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WordPress Basics: Installing a New Theme

Posted by advertolog at Tuesday ~ August 08, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

Messing around with WordPress can sometimes be a scary task to put on your proverbial to do list. What does all this stuff do - and what if I break things? This is especially true for new bloggers wanting to change their theme.

With that in mind I figured I would create a simple and sweet guide to changing and installing a new WordPress theme for those out there who are a little frightened by the task at hand.

Number one thing you must remember is honestly there is nothing scary about this whole process. WordPress does a pretty good job at keeping it simple.

Step 1: Find the Theme of Your Dreams

There are tons of great themes and theme designers out there today. For an example, lets just take the free WordPress themes that Todd created. You could always just randomly search Google for “free wordpress themes” to find a few good ones too. My other favorite way of hunting down good looking WordPress theme-age is by going to the WordPress Theme Viewer.

Step 2: Unpack and Install Your New WordPress Theme

Most themes you find Online will be zipped or have some of the file compression done to them. You will need to open that up, and drag the theme folder (usually has the same name as the theme) to your desktop. For an example, let us just call it “greenlayout” Now open that folder up, and make sure that you see a lot of PHP files, one or two CSS files and maybe some other miscellaneous stuff (depending on the theme you are using). Some themes a fairly simple and others are pretty complex.

Now you get to move to the uploading phase. Connect to your hosting account with the FTP client of your choice, and get inside of your WordPress install. Usually the path you will want to take is:

public_html > wp-content > themes

Each folder in here represents one WordPress theme. Now I want you to upload that folder you unzipped earlier to this location. Take that folder (the one named “greenlayout”) and move it inside the themes folder. The hardest part is now done.

Step 3: Activate Your New Theme in WordPress

Now go back to your browser, login to your WordPress administrator interface - and go to the “presentation” section. Once there you should now see a new listing for your new WordPress theme you just installed. From there, click on the one you want and you are done. Now go check out your web site and see how you like your new theme.

Set up a Web Server Cluster in 5 Easy Steps

Posted by advertolog at Monday ~ August 08, 2007 to Uncategorized, Web Hosting
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There is a lot of talk about server clustering these days. Not that I understand this or that it is actually easy for us all, but I thought this tutorial from the folks at IBM was interesting. It shows the thinking that goes into constructing an Apache Web server cluster that spans multiple physical or virtual Linux servers in 5 easy steps with Linux Virtual Server and Heartbeat v2.

server-cluster-tutorial.gif

read the full article at IBM or check discussion on Digg

Tags: IBM, IBM Web Server Cluster

Domain Propigation Time Killers

Posted by advertolog at Wednesday ~ August 08, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

One problem you have to deal with at every web host out there is the whole issue of domain name propagation. While you wait for your domain to start working for everybody around the globe - here are a few suggestions for things to do to pass the time.

Write your favorite member of the Lunarpages support team a fan letter. Can never love your web host too much - right?

You could always go introduce yourself to your fellow clients and Lunar-peeps over at the Lunarforums! There are many helpful (and mighty friendly) people there that have made those forums their home. Of course we might have a few odd cousins in there too - but what family doesn’t have its black sheep?

Go let your old web host know where you made your new home at. Just make sure you don’t need your old hosting account there anymore. Then again, there was a reason why you left - and chances are they will not get back to you before you get yourself nice and cozy here at Lunarpages.

Learn a little more about your web hosting account. That plan page you went through has lots of information on the new hosting plan you call home. Go review it and the knowledge base to make sure you will be ready and set when you are able to go.

Have any other suggestions?

Google Homepage Gadget Suggestions?

Posted by advertolog at Tuesday ~ August 08, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

I am getting ready to do some much needed updating to the Lunarpages Google homepage gadget that was release a while back. What I would be curious about getting from you would be some feedback or suggestions you’d like for us to wrap into this second edition? Give me any and all thoughts you might have by leaving a comment here or dropping me an e-mail and I’ll be more than happy to do my best to roll them in or create a new Google homepage gadget for it.

