EzSEO Newsletter # 224

This week:

1. Wordpress Tutorial - XVIII

2. Michael Green’s Pre-Launch ends tomorrow

3. Windows Vista User Accounts

4. Open Source Alternatives

5. Using Wordpress to Build your Sites

Hi again
The newsletter is early this week because tomorrow is the end of Michael Green’s prelaunch and I wanted to make sure this got to you before then.  Today the Wordpress tutorial looks at the template system, plus, how do you turn off those annoying prompts in Windows Vista (and should you do it??) and a look at my favourite fr.ee software packages.

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1. Wordpress Tutorial - XVIII
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Last week we looked at some of the differences between pages and posts.

This week, I want to examine Wordpress theme templates files in a little more detail, and look at why some themes have certain template files, while others do not.

You can view all tutorials on the Affiliate Minder website.

http://affiliate-minder.com

When you get there, click the link on the right to "Wordpress Tutorials".

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2. Michael Green’s Pre-Launch ends tomorrow
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Last week I told you about Michael Green’s follow up to the hugely successful 20/20 challenge released last year.  This new product claims to be able to generate $30k in 30 days.

You can read my initial impressions of the product here:

http://affiliate-minder.com/reviews/money-tree-30k-in-30-days/

So what if you don’t make that much?  Well, not only do you get a full refund, but you get to keep 121 products (Michael added another 20 products since I last looked) that are included in the package. 

The product is going to be released tomorrow (25th October), but you can order it TODAY while it is in pre-launch.  Why would you want to do that?  Well, here is what Michael has to say:

"If you get yourself under the pre-launch wire by acting right now not only will I slash the price in half, but I’ll bundle in another 20 products (giving you 121 high quality products in total) which you’ll get to keep come-what-may!"

The Money Tree has to be tempting for everyone.  Will it work?  I cannot tell you that since I have not completed the challenge, but from what I have seen of the manual that comes with the product (Michael sent me a preview copy), it is based on sound principles.  If it turns out not to be what you are looking for, then at least you’ll have 121 products to keep and your money back.

For more information, and to get this before the pre-launch ends, here is the link:

http://ezseonews.com/mtree

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3. Windows Vista User Accounts
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One of the biggest support questions I get with my software is why the auto-update feature does not work.  In 99% of cases, the problem is down to Windows Vista, and users need to manually upgrade the software. 

Windows Vista has something called User Accounts, and its a right royal pain in the backside, which is why I have it turned off on all of my Vista machines.

The idea of user accounts is to separate Administrators from Standard users. 

Think of it like this.  In most companies, you would want administrators to be able to install stuff, delete certain files, add files, maintain the computers etc.  However, in general, you would not want standard users to be able to do these tasks, because they could end up corrupting the system if they did not really know what they were doing.

Enter Windows Vista User Accounts.

Now, when it comes to installing software on your computer, Windows Vista User Accounts will try to stop you if you are not an Administrator.  That is why you need to run installation programs, and even the programs themselves by right-clicking the icon for the program, and selecting "Run As Administrator".

Running the program without running it as administrator would result in a popup asking if you are sure you want to run the file.  It may sound like a stupid question the 100th time you see it, but in fact, it is actually a good thing - kind of….

What if you visit a dodgy site online and it tries to install some spyware on your computer.  Vista will block it, and ask if you are sure you want to run the installation program before your computer gets infected.

This is all great, but it is very intrusive when you are working on your computer all day, and keep getting harassed about whether you are sure you want to run the program you just double clicked on. 

I find Vista a nightmare to use with Accounts enabled, so have them disabled on my own machines.  I am aware of the potential hazards from spyware, etc, but have up-to-date anti-spyware, virus and firewall protection.  I so far haven’t had any problems.

You need to think carefully before disabling the user accounts, but if like me, you decide it is the only way to live with Vista, here is how to turn it off.  Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for this if you decide to turn it off, it is entirely at your own risk.

In the Control Panel, double click on the "User Accounts" icon.

This will open a screen that has a link to "Turn User Account Control on or off".

The screen that opens has a check box.  Deselect the checkbox if you wish to turn user accounts off.  Then click OK.

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4. Open Source Alternatives
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One of the tasks we need to do as webmasters is create logos & graphics for our site.  I have been a big fan of RealDraw Pro for many years, but I have to admit, there are some excellent fr.ee alternatives around at the moment.

Firstly, there is the Gimp.  This tool has a big learning curve, but is certainly an excellent choice for someone on a budget.  From what I can see, it is being actively developed, and has had some great features added since I last looked at it.  There are versions for PC and Mac, so everyone should be happy.  You can get the Gimp from:

http://www.gimp.org/

Another great graphics package is called Inkscape.  This is a vector drawing tool and is fantastic for web graphics.  You can get this one from:

http://www.inkscape.org/

I am a big fan of Open Source alternatives, and have been a long time user of Open Office (a complete office suite that rivals Microsoft Office).  You can get this one from:

http://www.openoffice.org/

Why spend hundreds of dollars on bloated software when you can get alternatives that will more than meet the needs of home users. 

Are there any open source programs that you use?  I would love to hear about them.

If you need something else, you can find a lot of Open Source software at the Source Forge site:

http://sourceforge.net/

Have fun searching!

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5. Using Wordpress to Build your Sites
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I have had a number of people enquiring about my Wordpress for Affiliate Sites mentoring program.  It seems that many of you are interested in seeing what an affiliate site built in Wordpress looks like. 

An example is the affiliate-minder.com website which is built using Wordpress.  Adding content to that site is as easy as typing it in, and hitting a publish button.  Wordpress takes care of all of the links pointing to the new content, and updates several pages with each new publication.  It helps keep the site fresh, and Google seems to like these sites.

The biggest problem is setting Wordpress up in the first place, and that is where my mentoring program can help.  Not only do I take you through every step of building an affiliate site with Wordpress, but you get to see me build a real site and watch how I promote. 

Every step of the process is recorded on video, which you get to download to your own computer to view offline at your leisure with the accompanying PDFs and mindmaps.

Everyone who joins gets as much personal help as they need to follow the instructions (So far I have installed Wordpress for some members, edited templates, installed scripts and answered questions etc). 

If you want to find out more about this mentoring program, you can read about it here:

http://improdigy.com

Well, that’s it for this issue.  If you want to read the recent issues of this newsletter, you can read them online at my blog:

http://ezseonews.com/blog/index.php

For older newsletters, you will need to visit the old archives at:

http://ezseonews.com/archives

Have a great week!

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The contents of this newsletter is copyright 2008 Andrew Williams.  If you want to republish any of the articles, you must get permission from the author.

This newsletter disclaims all responsibility for the advertising copy or the product advertised. You cannot rely on the fact that the newsletter has examined the product or recommends or endorses the product, unless it clearly says that it has, when you make your decision whether or not to purchase the product or interact with the advertiser. You are advised to do your own investigation before buying. Additionally, this newsletter may accept articles that we do not write or investigate the accuracy of and for which we may receive direct or indirect benefit or compensation. We specifically disclaim any responsibility for the content of such copy.

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