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Progress Update : 2009 Week 2 January 12th-18th

Posted on 20. Jan, 2009 by Derrick.

Ok, So a couple of days late. . but I have legitate excuses (Difficultly uploading video to Youtube - for some reason, it wouldn’t accept my HD version, and attempted nearly 10 times - the file was huge - over 700MB :). .Anyways, here’s my progress report for 12th to 18th of January. (times are approximate, as there were a few times when I was in deep concentration on making the video, I forgot to start the timer

My Achievements:

1. Brainstormed Ideas for Video Contest & Produced and Uploaded first Video (~16 hours+)
2. Researched Wordpress themes and revamped my blog ~ 15 hours
3. Initiated my first Joint Venture Project - I’ll reveal more of this later ~ 4 hours
4. Writing 2 Key articles - one on article writing, the other on directory submission ~ 9 hours
5. Spending a very small amount of time on Traffic Generation ~ 2 hours  (I think this is a little inaccurate - probably more closer to 4-5 hours and this was mostly oil rig hopping - visiting and commenting on other peoples blogs)

Below is a nice coloured graph showing you the breakdown:

Now that I have showed you what I have done - Lets check what the RESULTS are

My Key Performance Indicators from the goals I set in January were based on the following : Income, Visitors, and my list building.  As I have been focusing on producing content and updating my site (and subsequently very little on traffic generation) my results this week, have not suprisingly been bad :)  Firstly here are my google Analytics stats:

As you can see I nearly dipped to ZERO on the 16th, but I was luckily able to resurrect my traffic after I finally uploaded my Video to YouTube.  I have to say its very discouraging when you aren’t getting traffic, but its an adrenalin ride when you do:)

Ok. big question : have I made any money?  And the answer is NO. . in fact I’ve spent some money (spent $70 buying the WooTheme to update the look and feel of my site).  But I know I will very soon. . How about my list?  No subscribers yet either, but again I do have a plan. . so this will change very soon

One other bit of good news is that I have climbed in the Alexa Rankings - I’m now proud to say I’m at 580,385 Check it out below:

Oh, and one other thing. . I just passed 1000 friends on twitter :). . so all in all despite not being good to my bank account, it has been a good week :). . .

Well that’s it for week 2.

My plan this week is to continue working on my blog usability and functionality, adding lots of quality content, and spend more time in traffic generation activities

Would love to hear any questions you may have or your thoughts on how I could be more productive, or where you feel I need to focus my energies for the coming weeks - post your comments in the box below

Derrick

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Review of Three Of The Best Professional Wordpress Themes

Posted on 17. Jan, 2009 by Derrick.

Looking for a new look and feel for your blog?  Not sure where to look?  You can spend hours searching for the right theme (I have!, in fact I would say I’ve probably spent a good week searching!)  Here is a breif review of  3 of the best wordpress theme design companies I have discovered over the past few weeks and my experience in dealing with them.

1.WooThemes -

Really love these guys designs, but most importantly they mentioned they offered theme support for customization (which I needed).  Also they have developers who can help you make the changes should you not want to do it yourself (at about $50-100/hour). The help to customise was the main reason why I went with them, also they have a permanent 2 for 1 offer, so you get 2 for the price of one at $70.  They also have a theme club offer where you can have access to all the themes for a great price.  Currently they have 17 theme designs (all with colour theme variations) and they also have 4 Free ones now - Check them out here

They are really responsive when I made these sales enquiries (usually answered within 24 hours) plus their after sales support was excellent and they lived up to their promise of helping me customise my theme - my initial queries were answered within 30min. My last query is still unanswered, but it is the weekend! and I think I was lucky to get the others answered so quick on a Saturday night!

WooThemes - Quality - 4.5/5, Customer Service 4.5/5 so far, Value 4.5/5

2. Revolution Themes by Brian Gardner.

Another great set of themes, (Currently they have Ten different theme styles).   I have previously purchased a theme from Brian, and I have to say his service and response is also excellent.  He also has a support forum set up for customers, and I found this very useful in getting an issue resolved.  I would say quality and customer service is level with Woo Themes.  He also has a single theme price ($59.95) or a developer price where you get access to all his themes plus lifetime support. (199.95).  For repeat customers you also get 25% off:)

Revolution Two - Quality : 4.5/5,  Service 4.5/5, Value 4/5

3. Unique Blog Designs.

Many people use these guys. and they also produce great looking professional themes.  I would  say these guys are slightly more upmarket in terms of they have a more corporate professional feel.  This is reflected in their cost -  their current lineup of three themes are $79.00 each. and they have an equal focus on creating customized themes for mid-high end level clients.  I would definitely consider using them If I had the budget for a customized design - you’re looking at least around $1500 for a fully customized solution from them.

I did submit a couple of requests for more information, and they were a bit slow in responding. (about 2-3 days) - not sure if this was because I contacted them at the beginning of the year, and they may not have started work yet, nevertheless they were very professional, and were happy to discuss on the phone as well as via email.   A lot of the big boys use them, so if your budget allows - definitely worth checking them out for the fully customized option, or just get one of their professional ready made themes for $79.

Unique Blog Designs - Quality : 5/5  Customer Service 3.5/5 (based on slow response to sales enquiry only - have had no contact with support after sales), Value 3/5

I also made some enquiries to random wordpress designers, and even got a quote for up to $10,000 to get one done!  So if you are on a budget, but do want a ‘pro’ look for your theme with support (the problem with free themes are, it may be more difficult to do troubleshooting and therefore waste time, as compared to getting a professional theme, where they offer good support to help you get your theme working as fast as possible.

Here is a comparison table for these theme designers:

* Revolution themes offers 25% off any purchases after initial purchase.

Ultimately who you choose will largely depend on personal preference of design, and budget.

Here are quick links to their sites so you can take a look for yourself.

1. WooThemes
2. Revolution Themes
3. Unique Blog Designs

Feel free to make a comment, and let me know if  you have any questions,  or if you have any other wordpress theme designers you would recommend!

Derrick

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