Plugin Review - WP Comment Remix

The newest WordPress plugin to help with commenting and reader appreciation is that of WP Comment Remix. Comment Remix enhances your admin comment section, and introduces several post features. Post Features Reply, Quote, and Tags Comment Remix takes your existing comment section and adds the following options:

• A ‘Reply’ link
• A ‘Quote’ link
• Tags

Here’s a quick screen of those in action:

If you click on the reply link, you’ll see something like this in the comment box: The benefits of the ‘Reply’ option is that the original comment is linked to if others want to read the original comment. The only issue I’ve found with the ‘Reply’ and ‘Quote’ options is that they are still available if comments are disabled on a post. On the tags feature, if you click a tag on a comment, only comments with that associated tag are displayed. I’ve been debating with myself how useful this is, since it appears that tags only show up for the particular post I’m on. Also, there is no easy way to edit tags. You’ll have to edit the comment in order to edit the tags for that comment. Trackback Options One nice option that Comment Remix has (in the admin panels) is removal of Trackbacks. You’ll find similar functionality in the Comment Sorter plugin I wrote. In addition to the removal of Trackbacks, the admin has the ability to automatically move Trackbacks to the end of the comment section. Sort Options Admin can also specify how the comments are displayed. Comments can be sorted (ascending or descending) by the comment date, or by the commenter’s name. Other Post Options Additional post options are the admin’s ability to:

• Disable the ‘Reply/Quote’ links
• Add/Disable tags
• Customize all text displayed.
• Change the number of tags displayed.

Admin Options The meat of the Comment Remix features come in the admin panel. Comments Panel Actions With an interface very similar to Absolute Comments, the plugin gives you the ability to edit, ignore (explained in a minute), reply, quote, and view all comments for a post.

One thing I’d like to see here is better styling of the links.

Reply/Quote Pop-Ups When clicking on the Reply/Quote actions, you see a pop-up window, which allows you to add your comment and submit.

I’m not quite sure why the author didn’t go with the ‘Thickbox.js’ file, but the pop-up he uses works pretty well. Once you hit ‘Save Reply’, the new comment will show up at the top of the Comments panel. In Need of Reply One absolutely fantastic feature is called the ‘In Need of Reply’ panel.

What this panel shows you is all of the comments that haven’t been replied to. Once you reply to a comment in this panel, the comment disappears since it is no longer in need of reply. One feature that is desperately missing here is a ‘Mark All as Replied’, although you can “ignore” comments on an individual basis.

Conclusion Comment Remix is a very nice plugin that combines a lot of features I’ve seen in other plugins. It’s always nice to have it all in one place, and the admin options (not shown in this review) are quite extensive. The star feature is the ‘In Need of Reply’ panel, which will help busy blog authors figure out which comments haven’t been replied to. Comment Remix is still in its early stages, but it’s off to a great start. As a side note, Comment Remix is also part of the WeblogToolsCollection plugin competition. If you have a moment, head over to the Comment Remix post, cast a vote, and give your say.

XHTML: What you need to know

Introduction There are many pages on the internet that contain HTML that is either improperly formatted or just bad. These pages will render OK in most browsers. However, in certain situations they stand the chance of rendering incorrectly. Compound this with the limited rendering power of mobile and other hand-held devices and you stand a good chance of presenting a broken page to a large audience. To stop things like this from happening you can implement a good coding standard along with a strong code foundation that follows strict rules. What is XHTML? XHTML stands for eXtensible Hypertext Markup Language. Put simply, XHTML is HTML that implements the syntax rules of XML. XHTML is stricter, cleaner, and, in my own opinion, much more sensible than normal HTML. What's more, XHTML is not difficult to get used to at all. Once you start applying the rules in your code you will notice just how simple it is to present good markup. Lets take a look at the implications. The Groundwork XHTML is built on a very solid foundation that requires certain strict rules to be permanently enforced. These rules are:

• Every page must have a Document Type Definition.
• Every page must have exactly one root element.
• All elements must always be typed out in lower case.
• All elements must be properly nested.
• All elements must be closed.
• Attributes may not be minimized.
• The id attribute replaces the name attribute.

Let us now look at these in more detail.

Every page must have a Document Type Definition.

