Graph Paper Press is looking for a Wordpresser to help with Wordpress installations, theme installations and small theme customization. Required proficiencies:

• Wordpress
• CSS
• HTML
• PHP
• FTP

If you’ve got a smile, some wit, good communication skills and a little business sense, please shoot me an email outlining your experience and qualifications.

In case you missed it, Wordpress 2.6 was released earlier today one month ahead of schedule. Unlike version 2.5, which was mainly geared at improving the user interface and media library, version 2.6 makes a few rather substantial updates to the behind the scenes stuff (code) that makes Wordpress so good. Consequently, the functions.php file on F8, F8 Remixed, F8 Lite, F8 Static and Monochrome Pro needed a little sprucing up for Wordpress 2.6. The theme update has already been sent out via email to everyone. If you did not receive the update, please get in touch. If you are using Wordpress 2.5.1 and earlier, there is no need to upgrade.

All other themes from Graph Paper Press are compatible with Wordpress 2.6.

Monochrome Pro Theme Changes (Version 1.2)

• Replace functions.php

F8 Theme Changes (Version 1.1)

• Replace functions.php
• Replace syle.php (better code for sites without avatars)
• Replace comments.php (better code for sites without avatars)
• Replace style.css (not mandatory, but helps keep track of which version you are using)

F8 Remixed Theme Changes (Version 1.1)

• Replace functions.php
• Replace syle.php (better code for sites without avatars)
• Replace comments.php (better code for sites without avatars)
• Replace style.css (not mandatory, but helps keep track of which version you are using)

F8 Lite Theme Changes (Version 1.1)

• Replace functions.php

F8 Static Theme Changes (Version 1.1)

• Replace functions.php

What are your thoughts of Wordpress 2.6?

Yes, we changed clothes again. Our old digs were getting old, so we decided to opt for a slightly less modern look and instead settled into a more comfortable Web site design. We’re still tweaking the new theme a bit, but most of the heavy lifting is completed. Expect some additional beautification to unfold in the coming week. Does something look strange? Let us know and we’ll jump on it! Now, news posts, plugin releases and other snippets of Wordpress-related love will be more accessible from the homepage.

If you haven’t voted on which tutorial topic you would like us to cover, please take a second and vote.

What features would you like added to our site?

If you purchased Monochrome Pro or the All Graph Paper Press Theme package, you will be receiving a theme update for Monochrome Pro via email. This update includes:

• Auto or manual thumbnail control. There is now no need to manually copy and paste image links into custom fields. Monochrome Pro now pulls the first image uploaded via the media uploader and automatically generates the thumbnails and medium sized images.
• Dynamic css class name generation via PHP. This translates into less code and smaller files.
• Navigational layering improvements
• Improved archive pagination

I also released version 1.1 of F8 Static tonight, which includes improved homepage code, improved pagination using conditionals.

Next up is Visualization and the Gridline suite. In the mean time, please vote on the poll below. I’ll create a screencast tutorial on the topic receives the most votes.

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This week has been a fun one here at GPP. I’ve been building lots of new stuff for the Wordpress community, tweaking Wordpress’ gallery functionality and planning my next theme release. What kind of theme (style & function) are you most interested in seeing developed by GPP?
A handful of emails that I have sent have been returned to me as of late. So, if you haven’t received a response to your inquiry, please contact me and double that your email is in fact correct on the contact form.
In the next few days, you can expect to see the launch of GPPTV (screencast tutorials on how to modify and enhance your Wordpress themes) and the release of another photo gallery plugin. But in the mean time, I’m eager to hear the direction that you would like to see in GPP’s next theme release.

Photo Galleria is a simple, yet elegant, plugin for photographers, designers and Wordpress 2.5 users alike who want to beautify their Wordpress photo galleries using the jquery framework. The Photo Galleria plugin synchronizes Galleria with Wordpress’ built-in media manager. Simply upload photos as normal and the Photo Galleria plugin will create a photo gallery with fade-in and fade-out effects common on flash-based websites. All the transitions happen inline without having to navigate to multiple Wordpress attachment pages. Pretty neat, eh?

Photo Galleria displays the thumbnail images that Wordpress creates for you and displays the original, high resolution uploaded image. Both are constrained proportionally via css. You can control their display size via the two CSS files included with the plugin. By default, the thumbnails display at 125px by 125px square and the image displays at 950px wide. Virtually every aspect of the presentation of Photo Galleria can be controlled via CSS.

