“It seems everyone can’t enough of Pinterest, and for a social networking site which is still invite-only, it’s managed to garner over 6 million monthly users, and receives millions of hits per week.

“Whether you’re just getting started with the site, or have been using it for a while, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to all things Pinterest. We’ve put together a list of all the basic things you need to know about the site, while also giving some power user tips for the more experienced users. Lastly, if you’re still looking for new ways to get more out of Pinterest, we have a list of creative and practical uses for one of the hottest niche social networks out there today.”

Read the full article: The Ultimate Guide to Pinterest.

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•    Some security hardening to media uploads
•    Performance improvements
•    Fixes for IIS6 support
•    Fixes for taxonomy and PATHINFO (/index.php/) permalinks
•    Fixes for various query and taxonomy edge cases that caused some plugin compatibility issues

Version 3.1.1 also addresses three security issues discovered by WordPress core developers.

We suggest you update to 3.1.1 promptly. Log in and update automatically from the Dashboard > Updates menu in your site’s admin area.

WordPress release haiku:

Only the geeks know
What half this stuff even means
Don’t worry — update

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It only takes a second to get the Press This mini-application going. Simply go to Tools -> Tools in your dashboard and find the link to the bookmarklet:

Next, drag the Press This link to the bookmarks/favorites area of your web browser. (It may look different than what’s pictured below, depending on your browser.)

That’s it – you’ve installed Press This!

Using Press This

Let’s say you come across a great blog post about landscape photography, and you want to quickly share a few of the author’s tips with your own blog readers, without reproducing the entire post. Simply highlight the material with your cursor and then click the Press This bookmarklet in your browser.

Or maybe you just want to quickly share a link to a website, without reproducing any of the content in your own post. In that case, just click the Press This bookmarklet while you’re viewing the webpage.

Press This will appear in a pop-up window. You’ll have the option to add images, video, and/or your own commentary to the post before publishing it to your blog. If you have multiple blogs, use the drop-down menu to choose where to publish the content.

Adding Images and Video
To include images, click the picture frame icon. You’ll see a selection of all the images from the webpage. Select the one you like and click Insert Image. If you like, use the HTML tab to edit it. Use the filmstrip icon to add video.

via Press This « Support — WordPress.com.

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“Given Facebook’s powerhouse status for marketers, isn’t it time you upgraded your Facebook page?

“How can you help your brand stand out from the competition and increase the relevancy of your Facebook page?

“The answer: Static FBML.  This article will share what you need to know to conduct a Facebook page makeover.”

How to Customize Your Facebook Page Using Static FBML | Social Media Examiner.

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“The site wide uniformity of Facebook has been a flagship characteristic of Facebook and it seems they have worked very hard to stay within their original business model. Despite this, they have created Facebook fan pages with many different apps that you can use as a way to customize your business presence. Up till now, we have mainly seen this space used for coupons and promotions.”

This article highlights 12 examples of how companies are standing out on Facebook pages.

Designing a Facebook landing page: 12 of the best! – Web Design Blog – DesignM.ag.

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These systems have a number of advantages over applications like Frontpage. First of all, they work on the internet and thus don’t require you to install software on your computer. You have a new laptop? No problem! Your website updates will work fine without installing any software. By the same token, you don’t even have to be working on your own computer to make an update; you can make your updates from any computer with internet access. Better yet, you can make your updates from a smart phone!

Secondly, these systems have what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) graphical interfaces that require no coding skills whatsoever. It is as easy as point and click. As the very name implies, these systems are designed to let you “manage your content” easily.

Last but not least, these systems will give you more out-of-the-box features and components so you can have a unique looking website rather than a cookie-cutter template. Thanks to the open-source community supporting these systems, there are plug-ins built for every need you can imagine.

Now that you understand the benefits of Content Management Systems, you may be interested in switching to one. Blue Pixel Design can help you jump-start this by converting your website into a CMS format. Give us a call today at 1 (604) 318-5394 or e-mail raielene@bluepixeldesign.com.

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Read more here:  http://freelanceswitch.com/freelancing-essentials/how-a-blog-can-help-your-photography-business/

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Here’s what happened when Chris Savage, the chief executive of Wistia.com, searched for the phrase "private video sharing" on Twitter, a social networking site. One post he found read, "A teacher requested a private ‘video sharing’ Web site so that specialists can observe student behavior—can anyone refer one?"

That got Savage’s attention. He e-mailed back: "Still looking for a private video sharing site?"

Minutes later came the reply: "YES! It’s the first request for one—thought I’d hit up my tweets before [I] go digging."

Savage: "Cool. You may want to check out Wistia.com. Full disclosure, I’m the CEO; -)"

While this exchange may seem a bit cryptic, Savage is one of a growing number of business owners to whom it makes an awful lot of sense. Savage frequently trolls Twitter looking for sales leads for his five-person, $1 million company, which makes software that facilitates video sharing through a private network. Although Savage has been using Twitter for only a year, it’s already helped him find 12 new clients for his Lexington (Mass.) company. "This is a no-cost way of marketing," he says.

Jeremy Quittner, staff writer for BusinessWeek in New York, has written an insightful article entitled "Twitter: Building Businesses Tweet by Tweet", which outlines how entrepreneurs are finding the fast-rising microblogging site to be a useful tool for reaching out to customers.  It details Twitter’s strengths, how to get started and some examples of businesses who have made it work for them.

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"As we see more and more businesses move their services online, and even more that begin their life on the Web, a greater need arises for websites that are designed and built to sell. A great-looking website may achieve the goal of shaping and delivering a strong brand, but its good looks alone aren’t enough to sell the products or services on offer. For that, you need to introduce the element of marketing."

Dmitry Fadeyev’s article, "Design To Sell: 8 Useful Tips To Help Your Website Convert", outlines 8 useful tips to make a casual reader of your website a buyer.

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"It’s likely that you are familiar with most of the ‘traditional’ marketing practices; direct mail, email marketing, advertising, telesales, pr etc – however, for a few years now, given the opportunities the internet provides, the term ‘new marketing’ has been bandied around. If we think of traditional marketing as ‘push’ marketing – mediums we use to push our messages onto others ‘interrupting’ them, then the new marketing relates to ‘pull’ marketing – marketing activities we do which ‘attract’, as a magnet would, interested parties, at their own accord, to view our wares."

In her article entitled "Social Media:  5 Things to Do Right NOW", marketing consultant, Michelle Carvill, lists five of these pull activities and tips for getting started.

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