RAA Group » WordPress

How to set video player alignment in WordPress page or post using Wordtube with JW FLV MEDIA PLAYER (LongTail Video JW Player)

RAAGroup — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:55:55 +0000

Disclaimer: While I still consider myself a novice, I was surprised how hard it was to try and get answer to what turned out to be such a simple thing.

How to set video player alignment in WordPress page or post using Wordtube with JW FLV MEDIA PLAYER (LongTail Video JW Player)

In the HTML of the page or post add

before media tag which should look something like this [MEDIA not found] and end with

. When completed it should look like this:

[MEDIA not found]

Note: Replace # with media id, and width and height are adjustable.

Important Information for WordPress.com Users | Direct Sales and Social Media

RAAGroup — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:02:54 +0000

If you have taken a blogging course with me, then you already received an email from me with this information. However, it’s such an important issue that I want to share it here with everyone.

It was recently brought to my attention that WordPress.com is now outright banning MLM blogs, referring to them as “affiliate marketing” and “pyramid schemes.” While I disagree with this assessment, and have alerted the DSA who is looking into the issue, it is important that you be aware of this, so that you don’t get your blog shut down.

In my own correspondence with WordPress about the issue, here is their clarification:

“Any kind of MLM blogs – or blogs created to direct readers to external domains for commercial purposes – are not permitted at WordPress.com. If you are creating the blog to make money, WordPress.com is not the place for you.”

However in WordPress’s rules, they do allow business blogs to demonstrate expertise:

“Business: Professionals ranging from realtors to lawyers and stock brokers are using WordPress to share their expertise, and companies have discovered the power of blogs to more directly and personally engage with their customers.”

When I followed up with them asking about this, here is what they said:

Jennifer: “If legitimate direct sellers are only using their blog to demonstrate their expertise, wouldn’t that fall under those rules?”

WordPress: “Yes, but if the direct seller is continually linking back to their own domain to sell things, they will not be allowed. If the blog is purely information (with no intent to direct users elsewhere to buy things), that is perfectly okay.”

You can read all the rules here: http://en.wordpress.com/types-of-blogs/

If you follow the strategy laid out in my courses and teachings, you SHOULD be OK. You should not be highlighting specific products or opportunity, but instead should be giving practical, actionable content that people can use right now without spending a dime. However you will NOT be allowed to include a link to your personal website based on WordPress’ interpretation of the rules. Instead, you should have a place for people to sign up for your newsletter, and you can share the link to your website there. Be aware, however, that WordPress.com will shut you down without notice if they decide your blog is in violation of their rules.

Please note that this does not apply to you if you are hosting your blog on your own domain. However if you are using the free WordPress.com service, it is important to make sure you are in compliance.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email WordPress directly at support@wordpress.com.

What do you think about these rules? Do you think the actions of a few “bad apples” is messing it up for the rest of us? Is it fair? Would love to read your thoughts below.

via jenfongspeaks.com

20 Wordpress Plugins For Your Real Estate Website

RAAGroup — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:17:42 +0000

Considering a new website for your real estate company? Or any other industry for that matter. Wordpress is an open source application you should definitely check out. Wordpress was originally designed to be a simple blogging tool but it keeps getting better and better. Hundreds of companies are now using Wordpress as a content management system (CMS) to power their entire Website. Some of the awesome benefits of using Wordpress for your blog or as a CMS are its cost (it’s free), ease of use, SEO friendliness, online community support and all the free plugins that allow you to easily customize and add enhancements to your site.

Whether you are a developer of a private community or specialize in general brokerage, there are plenty of great plugins that can really help your Wordpress Website.

Here is a list of 20 plugins we install on many of the sites we design for clients. Try them out and let me know if you have any questions about any of them.

Search Engine Optimization and Tracking Plugins:

1. Google Analytics for Wordpress
This plugin allows you to easily add Google Analytics to your entire Wordpress site for tracking purposes.

2. Easy Verification
Verify your site with webmaster tools and Yahoo! SiteExplorer.

3. All-in-One SEO Pack
Great Search Engine Optimization plugin.

4. Google Sitemap
This is another plugin that helps with search engine optimization. This plugin will generate a sitemaps.org compatible sitemap of your WordPress blog which is supported by Ask.com, Google, MSN Search and YAHOO!

Website Utility Plugins:

5. Database Backup
Hopefully you won’t ever need to use this, but stuff happens. Always nice to have a backup when you need it.

