WordPress is the most user friendly Content Management System preferred by millions of bloggers around the world, It is an open source PHP based script that has been installed on millions of blogs. The script is developed by Matt Mullenweg and maintained by the large community. If you are new to blogging and need help with installation of WordPress from scratch, Then this post will help you.

Let us start by listing the things required to start a new blog in WordPress followed by the installation procedure and rest of the stuffs.

Requirements.

1. Domain Name : You will need to have a domain name to start a blog using the self hosted wordpress script. Get a cheap domain name from these registrar now Namecheap, Godaddy.

2. Web Hosting (Server) : You need a place to store your wordpress blog files online so it is accessible by people visiting your domain name. Hostgator offers cheap web hosting plans suitable for you. You can get the first month hosting for nearly FREE by using the coupon HACKTABS25OFF by following this link : Hostgator.

That is all you need to get started with a WordPress Blog.

Linking Domain Name and Server.

Once you have bought a Domain name and the Hostgator Web Hosting, You need to link your Domain Name to the Web Hosting Server. Following procedure will help you with that. I am taking the example of Namecheap (as Domain registrar) and Hostgator (as Webhost).

Step 1. Login to your Hostgator Cpanel using the details they provided in the welcome email after your purchase.

Step 2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the Nameservers column under Account information heading in the left column of the page > Copy those Name Servers and paste in a new notepad.

nameservers

Step 3. Login to your Namecheap Account and go to the following URL (after replacing YOURDOMAIN.COM with your domain name eg: ABCD.ORG/ABCD.COM)

https://manage.www.namecheap.com/myaccount/modsingle.asp?domain=YOURDOMAIN.COM&type=dns&rkey=NC

Step 4. Paste in the Nameservers from notepad to the boxes there after choosing ‘Specify Custom DNS Servers’.

nameserver in domain panel

Step 5. Hit Save changes.

The below step should usually work almost instantly but if it fails, Wait for an hour or two and proceed. This due to the DNS propagation delay.

Step 6. Open your Hostgator Cpanel > Click on Addon Domains under Domains heading.

choose addon domain in cpanel

Step 7. Fill in the boxes as follows and hit Add Domain.

addon domain

WordPress Installation Tutorial.

Now you have linked your Domain name to your Hostgator server. Next we will start with installation of WordPress, This is the easiest part of the whole tutorial thanks to Hostgator which provides one click scrip installation powered by Fantastico tool.

Step 1. Return to Hostgator Cpanel and look for the Software/Services tab in there > Click on Fantastico De Luxe.

choose fantastico de luxe in cpanel

Step 2. Click on WordPress from the left column in Fantastico followed by New Installation.

Step 3. Fill in the form with the details as instructed below:

WordPress Installation

Step 4. Click on Finish Installation and you will be given your Dashboard Login URL. Save it (Bookmark it).

That is it, You have a fully functional WordPress blog now. Further you can modify the blog by installing Free or Premium themes and plugins. I will enlist the basic plugins that you should install below.

Plugin Installation Procedure.

Method 1 : To install a plugin, You can either download the Plugin Zip file from the WordPress Plugin Repository and upload it using this page :

http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/plugin-install.php?tab=upload

Method 2 : Go to Plugin Search page and search for the plugin name and install it directly from there. Go to :

http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin/plugin-install.php

After installing it, You need to activate it. Same way when you don’t need a plugin any more you can delete it by going to the plugins page and deactivating it first then deleting it.

Basic Plugins.

Just search for these titles in the Plugin search page.

1. Google XML Sitemaps : This plugin will generate a special XML sitemap which will help search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo and Ask.com to better index your blog.

2. All in One SEO Pack : WordPress SEO plugin to automatically optimize your WordPress blog for Search Engines.

3. WP Super Cache : Decreases the load on server by Caching pages in your blog.

4. BackWPup : Automatically backs up your important blog files to server or 3rd party storage like Dropbox.

5. Contact Form Plugin : Integrate contact forms into your blog.

These are some basic plugins for WordPress. There are thousands of plugins for wordpress, Look for something useful and install them. Note that too much of plugin will decrease your page load speed and increase load on server and bandwidth. Use them wisely.

Theme Installation and Free & Paid Themes.

Themes are installed in a similar manner to that of plugin, Just head over the theme search or upload page and install them. Themes option is inside the Appearance dropdown above plugins tab in the WP Dashboard.

Free Themes.

WordPress has a gallery of thousands of free themes for you to install. You can filter through them using your preferences. Head over to WordPress Themes page.

