Dublicator

Copyright © 2010 Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at http://biancagubalke.com/media-marketing/diversity-month-in-us-government/.

Diversity Month in US Government

“It’s Diversity Month in the US Government and there are African displays all over the show. We have an impressive list of speakers over here, but I would like to make an experiment here in Dallas, Texas – the 4th largest Airport in the world: can you talk on Diversity in Africa? I mean LIVE Online – from your Online Conferencing Center? I would then project via my laptop …? Right into our high-tech Conference Center over here …?” Click the below Image to enlarge…

This sounded exciting… and the distance from Dallas to Cape Town is just 8720.9 Miles – 14034.9 kilometers! A flight would take about 18 hours, 7 minutes…

Well, why travel that far at today’s cost and airport hassles when you can have it instantly… online!? Sort of from beautiful Noordhoek Beach?

Diversity Month in US Government Video

Due to loads of requests after the Conference in Dallas, here is the original, spontaneous Diversity Month of the US Government Video – Part 1 (9.21 minutes) – following impressions on the Semiomantics Flash website created for Monkey Valley Resort.

Look to the right, it’s in the brand-new MultiMedia Box – just go ahead and enjoy Part 1.

Bear in mind… I am addressing an audience in the large Conference Center in Dallas Airport – invisible to me… but due to high security the linking was rather adventurous and I had the Air Terminal chaos right in my ears: planes taking off, planes landing, kids crying, people shouting and laughing and luckily no bombs exploding … and inbetween technicians and engineers whizzing around to “…make this thing work”.

As our lines are so slow here and only 10 minutes may be loaded (meanwhile 15 minutes as I just saw but too late…) the 28 minutes Video of the LIVE Conference was ripped into 3 parts and is currently being loaded to YouTube. It takes about 6 hours per 10 minutes… depending on the African elephant stampede of course :) So number 1 is in the box… to be followed by Part 2 soon. Just check in!

Best Conference Venues Cape Town

The above video – Part 1 – features one of the best Conference Venues outside Cape Town – it certainly has the most spectacular setting. Definitely my choice!

And of course… there’s Thorfynn’s Restaurant… unbeatable with Darren Byrne and all those gorgeous smiles around him! Have a look!

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Copyright © 2010 Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at http://biancagubalke.com/web-graphics-design/taxmart-puts-you-in-the-winners-circle/.

Taxmart puts you in the Winners Circle

“Taxmart puts you in the winners circle” – here we meet TaxMart, the Sponsor! Accordingly, the fast refund is called “Racing Refund” … depicted by car graphics.

Taxmart puts you in the Winners Circle

“Taxmart puts you in the Winners Circle” is not only a slogan… the dirt track racer featured in theheader banner rotator graphic actually was a winner all the way!

Congratulations Larrie Perkins! Not without Sandra . . . and – of course – Semiomantics Thesis!

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Copyright © 2010 Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at http://biancagubalke.com/graphic-design-services/joe-cettina-on-semiomantics-team/.

Joe Cettina on Semiomantics Team

Joe Cettina is the next on Semiomantics Team – the Semiomantics flame travelled all the way from Strandfontein Village in the Western Cape, South Africa – where it was held by Eileen Cupido – up to the Northern hemisphere… across the Atlantic Ocean… to New York, USA!

Joe Cettina on Semiomantics Team

Joe Cettina really went the extra mile to get a unique yet typical profile banner on the Semiomantics Team! His photographer is to be congratulated for shooting a range of really good digital photos that could inspire me to create more images… and then Joe is truly a ‘natural’!

Who can resist this incredible look here…? And while there is full concentration on the task at hand – repairing large printers for photographers and designers and many other clients in his workshop, we all know Joe as the beer brewer who’s always ready to share a beer and a laugh… he’s in a way always between the two and who can imagine him without it… especially also when thinking of his large Website Development – the Ceguna Network – on YORGOO Media? He has a whole Beer Club there – just go and join! And don’t forget to have your printer fixed at the same time :)

The Semiomantics Flame

With the Semiomantics Flame back in the United States… where will it be going next? Who’s taking up the challenge?

We will see… stay tuned !

Copyright © 2010 Yorgo Nestoridis. Visit the original article at http://yorgonestoridis.com/yorgo-nestoridis-development/semiomantics/thesis-footer-tutorial.

Add Footer Widgets to Thesis

This post shows how I add footer widgets to my Semiomantics Thesis site as my site starts looking like a real website, however there is still room to provide more informative content, namely in the footer area.

