If you’re a Fedora (an RPM-based, RedHat-sponsored free OS) user, then you’ve probably heard both good and bad things about GNOME 3: “It’s the best thing since sliced bread”, “It’s an unholy mess”, etc. While these might sound rather dramatic, I decided to give it a go: I installed it on my work and home desktops.

I work at Heart Internet as a Linux System Administrator, so I’m certainly not afraid of trying out new things. After I installed the OS (a very easy procedure, very smooth, no problems, and certainly one of the best installers for an OS I’ve ever experienced), I was presented with this rather empty looking screen:

Click image to enlarge

Wow! I like minimalist, but this is crazy! Now what?

There are two main ways you get to see your apps. Either move the mouse to the top left of the screen, or press the Windows key. Then the screen fades away, and you see your favourite (and running) apps in the top left. Now if you just start typing, it’ll find your apps and contacts as you type. Or you can browse them, using the mouse, just as you’d expect to be able to.

I’m a Chrome user, so I opened Firefox and downloaded Chrome. The package installer took care of that, and before I knew it, Chrome was in my list of apps. I like Chrome to be easily accessible, so I mouse-top-left, right click and remove Firefox, find Chrome, and drag it to where Firefox was. Now it’s always there. I removed most of what was there and added more of my own faves.

One thing that I like about GNOME 3 is that after starting an app from my favourites, I don’t get a new icon or button representing the running one. It just gets a nice shine underneath it (I am running gedit here too):

Click image to enlarge

Then I thought to myself: I don’t really care if I know if an app is running, if I want to use the app, I launch it. Computers are fast enough these days for me to barely notice if it’s starting or is already running (and having an SSD in my machine certainly helps there!).

OK, what else? How do I get to my files?

A quick press of the Windows key, a quick type of the word “files”, and a quick press “Enter”, and hey presto, there’s the familiar file system. There’s no Desktop folder, which I thought was odd, but then I realised (again), that my Desktop is something I just clutter. I’m now more aware of the proper places to store stuff (Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Video). I’m running a cleaner computer and I don’t even realise I am. Love it!

What next? Well, as a techy, I thought I’d go and take a poke around in the system settings. So I Windows-key, type “settings”, press Enter, and up they pop. Very Mac OS X there, one window which morphs into the settings section you choose. Keeping with the minimal feel, there’s not that much you can do here. My network, graphics, monitor, date and time were all already set up. My Three 3G dongle even worked out-of-the box, definitely not something you’d expect from Linux-of-old… All I ended up changing was my shell background image (and there are some nice ones too).

Click image to enlarge

Coming from GNOME 2, I was wondering how I might get my little panel applets back (like a load average or network monitor graph). This where I started to feel a little bit uncomfortable, I really love my panel applets! So a quick bit of googling found me the GNOME 3 shell extension site. It’s a bit bare right now, but GNOME 3 offers a Firefox/Chrome like extension framework, so you write extensions in languages you already know (JavaScript and CSS). How’s that for cool?

So, after realising that I can only install these GNOME 3 shell extensions using Firefox, I duly opened it up, and installed the “Connection Manager” extension (I use SSH a lot at work), and “NetMonitor Lite” (I watch a lot of iPlayer/4od at home). To install an extension you just click the “Off” switch to “On”, accept the little confirmation, and the extension starts running immediately. It’s a very smart system, requires no special privileges, and “just works”. I have a feeling that we’ll get a *lot* of very cool extensions in no time!

GNOME 3 also offers nice integration of my Google calendar and email, and the Empathy messaging app for chat. New messages appear at the bottom, with a click to reply and view the conversation. And my status is settable right from the GNOME 3 user menu (top right), just in case I don’t want to be disturbed.

GNOME 3 comes with all the other usual stuff you’d expect, like a CD burner, a media player, a few games, system monitor, file browser, etc. Have a browse, it’s all there. If you don’t find something, the Add/Remove Software app will soon sort you out:

Click image to enlarge

Because Fedora is composed of entirely free software, you won’t find support for some kinds of codecs which aren’t free (MP3, H264, and the like). I installed the RPM Fusion yum repo, which allows the system to automatically install any codecs for things you want to play (right from within the media player app itself), so this is not really a problem at all. You can also install the excellent VLC Player using this.

What have I not covered?

