Blogger vs WordPress Blog

WordPress, the most popular blogging platform on the Web, has just updated its official iOS app with new features for on-the-go WordPress bloggers.

Available on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, WordPress for iOS lets you manage your WordPress.com blogs or WordPress.org self-hosted sites with options for creating and editing posts and pages, uploading media files, moderating comments, and viewing site stats.

With its latest update, the app makes WordPress blog management even easier.

New layout for posts and pages

First off, the update introduces a new layout for posts and pages. This comes with the ability to search posts and pages by keywords, filter posts in multi-author blogs by author, and restore posts and pages from the trash bin with a new in-line undo button. Pages are now also grouped by date.

WordPress

Revamped blog list and stats

Furthermore, navigating your list of blogs is easier now that all blogs are grouped together under My Sites, instead of being divided into WordPress.com blogs and WordPress.org self-hosted sites.

The Stats screen has also undergone some visual refinements in the new version of WordPress for iOS. These include a new color scheme and a new progress bar as replacement for the old floating spinner.

WordPress

Press the word "Update"

Of course, the latest update to the app comes with various bug fixes, including a fix for a bug that affects app state restoration.

You can update to or download the latest version of WordPress for iOS now for free on the App Store. It's compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad running iOS 7.0 or later.

See also: You don't need a password to sign in to Medium via email, Check out what's new in Google's Hangouts 4.0, and Viber launches on the iPad, but with an unfortunate twist.

Source: WordPress app updated for easier on-the-go blog management

If you are using WordPress to power your real estate website and access your dashboard, you probably know there are thousands (38,230 at last count) of possible plug-ins to customize it.

Figuring out which plug-ins to use can be overwhelming. Personally, I've tested hundreds of them to power the different sites I've designed. Most people will try to add too many plug-ins, bloat the site and cause slow load times or even crashes.

For any site I design or help consult on, I always make sure these five plug-ins are installed before the first post.

Here are five essential WordPress plug-ins:

1. Akismet

What it does: Akismet blocks your site from spam comments, which can number in the hundreds quickly, clog up your site and make you look unprofessional. You will need to snag an API key, which you can get by clicking here. After installation, it will ask you to enter the key in settings.

2. WordPress SEO

What it does: This handy plug-in helps you craft each page and post for maximum SEO-worthiness. You can specify keywords, titles and the ever-important meta description. Once installed, this box will show up under the text entry on each post and page.

You can install this plug-in (and Akismet) within WordPress, and I'll show you how in a sec. But for more help on why all this SEO stuff matters for each post and page, I recommend you read the section on post titles and meta descriptions written by the plug-in's creator (it's a two-minute read).

3. SumoMe

What it does: SumoMe is multiple plug-ins under one roof, including heat maps (to see where the clicks are), email marketing and more. It takes a little bit more work to set up, but you get a lot out of it. FYI: The email marketing piece is something that deserves an entire post, but it's a foundational part of your blog.

You can download the plug-in and see installation instructions here.

4. Pretty Link (Lite version)

What it does: A cool plug-in, Pretty Link takes long, ugly links and turns them into something, well, pretty. Why does this matter? Here's an example:

Let's say you find a post that you want to share with your audience, but the link is too long or ugly to insert nicely in the email. Because I'm in Nashville and Bonnaroo is looming, let's use this "packing list" post from Nashville Guru: http://nashvilleguru.com/11446/bonnaroo-what-to-bring.

Not bad, but we can do better.

With Pretty Link, you can take this link and create a customized link for your site, such as:

http://engagentcourse.com/bonnaroo-packing.

There we go. You can also create groups of links so that it could be "/festivals/bonnaroo." This plug-in works best for the endless links that Amazon and other retailers use, but it's helpful for any site.

Quick reminder: Don't use this link as a way to take credit for content you didn't create. Always cite the source.

5. WP SuperCache

What it does: Basically, it's a way to make sure your site runs faster by "caching" static files. All you have to do is install the plug-in, and it takes care of everything for you.

OK, so this is all great, but how do you install these plug-ins?

Installing plug-ins

On the WordPress sidebar, hover over Plugins and click Add New. Now there are two ways from here. For each plug-in listed except for SumoMe, you can copy and paste the plug-in name into the search bar.

When you see the plug-in, just click Install Now, confirm your want to install and then click Activate on the next screen.

Click here to see it done in less than 20 seconds.

The second way (for SumoMe) is from the same main plug-in screen, except you'll click on Upload Plugin near the top of the page. Then click to upload, just like you would any photo or file. Next find and select SumoMe.zip, click Install Now, confirm you want to install and then click Activate on the next screen.

