Here are my favorite WordPress “base” themes from which we design.

1. Thesis Theme for WordPress (affiliate link):  We design 3-5 blogs every month.  We almost *always* use Thesis as our base theme for blog design.  Granted, we generally forego the built in customization options and use our own custom styles and functions, but the off-the-shelf styling is awesome.  For small budgets and small projects, we’re happy to leave it to Thesis.  Great layout, well-considered padding between modules and page elements, simple and easy-to-use built-in functionality.   The $87 price tag for the theme is worth the saved hours of styling. Some examples of blogs/sites we’ve designed that use Thesis theme:  Curvy Girl Guide,  Aromahead blog, The Spohrs are Multplying, Barefoot Foodie, The Healthy Home Economist, Sea Critters Cafe, MomCorpsNYC, Momma’s Gone City and the list goes on (and on).
2. Carrington: The Carrington theme is a free base theme that is built specifically for designers and developers.  We’ve used the Jam version (just add markup) a few times and it’s a great theme for more robust content management projects.  There are pre-built blog and mobile version, which are awesome for off-the-shelf layouts.  The Carrington theme has a great support and development community so is constantly growing with WordPress enhancements, which we love.
3. TwentyTen: Oh yeah!  Finally, a default theme worthy of being our canvas.  We literally shred this theme when we use it as a base, but it’s still a huge time-saver in development.  For instance, do you see anything left of TwentyTen at this site?  Or this?  Those are both built on TwentyTen, but you wouldn’t know it – and none-the-less, it saved us hours of time.

We’ve used and customized and built so many themes over the years that we finally created our own fantastic framework that combines the best elements of all of our favorite base themes.  We’re excited to be launching Big Sea Themes this summer – but more on that later.

What are your favorite WordPress base themes for your designs and what do you love about them?  What do you think is missing?

Five reasons to skip Twitter:

1. You just don’t get it.

If you just don’t get the “point” of Twitter, you’re not alone. Some users hit the ground running, firing off dozens of tweets a day and amassing hundreds of followers. Others struggle with the structure of the site and the concept of sharing bits of information in 140 characters or less.

Give it a try and nose around for a while. If it’s simply not for you, your efforts will be forced. That’s a waste of your time — and people will be able to tell that your interactions are half-hearted.

2. You only want to promote your business.

Twitter is a social media networking website. Think about it as a room full of people milling around. You can overhear their conversations and introductions if you stand close enough. You might notice a group talking about something that interests you. You may gravitate toward them and enter the conversation.

No one is standing around with a bullhorn making announcements — so don’t be that guy. If you’re not interested in a natural give and take and a good balance between reading and promoting, skip Twitter.

3. You don’t have any free time.

While it’s possible to set up some automated services to update your Twitter account with blog updates or promotional tweets, you’re unlikely to see much benefit from Twitter usage unless you put some real human effort into it. You need to reply to others. You need to follow people with similar interests. If you’re a local business, you really need to follow locals.

These tasks probably won’t require much more than twenty minutes a day as you get started — but if you can’t keep up with that sort of consistent maintenance, wait until you have more time.

4. Your customers don’t use Twitter.

Are your customers likely to be on Twitter? Not sure? Ask some of your regular customers how they use the Internet. Consider their average ages and general level of education, but keep in mind that you don’t need to have a web or technology-related business to interact with your clients online.

If you can’t interact with customers, provide customer service or develop natural leads on Twitter, you probably have no reason to be there in a business capacity. (Try a personal account to test the waters if you want to get a better idea before putting your business out there.)

5. You have nothing to talk about.

Content is king — even on Twitter. Do you have anything to say? If not, you’ll constantly be scrambling for updates. You don’t have to be a professional writer to succeed on Twitter, but you do need to have pertinent things to share. The last thing you want to do is waste time stressing over what to Tweet about.

Upcoming sales, tips related to your line of business, events, and success stories make great Twitter updates. Discussing the local weather can only go so far, so make sure to have a general idea before you get started. It can be as simple as a bulleted list of possible topics. As conversations begin, the update process will become more natural.

Maria Mora offers friendly, down-to-earth social media consulting and editorial strategies. You can usually find her messing around on Twitter.

If I told you there was a free, easy way to get listed in Google above most of your competitors, right on the first page within a couple days . . . would you believe me?

(You’ve probably heard it all before from the 20-thousand SEO spam companies that fill your company’s contact form every day, right?)

This isn’t snake-oil or a magic wand. It’s not going to make you famous overnight. But if you do what I’m about to tell you, your business will often outrank even top-performing national companies when someone is searching for your keywords. In most cases, you’ll show up around the 4th spot on Google’s first page of search results. Most businesses would be willing to pay for that position!

I’m simply talking about claiming your business on Google maps, through the Google Local Business Center. You’d be surprised how easy it is and how many small businesses overlook this awesome tool.

For instance, you’ll see when I search for “elevator interiors” from downtown St. Petersburg (Google recognizes my geo-location and tailors my results based on where I’m located), I see the following results:

The top three results are long-standing websites that have worked hard honing their keywords to claim that spot; but look who’s number 4? One of my clients, who just launched his website last summer and who claimed his Google Local map listing just this past October. (Don’t get me wrong – we’re working toward those top spots, but SEO takes time. This is a quick solution.)

Add Your Listing

Your business might already be listed on Google maps; in that case, you only need to claim it and update any erroneous information. If not, it’s really easy to add it at the Local Business Center. You can add your address and phone number, talk a little bit about what you do or sell, your hours of operation, and even upload a logo and some photos.

After you’ve set it all up, you’ll have to verify that you actually own the business, either by accepting an automated phone call or receiving a snail-mail postcard. Both options offer a PIN that you’ll enter at the Local Business Center that tells Google you’re really there. It’s quick and painless, and if you’re able to answer the phone, takes all of five minutes.

Once you’re verified, you’ll start seeing your listing show up in both Google maps and web searches whenever Google thinks it’s appropriate.

Adding Reviews

If you really want to harness the power of social media, start telling your customers and clients to leave you reviews on your Google maps listing.

If you already have some testimonials from your customers, ask them if they could write them on your Google Maps listing. Send them a link to your listing to make it easier. If you don’t already have testimonials from your customers, start asking for them. Ask them to put them directly onto your Google Maps listing, then you can cut and paste them onto your own website or other publications if you wish.

It’s easier to copy them from your Google Maps listing than to copy them to your listing.

Google Maps listings with at least one review tend to rank higher than those without any reviews. And of course, the reviews that you get should also help to turn those visitors into customers.

Additional Resources

Get to it! Go claim your listing or add your business to Google maps now.

• Google Local Business Center
• Local Business Center Users’ Guide