Fly Out Notifications

Ok, flyout notifications on new features is pretty damn cool.  Any questions I might have had about the new layout were answered as soon as the update was complete.  The notifications are clean, can be turned off or x’d out, not too obtrusive.  I’m actually looking forward to see how future theme makers can utilize this same feature for self customization, instead of bloated control panels.

Fly Out Tabs

Finally, I don’t have to go through and drop down the tabs on the side of the menu, I never understood how this was a smart update.  Thankfully, now you can simply hover over a menu item and the sub-menu will fly out for easy selection.

WordPress 3.3 and Elegant Themes

As of right now, nothing seems broken in my theme.  It always gives me little butterflies when I can upgrade to the latest version of WordPress and not completely wreck the theme I’m using.  This theme was created by Elegant Themes and although they update their themes on a regular basis, it’s always nerve wracking going through the process of checking all the links and various widget placements.

So, there you have it, my 5 Minute of WordPress 3.3.  Thanks for reading and let me know what you think.

Theme Value

All of the themes I’ve been using from ElegantThemes.com have been coded beautifully and easily customized to fit your site’s niche or needs.  Although the initial cost of $19.95 gets you access to all the themes for 1 year, even if you decide to cancel your subscription, you are free to use the downloaded themes forever and on as many sites as you want.  Bar none, this is possibly the best money I’ve ever spent on my websites, which contributes to the sites marketing and conversion.

Theme Options

Each theme from Elegant Themes comes jam packed with easily configurable options.  All themes also include an ePanel that allows you to configure each and every aspect of the wordpress theme.  In addition, included in each download, are PSD files, which can easily be modified and tweaked.

Elegant Themes also includes WP themes for product websites, business sites, and even personal blogs.  All are beautiful, are updated to work with the latest wordpress releases, and include the latest blog technology.

WordPress Theme Uses

As soon as the eStore WordPress theme is released later this month, I plan on putting it to good use.  I have a number of websites running phpBay that will benefit from having a professional store layout.  Furthermore, with the release of phpZon and other affiliate plugins, it will be simple to produce a quality and high converting wordpress store front.

Sign Up To Elegant Themes Now

I’d recommend signing up to ElegantThemes.com for the price, value, and support.  Included in your yearly subscription is a support forum, where the designers and coders are readily on hand to answer any questions.  What few I’ve had, have been answered within 24 hours.  No doubt as the inventory of themes increases, the price will go up, so by signing up now you are locking in the value.

The theme’s collection of features are configurable by easy to use administration interfaces. And in the event where these don’t cover your specific needs, the theme’s pluginable nature allows for ultimate customization.

Download Semiologic

Installation (updated for WP 2.6.X)

• Unzip the theme file.

• Upload the entire folder contents of ‘semiologic’ to your /wp-content/themes folder.

FTP Semiologic

• Login to WP-Admin and select ‘Design’ from the dashboard.

Click Design In WP Dashboard

• Select Semiologic form Available Themes, then Activate.

Default Usage
Customizing The Layout, Font And Skin Under Design/Layout and Design/Skin, you’ll find an entire collection of layout, font and skin options for you to choose from when you initially set up your site.

Layout Manager

Skin Manager

Font Manager

From a canvas perspective, the layout options cover the most commonly sought for design patterns.
The skins are sometimes tweaked from a version to the next — be so kind to report browser quirk when you spot any.

You can of course override all of these options by creating your own skin, or by taking advantage of the theme’s custom.css feature (see below).

Customizing The Page Elements
As a rule, page elements only appear when the relevant feature or functionality is active.
Comment links and forms, for instance, only show if you allow comments. Likewise, you won’t see any trackback link unless you allow pings. Both of these are configurable on an individual post basis under its “Discussion” options. Or globally for new posts under Settings/Writing.
Other page elements are available for (mass-) activation under Design/Widgets:

Widgets

These include commonly sought page elements, including author images, related searches, related tags, related posts, and social bookmarking.

Customizing The Header
Design/Header will let you upload any image or flash file for use as the site’s header. Alternatively, you can use an image as the header’s background and keep text on top of it, or even use an image or flash file as the site’s logo — replacing the name of the site in the header.

Design Header

If you don’t have any graphic designer at hand, feel very free to download the older Semiologic Headers on this site .

Keep in mind that file names and extensions are case sensitive.

Customizing The Navigation Menu
A navigation menu manager under Design/Widgets lets you insert arbitrary navigation links to your site.

Widget View

The Header Nav Menu has options for changing search text and for changing your navigation menu.

Header Nav Menu

Choose the type of link you would like to create in the navigation bar by selecting it in Items drop down menu. There are choices for Pages you’ve already created, URL, or Home. To link to Pages within your blog simply create the page and then select it in the Item drop down menu and click the plus button. For linking to other URL’s select URL from the Items drop down menu and click the plus button.

For URL items you will be given two input fields, one for the title and one for the actual url. Make sure and save your changes before closing the window.

Customizing The Sidebars
Sidebar customization is also possible by dragging and dropping elements of your sidebars into the order you prefer. Simply select the current widget location, then drag and drop.

Almost all widgets are configurable in a way or another. To access a widget’s control panel, clicking the Edit button to the right of their name. To hide a widget’s control panel, click the Cancel button to the top right of the panel.

Widget Editing

Inserting Advertisements
Semiologic Theme uses widget boxes to help with the placement of advertisements. Choose the location of where you want your advertisements to show through it’s Widget Location. From here simply add a TEXT widget, Edit and insert the ad code, then save.

In addition, there is a new tab at the top of your members only BANS page, which is ‘TEMPLATES’.  These BANS templates are great, not cheap, not rehashed, but actually quality templates with features.  This will help with the laced thin affiliates sprouting up everywhere, but will also help those looking for cheap place holders that look good.

Demo The Theme Here

Download The Theme Here

Magazine BANS Theme is free to use, distribute, whatever…I’m not greedy. Furthermore, I built my little money making empire on freebies and help from others, so enjoy. If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions in regards to this BANs theme please let me know.

Download Free BANS Theme Magazine – Click Here

Zelune is a proxy script that imitates PHProxy but simply has worked so much better on my new server. With a few, differences this script owns and modification could not be easier. That’s why I started dedicating some of my time to the creation of Proxy Templates. Alas, here is my first, which is a port from FreeCSSTemplates.org.

Live Preview

Download

And thanks for any reviews, don’t forget to let me know if you use it.

Below is a free template I acquired the rights to and making available to the masses.  It’s a simple 2 column theme with a 3 column footer for Comments, Latest Posts, and a blog roll.

Download Here 

Questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to state your piece.

Download sNews Blues: Click Here

Thanks again to those at Solucija for such a great free script.

For your entertainment I introduce SimpleNails a slightly modified version of the original IndexScript skin.

 Download IndexScript Simple Nails Theme: Here

Simple Nails Indexscript Theme is free to download and use as long as the footer links are left in place. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me and I hope someone may use or enjoy this template, feedback is always welcome.