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If you’re one of the many people who shudder a the thought of self-promotion, however, here are some tips to help you sell more while promoting less.

Use social media

Social media is a gift for introverts and people who might feel uncomfortable with self-promotion. While networking events are important, social media allows you to make connections with clients and collaborators from your computer. You have time to think when responding to messages, and can interact with others without having to push yourself too far outside your comfort zone.

In the screenshot above, we can see different businesses and professionals using Twitter for different purposes. Fast Company use the social media site to disseminate their articles, Cathy Presland is using it to encourage people to share her work, Lori Fields is promoting other people’s Twitter accounts to encourage her followers to follow them too, and Rachel W. Cole is using Twitter to spread word of her latest promotion.

Build key relationships

Whether you do it through social media, through networking events or through any other method, building key relationships with other people in your field or related fields can help reduce the amount of selling you have to do yourself. By making strategic contacts, you potentially create a network of people who will sell for you. When building contacts online, create a list of three or four people you want to get to know first. Start reading and commenting on their blog, support them online by sharing and re-tweeting their links, take their courses or buy their products, and, most importantly, contact them to introduce yourself. You don’t have to explicitly sell to these people, rather think of them as allies, who could prove useful in the future.

Chris Guillebeau has over 74,000 followers. While he might share some of Danielle LaPorte’s 29,000 followers, he is exposing Danielle’s work to more than twice as many people as she can currently access. By fostering a relationship with Chris, a key figure in a related professional field, Danielle has exposed her work to tens of thousands more people in a single tweet.

Identify your clients

Somewhere, there are a group of potential clients who want to buy from you – they just don’t realize it yet. Identifying your ideal client will help you tailor your promotional efforts to the people who are most likely to transition from readers or followers to buyers. If you can describe your ideal buyer, you’re more likely to produce content tailored for them, and therefore more likely to get sales. You might be able to convince people who don’t fit the description of your target client to purchase your product or service. This, however, will take more persuasion, and more persuasion means more marketing. Stick to the people who already want to buy from you, and keep your promotional efforts efficient and rewarding.

“Goddess” Leonie Dawson runs a popular women’s website and, with this product, tapped into an issue that affects many women. By creating a product that many of her readership already wanted, she immediately cut down the amount of hard selling she wold have to do to promote the product.

She further identified her ideal client for this particular product by identifying specific physical symptoms this client might have (anxiety, indigestion, etc.), plus goals and aspirations they would like to achieve in the future (shed extra weight).

Using this kind of copy, her target audience might read the section below, feel understood, see a solution to their problems, and already be halfway, if not committed, to buying.

Provide value

If the idea of writing a promotional email or blog post sends a shiver down your spine, try shifting the focus of the content. Prioritize helping your readers over selling to them, and create writing that offers value. Whether you’re answering common client questions or tackling a problem that affects your client base, creating content that provides value will engender your readers’ trust, making them more likely to make the step from reader to client in the future. If you don’t have a blog, or don’t feel comfortable writing, consider running an event. This could be a free webinar, a physical group meeting, or similar. If it’s informative to customers, you’ll have an opportunity to let them know about your latest product or service without having to sell.

Laura Roeder is a social media expert, who charges for her services and courses, but frequently holds free webinars that provide helpful tips to listeners. These webinars serve a double purpose: they provide potential clients and customers with actionable tips that they can use to grow their business online, while giving her audience a taste of what it would be like to work with her in a professional capacity.

Let other people do the talking for you

Testimonials from previous clients are just as valuable as adverts and sales pages, if not more so. If you’re releasing a new product or service, provide a certain number of people with a free version in return for a testimonial. Testimonials can help show potential buyers that other people have had similar problems or issues, and that your product or service has helped. Potential buyers expect you to rave about your business, however if the praise comes from a third party, it adds more credibility to the product or service you’re selling.

Online marketing maven Danielle La Porte has a section on her website called “Rave Reviews”, which is dedicated to client testimonials. As well as including a list of 16 reviews from prominent online entrepreneurs, she has posted a separate list of reviews specifically about her new book. Not only does Danielle let the reviews do the selling for her, but she advertises her products and services down the right-hand side toolbar, so as readers scan the positive reviews, they also see her products beside them.

Another way to build your reputation is to offer customer service that exceeds expectations. Ask clients for feedback, send them offers, and stay in touch. When customers feel cared for, they’re far more likely to recommend your business to other people, and your word-of-mouth reputation is paramount.

Offer a good deal

When you present potential clients with a product or service that offers amazing value, the deal will do most of the selling for you. When buyers can see that something that offers unbelievable value, they’re already moving towards a sale. Good value isn’t about under-pricing items or services, it’s about offering a deal that is hard to refuse.

A key part of this deal that makes purchasing a product a no-brainer decision for consumers is security. Providing a money-back guarantee demonstrates that you have confidence in the quality of your product, and it decreases the amount of risk the client is undertaking. Even if you’re not a natural copywriter, presenting your goods in a way that removes as many objections on the part of the customer as possible will help raise your sales, no promotion involved.

When Chris Guillebeau launched his book, ‘The $100 Startup’, his goal was to sell 10,000 copies in pre-sales alone. To do this, he incentivized people to buy more than one book at a time by offering bonus products as a reward. For a limited time, you could pre-order three books at once, and get a free online class; pre-order 10, and you would get two online classes, plus one of Chris’ existing products. Chris offered incentive packages for up to 1,000 books, and while his readers might not have bought three, 10, 50, or 100 books on their own, the additional goodies thrown in with the book packages made the extra investment worthwhile.

1. Change your routine

A stale routine can lead to a stale mind, which, in turn, can lead to a case of writer’s block. Shake things up a bit by changing your workplace for one day. If you normally work at home using a laptop, try taking your notebook to a cafe instead. Even small shifts, like going for a walk at lunch-time instead of staying at your computer, can make a big difference in your thinking.

2. Ask for guest posts

If you’re stuck for content to write yourself, why not try getting someone else to write it for you? If your blog has a large audience, you might find yourself inundated with requests from other people who would like to showcase their work on your website. Even if no one has ever suggested this, try creating an advert for the site saying you accept guest posts and see what comes in. You could even write a blog post about it! Remember that no matter how desperate you might feel about putting content on your website, you want to make sure any guest posts you publish are in line with your blog’s ethos and relevant to its audience.

3. Publish an interview

If the number of forthcoming guest posts isn’t encouraging, try contacting a leading figure in your field for an interview. This can be conducted in person, over the phone, or by email, and you can simply transcribe the content into a blog post yourself. Many people are happy to give interviews as it offers them extra exposure, however it might be worth contacting more than one person so that you have back-up posts waiting for use in the future.

4. Reviews and case studies

Depending on your field of business, writing a review of a related product, book, event or service, can provide valuable content for readers. When writing a review, start by thinking what questions you readers might have about the product, event or service. Keep the content focused on the product, not on yourself, and try and make your feedback as objective as possible.

5. Collecting others’ posts

Curating other notable blog posts is an easy way of creating new content on a regular basis. Running a weekly round-up of the best content you’ve read over the last seven days provides readers with an insight into what inspires you and your business, as long as the posts are relevant to your website. When writing about other websites’ content, provide a link to the post, and a summary of what it is about, as well as what you thought was interesting.