Free WordPress Themes

Posted by advertolog at Wednesday ~ August 08, 2007 to SEO
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By Amy Armitage

Our awesome designer Todd Austin has created some additional free WordPress themes because at Lunarpages web hosting we LOVE LOVE LOVE WordPress!

Green Theme Blue Theme Black Theme

If you have any requests or suggestions for new themes, please post your comments :)

7 Ways to Use Your Free For Life Domain

Posted by advertolog at Monday ~ August 08, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

Lunarpages provides their Basic hosting plan customers with one free domain name for life. All annual plans include a domain name for FREE! It will be free for as long as you host with Lunarpages. The domain is registered in your name, you own it and have complete control over it.

1. You could register your primary domain name in another domain name extension. Lunarpages can register .com, .org, .name, .us, .biz, .info, .net, .ca and .co.uk domain names.

2. Have a child? It is never too early to register their name as a domain name. It might be taken up soon and if they want it later on in life - they will thank you for registering it early.

3. You could use the extra free domain name registration to start up your Golden Girls fan site. Ok, this might not be a dream that everybody has had - but that Betty White is just so darn adorable for a senior citizen, don’t you agree?

4. You need a blog. Everybody else has one - and did I mention that Lunarpages makes a fine home for WordPress installs? That could be yet another good project to use your free domain for life on.

5. Well we talked about childrens’ names, but what about yours? Is it registered already? If not - this would be a good reason and chance to pick it up for nothing.

6. You can transfer a domain name over from another domain name register as well. If you have your favorite domain somewhere else, just pay $9.95 to move it over and we can set it up as your free domain name for life.

7. Register a domain name for your Lunarpages fan site. With all the goodies you get with Lunarpages its hard not to love us. Just make sure you don’t make it a Golden Girls and Lunarpages fan site - that would just be a little on the creepy side.

So there you have a few ideas to get you started. Now I have one more helpful tip to pass along your way about Lunarpages and the free domains for life. Did you know that Business hosting plan customers get four of them?

List-O-Matic: Make Pretty Lists

Posted by advertolog at Friday ~ August 08, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

When it comes to creating pretty lists via a little HTML here and a little CSS there, a lot of the design ideas and techniques can go over many heads out there. That is why I am happy to see tools like List-O-Matic have made this process a heck of a lot easier.

No matter if you are a CSS web design master or just a guy with your first web site you should be able to use this tool with no issues at all. All you need to do is visit the web site, follow the steps, pick a design and you are good to go.

Once you are finished, you are given both the list HTML code that you can copy and paste into your web site and the CSS needed to make it all look right. Now this tool is not just a cheap way out of a difficult process, oh no. You could also use what it exports as a learning tool so that you can see how all of these features come together and work.

For your Lunar-homework - try creating a list, and then change around a few elements of the CSS it gave you to see how that changes the appearance of the list. Keep doing this and hey - who knows. You might not even need the good ol’ List-O-Matic any longer.

Need Dedicated Hosting?

Posted by advertolog at Wednesday ~ August 08, 2007 to SEO
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Author: Mitch Keeler

When was the last time you checked out Lunarpages dedicated hosting services? If it has been a while, you might want to make a trip to lpdedicated.com to get the latest information on how you too can get your own bigger chunk of one of Lunarpages dedicated machines.

We provide three levels of hosting for both Windows and Linux based servers - so there is a price point and a scalability there that is second to none. Also for the folks that really need it all, we have the special super secret plan.

Ok, maybe it is not that secret - maybe it is right there on the front page! When your talking about hard drive specs in the range of 4 x 400GB Raid 5 and DDR2 RAM at the 4 x 1024 MB mark - hey that is a deal you will not run across again anytime soon. The Mega Dedicated Plan is nothing to sneeze at - that much is for sure.

So if your looking for some heavy duty hosting and you don’t know where to turn - give your friends at Lunarpages a call. We’ll hook you up and get you going right.