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Embedding video directly into WordPress blog posts

Sunday, May 30th, 2010

Many bloggers find it helpful to embed personal video and other media in blog posts.  It can be challenging to find an easy way to add multimedia to a blog post.  I will walk you through one process of making it possible to do so.

WordPress is somewhat limited in the media file types that it handles by default. To see if your favorite type is handled, check here. If it’s not, you may want to…

Expand your MIME types

MIME stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension. It’s a communications protocol that allows for transmission of different forms of data such as audio, binary and video—it no longer refers strictly to email data transfer.

To expand the types of video (or other media) you can upload and stream, first install the PJW Mime Config plugin.  Once the MIME plugin is installed, you can add any of the file extensions that  you would like to upload to your WordPress blog.  The first one I added was .3gp, the type of video used by many mobile devices today.  In the plugin, I added .3gp as the file extension and video/3gpp as the associated MIME type.  Now WordPress will happily accept my .3gp video uploads.

Here is an extensive list of Mime types you may like to add http://www.webmaster-toolkit.com/mime-types.shtml

Upload and play your video: All-in-One Video Pack

Once you’ve made sure that your media file type will work in WordPress, you’ll need a player to play the video within the posts.  The player plugin I chose is the All-in-One Video Pack by Kaltura.  Once installed and activated, the plugin is ready to go, no additional configuration needed.  You will need to sign up for an account with Kaltura and this will be handled directly in your WP control panel. This plugin also comes with a sidebar widget that will show your latest videos if you would like to do so.

I chose All-In-One Video Pack for videos, but it will handle many other types of media as well. For instance, you can film directly from your webcam or insert photos or audio from your computer.  It also will pull photos from Flikr or NYPL; for audio, you can pull from Jamendo, CCMixter or your own collection.  For video you have the choices or Metacafe or PhotoBucket, along with your home collection.

The one down side I had with All-in-One Video Pack was browser crashes.  The upload process would sometimes stall and the browser would crash.  This only happened to me in Chrome and has not happened in a while.  Still, if using this plugin, I would save any text as draft before adding media to it… just in case.  All in all, All-in-One seems to be a decent solution to streaming video.

Once you’ve installed All-in-One, you will have a new option under Upload/Insert when you are editing your post.  You will see a red button called Add interactive video.  To add a video, simply click the button, choose upload, browse for the folder you would like to add in your post, and click upload.  That’s it—you now have your video playing in your blog post.

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Quick n’ Easy Image Resizing for Lucky Linux Users

Monday, May 24th, 2010

UbuntuFor those of you using the Ubuntu with the Nautilus file manager, or any other Linux distribution with Nautilus, here is a quick and easy tip for resizing images.  It is called the Nautilus image converter.

To use the Nautilus image converter simply go to the command line and install by typing “sudo aptitude install nautilus-image-converter”, no quotations. Once installed restart nautilus by using the command “nautilus -q”.  Now you can simply right click on any image and have the option to resize or rotate it in the drop down menu.

For Gimp users there is a plugin called David’s Batch Processor.   It can be downloaded for linux or Windows here or installed as part of the “gimp-plugin-registry” using Synaptic package manager.   This plugin allows many more options than the Nautilus option including batch resize.

For more information on image optimization or if you prefer an online solutions to image resizing please refer to this blog.

Enjoy!

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Posted in Linux, The Latest, tips | No Comments »

WordPress: Two Plugin Reviews

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

I’ve been doing a lot of work for a client using WordPress this week. Briefly, WordPress is an open source platform for blogging. It also offers many more features than just a simple blog. Here, I review a couple of optional plugins that you can use on WordPress. These plugins offer your WordPress site visitors a photo gallery (Webpsilon Morfeo Gallery) or an email subscription option (Subscribe2).

A WordPress Plugin Review: Webpsilon Morfeo Gallery

Here at LDW, Morfeo Show has been one of our favorite plugins for our clients’ Joomla! sites. Thanks to Webpsilson Morfeo Gallery is also available for WordPress.  I find the WordPress version every bit as user-friendly as the Joomla! version. It provides for basic image needs very well.

