BlogmyQuery – BMQ

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve almost certainly heard the latest news that has the social media universe in a frenzy:

This week, Google released its Google +1 (“plus one”) button to compete with Twitter’s Tweet button and Facebook’s Like button.

In order to capitalize on the potential traffic and exposure that this new button can generate, you’ll need to incorporate it into your site as soon as possible.

There’s one little problem, though.

Unless you’re a ninja, you’re probably going to get frustrated while trying to add the buttons to your site.

For most people, there are just too many options and too many different ways to integrate and configure the buttons, and this leaves them feeling uncomfortable with the result.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I implement something on my site, I like to know that I’ve done it the most efficient and effective way possible.

In keeping with this line of thinking (and also with my company’s focus on making the web faster and easier), we’ve gone ahead and published a detailed tutorial that will help you add the Google +1 button to your site with confidence.

Oh, and here’s a pro tip before you go: Under the “Step One (the API Call)” section, be sure to use Option 2—it’s the one that will yield the best performance!

What’s the latest and greatest on SEO, WordPress plugins, web hosting, and—my personal favorite—the best food in Austin?

I’ll keep you up to speed with that and maybe even drop a hint about Thesis 2 in this 9-minute video interview from PubCon South 2011.

After you check out the video, be sure to take a look at the new DIYthemes Facebook page, where you can interact with other Thesis users and see hundreds of awesome Thesis customizations!

Sadly, the crew at WordPress.com have chosen to retire two of my old themes, Cutline and PressRow.

If you loved these themes and are sorry to see them go, don’t sweat it! Soon, I’ll be re-releasing both of these classic theme designs for free to everyone who uses the Thesis Theme Framework.

And thanks to the power of Thesis, these new versions of Cutline and PressRow will be more optimized, more flexible, and faster than their predecessors.

What is the Thesis Theme Framework?

Thesis is the ultimate theme—it’s a powerful template system that enables you to customize your design, tweak your SEO, and run a world-class website with ease.

While Cutline and PressRow were two separate themes, Thesis is a single framework that does it all. It runs underneath this site, my business site, and tens of thousands of others, and it can accommodate any design!

Thanks to this remarkable flexibility, I’ll be able to offer the Cutline and PressRow designs for free to Thesis users.

For those of you wondering, the Thesis Theme Framework is not available on WordPress.com blogs, as it requires a self-hosted version of WordPress from WordPress.org. If you’re a WordPress.com blogger who would like help moving to the beneficial world of self-hosting, please give me a shout in the comments!

How can you get Cutline and PressRow?

Now that Cutline and PressRow have been removed from the WordPress.com theme directory, I’ve decided to re-release these classic themes for free as skins for the Thesis Theme Framework.

These skins are still in development and will take time to complete, but if you want to be notified the second they’re done, simply enter your email in the box below, and I’ll be sure to contact you.

Thinking about leaving WordPress.com?

Since you can no longer use Cutline or PressRow on WordPress.com, now may be the perfect time for you to become a WordPress.org user.

Personally, I think running a self-hosted version of WordPress is extremely beneficial because it gives you total control over your website and your data.

If you’re considering moving from WordPress.com to WordPress.org because of Cutline or PressRow and need help getting set up, please let me know in the comments so I can help you out!

Update: Here’s an article (including video!) that explains how to transfer your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.

Architecture is endlessly appealing to me. Houses, in particular, capture my imagination because they are so primal in their utility: They provide us with a safe place to sleep, eat, store food, and raise young’uns.

For the last 90 years in America, home architecture has been dominated by profiteering companies looking to churn out cheaper products for higher margins. Market demand and time constraints are generally at odds with innovation and creativity, and this is precisely why qualified architects are only responsible for a small fraction of American homes.

On one hand, this sucks because it means that most houses in America were conceived and built by people who truly don’t know a damn thing about the art of designing a home.

On the other hand, this extreme suckage has made it easier to spot the really good stuff—the houses designed by architects who had a purpose and thoughtful motive behind every last structural detail.

A cursory review of the architects and designers who shaped an emerging, twentieth century America will no doubt reveal classic names like Wright, Neutra, Eichler, Eames, Nelson, van der Rohe, and Saarinen. These artisans—real experts, you know?—are all associated with the most inspired period of design in American history: The mid-century modern era.

When I decided to buy a house in 2009, I went on an all-out mission to find the perfect mid-century modern (MCM) home in Austin. After an exhausting three-month search, I managed to score a classic MCM that does everything right:

• At first glance, the home appears to be oddly situated on the lot, but closer inspection reveals that it’s built on the same axis as the four cardinal directions!
• Extra-tall windows bring in natural light and also serve to unite the house with the surrounding land.
• The flat roof, extended easements, huge windows, and indoor/outdoor feel are all characteristic of my favorite branch of MCM architecture that can be traced back to Richard Neutra.
• Just look at the place—it’s sexy as hell :D

Finally, I’d like to shout out a huge thank-you to Nick Reese, whose badass camera setup and editing skillz made this video possible!

As an important player in the Web software space, WordPress wields a powerful influence in the marketplace. When you’re in a position of such importance, it is your responsibility to purvey accurate information and to refrain from projecting ideologies and agendas on a market that is likely to take anything you say at face value.

My work with Thesis has placed me in a similar position, and I understand how much you can affect the psyche of your customers/users with just a few choice words. It’s powerful; it’s amazing; but most of all, it’s humbling.

As far as I’m concerned, being a figurehead in the market doesn’t mean that you get to be rich, famous, adored, and influential; instead, it means that you always have to hold yourself to a higher standard than everyone else. In other words, you have to do a better, more responsible job because thousands—perhaps millions—of people are dependent upon the solutions that you claim to provide.

Wielding such an awesome responsibility means that there is no room for ideologies, agendas, or anything else.

Solutions are what matters. You can check the rest of that crap at the door.