Resources
Photo Galleria Wordpress Plugin Forum
Galleria
Galleria Forum

Before you start

1. This plugin uses the jquery javascript library. Occasionally, jquery and other javascript libraries don’t play nice together. If your plugin doesn’t work, make sure you don’t have a plugin that installs conflicting javascript libraries into the head of your site.
2. Possibly the best solution to help ensure your javascript libraries stay updated and don’t conflict with other libraries is to install Google AJAX Libraries API Plugin. Then, delete the javascripts from this plugin and from the head of your site. Finally, add something along the lines of the following to your themes functions.php file:
   if(function_exists(’wp_enqueue_script’)) {
wp_enqueue_script(’jquery’);
}

   This will then load the jQuery library for your theme in a manner that will make changeable to the google libraries by the plugin. - from Barry, plugin author.

3. This plugin uses the jquery javascript library. If you already have jquery installed, you might want to remove this code from the plugin:
   <script type='text/javascript' src='".get_bloginfo("url")."/wp-content/plugins/
photo-galleria/js/jquery-1.2.6.min.js'></script>
4. Support Forum

Plugin Development To Do List

1. Enable “active” class on linked thumbnail images. This will enable a default main image to load, instead of thumbnails.
2. Debug Mac Firefox DOM issue. On Firefox (Mac), the thumbails load briefly behind the main image.
3. Make main image use the medium size image, not the original

Donate via Paypal? thad at thadallender dot com

Tested with Firefox (Mac & PC), Safari, Internet Explorer 7.

Between the Wordpress 2.5 upgrade, photographing the Kansas Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship, criss-crossing the U.S. from Omaha to Detroit to San Antonio, and making a photo book in the process, my life feels like it’s been set on cruise control stuck on 120 MPH. Along the way, I learned that:

1. Many courtside sports columnists blog using…you guessed it…Wordpress.
2. The NCAA doesn’t understand blogging or new multimedia. Consequently, they have drafted silly rules that limit free speech.
3. Galeria is a very slick Javascript photo gallery script. I plan to use it in an upcoming theme.
4. Keeping up with hundreds of support emails takes time for this one-man show. But, I’m dedicated to giving all reasonable support inquiries the attention they rightfully deserve. If you are new to Wordpress, please bookmark the Wordpress Codex. If you are new to CSS, please bookmark the Blog Design and Layout section within the Wordpress Codex. Your stock as an internet punk will increase, and you will soon be answering, rather than asking, questions in the forums. Either way, I’m glad you are here, regardless of skill level.
5. Planning for my wedding. Yep, I’m getting married to a wonderful, wonderful person.

The Upcoming Portfolio Theme
In the mean time, I’m still plugging away at the Portfolio theme. Since Wordpress 2.5 now has gallery capabilities (not really fond of how it works, but hey, it’s a start), it has changed how I was planning on integrating jquery javascript into the theme. In mid March, I had three nearly complete Portfolio themes in testing mode. When Wordpress 2.5 hit the streets, I decided against releasing them and instead decided to go back to the drawing board. All good things are worth waiting for. Cliche, but true. If you have a suggestions on which jquery photo gallery/slideshow script you would like to see integrated into the portfolio theme, please advise in the comments.

Graph Paper Press TV
Yep, you got it. I’m launching an online TV channel that will provide video tutorials in screencast format for all things Wordpress. It will primarily be focused on how-to’s for novice and expert Wordpress users and theme developers. Right now, I’m interested in targeting a few topics with mass appeal. So, please let me know in the comments what topics you would like covered on GPPTV.

Here is a quick list of a few sites using Graph Paper Press themes. These were just a few that have found their way into my email inbox, so I apologize in advance for the hundreds of sites that I’ve left out. If you would like you site added to the list, post a link to it in the comments.