While the Joomla! version is more advanced and offers a wider range of gallery themes, I do not believe the WordPress version is limiting. It’s meant to display within blogs, whereas the Joomla! version has been developed to be very versatile for websites’ many needs.

There’s one limiting factor with Morfeo on WordPress: you have to get your photos to the site using ftp, and many bloggers are not familiar or comfortable with the ftp side of a website. There is a workarround for this by changing your default upload location to the Morfeo image folder, but you have to remember to switch it back to the default once you are done.  Even with this limitation I feel that this is a plugin worth mentioning.

Thanks to the developers of Webpsilon Morfeo Gallery—it was just what I was looking for.

A WordPress Plugin Review: Subscribe2

The Subscribe2 plugin is a way for your WordPress visitors to sign up to receive an email subscription to your blog. You can configure the frequency with which subscribers receive emails: every time you post something new, weekly, daily or even hourly if you prefer. I set mine to only send out an email when there is something new to read.

My goal was to create a separate page on a WordPress site which would give the visitor a place to sign up for the subscription. I was provided with two options: I could manually insert the Subscribe2 token into a newly created page, or I could simply press the Subscribe2 button in the WYSIWYG and it would be inserted on the new page. I picked the latter, and there it was. Subscribe2 also has a widget option, in case you would prefer a widget on your blog’s sidebar rather than having a separate page for email subscriptions.

I really enjoyed working with this software. Plugins can sometimes be a struggle to get to work, but with Subscribe2 this was not the case. I am happy with this plugin’s performance and would recommend it as a simple and effective way to handle email subscriptions on a WordPress site.

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Posted in Joomla, The Latest, WordPress, plugins | 2 Comments »

Learning something new

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Had an interesting conversation with someone tonight. He said “I don’t even know how to turn a computer on.” After talking to him for a bit, he shared that he would like to learn how to use a computer, but nobody has shown him how.

I shared that I would be happy to set a time to help him get started, I had quite a few similar students while I was in New Orleans. I also shared that like anything it takes practice. Earlier that day, I was reading a Hanes Manual. Anyone who has worked on cars is familiar with this book, it has step by step instructions and illustrations showing how to dis-assemble and re-assemble every part of a vehicle. About 6 years ago, when I was travelling around in an old vehicle I was not at all intimidated to dig in with this book and fix virtually any problem the car may throw at me. Today, I experienced intimidation looking at the book. I still have the same skills, but as I haven’t done it in quite a few years, it felt very different. Computers are the same way. As long as you continue to give it a set amount of time each day, or at least each week, it gradually becomes easier. I thing learning any new skill is like this. No matter how intimidating it may seem, with practice, one day you’ll look back and wonder what was so intimidating.

I suppose the most important thing is overcoming any intimidation and taking those first steps. I remember some of the folks in New Orleans, and other places where I have taught computer use, I can say from experience, those that learn the fastest, and make the most solid progress are those that try things. They say things like “Ok, let’s see what happens if I do this…” Whereas those that make the slowest progress are those that say “I’m worried if I try that I might break something.”

So I say go for it, obviously make sure that you back things up, or ask somebody to do this for you, and then just start clicking on links, and hitting buttons and see what happens. This can be applied to trying a computer for the first time, or trying to use a new Joomla website, or fixing a car for that matter, you wont learn if you don’t try.

Now, if you find that what you’re doing is not getting the right results, reach out and ask someone what else to try, don’t ask them to do it for you, just let them tell you about it so that you can do it yourself. Even if somebody told you how to do something, you can still celebrate the victory of having done it by yourself.

