The Solostream Blog
Tips, tutorials and news from Solostream.
New WordPress Theme: WP-Inspired
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By 
WP-Inspired is the latest premium WordPress theme to roll off the production lines here at Solostream. If you take a gander at the screenshot (and demo site) you’ll notice WP-Inspired offers a few more splashes of color than some of our other recent themes like WP-Prosper and WP-Glide. In fact, we’ve given you ten different color options with this theme, and they’re all easily accessible via the theme settings page.
Like most of our recent themes, WP-Inspired is loaded with options. Multiple home page layouts, two featured content gliders, social networking account integration, recent photos galleries and a YouTube videos widget are just a few of the little nuggets you’ll have to play with. Be sure to take a peek at demo video on the WP-Inspired sales page to get the full run-down. Go ahead. Get Inspired.
Customer Spotlight Interview: Inner West Live
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Your Site Name: Inner West Live
Your Name: Derek, Editor
Solostream Theme Used: WP-Smooth
Preamble. Let me explain the research I did before I came across Solostream, as this may help some of your readers in the same boat and perhaps save them some time. I needed a good theme, (as we all do) and in particular, I needed to be able to display content by category on the front page … just like any fully featured website would do.
A theme isn’t just about pretty colors, it needs to be functional and have the ability to display and order multiple categories in content boxes on the front page. This means I can have an orderly, magazine style theme for my readers. Secondly I was looking for a visually appealing theme with a high graphic/photo front end to capture readers on the first 3 seconds they enter … the site needed to be widget friendly and easy to use and customize.
Solostream Themes and WordPress 3.0 Menu Management Function
3We recently completed updating all our premium WordPress themes to use the new Menu Management function that shipped with WordPress 3.0. You can download the necessary files for your particular Solostream theme from the support forum here. You’ll just need to login to the forum and you’ll see a list of the files available for download, along with some upgrade instructions.
I also did a short screencast (below) to show you how the menu management system works. It’s fairly intuitive, but I’ve already had a few questions on it, so here ya go.
Why you should upgrade to WordPress 3.0 – In a word, security. The added functionality in WP 3.0 is great, but some people are happy with their current version of WP and prefer not to upgrade. It’s fine if you don’t upgrade, but it leaves you at greater risk of having your site get hacked. And I can tell you from experience, it’s no fun when that happens. So, for that reason, you should always run the most recent version of WordPress on your sites.
Now, here’s the tutorial I promised …
Are You a Sales Phobic Business Owner?
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This is a guest post from Helaine Iris, a business coach who helps overwhelmed small business owners take control of their time and finances so they can double their revenues with less stress. Click here to receive a free copy of her report 10 Top Tips to Breakthrough Overwhelm and Become a Sane and Stress-free Business Owner.
“Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion; you must set yourself on fire.” – Arnold H. Glasgow
If you’re like me, and most business owners I work with, you started your business because you have a particular talent, skill, or passion; not because you like, or want to sell. Although some sales people do start companies (I believe it’s the exception), most business owners have no experience or training in sales. From this perspective, it’s easy to see why resistance to selling quickly becomes a stumbling block to success and more immediately, the cause of much day-to-day stress and worry.
I hate to speak the obvious but; sales ARE the backbone of every businesses success. If you’re in the marketplace to make a living, you have to be out there selling – unless of course you have a sales force, and even THEN you still need to be able to sell your own product. I can’t think of a single exception to the rule. It’s kind of like what’s inevitable about life itself – nobody gets out alive. In business – no body has a successful business without having to sell.
New WordPress Theme: WP-Prosper
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WP-Prosper is the latest and greatest offering to join our growing stable of WordPress themes. Like all of our recent themes, WP-Prosper is a flexible theme that’s loaded with options and multiple home page layouts, as well as a clean, professional design to make your WordPress site really pop.
Here are just a few of the options. First, we’ve given you not one but two different featured content gliders; a narrow one and a wide one. We also added a nice little YouTube videos widget that you can simply drag and drop into your sidebar or footer. The the other addition is a simple Sales Page template that you can use to create a sales page or squeeze page. You can see all these options displayed on the demo site.
And of course, with the recent release of WordPress 3.0, we have integrated support for the slick, new WordPress menu system. I just posted a demo video on YouTube, so pop on over to the WP-Prosper sales page and check it out if you want to get a closer look.
Customer Spotlight Interview: Automoblog by Chris Burdick
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Site Name: Automoblog
Site Owner: Chris Burdick
WordPress Theme Used: A Custom Mix of Solostream Themes With WP-Genius Base
1. How do you describe the site?
Automoblog.net is a blog for car enthusiasts and consumers. We like to focus on what isn’t typically talked about in your “corporate” type car websites, pointing out benefits and problems with particular cars that add to or detract from the driving experience, instead of only talking about efficiency and numbers. The feel of Automoblog.net isn’t as much about journalism, but more like you’re sitting around the garage chatting with friends over a beer.
