David Burch http://davidburch.com Tips, Tools, and Tutorials for Working Online Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:08:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 How to Create a WordPress Test Site http://davidburch.com/202/how-to-create-a-wordpress-test-site/ http://davidburch.com/202/how-to-create-a-wordpress-test-site/#comments Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:57:15 +0000 David Burch http://davidburch.com/?p=202 How to create a WordPress test site using a portable version of WordPress where you can test upgrades of WordPress, your theme, and your plugins without breaking your production website. Portable means that you can move the installation from one Windows PC to another and even run it off a USB flash drive.

If you want an even simpler installation than MoWes, google “WordPress Portable” for another option that lets you create a portable WordPress Site in 3 Minutes or Less.

Now that you have a portable WordPress test site, you need to move over your WordPress theme, plugins, and all of your content. After following the steps in this video tutorial, you’ll have a fully functioning, portable copy of your blog or site to test out any and all changes which could break your live, production website, such as WordPress and plug-in updates and theme changes.

]]> http://davidburch.com/202/how-to-create-a-wordpress-test-site/feed/ 0 How to Add your Site to Google’s Webmaster Tools http://davidburch.com/191/how-to-add-your-site-to-googles-webmaster-tools/ http://davidburch.com/191/how-to-add-your-site-to-googles-webmaster-tools/#comments Wed, 23 Mar 2011 01:14:28 +0000 David Burch http://davidburch.com/?p=191

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Google Webmaster Tools helps you notify Google of changes on your website and change how your site appears in the search index, learn about how Google views your site, and learn about and fix problems with your site.

Before we begin, you’ll need to create a google xml sitemap for your WordPress website.

Create a Webmaster Tools Account for your WordPress Website

1. Log in to your google account at https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/
2. Click on the Add a Site button.
3. Enter the URL of a site you’d like to manage. Enter it how it appears in Worpress. For example: enter SmallBusinessWebsites.tv or www.SmallBusinessWebsites.tv depending on your preference and how you have configured it, but be consistent.
4. Select link to your Google Analytics Account (You can also add a meta line to your theme’s header.php file for verification or upload a verification file by FTP).
5. Click on the Verify Now button.

Submit your Sitemap

1. From the Webmaster Tools Dashboard, click on the Submit a Sitemap link
2. Click on the Submit a Sitemap button
3. Type sitemap.xml in the field and click on the Submit Sitemap button.

You can back later to see the information that Google has gathered about your site.

 

]]> http://davidburch.com/191/how-to-add-your-site-to-googles-webmaster-tools/feed/ 1 How to Add a Google Sitemap to your WordPress Site http://davidburch.com/188/how-to-add-a-google-sitemap-to-your-wordpress-site/ http://davidburch.com/188/how-to-add-a-google-sitemap-to-your-wordpress-site/#comments Wed, 23 Mar 2011 01:10:10 +0000 David Burch http://davidburch.com/?p=188

What is an XML site map? A site map is a listing of all the posts and pages on your website. XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language. XML is a markup language that is easily read by search engines.

Google, currently the leading search engine, was the first search engine to allow websites to use XML site maps to notify their website indexing robots of the pages on their websites. Other search engines adopted Google’s format. So, one site map will work for all the major search engines.

Why do you need a site map? Search engine indexing robots follow links on your pages to discover other pages. A site map is helpful if your website is new and has not been discovered by the search engines, uses a navigation scheme that a robot cannot follow, and if your site is large and the pages are not well interlinked.

Here’s how to create an XML site map for your WordPress website.

 

Step 1: Install the Google XML Sitemap Plugin

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1. From your WordPress Dashboard, click on Plugins | Add New
2. Search for google xml sitemap
3. Install and activate the Google XML Sitemaps plugin

Step 2. Configure the Google XML Sitemap Plugin

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1. Click on Settings | XML-Sitemap
2. Leave the default settings (or tweak the settings to your liking), and click on the Update Settings button.
3. Go to the top of the page and click on the Click here to build it now link.

Step 3. View your Sitemap

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Add sitemap.xml to the end of your website address to view your sitemap.

