Archive for Downloads
Vanilla Forums 101
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I have talked plenty of times with you before on free forum scripts you can easily setup and run from your web hosting account. By far, the most unique one I have seen is Vanilla. The Vanilla Forums script is a great open-source, standards compliant forum script. However, that is not what impresses me. The thing that impresses me the most is the fact that is stands out from the rest of the crowd and refreshes the idea of what a set of forums should look like.
What Makes Vanilla Special?
Now a simple audio podcast can not do justice to how graphically different this forum script looks and feels. Rather than having a list of subforums, and within those having threads, right from the start you are seeing all of the most recent threads that have been posted on. That brings you the proverbial meat and potatoes right off the bat. You can categorize your posts into different subforums, but that is a secondary option rather than the first. When you visit a forum, you want to see the new stuff first. The fact that Vanilla-powered forums do that right off the bat is just amazing. I wish more forum scripts would try this different approach.
You have full support for themes and add-ons, so you can really get down and dirty when it comes to customizing the look and feel you want your forums to have. The documentation is lacking in a few areas, but overall it does get the job done.
Here are a few more amazing features that I am sure you will enjoy:
- Embed Vanilla – You can very simply embed your set of Vanilla forums within your website.
- Social Connect – Let users sign into your forums with their login details from OpenID, Google, Twitter or Facebook.
- Vanilla Connect – quickly embed details about your Vanilla forum in your WordPress blog.
You can also import your forum posts from just about any other forum script into Vanilla with their easy import option too.
Overall, Vanilla amazes me, plain and simple. If more script developers out there thought outside of the box like these guys do, we would have a wider selection of great looking websites.
You can go download Vanilla and install it yourself at vanillaforums.org.
Facebook Fan Page Come join the fun on the Web Hosting Show Facebook Fan Page!© Mitch Keeler 2011 | Check out my firefox help site and my tech blog too!
5 Best Web Development Extensions for Google Chrome
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When it comes to extensions, Firefox is king – with thousands upon thousands to choose from. However, Google Chrome is just now starting to gain ground with the idea of having an extendable interface, so how many good web development extensions are there for this alternative browser from Google? I did my search and found five of the best web development related extensions for the browser.
Speed Tracer is a tool to help you identify and fix performance problems in your web applications. It visualizes metrics that are taken from low level instrumentation points inside of the browser and analyzes them as your application runs.
Chrome Extension that generates random dummy text.It uses a minimalist and well looking design. Many other extensions of this type – in other browsers – simply complicate this task, using really extensive code, XHR, etc. The main purpose of this one, is to use the less amount of code (and also memory) and help the developer/user to get the job done.
This handy SEO tool shows you the Google PageRank of web pages beside the address box. If the PageRank of the page in current tab is not available, the tool shows the PageRank of the domain instead, prefixed with ‘S’.
The Google Chrome SEO extension provides easy access to Search Engine Optimization Tools that can help you with Competitive Analysis, Keyword Research, Backlink Checks and other daily SEO tasks.
Use Internet Explorer to display web pages in a Chrome tab. Some sites can only be displayed using IE, and with this extension you can now see those sites without leaving Chrome.
Know of any more that I might have missed? Be sure to drop then in via the comments, and help us all learn a little more about the web development tools the Google Chrome browser provides.
Like This Article? Listen to it and more like it on podcast #201 of the Web Hosting Show!
Add me on Twitter! Come follow my daily antics, links, tips and more @mitchkeeler on Twitter!© Mitch Keeler 2010 | Check out my firefox help site and my tech blog too!
How to Track Podcast Download Numbers
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Is there a way to have decent statistics for how many times a podcast has been downloaded? That is the question the guys at Watir Podcast had for me. Since I to do a podcast for the masses, this is an issue that has bugged me for some time too.
The problem isn’t with having a script, plugin or service count the downloads because everything tries to do that. The problem is that nothing counts all the downloads. For example, if you push your podcast through FeedBurner, it will tell you how many people downloaded a podcast from the RSS feed, but no where else. Same could be said for some podcasting plugins out there for WordPress and other publishing platforms, but in reverse. They tell you how many people downloaded the podcast from the web site, but not those who got it by other means.
Server Side Statistics
So with all that confusion, the best you can do is find an estimate of downloads. You need something to look at the server-side statistical data, so you can be sure nothing is missed. The best way to get this done would be the statistics scripts that come with your web hosting account. This is usually AWStats or Webalizer. You could also download your log files, and then plug them into a desktop statistics analyzer. The problem is I haven’t found one I like that doesn’t cost one million dollars.
