‘Wordpress’

The web strike against SOPA and PIPA is to go ahead on Wednesday 18 January, 2012. The web is to be a dark and silent place with many of the major sites going on a black-out. The occasion – SOPA and PIPA. One the 18^th of January 2012, the unprecedented will occur. Never in the history of the Internet have so many sites protested censorship at once. Wikipedia will also strike in protest against SOPA and PIPA as will thousands of other sites.

Do Your Homework Today

If you have research to do, it will be best to get to work today as for tomorrow, you will find the web on strike against SOPA, PIPA and web censorship. The protest across the web is against the Internet censorship bills to be voted on in the USA Congress on 24 January 2012. The idea behind the blackout, including the Wikipedia strike, is to create enough public opposition against SOPA in the USA House and PIPA in the Senate.

Core Protest

Protesting sites state that web censorship attacks the very core of the Internet. It takes away freedom of speech, creativity, and privacy. Should a government not like what is said about it on a website, it will be easy to ban the site and block access to it, pretending that it has violated copyright through file sharing facilitation or the likes. The Internet belongs to the users and not the governments of the world. If the USA is allowed to enact SOPA and PIPA, they will in effect exert control over the information flow on the web.

Wikipedia Will Not Be Available

Sites such as Wikipedia and Reddit are at the forefront of the all-out strike against SOPA, PIPA, and web censorship. If you are using Mozilla Firefox as your browser, you may very well find it offline tomorrow. DowntownMiamiNews.com will also join the SOPA Blackout. According to them, the MPAA and RIAA, as driving forces behind the bill are the only ones to benefit whilst thousands to millions of users will be negatively affected by the regulations.

Even if you haven’t paid any attention to the information war between large corporations, including the likes of Google, Wikipedia and Facebook and the USA government hoping to push through legislation to censor the web and to prevent online piracy, you will be affected by the all-out one day blackout strike.

Wikipedia is a popular research source on the Internet, used by students, writers, and the general public to get a background on any topic before conducting more in-depth research. Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, announced that the site will not be available for a full 24 hours in support of protest against the shutting down of sites such as The Piracy Bay and other file sharing sites and the proposed bills.

Entertainment Companies Support SOPA and PIPA

At the other end of the spectrum, the movie and entertainment companies fight hard to get SOPA and PIPA through because they lose money according to them, because of piracy, file sharing, and illegal downloading of movies and music on the Internet. Wikipedia has warned students to do their work early because the site will be off for the whole of Wednesday.

The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) has indicated that such laws will help to fight piracy and general intellectual property theft. According to them, the protest in the form of a web strike or black-out distracts from the real issue of ongoing piracy. They feel that foreigners, that is users outside the USA, are stealing from the USA by means of downloads; facilitating downloads, and file sharing.

Large Sites Join Opposition to Legislation

Notably, rather useful sites and resources on the Internet are against the proposed SOPA and PIPA including WordPress and TwitPic. WordPress provides free content management blog templates, plugins and resources and with such has the right to oppose such bills. As a free resource with contributions from developers around the world, willing to share their knowledge, it is understandable that they will oppose legislation.

Online Piracy is a Problem

Online piracy is definitely a huge problem for the entertainment industry, but although the large companies complain that file sharing costs them millions in revenue, research reports have indicated that book, music and film sales have increased rather than decreased because of or despite file sharing practices.

Information Flow at Risk

The dynamic nature of the Internet is in jeopardy should the USA be allowed to control web access to so-called pirate sites or file sharing sites considered as facilitators of intellectual property theft. It does, however, ring alarm bells even with free information contribution sites such as Wikipedia since legislation will open the doors for more web censorship. It creates the risk of a completely USA controlled Internet.

Google has indicated that they support such a web strike because SOPA would allow for governments and companies to take action against so-called perpetrators without a proper trial or investigation. The free flow of information is at risk with such legislation.