2. How old is the site?
We’re coming up on four years this month.
3. What made you decide to launch this particular site?
Originally it was a hobby. I’ve always been a car nut, and I couldn’t find a place online that talked about what I care to hear about, so I started my own site to vent my opinions on great cars as well as the crappy ones. Your big-name car magazines and websites tend to focus on mainstream, well-known cars, and while we definitely cover those, some of the more off-the-wall and one-off cars can be the most interesting. I wanted a place where people could read about those cars too, and become part of our community.
4. What’s you business model (i.e. how do you generate revenue) for the site?
It’s always changing, of course, but most of my income comes from direct ad sales. I don’t do any searching for partners, they all seem to come to me. Maybe I should raise my price. CPC has been a good steady income as well; I use Adsense and Yieldbuild throughout the site, and I’m currently testing Netseer, which is doing fairly well. I’ve tried some affiliate networks, and the only one I’ve found success with so far is Commission Junction.
New WordPress Theme WP-Glide
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We just launched WP-Glide, the latest premium WordPress theme from Solostream HQ. In WP-Glide, we wanted to provide a clean, professional platform for the business website publisher as well as bloggers and online magazine publishers. So, we incorporated several different home page options, including a couple of options with some widgets positioned just under the top navigation bar. And like most of our previous themes, WP-Glide offers a built-in theme settings page that makes it snap to use.
Piano Keyboard Reviews: A Well-Executed Niche WordPress Site
0The following is an email interview I did with one of our fine customers, Dan Maynard, who uses WP-Chatter on his WordPress site. When I saw Dan’s site, I thought it was a great example of a perfectly executed niche-content website.
Are you using one of our Premium WordPress themes to publish a really cool site of your own? If so, we’d like to shine the spotlight you too, so give us a shout, and we’ll conduct an email interview like this one.
Site Name: Piano Keyboard Reviews
Link to Site: piano keyboard
Site Owner: Dan Maynard
WordPress Theme Used: WP-Chatter
1. How would you describe your site?
My site is really a resource to help the [piano keyboard] buyer to make the right purchase decision. It is strictly focused on digital pianos, synthesizers, and workstations rather than acoustic pianos. Given the myriad of electronic keyboards on the market today, it can be difficult to make the right selection. I am a classically trained pianist and have played in many bands in the past (remember the good old days of Santana, Grand Funk Railroad, Doobie Brothers etc.)
Back in those days you only really had two choices to select from, Hammond organ such as the B3, analog synthesizer, or Wurlitzer/Fender electric pianos. Today there are so many keyboards out there that it makes it difficult to choose. My site helps the bewildered musician make a choice. I am also a full time marketer plying my trade to my piano site.
My site differs in some respects because I focus on people’s playing styles and help them to select a keyboard that matches their style. Hence I segment the keyboardist market based on playing styles and match the keyboard accordingly. I discovered no one is doing that. So I’ve carved out a fairly neat niche in the piano market. Have a look at “Power Player” which defines the player styles.
New WordPress Theme WP-Aire Demo Video
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I just added our latest theme – WP-Aire – to the WordPress Themes Store. WP-Aire is a collaborative effort between Solostream and a savvy designer named James Koster.
As with all our recent themes, WP-Aire is loaded with options, including 9 different color options and multiple home page layouts. If you take a look at the demo site, you’ll see we also incorporated video into the featured content area at the top of the home page. Also, we’ve had several requests for a theme similar to the Solostream site, so I managed to create a color scheme for WP-Aire that’s pretty close (although not exact)
I did a short demo video on WP-Aire, and you can watch it below.
New WordPress Theme WP-Ellie (Demo Video)
20Our new WordPress theme, WP-Ellie, is now available, and I just uploaded a short demo video. YouTube is still processing the video, so it may be a bit blurry for the next hour or so.
Top WordPress Plugins for 2010 (Part Two)
35In Top WordPress Plugins for 2010 (Part One), I offered five of the best WordPress plugins I think are must-haves for your site. Lets move on to part two for five more of my favorite WordPress plugins.
6. Improve Search Engine Rankings with All-in-One SEO
By default, WordPress is a very search-engine-friendly publishing platform. Likewise, so are most WordPress themes. Whenever we develop a new theme here at Solostream, SEO is a key factor in deciding how it’s put together. Still, you can never have enough SEO for your site, and the All-in-One SEO plugin offers a set of features that can take your SEO to the next level.
Top WordPress Plugins for 2010 (Part One)
38One of the best things about WordPress is the community of savvy developers who create all those wonderful plugins. If you visit the WordPress Plugin Directory, however, you’ll find over 8000 available plugins to give your WordPress site a little extra bling.
Phew. That’s a lot to pick from. Unless you like to experiment ALOT, how can you possibly know which ones you should be using? So, with that in mind, here are 5 of my current favorite top plugins for 2010.
