I haven’t tried this code.  It was suggested by Mats Stadin (of Stugun Pike Fishing, Sweden) as a possible fix.  I’m fairly sure he’s working with a newer edition of Branford Magazine.

And — of course — you’ll want to change a few things to fit your own website’s topics.

Though this is a “beta” concept rather than a proven answer to the question, it’s a starting point if you’re in a trial-and-error mood and want to expand your Branford Magazine homepage options.

(Remember, always save a copy of your working version of your homepage theme template, before making any changes.  Then, if it doesn’t work out, you can paste the earlier, working version back into your Appearance > Editor screen.)

This code may also inspire customizations in related themes, such as Mimbo.

<!–ORIGINAL CODE –>

// “Featured articles” module begins
query_posts(“showposts=$1;&

(I’m pretty sure this works with newer editions of Branford Magazine.)

Click on the image to see his screenshot, full size.

The code to change is in ui.tabs.cs, in your Appearances > Editor panel.

You know what I mean… strange pharmaceuticals, porn sites, and so on.

The problem is, it’s a nuisance to edit the comment to remove the link.  Often, we just delete the comment altogether.

Well, there’s a free WordPress plugin to handle that issue with one click.  It’s called Delink Comment Author.

Once that plugin is installed, your comment options will include “delink” so you can click to delink, click to approve, and move on to the next great comment at your website.

As more sleazy websites are using more clever software to leave real-looking comments — and get backlinks in the process — this plugin makes a webmaster’s job easy.

We don’t have to decide whether or not it’s a “real” comment.  If it looks good, it gets approved… without its link, and without the risk of being associated with a “bad neighborhood.”

So, you can continue to use the current (third) edition of Sites that Soar. The dashboard differences are so minor, you may not even notice them.

Note: Sites that Soar! is available as an instant download (ebook) at SitesThatSoar.com, and as a published (printed) book at Amazon.com.

I’ve also slightly rewritten the book under a new title, Branford Magazine User’s Manual, because so many people aren’t sure what “Sites that Soar!” means.  However… it’s basically the same book; I’m just trying to reach a broader audience.

I’m still using Branford Magazine 2.0, modified slightly. It still works fine at all of my websites.  There’s no reason to wrestle with one of the newer, more confusing versions of Branford Magazine.

In fact, I tested Branford Magazine 4.2, just to see if it really was an improvement.  In my opinion, it’s not.  (See my article, Broken Branford Magazine theme?)

You can always download the older, more stable versions of Branford Magazine theme — including my modified version — at my websites.  Just look for the “Free Downloads” tab on the homepage.

http://www.SitesThatSoar.com/wordpress/

http://BranfordMagazine.com/

]]> http://sitesthatsoar.com/wordpress/wordpress-2-9-2-works-fine/feed/ 2 http://sitesthatsoar.com/wordpress/e-junkie-review-2/ http://sitesthatsoar.com/wordpress/e-junkie-review-2/#comments Sat, 05 Dec 2009 11:35:25 +0000 Ais http://sitesthatsoar.com/wordpress/?p=379 Many people ask me about E-junkie.com, and if it’s worthwhile.

I’ve been using E-junkie for about two years now, and I’m still delighted with them.  They handle all of my digital products for me, and they’re the most reliable company I’ve worked with.

In addition, they’re still the least expensive option I’ve seen for file storage and digital product fulfillment.  Currently, I pay $5 a month for their services.  That’s all.  No commissions.  No surprise charges.  No hidden fees!

Unlike Clickbank, E-junkie doesn’t charge me a per-sale commission or anything like that.

The only reason I stopped using E-Junkie for my Sites that Soar affiliate program is because I’m busy launching a publishing company.  I discontinued all of my affiliate programs, for now.   (The exception is Clickbank, and that’s because  — though it’s fairly expensive –  it requires zero time and attention from me.)

I’m still happily using E-junkie for all of my digital product sales and file storage.

E-junkie stores my files, handles my sales and pays me immediately via PayPal, and it keeps track of my customer lists, in case I need to send update notices or announcements.

If I was selling CDs or DVDs — which I plan to do, in the future — E-junkie would even interact directly with my CD fulfillment service.  Orders could be placed and products created & shipped, and I don’t have to do anything.

If and when I resume my affiliate programs, E-junkie does everything except issue the monthly payments.  However, even that can be managed with one click (via PayPal) for the entire set of payments, using the specialized list format that E-Junkie provides for this purpose.

At any point during the month, my affiliates can see how well they’re doing at their own E-junkie page.  In addition, E-junkie creates and maintains a list of my affiliates so I can send them messages and updates, as well.

They have options for physical products, too.   So, I could create an affiliate program for tee-shirts or posters or artwork… or anything that I’m making on my own.

E-junkie is designed for smaller businesses.  So, if you’re doing tens of thousands of dollars in business, monthly, they may not offer all of the features you need.  (Ask them.  They’re nice people and may create what you need.)