Internet companies joining the web strike said the proposed legislation — SOPA in the House and the Protect Intellectual Property Act in the Senate — would allow operators no real chance before government actions could be taken against them. The web strike also including the Wikipedia blackout is a desperate cry-out by the public against web censorship and control over the information flow and freedom of expression that will come about with SOPA and PIPA.

Voting to Go Ahead

The USA Chamber of Commerce has reacted to the proposed web strike with an announcement by Steven Tepp (Chief Intellectual Property Counsel) that concerns about the bills have already been addressed including the wholesale blockage of infringing sites. Accordingly, the criminal activity of intellectual property theft is robbing companies of their rightful income.

The web strike against SOPA and PIPA will reach far and wide with many Facebook pages also joining. It is expected that as many as 5000 websites could join the black-out. There are even sites promoting the black-out in protest with the inclusion of an HTML code or JavaScript in the site’s theme. People are encouraged to Tweet about the blackout and to join the strike effort by adding their sites to the protest sites such as ProtestSOPA.org and Sopastrike.com.

The SA Blog Awards for 2011 lists three top South African blogs for each category and there are several:

• The Groupon – Best Science & Technology
• The Groupon – Best Entertainment & Lifestyle
• Photographic
• Travel
• Music
• Environmental
• Fashion
• The Pick ‘n Pay Best Food & Wine
• The Evox Advanced Nutrition – Best Sport
• Business & Political

The winners of each category of the SA Blog Awards will be announced on 10 December 2011 at the Crystal Towers. Getting the prestigious award is an honour not to be taken lightly. Various sponsors are involved including that of Evox, Pick ‘n Pay, and The Groupon, Ogilvy, and African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa.

Science & Technology

The three top South African blogs in Science & Technology category are that of:

• D Chetty – a blog about technology also featuring political satire and opinions from the author about cars and business.  The author is 29 years old and has some strong opinions shared in a relaxed manner. (dchetty.co.za)
• Lazygamer – blog features reviews of the latest games, videos, and updates. It covers handhelds, pc, Xbox360, Nintendo Wii, and Playstation 3. (www.lazygamer.net)
• BWTH Blog – Another tech blog, but with loads of information about the latest news, developments, gadgets, and events. It features interviews, game reviews and the top 5 lists. (www.bandwidthblog.com)

Entertainment & Lifestyle

The top South African blog contenders in the entertainment and lifestyle category are:

• Watkykjy? – Afrikaans alternative blog catering to the not so conservative Afrikaner with updates on events, guide, letters, opinions, and a place to sell stuff. (www.watkykjy.co.za)
• Baydu –  Baydu Adams blogs about entertainment related news, events and also opinions about actuality related topics. (www.baydu.co.za)
• Just Curious – blog with several contributors looking at African related entertainment news and topics (www.justcurious.co.za)

Photographic

In the photographic section the top blogger sites are:

• Londolozi – blog about the African wilderness with opportunities to share photos and experiences. (blog.londolozi.com)
• Rikki Hibbert Photography -  blog page of the photographer containing a profile and loads of tips on photography. (www.rikkihibbert.co.za)
• Diary of Ward – Profile blog of photos taken at events. (www.diaryofward.com)

Travel

The travel section for the best South African blogs contains three rather compelling blog sites:

• Safari Interactive Magazine –  blog of Safari Travel Magazine that provides interactive multi-media travel related content.  (africageographic.com/safari/blog)
• Getaway -  blog of the Getaway Magazine with loads of travel tips, fun stories, photos and destination guides. (blog.getaway.co.za)
• South African Travel Portfolio – contains snippets and opinions of travel destinations, restaurants and more. (travelblog.portfoliocollection.com)

Music

On the music scene, the three top sites are:

• Durban Is Yours – site about Durban featuring a gig guide. (durbanisyours.co.za)
• Alles Gevaarlik – an Afrikaans blog with a personal touch and reviews of bands which includes a guide to events and parties. (gevaarlik.com)
• Funzunzi & Me East Coast Durban Radio – as the name suggests music and entertainment based. (ecr.co.za/kagiso/content/en/east-coast-radio/east-coast-radio-blogs-ecr-life/)

Environmental

The environmental section contains a gardening blog amongst the top contenders:

• Sprig – South African blog about gardening and that is run by garden enthusiasts from Durban. (sprig.co.za)
• Ranger Diaries – a place to visit if you want safari stories, pictures and information. (rangerdiaries.com)
• Africa Geographic  Safari Magazine Blog – the blog features in two of the top contender categories.(africageographic.com/safari/blog/)

 

Fashion

 

On the trendy scene the following blogs made the short list of three for top SA blogs:

• Kim Gray – a beauty shop, fashion tips, news about the latest trends, places to shop and items which you simply must have. (www.kimgray.co.za)
• Superficial Girls – A Cape Town fashion conscious girl blogging about everything a trendy young person should know about what’s hot and what’s not. (www.superficialgirls.com)
• Pop Ya Collar – Street fashion blog by La Muse about fabulous clothing and accessories in Cape Town. (www.popyacollar.co.za)

Food & Wine

For the connoisseur of tastes three South African blogs that stand out are that of:

• Food And The Fabulous – Ishay, an independent blogger shares her recipes, photos, ideas and restaurants in a fun and fabulous way.(www.foodandthefabulous.com)
• Drizzle & Dip – a blog by Sam X for the finer tastes in life; full of recipes, travel and restaurant reviews, as well as some of the best food photos ever. (www.drizzleanddip.com)
• Ask Namina? – a home industry portal with recipes, information about charity and projects, a newsletter and some travel info. (www.namina.co.za)

Sport

For the active sport viewer and conversationalist the contenders for the best South African sport blogs are:

• The Bounce -  a blog for men with bounce girls for every month and a lot of talk about sport.(thebounce.co.za)
• Compleat Golfer – blog of the Compleat Golfer Magazine. (www.compleatgolfer.co.za/subscriber/3062)
• Jabu – lists of sport stars, discussions about team sports including hockey and then also interviews. (www.allthingsjabu.co.za)

Business & Political

For the actuality orientated reader, the three main blog contenders in the business & political category are:

• Road Trip 2011 – Old Mutual Sponsored blog taking the reader on a journey through South Africa.(www.oldmutualfoundationroadtrip.blogspot.com)
• ZANews – political humour at its best with videos and commentaries.(www.zanews.co.za)
• Hayibo.com – political satire about contemporary South African politicians and situations. (www.hayibo.com)

To qualify as one of the three top South African blogs for the 2011 SA Blog Awards,  blogs had to be registered  and had to meet specific requirements such as the blogger residing in South Africa. Only two categories per blogger are allowed and then the public vote phase started. Once a blog has taken up one of the three top spots in the public vote phase, it moves to the top three category list and then the judges decide. The winner of a category is one with the most first places as selected by the judges.

Should there be a tie, the two contending blogs go back for another public vote to decide the outcome. The judges are experts related to the specific fields and most of them are already well respected in the social media fields.  The SA Blog Awards 2011 is a prestigious award that gives recognition to efforts and commitment of South African bloggers.

 

Although many people still see WordPress as the ultimate blogging platform, it has also developed into one of the best Content Management Systems (CMS) for the web. More than 12% of the world’s largest websites make use of WordPress as a CMS system. The only real competitors in the same class are that of Drupal and Joomla. In terms of user-friendliness and ease of creation, WordPress outperforms the two main competitors. A brief discussion on why WordPress is the best CMS system is provided below specifically to highlight the many features of the platform. It is definitely the program to use if you are new to blogging, but advanced website owners benefit most from usage of WordPress because of the functionality offered by the program.