I hope this helps you get started on making your site faster, cleaner and easier to follow. Even if you don't have immediate access to your WordPress dashboard, check in with your webmaster and see what plug-ins the site is running to be at its best.

Matt Ragland is a content strategist based in Nashville. As a special for Inman readers, visit EngAgentCourse.com/Inman for a free guide to content marketing and social engagement. You can also follow Matt on Twitter at @MattRagland.

Email Matt Ragland.

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Source: 5 essential WordPress plug-ins

Got email marketing? We've got best practices from LivingSocial and estate sale guru Everything But The House in our next Insight webinar.

As the Internet's most popular blogging platform, WordPress.com needs little introduction. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the blog-building / Web-hosting service owned and operated by Automattic. And today, in the same week founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg celebrated 10 years since the company's first hire, Automattic has revealed some interesting numbers covering a decade of WordPress.com blogging.

According to a blog post published by Automattic, in the past 10 years, a total of 137 languages have been used across 2.5 billion posts written with WordPress.com.

Feeding into those 2.5 billion posts are more than 3 billion comments, while the longest title ever to appear on a WordPress.com blog containing 19,176 words. The longest post itself consisted of a staggering 10 million words — we don't envy the copy editor on that one.

It's also worth clearing up an oft-confused tidbit surrounding the WordPress brand. Operated by the not-for-profit WordPress Foundation, "WordPress" is actually the name of the unhosted open-source blogging tool created by Mullenweg and Mike Little — you download software and associated templates to your computer, find your own host, and you're good to go.

After unleashing WordPress on the world's blogging community in 2003, Mullenweg founded Automattic — a fully private corporation — and opened WordPress.com in August 2005. WordPress.com is itself powered by the WordPress software. Today, 24 percent of all websites are either hosted on WordPress.com or use the WordPress open-source software.

You may also not know that Automattic is the company behind a ton of related blogging tools, such as spam-filtering service Akismet, avatar-hosting service Gravatar, survey and polling tool PollDaddy, and note-taking synchronization service Simplenote.

In May last year, Automattic raised its biggest-ever funding round — the $160 million deal valued the company at more than $1 billion. But as owner of the Web's most recognizable self-publishing brand, that seems like chump change.

Source: 10 years of WordPress.com: 2.5B blog posts in 137 languages and 3B comments

 

Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

Criminal background checks performed by public record researchers at the county court level are the backbone of employment screening. A background screening firm accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) seeks the highest standards from these researchers and ensures those standards will be met through a set of policies that deal with data products used for background checks. This blog is the fourth in a six part series about NAPBS Accreditation. For previous blogs about NAPBS Accreditation, please visit http://www.esrcheck.com/wordpress/tag/accreditation/.

Researcher and data product standards are just one part of the Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP) created by the NAPBS for Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs), the technical term for background screening companies. The BSAAP contains 58 clauses that CRAs must follow to be NAPBS Accredited. The clauses are divided into six sections: 1.) Data Information and Security, 2.) Legal Compliance, 3.) Client Education, 4.) Researcher and Data Product Standards, 5.) Verification Service Standards, and 6.) Miscellaneous Business Practices. This blog will focus on 'Section 4: Researcher and Data Product Standards' which contains eight clauses.

'Section 4: Researcher and Data Product Standards' examines the relationship between a CRA and the public records researchers used to gather information for background checks. Topics covered in Section 3 include public record researcher agreements, vetting and certifying researchers, Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance, auditing procedures for quality assurance, and designating qualified individuals within the CRA who are responsible for understanding court terminology used in background checks. The eight clauses in 'Section 4: Researcher and Data Product Standards' for NAPBS Accreditation are as follows:

4.1 Public Record Researcher Agreement – CRA shall require a signed agreement from all non-employee public record researchers. The agreement shall clearly outline the scope of services agreed to by CRA and researcher, including jurisdictions covered, search methodology, depth of search, disclosure of findings, methodology and time frame for communication and completion of requests, methodology for confirming identity of subject of record(s), confidentiality requirements, and reinvestigation requirements.

4.2 Vetting Requirement – CRA shall have procedures in place to vet or qualify new public record researchers.

4.3 Public Record Researcher Certification – CRA shall require public record researcher to certify in writing that they will conduct research in compliance with all applicable local, state and federal laws, as well as in the manner prescribed by the jurisdiction which maintains the official record of the court; never obtain information through illegal or unethical means; and utilize document disposal and/or destruction methods pursuant to the federal FCRA.

4.4 Errors and Omissions Coverage – CRA shall obtain proof of public record researcher's Errors and Omissions Insurance. If public record researcher is unable to provide proof of insurance, CRA shall maintain coverage for uninsured and/or underinsured public record researcher.

