WORDPRESS!!!

1. 70

   Ultimate Hubberposted 14 years ago

   I haven't used wordpress on my sites before ... Any place where I can get free themes of wordpress and don't have to link back?

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   Shalini Kagalposted 14 years ago

   type in 'free wordpress themes' into your browser search bar

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      Ultimate Hubberposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      lol... and you think I haven't done that already? I have... and obviously have selected a theme too but ma'am I wanted to know what  really suits other hubbers and what they like, as it is always good to take advice from real humans than from search engine bots.

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   Marisa Wrightposted 14 years ago

   Why do you care about linking back?  The link is always in the footer and not at all noticeable, so I don't mind giving the designer credit. 
   
   I used Amazing Grace on my belly dance directory (http://bellydanceoz.com).  I really like it, but it was a fiddle getting the photographs in the header set up.
   
   What suits my blog may not suit yours.  As I designed Belly Dance Oz, I learned that it's definitely not a case of one size fits all. Do you want something that's optimized for Adsense?  Maybe your primary thing is to have something that's fast loading.  Do you need one sidebar or two?  Do you want tabs across the top or not?

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      Ultimate Hubberposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Glad you replied. I don't mind that backlink in the footer but it is not good for SEO that every single page of one's site is linking back to a site which does not have relevant content at all. If you like to a site which has same keywords as your then its ok for SEO but not this and then every single page...
      
      I have selected a template and editing it, in fact big time editing so that it won't look anything like the original one and then I won't have to give them a credit, that's how it works. A friend of mine(who is no more my friend) used to get templates from the web and edit it and upload them with his own name, links and copyrights...
      
      I will PM you when I do the editing and upload it. BTW I have developed a complete template for one of my websites but it was a static site and template too wasn't a very good looking one...
      
      I liked the template of marisawright.com better than your belly dancing site, but again depends what is the requirement of one's website.

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      1. 59

         Eric Graudinsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Someone has put a lot of time into the creation of that theme, So you think that a link to their site is too much to "pay" for the benefits you gain from use of their work?
         
         The link back to their site is like a "resourcebox" that writers put onto their articles. It's part of the deal if you choose to use that article. And it would have miniscule - if any - effects on your site rankings. I'd be interested to learn your reasoning if you believe otherwise.
         
         So - to those people who are using free themes, do the right thing. If you don't want to leave in the footer on the theme, then don't use the theme. Or see if the author offers a payment option where you can pay them something and remove the footer.
         
         @sunforged - Nice theme suggestion. I'm using Flexibility, but will check out this one.

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4. 83

   kerrygposted 14 years ago

   Wordpress itself has hundreds of free themes: http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
   
   Most of them only have a small and barely noticeable link back in the footer.
   
   Personally, I've played with Amazing Grace, Arclite, Atahualpa, Adspress, and Limau Orange, among others.
   
   I like a lot of the themes at blogohblog: http://www.blogohblog.com/

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      Ultimate Hubberposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanx Kerryg for helping me out... Yes I have already gone through those wordpress templates and was about to go for that dark-wood one...
      Thanx for telling me about blogohblog.... Templates are awesome there.

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   hd1912posted 14 years ago

   You can always remove the link back in the footer.  I belong to a few theme clubs.  I run many sites though.  The most affordable and best in my opinion is www.elegantthemes.com
   
   Only 20 bucks a year and they have great themes.  Just a thought.

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      Ultimate Hubberposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanx for sharing... I will go for the free ones.

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   cynthiaaliseposted 14 years ago

   I just wanted to say best of luck with wordpress.  It is really a marvel to me.  I love it.

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      Ultimate Hubberposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanx cynthiaalise... Yes it really is awesome.... I have used it before on a deleted domain name, my hosting offered skins on one-click installs for free... It was easy there.... Now I am hosting my sites with a different provider(host).

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         cynthiaaliseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         hm...learning new things is always a challenge, but I have faith that you will figure it out.

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            Ultimate Hubberposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            That's so nice of you

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   sunforgedposted 14 years ago

   Hands down the best FREE wordpress theme is atahualpa
   
   http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/atahualpa
   
   It has an amazing backend, and is completetly customizable.
   
   The only theme that even compares is Thesis which costs around $100

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      Ultimate Hubberposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      A nice theme... Thanx!

