Making your website easy to navigate is essential if you want to have a professional looking and user friendly website.

For many years, working with menus in WordPress was very limited. It was a very basic menu system. What it actually amounted to was that the “menu” system just spit out the list of all your pages on your site. It was up to you to work overtime installing plugins or writing code that would either exclude or include certain pages so as to get your menu to look exactly how you wanted.

iThemes came along and introduced a much better and easier method of working with menus. They provided a listing of pages and categories and the WordPress user could simply “check” the box next to the page or category that they wanted included in the menu. This simple but effective feature provided users with little or no coding experience (or those who just wanted a simple solution) the ability to customize menus on their WordPress site quickly and easily.

Then came the release of the 3.0 version of WordPress. Version 3.0 provided a completely new menu management solution for WordPress that allowed users to create as many menus as they desired and (depending on the theme being used) allowed them to insert the different menus wherever desired.

The Builder Theme by iThemes then stepped up and gave users the best of all worlds when it comes to menus and navigation. Builder theme users can choose from three options (and even a combination of options) when building their sites. This really is very flexible if you understand the benefits of each type of menu / navigation construction.

Lets take a look at the different menu options the Builder theme offers users.

Builder And WordPress 3.0 Bring Everything Together…..

As is evident from looking at the above screenshot, the Builder Theme by iThemes allows for users to choose between all three options. Every time you create a custom menu, it auto-populates in the navigation drop-down menu giving unlimited flexibility to create as many menus and to display them wherever you want. That’s just one of the many advantages you gain when using Builder to build your WordPress websites.

Just when you thought a WordPress plugin that backs up your website couldn’t get any better, the guy’s at iThemes that developed BackupBuddy proves you’re wrong.

Of course, BackupBuddy isn’t your daddy’s old backup plugin either, so it really isn’t any surprise that it only gets better and better.

Here Is A BackupBuddy 2.0 Feature Peek, Presented By The Developers Themselves

In celebration of BackupBuddy’s successful year of backing up WordPress sites (over 16,000 to date!) we’ve been hard at work in once again setting the bar higher for WordPress backup solutions with BackupBuddy version 2.0. With well over 75 new features and enhancements this version is sure to further improve and strengthen the power that BackupBuddy puts in your hands. When can you get it? We’re aiming around late March.

While there are too many features to list one-by-one (and some just too secret to release right now), the list below helps give an idea of some of the many improvements coming. A great deal of focus has been put on improving reliability and usability with this major release as well.
This list is by no means comprehensive and leaves out some Top Secret features to be unveiled in the near future. We are saving the best for last — stay tuned for those.

New Features

• Enhanced built-in help with popup in-page video tutorials throughout
• More remote storage methods: Rackspace Cloud Storage, Dropbox.com, & Amazon S3
• High security mode backups (database & admin password stripped for security or making ready-to-deploy packaged sites — developers: sell pre-packaged ready-to-go configured sites!)
• Background manual backups (start a backup, close your browser, and walk away)
• Configure remote backup destination & notifications per schedule (developers: use this to set up scheduled backups of your clients’ sites to your servers & get notified, even if the customer adds their own schedules!)
• Server Information section: server diagnosis, basic security checks, server benchmarking (how slow is your server?), graphical space usage charting (easily see where your space is being used up on your server), CRON viewer, and much more
• Backup on creating or editing a post or page (never forget to backup again!)
• Detailed database table inclusion/exclusion options (make sure everything you want is backed up and nothing more)
• Directly pull backups to destination server via importbuddy (streamline migrations/restorations without having to download and re-upload files over your connection)

Improvements

• Better support for larger sites (especially those with large databases)
• Improved compatibility with slower servers
• Improved feedback during backup & restore processes
• Better error handling & recovery in case something goes wrong
• Improved backup integrity checking performance (be confident in your backups)
• Streamlined and simplified backup & restore process (easier to use but just as powerful)

And much much more…

Visit the developers website for Information & Pricing On BackupBuddy & Other Premium WordPress Plugins

You Can Get All Of The Plugins Now Available From PluginBuddy For One Price (developer licenses)

Due to popular request, PluginBuddy now offers a combo package, designed for developers, and it includes all of their recent (and upcoming) plugins at PluginBuddy …

Here Are Some Of The Great Benefits Included:

* Saves you money – You get all PluginBuddy premium plugins for one price
* You get one year of support and upgrades
* You get Developer Plans for all plugins – includes automatic upgrades on unlimited sites
* You get any new PluginBuddy plugins that are released during your membership year

Here Are The Current Plugins Included In The Developer Suite:

* BackupBuddy ($150 value)
* EmailBuddy (Available only in the Developer Suite!)
* Mobile ($150 value)
* DisplayBuddy ($150 value)
Includes: SlideShow, Video Showcase, Carousel, Featured Posts, Rotating Text, Billboard, Rotating Images, and Copious Comments
* VidEmbed ($20 value)
* Any other of their plugins listed on their site.
* And more plugins coming in the future!

Get the Developer Suite Today!

This Developer Suite is ideal for WordPress developers and designers.

The Vidembed Plugin by PluginBuddy is a powerful yet simple to use solution for adding videos inline within your WordPress posts, pages, and widget areas.

VidEmbed offers support for both self-hosted videos as well as YouTube and Vimeo. With VidEmbed, you can quickly and easily add videos from many sources.

We all know about the explosion of media on the web, and how important it is to be able to easily and quickly provide video content to your site visitors. VidEmbed makes it easy.

Some Of The Key Benefits of VidEmbed:

• * Allows you to imbed videos directly in your posts at the click of a button.
• * Ability to imbed stand-alone videos (flv, mp4, and mov formats).
• * Easily imbed YouTube & Vimeo videos.
• * Includes support for Amazon S3 hosted videos.
• * Uses an open source video player.
• * Includes widget support.
• * Handy shortcode button.
• * Allows for site-wide player customizations & styling.
• * Classes available for advanced CSS customization.

Here is a video giving a quick overview of the VidEmbed plugin…..

Here’s How Easy It Is To Install A PluginBuddy Plugin…..

• * Unzip the downloaded plugin file.
• * Use your favorite FTP client, FileZilla for example, to put the folder in your plugins directory (wp-content/plugins)
• * Login and go to the plugins page in your WordPress Dashboard
• * Activate the plugin

Want detailed video instructions showing how to get started using WordPress and installing your plugins? Check out our Quick Steps to Getting Started video tutorials here.

Here are some videos showing you how to get started using WordPress and your plugins.

STEP ONE…..How To Get Your Domain Name And Web Hosting

You need Linux hosting with Fantastico to make installing WordPress a very fast and easy task.

We use and recommend HostGator Web Hosting.

Here’s Why…..

• They have outstanding support
• They have extremely competitive prices
• They have several hosting plans to choose from
• They have outstanding uptime

STEP TWO…..Install WordPress

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PluginBuddy Info/Prices

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Watch a detailed explanation on Installing WordPress Using cPanel and Fantastico

STEP THREE…..Purchase your plugin

Look through the plugins available at PluginBuddy Store to purchase the plugin of your choice. The best deal is the PluginBuddy Developer Suite, because you get all of the plugins now available, and you also get all plugins released in your membership year. The choice is yours, buy only one, or buy them all.

Watch the video below for detailed instructions.

[flowplayer src=buy-plugin.mp4 splash=buy-plugin.png width=500 height=308 autoplay=false popup='

PluginBuddy Info/Pricing

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STEP FOUR…..Upload your plugin and activate it

[flowplayer src=activate-plugin.mp4 splash=activate-plugin.png width=500 height=308 autoplay=false popup='

PluginBuddy Info/Pricing

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STEP FIVE…..Manage your plugin licenses and auto-upgrades.

[flowplayer src=license.mp4 splash=license.png width=578 height=361 autoplay=false popup='

PluginBuddy Info/Pricing

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You can find more information on plugin use and settings on the sales page of most plugins.

And as you would expect from PluginBuddy, they provide full instructions on all of their plugins.

Below are screenshots of some of the Child Themes you will receive with your Builder Theme purchase. On the date of this post, there was a total of 24 Child Themes available, and more are being added all of the time.

This post is meant to give you a lot of information on iThemes in general and the Builder Theme in particular.

I started using iThemes themes when they were just getting started in the business of providing custom themes for WordPress. I had previously used a lot of free themes, some good and some bad, and a few custom themes by other companies. I had such good luck with iThemes themes, and the support they provided, that I now use them exclusively for all of my WordPress websites.

I should point out that all of my websites now are built using WordPress because I haven’t found anything that I want to do in the way of building a website that can’t be accomplished using WordPress. I also should point out that all of my websites use iThemes themes with the exception of my ecommerce site at TutorDaddy.com, where I sell video tutorials, and this site you are on now, which uses a plugin and included theme provided by AuthorityPro for building authority sites.

The premier theme that iThemes has developed is the Builder theme, and the videos and information below will give you the real lowdown on just how powerful and versatile this theme really is.

In case you’re wondering why they named it “Builder”, just watch the videos below and it will become evident that “Builder” is the perfect name for this theme.

Here are a few reasons…..

• Want to have a site with a different layout for every single post on your site? No problem, you can do it with Builder!
• Want to have a site with a different layout for every single page on your site? No problem again, you can do it with Builder!
• Want to have custom menus, as many as you want, where you want, with the links you want? No problem again!
• Want to be able to change things like font, colors, backgrounds, etc, without knowing code?You guessed it, Builder can do it!

Guess that’s why they named it “Builder”.

[flowplayer src=Builder2.mp4 splash=builder2.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

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Another big advantage that you get when using Builder as your theme is the huge (and growing) selection of child themes that you get, free of charge, with Builder. Child themes give you the ability to instantly change the whole look and feel of your website. And, once again no coding skills required, you do it with a simple click of your mouse.

Click Here to see images of some of the Builder Child Themes available at this time.

[flowplayer src=builder3.mp4 splash=builder3.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

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Style Manager makes it “click-of-the-mouse” easy to change individual features like background color or image, font, and more without knowing any code at all. Tweak your website and get it to looking exactly like you want, and it’s no problem with Builder.

[flowplayer src=builder4.mp4 splash=builder4.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

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As would be expected from a premium theme like Builder, SEO options are built right in to the theme.

[flowplayer src=builder5.mp4 splash=builder5.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

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And of course, as you would expect from the people at iThemes, they have outstanding training available covering everything from WordPress basics right on up to advanced theme configuration and styling, backing up your WordPress sites, and much much more. Check out the events schedule to see what they have in store for you. It’s great training, and it’s free.

Have Questions About Builder Theme?…..

What kind of training is provided when I buy Builder?

What about other themes and child themes that are not Builder child themes? Will they be compatible to use with Builder?

Can people with very little experience work with Builder, or is it really just for developers?

Why do I have to renew in a year?

Appearance >>> Menus

The Appearance >>> Menus SubPanel became available beginning with WordPress Version 3.0. In order for you to use a Custom Navigation Menu in place of your theme’s default menu, you must have support for this feature registered in the theme’s functions.php file.

Menu Panel

Using The Screen Options Tab

The Screen Options tab, located near top right corner of page, allows you to choose which modules you want displayed, and which ones you want to not be displayed, in the underlying SubPanel. When you click on the Screen Options tab, it shows a list of the possible modules and options for that page, with a check-box next to each one. Simply check the box for each module or option you want to see displayed, and uncheck the box for any you choose not to display. When finished, click the Screen Options tab again to close the Screen Options.

How To Expand, Collapse, and Rearrange Modules

The modules, Posts for instance, can be expanded, or collapsed, by clicking on the module title bar.

How To Create a Menu

It’s very simple to create a new custom menu. All it takes is to click on the + tab, enter in a name for your menu, and click the Create Menu button.

It is necessary to point out that if the theme you are currently using does not support menus, the following message will be displayed:

“The current theme does not natively support menus, but you can use the “Custom Menu” widget to add any menus you create here to the theme’s sidebar.”

The message will display to let you know that widgets can be used to put custom menus in your themes sidebar.

My personal favorite theme to use on my websites that can take full advantage of the custom menu feature is the Builder Theme by iThemes. This theme is a highly advanced theme that allows you to create unlimited page and post layouts, and you can put menus anywhere you want, and as many as you want.

You can create as many menus as you wish, whatever suits your purposes. In the event that your theme includes support for more than one custom menu, you can use the drop down box to choose which custom menu to associate with each. As pointed out above you are also able to use custom menus in conjunction with the Custom Menus widget.

After creating a custom menu, these options are available:

Delete Menu

—Click this link if you wish to delete the menu. Be aware that deleting also deletes the menu items.

Automatically add new top-level pages

—Check this box so that anytime you create a new top-level Page, that Page will automatically be added to the menu

Save Menu

—Click this button to save your menu and any changes you have made.

How To Add Menu Items

Once a menu is created, it is possible to add detail items to the menu. You can add items like custom links, pages, and categories using the available options in the left column. You can add any custom post types or custom taxonomies that you may have created. In case you don’t see your custom post types or taxonomies, don’t forget to check the Screen Options tab to make sure they are checked to be “Show on Screen”.

After adding your items to a menu, you can then drag and drop them to put them in the order you want. Once you have the menu items arranged correctly, you can click each item to reveal additional configuration options. Another neat feature, you can also drag a menu item a little to the right to make it a submenu. This feature allows you to create menus with hierarchy. As you drag an item to the right you’ll see when the position of the drop target (the dotted lines box) shifts over to portray the nested placement. IMPORTANT, once you have finished creating and configuring your custom menu, be sure and click the Save Menu button.

So, with the Custom Menu feature in WordPress, you can specify a different navigation label for a menu item as well as other attributes. You can create multiple menus, as many as needed to suit your purpose. If your theme allows the use of more than one menu, you can choose which custom menu to associate with each. You can also display your custom menus using the Custom Menus widget.

The screenshot below shows an example of two Sub-Menu Items displayed in a hierarchy under the Home Menu Item.

Sub-menus

Choosing A Theme Location For A Menu

Theme locations allows you to select the desired placement of your menu. The WordPress default TwentyTen theme only supports one menu location, so you will see the message ‘Your theme supports 1 menu. Select which menu you would like to use‘. (If you have added the code to allow more navigation menus in your theme, you will see those in the pull-down location options)

Location

—From the pull down box, make your selection for the menu that will be presented in the location, for example, Primary Location

Save

—Click to save the location that you selected.

Adding A Custom Link

Custom links allows you to create links to any desired URL and give them any desired display name.

URL

—Enter the URL for your custom link.

Label

—Enter the label (display name) describing the custom link URL.

Add to Menu

—Click this button to add your custom link to the menu.

The link is now added to the menu, it will be displayed to the right with the label, the word ‘Custom’, and a configuration arrow allowing you to change the URL or Label and to remove the custom link from the menu if desired.

Adding Links To Posts

Use this option to add links to specific posts. Three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’, allow you to choose what posts are displayed for selection as a menu item.

Checkbox

—Check the box next to the item that you want to add to the menu.

Select All

—Checking this box will cause the checkbox to be checked on all items. Clicking this again will cause all items to be unchecked.

Add to Menu

—Click this button to add your selected items to the menu on the right.

Adding Links To Pages

Here is where you add links to specific pages. Three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’, are shown.They allow you to choose what pages are displayed for selection as a menu item. When the ‘View All’ tab is displayed, a Home link choice, while not necessarily an actual page, also becomes available to add to the menu. The ‘Checkbox’, ‘Select All’, and ‘Add to Menu’ options, described in the Posts section above, are also displayed in this module.

Adding Links To Categories

Your categories can also be added to the menu. Three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’ allow you to determine what categories are displayed for selection as a menu item. The list does not display in any particular hierarchy. The ‘Checkbox’, ‘Select All’, and ‘Add to Menu’ options are also displayed in this module.

Adding Links To Post Tags

You can also add Post Tags to menus. Again, three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’ determine what categories are displayed for you to select as a menu item. The ‘Checkbox’, ‘Select All’, and ‘Add to Menu’ options are also displayed in this module.

Adding Links To Custom Post Types and Taxonomies

Custom post types and taxonomies will also be available to add as menu items. In the event that you don’t see your custom post types or taxonomies, be sure and check the ‘Screen Options’ tab to make sure those modules are set to display. As expected, the options available under each of the custom post type and taxonomy modules correspond to those used for Posts, Pages, Categories, and Post Tags.

How To Rearrange, Configure, and Delete Menu Items

After you add your items to a menu, those menu items can be rearranged in whatever order you wish. Place your mouse cursor over the menu item title and then when the mouse cursor changes to 4-arrows, hold the left-mouse button down and drag the module to where you want to place it. Then release the mouse button and continue rearranging the items to achieve the desired order. Also, remember that by dragging a menu item slightly to the right of the menu item above it you can create a hierarchy (parent/child) relationship in the menu.

Every Menu Item will have a configuration arrow on the right side of the Menu Item title. Clicking there opens the configuration box for that item. If you click the arrow a second time it will close the configuration box. Again, if you don’t see Link Target, CSS Classes, Link Relationship (XFN), and Description, then check the Screen Options tab to make sure those boxes are checked to make the options available.