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Posted in The Latest, tips | 1 Comment »

WordPress App for Android

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

If you are a blogger and are not always around your computer when you feel the urge to blog, I suggest taking a look at one of the many applications available for your smartphone.  I have recently started playing around with the  WordPress Android App on my HTC Incredible phone.  While it is possible to type your blog on the phone I found this app to work well with the voice to text translator that comes stock with the phone.   If I (theoretically) didn’t have computer access, it would allow me to just speak my blog post into the phone and upload it as a draft to the web.

I have found that this application works well to get my basic ideas in one place and up on the website in draft form. When I do get to the computer all I have to do is proofread it, get the layout right and send it on its way.  I am also able to add categories and tags right from the phone. Note: there was more editing to do with voice to text than if I would have simply typed the blog post.

The mobile wysiwyg has the ability to add links, bold, blockquote and italics.  It even enables the user to add images. However the image uploader works much better on the web based version of WordPress. When done from the phone I was not able to pick where the photos would be displated or how large they would be.

This week I found it to be an entertaining way to post my blog.  Time will tell if it is just a novelty.

Well, here goes nothing… post!

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Posted in Mobile updates, Online tools, Phones, WordPress, web | No Comments »

What we like about Linux..

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

LinuxMany years ago I first tried Linux on some old PCs that were donated.  It was fun, and as a hobbyist, I enjoyed the challenge of getting everything to work; to be honest, however, I seldom succeeded.  Then, quite a few years later, I took another look and found much progress.  Unfortunately, my desire for Linux to become widely used was unrealistic as it still required a person with good technical savvy and acumen – or at least a certain amount of confidence – to install and use Linux.  News spread about how growing amounts of people, especially corporations, were finding how much more stable and secure Linux was; this occurred around the same time that people were becoming increasingly disappointed and disenchanted with Microsoft after its release of Windows Vista.

While serving in New Orleans, I met others who were not only experimenting with Linux, but were using it as their primary operating system.  Meanwhile, my dissatisfaction with Windows was exacerbating, particularly due to constant worry about whether or not I was protected enough against viruses and spyware.  In fact, my protection was eating up all my resource, yet I still didn’t feel secure.

So, I took the leap of faith and switched over to Linux, hoping that it would enable me to accomplish all that I needed to do.  I did mess around with dual boot (utilizing both Windows XP and various Linux distributions on the same machine), and I still had my share of challenges getting everything to work, but before long I was proudly promoting the benefits of Open Source* with my computer running Debian Linux.  During my time in New Orleans, we tried many different distributions, especially in the computer labs which we were establishing. With donated computers, it was a way around the expensive license fees required if we were to install legitimate versions of Windows.  Linux was very stable, very easy to use once installed, and a great way to introduce others to Open Source. We found that Ubuntu and Xubuntu were the most uncomplicated for end users to operate, and in effort to better understand and help them, I switched to Ubuntu on my own laptop.

After leaving New Orleans, I offered that laptop to J, which is part of the reason that he got excited about computers and now is pursuing a career in web design.  So this journey uncovers another great reason to use Linux:  it gives more of a hands-on experience, which may lead to discovery of  previously unknown natural talents.

We have both just upgraded our systems to Ubuntu Lucid Lynx, and I must say that it is now certainly more advantageous to use Ubuntu than it is to use Windows:  easier to install, safer and more secure, and a heck of a lot more fun as there is no limit to the amount of customization you can do.

So with the attractive price tag of FREE, why doesn’t everybody switch?  If you still find that you have programs that need to be run in Windows, you may have to tinker with Wine (a Windows emulator that allows you to run programs in Linux) VirtualBox, (creating a virtual version of Windows that runs inside Linux), or using dual boot (utilizing both operating systems side-by-side so that one can choose which to use upon start-up).  All of these options add a level of complexity that some may wish to avoid.  Some may feel like they have more support if using Windows, but often that support comes at the tradeoff of a high price tag.  Now that so many people are using Linux, the support abounds, and there are hundreds of forums, many of which are very “newbie” friendly.  I think the primary reason more people haven’t yet switched is because they have never tried and are thwarted by fear of the unknown.

