We are happy to announce the launch of FishingInTheGulf.com, a new online resource for gulf shore anglers and fisherman. Please visit them if you are a gulf fishing enthusiast or just to see some of our latest work.

Have you ever needed a way for visitors to subscribe to blog updates and be notified via email?

Subscribing to an RSS feed is great for people that use RSS readers. However, mostly everyone is already accustomed to using email. Why not save your end-users some trouble and put your posts directly in their inbox?

In this step-by-step tutorial, we’ll be covering how to set up a powerful and free email subscription solution for your blog using CMS Made Simple and FeedBurner.

We’ll be using the latest version of CMS Made Simple (ver. 1.9.2) with its built-in News module for our blog. The CMS Made Simple modules CGFeedmaker and CGExtensions create the feed. Feedburner handles the email subscriptions.

CMS Made Simple is a well-rounded, open-source CMS platform with an active community and many available modules that expand its core functionality. It’s definitely worth a look for your next content-managed project.

STEP-BY-STEP

1. Create a Google account if you do not already have one. Google owns FeedBurner, so you have to use a Google account to access its features. You can sign up for one here.
2. Log into your CMS Made Simple admin panel.
3. Install CGExtensions and CGFeedmaker.
   1. Go to Extensions -> Modules from within the CMS Made Simple admin panel.
   2. CGExtensions needs to be installed first. Click the “Available Modules” tab and then click the “C” link to view modules starting with the letter C. Scroll down to CGExtensions and click the “Download and Install” link.
   3. After it installs go back and repeat the process for CGFeedmaker.
4. Activate Pretty URLs in CMS Made Simple.
   1. Open a text editor, create a new document and paste in the code below (this code is taken straight from the sample htaccess.txt file provided with CMSMS 1.9.2):

      # Attempt to override some php settings, these settings may be helpful on some hosts if your
      # default configuration does not meet CMS's minimum requirements, and your host
      # has given your account appropriate permissions
      #php_value upload_max_filesize "10M"
      #php_value session_save_path "tmp/cache"
      
      #php_flag magic_quotes_gpc Off
      #php_flag register_globals Off
      #php_flag session.use_trans_sid Off
      
      # (this is important, so uncomment if your host permit)
      #Options -Indexes
      #ServerSignature Off
      
      #Options +FollowSymLinks
      
      # To prevend E_STRICT problems with PHP 5.3+ you can uncomment the following lines
      # Note: These settings should only be enabled for production sites!
      #php_flag display_startup_errors 0
      #php_flag display_errors 0
      #php_flag html_errors 0
      #php_value docref_root 0
      #php_value docref_ext 0
      
      RewriteEngine on
      #
      #Sub-dir e.g: /cmsms
      RewriteBase /
      
      # 301 Redirect all requests that don't contain a dot or trailing slash to
      # include a trailing slash
      # but ignore POST requests.
      #RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !/$
      #RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !\.
      #RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} !POST$
      #RewriteRule ^(.*) %{REQUEST_URI}/ [R=301,L]
      
      # Rewrites urls in the form of /parent/child/
      # but only rewrites if the requested URL is not a file or directory
      #
      RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
      RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
      RewriteRule ^(.+)$ index.php?page=$1 [QSA]

   2. Save the file as htaccess.html. Upload it to your CMSMS root folder and rename the file to .htaccess (no extension, just “.htaccess”).
   3. Edit your CMSMS config.php file to have these settings starting at line 129:

      #------------
      #URL Settings
      #------------
      
      #What type of URL rewriting should we be using for pretty URLs?  Valid options are:
      #'none', 'internal', and 'mod_rewrite'.  'internal' will not work with IIS some CGI
      #configurations. 'mod_rewrite' requires proper apache configuration, a valid
      #.htaccess file and most likely {metadata} in your page templates.  For more
      #information, see:
      #http://wiki.cmsmadesimple.org/index.php/FAQ/Installation/Pretty_URLs#Pretty_URL.27s
      $config['url_rewriting'] = 'mod_rewrite';
      
      #Extension to use if you're using mod_rewrite for pretty URLs.
      $config['page_extension'] = '.html';
      
      #If using none of the above options, what should we be using for the query string
      #variable?  (ex. http://www.mysite.com/index.php?page=somecontent)
      $config['query_var'] = 'page';
      

