Archive for the ‘Wordpress’ Category:
Free Wordpress themes (part 1 - Ezines)
Welcome to part one in a series of ten posts covering the best free Wordpress themes available today. This list is presented as a comprehensive thematic guide, aimed at helping newcomers to Wordpress to get an idea of the variety of applications that the Wordpress theme can cater for. Part one focuses on ezine or magazine type themes. Using one of these themes will allow you to organise your content into multiple layers and start using Wordpress as a real content management system.
♥ The Menu ♥
1 » Free Wordpress themes (part 1 ezines) Ezine or web magazine, whatever you want to call it, using one of these themes will allow you to organise your content into multiple layers and start using Wordpress as a real CMS.
{theme count: 14 | suggest theme}
2 » Free Wordpress themes (part 2 Tumblelogs) Tumblelogs are extremely popular right now, but did you know you could use Wordpress to power you’re own tumblelog? The Wordpress way will give you full control over your tumblelog’s options.
{theme count: 6 | suggest theme}
So you want to build an Ezine?
Gridlock » Preview | Download | By Eston Bond
The Morning After » Preview | Download | By Arun Kale
Mimbo » Preview | Download | By Darren Hoyt
Jello Wala Mellow » Preview | Download | By WP Designer
Grid Focus » Preview | Download | By Derek Punsalan
Recycled Canvas » Preview | Download | By Creative Synthesis Collaborative
Nautica » Preview | Download | By Leon Kilat
Polaroid » Preview | Download | By Adii
Trevilian Way » Preview | Download | By The Design Canopy
Victoria » Preview | Download | By Desperate Curiosity
Futurosity » Preview | Download | By Upstart Blogger
Altera » Preview | Download | By Upstart Blogger
Visionary » Preview | Download | By Justin Tadlock
Wportal » Preview | Download | By Cadu de Castro Alves
The best things in life are free
With all the recent talk of Wordpress theme marketplaces and before that the surge of ‘premium theme’ sales by a new breed of self-pronounced ‘designers’, out to make a quick buck, I think we’ve begun to loose sight of what Wordpress is really all about. So as an homage to the open source movement and a reminder to what brought Wordpress to Internet prominence in the first place, I thought it was time to release this list of free Wordpress themes.
The list has been in development over the last two months and I set about putting it in an intelligible order over the weekend. If you have further suggestions for themes and/or categories, please let me know, otherwise I hope this will be a useful resource to anyone thinking about starting a Wordpress blog and not wanting to buy into the premium theme market.
If you need help setting up a new Wordpress blog or would like advice on getting some decent budget hosting then feel free to contact me here or read about my hosting experience here.
♥ The Menu ♥
1 » So you want to build an ezine? Ezine or web magazine, whatever you want to call it, using one of these themes will allow you to organise your content into multiple layers and start using Wordpress as a real CMS.
{theme count: 12 | suggest theme}
2 » So you want to build a tumblelog? Tumblelogs are extremely popular right now, but did you know you could use Wordpress to power you’re own tumblelog? The Wordpress way will give you full control over your tumblelog’s options.
{theme count: 6 | suggest theme}
3 » So you want to build a business/corporate blog? Are you looking to set up a blog for your company? These themes come with clean corporate looks, slick designs that are straight forward and functional, perfect for a business oriented blog.
{theme count: 21 | suggest theme}
4 » So you want to build a sports blog? While sport is a topic of major interest in the blogosphere, there are few decent sport themes out there.This selection brings you the best available solutions and in case your particular discipline is not represented, you could easily drop in a header graphic here or there and customise the look to your needs.
{theme count: 5 | suggest theme}
5 » So you want to build a tech blog? This section caters for all things tech, from design, hardware and software to programming and gadgetry this selection of themes will allow you to start talking tech without any hassle at all.
{theme count: 14 | suggest theme}
6 » So you want to build a teen blog? This section offers themes that share the flair and energy of youth in their design. These vibrant and playful themes would be ideal for anyone wanting to setup a youth blog.
{theme count: 8 | suggest theme}
7 » So you want to build a minimalistic blog? If you like minimal design, uncluttered and stripped of all the paraphernalia, then this selection is for you.
{theme count: 14 | suggest theme}
8 » So you want to build an artistic blog? I’ve highlighted other artistic areas in this menu such as photography and writing, but this particular section caters more for the fine art type of blog, for drawing or painting perhaps.
{theme count: 7 | suggest theme}
9 » So you want to build a photo blog? The usual format for a photoblog is to display one image per entry allowing the visitor to appreciate each photograph one at a time instead of being presented with a pool of photos. Photoblogs often display information about each photograph and allow for visitor feedback via the comment section. This selection showcases the best photoblog themes out there.
{theme count: 8 | suggest theme}
10 » So you want to build a writer’s blog? This section overlaps somewhat with the minimalistic theme section in that the themes presented here tend to focus on text rather than graphics. Here you will find some simple yet sophisticated themes to showcase your written work. Ideal for writers and journalists.
