We’re not a big fan of guestbooks- but a client asked us about having one in WordPress. Right now, the WordPress world is in a tizzy over switching to 2.1 or continuing with 2.0- but here is one that claims to work with WordPress 2.1:

Alleba Blog » WordPress Guestbook Generator Plugin
Plugin Name: Guestbook Generator
Description: Generates a guestbook for WordPress blogs. Once activated, click on Options > Guestbook Generator.
Version: 0.8
Author: Andrew dela Serna
Notice: Compatible only with WordPress 2.1. Support for older versions will continue but updates/upgrades will be focused on the newest versions of WordPress. Scroll down to download Version 0.7 which is designed for Wordress 2.0.X.

Features:

1. No files to edit. Just upload the plugin, activate it then run the generator.
2. Guestbook template seamlessly integrates with your current theme.
3. When changing themes, simply run the generator to create the necessary files.
4. Like a true-blue guestbook, entries are arranged from newest to oldest.
5. Remember the time when guestbooks were the “in” thing? Hopefully this plugin will bring back the ol’ days. Hehe.

I don’t share the authors romantic view of guestbooks- for the most part, I find them silly. Comments are just as effective- and when using the amazing “subscribe to comments” plugin, you can actually carry on a great conversation on your site.

Please note- a lot of themes are behaving badly with WordPress 2.1 right now- so it may not be your plugin that’s broken- it may be the theme. It’s a trial and error world for a bit. If in doubt, stick with WordPress 2.0 if you aren’t ready to invest some time in the upgrade. Always remember to back up your complete database- and all files, before making a change.

The great part about running a WordPress enabled business website is that you can answer your customers questions and share the answers with the world.

So, someone asks, where do I get started with business blogs- or blogging in general, and of course I suggest Websitetology. We teach you what you need to know, but, we also share things we find online with you here. So when I found this page, I used the PressIt function of WordPress to put the link into this post.

Jump on over to:

My 50 favorite blogging resources

and explore some more. Hopefully, one day, they’ll add websitetology to their list.

Found this in research for a client project. I’m not sure I agree with his first statement, since content gets you connections, but the rest is there.

As to taking more homework to understand the social media aspects of web 2.0, that’s why we teach Websitetology, we give our students the knowledge to make sites that work.

Getting small fast isn’t as important as being fast period. Sometimes the window for getting attention is so short that someone else will eat your lunch before you even finish ordering it.

Ketchum Interview on PR & Social Media at Like It Matters

Social media is about connection, not content.
Social media is about them, not you.
Social media may be cheaper initially, but it takes far more homework.
Get small fast. (Niche is nice. Think smaller feature sets, more targeted audiences, less chatter from you, and so on.)
Relax, it’s early in the social media game. You’re not behind, because everyone’s just trying to figure out the new environment.

We’ve been running the seminar for almost a year now- and people still are resisting the idea that a website can be a lot more than a brochure or a store. Ideally, you are building a community of like-minded people who are interested in the needs your business serves.

Target marketing is finally becoming a reality with social media.