4.5 Information Security – CRA shall provide a secure means by which public record researcher will receive orders and return search results.

4.6 Auditing Procedures – CRA shall maintain auditing procedures for quality assurance in regard to their active public record researchers.

4.7 Identification Confirmation – CRA shall follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy when determining the identity of a consumer who is the subject of a record prior to reporting the information. CRA shall have procedures in place to notify client of any adverse information that is reported based on a name match only.

4.8 Jurisdictional Knowledge – The CRA shall designate a qualified individual(s) or position(s) within the organization responsible for understanding court terminology, as well as the various jurisdictional court differences if CRA reports court records.

According to the 'Accreditation' page on the NAPBS website, the BSAAP has become a widely recognized seal of approval that brings national recognition to an employment background screening-affiliated organization for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. The governing body for the accreditation program and future personnel certification is the Background Screening Credentialing Council (BSCC). For more information about NAPBS Accreditation, please visit http://www.napbs.com/accreditation/.

Founded in 2003, the NAPBS – "The Voice of Screening Professionals" – exists to promote ethical business practices, compliance with the FCRA, equal employment opportunity, and state and international consumer protection laws relating to the background screening profession. The NAPBS provides educational programs aimed at empowering members to better serve their clients, while adhering to standards of excellence in the background screening profession. For more information about the NAPBS, please visit http://www.napbs.com/.

Founded in 1997, Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – "The Background Check Authority®" – is a nationwide background screening firm accredited by the NAPBS located in the San Francisco, California-area. ESR's SOC 2 Audit Report confirms it meets high standards set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for protecting consumer information. ESR founder and CEO Attorney Lester Rosen also wrote the book on background checks with "The Safe Hiring Manual." For more information about ESR, please call toll free 888.999.4474 or visit http://www.esrcheck.com.

© 2015 Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – Making copies or using of any part of the ESR News Blog or ESR website for any purpose other than your own personal use is prohibited unless written authorization is first obtained from ESR.

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Source: Researcher Standards Set High for NAPBS Accredited Background Screening Firms

Another strategy to mitigate against being too reliant on Government funding is to have a more balanced portfolio of human and financial capital, writes writes Doug Taylor from UnitingCare NSW & ACT in his series on how NFPs can stop being 'hollowed out' by Government.

There's a lot of talk at the moment about being too reliant on Government funding and it's no doubt driven by the recent defunding of numerous organisations by the Department of Social Services. This is all completely understandable but there are a few limitations to this.

Firstly, it often misses the opportunity to attract new types of income that will give more scope to deliver on one's mission. It's increasingly clear that Government funding provides little discretionary income to redirect into the organisation own initiatives, as a result much of the Community Service sector has little 'untied capital' which underscores the importance of diversification.

The second problem with much of this emerging agenda is that it solely focuses on financial and not human capital.

Too often I hear Not for Profits, who are planning to diversify their income, not asking strategic questions about the type of income they will need to deliver on their mission. This is not straightforward because it will undoubtedly take an organisation into unchartered waters so often there's a sense of fear.

Fear of not knowing how to go about it, fear that it is change and they have been comfortable in dealing with Government for so long that there is not a belief that there is another way despite the evidence to the contrary. Despite these things it's critical that some hard work be done to attract money to better support your mission and not just focus on getting income from a different tier of Government or a different Department.

Essentially diversifying should mean securing money that is different in nature to what you have. That makes sense but the bigger problem is that in order to attract this type of money you need a clear agenda for innovation and evidence in addressing new and emerging community needs aligned to your mission and capability.

My fear is that too few Not for Profits have a genuine agenda for Social Innovation which is the driver for securing new resources. Simple we are stuck in that rut of "doing the same thing and expecting a different result".

The other thing often missed in the discussion about diversification is the focus on financial and not human capital. Money is a critical resource for delivering on one's mission. Sure money makes the world go round and all that but let's not forget that Social Change is about mobilising people.

This means, dare I say it, sometimes you can create change without employing hundreds of employees. Of course large scale services need to engage employees but even that is under threat according to Tony Nicholson, CEO of the Brotherhood of St Lawrence; "It's not sustainable or desirable to solely contract to Government to deliver services. The prevailing paradigm of gathering paid professional people around the vulnerable in our community will become unviable in the next twenty years".

There are new frontiers opening up in the community to mobilise people through technology, the workplace and an ageing population that has a longer life-span than expected. Solely focusing on financial capital misses these emerging opportunities.

Of course there was a time when our social services infrastructure solely relied on volunteers. I'm not saying we should go back there because of the inequitable nature of how the services were delivered but the point is we can do more to use power and passion of citizens to broaden the resource base.