The configuration choices are:

Navigation Label

—The label you want to show for this particular menu item

Title Attribute

—The attribute you want to use when displaying the label

Link Target

—Here you can select “Same window or tab” or “New window or tab” from the pulldown.

CSS Classes

—Optional CSS Classes for this menu item

Link Relationship

—Allows for the generation of XFN attributes automatically. Allows you to show how you are related to the authors/owners of site to which you are linking.

Description

—Enter a description for this link. The description will be displayed in the menu assuming that the current theme supports it.

Original

—A link to the original source of the menu item. For example, a link to view the post or page).

Remove

—Remove this menu item from the menu.

Cancel

—Cancel the configuration of the menu item.

How To Add Menu Support to Themes

The default WordPress TwentyTen theme supports navigation menus. If your theme does not support the custom menu feature, you can do it yourself by adding the appropriate code to your theme’s function.php file. For further information on implementing custom menus for a theme, see The WordPress Codex

If you want to avoid the hassle of trying to add code to your current theme to get it to fully support custom menus, then once again I recommend you take a look at the Builder Theme by iThemes. Builder allows you to create unlimited page and post layouts, and you can put menus anywhere you want, and as many as you want. No coding needed, ready to use your custom menus to full advantage.

That concludes this tutorial on using the Custom Menu feature in WordPress.

To access some advanced, and FREE, training on WordPress and other related subjects, sign up for some of the free training available from WebDesign.com

.

This Video Shows How To Create And Use
Custom Menus For Your WordPress Website

The Appearance Menus SubPanel is available beginning with Version 3.0. This is where you create Custom Menus to use in your WordPress website. To use a Custom Navigation Menu in place of your theme’s default menu, support for this feature must be registered in the theme’s functions.php file.
You can become an expert WordPress website developer when you take advantage of the advanced training available at WebDesign.com.  You get access to a full years worth of training, taught by experts, covering not only WordPress but many other subjects as well.  You can keep on stumbling around trying to figure things out on your own, or you can learn it the easy way.  Choice is yours!

You can also sign up for some excellent FREE training at WebDesign.com Events.

Flexx Theme Provides A Custom WordPress Theme  Especially For Building Professional Looking Sports Related Websites

Flexx Theme, Easy To Use, Loaded With Features

Why would you try and learn coding when you don’t have to?
That’s what iThemes thought of when they developed the FLEXX THEME SERIES.  They envisioned the most popular layouts and then built them from the ground up in an easy “pick and choose” layout grid system. It’s a blogging theme that gives you the ability to choose your layout, add your pictures, plug-in your sponsors all WITHOUT ANY CSS knowledge or long processes.
It’s a blog theme you can grow with so it’s perfect for beginners to advanced bloggers alike. It really is the most powerful, most adaptable, easy-to-use blog theme on the planet!

FEATURES:

• WordPress 2.7 Tested and Approved!
• Billboard Plug-In (only with Flexx Themes)
• Background Picker: easily choose and plug-in your favorite color or background image
• Quick Image Uploader: grab your images from the computer and simply click “upload”
• Contact Form: already built in and ready for you to use
• Flexx Layout: whatever layout you fancy with a click of a button
• Search Engine Optimized: Google and Yahoo friendly!
• Menu Builder: setting up your navigation bar couldn’t be easier
• Moving Header Feature: a built in feature that allows your images to rotate out and fade

Take A Test Drive Of Flexx Theme & See For Yourself!

Automobile Dealer Themes

A Custom WordPress Theme For Auto Dealers & Pre-Owned Car Lots

Theme Features

* Easily customizable
* Integrated blog
* Home page template
* Wide layout for content heavy sites
* Widget ready sidebars and feature areas
* Drop-down navigation
* Search engine optimized



Includes Access to WordPress Training Videos…..

You will learn how to do the following, and more…..

* How to install WordPress
* How to login to WP
* How widgets work
* How to upload/activate a theme
* How to write new Pages/Posts
* How to optimize WP for SEO

Click Here for full information, features, pricing, and a live demo of this theme.

Sports Team Theme

A Custom WordPress Theme For Sports Teams

iTeam is a premium sports WordPress theme designed specifically for sports teams websites, from basketball, soccer, football, and every sport in between, who want a website to keep track of scores, upcoming games, team rosters and much more!

Includes Access to WordPress Training Videos…..

You will learn how to do the following, and more…..

* How to install WordPress
* How to login to WP
* How widgets work
* How to upload/activate a theme
* How to write new Pages/Posts
* How to optimize WP for SEO

Click Here for full information, features, pricing, and a live demo of this theme.

iReal Estate Theme

A Custom WordPress Theme For Real Estate Agents

Theme Features

* Easily customizable
* Integrated blog
* Home page template
* Wide layout for content heavy sites
* Widget ready sidebars and feature areas
* Drop-down navigation
* Search engine optimized



Includes Access to WordPress Training Videos…..

You will learn how to do the following, and more…..

* How to install WordPress
* How to login to WP
* How widgets work
* How to upload/activate a theme
* How to write new Pages/Posts
* How to optimize WP for SEO

Click Here for full information, features, pricing, and a live demo of this theme.

If you listen to all of the “gurus” on the internet right now, then you know that nearly all of them are preaching the message that you need to have your own membership site.

Creating and maintaining a membership site used to be a job for expert programmers, database administrators, and web developers, and the average “little guy” internet marketer was left out in the cold. Most could not afford to hire these experts and therefore owning a membership site was out of the question.

Those days are gone forever. Anyone now can afford to have their own membership site. You can easily learn what you need to know to create your own site quickly, easily, and at very low cost.

You can purchase a video tutorial at very low cost that shows you step-by-step how to create a membership site using WordPress (which is free), and a plugin, which varies in price from a free one on up to one that costs around $150, that will handle Paypal billing and keep up with your membership.

Some of the “big guys” in membership site ownership use the Joomla content management system to manage their membership sites. Again, there are low cost videos available that will teach you how to install and configure Joomla and use it to manage a membership site. Joomla is a powerful content management system. There is a large selection of professionally created templates available, so you can get the exact look and feel that you want for your site.

Instead of selling your products one at a time, why not consider putting them in a membership site? If you have a hobby, a passion for some subject, an expertise in some field, put it in a membership site. Imagine getting 10 people a month paying you $19.95 per month, month after month! What if you had 100 people paying you $19.95 per month? What if you had 500 or 1000 people paying you $19.95 per month?

Yes, membership sites are the way to go, and with the training and software now available, anyone can build their own membership site and have it up, running, and bringing in a monthly income in no time at all!

My very first membership site took me a total of about 4 days to build, and at a cost of less than $100.00. I knew exactly nothing when I started, so anyone can do it.

Video tutorials are available at TutorDaddy.com and they can speed up the process of getting your membership site up and running.

If you use WordPress to build a membership site, you will need a good membership site plugin to manage membership chores, and you can find information on a couple of good ones at Digital Access Pass and at YourMember.

Give it a try, I think you will find it enjoyable and rewarding.

Can I use a “blog” to build a membership site?

What is the best “blogging” platform to use?

Good questions that may seem to have obvious answers to the “seasoned internet user”, but maybe not so obvious to the ones just starting out on their internet journeys.

“Blog” is an abbreviated version of “weblog,” which is a term used to describe web sites that maintain an ongoing supply of information and news.

A blog is a frequently updated personal (or business) website featuring diary-type commentary and links to articles and/or other web sites.

Blogs range from the personal to the political, the sublime to the ridiculous, and they can focus on one narrow subject or a whole wide range of subjects.

Many blogs focus on a particular topic, such as health, dating, dog training, web design, politics, sports, or mobile technology.

Some are more into just presenting links to all manner of other sites, mostly affiliate links that pay them when someone purchases a product after clicking one of the links..

And others are more like personal journals or diaries, presenting the author’s daily life and thoughts.

Whatever they are used for, blogs are ideally suited to building membership sites.

How does a person create a blog, you ask?

WordPress is probably the most popular and most powerful and versatile blogging software, and when I talk about blogging, I’m talking about using WordPress as the platform.

As far as using WordPress to build membership sites, I can say that it is definitely a very good way to get started. It is also a very low cost way to get started.

Membership sites are one of the hottest money makers on the web right now, and more and more people are creating an extra monthly pay check by building their own membership sites.

If you have a passion for a particular subject, almost any subject, chances are that a lot of other people have the same passion. Create a membership site where all of those people can mingle online with other like-minded people, and you are set to go.

If you have an expertise in a field, create a membership site, charge a monthly fee for others in the field to access your information, and you have money coming in every month, month after month.

You can find video tutorials that will guide you through all of the steps and show you exactly how to create membership sites using WordPress at TutorDaddy.com.

If you use WordPress to build a membership site, you will need a good membership site plugin to manage membership chores, and you can find information on a couple of good ones at Digital Access Pass and at YourMember.

Installing WordPress for the first time and getting it configured correctly can be a little intimidating, so watching a video tutorial on how to install WordPress can really give you a jump start on getting a membership site up and running.

In conclusion, if you want to build a membership site that costs almost no money, is easy to update and manage, and brings in a monthly recurring income, then I suggest you give WordPress a really close look.

This is not meant to be a tutorial on how to build a membership site. It is meant to give you information on platforms such as Joomla and WordPress that can easily be used to create membership sites.

It is also meant to give you information on components, plugins, and custom themes that you can use to accomplish the task with minimal cost and effort.

First of all though, why would you even want to have a membership site? The answer, of course, is that owning memberships sites can earn you a recurring monthly income. That means money in your bank account…..month after month after month.

Some reasons to start a membership site…..

• You have a book or ebook with some really great content that people would be interested in. Rather than try to sell the book or ebook as a one-time sale, break it up into sections and put it on a membership site, giving members access to one chapter or section each month. So, rather than sell 100 copies at $37 each and making $3700, charge 100 people $9.95 per month and give them a chapter each month for 12 months. Do the math on that and see what you come up with.




• You don’t really feel that you could sit down and spend several months, or years, writing a complete book or ebook and put it up for sale, but you could sit down each month and write a really good article to put on your membership site. That approach takes less time initally, and gives you a recurring income each month right off the bat.




• You want a site that gives you a captive audience that you can sell other products to each month. Affiliate products, other ebooks you own, adsense ads, all are opportunities to make even more money from your membership site members.




• You have knowledge or expertise in a subject or area that other people are interested in. People are willing to pay to belong to a group of like-minded people. Membership sites have been started on subjects such as:




• Cabin Enthusiasts,




• Fly Fishing Enthusiasts,




• Wedding Professionals,




• Cruise Ship Workers,




• Magic Enthusiasts,




• Acupuncture Professionals,




• Digital Photo and Video Enthusiasts,




• Travel Lovers,




• Golden Retriever Owners,




• Ferret Owners,




• Gambling Information Seekers,




• Religious Groups,




• Philosophy Lovers,




• Art Lovers,




• Home Builders,




• Dress Makers,




• Car Salespeople ,




• Cross-Stitch Enthusiasts,




• and on-and-on….

Trouble is though, building a membership site from scratch can be intimidating, even impossible, for a lot of people.

However, with the right instructions and a helping hand, you can easily do it using either Joomla or WordPress as the platform.

Since both are free applications, and components and plugins are readily available for both, you can do it for very low cost.

Video tutorials are available that will show you step by step how to setup your own membership site. You may choose to use free components or plugins to create a basic membership site. You also may choose to create a more advanced membership site using components or plugins that are available at very reasonable prices considering the advanced features they offer.

Detailed step by step video tutorials can show anyone, regardless of experience level, how to create a membership site that can possibly produce an ongoing and sizable income .

You can learn how to install your choice of Joomla or WordPress, and then be shown how to install and configure the necessary components or plugins to convert it into a paid membership site.

Creating a recurring monthly income is an established method that really does work. It is used extensively by many successful and savvy marketers.

Still not sure you can do it, even with detailed instructions? Don’t worry – it is easier than you think.

Picture this scenario – you make ten sales today for $47.00. OK, you made $470.00. Not bad at all. Now imagine that you have a membership site and you make those same ten sales, and they sign up for your monthly membership. You made the same $470 today, plus you rake in $47 per month, per member, for as long as your customers remain members. If they only remain members for four months, you just made $1810 over the four months for the same amount of effort on your part. Meanwhile you continue to make daily sales and your recurring monthly income grows and grows and grows. You are now well on your way to creating a sizable and dependable monthly income.

So, what are the problems you will need to overcome in order to accomplish this?

First…..how do you keep track of your customer activity? You have customers joining every day and some of them unsubscribe from time to time. Keeping track of this can be a big job if you don’t know how to do it the easy way.

Second…..collecting payments can be difficult. You need a choice of ways for your customers to pay for their membership. Without that you limit your chances for success. The solution sounds simple – buy some software to do it all for you. The big problem with that is that software that runs membership sites can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. That is a big problem for a lot of people just starting out.

So…..what is the solution that will allow a person to build a membership site at a reasonable cost, possibly even free?


Let’s Consider Joomla First…..

There is a video tutorial available showing How To Create A Membership Site Using Joomla 1.5 and at a very reasonable cost and it will show you exactly, step by step, how to install Joomla 1.5 and then configure it to be a paid membership site. The components you will need to accomplish this task are either free or very reasonably priced, so you will be able to have a membership site up and running at very low cost.

If you want to go first class and use a professionally designed Joomla template that will make your site stand out above the rest, then take a look at the Joomla templates available at RocketTheme.com.

As mentioned, the components are free or reasonably priced, but that doesn’t mean a lack of features. Look at what you can do using Joomla and the membership software (generally known as components in Joomla).

* Integrated Subscription Handling using the following payment processors: Paycom. CCBill, Paypal, Paypal Subscriptions, epsNetpay, 2Checkout, Authorize.net, Paysgnet, Allopas, Alertpay, Viaklx and more.

* Up To Four Membership Levels. You have the means to offer several different levels of membership to your clients thus increasing your possible profits.

* Integrated Document And File Handling. No worries. Your subscribers can only access the files they paid for and are entitled to receive.

* Integrated Forum. Create your own member forum so your subscribers can talk over items of interest with each other.

* Trial Memberships. Set up trial memberships so your members can take a test drive before they buy.

The above mentioned video tutorial is a seven part video series based on the new Joomla 1.5 series, and it takes you step by step through the whole process. It takes you from knowing nothing about Joomla or putting together a membership site to being somewhat of an authority at it.

And For You WordPress Enthusiasts…..

If you just want a good basic membership site built using WordPress, then there is a video tutorial that will show you How To Build A Membership Site Using WordPress And Free Plugins.

If you want a more advanced and full-featured membership site, then you will want to consider using either YourMember WordPress Membership Site Plugin or Digital Access Pass which works with WordPress as well as regular HTML web sites, and is loaded with features to power a full-blown membership site.

As with Joomla, there are custom templates available for WordPress.

You can purchase templates custom designed to create a professional quality web site themed to almost any type business you can imagine, from real estate to grunge to ecommerce to news sites, you name it and it is probably available to make your site stand above the rest. Check out what’s available in WordPress Custom Themes And Templates

So whether you prefer using Joomla or you prefer using WordPress, there is step by step training available, and there is a choice of components and plugins and templates available to allow you to build a great looking membership site at a very reasonable cost, possibly even free.

Do you get out the trusty old HTML editor, roll up your sleeves, and begin writing the HTML code from scratch? Well, if you have the skill to do it, and you have the time to do it, and you have the patience to do it, then that is one way to get it done.

Or maybe you just get out the trusty old checkbook and write someone a hefty check to do it for you. Well, if you have the money, then that is definitely the easiest way to do it. And then, when you need something added or changed, you can get out the old checkbook again.

What if you need it yesterday, not a few days or weeks or months from now?

What if you want a web site that is easy to add pages and content to, and you want to be able to do it yourself, quickly and easily and without having to get out that trusty old HTML editor, or the old checkbook for that matter?

What if you want a web site that search engines love, and you want to start getting some traffic without spending a fortune on SEO and then waiting and waiting to see the traffic?

What if you want a web site that you can change the look and feel of with just a few clicks of a mouse, and if you don’t like the new look, you can change it back with just a few more clicks?

Well partner, it sounds to me like you are in need of WordPress! More specifically, you need to learn just how powerful WordPress really is!

What kind of WordPress am I talking about when I say “powerful WordPress”?

I’m referring to WordPress “jazzed up” with all of the 100′s and 100′s of themes and plugins that are available to turn plain old WordPress into a thing of beauty as far as web sites go.

And before you roll your eyes and say that WordPress is just for blogs, you better take a closer look. In fact, WordPress, along with all of the readily available plugins and custom themes, can do just about anything you want, and it can do it either at no cost or very low cost, and it can do it very quickly.

You can have a WordPress site installed, configured with basic settings, and some popular plugins and themes installed, in just a few hours, and for zero cost. How’s that for fast and cheap?

• You can create a WordPress site that is a traditional WordPress blog.

• You can create a WordPress site that is suitable for the smallest business right on up to the largest corporation.

• You can create a WordPress site that is a membership site where members pay for your content.