For a home-based business like mine, E-junkie is perfect.  I tried several other programs, and they either cost too much or they had too many problems… or both.

I put my products at E-junkie and I don’t have to think about them again.  Delivery is reliable.  I’m paid instantly. The whole thing costs my $5 per month.

My customers are happy, and so am I.

Here’s what it says on the E-junkie website:

E-junkie provides shopping cart and buy now buttons to let you sell downloads and tangible goods on your website, eBay, MySpace, Google Base, CraigsList and other websites using PayPal Standard, PayPal Pro, Google Checkout, Authorize.Net, TrialPay, ClickBank and 2CheckOut. For merchants selling downloads, we automate and secure the digital delivery of files and codes. If you are selling tangible goods, we automate the shipping calculation and inventory management. Our shopping cart has a built in sales tax, VAT, packaging and shipping cost calculator. You can sell ebooks, sell mp3 tracks and albums, sell software, icons, fonts, artwork, phone cards, event tickets, cds, posters, books, t-shirts and almost everything else you want to sell. E-junkie has no transaction limit, no bandwidth limit, no setup fee and no transaction fee.

Their website may not be as polished as Clickbank and similar services. However, E-junkie doesn’t charge the same fees as Clickbank… not even close!

And, I’ve had only excellent results with E-junkie.  No complaints at all!  (And, since I’m very picky, that’s saying a lot.)

I highly recommend E-junkie.  I am an affiliate for them, but I’d recommend them to anyone (and everyone) anyway.

Click the button below and see what they offer.  I think you’ll be impressed.

You’ll probably be relieved at how easy it is:

• no programming is needed
• no complicated shopping cart software (it’s just a normal link)
• there are no start-up fees, and
• you can even try it for a week, free, to see if you like it.

(After that, the basic plan — which is plenty for me, even with about 20 digital products and affiliate programs when I used them — is $5/month… period.)

So, I’ve written a print edition.  Because it’s a real, traditional book, it’s a little different than the ebook that people have downloaded.

The biggest change is the illustrations, which are in b&w instead of in color.  (I increased the contrast so the loss of color isn’t such a big issue.)

There are also some minor editorial changes, since I can’t say “click this link” on the printed page.

Otherwise, the content is 99% identical to the ebook that people can download instantly.

(In other words, don’t feel as if you have to buy this copy if you already own the ebook edition.  You don’t.  If you have the third edition of Sites that Soar! — the one that’s about 150 pages — very little is new in the printed book.)

The printed edition is now at Amazon.com, and it will be in offline bookstores (B&N, Borders, etc.) later in the year.

I am very excited about this book.

The galleys (publisher’s worksheets) looked even better than I expected.  The pages have one-inch margins, and the type is large-ish so no one has to squint or don their reading glasses.

The ebook remains online

As of February 2010, the price of the ebook — the instant download with bonuses — returned to its previous price of $17.

The biggest complaint I’ve heard from readers has been this:  They almost didn’t buy the ebook because the price was so low. They figured it was probably junk.

So, though I’ve liked keeping the price in a low range so more “starving artists” can buy it… I need to be sure it’s not overlooked because the price is too low.

Several people suggested a price around $27 or $37 for the ebook.

(Someone who designs websites professionally suggested that price for the printed book, too.  He’s concerned that people won’t realize how good my book is, since books with similar attention to detail are selling in the $35 – $50 range.)

However, I’m hoping that the $17 figure conveys enough of the value of what’s inside this 150-page book, without putting it out of  reach for the artists I originally wrote it for.

As always, I’ll consider barter — especially for original art –  if someone really can’t afford it.

Affiliates

During 2009, I discontinued the eJunkie.com affiliate program.  Oh, eJunkie.com is still my favorite resource for selling digital products.   In fact, I still sell through eJunkie, happily!

The problems were affiliate questions that I just don’t have time for.  (I’m primarily an artist and a reluctant writer.  Sites that Soar was originally a 35-page ebook for artist friends who wanted a website that looked as good as mine.)

However, people can still earn 75% commissions from this book by selling through Clickbank.  Though I earn just a small amount from each sale, I want to encourage people to tell others about Sites that Soar!

Besides, Clickbank handles the paperwork for me, pays the affiliates, and so on.  That’s why I’m continuing my affiliate program through them.

But, product delivery is still handled by eJunkie, and I’m still rabidly enthusiastic about their services.

Thanks

I wrote Sites that Soar! because I’d struggled with the Branford Magazine theme and I thought my notes might be useful to others.

Over the year+ that followed, my book grew from about 35 pages to over 150 illustration-filled pages, and hundreds of people purchased it.

In November 2009, I created a print edition of the book, too.  In early 2010, it will be available at Amazon.com and other bookstores.

However, I’ve been disappointed by “updates” of Branford Magazine.

