Blogging

Are You Ready for the Next Round of Google Algorithm Changes?

April 13, 2015 By Gavin Richardson

When I was studying early childhood in college years it was always fun to try and chronicle the ever changing rules to any game set forth by 4 & 5-year-olds. They had an open set of rules that made the game fun and allowed for some real strategy to win. However, usually as that particular child didn’t win or got frustrated when others did not play how they thought they should, the rules started to change and become more refined and specific. Such is the life of working in the world of internet marketing and social media.

I have been cautioning my clients to not put huge stock into the social platforms for their businesses, in part because they do not control what is presented in those platforms. Facebook especially has chosen what your ‘fans’ or ‘likes’ get to see based on their algorithm, third party posts, and whether or not you want to pay them (the third part being a big reason). So what you counted on and worked for (that social reach) went away overnight (literally) because of Facebook’s algorithm change. Google had us chasing this “google authorship” stuff last year only to kill that off in the fall. Good times!

Google, will be tossing out a new algorithm change on the 21st. Now, Google’s change is not something that is inherently harmful to your business and website unless you are not up to date and compliant with the changes.

So what are some of the changes to Google?

Well, no one really knows. Just as if you met someone who works at Google, the algorithm isn’t painted on the walls of the office space so that everyone can know. Call it their trade secret that they are keeping close to the vest till the 21st.

The one thing we do seem to know is that your website is going to start ranking worse if the website is not mobile ready. If you have a website that is mobile responsive or as a mobile app then Google is going to start to rank your site more favorably than a website that ranked higher than you before but is not mobile.

So How Do You Go About Fixing Your Website?

Check to see what your site does in the mobile platform. You can use Google’s own “Mobile Friendly Test” page to determine if your site passes the test. This is a pass or fails grade. You either get the pass or the fail. Unlike some SEO techniques, you can’t get partial credit for this one.
If you pass the test, great, you probably have a decent web designer (like me) who has planned for this mobile friendly trend.
If you fail, you can go a few routes to help yourself out.
1. If you happen to operate a WordPress based website then you can activate the Jetpack mobile plugin. It works, but it leaves a ton to be desired for overall branding of your website. However, if this is all you can get done before the 21st, then do that.
2. Update your website to be mobile responsive. Mobile responsive is not some new technology. It is actually pretty basic old school technology. Instead of using fixed width and height areas (like you did on a website of the early 2000’s) you are using percentages to get a website that adapts to the sizes of the screen. A fixed width site worked great when you could predict with almost certainty that someone was visiting your site on a computer screen. Today, close to 50% of a websites visitors can be mobile browsers. If you are on a WordPress, Drupal, or other open source web platform then pick up a ‘responsive’ theme to implement in a new site design.
3. Go the way of a mobile website. You can create a whole new website that will direct someone to a website dedicated to mobile viewers. I find these helpful if you know that mobile views have a limited reason to be checking out your website. Example, a restaurant was mobile viewers to see a phone number, directions, and menu first and foremost. Mobile viewers care very little for the history of your restaurant.
4. Get into the app market. You can create a mobile app that your website directs mobile viewers towards. This might be the bigger of the tech jumps, but if you have ever wanted to tinker with building a mobile app now is a good time to start.

So the rules of the game change again. No worries, we are used to that. The big deal here is to not continue to play the internet game by the old rules. You will get left on the second, third, fourth fifth, fifteenth pages of a search query. That is never a good thing for any business, non-profit, or personal brand.

-gavin

How To Find Out What WordPress Theme A Site Uses

April 28, 2014 By Gavin Richardson

As a web designer for churches, individuals, small businesses, bloggers, and just about everything in between I get a lot of “We’d like our site to look like [this site]”. I actually ask what sites people like to get an idea of their design sensibilities. What is fun, for me, is to show people the exact WordPress theme that someone used to build the site that they like. Even more fun, but maybe not good for business, is that I also show how they can get that theme they like for a fraction of the cost they were probably going to spend a web designer (even me).

So for whatever strange reason I thought I’d share how to find out what WordPress theme a site uses.

NOTE: Now, not every website on the internet is using WordPress, but many are. Also, some websites that are using WordPress might be built with a custom theme. So their designer might have started with a stock theme, but edited enough and gave the theme it’s own name, so this type of search isn’t going to get you what you want.