{theme count: 6 | suggest theme}
• So you want to build an ezine? top ↑
Gridlock » Preview | Download | By Eston Bond
The Morning After » Preview | Download | By Arun Kale
Mimbo » Preview | Download | By Darren Hoyt
Jello Wala Mellow » Preview | Download | By WP Designer
Grid Focus » Preview | Download | By Derek Punsalan
Recycled Canvas » Preview | Download | By Creative Synthesis Collaborative
Nautica » Preview | Download | By Leon Kilat
Polaroid » Preview | Download | By Adii
Trevilian Way » Preview | Download | By The Design Canopy
Victoria » Preview | Download | By Desperate Curiosity
Futurosity » Preview | Download | By Upstart Blogger
Visionary » Preview | Download | By Justin Tadlock
• So you want to build a tumble log? top ↑
T1 » Preview | Download | By Livetardy
Typographic » Preview | Download | By Yukei.net
Tumblelog » Preview | Download | By Safirul Alredha
Tumble Hybrid » Preview | Download | By Lofitribe
TumbleJack » Preview | Download | By 86Confessional
MH Tumblr » Preview | Download | By mattherzberger.com
• So you want to build a business blog? top ↑
Blue Business » Preview | Download | By freewordpresslayouts
Brown Bound » Preview | Download | By freewordpresslayouts
Cherry Business » Preview | Download | By ChrisCM1
Rockin’ Big Idea » Preview | Download | By rockinthemes
Red Business » Preview | Download | By Ericulous
Corporate ID » Preview | Download | By freewordpresslayouts
Online Business » Preview | Download | By Kaushal Sheth
Autumn Concept » Preview | Download | By Ed Merritt
Business As Usual » Preview | Download | By Startup Themes
Sunny Hillside » Preview | Download | By Startup Themes
Blogsmith » Preview | Download | By freewpthemes
Plain Office » Preview | Download | By freewpthemes
Glazed » Preview | Download | By freewpthemes
Personal Blog » Preview | Download | By ricdes
Reddish » Preview | Download | By Themespack
Illacrimo » Preview | Download | By Design Disease
F7 (Eff Seven) » Preview | Download | By The Web Guy
Silhouette » Preview | Download | By Brian Gardner
Radiance » Preview | Download | By Freewpthemes
Pink for October 2 » Preview | Download | By Natalie Jost
Bluvision » Preview | Download | By Lucian Marin
• So you want to build a sports blog? top ↑
Tennis Theme 2 » Preview | Download | By Affiliate Dragon
Soccer Theme 3 » Preview | Download | By Affiliate Dragon
Soccer » Preview | Download | By Design Studio
Finishline » Preview | Download | By Antbag
WS Corvette » Preview | Download | By Wired Studios
• So you want to build a tech blog? top ↑
Insense » Preview | Download | By Design Disease
Tech Moz » Preview | Download | By BlueVerse SEO
Elegant Blue » Preview | Download | By Nathan Rice
Blue Stripes » Preview | Download | By Samir Kamble
itheme » Preview | Download | By nDesign Studio
Glossy Blue » Preview | Download | By nDesign Studio
Envision » Preview | Download | By MandarinMusing
Darn Slick » Preview | Download | By Darn Slick
Acosmin » Preview | Download | By Alexandru Cosmin
Techmoz v2 » Preview | Download | By Gnet
TechOCrunch » Preview | Download | By ZenPhotoThemes
FTW » Preview | Download | By Flisterz
Salmon » Preview | Download | By Justin Shattuck
Cold Blue » Preview | Download | By Web Revolutionary
• So you want to build a teen blog? top ↑
Blogging Simple » Preview | Download | By Theme Logs
Gossipcity » Preview | Download | By Design Disease
Smashing Theme » Preview | Download | By Design Disease
Contaminated » Preview | Download | By Kaushal Sheth
Elixir » Preview | Download | By Whalesalad
Hyperglass » Preview | Download | By Freewpthemes
Pretty in Pink » Preview | Download | By WP Diva
Pink for October 1 » Preview | Download | By Natalie Jost
• So you want to build a minimalistic blog? top ↑
Grady » Preview | Download | By Barley Hut
Joshua Goode » Preview | Download | By Barley Hut
Joshua Badd » Preview | Download | By Barley Hut
Depo Clean » Preview | Download | By Derek Powazek
Osiempel » Preview | Download | By Didats Triadi
Upstart Minim » Preview | Download | By Upstart Blogger
Modicus » Preview | Download | By Upstart Blogger
ColoursKiss » Preview | Download | By Shahee Ilyas
Mono » Preview | Download | By Shahee Ilyas
Barecity » Preview | Download | By Shahee Ilyas
Simplr » Preview | Download | By Plaintext.org
Moo Point » Preview | Download | By iamww
Whitespace » Preview | Download | By Brian Gardner
Standard Issue » Preview | Download | By Freewpthemes
• So you want to build an artistic blog? top ↑
Magnesium » Preview | Download
Tension V3 » Preview | Download | By My Tension
Artistic » Preview | Download | By Freewpthemes
Spatter » Preview | Download | By Freewpthemes
Mosaic » Preview | Download | By Freewpthemes
Woodpress » Preview | Download | By Magnus Jepson
• So you want to build a photo blog? top ↑
Nishita » Preview | Download | By Brajeshwar
Photopress » Preview | Download | By Performancing WP Themes
