Blogs for Photogs » Specials

Cyber Monday Sale

Theresa — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:08:29 +0000

Urg…I just through this together last minute.
Expires midnight tonight (Pacific time):
- $75 off Blogsite packages
- $25 off Blogsite upgrades

And if you haven’t been following the progress of the Options Panel feature I’ve been working on, I’ve decided to build them for new blogs and blogsites for free. No, it’s not part of the sale, it comes standard!

New Feature: Custom Theme Options

Theresa — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 22:14:32 +0000

Holy moly, has it really been over 3 months since I last posted? I’ve had a very busy summer (school’s back next week, yeah!), so it seems to have gone by REALLY fast. Aside from all the fun summer activities, I’ve also been working on MY NEXT NEW BIG THING. What’s that you ask? Custom theme options are where it’s at now. With the WordPress framework getting more and more robust, developers have been working on add-ons that make my job easier, but also make it easier for you as well. A lot of my clients hate (admit it, you’re one of them) to come to me when they just want to change the background color or pattern, or the font size/color. Believe me, I’m busy enough not to want to do that for everyone. So how about this: I can set up a custom Theme Options panel for you that allows you do that easily without messing up code or anything!

Here’s a screenshot of what I’m talking about:

So how can you get one for your theme you ask? Well for now, they’re not available just yet because I still need to work out some programming issues, but for anyone who signs up for a Blog/Blogsite package this month, I will be adding one to the theme I build for you so that I can practice and test it out. For now, these are the options that are definitely available:

Main Options:

Background color and pattern
Blog column background color

Header:

Logo pattern and size
Logo Text and size/color
Header and Logo background color

Menu:

Menu background color
Menu headings color
Menu home text
Menu home text link

etc….

There are also options for the Post and Footer sections, but you get the idea. I’ll most likely be practicing and testing for the next month and will probably offer Options panel add-ons by the end of September for a pretty minimal cost. The process of adding it should work for nearly all themes, although some themes are already built-in with options. The beauty of this system is that you can request what options you want, to a certain extent. Some blog builds can get pretty complicated so some changes can’t be included in the Options panel simply because the layouts would break (custom scripting is an example) or just look messy (i.e.custom borders and edges). But if you want some pretty straightforward, simple options that you can have control over any time you want, then you now have that luxury!

So remember, if you’re looking to sign up for a blog or blogsite package, this month would be the time to do it because they will come with a built-in Theme Options panel!

Lower Prices and More

Theresa — Thu, 19 May 2011 21:36:41 +0000

Could that be right? In today’s economy, there’s actually someone lowering their prices? That’s right kids, it’s true…to an extent. The prices I’ve decided to lower are outlined below, including some new developments you might be interested in reading. First though, I’d like to apologize to anyone trying to contact me through my contact page and finding there was no form to do so. I had disabled the plugin and forgot to change it on that page. All fixed now!

Lower Prices on Tune-Up Package!
With WordPress upgrades getting easier and easier to maintain, I’ve decided to lower the price on the Tune-Up package by $25. Tune-ups for existing clients is now $125 and $150 for new clients. You’ll still get 5 customizations and WordPress and active plugins upgraded.

New Maintenance Package! $150 for 4 months
Available to existing clients who previously signed up for a Complete Blog or Blogsite Package, this maintenance package gives you peace of mind that your blog is working smoothly. Need a customization? No problem. For a 4 month service period, customizations are included as long as you stick with the same theme and layout. Have a problem with a plugin not working? Also included, as well as any WordPress version upgrades. Exclusions: blogsite upgrades (i.e. custom gallery pages info template pages). If you are looking for complete theme re-build, see the next option….

Theme Re-builds $260
Also only available to existing Complete Blog and Blogsite package clients. Want a completely different look and layout? A brand spanking new theme re-build is what you want. Same support service period and unlimited customizations are included as the other blog packages, just less expensive for my devoted clients!