My hunch is that this will be clear differentiator for Not for Profits as more businesses enter the marketplace to compete to deliver Government contracts in the future.

About the author: Doug Taylor is the Director for Strategic Engagement at UnitingCare NSW & ACT. He has spent more than 20 years working in the social sector and is also a Board member of the School for Social Entrepreneurs, the Australian Centre for Social Innovation and the Centre for Social Impact. He tweets at @dougtayloruw and writes a blog at https://blogaworkinglife.wordpress.com

Source: BLOG: Developing a Balanced Portfolio of Human & Financial Capital - Part 3

Back in the day, Blogger was one of the top blogging and website platforms.

While it's still a well regarded option today, many small businesses need a platform that's more robust and flexible. That'd be a platform like WordPress.

Sure, moving from Blogger to WordPress will provide many benefits, but there are few tasks more dreaded than moving a website. Getting you past that dread and helping you move your site is the purpose of the rest of this article.

That's right. If you're wondering how to move from Blogger to WordPress, the steps below should help you work through the process from beginning to end.

Here's What We're Going to Do

During the course of this example, you'll see how to import the content (posts, pages, links, images and comments) from this Blogger site to the WordPress site shown below it:

Step 1

The first thing you need to do is get your new self-hosted WordPress site up and running (these steps will not work with a site hosted on wordpress.com).

Once that's done, read through the next section until you get to step 2.

Why You Shouldn't Use the WordPress Built-In Blogger Importer

One of the cool things about WordPress is the many importing tools that are included. As you can see, a tool for importing a Blogger website is included:

Clicking on the "Blogger" link will open a screen from which you can install a Blogger importer plugin. Once the plugin is installed and activated, you'll see this screen:

Everything seems to be going smoothly however, once you hit the, "Authorize" button shown in the image above, you'll see this error screen:

This happens because, at the time this is being written, the importer plugin has not been updated in a long time and thus it's no longer compatible with the way Google works.

The solution? Use a plugin that does work with the new Google setup.

Here's What You Should Do Instead Step 2

Click on the "Plugins" menu item on the left-hand side of your WordPress dashboard. Once you see the screen below, click on the, "Add New" button at the top.

Step 3

On the next screen, enter "Blogger Importer Extended" in the the search box on the top right and hit "return".

Step 4

The Blogger Importer Extended plugin should be the first one shown in the left column. Click on the, "Install Now" button to add it to your WordPress install.

Step 5

When you see the screen below, click the "Activate Plugin" link on the bottom left:

Step 6

Next, go back to the Plugins list by clicking on the "Plugins" menu item on the left-hand side of your WordPress dashboard. Find the Blogger Importer Extended plugin that you just installed and click the, "Start!" link beneath the name:

Step 7

When you see this screen, click the, "OK, let's go!" button:

Step 8

Now you'll be taken to the Google authorize screen where you can let Blogger now that it's OK for this WordPress site to access your Blogger site. This is the step where the previous plugin failed.

You may well wonder what Google has to do with all this. Google owns Blogger so when you sign into your Blogger site, you're also signing into your Google account.

If you're not logged into Google at this stage, do so. Once you're in, click the, "Accept" button:

Step 9

The next step is to select which Blogger site you want to import. In the example below, we only had one site. However, if you have more than one, they will all be shown. Click on the correct site to select it:

Step 10

There are a couple of options available when you import your Blogger website. We recommend that you keep both selected as shown below:

The "Preserve slugs" option is especially key as it will assure that the link to each post will retain the name it had when it was on the Blogger site. A post's slug is found at the top of the post editing screen. The highlighted text shown in the image below is an example:

Step 11

As you can see below, your Blogger content will now be imported into your WordPress site. The blue bar shows a completed task, the gray bars are tasks still to be done.

Note that tasks with, "0/0″ displayed in their bar will never turn blue.

Step 12

The last step in the import process is to assign a user to your content. This user will be shown as the author of each piece of content. As you see, you can use an existing user or create a new one right there:

Step 13

If you see the smiley face, then you've successfully imported the content from your Blogger site. Yay!

Results

As you can see, our Blogger content now shows up on our WordPress site (yay, again!):

Even comments were carried over:

Cleaning-Up

To make sure that all your content made it over in one piece, there are a few steps you should take:

Step 1

During this example run-through, note that some of the imported content was dated to go live in the future instead of being live now.

If some of your content is not showing up on your WordPress site, you need to fix that.

Start by clicking on the "Posts" menu item on the left-hand side of your WordPress dashboard. You'll be taken to a list of your posts:

Click on each of your posts and then look at the top right of the post editing screen. If the "Scheduled for" date is in the future, click the, "Edit" link to change it:

Change the date and/or time as shown below and click the, "OK" button.

