So today we’re going to get a little instructional.  I’m going to tell you how to use Caffeinated Content on a free blog host like WordPress.com, and possibly even Blogger.  Unfortunately, WordPress.com doesn’t allow third-party plugins, so we have to work a bit harder to get our content out there.

To start, you’ll need to create an account and blog at WordPress.com.  For obvious reasons, keep it separate from any existing accounts.

Next, you’ll need an existing, but empty WordPress blog.  A good place to start for this would be to download XAMPP or WAMP (which basically turns your home PC into a testing webserver), but a clean install of WordPress on your hosting account will work fine too.

Install and run Caffeinated Content with your keyword choice, date choice, etc.

Now you have a temporary blog with all the posts we’re going to put on the WordPress.com free blog.  Down in the tools section of the WordPress admin menu, there is an export button.  Click it, and export all content.  Save the file somewhere you can find it in a couple minutes.

On your WordPress.com blog admin menu, go to import within the tools section.  Click WordPress.  Click browse and find the file you just saved from your temporary blog’s export, then click upload and import.

When it’s done, you’ll have an exact copy of the temporary blog hosted for free.  For Blogger, take the export file and feed it through WordPress2blogger (Google it and then import the result on your Blogger site.

One thing to keep in mind is that WordPress does have some fairly strict filters in place to check for questionable or spam content, so keep it clean.  Again, keep it separate from your normal, day to day account if you have one!

I haven’t recorded a demo video yet, but here is a quick screen cap of the main admin screen:

This software takes what is great about Caffeinated Content for WordPress and plugs it into SMF, allowing you to generate a forum at the click of a button. From zero to thousands of users in seconds. Each with a post history. Each with a full profile, including picture. Each with a signature (that you can add your own links to…). Each with something to say about something. Your forum will appear to be a living and breathing forum that someone who happens upon it will WANT to join.

Anyway, going away for a quick trip to Sesame Place with the babies. Expect CC for SMF videos and stuff after I get back!

Take a introductory $30 off code (SUMMEROFSMF) and grab your copy here…

Now, as someone who has been there, I know that start up costs for a website can be very inhibitive.  As a new webmaster, it can be hard to justify the expense of software that you’ve never tried.  I want to make it as simple as possible for you to get in the program.

That’s why for a VERY limited time, I’m offering a “Pay What You Will” program for Caffeinated Content.  Yes, you heard right–pay what you feel is right, pay what you can. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t offer to give $1000 just because, you’re very welcome to.

Anyway, next time you visit this site, this offer will probably no longer be available so take advantage of it now.

Want to take the fast track to getting your blog up and running but don’t know the first thing about installing a WordPress plugin? Now I’ll do it for you.

Heck, don’t know the first thing about installing WordPress? I’ll do that for you too!

Use coupon code “SPRINGSPRING” for 25% off your cart total!

This month, there are two instant discounts.

The first will apply directly to any purchase of Caffeinated Content – The Developer’s Cut and will take an instant $100 off the purchase price.  The second, also instant, will take 50% off your entire cart IF you have two or more items (NaughtiPress, Caffeinated Content for WordPress, Caffeinated Content – The Developer’s Cut) ready for checkout.  These two coupons combine to equal some insane savings…obviously though, the discounts won’t last long…

For more information about great savings, please visit the Specials page!

Caffeinated Content – The Developer’s Cut

If you’ve read my blog recently, you’ve probably seen my post regarding the Developer’s Cut version of Caffeinated Content (http://kansieo.com).

Basically, this is the equivalent of giving away my proprietary secrets–every bit of code Caffeinated Content uses will be out there in all of it’s glory, even the bits and pieces hacked together.  It’s not at all a beautiful work of art, but it’s there for your editing pleasure.  Don’t like how Caffeinated Content’s default interface works?  Change it!  Got grand plans for a new plugin?  Build it and sell it.

Already there are people creating via the Caffeinated Content code-base.  Over at NaughtiPress.com, there is an adult webmastering plugin under construction that looks to be a game changer in that largest of all internet niches.  I’ve seen an early demo of the product and all I can say is WOW!  They’ve told me they’ll have a demo video up shortly…hopefully sooner than later!

The Nitty Gritty

I’m not going to get bogged down with a bunch of terms and conditions, mainly because that kind of stuff just isn’t fun.  Basically, twenty people will be able to grab a copy of the Caffeinated Content code-base.  Twenty people only will have the chance to create their own thing based on Caffeinated Content.