6. Ask readers what they want to see

If you have a social media presence or an email list, turn writer’s block into an opportunity to find out what your readers want to hear about. Soliciting feedback can be challenging, but some of your readers might jump at the chance to tell you what they think. Their suggestions could provide material for future blog posts, and you could get valuable feedback and what topics they would like to read more about, as well as those they feel might not be so relevant.

7. Think of a problem readers have told you about or you have faced

Personal anecdotes make great blog posts, as people facing a certain problem or obstacles always want to hear that they’re not alone. Writing a more personal post might be challenge, as it can feel quite exposing. If you don’t feel comfortable writing about yourself, think of conversations you’ve had with friends about this certain issue, and keep the people involved anonymous. However you choose to present the issue, the most important thing is that you demonstrate to readers the outcome or solution you reached. Hearing how other people have overcome problems can provide more value for readers in similar situations than you might realize.

8. Write a list

List posts are not only a good way to generate new content, but they are also a very popular format among readers too. Creating a post about “10 Ways to do X” or “5 Best Y” helps you provide valuable, structured content that can make the post easier to write, and to read. This post is an example of a list post, and its sub-headings enable readers to scan the main points of the article without having to take the time to read the whole post. More examples here, here, here, here, and here.

9. Brainstorm

Brainstorming might sound obvious – after all, isn’t that what you do every time you think about what to write? Unless you’re writing down every idea for a potential post, no matter how outlandish, controversial or silly it seems, you’re not properly brainstorming, and, consequently, you could miss out on some valuable ideas. When we brainstorm, we set aside our internal censors for a few minutes, letting all our ideas pour out. Once we’ve exhausted our fountain of creative wisdom, then we can start eliminating the ideas that really are too offensive, silly or inappropriate, leaving us with a wealth of ideas for future posts.

10. Journalling

When we sit down to write a blog post, often we find that what comes to mind is anything but the subject at hand. We might think about other tasks we have to do that day, what we want for dinner, an argument we had earlier with our spouse/child/colleague, or last night’s episode of Mad Men. None of these things are necessarily going to help us write our blog post, yet it can be very hard to forget them, and try to focus on relevant topics. Julia Cameron, author of “The Artist’s Way”, describes a practice called ‘morning pages’, which can help free up creative blocks. Morning pages consists of sitting down to write three A4 stream-of-consciousness pages each morning before starting work. As the pages are stream-of-consciousness, you don’t censor anything – just like when brainstorming. The idea behind this practice is that it allows you to get most, if not all, of the thoughts swimming around your head onto paper, freeing up space in your mind for you to think more productive, work-focused thoughts.

Image credit: Mexicanwave and Abhishek Kumar

How A DDoS Attack is Performed

Infographic quoted from Wired: When Bots Attack

A DDoS attack results from multiple dynamic networks that have been already compromised. The goal of an attack is to make it impossible for essential services to run efficiently resulting in a complete loss of system stability. The end result is that the server can’t handle the requests and is forced to shut down. One solution to this problem once it has started involves having an infinitely scalable environment that can handle large amounts of bandwidth and keep up with the demands of a DDoS attack.

There are three components to a DDoS attack. The Master controls the entire process and determines how and what machines are used to initiate the attack. DDoS attacks are coordinated attacks that provide the Master with the ability to control several Slave networks to attack the destination machine from multiple sources. The entire operation involves a complex network designed to disable the destination machine. The reasons for a DDoS attack are varied. Whether someone wants to take down a particular website as an act of protest or simply wants to disrupt the flow of information, a DDoS attack can effectively take down entire networks.

Two Stage Attack: Intrusion and Distributed DoS Phase

There are two main stages in a DDoS attack. The preparation stage involves probing for weak machines that have security vulnerabilities. In most cases, secured and up-to-date servers have nothing to worry about since the attacker will simply move on to an easier to break system. The Intrusion Phase looks for machines around that world that can be compromised and used to attack the intended target. The Distributed DoS phase involves the actual attack of the destination machine affecting the reliability of the website.

Understanding Security Vulnerabilities

Several security issues provide these opportunistic attackers a chance to take root and employ a successful DDoS attack. Software and applications that have not been updated to the latest versions provide the attacker with a weak system and known exploits that can be utilized in an attack. Servers that are set up with an open network and don’t have the necessary firewall restrictions make it possible to compromise a machine. Finally, a website server that doesn’t have regular monitoring and auditing makes it possible for intrusions to go unnoticed resulting in a compromised machine.

The best way to prevent attacks is to follow some basic preventative guidelines to minimize the possibility of a successful campaign.

Firewall Installation and Configuration

Setup and configure your firewall and make sure that "Anti-DoS" measures are activated. A firewall is the first line of defense against hackers. Your IT team should have the knowledge and experience to set up a firewall completely and securely to prevent unauthorized users and hackers from installing DDoS tools. If you don’t have the necessary experience or support team to manage a firewall, then look for managed hosting that will take care of these security measures for you. This is not something that an inexperienced website owner should attempt on their own.

Install IDS

Install IDS on your server to provide automated alerts when someone is attempting to evaluate the weakness of your website. This is also called sniffing and is one of the first signs of a impending attack. Setup a rule to allow for the monitoring of permissions, inode, users, groups, the number of links, sizes and md5 checksums. The rule should monitor only folders that are not changed often such as the "/bin," "/sbin" and "/var." Once that is setup execute AIDE.

Conducting Audits

Regularly search for rootkits using tools that scan your system for malware. During an audit, you should check for rootkits, out of date software, check to see if kernel upgrades are available, look for trojans, determine if there are any hidden processes, evaluate logs and email relays. Additionally, you should also perform a complete audit to detect unauthorized malicious chron entries, determine whether backups are functioning correctly, look for any unauthorized users and delete any users that are not used. Most servers don’t need every available process running. By disabling and optimizing the system to ensure that only necessary services are running, you can further protect the server from being compromised through an out of date or malfunctioning service. Also, check the system performance and run a memory test to ensure that everything functions properly. Finally, implement a good set of intrusion prevention tools to prevent and alert the IT administrators of a potential breach.

Install Mod_Security

Installing mod_security on your Apache server will help to ensure that a filtering system is in place to prevent attacks. Filtering systems send requests through an analysis process before allowing the web sever to process it. This helps reduce the possibility for malicious HTTP requests and breached in your security. Once Mod_Security is installed, set it up to provide sufficient protection for your server. This involves adding the strings and location to the mod_security configuration file.

Evaluating an Attack

Look at your servers load times and HTTP requests to determine if your website has been compromised. If the load is 5 or more, then check to see if there are also a large number of HTTP requests being processed. Any activity that is out of the ordinary should immediately be investigated to improve the chances of stopping the attack. Severs with a heavy load often have around 100 or more connections. However, a server under attack has an even higher number of connections. The key element to look for is how the current load differs from a normal load. If the average load involves 50 connections and the server currently has 500, then something is wrong and an investigation is necessary. Once it has been established that a DDoS attack is being implemented, finding the compromised network should be the next step in the process. Sometimes, it isn’t always immediately obvious that a machine is under attack.

By determining an attack early on, it may be possible to combat and stop the attack in its tracks before it becomes a more widespread issue. However, if the destination machine is bombarded by several slave machines, it will take a significant amount of time to block each IP and host involved in the attack.

