All posts by Marion Gooding

Dec 02 2015
3

Untame at WordCamp US 2015

Posted by | WordCamp, WordPress | No Comments

philadelphia-light-crop
I’m in Philadelphia, looking forward to attending the very first WordCamp US. We checked in last night and I have already had the chance to engage in some friendly conversations with some old friends and new faces as well.

WordCamps can be a bit overwhelming for first-timers. I remember my first experience at WordCamp Vancouver back in 2012. I hardly knew anyone but more than that I was a bit intimidated by the dev superstardom that was present. I didn’t spend much time talking shop or trying to meet everyone. Most of my conversations were small talk. But I can say that everyone I spoke to was friendly. Despite all of the talent, there was no artificiality or ostentatiousness. My experiences there formed a cornerstone to many of the relationships that I have made online and at other WordCamps since.

The beauty of WordPress is not merely that it provides a wonderful platform that empowers individuals to self-publish online. It isn’t just a powerful content management system that enables individuals and teams to create, powering over a quarter of all sites across the globe. The true power of WordPress is in its community, without which it would not have become what it is today.

Ironically, many who work daily with this technology tend towards introversion. The nature of publishing and development is largely a solitary endeavor, and though you might get to know people based on their contributions online, this type of connection is often thin and vicarious. One doesn’t get the opportunity to capture the warmth or personality of a person purely through their online persona, or experience a human face through an avatar.

That is why, despite the educational tracks, the WordPress Summit, the Contributor Days and all of the technical work and cheerleading that WordCamps are comprised of, I feel that the human community element of each WordCamp is the most valuable experience of all.

Maybe it is because of the strong friendships and business relationships I have developed with intelligent, inspiring, and hilarious people I have had the pleasure to meet at WordCamps. Maybe it is a stronger sentiment this year following the recent discussions on depression in tech by Corey Miller, Yana Petrova, and others. Maybe I feel it more because of some of the talented and wonderful people that the WordPress Community has lost this year.

Or maybe it is because the greatest driving force behind 25% of the internet is not software or a content management system or a hosted platform. Indeed, what truly powers the WordPress movement is people. So I encourage WordCamp veterans and newbies alike: this week, let’s all reach out beyond what we can learn or contribute in a technological capacity. Let’s show each other what is exceptional about WordPress in the way we greet each other, reach out to each other, and in how we share ourselves and our time with familiar faces and total strangers alike.

If you see me at WordCamp US, feel free to stop me for a chat, or just to say hello. I look forward to talking with you. After all, you make the WordPress world go round.

Sep 10 2012
0

Untame Releases Free Responsive WordPress and BuddyPress Theme Based on Twitter Boostrap

Posted by | BuddyPress, News, Twitter Bootstrap, WordPress | No Comments

Untame is pleased to announce the release of Luca’s Theme, a free responsive theme for WordPress and BuddyPress.

Luca Brasi is the newest addition to our family. He is a 15-week-old Italian Greyhound that we adopted from a family who couldn’t care for him anymore. Italian Greyhounds are just like regular Greyhounds, only much smaller. They usually grow to be no more than 15 pounds but can still run as fast as 30 miles per hour!

Luca is a fearless and friendly puppy who likes everybody and loves sleeping in laps, playing fetch and wrestling his stuffed bear. Unfortunately, he doesn’t yet know his limitations and on the Saturday before Labor Day, he jumped onto the sofa and leaped off as high as he could. When he fell, he snapped his front leg and started screaming and rolling around.

Sarah and I scooped him up and drove to the pet hospital, one of only two places open on the holiday weekend. We soon learned that he had broken his leg in two places and would require surgery to install a plate in his leg to allow it to heal properly.

When we learned how expensive it would be to give this little guy a chance at growing up healthy and strong, we were a bit shocked but determined to try to raise the necessary funds by releasing Luca’s Theme as a free product.

