Weekly Web Tools

We hear over and over that the money is in the list and today we have a tool that will help you grow your list through the power of contests. This Wordpress plugin allows you to create a contest, and tie it into every email provider on the planet. Here is how it works. (http://weeklywebtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/contest-blitz-review-231x300.png)You have something to give away You pick how many winners there will be. When someone signs up to your list, they get an entry to win the contest. They are then given a chance and a unique link that identifies them. When they share this link and someone enters the contest the person who referred them is given more entries into the contest. You decide how many additional entries they get. The price is inexpensive as the truth is behind the scenes they are using this as an upsell to get you to join their membership program. You can do what I did, and take the plugin and pass on the membership site. There is an option where you can purchase additional themes for your contest page. The interface is super simple, and you can add a featured image and it will show up in the contest. For more information go to weeklywebtools.com/contestblitz (http://www.weeklywebtools.com/contestblitz) For more information go to weeklywebtools.com/contestblitz (http://www.weeklywebtools.com/contestblitz) Find Weekly Web Tools on WPR.FM Weekly web tools is now featured on Wordpress Radio which you can find at www.wpr.fm (http://www.wpr.fm)

Today we talk about spreecast (http://www.spreecast.com)an alternative to Google hangouts. We're all about face to face conversations over the internet. Over the last ten years there has been a huge explosion of the number of conversations that people are having on Twitter, Facebook or blog posts. What we're doing at Spreecast is, here is another format to have face to face conversations using web cam, using your computer and talking to people, in a real time, synchronize way as opposed to text based asynchronies," explains Jeff Fluhr, CEO & co-founder of Spreecast. With Spreecast, up to 4 people at a time can be face-to-face, streaming their conversation live while others can watch, chat, and participate by submitting comments and questions. Spreecast can integrate with Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ so that producers and creators can broadcast their conversations to their friends and followers. Check it out at www.spreecast.com (http://www.spreecast.com)

Today we have some tools to help you draw attention to your content without being a pop up. They are subtle, and yet they do draw your attention. Page Peel Pro Wordpress Plugin $13 Page Peel Pro (http://codecanyon.net/item/page-peel-pro/full_screen_preview/3842307?ref=jammindave)is a simple, elegant, and unobtrusive way to add an advert to your WordPress website. It makes it look like the corner of the web page has been peeled back to reveal your advert. Left or right side peel. Assign peels to show by post/page id. Homepage only peels. Change the colour of peels. Multiple peels active at the same time Uses Raphael.js and javascript, so no problems with Flash compatibility. Schedule peels to come online and to finish when you want. Configure and schedule multiple peels so that you always have a fresh page peel. Watch Video (http://www.screenr.com/2247) More information (http://codecanyon.net/item/page-peel-pro/full_screen_preview/3842307?ref=jammindave) Advert Flap $13 Ad Flap Pro (http://codecanyon.net/item/advert-flap-pro-wordpress/5495717?WT.ac=category_item&WT.seg_1=category_item&WT.z_author=smartredfox&ref=jammindave) is a css3 animated advert for Wordpress sites. Ad Flap Pro is an effective way to get your message or advert out to people on your website. It couldn’t be easier to set up an advert – Just pick your style, enter your text, and check the built in previewer. Once you’re happy, choose the pages you want it to show or hide on and click publish. As simple as that! It works on all modern browsers (including iPads and iPhones), and falls back to the non-animated box in older browsers. AD Flap Website (http://codecanyon.net/item/advert-flap-pro-wordpress/5495717?WT.ac=category_item&WT.seg_1=category_item&WT.z_author=smartredfox&ref=jammindave)