There are generally three different dtd's that you can use on your web pages:

• Strict: Use this DOCTYPE for clean, clear markup and use it with CSS
• Transitional: Use this DOCTYPE when you are still going to use some of HTML's presentational features along with CSS
• Frameset: Use this DOCTYPE when you intend to use frames on your site

SOURCE: http://www.wdvl.com/Authoring/HTML/XHTML/plotzxhtml.html

Announcing - Why SEO is Still the Best Way to Get Traffic

If your trying to get traffic to your website you need to know that search engines are still one of and if not the best way to get traffic to your website. There are all kinds of new ways to get traffic that come and go every year but SEO traffic has always been here and probably always will. I want to show you why it still is the best choice for your traffic success. Secret #1: SEO traffic converts better then most other forms of traffic online. You can do video marketing and Web 2.0 marketing - but I am here to tell you that you're going to need at least 4 times the traffic from Web 2.0 marketing to make the same money as you would with SEO traffic. Most people will talk bad about SEO traffic because they are no good at it and think it is to hard. The reality is if you work at it for a few months you can get rankings that you will hold for years. I hold top 10 rankings in multiple markets that I have held forever! The traffic keeps coming to my site day after day like clockwork. Secret #2: Realize that it is not that hard! Most people complicate SEO and tell you that you need to get them to do it or get a degree in math to get your site to the top. The reality is you don't need that! You can do it and it is not that hard. Good back-links and content will take you most of the way! Discover the secret "Traffic Snowball System" Jason Nyback used to drive over 1,175,000 new visitors to his tiny websites & how you can to - Click Here Now to get access to this free video that reveals all. To discover proof of how you can drive thousands of visitors to your website using this insider "Can't Miss" system - Click Here Now.

Creating a Simple Joomla Template

To understand the contents of a template, let's start by looking at a blank Joomla template. Template File Components This section reviews the manual process of setting up template files. Normally, you would install the template using the Joomla installer, which takes care of all these steps. When constructing your own templates, you need to set up several files and folders in a coordinated manner. A template needs to contain various files and folders. These files must be placed in the /templates/ directory of a Joomla installation, each in a folder designated for that template. If you had two templates installed called Element and Voodoo, your directory would look something like this:

• /templates/element
• /templates/voodoo

Note that the directory name for a template must be the same as the name of the template—in this case, element and voodoo. These names are case-sensitive and shouldn't contain spaces. Within the directory of a template, there are two key files

• /element/templateDetails.xml
• /element/index.php

These filenames and locations must match exactly because this is how they are called by the Joomla core script. The first of these is the template XML file: templateDetails.xml. This is an XML-format metadata file that tells Joomla what other files are needed when it loads a web page that uses this template. (Note the uppercase D.) It also details the author, copyright, and what files make up the template (including any images used). The last use of this file is for unpacking and installing a template when using the extension installer in the administrative backend. The second key file is the primary template file that generates pages, index.php. This file is the most important in a Joomla template. It lays out the site and tells the Joomla CMS where to put the different components and modules. It is a combination of PHP and HTML/XHTML. Almost all templates use additional files. It is conventional (although not required by the Joomla core) to name and locate them as shown here:

• /element/template_thumbnail.png
• /element/css/template.css
• /element/images/logo.png

These are just examples. Table 9.1 lists the files commonly found in a template.Table 9.1 Core Files Needed for a CSS-Based Template

Web design Dubai and Abu Dhabi trends

Website design in Dubai is just as familiar with development, progression and evolution as any other country or sector in the world. Website design teams in Abu Dhabi are constantly at work developing and designing exquisite, functional websites for patrons in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, but also in countries on completely different continents.

Although website design in Dubai will endure much of the same changing trends as the rest of the world does, there are some things that will always be unique to web design services in Dubai. Take for example, the use of the Arabic alphabet and the implementation of it into country specific websites. Not many other country's will have the need to make use of Arabic lettering in their website design, as most international websites will be written in English or the home language of the country that it is based in. Specialised Arabic fonts have been designed and are being used across the UAE in newspapers, magazines, on billboards and of course on websites.

All website design teams in Abu Dhabi follow the basic web design trends that are impacting the rest of the world. These trends are always changing, as there is most definitely something new to be offered almost every month.

According to Smashing Magazine, the current website design trends for 2009 follow the path of the following as listed below. It is pretty much definite that web design in Dubai is stepping along the exact same path:

• Letterpress – a technique that has seldom been used. The actual pressing of letters so that they appear to have been cut out of a piece of paper
• Rich User Interfaces – improving the usability experience for website users
• PNG Transparency – Semi-transparent designs used in the background of titles or descriptions, to highlight the title while still enhancing the design aspect
• Huge Typography – The title says it all. The use of massive fonts.
• Font Replacement – The standard and more well known fonts of all time are slowly being replaced by more visual fonts that tie in with the overall design of the websites
• Modal Boxes or Lightboxes – A newer and more design orientated version of pop ups that offer a call to action
• Media Blocks – Used for video and screencasts to further communicate a message of the website
• The Magazine Look – Also speaks for itself. It is basically designing the website to have the overall look and feel of conventional print magazines
• Carousels or Slideshows – Slideshow navigation whereby users can scan through and navigate on the site through means of a slideshow of images or features
• Introduction Blocks – The use of dynamic typography, inventive copy and attractive design to catch the readers attention in the first 10 seconds of viewing a website

A resource like that is more than likely a general opinion on what website designing in Dubai is currently experiencing. It does give readers an idea of what goes into the extensive process of web page design in Dubai.