• You can create a WordPress site that is an internet storefront to sell your products.

• You can create a WordPress site that is a content management system.

• You can create a WordPress site that is a combination of any or all of the above.

You can install plugins that do SEO for you, backup your database for you, create Google compliant sitemaps for you, handle product sales and delivery for you, handle membership signups for you, and on and on and on.

Do you begin to get the idea that I like WordPress and think WordPress is a great way to create a web site?

So, exactly what is WordPress, and how can you get it for free?

You can find out all about WordPress, and download it for free, at http://www.wordpress.org/. WordPress is an open source blog software package that anyone can download and install for free.

If your hosting provider has cpanel with Fantastico, and most do, then you can install it in a matter of minutes from there. If not, you can install the files manually.

WordPress makes it easy for anyone to set up, manage and maintain a website, and you can do it without being a total geek.

What if you get stuck and need help? Simply go to http://wordpress.org/support/ and you will find active forums full of people ready to help you solve your problem. How easy is that?

Since WordPress is open source, it’s free. That’s always a nice little benefit.

Since it’s open source it also has a thriving community of developers (geeks) constantly improving the software and creating those plugins I mentioned.

WordPress lets you quickly and easily create pages, which are basically content that is static, and not open for comments, and not organized by time.

WordPress lets you quickly and easily create posts, which are basically the blog part of WordPress, and they are usually organized by time-of-post, are usually open for comments, and they are the content to build out the meat of your site.

With WordPress, there are hundreds and hundreds of free themes available so you can easily manage your site’s look and feel. Check them out and download them for free at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ .

There are also some really great looking professionally designed themes available for purchase, most at very reasonable prices. These are well worth the money if you want a really professional looking web site. You can see examples of these at iThemes

There are hundreds and hundreds of free plugins available for WordPress, and you can take a look at them by going to http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ . There are also many great plugins available that you will pay a reasonable fee for, but if you need a specialized plugin, they are well worth the money.

WordPress is highly customizable, so you can use it for just about anything, and make it do just about anything.

A Few Benefits of Using WordPress:

* Free Or Very Inexpensive! Using WordPress for your web site means it’s either cheap or free. WordPress itself is free, a custom theme is usually in the $50 to $100 range, many themes are even free. End result, you save loads of money compared to the cost of paying someone to design a web site for you.

* It’s So Easy! If you’ve got basic computer skills, WordPress is easy to use. If you can use a word processor like Microsoft Word or even lowly little Notepad, then you can use WordPress. It’s web site creation at it’s easiest.

* You Can Do It Yourself! Get ready Mr. Do-It-Yourselfer! No more need to find and pay a programmer to fix a tiny error, saving you time and money. Need to add some more content or a new page? No problem, you can do it yourself.

* Multiple Users And Accessible On The Internet. WordPress is accessed through an online administrative interface and can allow access to multiple administrators if desired, which means more than one person can login and fix problems that might develop, and you can access it from anywhere that has internet access. So, you lucky dog, if you’re on some beach in the Bahamas, you can access your site. Since your site is on a secure server through your web host, and you have a backup of your site and database on your own computer (you did create that backup, didn’t you?), you are well protected against data loss.

* Content Pleasing To The Great Google. WordPress makes it easy to have a web site that is search engine friendly. That means your web site is more likely to land on the first page of Google results, which means people are more likely to find you, which means people are more likely to spend time, and money, on your web site.

Since this is a rather long article on WordPress, I decided to break it up into three parts.

Coming up in Part 2, we’ll roll up our sleeves and get into the “down and dirty” details of installing and configuring WordPress.

As promised in part 1, part 2 will go into the basic steps to follow in building your WordPress web site.

If you’ve never even heard of WordPress, and you’re wondering what the heck it is, learn all about it at http://www.wordpress.org/

Roll Up Your Sleeves And Let’s Get Started…..

You need to master a few basics and understand a little of the WordPress “lingo”. So, here we go.

With WordPress, you can produce and manage several types of content very quickly and very easily.

Built right in and ready to go is the ability to create and edit Posts, Pages, and Links.

Posts are your basic blog content and are used for standard blog entries. You can create new posts, anytime you want and as often as you want, for your site visitors to read. Posts are normally arranged in chronological order and you can allow viewer comments or not, just as you please.

Pages are basically just posts that aren’t time-driven, they are more permanent content, not open to comments, and they don’t show up in your “recent posts” list. Pages are added as a link in your menu, if you choose to, and serve as the basic meat of your site.

Links are just what the name implies…they are links to whatever outside web sites you wish to make available to your site visitors. This is where you put links to sites you are an affiliate of, sites that are recommended resources for your visitors, and anything else you feel would be of interest to your site visitors.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…..

Before you start, you need to spend a few minutes and make some big decisions on what type of web site you want and need. If you don’t spend the time now, you may not end up with the web site you want, and then you will have to start all over.

The biggest thing to figure out is what you actually need your website to do. Will it be just a simple blog, will it be a news site, will it be an ecommerce site to sell products, will it be a membership site, will it be a place to post mp3′s produced by your rock band…..what exactly do you need it to be and how do you want it to look?

Once you decide what you want it to be, you need to decide what type of content you will have on it. What kind of content will you need to create and manage?

Do you need posts? Maybe, maybe not. If you’re not creating a blog, you may or may not need to use the post feature in WordPress at all. Or maybe it’s not a blog you’re creating, but you want a section to give site visitors your latest news about your products or services. You can use posts to do that. Since posts normally show in order by date created, visitors would see the latest posts first.

What about pages? Do you need pages at all? If so, how many pages will you need? Since pages normally show up as menu items, will your pages have a hierarchy type dropdown menu, or will each post be a top level menu item?

What about your homepage, how do you want it to look, what do you want to feature on the homepage? You may want just some basic text about your web site, what you do and what you offer, or maybe you want to feature your latest news or latest post.

These are a few of the questions you need to answer. Basically you’re trying to figure out what you want and what you need from your website. Once you have that figured out, it’s easier to find a theme that offers exactly what you want and need.

Next Step…..

Pick a theme that suits your needs and also looks like you want it to. There are free themes and there are professionally designed themes that you purchase, usually for a very reasonable price. If you are building a business web site, you will probably want to invest in one of the professionally designed themes.

The theme on the right is an example of the 100′s and 100′s of themes you can download for free for WordPress.

Now that you know what you want and need in the way of a web site, you need to be sure and pick a theme that can meet those wants and needs. Keep in mind that WordPress makes it very easy to switch themes, so if you find more than one theme that you like, you can install all of them, and switch back and forth until you decide exactly which one is the perfect fit for your web site.

Here are some things to consider when searching for that “just right” theme:

What type of menu system does it feature? Can it display the number of pages you plan on having? Can it handle the hierarchy your site menu will require? If you plan on having a fair amount of hierarchy (categories and sub-categories), a drop down menu might be a must.

How is the theme laid out? Most themes are laid out in “sections” or “boxes” and with various sidebars, such as sidebar left, or sidebar right, or both. Most have a large center box or section, or maybe several smaller ones side-by-side, so make sure the theme’s homepage is laid out like you want.

Very important, is the theme widget ready? If so, you can add and delete sidebar items, and possibly others, with ease. You can do it without widgets, but it’s much harder.

As mentioned in Part 1, there are hundreds of free themes available, and you can check them out at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/

Two custom themes that I personally use and recommend are iTheme Custom WordPress Themes and StudioPress Custom WordPress Themes. These companies have specialized themes for most any application or niche you can think of.

iThemes has just introduced their new Builder Theme which is probably the most advanced and versatile WordPress theme on the market.

Once you’ve chosen your theme, you’re ready to install WordPress.

There are two ways to install WordPress, the easy way and the hard way.

The hard way is to download the WordPress files directly from www.wordpress.org and then do a manual install. Don’t worry though, even the hard way is not really that hard. Just go to http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress to view the very through instructions provided by WordPress.org. Follow the instruction and you shouldn’t have any problems.

The easy way is to install WordPress from the cpanel in your hosting account. Most hosting accounts have cpanel and a feature called Fantastico which make the install extremely easy.

Coming up in part 3 we will cover:

* Installing your theme
* Installing your plugins
* Entering your site details
* How to write pages
* How to write posts
* Using widgets on your site
* SEO for WordPress

So, be sure and continue with Part 3 to learn more about the power of WordPress.

Next Step…..

Once you’ve got WordPress installed, you’re ready to start setting up your site.

Once you’ve picked a theme and downloaded it, simply unzip it and upload the theme folder to your server at /public_html/wp-content/themes. Then login to your Dashboard, go to design>themes, and click on the theme to make it your active theme. You can click on any one of the themes that are showing to make them the active theme.

Plugins that you want on your site need to be downloaded, unzipped, and uploaded to /public_html/wp-content/plugins. Then go into your dashboard, go to plugins, and click on the activate link to activate any plugins you want to be active on your site. Remember, you can find free plugins at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

Go into settings and fill in the information on your site details. These items are pretty self-explanatory.

Go to Write>Page to start adding pages to your site. While editing a page you can choose the page parent to determine how it will show in your menu. Remember, the page title will become a menu link. You could write a page titled “My Family” and set it as “Main Page, No Parent” and then you could write a page titled “MY KIds” and a page titled “MY Wife” and set them to have the “MY Family” page as parent. That would give you a dropdown menu, assuming your template supports dropdown menus, with “MY Family” as the main menu item and “MY Kids” and “MY Wife” as dropdowns under it.

You also have the ability while writing the page to select if you want to allow comments or not, if you want it to be password protected, and a few other things.

Go to Write>Post to start writing posts to populate your site with content. As with pages, you can choose some options to determine how the post will display.

With posts, you need to first setup some categories under the settings>manage>categories tab so you can organize your posts into the order you want them in. For instance, you could have a category named “General Interest” and one named “Latest News” and one named “Cooking Tips”, and then organize your posts under the appropriate one.

Under Design>Widgets and Design>Theme Editor, you can customize widgets and theme files if you know a little html, php, and want to give it a shot. The widgets tab usually gives you a list of widgets and a list of sidebars and other areas where the widgets can be placed, and you simply drag and drop the widgets you want into the areas you want them in. You can then edit each widget to make it display as you desire.

Search Engine Optimization…..

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to optimizing your website’s position in search results. Many books have been written about SEO and websites are dedicated to it.

Showing up higher in search results usually means more traffic and more business. That is another reason why using WordPress is such a good idea, because WordPress is especially well suited for boosting your site’s rank in search engines.

How to make your WordPress site SEO friendly…..

You need to research the right keywords for your site and then put those keywords in the right places. Those right places include the title bar (the text that shows up at the top of your browser), any headers, headlines or bold text on a page, and the meta data (helpful information in a page’s code that is not visible in a browser).

How WordPress Helps Your SEO Efforts…..

Right out of the box, WordPress is SEO-friendly. It puts important information in the right places by default, so as long as you fill in the appropriate information in your dashboard settings, you’ll have a good start in the search engine rankings.

However,there are also a number of extra steps you can take to optimize your search engine rank, many of which are either built in to WordPress or easily managed with plugins that are available to download.

Permalinks are the direct urls to your content and optimizing how those links appear is good SEO. There is a place in your dashboard to change the way your permalinks are setup.

There is a plugin you can download and install that creates a sitemap, which is a widely adopted standard among search engines, and helps improve your search rank.

There are SEO plugins available that specifically deal with improving your sites SEO. They are worth the effort if you want to improve traffic to your site.

And Finally…..

Once you have your site up and running and optimized the way you want, you just have to keep it updated with new content. Updates are a breeze with WordPress, which means you can spend more time on your content and less time trying to figure out the tech stuff.

So, what are you waiting for? WordPress can be the right answer for just about any need. It can be the answer to quickly and easily building a professional looking web site for:

• The smallest “mom and pop” business right on up to a giant corporation.

• Service-oriented companies like home builders, plumbers, HVAC contractors, real estate agents, car dealers, etc.

• Consultants, freelancers, and coaches.

• Schools, nonprofit agencies, and churches.

• Bands, artists and creative professionals.

So, that’s it, you are now the proud owner of a great looking web site, a “WordPress On Steroids” web site.

Hope you enjoyed this series on installing and configuring WordPress.

Making your website easy to navigate is essential if you want to have a professional looking and user friendly website.

For many years, working with menus in WordPress was very limited. It was a very basic menu system. What it actually amounted to was that the “menu” system just spit out the list of all your pages on your site. It was up to you to work overtime installing plugins or writing code that would either exclude or include certain pages so as to get your menu to look exactly how you wanted.

iThemes came along and introduced a much better and easier method of working with menus. They provided a listing of pages and categories and the WordPress user could simply “check” the box next to the page or category that they wanted included in the menu. This simple but effective feature provided users with little or no coding experience (or those who just wanted a simple solution) the ability to customize menus on their WordPress site quickly and easily.

Then came the release of the 3.0 version of WordPress. Version 3.0 provided a completely new menu management solution for WordPress that allowed users to create as many menus as they desired and (depending on the theme being used) allowed them to insert the different menus wherever desired.

The Builder Theme by iThemes then stepped up and gave users the best of all worlds when it comes to menus and navigation. Builder theme users can choose from three options (and even a combination of options) when building their sites. This really is very flexible if you understand the benefits of each type of menu / navigation construction.

Lets take a look at the different menu options the Builder theme offers users.

Builder And WordPress 3.0 Bring Everything Together…..

As is evident from looking at the above screenshot, the Builder Theme by iThemes allows for users to choose between all three options. Every time you create a custom menu, it auto-populates in the navigation drop-down menu giving unlimited flexibility to create as many menus and to display them wherever you want. That’s just one of the many advantages you gain when using Builder to build your WordPress websites.

Just when you thought a WordPress plugin that backs up your website couldn’t get any better, the guy’s at iThemes that developed BackupBuddy proves you’re wrong.

Of course, BackupBuddy isn’t your daddy’s old backup plugin either, so it really isn’t any surprise that it only gets better and better.

Here Is A BackupBuddy 2.0 Feature Peek, Presented By The Developers Themselves

In celebration of BackupBuddy’s successful year of backing up WordPress sites (over 16,000 to date!) we’ve been hard at work in once again setting the bar higher for WordPress backup solutions with BackupBuddy version 2.0. With well over 75 new features and enhancements this version is sure to further improve and strengthen the power that BackupBuddy puts in your hands. When can you get it? We’re aiming around late March.

While there are too many features to list one-by-one (and some just too secret to release right now), the list below helps give an idea of some of the many improvements coming. A great deal of focus has been put on improving reliability and usability with this major release as well.
This list is by no means comprehensive and leaves out some Top Secret features to be unveiled in the near future. We are saving the best for last — stay tuned for those.

New Features

• Enhanced built-in help with popup in-page video tutorials throughout
• More remote storage methods: Rackspace Cloud Storage, Dropbox.com, & Amazon S3
• High security mode backups (database & admin password stripped for security or making ready-to-deploy packaged sites — developers: sell pre-packaged ready-to-go configured sites!)
• Background manual backups (start a backup, close your browser, and walk away)
• Configure remote backup destination & notifications per schedule (developers: use this to set up scheduled backups of your clients’ sites to your servers & get notified, even if the customer adds their own schedules!)
• Server Information section: server diagnosis, basic security checks, server benchmarking (how slow is your server?), graphical space usage charting (easily see where your space is being used up on your server), CRON viewer, and much more
• Backup on creating or editing a post or page (never forget to backup again!)
• Detailed database table inclusion/exclusion options (make sure everything you want is backed up and nothing more)
• Directly pull backups to destination server via importbuddy (streamline migrations/restorations without having to download and re-upload files over your connection)

Improvements

• Better support for larger sites (especially those with large databases)
• Improved compatibility with slower servers
• Improved feedback during backup & restore processes
• Better error handling & recovery in case something goes wrong
• Improved backup integrity checking performance (be confident in your backups)
• Streamlined and simplified backup & restore process (easier to use but just as powerful)

And much much more…

Visit the developers website for Information & Pricing On BackupBuddy & Other Premium WordPress Plugins

You Can Get All Of The Plugins Now Available From PluginBuddy For One Price (developer licenses)

Due to popular request, PluginBuddy now offers a combo package, designed for developers, and it includes all of their recent (and upcoming) plugins at PluginBuddy …

Here Are Some Of The Great Benefits Included:

* Saves you money – You get all PluginBuddy premium plugins for one price
* You get one year of support and upgrades
* You get Developer Plans for all plugins – includes automatic upgrades on unlimited sites
* You get any new PluginBuddy plugins that are released during your membership year

Here Are The Current Plugins Included In The Developer Suite:

* BackupBuddy ($150 value)
* EmailBuddy (Available only in the Developer Suite!)
* Mobile ($150 value)
* DisplayBuddy ($150 value)
Includes: SlideShow, Video Showcase, Carousel, Featured Posts, Rotating Text, Billboard, Rotating Images, and Copious Comments
* VidEmbed ($20 value)
* Any other of their plugins listed on their site.
* And more plugins coming in the future!

Get the Developer Suite Today!

This Developer Suite is ideal for WordPress developers and designers.