1. Stop Comment and Trackback SPAM With Akismet
If you get any traffic at all to your site, you will get some SPAM comments and trackbacks. The more traffic you get, the more SPAM you get. And you certainly don’t want Viagra ads popping up (no pun intended) all over the comments section of your site. So, you need some protection.
Akismet, created by the same folks who develop WordPress, is an awesome first line of defense. In fact, it’s the only SPAM filter we use on all Solostream sites. The only minor drawback is you need to set up an account at WordPress.com, and get an API key to make Akisment work. And if you’re using it for a commercial site, you’ll need to shell out $5 per month.
Screencast: WP-Ellie Sneak Peek Part Two
0I’ve been intchin to try out a new screencasting service called screenr, so I did a quick little screencast showing the various background images available on the soon-to-be-launched WP-Ellie. Enjoy!
New WordPress Theme WP-Ellie: Sneak Peek
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This is the real Ellie.
Coming soon to a WordPress Theme Store near you … it’s a brand new WordPress theme we’re calling WP-Ellie, named after my lovable, but slightly overweight beagle (her name is Ellie). We’re still putting the finishing touches on her, but WP-Ellie should be out before Valentine’s Day. Perfect timing to buy your sweetheart a new WordPress theme.
Like many of our previous WordPress themes, WP-Ellie will have multiple home page layouts (see screenshots below). That includes a basic blog layout as well as several different magazine style layouts, one of which you can see on the WP-Ellie demo site. It also includes social networking site integration, including the latest tweet from your Twitter profile.
Design WordPress Themes for Solostream
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Solostream is looking for some serious web design pros who would like to earn some extra cash and get their design work in front of a wider audience. Take a peek at some of our latest WordPress themes, such as WP-Launch, WP-Sublime or WP-Genius. If you can produce designs that are of similar quality (or better), we want to collaborate with you to help produce our next theme.
What are the (2) Most Important Factors You Consider When Buying WordPress Themes?
13That was a question we posed to Solostream readers over the course of a week, and here are the final results of the voting:
- 39% – Quality of the Design
- 21% – Ease of Use
- 11% – Quality of the Code
- 10% – Level of Support
- 9% – Low Price
- 6% – Other
- 4% – Reputation of Developer/Company
Have You Seen Our New WordPress Themes Browser?
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As part of our continued website renovations, we’ve created a new Themes Browser that should make it much easier to check our available Premium WordPress themes.
With this new theme browser, you’ll be able to view all our Premium themes in one place. No more bouncing around from site to site. Just use the drop-down theme selector up there in the header area. And when you find a theme you like, there’s a second drop-down selector that will take you to the theme purchase page. Feel free to click on the image to the right, or just take a peek at our most recent theme, WP-Launch.
One other little feature we added is the ability to view the various color options for each of the themes. You’ll see that option on the theme’s top navigation bar listed as “Color Option.” Just hover over the link, and you should see the available color options for that theme. Click the color you want, and the theme should magically change colors.
As we continue to make these upgrades, we hope they greatly improve your user experience of the Solostream site. As always, your feedback – positive or negative – is most welcome and appreciated.
Say Hello to the New Solostream Website
21Ahhhhh, there’s nothing like the smell of fresh pixels in the morning. And there’s nothing like a snazzy, new design to give your website or blog some new energy and vitality.
Yes, after more than two years, we finally got around to freshening things up around here with a completely new look for solostream.com. Long overdue you say? Most certainly. If you’re reading this in an RSS reader, why not come on over to the site and see it live as I walk you through some of the new stuff and our thinking behind it.
Our Goals Behind the Redesign
As we made our way through the redesign process, we had two main goals in mind. First, we wanted to give Solostream a more modern, up-to-date look and feel. I don’t have to tell you that the original design – while adequate for its time – had gotten a bit tired and stale. And since we are in the web design business, we can’t be out there with a tired-looking design for our own site now can we? Here are the before and after shots in case you forgot how the old site looked.
Beyond a fresh, new look, our second primary goal was to create a site that speaks to the broader market of business web publishers beyond the WordPress user community. Yes, there are still a few people out there who don’t know how awesome WordPress is as a web publishing platform, and we hope to enlighten them a bit. Don’t get us wrong though. We still love all you WordPress users out there, and I hope you’ll agree that the new design speaks to you as well.
WP-Launch WordPress Theme Demo Video
14Our latest WordPress Theme, WP-Launch, will be available very shortly, and I wanted to go ahead and publish a short demo video that I just uploaded. This video is a little under 10 minutes long, and it demonstrates some of the features of WP-Launch.
The video is still being processed by YouTube, so it may be a bit blurry still, but it will clear up in an hour or so.
If you’d like to embed the video on your own site, go ahead and grab the embed code from YouTube.
New Solostream Affiliate Banners
10Here are a few new affiliate banners for the Solostream Affiliate Program. These match the new upcoming site redesign. We’ll have more banners in various sizes coming along in the next few days, so please be patient.
