Amethyst Answers

web creation and social media training for small businesses

Plugin Predicament

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What happened?

Malware Attack
Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Last week, it was discovered that a very popular WordPress plug-in (Social Media Widget) was compromised with malware. Unfortunately, this was a plug-in that I frequently used for client sites, as well as my own, as an easy way to create icons that link to a client’s various social media pages and other contact methods (most commonly email, Facebook, and Twitter). This plug-in had a very good reputation, and apparently had been downloaded over 900,000 times.

What did I do?

At first, I was only aware that one of my client’s sites had a problem, so I set about to get it cleaned up. Once I realized this was an issue with the plug-in, I quickly set about to check out all the sites I had used it on. One other site was definitely compromised, but others were seemingly ok. For the compromised site, I immediately got rid of the plug-in and implemented a temporary fix. Then I got in touch with all my other clients to discuss the issue and how they would like me to deal with it. I didn’t want to be messing with an important part of their site (layout and contact) without their permission.

What’s next?

I decided that I wouldn’t be using that plug-in anymore, even though the author has since removed the malicious code and swears it’s safe to use again. So, now I had to figure out how to get the important contact info back up on all these sites. I looked around for a new plug-in to use, but none of them were as comprehensive as this one had been. In the end, I decided to skip the plug-in option completely. It’s just a bunch of icons and a bit of code. I can handle this on my own. So I spent a bit of time locating (and in one case creating) icons for all the sites and functions I needed, and then I coded it all myself. Not only does it look basically the same as the plug-in version, but I have more flexibility to customize it to suit each individual site better.

What’s the lesson?

Bottom line, plug-ins can be great tools, sometimes even invaluable. But sometimes it’s better to take a few extra minutes to code it yourself.

My Next Big Thing

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Tag…I’m it! Ok, it’s been a few months since I was tagged in Lynn Spiro‘s post for The Next Big Thing, but those of you who know me well know that I tend to procrastinate just a touch. I hope that it’s been worth the wait. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this project, The Next Big Thing is a blog hop giving authors, and now bloggers in general, a chance to discuss their upcoming works. In addition to answering 10 questions about your next project, you tag the person who involved you, and subsequently tag others who will participate, thereby passing the torch, so to speak (or type as the case may be).

As I mentioned, my friend and colleague, Lynn Spiro, very kindly tagged me in her Next Big Thing post back in October (ooops!). Lynn is a professional organizer with a big heart, and I’ve discovered she’s quite passionate about several other things as well.

Now, without further ado, I give you: My Next Big Thing!

What is the working title of your project?

Start-up digital magazine

Where did the idea come from for the magazine?

I’ve had the honour and pleasure of meeting some great people in the early stages of starting their business. There are so many things I have learned that I want to share with them, and vice versa. This magazine will be a great place to share all kinds of knowledge and helpful information from a variety of fields: coaching, organizing, websites, etc.

What genre does your project fall under?

I don’t recall General Awesomeness being a category in the Dewey decimal system, so I guess I’ll have to go with Reference.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

This is hard to answer at this point, as the characters would be the contributors, and I have yet to approach these wonderfully talented people yet. But for my character, I’ve always been partial to Janeane Garofalo, although there’s a bit of a height difference.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your magazine?

Practical advice and information for new and almost-new businesses.

Will your magazine be self-published or represented by an agency?

Definitely self-published. The power is all mine!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Haven’t started yet, but luckily, I won’t be writing the majority of the content. Gotta love collaboration!

What other magazines would you compare this to within your genre?

The only other digital magazines I have to compare to would be Going Pro magazine by Stephanie Pollock and Rebelations Magazine by Gina Bell.

Who or what inspired you to write this magazine?

I’m not sure where the inspiration came from…it just sort of popped into my head one day when I was thinking about a million other things. I suppose the above-mentioned mags were a factor in my inspiration.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The great thing about a collaborative project is that the reader will have exposure and access to some great contributors. Each one will come from a different field, or represent a unique niche in that field. These will be great opportunities for readers to connect with experts that may be able to help them with their own projects in the future.

So that’s my Next Big Thing. I hope you’ll stay tuned for the eventual launch. You can be sure I’ll promote the heck out of it when it’s time!

Now I’d like to introduce you to two more people with a Next Big Thing on their horizon:

Kelvin Cech

Kelvin CechKelvin is a copywriter and freelance content manager at Function Writing Group in Vancouver, BC. Although he doesn’t wear an eye patch, I’m pretty sure he’s part pirate, too. He has previously published The Content Guide: How Copywriters Develop Timeless Content. Check out Function’s blog for details on Kelvin’s Next Big Thing.

