Resources
This page contains the resources that I have found useful in my personal and professional life. Admittedly, it is an eclectic list. It contains everything from quotes and books that I like to software and web development tools.
If you don’t want to scroll through the entire list, you can click on one of the links below and go filter the resources with that specific tag.
I will update this list as I discover new resources. If you have a resource you think I should add, please email me.
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I have read a great deal about SEO, but it all seems so theoretical. This is the first article I have read that deals exclusively with WordPress blogs. It is also extremely practical. The editorial staff of WPBeginner walk you through the exact steps you need to take to make your blog more SEO-friendly. If you have a WordPress blog, this is must-reading.

For a while now, I have been looking for a simple way to create a Web form on my blog. Since I am a publisher, I occasionally give away books. I needed a simple way for my readers to sign up for this. I looked at several solutions, but Wufoo is exactly what I needed. It is super easy AND super powerful. Once I have collected the names, I can export them to an Excel spreadsheet, comma delimited file, or a text file. My IT department can even connect to the database through Wufoo’s API and extract the names.

This service is very similar to iStockPhoto, except that it is designed for video and television producers. It has thousands of video, music, and sound tracks available for your iMovie and Final Cut Pro projects. I used it today for a book review project I am creating in iMovie. Very cool.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 05 June 2009
Adobe BrowserLab, is a fully hosted online service that lets professional Web designers preview how their sites will look in various Web browsers on the Mac and Windows platforms. You can create “browser sets” and use hotkeys. Other services do what BrowserLab does, but none as elegantly.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 03 June 2009
This little web app is a great tool for making sure that your blog and related feeds are all working. It simply pings your site and then generates a very simple but useful report. And, it’s free! (Thanks for the tip from ChurchCrunch.com.)

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 29 May 2009
This tool validates your RSS or Atom feed. It makes sure that your subscribers are always able to get your feeds. I use this whenever I make changes to my blog to make sure I haven’t messed something up.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
This was created by the same people that developed Wesbite Grader. It provides you with a grade based on your number of followers, updates, and engagement. It also shows who are the highest ranking Twitter users in specific regions and cities.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
Website Grader is a free SEO tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of your web site or blog. It provides an overall score that includes things like web site traffic, SEO, social popularity, and technical issues you need to fix.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
If you are looking for a Web hosting service, you couldn’t do better than Media Temple. This is the service I use and the one recommend. It’s not the least expensive, but it is one of the most reliable and has great support. It is the same service used by ABC, NBC, Sony, Starbucks, Adobe, and TechCrunch. I have the Dedicated-Virtual server.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
If you occasionally post email addresses on your web site or blog, this simple web app is essential. It takes a regular email address and encodes it through the use of “character entities” (you don’t need to understand this), so that spam robots can’t harvest the address.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
Ever wonder if a web site is down for everyone or just for you? This handy little web app tests the site from multiple locations and then reports back. It is fast and accurate.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
This is the tool I use to verify and compare other people’s web site and blog traffic. It isn’t perfect, but I have found it reasonably accurate. I usually compare other’s traffic to my own, since I know what my own is.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
This web site will take screen shots of your web site or blog, using numerous different browsers. It enables you to see what other people will experience when they visit your site.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
This is the service I use to get the photographs that I use in my blog posts and slide presentations. They have a great selection. Most photos cost $1.50 each.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
This is the service I use to manage my blog’s email subscriptions. I used to use Feedburner, but FeedBlitz blows it away. It is much more customizable.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
I am amazed that people don’t know about this resource. It is simple and easy to use. Think of it as “Google for Twitter.” You can search for specific users or content.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
Everyone writes an “About” page for their blog. Few people put much thought into it. But it is more important than you think! This post provides five specific tips for how to maximize your About page.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 25 May 2009
Website Optimizer is a free resource from Google. It will help you optimize your web site or blog’s SEO capabilities. It’s a great diagnostic tool.

- Resource:  Web
- Posted On 23 May 2009