Repeat this process for any missing posts, pages, comments and links.

Step 2: Formatting Issues

Look through your content for any formatting issues and correct them.

Step 3: Widgets

If you want to import the widgets from your Blogger site, you'll have to do so manually. Do so by creating new widgets on your WordPress site and then copying and pasting the content from your Blogger widgets into each.

Keeping Your Google Search Rank

Finally, let's address your Google search ranking. If you've worked hard to have your Blogger posts ranked highly (i.e. near the top in search results), you don't want all that work to go to waste when you move to WordPress.

The easiest way for non-techies to accomplish this is to use one of two plugins created just for this situation. Both offer detailed instructions which you should follow closely as changes need to made on your old Blogger site as well as on your new WordPress one.

Blogger 301 Redirect

The Blogger 301 Redirect plugin is the one recommended by the folks who created the Blogger Importer Extended plugin that you just used to import your content. For that reason alone, you may want to use this one to hold your search rankings intact.

Blogger to WordPress

If the previous plugin doesn't work for you, or if the developer stops updating it, you can use the Blogger to WordPress plugin as a backup.

Wrapping Up

Now that we've shown you how to move from Blogger to WordPress, you're ready to go. There're a lot of stages, but if you take the process one step at a time, you'll find the site migration straightforward and doable.

Image: WordPress.org

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Source: How to Move from Blogger to WordPress

Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

Information security is a top priority for background screening firms in today's digital age. Background screening firms that deal with Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of consumers must guard against data breaches and identity theft. A background screening firm accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) has safeguards in place against unauthorized users and unwanted intrusions. This blog is the first in a six part series about NAPBS Accreditation. For previous blogs about NAPBS Accreditation, please visit http://www.esrcheck.com/wordpress/tag/accreditation/.

Data and information security is just one part of the Background Screening Agency Accreditation Program (BSAAP) created by the NAPBS for Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs), the technical term for background screening companies. The BSAAP contains 58 clauses that CRAs must follow to be NAPBS Accredited. The clauses are divided into six sections: 1.) Data Information and Security, 2.) Legal Compliance, 3.) Client Education, 4.) Researcher and Data Product Standards, 5.) Verification Service Standards, and 6.) Miscellaneous Business Practices. This blog will focus on 'Section 1: Data Information and Security' which contains 13 clauses.

The cornerstone of NAPBS Accreditation in 'Section 1: Data Information and Security' is Clause 1.1 which states CRAs shall have a Written Information Security Policy (WISP). The WISP contains policies to protect consumer information from internal and external unauthorized access. Section 1 also covers security issues such as intrusion detection, passwords, user access, privacy policies, data destruction, consumer disputes, and criminal databases in compliance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) rules. The 13 clauses in 'Section 1: Data Information and Security' for NAPBS Accreditation are as follows:

1.1 Information Security Policy – CRA shall have a Written Information Security Policy. CRA shall designate one or more individuals within the organization who are responsible for implementing, managing and enforcing the information security policy.

1.2 Data Security – CRA shall have procedures in place to protect consumer information under the control of the CRA from internal and external unauthorized access. These procedures shall include specifications for the securing of information in both hard copy and electronic form, including information stored on portable and/or removable electronic devices.

1.3 Intrusion and Data Security – CRA shall have procedures in place to reasonably detect, investigate and respond to an information system intrusion, including consumer notification where warranted.

1.4 Stored Data Security – CRA shall have procedures in place to reasonably ensure backup data is stored in an encrypted or otherwise protected manner.

1.5 Password Protocol – CRA shall require strong password protocol pursuant to current security best practices.

1.6 Electronic Access Control – CRA shall have procedures in place to control access to all electronic information systems and electronic media that contain consumer information. CRA shall have procedures in place to administer access rights. Users shall only be given the access necessary to perform their required functions. Access rights shall be updated based on personnel or system changes.

1.7 Physical Security – CRA shall have procedures in place to control physical access to all areas of CRA facilities that contain consumer information.

1.8 Consumer Information Privacy Policy – CRA shall have a Consumer Information Privacy Policy detailing the purpose of the collection of consumer information, the intended use, and how the information will be shared, stored and destroyed. The CRA shall post this policy on its Web site, if it has one, and will make said policy available to clients and/or consumers upon request in at least one other format.

1.9 Unauthorized Browsing – CRA shall have a policy that prohibits workers from searching files and databases unless they have a bona fide business necessity.

1.10 Record Destruction – When records are to be destroyed or disposed of, CRA shall follow FTC regulations and take measures to ensure that all such records and data are destroyed and unrecoverable.

1.11 Consumer Disputes – CRA shall have procedures in place for handling and documenting a consumer dispute that comply with the federal FCRA.

