The other day I posted about the Twitter Tools plugin and how great it is. Well it was a great plugin but I think Twitter totally screwed it up. They have rendered it useless when many users can’t get any Twitter plugins to work anymore because Twitter changed their authentication method as of August 13, 2010.

This new authentication method uses the Twitter API so that your blog now becomes a Twitter App and you have to go through a whole process to create the app. So many of us have done all the required steps, and still the plugin doesn’t work. In my case, I get no error message, my posts just don’t get tweeted like they used to. I don’t think the problems with this plugin are because Alex King, the developer messed up. I think the problems are on Twitter’s end.

So, until Twitter gets its act together, it looks like I’ll be manually posting tweets, which kind of sucks. If any of you can shed some light on getting Twitter apps working on their blogs, please add your feedback.

Update: I’m testing this thing once more using a suggestion someone sent me and I’ll report back shortly.

Bookmark It

In most cases, it is an absolute necessity for a small business to have a website. However, you might not be convinced that you need one or you might think it is something you can easily do yourself. But unless you have the knowledge of website design and the time to implement it, you will most likely benefit from hiring a professional freelance web designer who is experienced in this area.

Here are some things to consider in order to help you make your decision:

First of all, you should determine the reasons why your business needs a website. There was a time when a small business could get by with no internet presence but those days have since passed. Consumers like having the ability to search for products and services in the comfort of their own home and at a time that is convenient for them. They also like to be able to centrally compare among the different competitors for a product or service. A professionally-designed website helps to establish your brand identity and company image plus it communicates volumes about your small business.

The next thing you might consider is can you just build a website yourself? The answer is ‘yes’, but unless you know what you are doing, you are probably better off hiring a web designer or web development company to do it for you. Even if you know what you are doing, you must also ask yourself if you have the time for such an endeavor. For example, there is more to having a website than just creating pages. You must also go through the process of establishing links to your site from other reputable sites so that people can find you, among other things. If no one can find your site, then your website will be ineffective.

Finally, you say that you don’t have the budget to hire a web design company? Professional website designers know that not everyone has the same budget or the same requirements for their site. Your website can be created with a simple five-page design that gives contact and product information so that your internet presence will be established. Then, as you expand, your website can also grow accordingly. The best way to handle a phased approach to a website design is to have a plan for today and the future. That way as the web designer builds for each phase, he or she always has the future plan in mind.

Bookmark It

What is it going to take before North America, actually every country in the world, bans flu vaccines? How many more children are going to get seriously sick, or perhaps even die?

While we enjoy summer here in North America, in Australia it is winter and the flu season is well under way. The health authorities there have been urging people to get their flu shots, as usual, pimping Big Pharma’s chemical toxic cocktails that have made several children go into convulsions, and one kid is in a coma!

Finally, Australia banned flu vaccines for children. Hello? It’s about time! Read the rest of the story here.

My advice, for what it’s worth: say no to flu shots and yes to lots of Vitamin C-rich foods or supplements. Oh, and wash your hands!

Bookmark It

Those of us who use the Twitter Tools plugin discovered that the recent update added extra security to it’s neat suite of tools. In fact, you were instructed to create a developer app for your blog using your exisitng Twitter username and password, and the system then generated a consumer key, a consumer secret, an access token, and an access token secret, which you then needed to copy into your WordPress Twitter Tools settings. I was very impressed, actually, and I believe this plugin is a must have for connecting your WordPress blog to Twitter.

Twitter Tools is just one of many of Crowd Favorite’s WordPress plugins. They continue to contribute so much to the WordPress community and they also have many other premium services to offer, as well as a small selection of quality WordPress themes, most of which are free. Let me know what you think.

Bookmark It

Taking a few minutes each day to do what inspires you can really motivate you to accomplish whatever you want. I love watching motivational videos. They really put me a good frame of mind. I found an excellent one today that I hope you’ll enjoy. Have a wonderful week!

Bookmark It