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      rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      ok, finally got the wordpress installed properly. now is this still the best free theme? I'll take any suggestions. thanks.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Atahualpa - hated it, hated it, hated it.  I think it's a case of what suits an experienced blogger and what suits a newbie.  I've learned to avoid themes which claim to be "heavily customizable" - that's good if you know what the options mean, but bewildering if you don't!
         
         IMO simple is best when you're starting out.
         
         There's a good site called Themegrade which has tested a lot of sites and ranked them for various features - I found some good free themes there.
         
         http://www.themegrade.com/

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         1. 84

            rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I'll look another day when I'm fresh. I can't even get to the wordpress admin page. godaddy says wordpress is installed ready to go, and I can't access it.  I do like some color on the theme.
            and something relatively simple.

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      thisisoliposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I used a theme called cutline which was similar to this, also highly customizable!

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8. 63

   Mishaposted 13 years ago

   Probably

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9. 63

   Mishaposted 13 years ago

   LOL Yeah, that probably makes sense too Marisa.
   
   Yet I watched Sandra started from scratch with Atahualpa without any knowledge, and she managed a nice site - http://flyfishingreelgirl.com/

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      Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I guess it depends what you want.  It's a nice clean site but it is a plain look - no header image or attractive colours.  I know some gurus say you should keep your site plain but I prefer something with a bit of colour.

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         Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         LOL You did not see it in progress - all kinds of colors where there
         
         You really can do whatever you want with this theme - but yes, it takes a bit of learning.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            That's the point - any theme that takes a bit of learning is too much right at the start, because you have so much else to come to grips with!   
            
            You can always change your theme later anyway.

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               rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I've had a site before on wordpress, too difficult to explain what happened, but it was down for a while.. I kept my domain name. anyway, I'm ready to get it up and running again, and start fresh. 
               
               I finally just got my problem resolved with godaddy!!  which wasn't with godaddy, my domain was not pointing to the new hosting site so I had to go in and change it.
               
               now it's time for a shower and bed. goodnight all and thanks to those who helped!

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      rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      that does look nice sandra. nice and clean. I'm excited to pick out a theme later this afternoon.

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         Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Hey, it got this look after heavy customization. Out-of-the-box Atahualpa has a totally different look. Just Google it
         
         But then as people say - don't sweat it now. Pick the one that does not make you vomit, and start with it - you can always change it later

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10. 65

    Mutiny92posted 13 years ago

    i used http://arrastheme.com for my Games of Facebook site.
    
    I really like the slide show for the featured posts.  It's considered a "magazine style" - but it works very nice for my needs.

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       Marisa Wrightposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       That's another one I tried and didn't like!  Once again, it's customizable and the average newbie will get diverted for hours trying to work out how to make the slideshow.

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          Mutiny92posted 13 years agoin reply to this

          I wonder if it was changed?  The slideshow worked well right off the download.  It really is decent for the graphics focused sites, and not as much for info-only sites (imho at least).
          
          If you want to customize it, it can be awkward, although there is a fairly active forum that helps.
          
          If the goal is an easy theme for a person without any background in CSS, then this might not be the best idea to start with.

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       climberjamesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Your theme looks great Mutiny92!

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11. 73

    Hauntyposted 13 years ago

    I would use a simple theme for starters. It's easy to switch later while keeping the look and feel of the site, because customization doesn't take much time once you know what you're doing.

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       poetlorraineposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       i really do not understand all this thread........ wish i did, but hello Haunty how are you?????

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          Hauntyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          lol hello Brenda! I think we are talking about how someone can make her website look the way she wants. I'm good, thank you. I hope you are good too!

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             Miss Takeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             oh right, i do  not have a website so it does not apply to me..... i am good.  I have been working in a care home as a carer for a almost a year now.  The patients are about as old and sick as can be, and the work load is so heavy.  I stayed hoping i would eventually be employed as a recreational therapist, and lo and behold, i have been given that job, i am so happy.  I come out of work, happy and at ease with the world.... instead of tired, and a bit sad ....  Anyway sorry i am hijacking this thread, but i have not seen you around for a while, just wanted to catch up.  this is my secretary for the day, miss take, she is doing the typing for me.

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                Hauntyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                Thank you, you brought the smile back. It's so good to hear that someone is getting what she wants. Congratulations on the job!

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                   poetlorraineposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                   it is so  nice to get what you want, however long you have to wait, i convinced them they could not manage without my recreational skills.  I knew legally a nursing home has to have one, and lo and behold when the inspectors came they said they had to appoint a therapist, and there i was..... ha ha.........  glad you are smiling........ did you see Cris A's hub about us female hubbers, he has done a great job.......

