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The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), also known as House Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261, is a bill that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives on October 26, 2011, by House Judiciary Committee Chair Representative Lamar S. Smith (R-TX) and a bipartisan group of 12 initial co-sponsors. The bill, if made law, would expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. Presented to the House Judiciary Committee, it builds on the similar PRO-IP Act of 2008 and the corresponding Senate bill, the PROTECT IP Act.
To read more on this, please check out Google’s site, as well as these excellent articles and sites.
Tags: laws, piracy, Security, SOPA
WordPress is the most popular web software used for content management today. One of the reasons for this is the low barrier to getting started. WordPress is not only free, but it is easy to use and there are tons of resources available for theming and 
expanding a website. But, that ease of use and over abundance of resources can also work against the new user. While the first blog is quick to setup, where do you go from there? How do you make the site your site? How do you get people to visit, engage them once they are there, and get them to come back? And how do you even know about all this? These questions are what Paul Thewlis tries to answer in his book WordPress 3 For Business Bloggers
. Note that this is a new and updated edition of his book that was published in 2008.
The publishers, Packt Publishing, sent me a copy of the book for review, and it had the honor of being the first book I read on my new Kindle. One of the things I really like about books from Packt is that they are available in multiple formats including print, PDF, ePUB, and Amazon’s MOBI format. But, back to the book itself.
WordPress 3 For Business Bloggers is well suited as an introduction to what can be done with a WordPress blog for most people. It succeeds in taking the new user beyond the initial install into the world of plug-ins and theme customization. While I am not really fond of the chapter on HTML and altering themes, I can see the necessity of familiarizing yourself with it. I just think that it is too much for most people and too prone to error. Seriously, you are better either in the hands of a real designer or finding a theme that doesn’t need behind the scenes tweaking.
I do find that the plug-ins covered hit most of the major ones most folks will need. From Akismet for spam to All-In-One SEO for search engine optimization, and many more, Thewlis walks you through not only how to install and setup the plug-in, but why you are doing so and what result should be achieved. That in itself is probably the strongest trait of the book – it goes into the “whys” behind the “whats” and “hows”. In fact, this is one of the only books I have seen that really asks you to think about why you are using a blog. Early on Thewlis says, “a successful business blog is achieved by identifying strategic goals and applying these to the type of blog you are publishing.” That is something a lot of people – even highly paid web developers – miss. What is your goal, and how is your website or blog supposed to help you achieve that goal?
Speaking of goals, there is also a very good introduction given to the analysis of traffic through tools such as Google Analytics, Alexa, and PageRank. These are all topics that can, and do, cover many books in themselves. But the introduction to the topics Thewlis gives here will allow you go on and do more research having a solid foundation beneath you. Or you will be able to talk intelligently with an expert or consultant if you chose to do so. Most people will never need to go beyond what is taught in this book, but if you do, it is nice to know you are prepared.
The one thing I would warn against is getting tied up in details, such as the aforementioned theming, where you really don’t need to. Just read through those chapters for the background knowledge and move on.
So, all in all I would recommend WordPress 3 For Business Bloggers for the people who want to take their blog or WordPress based website on to the next level but don’t know where to start. It can be intimidating when you don’t even know what questions to ask, and Thewlis gives solid exposure to almost all areas so you can know where you want to dive deeper.
Tags: blog, business, Review, seo, WordPress
This Monday, December 19th, I will be conducting a training session for the Palmetto Technology Hub on the essentials of website development.
No matter if you are doing your own web design or overseeing the production of that work; no matter if you are using WordPress, Drupal, DotNetNuk or a hand coded site, there are certain best practices that should be followed to get the best results possible. In this training we will cover things such as page flow, hot positions, usability, and accessibility. What we discuss will impact both your search engine results and customer satisfaction. Additionally, what we will be going over can be used for any platform with any web tools.
For more information on this training session, please check out the Palmetto Technology Hub’s event calendar.
Tags: development, dnn, DotNetNuke, drupal, seo, website, WordPress
On Tuesday, December the 13th, I will be speaking at the Charleston WordPress User Group meeting. This is part one of a two part session entitled, “Securing WordPress”.
Since WordPress enjoys the position of being one of the most widely used web platforms, it is also one of the most attacked. From installation to operation there are fairly easy, and must-do steps to make sure your site is as secure as possible.
In this two part session, I will cover everything from file permissions and user accounts to script injection and backup procedures to protect your blog from hacking or downtime. The first part of the session will be delivered at this user group meetup, and the second part will be delivered at the February meeting.
For more information, please check out the website of the Charleston WordPress User Group.
The slides from the presentations are posted on SlideShare.
Tags: Charleston, installation, Security, user group, usergroup, WordPress
The tech-gift I am being asked most often about this Christmas is not the iPad or other tablets, but ereaders. 
And the Kindle in particular. Amazingly, the one I recommend for the majority of the folks is the least expensive. It has the cleanest interface, a fantastic display, is rugged, and extremely affordable. Combine all of that with being able to easily check out books from most libraries on it and it is hard to beat!
What about the other versions of the Kindle? Well, the experiences people are having with the touch-screen models are less than favorable, and most folks don’t need the cost and complexity of the Fire. And lets face it, as a present the Fire is a little on the pricey side. The Fire is a great device – for movie watching, web surfing, email checking and game playing, but it really isn’t as good of a real book reader as the lower priced e-ink display Kindles.
