Antbag.com

Have you ever wondered how to cloak links with longer url’s or affiliate links on your website? It’s actually a pretty easy thing to do. There are a number of reasons you might like to do something like this. One way I used this method, was on my email subscription link. Instead of http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=677566, I gave the link a better appearance by cloaking it with this: http://antbag.com/go/email-updates. Either link will take you to the same destination, however the second both looks better, and it’s a much easier url to remember. You can also use this method for affiliate links which are usually long and generic, or any kind of links for that matter. Here’s how…

[Read more →]

Tags: How To by Anthony ∗ 8 Comments »

Have you noticed a new trend in blog design? There are several actually, but it seems to me that blogs are getting wider. I think this is due to the fact that more people are now using larger computer monitors that easily handle a wider screen resolution, and also to make room for more information and sidebars. However, there are still those who prefer a more narrow view. Here I’m gonna take you along as I actually make one of my free Wordpress themes more narrow.

[Read more →]

Tags: Design, How To, Wordpress Theme Tips by Anthony ∗ 12 Comments »

This post is the 2nd installment in my Wordpress Theme Tips series.

I’m sure you’ve noticed that practically all themes that you can download for free, have text in the header which links back to the blogs homepage. I’ll just bet you’ve visited other blogs that have a logo instead of this title text. Trying to figure out things like this can drive you nuts without a little direction. In this post, we’re going to look at replacing anchor text with an image. Creating a logo is not covered here, so we’ll assume you already have an image you want to use.

The easiest way to make this replacement would be to simply delete the text out of your document, and put the image there in it’s place. The only problem with that is the fact that a search engine can’t read what you’ve written in an image. So, the better practice would be to disguise the text with an image. Using CSS, we can leave the HTML text in place, and use a background image to hide it. Sound interesting?

[Read more →]

Tags: Design, How To, Wordpress Theme Tips by Anthony ∗ 64 Comments »

Almost every blogger would like their design to be different from everyone else’s. After all, that’s one more thing that can set you apart from the crowd. However, not every blogger has experience with CSS. If you fit that description, I’ve written this just for you!

This isn’t really an introduction to CSS. It’s more of a guide to change specific elements within your theme. Over the course of several posts, I’m going to cover some things you can do to your current theme to add your own flavor and style. In this post, we’ll take a look at the text.

[Read more →]

Tags: Design, How To, Wordpress Theme Tips by Anthony ∗ 15 Comments »

This was an idea I had a couple of years ago, when nothing like this was around. Since then, several solutions similar to this have been produced.

I’m a little late getting in on the Productivity Tips submission at the Instigator Blog, but better late than never.

When I was thinking of ways to be more productive, I didn’t want to dwell on the typical “meditate and visualize” advice. I wanted to come up with and share something unique. Not only that, but I wanted to be as specific as possible. So, I decided to focus on computer work, since I love doing anything on the computer.

The Desktop

First of all, most people completely waste their desktop. There are neat little widgets and gadgets that you can put on it, and those can be helpful in some ways I suppose. I used to have the “Konfabulator Widgets” on my desktop before they were “Yahoo Widgets”. Anyway, when I’m sitting at the computer, the only time I minimize my windows and actually see the desktop is when I’m looking for something…….whether it be an application icon or a file. No matter how nice the photo I’m using, I really don’t look at it that much. This is the typical Windows XP desktop:

Why waste all that space on some picture you never really look at, and keep all your files in your Documents folder? Why not make everything more accessible? OK, maybe not everything, but the files and apps that you use most often. I’ve come up with a solution for this that makes everything much easier and quicker to get to. To my knowledge, this idea is original…….

How do you separate everything out like that? Well, I just created an image, using my favorite photo editor, for my desktop and separated it in six color-coded sections. Then I labeled each section with text. The image should be the same size as the screen resolution you use on your desktop. My screen resolution is set at 1280 x 1024, so that’s the size of my desktop image. Once the image is made and is set as your desktop background, just drag the icons and files on your desktop to the section you want them in.

So what are your best productivity tips? This is a meme that may actually give some great advice. Ben has already had well over 100 submissions on this project, so there are some great tips. Check it out at the Instigator Blog.

Tags: How To, Productivity by Anthony ∗ 55 Comments »

Do you ever feel like the best part of waking up, really is Folgers in your cup?

Personally, waking up in a *bad mood* can really keep me from getting much done. Maybe I should, but I’m not really one for making a daily to-do list.

Everyone has a general idea for what they plan to accomplish each day, whether it’s written or not. If you get up everyday to go to your job, that kind of takes care of your to-do’s for the most part. What about the days you’re not at work? What if you’re self-employed? Works gotta get done, regardless of your “mood”.

Here are a few ideas, to get you in do-it-anyway mode:

• Make a to-do list anyway, then follow it.
• Do something physical – whether it be excercise, yard work, housecleaning, etc. For me coming straight to the computer doesn’t help.
• Have a cup of Folgers – Classic Roast.
• Go ahead first thing – shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, just as if you have to be somewhere.

Tags: Goals, How To, Productivity by Anthony ∗ 2 Comments »