Combating an Attack

To combat an attack, you will need to go through each block of IPs that are currently connecting to the machine to see if they come from the same network. If there are more than 5 IPs or hosts from a single network, then the machine is certainly under attack and you will need to take precautions to disable and prevent the attack from continuing. To stop the attack, you’ll need to manually block the IPs in question using a firewall on your machine. You’ll need to continue this process until all of the machines involved in the attack are blocked. This can take some time and often can be especially difficult on servers with high amounts of traffic. In the end, if someone wants to attack your server, there isn’t too much you can do once the attack starts. You must use preventative measures to head off an attack before it starts. Preventative measures help to secure the system and make sure that the attack doesn’t happen in the first place.

Of course, no system can be completely protected from a DDoS attack, but the more secure services are generally ignored in favor of easier, open and less secure servers.

The Importance of Monitoring and Auditing

While it is impossible to prevent an attack by someone that is determined to infiltrate and take down your system, basic security practices and regularly auditing can help prevent the possibility of a successful attack. If an attack becomes so severe that it threatens the hardware of the server, then you will have to shut down the server, analyze the logs and block any incoming IPs and hosts that are attempting to infiltrate your system. Even if you are not the victim of an attack, as an owner of a web server, you have an obligation to ensure that your applications, security and processes are up-to-date to prevent the possibility of someone using your network as a launching pad for these types of attacks. Audits should be completed on a regular basis. For large companies it is not uncommon for quick audits to be run daily to ensure that the system is protected from attacks and to ensure the maximum efficiency and reliability from the web server.

Digging Deeper On DDoS Attack

There are plenty of methods to launch a DDoS attacks – plenty technical stuffs to read, plenty protections need to be done. Personally I am relying a lot on my host WP Engine (which did a very good job in blocking attacks and hacks) on this matter but if you wish to learn more, I suggest further reading on Dave Taylor’s How do I deal with DDoS Attack and Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols’ How to try to stop DDoS Attack.

Fortunately, there are some elements that good web hosts share and there is a way to weed out those hosts who will provide the service at the level you need.

Uptime Guarantees

Uptime is how long a server’s systems are running. The best web hosting companies offer an uptime guarantee of around 99.9%, because they plan to keep your site online 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Why is this important? In today’s economy, business is global. If you look at your site visitor statistics, you’ll likely find that you get visitors from all over the world. A web browser in Asia is going to visit your site while you are sleeping. If your site goes down every day at four a.m., then you may miss out on this new customer base. Even a 99% uptime guarantee means that your site is potentially down 1% of the time. This can mean a loss of 3.65 days every year.

• Check the hosting company’s website to see if there is an estimate of uptime. You want 99% or more.
• Ask if there is a guarantee if the site is down more than a few minutes. Some web hosting companies will offer a partial refund on hosting fees if the site is down for an extended period. While a dollar or two might seem paltry, a company that offers this refund is more likely to work hard to keep your site up and running, so they do not have to pay out those fees to their customers.
• Inquire about the company’s backup plan in case of a power outage or if the server you are on crashes.

Jerry’s note: In fact 100% uptime is now possible with cloud technology – updates on WP Engine server uptime.

Web Hosting Features

What comes with your hosting package? Does it meet the needs of your company? What about as your website grows and you add new features? Look at everything from how easy it is to install popular items like WordPress to how website traffic is tracked. Some of the basics you might want to compare include:

• Does the host support video and audio streaming?
• Is the control panel easy to navigate and understand?
• Can you work with an SQL database easily? Are there wizards available, such as MyPHP?
• Is Fantastico installed? Which platforms are available with Fantastico?
• Can you easily backup your site, set up new e-mails, and check your files from the control panel?
• Will you have shell access?

Customer Service

Customer service is a tricky thing to gauge.

Most web hosting companies will respond to inquiries about new packages. On the surface, the customer service department can seem friendly and easy to deal with, but what happens after you sign up for a web hosting package with the company? If your site does go down, you want the assurance of knowing the customer service department will respond quickly and solve any issues you might have.

Here are some tips for making sure the customer service is stellar.

• Are there multiple ways to contact the company? Look for a company that offers a 1-800 number that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You should also be able to file a tech support ticket via e-mail, a support control panel or even via a live chat.
• Ask what their average response time is for troubleshooting problems.
• Contact other clients and ask them if they are happy with the company’s customer support.
• Visit any online forums you can access through the hosting company’s website. Often, customers will lodge complaints on the discussion boards about issues like customer service or response times.

Backups

There are times when a site crashes. Perhaps a hacker got into your WordPress blog and replaced your index.php file, or your entire database crashed. If your web host backs up on a daily basis, they should be able to roll your site back a few days and regain what you’ve lost. Here are some things to look for:

• Daily backups of your entire website (including databases)
• Ability to create your own backups through the control panel
• Capability to go in and replace current website with one of the company’s backups, so you don’t have to wait for customer service to get your site back up and running.

Reviews from Others

Reading through reviews from others can offer insight into whether a web host fulfills their claims. Jerry Low’s web hosting review is a good place to start. The hosts are graded and then a more in-depth review of each host is provided. If you’re seeking excellence in a specific area, you might want to try W.H.S.R.’s “Web Hosting Awards” to find out who stacks up the best in a specific category. Some web hosting companies belong to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Simply input the company’s name and you can discover if they are a member and if any complaints have been filed and/or resolved. Knowing what the complaints were can also help you decide if it is an issue you can live with or something to be avoided.

Before making a final decision, type the hosting company’s name into Google and add the word “complaints” after the name. If there are severe issues, a list of posts will pull up within the first few pages of results. You can then read these complaints to see if they are current and if the issues have been resolved.

If All Else Fails…

There are times when all your research fails and you still wind up with a web host that has glitches and bugs and drives you crazy. Most large web hosting companies have multiple servers and you may get placed on one that has issues. When this happens, contact the web hosting company and put in a request to be placed on a different server within their system to see if it will resolve some of the issues you are having. If you still experience downtime or other problems, there are plenty of other hosting companies to choose from. While moving to a new web host isn’t a day at a theme park, it can save hours of aggravation in the long run if you are swapping a difficult host for an excellent one.

After all, it could mean the difference between an interested reader who eventually becomes a customer, and a bored browser who leaves your website, never to return. Here are some tips to help you create an “About” page that will keep your visitors hooked.

Ask yourself why your “About” page exists

For most businesses, the purpose of the “About” page is to provide more information about the people behind the scenes, revealing a little about who you are and what you do. Even though all readers know logically that real people with their own backgrounds and interests are behind a website or business, it still helps to have  an “About” page to confirm this fact. As with all pages on your web site, the “About” page is a great opportunity to convert readers to clients. By providing more information about the people involved, readers feel like they know you a little better, which helps create trust and the beginnings of a positive rapport.

Picture your ideal audience

Think of the main readership or audience of your website, and tailor your “About” page with them in mind. It can help to image you’re writing the page especially for a real or fictional reader. For example, if I’m writing a blog that offers money-saving tips and my target readership is single mothers with one or more children under ten, I might picture a 34-year old woman called Megan, who juggles two part-time jobs and is determined to save money for her son’s college fund. Even though I’ve created Megan out of thin air, picturing her while I’m creating my website’s “About” page will help me keep it relevant and interesting to the people who are most likely to be readers.

Get creative with the headline

This article might be called ‘How to create a killer “About” Page’, but that doesn’t mean it has to be called an “About” page. Find a headline that’s relevant to your business and how it helps the reader. For example, “How I found happiness, love, and freedom by getting out of debt” is a lot more intriguing than plain “About”. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with using “About” if it fits with the tone and content on the rest of your website, however try exploring a few alternative options that more likely to grab readers’ attention.

