The question of how to price services is age-old. Web designers and developers generally charge by the project or by the hour, or use some combination of the two. I believe that whenever possible, you should charge based on the value you deliver to your clients. That value is based more on your skills, experience, […]
HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the most visually pleasing web design book I’ve ever read. It’s logically organized and explains concepts well, using simple terms, code examples, and beautiful illustrations. I wish I had had it when I was first learning HTML […]
The problem: Parkinson's Law Parkinson's Law states that that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Think of your projects. How often do you either procrastinate or obsess over trivial details simply because you have the time? I'm a perfectionist, so I'm tempted to spend way too much time on projects. The […]
WordPress' popularity makes it a frequent malware target. If you suspect your site has malware (and even if you don't), you should scan it for free with Sucuri SiteCheck. The scan checks for several types of malicious threats. Here's a screenshot of what you want to see; all green checkmarks. If the scan finds malware […]
Head First PHP & MySQL by Lynn BeighleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars At OptimWise, I build websites with WordPress, and currently focus on front-end development (HTML and CSS). I’ve tweaked PHP, but I want to get better at modifying WordPress themes and plugins, which requires working with PHP and MySQL. This book was very […]
These are my favorite audio podcasts covering the technical and business aspects of web design. They also feature topics such as web development, usability, marketing, freelancing, and entrepreneurship. For podcasts focused on WordPress, see my post Best WordPress podcasts, Spring 2012. My last post on the best web design podcasts was from October 2011, so it […]
These are my favorite audio podcasts about WordPress. I posted a list of the 9 best WordPress podcasts in October 2011, and decided it was time to update the list. Some have podfaded, but fortunately WPCandy launched several new podcasts. By the way, I've also posted my favorite web design podcasts. I’ve listed them roughly […]
HTML5: Up and Running by Mark Pilgrim My rating: 3 of 5 stars This short book is packed with HTML5 examples, aimed at those already familiar with HTML. Because I build websites, not web apps, I was more interested in the new semantic elements, forms, audio, and video than in canvas, geolocation, local storage, and offline […]
Bulletproof Web Design: Improving Flexibility and Protecting Against Worst-Case Scenarios with XHTML and CSS by Dan Cederholm My rating: 3 of 5 stars The concepts behind "bulletproof" web design remain relevant, but the specific examples haven't aged well. Using code snippets and screenshots, Cedarholm shows how to replace bloated code with lean, semantic, accessible markup. […]
WordPress Web Design for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is one of the best on WordPress I’ve read, because it covers the work I do with WordPress: administration, tweaking themes, and finding and using plugins. It shows how to create several types of sites with WordPress, and explains […]
I took these notes about WordPress Network (Multisite) at our WordPress Grand Rapids (WPGR) meetup on March 15, 2012. Learn more about WordPress Grand Rapids on Meetup and WPGR.org. Presenters What’s a Network? A WordPress Network is a collection of sites that all share the same WordPress installation and database. They can also share plugins […]
A sticky footer is a footer that sticks to the bottom of the browser window regardless of the length of the page's content. If the footer isn't sticky, it will appear too high on short pages, which doesn't look good. The best instructions I've found for creating a sticky footer for WordPress are found in […]
