Please test this version and let me know if any issues arise if all goes well I’ll make this the stable version.

CHANGES IN THIS VERSION:
- Upgraded the MobileESP library to latest stable version
- Hopefully fixed full site redirect issue.

WordPress and Me Thus Far

In 2007 I started using WordPress for just my blog didn’t know what I was doing download a theme hacked up some CSS/PHP finally got everything working after hours of trying. Since that time here’s what I’ve been able to do:

• Became one of the Three most important people to WordPress
• Contributed to/wrote 5 plugins with a total download count of 121,331
• Updated 3 articles in the Codex
• Attended WordCamp Seattle
• Dipped my feet into WordPress Core Trac
• Got involved in the WordPress.org Forums and at http://wordpress.stackexchange.com/
• Updated my personal site to run completely on WordPress and Hybrid
  

What’s next?

Here are some of my longterm WordPress goals:

• Become a core contributor (even if it’s just fixing a typo)
• Meet Matt Mullenweg
• Continue to be involved in the Forums, discussions and Codex of WordPress
• Attend WordCamp SF
• Continue to attend WordCamp Seattle

Do you use WordPress? If so how? How long have you been using it? What are some of the things you like best?

//random array function you can use or write your own
function randomArrayVar($array)
{
if (!is_array($array)){
return $array;
}
return $array[array_rand($array)];
}

//list of grettings as arary

$greeting= array(
             "aloha"=>"Aloha",
             "ahoy"=>"Ahoy",
             "bonjour"=>"Bonjour",
             "gday"=>"G'day",
             "hello"=>"Hello",
             "hey"=>"Hey",
             "hi"=>"Hi",
             "hola"=>"Hola",
             "howdy"=>"Howdy",
             "rawr"=>"Rawr",
             "salutations"=>"Salutations",
             "sup"=>"Sup",
             "whatsup"=>"What's up",
             "yo"=>"Yo");

//echo greeting
echo (randomArrayVar($greeting));

Hope it’s helpful to someone. If you have an additions please leave them in the comments below.

I just wanted to write a quick post to let you know that MobileESP for WordPress version 1.2 has been released. This release contains the latest version of the MobileESP library as well as a bugfix for the full site url link bug which was requiring clicking on the link twice.  Get the latest version from the WordPress.org Plugin repo or update the plugin from your dashboard.

Research

Stop for a moment take a deep breath and ask yourself or your client what it is you are trying to accomplish with your logo. Look at other brands in the industry ask what works and what doesn’t. Find additional brands outside the industry, again, ask what works and what doesn’t. Find logos to look at for inspiration. Really spend the time to think about your brand. Where do you want to be in ten years? What is your audience? What is it you are trying to say? These are just some example questions really take the time here and think it out.

Draw

Now that the research is out of the way you are probably tempted to open up your favorite image editor and get to work. Don’t. Before taking things to the computer it is often helpful to sketch some ideas on paper. It may be helpful to turn off your cell phone and computer and go somewhere relaxing to just draw. This is the stage you really want to push yourself. Remember there are no bad ideas. This is the place to explore every option. Once you have a few great ideas try making variations on those. Out of ideas yet? Good, now pour yourself and glass of wine and call it an evening.

The next day come back and look at your sketches. If you’ve content then now is the time to start to digitalized your design. If not take a look at all your sketches and keep drawing. Perseverance is the key.

Create

Now that the hard part is out of the way scan your sketch or open up your favorite image editor and let the fun begin. Now that you know what you are trying to accomplish this should be the funniest part.  You may find that the design still does change once you get to the computer. That’s okay.

A few closing thoughts

Simple is best.  Sticking to a basic colors scheme and design will save a lot of headaches in the long run.

Keep usage in mind. Most logos need to be able to look good on a billboard or an envelope meaning that it is important to create a design that looks good in all sizes. Whenever possible try to use a vector program. This will allow for easier resizing in the future.

Have fun. Designing a logo should be fun and try not to stress.  Remember not everyone can be a designer you may have to hire a professional.

Without further ado here is a screenshot:

Get the plugin today!

As always, if you have any problems please report them in the forums tagging them with at least ‘mobileesp-for-wordpress’

Are you a programmer?
Great, we keep track of bugs and feature request over at our bug tracking system http://bugs.wpbook.net. If you get a moment fix a bug or add a feature. You may also just wish to use this system to report bugs.

Are you a graphic designer?
Cool, you may be able to help us cook up some neat graphics for WPBook, update our logo, or just give us feedback that could otherwise improve the project.

Are you a writer?
Neat-o, we can use your help to spruce up the docs making sure they are easy to understand, accurate, clever and free of typos .

Want more ways to get involved?
Okay there are plenty of  other ways to get involved. Head on over to the support forms and help a fellow user. I’ve also just set up a donate page where you can make a donation to help pay for website cost. We are also pledging to give 50% of any donations made to Charity Water. With a goal of $500.

If  you have any questions or comments please let me know. Thanks!