Paid Themes.

Paid themes are generally preferred by serious bloggers who want to give their blog a unique look. I use the Genesis Theme Framework on this blog which is a paid wordpress framework. You can find more paid themes in my Toolbox and Resources page.

Next you should head over to the Settings page and configure them according to your needs.

If you have any doubts about the installation procedure, Just ask them below via the comments and I will try to answer them as soon as possible.

Toolbox and Resources

In this post I will list some of the resources I have used that you might need to survive your daily web-life. These are the stuffs that I have used and can recommend to my readers. Some of these are premium products i.e paid products and some of them are free or open source. This might come out to be a really long list but I am sure it wouldn’t even scratch the surface of what I really want to share with you all, I have either forgot about many of them (damn you bookmarks) or that product/service is currently unavailable. So I will keep updating this list as I come across new stuffs.

Please note that some of the links in the post are Affiliate Links which means I might earn a commission if you intend to use the product. You will incur no extra charge.

I know its hard to read all the 4000+ words at one go! So why not Bookmark this webpage in your browser and come back and read it later? Try pressing Ctrl+D.

Since this is a blog, Let us start with the Blogging Stuffs.

Blogging Platforms.

WordPress.org : WordPress is the most widely used and popular Content Management System. This is best flexible web application I have ever used. WordPress.org is a package that needs to be installed on a server. The project is open source and there is a massive community supporting it. You can download it for free from the link above.

WordPress.com : WordPress.com is the similar version of its self hosted counterpart, Except that this version is handled by the WordPress team on their own servers. Which means you need not buy/rent a server to use wordpress. This is of course free but comes with limitations that will hinder your development and creativity needs. You can register for a free account and start your blog with the link above.

Blogger : Blogger is a Google owned product and that will in itself speak about the quality and maintenance. Blogger is very different yet similar to wordpress.com. This too is hosted and maintained by a team – Google. Its free and requires just a Google account to open a blog. Go ahead, Create one. Follow the link above.

Tumblr : Tumblr was recently acquired by Yahoo. I have used the service before its acquisition and must say it is very sleek and simple to use. Just register and pick a username. Then enjoy the worry free content posting. Follow the link above to reach the service.

Recommended reading : The Basics of Getting Started with a Blog

Web Hosting.

When it comes to professional and long term serious blogging or web-related development. You need to pick a webhost/Server to host your files on. You shouldn’t rely on free hosts as they can wipe clean your files one day for no real reason (I have experienced it).

HostGator : This is one serious webhost which actually cares about its customers. You can’t regret spending money for their service. Just so you know. HackTabs.com is hosted on their servers and I have used them for years now without any huge problems. You can try their service the first month for just $0.01. Use the coupon code HACKTABS25OFF at the checkout. Have a look at their different server plans, Follow the link above.

Recommended reading : My HostGator Review

Domain Names.

Domain names represent the IP Address to a computer or a web server hosting the blog files. They are the address with which you can access the files on web. Eg: www.hacktabs.com or www.google.com. You need to register a domain name from a Domain Name Registrar. The following are the Domain name registrars I recommend.

Namecheap : This registrar is known for its top notch service and has won several awards for the same. They usually provide a lot of freebies with their cheap registrations. They have been offering free Whois privacy with every domain name registration, What this will do is protect your identity when someone looks up for the owner of a domain name. You can go to their website with the link above.

Godaddy : Godaddy is one of the heavily advertised Domain Registrars, They too have very good service record. But I find it difficult to navigate their sloppy website. One great thing about Godaddy is their $1 Domain Coupons which they usually release at the starting of every month. You can use the coupon they release to register 1 Domain name at just $1. Visit their site and check if they are running any promo now, Follow the above link.

Network Solutions : Network Solution is a registrar who really knows their job and manages a hefty amount of registrations. They too release coupon codes regularly but I have had trouble using them successfully. Did you know that ‘thefacebook.com’ was registered on Network Solutions? Yes the first name of Facebook.com was thefacebook and it was registered on NS in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. Visit Network Solutions with the above link.

WordPress Themes.

WordPress offers millions of free themes in its repository, I must say there are some really excellent themes I have liked in there. Also there are third party developers working to create products for WordPress users. Premium Themes are one of them, I have used two famous WordPress Theme Framworks and they both rock! I am currently use one of them on this blog.

