Monthly Archives: January 2013

Using the WordPress Mobile App

Posted on by • Tagged , , , •

If you have an Android phone, iPhone or iPad did you know there is a version of WordPress for your device? If you have a WordPress site, this means you can log in to your site on your mobile device and make changes and updates. Having mobile access to your blog is really handy, and having a slick mobile app that takes full advantage of your mobile’s interface makes it easy.

To use this tool, download the appropriate version to your handheld:

WordPress for iOS

WordPress for Android

Both apps allow you to edit your blog and update your content. You simply enter your site’s URL (web address) and your username and password, and the app connects to your site and downloads your recent content. From there, you can add new content and edit old content.

WordPress remains a great tool for your business, and with these mobile apps, WordPress is even easier to use. Contact us if you have any questions or would like more ideas on how to get the most out of WordPress.

New Site Release: Toppy America

Posted on by • Tagged , , , , •

toppy-blogThis week, we were able to launch another unique new website design, this time for Toppy America, based in Canton, CT.  Toppy supplies Italian-built large-scale machinery for the printing, pharmaceutical, and food industries, increasing these companies efficiency and profitability with automation.  Their machines are very cool!  Be sure to check out the video page to see them in action.

Toppy already had an older WordPress site, so we were able to create a new theme (or “skin”) for their old site, and keep all of their content and photos intact.  It was a new challenge for us, working with code originally written by others, but the result is, as you can see, a very attractive new site.  Check them out at www.toppyamerica.com!

New Site Release: Brain, Child Magazine

Posted on by • Tagged , , , , •

bc-portThis week we had the privilege of releasing a new site for Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers. In addition to having a unique, custom design, this site utilizes the WordPress blog functionality in an unusual and effective way to display web-only content from this excellent magazine. Other features include a fully-functional product store and online subscription purchase and management.  The owners of the magazine are able to click a button in our interface to generate an accurate mailing list when it comes time to send out the next issue.

From the Editor, Marcelle Soviero: “At Brain, Child we strive to bring the voices of women of different backgrounds and circumstances together on the page and on our website. Through essays, fiction and feature stories our writers provide their unique perspectives on being mothers and women while addressing readers as thinking individuals, not just medicine-dispensing, food-fixing, boo-boo-kissing mommies.”

The website for Brain, Child presented new and different challenges for us, and we’re excited to help the magazine reach more and more people online.

Visit www.brainchildmag.com and give it a try!

What Are “retina”-quality Graphics?

Posted on by • Tagged , , •

Recently, Apple computer released the new MacBook Pro with a “retina” quality display. A “retina” display is a buzzword created by Apple to describe the high-resolution screens found on the iPhone, iPad and now the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

The “retina” display works by concentrating a high number of pixels into a small space, making for extra sharp images. The pixels are packed together to provide 4 to 5 times higher pixel-density than a traditional screen. Though Apple is leading the pack on this one, you can be sure that high-resolution screens are soon to become the standard on new models. Why? Because they look great!

What does this mean for your website? Well, as more people adopt a “retina” screen, website graphics will need to be updated to correspond to the new high resolution standards. We have competing interests here! On the one hand, we want to keep graphic files small so that they load faster over the internet. On the other hand, we always want to take advantage of new technologies so your website looks great!

Over the next year, we suspect “retina”-like displays will become more common, and the need to upgrade the resolution of images on your website more apparent. For now though, these displays are the exception, not the rule. As adoption of new display technology changes the landscape of what people expect on their screens, we will be ready to change your website accordingly.

WordPress 3.5 Released

Posted on by • Tagged , , , •
Recently, the gurus at WordPress released a new version of WordPress, version 3.5. This is a significant update. If we host your site, we will be rolling this update out wordpress-logo-stacked-rgbto you soon. Many of you have already been updated.

What’s new in this version? Well, this is a significant upgrade, and you may notice some changes when you log in next time. The biggest change is in how WordPress handles your media, images and videos. The new media manager is designed to be easier to use and offers a few handy features drag-and-drop configuring of galleries and the ability to insert multiple images into a post at one time. If you use images in your blog post, these changes should be helpful.

Of course, there are also a host of security and bug fixes. The administration area has been upgraded for “retina” displays, if you happen to be lucky enough to have such a display. And many of the software libraries that WordPress uses have been updated to the latest versions.

All in all, with version 3.5, you should have a smoother experience with images and other media files and a sharper looking administration area. You can read more about the release here and you can always contact us if you have any questions.