1.12 Sensitive Data Masking – CRA shall have a procedure to suppress or truncate Social Security numbers and other sensitive data elements as required by law.

1.13 Database Criminal Records – When reporting potentially adverse criminal record information derived from a non-government owned or non-government sponsored/supported database pursuant to the federal FCRA, the CRA shall either: A) verify the information directly with the venue that maintains the official record for that jurisdiction prior to reporting the adverse information to the client; or B) send notice to the consumer at the time information is reported.

According to the 'Accreditation' page on the NAPBS website, the BSAAP has become a widely recognized seal of approval that brings national recognition to an employment background screening-affiliated organization for its commitment to excellence, accountability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. The governing body for the accreditation program and future personnel certification is the Background Screening Credentialing Council (BSCC). For more information about NAPBS Accreditation, please visit http://www.napbs.com/accreditation/.

Founded in 2003, the NAPBS – "The Voice of Screening Professionals" – exists to promote ethical business practices, compliance with the FCRA, equal employment opportunity, and state and international consumer protection laws relating to the background screening profession. The NAPBS provides educational programs aimed at empowering members to better serve their clients, while adhering to standards of excellence in the background screening profession. For more information about the NAPBS, please visit http://www.napbs.com/.

Founded in 1997, Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – "The Background Check Authority®" – is a nationwide background screening firm accredited by the NAPBS located in the San Francisco, California-area. ESR's SOC 2 Audit Report confirms it meets high standards set by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for protecting consumer information. ESR founder and CEO Attorney Lester Rosen also wrote the book on background checks with "The Safe Hiring Manual." For more information about ESR, please call toll free 888.999.4474 or visit http://www.esrcheck.com.

© 2015 Employment Screening Resources® (ESR) – Making copies or using of any part of the ESR News Blog or ESR website for any purpose other than your own personal use is prohibited unless written authorization is first obtained from ESR.

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Source: Information Security a Top Priority for NAPBS Accredited Background Screening Firms

Symantec A vulnerability which exposed Wordpress websites running the Google Analyticator plugin has been patched.

Revealed by security researcher Nitin Venkatesh on Friday, a security advisory posted on Full Disclosure detailed a flaw found within the Google Analyticator Wordpress plugin, used by webmasters to view Google Analytics data within a Wordpress dashboard.

The plugin, downloaded over 3.5 million times, contains a number of widgets for displaying analytics data in the admin dashboard and on blogs, but a security issue has been found within cache settings.

Discovered in version 6.4.9.3, the security vulnerability allows for Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) and for "the administrative actions allowed by the plugin to be exploited [...] which could be used to disrupt the functionality provided by the plugin," according to Venkatesh. The researcher says that in theory, an authenticated user could visit a website belonging to an attacker where requests -- such as cache clearing and resets -- could be submitted through vulnerable URLS using the authenticated user's session.

Actions could then be performed without the user's consent or knowledge.

The vulnerability was submitted on the Wordpress support forum on June 2 with proof-of-concept examples. Following discussion of the flaw, the Google Analyticator plugin developer updated and patched the security vulnerability on June 18. In order to avoid encountering this security vulnerability, web developers should update their plugin to version 6.4.9.3.

In May a critical security flaw was discovered in the Twenty Fifteen theme and plugin, placing millions of users at risk. Installed in new Wordpress websites by default, the theme's genericons package is loaded with an insecure file dubbed example.html, which is vulnerable to a Document Object Model (DOM)-based XSS vulnerability.

Read on: Top picks

Source: Vulnerability patched in Google Analyticator Wordpress Plugin

Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr.

Two weeks ago, I started a piece focusing on mobile apps that can aid your productivity. I already wrote on five out of the 10 apps I use daily in the course of carrying out my tasks.

The apps I wrote about last week were Lastpass, Hootsuite, Asana, Camcard and BufferApp. I hope you have tried some or all of them to see how useful they are to your productivity. Below are the remaining five apps that I use on daily basis and why I use them.

Evernote: I can't fully describe how much value Evernote has brought my way. Is it the fact that I have gone 80 per cent paperless in my daily operations or the joy that all my content is in one compact window easily accessible anywhere and anytime?

I simply refer to Evernote as the e-filing cabinet that helps you achieve an easy way of filing and retrieving all your documents and pictures in the cloud. It can be used to virtually carry out anything, ranging from note taking, to book writing, to running a paperless system, to physical bills collection, among others. To use it for physical bills collection, however, I use the services of a gadget called scanner.

One of the most interesting things about Evernote is that I am able to use it seamlessly on all my devices as it syncs automatically, saving my data on Evernote's secured server. The mobile version is cool and handy. I have since stopped typing anything on my PC's notepad since I switched to Evernote because it keeps my content safely in the cloud.