Is it time for you to make the move to Open Source Linux?  We highly recommend Ubuntu Lucid Lynx.

for the first timer if you have a newer machine, although there are a lot of other distributions from which to choose.  If you are ready to make the move but are unsure of yourself, we would be happy to offer any advice and welcome any questions.  Please just let us know.

*Open Source is a concept of sharing intellectual properties without concern for compensation. Lowthian Design Works uses many open source applications, including this blog, published in Wordpress, and open source content management system.

Thanks Amy Tyson for proofreading this post.

Posted in Fixes, Linux, Performance, The Latest, Windows, collective, tips | No Comments »

Kevin’s LDW Internship Reflection

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Recently, I had the opportunity to complete an internship for Lowthian Design Works. Currently a graduate student at Oregon State University, as soon as my finals were over and spring break began, I could barely contain my eagerness to begin….web work? That’s right. While many of my peers were spending their break on west coast beaches or simply relaxing at home, I was busy learning the ins and outs of web design – and I couldn’t have anticipated a more fun and fulfilling experience. It’s not that I had this mad love for designing web sites. In fact, I knew next to nothing on the subject before beginning my internship. But what I did know was that the guys of LDW were engaged in important and exciting work, and so I jumped at the chance to help their efforts.

As an LDW intern, my days (and some nights) were filled studying Joomla and content management systems, trying my hand at PHP coding and HTML manipulation, and finally putting it all together to construct a web site from the ground up. All the while, I was being guided by two of the most savvy and capable individuals I know, J. and Geoffrey. Each day consisted of a considerable amount of time at the keyboard, and I was thrilled to gain first-hand experience of what it takes to be a web designer. The most memorable moments, however, were the many enlightening discussions I had with J and Geoffrey. While the topic of conversation varied, always present was the sense of teamwork, service, and purpose that drives the shared vision of LDW. While many companies gauge their success in terms of dollars, notoriety, or other internal measures, the members of LDW are motivated first and foremost by the success of their clients. This is because LDW believes in the valuable work that each of its clients are doing and strives to help those individuals and organizations reach higher and further than ever before.

As I head back to complete my degree and pursue my interests in technology innovation, I will continue to lend a helping hand to LDW whenever and however I can. While my internship stint has concluded, I anticipate further collaborations and a continuing partnership. LDW is founded on integrity and forward-thinking, and I am excited to see what the future holds for this great company. I want to thank J. and Geoffrey for sharing their invaluable time, knowledge, and expertise with me. More importantly, thank you for all you are doing to make our world a better place – one web-space at a time.

-Kevin R.

*Click here to find out more about Kevin and his work at Oregon State University.

Posted in LDW Clients, The Latest, collective, news | 1 Comment »

Review of JFusion

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

My goal was to incorporate a discussion forum into one of our Joomla sites. In order to do this we would use a piece of software called phpBB as well as Joomla. PhpBB usually runs as it’s own website. However, we needed to visually integrate phpBB into Joomla creating what would appear to be one site with a forum included.

The component I chose to handle this chore was JFusion. It offers web administrators a way to integrate a variety of software into a Joomla site without the stress of core hacks or bridging the two. Some of the currently supported software is phpBB, myBB, Moodle, docuwiki, Oscommerce, Magento, and vBulletin. After seeing this list and the good reviews that Jfusion received I thought that it would be a worthwhile component to get familiar with.

I found Jfusion to be easy to install. The documentation provided was easy to follow and easy to understand. All the information that I needed on the project at hand could be found on Jfusions web site. This is a very well supported project and one that I will use again.

If you are a person interested in installing Jfusion I would warn that the initial learning process is time consuming but worth it. Once you have read the documentation and been through the setup you will feel that you understand Jfusion. I know that future installs and setup will go very quickly now that I have learned this process. It is definitely worth reading the documentation and understanding the software you are trying to integrate before jumping in.