1. Start with the WordPress Website You Like

Here is web design company I do some collaborative work with for a client. I liked the theme they were using so I pulled this trick of.

2. Find the “View Source” function on your browser

On your browser you will find a “View Source” function. This will give you the option to view the HTML/PHP source for that webpage. In Chrome this is show. In Safari the “View Source” function is under the “View” drop down menu. In Firefox the “Page Source” is found under the Tools > Web Developer menu options. In Firefox you might also be able to identify it with the Firebug plugin. I like this method foremost.

3. Look for the wp-content/themes/ source code

When you look at the source code for the page scroll down to see where you can see the website url with the extensions /wp-content/themes/name-of-theme-folder/. The wp-content folder holds all the WordPress files specific for that site. The /themes/ folder holds all the files associated with that particular sites WordPress themes. The /name-of-the-theme-folder/ is the name of the theme being used.

4. Go Search for that WordPress Theme Name

Use that specific theme name, as accurate to the name as possible (numbers, hyphens, etc), to search to find where that theme is available.

5. Go Check Out that Theme and See if it is still Something You Want

Click on your search results and if you still like that theme you can probably buy it or search around for more themes.

Bonus Trick: Check for Login Page

One other tip off to know if you are dealing with a WordPress website is to throw in /wp-login.php after the domain name to see if you can get the WordPress login page. This doesn’t always work as a site might be configured with the login page off the root directory of the domain name. That is nerdy talk for something like cooldomainname.com/cool-new-site/wp-login.php instead of the cooldomainname.com/wp-login.php. You might not be able to guess that other directory the site is using.

BONUS TRICK: How to Notice Drupal

Some sites are built on Drupal, another popular open source content management system. You can go through the same process of checking out the “View Source” code (you can do that for any site usually). Drupal has a different language that you can look for to help identify a Drupal site. When I was looking at this site (for pastor friend) I immediately noticed the “node” language which tipped me off to the Drupal framework. If that wasn’t enough I could have just scrolled to the bottom of the page because they had not changed the “built with” type link that is at the bottom of the page which identified Drupal and the Drupal Theme being used.

There you go, you can try this trick all over the place. This site uses Studiopress > Metro Pro Theme. I love love love to use Studiopress / Genesis framework for builds for websites that are going to be highly content driven. It is also easy to edit the design of the site on the fly without robust knowledge of code.

the Fabulous Female Theologians of Twitter (some of)

August 11, 2011 By Gavin Richardson

No, this isn’t some calendar shoot idea, though admittedly that would be quite amusing. Yesterday Bill Reichart posted a Top 10 Theologians on Twitter and I shot back that there were no women theologians and that they all seemed to be the same stock white males that get thrown out everywhere. So Bill asked for me to add to the list. I am happy to because not that I am in any disagreement with the list (though some of the 10 are not close to my top theologians, but that’s just a flavor thing) my critique wasn’t done in a mean spirit. It is the trouble with making a list, someone gets left out.

So in the spirit of sharing, here are some Female Theologians of Twitter (not in any particular order)

Rachel Held Evans gets my first & easiest nod, mostly because we have actually hung out before. Watching her growing audience and the prophetic voice she is speaking from has been great to watch over the years. Seriously, if someone is going to take the bible seriously enough to sleep in a tent in the front yard when she is on her menstruation period has to get some props, or a honk as you drive by.

Maggi Dawn who has been a voice through the alt worship scene of the UK for over a decade plus is now moving to Yale University as their Dean of Chapel and Associate Professor of Theology which she did similar to at Cambridge for the decade prior. Also a published author as any good minister in the academic circles would be. She has also been a prolific blogger and speaker to add onto her list of good works.

Bishop Vashti McKenzie who is the first female ever elected to the highest office of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.) in its 200 year history and has served there since 2000. She’s pretty cool when it comes to social media podcasting, blogging, and putting up a 12k follower list on twitter (which is the largest for this listing, i think).

Diane Butler Bass first came onto my radar with her book the Practicing Congregation by Alban Press (a great read) and has been a favorite of mine since then. Probably her most prominent book has been Christianity for the rest of Us, which has actually sat in my to be read pile for some time. Promise Diane, I will get to it. &:~)

Tami Heim & Toni Birdsong I am grouping together because they are the duo behind Sticky Jesus. Met them at a TN Christian Chamber event a few months back and they are just delightful. I don’t believe they have the academic theology pedigree, but old friend Stan Grenz put its that everyone is a theologian and under that and considering their prolific capacity and passion to sharing Christ they get on my list & should be on yours.