On a side note: Because I’m on the road photographing the NCAA tournament, the release date of the new Portfolio theme for Wordpress has been delayed a few weeks. It’s gonna be rad, with the same GPP minimalist flavor, so keep your eyes glued to this site.

http://richsmithphotography.net/

http://wordsaloud.org/

http://digitalartwork.net/

http://brucisms.com/

http://newarchitecturalexpression.eu/

http://dopeswan.org/

http://themediapirate.com/

http://www.frederickvan.com/

http://bikemag.hu/

http://www.imjustcreative.com/

While photographing the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, I noticed a few sports writers using Wordpress to “Live Blog” the tournament games. The NCAA has a long history of being heavy handed in their restrictions placed on writers, photographers and bloggers. This year, it seems more restrictive than ever, especially for the blogosphere.

On the bottom of all credentials is the NCAA Blogging policy. It reads:

Each Credential Holder (including television, Internet, new media, and print publications) has the privilege to blog (e.g., real-time or time delayed journal entries) during competition through the Credential Entity. Any blog representing an NCAA championship must submit the appropriate link to ncaasports.com Blog Central. In return, all media entities entering a blog must post the ncaasports.com logo/link on their site. All blogs must be free of charge to readers. All must adhere to the conditions and limitations of this NCAA Blogging Policy. A blog description includes in-Competition updates on score and time remaining in competition as well as description of the championship and competition taken place during the given time. The NCAA and its designated championship personnel shall be the final authority about whether a Credential Holder or Credential Entity is following the NCAA Blogging Policy. The following is the NCAA’s policy for the number of blogs allowed during a Competition or Session (i.e., where more than one contest takes place under the same admission ticket). They apply to all sports listed and are applicable to both genders.

Basketball: Five times per half; one at halftime; two times per overtime period.

The NCAA obviously views blogging as a threat to their large, multimillion dollar TV contracts which provide live game coverage. By limiting the number of posts per game and requiring blogs to post links back to their website, the NCAA effectively squashes all potential competition. This begs the obvious question: Is blogging a threat to live television game coverage? I think not.

Bloggers enhance the game by providing an alternative narrative of the game. Blogs and blog comments help to democratize the game narrative. In doing so, they also help to generate additional interest in the live televised game coverage. If bloggers generate a real and tangible threat to the NCAA’s television contracts, than perhaps bloggers should refrain from posting anything about the NCAA tournament. Little to no coverage from bloggers is a far greater threat to the vitality of sporting events than if the blogosphere were allowed to continue to blabber live, unrestricted, from the slidelines.

A couple of questions that I would love to hear some discussion about:

• Should blogging be regulated by for-profit organizations holding paid events in places funded with taxpayer dollars?
• What differentiates a widely read blogger from “journalist” working for a traditional media company?

Graph Paper Press is branching out into new territory for March. Currently, a portfolio-style theme is in the works and should help fill a void in the world of Wordpress themes. As a photographer, I spent nearly two years testing out a plethora of photo management systems, image galleries, flash templates, etc. You name it, I tried it. The planned portfolio theme will be packaged with a big slideshow on the homepage, three entry points to blog posts on the homepage and four widgetized areas. The theme will also come with the the custom Theme Options page, which allows for easy customization to help get you up and running in no time flat. When I get around to it, I will likely install this theme on my own personal photography site, which needs updating badly. The new theme will focus on simplicity with a modern feel. Plus, it will look great on mobile platforms, like the iPhone. So, if you have a Flash-based portfolio and want to make it accessible on mobile platforms, this theme will be for you.

In other news….

I rereleased Monochrome Pro this weekend with a new jquery slideshow. It allows for greater accessibility and the possibility of future “add on” features.

More Freebies

I’m releasing a modified version of the first edition of Monochrome Pro as a free download. It will be released under the GPL license.

One of the best things about working in the creative industry is the luxury of being surrounded by amazingly passionate people. One of those people is Phil Wasson. I’ve known Phil for more than a decade now and his craftsmanship with all things metal is next to none. Over the years, I’ve collaborated with him on various projects including magazine articles, living arrangements, cooking recipes, you name it. A few years ago, he launched Super Rat Machine Works, a machine shop specializing in high-end, revolutionary BMX components.

This weekend, Phil and I sat down to rethink, redesign and reevaluate both the Super Rat website and the future business model of Super Rat’s online operation. If you ride BMX, or are at all interested in online business, you should keep tabs on Super Rat Machine Works in the coming months. Just yesterday, we launched the new website, which uses Wordpress as the CMS and a lightly modified version of my Monochrome theme available here. Along with amazing products, you can expect some innovative marketing examples for small businesses selling tangible goods from Super Rat Machine Works in the coming months.