So, my book continues to focus on the earlier editions of Branford Magazine — the same ones that I use myself, and I provide as free downloads, here.  (See the “Free Downloads” tab on the homepage.)

The Clickbank affiliate program runs on autopilot, and you can use that program to earn 75% commissions when you tell friends about this book.  It’s a free program and Clickbank pays you directly every month.

My ebook — the instant download with bonuses — will remain on sale: Sites That Soar!

And, I will continue to support the book. I just don’t support the theme itself… in fact, that’s why I wrote the book: To help people like me figure out how to use Branford Magazine!

I love those early versions of Branford Magazine, and I offer them as free downloads, here and at BranfordMagazine.com.

They’re the themes that I use at almost all of my own websites.

However, I’ve been increasingly troubled by later changes in the theme. The July 2009 update — Branford Magazine 3.0 — is a good example.

This morning, when I visited the website of Branford Magazine’s creator to take a look at Branford Magazine 3.0, I kept running into problems. They looked like this screenshot:

(I added the red arrow, pointing to where it says, “something has gone wrong with WordPress or a plugin.”)

The problem could be his WordPress installation, plugins that he’s using, or his theme. I don’t know.

If the designer’s own website is having problems… that could be a problem for others, too.

My Sites that Soar! book does not include instructions for Branford Magazine versions after 2.6.  I recommend only the earlier versions.

So, the third edition (2009) will probably be the final version of my book, Sites that Soar!

There’s no point in further updates unless something radically changes at WordPress.  (If it does, I may update the book.  I’m not sure.)

I love the versions of Branford Magazine that I’m using.  I’m delighted with how easy WordPress is, and how well it maintains my websites… no matter how large they are.

And, I especially like that the earlier versions of Branford Magazine and all versions of WordPress are free.

So, the reason I’m not updating Sites that Soar (the book) is because there’s no point to an update. I’m still very happy with the versions of Branford Magazine that I wrote about in that book.

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Privacy Policy for our website

If you require any more information or have any questions about our privacy policy, please feel free to contact us by email using our Contact form, linked from our homepage.

At our website, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us. This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by our website and how it is used.

Log Files

Like many  — perhaps most –  other Web sites, our website makes use of log files. That’s partly for security, so we can identify any problems before they occur.  The information inside the log files includes internet protocol ( IP ) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons

Our website does not use cookies.

Advertising

This website is partially funded through our generous sponsors and advertisers. We use as little advertising as we can, and — when it’s necessary — only to cover our hosting and maintenance expenses. We avoid advertising programs  with any privacy risks.  In fact, we avoid advertising, period.

DoubleClick DART Cookie

.:: Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on our website.

.:: Google’s use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to our website and other sites on the Internet.

.:: Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL – http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Ads that may appear at our website

Some of our advertising partners may use cookies and web beacons on our site. Our advertising partners may include Google Adsense, Commission Junction, Clickbank, Amazon, and other resources that offer useful products or links that seem to interest our website visitors.  (If we see a lack of interest, we discontinue the program.)

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on our website send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs.   That’s used, in part, to identify which country you’re from, and which languages your ads could appear in.

Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

Our website has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers. However, we urge you to disable cookies on your computer if this is a concern for you. That’s controlled in your browser, usually in the Options tab related to privacy, security, or general settings.

Or, you can regularly use a free program such as SpyBot or AdAware by Lavasoft.  They can safely clean old tracking cookies off your computer in a matter of minutes.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices.

Our website’s privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browsers’ respective websites.

Here are links that can help you, if you want to reconfigure your browser.  If the links aren’t current, use the search form at the respective site and look for “cookies.”

Firefox – Internet Explorer – Opera

In general, it’s good to have a privacy policy, anyway.  Here’s the easiest way to add one to your Branford Magazine website.

1. Visit SERPrank.com to auto-generate your privacy policy.  It’s easy… check the appropriate boxes, add your domain name and — presto! — you’ll have a privacy policy to copy-and-paste.

2. Copy that text and paste it into the “Visual” tab as a new Post or Page at your website.

If it’s a Page and your pages are listed somewhere on all of your webpages, your work is finished.  Otherwise, here are some options.

2a. Add the URL of your privacy policy page or post in your list of links in the sidebar… if you have a list of links in your sidebar.

2b. Or, add the URL of your privacy policy in your footer.  That’s what I’ve done for most of my websites.

First, to go your WordPress dashboard and click on Appearance > Editor.  There, click on “Footer” in the right column of that page.  Your footer.php will open in the center panel.

Add the URL of your privacy policy anywhere in the footer text.  You’ll make it a link with code that looks like this <a href=”XXX”>Privacy policy</a>, where “XXX” is your privacy policy URL.

You can see how I’ve done this in the screenshot, below.  (Click on the image to see it larger.) I add the privacy policy link immediately after the theme credits.

2c. Finally, save the footer.php file, and return to your usual work on your website.