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12. 61

    I*n*v*i*c*t*u*sposted 13 years ago

    Hey Haunty! Awesome job on the hubtrails site! It is a beauty..  I signed up for drupal because of how awesome yours looks and was wondering if you know if it is easier to build and configure a drupel theme to a wordpress domain than wordpress stuff? I have never built a site before.
    
    Would greatly appreciate any advice you have.

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    1. 73

       Hauntyposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Hey I*n*v*i*c*t*u*s!
       
       Building a theme is time-consuming stuff and requires specific skills. Website owners usually don't build their own themes, but pick (download) an existing one that's free and customize it for their needs.
       
       Wordpress themes are for Wordpress only. Drupal themes are for Drupal only. You can't use a Drupal theme for Wordpress and if you knew many Wp and D themes you wouldn't want to either. Wordpress themes are much more beautiful and liked by the general public.
       
       Talking about Wp and D software themselves, Wp is easier to learn and use, but is also easier to mess up. D is usually used by people who either like to fiddle with websites (and also the technical side of building them) or need a site that they can expand on in many directions. Wp is usually used by those who want a quick, easy and also excellent solution to getting their stuff online. In terms of traffic building, making money or whatever they both are pretty good.
       
       Did this answer your question?

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          I*n*v*i*c*t*u*sposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Wow, Yes it so does answer my question.   Ahhh, I don't even know how to speak website stuff, haha..
          Here, I though drupal was a special "make it easier" theme that could be included on WP.
          
          So happy you were here before I spent, god knows how long to try figuring it out.
          
          So Cool, pick a theme from wordpress and get rolling on it..I have been antsy to get it going, yet clueless at the same time of where to begin..
          
          So, a huge THANK YOU! 

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    Originposted 13 years ago

    A long time ago I originally was just going to make my own from the vanilla kubrick (the stock wordpress theme). These days I have my gawker style and my weblogs style. Once you learn PHP and CSS it's not hard at all to make your own, just study some of the free templates and you'll get the idea.

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       I*n*v*i*c*t*u*sposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       That is great advise too! Thank you. Look forward to sorting all this stuff out. Thanks

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14. 84

    rebekahELLEposted 13 years ago

    there are so many themes to choose from... this could take a while.
    
    some are very beautiful. I want elegant and widget, social bookmarking ready. one or two columns. I saw some where you have to join for 19.95 to look at all of them, but they're beautiful. elegantthemes. is anyone familiar with this site?  I'm sure I can find something similar for free.

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       sunforgedposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       to be monetized?
       
       life is easier with at least 2 columns - navigation and ads need a home

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          rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          yes, eventually.
          
          I'll be looking for a while, it's kind of like shopping for a dress. 
          
          I looked at more of the elegantthemes and while most are not what I want, (although you can't see all of them), he has designed some really nice work.
          
          thanks guys, now it is afternoon pool time.

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    sunforgedposted 13 years ago

    This is what Atahualpa CAN look like
    
    http://www.wpexplorer.com/atahualpa-wor … wcase.html
    
    
    theres on called 'good green habits' that pretty much looks like an out of the box install (just green)
    
    MAybe its only because im Using Opera right now - but Sandras site had major display errors for her astore and moon phase tab

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       Mishaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I bet she did not optimize for Opera.

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    sunforgedposted 13 years ago

    neither do I - But her site is the first that has displayed oddly in the week or so that i started using it regularly

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    sunforgedposted 13 years ago

    And Misha - you may want to look into the Facebook "like" for your own sites

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    Mishaposted 13 years ago

    Yep, I will. Eventually LOL

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    MikeNVposted 13 years ago

    Authors place a link back as a reward for "free".  Contrary to what you may believe this is not a bad thing.  I rank sites just fine with author credit.  However as cheap as WordPress themes are if you really want to remove the link back just find a nice theme you like and buy it. They cost next to nothing especially for the value you receive.
    
    Why do people think there are groups of designers and programmers with nothing better to do than create products to give away?
    
    The logic is backwards don't you think?
    
    So give credit where credit is due or learn to code your own... or better yet crack open the wallet and spend a few dollars to get exactly what you want.  I have purchased several site licenses from designers for less than $50 and have rights to do whatever I want with the themes.
    
    Everyone has to make a living.
    
    Good luck.

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       rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       true. you've made a good point. I'll browse more this weekend.

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    sunforgedposted 13 years ago

    I concur! I own a thesis dev license $169!

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