Studiopress – Genesis : Studiopress is a Copyblogger Media product and one of the most widely used Theme Frameworks for WordPress. Genesis is really flexible and easily customizable. Child Themes are the specialty of Frameworks which enables you to customize your theme without touching the core theme files. Studiopress hosts a range of child themes developed by its designers, Many of them are free. Visit studiopress with the link above. HackTabs.com uses Genesis Framework.

DIYThemes – Thesis : Thesis is another WordPress Theme Framework that is mostly known for its SEO capabilities. It has its fair share of user base and uses Skins – similar to Child Themes. There are tons of free and premium skins for thesis theme. Checkout Thesis using the above link.

Cloud Storage.

Cloud is one thing you cannot live without in the modern web connected world. Every thing is on cloud now and it makes it easier to access stuff – vulnerable too but that is the case with everything. Having access to your files anytime,anywhere is just an awesome thing. Cloud Storage makes it possible. I have tried several online storage but these two caught my eyes.

Dropbox : You can this is the simplest and most effective cloud storage Ive ever used, When I think of cloud (In the web sense) I think of Dropbox. It has helped me in several occasions. The free plan comes with sufficient storage to feed the needs of every casual web user – 2GB. You can further extend your storage by huge Bytes by performing simple tasks such as Tweeting,Referring others etc. Signup for a free account now with the link above.

Recommended reading : How to Get 5GB+ Free Space on Dropbox

Box : Box is my another favorite storage service, I use to host apps that I often share on HackTabs. Mainly because Dropbox usually limits the amount of public downloads and displays an out of bandwidth message. Box.com comes with 5GB Free storage.

Google Drive : Google Drive is a fairly new product by Google, it is also the new home of Google Docs. You can store your files securely and Google being a search giant, has emphasized search features in the product with features like ability to search for text in shared documents/images. Comes with 5GB free storage.

All the above shared cloud services come with dedicated Desktop apps making the syncing process smoother.

Privacy Protection & Anonymity.

Here I will list some tools and web apps you can use to protect your privacy online and hide your real identity. These softwares will help you stay anonymous on the Internet, They will mask your real IP Address and much more. Difference between a Proxy and a VPN is that Proxy will only hide the IP for one or two apps like Browser, Torrent Downloader etc but VPN will hide it for the whole computer. You should read my article about Unblocking Torrents.

Cyberghost VPN : Cyberghost is a VPN that uses many servers to hide your identity online. It has a free and premium option.. The free option has limited bandwidth per month. The servers are fast and totally anonymous. I am not sure if they keep logs of your surfing or not. But they are one of the best I have tried. At the time of writing they are running a promo which offers 2 years subscription at a very cheap rate. Check it out with the above link.

Recommended reading : Cyberghost Promo Code

PureVPN : PureVPN is another great VPN that I was asked to review. They had provided me with an account and I was very happy find the fantastic speeds of the servers. Checked with multiple IP Finders – none could reveal the real IP. Check it using the above link.

Recommended reading : PureVPN Review

HideMyAss : I have only tried its web based proxy but have a friend who has tried their VPN and his reviews were great. Hence I suggest it to you too. This VPN has been quite popular among different forums and user base seems happy. Check it out for yourself, Follow the above link.

10 Minute Mail : You can use the temporary Email addresses generated by this web app to use for registrations on suspicious websites. You can receive emails on this address hence can confirm verification emails that websites send upon registration. The advantage is that the email expires in 10 minutes and you don’t have to worry about any spam.

Guerrilla Mail : Similar to 10 Minute mail but you can edit the temporary email id and create a customized one and can manually make the address expire after use.

In both the above services don’t exit the website once the Email is generated as it relies on Cookies and they might get deleted on some browsers.

FakeNameGenerator : When registering on websites you are asked for your Name, Age, Address and other personal information. You can fake them professionally with this tool which will generate a new Fake identity every time you refresh the page. Use them to protect your real identity.

Google Analytics Opt-Out : If you don’t want Google Analytics to track your visits to a website then use their official addon. Btw HackTabs.com too uses Google Analytics to get an overview of visitors. Please note that Google Analytics never reveals your identity to the webmaster nor your IP Address.

Recommended Reading : All You Need to Know About Identity Theft Protection

Android.

I have used a lot of Apps on Android but as I said earlier, I have forgot about many of them. Thankfully I recovered those I installed via Google Play Store because it keeps a log of all the apps you have installed. I will list some of the essential apps.