The Vidembed Plugin by PluginBuddy is a powerful yet simple to use solution for adding videos inline within your WordPress posts, pages, and widget areas.

VidEmbed offers support for both self-hosted videos as well as YouTube and Vimeo. With VidEmbed, you can quickly and easily add videos from many sources.

We all know about the explosion of media on the web, and how important it is to be able to easily and quickly provide video content to your site visitors. VidEmbed makes it easy.

Some Of The Key Benefits of VidEmbed:

• * Allows you to imbed videos directly in your posts at the click of a button.
• * Ability to imbed stand-alone videos (flv, mp4, and mov formats).
• * Easily imbed YouTube & Vimeo videos.
• * Includes support for Amazon S3 hosted videos.
• * Uses an open source video player.
• * Includes widget support.
• * Handy shortcode button.
• * Allows for site-wide player customizations & styling.
• * Classes available for advanced CSS customization.

Here is a video giving a quick overview of the VidEmbed plugin…..

Here’s How Easy It Is To Install A PluginBuddy Plugin…..

• * Unzip the downloaded plugin file.
• * Use your favorite FTP client, FileZilla for example, to put the folder in your plugins directory (wp-content/plugins)
• * Login and go to the plugins page in your WordPress Dashboard
• * Activate the plugin

Want detailed video instructions showing how to get started using WordPress and installing your plugins? Check out our Quick Steps to Getting Started video tutorials here.

Here are some videos showing you how to get started using WordPress and your plugins.

STEP ONE…..How To Get Your Domain Name And Web Hosting

You need Linux hosting with Fantastico to make installing WordPress a very fast and easy task.

We use and recommend HostGator Web Hosting.

Here’s Why…..

• They have outstanding support
• They have extremely competitive prices
• They have several hosting plans to choose from
• They have outstanding uptime

STEP TWO…..Install WordPress

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PluginBuddy Info/Prices

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Watch a detailed explanation on Installing WordPress Using cPanel and Fantastico

STEP THREE…..Purchase your plugin

Look through the plugins available at PluginBuddy Store to purchase the plugin of your choice. The best deal is the PluginBuddy Developer Suite, because you get all of the plugins now available, and you also get all plugins released in your membership year. The choice is yours, buy only one, or buy them all.

Watch the video below for detailed instructions.

[flowplayer src=buy-plugin.mp4 splash=buy-plugin.png width=500 height=308 autoplay=false popup='

PluginBuddy Info/Pricing

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STEP FOUR…..Upload your plugin and activate it

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PluginBuddy Info/Pricing

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STEP FIVE…..Manage your plugin licenses and auto-upgrades.

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PluginBuddy Info/Pricing

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You can find more information on plugin use and settings on the sales page of most plugins.

And as you would expect from PluginBuddy, they provide full instructions on all of their plugins.

Below are screenshots of some of the Child Themes you will receive with your Builder Theme purchase. On the date of this post, there was a total of 24 Child Themes available, and more are being added all of the time.

This post is meant to give you a lot of information on iThemes in general and the Builder Theme in particular.

I started using iThemes themes when they were just getting started in the business of providing custom themes for WordPress. I had previously used a lot of free themes, some good and some bad, and a few custom themes by other companies. I had such good luck with iThemes themes, and the support they provided, that I now use them exclusively for all of my WordPress websites.

I should point out that all of my websites now are built using WordPress because I haven’t found anything that I want to do in the way of building a website that can’t be accomplished using WordPress. I also should point out that all of my websites use iThemes themes with the exception of my ecommerce site at TutorDaddy.com, where I sell video tutorials, and this site you are on now, which uses a plugin and included theme provided by AuthorityPro for building authority sites.

The premier theme that iThemes has developed is the Builder theme, and the videos and information below will give you the real lowdown on just how powerful and versatile this theme really is.

In case you’re wondering why they named it “Builder”, just watch the videos below and it will become evident that “Builder” is the perfect name for this theme.

Here are a few reasons…..

• Want to have a site with a different layout for every single post on your site? No problem, you can do it with Builder!
• Want to have a site with a different layout for every single page on your site? No problem again, you can do it with Builder!
• Want to have custom menus, as many as you want, where you want, with the links you want? No problem again!
• Want to be able to change things like font, colors, backgrounds, etc, without knowing code?You guessed it, Builder can do it!

Guess that’s why they named it “Builder”.

[flowplayer src=Builder2.mp4 splash=builder2.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

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Another big advantage that you get when using Builder as your theme is the huge (and growing) selection of child themes that you get, free of charge, with Builder. Child themes give you the ability to instantly change the whole look and feel of your website. And, once again no coding skills required, you do it with a simple click of your mouse.

Click Here to see images of some of the Builder Child Themes available at this time.

[flowplayer src=builder3.mp4 splash=builder3.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

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Style Manager makes it “click-of-the-mouse” easy to change individual features like background color or image, font, and more without knowing any code at all. Tweak your website and get it to looking exactly like you want, and it’s no problem with Builder.

[flowplayer src=builder4.mp4 splash=builder4.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

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As would be expected from a premium theme like Builder, SEO options are built right in to the theme.

[flowplayer src=builder5.mp4 splash=builder5.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

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And of course, as you would expect from the people at iThemes, they have outstanding training available covering everything from WordPress basics right on up to advanced theme configuration and styling, backing up your WordPress sites, and much much more. Check out the events schedule to see what they have in store for you. It’s great training, and it’s free.

Have Questions About Builder Theme?…..

What kind of training is provided when I buy Builder?

What about other themes and child themes that are not Builder child themes? Will they be compatible to use with Builder?

Can people with very little experience work with Builder, or is it really just for developers?

Why do I have to renew in a year?

Appearance >>> Menus

The Appearance >>> Menus SubPanel became available beginning with WordPress Version 3.0. In order for you to use a Custom Navigation Menu in place of your theme’s default menu, you must have support for this feature registered in the theme’s functions.php file.

Menu Panel

Using The Screen Options Tab

The Screen Options tab, located near top right corner of page, allows you to choose which modules you want displayed, and which ones you want to not be displayed, in the underlying SubPanel. When you click on the Screen Options tab, it shows a list of the possible modules and options for that page, with a check-box next to each one. Simply check the box for each module or option you want to see displayed, and uncheck the box for any you choose not to display. When finished, click the Screen Options tab again to close the Screen Options.

How To Expand, Collapse, and Rearrange Modules

The modules, Posts for instance, can be expanded, or collapsed, by clicking on the module title bar.

How To Create a Menu

It’s very simple to create a new custom menu. All it takes is to click on the + tab, enter in a name for your menu, and click the Create Menu button.

It is necessary to point out that if the theme you are currently using does not support menus, the following message will be displayed:

“The current theme does not natively support menus, but you can use the “Custom Menu” widget to add any menus you create here to the theme’s sidebar.”

The message will display to let you know that widgets can be used to put custom menus in your themes sidebar.

My personal favorite theme to use on my websites that can take full advantage of the custom menu feature is the Builder Theme by iThemes. This theme is a highly advanced theme that allows you to create unlimited page and post layouts, and you can put menus anywhere you want, and as many as you want.

You can create as many menus as you wish, whatever suits your purposes. In the event that your theme includes support for more than one custom menu, you can use the drop down box to choose which custom menu to associate with each. As pointed out above you are also able to use custom menus in conjunction with the Custom Menus widget.

After creating a custom menu, these options are available:

Delete Menu

—Click this link if you wish to delete the menu. Be aware that deleting also deletes the menu items.

Automatically add new top-level pages

—Check this box so that anytime you create a new top-level Page, that Page will automatically be added to the menu

Save Menu

—Click this button to save your menu and any changes you have made.

How To Add Menu Items

Once a menu is created, it is possible to add detail items to the menu. You can add items like custom links, pages, and categories using the available options in the left column. You can add any custom post types or custom taxonomies that you may have created. In case you don’t see your custom post types or taxonomies, don’t forget to check the Screen Options tab to make sure they are checked to be “Show on Screen”.

After adding your items to a menu, you can then drag and drop them to put them in the order you want. Once you have the menu items arranged correctly, you can click each item to reveal additional configuration options. Another neat feature, you can also drag a menu item a little to the right to make it a submenu. This feature allows you to create menus with hierarchy. As you drag an item to the right you’ll see when the position of the drop target (the dotted lines box) shifts over to portray the nested placement. IMPORTANT, once you have finished creating and configuring your custom menu, be sure and click the Save Menu button.

So, with the Custom Menu feature in WordPress, you can specify a different navigation label for a menu item as well as other attributes. You can create multiple menus, as many as needed to suit your purpose. If your theme allows the use of more than one menu, you can choose which custom menu to associate with each. You can also display your custom menus using the Custom Menus widget.

The screenshot below shows an example of two Sub-Menu Items displayed in a hierarchy under the Home Menu Item.

Sub-menus

Choosing A Theme Location For A Menu

Theme locations allows you to select the desired placement of your menu. The WordPress default TwentyTen theme only supports one menu location, so you will see the message ‘Your theme supports 1 menu. Select which menu you would like to use‘. (If you have added the code to allow more navigation menus in your theme, you will see those in the pull-down location options)

Location

—From the pull down box, make your selection for the menu that will be presented in the location, for example, Primary Location

Save

—Click to save the location that you selected.

Adding A Custom Link

Custom links allows you to create links to any desired URL and give them any desired display name.

URL

—Enter the URL for your custom link.

Label

—Enter the label (display name) describing the custom link URL.

Add to Menu

—Click this button to add your custom link to the menu.

The link is now added to the menu, it will be displayed to the right with the label, the word ‘Custom’, and a configuration arrow allowing you to change the URL or Label and to remove the custom link from the menu if desired.

Adding Links To Posts

Use this option to add links to specific posts. Three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’, allow you to choose what posts are displayed for selection as a menu item.

Checkbox

—Check the box next to the item that you want to add to the menu.

Select All

—Checking this box will cause the checkbox to be checked on all items. Clicking this again will cause all items to be unchecked.

Add to Menu

—Click this button to add your selected items to the menu on the right.

Adding Links To Pages

Here is where you add links to specific pages. Three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’, are shown.They allow you to choose what pages are displayed for selection as a menu item. When the ‘View All’ tab is displayed, a Home link choice, while not necessarily an actual page, also becomes available to add to the menu. The ‘Checkbox’, ‘Select All’, and ‘Add to Menu’ options, described in the Posts section above, are also displayed in this module.

Adding Links To Categories

Your categories can also be added to the menu. Three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’ allow you to determine what categories are displayed for selection as a menu item. The list does not display in any particular hierarchy. The ‘Checkbox’, ‘Select All’, and ‘Add to Menu’ options are also displayed in this module.

Adding Links To Post Tags

You can also add Post Tags to menus. Again, three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’ determine what categories are displayed for you to select as a menu item. The ‘Checkbox’, ‘Select All’, and ‘Add to Menu’ options are also displayed in this module.

Adding Links To Custom Post Types and Taxonomies

Custom post types and taxonomies will also be available to add as menu items. In the event that you don’t see your custom post types or taxonomies, be sure and check the ‘Screen Options’ tab to make sure those modules are set to display. As expected, the options available under each of the custom post type and taxonomy modules correspond to those used for Posts, Pages, Categories, and Post Tags.

How To Rearrange, Configure, and Delete Menu Items

After you add your items to a menu, those menu items can be rearranged in whatever order you wish. Place your mouse cursor over the menu item title and then when the mouse cursor changes to 4-arrows, hold the left-mouse button down and drag the module to where you want to place it. Then release the mouse button and continue rearranging the items to achieve the desired order. Also, remember that by dragging a menu item slightly to the right of the menu item above it you can create a hierarchy (parent/child) relationship in the menu.

Every Menu Item will have a configuration arrow on the right side of the Menu Item title. Clicking there opens the configuration box for that item. If you click the arrow a second time it will close the configuration box. Again, if you don’t see Link Target, CSS Classes, Link Relationship (XFN), and Description, then check the Screen Options tab to make sure those boxes are checked to make the options available.

The configuration choices are:

Navigation Label

—The label you want to show for this particular menu item

Title Attribute

—The attribute you want to use when displaying the label

Link Target

—Here you can select “Same window or tab” or “New window or tab” from the pulldown.

CSS Classes

—Optional CSS Classes for this menu item

Link Relationship

—Allows for the generation of XFN attributes automatically. Allows you to show how you are related to the authors/owners of site to which you are linking.

Description

—Enter a description for this link. The description will be displayed in the menu assuming that the current theme supports it.

Original

—A link to the original source of the menu item. For example, a link to view the post or page).

Remove

—Remove this menu item from the menu.

Cancel

—Cancel the configuration of the menu item.

How To Add Menu Support to Themes

The default WordPress TwentyTen theme supports navigation menus. If your theme does not support the custom menu feature, you can do it yourself by adding the appropriate code to your theme’s function.php file. For further information on implementing custom menus for a theme, see The WordPress Codex

If you want to avoid the hassle of trying to add code to your current theme to get it to fully support custom menus, then once again I recommend you take a look at the Builder Theme by iThemes. Builder allows you to create unlimited page and post layouts, and you can put menus anywhere you want, and as many as you want. No coding needed, ready to use your custom menus to full advantage.

That concludes this tutorial on using the Custom Menu feature in WordPress.

To access some advanced, and FREE, training on WordPress and other related subjects, sign up for some of the free training available from WebDesign.com

.

This Video Shows How To Create And Use
Custom Menus For Your WordPress Website

The Appearance Menus SubPanel is available beginning with Version 3.0. This is where you create Custom Menus to use in your WordPress website. To use a Custom Navigation Menu in place of your theme’s default menu, support for this feature must be registered in the theme’s functions.php file.
You can become an expert WordPress website developer when you take advantage of the advanced training available at WebDesign.com.  You get access to a full years worth of training, taught by experts, covering not only WordPress but many other subjects as well.  You can keep on stumbling around trying to figure things out on your own, or you can learn it the easy way.  Choice is yours!

You can also sign up for some excellent FREE training at WebDesign.com Events.

Flexx Theme Provides A Custom WordPress Theme  Especially For Building Professional Looking Sports Related Websites

Flexx Theme, Easy To Use, Loaded With Features

Why would you try and learn coding when you don’t have to?
That’s what iThemes thought of when they developed the FLEXX THEME SERIES.  They envisioned the most popular layouts and then built them from the ground up in an easy “pick and choose” layout grid system. It’s a blogging theme that gives you the ability to choose your layout, add your pictures, plug-in your sponsors all WITHOUT ANY CSS knowledge or long processes.
It’s a blog theme you can grow with so it’s perfect for beginners to advanced bloggers alike. It really is the most powerful, most adaptable, easy-to-use blog theme on the planet!

FEATURES:

• WordPress 2.7 Tested and Approved!
• Billboard Plug-In (only with Flexx Themes)
• Background Picker: easily choose and plug-in your favorite color or background image
• Quick Image Uploader: grab your images from the computer and simply click “upload”
• Contact Form: already built in and ready for you to use
• Flexx Layout: whatever layout you fancy with a click of a button
• Search Engine Optimized: Google and Yahoo friendly!
• Menu Builder: setting up your navigation bar couldn’t be easier
• Moving Header Feature: a built in feature that allows your images to rotate out and fade

Take A Test Drive Of Flexx Theme & See For Yourself!

Automobile Dealer Themes

A Custom WordPress Theme For Auto Dealers & Pre-Owned Car Lots

Theme Features

* Easily customizable
* Integrated blog
* Home page template
* Wide layout for content heavy sites
* Widget ready sidebars and feature areas
* Drop-down navigation
* Search engine optimized



Includes Access to WordPress Training Videos…..

You will learn how to do the following, and more…..

* How to install WordPress
* How to login to WP
* How widgets work
* How to upload/activate a theme
* How to write new Pages/Posts
* How to optimize WP for SEO

Click Here for full information, features, pricing, and a live demo of this theme.

Sports Team Theme

A Custom WordPress Theme For Sports Teams

iTeam is a premium sports WordPress theme designed specifically for sports teams websites, from basketball, soccer, football, and every sport in between, who want a website to keep track of scores, upcoming games, team rosters and much more!

Includes Access to WordPress Training Videos…..

You will learn how to do the following, and more…..

* How to install WordPress
* How to login to WP
* How widgets work
* How to upload/activate a theme
* How to write new Pages/Posts
* How to optimize WP for SEO

Click Here for full information, features, pricing, and a live demo of this theme.

iReal Estate Theme

A Custom WordPress Theme For Real Estate Agents

Theme Features

* Easily customizable
* Integrated blog
* Home page template
* Wide layout for content heavy sites
* Widget ready sidebars and feature areas
* Drop-down navigation
* Search engine optimized



Includes Access to WordPress Training Videos…..

You will learn how to do the following, and more…..

* How to install WordPress
* How to login to WP
* How widgets work
* How to upload/activate a theme
* How to write new Pages/Posts
* How to optimize WP for SEO

Click Here for full information, features, pricing, and a live demo of this theme.

If you listen to all of the “gurus” on the internet right now, then you know that nearly all of them are preaching the message that you need to have your own membership site.

