Grant Laird, Jr. Blog

ASL Video - 11 Minutes Long

Workshop at WordCamp 2008 - Dallas

Credit: John Pozadzides - http://onemansblog.com/

How to improve your own wordpress website with many tips:

• Add printer plugins - this way it will print perfect post this way rather than print whole crappy with themes in it on your printout.
• Updated profile/picture - yes picture of yourself!!
• Add links on footer; i.e. www.crazytech.com or one of your favorite link.
• Add MyBlogLog - you can sign up at www.mybloglog.com
• Add Top Commenters on sidebar - use your widget to put up there
• P-Metrics? Check it out!
• Add Amazon advertising with your own reseller account
• Use tags!!
• Check out Viddler - supposed to be better quality video
• Check out Woopra - www.woopra.com (beta version)
• Use hyperlink with several words instead of 1-2 words
• Email Subscription - RECOMMENDATION!! (subscribe2 plugins) — FeedBurner is also good optional
• Select partial RSS Feed instead of full
• Open comments all the times; do not require register
• Submit your post at www.Digg.com - its free
• Use FastStone program for optimize & resize pictures. its free!
• Use WP Super Cache plugins - better loading and speedy
• Add image on every post; at least one rather than boring text only; Try www.weburbanist.com
• No begging!!
• Donncha plugins - designed for no zone advertising for preferance visitors (interesting suggestion here)
• Stick with better and/or best tools such as webcam, avoid cheapass equipments
• Use unique name for each images — use fire_house_dallas.jpg instead of img0001.jpg
• Check out more cool info at OMB plugins list here

Feel free to make comments what you think of this tips to improve your Wordpress. Again, I haven’t try them all — it may be necessary for you to do little further research by yourself.

Updated 4/12/08: More details about WordCamp Dallas where I attended such as video and pictures - check it out!

Grant Laird Jr.
http://blog.grantlairdjr.com

 

Grant Laird Jr.
http://blog.grantlairdjr.com

Grant talked how he originally started Deaf Network website 10 years ago. (November 1997 – Present) Before he signed up new domain, he used free webpage service under local ISP. Also, he was lucky to learn some HTML codes (Using Notepad) from his friend at job. Of course things are slow but very exciting at this time.

Remember at this time, Netscape was very popular so does AOL and Google was nothing but baby. Dot-Com has gone crazy. Each domain cost $35 dollars – it is very expensive compared $10 per domain today.

Back then, they had few clients such as Merritt Interpreting Service, Deaf Celebration, Jean Massieu Academy, Dallas Deaf Club, and Deaf Action Center. They are important part of his dream – feed information such as events, announcement and others to community yet it’s all free.

You will see how ugly our website was before and it kept get better and better.

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.deafnetwork.com

Deaf Network of Texas mailing list started off with 300 subscribers and it grew over 3,000 subscribers today. It’s been amazing experience – he will never forget that many people think is email is crazy and stupid. But he saw it full of opportunity for deaf community.

He never dreams it would continue that long but he plan to continue as long as demand is there. He’s blessing to have wonderful supporters, advertisers and fans over years.

Grant Laird Jr
http://blog.grantlairdjr.com