wordpress

Aug

2010

Free SMTP Plugin – I Could Kick Myself…

UPDATE: I sent an email out yesterday evening (13th) with a link to the free plugin, so go check your email. This was a thank you to subscribers only, and I won’t be posting the link to it here on the blog.

***

It’s FREE plugin time.

It can’t have escaped your attention as to how much of my attention I’m investing in WordPress at the moment.

While not perfect for your needs, it does make it easy to set up a site quickly. And of course there are all those free plugins – 99% of which are junk in a business context – to help you do so.

One of the things that’s always been an issue for me is email deliverability. i.e. You send an email, but does it ever get there? Who knows? That’s why I use a third party mailing service in some instances.

But getting your emails delivered isn’t really rocket science, you just need to take a little care. For instance enabling Domain Keys and SPF in cPanel will help in both directions – both sending and receiving email – and takes about 2 minutes to do.

And of course, always making sure that if you’re using a script on one of your sites that it uses SMTP to send the email. That really helps as many ISPs and email providers will filter out email as it comes into their network if they can see it hasn’t been sent via SMTP when they examine the email headers.

What we’ve been doing in creating scripts and plugins here is to make sure they all have SMTP support to aid in deliverability, and this seems to work well.

In the case of WordPress we’ve been building the SMTP functionality into the plugins themselves. Which is great, but…

Well. You know how you sometimes have one of those OMG moments and you get a little revelation? And then you feel like kicking yourself for not having realised it before? I had one of those about a month ago.

I thought…

“Why on earth are we adding SMTP code into every plugin? Why not just write a plugin that intercepts all email sends and make sure it goes via SMTP?”

Of course! That would work. I had a look round at existing plugins and it seems that I’ve been beaten to it. So I took a look and immediately thought we could do better, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.

We’ve taken the idea of sending emails via SMTP and gone a step further. We’ve added the ability to throttle and queue emails.

You see the problem is, many web hosts and ISPs are very aware of the amount of spam being sent and to limit this, they only allow a certain number of emails to be sent per hour or per day from each domain or account. Anything over your quota is discarded.

So while you may think you’ve just sent 800 emails out with your desktop app or a web application such as WordPress AutoResponder (WPAR), most of them have been discarded even before they’ve left the network. Oh dear. 🙁

This new FREE plugin addresses that problem.

Once activated, you enter your SMTP settings and your web host quota (e.g. 200/hour), and that’s it. From that point on any email sent via WordPress either through a contact form, or a comment update plugin or WPAR will be pushed into a queue, and if available to be sent will do so there and then.

If the queue is greater than your quota, then the new email waits until the next send and then out it goes if there’s a slot available.

Cool huh?

We’re just doing final test and fix today, and if all is well hopefully it will be out to you tomorrow.

***

While you’re reading this, I’d also like to just do a quick mention of another plugin that’s almost complete called “Widget Contexts”. This is the final of the trio of what I think of as the control plugins.

The first was “Ads Manager” which allows you to display ads depending on lots of different rules you can set.

The second was “Widgets In It” which allows you to place any widget into any post or page, not just in a sidebar.

This final control plugin “Widget Contexts” allows you to decide which widgets will appear on which parts of your site.

When activated it adds to the bottom of every plugin an auto-generated selection of “contexts” and tick boxes to decide where you want the widget to appear.

That might sound a bit complicated but it’s very easy to use in practice.

For instance you may decide you only want to show a certain widget on a particular page on your site. All you do is untick every other page within the widget context.

Or you may decide that you want to place different ads on special pages such as your 404, category archives and tag archive pages.

Easy! Just create the ad using either a text widget or Ads Manager, and then only select the special pages you want them to appear on.

There’s good reasons for wanting this level of control, and I’ll explain why in another post. 😉

***

Right!

While we’re waiting for Widget Contexts to be finalised and tested, probably by the end of the week, you can have a play with the free SMTP Throttler, so watch out for that announcement tomorrow. 😉

-Frank Haywood

Aug

2010

48 Hour Special – Second Multiple Streams Theme

The second Multiple Streams Theme for business and pro bloggers is now available again for 48 hours-ish, closing on Tuesday at 9.00pm EST.

It’s priced at just $17 for the duration of this special offer. After that the price will rise ($27) while we set up the official site, and then eventually rise one more time to its regular price.