On August 18, 2010, the presale will end and I’ll begin to email the product  to the twenty lucky individuals.

Obviously, copies of this product should not be given away, but can be sold provided significant changes have been made.  I will also be opening up Kansieo.com’s member’s area for those of you who wish to distribute your newly created product through my website.

So how much is it?

No joke, this is a huge step for me.  Caffeinated Content represents hundreds of hours of development and countless hours of research and testing.  Hiring a programmer to build your own Caffeinated Content would undoubtedly cost thousands upon thousands of dollars and weeks or months of time to develop.  $5000?

Nah.  I’m hoping this will spearhead a ton of new development in an otherwise stagnant area. $1000?

Nah.  I’m hoping you’ll allow me to be an affiliate in the sale your wonderful new product. $750?

$497.  For the unencrypted code.  For the rights to modify that code and to sell your modified code uninhibited.  Hundreds of hours of work, done for you.

To sweeten the deal, a coupon worth another $300 off that price good until this weekend only: PRESALE.

So $197 for Caffeinated Content – The Developer’s Cut?  Why are you still reading?  The twenty copies are probably already gone!

Buy Now

What does this mean for you?  Well, for starters, if you know a thing or two about PHP, you can take the Caffeinated Content source code and make it work any way you want it to.  Have grand ideas that Caffeinated Content just doesn’t do?  Add ‘em!

Best of all, if you create something, you’ll be able to sell it.  Think you’ve got a hot seller on your hands?  The groundwork is already there for you to host your creation inside of Kansieo.com’s member’s area.

Already, there have been a couple of people working with the code under this program and they’re providing some interesting results.  NaughtiPress looks like a HOT product–literally.  If you’ve ever wanted to quickly dive head-first into the second largest niche on the internet, now is your chance with just a few button clicks.  Frankly, from what I’ve seen so far, this product is pure gold.  Hopefully they’ll get a video up shortly that showcases what it can do…

The bottom line is that there will only be a handful of people lucky enough to get their hands on this source code, but at the same time I want it to be priced at a point where it’s still affordable for those really interested in putting it to good use…visit the Kansieo.com member’s area and sign up…I’ll be shooting out some info on early-bird pricing shortly.

So fast forward to 2010, site content still is the number one thing driving traffic (some will argue that it’s not the content, it’s the links, but that’s a discussion for another day…besides, CC does links too), fresh-looking blogs are still where it’s at.

Anyway, I’ve kind of lost track of where I was heading with this blog post, but the gist of things is that no matter what Google does, the simple fact remains that the tried and true methods pioneered years ago continue to work to this very day.  Some times things require a bit of tweaking, but the general methods behind the madness are still there.

What are my options?

Also, CC update arrives shortly.

So I’ve had a couple of people email me in the past few days asking why I’ve pulled CC from the market. I was flabbergasted.

Yes, as my newsletter subscribers can tell you, there have been a couple of administration problems that are being addressed and slowly worked through, but Caffeinated Content is still for sale for your content creation enjoyment, and remains the premier system for WordPress bloggers. It’s not server-limited like the nearest competition, and there is no monthly fee.  Check it out at http://kansieo.com/members/buynow.

Anyway, hopefully everyone can see through the BS, and hopefully others will stop the defamation without me having to resort to threats.

As the post title says, I was involved in the reverse engineering of one of the most important inventions of the 20th century: the Super Tag Ink.

For those that aren’t privy to what exactly the Super Tag Ink is, it’s one of those things that the department stores put on their clothes so nobody tries to run off with them.  Yeah, one of THOSE things.  If you’re a shoplifter, chances are you’re very familiar with these things and should be involved in this project–I’ll gladly give up my position.

Anyway, my wife bought one of the kids an outfit in TJ Max (hah, one outfit?  I don’t think so–let’s take it one step further.  Shopping spree on J’s card!).  Unfortunately, the checkout clerk neglected to remove the tag on this particular outfit.  A few weeks later, I’m trying to dress the kid to send to daycare and I stumble across this hunk of plastic.  Sorry, no photos.  I didn’t decide to take pictures until after the reverse-engineering.  I can’t exactly hold a camera and do complicated important stuff like that, can I?  NO!