Open with value

Writing the first paragraph of an “About” page is challenging, and many people jump straight in with something like “Born in 1978, Chris knew from the age of five that he wanted to be a web designer”. While that information might be interesting to a handful or readers, you need to treat your “About” page like a newspaper article. Start with the most important information to draw people in, then go into more detail further down the page. The most important information for readers is always what value they can get out of your website or business, so open with this before addressing anything else.

Be personal

After you’ve explained the value readers can get from your site, reveal a little about your personal background, or that of your company. The information should be relevant to the website, including how you got to where you are, and, especially if you’re a solopreneur, why you think it’s important to solve the particular problem or need that your business solves.

As well as information about who you are, include your picture – if you’re running the website alone – or a picture of your team. Being able to connect a name with a face will help readers feel like they know you a little better – just remember to choose a picture that fits with the rest of the website.

For your references, here are some well-personalized about page.

Joseph Payton

Bert Timmermans

Molecube

FT Designer

Justin Delabar

Include contact details

You should include your contact information on your “About” page, and make it clear that customers can contact you. Whether this is an email address, a physical business address or an office phone number, making yourself available for readers to contact you will help build their trust of you or the business you’re writing about.

Include proof

Even if you have statistics, awards, and testimonials elsewhere on your website, it’s still relevant to include them on your “About” page. If you have a high number of subscribers, website visitors, or a large social networking following, sharing these figures can help improve the credibility of your site with new readers. Equally, a testimonial describing a previous customer’s experience with your flagship service or product helps establish the reputation and quality of your brand.

End with an ask

You’ve explained how your website can help readers, revealed information about your background and who you are, and demonstrated proof of your brand’s quality. To finish, you need to tell readers what you want them to do with that information. Your call to action might involve asking readers to subscribe to your email list, to contact you directly, to share the site on a social network, or to visit other areas of the website, such as the store. Most readers won’t think to do any of these things unless you ask, so do all the thinking for them.

Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite

Just because you’ve finished your “About” page doesn’t mean it’s set in stone: you can change it as many times as you want. The first incarnation is unlikely to be perfect, and you can update it as and when you need to. If you find writing an “About” page challenging, you might be tempted to leave it untouched for months, even years. During that time, however, your business is undoubtably shifting and changing, so use as many opportunities as you can to improve the copy, tighten up the focus, and create the “About” page your business deserves.

Most online marketing advice focuses on the content of your message: your vocabulary, what information you should include, and how to communicate with your clients and customers. What is just as important, and often overlooked, is how you communicate those messages: namely, your grammar. Presentation has just as much impact on your readers as the content itself, and bad grammar will not help your company’s reputation. Here are 20 of the most common grammar mistakes, and how to fix them.

1. They’re/their/there

These three words are confusing, because in spoken English they sound exactly the same, however they have very different meanings. They’re is a contraction of they and are: “They’re going to the cinema”. Their refers to ownership: “They lost their ball”. There refers to a place: “Jill was standing over there”.

2. Your/you’re

Like the trio they’re, their and there, your and you’re are homonyms, meaning they sound the same but have different meanings. Your is the possessive form of “you”, meaning it implies ownership: “Your grammar is improving”. You’re is similar to they’re: it’s a contraction of you and are: “You’re looking very well today”.

3. Apostrophes

Apostrophes are one of the most misused elements of grammar, however they are easy to get right once you know the rules. Most apostrophes appear in two situations: when indicating a possessive, and when indicating missing letters. An example of a possessive is: “Doreen’s house is lovely,” or “The dog’s bone had disappeared”. Apostrophes that indicate missing letters are found in “you’re” and “they’re” as above, and in words like “don’t” and “can’t”.

4. Its/it’s

The difference between “its” and “it’s” is an exception to the apostrophe rules above, and it’s easy to confuse them. “Its” indicates a possessive: “The dog had eaten its bone”, while “it’s” is used in place of “it is”: “It’s getting windy outside”.

5. Then/than

Then and than sound similar and only differ by one letter. Then has multiple meanings, and can refer to time: “Back then, things were different”, “Then, I went to the store”; or a result: “If you go now then you won’t be back in time for dinner.” Than is used in comparisons: “I’m taller than you”.

6. Which/that

“That” is always used to introduce necessary information, while “which” is used after a comma to introduce extra information that could be left out without changing the meaning of a sentence. For example “People that enjoy books read a lot” suggests that not everybody reads a lot – just people who like books. In the sentence “My pen, which is green, is my trusty companion”, the important information is that the pen is the writer’s trusty companion: the fact that it is green is an additional detail.

7. Effect/affect

Effect is a noun: “The effect of this dreadful news was too much for him to bear”, while affect is a verb: “The news affected him in a way he could not bear”.

8. May/might

May implies permission, while might suggests a possibility. “We may go to the movies” means we’re allowed to go to the movies, while “We might go to the movies” implies that film-watching is a possibility.

9. Lose/loose

One letter makes all the difference, as demonstrated by lose and loose. “Lose” is a verb meaning to have misplaced or ceased to have something “I lose my keys every day”, while “loose” has two meanings. As an adjective (a describing word), it means not firmly fixed in place, and as a verb it means to set free: “His clothes had a loose fit”, “Loose the dragons!”

10. Principal/principle

It’s easy to get principal and principle the wrong way around. “Principle” is a noun, and is a fundamental law or opinion. “Principal” can be a noun or a verb and has many different meanings. A Principal is someone who runs a school, while “her principal interest” describes the interest that is most important to her.

11. Farther/further

“Farther” describes literal distance (remember it contains the word “far”), while “further” describes abstract or metaphorical distance. So if you were in a meeting, you might say “Before we go any further, I want to agree some ground rules”, while if you were on a hike, you might ask “How much farther before the next stop?”

12. Could of/could have

This is an easy one: it is always could have, as “could of” doesn’t exist. The same principle applies to “should have” and “would have”.

13. Try and/try to

This rule is also simple: “try to” is always correct, while “try and” is always incorrect.

14. Who/whom

Knowing when to use “who” and “whom” correctly requires some technical grammar knowledge. In short, you use “who” when the person you’re referring to is the subject of a sentence, and “whom” when they are the object. The subject of a sentence is the person or thing who is doing the action, and the object is the person or thing receiving the action or having it done to them. Therefore, “Who am I?” is correct, as is “To whom do I address this letter?”

15. Me vs. I

Whether to use “me” or “I” in a sentence also depends on the subject and object. We use “I” when we are the subject, and “me” when we are the object. For example, “Joe and I went to the cinema” is correct, because, if Joe were removed from the equation, we would say “I went to the cinema”, rather than “me went to the cinema”. Equally, “Samantha told Joe and me to go to the cinema” is also correct, because Samantha is now the subject of the sentence, and “Joe and me” is the object. If Joe were removed from the equation again, the sentence would read “Samantha told me to go to the cinema”.

16. Practise/Practice

Practise is a verb (a doing word), while practice is a noun (a thing). One way to remember which is which is that practice – the noun – ends in “ice”, which is also a noun. For example “She was practising her yoga postures”, “Her yoga practice was going well”.