Tasker : This would be your best investment if you like Automating stuffs in your life. You can’t compare this application with any other, The developer has done so much work on making this as user friendly as possible. Yet he hasn’t left out on sweet stuffs. You can automate anything you think of. Eg : Put your phone in silent while at College, Put it back in General when you step out of class. Connect to Wifi periodically at night to check for messages in Whatsapp instead of keeping it connected the whole time. Download the app from the link above.

Titanium Backup : If you have rooted your Android, Your phone shouldn’t live without this App. Titanium backup is the ultimate backup app you will ever need for an Android. It can backup both the App+Data on a rooted android. Also good for people who migrate ROMs frequently. Comes with a Free version too, Download it now from the link above.

Prey Project : This is the only anti-theft app needed for your entire gadget base. It will locate every gadget you own by using the specified modules for each platform hence works on all popular Operating Systems. It has a paid plan as well as free plan which holds upto 3 devices and 10 reports max.

WhatsApp : The best messenger on Android according to me. I am sure you are already using it, If not get on it fast you will find many of your friends already using it.

LauncherPro : This is the best home launcher replacement for Android according to me, The smooth and heavily customizable interface has led me to this conclusion.

Android Terminal Emulator : Command prompt/Terminal on your Android.

Astrid Tasks : A To-Do list app that one should use to note down tasks. Has very simple set of instructions. I will list some other alternative apps below.

Evernote : You should have heard of this already. If not this is another note taking application which is quite popular.

Pulse News : This is a sort of feed reader cum magazine. You can subscribe to popular blogs in almost all fields like Science and Tech, Health, Arts and Crafts etc.

Android SDK : How can I forget this, Not an Android App but a very essential kit for developers.

Automation.

This will list all the apps and tools I have used to automate different stuffs. Some of these are paid apps but they are well worth the money you spend on them.

Tasker : I have about this in the Android section, Scroll a little above into the Android section to read about it.

iMacros (Firefox | Chrome) : This best for small browser based automation tasks such as Filling Forms, Scraping data from pages, Registering on sites etc. Just hit the record button > Perform the action you want to automate once and play it as a loop how ever times you want it. You can get the free version as an Addon for all popular browsers and the paid version lets to create complex scripts.

WinAutomation : This is similar to iMacros except that you can automate even Windows tasks with this application. Eg : Launch browser > Go to Filehippo.com > Download the latest version of a software > Install it > Quit the browser > Clear the Cookies and Cache. The software is paid one but comes with 30 Days trial option. Also you can create stand alone EXE files of the tasks you create which can be run on any machine without the need for WinAutomation to be installed.

IFTTT : This is a web app which will handle web app automation with unlimited amount of twists, You will know what I mean by that once you start using it. Basically what you do is make recipes which consists of connecting different websites together. Eg: If you get tagged in a Photo on Facebook > Then > Download and save the Photo to your Dropbox account and the best part about this is that it runs on their own server so no need for constant monitoring of the script. There literally thousands of community made recipes for use.

UBot : This is software that is not for everyone, This is used by Internet Marketers and SEOs to create bots that will perform tasks like Register or 1000s of websites and upload articles with link back to your website and similar stuffs. You can create a standalone EXE of the task and send it to anyone. It is a paid software.

Zennoposter : This is similar to UBot in its functionality except that you cannot export the task as EXE and always need Zennoposter software to be installed in order to run the script. It is a paid software.

Action(s) : I haven’t tried this personally but listed this because I read an article about this application on LifeHacker.

Photo Upload/Share Spaces.

Photo upload and sharing services allow you to share your photos with others easily. Just upload an album and share it with others via Email,Facebook etc. These are the top services.

Flickr : Another Yahoo acquired service which has recently upgraded its storage space to 1 TB per user. This news came after Tumblr was acquired by them. Flickr is also one of the most popular service for photo sharing.

Picasa : Picasa is a Google product and is known for its desktop application which creates a beautiful photo slideshow. You can share your albums and upload them from desktop via the application.

Photobucket : This is another service that is quite popular. The main objective being the same as others.

Instagram : Instagram has grown popular because of its iOS and Android application which lets you capture photos and apply vintage filters to it.

Web Scrapers & Extractors.

These apps and tools will help you to scrape information from websites, You can use these tools to reduce the manual work and let the application do the job of scraping. Most of the tools listed in the Automation section doe scraping but these are additional tools.

Google Image Scraper : This is a free web-based scraper which will scrape Google Images for a search query.

Online Email Extractor : Let us say there is a webpage with a lot of Email addresses listed, Like you asked your facebook fans to put their emails in the comment section (not a very good idea) and you want to copy them all without other text from the page. Then press Ctrl+A and copy all the text from that page > Head to the extractor > Paste the text > Apply the options > Click extract. You have all the emails formatted perfectly.

