[Hidden-tech] Looking for Free or Low Cost Blog Platform and Thoughts about Jotform for Registering New Subscribers

Thu May 28 17:49:54 UTC 2020

Hopefully this isn't too far off topic. I think people creating a blog 
would want to have some info on things like how links function. People 
who aren't making web pages can ignore this.

I have to agree with Greg, I find links that open new browser 
windows/tabs for pages on the same site (other than for a specific 
reason such as a PDF or for security purposes) annoying and chaoic.

And yes, on a slow connection (or if you're a browsing maniac like me) 
it's a great idea to open up new pages in a different tab so you can 
keep reading on the first page while the next page loads, or to keep 
track of pages you want to refer back to.

The great thing is, we don't need to set all of our links to open in a 
new window just for those poor souls on dialup. Anyone who wants to open 
a link in a new browser window, all they have to do is right-click on 
the link and select Open in New Window or Open in New Tab, or just hold 
down the shift key as they click on the link to open in a new window.

As far as using the back button, as a web developer I try not to make 
viewers use the back button at all - it's called a "bucket" in web 
design (as in "stuck at the bottom of a bucket") when you have to either 
scroll up to the top of the page or use the back button to continue 
exploring. It's time consuming and creates a subtle deterrent. Three 
techniques I can think of that designers use:

 1. A "back to top" floating button or a "Back to top" link at the
    bottom. (Here's a link to a tutorial on creating a link that jumps
    to a different part of the page
    https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/jump-link-same-page)
 2. Links to the next pages a person might be interested in (creating
    paths).
 3. A floating navigation bar that stays at the top of your browser.

A lot of themes in WordPress include a floating back to top button 
and/or floating navigation bar as an option, and a lot of WordPress page 
builders include an option to jump to page elements.

Sam

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sam McClellan
*Itabix, Inc*
/One place for all things Web/
sam at itabix.com
https://itabix.com
Main - 413.587.4600
Toll-free - 877-7ITABIX (877.748.2249)

On 5/28/2020 10:19 AM, Robert Heller via Hidden-discuss wrote:
> At Wed, 27 May 2020 21:38:16 -0400 Shel Horowitz <shel at principledprofit.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> "3. Avoid opening links in new windows as much as possible. It's pretty
>> common to do so for external links and PDFs, but should be avoided 100% of
>> the time for internal links. Trust people to use the back button."
>>
>> Hi, Greg. Curious about why.
> Yes, why? With dialup, I almost always open links in new windows. Yes, I know
> about the back button, but "going back" can be painfully slow with a dialup
> connection (between images, css, and js files loading any page is painfully
> slow, so I avoid reloading pages whenever I can avoid it). Also, I almost
> always right-click/"Save Link As" for PDFs (I *never* view PDFs in my browser,
> in fact I have disabled that -- I *always* download PDFs and view them with a
> local pdf viewer (xpdf).)
>
> Yes I follow links [internal or external] in the same window where there is a
> clear [single] thread, but when I come to a "multiple" path (eg a "fork in the
> road"), I will open in a new window. Oh, I never use tabs (I *hate* tabs and
> prefer to actually use my window manager -- I have it there for that reason).
>
>> Shel Horowitz - "The Transformpreneur"
>> ________________________________________________
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>> mailto:shel at greenandprofitable.com 413-586-2388
>> Award-winning, best-selling author of 10 books.
>> Latest:Guerrilla Marketing to Heal the World
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>> Watch my TEDx Talk,
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>> http://www.ted.com/tedx/events/11809
>> (move your mouse to "event videos")
>> _________________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, May 27, 2020 at 11:31 AM Greg Perham via Hidden-discuss <
>> hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Roger,
>>>
>>> +1 for WordPress.
>>>
>>> You might want to consider MailChimp's free plan for managing your
>>> subscriber list. No need to bring JotForm or another third party into the
>>> mix.
>>>
>>> Looks like you're hosting on Network Solutions. My experience with clients
>>> who were on Netsol has been that they were paying 2 to 4 times above the
>>> norm and the performance and control panel were so poor they moved house
>>> when they upgraded. If the pricing is good and you can easily install WP, I
>>> say stay; otherwise, definitely move on.
>>>
>>> A few things to keep in mind when moving your site to WP (or any other
>>> platform):
>>> 1. Make sure redirects <https://wordpress.org/plugins/redirection/> are
>>> set up for your .html pages to help search engines index the new pages and
>>> keep your rankings.
>>> 2. Do not just copy and paste your current code into WordPress. It needs
>>> to be cleaned up and modernized. You will want to make use of heading tags
>>> etc instead of spans with inline styles. This is for accessibility, SEO,
>>> maintainability, and portability. It's just how HTML is meant to be used.
>>> 3. Avoid opening links in new windows as much as possible. It's pretty
>>> common to do so for external links and PDFs, but should be avoided 100% of
>>> the time for internal links. Trust people to use the back button.
>>> 4. Use a simple SEO plugin <https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-seopress/> to
>>> improve your page descriptions in search engine results.
>>> 5. As others mentioned: backups and updates. They're simple enough to do
>>> yourself, or cheap enough to get someone to manage them for you.
>>>
>>> Setting it up and moving your content over can be done in a few hours. A
>>> number of people on HT have lots of experience with this and could help
>>> out, myself included! Feel free to contact me directly if you want
>>> assistance.
>>>
>>> Greg
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Greg Perham
>>> *Swing Graphics | Swing Hosting*
>>> PO Box 1436
>>> Northampton, MA 01061
>>> greg at swinggraphics.com
>>> 413 570-0881
>>>
>>> LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/in/gregperham> || Twitter
>>> <https://twitter.com/swinggraphics>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On May 26, 2020, at 4:50 PM, Roger Magnus via Hidden-discuss <
>>> hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I am long-time reader but first-time poster on this discussion list.
>>>
>>> I am hoping to start a blog soon as I transition my business into a new
>>> area. I am trying to find a free or low-cost blogging platform that I can
>>> synch with my website domain,  rogermagnusresearch.com.  Does anyone have
>>> any suggestions? I realize my website is very simple and I hope to upgrade
>>> it eventually as I have more clients.
>>>
>>> Also, I want to sign up clients to the blog and wonder about Jotform to
>>> capture a name and email address.  One thing I like about it is it replies
>>> with a thank you message when someone signs up.  Is that something you
>>> would recommend, something else,  or is a link to my email sufficient?
>>>
>>> Many thanks!
>>>
>>>
>>> Best,
>>>
>>>
>>> Roger
>>>
>>>
>>> Roger Magnus
>>> Roger Magnus Research
>>> Amherst, MA 01002
>>> Phone/Text: 413-687-8466
>>> Web:  http://www.rogermagnusresearch.com
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
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