Podtrac Measurement Tools
The people at Podtrac have a free third-party measurement service you can use too. The way it works is you rewrite the way your podcasts are linked so that the link gets pushed through their server-side counter first. For all mp3 episodes, you would have to use the prefix:
http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/
I never used it myself because I was always afraid of the negative effect it might have on other services like iTunes that scopes out my RSS feeds for data automatically. Might be worth trying out again.
Thanks to the Watir Podcast for the question, be sure to check them out at Watirpodcast.com. If you have a web hosting or development question, give me your name, URL and question over on the submit a question page!
Like This Article? Listen to it and more like it on podcast #199 of the Web Hosting Show!
Add me on Twitter! Come follow my daily antics, links, tips and more @mitchkeeler on Twitter!© Mitch Keeler 2010 | Check out my firefox help site and my tech blog too!
On the Web Hosting Highway – Episode 199
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Time to fashion the seat belt, pull out of the driveway and get back onto the web hosting highway. As we pass through the small “Mom and Pop” web hosts, to the big corporate powerhouses, be sure not to get any bugs in your teeth – because the Web Hosting Show is now on the air.
Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 199!
Running Time: 12 minutes | File Size: 5.41 MB
Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode:
- How to Track Podcast Download Numbers
- Find CSS Element Stats with XRAY Bookmarklet
- Small Business Solutions for Big Web Site Threats
- Selling Web Hosting and Design at Retail
Help thank our sponsor! Via Twitter, tweet to @LayeredTech thanks for supporting webhostingshow.com
Hope you fully enjoy this week’s podcast, and if you do – drop in a comments and let me know. Also don’t forget to check out two new additions to the Web Hosting Show web site:
- Web Hosts on Twitter (every host on Twitter listed here!)
- Web Hosting Coupons and Deals (only the best web hosting discounts!)
If you have a question you’d like to ask on the show, be sure to leave me your name, web site address, and question on the submit a question form.
Add me on Twitter! Come follow my daily antics, links, tips and more @mitchkeeler on Twitter!© Mitch Keeler 2010 | Check out my firefox help site and my tech blog too!
Lunarpages Gives Back to Customers
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What is there to love about Lunarpages?
Well, we specialize in web hosting plans of every shape and size. From Starter hosting for web site beginners, to dedicated hosting solutions, for business experts – every aspect of the web hosting world is covered by us. Here are just a few more reasons to love Lunarpages.
Free Off Site Backup with Keepit
All Lunarpages customers get three months free of Keepit, one of the best off site backup services out there today. Keepit’s easy-to-use backup solution makes running daily, weekly, monthly, or random backups of your PC or selected files effortless. Keepit is simple, automatic, secure and safe and by partnering with Lunarpages, completely FREE with unlimited space for three months!
Google AdWords and Facebook Ad Deals
Lunarpages clients also get a deal when it comes to signing up for a new Google AdWords or a new Facebook Ads plan. With Google AdWords, you are in full control of what you spend, no matter what your budget is! You can change or edit your campaigns any time and there are no commitments or minimum spend requirements. Facebook Ads are an innovative way to maximize the success of your small business website. By partnering with Lunarpages for your web hosting, you can utilize Facebook Ads to reach your target markets from the largest social networking site in the world.
$700 Worth of Other Bonus Offers
The offers don’t end with those three exclusive deals. Lunarpages also provides over $700 worth of free software and service bonuses to all of our clients. Purchase ANY hosting plan with Lunarpages and for a limited time receive full registered versions of WinSettings and Photo TurboBackup by FileStream, Logo Creator Entertainment and Sports Editions, 60 days free at RatePoint, 15 DNS level Gafana spam, virus protection, and email management accounts, $100 LinkWorth free advertising credits and $20 in Bidvertiser clicks, DeepTrawl website error checker, plus 3 months of VisitorVille web stats! – valued at over $700 – at no extra cost to you.
Lunarpages loves to give back to the community that made it into one of the number one web hosting providers out there today. We all hope you are enjoying and utilizing your extra benefits.
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Take Better Web Site Screenshots
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Need to take a screen shot of a web site to show off to somebody? By far, one of my favorite programs to take screenshots is WebShot. It is almost the perfect screenshot and web page thumbnail generator utility. How do you use it? You put the web site address you want to get the capture of in the URL text box, and then hit the button labeled, “Start”.
Diving deeper into the download you can also set it up to capture multiple URLs, a specific size image, edit the default browser sizes and more. For most people the free version should get the job done – however if you want even more features you might look into getting the personal or server edition.
To pick it up, or get more help on how to use it – go visit WebSiteScreenshots.com.
Add me on Twitter! Come follow my daily antics, links, tips and more @mitchkeeler on Twitter!© Mitch Keeler 2009 | Check out my firefox help site and my tech blog too!