
Back in 2005, I purchased shared server space from a well-known hosting company. In an attempt to “save” money, I paid for two years up front, and $268 later, I had my first real home on the Web.
Two short months after that, I came to the harsh realization that my server package was completely inadequate for my needs.
Ouch. Ultimately, a few key details made the difference, and although I learned this stuff the hard (read: the expensive) way, the good news is that you can avoid these same mistakes. You simply need to know where the potential traps are, and that’s precisely what I want to share with you today.
[click to continue…]

Without question, getting comments from interested readers is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of blogging. Unfortunately, interacting with people through comments is an asynchronous task, and this oftentimes makes it difficult to follow the ongoing conversation.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen designers and programmers attempt to solve this problem with things like threaded comments or even in-line AJAX commenting. Problem is, solutions like these tend to fall into one of two categories:
- They are ugly as sin and a nightmare to style.
- They are technical, complicated, and require you to install a plugin to get the result you want.
Man, oh man… If there’s one thing I hate more than ugly, it’s complicated.
Clearly, we need a comment management solution that is not only stylish, but also simple enough that anyone can execute it. [click to continue…]

No matter what kind of Web site you run, your goal is always the same: to communicate your message as effectively as possible to your intended audience.
If the content of your site represents your message, then typography is the vehicle through which that message is delivered. Ironically, this is probably the most important area where WordPress themes (and Web sites in general) fall short.
While that’s bad news for the masses, it’s actually great news for you, because I’ve got a 3-column cure for all your typographical woes—the Neoclassical Theme for WordPress. [click to continue…]