Sites that Soar – Final book edition?
Jul 20th, 2009 | By Aisling | Category: How-to tips
As of 2010, Sites that Soar! is a juicy, detailed book written to help anyone (even a beginner) install and customize magazine-style WordPress themes.
My book is over 150 pages long, and it’s tremendously popular. However, it started as a handful of notes.
Here’s the story:
Early in 2008, I created a 35-page guide to installing and customizing the free Branford Magazine theme. I called my booklet “Sites that Soar!” and I told my friends about it, in case it would help them.
(I didn’t create the original Branford Magazine theme. I simply liked the design and had one heck of a time figuring out how to use it, on my own.)
During the year that followed, I kept adding to “Sites that Soar!”, until it became a comprehensive, 150+ page book filled with screenshots, helpful tips, and useful links.
I also created a support site for people using the theme, at SitesThatSoar.com/wordpress/
It was a fun project and I really enjoyed interacting with readers, helping them build their own successful websites. Thank you for being part of that!
However, nothing stays the same, especially on the Internet.
As designer Michael Oeser kept changing (“improving”) the Branford Magazine theme, I became increasingly troubled by the updates. The July 2009 update — Branford Magazine 3.0 — is a good example.
WHY I DECIDED NOT TO USE BRANFORD MAGAZINE 3.0
Sure, it sounds great to eliminate Custom Fields for homepage graphics. However, when I visited the website of Branford Magazine’s creator, I kept running into problems. They looked like this screenshot:
(I added the red arrow, pointing to where it says, “something has gone wrong with WordPress or a plugin.”)
The problem could be his WordPress installation, the plugins that he’s using, or his theme. I don’t know.
My point is: If the designer’s own website is having problems… that could be a problem for others, too. (If I can’t even get to the download page for the theme, I certainly can’t send my readers there.)
FREE ALTERNATIVES
My Sites that Soar! book does not include instructions for Branford Magazine 3.0, because I don’t plan to use it.
I also don’t plan to purchase the premium ($$) version that Michael Oeser has been working on.
In fact, I’ve created my own version of Branford Magazine, and it’s FREE, here at BranfordMagazine.com. (It’s called the Aisling edition.) Just click on the Downloads tab near the top of my homepage, to download it or other FREE versions of Branford Magazine.
UPDATES
The current edition of Sites that Soar! works with the most reliable (and free) versions of Branford Magazine. They’re the ones you can download here, free.
My book is also current through WordPress 2.9. The screenshots are mostly from WordPress 2.7, but the dashboard looks almost exactly the same in 2.9. You won’t get confused.
However, I probably won’t be updating Sites that Soar! for newer editions of Branford Magazine or WordPress. So far, I don’t see any reason to.
THE INSTANT DOWNLOAD
This book is available as an instant download, with bonuses, at SitesThatSoar.com It’s $17 and even just the bonuses are worth far more than that.
Note: My book is offered as an affiliate product through Clickbank, with 75% commissions.
Or, you can order the printed version of the book at Amazon.com: Sites that Soar! That version is $14.95, and its screenshots are b&w (but clearly annotated). The book includes one-inch margins so you can keep notes as you install, too. The printed version of the book does not include bonuses.
Hi Ais,
It´s a pitty that you don´t continue offering your ebook because it seemed to be a good help for users of BranfordMagazine. Updates are a regular step in themedevelopment and I felt it was time to make the imagehandling easier by integrating the new functionality. But of course it means always additional work for people like you.
I´ll drop you an email later.
Cheers
Michael
Hi Michael,
I’m continuing to publish the book — both as an ebook and in print at Amazon.com. In fact, I’ve created a version of the ebook that specifically focuses on Branford Magazine.
In addition, I freely answer readers’ questions when they need a ready-to-use solution to their Branford Magazine problems.
So, my books (and I) continue to serve people who need more than the basic, online tutorial. I’m simply not updating the books to include more recent versions of Branford Magazine.
I may update them if/when WordPress changes significantly enough to make an update prudent.
I’m all in favor of updates that improve a theme, but — so far — I’m happier with my own version of Branford Magazine than with the more recent releases.
I’d put in the extra work if I was enthusiastic about the updates, but so far, I have to recommend earlier, stable versions of Branford Magazine, especially for existing users.
In addition, since you’ve limited the free Branford Magazine support you provide — though I understand people can hire you to help them — I provide support to the versions of the theme that seem most stable to me.
Sincerely,
Ais