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9 Stand-Out Real Estate Themes for WordPress

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:30:39 +0000

A friend of mine just earned his real estate license and now he’s in the process of setting up office online. He’s already familiar with WordPress, so he came to me and asked if I had any advice on using WordPress for a real estate website. WordPress is really the hot ticket for building real estate site right now, which is both good and bad.

On the one hand, the demand for real estate themes and plugins has encouraged innovation among developers and they’re coming up with some pretty neat tools for agents to use when managing their properties online. On the other hand, you want to make sure that your website stands out from the crowd of similarly-themed websites so that you can attract clients and impress them with your marketing skills and web savvy. For an agent, a good website shows potential clients that they have 21st century skills and can do what it takes to sell a home in this tough market.

So, in answer to his question I rounded up a list of the top WordPress themes for building a real estate website that is sure to stand out in a crowd and help you—and your listings—get noticed.(...)
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9 Email Designs for Content-Heavy Newsletters

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:30:27 +0000

I’ve recently been working on a project to design a daily email newsletter that will be powered by MailChimp’s RSS to Email option. In some ways using RSS limits the design, however by automating the email campaign the site owner can focus on creating content rather than delivering content.

The challenge for this email campaign is to create a template that can accommodate between 4 and 8 articles with photos and summaries, a spot for advertising, branding options and of course space for all the “required” information to be can-spam compliant. Oh yeah, the content all needs to fit together elegantly and encourage users to take action by visiting the site, bookmarking an article, etc. What’s the best way to fit that much information in an email and keep it organized?

I went looking for inspiration on Emailium, and found a collection of content-heavy email designs proving that it is indeed possible to fit a mountain of information into a document no more than 600 pixels wide. Want to be inspired, too? Check out this list of email designs for content-heavy newsletters and publishing sites.

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Social Networking Software: 12 Ways to Build the Next, Best Social Network

Barbara Holbrook — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:01:23 +0000

Do you want to be the next YouTube, Flickr, Match.com or Facebook? Then, you need to find the right social networking software. Dating sites, friend networks, video sharing portals are all built on networking platforms that give members control over their personal profile and encourage user-generated content.

If you can get it right, Social Networking is the key to the kingdom. You will never have to worry about your next blog post, because users will post and manage their own content. You will be free to focus on the important stuff like marketing, partnerships and monetization.

Of course, great social networks need great software. No one wants to play on a slow network and users won’t create profiles if they think your software isn’t secure. When choosing a social networking platform, you need to make sure the software looks professional, is stable and will be around for the long haul.

Here are the programs and platforms you’ll encounter in your search for social networking software. (...)
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Awesome Customizations: 10 websites based on the Yamidoo Magazine Theme

Barbara Holbrook — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:18:39 +0000

Premium WordPress themes can be a designer’s best friend. But most websites worth visiting know better than to use a theme straight “out of the box.” Your site design is part of your branding and it’s the first impression visitors will have of your product. It only takes seconds for a new visitors to decide whether your site is “reputable.” And, like it or not, they will make that decision based on looks.

That’s why when you’re deciding which premium theme to buy the most important question you can ask is, “Can I make this theme look custom without reinventing the wheel?” To help you make this decision, TutorialBlog will begin showcasing a selection of sites all based on the same theme. Take a look and see for yourself some of the customized themes that started with a premium foundation.

Today, we’re taking a look at customization ideas for the Yamidoo Magazine Theme from wpzoom. (...)
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Free Photoshop Shapes: Download Custom Shapes Sets

Barbara Holbrook — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:00:41 +0000

Photoshop shapes are different than Photoshop brushes, although some people use the terms interchangeably, they refer to completely different tools. Both tools will allow you to easily add custom elements that be stamped out over and over again, used to create patterns, transferred from one design to another, and stored in your Photoshop library for use on your next project.

The big difference between custom brushes and custom shapes is that brushes create a bitmapped element that is permanently painted onto a layer. Custom Photoshop shapes will add an editable vector shape on it’s own layer. This is especially useful because it makes it easy to change the color or size of your custom item should you change your mind while working on the design.

Adding custom brushes and custom shapes to your Photoshop presets is an invaluable timesaver. Today, we’ll help you start your collection with this list of 10 Places to Download Free Custom Shape sets for Photoshop. (...)
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5 More Places to Buy Joomla Templates

Barbara Holbrook — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:00:38 +0000

Last week we posted an article about where to find joomla templates. After being roundly smacked about by our readers for leaving out some of the larger (and popular) Joomla template design websites, we’ve decided to try and redeem ourselves with yet another article about finding quality Joomla Templates.

Like we said earlier, a well-made template is the foundation for a good website. If the template doesn’t include the right code for proper SEO, then it’s going to make life difficult later. This is as true for Joomla as it is for WordPress, or Drupal. That is why we recommend sourcing out premium template companies that you can rely on. (...)
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5 Cool Places to Find Joomla Themes

Spencer Spellman — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:00:05 +0000

One of the most important things about building a website or blog is the significance of having an attractive design. It’s imperative to have a theme that not only looks good, but is fully functional and formats properly on the majority of popular web browsers. For most users, finding or designing a template is the first thing they set out to do.

If you’re a new user or want to give your site some pop to it, you might need to consider using a premium template, — which usually means that you’ll have to pay for it. The benefit of buying a template is that it usually requires less work to get started. However, some free templates are still worth it, if you’ve got the skills to fix it up yourself or are willing to hire a designer to do the work for you.

Below I’ve listed the 5 coolest places to find Joomla templates. (...)
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13 Places to Download Awesome Premium WordPress Themes

Joel Reyes — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:00:33 +0000

The search for WordPress themes is never-ending. Should you find a free theme? Or shell out the bucks for a premium theme?

While exceptional content doesn’t need to be pretty to communicate, we can’t help wanting a little style with our substance.

If you’re like us, you want an eye-catching WordPress layout that looks sharp, creative and has as much style as your writing. Something unique and beautifully coded to render across all browsers, and maybe add a little SEO juice too.

The best WordPress themes offer all of that. And, often come with a pretty good support forum too. Some of these Worpress themes are free, but don’t be afraid to pay for something exceptional. Let’s visit 13 amazing places you can go to get awesome premium WordPress themes.

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10 Places to Download Free Icon Sets

Joel Reyes — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:00:52 +0000

Whether you want to spice up the look of your desktop, create a unified theme on your website, or use them for graphic design, matching icon sets come in handy. Although in recent times the use of icons has shifted towards web and interface design, icon sets are useful for many purposes.

If you have the proper skills, you can use applications such as Illustrator to customize your vectors and design a spiffy icon set, but why re-create the wheel?

Here are 10 top resources for free icon sets. Download them directly onto your desktop for instant beautification. (...)
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10 WordPress Tips & Tricks for Your Comment Page

Joel Reyes — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:00:02 +0000

From a site owner and an avid bloggers perspective, if you create a blog and take the time to formulate useful content for your visitors to read, then you’d like them to share their insight and contribute to your collection of hard-pressed articles. Correct? Therefore, if by creating quality content this means that one will receive useful and valuable feedback, then why not bring creativity and uniqueness to that aspect of your blog?

One of the greatest rewards a blogger can receive is the feedback given by their readers; this is why leaving comments should be fun, easy, and entertaining. Below you will find 10 of the top creative WordPress tips and tricks for your comment page that will surely make your blogging life not only simpler, but fun for your readers. (...)
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