Horizontal Blogs ~~$800~~ $600 for a limited time
This at-first strange layout has slowly gained popularity in the blog world. Never one to back down from a challenge, I came up with my own theme, which can be customized with your logo and branding. Note: there are some limitations because of the nature of horizontal layouts. It’s been tested on multiple browsers, but not all mobile devices (not compatible with the Facebook mobile browser).
For a demo of the horizontal theme, view the Blogs for Photogs Horizontal Theme. Contact me if you are interested and want to find out more information.

Become an Affiliate and earn free customizations!
Are you a photographer or photography service provider? Do you have a banner link section or page and interested in bartering for advertising? Contact me if you’d like to become an affiliate and earn free customizations for your blog or blogsite.

Spring Special: Get Mobilized for free!

Theresa — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:21:19 +0000

How mobilized is your blog? One of my goals this year was to learn how to create a mobile version of a blog or blogsite that is truly a “mini” version of the actual site. I had a plugin working for a while that switched over to a mobile theme, but I found a lot of things wrong with it. 1) flash galleries weren’t being substituted for non-flash compatible ones that I set up, 2) post images by default don’t show up on the front page or show up too small and 3) I could never get it to look exactly the way I wanted. #2 was a big point for me considering as photographers, we want our images to be seen and often seen as large as possible.

Well now, I can say I have it probably 85% figured out. I’ve worked hard in getting my photography blogsite working correctly on an iPhone and I think I now have it to where I’m quite happy with it. Here are some goals I was trying to accomplish:

increase text size to increase readability on small devices
format the width to increase visibility of post images and text (many blogs are wider than the default 980 pixels width allowed)
insure that galleries are viewable (non-flash compatible)
verify menu compatibility
verify forms are operational
overall formatting of theme structure works correctly

When I say that I’m 85% there, I have to admit that I can’t be 100% sure only because I don’t own an iPad, so I can’t verify the layout on that device. THIS is one of the reasons why I’m offering a special this Spring. For any custom blog or blogsite, I will create a mobile version of your site for free. In actuality, you’ll be helping me out since I need more practice in creating mobile stylesheets. If any of you have Androids or iPads, that would be a double bonus for me. For blogsites, I always install a non-flash compatible photo gallery system, so portfolio galleries always show up. I’ve also found a flash slideshow plugin that stacks photos in posts when viewed on a non-flash browser.

Here’s a side by side comparison of my blogsite that shows the difference between what it looks like on 1) Firefox for PC 2) Safari on an iPhone 4 and 3) mobile plugin called Wapple Architect. Click on the thumbnail to see the pc screenshot.

Firefox on pc
(1440px widescreen reduced to 1200px):

custom mobile style on Safari on iPhone (320px wide):

Mobile theme using Wapple Architect plugin

As you can see, the iPhone version is more readable now with the text and width adjustments. If I were to leave it alone and just let the default stylesheet load, the text would be TINY and the width of the blog would make image viewing difficult as well. The mobile plugin theme is….yuck. It doesn’t look much like my blogsite and images are small, and I had to hack it quite a bit to show the first image at all.

Spring Special: Free mobilized style for all Complete Blog and Blogsite Packages – sign up by April 30th, 2011. The cost to mobilize an existing blog theme is $50. After April 30th, the cost to add on a mobilized theme will be $100.

January 2011 special

Theresa — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:54:12 +0000

It’s ridiculous how quickly 2010 came and went. Who’s ready for 2011? I think the past year has proved how important social networking is to our business, so I thought I’d incorporate it into my January special. This is a great time to tune up your blog and add some things to spruce it up, don’t you think? My Tune-Up package will also include any social networking tools added to your blog that you want in addition to the 5 customizations and WordPress upgrade, just for the month of January. If you love to tweet, then add a little “tweet box” somewhere to include your latest feed. Or if you’re like me and use Facebook the most, add a slider box with your fan box and feed. Other tools include “like” and sharing buttons for every post. I’ve even seen people use the “like” button as a tool for photo contests; a great way to draw potential customers to your site!