Today's show comes from listener Bill Hutchison (http://billhutchison.org) who sent this over: Simple Post Templates "I have recently started to use the "Simple Post Templates" plugin for WordPress to help with my posting of podcasts. Using it I have created a template for my episodes, including my introduction, closing, and contact information." - Bill Hutchison (http://billhutchison.org) This took me all of three minutes to figure out. If there are things you want on every page, you can create a page with all the things you want. Then Save it as a template. Then when you create a new post, you will have a "Load Template" button in the upper right hand corner. When you click on the drop down list and load the template, all the text you previously entered and you can start from there and edit it. If you have certain pages that always follow a certain format, you can use this tool to save you a ton of time. Talkwalker Alerts a Google Alerts Alternative (http://weeklywebtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/talkwalker.jpg)If you haven't heard Google Alerts can no longer be retrieved via RS (http://searchengineland.com/google-alerts-drops-rss-delivery-option-165709)S. If you really enjoyed receiving your alerts via RSS then check out Talkwalker Alerts (http://www.talkwalker.com/alerts). Monitor the Web for interesting new content about your name, brand, competitors, events or any favorite topic with Talkwalker Alerts! Talkwalker Alerts are an easy and free alerting service that provides email updates of the latest relevant mentions on the Web directly to your email box or RSS feed reader.

Today I found a cool plugin that allows you to add 40+ items to your post, and then save it as a template. You can easily add a row, divide it into as many parts as you want, and add social items, columns, text items, and much much more. Watch the video to see how easy it is. The bonus is this is a plugin (not a theme) so it works within the theme (not in place of it). The best thing is the price is $25. To play with the live demo, CLICK HERE. (http://www.schoolofpodcasting.com/visualcomposer)

Hide My WP We all love wordpress, but because of its popularity, hackers often target it. Today we have a plugin that allows you to hide your files without changing them. It's called hide my wp (http://codecanyon.net/item/hide-my-wp-no-one-can-know-you-use-wordpress/4177158?ref=jammindave) and its only $20. I have yet to install this on my own website, but it looks pretty cool. The developer gives you his website address and invites to you hack his site (pretty confident). Check it out here (http://codecanyon.net/item/hide-my-wp-no-one-can-know-you-use-wordpress/4177158?ref=jammindave)   Go - Responsive Pricing & Compare Tables for WP The second tool is called Go - Responsive Pricing & Compare Tables for WP (http://codecanyon.net/item/go-responsive-pricing-compare-tables-for-wp/3725820?ref=jammindave) Here is a lists of features. * 90+ demo table template are included. * Unique CSS class name to prevent class conflicts. * Video (Youtube, Vimeo, Screenr and HTML5 video) support. * HTML5 audio support. * Responsive Image support. * Paypal button support. * s2Member plugin generated paypal shortcode support. * Google map – 8 pins are included and uploading custom pins are supported. * Huge Admin Panel (http://vimeo.com/56545439) with tons of options. * Visual shortcode editor. * Optional and customizable responsivity(!) to fit to your theme. * Any number of columns up to 5. * Unlimited number of colum descriptions. * Unlimited color combination of columns. * Unlimited color of tooltip text and background color. * Sortable columns and table descriptions via ‘Drag and Drop’. * 5 shadow types. * 32 ribbons are included and uploading custom ribbons are supported. * 36 custom icons (4 color set) for column descriptions – uploading custom icons are supported. * 3 size of buttons 3 icons for buttons – uploading custom icons are supported. * System and Google Web Font (400+ fonts) support. * Translation ready with .mo .po files. * Data import & export. * Compatible with the latest WordPress version (currently 3.51). * Layered PSDs for ribbons. * Only the point.

Special thanks to Dave from http://pegasuscreations.com/ (http://pegasuscreations.com/)for sending these in. Timel.ly I liked this plug as it gives you TONS of features, and you can have other calendars feed into one calendar (think churches or business with multiple departments). Check out the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ-KHOqBKuQ For more information go to time.ly (http://time.ly/) Tockify Where time.ly is a great tool it is a plugin for Wordpress. Tockify is a stand alone. It seems to ahve many of the same features (their website didn't seem quite as slick). It is free and has a lot of features as well. you end up with a tockify web address. You can embed the calendar or have it act like a pop up when people click on the button. This is again impressive for free. Check it out at tockify.com (http://www.tockify.com)