The task is an easy one with Thesis but there is to be said that it is surprising that thesis does not offer these features in the core script.

Depending on the width of your site, you may choose a three or four column widgetized footer area.

Add Widgetized Footer to Thesis – 3 Columns

If you wish a three column footer area, just punch this code into your custom-functions.php file from Custom File Editor or via FTP:

//-------3 Columns Custom Footer Widgets------------
if (function_exists('register_sidebar')) {
	$sidebars = array(1, 2, 3);
	foreach($sidebars as $number) {
		register_sidebar(array(
			'name' => 'Footer ' . $number,
			'id' => 'footer-' . $number,
			'before_widget' => '',
			'after_widget' => '',
			'before_title' => '<h3>',
			'after_title' => '</h3>'
		));
	}
}
function widgetized_footer() {
?>
	<div id="footer_setup">

		<div class="footer_items">
  	  		<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('Footer 1') ) : ?>
    		<?php endif; ?>
		</div>

		<div class="footer_items">
    		<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('Footer 2') ) : ?>
    		<?php endif; ?>
		</div>

		<div class="footer_items">
    		<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('Footer 3') ) : ?>
    		<?php endif; ?>
		</div>

	</div>
<?php
}
add_action('thesis_hook_footer','widgetized_footer');

Add 4 Columns Widgetized Footer to Thesis

This is the option I choose for my site as it’s wide enough to hold 4 columns:

//-------4 Columns Custom Footer Widgets--------
if (function_exists('register_sidebar')) {
	$sidebars = array(1, 2, 3, 4);
	foreach($sidebars as $number) {
		register_sidebar(array(
			'name' => 'Footer ' . $number,
			'id' => 'footer-' . $number,
			'before_widget' => '',
			'after_widget' => '',
			'before_title' => '<h3>',
			'after_title' => '</h3>'
		));
	}
}
function widgetized_footer() {
?>
	<div id="footer_setup">

		<div class="footer_items">
  	  		<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('Footer 1') ) : ?>
    		<?php endif; ?>
		</div>

		<div class="footer_items">
    		<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('Footer 2') ) : ?>
    		<?php endif; ?>
		</div>

		<div class="footer_items">
    		<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('Footer 3') ) : ?>
    		<?php endif; ?>
		</div>

		<div class="footer_items">
    		<?php if ( !function_exists('dynamic_sidebar') || !dynamic_sidebar('Footer 4') ) : ?>
    		<?php endif; ?>
		</div>

	</div>
<?php
}
add_action('thesis_hook_footer','widgetized_footer');

Style your Widget Footer Area

To style the footer widget area I punch the following code into my custom.css from the Custom File Editor:

/* ---- footer widget area------*/
#footer_setup {
	background: #222;
	padding: 15px;
	margin-bottom: 25px;
	overflow: hidden;
}
#footer_setup .footer_items {
	text-align: left;
	font-size:1.2em;
	width: 225px;
	padding-right: 15px;
	color: #fff;
	display: inline-block;
	float: left;
	height: 100%;
}
#footer_setup .footer_items h3 {
	font-size: 2em;
	font-weight: bold;
	text-transform: uppercase;
	letter-spacing: 0px;
	color: #ffffff;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	border-bottom: 10px solid #C00C00;
	margin-bottom: 5px;
}
#footer_setup .footer_items ul li { list-style: none; }
#footer_setup .footer_items ul { margin: 0px; padding: 0px; }

Populate your brand new widgets from the Widget panel under Appearance to test the function:

Here is the immediate first draft:

Up to you now to adapt the style to your taste.

Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

This page is wiki editable click here to edit this page.

Related posts:

1. Thesis Tutorial Author Box
2. Create a Header Widget in Thesis
3. Thesis Tutorial Feature Box
4. Create a Widget below the Multimedia Box in Thesis
5. Thesis Tutorial Header Banner Rotator

Copyright © 2010 Yorgo Nestoridis. Visit the original article at http://yorgonestoridis.com/yorgo-nestoridis-development/semiomantics/thesis-tutorial-feature-box.

Thesis Tutorial Rotating Contextual Banner in Feature Box

This Thesis Tutorial shows step by step how to add rotating banners to the Feature Box. The Feature Box has a drop down menu from where you can choose the position of the banner. In function of that choice you will then edit the images (size).

The Thesis Feature Box in Action

The below image illustrates the result you will achieve by following this tutorial:

As you see my choice was to add the  rotating banners in full width underneath the menu. The Header Banner is above the menu. Using a large size banner, I decreased the size of the header banner. On the right side you see the Multimedia Box underneath the rotating banners.