My first thought was to just leave it attached–what’s the harm?  In fact, it might deter some would-be child thieves…or not.  Deciding it would probably be a bit uncomfortable to the lad, my wife suggested I take i over to TJ Max and have them remove it.  Calmly, I replied with something to the effect of furthering scientific studies of ink tags or some silly tripe like that.  Basically, I just wanted to break it.

Not thinking of the risks of bodily-harm involved, I promptly got out the needle-nose pliers, a big knife and some hedge clippers (no idea why I have hedge clippers living in NYC where there are no hedges, but hey, they got the job done).  At first, my goal was to simply get the thing off the outfit.  It’d be too hard to cover up the evidence, and my wife would say something like, “I told you…!” or “Why don’t you ever listen to me?!”

After a bit of plastic surgery, I had the thing in bits and safely separated from the clothing.  No more danger of getting ink on anything but myself and the floor.  Here’s how it looked after I finally had a free hand to pick up the camera:

Sure I could have been gentle, but then this thing quite possible reanimated into a Super Tag zombie or something.  Total decapitation and dismemberment is what I was aiming for.  The next step will be to separate the parts amongst several TJ Max’s to spread the word…but I digress.

Really, I suppose I’m a bit dissapointed that this thing is no marvel of modern engineering.  A simple clutch mechanism holds the pin in, and a completely separate container holds the ink and an RFID tag (just in case it escapes, I guess).  One thing I found a bit silly was the rubber ink condom holding the glass vial:

The Ink Condom – To protect the ink vial from some sort of ink vial STD?

Hmmmm…

Dangerous Business…

I suppose maybe it protects TJ Max from lawsuits would-be shoplifters impaling themselves with glass shards while trying to remove the tag. Ahh, what a country.

Anyway, there really isn’t too much more to talk about.  It’s a simple device with one or two neat little features, but nothing to write home about!

That being said–Caffeinated Content 3.38b, today or tomorrow.

Anyway, last year, June 17, 2008, to be exact, my wife and I were gifted with a baby boy. As an added surprise, he was born with Down Syndrome. Immediately, we were hit with the full range of emotions, the usual happy giddyness that comes with having a child, the anger and frustration about not knowing about the diagnosis beforehand (a whole saga in itself), the worry about what the future will hold for him.

To this day, ten months later, I look at what is perhaps the sweetest little boy in the world and I still tear up while trying to put the “what ifs” out of my mind.

Here is an essay I recently stumbled across that sums up my thoughts and feelings quite well. The author is/was a Sesame Street writer with a son with Down Syndrome:

Health-wise, we’ve been lucky so far…through countless specialist appointments, he has been cleared of most issues associated with Down Syndrome. His heart and kidneys are good. He’s got little glasses to correct for far-sighted vision, and hopefully get rid of his eye-crossing. Through the New York State funded early-intervention program (which has been a bureaucratic horror show–it’s just now getting better), we have a handful of different therapists working with him at the house. It’s a rare day when there isn’t a therapist around for an hour or so. Even at 10 months of age, our intent is to give him the best shot at normalcy as we can.

Anyway, even so young, he has a personality that just begs to be mushed up, and he’s perfectly happy to let even perfect strangers cuddle and hold him, offering up tons of smiles and baby talk and wet, slobbery baby kisses. While he’s awake, it’s impossible to ignore him–not because he’s crying (a very rare occasion), but because he’s so cutely irresistible. Thus, the only time I seem to get work done these days is when he’s asleep.

I don’t know if anyone remembers a year and a half ago while I was still advertising on the Warrior Forum practically giving away Caffeinated Content as a WSO, I would take 10% of my sales and donate them to various charities. One of the most rewarding charities involved providing needy children with Christmas gifts and has become an annual family thing, now. In the name of Caffeinated Content, I’ve also donated a tidy sum to Autism Speaks. Now, though, I think it’s appropriate to direct a portion of future sales to one of the major Down Syndrome organizations. So that’s what I’ll be doing for the next indefinite period of time.

Strangely enough, even with all these words, this post just seems unfinished. I guess if I figure out why, I’ll revise it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve walked on both sides of the tracks.  I whole-heartedly believe in a try before you buy software system (though demo videos largely fill this void in certain niches).  I hate large software companies that put out a new and improved version of their software every year or so and charge hundreds of dollars for the upgrade (Adobe, I’m looking at you).  These days, though, now that I’ve been out scraping by in the real world for a decade or so, if I use something, I’ll pay for it.