17. Different than/Different from

Different from is always correct, as the word “different” is used to evoke a distinction between two things. Therefore, you always need to use “from”, in a similar way to “separate from”. For example, “My job at Macy’s was different from my role at Borders.”

18. Lay/Lie

Lay and lie are commonly confused, and you need to understand the grammar behind these two words to use them correctly. The verb “to lay” is a transitive verb. This means it needs to go with a direct subject, and one or more objects. In this context, “lay” is the present tense, and “laid” is the past tense. An example would be “I lay the book down on the chair”, where the object is the book.

“To lie” is an intransitive verb. The present tense is “lie” and the past tense is “lay”, which is what makes these two verbs so confusing. Intransitive verbs don’t need an object, for example “I lay down”, or “The river lies between 18th Avenue and 20th Street”. In these sentences, there is no object directly following the verb “lie”.

19. Alot/a lot

“Alot” isn’t a real word. Instead “a lot” as two separate words is always correct.

20. Whether/if

Whether and if don’t mean the same thing, and are used in different contexts. Whether is used when you’re talking about a situation with two or more alternatives, whereas if is correct when describing a condition with no alternatives. For example, “I don’t know whether it will rain today” is correct, as is “I’ll only stay in at the weekend if it rains”.

Whether you already have a blog or you’re just getting started, there are two fundamental truths about blogging.  The first is that almost every niche in blogging is completely glutted.  And the second is that despite that fact, it’s easy to stand out. If your approach to blogging is to slap up a generic theme onto WordPress and write average content, it’s going to be harder to create a memorable project.   But with just a couple of hours invested in setting up the foundation, you can lay out a blog that will catch people’s attention and bring them back time and again.

Let me address two different scenarios.  The first is that you’re thinking of starting a blog, and you need a map in order to do that.  The second is that you have started a blog, but it hasn’t really taken off the way you hoped.  Whether you’re setting the stage or working on a blog reboot, here is a list of six things you can take a look at to turbocharge your blog branding.

1. What’s your unique selling proposition?  Or, what’s your why?

One of the basic tenets of good marketing is the concept of understanding your unique selling proposition (or USP).  Your USP is essentially answering the question: what makes you different from every other blog out there today talking about the same topic?

Sometimes answering that question is really easy.  Let’s say, for giggles, that you’re in the knitting space.  A general blog on knitting may or may not find followers.  But if you “niche down” your niche, you stand a much better chance.  What about knitting 101 for absolute beginners?  Even better, what about knitting for knitting haters?  How about a project a day that knitters can explore with their kids?  What about extreme knitting or hipster knitting or wearing something you’ve knitted every day for a year and journaling that experience?

Your USP can be a hook, or it can be the angle you take to dive into the content.  Whatever it is, make sure you have one and that you consistently and ruthlessly apply it to everything you post. Your USP can also be (and should also be!) connected to why you do what you do.  Rather than go at length on this topic, let me introduce you to Simon Sinek, who says it better than anyone I’ve ever heard talk about this issue.

Simon Sinek on TED

2. Memorable Title?  Great.  But associate it with your name.

One of the hottest bloggers and writers out there is Danielle LaPorte (www.daniellelaporte.com).  She writes and speaks on issues related to finding your truth and lighting the entrepreneurial fire.  But Danielle’s page started out with the intriguingly named whitehottruth.com.  I know this case study because one day I noticed her URL had shifted to DanielleLaPorte.com.  She wrote an inspiring post exploring the reasoning behind this decision: The Logic of Letting Go.

There are two things to think about – the first is that a great blog name is memorable, matches your URL (which is preferably a .com) and says what you’re about.  The second is that even a great blog name -“White Hot Truth” is a fabulous example – may eventually just be one aspect of the brand you’re trying to build.  So from the beginning, make sure that even if your URL is not your own name, that you’re associating yourself with the brand name.  We like to buy from, listen to, and relate to other human beings, not to nameless, faceless entities.  This is especially true in the online space.

Pat Flynn from the blog Smart Passive Income is an excellent example of this: his blog is called Smart Passive Income, but he manages to put his name and his face everywhere.

3. Rock the tagline – explain what you do, with feeling.

Whenever I’m talking to a client or attending a business strategy session, one of the major things people are freaking out about is their tagline.  Whether their brand is their name, or even if the business they are working on is unintelligible related to what they do, people intuitively grasp the importance of the tagline.

Sometimes people are in love with language, and they want something that sounds beautiful.  “Leading soulful sojourns for women seeking adventure and rejuvenation.”  It’s not perfect, but if you’re kind of a hippie retreat leader with a bit of an edge, it could work as a starting point.

Other times, you’re looking for something that more conveys a fundamental truth in a voice that works with your audience.  Internet web show host David Siteman Garland absolutely kicks ass on his show The Rise to the Top.  You know what his tagline is?  The #1 Non-Boring Business Show.  Not only is this absolutely true, it gives you a sense of who David is and how he approaches his business.

There are three questions that can be helpful when you’re doing your tagline:

1. What do you do, for whom, and how do you do it?
2. What is the emotional experience you want your customers to have? (And therefore, people to associate with your brand)?
3. What words do you or others consistently associate with your blog, content, subject area, you?

4. Pick a look & feel, and carry it across your blog/site/social media presence.

With WordPress essentially taking over the internet, it’s now easy to get a great looking website.  Thousands of free themes exist.  If you want a more personalized look, you can purchase a higher end theme or have one custom designed.  Your look and feel should make sense with your subject matter, be pleasant to look at, and speak to what you’ve already tried to create in terms of your name, your tagline, and more.

But here’s my big takeaway.  You’ll figure out the look and feel aspect of your branding.  You’ll see something you like or you’ll hire someone to get you there.  But remember that branding your blog doesn’t stop at the blog itself.  It’s really important that you also have a consistent look and feel across all your content channels.  Your Twitter background should integrate.  Your Facebook cover photo needs to match.  Etc.  So sit down, do an audit of all your points of contact, and make sure that your brand is carrying out across them all.

5. Tell your story – compellingly – on your About page.  After you find your voice.

The final powerful tool that you have to brand your blog is your voice.  To use the examples above, Pat Flynn’s voice is like your best friend who also happens to be a guy making $50,000 a month on the internet and happy to tell you how he’s doing it.  Danielle LaPorte calls her daily newsletter Truth Bombs and for me, that says it all.  It’s raw insight, bold delivery, and a seer-like wisdom she’s pouring down on you.  So when you speak, or write, or vid-cast, how would people describe your voice?

For more on voice, I highly recommend you check out the work of Abby Kerr Ink, who is like the voice doula.

I can’t tell you exactly what your voice will be.  I can tell you what it won’t be.  It won’t be you trying to sound smart.  It won’t be you using your “now I’m writing and must speak formal” voice.  It won’t be you saying what you think others want to hear.

It’ll be a little bit how you sound when you’re at a dinner party, maybe after a glass of wine or one too many Diet Cokes.  The subject has moved to something you are gripping the table with passion excited about, and all eyes are on you.  You’re in your zone of genius.  You’re riveting, and you’re pouring your guts out because you can’t help it.  Your voice will probably sound a little like that.

So mess around with it.  Try writing in some different ways, and give samples to people you trust.  Your mom, your man, your best friend, a colleague, your old English teacher.  Ask people which ones feel real.  Or throw a bunch of content into the world and see which ones light people up.  Especially if those people are your target audience…..that’s your voice.

