Everything on the screen in design mode is drag and drop.  Resizing, adding features, functions and more.  I so wish my Lotus Domino based blog had this function as well.  If you have not seen Headway theme and run WordPress, take a look and let me know if you have questions.  It is much like Squarespace for those running their own WordPress.  Global changes and more are a click away.  The whole thing can be done behind the scenes before launching so no one sees the changes until you are ready in their safe mode.  Amazing stuff.

So stage #1 included the following and how:

• Highlight the screencasts.  I simply added a HTML leaf and embedded the code.  I drug the edge for sizing and saved.  Done.
• Show the featured posts prominently.  I added a featured posts leaf and set the number to rotate through.  Set to fluid height and to use the excerpt. Done.
• Change the sidebar.  Partially done.  I am playing with the order and will move the Archive links to the Archive page shortly.

Stage 2 will redo the banner and small advertisements I run to support the site.  It will also finish the social integration points.  I kept the coloring easy and simple in stage 1.  Separated the sections better and hopefully made getting to content faster.

Look for a change to the SpikedStudio page as well very shortly as the new SpikedStudio channel has launched on YouTube to bring all the content into one place and another presence.  TheSocialNetworker and IdoNotes is there.  NotesIn9 makes it’s appearance soon too.

This book definitely took my thoughts on WordPress theme design to new levels while simplifying the entire process.  The book is made to teach you how to design, build and sell your own themes.  But, it is just as informative for someone wanting to extend themes into your own creations for your WordPress blog.

A brief few pages are placed at the beginning to introduce WordPress and what a theme means inside the system.  Chapter 2 starts the process of planning your theme and stresses the importance research of existing themes before building your site.  Wireframe design is explained for the entire site and page layouts.

Theme design in Chapter 3 gives great example screenshots and explanations of color selection.  The remainder of the chapter is a core port of the book breaking down each individual component of a WordPress theme.  I learned incredible amounts in these 30 pages of content.

Theme frameworks are an excellent starting point where you use existing themes and build child themes that refer to them.  Chapter 4 gives examples to investigate and start the child theme build.  Once we entered Chapter 5 for advanced theme construction I took away a lot of tips as someone that runs multiple WordPress sites, but is not a developer.  The simple way they show code usage, inserts and placement made it easy to understand.  The authors then start bringing your child theme and customizations together.

Later chapters get into WordPress widget placement, design and even building your own.  They close the building process in Chapter 7 with theme options.  This runs through creating extra options and controls panels, variants in color and more for someone interested in selling their new creation.  it streamlines how a buyer would use and implement your new theme.

The last portion in Chapter 8 surprised me it was in the book as I would not have thought of including it, but it was definitely needed.  Chapter 8 covers the licensing, GPL, around your theme and what it means.  The authors make you think about support, proper documentation and even tutorials.  Some tips at the end help you sell the theme by including options and where to best list it to be sold.

Overall, I am very impressed.  Look for a bunch of changes coming to my WordPress based sites very soon.  With this book and some basic WordPress knowledge, you can easily create or customize any WordPress theme you can get your hands on.

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The comparison item of choice is a device back in the day, to use the term, we enjoyed playing simple, yet difficult, video games with nothing more than a stick and a button (see Atari 2600 for you kids)

Games today have more than eight buttons, triggers and multiple sticks.  Compare that to social networks being developed.  The current most successful ones offer a definite focus with an interface usable by anyone from the first time.  Advanced features might be hidden, disabled by default or in other screens entirely.

So what should the networks today be doing?  Simplifying the user experience with a team of UI testers and designers.  When I do screencasts and talk about new sites and how I think they function, it is often surprising to the developers.  Most testing is done by early adopters and those higher in the social media ranks.  A very slim margin of everyday users are selected, or even dedicate the time, to give constructive feedback.

New social media products and companies should investigate reaching out to the general population more often.  Explore how your non-techie friends would explain it to others.  If they cannot, then you are making it too complicated.