Writing Sample
WordPress: Simply the Best Content Management System
(Freelance client project – internally used)
WordPress is the most widely used content management system on the internet, powering 34% of all websites. Compare this to WordPress’s closest rival, Joomla, which only powers 2.9% of all website. What a difference!
The reason webmasters love WordPress so much has everything to do with versatility. You can create anything with WordPress. Want to start a personal blog? WordPress works perfectly for this task. Do you design a fortune 500 company’s website? WordPress works wonders – just ask companies like Xerox, Microsoft, Target, and Sony. Couple the versatility of WordPress with a host of plugins and themes which can make your website look unique – it’s a simple choice. WordPress works the best.
For novice level users, you don’t have to have any special training to use WordPress. More advanced users will enjoy the open source nature of WordPress. Utilizing CSS, you can make WordPress do everything you need and want. WordPress can be as simple or complex as your abilities demand. Best of all, with tech support personal online 24/7 (aka Happiness Engineers) as well as an active help forum, answers and solutions to questions and problems come fast and easy.
WordPress can run on any hosting service. In fact, many hosting services don’t even require you to import WordPress’s files. Cpanel and other web hosting control panels often come with a simple install function. Just click the install, and follow the set up guide.
Finally, if you ever need to reinstall WordPress, it is as simple as uploading a few files to your file manager – thus insuring your website down time will be minimal.
Given the options, WordPress really outshines the competition. This is why I, as a webmaster myself, use WordPress exclusively.
Giving a Program a new ID:
Instructional manual written for other employees.
Every so often a program ID number needs to be changed. This happens because of program number changes, miscommunication, and the rare typo by a coworker. While it does not matter what the program is actually called on the server, it is still a good idea to rename the program in any of these cases. This cuts down on possible misunderstandings, miscommunications, and the like.
Renaming the program is a relatively simple process:
- Go to the server by double clicking “Scroll Lock” and select “Server.”
- Unclick “Serial Control” on any available server channel.
- Click “File” on your selected server channel, and then select “Rename.”
- Select the file you wish to rename.
- In the “New Name” box, enter the name you wish to give the file.
Now the source file on the server is renamed. The next thing you will need to do is associate the file with the database. To do this:
- Double click the “Scroll Lock” button and select “Titan.”
- In the application “Media Prep” (found on the desktop) select the “Inventory” tab.
- Click the “Quick Add” option on the left of the screen.
- In the “Duration” text box, enter the exact time of the program file AS IT APPEARS ON THE SERVER!
- In the “ID” text box, enter the name of the program file AS IT APPEARS ON THE SERVER!
- Click the “Just Add Database Elements” box.
- The dialog box will close, and the program should appear in a white box with crossed out, red letters. This is supposed to happen, so don’t panic!
- Scroll to the left and look for a checkbox column marked “Disk Trans.” Make sure to click this checkbox. This should change the letters to black, and eliminate the crossout.
- Finally, you will need to clip the program to the proper length, and prepare it for air. The instructions for this process can be found on page 2.
That’s it! Once you have prepped for the program for air, your file is ready to go!
Be proactive: watch
(excerpt from How to give your mobility impaired clients the best service possible).
Always try to anticipate problems before they happen. This is a standard mantra for all businesses, big and small – and with mobility impaired clients, this is especially important. How can you be proactive with mobility impaired clients? I already mentioned ADA standards. While said standards will differ from business to business, there are a few things, such as electric doors, disabled restroom stalls, disabled parking, and adequate clearance in hallways for wheelchairs. These tools are great ways to make your mobility impaired clients feel welcome, but again, you want to give your clients the best service possible.
If you know a client has a mobility issue (or any disability for that matter), make sure to watch their activity while at your business, and take note of any struggles they might have. Maybe you have a common kitchen and they can’t reach the plates due to use of a wheelchair – a simple fix, put a couple plates where your client can reach. Maybe your client looks uncomfortable in a certain chair – offer them a more comfortable seating option. Watching your clients’ activities in your business will tell you more information about your disabled clients, and they’ll be grateful for your service.
…But also listen to your new clients.
(excerpt from When Acquiring New Clients, Talk and Listen).
The antithesis of talking is listening. When acquiring new clients, those client needs to feel heard. When acquiring new clients, a tuned ear to their unique needs and circumstances is essential. Listening also means more talking points. My contractor from a few days ago might have been able to give me more information if they had listened to my needs. They might have been able to connect the dots to show why their services could help me, and why I should pay them 700 dollars.
In my own experiences on the other side of the desk, I’ve had clients extremely excited about their projects, and felt they needed to sell these projects to me. Again, my former employer was a non-profit, and while we could turn down clients if they blatantly broke the rules, we were legally obliged to accept the projects the public delivered.
In the case of this specific client, he produced a television program he wanted broadcasted “for the shut-ins.” My client pitched the show to me, for probably ten minutes or so. I know he didn’t understand our rules, and that we really didn’t care too much of the contents, as long as it followed our guidelines. Still, I listened to him selling his show to me. He was passionate, and wanted me to know all about his program and why I should “choose” to broadcast it.
When my client finished with his pitch, I gave him the proper paperwork, and told him what I needed. This client probably used our services for about a year or so. If I had just rushed his pitch along, he might not have used our services at all, because it would have given the impression that I (and my employer) did not really care. I sensed what was important to this client…I knew he wanted me to listen to his passion for his project. By listening to this client, I paved the way for a positive relation with him.
Is Classic Rock a certain sound?
(excerpt from “What is Classic Rock?”)
If you consider Classic Rock as a specific genre, then it stands to reason that Classic Rock has a certain sound. Let’s look at four artists that are usually considered Classic Rock, and then compare their sounds. Jimmi Hendrix, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty (and the Heartbreakers). What do these four artists have in common? They all had major success in-between 1965 and 1979. All four artists played rock music that relied heavily on electric guitars. That’s about the only thing you can say the four artists have in common.
Jimmi Hendrix and Tom Petty sound nothing like each-other. Consider “All along the Watchtower” vs “American Girl.” Both songs are classic, both songs are rock, but I would never, in a thousand years, put the songs in the same genre. “American Girl” sounds a bit jangly and poppy, whereas “All Along the Watchtower” sounds a bit more like Rhythm and Blues powered heavily by electric guitars. Yes, both songs are powered by guitars, but even those guitars are totally different in sound. Hendrix’s guitars are heavy and more of a hard rock style, whereas Petty’s guitars are – like I said before – more a jangle pop sound.
Let’s look at The Doors, “Light my Fire” vs Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2.” Both songs are epic, guitar and keyboard driven rock songs mind you. Maybe on paper, they might look to be the same genre, but anyone who listens to the two songs know they sound nothing alike. If the two songs were movies, “Light my Fire” would be a sappy, independent, romantic film. “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2” would be an independent film as well, but it would probably be more of a creepy, quasi horror, dystopian film. All this to say – comparing random musicians that most consider to be “Classic Rock” shows us four different sounds. So in asking “What is Classic Rock?” we find that one thing it is not is a specific sound.
