Small Business Web Tools: Help with WordPress Blogs






Andrew Lock

WordPress University


Do you use WordPress to publish a blog?  If so, here’s a neat resource that you may find useful: WordPress University


This free site offers a variety of tutorials and other information for WordPress users.  Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, WordPress University claims you’ll find all the training and resources you need in order to maximize your WordPress experience.







WordPressUniversity.com; web tools
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The various trainings include how to create a WordPress membership site, general WordPress tutorials in video format and a video blog “dream theme.” You can even create your own tutorials, and WordPress University will upload them for you.


If you’re still stuck on an issue after viewing all the videos and reading all the resources, you can use the “Need help” link and someone from WordPress University will get in touch with you for some custom coaching. 


Let’s say you’re installing a WordPress plug-in but you’re stuck.  For $7 they’ll have somebody help you with that.  Or they can help with upgrading WordPress — this includes making a backup copy of your WordPress database and upgrading to the very latest version.  They’ll also check to make sure you’re using compatible plug-ins. 


You know, I could spend hours trying to do some stupid thing that I just don’t understand.  And here’s a way that you can get somebody to help you out, do it for you, for a fairly reasonable rate.  For instance, they’ll do custom design work in WordPress for $59 an hour.  All you have to do is send them an email and they’ll be in touch. If you publish a blog, WordPressUniversity could be a valuable resource for you. 


Stock Footage for Free


If you produce projects that include video, one Web tool that you must know about is StockFootageforFree.  Here you’ll find both standard definition and high definition NTSC video that’s been shot exclusively for StockFootageforFree, and it’s been made available royalty-free.  That means that you can not only download and use these clips for free, you can even use them in commercials. 







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There are a few legal caveats to be aware of, so be sure to read the end-user license agreement to make sure you’re staying on the up-and-up.  For example, you can’t re-sell this stock footage as your own; you can’t use it in trademarks, and they retain ownership of the footage.  However once you become a registered member, you can download these clips and use them pretty much any way that you want.


Registration is free, and it’s very easy.  Simply provide them with a user name that you’ll use to log into the website, your email address and your first and last name.  As a registered member, you have access to clips in a whole bunch of different categories like animals out in the wild; beaches, the waterfront, lakes, yachts, ships; construction and energy. There are some clips dealing with oil refineries and construction. 


The site has a special category for high definition clips, so if you only produce high-definition video you would want to limit yourself to that category.  Other categories include the holidays, mansions and wealth — which is really useful if you’re an entrepreneur and you’re trying to convey a feeling of wealth and wealth-building — sports, time-lapse photography, specific U.S. cities and transportation. 


The site covers a lot of different categories and offers a lot of different standard and high-definition stock footage. It’s all available for free to use in your video projects.  It’s a great resource.







IMNewswatch.com; web tools, internet marketing
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IM News Watch


If you’d like to keep track of all the latest Internet marketing news without being bombarded by ads, check out IMNewswatch.  It’s become the number one place to get online marketing news, and it’s updated throughout the day every day.


If your email box is currently bombarded with product pitches left, right, and center by multiple sources at the same time, do yourself a favor and unsubscribe from those lists.  Then you can find out what’s new and wonderful by visiting IM Newswatch. 


I hear that many people have it as their home page so they can keep in touch with what’s going on without their in-boxes being dumped on by 27 people who are all sending the same offer on the same day.  You know how that is.




You’ll find lots more small business marketing tips and resources from Andrew Lock in our Small Business In-Depth series, Lock in Your Marketing Resources.

Andrew Lock is a self-described maverick marketer and the creator and host of Help! My Business Sucks, a free, weekly Web TV show full of practical marketing tips, advice and resources to help small businesses “get more done and have more fun.”





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