It’s been a heck of a week on Get Paid To Write Online. In fact, you’ve probably noticed some changes around here. Hope you like them. It all started just over a week ago when I decided to upgrade to Wordpress 2.8, hoping to solve some problems with my installation. That didn’t work and I then had to:
- roll back to WP 2.7.1
- create a test site and database with a clean WP 2.8 install
- get Bluehost support to troubleshoot my Wordpress export file and import it to the database
- fix category and tag problems – there were some empty ones after the import
- venture into PHP MyAdmin and change a couple of lines so that the domain name pointed to the new database
- hope and pray
It worked, but I decided to make a fresh start in another way by finally installing the Thesis theme I bought about three or four months ago. Although it’s taken some time to get my head round it, I can honestly say that I think this was a good decision. Features I like include:
- you only need to customize two files and if you keep a backup you won’t lose your theme customizations when you upgrade
- there are lots of tutorials out there
- the DIYthemes site and support forum are excellent
Thanks to these resources I have been able to:
- add a widgetized footer to the theme
- add a nifty tabbed box to display different kinds of content
- integrate my Twitter stream into the site
- colour the popular posts box
- highlight lots of my content through the Killer Recent Entries widget
- and more
Admittedly, it took me a while – more than a day – to get everything done. But I am pretty happy with the result and am sure that it will be easy to make additional tweaks when I need to.
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{ 14 comments }
Love the new Thesis theme Sharon.
Roseli A. Bakar´s last blog ..EzyBlogger Blog Contest Winners
Thanks. I think it’s a great theme, but there’s definitely a learning curve.
Sharon,
I am most definitely loving the new digs. I’ll just bet that since the bug-a-boos are behind you, you’re going to have a lot of fun tweaking things here and there.
Congrats!
George
Tumblemoose´s last blog ..Inspired Writing for any Writing Project
Yes, now that I’m beginning to learn how it works, tweaking is fun, George, though I am making sure I back up at every stage.
LOL snap – me to spent a few hours getting thesis working to my satisfaction today. I quite like – it but it seems odd that I basially had to learn some CSS and php for it to make it look a bit different – I would have thought stuff like adding header images should have been in the theme itself for the price.
Lis Sowerbutts´s last blog ..Online Income How To Make $1000 Online!
It’s not as easy as some, Lis, but there’s a great sense of satisfaction when you get it right. The Thesis OpenHook plugin is a big help.
Sharon,
Your new look is great. I’ve put off upgrading WordPress because I’ve heard of several folks who have had problems. Sounds like you’ve been through a tough challenge, but it was worth it.
Lillie Ammann´s last blog ..Independence Day: Let There Be Fireworks
Glad you like it, Lillie. There are still a few small tweaks to make but generally I’m happy.
I was thinking today that the thesis theme was really nice – it looks like it’s a good one to tweak, too.
Katherine´s last blog ..Gypsy Jazz Stories – Two Movies and a Norwegian Boat
The developer has made tweaking as easy as it’s ever going to get, Katherine, and there’s lots of support. That said, it can be daunting at first.
The site looks good! It’s amazing how much work it can be to change around Wordpress themes, isn’t it? I’ve been seeing ads for the Thesis theme, so I’ll be watching to see how you like it.
Liz´s last blog ..Online Resources for the Location-Independent Professional
I’m very happy so far, Liz. There are a couple of things I am still figuring out, but so far, so good.
Congratulations on being able to troubleshoot the issues for yourself.
Site upgrades and theme changes are often more challenging aspects of blogging and a big part of the client work I do. Blogging isn’t always as simple as plug and play. Designers have worked hard to create content management systems that are user-friendly but when things go wrong it helps to have some technical skill or know who to call to get things running smoothly again. 
The Thesis theme really works for you here. I love the bright and roomy feel and your customizations are smoothly done. Way to go!
Rebecca Laffar-Smith´s last blog ..Pep Talk No. 99 – Believe
Thanks, Becca. I worked hard on this, and I’m lucky that there’s such an extensive Thesis theme support community, which provided solutions whenever I got stuck.
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