Well quite a lot to be honest! GNOME 3 is still very new, and I’ve only been using it for a few weeks. It is a very different approach to using your computer, which can be quite frustrating to begin with. Bear with it, once you get used to it, it really is a much more natural way of getting your work done. You’ll learn to love it.

Name:Ricky Hayes

About:A valued member of the Heart Internet team since 2007, Ricky is a System Administrator responsible for looking after the company's webservers, mailservers, upgrades and security.

Posts by Ricky (16)

As a company, we are proactively and consistently making improvements to our systems and processes all the time to avoid the spread of spam and the problem of blacklisting, but we can be even more successful if you as a customer remain vigilant. Browsing and developing websites safely and securely and using email carefully can help us all fight the ongoing battle against spam, and ensures an even better and faster experience for all our customers.

There’s a mountain of spam and security advice available on the internet, and there are countless things you can do to avoid contributing to internet spam, including:

Keeping control over your website

Moderate interaction – If you run a blog, forum, gallery or similar, don’t set it to automatically approve comments – hold them in a moderation queue and delete any spam comments.

Stay up to date – Ensure you’re running the latest versions of all the software you’re using and only download directly from trusted sources (rather than third party sites that may have edited the code). If you have a lot of websites and/or a lot of software, make sure you keep a secure record of what you have installed where so you don’t lose track. If you have the option of subscribing to software updates then do so!

Spring clean – Delete all unused themes, plugins, hacks, add-ons etc., and review them on a regular basis to ensure you only have what you need. Never advertise the versions of scripts and software you’re using anywhere on your website.

Install Google Webmaster Tools – It’s free and helps you keep track of what links and keywords are going out from your website (which can help highlight significant spam problems and sources).

Manage your emails

Don’t post your full email address publicly on the internet in a plain text format, and delete spam emails as and when you receive them. Never reply to spam emails as the spammers will then know that your email account is active.

If you have multiple email addresses, delete any you aren’t using. If you have forwarding set up, especially for multiple accounts, make sure you aren’t just having spam forwarded between accounts.

Stay secure

Use encrypted SSL connections (https:// instead of http://) where possible, including to social network sites such as Twitter and Facebook. You can protect your own site visitors and customers as well by purchasing an SSL certificate for your website.

Password security

Be extremely careful when entering passwords in public places, particularly on touch screen phones and tablets where someone can easily look over your shoulder. Don’t stay logged into any accounts on portable devices, and ensure your passwords are as secure as possible by following our top password tips.

Scan your computer regularly using industry-standard and up to date anti-virus and anti-malware programs, and keep on top of technology news, particularly that relating to holes and bugs in scripts.

What steps do you take to combat spam and stay safe online? Let us know in the comments!

(Image credit: soshable.com)

Name:Ricky Hayes

About:A valued member of the Heart Internet team since 2007, Ricky is a System Administrator responsible for looking after the company's webservers, mailservers, upgrades and security.

Posts by Ricky (16)

Apple

Back in the year 2000, Apple.com had an eerily similar layout and the same trademark simplicity it has today.

Apple.com in 2000

Apple.com today

BBC

Over the past fourteen years, the BBC website has moved on from frames and a splash page to being an attractive at-a-glance news website.

BBC.co.uk in 1997

BBC.co.uk today

Coca Cola

It’s difficult to identify which is the older design – Coke’s 2003 website design has barely aged over the past eight years.

CocaCola.com in 2003

CocaCola.com today

Google

Google is notorious for keeping a similar style since its creation; however, even its simple homepage has changed over time.

Google.com in 2002

Google.com today

The Guardian

Another example of how a simple button website has been fleshed out into a modern news website.

Guardian.co.uk in 1996

Guardian.co.uk today

Nokia

A splash of colour brings Nokia.com into 2011.

Nokia.co.uk in 2000

Nokia.co.uk today

Nominet

Nominet’s website has changed beyond recognition.

Nominet in 1997

Nominet today

Starbucks

Starbucks.com was more colourful back in 2000.

Starbucks.com in 2000

Starbucks.com today

Twitter

Although relatively new, Twitter has undergone several transformations over its existence.

Twitter.com in 2007

Twitter.com today

Wikipedia

Ten years ago, Wikipedia’s homepage was completely text-based.

