WordPress, Blogging & Tech Tutorials | Web Training Wheels

How To Embed A PDF In Your WordPress Site

A common question I’ve been getting as of late is about how to embed a PDF into a WordPress page/post so that it’s actually viewable inside the post. If you use the Upload/Insert button to add your .pdf in the same way that you would an image, you get only a text link to download the file which isn’t particularly exciting.

The best and easiest solution I’ve come across is a plugin called “Google Doc Embedder“. Don’t let the name fool you, you don’t have to upload your files to Google Docs – everything is done through your WordPress admin.

How To Automatically Post Your Blogs To Facebook and Twitter

Tutorials, WordPress Tutorials - Basic

A common question that clients ask me is about how to automatically update their Facebook page, Twitter account or other social profiles, when they publish a new blog post.

There are many ways to do this – here are a couple of my preferred methods. Although there are some WordPress plugins available for these types of tasks, generally speaking I don’t use them. Sometimes they are tricky to configure, or perhaps just not that reliable. Plus, why add unnnecessary plugins when you can acheive the same thing just as well, if not better, another way?

Tips For Designers Learning WordPress

WordPress Beginners

If you are a graphic / web designer accustomed to coding websites in static HTML, as opposed to PHP or some other database-driven system, making the move to WordPress can seem difficult and frustrating at first. Having had several clients who fit this description, I have noticed some common issues that prove to be stumbling blocks. Here’s my suggestions for those attempting to make the switch.

1) Beginner’s Mind Is Crucial
Forget almost everything you know. I know, it sounds terrible, but here’s what I mean – if you approach WordPress with the same mentality as you would approach building an HTML site, you will get frustrated very quickly. So act as if you know nothing and start from scratch. Once you gain an understanding of WordPress you can then apply the HTML knowledge you know. But doing it the other way round is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Building a database driven website is a totally different conceptual approach than building a static HTML site, so don’t let your current habits and knowledge get in the way.

Orange County WordCamp 2012 – All The Knowledge

WordPress

As has become habitual, I am collecting all the links to slides and talks from this weekend’s Orange County WordCamp. It was of course, another awesome day of learning, community and WordPress nerdiness. There were many great talks so keep your eye on WordPress.tv for the videos to go up.

WordPress I: Introduction to WordPress
Skill Level: Beginner
Se Reed
See the slides

Getting Started with Contribution!
Skill Level: Advanced
Mike Schroder
See the slides

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Fun With Gravity Forms – Slides from Orange County Wordcamp 2012

WordPress, WordPress Plugins

Here are the slides from my presentation at this weekend’s Orange County Wordcamp. I presented on “Fun With Gravity Forms”. Gravity Forms is a premium WordPress plugin that is worth paying for! Since much of my presentation was a live demonstration, the slides don’t cover everything, but there are some good resources included, and links to great examples of a diverse use of Gravity Forms.