This month the Rainmaker Digital team is rolling out a brand new offering called "StudioPress Sites and holy cow they might just have something special here. I've long been a fan of StudioPress and the Genesis Framework and was even a beta user for Genesis back in the day. When the Rainmaker Platform arrived I dug into that as well and was highly impressed with the beautiful admin panel and ease of use. Let's hit the hottest questions on StudioPress Sites so you can get the rundown on what ... Read More
StudioPress
A Visit to the StudioPress.FM Podcast
I recently had the pleasure of recording a podcast episode of StudioPress.fm with Brian Gardner and Lauren Mancke. This is a brand new podcast series from the Copyblogger team and I was fortunate enough to be their first guest. I'm not sure how that happened, but I'll admit I jumped at the chance when asked. The podcast covered a wide range of topics ranging from website design and SEO to my struggles in running an agency. Here is a full list of topics we chatted about: My path to ... Read More
The New Rainmaker Platform Will Have You Doing a Happy Dance
This week Brian Clark reached out to me and asked if I’d like to review the New Rainmaker platform from Copyblogger. Me, being the ultimate Genesis fan girl, didn’t think twice about jumping at the offer. After all, I’ve been using StudioPress themes since I started with WordPress and we use the Genesis framework in everything with do here at Web Savvy Marketing. If these folks are releasing something new, I knew it had to be good and I wanted to take a look. I accepted the invitation and ... Read More
The WordPress Community Has Your Back
While the concept of communal relations and interest led associations dates back to Confucius, the definition of community is constantly being redefined as civilization advances. Technology, and in particular the internet, has taken the concept of community to a completely new level. Social media has not only fueled the growth of communities, it has forced it to evolve. Psychology and sociology have always fascinated me. My love for these subject areas almost surpasses my infatuation with ... Read More
Favorite Genesis Framework Plugins
Did you know there are over seventy-five Genesis framework plugins in the WordPress.org repository? Holy WordPress Batman! That’s a lot of plugins considering the framework alone is already chalked full of features and functions. While I’ve been using a few Genesis plugins for quite a while, I had no idea so many more have been developed. When we build a custom theme or create a stock Genesis child theme, we tend to stick with plugins that we’ve used already and we've labeled “solid”. Knowing ... Read More
Preparing for Genesis 2.0
If you’re active in the Genesis community or if you simply use a Genesis child theme, you probably know Genesis 2.0 is coming and right around the corner. We’re excited about the release and we know our customers are because we’re starting to get oodles of questions about the release of Genesis 2.0 and how HTML5 will alter things for existing Genesis users. Fear not my Genesis children, Brian Gardner and his team of uber smart WordPress coders have you covered. Genesis upgrades have always ... Read More
Do What Makes You Happy
The Little Theme Store That Grew Up Late in 2011 Chris Cree (you might know him from his rock star support in our forum) suggested we launch a theme store. Being the overly opinionated and bullheaded woman that I am, I quickly dismissed his idea. After all, inside my head I kept thinking “we build custom WordPress themes - we do not sell stock themes.” Chris, knowing me like he does, just waited and brought up the idea again at another time. When I ignored him a second time, he retreated but ... Read More
Is a Responsive WordPress Theme a Requirement or Hype?
Responsive WordPress themes are the current craze in the open source world. But are they a true requirement or just a bunch of hype thrown out to sell more premium themes to unsuspecting buyers? Do WordPress users really need to consider upgrading their existing themes to one that is responsive and mobile friendly? At first I was a bit skeptical, but responsive websites have grown on me and it is now a part of daily life for me and my coding team. I will admit that I considered it hype at ... Read More
Introducing Hans: A WordPress Real Estate Theme
Earlier this month we launched a new premium WordPress theme designed for individual realtors, real estate companies, and home builders. The new real estate theme is a Genesis child theme and has functionality similar to the AgentPress theme from StudioPress. An Example of a Real Estate Firm Website Launch A few days before we officially released the theme I received a call from the president of a real estate firm in California. He needed a custom Genesis theme that was capable of integrating ... Read More
The War of WordPress Theme Frameworks
WordPress theme frameworks are not new, but their usage is growing in popularity. As the WordPress community grows and the usage rate of WordPress escalates, our collective skill-set builds in sophistication. With this growth comes the ability to create, deploy, and utilize advance features and functions. When I first started working with WordPress, I taught myself about components of themes and their basic usage. I next migrated to creating my own themes with a software package called ... Read More
The Girlfriend’s Guide to Blogging
This week I received an email from a longtime girlfriend who is interested in launching a blog. I was actually surprised by this, because Mary (name has been changed to protect the innocent) has a full-time job already and it is not marketing related. She had an idea for a blog and wanted advice on how to get a blog started. My girlfriend is not alone. I receive dozens of emails each week from people wanting blogs and websites created for their “idea” and I can tell at least 75% have no ... Read More
Good Times at WordCamp Detroit 2011
Another year, another WordCamp here in Detroit. I was excited for it to arrive and I'm definitely sad to see it go. I love WordCamp almost as much as I love WordPress. It brings together my favorite things: WordPress and my fellow like-minded geeks. This year I was able to bring along my possy, which included my assistant Jen (and long time BFF), my fellow internet marketer Rachel, and our collective friend Megan who is completely new to WordPress. Good times. This year's WordCamp was ... Read More
Sticks and Stones Break My Bones, Wireframes Excite Me
Over the years I’ve matured in my web design process. I now have a graphic artist who creates really great design comps and a few WordPress gurus who whip these creations into the Genesis framework from StudioPress. I truly believe I have some of the best people around and I am a lucky girl. Yes I realize that sounds like fluff, but in my geeky WordPress world all that makes me happy. It means I get to focus on clients, strategy, SEO, and I get to create wireframes. Website wireframes are ... Read More
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