All in all I feel that Jfusion is the only way to go when attempting an integration. If you have a Joomla site and are interested in adding a forum or other software to it please contact us. We would be happy to help you through the process.

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Posted in Fixes, Joomla, Joomla Add-ons, LDW Clients, New project, The Latest, tips | No Comments »

Why Joomla (CMS)

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

While working in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina, there was demand for a lot of new websites to raise awareness and funds for the rebuilding effort. Through trial and error I learned that a content management system (CMS) was the best way to help my new clients interact and present themselves on the internet.

Upon arrival in New Orleans as a web designer I realized that I could easily become overwhelmed with the amount of work. The first organization I began work with already had a website running on Drupal. They asked for my assistance with the site so I dug in and learned more about content management systems. I had seen and heard about CMS websites, but until then had always coded static sites in html and css. The downside of websites such as I had been working with is that clients had to either learn html, or contact me every time they needed something edited.

So, the combination of the what could become overwhelming workload in New Orleans and this introduction to CMS, Most non-techies avoid learning html like cats avoid leashes. I soon saw the great benefit of my many New Orleans clients using a CMS. Each client was different. Each client had different needs. With a CMS I was able to streamline all of my clients into a content management system that could be tailored to each individual client’s needs. At the same time I was able to avoid cats, leashes and frustrated clients on the outer rim of html learning curves.

CMS websites, are also often called – for good reason – . Once designed and configured the website is built in such a way that anyone who is provided access can use a simple wysiwyg editor (or MS Word, open office, or any other rich text editor) and make updates and manage the website. The use of CMS means that clients can take ownership of their websites in a day to day fashion, leaving us time to roll out the clients’ broader design ideas.

Designers involved with CMS websites add features such as calendars, forms, photo galleries. All of these new features can be easily accessed and updated by clients. Upon looking at the extensions available I soon realized that my CMS websites could accomplish so much more than my previous statically designed websites. This is why I have converted almost all of my previous clients websites over to Joomla.

Now finally we get to the title of this blog Why Joomla.. Drupal (the first CMS I learned) is very powerful. However, over time and with help of friends (Thanks Nick!) I came around the use of Joomla as my primary CMS. I have seen that Joomla has an easier user interface within demo sites. For this reason Joomla is less intimidating than Drupal for my clients.

I have since realized that with Joomla there is a huge variety of available templates. I have learned how to apply my html and css skills to create custom templates and even take a client’s existing website and convert it to Joomla. In this way the site visitors see no difference, but the client can easily log in and edit their site.

I am happy to report that the sites we rolled out in New Orleans have been met with great success. Though we still help with content updates on some sites, other clients have thrived with their new sites. I love to my clients’ sites and see all the new and changing content! These clients contact us for support, design changes, or to add new features. In this way we are left with more time to build and work on new sites.

The CMS movement is radically changing how we as designers interact with our clients and how our clients ultimately interact with the world.

Thanks to Sean David Hobbs for editing this article

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Posted in Joomla, Joomla Add-ons, LDW Clients, The Latest, collective, web | No Comments »

IT and nature: a perfect balance

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

I find that in my life as an IT worker, nature plays an important role. I am lucky to live in a town with nice neighborhoods and parks to explore, so a walk through the park or around the block is a great way to break up sessions of web work. These walks often lead to inspiration and provide a resurgence of energy to take back to the computer upon my return.

Fish CreekThis weekend we drove out to Fish Creek and spent the night in the camper, listening to the water, watching the sky, and playing cribbage. Such trips are a way to drop one type of connection for another. When there is no chance of receiving a phone call or connecting to a network, I find myself connecting with streams, birds, little critters and the fresh smell of spring. Rejuvenation!

Nature might not be the perfect source of renewal for everyone. Maybe your balance looks a little different than mine. Whatever it is, it is important to balance work life with something relaxing and enjoyable. For me this happens to be the great outdoors in Big Sky Country, Montana.

Still, I was sure to get home in time to write the Sunday evening blog.

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