WordPress Sites configured for Mobile Devices

‘The Mobile Web Initiative is important – information must be made seamlessly available on any device.’
Tim Berners-Lee

Hi there folks… MsLil Peta catching up with you all after a bit of a lull.  I have been busy getting a local jewellery shop online and setting up their online sales/blog site, so I have been a little behind the times with my own posts, but here is another quick installment for you all to have read and maybe implement into your own sites.

Even though have been quite busy working and setting up another website, I have also been doing more reading, and learning about the web and getting my site (and of course yours with my tips) out there and providing a site that suits all users that will visit your or my site on their internet ‘surf’.  As you know I love my iPhone and use this device a lot, and of course you can view the internet quite seamlessly and at any time with such a mobile device.  And of course there is now the evolution of Android phones and the iPad which is also getting more and more people connecting to the net and searching and finding the information they are after at anytime and anywhere.  Using Safari on Apple devices, or your mobile devices browser, you can connect to websites as you please, but it is getting more and more important and possibly better that all websites, maybe more so for blogs, can also have a mobile device option within the site so that mobile device users can view their favourite website, like mslilpetamattschoss.com, in a mobile friendly format.

I have since found such a plug-in for WordPress which I am quite happy with, and does, make my site mobile friendly without losing to much integrity.  Of course on an iPhone/iPod or iPad you can view my and many other sites in normal view, but having found WPTouch, I now have a mobile device friendly website.  WPTouch is a plug-in accessed through your WordPress dash, in the plug-ins section.  Do a specific search for WPTouch and install immediately to your dash and of course your site.  For those who like to you can download the plug-in and upload to WordPress as you need.  The WPTouch plug-in comes with a large amount of options and tweaking if you prefer and of course comes with a Pro version which adds even more features.  I am using the standard program and as shown below, which looks fine and allows a better mobile view of my site.

Of course I do like to view my site in full as on the web, I am the type of person who likes the BIG picture so to speak.  But we are all at a time when building our websites for blogging, selling or whatever the reason, that we need to think of the more mobile society we are part of, and connecting with readers in a mobile friendly way.

‘Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.”
Mitchell Kapor

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.

~Irish Proverb

Welcome to a new and hopefully helpful post for those of you who suffer from not being able to sleep.  Whether that be just general insomnia or just can’t seem to get to sleep.  There are many, many of us out there and apart from being annoying, frustrating and of course tiring, not getting enough sleep is also not the best for your health and well being.

That being said I hope to share with you some of my tips for helping you with this very common problem.  Not being able to sleep or get to sleep can be caused from a huge array of reasons.  Stress is a huge factor as is anxiety, pain,

Can't Sleep...!

interrupted circadian rhythms (shift working/jet lag) and various other medical conditions.  Circadian rhythms are, in a nutshell, your body clock.  They tell us when we need to be awake and asleep.  Shift working and other factors like jet lag can put these rhythms out of whack making it difficult to sleep at usual times.

I suffer from insomnia, especially getting to sleep, I am a bit of a stress head to say the least.  Of course, not being able to go to sleep can be treated medically, and I do liaise with my Doctor, but I am not a huge pill taker if I can get away with it.  But there are others or so many people who just persevere with the problem.  Of course that in time will take its toll on you your mental state and body.  Having this problem and at times with quite a severitiy I stumbled upon something that has helped ease and some nights totally help me get to sleep reasonably and restfully.  I have found Binaural Beats.

Binaural beats have been around for some time, but it is the last few decades where they have been seen to help with relaxation/sleeping amoungst other things.  Very basically Binaural Beats are 2 beats played in stereo 1 beat at slightly higher or lower frequency than the other.  These beats act upon the brain, near the brainstem, specifically in the superior Olivary Nucleus.  Hearing these beats in stereo with speakers or headphones you can detect these beats, but the brain uses these and also can detect between the beats which is what helps with relaxation, getting to sleep and at some higher frequencies being more awake, refreshed or more active.  There  is much reading online that you certainly get get more indepth information about Binaural Beats and how they really work.  And I will share some links below, but this post is about what I have found useful for me and you may like to give these options a try for yourself.

I have always liked listening to the radio or music before trying to go to sleep, and with Binaural Beats you don’t really have to change this habit too much.  You may or may not have heard of White Noise, which is baically what your TV or radio sounds like between channels.  Well there is a colour spectrum of noise.  Mixing Binaural Beats with Green Noise is what seems to work and quite possibly a little easier on the ears.  Well for me anyway!  Green Noise is defined as normal noise or outdoor noise.  We have all heard these noises and of course there are many relaxation audio tracks around and you would have heard 1 in your time.  By mixing the 2 noises/sounds together you can combat or reduce insomnia.  I have a iPhone App which has Green noise looping tracks on it and you can add Binaural Beats to these tracks for added effect.  In this App you can also make up your own Green noise from the many audio tracks and set your own Binaural Beats as well.   For sleep or getting to sleep it is best to have low frequency beats.  You can also download Binaural Beats directly from the net as well.

I would have to say that since using the iPhone App – ER Ultimate Relax available at the App store – on occasions I have

Aaaahhh...ZZzzz...

found that I have moved into sleep quicker than the norm.  Now I am no expert and certainly everyone reacts differently to different things.  And I do recommend that you do your own research or reading on the subject and even speak to your own health professional,  but I am glad that I found out more about Binaural Beats and how they can help reduce the effects of insomnia and help get me off to Dreamland a little more often.

