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Tag: security

Semisecure Login Reimagined plugin secures WordPress login without SSL

Note added June 18, 2020: When this post was originally written, TLS/SSL certificates could be expensive and difficult to install. Fortunately, things have changed for the better over the last few years. Many web hosts will give you a free Let's Encrypt certificate, and they make it easy to install. Another thing that has changed is […]

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WP Security Scan plugin checks WordPress permissions & database security

You can never be too security-conscious with WordPress, so let's look an excellent security plugin: WP Security Scan. I found out about this plugin from the WordPress 3: Developing Secure Sites course on LinkedIn Learning. This plugin does several things, but I especially like the initial scan, permissions scanner, and database prefix changer. Initial Scan […]

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Review: WordPress All-in-One For Dummies

WordPress All-in-One For Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson, Cory Miller, Kevin Palmer, Andrea Rennick, Michael Torbert My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the broadest, most comprehensive WordPress book I’ve read so far. It covers more than WordPress for Dummies, because it deals with everything from administration to design to development. I skimmed the first […]

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Review: Head First WordPress by Jeff Siarto

Head First WordPress by Jeff Siarto My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is short and very high-level, dedicating only 1 or 2 pages to most topics. It's best for beginners or intermediate WordPress users. It covers styling a theme, managing users, managing categories and tags, embedding video, podcasting, security, and performance. I liked […]

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9 best WordPress podcasts for WordPress tips, reviews, news

To keep improving my WordPress skills when I'm away from my computer, I listen to podcasts. It's difficult to teach the technical aspects of web design through audio, so many of these cover WordPress news and opinion, but a few have WordPress tips and tricks as well. These are the best WordPress podcasts I've found […]

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WordPress Update Notifier plugin sends email notifications

Update 10/2/2012: The Update Notifier plugin hasn't been updated since 9/20/2010. I've switched to WP Updates Notifier, a fork of Update Notifier that's being actively maintained. The Update Notifier plugin sends email notifications for updates to WordPress, and, optionally, updates to plugins and themes (the components that would normally notify you on the Updates page […]

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Use Facebook securely with HTTPS

Facebook just added an option to secure your connection with HTTPS! This is great news for any security-conscious Facebook users. Normally, when you use Facebook, anyone on the same network can sniff the network traffic and see what you're doing. Firesheep made this even easier than it already was. It used to be that you […]

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Passwords with Simple Character Substitution are Weak

Learn why you shouldn't use the common advice of substituting numbers or special characters for letters in passwords.

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10 common WordPress plugins for starters

These are 10 free, popular WordPress plugins that I've found useful for most WordPress sites. I presented this list at the Kalamazoo/West Michigan WordPress Users Group on Dec 9, 2010. Please add your feedback and favorite WordPress plugins in the comments! Akismet Chap Secure Login Contact Form 7 FD Feedburner Plugin Google Custom Search Plugin […]

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Book review: WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson

WordPress For Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the best WordPress book I’ve read so far; it’s great for beginners and intermediate WordPress designers. Lisa Sabin-Wilson, a well-known WordPress authority with firsthand experience, starts with the basics and builds up in each chapter. Beyond the essentials, there’s an appropriate […]

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Book review: Smashing WordPress

Smashing WordPress by Thord Hedengren My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book is for the experienced WordPress designer, not the beginner. Although it does touch on some WordPress essentials, it's mostly a how-to guide for creating WordPress themes and plugins, and generally bending WordPress to your will. The book is laid out well, with […]

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Microsoft Security Essentials: free antivirus

In the computing world, some things are worth paying for, and others aren't. For years, I've put antivirus and antispyware software in the not worth paying for category. My current favorite free security program is Microsoft Security Essentials. Microsoft released Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) in 2009, but its roots go back to an acquisition in […]

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