My Banner size is 960 pixels x 278 pixels.

Semomantics Thesis Author Blog

Semiomantics Author Blogs have all scripts built in and you can skip the following steps which are market with a *.

Get the Dynamic Content Gallery Plugin *

From your dashboard under Plugins, select Add Plugin. Type into the search box “Dynamic Content Gallery” and install and activate the pugin.

Add the Function to Thesis *

Edit custom-functions.php from your Custom File Editor and add the following code:

//-------------------featured content--------------
function featcc() {
if (is_home()){
global $post;
if( function_exists( 'dynamic_content_gallery' ) ) :
dynamic_content_gallery();
endif;
}
}
add_action('thesis_hook_feature_box', 'featcc');

With this code we hook the Dynamic Content Gallery to the Thesis feature box for display. Also, the feature box displays on the home page only, as on the other pages we use the Top Carousel.

Configure the Dynamic Content Gallery Plugin

You may choose another configuration. As an example I just copy here what my set-up looks like. Edit the Dynamic Content Gallery from your Dashboard under “Settings”:

1. Image Management

I select Full URL to keep absolute flexibility about the image source; this could be an external link to an image server. In fact I just load my images to the main image folder in the domain root.

2. Gallery Method

To keep the image and gallery management simple, I created a new category called Featured Main. All posts which will have a featured banner, will also be added to that category. Therefore I select here “One Category”.

Scroll further down and you will find more options:

As you see, I selected the Featured Main Category and I choose to display 4 posts.

3. Descriptions

For reasons of laziness I keep the setting on Auto and display 100 signs. In fact, my posts are usually structured in a way that the automatic excerpt has some meaning…:-).

4. Gallery CSS

Just a copy of my settings:

5. Javascript Options

I select jQuery and I show the carousel with the banner (it’s the drop-down overlay on top right of the banner which displays thumbnails of the banners). You may give that tab a more interesting name than Featured Articles, for example: Must Read. Note that I deselect the left and right arrows which serve to scroll the banners; I just think they are not necessary and ugly.

6. Load Scripts

As we display the banners on the home page only, I select Home Page to load the script only where needed.

7. Tools

I don’t display Error Messages and enable the editing box in the page and post editor as follows:

You will now be able to add banners from your WordPress editor to your post or to overwrite some of the configuration settings.

8. Load some Banners

I just headed over to Photoshop and made a few banners which I uploaded to my main image folder:

As I have configured to display 4 banners, the above four will do the trick.

9. Attach the banners to some key posts

Now  I select 4 key posts from my blog and edit them:

I add the Featured Main category to all of them and then I add the corresponding banner image link to each post and update the post:

10. Time to enable the Feature Box

In your Design Options toggle Feature Box and select the position:

I select Full width above content and sidebars. The home page selector is not active as we have overwritten the function in custom-functions.php.Also the Display Options are not built into Thesis yet, however if you wish to style the box, do the last step below:

11. Style your Feature Box

If you would like to get rid of the light gray background and the borders or style the box differently all together, just add the following few lines to your custom.css from the Custom File Editor:

/*----------------Feature Box-------------- */
.custom #feature_box { background: #ffffff; border-style: solid; border-color: #fff; }

I have set it all to white here, but you may modify and adapt to taste and amend this CSS code as needed.

Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

This page is wiki editable click here to edit this page.

Related posts:

1. Thesis Tutorial Header Banner Rotator
2. Thesis Tutorial Author Box
3. Create a Header Widget in Thesis
4. Semiomantics Thesis Interpretation
5. Create a Widget below the Multimedia Box in Thesis

Copyright © 2010 Yorgo Nestoridis. Visit the original article at http://yorgonestoridis.com/yorgo-nestoridis-development/semiomantics/thesis-tutorial-author-box.