And then bring that voice into your copy, and start with your About Page.   Here’s where you want to tell your story.  I don’t mean, “Mr. Charles Hinkerstein is a proud graduate of Oxford, where he studied the fascinating reproduction of the earthworm.”  I mean, “Hi, I’m Charlie and I have an unusual passion: the English earthworm.  Not just the English earthworm – but the English earthworm getting it on.  And I went to the hallowed halls of a thousand year old British University to get the best teachers in the world on this topic.”

Write your entire story there, just pour your heart out.  Then edit ruthlessly, so you’re authentic and concise, compelling and choiceful.  Once you find that voice, you’ll be well on your way to crafting a blog that people will want to visit again and again.

6. Get reliable hosting for a fast-loading site that stays online.

Once you’ve invested in the look and in the copy of your site, an important but often overlooked aspect of good branding is to find the best possible host (hint: read Jerry’s awesome hosting reviews ).  A good technical foundation is absolutely critical to maximizing the return on all your branding efforts. There’s nothing worse than visiting a website that is down, that loads slowly, or has been hacked due to poor host security (it happens all the time). 

And once that happens, it can be difficult to get those visitors back – thus damaging their image of the brand you are so carefully crafting. Ensure that you choose a host that has fast load times, is optimized for the type of back-end software that you’re running (e.g. WordPress), and has customer support in case you do run into an issue.  The right foundation and hosting will add rocket fuel to all the other work you’ve done on your blog branding.

Pingdom Uptime Check On WebHostingSecretRevealed.com

So… yeah, I am happy with my new host.

How Pingdom check WHSR uptime? Pingdom sent a HTTP request to WHSR every 5 minute 24/7. A HTTP check loads a web page without any linked objects included; a ‘down time’ will be recorded if WHSR server fails to respond to the request. Pingdom will then send monthly report to your register email (as well as SMS alert) to keep you notified. For instance, the image shown here is extracted from a standard monthly Pingdom report. For more details: http://pingdom.com/.

About WP Engine If you have never heard about WP Engine before, it’s a hosting company focuses on premium WordPress hosting. You can read my WP Engine review here (based on my true experience) or you can visit the official website at http://www.wpengine.com/.

Monitor Scout is an interesting Sweeden-based company that offers various IT monitoring services. I am honored to have the opportunity to get in touch with the company co-founder and CEO, Johan, and made this interview.

Good day Johan, thanks a lot for being with us today. Let’s start with some introduction, can you tell us more about yourself and your role in the company Monitor Scout?

Hi Jerry, thanks for giving me an opportunity to be interviewed. I am Johan, a co-founder and CEO of Monitor Scout (https://www.monitorscout.com/). Previously I have been involved in several hosting companies, national ones in Sweden and also Pan-European companies. Today I live in Sweden where also Monitor Scout headquarters is located.

Monitor Scout is a cloud based monitoring service for businesses with IT infrastructure. We have hit the global IT market with our unique monitoring service to facilitate the online success of corporations and institutes by ensuring high-level performance of websites, servers and applications.

We are all set to make a difference in the web monitoring industry by redefining the rules of the game. Creating a smooth, flexible, technically stable and functionally precise IT environment for companies and institutes in different niches across the industry is our principal objective.

What exactly does Monitor Scout do?

To say precisely, Monitor Scout is a web server monitoring application with multidimensional functionality.

Monitor Scout monitors the entire IT setup – server, website, applications, and hardware, identifies the issues affecting the setup or any of its components, and alerts the user immediately through various mediums. It monitors any IT infrastructure or online business setup – major or minor – both internally and externally. It runs a consistent check on server health, website functionality, and application performance. The registered users can check the analysis reports on their websites and servers by accessing their Monitor Scout accounts. Backed with technical support, Monitor Scout is fast, secure and reliable.

Who are your targeted customers at this point of writing?

Everyone having a website is our targeted customer. However, we have developed Monitor Scout as a complete package of features and functions, with the needs of critical business owners in view from the perspectives – uptime, functioning, accessibility, and reliability. So our targeted customers range from small blogs to medium-scale companies to IT conglomerates around the world.

The cost of using Monitor Scout now is zero – as you guys are still in Beta. Can we know, roughly, what will be the price like after the full release?

Monitor Scout has had a very successful launch in free beta version for users from the world around. We are going to launch a really attractive price model that is affordable compared to our competitors. The premium package of Monitor Scout services will not cost more 20 USD a month. We will also launch a free monitoring package for a specific number of users. All beta version testers registered with us will get an attractive offering when we go live.

There are a handful of website monitoring services around the Internet – Pingdom, Wormly, UptimeRobot, etc etc. How do we choose the right monitoring tool?

Which monitoring tool to choose, depends basically on the users’ requirements. Several such web monitoring services as you have mentioned are available on marketplace. The users should take time and make a comparative study on the offerings of the monitoring service providers. Many users wrongly believe that expensive services are high in quality. For their kind information, some expensive alternatives come with basic monitoring that is of no great help.

As per my experience in the industry, monitoring a server or a webpage is not enough to ensure a bullet-proof situation for your business. Several other aspects need to be monitored. To say for example, your e-commerce store is being affected due to downtime or some other issue; you are losing customers and making a loss. The most feasible solution is monitoring the web pages, the login page, database, hosting server, hardware components, and the vital applications. Choose the monitoring tool that packs in all these opportunities.

When the user finds it difficult to choose between 2 or 3 monitoring companies, the user should contact the customer support of those companies to check if free trial version of their services is available. . All major monitoring companies should be able to offer this to customers that are in te evaluation process.

And, what makes Monitor Scout stand out from the competition?

Monitor Scout is unique in the way it caters to the needs of the online industry, and that is what helps us beat the competition. Monitor Scout is user-friendly not only in use but also in cost. Our monitoring service is a comprehensive one with superior features. We provide users with more than basic monitoring. Monitor Scout is not all about checking if the server or website is functioning. It monitors servers, websites, critical applications, and the processes associated with them. I would proudly say, Monitor Scout is a revolutionary tool performing as many as 50 various checks from 23 locations across the globe. It has 5 different alert systems to notify the users immediately whenever something goes wrong the server, website or applications. Evidently, we are steps ahead of other monitoring service providers.

Well that would be all for thisinterview, I hope you enjoy your time taking these questions. Is there anything you wish to add before we end this?

I am glad to have been interviewed by you. It is a nice opportunity to share about Monitor Scout with you and your readers. I welcome all your readers to contact us, if they have any questions. Again, it has been nice to talk with you. Thanks a lot.

Contact Monitor Scout via Twitter @MonitorScout and Linkedin.

1. How to Create Speech Bubbles with CSS3

So you know how to create speech bubbles by using HTML, Photoshop, or Javascript, but what about CSS3? Speech bubbles are a fun effect, and this tutorial teaches you how to make your own speech bubbles using CSS 2.1 and enhanced with CSS3.

Read this tutorial now.

2. Create a Fun Animated Navigation Menu with CSS3

Just like how a clean restaurant or shop can attract more visitors, the same goes to websites with clean and creative navigations. This tutorial helps you create a navigation that is user-friendly and has more personality.

Read this tutorial now.

3. Editable CSS3 Image Gallery

A typical image gallery is one that shows a grid of images that pop up or zooms in when clicked. This tutorial teaches you to create an image gallery that offers more visual treats to your visitors.

Read this tutorial now.