But until 9.00pm EST on Tuesday 3rd August, you can get it for just $17.

I know that when the pre-order offer closed a few days ago that some people missed it and were upset. I’m sorry about that, but there’s a LOT of work going into these themes and any discounted offer like this is a good one and worth every penny.

We will also only be selling 200 copies in total, and the first batch of 68 (I intended 50 but I let the pre-order run a little longer) have already quickly gone on pre-order, leaving 132 copies.

(If you don’t yet have the first Multiple Streams Theme, there are about 20 of the original 200 remaining.)

And just like the original theme, we wanted to make sure it was as flexible as possible, so we also included the Ads Manager plugin – it’s incredibly powerful.

When you see how it can display or suppress ads on your site, you’ll be blown away at how useful it is as Ads Manager allows you to only suppress or display ads to visitors based on rules you select or create.

You can do things like only show a particular ad to visitors who have come from search engines. Or only show the ad on posts that are more than 2 weeks old.

And just to really give you some power over how and when your ads are displayed, we also included WordPress Conditional Tags as one of the rules you can set. There are a LOT of tags that can be used and you’ll find out where to find them in the included mst-readme.txt inside the zip.

So for example, you could add is_front_page() to the conditional tags box and your visitors would only see the ad on the front page of your blog.

Or you could add is_single() and your visitors would only see the ad on a post and not on your front page, or you could use is_page() and the ad would only appear on pages, and so on. You can even specify individual posts and pages, or put another way, the Ads Manager plugin enables you to show different ads on different posts and pages.

It gives you almost total control over your ads and it’s PERFECT for use with the Multiple Streams Themes.

Here are the key points of the second Multiple Streams Themes:-

o Designed to provide you multiple income streams.
o Only 200 copies will ever be sold.
o Multi-site usage licence for sites you personally own.
o Supplied with “Ads Manager” plugin for full control of your ads.
o Carefully placed subscriber sign up box in the “Golden Triangle”.
o Latest posts at a glance.
o Featured freebie.
o Time sensitive offers.
o Product spotlight.
o New releases.
o THIRTEEN sidebars giving you increased flexibility of ad placement.
o Ready made sidebar ads for your affiliate links.
o Sidebar ads are editable.
o Full WordPress 3.0 Custom Menus support.
o Ideal for use with the “Subscribers Only” plugin.
o Ideal for use with the “Widgets In It” plugin.
o Ideal for use with the “WordPress AutoResponder” plugin.

The theme has been designed with you in mind and allows you to create a blog where you can build your mailing list (vital), review products, and also promote multiple products as an affiliate.

Just like the first theme, it’s been designed to make your life easier.

You can view it installed and active on the Multiple Streams Themes site here:-

http://multiplestreamsthemes.com/

You can purchase the theme for just $17 in this 48 hour special using the button below:-

-Frank Haywood

Jul

2010

Second Multiple Streams Theme on Pre-Order

Update: Offer Closed.

***

The second multiple income streams theme for WordPress is now available on limited pre-order for just $10 – the completed theme will probably be available on Thursday 29th July at its regular price – we’re just making final tweaks to it.

Here are the key points:-

o Designed to provide you multiple income streams.
o Only 50 copies available on pre-order.
o Multi-site usage licence for sites you personally own.
o Supplied with “Ads Manager” plugin for full control of your ads.
o Carefully placed subscriber sign up box in the “Golden Triangle”.
o Latest posts at a glance.
o Featured freebie.
o Time sensitive offers.
o Product spotlight.
o New releases.
o Thirteen sidebars giving you increased flexibility of ad placement.
o Ready made sidebar ads for your affiliate links.
o Sidebar ads are editable.
o Full WordPress 3.0 Custom Menus support.
o Ideal for use with the “Subscribers Only” plugin.
o Ideal for use with the “Widgets In It” plugin.
o Ideal for use with the “WordPress AutoResponder” plugin.

The theme has been designed with you in mind and allows you to create a blog where you can build your mailing list (vital), review products, and also promote multiple products as an affiliate.

In other words it’s been designed to make your life easier.

You can start small with a few ads, and as you add more content to your site, you can increase the number of ad blocks used. Or you can just use some of the ad blocks to suit your personal style.