Scrapebox : This ought to be the king of Scraping. This is a paid software that is used by Internet Marketers and SEOs to perform link scraping and blog commenting. It’s blackhat vs whitehat application is a debatable topic but we intend to use it nicely.

HTTrack : This is a Website Ripper which will crawl all the links in a website downloading all the pages and elements as it crawls. This will copy a website entirely to your desktop, There are advanced options to be tweaked.

Text and HTML Tools.

Text Mechanic : The only website you will need to manage all your text formatting related issues. I agree the interface of the website is not so eye catching but the functionality is outstanding.

URL Decoder/Encoder : This tool will help you encode/decode URLs. Eg : http%3A%2F%2Fwww will be converted to http://www after decoding.

Javascript Regex Generator | Text2Re : Online tools to aid you in generating Regualr Expressions.

StripHTML : A tool to strip HTML and formatting from Text.

Online Compressors.

These web apps will help you compress different files to reduce their size but trying to maintain the quality of it.

TinyPNG : Will compress your PNG files by stripping unwanted meta data and processing information. This tool is the best PNG optimizer I have seen and it retains the transparency unlike many other tools.

Online JS/CSS Compressor : This tool will compress your Javascript and CSS codes to reduce their size, One way is to remove the Comments and white spaces from the codes.

Small PDF : Compresses PDF Files.

Dynamic Drive Image Optimizer : Compresses all popular image formats.

Online File Converters.

These tools will help you convert your files from one format to another without the need for downloading any special desktop applications.

Zamzar : Converts most files into most formats.

Media.io : Specializes in Music/Audio conversion.

Video Creation.

You can create short/long videos online with your Images and Music. These are some web apps that let you do that.

Animoto : Animoto is a popular site in this category, They have paid and free plans. The free plan allows creation of 30 seconds of videos with Animoto branding.

Stupeflix : Stupeflix is another competitor that has very unique set of templates. They too have free and paid plans.

Keyword Tools.

Keyword tools let you find Keywords and Suggested keywords from a seed keyword. These are helpful for SEOs and keyword targeting projects.

Google Keyword Tool : This has the best data you can get for a keyword, The amount of monthly searches and the approximate cost per click for the keyword and much more and best of all.. its all from Google’s database.

UberSuggest : Ubersuggest scrapes the Suggested keywords that Google shows beneath every search term also the google instant suggestions it shows when you type a keyword. These keywords are gold mine as in they can be used as contextual keywords in SEO projects.

Spyfu : This can be used to detect your competitors keywords and much more.

Firefox Addons.

These are some of the useful Addons for Firefox that I have used.

Adblock Plus : Use this to block unwanted Ads and annoying popups and popunders.

Greasemonkey : Greasemonkey lets you add snippets of code to modify the functionality of any website plus there is a community generating thousands of scripts to aid you. The community is Userscripts.

Firebug : This is every web designer/coders dream tool. It lets you inspect and modify website design of any website in realtime. You can see the changes as you modify them.

iMacros : As I said earlier in the Automation section.

Search By Image : This addon lets you use the Google’s search by image function directly by right clicking an image and using the Search By Image from the context menu. Very handy!

Autopager : This addon will load the other pages of a website you are reading if it is paginated. Eg : Reading threads with multiple pages in a forum or google search results. You don’t need to click on the next page. It automatically loads the next page beneath the existing one.

Copy URLs Expert : A handy tool to copy the URLs of all the currently open tabs in firefox.

Evernote : If you are an evernote user.

Lastpass : The best password manager for your daily browsing.

Favorite Websites and Forums.

These are some of my favorite websites and forums, I guess you already know of them but still I have to list them.

XDA Developer Forum : The best forum in the world for any Mobile Operating System related knowledge. You can learn it all here. The users there are fantastic and great at helping fellow users with their queries.

Mashable : Pete Cashmore and his team has one of the best Tech blog to ever exist on this planet.

Tech Crunch : A blog that never falls behind in unique and interesting tech information.

Life Hacker : This network has a unique way of presenting article in a non-boring way which I like very much. Obviously they cover more than tech.

Ars Technica : To the point and well researched articles are the specialty.

CNet : One stop webpage for the best of best reviews and tech news.

Hack College : I recently discovered this site and it has had me reading.

Android Police : Nothing in the Android world escapes their keyboards.

Android Advices : Amit and his team work so hard to deliver the best of Android news to their readers. Every article teaches something new.

