If you are a BlogPro Automotive user running one or more WP sites with us then this plug-in has already been installed. You can activate it by going to the Plugins section in the admin and clicking the activate link for this plugin called, Recent comments widget with excerpts. By doing this you will replace the native WP functionality of this widget with that of the new plugin. Of course you can always de-activate it. For assistance using it you may contact us on AC Assist.

If you are not running a WP site here on BlogPro and want to install it on your WP site then follow the instructions below. For tech support please see the TacticalTechnique.com site.

Installation Instructions

1. Download recent-comments-widget-with-excerpts.zip
2. Decompress the file contents
3. Upload the recent-comments-widget-with-excerpts folder to a WordPress plugins directory (/wp-content/plugins)
4. Activate the plugin from the Administration Dashboard
5. Open the Widgets page under the Appearance section
6. Drag the Recent Comments widget to the active sidebar

There is another plugin out there that gives you the ability to customize the way the Recent Comments widget works. It’s called Customized Recent Comments. This plugin is not installed at this time but can be made available to you upon request.

Click here to view the embedded video.

To locate the vslider plugin settings in your WP admin (or Dashboard), look for the vSlider tab towards bottom left of your dashboard.

Click the tab and notice on your right are fields for specifying each image within the slider, which holds up to 10 images, and a unique page URL to which the image can be linked.

It’s really as simple as that. Watch the video and if you have any trouble or questions you can respond to this post or call us.

To request video training for other WordPress-related technologies use our Request Training form.

To view our entire selection of video tutorials you may join us on Viddler where we publish all such videos.

StudioPress was formerly known as Revolution but a little more than a year ago they changed names and at the same time introduce an entirely new set of themes for WordPress. These themes literally take WordPress to a whole new level, giving web designers and webmasters the ability to take WordPress beyond blogging by offering out-of-the-box content management systems that serve as a website, blog, or micro site.

The guys over at StudioPress run a tight shop with several purchase options and introduce some fantastic designs and functionality that give you a terrific starting point for almost any web endeavor.

StudioPress is featured on the Technology page of our website and by using our affiliate link to visit their site we are credited for any business you do with StudioPress.

But before you do, sit in on this week’s webinar where we will not only explore some of the themes and functionality be making a special offer only to live attendees to receive a fully customized and optimized StudioPress theme from us at an amazing price. If you can not make it, no worries. Register anyway and drop us a note that you can not but that you might be interested in our special offer for attendees. We normally record our webinars and release an edited video recording of them for you to view at your leisure.

Use the button below to register or visit our Training page and use the AC Social webinar link. Our webinars are free and there is no obligation to attend even if you register. See you there.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The blacklist area is located in the Discussions section under your Settings menu. When you go there notice that by default we have a setting marked that requires a commenter have an approved comment before his or her first comment appears on your blog. This setting not only helps prevent spam from appearing on your blog, but also gives you the opportunity to ensure some level of trust with actual people visiting and commenting on your blog. It is recommended you keep this setting in place.

Once you are in the Settings > Discussions area you can insert any criteria such as email addresses, words or phrases, and of course IP addresses into the Blacklist box to prohibit content matching your criteria from appearing as comments on your blog.

After doing this, remember to save your settings and then also mark the comments as spam which you can do in the Comments area of the admin.

If you have any questions about this or want to dive deeper into this topic feel free to contact us or to leave your comments below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

First you log in to your WordPress site. BlogPro Automotive runs on WordPress so if you are in the auto industry and would like a free account on our system please sign up to receive your free account. If you are not in the auto industry you can visit our other WordPress system at www.autoburstwebs.com to to do the same.

Once you are logged in you will be at what is called the Dashboard. From there, select the blog you wish to work in by choosing the “My Blogs” link in the Dashboard menu section at the top left of your screen. Now you should see a list of all blogs to which you have access. On BlogPro, you can run as many blogs or sites that you wish with your same user account.

Now that you have select the blog on which you wish to work, look for the Pages menu section on the left side of your screen. Here you have two options – Edit or Add New.

To create a new page simply click Add New and to modify an existing one click Edit.

By clicking Edit you will see a list of all your pages on that blog. From here choose the page on which you wish to work and it will open up permitting you to make modifications.

If you want to create a new page then click the Add New link and you will load a blank page where you can insert a title and the contents of the page along with other parameters and settings related to pages. For an explanation of these things please reference the video.

