I have been using Laurel Pankratz to photograph me and my family for a couple of years now. Her business and Web site is called Eilas Photography. She also has her own photo blog.
Laurel took the shots currently on my blog. She has also taken our family pictures for the past two Christmas seasons. She is a superb photographer and reasonably priced. I highly recommend her.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
These are the amazing people who help moderate my comments and provide leadership to our growing community.
MICHELE CUSHATT is a communicator and storyteller whose speaking experience includes Women of Faith, Focus on the Family, and Compassion International. As emcee and communication coach, Michele is in her sixth year on staff at Dynamic Communicators International. She lives in Colorado with her husband Troy and three teenage sons. You can connect with Michele on her blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
BARRY HILL, JR. is a storyteller, blogger, speaker, barista, and is in his fifteenth year of full-time ministry to teens and their families. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Rachel, and their six children—“the circus.” You can usually find Barry where fresh coffee and good ideas are brewing. To join in the conversation, drop by his blog, The Ordained Barista, visit him on Facebook, or follow him on Twitter.
JOE LALONDE is a husband, explorer, challenger, and an adrenaline junkie. He has served as a youth leader for E3 Ministries for over 10 years. He is usually found wandering the woods, enjoying the company of his wife, or running the trails. Joe enjoys helping others expand their influence and leadership skills. You can connect with Joe at his blog or Twitter.
RACHEL LANCE is originally from Alaska but now lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband and daughter. She works in technology and communications for the Willow Creek Association. She holds a degree in information management and is working on her Master’s in Library Science. Given the gift of time, top on her list would be a long bike ride, a great novel, and a farmer’s market dinner. Follow her on Twitter.
JIM MARTIN is the minister of Crestview Church of Christ in Waco, Texas, where he has served since 1994. He also leads a mentoring group, primarily composed of younger Christian leaders, and serves as a Mentoring Partner for MentorNetwork Ministry. He and his wife, Charlotte, have been married for 33 years. Read his blog, A Place for the God-Hungry, and follow him on Twitter.
TIM PETERS is the Co-Founder of Resolute Creative, a digital marketing group. He loves seeing organizations of all sizes come alive when they identify the best digital solutions to advance their cause. Tim enjoys working out, running marathons, playing golf and spending time with his wife and three kids. Connect with him on his blog, follow him Twitter or connect with him via LinkedIn.
JASON STAMBAUGH is a husband, father, former fat kid, accidental techie, and founder of Wevival and Shop My Church. Jason also blogs at Heart Your Church about church ministry in the social media era. When he’s not helping customers, or working on his latest project, you will find him hanging with his family, reading, learning to code, cooking, hobby farming, and exercising. Connect with him on Twitter and Google +.
JEREMY STATTON is an orthopedic surgeon in Louisville, KY. Although he enjoys writing, reading, and running, his first love is his wife and four kids. His family is currently in the process of adopting a son from China. He is also the author of Grace Is: A Practical Guide to God’s Love. He is an avid blogger at JeremyStatton.com focusing on helping others live a better story. Follow him on Twitter.
JOHN TILLER is an inspirational speaker and writer. He travels with his family to churches, conferences, and other events sharing their remarkable survival story. He enjoys real estate investing, serving at his home church, watching NFL and NASCAR, improving his 10K time, and hanging out with his family at their Powhatan, Virginia home. Connect with John via blog, Facebook, or Twitter.
JUSTIN WISE is the social strategist for Monk Development, builders of Ekklesia 360. A proud husband and dad, Justin and his family live in Des Moines, Iowa. When not running, reading, or cooking, find him blogging at JustinWise.net, online at Justin.am, or on Twitter.
Hi, my name is Michael Hyatt and I am the Chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the world's largest Christian publisher. In my free time, I enjoy my family, writing, speaking, running, and occasionally playing golf. Learn more about me »
I speak on topics related to leadership, productivity, and social media. I have been speaking publicly for more than 25 years and have keynoted more than 100 events. I have also appeared on more than 1,500 television and radio shows, including all three major networks.
I would love to make a presentation to your group!
If we stop learning today, we stop teaching tomorrow.”
— Howard Hendricks
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