Labnol : Amit Agarwal is a truly inspiring person from my home country. His blog is one of the top ranked tech blogs in the world and the articles are always – everytime fresh and informative.

Wired : Wired take tech blogging to a new level with their articles, I love their Underwire category!

Make Use Of : You should really make use of this website! Their Question and Answer area is outstanding. Along with all the giveaways they arrange all the time.

Engadget : Gadget news? Look here!

Hacker News : Informative discussions and just follow their Fanpage, You get tons of interesting stuffs!

Viper Chill : There is no words to describe Glen, He is one of the best marketers I have ever seen. He is also one of those very rare perfectionists I have seen, Gives so much emphasis on small details. I liked his website design very much.

Matthew Woodward : This person is pure genius when it comes to explaining through videos. His articles are well researched and proof lies within. Want advice from an SEO expert? Ask him!

Just Ask Kim : Kimberly is a WordPress expert in my eyes, Her blogs speaks of it.

Gig Logo : Karla in my opinion is a Social Media expert – By following her you can learn a lot about Social Media etiquettes, Her blog offers the opportunity to guest blog and has a variety of topics covered.

Alex Whalley : One of his video article about Amazon Sites caught my attention and have been following him ever since.

The Facebook Blog : The official Facebook Blog – For tuning into the official announcements.

All Facebook : The unofficial Facebook Blog – Has lots of interesting and informative articles on Facebook. I say they should make this the official Facebook Blog.

Google Blog : For tuning into the official Google announcements.

Linkin Park : LP Fan? Follow their website for announcements and perks.

LP Association Forum : The true LP Fan Forum with endless discussions on the band.

I hope you all enjoyed this article. Hope you will share this with your friends who will benefit from this article. Sign up for our feeds to get articles like these in your inbox. The signup box is below this article and in the sidebar. Also Like us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter – We are quite active at those places.

dont write for us unless

Guest posting on a Blog has lost its meaning! There used to be a time when fellow bloggers used to approach and draft a very perfect and useful guest post on our blogs. Today this sector is filled with Spammy SEOs and worthless guest post providers. They don’t bother about the quality anymore, Just want their/their client’s links out there on our blogs.

When you are just starting out as a blogger with a new blog, You can get tempted to publish every guest post you receive. You should know that in today’s web community the number of bloggers who really want to contribute to your blog has gone down rapidly. Now its mostly Service Providers who post crap for free on your blog while they get paid hefty amount from their clients. They or their content writers spit out crap in their articles and fill in links to their client’s website and you post these on your blog for which you have dedicated countless hours of work.

I have accepted a few such worthless content in the past but can’t and won’t let that happen again. Hence I am putting strict rules to Guest Posting on HackTabs.com. Unless I feel the content is great and provided by someone with a true identity and authority I won’t bother replying to your Email.

To write a guest post for HackTabs you have to follow some guidelines which I have described in the Write For Us Page. Follow those and you might have your article posted on this blog.

If you break those rules then please don’t bother sending follow up emails to check if I have got your content or not. I won’t be replying.

Bye Bye Spammers!

Quick Overview Of Jabong And Flipkart

Jabong was launched in the year 2012. Entering the online scenario with a strength of 50000 plus products, Jabong became an instant hit. It is obvious from the fact that the site was the most frequented one in its first year. The collections include apparels, kitchen and home appliances, footwear and other accessories.

Online Stores

Flipkart made its way into online business in the year 2007. Books were the first venture of Flipkart and later on it strengthened its collections by adding apparels, mobiles, home and kitchen appliances, computers and other accessories.

Product Range – Both Exhibit Equal Strength

Though Flipkart has a lot of categories to offer, Jabong impresses in numbers in its limited categories. Dealing with apparels, footwear, home furniture and accessories, Jabong offers exhaustive options for customers. Hence, we could say that both online stores do justice to the product categories they deal with and hence they stand equal here.

Quality And Price – You Could Trust Both

Customers are generally wary of quality when it comes to buying from online stores. Here, they pay for a product or commit to payment without even eyeing the product directly or feeling it. Hence, it is natural for customers to have doubts regarding quality. With Jabong and Flipkart, customers can be assured of quality. Both stores ensure quality. Jabong deals with branded items and so does Flipkart.

As far as the rates are concerned, both online stores offer stunning discounts on various products. Moreover, both stores have a wide range of collections and that includes low priced products as well. Hence, they suit all customers. You could use Jabong coupons and Flipkart coupons to make your shopping less expensive.