6. Maintenance Mode
Adds a splash page to your blog that lets visitors know your blog is down for maintenance. Logged in administrators get full access to the blog including the front-end.

Page Management Plugins:

7. pageMash
Manage your multitude of pages with pageMash’s slick drag-and-drop style, ajax interface. Allows quick sorting, hiding and organizing of parenting.

8. Exclude Pages
Sometimes you need a page but you don’t want it to show up in your main navigation menu. For example a landing page for an eblast, or a “hidden” floor plan page. This plugin gives you a check box option to exclude the page from your menu.

9. Page Links To
Allows you to point WordPress pages or posts to a URL of your choosing. Good for setting up navigational links to non-WP sections of your site or to off-site resources.

10. Widget Locationizer
Wordpress allows you to specify what widgets you want on your site, but it places those widgets on every page. With Widget locationizer, you can specify which pages your widgets are displayed. This opens up all kinds of options to get creative with your sidebar content and makes your site look much more interesting and less like a blog.

11. Section Widget
Lets you display section-specific content on the pages of your choice. This plugin is similar to Widget Locationizer, but has a few different perks of its own.

12. Simple Sidebar Navigation
This is a really handy tool to create and manage sidebar menus. Simple Sidebar allows you to add any combination of page links in your sidebar. This makes your site really user friendly and allows you to strategically place related links in the sidebar. When used in combo with Widget Locationizer the options are endless.

Content Management Plugins:

13. Great Real Estate
Allows easy management of your real estate listings.

14. Tiny MCE Advanced
This plugin adds a toolbar with more styling options for the text in your pages and posts. Warning(disclaimer)…don’t use a huge Comic Sans headline to highlight your latest offer. In most cases, your theme should have built in styling options that will match the rest of your site. But there are times where a few more options are needed and this plugin does the trick.

15. Contact Form 7 or cformsII
Every real estate site should have a contact form. Maybe several. We recommend a “Soft Submit” (email, name & zip), “Full Submit” and in some cases, a different form for “Request a Tour.” Either of these plugins will allow you to serve up multiple forms on different pages. Form Submittals are sent to a specified email address instantly. Check out Jami Mullikin’s article on database management.

16. NextGen Photo Gallery
There are dozens of great photo gallery plugins for Wordpress. NextGen is one of the most popular and a great choice. NextGen stores the photos on your site and allows you to make galleries, albums and slideshows.

17. Dynamic Headers
This plugin allows a custom header image to be displayed on each page.

Sharing and Social Networking Plugins:

18. Sociable
Allows visitors to automatically add links on your posts, pages and RSS feed to their social networking sites.

19. Twitter For Wordpress
Displays your public Twitter messages for all to read.

20. Social Homes
Adds a sidebar widget containing a subtle list of all your social homes as linked favicons so your visitors can follow you.

via hillmullikin.com

Posterous.com allows me to post to my website blog via email or SMS from Blackberry; text, pictures even videos!

RAAGroup — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:13:40 +0000

Posterous.com allows me to post to my website blog without having to log in to my WordPress website account. I can post text, pictures, even videos! Plus while browsing I can use the Posterous tool in my browser tool bar to select content and post directly from browser.

This means I can share more information, more conveniently!

Email Spoofing forces transfer of domains back to GoDaddy.com from 1and1.com

RAAGroup — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:02:52 +0000

Email spoofing has forced me back to GoDaddy.com, now that GoDaddy.com can host my WordPress websites. I never had a problem with anyone spoofing my email until I move domains and email to 1and1.com. My research on spoofing has led me to conclude that SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is the reason. GoDaddy.com offers it and 1and1,com does NOT. Initiated transfer and will update.

Google and cloud computing bring access to vital data

RAAGroup — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:51:29 +0000

South Florida Business Journal – by Jeff Zbar

As a Realtor, Dean Isenberg’s business survives on the flow of data to his BlackBerry Tour – and back out to his prospects.

If e-mail doesn’t come in, he could lose a listing or a showing. If he can’t submit a contract to a prospective buyer, a sale could be delayed – or lost. If an out-of-town buyer wants to see a home, often the quickest way is to send a virtual tour. Each service is available for free from one provider.

“You can watch up to ten companies at a time.

" src="http://images.bizjournals.com/email/cwatch/w.gif" alt="" width="13" height="13" />Google provides a lot of tools people don’t really know about,” said the Aventura-based Isenberg, who uses Google’s stable of free, Web-based products to run much of his business. “When the market turned, I saw a need for how to use free products to benefit my career.”

