Archive for September, 2009
Enkay’s 7 Step Upgrade to WordPress 2.8.4!
Sep 9th
There have been some rumors out there that you should upgrade to WordPress 2.8.4 immediately because of the virus threat so I finally decided to bite the bullet and upgrade. To give you guys an idea of how nervous I am of updating the blog, I never even upgraded to 2.7. Not even 2.6. I was stuck in the 2.5 versions for the longest time and that meant that the upgrade process was a bit different for me.
The reason its different is because if you have a really old version of WordPress, you can’t automatically upgrade it. You have to upgrade WordPress manually. This is what made me really nervous about upgrading it. Also, the fact that I’d have to deal with a new design and new interface, kind of scared me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not technology prone, but I’m not used to change that I have a feeling I won’t like. To get things cleared up though, the new interface is AWESOME! So much more informative and well laid out.
Also, the idea that something will happen to the blog is scary but not too scary because I create weekly backups of my SQL database and I have a current backup of my WordPress blog on my hard drive as well. So all the files and everything are always secure and up-to-date. The part that scares me is having an error occur and being offline for a day. I don’t want that to happen but either way, the upgrade process was easy. WordPress has a great guide out there but maybe I can help with a more separated step process which makes my upgrade process, 7 steps. Here it is:
Step 1 : Create a backup of files on your FTP server – This includes all files in the main root that pertain to WordPress as well as the wp-admin, wp-content and wp-includes folder
Step 2 : Create a backup of your MySQL database just in case something goes wrong. This is needed because you might need to update your database once you complete upgrading WordPress. Dont worry, this won’t erase any of your posts, just needs to update table structure. Here is WordPress specific tutorial as to how to backup your database. Depending on your webhosting company, you may or may not have PhpMyAdmin but the process will still be quite similar.
Step 3 : Download the latest version of WordPress by clicking here and unpack it onto your desktop.
Step 4 : Delete your existing wp-admin and wp-includes folder. Copy over the new wp-admin and wp-includes folder as well as any files that would be in the root folder. Do not copy over the wo-content folder otherwise you risk losing essential data such as uploaded images, themes, etc.
Step 5 : Compare your old wp-config.php file to the wp-config-sample.php that is in the new WordPress install. I recommend checking to see if theres any change in structure. If there is, copy over data from your existing wp-config file into the sample file provided and then rename the sample file and upload it to your root folder.
Step 6 : Browse over to www.yourblog.com/wp-admin and login. You might be ask to update your database which usually takes 2 seconds and then you will be logged in to the new upgraded version of WordPress.
Step 7 : Sit back, relax and enjoy!
So, I hope you liked my post. I’m sorry if I might have named something wrong because I based the entire installation purely off of memory but I will re-check it again to make sure I got it right. I wonder how many of you have still not updated from the old version — a show of hands…or comments? Have a great rest of the week!
Why Promotional Items?
Sep 5th
So yesterday I talked about the Personalized USB Drives and that made me think about companies that send out promotional items. All of us have received something or the other, whether its a t-shirt, a pen, notepads, or even ping pong balls from Clickbooth. The big question that comes in now is, is the investment really worth it? Well, I don’t know and maybe Market Leverage and Clickbooth can chime in and give us an idea, but I’m sure it does. Lets take a few reasons why promotional items are a good idea:
1) Easy Way To Get The Word Out – Promotional items such as pens and t-shirts are a very convenient way of getting the word out. They are usually items that most individuals would use on a daily basis such as pens, notepads, usb drives or they are things that can be worn such as an hat, watch, t-shirt. When people use these items, they don’t even realize that they are advertising for someone else because to them, its probably just a comfortable shirt or they like wearing it. The idea of getting something for free, is very appealing to everyone and that plays a big role for the promotional goodies as well.
2) Cost Effective – Most of the goodies that are sent our way probably don’t cost a whole lot. Now, don’t get me wrong, a lot of things that I have received have been on the more expensive side such as the Nike Bag and Polo shirt sent over by the good folks over at Market Leverage but for the most part, they are pretty cheap when compared to paying for advertising. All that means is that instead of spending $15 or $20 a month for a small 125×125 ad, the companies rather divert their money into putting together a swag bag of goodies that their customers can wear and show off!