Download it and use it or modify it however you like. Some of the theme features include:

  • Responsive theme for WordPress and BuddyPress
  • Built-in Custom Post Type Nivo Slider
  • Custom Author Byline Implementation
  • Modern CSS3 Style Techniques
  • Custom Homepage Template
  • Custom Full Width Template
  • Left Sidebar Template (Your sidebar, your choice!)
  • Custom 404 Page Including Popular Posts
  • Future Updates and Features
  • It’s absolutely free!!!!

We truly hope you enjoy this theme and if you decide to download and use it, please consider donating to Luca’s Fund. Our goal is the $3,000 that his initial treatment and surgery required. If we should raise anything in addition to this goal, we will donate the remaining proceeds to Hazeljane’s Blessings, our local Italian Greyhound rescue group..

For a live demo of the theme, to read more about Luca, to download or to donate, please visit luca.untame.net and be sure to share it with your friends as well. Thanks in advance for any help you can give Luca! We just want him to get healthy so that he can get back to being a happy, active puppy.

May 02 2012
0

Save and Post Your Favorite Concert Set Lists To Your WordPress Site

Posted by | WordPress | No Comments

If you’re a lover of live music, you probably go to as many shows as your schedule and wallet will permit. But if you’re a true fanatic about your concert-going, you just might be interested in tracking your musical experiences online, and in detail. What was that second encore Radiohead played in Kansas City? How did Phish open that third set on New Year’s Eve? If you are this kind of showgoer, trying to keep tabs on your experiences by scribbling set lists on cocktail napkins can be both inconvenient and easy to accidentally throw away.

Introducing SetList, a WordPress plugin that enables you to add any gig’s set list to your WordPress site’s posts, pages and sidebars. While other fans may only attend a show and then let the finer details slip out of memory over the years, SetList enables you to savor each track from your live music experiences by logging every live set on your WordPress site.

Here are some of the WordPress SetList plugin’s features:

  • Retrieve a set list by using the artist name and date of gig (in format DD-MM-YYYY) and optional venue name.
  • Widget for sidebars.
  • Shortcode for pages and posts.
  • Caching option to store set list data using the WordPress Transient API and reduce calls to the setlist.fm API.
  • Setting for cache expiry.
  • Default CSS stylesheet for styling the set list.
  • Option to add your own CSS to style the set list.
  • Setlist.fm API checker, as the API has had some downtime recently.
  • Plugin support section.

Setlist includes an options panel that shows you how to customize your shortcodes and allows you to configure the output of the plugin with custom styling:

SetList uses the setlist.fm API, so simply install the plugin and start taking advantage of the free wiki-like service for collecting and sharing setlists. You can browse and add hundreds of musical performances from around the world to keep your WordPress readers and visitors up to date with your true hipness. Give it a try and make sure to leave us a note in the comments below with your own review.

Jan 14 2012
0

Why We Switched to Stripe for Payment Processing

Posted by | Stripe | One Comment

Are you tired of paying a monthly fee to a merchant account and a payment gateway just for the privilege of accepting consumer credit card payments? We here at Untame used to pay nearly a thousand dollars every year just to offer this convenience to our customers, whether or not we processed any payments.

Then we discovered Stripe. Whereas bigger contenders like Authorize.net charge a monthly processing fee as well as a per transaction fee and a percentage, Stripe completely eliminates the costly monthly fees and charges only 2.9% + 30 cents per successful charge. No setup fees, no monthly fees, no card storage fees, no hidden costs: you only get charged when you earn money.

When weighing different options for payment processing we found Stripe to be the clear winner over many other payment processors. Here’s why:

  • No monthly or setup fees
  • No charge for failed payments
  • No merchant account or gateway required
  • American Express is charged at the same rate as any other card
  • No surcharge for business or international cards
  • Stripe handles the PCI compliance on their end

Acquiring a merchant account can be a lengthy process and generally involves a ton of paperwork. With Stripe you don’t have to have a merchant account and you can start selling online right away.

If you’re a small business looking for a way to save money, then Stripe may be the ticket for you. Stop paying thousands per year in monthly merchant and gateway fees and give Stripe a try. If you want to take advantage of these savings but need a little help getting set up, get in touch with us. We

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