Wikipedia.org in 2001

Wikipedia.org today

WordPress

In 2003, WordPress.org had an extremely simple homepage, with no sign of the interactivity and importance it holds today.

WordPress.org in 2003

WordPress.org today

YouTube

Six years ago, YouTube had a much more search engine feel to it than it does now.

YouTube.com in 2005

YouTube.com today

Heart Internet

We couldn’t end the list without a look back at our old Heart Internet website:

HeartInternet.co.uk in 2004

HeartInternet.co.uk today

Which sites are you most surprised by? Leave a comment below!

Name:Jenni Brown

About:Jenni is Heart Internet's SEO & Social Media Marketing Executive. Responsible for blogging, SEO and Heart Internet's Twitter and Facebook engagement, Jenni is a social network enthusiast and has been blogging for a decade.

Posts by Jennifer (99)

Scripting (HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript etc.)
8 examples of stunning CSS3 text effects
http://www.catswhocode.com/blog/8-examples-of-stunning-css3-text-effects

16 hot websites to download cool scripts
http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/css/web-scripts-download/

101 CSS techniques of all time (part 1)
http://www.noupe.com/design/101-css-techniques-of-all-time-part-1.html

10 must have Ruby gems
http://thinkvitamin.com/code/10-must-have-ruby-gems/

30 awesome jQuery slider and gallery plugins and tutorials
http://creativefan.com/30-jquery-slider-and-gallery-plugins-and-tutorials/

Web design
Top 10 mistakes in web design
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605.html

The 10 best free web editors for Windows
http://webdesign.about.com/od/windowshtmleditors/tp/free-windows-editors.htm

30 new free high quality fonts
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/08/12/30-new-free-high-quality-fonts-typography/

1000+ free high resolution Photoshop brush sets
http://www.noupe.com/photoshop/1000-free-high-resolution-photoshop-brush-sets.html

Web copy & blogging
109 ways to make your business irresistible to the media
http://www.copyblogger.com/irresistible-pr/

5 things you need to prepared for when starting a blog
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/5-things-you-need-to-be-prepared-for-when-starting-a-blog/

50 can’t fail techniques for finding great blog topics
http://www.copyblogger.com/brainstorm-blog-topics/

David Ogilvy’s 7 tips for writing copy that sells
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/david-ogilvy/

Digital marketing (SEO, PPC, Email etc.)
10 super easy SEO copywriting tips for improved link building
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/10-super-easy-seo-copywriting-tips-for-link-building

Top HTML Email coding mistakes
http://kb.mailchimp.com/article/top-html-email-coding-mistakes/

26 ways to engage with customers using video
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-ways-to-engage-with-customers-using-video/

All links are not created equal: 10 illustrations on search engines’ valuation of links
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/10-illustrations-on-search-engines-valuation-of-links

Three essential Google Analytics PPC hacks
http://ppcblog.com/google-analytics-ppc-tips/

6 steps to raise your quality score
http://www.ppchero.com/6-steps-to-raise-your-quality-score/

55 quick SEO tips even your mother would love
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/55-quick-seo-tips-even-your-mother-would-love/6760/

Social media
22 hot new social media tools worth exploring
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/22-hot-new-social-media-tools-worth-exploring/

5 ways to boost your retweets
http://freelanceswitch.com/the-business-of-freelancing/5-ways-to-boost-your-retweets/

4 social media myths every small business owner should now
http://designshack.co.uk/articles/business-articles/4-social-media-myths-every-small-business-owner-should-know/

35 of the best Facebook fan pages
http://web.appstorm.net/roundups/social-media-roundups/35-of-the-best-facebook-fan-pages/

26 tips for enhancing your Facebook page
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-for-enhancing-your-facebook-page/

Analytics & usability
4 quick tips for getting the most out of Google Analytics
http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/4-quick-tips-for-getting-the-most-out-of-google-analytics/

8 must see UX diagrams
http://www.uxbooth.com/blog/8-must-see-ux-diagrams/

A huge list of Style guides and UI guidelines
http://www.theuxbookmark.com/2010/08/interaction-design/a-monster-list-of-ui-guidelines-style-guides

9 web accessibility tips to make your site much more accessible
http://www.webanddesigners.com/9-web-accessibility-tips-to-make-your-site-much-accessible/

7 conversion tactics you should be using but probably aren’t
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/improve-conversion/

