I. Understand the Basics of HTML/CSS

If you’re looking to build your own Wordpress theme, you’ll need to make sure you’re efficient in some basic coding (HTML/CSS). If you wish to learn coding quickly, and efficiently, I highly recommend HTML Dog. It’s so good that I still use it as a reference from time-to-time.

II. Constantly Research

I’m always on the prowl for inspiration and most often Google in “best css wordpress web design.” There are so many websites out there but it’s important that you go through as many as you can.

Some of my inspiration comes from sites like BestWebGallery, CSSElite and designiskinky.

III. Bookmark or RSS Your Finds

Only do so for the ones you like, though. This serves as a backup for whenever you have “designer’s block” (yes, it happens). Just browse through your favorite hubs and, wallah, more often than not, something will kick-in in the left hemisphere.

My tools of choice (for bookmarking) are Diigo and Firefox’s Xmarks add-on.

IV. Utilize Pre-made Themes

This is a great place to start. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, grab some themes that have already been made. Try simple ones that allow for more flexibility. This allows you to fiddle with the CSS as much as you like, in order to get your desired look. If you have some money to spend, or know a bit more coding, try messing around with premium themes or some more advanced layouts.

I used Thesis as a basis for this blog’s design, simply because it provides the most versatility, and functionality, against its rival frameworks.

That’s all for now! Hope these tips have helped but, if not, please feel free to post some of your own. Happy web-designing!

Twitter is a great tool but suffers from a lack of organization in the ‘posts’ department. (I think this might simply be because Twitter has exceeded the expectations of its creators.) After I hit 100 followers I noticed it was becoming difficult to keep up with all the neat links my followers were sharing. I kept gaining more followers by the day, but was eventually pulling my hair out because I was starting to miss out on my favorite guru’s links. So, I tested out as many applications as I could and came up with my own workflow.

Thanks to the wondrous efforts of our fellow humans, there are now a couple of third-party developers who offer more for the meticulous Tweeters who like to organize everything (myself included). At the moment, I use only two main applications (both online and offline) to organize my followers’ posts. First up is TweetDeck.

TweetDeck

In my opinion, TweetDeck is by far the most versatile offline application for Twitter. So versatile, there’s even a version for iPhones! The user interface is pretty straight forward, offering you a multi-column view for everything you need to view from Twitter: your friends’ posts, @mentions, Direct Messages (DMs), and (here’s the best bit) groups.

The ability to create groups is what makes this application ideal for neat-freak Tweeters. I currently have two extra groups setup to separate my close friends and “gurus” (or big-name posters).

TweetDeck also offers another couple neat features: TwitScoop for Twitter trends; 12Seconds for sharing short videos; StockTwits for integrating stocks with your Twitter account; and Facebook integration.

HootSuite

When I don’t have access to my computer at home, I use Hootsuite to take care of all my Twitter needs. This online application does everything that TweetDeck does, and then some. Along with the ability to create groups, Hootsuite utilizes its native owl.ly URL shortener to help keep track of user interaction with your posted links. This becomes very helpful when trying to determine which links appeal to your readers the most (although I still use TweetStats to do a more in-depth analysis).

If you want to know how I organize my posts, I do it using eight columns (only a maximum of four columns can be shown at any given time, though, because of a side-scroller). I have my first four separated like the left image. The other four columns are organized like the right.

Hope you enjoyed the post and if you have any questions, please feel free to comment below!

These icons come in at a resolution of 512×512 but are free for you to use however you wish. All I ask is that you at least show some love and refer back to this site. Hope you enjoy!
Download Set (1.1 mb)

Tweetie

Tweetie is Mac OSX app which is both clean and user-friendly. The application makes great use of Mac’s Cocoa graphics, allowing for smooth transitions between tweets, @ messages, direct messages, and a search feature. I keep this app open most of the time, unless I’m pressed for time on an assignment or job.

TwitterFox

This is another great tool I use within Firefox. It provides the same functionality as Tweetie, but is not OS-dependent, and runs quietly in the lower right corner of your browser.

PollDaddy for Twitter

This is a real neat poll app that I found a while back. The design is sweet and the turnarounds are delightful. This is my social-media-poll-app-of-choice at the moment. I highly recommend it to anyone using Twitter! And if you’re using Twitter in conjunction with Facebook, or any other social networking site, PollDaddy automatically generates small urls for you. Talk about convenience!

twtpoll

I only just discovered this online tool but it looks promising. The design looks fresh and streamlined but its form design is less appealing than PollDaddy’s. If you have any opinions, or comments, on this tool, be sure to them below.

Mr.Tweet

Mr.Tweet is a very unique tool. I don’t remember how I came across it but I’m glad I did. What it does is search through all your twitter followers, and analyzes them to see if there are any other tweeters you may be interested in, based on “meaningful” conversations between networks of friends. I usually receive relevant matches but I don’t get disheartened because, over time, the search results seem to improve. If you have a larger following, I’m sure this tool would be a lot more useful to you.