Johnna Andrea Tuttle

Johnna Andrea TuttleJohnna is a spiritual teacher and president of Andreas Home Heaven on Earth. She hosts Celestial Living Radio on blogtalkradio.com and has published Celestial Marriage Reflections on Love and Faith. Check out Johnna’s blog to learn more about her Next Big Thing.

Should you post your prices on your website?

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Price Bag
Image courtesy of Pixomar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

To price or not to price? It’s a good question, but the answer isn’t an easy one. At first, I believed firmly that you should include your rates on your website. People, myself included, like to know how much things cost. Having your prices easily accessible shows that you have nothing to hide, and you aren’t going to give different people different rates for the same service or product. I used to have my prices clearly outlined on my website, with a list of what was included for the price.

Then, one day, one of my packages had to change, due to circumstances beyond my control. I did some thinking around how to handle this change, and I thought about how companies similar to mine deal with pricing. And I thought about the services I offer. Since I implemented my packages and pricing, not a single client has wanted or needed the same services. My packages didn’t really fit what my clients need.

All of this thinking made me realize, in my situation, prices just don’t make sense. Every client’s needs are different, so I need to assess each client individually. Sure, I will have a standard rate and a standard way of deciding how much each project will cost, but ultimately, I’m not doing anybody any favours by trying to fit all projects into the same box. I really need to sit down with a client to determine their needs and how I can best meet them, and then come up with a quote, or even better, a multiple option quote.

So my answer to the question “to price or not to price?” is: it depends. If you have a product you are selling, absolutely, post your prices. If you have a service that is priced by the hour, definitely let your web visitors know. But if you are dealing with projects where no two are the same, and there are variables, there’s no shame in not posting your prices. It just wouldn’t make sense.

Observations from the Sidelines

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Children Playing sign
image courtesy of andrewatla

I’m sitting in the play area of every kid’s favourite burger joint, watching my six year old son play hide & seek with five other kids. For all the yelling and screaming and thumping around, I have to say this really is a beautiful thing.

None of these kids knew each other ten minutes ago. Heck, they still don’t. But they are running around treating each other like they have been best friends for years.

The thing that really amazes me is that nobody asked to play and nobody was invited to play. They just started playing.

They make no judgements and don’t care about their differences. They don’t see any differences. It doesn’t matter what their age, gender or names are. They don’t care about hair or skin colour. Short, tall skinny, or not. All they see is “friend”. Everyone is welcome. Just take your shoes off and join the fun!

The parents, on the other hand, are quite a different story. Everyone seems content to let their kids play together. But while the kids play, every single parent here is sitting alone and looking down, myself included. We are on our phones and iPads or reading a book. We don’t look at each other and we certainly don’t talk to each other. I can only imagine what would happen if I sat down next to one of them and just started talking. They’d think I was off my rocker!

When did it become socially acceptable to be so anti-social? Children are always being told to grow up and act more like grown ups. But really, I think I’d rather be more like a kid!

On embracing technology, whatever your age

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Skype Voice Calls Work on iPad with Everyman H...
(Photo credit: stevegarfield)

If someone handed you an iPad today, would you know how to use it? If you answered yes, consider how well you could use it to its full capabilities. Now, consider how well a 2-year-old can navigate it. It’s amazing how well children can use computers and other technology, almost like it’s instinctive.

But have no fear! It’s never too late to learn. My Grandpa is a prime example. In his late 80s, he was embracing all kinds of new technology.

First, he upgraded his phone from pulse to tone (some of you don’t even know what I’m talking about, that’s how old his previous system was!), and he got call display. Can you even imagine not ever knowing who was calling you? But for my Grandpa, this had been unnecessary, and now it was all new.

Next he got a DVD player and a flat screen tv. Would you believe, until a few years ago, I had a hand-me-down tv from him that had the buttons and dials on it (for those of you who aren’t familiar with this pre-remote concept, here’s a sample pic).

My favourite moment of my Grandpa embracing technology was when he first encountered Skype. Since my mom lives across the country from me, we frequently use Skype to make video calls so she can talk to my son and watch him be a goof. So one day, when my Grandpa was visiting my mom, we had a Skype video call. My Grandpa had never been part of a video call before. He was extremely interested in how it all works, and asked tons of questions throughout the call.

You are never too old to start learning something new. My Grandpa is proof of that. Instead of balking at and ignoring new technology, he was interested in being part of it. I can’t even fathom what he’d think of an iPad if he were still here today, but I bet he would sit in awe as he watched his great-grandchildren showing him how it works!