Please get in touch if you are interested in purchasing a theme design similar to the Monochrome modification on Super Rat’s website. I plan to only sell a total of ten of these Monochrome modifications on a first come, first serve basis.

Now this is exciting stuff:

From now on, all Graph Paper Press themes will be configurable via a customized theme options page located on your Wordpress Admin panel. A screenshot of the working theme options page is above. Customized theme options pages opens up new possibilities for both novice users and advanced users, enabling quick changes without sorting through lines of code. This feature will be included in our February theme release, which is currently being tested and will be officially released next week.

Our next theme builds off of our previously most popular themes, utilizes a Javascript post slideshow, four fully widgetized areas on the homepage, the customized theme options page mentioned above, switchable style sheets, plus more.

This next release is most definitely our most exciting release to date.

Curious to see how our clients use Graph Paper Press themes? Check out the following sites to see our themes powering a few very attractive sites on the world wide internet:

http://dopeswan.org/

Dope Swan is a community arts organization focused on providing outlets that support and engage emerging creative talents within the visual and performing arts.

http://blog.dubtastic.com/

Dubtastic is a 30-something dad, amateur photographer, professional graphic and web designer who enjoys Mexican food and debating on the best method for surviving a zombie outbreak.

http://globalhiphop.org/

A site dedicated to hip-hop and underground music world-wide by musicial activist Ben Herson. There is a lot of content making its way onto this site and it’s coming together nicely.

Want others to see your work and drive traffic to your new site. Post comments below showcasing what you’ve done with your Graph Paper Press theme.

Happy publishing!

Head on over to the brand spanking new forum for modification and customization tips for all Graph Paper Press themes. I will soon be posting tutorials in the, you got it, tutorials category in the forums.

Graph Paper Press just released a new magazine theme called Berlin to the Wordpress community. It builds off of a few of my previous theme designs and includes a couple additional features, the coolest of which is a dynamic, ajax-enriched main feature section. Take a peek!

Next week, I plan to release two additional themes, one paid, one free. They are looking very nice, I must say, and I’m excited to see them start populating the blogosphere.

Here is what is next up on my increasingly long list of “to do” items here at Graph Paper Press:

1. A tutorial section where you can learn how to customize your theme, add advertising, customize header and logo images.
2. A forum where users can share ideas.
3. Create a mailing list. The mailing will go out once a month with new theme releases. I plan to keep it simple.

I’ll keep this one simple: What do you look for in a magazine-style theme design?

Thus far, I’ve released four themes, three of which are specifically targeted at start-up news/magazine sites. Based on the demand, I’d think it’s fair to say that we are making things that you like. Tubular blogs always seemed boring to me, which is one of the reasons that GPP puts all this effort into magazine themes. Our next theme design, which is currently being worked on in the shop, is looking pretty cool. It includes a minimal five-post column display below the four main AJAXed posts with room at the right for ads. Here is a peek:

CSS Frameworks have freed me from the headaches involved with the many repetitive tasks involved with developing Wordpress themes. Generally speaking, CSS frameworks break down your stylesheets into components, which can be reused across projects. This allows rapid development of sites using pre-written and tested components with logical nomenclature. I would be remiss if I didn’t share a few of resources that I use when building my sites.

• An overview of CSS Frameworks - written by my former co-worker Jeff Croft
• Blueprint CSS Framework
• Photoshop Template for Blueprint CSS Comps
• Blueprint CSS Generator
• Blueprint tutorials in Spanish, French and Chinese

Graph Paper Press is a repository for Wordpress themes created by photographer and multimedia artist Thad Allender. Graph Paper Press pedals sophisticated modular designs that can transform your blog from a tubular list of posts into an aesthetically-pleasing news magazine website.

History
Graph Paper Press started as a side-project for Thad Allender in 2004 by designing multi-author blogs and social websites for non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals. As the Wordpress blogging community grew, so did the demand for new designs that stretched the limits of the popular CMS. Enter Graph Paper Press.

Today
Graph Paper Press focuses on creating graphically minimal, content-rich designs that provide your readers with multiple entry points to access your content.

Tomorrow
Graph Paper Press will release one theme every two weeks on Monday starting in January of 2008. If you have a specific request, please get in touch.