4. Create Beautiful CSS3 Typography

When we hear the word "Typography," the first two things that pop up in our mind are Photoshop and InDesign. Did you know that you can create beautiful typography using pure CSS3 as well? This tutorial teaches you how it can be done.

Read this tutorial now.

5. How to Make a Tabbed Navigation Using CSS3

This tutorial teaches you how to add animations to your tabbed navigation using CSS3.

Read this tutorial now.

6. Create a CSS3 Progress Bar

Ever played a video game and had to look at an animated loading screen while waiting for your game to load? Now you can create something similar for your website visitors using this tutorial.

Read this tutorial now.

7. Awesome Cufonized Fly-Out Menu Using CSS3

This tutorial teaches you, using jQuery and CSS3, how to build a cufonized menu that moves a hover-state item that adjusts to the item’s width when hovered over it, and a description bar also slides from the left side of the page towards the item.

Read this tutorial now

8. Slide Down Box Menu with jQuery and CSS3

How can you create a slide down box menu that is simplistic yet attractive at the same time? This tutorial teaches you to create a sliding box menu that slides out an item while a thumbnail pops up. The tutorial also includes more tricks that you can add to your menu as you read through the whole tutorial.

Read this tutorial now

9. Sticky Notes with CSS3

So you love buying Post-It Notes in real life and using the Stickies App on your laptop. Want to learn how to create these fun little notes with CSS3? Check this tutorial out.

Read this tutorial now

10. CSS: Transition Timing Functions

This tutorial touches base on the usage of animation using CSS and teaches you how to properly control the duration and speed of a transition.

Read this tutorial now

11. How to Create CSS3 Buttons

How do you make buttons that are not over-the-top yet still attractive to your visitors? Check this tutorial out.

Read this tutorial now

12. How to Create a Cool Anaglyphic Text Effect with CSS

Ever heard of anaglyphs? Anaglyphs are those 3d stereoscopic images that can be viewed through colored glasses, commonly red, left, and cyan right. Learn how to add this effect to your text using CSS by reading this tutorial.

Read this tutorial now

13. Create Curving Text with CSS3 and jQuery

Using a jQuery plugin, Arctext.js, and CSS3, this tutorial teaches you how to arrange each letter along a curved path.

Read this tutorial now

14. Create a Minimal Single Page Portfolio with HTML5/CSS3

Ever looked at a neat one-page portfolio online and wanted one for your own? Read this tutorial to learn how.

Read this tutorial now

15. How to Create Depth and Nice 3D Ribbons Only Using CSS3

This tutorial teaches you how to create the illusion of depth in order to create nice 3D ribbons by only using CSS3.

Read this tutorial now

16. Contact Form with No Images Using CSS3 HTML5

While website owners usually use images in addition to HTML to create contact forms, there’s actually a way to create a contact form just by HTML5 and CSS3. Read this tutorial to learn how.

Read this tutorial now

17. How to Create a Stylish Image Content Slider in Pure CSS3

This tutorial teaches you how to create a CSS3 only image slider that is "inspired on the Futurico User Interface by Vladimir Kudinov."

Read this tutorial now

18. CSS3 Breadcrumbs

If you have a website or blog that has a lot pages and sub-directories or sub-levels, using breadcrumbs is a good way to let your visitors navigate back and forth to any pages that they wish to visit.

Read this tutorial now

19. Fullscreen Background Image Slideshow with CSS3

Just like looking at a full-sized billboard while driving on a highway, a fullscreen background image slideshow is an attractive way to show off and/or advertise your images to your website visitors.

Read this tutorial now

20. Sliding Image Panels with CSS3

This tutorial teaches you how to turn background images into panels and animate them when they are clicked. Very slick and easy to follow tutorial.

Read this tutorial now

21. Gradients, Rounded Corners and Transforms with CSS3

This tutorial teaches you an easy way to create buttons and interesting shapes using CSS3.

Read this tutorial now

22. Design a Beautiful CSS3 Search Form

Ever browsed through a website, saw a plain and unattractive search form, and got turned off instantly? This tutorial teaches you how to avoid that to happen to your own website by creating a beautiful CSS3 search form.

Read this tutorial now

23. Circle Navigation Effect with CSS3

Hover effects can add more fun and liveliness to your website. This tutorial teaches you how to create a circle navigation effect for an image navigation using CSS3.

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24. Animated Web Banners with CSS3

Admit it, there are times you look at a web banner and thought, "This is way too cheesy" or "I wish this ad would just go away." Learn how to create an animated web banners that are effective with CSS3 by reading this tutorial.

Read this tutorial now

25. CSS3 Spinning Social Media Icons

Social media has become a very important part of the Internet world, and one of the ways that website or blog owners promote themselves is by posting social media buttons on their website. How about adding a little animation to your buttons? Read this tutorial to learn how.

Read this tutorial now

26. Orman Clark’s Vertical Navigation Menu: The CSS3 Version

There are lots of tutorials on how to create horizontal navigation menus out there, but what about a vertical navigation menu? This tutorial not only teaches you how to create a vertical navigation menu, it also teaches you how to create one with CSS3 and jQuery using the least amount of images possible.

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27. Image Map with CSS3 & jQuery Tooltips

Love traveling? Thinking of starting a website for globetrotters like you? This tutorial teaches you how to create an image map with pins and tooltips.

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28. How to Design a Dribble-Style Homepage Layout

So you have a website and a bunch of images, and you want to create a system where your content is highlighted using your images. This tutorial teaches you how that can be done.

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29. Creative CSS3 Animation Menus

This tutorial teaches you how to make your own creative menu hover effects for your website using CSS3.

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30. Filter Functionality with CSS3

This tutorial teaches you how, by checking a checkbox or a radio button, you can toggle the states of items of a specific type with a filter created using CSS3.

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Luckily, WordPress offers a number of ways to permit multiple installations of the software within just one database, saving users both a significant usability headache and the higher cost that comes from seeking a hosting plan which supports multiple MySQL databases.

The road to enabling multiple installations in a single WordPress database involves extensive editing to the software’s site-wide configuration file for many users. WordPress supports hosting multiple blogs with one installation of the software, or installing multiple instances of the software into one database. Those who choose to do this will need to be familiar with the configuration PHP file, their .htaccess file, and other server settings which are determined remotely by their current web host. Those who are comfortable knowing and modifying these settings are urged to complete this process, as it will likely be simple and take just a few minutes from start to finish.

Step 1: Locating and Changing Settings in the WP-Config.php System File

Every WordPress installation relies on "wp-config.php" to control database usernames, passwords, and locations, as well as settings relating to actual software features and user information. This file is rarely modified, except for in the first steps of a typical installation, and many WordPress developers and novice users may not be sure where to locate the file or which edits to make. For clarification, this configuration file lies in the root directory of every WordPress installation. This will typically be the "public_html" folder for a primary installation, and the base of a subfolder for each subsequent install of the WordPress software.

Once the file is located, it can be edited using an FTP client’s built in file and text editor. Doing this process directly on the server ensures that all edits are made to the remote file and saved directly, eliminating potential data loss and confusion between different versions of the configuration file. When the file is opened, there are a few settings that need to be changed when installing the WordPress software multiple times using the same database.

We will need to configure our "wp-config.php" file in order to customize our WordPress installation. First and foremost, the actual database information must be entered. If this is the first (and primary) installation, the database name, username, and password can be both defined and discovered using the server’s control panel. Both the cPanel and Plesk Panel software have a specific database configuration area that displays this information to users upon request. Fill in all information accurately, as failure to connect to the database will result in a failed installation overall.