The whole point of this theme is to give you the flexibility you need.

After releasing the first theme, we’ve had some GREAT suggestions, and we’ve tried to implement them in this second theme where possible. The three key ones though were:-

#1 – More sidebars and we’ve done just that to give you an amazing amount of flexibility in the themes appearance and where your ads appear.

#2 – Drop-down Custom Menus. The main header nav menu now has drop-down menu support, so you can create your custom menus within WordPress 3.0 and add a sub-menu layer.

#3 – A footer Custom Menu. We’ve been asked for an easier way of adding footer menus instead of fiddling with the theme files, so we’ve done just that. You can now create a custom menu and then use the built in Custom Menu Widget to drop a menu into the Footer sidebar.

Just like the first one, this theme is designed to help you build multiple income streams, and when used in conjunction with the two list building plugins I released recently (Subscribers Only and WordPress AutoResponder), will help you do just that.

If you own the WordPress AutoResponder plugin, then we’ve spent the last month making a raft of changes including the ability to generate form code for use with the Multiple Streams Themes. These changes will be announced soon.

This is all great news.

My estimate for release of the theme is Thursday 29th July, and I’ve installed and activated the test version on the Multiple Streams Themes web site so you can take a quick look at it.

While you’re there, note the drop down menu under the “Home” link at the top, and also note the 4 sidebars at the bottom where 2 ads, Recent Comments and Meta are located. Each block is contained within an individual sidebar so it’s easy to move them around. And finally the footer menu which is a Custom Menu widget within another sidebar.

This is your chance to pre-order for just $10.

Once the theme is complete and the official site is live, it will be available for $27 for a short time before I set the final price.

Today it’s just $10 on pre-order.

But only for the first 50 people to get there, and it’s important to note when you purchase, that you get a multi-site usage licence which means you can use it on as many sites as you personally own.

The link to purchase the theme on pre-order is here:-

Update: Offer Closed.

-Frank Haywood

Jun

2010

48 Hour Special – Multiple Streams Theme

Update: I’ve uploaded a few videos on the usage of the theme here:-

http://www.multiplestreamsthemes.com/multiple-streams-themes-videos/

***

Since I closed the door on the first Multiple Streams Theme for Business and Pro Bloggers three weeks ago, I’ve had a stream of requests asking when it will be available again.

Happily, the multiple income streams theme for WordPress is now available for immediate purchase at just $17 for the next 48 hours. After that the price will rise ($27) for 14 days while we set up the official site, and then finally rise again to its regular price.

But until 6.00pm GMT on Friday Monday 5th July, you can get it for just $17.

PLEASE don’t do what some people have already done and beg me to sell it at the original pre-order price, I won’t be moved on this, and $17 is still an incredible bargain considering the work that’s gone into it and what you’re getting.

I also only intend to sell 200 copies in total, and 60 have already gone on pre-order, leaving just 140 remaining.

And this bundle is so good I don’t expect to hit the final price before closing the doors forever on the theme.

What bundle?

Well, we wanted to make sure that the theme you were buying was as flexible as we could possibly make it. So we also included one of two new plugins I’ll be releasing shortly.

Ads Manager

The plugin we’re including is called “Ads Manager” and is incredibly powerful.

When you see how it can display or suppress ads on your site, you’ll be blown away at how useful it is.

Ads Manager allows you to only display ads to visitors based on rules you select or create.

This is because if you have regular visitors to your blog, then they’re going to get pretty fed up seeing the same old ads the whole time (I know I do) and prevent “ad blindness” from setting in. Now you can just tick a box that stops an individual ad from showing to your regulars.

You can also do things like only show a particular ad to visitors who have come from search engines. Or only show the ad on posts that are more than 2 weeks old.

So for example, you could add is_front_page() to the conditional tags box and your visitors would only see the ad on the front page of your blog.

Or you could add is_single() and your visitors would only see the ad on a post and not on your front page, or you could use is_page() and the ad would only appear on pages, and so on. You can even specify individual posts and pages, or put another way, it enables you to show different ads on different posts and pages.

It gives you almost total control over your ads and it’s PERFECT for use with the Multiple Streams Themes.