   4. Save your changes to config.php and re-upload. Pretty URLs should now be functioning as expected.
5. Create the feed.
   1. Go to Extensions -> Calguy’s Feed Maker. There are sample feeds provided by the module developer (calguy1000). Click on the sample feed named “news” to edit it.
   2. The “Feed Name” field should remain the same and leave the “Feed Extension” field blank (this uses the default extension, RSS).
   3. In the “Use this page for links” field select the CMS Made Simple page that your blog is on.
   4. Change the “Feed Title” to something appropriate for the subject matter of your blog.
   5. Edit the “Feed Link” to be the URL to your blog (the http:// location of your blog).
   6. Enter a phrase or sentence that sums up your blog in the “Feed Description” field.
   7. Optionally, you may enter a copyright notice in “Feed Copyright” and add your email address to the “Feed Editor” field.
   8. Enter 30 into the “Time to Live” field.
   9. Click Submit to save your changes.
6. Copy and paste the following snippet into the head section of the CMSMS template your blog is using:

   {CGFeedMaker action='autodiscovery' feed='news'}
   

7. Tell TinyMCE to use numeric encoding of entities. In CMSMS, go to Extensions -> TinyMCE WYSIWYG. Under the Advanced tab we need to select Numeric encoding in the “Encoding of Entities” dropdown box. We need to do this because named entities prevent RSS feeds from validating. For more info read Named versus Numeric Entities.
8. Validate your RSS feed. Go to http://validator.w3.org/feed/ and enter the location of your feed (e.g. http://domain.com/feeds/news.rss). Click “Check” to check your feed for errors. Resolve any errors until your feed validates.
9. Now that it validates its time to bring the feed into Feedburner. Go to http://feedburner.google.com/ and log in with your Google account.
   1. In the area that says “Burn a feed right this instant,” enter the location of your feed (e.g. http://domain.com/feeds/news.rss) and click next.
   2. This page shows the feed title that was created on Step 5D. Feedburner automatically creates a feed address on its domain for you which you can edit or leave as is. Click next.
   3. This page shows that your feed is now claimed in Feedburner. Click next.
   4. This page gives options for tracking statistics with Feedburner. These are optional so check any of the boxes you may want and click next. You will be taken to a page that tells you the feed is set up in Feedburner.
10. We can now set up the Email Subscriptions.
    1. Click the Publicize tab. Under Services (in the left column of the page), click Email Subscriptions.
    2. Click Activate.
    3. If your audience uses a different primary language other than English, select it in the Language dropdown.
    4. Copy the code supplied by Feedburner. This code is for the subscription form the visitors will use to get email updates for your blog posts.
    5. Paste the code into your blog template in CMSMS. You may also add it to other templates. If you want them to be able to subscribe to blog updates from any page, put it in all of your templates.
    6. Optional: Change the wording and restyle the form with CSS (highly recommended).

In closing, you may want to adjust a couple of other settings to get the most out of Feedburner’s email subscriptions.

1. Add a company logo to the emails sent by Feedburner.
   1. Upload a logo to a web location you control and make note of the URL.
   2. In Feedburner, go to Publicize -> Email Subscriptions -> Email Branding.
   3. Put the URL to your logo in the Logo URL field, scroll down and click Save.
2. Choose the time you prefer to have the emails delivered.
   1. In Feedburner, go to Publicize -> Email Subscriptions -> Delivery Options.
   2. Select your Timezone and Scheduled Email Delivery time. Click save.

Congratulations! You now have a fully functioning blog to email subscription solution powered by CMS Made Simple and Feedburner. Enjoy!

Please visit the brand new FLPowersports.com, dealer of high-quality pit bikes, dirt bikes and scooters.

This new custom website is a stellar example of e-commerce done right. The shopping cart features multiple product display modes, is sortable and has built-in product search. Best of all, the checkout process is extremely quick and convenient. In addition, the client can update the rest of the site using the seamlessly integrated Content Management System.

During this project, I got to ride one of the 125cc pit bikes and it was a lot of fun. It’s hard to believe how affordable these bikes are. If you know someone interested in getting into motocross or you just want a fun bike to thrash around on, FLPowersports.com has you covered.

Does your business have an online e-commerce store? Now it can.

Visual Harmony offers E-Commerce Shopping Cart solutions starting at $1999.