Once you have completed your changes then click on the Publish or Update button to the right of your screen. You will see Publish if the page is new or saved as a draft. You will see Update if it is already published.

This pretty much covers it. Creating and modifying pages is literally that simple. For assistance with this please contact us on AC Assist. We are happy to help.

This ‘how to’ series teaches you about the ACVideo Service, powered by Vidego, and how we integrate it with WordPress. ACVideo explores the issue of streaming video, and the ease in which you can add it to your website or blog.

In last month’s webinar, we talked about how to set up multi players. But even if you missed last month’s webinar, it’s not too late to take advantage of this series! We still have two more dates booked! Click here to register!

Each webinar in this series focuses on how to use specific features
of the system.

Part two, on May 27, is about Branding Your Player in Vidego.

Here are a few of the topics this webinar will cover:

• changing colors and images
• adding banners
• linking to web pages
• customizing play buttons
• sharing your videos
• and other marketing tips …

Save your seat!

Click here to register!

If you have already registered for this series, you will get a reminder notice in your email. If you have not yet registered, you can still take part in the next two webinars by registering today.

We hope to see you there!

Please direct questions to Tracey D’Aviero. Thank you.

This technique is not limited to the use of iFrames as you can and probably should use Hana Code Insert to display any large amount of HTML, but this is a good use for Hana Code Insert. You will probably need to watch the video in addition to reading the instructions below so you have a visual reference.

Click here to view the embedded video.

To begin, look for the Hana Code Insert plug-in which is accessible from the Settings tab in your WP Dashboard. There you will see space for a “New Entry” where you can copy/paste your HTML code and label the insert. Then press SAVE or UPDATE which will create the instance of this Hana Code Insert and displays it at the bottom of all other Hana Code Inserts you have created. Now grab (copy to clipboard) the Hana Code Insert from bracket to bracket which should include the words “hana-code-insert” plus your label and looks like this:

[ hana-code-insert name='YOUR LABEL' / ]

Next you go to the Page or Post you wish to create or edit and paste the code from bracket to bracket into your entry. You can paste this code in the Visual editor or the HTML editor. Doesn’t matter. You can also insert text, images, and other copy as necessary above or below your insert.

Now press PUBLISH or UPDATE or SAVE DRAFT to finalize this entry and when you preview it you should see your code appear just like normal. It’s that simple.

1. The first step is to obtain the URL to your RSS feed. In this case, we went to a Nissan dealer on web2carz.com and obtained their URL.
2. The next step is to log in to your WordPress site and go to the Widgets section under the Appearance tab.
3. Then, while in Widgets, add the widget for RSS feeds and click on the “Edit” link. Be sure to add the widget to the desired sidebar if you have more than one sidebar.
4. Now paste the URL feed in the appropriate field, give your widget a title if desired, and set any of the optional parameters. Most importantly set the number of items you wish to display.
5. Finally, press “Save” and your new widget is live.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you have any questions regarding this you may leave your comments below. Alternatively if you require assistance or wish to schedule one-on-one training then please contact us.

If you’re already using video, or thinking about how video can help you with your dealership’s online marketing initiatives, join AutoConversion for a free live Webinar series that will introduce you to our AC Video service, which explores the issue of streaming video, and the ease in which you can add it to your website or blog.

AC Video, in partnership with Vidego, makes it easy for anyone to upload, manage, and distribute their streaming content online.

There are three webinars in the series, and we will be hosting one each month for April, May and June.

Each webinar in the series will concentrate on a specific how-to element of the Vidego system and WordPress.

The webinars will be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM EDT

The dates are as follows:

• Wednesday, April 22, 2009
• Wednesday, May 27, 2009 and
• Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Register Now at: AC Video Webinar Series Registration

Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with the information you need to join the webinars.

You only have to register once to take advantage of the whole series. We will remind you of upcoming dates so that you don’t miss a minute of this valuable presentation!

BlogPro Automotive is the first of what we hope to be numerous derivatives of the AutoBurst blog marketing program built and designed for small businesses and budding entrepreneurs to get a jump on their product offering and their own marketing strategy.

Your feedback on the release and its contents are welcome here. Thanks to everyone who has and/or continues to support us. it’s been a wild ride these past several months, that’s for sure.

Shouts out to Mark Dubis for helping with our first press release.