I just got myself a membership at WPMU Dev where they offer premium wordpress plugins (over 100 of them) and WordPress themes.

I was interested in their ecommerce plugin (MarketPress) initially, but found that there are other great plugins that I can use more often. 

Here is what I found when I joined:

Once I joined WPMU Dev, I learned how to set up a MultiSite WordPress installation with step-by-step instructions. This may not sound like much, but if you think installing WordPress using Fantastico was easy … this is even better. By using some plugins (listed below) I can setup a new site in seconds.

They offer a domain mapping and multiple domain plugin so that any domain pointed at the original site can automatically load the correct site on a multisite setup. No additional hosting accounts, etc. Just create a new WPMU site, map the domain and you’re ready to go.

With the blog templates plugin, I can create a template of my basic affiliate site complete with theme settings, legal disclaimers, contact forms and the actual squeeze page with headers and sales copy. Once I clone the site I simply need to edit my sales page to insert new headlines and graphics, all the boring disclaimers, css styles etc are already there.

To make the whole process run smoothly, they also offer a Multi-database option so that you can be sure of a super-fast wordpress installation that does not become cripled under heavy loads.

There are many more such as plugins to manage membership websites, theme split-testing, Advanced SEO, WordPress Directory and Classifieds scripts, etc. Be sure to go and have a look.

SUPPORT

As I mentioned before, I wanted to use the ecommerce plugin on my site. Whenever I had a problem, they were always very fast with either an answer or a workaround. I submitted a bug that I found once, and within hours there was a new version of the plugin released with the bug fixed – super!

If you use WordPress to maintain websites, and you run more than one site, go and have a look at what they have to offer. One plugin on another site could easily cost more that you would need to pay for hundreds of plugins. My membership will pay for itself many times over because of the time saved each day.

For more info, visit http://premium.wpmudev.org/

Six reasons iPad is a productivity tool
http://blogs.computerworld.com/16776/six_reasons_ipad_is_a_productivity_tool

There’s a lot of folks who say the iPad isn’t proper competition for netbooks because it isn’t a ‘productivity tool’. They’re all wrong. Take the visual arts, for example, and you’ll find a growing army of examples of artists using the Apple device to create stunning pieces of art, here’s six stories to illustrate this. Clearly this illustrates why netbook sales have cramped up and why Apple’s iPad is such a success, because it unlocks imagination for users, developers, old and new media.

(via Instapaper)

I have to say that I am also using the iPad to maintain numerous websites and blogs. This post for example was sent from my iPad.

Some of the ways I use my iPad are:

1. Keep up to date on industry news (not productivity, but very convenient)

2. Brainstorming and mindmapping ideas

3. Taking notes at meetings which automatically sync to my desktop computer.

4. Managing projects

5. Sketching ideas for websites and layouts for staff and outsourcers

6. Updating multiple websites and blogs.

7. Working with documents and spreadsheets while away from the iMac. Documents are stored on Google Docs or in Dropbox.

I am even more productive now that I have the iPad compared to using a normal laptop because it is more convenient and portable with excellent battery life. 

American Express Study Finds Consumers Seek Out Negative Opinions
http://www.revenews.com/barrysilverstein/american-express-study-finds-consumers-seek-out-negative-opinions/

The good news is that, contrary to a commonly held belief, customers will talk more about a positive experience with a company than a negative one. Three-quarters of respondents said they are very likely to speak positively about a company after a good service experience, while 59 percent said they are very likely to speak negatively about a company after poor service.

But here’s the bad news companies need to consider: nearly half (48 percent) of respondents report always or often using an online posting or blog to get others’ opinions about a company’s customer service reputation. What are they looking for? Negative opinions.

According to American Express’ survey over half of respondents (57 percent) say they believe more in negative reviews than positive ones on blogs, and 48 percent believe more in negative reviews on social networking sites. Jim Bush, Executive Vice President, World Service for American Express, explains:

(via Instapaper)

I personally search for any negative reviews – bad service, missing orders, etc – before ordering from a company for the first time. I know many of the positive reviews might be true but then again so many affiliates will write positive reviews just to get the sale.