Furthermore, it allows me to attach files, share them and send emails all from the platform and lots more. It is free to use and you'll still get value but I have since upgraded to the premium version simply because of the benefits.

Skitch: Skitch by Evernote allows me to get my points across to clients or members of my team through taking on-screen snapshots of images, using annotations and sketches to emphasise areas that I want reviewed or draw attention to. They in turn use it the same way to explain things to me or among themselves.

It is an easy to use image editing tool for both mobile and desktop. It carries a distinct potential of helping to improve your productivity as it has for my team and I. It is available for users of Macs, iPad, iPhones and Windows. The software has succeeded in creating a revolution in my everyday image editing utilities by delivering an easy and fast tool which has the capacity to literally provide every feature in image editing that I will ever need to use.

To get the best out of skitch, I recommend you integrate it with your Evernote account by simply signing in with your username and password.

Dropbox: This is simply one of my all-time favourite programmes for cloud services and file sharing. With Dropbox, my files are now fully backed-up, synced between different computers and devices and some of them fully shared with members of my team.

What Dropbox does is that, everything uploaded by me is securely encrypted from the start to the very end by Dropbox, and next downloaded over an HTTPS connection. It is also synced automatically across all my devices; hence, I am able to access those files both on my laptop and mobile devices.

I share the sentiments of those who don't agree that services like Dropbox are safe. So I'd simply add these words of advice, "if you think anything is unsafe for the outside world then you properly should not use Dropbox." I use it because I am sure that if for reasons beyond my control those files get out there, I won't lose sleep as such. You should understand that every moment spent on the Internet has some inherent risks.

WeChat: I know there are so many mobile chat services out there but I have found WeChat to be user friendly. So I use it a whole deal. It is an interesting app that has taken a different route to how users interact with the app.

In addition to instant messaging (chat) which standard chat apps all have; users of WeChat can make voice and video calls to contacts that are also on WeChat. There is also a walkie talkie feature, which allows a group of people to speak with each other. These all work over the internet. So regardless of their location, everyone within the group can speak to each other.

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about WeChat is its official accounts; a platform that allows content providers, service providers, businesses and brands as a whole to create mobile apps which can be accessed by other users. With this, there is really no need to download individual apps for your favourite brands especially if your phone does not have a lot of storage.

WordPress: As a professional blogger, my work involves writing pieces and posting them on various platforms. The facilities provided by WordPress helps me do these quite easily on a daily basis.

WordPress is an open source project which I customise and adapt to suit my own taste and requirements. With its perceptive interface, WordPress is extremely easy to use. It enables me to add images, blog posts, new pages, among others as a regular routine on my blog and websites from any computer that is internet-enabled as it is a browser-based platform.

The code supporting WordPress is extremely simple and clean, which makes the task of search engines in reading and indexing the content of a site or blog easier. WordPress sites can, therefore, be said to be loved by search engines.

I will be happy to have your reactions, especially as regards their impact on your productivity, after trying any of these apps. Remember, mobile is huge and will stay so for a long time to come.

Concluded

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Source: Mobile apps that can aid productivity (2)

One of the cool features of Azure is the ability to have a "deployment slot" for your web app.  Web app content and configurations elements can be swapped between two deployment slots, including the production slot. Deploying your application ...read more
Source: Managing ConnectionStrings and Environment Variables with WordPress on Azure

  June 18, 2015 --

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) June 18, 2015

WhatsWP, a WordPress hosting review site, has ranked 3 web hosts in the list of best blog hosting companies in 2015, including BlueHost, WebHostingHub and JustHost. Those hosting providers have done a good job on blog hosting development, especially in the aspects of affordability and usability.

The 3 hosting companies on the list pay close attention to the resource allocation, technical support responsiveness, server reliability and page loading speed. Each web host launches various blog hosting solutions suitable for both individuals and corporations.

1)    BlueHost

BlueHost, with over ten-year experience in the hosting industry, offers budget-friendly and quality blog hosting packages, including Starter, Plus and Business Pro. This company enables an up to 60% discount for those blog hosting solutions and make the price as low as $3.49/mo. Bloggers are able to activate the exclusive discount through this promotional link.

BlueHost allocates all blog hosting solutions with rich disk space and bandwidth. Bloggers can register a new domain name without paying extra money. The cPanel comes with Simple Scripts 1-Click Installer, which simplifies the installation of some blogging applications, like WordPress and b2evolution.

2)    WebHostingHub

WebHostingHub integrates each solution with industry leading cPanel so as to enable an easy manner for blog management. This company offers domain registration and domain transfer services with no charge. The packages include unlimited disk space and bandwidth along with up to $200 advertising credits, website builder, sufficient MySQL databases, and so on.