The Tune-up package is only $150 for existing clients and $175 for new clients. Just fill out the Sign-up form and be sure to mention the January special. The deal ends at the end of the month.

Explore Photography Workshop promotion and discount

Theresa — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:45:03 +0000

Sorry for the delay in updating. The transition into summer has been a little rough, but things are going smoothly now. I wanted to post about this upcoming event that we are sponsoring. ExplorePhotoWorkshops.com is holding a photography workshop in August and we are providing promotional cards that will be handed out to all workshop attendees. If you haven’t purchased your attendance yet, you can use the promo card “blogs4photogs” to receive $100 off the price! Here are the details:

Explore Photography Workshops
August 13th and 14th in Dallas, TX.
Come to learn from from our outstanding speakers
Raye Law, Michelle Huesgen, and Allison Cottrill
Visit our website at www.ExplorePhotoWorkshops.com
for more information and to register. Use the coupon code “blogs4photogs” to get a $100 off.

Spring Special

Theresa — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:05:55 +0000

This special has expired.

Hope y’all are enjoying the spring weather! (I know I am). I wanted to put together a spring special. Since I’ve recently started Tweeting (slowly but surely), I wanted to hook you up with a discount for adding me. Receive $100 off a Custom Blog or Blogsite Package if you add me on Twitter and Facebook. You also have to either tweet about the special or publish it in your FB status. This special is good through the end of March.

1. Add me to Twitter: http://twitter.com/BlogsforPhotogs
2. Become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blogs-for-Photogs/271595277374

3. Post this on Twitter or your Facebook status:
Check out #BlogsforPhotogs spring special. Get your own custom blog! http://bit.ly/densvo

4. Fill out the Sign-Up form and mention this special to get your discount!

February Special: free flash logo with custom blog package

Theresa — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:40:13 +0000

Happy February!
In the wake of the discovery that I CAN create flash logos after all, I wanted to offer them with new custom blog packages. You must have an existing logo for it to be converted to an animated flash. If you know exactly how you want your logo to be animated but don’t know if it’s do-able, contact me and I can take a look at your logo and see if I can achieve what you want before you sign up for the blog package.

If you haven’t seen the latest animated logos I’ve done, see the last 2 posts here and here.

This offer expires February 15th.

Monthly group buys

Theresa — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:38:10 +0000

If you’re interested in organizing a group buy, please spread the word about this offer. I will be accepting group buys, one group a month, for 5 custom built blogs for $300 each. Stipulations for the group buy include:
- each blog must be pre-designed, with a jpeg mock-up. Blogs will be custom built from these mock-ups.
- group buy must be pre-paid.
- a designated contact person must be chosen for the group, although contact will be made with individuals during the building process.

If you are interested, but don’t have a group that you know of to join, please contact me and maybe I can point you to one.

Changes…they are a-comin’

Theresa — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:15:27 +0000

Wow, only a couple weeks left of the year! I’m sure everyone is frantically rushing around finishing up print orders, delivering to clients, and of course doing their personal holiday shopping. The inevitable is in sight though; a New Year is coming and a lot of us will be asking ourselves how we can freshen up and improve our presentation to clients.

Well here are a couple ideas for you to chew on while you’re also munching on those Christmas cookies:

Pricing structure for custom blogs and blogsites will change in January, so from now until January 5th, they are on sale for $350 and $450 respectively. Save $50 off the old pricing!
Custom horizontal layouts are coming soon! The design is at the testing stage right now, but if you want to volunteer to be a guinea pig (your current layout would be intact), please contact me. Get a sneak peek of it here: http://blogsforphotogs.com/horizontal
Flash logos coming soon! I am currently in talks with a graphic designer who is interested in collaborating with me to provide this service. Prices for flash animated logos start at $300.
Lastly, but not least, WordPress has release version 2.9, with some outstanding new features. I will be test driving the new version this week hopefully, so if you’re in dire need of an upgrade, I would start thinking about this right away.

Hopefully that will get your creative juices flowing and get you thinking about changes you want to make for your business’ internet presence. Cheers and Happy Holidays to all!