 

]]> http://davidburch.com/188/how-to-add-a-google-sitemap-to-your-wordpress-site/feed/ 0 How to Add Google Analytics Visitor Tracking Code to your WordPress Site http://davidburch.com/184/how-to-add-google-analytics-visitor-tracking-code-to-your-wordpress-site/ http://davidburch.com/184/how-to-add-google-analytics-visitor-tracking-code-to-your-wordpress-site/#comments Wed, 23 Mar 2011 01:09:16 +0000 David Burch http://davidburch.com/184/how-to-add-google-analytics-visitor-tracking-code-to-your-wordpress-site/

Google Analytics makes it easy for you to track how many vistors visit your website and how they reached your website: Direct (they remembered your website address), Referral (they followed a link from another website), and Search Engine Results (including the search terms the visitors used to find your site).

Google Analytics is free. Just sign up for an account at http://www.google.com/analytics/.

It’s easy too: just copy and paste the code they give you into your WordPress theme. This tutorial will show you how.

Step 1: Create an Account for your Website

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1. Log in at http://www.google.com/analytics/.
2. Click on Add new account
3. Click no the Sign Up button

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Fill out the New Account Signup form and click on the Continue button

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Enter your Name and Country information and click on the Continue button.

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Agree to the terms and conditions and click on the Create New Account button.

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Select the code from <script to </script> with your mouse button. You can also do this by clicking once in code box and using the keystroke combination CTRL-C. Click on the Save and Finish button.

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Most premium themes contain a box where you can paste your code. This is very convenient because you don’t have to make changes to your theme’s files. Consult your theme’s documentation to find the area, click inside the box, and Edit | Paste the code (can also use the keystroke combination CTRL-V).

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If your theme doesn’t contain an area to add your tracking code, you’ll have to edit the theme’s Footer file. From your WordPress dashboard, click on Appearance | Editor.

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Some code will appear in the text box in the center of the screen, but that’s not the file we want. Click on Footer (footer.php) from the file listing on the right hand side. The Footer code will be loaded into the center box. Scroll down to the very bottom of the file.

Important: Editing your theme files can break your theme and keep you from accessing your website. Make sure you have good backups of the footer.php file before you proceed.

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You want to paste the code, using Edit | Paste or the keystrokes CTRL-V, directly before the </body> tag. Click on the Save button.

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Wait a few minutes and the status triangle should change from yellow to green. You’re done.

]]> http://davidburch.com/184/how-to-add-google-analytics-visitor-tracking-code-to-your-wordpress-site/feed/ 6 4 WordPress Plugins that Automate Backups http://davidburch.com/171/4-wordpress-plugins-that-automate-backups/ http://davidburch.com/171/4-wordpress-plugins-that-automate-backups/#comments Sun, 06 Mar 2011 20:58:57 +0000 David Burch http://davidburch.com/?p=171

It’s easy to backup WordPress by hand. Remembering to do it is the hard part. That’s why we automate it. This post will show you four plugins to automate your WordPress backups.

 

1. WordPress Database Backup (WP-DB-Backup) by Austin Matzko

The WordPress Database Backup plugin will backup your WordPress database and email it to you. I recommend that you keep a Gmail account for this purpose.

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How to Install

1. From your WordPress Dashboard, click on Plugins | Add New
2. Search for wp-db-backup (there’s just too many other backup plugins to week through)
3. Click on Install, then click on Activate on the next screen

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Choose the Tables to Backup

1. Go to Tools | Backup
2. Choose the WordPress tables to backup
3. Select the plugin tables to back up.

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The Backup Options section is for one-time backups. I do a one-time backup when I install the plugin, then rely on the scheduled backups from there on.

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Choose how often you’d like the backups scheduled based on how often you update your site.

2. WordPress Backup by Blog Traffic Exchange (BTE)

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WordPress Backup by Blog Traffic Exchange (search for backup bte), backups everything else: your theme, your plugins, your media uploads, and even other directories on your website.

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Enter your email address and choose the working directory for your backups. Click on the here link for some follow up instructions.