WordPress
11 top WordPress plugins every blog should have
http://yoast.com/top-wordpress-plugins/

Top 50 WordPress tutorials
http://net.tutsplus.com/articles/web-roundups/top-50-wordpress-tutorials/

Top 5 excellent E-Commerce plugins for WordPress
http://sixrevisions.com/wordpress/top-5-excellent-e-commerce-plugins-for-wordpress/

Top 10 WordPress hacks of all time
http://www.onextrapixel.com/2011/03/31/top-10-wordpress-hacks-of-all-time/

Top 20WordPress plug-ins to super charge your blog
http://www.seoptimise.com/blog/2010/07/top-20-wordpress-plugins-to-supercharge-your-blog.html

Other
13 options for selling digital products on your website
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/tools/selling-digital-products/

40 top notch print based tutorials
http://www.tutorial9.net/downloads/40-top-notch-print-based-tutorials/

14 online presentation tools
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/tools/online-presentation-tools/

20 must read blogs for freelance writers
http://freelancefolder.com/20-must-read-blogs-for-freelance-writers/

22 tips for designing an effective slide deck presentation
http://freelanceswitch.com/industry-tips/22-tips-designing-an-effective-slide-deck-presentation/

If you have any list related articles you would like to share leave a comment below and we will add it to the post.

Name:Matthew Telfer

About:Matthew is Heart Internet's Marketing Manager, and has held senior marketing positions in the web hosting industry for 5 years. With a passion for online marketing, Matthew is responsible for shaping strategy and developing the Heart Internet brand.

Posts by Matthew (242)

You’ll learn how to change headings, link colours and also be given a brief overview of how to change button styles within the user control panel. This video will also demonstrate the effectiveness of Firebug and how applying this tool could shave hours off your website development time.

As usual, all the videos can be found within the video section of your customer control panel or alternatively you can check out our YouTube channel (Make sure you subscribe to be the first to know about new video releases).

Remember, you need to have HostPay installed before you can follow this tutorial, luckily we have a demonstration on that as well! – Check that out here.

Customising HostPay: Part 3

Any questions or feedback please leave them in the comments box below!

Name:Ben Scott

About:As Senior Web Designer, Ben oversees all of Heart Internet's design, usability, SEO and conversion optimisation. Since joining the team in 2009, Ben has redesigned the Heart Internet website as well as the newsletters, HostPay templates, control panel and much more.

Posts by Ben (92)

1. Avoid the obvious
Don’t use your name, the word ‘password’, your username, your date of birth, your website name or similar. You may be rolling your eyes at this advice because it’s the most obvious in the world, but there are a surprising number of people still doing this.

This is particularly important if you’re setting up an account for someone else as they may not remember to change the initial password you’ve given them.

2. Change assigned passwords
If you’re assigned a password rather than choosing your own, change it at the first possible opportunity. Not only will it make it easier to remember, but it will save you hanging on to old emails.

3. Don’t write your passwords down
This includes storing them in emails, having them in documents on your computer or writing them on paper. You’ll be able to reset your password if you forget it.

4. Think carefully about your answers to secret questions
Secret questions were designed to make it easy for you to reset your password or access your account if you forget your original password, by asking you for your first school or other personal information. However, people you know offline will probably be able to answer the question(s) easily enough, and sometimes this can be an issue (for example if you’re resetting a password for something like a Hotmail account where answering the questions correctly will allow you access to emails). If you have the option to create your own secret question, then take it and choose something very obscure. If you don’t have that option, then deliberately choose a wrong, but memorable answer to your question, e.g. using your grandmother’s maiden name instead of your mother’s, or the name of your first child rather than your first pet.

5. Have different passwords for different accounts
This makes things more complicated alongside #3, because remembering your passwords can get quite tricky. However, third party websites can suffer from hacking, and security flaws in social networking sites aren’t uncommon. Many people make the mistake of using the same password for all their accounts, which can cause a lot of problems – particularly if websites send you unencrypted password reminders.

6. Be aware, but don’t panic
When popular sites suffer from security breaches, it’s often news sites and social networking sites that will draw your attention to the problem first. Avoid scaremongering comments and always search the problem to see if it actually exists (to make sure it isn’t media spin or a scam). You can then take the steps to change your password, freeze or close your account etc. accordingly, depending on the scale of the problem and what’s affected.