Key Points

Here are the key points of the theme and plugin bundle:-

o Designed to provide you multiple income streams.
o Carefully placed subscriber sign up box in the “Golden Triangle”.
o Latest posts at a glance.
o Featured freebie.
o Movable “featured” boxes and ads, all widget driven.
o Product spotlight.
o Time sensitive offers.
o New releases.
o Themed sidebar ads for your affiliate links.
o Sidebar ad graphics are editable.
o Ideal for use with the “Subscribers Only” plugin.
o Multi-site usage licence for sites you personally own.
o Both WP 2.9 and WP 3.0 with Custom Menu versions supplied.
o WordPress AutoResponder being updated to work with the theme.
o Only 200 copies will ever be sold.
o Ads Manager plugin included for free.

In all, the Multiple Streams Themes will provide you with everything you need to become a pro-blogger if you’re not already, and will certainly improve your sites appearance if you are.

You can see an annotated JPEG of the design here:-

http://www.frankhaywood.com/mst-annotated.jpg

The theme has been designed with you in mind and allows you to create a blog where you can build your mailing list (vital), review products, and promote multiple products as an affiliate.

In other words it’s been designed to make your life easier.

Update: The special is now over, but you can still get the theme for $27 until we officially open the site. There are 38 copies left as I write this.

-Frank Haywood

Jun

2010

Multiple Income Streams Theme Pre-Order

The first multiple income streams theme for WordPress is now available on pre-order for just $10 – the completed theme itself won’t be available for a couple of weeks.

Here are the key points:-

o Designed to provide you multiple income streams.
o Carefully placed subscriber sign up box in the “Golden Triangle”.
o Latest posts at a glance.
o Featured freebie.
o Product spotlight.
o Time sensitive offers.
o New releases.
o Themed sidebar ads for your affiliate links.
o Sidebar ad graphics are editable.
o Ideal for use with the “Subscribers Only” plugin.
o Multi-site usage licence for sites you personally own.
o Only 50 copies (was going to be 75, now limited further).

In case you missed my email yesterday, you can see an annotated JPEG of the design here:-

http://www.frankhaywood.com/mst-annotated.jpg

The theme has been designed with you in mind and allows you to create a blog where you can build your mailing list (vital), review products, and promote multiple products as an affiliate.

In other words it’s been designed to make your life easier.

I’ve had some GREAT comments from people, and just a single negative comment from someone I wasn’t sure “got it” (hi Rain), but I know this is a common misconception amongst non-marketers and newbies.

He suggested this was a web template – it isn’t, it’s a full blown WordPress theme – and that “templates” like this were available for free. Well, after several years of searching I have yet to find a good one, which is the whole point I had this one built.

He then suggested an expensive site which I’ve used a couple of times in the past. The problem with templates from that site is they’re designed by designers who think they know what businesses want, but they don’t address the real needs of people like you and me – the marketer and professional bloggers.

Okay, enough dwelling on the negative. Most people see the benefits and can’t wait to get it.

In fact I had a very good suggestion (hi Maury) to list some plugins that would be useful with this theme and also come up with some scenarios to use them.

I’ll go away and have a good think about that.

First thoughts though are the fact that this THEME is designed to help you build multiple income streams, and when used in conjunction with the two list building plugins I released recently, will help you do just that.

And as I said yesterday, at the moment it’s just a design, but it’s currently being sliced and developed into a WordPress 2.9 theme (and planned to be converted later into a WP 3.0 theme with custom menu support).

My estimate is it will be a couple of weeks before it’s complete.

This is your chance to pre-order for just $10.

Once the theme is complete and the official site is live, it will be available for $27 for a short time before I set the final price.

Today it’s just $10 on pre-order.

But only for the first 50 people to get there. (It was going to be 75, but I decided to limit it further to retain the product value – I will only ever sell 200 copies in total.)

Ah, one more thing as someone asked about this. It’s a multi-site usage licence which means you can use it on as many sites as you personally own.

UPDATE: Okay, I’m happy to say this has been quite popular (which is a relief when you’ve hired someone to make WP themes for you) and so I’m making a final TEN copies available for pre-order. It looks like I’m going to be out and about for most of the day, but it’s likely that they’ll be gone by the time I get back and I’ll close it down. (It’s not the end of the world, the theme will still be available at $27 for a short time when it’s released before I set the final price.)

CLOSED

-Frank Haywood