Creating and maintaining a membership site used to be a job for expert programmers, database administrators, and web developers, and the average “little guy” internet marketer was left out in the cold. Most could not afford to hire these experts and therefore owning a membership site was out of the question.

Those days are gone forever. Anyone now can afford to have their own membership site. You can easily learn what you need to know to create your own site quickly, easily, and at very low cost.

You can purchase a video tutorial at very low cost that shows you step-by-step how to create a membership site using WordPress (which is free), and a plugin, which varies in price from a free one on up to one that costs around $150, that will handle Paypal billing and keep up with your membership.

Some of the “big guys” in membership site ownership use the Joomla content management system to manage their membership sites. Again, there are low cost videos available that will teach you how to install and configure Joomla and use it to manage a membership site. Joomla is a powerful content management system. There is a large selection of professionally created templates available, so you can get the exact look and feel that you want for your site.

Instead of selling your products one at a time, why not consider putting them in a membership site? If you have a hobby, a passion for some subject, an expertise in some field, put it in a membership site. Imagine getting 10 people a month paying you $19.95 per month, month after month! What if you had 100 people paying you $19.95 per month? What if you had 500 or 1000 people paying you $19.95 per month?

Yes, membership sites are the way to go, and with the training and software now available, anyone can build their own membership site and have it up, running, and bringing in a monthly income in no time at all!

My very first membership site took me a total of about 4 days to build, and at a cost of less than $100.00. I knew exactly nothing when I started, so anyone can do it.

Video tutorials are available at TutorDaddy.com and they can speed up the process of getting your membership site up and running.

If you use WordPress to build a membership site, you will need a good membership site plugin to manage membership chores, and you can find information on a couple of good ones at Digital Access Pass and at YourMember.

Give it a try, I think you will find it enjoyable and rewarding.

Can I use a “blog” to build a membership site?

What is the best “blogging” platform to use?

Good questions that may seem to have obvious answers to the “seasoned internet user”, but maybe not so obvious to the ones just starting out on their internet journeys.

“Blog” is an abbreviated version of “weblog,” which is a term used to describe web sites that maintain an ongoing supply of information and news.

A blog is a frequently updated personal (or business) website featuring diary-type commentary and links to articles and/or other web sites.

Blogs range from the personal to the political, the sublime to the ridiculous, and they can focus on one narrow subject or a whole wide range of subjects.

Many blogs focus on a particular topic, such as health, dating, dog training, web design, politics, sports, or mobile technology.

Some are more into just presenting links to all manner of other sites, mostly affiliate links that pay them when someone purchases a product after clicking one of the links..

And others are more like personal journals or diaries, presenting the author’s daily life and thoughts.

Whatever they are used for, blogs are ideally suited to building membership sites.

How does a person create a blog, you ask?

WordPress is probably the most popular and most powerful and versatile blogging software, and when I talk about blogging, I’m talking about using WordPress as the platform.

As far as using WordPress to build membership sites, I can say that it is definitely a very good way to get started. It is also a very low cost way to get started.

Membership sites are one of the hottest money makers on the web right now, and more and more people are creating an extra monthly pay check by building their own membership sites.

If you have a passion for a particular subject, almost any subject, chances are that a lot of other people have the same passion. Create a membership site where all of those people can mingle online with other like-minded people, and you are set to go.

If you have an expertise in a field, create a membership site, charge a monthly fee for others in the field to access your information, and you have money coming in every month, month after month.

You can find video tutorials that will guide you through all of the steps and show you exactly how to create membership sites using WordPress at TutorDaddy.com.

If you use WordPress to build a membership site, you will need a good membership site plugin to manage membership chores, and you can find information on a couple of good ones at Digital Access Pass and at YourMember.

Installing WordPress for the first time and getting it configured correctly can be a little intimidating, so watching a video tutorial on how to install WordPress can really give you a jump start on getting a membership site up and running.

In conclusion, if you want to build a membership site that costs almost no money, is easy to update and manage, and brings in a monthly recurring income, then I suggest you give WordPress a really close look.

This is not meant to be a tutorial on how to build a membership site. It is meant to give you information on platforms such as Joomla and WordPress that can easily be used to create membership sites.

It is also meant to give you information on components, plugins, and custom themes that you can use to accomplish the task with minimal cost and effort.

First of all though, why would you even want to have a membership site? The answer, of course, is that owning memberships sites can earn you a recurring monthly income. That means money in your bank account…..month after month after month.

Some reasons to start a membership site…..

• You have a book or ebook with some really great content that people would be interested in. Rather than try to sell the book or ebook as a one-time sale, break it up into sections and put it on a membership site, giving members access to one chapter or section each month. So, rather than sell 100 copies at $37 each and making $3700, charge 100 people $9.95 per month and give them a chapter each month for 12 months. Do the math on that and see what you come up with.




• You don’t really feel that you could sit down and spend several months, or years, writing a complete book or ebook and put it up for sale, but you could sit down each month and write a really good article to put on your membership site. That approach takes less time initally, and gives you a recurring income each month right off the bat.




• You want a site that gives you a captive audience that you can sell other products to each month. Affiliate products, other ebooks you own, adsense ads, all are opportunities to make even more money from your membership site members.




• You have knowledge or expertise in a subject or area that other people are interested in. People are willing to pay to belong to a group of like-minded people. Membership sites have been started on subjects such as:




• Cabin Enthusiasts,




• Fly Fishing Enthusiasts,




• Wedding Professionals,




• Cruise Ship Workers,




• Magic Enthusiasts,




• Acupuncture Professionals,




• Digital Photo and Video Enthusiasts,




• Travel Lovers,




• Golden Retriever Owners,




• Ferret Owners,




• Gambling Information Seekers,




• Religious Groups,




• Philosophy Lovers,




• Art Lovers,




• Home Builders,




• Dress Makers,




• Car Salespeople ,




• Cross-Stitch Enthusiasts,




• and on-and-on….

Trouble is though, building a membership site from scratch can be intimidating, even impossible, for a lot of people.

However, with the right instructions and a helping hand, you can easily do it using either Joomla or WordPress as the platform.

Since both are free applications, and components and plugins are readily available for both, you can do it for very low cost.

Video tutorials are available that will show you step by step how to setup your own membership site. You may choose to use free components or plugins to create a basic membership site. You also may choose to create a more advanced membership site using components or plugins that are available at very reasonable prices considering the advanced features they offer.

Detailed step by step video tutorials can show anyone, regardless of experience level, how to create a membership site that can possibly produce an ongoing and sizable income .

You can learn how to install your choice of Joomla or WordPress, and then be shown how to install and configure the necessary components or plugins to convert it into a paid membership site.

Creating a recurring monthly income is an established method that really does work. It is used extensively by many successful and savvy marketers.

Still not sure you can do it, even with detailed instructions? Don’t worry – it is easier than you think.

Picture this scenario – you make ten sales today for $47.00. OK, you made $470.00. Not bad at all. Now imagine that you have a membership site and you make those same ten sales, and they sign up for your monthly membership. You made the same $470 today, plus you rake in $47 per month, per member, for as long as your customers remain members. If they only remain members for four months, you just made $1810 over the four months for the same amount of effort on your part. Meanwhile you continue to make daily sales and your recurring monthly income grows and grows and grows. You are now well on your way to creating a sizable and dependable monthly income.

So, what are the problems you will need to overcome in order to accomplish this?

First…..how do you keep track of your customer activity? You have customers joining every day and some of them unsubscribe from time to time. Keeping track of this can be a big job if you don’t know how to do it the easy way.

Second…..collecting payments can be difficult. You need a choice of ways for your customers to pay for their membership. Without that you limit your chances for success. The solution sounds simple – buy some software to do it all for you. The big problem with that is that software that runs membership sites can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. That is a big problem for a lot of people just starting out.

So…..what is the solution that will allow a person to build a membership site at a reasonable cost, possibly even free?


Let’s Consider Joomla First…..

There is a video tutorial available showing How To Create A Membership Site Using Joomla 1.5 and at a very reasonable cost and it will show you exactly, step by step, how to install Joomla 1.5 and then configure it to be a paid membership site. The components you will need to accomplish this task are either free or very reasonably priced, so you will be able to have a membership site up and running at very low cost.

If you want to go first class and use a professionally designed Joomla template that will make your site stand out above the rest, then take a look at the Joomla templates available at RocketTheme.com.

As mentioned, the components are free or reasonably priced, but that doesn’t mean a lack of features. Look at what you can do using Joomla and the membership software (generally known as components in Joomla).

* Integrated Subscription Handling using the following payment processors: Paycom. CCBill, Paypal, Paypal Subscriptions, epsNetpay, 2Checkout, Authorize.net, Paysgnet, Allopas, Alertpay, Viaklx and more.

* Up To Four Membership Levels. You have the means to offer several different levels of membership to your clients thus increasing your possible profits.

* Integrated Document And File Handling. No worries. Your subscribers can only access the files they paid for and are entitled to receive.

* Integrated Forum. Create your own member forum so your subscribers can talk over items of interest with each other.

* Trial Memberships. Set up trial memberships so your members can take a test drive before they buy.

The above mentioned video tutorial is a seven part video series based on the new Joomla 1.5 series, and it takes you step by step through the whole process. It takes you from knowing nothing about Joomla or putting together a membership site to being somewhat of an authority at it.

And For You WordPress Enthusiasts…..

If you just want a good basic membership site built using WordPress, then there is a video tutorial that will show you How To Build A Membership Site Using WordPress And Free Plugins.

If you want a more advanced and full-featured membership site, then you will want to consider using either YourMember WordPress Membership Site Plugin or Digital Access Pass which works with WordPress as well as regular HTML web sites, and is loaded with features to power a full-blown membership site.

As with Joomla, there are custom templates available for WordPress.

You can purchase templates custom designed to create a professional quality web site themed to almost any type business you can imagine, from real estate to grunge to ecommerce to news sites, you name it and it is probably available to make your site stand above the rest. Check out what’s available in WordPress Custom Themes And Templates

So whether you prefer using Joomla or you prefer using WordPress, there is step by step training available, and there is a choice of components and plugins and templates available to allow you to build a great looking membership site at a very reasonable cost, possibly even free.

Do you get out the trusty old HTML editor, roll up your sleeves, and begin writing the HTML code from scratch? Well, if you have the skill to do it, and you have the time to do it, and you have the patience to do it, then that is one way to get it done.

Or maybe you just get out the trusty old checkbook and write someone a hefty check to do it for you. Well, if you have the money, then that is definitely the easiest way to do it. And then, when you need something added or changed, you can get out the old checkbook again.

What if you need it yesterday, not a few days or weeks or months from now?

What if you want a web site that is easy to add pages and content to, and you want to be able to do it yourself, quickly and easily and without having to get out that trusty old HTML editor, or the old checkbook for that matter?

What if you want a web site that search engines love, and you want to start getting some traffic without spending a fortune on SEO and then waiting and waiting to see the traffic?

What if you want a web site that you can change the look and feel of with just a few clicks of a mouse, and if you don’t like the new look, you can change it back with just a few more clicks?

Well partner, it sounds to me like you are in need of WordPress! More specifically, you need to learn just how powerful WordPress really is!

What kind of WordPress am I talking about when I say “powerful WordPress”?

I’m referring to WordPress “jazzed up” with all of the 100′s and 100′s of themes and plugins that are available to turn plain old WordPress into a thing of beauty as far as web sites go.

And before you roll your eyes and say that WordPress is just for blogs, you better take a closer look. In fact, WordPress, along with all of the readily available plugins and custom themes, can do just about anything you want, and it can do it either at no cost or very low cost, and it can do it very quickly.

You can have a WordPress site installed, configured with basic settings, and some popular plugins and themes installed, in just a few hours, and for zero cost. How’s that for fast and cheap?

• You can create a WordPress site that is a traditional WordPress blog.

• You can create a WordPress site that is suitable for the smallest business right on up to the largest corporation.

• You can create a WordPress site that is a membership site where members pay for your content.

• You can create a WordPress site that is an internet storefront to sell your products.

• You can create a WordPress site that is a content management system.

• You can create a WordPress site that is a combination of any or all of the above.

You can install plugins that do SEO for you, backup your database for you, create Google compliant sitemaps for you, handle product sales and delivery for you, handle membership signups for you, and on and on and on.

Do you begin to get the idea that I like WordPress and think WordPress is a great way to create a web site?

So, exactly what is WordPress, and how can you get it for free?

You can find out all about WordPress, and download it for free, at http://www.wordpress.org/. WordPress is an open source blog software package that anyone can download and install for free.

If your hosting provider has cpanel with Fantastico, and most do, then you can install it in a matter of minutes from there. If not, you can install the files manually.

WordPress makes it easy for anyone to set up, manage and maintain a website, and you can do it without being a total geek.

What if you get stuck and need help? Simply go to http://wordpress.org/support/ and you will find active forums full of people ready to help you solve your problem. How easy is that?

Since WordPress is open source, it’s free. That’s always a nice little benefit.

Since it’s open source it also has a thriving community of developers (geeks) constantly improving the software and creating those plugins I mentioned.

WordPress lets you quickly and easily create pages, which are basically content that is static, and not open for comments, and not organized by time.

WordPress lets you quickly and easily create posts, which are basically the blog part of WordPress, and they are usually organized by time-of-post, are usually open for comments, and they are the content to build out the meat of your site.

With WordPress, there are hundreds and hundreds of free themes available so you can easily manage your site’s look and feel. Check them out and download them for free at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ .

There are also some really great looking professionally designed themes available for purchase, most at very reasonable prices. These are well worth the money if you want a really professional looking web site. You can see examples of these at iThemes

There are hundreds and hundreds of free plugins available for WordPress, and you can take a look at them by going to http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ . There are also many great plugins available that you will pay a reasonable fee for, but if you need a specialized plugin, they are well worth the money.

WordPress is highly customizable, so you can use it for just about anything, and make it do just about anything.

A Few Benefits of Using WordPress:

* Free Or Very Inexpensive! Using WordPress for your web site means it’s either cheap or free. WordPress itself is free, a custom theme is usually in the $50 to $100 range, many themes are even free. End result, you save loads of money compared to the cost of paying someone to design a web site for you.

* It’s So Easy! If you’ve got basic computer skills, WordPress is easy to use. If you can use a word processor like Microsoft Word or even lowly little Notepad, then you can use WordPress. It’s web site creation at it’s easiest.

* You Can Do It Yourself! Get ready Mr. Do-It-Yourselfer! No more need to find and pay a programmer to fix a tiny error, saving you time and money. Need to add some more content or a new page? No problem, you can do it yourself.

* Multiple Users And Accessible On The Internet. WordPress is accessed through an online administrative interface and can allow access to multiple administrators if desired, which means more than one person can login and fix problems that might develop, and you can access it from anywhere that has internet access. So, you lucky dog, if you’re on some beach in the Bahamas, you can access your site. Since your site is on a secure server through your web host, and you have a backup of your site and database on your own computer (you did create that backup, didn’t you?), you are well protected against data loss.

* Content Pleasing To The Great Google. WordPress makes it easy to have a web site that is search engine friendly. That means your web site is more likely to land on the first page of Google results, which means people are more likely to find you, which means people are more likely to spend time, and money, on your web site.

Since this is a rather long article on WordPress, I decided to break it up into three parts.

Coming up in Part 2, we’ll roll up our sleeves and get into the “down and dirty” details of installing and configuring WordPress.

As promised in part 1, part 2 will go into the basic steps to follow in building your WordPress web site.

If you’ve never even heard of WordPress, and you’re wondering what the heck it is, learn all about it at http://www.wordpress.org/

Roll Up Your Sleeves And Let’s Get Started…..

You need to master a few basics and understand a little of the WordPress “lingo”. So, here we go.

With WordPress, you can produce and manage several types of content very quickly and very easily.

Built right in and ready to go is the ability to create and edit Posts, Pages, and Links.

Posts are your basic blog content and are used for standard blog entries. You can create new posts, anytime you want and as often as you want, for your site visitors to read. Posts are normally arranged in chronological order and you can allow viewer comments or not, just as you please.

Pages are basically just posts that aren’t time-driven, they are more permanent content, not open to comments, and they don’t show up in your “recent posts” list. Pages are added as a link in your menu, if you choose to, and serve as the basic meat of your site.

Links are just what the name implies…they are links to whatever outside web sites you wish to make available to your site visitors. This is where you put links to sites you are an affiliate of, sites that are recommended resources for your visitors, and anything else you feel would be of interest to your site visitors.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…..

Before you start, you need to spend a few minutes and make some big decisions on what type of web site you want and need. If you don’t spend the time now, you may not end up with the web site you want, and then you will have to start all over.

The biggest thing to figure out is what you actually need your website to do. Will it be just a simple blog, will it be a news site, will it be an ecommerce site to sell products, will it be a membership site, will it be a place to post mp3′s produced by your rock band…..what exactly do you need it to be and how do you want it to look?

Once you decide what you want it to be, you need to decide what type of content you will have on it. What kind of content will you need to create and manage?

