MainWP Blog - Todd Jones

As we finish up the year, I thought it would be interesting, or fun, to take a look at some of the articles at the MainWP blog in the year 2018. Consider it a walk down the MainWP Blog Memory Lane. See the most popular articles at MainWP in 2017 This year, it seems like, was dominated by some major changes in our industry. First, there was the dreaded GDPR that launched in Europe. This lead to our friends in Continue reading the post...

If you are like me, you have made all kinds of mistakes in your WordPress freelancing career. I remember the time I answered the call to help a guy install a plugin. I thought it would be easy, but no. First, he was demanding. You know the type. He had spent his career as a teacher and, intellectually, he was on a higher plane. I think. My problem is that I underestimated the work of the plugin. It was actually Continue reading the post...

A few days ago, we discussed five essential principles from the startup industry can help you run your WordPress business. Today, we are going to dive into five more principles we can learn from startups. You have seen these principles in some of your favorite startups over the years including Dropbox, Slack, Zendesk, and many more of the Software as a Service companies that WordPress professionals often use. So, without further adieu, let’s discuss. Startups know precisely who they target Continue reading the post...

It looks like everyone’s favorite WordPress update, 5.0.1 which comes with the new Gutenberg editor, is launching on Thursday, December 6. It seems the decision is to coincide with WordCamp US so that contributors can be available to help with any problems. The project has been pushed back a number of times for various reasons, but the consensus seems to be that it will go forward this time due to the timing of WordCamp US. Undoubtedly, the major players on Continue reading the post...

Last year, I participated in a Secret Santa in a Facebook group. I admit, I thought it was cool. You may remember some time ago that a young lady drew Bill Gates as her Secret Santa on Reddit. By the way, do you participate in a virtual Secret Santa? The gift I received was something I needed but may not have been quite ready for. You see, I received a copy of the book the 12 Week Year. The idea Continue reading the post...

For a long time, I covered startups in my home state and across the country.  I really enjoyed learning about and meeting those were creating startups. I learned a lot about business and met some really interest people. When covering startups, I also ran into investors and learn about raising capital. I gained a better perspective. I believe that the startup industry can teach us much about running a business that is is very applicable to WordPress professionals. Today I Continue reading the post...

You can thank Philly for the world of Black Friday. The city of Brotherly Love seems to be where the name comes from. The Philadelphia police department gave it that name because of the massive amounts of traffic on the day following Thanksgiving. As you see in this snippet of a column from 1966 in the “The American Philatelist,” JANUARY 1966 — “Black Friday” is the name which the Philadelphia Police Department has given to the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. Continue reading the post...

I can remember many a Thanksgiving mornings getting that turkey ready for the oven. I can almost smell the aroma of homemade rolls, pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and much more. Laughter comes from the other room as we visit with family members we haven’t seen in months. “Look at how much he’s grown!” “You are getting so tall,” another says. “I sure am looking forward to some of that turkey,” my grandpa might say. Thanksgiving isn’t just Continue reading the post...

This is the time of year we begin to evaluate our business and the tools we use. It is also close to the time we see Black Friday and Cyber Mondays launched. In the November edition of tools roundup, we discuss creating a how to create a visual sitemap, a wireframe, and how to write better headlines using tools that are free to begin. Create visual sitemaps with GlooMaps Sitemaps are a necessary piece of information for search engines. As Jessica Continue reading the post...

For millions of comic book fans across the globe, we lost a legend Monday. Stan Lee, was a writer, editor, and publisher of some of the most popular Marvel Comics including Spider-Man, the Hulk, Black Panther, Daredevil and X-Men. I remember as a kid watching the Public Broadcasting Network’s portrayal of Spider-Man for its kid-friendly shows. In fact, we would watch those during school. Later, in the early 80’s, Spider-Man became a prime-time show. I also remember the series of the Continue reading the post...