7. Change passwords on a regular basis
Again, if you have a lot of different passwords then this can be a pain, but it’s an effective security measure and worth taking the time to do.

8. Choose strong passwords
Dictionary words are easier to crack, so avoid these and use a combination of letters, numbers and special characters where possible. Most sites require you to have a password of at least 6 characters, and longer is often better. Many websites analyse your password when creating or changing it to give you an estimate of how strong it is:

Use a combination of letters, numbers and special characters where possible, and try to use at least 8 characters. Always mix uppercase and lowercase letters, don’t use keyboard patterns (e.g. ‘qwerty’) or sequential numbers (e.g. ‘123456’). Avoid repeating characters (e.g. ‘999zzz’), and passwords listed as examples of how to choose a good password.

9. Never disclose your password for anything to anyone
No one should ever contact you to ask you for any password via email or another form of web communication – so don’t reveal it, even if it seems like a request from a source of authority.

10. Keep your security up to date
Check your computer for spyware, malware, viruses and so on on a regular basis, and always keep your anti-virus software up to date. Use the Internet sensibly: don’t click anything that looks suspicious, make sure all your website’s scripts are up to date, and only use third-party add-ons from trusted sources.

11. Keep organised
Be aware of where your details are stored (particularly for email accounts and websites which have your billing information). Close any unused accounts you have and make sure you stay up to date. Don’t have multiple accounts for the same website if you can avoid it – this will also help save you time in searching through emails and so on.

12. Log out
Always log out of sensitive accounts after you’ve finished using them, and try to avoid using critical accounts on public computers where possible.

13. Don’t let your guard down in public
If you use your computer or a smartphone in a public place, be aware of your surroundings and who’s looking at your screen or watching you type in your passwords. Try to avoid saving passwords on your phone or tablet computer as these are much easier to lose or steal on the go.

Name:Jenni Brown

About:Jenni is Heart Internet's SEO & Social Media Marketing Executive. Responsible for blogging, SEO and Heart Internet's Twitter and Facebook engagement, Jenni is a social network enthusiast and has been blogging for a decade.

Posts by Jennifer (99)

We’ve got over £2,000 of prizes to give away between now and the 24th December! Every day we’ll be giving away something to make your Christmas a bit more special, culminating in our big Christmas Eve giveaway of a shiny new Apple MacBook Air!

How to enter

Each day we’ll ask you a question, and you have 24 hours to post a comment on our Facebook wall at facebook.com/heartinternet with your answer. We’ll select winners at random, announce them on Facebook, and then you email us to claim your prize. Simple!

Optional: You can also get a bonus second entry every day by tweeting the following message:

(Alternatively, you can tweet your own message as long as it has a link to this blog post and the hashtag #HIadvent).

Then send a tweet @heartinternet to tell us your name on Facebook so we know you’ve entered twice. You can retweet as many times as you like but it only counts as one extra bonus entry per person per day, and you must have posted your answer to the day’s question on our Facebook wall first.

Entries are restricted to one per day per person via Facebook and one per day per person via Twitter.

How to enter the big Christmas Eve giveaway

As long as you have answered at least one question between the 1st and the 23rd of December, or answer our final question on Christmas Eve (before 5pm GMT), you’ll be entered into our special Christmas Eve giveaway to win a brand new MacBook Air!

Who can enter

The Advent competition is open to everyone, regardless of whether they are Heart Internet customers or not. Residents of any country may enter.

Prize List

1st December – 2GB iPod Shuffle
2nd December – $40 of credit at themeforest.net (two winners)
3rd December – A year’s free reseller hosting package worth over £350
4th December – Signed Suzi Perry t-shirt (ten winners)
5th December – £10 Amazon voucher (five winners)
6th December – 600 vector downloads at vectorious.net (five winners)
7th December – Your choice of Future Publishing magazine subscription (five winners)
8th December – Your choice of Sitepoint.com ebook (five winners)
9th December – A year’s free Flickr Pro acccount (five winners)
10th December – £20 voucher for Proporta.com (three winners)
11th December – $20 voucher for snorgtees.com (five winners)
12th December – £10 iTunes voucher (five winners)
13th December – Free domain privacy (five winners)
14th December – £25 Play.com voucher (two winners)
15th December – $40 credit for myfonts.com (two winners)
16th December – £50 Firebox.com voucher (one winner)
17th December – A .com domain name (ten winners)
18th December – A premium mailbox (five winners)
19th December – A boxed copy of Serif PhotoPlus X2
20th December – £25 credit for your Heart Internet account (four winners)
21st December – A month’s Spotify Premium subscription (five winners)
22nd December – A $40 voucher for ThinkGeek.com23rd December – A year’s free Home Pro web hosting
24th December – A shiny new MacBook Air

