Great competitors force you to: Improve quality and service. Think strategically about the marketplace. Balance pricing, costs, and profit margins. Pay attention to customers and clients. Work hard. Learn and grow. Paradox of Power by Pat Williams
As a WordPress site developer, how many times have you seen, and dreaded, the above message? I have been developing with WordPress for less than a year, and I have seen it three times so far. Two of these occurrences were after updating the Jetpack plugin, while there seems to be no specific plugin tied to the other issue. The scary part of the first instance is that I did not have backups or a plan to get it back up. Fortunately, though, I was also in the very beginning of the process. I just removed the site and started over. There is a truly simple approach which seems to work quite well, as long as you have access to the site directories. Using your file manager, look in the…
In the wake of the recent US spy scandal and the possible participation of other countries do Americans and citizens of other nationalities feel safer now than prior to the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks on targets in the United States? We know that high tech software allows spying on, or data mining of, various types of personal and supposedly private information. Your phone calls can be listened to, your internet browsing and searches can be viewed, even your emails can be monitored. The biggest question is whether we will give away our privacy in order to avoid more of the horror that unfolded during that time almost twelve years ago. Of course, we would also need to decide if that approach is truly effective. Recently we have seen the Boston Marathon…
Have you designed your own web site in the past few years? Maybe ten years in the past? I sure have. I have used straight HTML, CSS, and even JQuery. My most recent web site designs did not require any of those although they utilized those technologies and many more. You may be thinking "So how should I begin?" You should start with a Content Management System or publishing platform. The CMS platforms available may depend on your individual web host. I recently switched web hosting to a reseller plan on A2 and I have been quite satisfied. Currently I have two functions on my site which spreads the word on my own business - Link Em Up custom business services. I am also using my web site for blogging…
[caption id="attachment_1837" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mudcats POW/MIA Dedication[/caption] There’s a table in the front Raised so that it draws attention Reserved for all those missing Still not found or in detention. Set for six of those missing One each, for branches Serving One place for lost Civilians Whom, are felt just as deserving. The table is shaped in the round For the everlasting concern As all of us, hope and pray Someday they all, will return. The tablecloth is bright white To symbolize the purity Of those, answering the call Of their Country, doing their Duty. The single rose, in a vase For the lifeblood of those lost And for those awaiting answers A sad part of Wartime’s cost. The vase, tied with red ribbon A symbol of determination To account…
Do you suffer from low Twitter activity? Would you like to receive more retweets and followers? Make a few simple changes by adding more posts of higher quality. We all have experience with a "normal" social life. If you are an introvert, as I am, you will have only a few friends and the potential for new friends is limited because you do not make many real attempts to get out there to meet those new friends. This same principle applies to social media, with the exception that you can increase activity and friends/followers from the safety zone and privacy of your own keyboard. Recently, I was looking over my Facebook status using Twitonomy and decided to try to make some improvements. The first improvement was to remove/unfollow those who…
Herb Kelleher, CEO of Southwest Airlines, understands servant leadership. I'd describe leadership as servanthood. The best leaders, I think, have to be good followers as well. You have to be quite willing to accept other people's ideas even when they are in conflict with your own. You have to be willing to subjugate your ego to the needs of your business. You have to be willing to take risks for your people. If you won't fight for your people, you can count on your people not fighting for you. Paradox of Power by Pat Williams
Make your impression in the app development world Have you been tempted to get into cross platform programming with Visual Studio 2015? You can do so with very little software investment. Does this mean that you will need to make a significant investment in hardware? That answer gets a Yes and No. If you are a Windows user, and you probably are if your desired dev platform is Visual Studio, you will need a device with iOS installed. Of course, as a Windows user, you can develop for Windows Phone and Android with no additional hardware or software cost. Required Software Let's take a look at my desired development software and the hardware that has been chosen. I use Visual Studio 2015 Community Edition with Xamarin installed. Xamarin is now…
Attention all pastors! I have encountered a pastor in the Greenville, NC area who has challenged his congregation to commit to a one-year read through the scriptures. When he mentioned this idea to me, I didn't expect too much participation from his small congregation. We are over halfway into January and he has at least thirty people committed to a daily read of the Bible. I believe that means more than half of his people have made this commitment to God's Word. How many people do you know that manage to keep their New Year's resolutions? If these thirty people have been reading for 21 days straight, they have either formed a habit or are very close to doing so. It is this process of getting into a routine, or…