Three blog hosting solutions, including Spark, Nitro and Dynamo, are starting at $3.99/mo. The 90 days full refund and anytime prorated refund are guaranteed. WebHostingHub technical support team promises to answer any requests within 60 seconds.

3)    JustHost

JustHost prices its blog hosting service at $2.5/mo, which is cheaper many other competitors. Each solution is powered by cPanel, coming with domain registration, site builders and instant setup of no charge. The 1-click installer makes it easy to install multiple applications with a few clicks, which allows bloggers to build a multi-purpose blog with ease.

This company takes a good use of advanced technologies to guarantee at least 99.9% uptime thereby ensuring a reliable hosting environment. The use of Global CNG makes a big difference on speed improvement.

For more information, visit https://whatswp.com/best-blog-hosting

About WhatsWP

It is a WordPress hosting review and resource sharing site, giving advices to webmasters who are seeking for a reliable WordPress hosting provider or some useful tips on website development.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/best-blog-hosting/for-2015/prweb12794058.htm.

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Source:PRWEB.COM Newswire. All Rights Reserved

Source: WhatsWP Announces Best Blog Hosting Companies in 2015

Hot Off the Press Jenny Diski on Writing, Love, and Cancer

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Source: Jenny Diski on Writing, Love, and Cancer

Facebook/Adblock PlusAdblock Plus wants IT manager to deploy ad blocking at a company-wide level. See Also There's a company that's reportedly blocking '$6.6 billion' of Google's revenue — and Google doesn't seem to care Apple seems ready to let iPhone users block all ads they see on the web — which will really hurt publishers Facebook's most important exec outside the US talked to us about how the site is still cool among teens and why she's not afraid about the rise of ad blocking

Adblock Plus, one of the most popular tools people use to block ads online, has announced a new feature that would allow companies' IT and network administrators to deploy ad blocking at a company-wide level.

In a blog post, Adblock Plus outlines the benefits of ad blocking to companies as: "[cutting] down on distracting, [saving] bandwidth and [keeping] networks safe from threats like 'malvertising'."

IT administrators wanting to deploy Adblock Plus on their company's computers previously would have had to install the browser extension one-by-one on each computer. But Adblock Plus says its new version 1.9 update for Chrome, Opera, and Safari will allow for "large scale deployments."

Adblock Plus does allow some ads through its net. Publishers and digital advertising companies can work with Adblock Plus for their ads to be whitelisted and appear on an "acceptable ads" list – this includes "static ads" that are "preferably text only" and don't obscure a page's content.

If the publisher or ad seller is small — like a WordPress blog with two ads, for example — Adblock Plus won't charge them to go through this process. But bigger companies pay Adblock Plus huge fees to get their ads unblocked. PageFair, a company that works with publishers to measure the cost of ad blocking, estimated earlier this month that Google lost out on $6.6 billion in global revenue to ad blockers last year.

An Adblock Plus spokesman told Business Insider there have been "about 300 requests" from IT professionals for system-wide deployment of its service. Those include all sorts of organizations including companies, colleges, schools, K-12 school districts, and local governments. US universities Notre Dame and Lehigh, and companies including Seven Energy International and Compnology have already trialed rolling out Adblock Plus across their systems, according to Adblock Plus' website.

However, two IT network administrators Business Insider spoke to said they would not be interested in deploying Adblock Plus across their systems.

One IT consultant, who has previously worked for a global investment bank, a global leisure company, and a government regulator, said ad blocking is not something that has ever come up in conversation at the companies he has worked at.

He told Business Insider: "If this came up in a CAB [change advisory board] meeting, the first question that would be asked is: What's the business case? And the business case would need to be really good to consider freeware that would need rigorous testing that would probably involve thousands of [dollars] of man hours. And for a decent-sized business, I think you would only see a relatively insignificant decrease in bandwidth use."

Another network administrator who works at a large school told Business Insider that many business and institutions already have systems in place.

"Personally, I wouldn't be keen on installing an add-on. I'd rather do it at the web filter level [all of our PCs connect to the internet through a web filter.] As it happens, our web filter — one that is popular amongst schools — already inspects ads and blocks if they are inappropriate. I'm not convinced any network manager worth his salt would be interested in installing some add-on like that, to be honest," the source told Business Insider.

SEE ALSO: There's a company that's reportedly blocking '$6.6 billion' of Google's revenue — and Google doesn't seem to care NOW WATCH: 6 scientifically proven features men find attractive in women Please enable Javascript to watch this video
Source: One ad blocking company wants companies to enforce ad blocking across their entire businesses