For my first post of 2013 I thought I would share a few of my favorite WordPress Plug-ins. Remember, not all plug-ins are created equally. Before down-loading a plug-in be sure to check how many times its been down-loaded and when the last time it was updated. A little common sense will keep you out of so much trouble. A gift from me to you….enjoy! If you’re in Denver and need help with your WordPress website….you can contact me here!

Denver WordPress Camp 2012

This weekend was Denver WordPress Camp 2012. Developers, designers and users alike showed up to see some great speakers on a variety of topics.  Stickers, t-shirts and other shwag were gobbled up by the 200ish campers. This was the first WordCamp I attended and was well worth the time.  There is always new stuff to learn about this popular content management system.  I want to thank the organizers for putting on great event.

One of the great things about having a WordPress website is that, with a tiny piece of code generated by WordPress, you can easily upload custom marketing graphics to be used on sites such as your local Denver Craigslist and Westword Backpage. Don’t underestimate the power of free resources for driving traffic and potential new customers to your site!!

Shot I took up at Standley Lake in Westminster today.

The 2-dimensional matrix QR Code was initially developed by Toyota subsidiary, Denso Wave, to track parts in their vehicle manufacturing plants. Now QR codes are being used for marketing and advertising purposes to drive traffic to websites and provide customers with immediate response marketing. This smart phone scanner-friendly hardlink code, consisting of black modules arranged in a square pattern with a black background, can be used to display text, coupons, connect to a wireless network, or open a website. In Japan, you can walk up to a soda machine and scan the QR code with your smart phone – your soda will pop out and $1 will be charged to your phone bill. I’m sure your brain is just spinning right now thinking about the different applications for this technology in your business.

Smart Phone Penetration is currently estimated at about 25% and growing exponentially. Most smart phones now come loaded with a QR code scanner. The scanner uses the phone’s camera technology. If your smart phone does not have a scanner, there are free apps to download for pretty much any smart phone including, but not limited to, Droid, Blackberry, Iphone and Palm. If your phone does not have a camera….its probably time for a new phone!

So now you may be asking yourself…Where can I get a QR code for my business? I would be happy to help you generate a QR code , set it up, and help brainstorm creative ideas for you and your business to start utilizing this technology immediately. If you want explore the swath of QR code options like GPS-enabled location hit tracking, immediate response marketing SMS messages specifically targeted to your situation, or handset identification, there are a few local Denver providers that can hook you up and allow you access to the new generation of smart phone technologies and the people who use them. Give me a holler if you want to find out more about the options for using this technology for your business.

I’ve been reading Investors business daily off and on for years. Every Monday they list the IBD Top 50 stocks in the hard copy edition. I thought I would do some research as to how the stocks performed, over a few months period, after they were listed. I used the Top 5 stocks from the August 6th edition. I’m a visual person so I took a 6 month snap shot of the chart. I like to look at stocks using Candlesticks and indicators such as the 50 day moving average, Volume + and MACD.  In each ‘big chart’ you will find a white  arrow indicating the Aug 6, 2012 stock price/date.

The top 5 Stocks listed in the Aug 6, 6012 Edition:

• ALXN     Stock Price – $106.96
• CTRX     Stock Price – $90.37
• SWI        Stock Price – $54.25
• MLNX    Stock Price – $106.92
• AAPL      Stock Price – $615.70

• ALXN 08-06-2012
• ALXN 08-13-2012
• ALXN 08-20-2012
• ALXN 08-27-2012

• CTRX 08-06-2012
• CTRX 08-13-2012
• CTRX 08-20-2012
• CTRX 08-27-2012

• SWI 08-06-2012
• SWI 08-13-2012
• SWI 08-20-2012
• SWI 08-27-2012

• MLNX 08-06-2012
• MLNX 08-13-2012
• MLNX 08-20-2012
• MLNX 08-27-2012

• AAPL 08-06-2012
• AAPL 08-13-2012
• AAPL 08-20-2012
• AAPL 08-27-2012

Update your Facebook page with a perfect sized ‘Timeline’ image. Create it in Photoshop, create it in Gimp….but be sure to make it 850 X 315 to make it look perfect.  You can check out my Facebook page here.  Don’t forget to give me a ‘like’ while you’re there…..

A few shots from the 2012 Denver Chalk Art Festival on Larimer in Downtown Denver.  Brought to you by HardLink Media.