And what about the Nook ereaders from Barnes & Noble? Well, they are mechanically great devices. Absolutely no doubt there. But, where the Kindle beats them is the Amazon store. Now I love Barnes & Noble and wish them all the best, however they just don’t seem to have the depth of Amazon. I looked up four or five books I was interested on both Amazon and B&N. While Amazon had every one, B&N didn’t. If i had a Nook I would just be out of luck. And I can tell you from hard fought experience that it is much easier to check out library books onto the Kindle than on to the Nook. So for product availability and ease of use, the Nook fall to the Kindle.
And remember that you can try the Kindle out in all kinds of places like Office Depot and Best Buy. But you won’t find a better price than from Amazon directly, and it will come already registered to your account. And if you are giving it as a gift it is easy to transfer that registration to someone else. Yup, I think this is going to be a Kindle Christmas!
Tags: Book, ereader, Kindle, nook, tablet
Now that Google has finally enabled pages for businesses and organizations on Google+ there is a virtual stampede to get those pages up. Before you rush off and do that though, there are a few things to consider. We are by no means saying not to put up a page, just be aware of these three restraints before you hit the create button.
Read this read of this article I wrote over on our DesignTechWeb website…
Tags: Facebook, Pagerank, publicity
Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook (& Other Social Networks)
by Dave Kerpen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An excellent book for those looking to get started in social media, gain a better understanding of it, or understand why it is important. The examples that Kerpen gives are spot on as to the value that lies in the new, but oh so old, form of interaction.
At its base, social media is not much different than all the communication that we have all been doing for years; that the human race and consumers have been doing forever. What is different about it is the immediacy, the permanence, and the reach. Kerpen illustrates this very well with examples of how social media has been used to help companies and causes, or ignored to the peril of those on the wrong end.
As one saying goes about social media, “your customers are already talking about you, don’t you want to be part of that conversation?” Likeable Social Media helps you to understand how to be part of that conversation without being a pushy salesperson or an overpowering know-it-all. You want to be liked. You want to be the person that others gather around at the cocktail party instead of the one they all avoid.
You don’t have to read this book cover to cover, in fact your don’t even have to read the chapters in order. In that way it is a great desk or bedside reference to just pick up from time to time to get a quick bit of inspiration.
If social media bewilders you at all, this book is highly recommended.
Tags: Dave Kerpen, Facebook, Google Plus, social media, twitter
More and more of us are moving all of our software operations online. But, one of the areas that has been hard to find a satisfactory on-line tool is collaboration software. Either the tools are good for project management or they are affordable. I have used 
everything from BaseCamp from 37Signals to Zoho Projects, from Tom’s Planner to spreadsheets in Google Apps. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, but none has been totally satisfactory. Some of my main criteria are that it be easy to use both for me and my clients, that it be easily shareable with people on multiple domains, and that it work well on Mac and PC as well as iPad.
Now there is a new contender in town, and it is looking quite attractive – Ace Project. I say new, but the company has been around since 2001. Just so happens that I have only recently heard of them. In realm, that is a really long time. And honestly it seems that Ace Project lives up to that history. I am testing it with some clients and partners now, and am overall quite pleased.
Continue Reading »
Tags: collaboration, planning, project management
I am very happy to announce that I have formally partnered with graphic designer and web creator Amanda Albertson to create a new firm named DesignTechWeb. Up until this time we both have been operating independently although we have worked together on a number of projects. After continued collaboration and seeing how our areas of expertise complemented each other, Amanda and I made the decision to join forces as a single entity. And now, after operating that way for a few months, we are proud to make the partnership public!
At the heart of our philosophy, and the name of the firm, DesignTechWeb, is the acknowledgement of both the graphic design and the technology components which go into the creation of sophisticated and secure websites. Together, Amanda and I have nearly 40 years of web experience. We have designed websites, marketing and systems for companies large and small – from restaurants to not-for-profits, from healthcare providers to lawyers. Today we choose to concentrate primarily on small to medium sized local businesses and the not-for-profit sector.
DesignTechWeb concentrates on web design, development and search engine optimization, specializing in content management systems that you can easily update yourself. All websites are custom designed for each client. Through integration with social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, a full service approach can be implemented to meet the varied needs of different organizations.
I am very happy about this partnership, and I hope you will visit us over at http://www.DesignTechWeb.com. And, of course, we hope you will call us if you have any website or social media needs! This site, MichaelCarnell.com, the site bearing my name, will remain up and functional, will house my occasional podcasts, and will be where I can go on diatribes about system maintenance, security and mobile technology.
Tags: CMS, design, secure, seo, Sophisticated, website
As many of you know, I am one of the founding partners of the Palmetto Technology Hub, or PATH. PATH’s mission is to provide technology support and resources to the South Carolina lowcountry not-for-profit community.
Now, after a year of work, we are proud to invite you to join us at The Charleston Place Hotel on June 30, 2011, for a day of technology, learning, and solutions geared towards the unique needs of nonprofit organizations. BOOT Camp will feature speakers from Google and local techies with helpful information for your nonprofit and introduction to free tools, with ideas on how to best utilize them.
Did I mention the delicious food? How about the classic Charleston venue? Or the wonderful networking experience?
We are still working on the details for the afternoon sessions based on your input. Planning to attend and have a specific topic you hope we’ll cover? Please fill out our survey here. We’re accepting input until May 1st.
Registration is currently available for nonprofits. (Please limit registration to two staff per organization so the maximum number of nonprofits can benefit). Space permitting, we will open it to the general public after May 20th.
Early Nonprofit Registration (before 5/20): $20
Late Nonprofit (after 5/20) and Open Registration: $30
Register Now!
Tags: charity, not-for-profit, PATH