Do you need posts? Maybe, maybe not. If you’re not creating a blog, you may or may not need to use the post feature in WordPress at all. Or maybe it’s not a blog you’re creating, but you want a section to give site visitors your latest news about your products or services. You can use posts to do that. Since posts normally show in order by date created, visitors would see the latest posts first.

What about pages? Do you need pages at all? If so, how many pages will you need? Since pages normally show up as menu items, will your pages have a hierarchy type dropdown menu, or will each post be a top level menu item?

What about your homepage, how do you want it to look, what do you want to feature on the homepage? You may want just some basic text about your web site, what you do and what you offer, or maybe you want to feature your latest news or latest post.

These are a few of the questions you need to answer. Basically you’re trying to figure out what you want and what you need from your website. Once you have that figured out, it’s easier to find a theme that offers exactly what you want and need.

Next Step…..

Pick a theme that suits your needs and also looks like you want it to. There are free themes and there are professionally designed themes that you purchase, usually for a very reasonable price. If you are building a business web site, you will probably want to invest in one of the professionally designed themes.

The theme on the right is an example of the 100′s and 100′s of themes you can download for free for WordPress.

Now that you know what you want and need in the way of a web site, you need to be sure and pick a theme that can meet those wants and needs. Keep in mind that WordPress makes it very easy to switch themes, so if you find more than one theme that you like, you can install all of them, and switch back and forth until you decide exactly which one is the perfect fit for your web site.

Here are some things to consider when searching for that “just right” theme:

What type of menu system does it feature? Can it display the number of pages you plan on having? Can it handle the hierarchy your site menu will require? If you plan on having a fair amount of hierarchy (categories and sub-categories), a drop down menu might be a must.

How is the theme laid out? Most themes are laid out in “sections” or “boxes” and with various sidebars, such as sidebar left, or sidebar right, or both. Most have a large center box or section, or maybe several smaller ones side-by-side, so make sure the theme’s homepage is laid out like you want.

Very important, is the theme widget ready? If so, you can add and delete sidebar items, and possibly others, with ease. You can do it without widgets, but it’s much harder.

As mentioned in Part 1, there are hundreds of free themes available, and you can check them out at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/

Two custom themes that I personally use and recommend are iTheme Custom WordPress Themes and StudioPress Custom WordPress Themes. These companies have specialized themes for most any application or niche you can think of.

iThemes has just introduced their new Builder Theme which is probably the most advanced and versatile WordPress theme on the market.

Once you’ve chosen your theme, you’re ready to install WordPress.

There are two ways to install WordPress, the easy way and the hard way.

The hard way is to download the WordPress files directly from www.wordpress.org and then do a manual install. Don’t worry though, even the hard way is not really that hard. Just go to http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress to view the very through instructions provided by WordPress.org. Follow the instruction and you shouldn’t have any problems.

The easy way is to install WordPress from the cpanel in your hosting account. Most hosting accounts have cpanel and a feature called Fantastico which make the install extremely easy.

Coming up in part 3 we will cover:

* Installing your theme
* Installing your plugins
* Entering your site details
* How to write pages
* How to write posts
* Using widgets on your site
* SEO for WordPress

So, be sure and continue with Part 3 to learn more about the power of WordPress.

Next Step…..

Once you’ve got WordPress installed, you’re ready to start setting up your site.

Once you’ve picked a theme and downloaded it, simply unzip it and upload the theme folder to your server at /public_html/wp-content/themes. Then login to your Dashboard, go to design>themes, and click on the theme to make it your active theme. You can click on any one of the themes that are showing to make them the active theme.

Plugins that you want on your site need to be downloaded, unzipped, and uploaded to /public_html/wp-content/plugins. Then go into your dashboard, go to plugins, and click on the activate link to activate any plugins you want to be active on your site. Remember, you can find free plugins at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/

Go into settings and fill in the information on your site details. These items are pretty self-explanatory.

Go to Write>Page to start adding pages to your site. While editing a page you can choose the page parent to determine how it will show in your menu. Remember, the page title will become a menu link. You could write a page titled “My Family” and set it as “Main Page, No Parent” and then you could write a page titled “MY KIds” and a page titled “MY Wife” and set them to have the “MY Family” page as parent. That would give you a dropdown menu, assuming your template supports dropdown menus, with “MY Family” as the main menu item and “MY Kids” and “MY Wife” as dropdowns under it.

You also have the ability while writing the page to select if you want to allow comments or not, if you want it to be password protected, and a few other things.

Go to Write>Post to start writing posts to populate your site with content. As with pages, you can choose some options to determine how the post will display.

With posts, you need to first setup some categories under the settings>manage>categories tab so you can organize your posts into the order you want them in. For instance, you could have a category named “General Interest” and one named “Latest News” and one named “Cooking Tips”, and then organize your posts under the appropriate one.

Under Design>Widgets and Design>Theme Editor, you can customize widgets and theme files if you know a little html, php, and want to give it a shot. The widgets tab usually gives you a list of widgets and a list of sidebars and other areas where the widgets can be placed, and you simply drag and drop the widgets you want into the areas you want them in. You can then edit each widget to make it display as you desire.

Search Engine Optimization…..

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to optimizing your website’s position in search results. Many books have been written about SEO and websites are dedicated to it.

Showing up higher in search results usually means more traffic and more business. That is another reason why using WordPress is such a good idea, because WordPress is especially well suited for boosting your site’s rank in search engines.

How to make your WordPress site SEO friendly…..

You need to research the right keywords for your site and then put those keywords in the right places. Those right places include the title bar (the text that shows up at the top of your browser), any headers, headlines or bold text on a page, and the meta data (helpful information in a page’s code that is not visible in a browser).

How WordPress Helps Your SEO Efforts…..

Right out of the box, WordPress is SEO-friendly. It puts important information in the right places by default, so as long as you fill in the appropriate information in your dashboard settings, you’ll have a good start in the search engine rankings.

However,there are also a number of extra steps you can take to optimize your search engine rank, many of which are either built in to WordPress or easily managed with plugins that are available to download.

Permalinks are the direct urls to your content and optimizing how those links appear is good SEO. There is a place in your dashboard to change the way your permalinks are setup.

There is a plugin you can download and install that creates a sitemap, which is a widely adopted standard among search engines, and helps improve your search rank.

There are SEO plugins available that specifically deal with improving your sites SEO. They are worth the effort if you want to improve traffic to your site.

And Finally…..

Once you have your site up and running and optimized the way you want, you just have to keep it updated with new content. Updates are a breeze with WordPress, which means you can spend more time on your content and less time trying to figure out the tech stuff.

So, what are you waiting for? WordPress can be the right answer for just about any need. It can be the answer to quickly and easily building a professional looking web site for:

• The smallest “mom and pop” business right on up to a giant corporation.

• Service-oriented companies like home builders, plumbers, HVAC contractors, real estate agents, car dealers, etc.

• Consultants, freelancers, and coaches.

• Schools, nonprofit agencies, and churches.

• Bands, artists and creative professionals.

So, that’s it, you are now the proud owner of a great looking web site, a “WordPress On Steroids” web site.

Hope you enjoyed this series on installing and configuring WordPress.

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Bread Recipes

Combining the best elements of Northern and Southern, this is a superb, just-barely-sweet version of one of the classic African-American cornbreads. Be sure to use stone-ground cornmeal for its full flavor and distinctive, delicious grittiness.

Ingredients
Vegetable cooking oil spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup corn or canola oil
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 10-inch round baking pan or heavy oven-proof skillet with cooking oil.
2. Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, stir baking soda into buttermilk. Whisk in sugar, egg and oil.
4. Place skillet over medium heat, add butter and heat until butter melts and starts to sizzle. Carefully tilt pan to coat sides and bottom.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients; combine quickly, using as few strokes as possible. Scrape batter into pan; bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool a few moments, and slice into 8 wedges to serve. Serves 8.

This thick batter makes a dense bread that’s great toasted and served with butter. When cranberries are available, throw a few bags in your freezer to make this bread year-round. We like it prepared with dried cranberries too.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 egg, well beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup grated orange rind
1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add sugar, egg, butter, hot water, orange juice and grated orange rind; stir until moistened. Fold in berries and nuts. Spoon into pan and bake 50 minutes (or 35 minutes for mini loaves). Cool; wrap and refrigerate or freeze.

Although it’s tempting to try to arrange the balls of dough neatly in the pan, once they’re coated in butter, they are slippery and practically slide into place by themselves. At first the pan will seem too big for the dough, but it rises nearly to the top. When the bread is baked, it fills the pan.

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk, heated
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
1. Combine 1 1?2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add milk and egg; beat until blended. Gradually add remaining flour and beat until mixture forms a soft dough. If necessary, add more flour.
2. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, turning to oil top of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 50 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375F.
4. Punch dough down; shape into 16 balls. Roll each in melted butter and arrange in a greased 9-inch tube pan. If there is extra butter, pour over top. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 50 minutes or until dough nearly fills pan.
5. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan onto wire rack; serve warm. Serves 8.

Salad Recipes

Use a good strong blue cheese, such as Roquefort, in this slaw. Mexican sour cream is richer and thicker than regular sour cream, but either will work fine.

Ingredients
1 head of green cabbage, sliced thinly
½ cup finely shredded carrot
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup crumbled Roquefort cheese, divided
½ cup Mexican sour cream or regular sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce

Instructions
1. Place cabbage, carrot and parsley in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk together 1?2 cup Roquefort cheese and remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over cabbage and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
3. Sprinkle with remaining Roquefort cheese before serving. Serves 10.

Ingredients
Dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper

Salad:
10 cups coarsely chopped lettuce (romaine and Boston)
2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 9 ounces)
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Roquefort or blue cheese
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

Instructions
1. To prepare the dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and
shake vigorously.
2. To prepare the salad, arrange lettuces on a large serving platter, big enough to toss the salad. Arrange tomatoes in a strip down the center and arrange chicken, bacon, eggs, and cheese in strips on either side of tomatoes. Scatter avocado around edge.
3. Before serving, slide the salad into a large bowl; pour dressing over top and toss gently to combine. Serves 6.

Two old standbys, deviled eggs and potato salad, join forces to make a potato salad that’s a real crowd pleaser.

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds (about 5 large) russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch
chunks
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
3 celery stalks, diced
3 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for garnish
Instructions
1. Place potatoes in large saucepan; add cold water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, transfer to a large bowl and cool 5 minutes.
2. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Combine potatoes, celery, eggs, parsley and mayonnaise mixture. Mix gently with a large rubber spatula. Garnish with additional parsley. Serves 10.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons grainy Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 large Portobello mushroom caps
4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 small bunch baby arugula, stems trimmed
16 grape tomatoes, halved
Instructions
1. Whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard and salt.
2. Place mushroom caps on a plate, and drizzle them with half of the vinaigrette. Broil mushrooms in a shallow ovenproof pan or grill on a rack for about 5 minutes (rounded side up).
3. Turn caps over and top with goat cheese. Return to the oven or grill to slightly melt cheese.
4. In a medium bowl, toss arugula with remaining vinaigrette and tomatoes. Spoon arugula mixture into four plates; top each with a warm, cheese-topped mushroom. Serves 4.

Sweet and juicy Bartlett pears are perfect for this salad. Ripen them on the counter until they have a delicious “pear” aroma, and then refrigerate until it’s time to make the salad.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1?4 teaspoon salt
1?4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 firm-ripe pears, such as Bartlett, cored and cut in bite-size chunks
2 cups shredded or thinly sliced cabbage
1?3 cup thinly sliced celery
1?3 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1?3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions
1. Whisk oil and 3 tablespoons lemon juice together in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper.
2. Combine pears and remaining lemon juice in a large bowl. Add cabbage, celery, pecans, cranberries and oil mixture and mix gently. Serve on lettuce leaves. Serves 8.

The arugula, with its mustardy quality, is a piquant, leafy complement to the potatoes. If arugula is not available, spinach is a good alternative.

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, red-skin or fingerling
1 pound mixed baby summer squash
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
5 ounces arugula

Instructions
1. Wash potatoes and baby squash and cut into bite-sized chunks.
2. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain.
3. Blanch baby squash in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking.
4. Whisk together shallots, garlic, mustard, salt, black pepper and vinegar. Whisk in olive oil.
5. Toss potatoes and squash with vinaigrette. Chill.
6. Fold the arugula into chilled potato mixture. Adjust seasonings and vinegar to taste before serving.

A small serrated knife works well for sectioning the fruit. Do this over a large bowl to catch the juices, and save some for the dressing.

Ingredients
3 seedless oranges
6 cups baby arugula
1 red apple, cored and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1?4 teaspoon kosher salt
1?8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1?2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta or blue cheese
Instructions
1. Grate rind from 1 orange into a small bowl and set aside.
2. Peel all oranges and section. Reserve juice, squeezing more for the dressing if needed. Combine arugula, orange sections and apple in a large bowl.
3. Whisk 3 tablespoons orange juice, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper with orange rind. Pour over salad and toss gently. Spoon onto serving plates and sprinkle with feta. Serves 8.

Beef Recipes

For the leanest brisket, ask for the “first” or “flat” cut, without an overly fatty flap lying on top. Trim off any surface fat; there’s plenty left in the fibers to keep the meat moist. Pure chile powder is made with just ground chiles—no oregano or cumin in the mix. Look for it in the spice aisle or near the Southwestern foods.

Ingredients

1 cup beer
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 chipotle canned in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon pure ancho
chile powder
1 (4-pound) beef brisket, trimmed of surface fat
3½ pounds sweet potatoes,
peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces

Instructions
1. Mix beer, cornmeal, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt, chipotle and garlic in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Rub chile powder into brisket; place in slow cooker and turn to coat. Cover and cook on high 6 hours.
3. Add potatoes; cook 3 hours, or until meat is fork-tender.
4. Remove meat and potatoes; skim fat from sauce. Slice meat and return with potatoes to the sauce; cover and keep warm up to 2 hours. Serves 10.

We love veggie burgers, but they unfortunately don’t love the grill—proving to be too tender for it. So, we found a happy medium by adding canned black beans to lean ground beef, for a healthier burger. Serve with guacamole salsa.

Ingredients
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 pound lean ground beef
¼ cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
½ teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 hamburger buns
Instructions
1. Place drained beans in a large bowl and mash beans with a potato masher. Add beef, onion, chili powder, cumin oregano, salt and pepper; mix to combine. Shape into 4 burgers and grill, broil or pan-fry until cooked through. Place burgers on buns and serve. Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 (5-pound) beef brisket
12 ounces tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 pound chopped onion (about 4 medium onions)
¼ cup diced garlic (about 12 cloves)
1 (750ml) bottle burgundy wine
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce (optional)
2/3 cup water
4 slices crustless rye bread, cubed (optional)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet until hot. Add meat and sear over high heat until lightly browned.
3. Rub brisket with tomato paste, salt and pepper.
4. Place onions in a large roasting pan. Place meat, fat side up, on top of onions.
5. Combine garlic, wine, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, soy sauce (if using) and water. Whisk. Pour over brisket
6. Cover and bake 2½ to 3 hours, basting often with pan juices. Uncover add rye bread, if using, and bake 30 minutes, until brisket is fork tender. Serves 12.

New York State’s big claim to food fame is buffalo sauce, a mixture of melted butter and hot sauce normally found on fried chicken wings. Watch your tailgating guests gather around the grill to taste a burger variation on the buffalo theme.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces
1?3 cup mild hot sauce (such as Durkee Red Hot)
½ cup finely crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 pounds ground buffalo or beef chuck, 85 percent lean
½ teaspoon celery seed
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
6 hamburger buns, split

Instructions
1. Before You Go: Melt butter in a small microwaveable bowl or stovetop. Whisk in hot sauce.
2. Mix blue cheese and garlic in small bowl.
3. Using your hands, gently mix buffalo or beef, celery seed, onion and ¼ cup hot sauce mixture in a medium bowl until blended. Using a light touch, form into 12 patties about 4 ½ inches in diameter and no more than ½ inch thick. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of cheese-garlic mixture in center of 6 patties. Top with remaining patties and press together, sealing edges. Refrigerate burgers until ready to grill.
4. When You Get There: Heat grill to medium. Brush and oil grill grate. Grill burgers, covered, 7 to 9 minutes, turning after about 4 minutes, for medium-done (150F, slightly pink). Add 1 minute per side for well-done (160F). Brush with remaining hot sauce mixture during last 2 minutes of cooking. Toast buns if you like. Serves 6.

This recipe uses a slow cooker to cook brisket, so place brisket in cooker.
Sprinkle soup mix on meat and spread chili sauce over top.
Season as desired with garlic powder and black pepper.
Sprinkle diced onions over meat and add water.
Cook 4 hours or until meat is tender.
Allow to cool a few minutes before slicing.

Preheat oven to 325F.
Place brisket in roasting pan.
Add celery, onion, chili sauce, salt and pepper.
Roast uncovered 1 to 1 1/2 hours and bast frequently.
Cover and roast brisket 3 to 3 ½ hours.
Add beer in final hour of cooking.