Customer Service – It is High Time To Begin

Flipkart still enjoys the reputation of being a better alternate to various other online stores. However, there are complaints about poor customer service and delivery delays. Jabong is no exception to this. Jabong has done well to create an interest with its end of season sale but it does not proceed to woo its customers with its after sales service.

Flipkart has been in the field for a while. There is an urgent need for Flipkart to improve its customer service. Competition or not, every online store has the liability to answer the customers. Hence, it is essential to have a sound customer service. Considering the current position, Jabong may not get past Flipkart, yet. However, as Jabong grows the possibilities are indeed greater.

<Image Credits>

About the Author :

This is a guest post by Himanshu Agarwal from couponlava.com.

Backup Comic

Well, I decided to make an article which will list steps and apps to backup all your Contacts, SMS, Phone Logs and Files on every popular Mobile OS which I could recollect at the moment. I hope this will encourage you to keep proper backups of your contacts and files.

I would be writing the steps and apps for these Mobile Operating Systems at the moment and you can add your requests via the comments for any other OS and I will try adding them.

1. Android
2. Apple iOS
3. Windows Phone 8
4. Windows Phone 7 / 7.5
5. Symbian S40
6. Symbian S60

Now to begin the backup..

1. Android.

If you have setup a Google Account with your Android device and turned on Sync then probably its syncing your Contacts to your Google account. You can access them by Logging in to your Gmail account and clicking the Contacts tab.

android logo

But here we will be backing up your : Contacts, SMS, Call Logs, Apps.

For Contacts you can use the Google Account Sync and export your contacts from the Google Contacts or you can use the ‘My Backup’ app which is a 30 Days trial of ‘My Backup Pro’. You can safely use the app to export your contacts. It also provides you with options to export Call Logs.

• Download My Backup from [Google Play Store].

Another App for Call Logs is Call Logs Backup  & Restore which exports your Call Logs but not Contacts.

• Download Call Logs Backup & Restore from [Google Play Store].

For SMS you can use SMS Backup & Restore app by the same developer as of Call Logs Backup & Restore. I find this app better than My Backup’s SMS backup feature because this retains the Timestamps of the SMS correctly whereas My Backup doesn’t retain them while restoring. Atleast it didn’t work well for me.

• Download SMS Backup & Restore from [Google Play Store].

If your Android is Rooted, Then you can also export Apps + the App Data such as High Scores of Games etc. For rooted android’s a must have application is Titanium Backup which will do the above said task easily.

• Download Titanium Backup from [Google Play Store].

For Un-Rooted android’s you can only export the APK file of the app. For this ES File Explorer is the app you should use.

• Download ES File Explorer from [Google Play Store].

2. Apple iOS.

apple logo

In Apple iOS you can use iTunes or iCloud syncing just like Google Account Syncing in Android. In iOS 5 and above you can use iCloud service by Apple to sync multiple iDevices. You can also use Apps or Email export to backup contacts.

Backing up using iTunes.

1. Connect your iOS device to a computer with the latest version of iTunes installed.
2. Click the File menu and select Devices > Backup.

You can use the Restore from Backup option to restore your backups.

Backing up using iCloud.

1. Connect your iPhone via Wifi.
2. Open Settings > iCloud.
3. Toggle all the stuffs to ON that you want to backup.
4. Select the Storage & Backup from the bottom of the interface.
5. Toggle iCloud Backup to ON. Then click on Backup Now.

You can access your iCloud backups by logging in at iCloud.com.

Backup Contacts via App.

You can use the My Contacts Backup app from iTunes to backup your contacts to a VCF file or CSV file. Also send it as an EMail Attachment.

• Download My Contacts Backup app from [iTunes].

On a Jailbroken iPhone, You can backup various databases such as SMS database, Call log database via a File Explorer or SSH. We will use a Free File Explorer for Windows and Mac to export your database.

• Download iFunbox from [iFunBox].

These are the locations for different stuffs on an iPhone.

iPhone SMS Location (Text Messages, iMessages)

/private/var/Mobile/Library/SMS

iPhone Photos and Video Recordings Location

/private/var/mobile/Media/DCIM/

iPhone Contacts/Address Book Location

/private/var/mobile/Library/AddressBook/

iPhone Notes Location

/private/var/mobile/Library/Notes

iPhone Call History Location

/private/var/mobile/Library/CallHistory

iPhone Voicemail Location

/private/var/mobile/Library/Voicemail

iPhone Mail Location

/private/var/mobile/Library/Mail

iPhone Calendar Location

/private/var/mobile/Library/Calendar/

To start copying the Databases,

1. Install iFunBox and connect your device and access the above locations.
2. Copy the database file for backup.
3. To restore just paste this file back to the original location.

