FAQ

(Q) What is the difference between a Blog and a Website?

(A) A very thin line separates them. Many say that Blogs are the “new” websites. With the WordPress platform, the capabilities of blogs have expanded tremendously. Initially, the basic difference was that Blogs were considered “dynamic” while websites were considered “static”. With the advent of Web 2.0 and social networking, the blogging platform began to be used for business websites because it allows companies to interact and communicate with their customers. The bells and whistles of high-end websites are becoming less important and the interactivity offered through the blogging system is becoming the norm.

Blogs consist of both Pages and Categories. The pages on your blog function just like the pages on a website, and are used for information that doesn’t change often. The Categories are your Posts and when you write a new Post it goes to the top of the Category you’ve placed it in. Either a Page or a Post can be your homepage, depending on whether you want your blog to function more like a website or a blog. (see below)

Additionally with the continued growth of the internet, getting high ranking in the search engines is more and more difficult. Since Blogs are more content oriented and are updated more frequently they are achieving higher rankings.

(Q) What is WordPress?

(A) WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. They have gone to great lengths to make sure every bit of WordPress generated code is in full compliance with the standards of the W3C. WordPress is committed to making the latest blogging technology available to its users and you can rest assured that you will be on the cutting edge of the technology available.

WordPress is so sophisticated that it is being used more and more as a CMS (content management system). Themes are available that look more like a traditional website than like a traditional blog. For example, the standard Blog format is for the homepage to display your latest posts. Now you can make any static page show as the homepage, looking very much like a traditional website. You then have a website, built on a blogging platform, that you can update yourself without incurring the extraordinary expense of having a site built on a CMS. (this is an example of that concept ») Of course, you can change that page however you want but it will not change every time you make a new post. The post will show up under it’s designated category.

(Q) Can’t I make my company blog myself for free?

(A) If you are computer savvy, understand coding, understand the WordPress platform and have a sense of color and design layout, you can certainly do it yourself. You should be prepared to spend a great deal of time doing so if you’ve never done it before.

(Q) Why should I pay you when I can go on Blogger and get a free blog?

(A) The themes available to you on Blogger and other free sites do not allow for much customization. They are perfect for “personal” blogs where they are treated more as journals or places to show your photographs, etc. or as “hobby” blogs. It would be extremely difficult for a business to “brand” itself this way. Additionally a business should own its domain name (www.yourbusiness.com) without redirecting it to a .blogspot URL. While the Google algorithms are difficult to interpret, it seems clear that redirecting or forwarding a URL does not help your position in the search engines.

(Q) What is a WordPress theme?

(A) All Blogs, whether WordPress or other platforms, are built on a “theme” written using html, CSS and PHP. The html and CSS control the way the blog looks, while the PHP controls how it functions. There are many people who create themes for free or “premium” themes that they sell. Rarely will you find a “theme” that actually fits what you want to do or has the exact functionality that you want, nor will it have the colors, fonts, etc. that you want to use. Your theme will need to be “customized”. That is what we do. We take a “premium theme” and customize it to your specifications (within the parameters and capabilities of the WordPress platform). When we’re done it is uniquely yours and even though there may be other Blogs built on the same theme, your’s will be entirely different in appearance.

(Q) What if I want a theme custom designed just for my company?

(A) That is certainly available to you but is far more expensive. Prices start at around $2500 just for the framework. It’s far more cost effective to customize an existing theme.

(Q) What is a WordPress plug-in?

(A) Plug-ins are bits of code that add functionality to your Blog. There are certain general plug-ins that we use for things such as Spam control and SEO and plug-ins that relate to a particular theme or type of business. There are hundreds if not thousands available for your use.

(Q) Is it hard to make posts and otherwise update my Blog?

(A) There is a learning curve here as there is with anything else worthwhile, but it is not difficult. We have many tutorials that will show you exactly how to update the particular theme we used as well as general purpose tutorials for using WordPress. Once you have made a few posts it will become second-nature. If you have specific questions we are available to you by email to try and help.

(Q) What is the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com

(A) WordPress.com is a free site, similar to Blogger. It too is wonderful for the “personal” blog. It too does not allow for much customization.

(Q) How much does it cost per month to have a Blog?

(A) The entire expense for one year’s hosting and domain name registration is less than $5.00 a month. There are many hosting companies available. We use and recommend GoDaddy not only for their inexpensive fees but their customer service is excellent. Other than your hosting, you should incur no additional costs. Should you want us to make major changes to your blog, it would be at an hourly rate. See Services page.

(Q) How long does it take for you to complete a Blog?

(A) The time frame is a factor of our schedule and the type of Blog you are having developed. Another variable depends on you and how quickly you get your information and photographs to us. We will not begin your Blog until we have the bulk of your info. See more information on this subject here»

(Q) What type of information do I have to furnish?

(A) You will need to furnish your logo if you use one, any textual content that you want used, any particular photos, and a good idea of how you want your information organized. If you want us to create any of the above, it will be at an additional charge. See more information on this subject here»