Preheat oven to 300F.
Trim excess fat from brisket.
Season with garlic powder.
Place brisket on heavy duty foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet or glass dish.
Mix remaining ingredients together and pour the mixture over brisket.
Pull foil over brisket and cover loosely, creating a tent.
Bake 1 hour per pound.
Place meat on cutting board and allow to cool.
Slice into thin slices and place back in baking dish without foil.
Pour juices over meat.
Serve immediately or refrigerate to serve later.
To reheat, place dish in 350F oven 30 to 45 minutes.

Place brisket in roasting pan with fat-side up.
Pour Italian dressing over meat.
Cover and cook at 250F to 300F for 7 to 8 hours.

In a dutch oven heat the vegetable or canola oil over medium to medium-high heat.
Brown the onions in the oil and remove them from the pan.
Place the brisket in the pan and brown on all sides.
Return the onions to the pan and season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. Put garlic in pan and cover.
Reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, turning brisket occasionally.
Place potatoes in pan during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.
Remove brisket from pan and slice across the grain.
Thicken gravy in pan with flour, if desired.

Making your website easy to navigate is essential if you want to have a professional looking and user friendly website.

For many years, working with menus in WordPress was very limited. It was a very basic menu system. What it actually amounted to was that the “menu” system just spit out the list of all your pages on your site. It was up to you to work overtime installing plugins or writing code that would either exclude or include certain pages so as to get your menu to look exactly how you wanted.

iThemes came along and introduced a much better and easier method of working with menus. They provided a listing of pages and categories and the WordPress user could simply “check” the box next to the page or category that they wanted included in the menu. This simple but effective feature provided users with little or no coding experience (or those who just wanted a simple solution) the ability to customize menus on their WordPress site quickly and easily.

Then came the release of the 3.0 version of WordPress. Version 3.0 provided a completely new menu management solution for WordPress that allowed users to create as many menus as they desired and (depending on the theme being used) allowed them to insert the different menus wherever desired.

The Builder Theme by iThemes then stepped up and gave users the best of all worlds when it comes to menus and navigation. Builder theme users can choose from three options (and even a combination of options) when building their sites. This really is very flexible if you understand the benefits of each type of menu / navigation construction.

Lets take a look at the different menu options the Builder theme offers users.

Builder And WordPress 3.0 Bring Everything Together…..

As is evident from looking at the above screenshot, the Builder Theme by iThemes allows for users to choose between all three options. Every time you create a custom menu, it auto-populates in the navigation drop-down menu giving unlimited flexibility to create as many menus and to display them wherever you want. That’s just one of the many advantages you gain when using Builder to build your WordPress websites.

Just when you thought a WordPress plugin that backs up your website couldn’t get any better, the guy’s at iThemes that developed BackupBuddy proves you’re wrong.

Of course, BackupBuddy isn’t your daddy’s old backup plugin either, so it really isn’t any surprise that it only gets better and better.

Here Is A BackupBuddy 2.0 Feature Peek, Presented By The Developers Themselves

In celebration of BackupBuddy’s successful year of backing up WordPress sites (over 16,000 to date!) we’ve been hard at work in once again setting the bar higher for WordPress backup solutions with BackupBuddy version 2.0. With well over 75 new features and enhancements this version is sure to further improve and strengthen the power that BackupBuddy puts in your hands. When can you get it? We’re aiming around late March.

While there are too many features to list one-by-one (and some just too secret to release right now), the list below helps give an idea of some of the many improvements coming. A great deal of focus has been put on improving reliability and usability with this major release as well.
This list is by no means comprehensive and leaves out some Top Secret features to be unveiled in the near future. We are saving the best for last — stay tuned for those.

New Features

• Enhanced built-in help with popup in-page video tutorials throughout
• More remote storage methods: Rackspace Cloud Storage, Dropbox.com, & Amazon S3
• High security mode backups (database & admin password stripped for security or making ready-to-deploy packaged sites — developers: sell pre-packaged ready-to-go configured sites!)
• Background manual backups (start a backup, close your browser, and walk away)
• Configure remote backup destination & notifications per schedule (developers: use this to set up scheduled backups of your clients’ sites to your servers & get notified, even if the customer adds their own schedules!)
• Server Information section: server diagnosis, basic security checks, server benchmarking (how slow is your server?), graphical space usage charting (easily see where your space is being used up on your server), CRON viewer, and much more
• Backup on creating or editing a post or page (never forget to backup again!)
• Detailed database table inclusion/exclusion options (make sure everything you want is backed up and nothing more)
• Directly pull backups to destination server via importbuddy (streamline migrations/restorations without having to download and re-upload files over your connection)

Improvements

• Better support for larger sites (especially those with large databases)
• Improved compatibility with slower servers
• Improved feedback during backup & restore processes
• Better error handling & recovery in case something goes wrong
• Improved backup integrity checking performance (be confident in your backups)
• Streamlined and simplified backup & restore process (easier to use but just as powerful)

And much much more…

Visit the developers website for Information & Pricing On BackupBuddy & Other Premium WordPress Plugins

You Can Get All Of The Plugins Now Available From PluginBuddy For One Price (developer licenses)

Due to popular request, PluginBuddy now offers a combo package, designed for developers, and it includes all of their recent (and upcoming) plugins at PluginBuddy …

Here Are Some Of The Great Benefits Included:

* Saves you money – You get all PluginBuddy premium plugins for one price
* You get one year of support and upgrades
* You get Developer Plans for all plugins – includes automatic upgrades on unlimited sites
* You get any new PluginBuddy plugins that are released during your membership year

Here Are The Current Plugins Included In The Developer Suite:

* BackupBuddy ($150 value)
* EmailBuddy (Available only in the Developer Suite!)
* Mobile ($150 value)
* DisplayBuddy ($150 value)
Includes: SlideShow, Video Showcase, Carousel, Featured Posts, Rotating Text, Billboard, Rotating Images, and Copious Comments
* VidEmbed ($20 value)
* Any other of their plugins listed on their site.
* And more plugins coming in the future!

Get the Developer Suite Today!

This Developer Suite is ideal for WordPress developers and designers.

The Vidembed Plugin by PluginBuddy is a powerful yet simple to use solution for adding videos inline within your WordPress posts, pages, and widget areas.

VidEmbed offers support for both self-hosted videos as well as YouTube and Vimeo. With VidEmbed, you can quickly and easily add videos from many sources.

We all know about the explosion of media on the web, and how important it is to be able to easily and quickly provide video content to your site visitors. VidEmbed makes it easy.

Some Of The Key Benefits of VidEmbed:

• * Allows you to imbed videos directly in your posts at the click of a button.
• * Ability to imbed stand-alone videos (flv, mp4, and mov formats).
• * Easily imbed YouTube & Vimeo videos.
• * Includes support for Amazon S3 hosted videos.
• * Uses an open source video player.
• * Includes widget support.
• * Handy shortcode button.
• * Allows for site-wide player customizations & styling.
• * Classes available for advanced CSS customization.

Here is a video giving a quick overview of the VidEmbed plugin…..

Here’s How Easy It Is To Install A PluginBuddy Plugin…..

• * Unzip the downloaded plugin file.
• * Use your favorite FTP client, FileZilla for example, to put the folder in your plugins directory (wp-content/plugins)
• * Login and go to the plugins page in your WordPress Dashboard
• * Activate the plugin

Want detailed video instructions showing how to get started using WordPress and installing your plugins? Check out our Quick Steps to Getting Started video tutorials here.

Here are some videos showing you how to get started using WordPress and your plugins.

STEP ONE…..How To Get Your Domain Name And Web Hosting

You need Linux hosting with Fantastico to make installing WordPress a very fast and easy task.

We use and recommend HostGator Web Hosting.

Here’s Why…..

• They have outstanding support
• They have extremely competitive prices
• They have several hosting plans to choose from
• They have outstanding uptime

STEP TWO…..Install WordPress

[flowplayer src=install-wp.mp4 splash=install-wp.png width=500 height=308 autoplay=false popup='

PluginBuddy Info/Prices

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Watch a detailed explanation on Installing WordPress Using cPanel and Fantastico

STEP THREE…..Purchase your plugin

Look through the plugins available at PluginBuddy Store to purchase the plugin of your choice. The best deal is the PluginBuddy Developer Suite, because you get all of the plugins now available, and you also get all plugins released in your membership year. The choice is yours, buy only one, or buy them all.

Watch the video below for detailed instructions.

[flowplayer src=buy-plugin.mp4 splash=buy-plugin.png width=500 height=308 autoplay=false popup='

PluginBuddy Info/Pricing

']

STEP FOUR…..Upload your plugin and activate it

[flowplayer src=activate-plugin.mp4 splash=activate-plugin.png width=500 height=308 autoplay=false popup='

PluginBuddy Info/Pricing

']

STEP FIVE…..Manage your plugin licenses and auto-upgrades.

[flowplayer src=license.mp4 splash=license.png width=578 height=361 autoplay=false popup='

PluginBuddy Info/Pricing

']

You can find more information on plugin use and settings on the sales page of most plugins.

And as you would expect from PluginBuddy, they provide full instructions on all of their plugins.

Below are screenshots of some of the Child Themes you will receive with your Builder Theme purchase. On the date of this post, there was a total of 24 Child Themes available, and more are being added all of the time.

This post is meant to give you a lot of information on iThemes in general and the Builder Theme in particular.

I started using iThemes themes when they were just getting started in the business of providing custom themes for WordPress. I had previously used a lot of free themes, some good and some bad, and a few custom themes by other companies. I had such good luck with iThemes themes, and the support they provided, that I now use them exclusively for all of my WordPress websites.

I should point out that all of my websites now are built using WordPress because I haven’t found anything that I want to do in the way of building a website that can’t be accomplished using WordPress. I also should point out that all of my websites use iThemes themes with the exception of my ecommerce site at TutorDaddy.com, where I sell video tutorials, and this site you are on now, which uses a plugin and included theme provided by AuthorityPro for building authority sites.

The premier theme that iThemes has developed is the Builder theme, and the videos and information below will give you the real lowdown on just how powerful and versatile this theme really is.

In case you’re wondering why they named it “Builder”, just watch the videos below and it will become evident that “Builder” is the perfect name for this theme.

Here are a few reasons…..

• Want to have a site with a different layout for every single post on your site? No problem, you can do it with Builder!
• Want to have a site with a different layout for every single page on your site? No problem again, you can do it with Builder!
• Want to have custom menus, as many as you want, where you want, with the links you want? No problem again!
• Want to be able to change things like font, colors, backgrounds, etc, without knowing code?You guessed it, Builder can do it!

Guess that’s why they named it “Builder”.

[flowplayer src=Builder2.mp4 splash=builder2.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

']

Another big advantage that you get when using Builder as your theme is the huge (and growing) selection of child themes that you get, free of charge, with Builder. Child themes give you the ability to instantly change the whole look and feel of your website. And, once again no coding skills required, you do it with a simple click of your mouse.

Click Here to see images of some of the Builder Child Themes available at this time.

[flowplayer src=builder3.mp4 splash=builder3.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

']

Style Manager makes it “click-of-the-mouse” easy to change individual features like background color or image, font, and more without knowing any code at all. Tweak your website and get it to looking exactly like you want, and it’s no problem with Builder.

[flowplayer src=builder4.mp4 splash=builder4.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

']

As would be expected from a premium theme like Builder, SEO options are built right in to the theme.

[flowplayer src=builder5.mp4 splash=builder5.png width=640 height=360 autoplay=false popup='

Purchase iThemes Builder Theme

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And of course, as you would expect from the people at iThemes, they have outstanding training available covering everything from WordPress basics right on up to advanced theme configuration and styling, backing up your WordPress sites, and much much more. Check out the events schedule to see what they have in store for you. It’s great training, and it’s free.

Have Questions About Builder Theme?…..

What kind of training is provided when I buy Builder?

What about other themes and child themes that are not Builder child themes? Will they be compatible to use with Builder?

Can people with very little experience work with Builder, or is it really just for developers?

Why do I have to renew in a year?

Appearance >>> Menus

The Appearance >>> Menus SubPanel became available beginning with WordPress Version 3.0. In order for you to use a Custom Navigation Menu in place of your theme’s default menu, you must have support for this feature registered in the theme’s functions.php file.

Menu Panel

Using The Screen Options Tab

The Screen Options tab, located near top right corner of page, allows you to choose which modules you want displayed, and which ones you want to not be displayed, in the underlying SubPanel. When you click on the Screen Options tab, it shows a list of the possible modules and options for that page, with a check-box next to each one. Simply check the box for each module or option you want to see displayed, and uncheck the box for any you choose not to display. When finished, click the Screen Options tab again to close the Screen Options.

How To Expand, Collapse, and Rearrange Modules

The modules, Posts for instance, can be expanded, or collapsed, by clicking on the module title bar.

How To Create a Menu

It’s very simple to create a new custom menu. All it takes is to click on the + tab, enter in a name for your menu, and click the Create Menu button.

It is necessary to point out that if the theme you are currently using does not support menus, the following message will be displayed:

“The current theme does not natively support menus, but you can use the “Custom Menu” widget to add any menus you create here to the theme’s sidebar.”

The message will display to let you know that widgets can be used to put custom menus in your themes sidebar.

My personal favorite theme to use on my websites that can take full advantage of the custom menu feature is the Builder Theme by iThemes. This theme is a highly advanced theme that allows you to create unlimited page and post layouts, and you can put menus anywhere you want, and as many as you want.

You can create as many menus as you wish, whatever suits your purposes. In the event that your theme includes support for more than one custom menu, you can use the drop down box to choose which custom menu to associate with each. As pointed out above you are also able to use custom menus in conjunction with the Custom Menus widget.

After creating a custom menu, these options are available:

Delete Menu

—Click this link if you wish to delete the menu. Be aware that deleting also deletes the menu items.

Automatically add new top-level pages

—Check this box so that anytime you create a new top-level Page, that Page will automatically be added to the menu

Save Menu

—Click this button to save your menu and any changes you have made.

How To Add Menu Items

Once a menu is created, it is possible to add detail items to the menu. You can add items like custom links, pages, and categories using the available options in the left column. You can add any custom post types or custom taxonomies that you may have created. In case you don’t see your custom post types or taxonomies, don’t forget to check the Screen Options tab to make sure they are checked to be “Show on Screen”.

After adding your items to a menu, you can then drag and drop them to put them in the order you want. Once you have the menu items arranged correctly, you can click each item to reveal additional configuration options. Another neat feature, you can also drag a menu item a little to the right to make it a submenu. This feature allows you to create menus with hierarchy. As you drag an item to the right you’ll see when the position of the drop target (the dotted lines box) shifts over to portray the nested placement. IMPORTANT, once you have finished creating and configuring your custom menu, be sure and click the Save Menu button.

So, with the Custom Menu feature in WordPress, you can specify a different navigation label for a menu item as well as other attributes. You can create multiple menus, as many as needed to suit your purpose. If your theme allows the use of more than one menu, you can choose which custom menu to associate with each. You can also display your custom menus using the Custom Menus widget.

The screenshot below shows an example of two Sub-Menu Items displayed in a hierarchy under the Home Menu Item.

Sub-menus

Choosing A Theme Location For A Menu

Theme locations allows you to select the desired placement of your menu. The WordPress default TwentyTen theme only supports one menu location, so you will see the message ‘Your theme supports 1 menu. Select which menu you would like to use‘. (If you have added the code to allow more navigation menus in your theme, you will see those in the pull-down location options)

Location

—From the pull down box, make your selection for the menu that will be presented in the location, for example, Primary Location

Save

—Click to save the location that you selected.

Adding A Custom Link

Custom links allows you to create links to any desired URL and give them any desired display name.

URL

—Enter the URL for your custom link.

Label

—Enter the label (display name) describing the custom link URL.

Add to Menu

—Click this button to add your custom link to the menu.

The link is now added to the menu, it will be displayed to the right with the label, the word ‘Custom’, and a configuration arrow allowing you to change the URL or Label and to remove the custom link from the menu if desired.

Adding Links To Posts

Use this option to add links to specific posts. Three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’, allow you to choose what posts are displayed for selection as a menu item.

Checkbox

—Check the box next to the item that you want to add to the menu.

Select All

—Checking this box will cause the checkbox to be checked on all items. Clicking this again will cause all items to be unchecked.

Add to Menu

—Click this button to add your selected items to the menu on the right.

Adding Links To Pages

Here is where you add links to specific pages. Three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’, are shown.They allow you to choose what pages are displayed for selection as a menu item. When the ‘View All’ tab is displayed, a Home link choice, while not necessarily an actual page, also becomes available to add to the menu. The ‘Checkbox’, ‘Select All’, and ‘Add to Menu’ options, described in the Posts section above, are also displayed in this module.

Adding Links To Categories

Your categories can also be added to the menu. Three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’ allow you to determine what categories are displayed for selection as a menu item. The list does not display in any particular hierarchy. The ‘Checkbox’, ‘Select All’, and ‘Add to Menu’ options are also displayed in this module.

Adding Links To Post Tags

You can also add Post Tags to menus. Again, three tabs, ‘Most Recent’, ‘View All’, and ‘Search’ determine what categories are displayed for you to select as a menu item. The ‘Checkbox’, ‘Select All’, and ‘Add to Menu’ options are also displayed in this module.

