downloads don’t necessary mean that more sites are using the theme.

You’ll be surprised it is extremely easy to know how many domains use the theme that you sponsor. There is a catch, however, that you need to keep in mind before taking up a sponsorship. Just follow the steps below…

Read on for the full details…

2009-03-26 posted in Wordpress and Blogging Tips

Here is a unique way to increase traffic to your blog. It is called Entrecard. It is defined as an advertising platform for blog owners that are offered for free.

Bloggers and Entrecard users place advertisement of the Entrecard ad on any blog within the Entrecard network that is good for a certain number of days. The Entrecard ad placements on any blog as paid through Entrecard credits of the blogger or website owners who make the ad placement. We can treat this Entrecard credits as some form of a currency used for ad placement within the Entrecard network.

Bloggers place their ads by dropping off their cards at their selected blogs through the Entrecard widget. This Entrecard widget appears on every Entrecard member blog in the network.

Does this new craze deserve the attention that it is getting from a lot of people? Probably, the answer is yes. Entrecard is considered as an effective tool especially for the new and beginning bloggers in generating more traffic to their blogs.

In an apparent sales pitch for Entrecard, the following are declared benefits for those who join the Entrecard network:

  • Another way to Earn Money
    Bloggers who come to drop off cards may click the ads on your blog, which translates to additional money earned. Besides monetizing from the traffic via Entrecard network, Entrecard recently announced a credit-buy-back program where you can sell your credits back to Entrecard.
  • Build your followers
    Entrecard is one great way of bringing more traffic to your blog. Once they visit your blog to drop off their cards, they might see something that might be of interest to them and become a regular follower of your blog.
  • Maximize word-of-mouth Marketing
    You gain warm body endorsers once you get positive feedback from Entrecard members who visit your blog to drop off their cards. It is essential that you keep your blog as interesting as possible to visitors.
  • Improved Google, Alexa and search ranking
    As more and more visit your blog to drop off their cards, this translates to more page views that can boost the ranking of your blog in search engines. This would in turn bring in more targeted traffic to your blog.
  • Increased traffic to your blog will easily attract more direct advertising opportunities. As you experience increased traffic as a direct result of being a member of the Entrecard network, your blog will become more attractive for paying advertisers. This would mean extra dollars to fill your pockets.

With these benefits of Entrecard, it is essential that you are knowledgeable of the nooks and crannies of the network to derive maximum benefit from it. Here are some practical tips to set you off as a new Entrecard member:

Click here to read the Top 10 Tips