Add an Author Box to Thesis after Posts

Here is how I have added the Author Box after the post in Thesis. The procedure is as usual:

1. Add the custom function

2. Style your box with custom CSS

3. Add the content

1. Author Box on Thesis: custom function code

Copy and paste the following code to custom-functions.php from your Dashboard under Custom File Editor:

//------Add an Author Box at the end of Post--------------------
function post_footer_author() {
if (is_single())
{ ?>
<div class="postauthor">
<?php echo get_avatar( get_the_author_id() , 100 ); ?>
<h4>Article by <a href="<?php the_author_url(); ?>">
<?php the_author_firstname(); ?> <?php the_author_lastname(); ?></a></h4>
<p><?php the_author_description(); ?></p>
<p><?php the_author_firstname(); ?> has written <span><?php the_author_posts(); ?></span> awesome articles for this site.</p>
<p>Subscribe to feed via <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/yorgonestoridis/feed"><b>RSS</b></a> or <a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=yorgonestoridis/feed&amp;amp;loc=en_US"><b>EMAIL</b></a> to receive instant updates.</p>
<p>Subscribe to our cashflowin <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/cashflowin"><b>YouTube channel </b></a></p>
</div>
<?php }
}
add_action('thesis_hook_after_post', 'post_footer_author', '1');

Change the content as needed.
You could also hook the above code to the thesis_hook_after_post_box; in this case just change the hook name in the last line.

Author Box Style

Add the following code to custom.css from your Custom File Editor:

/*--------Author Box-----------------*/
.postauthor {background: #F5F5F5;
border-top: 1px solid #e1e1e0;
border-bottom: 1px solid #e1e1e0;
overflow: hidden; padding: 1.5em;
}
.postauthor img {border: 1px solid #e2dede;
float: left;
margin-right: 1.5em;}
.postauthor h4 {color: #666;
font-size: 2em; margin-bottom: 5px;}
.postauthor p {color: #515151; font-size: 13px;
margin-bottom: 12px;}.postauthor p.hlight {font-size: 11px;
text-transform: uppercase;}.postauthor p.hlight span {color: #CB3131;
font-size: 1.5em; font-style: italic;
font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.8px;}
.custom .postauthor p {
fontsize:15px;}
.custom .postauthor p.hlight{
fontsize:13px;
fontweight:bold }

Adapt the style to your taste.
That’s it.

Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

This page is wiki editable click here to edit this page.

Related posts:

1. Thesis Tutorial Header Banner Rotator
2. Semiomantics Thesis Interpretation
3. Create a Header Widget in Thesis
4. Create a Widget below the Multimedia Box in Thesis
5. How to Customize WordPress 2

Copyright © 2011 Zo Nicholas. Visit the original article at http://zonicholas.com/semiomantics-2/semiomantics-products/.

Semiomantics Thesis Author Blog

October has been a busy month at Ycademy culminating in the end of month seminar which focused on giving all Ycademy Pro Author blogs a brand new look. The new Semiomantics Thesis theme provides the basis for the new look,  so much more media orientated, paying close attention to design trends online.  The weekend seminar provided all participants with sound knowledge to go forth and adapt, customise and personalize the new theme to individual requirements, whatever the business.

Semiomantics Product Range

The new Semimantics Thesis theme is only one of many products available in  the Semiomantics Product range. The Semiomantics brand focuses on developing scripts to provide the end users with maximum efficiency and functionality. Each script development focuses on editing, publishing, social networking, media, web design  and most importantly on SEO making Semiomantics one of the top performing scripts around. What use is a superbly designed, stylish web site when it is nowhere to be seen on search engines. Design and SEO must go hand in hand in order to satisfy our customers needs.

Semiomantics Thesis for the New Look

Semiomantics Author blogs have been around for a while now and although they perform well on search engines lack  the stylish design that is so neccessary to have these days. It’s all about ‘The Look’ ! Content is still king, but a stylish look is something that grabs the visitors attention at first glance. In the admin area the new Semiomantics Thesis theme  can be easily customised and adapted, but it all still depends on great graphics that will give the site ‘customer appeal’.

Zo Nicholas on Semiomantics Thesis

Here is the first draft of ZoNicholas.com using the new Semiomantics Thesis theme to give the site a completely new look.

To be continued…

Author: Zo Nicholas, Media, Marketing, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, Ycademy,YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader or Subscribe by Email.

Copyright © 2010 Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at http://biancagubalke.com/online-communication/dallas-conference-on-diversity-in-africa/.

Dallas Conference on Diversity in Africa

The Internet is an amazing institution: today it enables me to speak LIVE at a massive event: the Dallas Conference on ‘Diversity in Africa’ – and this all the way from my PC at the tip of Africa – from Noordhoek, South Africa to be precise! Our friend and partner Les Kudla thought of using modern Internet technology to showcase what in many ways still is a little bit left behind when it comes to high-tech amenities that are so common in first-world countries in the Northern Hemisphere. And if we think that Dallas Airport in Texas with its massive Conferencing facilities is the 4th largest of its kind in the world – it’s kind of impressive… and a little intimidating… to say the least!