Adding Links To Custom Post Types and Taxonomies

Custom post types and taxonomies will also be available to add as menu items. In the event that you don’t see your custom post types or taxonomies, be sure and check the ‘Screen Options’ tab to make sure those modules are set to display. As expected, the options available under each of the custom post type and taxonomy modules correspond to those used for Posts, Pages, Categories, and Post Tags.

How To Rearrange, Configure, and Delete Menu Items

After you add your items to a menu, those menu items can be rearranged in whatever order you wish. Place your mouse cursor over the menu item title and then when the mouse cursor changes to 4-arrows, hold the left-mouse button down and drag the module to where you want to place it. Then release the mouse button and continue rearranging the items to achieve the desired order. Also, remember that by dragging a menu item slightly to the right of the menu item above it you can create a hierarchy (parent/child) relationship in the menu.

Every Menu Item will have a configuration arrow on the right side of the Menu Item title. Clicking there opens the configuration box for that item. If you click the arrow a second time it will close the configuration box. Again, if you don’t see Link Target, CSS Classes, Link Relationship (XFN), and Description, then check the Screen Options tab to make sure those boxes are checked to make the options available.

The configuration choices are:

Navigation Label

—The label you want to show for this particular menu item

Title Attribute

—The attribute you want to use when displaying the label

Link Target

—Here you can select “Same window or tab” or “New window or tab” from the pulldown.

CSS Classes

—Optional CSS Classes for this menu item

Link Relationship

—Allows for the generation of XFN attributes automatically. Allows you to show how you are related to the authors/owners of site to which you are linking.

Description

—Enter a description for this link. The description will be displayed in the menu assuming that the current theme supports it.

Original

—A link to the original source of the menu item. For example, a link to view the post or page).

Remove

—Remove this menu item from the menu.

Cancel

—Cancel the configuration of the menu item.

How To Add Menu Support to Themes

The default WordPress TwentyTen theme supports navigation menus. If your theme does not support the custom menu feature, you can do it yourself by adding the appropriate code to your theme’s function.php file. For further information on implementing custom menus for a theme, see The WordPress Codex

If you want to avoid the hassle of trying to add code to your current theme to get it to fully support custom menus, then once again I recommend you take a look at the Builder Theme by iThemes. Builder allows you to create unlimited page and post layouts, and you can put menus anywhere you want, and as many as you want. No coding needed, ready to use your custom menus to full advantage.

That concludes this tutorial on using the Custom Menu feature in WordPress.

To access some advanced, and FREE, training on WordPress and other related subjects, sign up for some of the free training available from WebDesign.com

.

This Video Shows How To Create And Use
Custom Menus For Your WordPress Website

The Appearance Menus SubPanel is available beginning with Version 3.0. This is where you create Custom Menus to use in your WordPress website. To use a Custom Navigation Menu in place of your theme’s default menu, support for this feature must be registered in the theme’s functions.php file.
You can become an expert WordPress website developer when you take advantage of the advanced training available at WebDesign.com.  You get access to a full years worth of training, taught by experts, covering not only WordPress but many other subjects as well.  You can keep on stumbling around trying to figure things out on your own, or you can learn it the easy way.  Choice is yours!

You can also sign up for some excellent FREE training at WebDesign.com Events.

We provide you with a huge selection of sports related gear and apparel available for your favorite team, whether it be NCAA, NFL, NBA, MLB, NBA, or NASCAR. Show your colors, support your team.

Use the drop-down boxes below to find gear and apparel for your favorite team, or simply…..Click Here To Access Our Full Line Of Team Gear & Apparel

We offer a large and complete selection of team apparel & accessories to allow you to support your favorite team.

Shop from the convenience of your home or office, and have your team merchandise and apparel shipped right to your front door.

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Related articles by Zemanta

• The 25 Highest Paid Sports Coaches in the World (businesspundit.com)
• Kelly arrives for work at Notre Dame (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Alabama wins $32M bet on coach Nick Saban, profits soar (sports.espn.go.com)

Baseball Equipment & Supplies

They stock a full line of brand name baseball gear from Easton, Wilson, Louisville Slugger, Mizuno, Rawlings, Nike, and more. At Baseball Rampage, you can get the same baseball gear the pros use, so you can be sure that you will find what you need to perform your best.

About Baseball Rampage

Baseball Rampage is the best place to shop to find performance baseball equipment. They are an authorized retailer for all of the major product manufacturer’s including Wilson, Rawlings, Easton, Louisville Slugger, Nokona, Franklin, Mizuno, and more. They have the best in performance baseball equipment at the lowest prices that you will find online. You can shop confidently at Baseball Rampage because they have been in business selling products online since 1996. Just look at some of the benefits of shopping Baseball Rampage:

* Specialized Customer Service – Their staff is specially trained and experienced in managing baseball equipment. This means if you have a question or need advice, they will have the answers that you need.
* Convenience – Place your order with a few clicks of your mouse. Re-orders can be completed with just 1 click!
* Speedy Service – Most orders ship from stock and orders received by 3:00 pm EST are often shipped within one business day.
* On-line Order Tracking – Follow the progress of your order from their state-of-the art fulfillment center all the way to your home or office

You can trust that you will be getting a high-quality product when you place your order with them. They have been selling products online since 1996, and they operate out of a custom-built warehouse/call center in Columbus, OH. They will do whatever it takes to get your order to you fast.

Why Shop at BaseballRampage.com

Why buy baseball equipment at the store down the street when Baseball Rampage has the latest, high-performance baseball gear at better prices? When you shop at Baseball Rampage you get The Rampage Advantage:

* Service – They have a professional staff of baseball experts to make sure that you get the baseball equipment you need and the customer service you deserve.
* Experience – They have been selling products online for over 10 years.
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Bread Recipes

Combining the best elements of Northern and Southern, this is a superb, just-barely-sweet version of one of the classic African-American cornbreads. Be sure to use stone-ground cornmeal for its full flavor and distinctive, delicious grittiness.

Ingredients
Vegetable cooking oil spray
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup corn or canola oil
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 10-inch round baking pan or heavy oven-proof skillet with cooking oil.
2. Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl, stir baking soda into buttermilk. Whisk in sugar, egg and oil.
4. Place skillet over medium heat, add butter and heat until butter melts and starts to sizzle. Carefully tilt pan to coat sides and bottom.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients; combine quickly, using as few strokes as possible. Scrape batter into pan; bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool a few moments, and slice into 8 wedges to serve. Serves 8.

This thick batter makes a dense bread that’s great toasted and served with butter. When cranberries are available, throw a few bags in your freezer to make this bread year-round. We like it prepared with dried cranberries too.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 egg, well beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup grated orange rind
1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add sugar, egg, butter, hot water, orange juice and grated orange rind; stir until moistened. Fold in berries and nuts. Spoon into pan and bake 50 minutes (or 35 minutes for mini loaves). Cool; wrap and refrigerate or freeze.

Although it’s tempting to try to arrange the balls of dough neatly in the pan, once they’re coated in butter, they are slippery and practically slide into place by themselves. At first the pan will seem too big for the dough, but it rises nearly to the top. When the bread is baked, it fills the pan.

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk, heated
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Instructions
1. Combine 1 1?2 cups flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add milk and egg; beat until blended. Gradually add remaining flour and beat until mixture forms a soft dough. If necessary, add more flour.
2. Turn out onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, turning to oil top of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 50 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375F.
4. Punch dough down; shape into 16 balls. Roll each in melted butter and arrange in a greased 9-inch tube pan. If there is extra butter, pour over top. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 50 minutes or until dough nearly fills pan.
5. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan onto wire rack; serve warm. Serves 8.

Salad Recipes

Use a good strong blue cheese, such as Roquefort, in this slaw. Mexican sour cream is richer and thicker than regular sour cream, but either will work fine.

Ingredients
1 head of green cabbage, sliced thinly
½ cup finely shredded carrot
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
¾ cup crumbled Roquefort cheese, divided
½ cup Mexican sour cream or regular sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Dash of hot sauce

Instructions
1. Place cabbage, carrot and parsley in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk together 1?2 cup Roquefort cheese and remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour over cabbage and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
3. Sprinkle with remaining Roquefort cheese before serving. Serves 10.

Ingredients
Dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 small garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper

Salad:
10 cups coarsely chopped lettuce (romaine and Boston)
2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped, cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 9 ounces)
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled Roquefort or blue cheese
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

Instructions
1. To prepare the dressing, combine all ingredients in a jar, cover tightly and
shake vigorously.
2. To prepare the salad, arrange lettuces on a large serving platter, big enough to toss the salad. Arrange tomatoes in a strip down the center and arrange chicken, bacon, eggs, and cheese in strips on either side of tomatoes. Scatter avocado around edge.
3. Before serving, slide the salad into a large bowl; pour dressing over top and toss gently to combine. Serves 6.

Two old standbys, deviled eggs and potato salad, join forces to make a potato salad that’s a real crowd pleaser.

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds (about 5 large) russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch
chunks
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
3 celery stalks, diced
3 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus additional for garnish
Instructions
1. Place potatoes in large saucepan; add cold water to cover. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, transfer to a large bowl and cool 5 minutes.
2. Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Combine potatoes, celery, eggs, parsley and mayonnaise mixture. Mix gently with a large rubber spatula. Garnish with additional parsley. Serves 10.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons grainy Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 large Portobello mushroom caps
4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature
1 small bunch baby arugula, stems trimmed
16 grape tomatoes, halved
Instructions
1. Whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard and salt.
2. Place mushroom caps on a plate, and drizzle them with half of the vinaigrette. Broil mushrooms in a shallow ovenproof pan or grill on a rack for about 5 minutes (rounded side up).
3. Turn caps over and top with goat cheese. Return to the oven or grill to slightly melt cheese.
4. In a medium bowl, toss arugula with remaining vinaigrette and tomatoes. Spoon arugula mixture into four plates; top each with a warm, cheese-topped mushroom. Serves 4.

Sweet and juicy Bartlett pears are perfect for this salad. Ripen them on the counter until they have a delicious “pear” aroma, and then refrigerate until it’s time to make the salad.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1?4 teaspoon salt
1?4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 firm-ripe pears, such as Bartlett, cored and cut in bite-size chunks
2 cups shredded or thinly sliced cabbage
1?3 cup thinly sliced celery
1?3 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1?3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions
1. Whisk oil and 3 tablespoons lemon juice together in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper.
2. Combine pears and remaining lemon juice in a large bowl. Add cabbage, celery, pecans, cranberries and oil mixture and mix gently. Serve on lettuce leaves. Serves 8.

The arugula, with its mustardy quality, is a piquant, leafy complement to the potatoes. If arugula is not available, spinach is a good alternative.

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, red-skin or fingerling
1 pound mixed baby summer squash
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
5 ounces arugula

Instructions
1. Wash potatoes and baby squash and cut into bite-sized chunks.
2. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain.
3. Blanch baby squash in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking.
4. Whisk together shallots, garlic, mustard, salt, black pepper and vinegar. Whisk in olive oil.
5. Toss potatoes and squash with vinaigrette. Chill.
6. Fold the arugula into chilled potato mixture. Adjust seasonings and vinegar to taste before serving.

A small serrated knife works well for sectioning the fruit. Do this over a large bowl to catch the juices, and save some for the dressing.

Ingredients
3 seedless oranges
6 cups baby arugula
1 red apple, cored and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1?4 teaspoon kosher salt
1?8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1?2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta or blue cheese
Instructions
1. Grate rind from 1 orange into a small bowl and set aside.
2. Peel all oranges and section. Reserve juice, squeezing more for the dressing if needed. Combine arugula, orange sections and apple in a large bowl.
3. Whisk 3 tablespoons orange juice, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper with orange rind. Pour over salad and toss gently. Spoon onto serving plates and sprinkle with feta. Serves 8.

Beef Recipes

For the leanest brisket, ask for the “first” or “flat” cut, without an overly fatty flap lying on top. Trim off any surface fat; there’s plenty left in the fibers to keep the meat moist. Pure chile powder is made with just ground chiles—no oregano or cumin in the mix. Look for it in the spice aisle or near the Southwestern foods.

Ingredients

1 cup beer
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 chipotle canned in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon pure ancho
chile powder
1 (4-pound) beef brisket, trimmed of surface fat
3½ pounds sweet potatoes,
peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces

Instructions
1. Mix beer, cornmeal, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, salt, chipotle and garlic in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Rub chile powder into brisket; place in slow cooker and turn to coat. Cover and cook on high 6 hours.
3. Add potatoes; cook 3 hours, or until meat is fork-tender.
4. Remove meat and potatoes; skim fat from sauce. Slice meat and return with potatoes to the sauce; cover and keep warm up to 2 hours. Serves 10.

We love veggie burgers, but they unfortunately don’t love the grill—proving to be too tender for it. So, we found a happy medium by adding canned black beans to lean ground beef, for a healthier burger. Serve with guacamole salsa.

Ingredients
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 pound lean ground beef
¼ cup diced red onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
½ teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 hamburger buns
Instructions
1. Place drained beans in a large bowl and mash beans with a potato masher. Add beef, onion, chili powder, cumin oregano, salt and pepper; mix to combine. Shape into 4 burgers and grill, broil or pan-fry until cooked through. Place burgers on buns and serve. Serves 4.

Ingredients

1 (5-pound) beef brisket
12 ounces tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 pound chopped onion (about 4 medium onions)
¼ cup diced garlic (about 12 cloves)
1 (750ml) bottle burgundy wine
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce (optional)
2/3 cup water
4 slices crustless rye bread, cubed (optional)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet until hot. Add meat and sear over high heat until lightly browned.
3. Rub brisket with tomato paste, salt and pepper.
4. Place onions in a large roasting pan. Place meat, fat side up, on top of onions.
5. Combine garlic, wine, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, soy sauce (if using) and water. Whisk. Pour over brisket
6. Cover and bake 2½ to 3 hours, basting often with pan juices. Uncover add rye bread, if using, and bake 30 minutes, until brisket is fork tender. Serves 12.

New York State’s big claim to food fame is buffalo sauce, a mixture of melted butter and hot sauce normally found on fried chicken wings. Watch your tailgating guests gather around the grill to taste a burger variation on the buffalo theme.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces
1?3 cup mild hot sauce (such as Durkee Red Hot)
½ cup finely crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 pounds ground buffalo or beef chuck, 85 percent lean
½ teaspoon celery seed
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
6 hamburger buns, split

Instructions
1. Before You Go: Melt butter in a small microwaveable bowl or stovetop. Whisk in hot sauce.
2. Mix blue cheese and garlic in small bowl.
3. Using your hands, gently mix buffalo or beef, celery seed, onion and ¼ cup hot sauce mixture in a medium bowl until blended. Using a light touch, form into 12 patties about 4 ½ inches in diameter and no more than ½ inch thick. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of cheese-garlic mixture in center of 6 patties. Top with remaining patties and press together, sealing edges. Refrigerate burgers until ready to grill.
4. When You Get There: Heat grill to medium. Brush and oil grill grate. Grill burgers, covered, 7 to 9 minutes, turning after about 4 minutes, for medium-done (150F, slightly pink). Add 1 minute per side for well-done (160F). Brush with remaining hot sauce mixture during last 2 minutes of cooking. Toast buns if you like. Serves 6.

This recipe uses a slow cooker to cook brisket, so place brisket in cooker.
Sprinkle soup mix on meat and spread chili sauce over top.
Season as desired with garlic powder and black pepper.
Sprinkle diced onions over meat and add water.
Cook 4 hours or until meat is tender.
Allow to cool a few minutes before slicing.

Preheat oven to 325F.
Place brisket in roasting pan.
Add celery, onion, chili sauce, salt and pepper.
Roast uncovered 1 to 1 1/2 hours and bast frequently.
Cover and roast brisket 3 to 3 ½ hours.
Add beer in final hour of cooking.

Preheat oven to 300F.
Trim excess fat from brisket.
Season with garlic powder.
Place brisket on heavy duty foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet or glass dish.
Mix remaining ingredients together and pour the mixture over brisket.
Pull foil over brisket and cover loosely, creating a tent.
Bake 1 hour per pound.
Place meat on cutting board and allow to cool.
Slice into thin slices and place back in baking dish without foil.
Pour juices over meat.
Serve immediately or refrigerate to serve later.
To reheat, place dish in 350F oven 30 to 45 minutes.

Place brisket in roasting pan with fat-side up.
Pour Italian dressing over meat.
Cover and cook at 250F to 300F for 7 to 8 hours.

In a dutch oven heat the vegetable or canola oil over medium to medium-high heat.
Brown the onions in the oil and remove them from the pan.
Place the brisket in the pan and brown on all sides.
Return the onions to the pan and season to taste with salt, pepper, and paprika. Put garlic in pan and cover.
Reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, turning brisket occasionally.
Place potatoes in pan during the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.
Remove brisket from pan and slice across the grain.
Thicken gravy in pan with flour, if desired.

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