Web Development Trends in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

If you work for a web development firm in Abu Dhabi, you will become more familiar with the constant and ever changing web development trends. Web development Dubai officials are always evolving with the times to incorporate all the available trends that are suited to their working environment. Some of these elements are suited to expanding and advancing the technological world, and improving the quality of web development across the world. It is these features that website development firms in Abu Dhabi like to focus on.

Simple things like:

• Opting for Mozilla Firefox over Internet Explorer, it is now common knowledge that although Internet Explorer is already installed on most PC's, consumers opt to use Mozilla Firefox instead. Web development firms in Dubai constantly have to develop websites to suit both platforms, but the hopes are that one day it will all be geared towards Firefox, as no one will be using Internet Explorer.
• Framework libraries are enabling website development agents in Dubai to write their code in a more attractive and elegant manner, inforcing a level of standards that all web developers can adhere to and take advantage of.
• Data sharing across websites or networks, whereby if you log into the main frame of the website you automatically gain access to all the other portals within it or connected to it. Web development Abu Dhabi experts state that Google already have this trend in place, if you think that you can log into your Google account, and you are automatically logged into your Google Adwords account, your Blog and any social media widgets that you might have installed on your homepage.

With most web development trends, it is always advisable to adhere to Google standards. If you want your websites to be recognised on the world's most powerful and well known search engine, then it is a good idea to master their recommended trends. By keeping in line with the basic SEO trends as laid down by Google, such as: correct use of meta tags, alt tags, keywords and all the other little elements that contribute to it, you will no doubt find some favour with Google and their search engine rankings.

Karel founded in 2004, his company GO-Gulf.com has grown from a web portals development company into an international online web applications design and development company that does business everywhere in the region and works with people from different parts of the world. http://www.go-gulf.com, since its inception, continues to be guided by the core values exhibited by its founder.

Web Development Importance in Small Businesses

Small businesses are at the short end of the stick when it comes to excelling in certain industries. Without having a big and well known brand name attached to your company, how will it survive? How will people even know that you exist? Website development firms in Abu Dhabi, say that the only way to make a name for your small business is to implement a website. Website development in Dubai is at an all time high, and especially in times of economic strife, online marketing is the most profitable and economic method of promoting your business.

Any web development firm in Abu Dhabi will tell you the same thing:

• Get your website designed and developed
• Have SEO implemented into it to allow search engines to find your business
• Link to other sites and get them to link to you, and improve your overall rankings
• Watch the popularity of your business grow

A professional and informative website constructed by a website development firm from Dubai will pay for itself many times over. Whatever money you invest to a web development Dubai official will be well spent and worth every cent. Your revenue will reflect this as it increases with the constant web exposure.

Think of your website as the front man or the receptionist for your company. It is the first impression that anyone will get of what you have to offer and where your level of service lies. This is something that can be showcased to the entire world! By having an experienced web development firm from Dubai handle your initiation into the online world, you will be distributing your business information to everyone who owns a PC and has internet access. Not just via national portals, but internationally!

It is also very evident that in today’s society, no one makes use of conventional means of research when looking for service providers or businesses. In fact, conventional means are now all centred on the internet. If you consider that the internet is a massive and all encompassing Yellow Pages Guide, that covers the entire world and every business in it, then you would be making a huge mistake by not advertising in it. Consult a few web development Abu Dhabi professionals, and they will give you the same instructions: In order to make it in the business world today, the only way to enhance your business, increase sales and make the most leads possible is to implement a fully functional and informative SEO based website.

Karel founded in 2004, his company GO-Gulf.com has grown from a web portals development company into an international online web applications design and development company that does business everywhere in the region and works with people from different parts of the world. http://www.go-gulf.com, since its inception, continues to be guided by the core values exhibited by its founder.