Given, this list was actually a bit difficult to produce in that many prominent female theologians don’t do twitter, or started an account but are rather quiet on them. My criteria for this was rather simple in that they needed to be ‘active’ (totally subjective to according to me) and have around or over 1k followers. That cut into some of my list of people I like to read like a @lnwiner. Thought about adding in some folks like a @sandramccracken but she’s touring now and most of her tweets are about shows at the time of this posting, not quite a time of high theology for her now. Thought about some of the famous pastor wives, but ultimately discounted them because those seem to be ‘team’ influencers. One thing I thought was interesting was that there wasn’t any tribute twitter accounts to people like Julian of Norwich. Sadly, Teresa of Avila went quiet a few years ago.. Mother Teresa is somewhat alive in bots and tribute accounts.

Most though, I have this idea that Twitter isn’t the medium for the lady. Maybe it was the culturing of its early adopters but Twitter in many ways has a feel of self promotion mixed in with its sharing and conversation & I don’t think it is part of the female drive to get into puffing out the chest to show a “this is what I have to say” everyone.

All guy lists are not anything out of the norm. Andy Rowell put together an add on list a few years back and all his peeps were dudes, and he’s someone who is very open to the various people who take on leadership of the church. So maybe we need more ladies doing their theology thing on twitter, maybe not, someone has to be acting out their theology out in the real world and we are probably better off having the ladies do that while us fellas talk amongst ourselves about who is best.

So feel free to comment away and add more of the lovely ladies of twitter for this listing.. it really is just a start of a hopeful full recognition

Open Source Helpfulness #pcn11

March 12, 2011 By Gavin Richardson

One of the best kept secrets in Nashville & probably around the world is the “unconferences” known as BarCamp & PodCamp. Erin & I went to the very first BarCamp back in 2007 at the Exit In. It was a great day of learning for both Erin & myself, from iPhone app development, corporate blogging, twitter, artificial intelligence, marketing, the emergence of Facebook.. wow!

But it is more than that to us!

What was, and is, best of that & the on going experiences of the PodCamp & BarCamp’s here in Nashville is the open source nature of the helpfulness that is embraced by the mass of creative and technical thinkers & practitioners. From sitting in with some great people at these events to having breakfast or drinks on a monthly basis talking shop, family, or events. I have come to love the sharing nature that is embedded within our towns tech community.

I’ve done what I can to give back, sharing some of my different slants on technology & culture in a few speaking gigs, put in time volunteering & show up in supporting by presence. Through this I have made some invaluable friendships and a host of innovators to lean on for guidance and advice. When I had my transition from local church vocation into the larger consumer pool it was my friends of this community that provided some of my greatest tangible support.

How bout you?..

If you come to Podcamp this March 26th at Nashville’s Cadillac Ranch (right on Broadway) you might not have this immediate connection that I have benefited from over the last four / five years. But you will have the opportunity to plug into a community of people that has a ethos of not just being a Source of good knowledge & practice, but also very Open to meeting and sharing with others, and offering Help all along the way.

I’ll be there at all costs!

I will actually be doing a speaking engagement in Memphis the Thursday & Friday beforehand for my youth ministry church leadership type vocation. I am really excited about that. They wanted me to sit in on a number of panels with some very high profile leaders within the church the Saturday of the event (which happens to be Podcamp day), which would have been great exposure for my new transition. But, this community is a part of me that I cannot make any other decision but to be there. So I am driving through the late evening and then getting downtown as early as I can to, 1. get a good parking spot, 2. make sure that I do not miss a thing at this years event.

Hello WordPress

October 6, 2010 By Gavin Richardson

It’s time.

Time for a change.

With my leaving the active day to day church staff life this summer it has freed me up to do a myriad of other things. I’m rediscovering some of the passions I’ve had and finding new passion in new endeavors.

With this change I have come around slowly to something I’ve wanted to avoid for years, but knew I needed to do. Change the blog.. Not just change the blog look (something I’ve spend countless hours over the last six or 7 years) but change platforms and set myself up for the growth and connectivity that is possible.

So I am finally building my own site, again, for the first time on WordPress.. Hey, it’s a big deal for me.