The American worker is growing increasingly connected, with smart phones and Wi-Fi Internet services. Yet, workers are only as connected as their ability to access or retrieve data from the road. Google delivers many of the services that small businesses rely on to work from “the cloud” or via a broadband Internet connection.

A growing number of companies are using free, cloud-based services to change the way they actually work. Hotmail and AOL Mail are examples of cloud computing. Some companies use free, Web-based social media, like blogging application WordPress, Facebook or Twitter, as marketing tools.

Executives at You can watch up to ten companies at a time.

" src="http://images.bizjournals.com/email/cwatch/w.gif" alt="" width="13" height="13" />InterAir Media, a West Palm Beach-based media buying and planning firm targeting in-flight and airport media, used to e-mail clients Excel spreadsheets with details of various media opportunities, CEO Drew Stoddard said.

Earlier this month, Stoddard created his media spreadsheets for Chicago and Minneapolis in the Google Docs spreadsheet tool. He sent a link to the spreadsheet to his clients, who can collaborate in real time – with changes there for all to see, he said.

“The ability to collaborate in-house on one document at the same time, then share it with clients is fantastic,” he noted. “We can share it with them from the beginning. And it’s free. That’s the best part.”

Free tools are increasingly pervasive throughout the office. Skype, the free voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service, provides Isenberg Web-based long-distance. Google Voice, the free telephone application, allows him to record, save as digital files or receive as transcribed documents e-mailed to his inbox any conversations and voice mail messages.

Security is strong, said Isenberg, whose company, WeTeachGoogle.com, hosts frequent seminars for Realtors, teachers and even parent-teacher organizations on using Google and online services to run small business, schools and charitable groups. Because data is stored in the cloud, a lost, stolen or damaged computer does not necessarily jeopardize data, he said.

Isenberg also scoffs at those who fear viruses or hack attacks of sensitive data coming in via the cloud.

“Encryption is more secure than in the corporate or home office,” he said.

Some remain hesitant about free, Internet-based or cloud computing. The free services often lack direct customer service, said Eric Beck, president of You can watch up to ten companies at a time.

" src="http://images.bizjournals.com/email/cwatch/w.gif" alt="" width="13" height="13" />IT Doctors, a North Miami Beach technology consulting firm. Synchronizing online data – like contacts, e-mail or calendar – among the cloud and a BlackBerry, iPhone or other smart phone sometimes can be difficult or prone to error, he said. Moreover, when Google suffers outages, as happened for several hours earlier this month, users are left without access to e-mail, documents, calendar or any other services served up via the Internet, he said.

“If I can’t get to a document for four hours, that could be a problem,” said Beck, who instead suggests his clients either install their own service or use online “hosted exchange” services for accessing e-mail, calendar and content that can start at $10 a month. “As long as you have a good server, your stuff isn’t going to go down, and it’s all accessible.”

In Boosting Your Business, Jeff Zbar covers marketing, technology and small business strategies. Contact him at jeffzbar@gmail.com or (954) 346-4393.

Epiphany SMP – Social Media Webinar Thursday Evening

RAAGroup — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:47:33 +0000

How to Dominate Your Market-
place Using Social Media
featuring David G. Johnson

FREE WEBINAR THIS
THURSDAY
Guerrilla Social Media Strategies for
the Small Business and Sales
Professional

Trying to make sense of Twitter?
Befuddled by Facebook? Not sure
where to start?

In this informative 90-minute
webinar, David G. Johnson will be
talking about how to decide which social networks make the most
sense for your business, how to get started, and how to ensure
that your precious time and resources aren’t wasted.

Whether you’re an experienced social networker or not even sure
whether to stick your toe in the waters, you can’t afford to miss
this valuable educational event!

In addition to lots of great instruction, there will be a Q&A session
at the end which allow you to get your questions answered by the
expert!

David G. Johnson is the founder of Epiphany Marketing, LLC and has
been helping businesspeople just like you establish highly profitable,
cost-effective marketing strategies that leverage technology for the
past 11 years.
Title: How to Dominate Your Marketplace Using Social Media
featuring David G. Johnson

Date: Thursday, September 10, 2009

Time: 9:00 PM – 10:30 PM EDT
Check the start time in your time zone here

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing
information about joining the Webinar.

Space is limited.
Reserve your webinar seat now at:

https://www.epiphanymarketing.com/events/social-media-2009/