In terms of Caffeinated Content piracy, I’m thinking of dropping the registration requirement.  In other words, if you have the script, you will be able to run it without it calling home to tell me what’s going on.  This’ll remove the single largest support request I get… but also affords me no way to attempt to keep people honest.

I’ve also resigned myself to the fact that if it’s written in PHP and given to a 3rd party, there is no good way to secure it.  All PHP securing methods are largely innefectual and broken by nature…

Does anyone have any thoughts on this matter?

Also, if you were one of the unlucky ones to see Caffeinated Content appear to work and then get hit with an empty blog, I’ve figured it out… unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do from Caffeinated Content’s end to fix it at this point.  It’s a problem with MySQL/WordPress–see http://robsnotebook.com/wordpress-mysql-gone-away for details and fixes.  I’ll see if there is any possibility for including some sort of fix on my end, but I doubt it.  As a side note, this fix will also apply to those having problems selecting categories.

Anyway, because of the amount of material in this update, it has NOT been properly tested, but I wanted to get it out as soon as possible.  It’ll most likely work with all versions of WordPress 2.3 and beyond.  It should be considered a beta, but necessary update.  If there are any problems, shoot me an email at kansieo (at) gmail (dot) com.

This update will be available for download at the kansieo.com members area or via a E-junkie download link that’ll be sent out shortly.

Now…speaking of problems… My support desk is messed up.  I’m going to try to get it back into shape tomorrow, but if not I’ll be auditioning new software… if you have suggestions, let me know.

Oh, and yes, I do realize this is an almost direct copy of my newsletter mailing, thanks for noticing.

Anyway, I’m working on the support tickets that came in over the weekend now. However, chances are that the rest of the winter weekend support will be slow.

I do my best to balance family life and Caffeinated life, but when it comes down to the wire, the family will always come first!

Ps: if this post looks like crap, it’s because I’m posting via BlackBerry, unfortunately not the new BB Storm!

The only downfall so far is that it seems to be extremely slow…

Either way, Caffeinated Content still works perfectly.

• While not a Caffeinated Content update, per se, there is now a support area at http://kansieo.com/members/support. You can add tickets without logging in…or just send an email to support (a t) kansieo (d o t) com.

• By popular demand, now supports non-English versions of Yahoo Answers!
• The Caffeinated Content history page has been spruced up…now you can check individual entries to remove if need be.
• Link files can now include plain text.
• Your own text files can now be added
• I wrote a manual! It’s just a draft…don’t judge me by it. Look for the PDF in your Caffeinated Content zip file.
• CC_diagnose.php will check for the existence and proper versions of the main Caffeinated Content folders and files.

Enjoy!

So now we have taken a look at what Caffeinated Content has under the hood, let’s take a quick gander at the user interface:

Caffeinated Content UI (click for larger view)

What we have here are the manageable options in the user interface.  Not all fields are required, but each will help target and manage the retrieved content a little bit better.

So let’s get started.  If you followed the steps in the introduction, you already have a WordPress blog set up and Caffeinated Content uploaded and ready to go.  If you took a look at the second part, you’ll have a template defined (unless you want to go with the defaults–that’s okay too, but in the long run, build your own!).  Alright!

Pick a niche: pretzels, pickles, paper.  Again, this isn’t a SEM tutorial, this is a Caffeinated Content tutorial!  Visit your Caffeinated Content management page and add your chosen keyword.  From there, we’ll take the easy route.  Drop the number 21 in the box requesting max questions to add.  Add 3 to max tags to generate (per post).  Take a quick look at the options, but they’ll probably be fine set to the default.  Now, put today’s date into the Start Date box, and the date seven days from now into the End Date box.  Also, pick your templates from the Post template and Comment template boxes.  Then…

Hit go.

In a little bit, the screen will come back with something like this:

You’ll have 21 new targeted posts randomly spaced throughout the next week, each with targeted comments that’ll occur over a few days after the posts are posted.

Now, you have your own niche blog that’ll happily update itself over the course of the next week.

Yes, it’s that simple.

What’s special about it?  When someone buys Caffeinated Content through your e-junkie link during the next two weeks (now through September 10th), you’ll get a full 50%! After September 10th, the affiliate program will revert to it’s normal 35% (which is still darn good!).

Anyway, it’s quick and easy to join so why not send the offer to all of your lists, post it on all of your marketing blogs, and slap some graffiti up in the closest subway!