The Importance of Logo Design in Websites

Your business logo design is the icon that symbolically represents your company. It is the identifying emblem that people will recognise first and foremost that stands proud as a statement of your website, your online presence and your company. Logo design company's such as GO-Gulf, a Dubai logo design team, are there to assist you in designing the appropriate logo that will encompass all that your company stands for while remaining professional and eye catching.

People underestimate the value and importance of having a business logo design customized especially for their company. Especially in online business where there are numerous companies offering the same or similar products or services, your logo is what will remind people of who you are and what your business has to offer. For you to stand apart from your competitors and isolate yourself from the masses of businesses in the internet community, you need to identify yourself. And there is no better way to do that than with a logo.

Dubai logo design company, GO-Gulf.com pride themselves in offering these services and more. Realizing the full potential behind compiling and designing a full graphics package, inclusive of business logo design for the companies they serve, they are accentuating the importance of having a recognizable brand for your company. In this day and age, everything is about brands. The brands you wear the brands you drive, the brands you buy and the brands that you favour above all. Your logo is just another brand that allows people to pinpoint and place your name and the capabilities of your company, making you an individual.

Imagine you are looking for a great place to eat and can't think of anywhere to go. You come across the banner of a great restaurant that you recognize plastered across the front of the building. Your experiences with this restaurant were memorable and you recall these experiences through your recognition of the identifying logo on the outside. Chances are, you will eat here again. It's the same with your online business. You offer exceptional services, and people will make a mental note to makes use of them again. Maybe they won't remember the name of your company, but they will remember the visual of the logo. With so much data being transferred to our brains every day, an image is so much easier to remember as the visual aspect alerts you to its presence and is pleasing to the eye.

Investing in the services of a reputable logo design company is the first step towards identifying your brand and finding the perfect business logo design to convey your message to the online world of business. Dubai logo design company, GO-Gulf.com are an excellent, reliable source for logo design, from establishing what your brand is, what the message you want to communicate is, up to delivering the final end product. If you want your online business to be noticed and remembered, then finding your ideal business logo design is a necessary step towards that, and will be a step that pays for itself in the long run.

Karel founded in 2004, his company GO-Gulf.com has grown from a web portals development company into an international online web applications design and development company that does business everywhere in the region and works with people from different parts of the world. http://www.go-gulf.com, since its inception, continues to be guided by the core values exhibited by its founder.

Web Business without SEO

Search engine optimization is the primary buzzword in online business today. With numerous businesses offering SEO services, there is no reason why you should not be able to implement it and reap the benefits in the process. Dubai SEO experts, GO-Gulf.com offer an extensive portfolio of online business websites that have successfully become noticed on the web due to the implementation of search engine optimization into the design of their websites.

Do you think your business would thrive without SEO? How would you get your company to be noticed on search engine pages without the intricacies and administration that goes into search engine optimization?

If you intended to take the SEO-free route with your online business, your marketing strategy would have to be so intricate and so involved that it would probably cost you a small fortune to introduce. Trying to promote you outside of the web is a costly affair and is far more involved than using the natural and proven facilities that the web has to offer.

What you want to do is attract visitors to your site, and once they are there you want to be able to satisfy their reasons for searching for you in the first place. SEO services do exactly this and for a fraction of the cost of a massive marketing and advertising campaign. An SEO team will pre-determine what your business needs are, and exactly what your selling points are and will construct your website around these key factors. What would a person type into Google or Yahoo to find what it is that you offer? These key phrases, a lot of architectural design and development and a host of other imperative factors are combined into the construction of a site that is search engine optimal.

By marketing your business to the online community, you are already working within the domain that you want to sell to. You want your website to be easy to find and simple to navigate through, but most importantly – easy to find. If people type a certain phrase into Google, they will most probably scan through the Top 10 to find what it is they are looking for. If you aren't listed in that Top 10, your chances of being noticed are that much slimmer. The only way to get yourself ranked amongst the finest is to implement search engine optimization and improve your rankings. The more people that visit your site, the better from a business perspective as well as from rankings point of view.

GO-Gulf.com have their own Dubai SEO team that offer exceptional SEO services to enhance your website and in doing so the search engine rankings of your online business. There cannot be any valid reason in today's world of business why you would want to try and promote your website and online business without SEO. It takes some time for the results to show, even up to a few months. But once they do your search engine optimization investment will have paid for itself.

Karel founded in 2004, his company GO-Gulf.com has grown from a web portals development company into an international online web applications design and development company that does business everywhere in the region and works with people from different parts of the world. http://www.go-gulf.com/, since its inception, continues to be guided by the core values exhibited by its founder.