3) Word Of Mouth Travels Fast – I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked about my ShoeMoney shirt or my Market Leverage branded Flip Mino or the orange Clickbooth clock. When people see something interesting, unique or different, they tend to inquire about it. This usually leads in me telling them which company sent it over to me. People find it interesting and their curiosity leads to them asking others how they can get the same goodies. This person usually converts into a customer for the company that sent out the merchandise in the first place and the cycle continues on. Its a pretty good method of advertising, isnt it?
Sorry guys, I think I did the time stamping wrong so this post didn’t get posted in time but I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know your thoughts and feedback regarding the post. How is your long weekend so far? Any big plans?
Branded USB Drives. What Do You Think?
Sep 4th
So I received a review request to talk about the new personalized usb drive from FlashDealer.com. Whenever I get a review opportunity, I think about it before I accept it and sometimes I have a hard time justifying a post but this made sense because in the blogging world, we receive quite a few promotional items and I have a few USB drives that companies have sent me.
The USB drives are a good way of getting your name out there – specially because of the fact that you can now get USB drives that are leather or wood covered and that will always make people ask you where you got the USB drive and you can easily say which company sent them over. Also, for the companies it makes sense because its cheaper to make these USB drives and FlashDealer has them for as low as $4 a piece. I think that for a company that really wants to get the attention, thats the way to go. Also, the cooler the promotional items, the more people are likely to talk about it! So it does pay off in the end.
Some companies load up these flash drives with company software, information and its a great way to get the information out there. The marketing opportunities with a USB flash drive are specially limitless since FlashDealer has even mentioned a liquid lava lamp usb drive which to me sounds crazy. They have a huge selection of USB drives and it actually helps quite a bit to have a USB drive handy so having them available as promotional items can really get your name out there. My employer even gave all the interns a USB drive that was branded and it lights up when being used.
I think that promotional items of any kind are good and maybe a little bit later today I can tell you how promotional items can help your business and which are the best types. This next post won’t be paid so I’d love to hear your feedback when the post goes live later tonight! For right now, go check out these personalized usb drives at FlashDealer.com . Have a great long weekend everyone, I’ll be posting soon!
I Need More Twitter Followers
Sep 2nd
Maybe this is a something you think about at times during the day and actually this is the same thought thats going through my head. Twitter has become a great networking tool in the past year, mostly because of its popularity. A year or two ago, most people hadn’t heard of Twitter unless you were geek lords like I was.
The basic idea of Twitter is simple. You add a bunch of friends or colleagues or business contacts and you can send out short updates as to what you are currently working on or something you need their advice or help with. The basic idea being is that if you have a well built follower list, then you can reach the best people at the most relevant time.
Why Is Twitter So Popular?
1) Convenient – Its convenient! You use the app on your phone, you go to www.twitter.com or you visit it from other 3rd party applications like TweetDeck
2) Relevant – In the work that I do daily, I hear the word relevant all the time. Basically, its relevant because the world is now becoming technologically connected. With the use of Twitter, I don’t necessarily have to email anyone anymore. I can ask them real-time through Twitter. I can also ask the same people the same question. It makes communication more relevant and instantaneous than it already was.
3) Network of Responses – Sometimes, if you’re having an issue, such as gmail being down a few days ago, you can ask your followers and they will respond as to what is going on. You can receive responses from people who you don’t even know. Its called “marketing” for a lot of companies. Companies now can ask their customers and interact with their customers on an almost 1:1 basis. This phenomenon never really existed before Twitter.
4) Ease of Use - So, as many of you know, it isn’t rocket science as to how to use Twitter. Its simple! Even if you aren’t from the “Twitter Generation” , you can get online and browse around and figure it out in under 20 minutes, if that. Its easy to use and the design is a big part of the functionality that you get from Twitter.
5) Global Network – This ties into #3 and slightly into #2. The basic idea is that if you have a good source of followers and people who you follow, you’ve just built yourself a network of people who KNOW what you are talking about, who CARE what you have to say and who are very likely to RESPOND to what you are saying. That has been the key to success in the past and now you have it at your fingertips!
Now, all you have left to do is follow me on Twitter and every Friday, I go through and follow people, so if you don’t see it happen instantaneously, I promise you, I will! Have a good rest of the week everyone!