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The main thing you’ll need to do is add a .htaccess file. No worries, they spell it out for you.

3. WP S3 Backups

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If you have an Amazon.com S3 account, you can use the WP S3 Backups plugin to backup everything on your site and store it in the very affordable Amazon’s “cloud.”

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You’ll need your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key from your account http://aws.amazon.com.

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1. Plug in the Key information
2. Choose or create an S3 “bucket” where the backup files will be stored.
3. Choose the backup frequency
4. Select what you want backed up
5. Save the changes

4. Backup Buddy from PluginBuddy.com (the iThemes crew)

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The premium (for payola) Backup Buddy plugin offers a bit more than the free plugins.
1. It can backup parts of your sites that other plugins cannot, like the contents of your widget areas.
2. It provides a program to help you restore your site as well.

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You have to purchase the plugin and download the backupbuddy.zip file from the http://PluginBuddy.com website.

To Install
1. Click on Plugins | Add New
2. Click on Upload
3. Click on the Browse button and locate the backupbuddy.zip file.
4. Click on the Install Now button

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The Create Backup screen allows you to manually create full or database-only backups. You can download and email the files from here.

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You can schedule multiple backups and choose to send the backups to Amazon S3, an FTP site, or an email address.

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You can also specify directories to exclude from the backup and tweak the backup details.

]]> http://davidburch.com/171/4-wordpress-plugins-that-automate-backups/feed/ 0 How to Backup WordPress by Hand http://davidburch.com/155/how-to-backup-wordpress-by-hand/ http://davidburch.com/155/how-to-backup-wordpress-by-hand/#comments Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:59:53 +0000 David Burch http://davidburch.com/155/how-to-backup-wordpress-by-hand/

I like to have multiple backups when I am backing up a WordPress site. I start with the quick and easy WordPress export file. Then I download the wp-content directory. This is often all I will need to rebuild the site, but I always export the database to be safe.

Step 1: Download a WordPress Export File

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You can export the textual content from all of your posts and pages into one file. Media files, such as images are not exported, but the link to media will work after the media content within the wp-content/uploads directory is moved over.

To export your posts and pages:

1. From the WordPress control panel, go into Tools | Export
2. Select All content
3. Click on the Download Export File button
4. Save the .xml file to your local computer

Step 2: Download the wp-content Directory

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The wp-content folder contains your plugins, themes, and media file uploads. Download a copy of this folder to your local computer.

1. Open a program, such as FileZilla, that supports the File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
2. Enter your Domain name
3. Enter your FTP username and password
4. Open the pubic_html folder
5. Click on the wp-content folder and download it to your local computer. Filezilla supports drag-n-drop to your Desktop.

Step 3: Backup the Database using phpMyAdmin

1. Log in to your C-Panel at your hosting account.
2. Find and run the phpMyAdmin program.
3. Select the database used by your WordPress installation

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1. Click on the Export tab.
2. In the Export area, Select SQL
3. Click on the Select All link to export all the tables.
4. In the Structure area, make sure Structure is selected and select the first four options.
5. Select Data. The default options should work here.
6. Click on the Go button and save the file to your computer. This may take a while if you have a large database.

]]> http://davidburch.com/155/how-to-backup-wordpress-by-hand/feed/ 0 The 33:33/5 Creativity Hack http://davidburch.com/40/3333-5-timer-productivity-hack/ http://davidburch.com/40/3333-5-timer-productivity-hack/#comments Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:10:52 +0000 David Burch http://davidburch.com/?p=40 33:33 Timer Screenshot

Timer Hacks

Productivity experts like to use timers for a a good reason: it works.

There is The Pomodore Technique, the 10-Minute Dash, and The Procrastination Hack. But the earliest timer hack I’ve heard of was by a copywriter named Eugene Schwartz, who used a simple digital timer to consistently crush his competition.

Ritual is the Zen Way of Getting Things Done

Each day, Eugene Schwartz would start work the same way. He would sit in the same place and go through the same routine to signal to his brain that it was time to begin. According to Schwartz, “Ritual is the Zen way of getting things done.”

