Author: Phillip Vélez

Communication Professional and Writer/Blogger
Posted in Blogging, Consulting

WordPress Powers More Than 20 Percent of New Websites

Posted on by Phillip Vélez
(Image courtesy of WordPress.com.)

WordPress is the most popular blogging platform out there and it has been for quite some time. There are about 58 million WordPress websites on the Internet today, and counting.

Currently, WordPress powers about 22 percent of all new websites. Companies using WordPress to power their blogs include CNN, General Motors, eBay, the New York Times, and UPS.

More and more small business are using WordPress to run their main websites, basically because it is easy to use and there are a multitude of design themes to choose from.

I assisted Bogota Latin Bistro, a Colombian/Pan-Latin restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with its dynamic website using WordPress. One of Bogota’s owners just started his own small business consulting firm, MumtazCoaching.com, and I also helped with its initial installation.

What makes WordPress so easy to use it that you do not need to know html or any other computer coding. The most challenging part is setting up the software and database on a hosting site. Once that’s done you can choose a theme and download plug-ins that allow you to add contact forms, Twitter feeds, Facebook Like Pages, etc.

I learned so much working on the sites above that I revamped my personal site at philvelez.com using a self-hosted WordPress site (the site you are presenting viewing is directly hosted by WordPress.com.)

To find out more about the difference between hosted and self-hosted WordPress sites, check out this informative article.

If you would like help creating your own self-hosted WordPress site, feel free to contact me at any time.

Posted in Blogging, Consulting

ModernDowntownDwellings.com

Posted on by Phillip Vélez
moderndowntowndwellings.com
Modern Downtown Dwellings

I am happy to introduce the blog of a designer that was not once, but twice featured in an article in the New York Times. His name is Alejandro Aguilar and he is a specialist in the art of designing small spaces for maximal use. He’s slogan is “Taking the Small Space to the Infinite Dimension.”

Alejandro had been anticipating the printing of his most recent featured article, published today in the New York Times, and needed some assistance with creating a blog to publicize his future design services. So I stepped in to help. After some discussion and a few meetings, the blog is now ready for its debut. Please keep in mind that it’s still a work in progress so feedback is welcome.

Blogs today can serve as main websites for a lot of businesses. So definitely consider it an option if you are ready to use social media to widely promote your business, art, passion, hobby, or whatever drives you to strive.

Check out Alejandro’s work and his present and past media coverage by visiting his blog at ModernDowntownDwellings.com.

If you need help or some guidance with your future blogging needs, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Congratulations on the New York Times article, Alejandro!

Posted in Technology, Trends

Why I Chose a Kindle Fire Over the New iPad

Posted on by Phillip Vélez
(Photo courtesy of Wired.com.)

I use a Mac and an iPhone and recently set up Wi-Fi at home, mainly because I had been thinking about getting a tablet. I of course had been thinking of an iPad for some time, but price had been a big factor in my holding off the decision to buy my first tablet. My Macbook Pro and iPhone 4S keep me well connected and I paid a lot for them, so I thought I’d hold out on an iPad until the price went down to about the $299 range.

While doing research on tablets, the first thing I learned was to decide if I really wanted one and where would I mostly use it. I would mainly use it reading on the bus or subway or while I’m home. I just got Wi-Fi at home so I thought, why not? I basically wanted a larger version of my phone to read in bed.

I was immediately impressed with Amazon’s Kindle Fire. At $200 I’d get all I need. I live off my laptop at home and my phone keeps me connected all day. Then I noticed the Barnes & Nobel Nook and it was a tough decision. I went with the Kindle vs. the Nook because I had already been an Amazon customer and it offered more books, apps, and overall entertainment to download. I’ve been using it for two weeks now and I’m happy with the purchase.

The weight of the Kindle was the first thing that got my attention. I thought it would weigh less and be quite flimsy. But it was sturdy and the quality of the glass was just as good as Apple’s. The size was pretty perfect. I could comfortably hold it with one hand. The Internet experience was fine, the sound and brightness sufficient, and the apps were cool enough.

Of course, you get what you pay for. Apple’s out of this world when it comes to quality electronic products and the future of technology in general, but Amazon has a really hot item on its hands with the Kindle Fire. Recent news shows that Amazon is making some good money off a tablet that some say is really an e-reader with Internet access.

If Apple makes a mini-iPad, as rumors have it, and sells it for a starting price of $299, it might even do more phenomenally in the tablet wars. After ordering my first Kindle, I did get to hold and use a Samsung Galaxy Tab and I would have gone with that if I wanted something in between the technology and price of the Kindle Fire and the New iPad.

If you’re loving your iPad, Kindle, Nook, Galaxy Tab or whatever, feel free to comment below. If you’re thinking about getting a tablet, do your research, decide what you’re going to use it for, and how much you’re willing to pay for it.

I’m really digging the Kindle Fire but think eventually I’ll own an iPad.  However, kudos to the Kindle for now. But then again, you never really know how big this tablet thing might get. Target and Walmart are probably thinking of making their own, who knows?

Posted in Social Media, Trends

Restaurants and Social Media

Posted on by Phillip Vélez
Image courtesy of socialmediarestaurant.com

Social media is the best way for a company or brand to truly connect with their customers, and recent data shows that 55 percent of adults use it to find information on restaurants. A Pew Research Center study released last month found that about 55 percent of adults seek out information about restaurants, bars and clubs, and that those adults are more likely to be women, young adults, and technology adopters. Of that number, 51 percent look to the Internet for that information; 38 percent relied on search engines, 17 percent on specialty web sites, and 3 percent on social media sites or Twitter.

Today along with websites, Facebook pages, and Twitter accounts, restaurants also utilize other social networks particular to the industry like Yelp and Urban Spoon. Many social media-savvy customers use sites like Foodspotting, Open Table, and Zagat to report dining experiences and favorite foods. Customers are also using location-based social sites like Foursquare to check-in to restaurants which promotes the business to their network of friends.

So the next time you dine out, check out the Internet first, check-in to the place of your choice, and write an online review. Restaurants are looking at this activity and some offer special deals to customers using social media to promote their businesses.

If I missed any other restaurant-related social sites, please feel free to leave a comment below.

(Disclosure: The author of this post/blog is a communication manager for a Latin restaurant in NYC.)

Posted in Trends

Unemployment Rate Falls to Lowest in More Than Two Years, Thanks to Small Businesses

Posted on by Phillip Vélez
Photo courtesy of abcradioonline.com
Photo courtesy of abcradioonline.com

The November 8.6 percent jobless rate is down from the 9 percent reported in October. The last time the employment rate was 8.6 percent was in March of 2009. November’s job creation was steady, with employers reporting they added 120,000 people to their payrolls. The latest numbers are driven in part by small businesses that finally see reason to hope and hire.

The 120,000 jobs created in November is not an abstract figure for me personally or for a local small business in Brooklyn. I am actually one of the 120,000 new hires, thanks to the owners of Bogota Latin Bistro in Park Slope who officially hired me as their communication manager. In the past two months I have witnessed first-hand the power of small businesses and the incredible impact these organizations have on our nation’s  economy.

So remember to continue to support your local small businesses. It truly makes a difference.