Step 2: Changing the Structure of the WordPress Database

Every WordPress download comes with a default configuration file which designates a "wp_" prefix to the entire installation. This prefix will be added on to every table which is created by the installer and is designed to separate the WordPress tables from other applications residing in the same database. Similarly, this prefix can be changed in order to separate different WordPress installations from each other. Changing the database prefix is perhaps the most central step to ensuring that WordPress installations can function alongside each other in the same database without overwriting each others’ data, granting the wrong user permissions, or publishing the wrong content.

What to look for in wp-config.php?

In the still-open "wp-config.php" configuration file for the WordPress installation in question, locate the line which determines the database prefix which will be used. It almost always looks like the following example:

$table_prefix = ‘wp_’;

As can be seen, the WordPress developers have loaded the file with the default "wp_" prefix. This can be used for the first or primary WordPress blog installed to a server, but it cannot be used for any secondary installation. Using the same database for multiple blogs will lead to data loss, erroneous content, and all kinds of user permission problems that could enable malicious activity between blogs.

Change this prefix to almost anything else, so long as it is all lowercase and contains no spaces or punctuation marks. The "_" underscore character is not a requirement, as periods or hyphens can also be used. However, be aware that the underscore character is considered the standard way of separating a prefix from a table name, and it’s the easiest to use when scanning database records for certain iterations or cells.

Step 3: Proceed with Installation

If all you wish to do is simply install multiple WordPress blogs into separate databases with entirely separate groups of users and administrators, the process is largely complete. With the correct database information placed into the file, and the proper table prefix in place of the default WordPress-generated option, everything will likely go off without a hitch. However, advanced users might be interested to know that installing multiple WordPress blogs into the same database enables a unique kind of data sharing. Because user tables are all placed into the same database, WordPress can actually be instructed to use the same set of users between multiple blogs; this can be done on a per-installation basis, as well, so only the right users are given access to multiple points of entry and content publication.

For those advanced users who wish to create a site-wide user list that can publish content across multiple blogs, this edit is relatively straightforward to make and must be done at the beginning of the installation process before the actual installation page has been loaded. It’s easy to do, and the process is presented in the next step for those who are so inclined to give it a go.

Step 4: Sharing Users and User Meta Information Among Multiple Same-Database Installations

An important consideration to be made when installing many WordPress iterations into just one database is whether or not the users of each website will need to login to a different website within the same domain name’s purview. This can be especially true for "magazine-style" sites which categorize their content into subfolders and subdomains, with each content creation department having their own WordPress installation and content creation portal. Having a different user account for all users on every blog can be time-consuming and it’s largely an outdated practice.

The "wp-config.php" file can be amended to instruct a WordPress installation to place all data within its prefixed tables, but to pull user information from a differently-prefixed table. This means the primary blog’s user list could potentially because the user list of all blogs installed into subfolders across a website. Here’s how it’s done.

define(‘CUSTOM_USER_TABLE’, $table_prefix.’global_users’);
define(‘CUSTOM_USER_META_TABLE’, $table_prefix.’global_usermeta’);

These two lines must be added to the "wp-config.php" file before the WordPress software is installed. Notice that the tables utilized for user information are prefixed with "global." This allows both the primary installation and all secondary installations to access the same, universal tables full of user information. It gives no specific WordPress installation control over the user databases, as each WordPress installation remotely accesses that information via the "global" tables.

The two lines of code above could be modified to be named otherwise, including using the standard "wp_users" and "wp_usermeta" tables for those blogs which will simply access information already determined by the site’s primary WordPress installation. Developers should modify these lines intelligently and at their own risk, and remember to do so before installation as it’s exceedingly complex to change the user tables after an install has been completed.

Installing Side-by-Side WordPress Installations is Largely an Outdated Practice

While WordPress will likely never drop support for custom MySQL table prefixes and multiple installations of the software in the same database, the company’s developers have been hard at work on creating a solution which can perform all of the above tasks on an automated, on-the-fly basis. This means being able to create multiple WordPress blogs by using the standard WordPress Dashboard interface, largely eschewing the "wp-congif.php" file edits and database trickery that is used to share user information among separate installations. WordPress provides a showcase of many blogs which use this feature in its MultiSite Showcase as a demonstration of just how functional, open-ended, and easy a Network is to create and maintain.

The feature is included in WordPress 3.0 and higher, and it’s known as "WordPress Networks." The company had previously developed the feature as an entirely separate version of WordPress, known as "WordPress MU," but made the decision to integrate the two during the release of its most recent software version. The feature, while fully functional and quite robust, is not enabled by default. Users will still need to work a little PHP magic within the site’s configuration file in order to be able to access these new and innovative features.

Instead of modifying the database prefix set out in the "wp-congfig.php" file, users will instead bypass that setting and define an entirely new line of code. This line of code instructs the WordPress Dashboard to enable the multisite, or WordPress Networks, configuration options and setup tools. The line to be pasted into the configuration file is this one:

define(‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true);

It’s pretty simple, and saving the file will immediately allow the WordPress Dashboard to show the setup and configuration panel within its interface. That’s exact where the user should head next, as the Dashboard is the central feature of WordPress Networks setup.

Once in the Dashboard, click the "Administration" heading in the sidebar and then click "Tools." Beneath this, a new option named "Network Setup" will appear, and it should be clicked. WordPress will determine whether new blogs should be installed as subfolders or subdomains, and it will ask for a defined directory where it should place blog media uploads (pictures, movies, audio files, and more). With those settings defined, it will get to work and define new database tables, cells, and users. The process may take a few moments.

After the initial configuration has been completed, the site administrator will be presented with a page that instructs them to configure their "wp-config.php" and ".htaccess" files further. These changes will initialize the media upload directory, make essential changes to the way permalinks work for multiple WordPress installations, and enable more of the special WordPress Networks features that set this type of installation apart from standard WordPress versions.

The best part about using this feature is probably the minimal impact it has on the site’s database. Rather than burdening the database with a long list of tables and cells, it installs most of the new information into an existing database structure that doesn’t need to be modified at all. The few extra tables and cells it does install are minimal and efficient, meaning site load times will not suffer as a result of the installation. That cannot be said for databases which play host to many side-by-side WordPress installations which are installed the "old-fashioned way."

A Note of Caution: Always Be Careful with the MySQL Database

For the most part, there are very few risks associated with installing WordPress to a database in multiple instances. But, as with any change to the site’s database, always have a backup on hand and be ready to restore your data with it. Modifying the database and placing tables side-by-side has been known to occasionally cause incidental data loss which can only be recovered with a backup. Furthermore, accidents do occur and people have been known to forget the essential step of modifying the database prefix. This results in a complete loss of pages, posts, and users.

With the right precautions in place, and careful attention to detail, it is entirely possible to run multiple WordPress blogs from within the same database. Both the old method, as well as the new WordPress Networks feature, can create advanced blog setups that enable robust levels of content, shared user access, and easier usage of the site’s resources than many competing content management solutions would allow for.

Follow Up Reading

This post is part of my WordPress How-To Series. You might also want to check out other popular post on this topic: 25 Handy Code Snippets For WordPress Developers as well as Most Wanted WordPress Hacks, Tips, And Tricks.