Wunderlist Simple Pretty To Do List This is a great simple to do list tool. It is web based and you can use a mobile version. If you go with the pro version you can exchange files ($50/year). You can invite people to assign tasks to you, and the tool I like is you can have it send push notifications on your phone (cool). http://youtu.be/TIaY46FnMCE Create Your Social Intranet For Free With Bitrix24 Bitrix24.com is like having yoru own Facebook for your company. It's also like having dropbox, skype, a CRM, instant messaging, project management, calendars, planners, meetings, etc and if you have less than 12 employees you can use it for free and currently there are over 85,000 people using it. http://youtu.be/vPpPEWPVN5Y

I just found grammarly (http://www.weeklywebtools.com/grammarly). This is a super spell checker, grammar checker, and if needed plagarism checker. The best part is its web based. All you have to do is copy and paste your text into Grammarly and it runs a check with 250 points to make sure your copy will the best it can be. It has a certain training aspect to not just correct your copy, but to help you learn how to avoid the mistakes you make the most. Grammarly spots erroneous use of lose/loose, affect/effect, lie/lay, there/their/they’re, and many more commonly confused words. For more information go to grammarly.com (http://weeklywebtools.com/grammarly) My apologies for the original version of this recording which had some very strange technical issues. All have been resolved.

Today we have two web based tools that allow you to create Podcast Album Artwork, and Facebook timeline graphics. Both are $10 each per month.  Both look very versatile without a giant learning curve. They do one thing and one thing well.  They also don't cost hundreds of dollars which is one some people charge for these types of services. Check out the videos to see how easy.   Podcast Album Art Slicer $10 Check it out at podcastartworkslicer.com (http://jammindave.podslicer.hop.clickbank.net) Facebook Timeline Creator $10  

Free Customizable Wordpress Themes If you are looking for an alternative to Thesis (I just looked at version 2.1 and its still a "need to know lots and lots of code" theme now).  I might've found a close replacement. (http://weeklywebtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/admired-150x150.jpg)Admire is a simple and user friendly wordpress theme that makes it easy to add social share buttons, change all the colors, the layouts, and add a header image (in about five minutes). The trick for me is to right click on the name of your website (when you're in the wordpress dashboard) and open that link in a new tab. Then you have the backend in one tab, and the front end in the other. (http://weeklywebtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/mantra_wordpress_theme.jpg)Mantra is an EXTREMELY customizable wordpress theme that boasts: "a pack of over 100 customization options and easy to use tweaks capable of tuning WordPress to your very specific needs and likes. With the help of a simple and efficient user interface you can customize everything:the layout (1,2 or 3 columns), total and partial site widths, colors (all texts, links, backgrounds etc.), fonts (over 35 font-families plus all Google Fonts), text and header sizes, post metas, post excerpts, post formats, header and background images, custom menus, 27 social media links and icons, pins, bullets and much much more." Boldr is a bold, magazine style, responsive WordPress Theme. It doesn't have quite the options for changing colors, but its got some quick options that makes putting up a website easy (especially if you have good photography). To find these free theme just enter the name in the search box in Wordpress. Goodnews Premium Wordpress Theme $45 If you've got a small budget and like options then I have a wordpress theme for you. It's called Goodnews and after watching a few videos I can see where it has its own drag and drop page builder. It has a bunch of widgets, and unlimited colors. It also ties in with Google fonts and is complete responsive. Best of all its only $45. Here are just a few of the built in features. For any podcasters looking to start a "network" you might want to peak at the video below. As I said before there are lots of options, including: Alert bar Unlimited Sidebars Strong focus on typography, usability and overall user-experience- (care with every single detail) Social Icons in header and footer Built in Slider Built in advertising. This video has no sound, but shows the flexibility of the theme

