Other People Said Interesting Things: May 28th

As I wander the web I find interesting things. I share:

What have you seen lately that’s interesting?

Using OmniFocus to Wrangle Mass WordPress Upgrades

For those of us who might have, um, a few blogs, the process of installing WordPress updates is one that can involve a few steps. Thankfully the upgrade process is pretty darned easy, but if one has a few active blogs as well as a few that are inactive but still remain online*, it’s not too hard to accidentally overlook one when there’s a security patch.

Yesterday (when another update was released) I realized a too-simple way to keep track of it: setup a template project in OmniFocus that contains a list of each of my WordPress sites, put it on hold, and then whenever there’s an update, duplicate that project, make it active, and work through the list.

OmniFocus project for updating WordPress

* Yes, even old blogs need to be patched. Those who will exploit security vulnerabilities don’t care whether you write on a site anymore.

Presenting at WordCamp Seattle: Intro to Blog Monetization

I’m excited to be heading up to Seattle in April for WordCamp Seattle 2011. I’ve been selected to present “An Introduction to Making Money With a Blog”. Aimed at an audience that’s curious about how to start bringing revenue with a blog, we’ll cover the following:

  • Prerequisites – things to think about as you plan to make money. A quick overview of some considerations that will help guide your monetization strategy.
  • Revenue Sources – options for income and a look at the plusses and challenges of each one. I’ll talk about advertising, sponsorship, affiliate programs, membership sites, and product sales.
  • Lists – a quick look at email lists and how to effectively tie one into a blog revenue stream.
  • Resources – where to go, what to read, and who to follow to learn more about making money with a blog.

Tickets are on sale now for WordCamp Seattle and I’d love to have you join me for what should be a great event.

If this sounds vaguely familiar it might be because this presentation will be similar (but not identical) to a talk originally presented at the Portland WordPress User Group earlier this year. That talk was very well received so I’ll start with it as a foundation and incorporate some improvements as well.

Slides from WordCamp Seattle: After Launching a Couple Dozen Blogs, I Figured Out How to Do it Right

I had the pleasure of presenting at WordCamp Seattle this weekend. Big thanks to Josh, Bean, Calvin, Dan, and the rest of the volunteers, sponsors, and attendees that made it a great event. I presented a talk based on an earlier blog post about the steps in launching a new blog, specifically SocialPhotoTalk.com. Here are the slides from my presentation. The talk was recorded; once that video is available I’ll link it here as well.