link Post Archives

wp10logoIn conjunction with WordPress’ 10th Anniversary I wrote down some reflections on my journey with WordPress on the ClickWP blog:

WordPress is one of the blessings I count every day because it is entirely free to use. It was created freely and given away freely to the world. I am where I am today because of this generosity.

Happy birthday WordPress ♥

Guide to understanding the introverted

Click to view full infographic

I consider myself an introvert, so I can vouch for the accuracy of this infographic. Please read to understand your introverted friends!

Nice list of rules for when I get a smart phone for Zack. Don’t agree completely with all of them but they are good guidelines to form my own. Original page here.

Bill Erickson shares a few thoughts about the benefits of running a consulting / service-based business. His post is in response to the notion that product-based business models are more scalable and therefore profitable.

Bill covers the pros and cons of the consulting business model, and what people frequently forget when thinking about product-based business models. One thing resonated with me:

As a service provider, find the more scalable aspects of your business and focus on them. Likewise, find the aspects that are less scalable and decrease your focus on them.

This is something that I’ve been working on at ClickWP. In service-based business models, decreasing focus on the less scalable aspects are usually handled by automation. However it’s important to remember not to automate too much because your business will become cold and your relationship becomes transactional, when customers frequently choose you over other vendors because of that high-touch relationship.

Update Nov 2016: I no longer recommend Site5; see: The Sinking of Site5

At the beginning of 2011, I began hosting my websites on Site5. I have been singing their praises and recommending everyone I know to them. Today iThemes publicly announced their endorsement of Site5 hosting (and how terrible Hostgator is too). I’m really excited about the development because iThemes is a major WordPress plugins and themes vendor, so their endorsement confirms my feelings about Site5. Also, the CEOs of both companies have been communicating directly which will hopefully result in even better WordPress compatibility with Site5. Check out the announcement post, Site5 has a 6-month free trial (!) for the iThemes community.

Ben Brooks writes about a problem that many blogs and news sites have – too many things that distract the site visitor from reading. I share a similar opinion which is why I have removed all the ads from my site and reduced the design as much as possible. It’s a good read if you are considering a new design for your blog.

The Home Work podcast is my new favorite podcast. Its a show for people who work from home, whether freelancer or telecommuter hosted by Aaron Mahnke and Dave Caolo. The hosts are super consistent with their schedule, the length of each shows is just right and the hosts offer very practical and useful advice, even for a experienced home warriors like me. It’s also great to listen to other people discuss the issues of people who work from home because you get that sense of community and that you’re not so alone. Do check out the show and other shows on 70 Decibels network.

Mike Elgan wrote a brilliant explanation on Apple’s legal strategy following its massive patent infringement lawsuit win over Samsung:

Yes, Samsung does innovate. And they also copy. And they make brand-focused products. And they make generic, commodity products. They do it all.

But Apple is a specialist. They make radically de-commoditized products exclusively. And part of their strategy is to fight the forces of commoditization.

And that’s why they sue

Source: Cult of Mac – Why Apple Sues

Wish I had thought about doing this:

The goal of this website is to get all the best Steve Jobs videos in one place, and let you watch them as you read the famous bio by Walter Isaacson.

Visit → stevejobsarchive.net

Colin Nederkoorn used stock IKEA parts to build his standing desk for only USD22. He used a LACK table, Viktor Shelf, and 2 Ekby Valter brackets. This solution though, requires that you put the assembled thingy on top of a regular desk. I had considered doing this myself before but the genius here is the shelf that goes on the front of the LACK table. Great job Colin!

via Lifehacker