Content Management Systems

Web developers appreciate the end-user updating facilities. One doesn’t need to be a coding expert to update a page and can even add pictures, sound and video without any advanced web building knowledge once the CMS is in place. Companies needing update abilities from various offices around the country benefit in the sense that authorised users can login and update content. This helps to spread the workload of updating the site amongst several employees and makes it easier to ensure a completely updated website at all times. The user doesn’t have administration abilities and as such cannot change areas such as theme of the CMS or structure of the site. With the administrator thus still in control to limit changes to content rather than structure, the integrity of the site is not compromised.

Benefits of WordPress as CMS System

WordPress is certainly the best CMS for the small business owner and the preferred website and blogging system for web development companies needing updating abilities for their clients.

Quick & Easy To Install

Once the web developer has done the tweaking and adapted the site to your liking, it is easy to install new plug-ins. All you need to do is to select the one most appropriate and click to install. Uninstalling a plug-ins is as simple as clicking on a button.

Ease of Use

Apart from easy to use and free SEO tools, the WordPress CMS system has been created for the novice as well. Even if you only have limited HTML knowledge you will be able to create stunning posts and pages. There is no need to send the information to the webmaster who will then update the page. You can add content without fear of changing the site structure. Once the web developer has done the setup and lay-out of the site on behalf of the client, the client gains complete control over the adding of new pages and content.

SEO Advantages

WordPress is known as the best CMS system for a reason. It has several advantages including that of immediate search engine optimisation. Google loves WordPress sites as the sites can be well optimized and already fit the profile of a site that can be indexed with ease. If you want content to be available, searchable and ranking well almost immediately then make use of the program.

Superior Support

There is ample free support available from forums, WordPress, and blogs. If you need help simply type in your query at the search engine query box and there will be numerous sites covering from the most basic to advanced features of the program.

Loads Of Plug-ins To Enhance Functionality

A characteristic of an excellent CMS is that of flexibility. In the case of WordPress, the large number of extensions available by means of plug-ins is what sets it apart from other web content management systems. Whether you want to add a poll, calendar or more advanced extensions you will not be disappointed with the large range of free plug-ins to improve functionality of the site.

In-Depth Look At WordPress Extensions

As mentioned earlier numerous extensions are available to improve functionality. A brief look at some of the extensions will give you an idea of the power of the program and why so many website owners agree that WordPress is the best CMS around.

Customised Navigation

Apart from plug-ins available to create custom navigation, WordPress as CMS also allows for easy creation of custom navigation. This ensures a unique look and feel to your site. You can edit the header area of a template to include navigation or exclude such to your liking.

Multi-User Functionality

For the company that has numerous users, there is a User Access plug-in which enables restriction and organisation of users. It allows for the creation of groups of users and access settings accordingly. The CMS system gets a complete boost in terms of user management as you can even create a distinction between editor access and reader access restrictions. Comments and posts can be regulated ensuring a cohesive theme and of course, spam free website or blog. This is ideal for sites where content collaboration is essential and shows why WordPress is considered as the best CMS.

Time Saving Posts

For the person new to blog posts or content generation, the Flutter Plug-in is rather useful. With the plug-in post templates can be added and previous templates used to minimize time in writing pages or blog posts.

Static Page Creation

One of the features which make WordPress the best CMS is the functionality of static page creation. Instead of all the information appearing in the form of date stamped posts with newest ones at the top you can add a static page where information can be shared in the normal web page lay-out format. This can be used for the About Us, Home and Contact Us pages or can even be used for all of your pages except for the blog.

More Fields

If you need to add more fields for input, simply make use of the More Fields plug-in. It will enable you to add boxes where additional information can be added and updated such as publisher details or perhaps news flashes. These field boxes can be placed on any side of the Edit page.

The above features are only a few examples of the functionality offered by the program. There are many more plug-ins and superior features in the program, making WordPress the best CMS for small business and large multi-user corporate client companies alike. Contact iLead Online for assistance in setting up a WordPress web content management system.

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