Have you ever tried to add a shortcode to a WordPress text widget? Didn't work out too well, did it? That's because WordPress doesn't provide native support for adding a shortcode to a text widget. Luckily, getting WordPress to cooperate couldn't be simpler. And yes, I'm sure there are plugins out there that will accomplish the same thing. But why install yet another plugin if you don't have to? Exactly. In order to add a functioning shortcode to a WordPress text widget, simply add the … [Read more...]
GENESIS FIX – Fatal error: Call to undefined function genesis_upgrade_2007()
I recently attempted to upgrade the Genesis framework on one of my client's staging sites. I received the following error message, but was not able to find documentation of a fix through a quick Google search or via the StudioPress support forum: Fatal error: Call to undefined function genesis_upgrade_2007() ... /wp-content/themes/genesis/lib/functions/upgrade.php on line 425 Since I couldn't find a solution to my dilemma as quickly as I'd hoped, I went ahead and submitted a support ticket … [Read more...]
w3 Total Cache & Canonical URL Issues
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed a tweet from me a while back lamenting a conflict between a caching plugin and the 301 redirect from non-www to www (or vice versa - whichever is the preferred URL for a given site). From time to time I check to make sure that the non-www URLs of pages on my site are being properly redirected to the www URLs. Some time after I started using the w3 Total Cache plugin, that stopped happening. I was not bursting with fruit flavor, but … [Read more...]
WordPress Security – Not Just For Big Boys Anymore
My latest post, published at Search Engine People, is all about WordPress security. There may have been a time when only large publishers had to worry about security, but not anymore. As the popularity of WordPress began to rise, so did the opportunity for hackers to target sites running on the platform. WordPress does a decent job of plugging security holes as they're identified, but leaving the security of your site completely in their hands is idiocy. … [Read more...]
Cheap Web Hosting That Doesn’t Suck
Finding cheap web hosting that doesn't suck is sometimes easier said than done. When I launched my first blog, I had no idea where to begin. I did some Google searches, I asked some blogger pals, and I checked out the hosts that WordPress recommended. In the end, I pinned the proverbial tail on my virtual donkey, going on about my business hoping I'd made a relatively decent choice. Since then, I've been thrilled with the shared web hosting provided by midPhase. … [Read more...]
Hi, I’m Alysson and I Am Addicted to WordPress Plugins
The first step toward recovery is admitting you have a problem. Well, guess what? I'll admit no such thing! I have no interest in recovering from my addiction to WordPress plugins and anticipate that it will only continue to get worse. It has been about a year since I was first introduced to WordPress. Since then I have immersed myself in creating sites and blogs that take advantage of all that WordPress has to offer - most notably, the functionality that its plugins provide. So, without … [Read more...]
Must Have WordPress Plugins For Newbies
WordPress rookie? Been there! I used WordPress for the first time a few months ago. A friend of mine that runs a blog mentioned it's what he used, so I just ran with that...having no idea that there was so much to be done to the "out-of-the-box" WordPress to make it more functional and more search engine friendly. I didn't even know what "WordPress Plugins" were then. Hell, I didn't know anything about CSS (except that it was the acronym for "Cascading Style Sheets") a few months ago. Web … [Read more...]
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