Terms & Conditions

• Winners will be selected randomly from the correct answers each day.
• Only one Facebook entry (comment) per person will be included in the draw.
• Only one bonus tweet per day will be included in the draw.
• Contest is open to both Heart Internet customers and non-customers; however you must ‘Like’/be a fan of the Heart Internet Facebook page (http://facebook.com/heartinternet) until at least 25th December 2010.
• Winners will be announced on our Facebook page.
• Winners must email marketing [at] heartinternet.co.uk to claim their prize within 28 working days.
• All entries made from 1st December to 24th December will automatically be included in the draw to win a MacBook Air (one entry per person will be used).
• We reserve the right to amend these terms as we see fit without prior notice.
• Heart Internet standard terms apply.

Name:Jenni Brown

About:Jenni is Heart Internet's SEO & Social Media Marketing Executive. Responsible for blogging, SEO and Heart Internet's Twitter and Facebook engagement, Jenni is a social network enthusiast and has been blogging for a decade.

Posts by Jennifer (99)

Plan to succeed

Start with a reasonably detailed plan of your project with clear aims and objectives. If you’re working with others a brainstorming session might help, but it’s usually best if one person comes to the meeting with the skeleton of some concepts to adapt and develop.

Break it down

Break down projects into manageable chunks. If you’re working on a small project, break it down into specific tasks to check off at you complete them. If you have a larger project on the go, divide it up into sections.

Use deadlines effectively

Giving your project an ultimate deadline, even if it’s months off, can help you stay on track – particularly if you have multiple websites on the go. For bigger projects, giving each section a deadline will help co-ordinate your efforts.

Set an overall deadline

Decide a date when the project should ultimately go live. This time of year is great as you can aim to have projects finished by New Year.

Focus on what works for you

Depending on how you work best, you may want to work down your list of tasks rather than saying ‘I’ll work on this particular website for three hours a day’. Completing specific tasks without time constraints is a good way to stay focused, but you’ll need to be organised to stay on top. Setting specific chunks of time to work on your project can be an advantage if you procrastinate or get distracted easily.

Don’t spread yourself too thin

Working on too many projects at once can present a number of problems, not least that you feel that nothing ever gets finished. Try to limit the number of things you’re working on simultaneously, particularly if you’re creating sites with the aim to make money. One site up and making money is better than five or six half-finished ones.

Use online tools

Online to do lists such as Remember The Milk and Workflowy mean you can categorise task lists, share them with others and access them wherever you are. You can even adapt goal websites such as 43 Things to suit your needs. Such websites are less wasteful than paper lists and easier to adapt and keep organised.

Get involved

Head down to Internet Week, find out if there are any local conferences or meet ups you can join, or just find a forum to become active in. Even if you aren’t looking for advice or opinions, it’s a great way to get inspiration and build up your motivation.

Know your distractions

And avoid them. Designate specific slots for browsing your favourite websites, using Facebook, online gaming or episodes of your favourite TV series… and concentrate all your efforts on your project for the rest of the time.

Get into ‘work mode’

Sit at a desk rather than on the sofa or bed to get into work mode, and keep everything you need to hand. Get a hot drink, put a motivational playlist on and make sure you have a comfortable chair. If your workspace isn’t exactly how you like it then you’re going to find excuses to avoid it, so make sure it’s an environment you can thrive in.

Keep the finished results in mind

Thinking towards the end result can get you geared up even at the start of a big web project. Amanda Daniels of Koogar says that her motivation comes from ‘the thought of creating something for a client that isn’t like anyone else’s project. All business are different!’

Name:Jenni Brown

About:Jenni is Heart Internet's SEO & Social Media Marketing Executive. Responsible for blogging, SEO and Heart Internet's Twitter and Facebook engagement, Jenni is a social network enthusiast and has been blogging for a decade.

