It probably isn’t the best practice, because it is a source of constant distraction, but I seem to have my Gmail interface open most of the time when I am on line. One of the slight ‘niggles’ that I have with Google Apps is the need to have different browser pages open for different functions; one for mail, one for your calendar and one for docs etc. This minor irritation can be alleviated to some extent by using 2 useful Google Labs features. Before we go into that, I know that you can have your own customised Google Start Page in Apps or iGoogle and I used these for a time, but I usually found myself back at the Gmail Browser Window waiting to be distracted by the next e-mail to arrive.
I know that I am probably a little biased, but I have to say that the Viva TV web site is well worth a subscription, not that it will cost you anything. My bias comes from the fact that Creative Mixed Media have put the site together. However, the content for the site grows weekly so if you are from Lancashire and want to know what is happening this summer look in on the site once in a while. If you are at one of the events coming up, keep an eye out for the Viva TV team and you could end up a TV star yourself.
Tags: Viva TV
Using Google Docs To Post To Your WordPress Site
For some time now we have been building our enthusiasm for Google Apps as we have discovered how it can help in the day to day running of our business. It is now part of our standard service package, to set up a clients email address on Google Apps so that they can take advantage of all these benefits.
Even better is how Google Apps can be used to supplement much of WordPress’s functionality.
We will be putting much more information about this functionality and how it can help you in your business in the future. For now though here is just one tiny piece of Google Apps/WordPress integration.
You can post an entry to your web site straight from Google Docs using the following procedure.
- Open the admin panel of your WordPress site and go to Settings>Writing
- Check the XML-RPC box to enable remote publishing.
- Start a new document in Google Docs.
- Click on the ‘Untitled’ tag at the top left hand corner of the screen and give the document at title (this is what the post will be called).
- Add your text and pictures (bear in mind the size of your images, they should have been re-sized before bringing them into the document. If your page is 500 pixels wide, make sure the image in no wider than this; you can always make it smaller in the post).
- You must realise that the document formatting will not be identical to in the Google Document as it will on the WordPress page. The difference in page width between the Google Doc and your WordPress page will cause re-formatting. You usually get best formatting results by having either half page or full page width images and lots of text that can wrap around it.
- When you have finished composing your document click onto the Share button in the top right of the Google Doc page.
- Click onto ‘Publish as web page….
- If this is the first time you have used Google Docs in this way you will have to set up the blog post settings (bottom of dialogue box). See below
- Enter in the following settings:
- My own server/custom (assuming you host your own blog)
- MetaWeblog API (this is the one for WordPress)
- The path to your xmlrpc.php file (don’t worry, just put in http://www.yourwebsitename.com/xmlrpc.php – obviously insert ‘your web site name’ in here.
- Your WordPress User name and password
- Your web site name
- Check the options tag so that your post gets the title.
- Click the Test button to check the link works.
- When filled in click OK.
What is the major advantage of this? For me, one of the biggest benefits is that I have an instant backup of all of my web site posts and with 25Gb of Google Apps Premier Account storage, that’s a lot of blog posts. You can of course ‘tweek’ some of your posts settings in the WordPress admin panel later.
If you want to know more about some of the great things that you can do with WordPress and Google Apps give us a call on 08444 128066 or email me here .
We have just moved this site to a new host and a few things need tidying up. We are sorry if you some things don’t work; if you find something wrong please tell me at neil@creativemixedmedia.com
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Any small business owner will agree that it is vitally important to spend your marketing budget wisely, in times of economic uncertainty this is especially true. Finding the right balance between spending too much and devoting sufficient resources to effective and professional marketing has never been more important.
Often SMEs and new businesses will try to save money by producing their own design and marketing materials, while in some cases this can pay dividends we cannot recommend it for all small businesses.
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