Nautilus » Preview | Download | By Marinegirl
PhotoWP » Preview | Download | By Steven Campbell
PhotoBlog » Preview | Download | By Blog Oh! Blog
Photo Blog Theme » Preview | Download | By Bueltge.de
Grain » Preview | Download | By Photoblog Themes
Monolit » Preview | Download | By Khim Photo | Works with YAPB
• So you want to build a writer’s blog? top ↑
Danvers » Preview | Download | By Barley Hut
Brodie » Preview | Download | By Barley Hut
Frozenage » Preview | Download | By Freewpthemes
Hemingway » Preview | Download | By Kyle Neath
Hemingway Reloaded » Preview | Download | By startup365
Journalist » Preview | Download | By Lucian Marin
Wordpress Marketplaces: Matt Mullenweg Vs. Small Potato
I’m going to talk a bit about ‘Small Potato‘ (SP), a blogger who surfaced after completing a Wordpress-theme-a-day challenge for 30 days (a trend that was initiated by Phu Ly of If Else) which resulted in some excellent free Wordpress themes. He is a self-professed entrepreneur and web designer, keen to cultivate a candid, ‘man-of-the-people’ approach to blogging - a trait that has seen him embroiled in a trifle controversy over the growing market of premium Wordpress themes and the monetary greed and poor design standards it occasionally incites.
His latest venture comes as a counterpoint to Matt Mullenweg’s theme marketplace, in which the latter proposed to set up a system whereby designers could sell premium themes to Wordpress.com users. SP was quick to point out some of the fallacies in Matt’s model, particularly the 50/50 money split and the idea of capitalising on what SP calls the “uninformed WordPress.com users” whilst allowing themes to go GPL free to the informed Wordpress.org users, a move that would put the whole notion of GPL licensing into question. While SP was quick off the mark with his attack, he was even quicker to follow suit and propose his own marketplace (still a work in progress) - a model that would only accept themes compliant to what SP calls ‘quality inspection’ (I’d like to know what that actually means) and one that posits the designer as principal beneficiary.
SP’s marketplace offers the designer web traffic, exposure and 100% financial remuneration for his/her designs. In return he would require each designer to write 2-4 pieces of blog content for WPDesigner.com per month. So whereas Mullenweg asks his would-be designers for a cut in the cash generated by sales of so-called ‘premium themes’ and seeks to exploit the financial potential of millions of WP.com users (is this a sign of Mullenweg approaching a final big ‘cash out’ with WP?), SP asks his designers for a couple of blog posts. So on paper, Mullengweg’s model could be construed as exploitative, but in reality both models seek to exploit, it’s just that the measurement of currency is slightly different. What SP doesn’t gain in the short term in terms of hard cash, he will be rewarded in the long term with more blog content, more traffic and therefore the chance for cash through publicity, hosting and any other venture he puts forward through WPDesigner.com.
So while SP may like to appear altruistic and philanthropic on the surface, underneath we all know that these are strategies for personal gain, just like Mullenweg’s ‘open source’ Wordpress has become. False pretenses? No, just parts of a huge game that we call blogging. And we accept this. Why? Well it’s as old as the study of capitalism itself. In the Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith famously wrote: “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.”
But why do I care? I mean do I really gives a monkey’s ass about Wordpress and what ever else goes on behind the scenes? Well put it this way, if someone pressed the delete key on Wordpress and WPdesigner.com, twigged.net and any other .com, I’d still go on living. But at the same time I’m aware of the fact that the Internet, and the blogging industry in particular, have begun to play an increasingly important role in the formation of 21st century human culture. The Internet and web business is fast becoming the way we sustain life, much akin to the field or the factory in the pre/industrial ages; so it is increasingly difficult not to pay attention to it. Approaching web trends through the business of people such as SP is a way of bringing things back down to earth.
Love him or hate him, Small Potato certainly knows how to divide an audience. It is his ability to turn a shot in the foot into a new wave of blog traffic coupled with an insatiable desire to take on new projects and think beyond the box that account for his web popularity. Personally, I have a rather arcane ‘inspector gadget’ image of SP, sitting in a dark room, black swivel chair, one hand stroking a large fluffy cat, the other strung to the mouse, fingers clicking, scanning the web, taking mental notes, monitoring trends, plotting his next devious move!