Here are just a few benefits of owning an online storefront:

• Wider Reach: If you own a “brick-and-mortar” store is in Florida, you can now reach potential customers in California, Maine or even Zimbabwe (if you ship there) much more easily.  You can get a lot of exposure that you otherwise would be missing out on.
• Increased Revenues: An e-commerce capable website can make sales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Low Overhead: Once your e-store is operational, there is very little-overhead to keep the site running for years and years to come.  Unlike the expenses for operating a walk-in storefront which pile up month after month.
• Better for Local Customers: People within driving distance of your physical storefront can learn more about what you are selling before they come there.  Just think how many times you have checked a price on something online before driving to pick it up.  I do it all the time.

Do you really need a Brick-and-Mortar Storefront?

It’s clear that some stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy make the majority of their sales in their brick-and-mortar stores.  I assure you that they are the exception and not the rule.

If you do not already have a physical storefront, who says you need one?  Statistically, the need for a physical store increases your overhead and cuts away from your bottom line by at least 15%.  Why give that up?

Fact: Visual Harmony has been in business since April 2007, without ever needing a physical office.  Everything clients need to know about us or how to communicate with us is available on our website.  By declining to use a physical storefront, we are able to offer higher-quality services at a more affordable rate than the competition.

Get it!

Give us a call at 352.207.5855 or email us to discuss your new online e-commerce store.

We are proud to announce the launch of the newly redesigned benefit-advisors.com.

If you are looking for Florida employee health insurance or other team benefit solutions, they’re the ones to call.  Not only do they know their stuff, they’re a pleasure to work with.  Many thanks to Michelle, Ray, Donna, Neal and the rest of the team!

Would you like to show your latest tweet (or tweets) on your website?  Well, here’s a quick and easy way to Twitter-ize your site.

Twitter provides a couple of scripts that need to be included in your code.  It’s probably best to add them right before the </body> tag so the rest of the page loads first.  Go ahead and add them:

<script src="http://twitter.com/javascripts/blogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

<script src="http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/your_username.json?callback=twitterCallback2&count=1" type="text/javascript"></script>

Edit the src attribute of the second script to replace “your_username” with your Twitter username. If you would like to show more than just the latest post, you can change the number where it says “count=1″ to reflect how many posts you would like to show (eg. count=2, count=3, count=4).

Now you need to place this code in your markup where you want the tweets to show up:

<div id="twitter_div"><ul id="twitter_update_list"><li> </li></ul></div>

Your tweet(s) will be added to this div automatically. Style the Twitter div with some CSS and you’re good to go!

An example color scheme created by Color Scheme Designer 3

Looking for a time-saving tool to help you pick great color palettes? Well, make sure you check out Color Scheme Designer 3.  It is by far the best and most feature-rich online color choosing app I have ever used or come across.

It allows you to choose a base color by clicking inside the color wheel.  From the base color, it can generate a monochromatic, complementary, triadic, tetradic, analogic or accented analogic color scheme. You can further adjust the scheme’s saturation, brightness and contrast to your liking.

Both a light-dominant and dark-dominant preview are available to show you a couple of ways the generated scheme could be used to color a web page.  Click the button labeled “Light page example” to view the light-dominant preview and the button labeled “Dark page example” to see the dark-dominant preview.

Once you are satisfied with the scheme you have created, you can export it as HTML/CSS, XML, plain text, a Photoshop palette or even a GIMP palette.

Other nice features are the ability to randomize the palette and vision simulations that allow you to understand how your scheme will appear to the visually-impaired.  Checking the box next to “Show text” will display white, black and grey text over all of the different colors in your palette.  Did I mention that it’s FREE?

You have a tar.gz package that contains a lot of files for your website. Your web host doesn’t provide an easy option for you to untar it once it’s on the server. Uploading all of the files one by one is a very time consuming process and should be avoided if possible.

You could request SSH (secure shell) access from your hosting provider, which can be dangerous for those who do not understand exactly what they are doing.  Also, some hosts will not give you this access. As a workaround, you can use this trick:

1. Open your favorite text editor and create a new file with the following code:
   <?php system("tar -zxvf my_tar_package.tar.gz") ?>
2. When entering the above code, replace “my_tar_package.tar.gz” with the name of your tar.gz file and name the file my_tar_gz.php.
3. Upload both the tar.gz archive and the newly created my_tar_gz.php to the directory in which you want to unpack the files.
4. Navigate to my_tar_gz.php in a web browser. The script will run and the tar.gz files will be unpacked with the quickness.

I used this solution on a site today and if I had to upload all of the files one at a time, it could have easily taken an hour or more. Instead, it was done in less than 5 minutes.

Hope it helps!