I’m excited about our new WordPress study group that launches later this week. My good friend Dave Barger at LunaWeb has graciously offered the venue and we have 11 interested folks who have RSVP’d, along with a few maybes.

So … why WordPress?

I’ve been using WordPress since about 2006, when I first began to blog. This site has been my playground, my classroom and my learning lab since then. Here are my five reasons to love WordPress:

1. Features and Functionality

   I’m at what I’d call the intermediate level with HTML and CSS – enough to do most of what I want to do, but I won’t be anyone’s guru any time soon. Although I’m trying to learn to do as many things as possible without plugins, they are a great way to add the features while I learn. On this sidebar, for instance, the Twitter feed and archives are widgets; the rest is hand-coded in the sidebar. I like to hand code, because it allows my CSS to control the look of the sidebar, rather than that of the widgets.

2. SEO

   It’s already great out of the box, but the All-in-One SEO Pack plugin makes it dead simple to optimize your site. Caveat: this plugin can break a site. Like it did this one. So I don’t use it, but I’m trying to incorporate some of its steps manually.

3. Multilevel Geekery

   You might be a PHP/HTML/CSS whizkid who can build your own theme and a one-of-a-kind customized site. Or maybe you just have something to say and don’t want to mess with code. WordPress can work for you either way or anywhere in between. The WordPress Codex is also immense, with thorough documentation for just about everything and helpful user forum support.

4. Flexibility and Extensibility

   You can do as much or as little as you like — from a simple brochure site with static pages to a dynamic site with changing content, social network integration and even e-commerce. You can start small and add features and additional customization as you learn.

5. It’s Free

   I love free and WordPress is free, open source software and most of the plugins are free. The only costs you’ll incur are for domain name, hosting and any premium themes you might want to purchase.

Our group will be informal and it looks like we’ll have folks of all levels of expertise and experience, so come ready to share your questions, experience and knowledge. Or just to listen.

Our kickoff is this Thursday, September 2, 6:00 p.m. at the LunaWeb office at 5180 Park Ave, Suite 305 in Memphis; after that we’ll meet monthly at a time to be determined by the group. Join our meetup group to stay up-to-date on what we’re doing.

Do you use and love WordPress? Share your reasons in the comments.

If you’re an iPhone user and as geeky about it as I am, you’ve probably already done the iOS 4 upgrade. I did it last night and, while it took a bit of time, it was well worth it. This is by no means an exhaustive review, just my first impressions of the features that jump out at me in my personal use.

My favorite features — in no particular order:

• Still Camera: Digital Zoom • A big one for me; just tap in the middle of the screen and you get a slider that lets you choose the level of zoom you want. Makes my Snapture app unnecessary.
• Multitasking • This is sweet. Double-tap the home button and it brings up a dock that shows the last four apps you used. You can switch between apps by double-tapping on the home button.


Double-tap the home button to bring up this screen



iPod controls

• iPod Controls • Double-tap to bring up the multitasking screen then scroll left. A very quick way to control the iPod while you’re doing other things on your phone.
• Video: Tap to Focus • In the video window, tap the screen where you want to focus. I tested this and it works well, but i’m not to bore you with that.
• Home screen background • This is just plain fun and pretty.
• Folders • By far my favorite new feature. I’ve kept my home screen apps out of folders to be able to access them with one tap, but the rest of my screens have apps organized by function. With more than 120 apps on my phone this cleans it up quite a bit. I’m sure I’ll rearrange and restructure the folders as I use them, but for now, I’m loving it.


My home screen stays the same



Apps on the second screen are organized into folders based on function

I’ve upgraded the software but I’m not planning to upgrade my phone anytime soon — I have 3GS, so it runs smoothly with all the features.

How about you? Have you installed the update? Planning to get a new iPhone?

Let me know in the comments.

If you’re a regular Twitter user, you’ve no doubt been annoyed a time or two by a flood of tweets from an event, ballgame or conference you’re not interested in. I don’t want to unfollow people I like and regularly interact with just because they are rabid football and basketball fans — and I hope they don’t unfollow me for my numerous St. Louis Cardinal Baseball tweets.

When I watch a game or attend an event, I’ll often save a hashtag search and follow that stream instead of the main feed. I find new people to connect with and can more easily keep up with the conversation around what’s happening.

A new application called Hot Potato will make it much easier to connect with fellow fans or attendees without alienating followers who don’t share your interest. Though it hasn’t yet caught on in the mainstream, there’s a lot of potential. As an added bonus, you may avoid Twitter’s notorious fail whale, often seen during popular events.

After you’ve created your free account, you’ll see this screen upon login. It gives you a list of events that are currently hot; click the me too button at right to join. You can search for friends via Facebook, Twitter or search your Google contacts. You can also sign in via Facebook Connect. In addition to the events on the What’s Hot? tab, you can select an action, such as watching, listening, reading, attending, and begin typing in the update box. It will bring up a list of already-created activities; if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you get to create your own.

The site allows you to engage with others with similar interests, exchange comments and updates and it stores past events. Become an expert in a particular category and you’ll receive an award posted on your profile.

There is also a free iPhone app.

Though it won’t be truly useful until it gains much wider distribution, I’d love to see this app catch on — the interface is simple, clean and easy to use and navigate. If you’re hosting or attending a conference or other major event, encourage your audience to try it out.

What do you think? Useful or not?

I grew up watching St. Louis Cardinal baseball with my dad. When we traveled, we’d listen on the radio, at home we watched games on television and at least once each summer we would see the Cards play in person at Busch Stadium. If we were away from TV and radio, we had to be content with news reports after the game and national sportscasts’ video highlights. But now it’s 2010 and the tech-savvy baseball fan enjoys quite a few more options.

Here’s how I follow my team when I’m on the run:

• MLB At Bat 2010 Available for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android The most expensive app on my iPhone, at $14.95 this year, it performs smashingly well and provides pitch-by-pitch action, audio play-by-play, video highlights, standings, box scores and plenty of statistics. Though not social, it’s easy for me to find games, track standings and keep up with news via the blog feed.
• Twitter I’ve saved hashtag searches for both #stlcards and #stlcardinals (#stlcards seems to be more popular). I use Tweetie2 for iPhone and follow the saved search on these hashtags to (discreetly when necessary) get minute-by-minute updates on the game‘s progress and be amused and entertained by other fans’ comments.
  Must follow: Official Cards Twitter feed and Matthew Leach, formerly with ESPN and mlb.com, now covering the team
• Facebook I love the online camaraderie I have with my Facebook friends who are Cardinal fans. In April, the Cardinals played a 20-inning game, the second-longest in franchise history, as my family and I were traveling back to Memphis from Nashville. Listening to the game in the car via iPhone became a virtual baseball watch party as my friends and I followed the suspenseful game and exchanged comments and updates. Regular sports fans invite friends over to watch a big game with snacks and beer; geeks on the run follow it with far-away friends via iPhone, Twitter and Facebook. Must follow: Cardinals on Facebook
• Related Blogs:
  • Cardinals pitching prospect David Kopp reports from the Minors
  • Cardinal left fielder Matt Holiday (has not been updated since last fall)
  • My favorite: Obviously, You’re Not a Golfer by Matthew Leach

Do you follow your favorite team?

On deck for next week: Double Header, Game Two: Leverage Social Energy to Build Loyalty for Your Brand or Organization