10 Most Popular WordPress Themes of 2015

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As the year comes to an end it’s time to reflect on all the awesome developments in the world of WordPress. Two major version of WordPress were released, now called Billie in honor of jazz goddess Billie Holiday.  In 2015 the web became even more responsive, accessible and we saw security updates galore. The platform also continued to dominate the web and evolve alongside it.

A fresh new batch of themes also came out. Despite all the great new products, many of us still use the same themes from 2012 and 2013. Avada is still the number one selling theme on the Envato market, with X Land Enfold rounding out second and third place. Read more →

A Guide to Jetpack for WordPress

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If you are running a website on WordPress.org then you have most likely come across the Jetpack Plugin. A lot of people newer to WordPress often wonder just what it is, and what you can do with it. It’s an expansive plugin that currently has 36 modules with different functions. Jetpack makes running your blog a lot easier. You can use jetpack to handle a lot of functionality on your site like contact forms, analytics, cloud, comments and more. This guide will explain how you to use Jetpack and we what each modules does.

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What is a WordPress Framework?

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Before I did a little research on the subject, I always had trouble understanding exactly what a framework is. After doing some digging I’m still a little confused on the matter. Do some searching online and you’ll find that the terms “framework” and “library” are interchangeable depending on the context.

At first it’s kind of like when people start talking about using GPU’s as CPU’s. Or when someone asks you what “is” is? (e.g. Bill Clinton on the witness stand) Unless you have been working with computers and discussing computer science theory for a while, the concepts can get twisted in too much theory to do you any good. Think of hot rods or PC’s as an example.

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Creating a Child Theme in WordPress

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What is a child theme? Why should you use one? How can you use them to modify an existing theme? These are all questions I aim to answer in this post. No matter how good your theme is you are going to want to customize it for your own use. It could be something as simple as changing the page layout or something more complicated like modifying the functionality of a shopping cart.

You can do this easily in WordPress a number of different ways. The easiest would be to download a plugin, which you could do. But, there is always a better way of doing things and sometimes using a plugin isn’t always best. For simple changes using plugins can be a bit of an overkill and drain your resources. Read more →

Team Builder — Meet The Team WordPress Plugin Review

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This week we are going to review Team Builder, our very own plugin that is designed to build a showcase for your team on your WordPress site. There are plenty of team showcase plugins and add-ons but I’m sure you won’t find anything better than Team Builder. In industries where the people behind your work are just as important as your work – having a team showcase is a good idea for any company or organization. It’s a nice way to show your team members how proud you are of them as well as show your visitors just how awesome your team is.

People are naturally curious and adding a team showcase can satisfy that curiosity as well as gain their trust. This is especially important if you are in the design or tech industry. Nowadays there are all sorts of phishing scams lurking on the internet, many people can’t or won’t do business with a company they don’t trust.

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Installing Themes and Plugins in WordPress

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WordPress is extremely user friendly. If you know how to install programs on a computer than you can build a modern website that looks feels professional. After you figure out how to join WordPress and find hosting, all you need to do from there is install themes and plugins to build virtually any type of website you can imagine. If you are already familiar with themes and plugins are, go ahead and skip down to the guide.

If you are new to blogging or WordPress in general, keep in mind that there is a difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Most people start off with WordPress.com – the free version of WordPress and move on to WordPress.org. You can’t install plugins on WordPress.com.
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Creating a Multisite Network With WordPress

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The Multisite feature was introduced with the creation of WordPress 3.0 in 2010. When Multisite is activated on your WordPress website you can create separate sites on the same installation of WordPress. Every site uses the same database and shares themes and plugins, but use separate tables – and each site has its own media directory. There’s many applications for Multisite networks such as small business sites with different departments, a network of affiliated blogs, directory sites that users rent space on and more. This guide show you how to activate the Multisite feature and add new sites to your network.

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Best Premium WordPress Plugins of September 2015

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September was an interesting month for the internet. Champions of fair use got a huge win against patent trolls in the US Federal court via the rejection of Universal Music Publishing Group’s attempt to abuse copyright law in the case of UMPG vs Lenz. We saw another security and maintenance release in the form of WordPress 4.3.1. There were also many intriguing heartfelt stories published in relation to the European refugee crises posted on everybody’s favorite blogging platform (WordPress of course).

With all these big changes going on the world you may not have noticed the fresh new batch of WordPress plugins ready for the picking. This month we have a hodgepodge of different plugins for you to check out. We’ve collected 10 of the newest and best selling plugins on CodeCanyon that came out in the past month to review. There’s a little of everything in this list including plugins for eCommerce, gaming, web apps and more. Check out the latest up and coming plugins below. Read more →

9 WordPress Web Design Trends

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The world of web design is still catching up to the breakneck speed of technological evolution. Software innovations and design trends have already conquered the problem of cross-platform compatibility (for the most part). Ever since website design has been slowly adjusting to the needs of users everywhere. In 2014 we saw the rise and fall of many different trends.

We learned things like HTML5/CSS3 are still dominant, mobile-first will continue to grow, and minimalistic layouts are here to stay. Now that we approach the end of 2015 we have seen the rise and fall of even more trends. In 2015 we have also seen of certain staples and like flat design, responsive design and the use of high quality images become solidified. This article will discuss 8 WordPress website trends that have established themselves after the dusted has settled.

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21 FREE Resources for Web Designers

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Finding innovative ways to get your work done isn’t always easy. The only true way to find your groove is to start doing things and refine your solution. After all, necessity is the mother of invention.

One of the biggest advantages a designer can have is access to the right resources. No matter how good you are, you can’t do it all alone. For beginners and experienced web designers alike it’s important to always look for better tools to develop your craft.

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