Set a Digital Timer for 33:33

To give the Schwartz ritual a try, pick something to work on, and set a timer for 33:33 (thirty-three minutes and thirty-three seconds). Why? Because it is enough time to get a good amount of work done and, more importantly, it is easy to set when you are in the flow.

For the next thirty-three minutes and thirty-three seconds, you can do anything as long as it is related to the work at hand. You are not allowed to do anything else.

Take a 5 Minute Break

The timer must be loud enough to rouse you out of intense focus. When the timer sounds, it is just like a timed college entrance exam: pencils down, no more work. If you are in the groove, that is too bad, you must stop.

For the next five minutes, you can do anything else you like. But it must have no connection with the work at hand.

Make a pot of coffee. Stretch. Do a quick 5-minute fat-burning workout. Shave. Do anything but work.

Let the Magic Happen

During the 33:33 work period, your mind is focused and logical, and you are operating with blinders on. Studies have shown that on average you can hold only seven images in your mind at once. You are unable to use the full power of your brain to make connections.

During the 5 minute break, your focus is elsewhere, allowing your unfocused mind—your subconscious—to work on the problem.

Your subconscious has complete access to the entire network of ideas available to you, but you have to unfocus or unplug to allow it to work on creating connections.

Think back to when you have received epiphanies. Most people get their aha moments while shaving, while showering, while driving: when your mind was not focused on the problem.

Flesh out the Details

While you are inspired, set your timer for 33:33, and start writing. Record your inspiration, flesh it out, and use your logical mind to work out the details. Then take a 5 minute break to allow your subconscious to create new connections.

But don’t overwork yourself. Schwartz believed in working harder, not longer.

The Genius of Mozart

Eugene Schwartz used an example of how Mozart composed to illustrate how this ritual works.

Mozart would compose at a billiard table. He would take a ball and bounce it off a side rail so that it would bounce off the back rail and other side and come back to him.

The trajectory of the ball would be slightly different each time, which kept his conscious mind occupied tracking the ball in order to catch it. While the ball made the trip, Mozart’s subconscious connected with the perfect note. He wrote down the note, caught the ball, and started the ball on another trip. And he never rewrote.

Here are some of favorite resources that illustrate this method of working. What is your favorite productivity hack, article, information product, or tool? Let me know in the comments section.

Productivity Articles and Courses

I will get a referral fee when you click on the affiliate link to buy Robert Plank’s Time Management on Crack. If that upsets you in any way, it is easy to find using a search engine.

Timers

Please tell me about your favorite productivity hack, article, or tool in the comments section.

]]> http://davidburch.com/40/3333-5-timer-productivity-hack/feed/ 4 Work Harder, Not Longer http://davidburch.com/55/work-harder-not-longer/ http://davidburch.com/55/work-harder-not-longer/#comments Sun, 12 Dec 2010 18:04:56 +0000 David Burch http://davidburch.com/?p=55 Cowboy in Shadows

The Posse

In a speech to Rodale publishing, legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz used a story about how posses chased criminals in the old west as an analogy on how to be productive.

In the old west, the bad guy would ride his horse for an hour and then walk it for hour. The posse would ride their horses for an hour and then walk their horses for an hour.

Why didn’t the bad guy ride for longer and make his getaway? Why didn’t the posse ride longer to catch up and snag the bad guy? Because if they overworked their horses, they would ruin all chances of success.

Work Harder, Not Longer

Schwartz believed in working harder than anyone else: harder, not longer. He worked for three hours a day: Three highly intense hours.

Schwartz also worked on more than one project at a time. For example: the first hour would be on project one, the second hour on project two, and the third hour on project three. This prevented overwork on any one project. Another benefit was that while he was busy working consciously on one project his subconscious mind had other projects to work on.

He also operated more than one business at a time. He wrote long-sales copy for Rodale, he operated his own direct-mail firm, he wrote his own books, and he was a famous art collector.

What about you? Do you overwork yourself? Do you have any tips and tricks for working harder and smarter? Let me know what you think in the comments section.

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