Dallas Conference on Diversity in Africa

The choice of presenting an aspect of our beautiful and diverse country – South Africa – was largely based on the fact that with the latest Semiomantics Flash Evolution Script we could develop a smashing and highly interactive presentation for Monkey Valley Resort – also based on great photos by David Turnley from New York, who holds annual Digital Photography Workshops at the “Crowned Eagle”, the so-called “Jewel of the South”, the top accommodation available for small groups at the unique South African Holiday Resort – which by the way is also home to the Green Party of South Africa, lead by Judy Sole.

There is a special ambience and a focus on people and the environment throughout this website that so beautifully reflects a very important aspect of the Rainbow Nation. There are many others… South Africa has countless faces and facettes… however, this is what I know and what I love to convey: the spirit of warm and compassionate people touching people. Just that. It’s deeply rooted in Africa… a part I sincerely love and hopefully I can pass on the spark of this flame.

Dallas meets Cape Town on YouTube

With comparatively slow Internet connections and wild African elephants marching over them with astonishing regularity, there had to be a Plan B in case Plan A would fail.

Plan A would be a direct projection of the talk accompanied by a virtual guided journey through the website from our Ycademy Online Conference Room … via Les Kudla’s laptop … straight into the high-tech Conferencing Center of Dallas Airport. So far so good…

Plan B would be a pre-recording of this that would serve its purpose in the same way – although without the same LIVE situation of course. Just a voice-over.

Well, all was fully prepared – with one little detail that changed it all: to upload this video – basically a spontaneous run-through in case the lines are dropped – well… the upload either to my server or to YouTube will take probably 10 hours.

So let’s think positive, we are ready and we think YES! WE CAN!

Once uploaded, the video will be available on this blog… but now the time is ticking: Dallas here we come! YEBO GOGO!

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Copyright © 2010 Yorgo Nestoridis. Visit the original article at http://yorgonestoridis.com/yorgo-nestoridis/wordpress-menu-problem.

WordPress 3 Menu Limits

When editing the new custom menu feature in WordPress 3 you may notice that you cannot add an unlimited number of items for display. On our Semiomantics Author Blogs we were limited to 16 items when Bianca commented about the issue.

The limit is in fact imposed from server side: if Suhosin or similar is installed on the server then there may be a maximum limit of posted variables. It would then need an increase of suhosin.post.max_vars and suhosin.request.max_vars. We have increased these values to 300 which solved the problem.

If you ever run into a similar problem, just ask your host to make the above adjustments.

Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Related posts:

1. Elegant WordPress by Semiomantics 101
2. Elegant WordPress
3. WordPress Seminar by Ycademy
4. WordPress for Authors Seminar
5. Firefox Crashes on WordPress

Copyright © 2010 Bianca Gubalke. Visit the original article at http://biancagubalke.com/web-design-south-africa/new-look-with-semiomantics-thesis/.

New Look with Semiomantics Thesis

A new look with Semiomantics Thesis – that’s just one of the amazing results after the past weekend’s Ycademy Seminar October 2010 – with a focus on upgrading our brains and out Semiomantics Author Blogs with the latest cutting-edge technology – the best of WordPress Thesis combined with the best of Semiomantics XO!

New Look with Semiomantics Thesis

The New Look with Semiomantics Thesis is largely created through a series of ‘hooks’ to which we can hook what today’s and tomorrow’s Internet consumers request: basically media content containers, be it widgets, rotators or banners etc.

Bearing in mind that our website or blog occupies what can be called the most precious ‘real estate’ online, the new technology offers us ways to captivate readers and potential customers with more attention-grabbing possibilities.

This can be seen from our point-of-view in terms of Website Development, however, as many bloggers don’t want to be bothered with anything ‘technical’, we can now offer ways where our customers simply focus on what they know best: blogging about their products and selling them. This is a huge step forward that must be welcomed by many who wish to have a blog and they like the idea of blogging – but bringing in images and media content is not their thing. This we can solve easily for them as Semiomantics Web Design experts!

Header Banner Rotator in Thesis

While all this sounds easy – there is tremendous learning to be done first as this new development requires a different approach and way of thinking.

What I have been focusing on today is inserting rotating pictures into my MultiMedia Box and creating a header banner rotator in Thesis based on excellent tutorials offered HERE.

While I do have a problem with my menu that doesn’t display what I want… yet… the rest went absolutely spot-on and smoothly! Let’s see where tonight’s Training will take us!

To be continued. . .

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YCADEMY and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.