Web Application Advantages in Today's World

Web application development services have introduced ways to make the use of applications easier and safer for the consumer. The many advantages of going online to use your applications as opposed to using desktop applications are increasing steadily and can be found by reading further below. With many web application development company's cropping up in today's online community, the variety and diversity of web applications is also on the rise. Some of the advantages of web applications and thus the web application development services that bring them to us are as follows:

• Web applications don't need to be installed onto your computer thus saving you ample space on your hard drive. When the time comes to upgrade your application, you need not buy the upgrade and install it, the upgrade will be taken care of by the web applications provider and will be released immediately onto the web.
• Shopping around for your ideal internet application or a suitable web application development service is easier as you already have access to numerous different options.
• Your data is safer against the instances of system crashes as if your system does have a failure; your data is protected in the online application service.
• You are not bound by your location anymore. You can basically log onto your web application of choice from anywhere in the world that has internet connectivity.
• In addition to the previous point, you are never bound by time. Access will be granted all day and night, every day of the week so work need not stay in the office or office hours.
• With internet applications, the providers can evaluate log INS and monitor the usage of the application. Through this they have the advantage of knowing what pages are used most frequently, what pages result in people's search or usage becoming stagnant etc. This allows web development companies to constantly upgrade and improve their web application development services by using these examples as a guide.
• Overall running costs are much lower.
• Training to operate the applications can be taken online within the application you are already working in. No need to venture further than your desk to find out more about what it is that makes the application work for you.

In addition to the numerous advantages from a consumer's point of view, the web application development company also enjoys many positive points from the promotion and running web applications. Not only is it cheaper for them to produce and operate, but all problems and hassles can be updated immediately and will be updated throughout all systems. So there is no need for product call-backs for malfunctioning software. All in all, it seems that the future is moving more towards web application development services, and in doing so providing an easier outcome for all. Karel founded in 2004, his company GO-Gulf.com has grown from a web portals development company into an international online web applications design and development company that does business everywhere in the region and works with people from different parts of the world. http://www.go-gulf.com/, since its inception, continues to be guided by the core values exhibited by its founder.

Website Importance in Online Business

Website design became a part of the future over a decade ago, and it is still an extremely prominent element in online business. With various experienced and talented web design companies dotted all over the globe, there is no shortage of web professionals to bring all your web design needs and ideas to fruition. GO-Gulf.com, a Dubai web design company are a group of those web professionals that offer competitive rates for exceptional work, and cannot stress enough that professional websites are the key ingredient to online business success. GO-Gulf.com's Dubai web design company does not limit themselves to work only within Dubai, but prefer to spread their wings across the continents. Their ability to conduct business around the world is an indication of how the web is capable of reaching in all directions and over any distance. According to this reputable Dubai web development and design company, no matterwhere your company is based, your website can generate online business and income from anywhere on the planet. Think of your website as the formal introduction to your company. It is the frontman that conveys an idea or an image of what your business has to offer to the world. The development and design of your website should be the single most important thing you carry out when attempting to get your online business off the ground. By using a unique and eye catching website design to draw people in, you are already receiving potential business from them getting to know who you are and what you are about. Many website designcompanies will also implement SEO and search engine marketing tactics as a part of their web development and design offerings. Dubai web development company GO-Gulf.com are well aware of the potential behind using meta tags and keyword implementation and how it will increase the chances of people actually stumbling across your website by improving your rankings on searchengines. With continued traffic to your site your chances of being in the top 10 on Google and Yahoo search engine listings will increase even further, making your business stand out amongst the crowds of competitors. It's all a matter of the correct planning. By making use of a proficient web design company like GO-Gulf.com, that understands the value of implementing a professional and informative website, you can guarantee that your needs and priorities will be expressed through your website. Be sure to plan the design and development of your website thoroughly before beginning the process of building it so as to impart all the necessary points of interest through it, as well as points of contact. With relevant content and eye catching design, your business can literally sell itself. Once your website design is approved and you have a fully functional and informative website up and running, you will need to promote it on the web. By submitting your site to search engines, forums, and article directories you will have a greater chanceto get your weblink noticed. Web design company's can help you with this and will often offer this as a part of their service. The moment your links and site are listed and indexed on search engine pages, your chances of becoming a reputable onlinebusiness will have grown exponentially, proving that you literally cannot afford to be without an engaging and illuminating website when entering the world of online business. Karel founded in 2004, his company GO-Gulf.com has grown from a web portals development company into an international online web applications design and development company that does business everywhere in the region and works with people from different parts of the world. http://www.go-gulf.com, since its inception, continues to be guided by the core values exhibited by its founder.