We talked about getting insights into what your visitors are searching for in a previous episode. Today we have two tools to help you see what they like.   Love it Pro Wordpress Plugin Love it pro (http://weeklywebtools.com/loveit) from Mojo Code (http://www.mojo-code.com/?r=jammindave)  is a simple plugin that allows you to add a “Love It” link to your posts and pages. The Love It links give your users a way to show their appreciation, much in the same way that the Facebook Like button works, except that it is specific to your website. If you are looking for a plugin that helps with user interaction, and also provides a way for you to gauge what is popular on your website, this is a very simple but great solution. * Show Love It links automatically * Track your most popular posts, pages, and custom post types * Setup in less than 5 minutes * Enabled / disable for every registered post type * Customize the text displayed for links and “already loved” messages * Users can only love posts/pages once * Works for logged-in and logged-out users * Most Loved widget included * No coding necessary * Custom CSS option for advanced users * Embed help documentation in plugin settings * Easy to use template tags for developers PulseHover Grab Attention This new Wordpress plugin has been developed with the sole purpose of interrupting your website and blog visitors experience and (very politely) but most determinedly - placing a call to action firmly in their path! What it does is when you put your mouse over the images your social share buttons pop up, grabbing your visitor's attention and prompting them to share your content.  

(http://www.wppluginlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/we-aff-banner-250x250.png) We talked a couple of weeks ago about a Wordpress plugin that allows you to setup Google Hangouts with just a few clicks, today we have a similar Wordpress plugin that allows you to setup great looking sing up pages for your webinar. You also integrate with all the major email list suppliers like Aweber and MailChimp. Best of all you can integrate this plugin with your paypal and you can now easily setup a Webinar sign up page that captures the email address (and adds it to your list) and allows you to charge for your webinar. You don't have to send them to three different pages (one to sign up, one to sign up for your list, and another page to pay). Fanciest Author Box (http://weeklywebtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/fancyauthor-300x95.jpg)A free, light author box plugin which automatically integrates with your posts, pages and custom post types. Fancier Author Box gives you the ability to connect with your readers easily on all major social platforms and makes for a guest-blogger heaven. The best thing is it only costs $10  (http://weeklywebtools.com/authorbox)   For more information go to http://fanciestauthorbox.com/ (http://weeklywebtools.com/authorbox)

I am putting together an online group coaching class at howtopodcast.com (http://www.howtopodcast.com) and I wanted a tool to keep all the information about each client in one place, have notes about what we talk about, and tie it into project management (as they launch their podcast). I found insightly (http://insightly.com/). I was using Eventbrite.com to sell tickets to my event, and I simply exported the contact out, and imported them into insightly (http://insightly.com/). I then went in (http://weeklywebtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Insightly.png) to my gmail and forward messages that I had recently received from these clients and it attached them to their contact record. The tool is used by more than 300,00 people and the best past is its free. The tool has: Customer Relationship Tool Project Management Sales Funnel Smartphone apps to view all of this information on apps, or tablets. It also integrates with twitter and other social tools. Now you can display social data right in Insightly – like feeds from Twitter for contacts and organizations Foobar Custom Notification Bars For Wordpress (http://weeklywebtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/foobar-jquery-pro-plugin1-300x300.jpg)FooBar is a notification bars plugin for WordPress that allows you to add a highly customizable messages to the top of your blog or website. You can display different notifications on different pages and define a default bar that will display on all your pages. FooBar has features including fixed, inline and BOTTOM foobars. Additionally you can have custom HTML on left and right, unlimited Foobars, different Foobars per page, and rebrand the name. You can also define a social buttons area, multiple messages in the FooBar, load tweets or an RSS feed, and use conditional logic for special rules to show the foobar. Increase sales. Get more newsletter signups. Get more Twitter followers or Facebook likes. Whatever you goals are, FooBar can help you reach them. The best part its only $14. (http://weeklywebtools.com/foobar)  

(http://weeklywebtools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/swiftype-plugin.jpg)Anyone who uses search on Wordpress knows it just awful. Now I have a solution. It's called Swiftype and its very cool. Here is how it works. You can sign up for free (scroll down and get the free plugin). Login to your account and get your API Key. Install the plugin and click one button to index your site. Then you login to the Swiftype website and you can control what ranks on searches, what should not be included at all, and get great insightsi nto what people are searching for. Its free unless you have a very popular/large website Check it out at swiftype.com (http://weeklywebtools.com/swiftype)