Posts by Jennifer (99)

WP Beginner
WP Beginner is a great introduction to WordPress, with lots of help and useful advice. Even if you’re beyond the stage of needing a beginner’s guide, WP Beginner offers something for everyone with free themes, plugins and tutorials.

WP Themes
If you want to keep up to date with the latest WordPress theme news, then WPThemes.com is a great website to bookmark. As well as providing news and links to themes from other websites, it boasts an extensive collection of themes, plus useful hacks and plugins.

WP View
Get some inspiration from this easy to navigate WordPress showcase, which focuses on original uses of WordPress divided into handy categories. It’s worth browsing for ideas, particularly if you want to use WordPress creatively.

Dig WP
Dig WP provides a comprehensive collection of hints and tips for using WordPress. Just use the ‘Category’ tags in the sidebar to find your way around and uncover a wealth of practical advice for all levels of expertise.

WP Plugins
Introducing itself as the ‘WordPress App Store’, WP Plugins helps you sell your plugins or commission particular plugin projects. If you’re good at coding, you may want to offer your services as some plugin authors are apparently earning four figures per month.

WP Candy
WP Candy is a community-based source of WordPress information offering reviews, editorials, interviews, tutorials and even podcasts on a variety of topics. This website is particularly useful for advanced users and those looking to extensively develop their WordPress installation.

New WP Themes
This website offers over 200 themes free for both personal and commercial use. Unlike many free theme websites, each theme benefits from close attention to detail and a nice finish. The themes are flexible for those who like to heavily customise their final look and feel, but are comprehensive enough to use without much tweaking.

WP Mojo
WP Mojo offers links to over 800 themes from a variety of websites. Organised by category, it’s easy to sort through themes by purpose (e.g. magazines, e-commerce, free), original author or style. One worth bookmarking for future reference.

We Love WP
Submit your WordPress-powered website to this well-designed gallery, or vote on other people’s websites. Submission and voting are both quick and simple.

WordPress.tv
WordPress.tv is a fantastic resource for those who prefer video guides to plain text. As well as how-tos, the website also features talks from key figures such as Matt Mullenweg, and from events such as WordCamp.

Free WP Themes
A solid collection of almost 300 WordPress themes with easy previewing and downloading functionality. Free WP Themes also provides useful additional information about each theme, such as whether it is widget-ready and if it has a fixed width.

WP Vibe
With interviews, reviews, freebies and news, WP Vibe is a good site to dip in and out of if you’re a fan of WordPress.

WP Hacks
WP Hacks offers a range of useful how-to guides alongside security advice, tutorials, plugins and themes for your WordPress website. A great resource for beginners and intermediate users.

WP Vote
Like a WordPress equivalent of Digg.com, WP Vote allows you to submit and vote on WordPress-themed articles. It’s a great way to market your content if you ever write about WordPress, and an effective way to tell others about valuable content you come across.

WP Scoop
Similarly to WP Vote, WP Scoop allows you to submit, vote and comment on WordPress related news and articles.

WP Explorer
An extensive collection of both free and paid WordPress themes divided into logical categories. Each theme has a page of information as well as previewing capabilities and a link to the original author’s site.

Name:Jenni Brown

About:Jenni is Heart Internet's SEO & Social Media Marketing Executive. Responsible for blogging, SEO and Heart Internet's Twitter and Facebook engagement, Jenni is a social network enthusiast and has been blogging for a decade.

Posts by Jennifer (99)

In this video you’ll find out how to create gradient images, change the background colours of page elements, changing bullet styles and also how to change button colours.

In the third and final installment of this video series, we’ll be finishing off the skinning of the front-end template and also how to make changes within the control panel. Part 3 will be coming soon!

As usual, all the videos can be found within the video section of your customer control panel or alternatively you can check out our YouTube channel (Make sure you subscribe to be the first to know about new video releases).

Remember, you need to have HostPay installed before you can follow this tutorial, luckily we have a demonstration on that as well! – Check that out here.

Customising HostPay: Part 2

Any questions or feedback please leave them in the comments box below!

Cheers

Name:Ben Scott

About:As Senior Web Designer, Ben oversees all of Heart Internet's design, usability, SEO and conversion optimisation. Since joining the team in 2009, Ben has redesigned the Heart Internet website as well as the newsletters, HostPay templates, control panel and much more.

Posts by Ben (92)