Sleeping is no mean art:  for its sake one must stay awake all day.

~Friedrich Nietzsche

Wikipedia – Binaural Beats

The Science – Web Us

Blog From Anywhere…..

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.” – B Clark

Need a mobile option to Blog ALL THE TIME…. I hope I have given you some options, so you can Blog until your hearts content, and then some…. Go Forth and Blog.

Blogpress Screen Shot - iPhone

‘A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list.’ – Anon

Home Business = Which Mobile Phone?

In this truly mobile age, it can be to your advantage to make sure your home based business is or can be a mobile home business.  Of course an ever increasing percentage of the population now opt for notebook computers, which can and do have the capabilities to connect most places, but what about you mobile phone?  Today I am going to introduce my thoughts on which mobile phone I use for my home business mobile needs and also let you know of some other good options that are available as well.  The mobile phone can be one of your most valuable tools for you home business as it allows you to be available when you are not at your computer, and this is certainly an advantage to you and your down-line, keeping in contact and ongoing success.

Now I am not here to sell you a mobile phone.  Yes I did work for a telecommunications company so I can give an insight, but I am here to tell you mainly about my choice of mobile phone and why.  First things to consider, if and when it is time to upgrade to a new phone is what you already use, like and dislike.  Do your research, honestly!  If you can go confidently into a mobile phone outlet and know something about the phone or phones you are interested in you can make your experience a little easier.  Of course, the sales staff should know their stuff and be able to take you through features etc, but it is always good to know what you want prior so you don’t walk out with someone else perceived idea of what you want.  Know what you want from a phone, what you mainly are going to use it for and any added features if any to enhance you home business mobility and ease of operation.  The best option, in my mind, is a ‘smart-phone’.  My definition of a ‘smart-phone’ is that of a phone and office capabilities all in the palm of your hand.  See Wikipedia for a standard definition.  Of course what do you choose.  Again it is personal preference.  Most smart-phones will run using a ‘Windows’ based software system or are capable to run such.  ‘Blackberry’ and ‘iPhone’ on the other hand run using their own operating system, but can be configured or software added to help read ‘Windows’ based files. SO… What did I choose?  Long story short – iPhone -  LOVE IT!  I was not going to get and iPhone at first as I was totally captivated with the ‘Blackberry’ Bold and then Storm, but I know for me, I made the right decision.

Apple iPhone 3G

I guess in the end my choice of the iPhone boiled down to the fact that, other than huge internal machine issues, I could fix trouble shooting problems.  I helped out many a customer while in telecommunications.  And I also chose the iPhone as I find it most reliable, easy to use, capable of Wi-Fi and Network internet connection (most phones can these days) and the range of ‘Apps’ available for it not just for business, but pretty much everything.  Don’t worry I like some of the entertainment and game Apps available and I will go through and let you know my favourites in a later post.  But for business I have found some great apps that can make working away from home for a day or two good to keep in touch with leads, up-line contacts and down-line contacts.  I also can keep up my social media presence on Twitter, Face-book, Word Press, Skype and YouTube.  All these sites are at the core of my home business and my online presence and content building.  Other great apps or applications that I have at my finger tips include XE currency converter, Google Maps (great for that business trip away and getting to your meetings without the ‘I’m Lost Issues’), Weather, File Storage, iGoogle and a marketing blog and article site from Marketing Profs.  I have some screen shots below of a few apps that I use to show their interface.

All apps are available at the iTunes application store, made available by Apple inc.  The apps store is also easy to use with search options or browse option throughout whole store or with categories.  Plus if you hear of a great app from a friend and you are out and about you can download straight to the phone, as long as you have an iTunes account, and then back-up to your computer at a later time.  Most apps also go through upgrades from time to time and again these are just a matter for checking for the update and then downloading the required.  these updates are usually FREE.  If you also look around and find apps you like, some companies or producers also do a ‘Lite’ version of the app at a low or free price to see if you like the app or while it is in production for full app.  I myself use some free versions of apps and find that they are sufficient for the job at hand without having to upgrade to the full version.

There have been improvements made also with the iPhone itself in recent months which for some of you who weren’t sure about the phone previous may like to check it out again.  One of the reasons I was not the biggest fan at 1st release of the iPhone 3G was the fact it could not video call, send picture messages, or voice command.  Since the release of the iPhone 3G S these have been rectified and for the iPhone 3G users like myself software has been developed as part of a software upgrade to include picture messaging and voice recording which for me bridges the gap between releases, certainly as I like to picture message friends.

Well there is a quick rap-up of my thoughts on a mobile option for your home business.  Again, as the phone user, you must go with what you are comfortable with or find to be the best fit from research you do.  I love the iPhone 3G, but of course it may not be for everyone, but I hope I have given a good insight into why it is what I need to keep online and mobile while staying connected with my home business.  For brilliant research and phone comparisons visit GSM Areana.  This is a great site I have used a lot, especially while in the telecommunications industry to help fit the right phone with the customer.  I hope you enjoy this post, as always love to hear comments or if I can help with some answers if you have questions.

My iPhone Home Page - Most used Apps for my Home Business

I love the freedom of movement that my phone gives me. That has definitely transformed my life.

Richard Branson