3. Windows Phone 8.

Windows-Phone-8-Logo

As you might have guessed, Cloud is everywhere now and Windows phone also backs up your contents to the cloud with the help of Microsoft Live Account.

With the inbuilt backup option in Windows Phone 8 you can pretty much backup everything right away to the Microsoft Account. With the inbuilt backup setting you can backup your Internet Explorer Favourites, List of installed apps, Theme and accent configuration, Call history, App settings, Test messages and MMS, Photos and Videos. Your contacts are automatically backed up when you setup your Live Account.

To initiate a backup,

1. Head to Settings > System > Backup.
2. Turn ON Backup for the stuffs you want to have backup of, Such as ‘App list + Settings’, ‘Text Messages’ and ‘Photos’.

In case of Apps, The original App data is not saved. Only the list of apps are saved which when restored will redownload all the apps in the list when connected to Internet.

The Photos and Videos upload setting have options where you can choose your Internet connection mode and the appropriate data will be uploaded such as choosing the Data Plan will upload ‘Good Quality’ images and Wifi will upload the RAW ‘Best Quality’ image. In case of Videos you need to have Wifi to upload it.

• You can access your Contacts at Live/People/Outlook/Hotmail Contacts.

• You can access your Photos and Videos at Skydrive.

To export your Contacts as CSV you can Click on Manage > Export after logging into Live Contacts aka People.

Also you can export your Contacts to Email directly using the Contacts Backup app.

• Download Contacts Backup from here [Windows Phone App Store].

4. Windows Phone 7 / 7.5.

Windows-Phone-7-Logo

[The content below is mostly same for Windows Phone 7.5 as well as WP 7]

Same as Windows Phone 7 your Contacts and Calendar gets synced to your Live Account. Unlike Windows Phone 8, WP 7 Doesn’t give you SMS and App list backup options right out of the box. Also there is a bit of Technical know-how required to implement it as far as I know. The excellent developers at XDA have developed several tools to fight this challenge and I suggest you visit those threads directly and read more about it as they are constantly being updated and you can ask the developers straight away for your doubts.

• Checkout the WP7 Easy Backup Tool [Thread].

• Checkout the SMSBackup V0.9 [Thread].

5. Symbian S40.

First of all there quite a controversy as to whether S40 belongs to Symbian class. But for the sake of this Tutorial lets call it Symbian S40. The primary device which uses this Operating System is the mighty Nokia. Most of Nokia’s mid-range phones carry this OS at heart and there a tons of users wanting help with this OS.

Backing up your Contacts, SMS, Bookmarks, Calendar is quite straightforward in Nokia S40 devices. You are presented with an option straight away.

1. Make sure you have an SD Card inserted and then proceed.
2. Open Settings > Sync and Backup.
3. Tick the stuffs you want to backup and hit the backup button.
4. It will take some time depending on the amount of Contacts,SMS etc.

Once it is finished check your SD Card for a backup folder inside which you will have a .NBF file which is the backup file.

Another way to go about it is to use the Nokia PC Suite.

• Download Nokia PC Suite from [Nokia].

1. Connect your Nokia Device to the PC, Open up Nokia PC Suite and go through the device setup.
2. Click on the Backup Icon in PC Suite.
3. Select the stuffs you want to backup and click the Next Arrow.
4. Select the location to save the backup and Click next.
5. Done.

You can also Sync your Contacts,SMS and Calendar with the Nokia PC Suite by using the Sync icon in the PC Suite.

6. Symbian S60.

Symbian OS

Symbian S60 is more of a Smart Phone kind of Operating System and is featured on above mid-range mobile phones. Similar to S40 you can use Nokia PC Suite to Sync your Contacts,SMS and Calendar to PC.

Although not tested personally but you can Backup your Call Log and SMS with this Application called ‘Message Mirror’.

• Download Message Mirror from [Getjar].

You can also manually export S60 Contacts by:

1. Open Contacts > Options > Mark/Unmark > Mark All.
2. Option > Copy Business Card > To other Memory.
3. Select your SD Card.
4. For any prompts such as over writing, Select Yes.
5. After the Copying is complete, Connect your Phone to the PC via USB and select Mass Storage mode to access the SD Card on PC.
6. Open the SD Card > Others > Contacts folder and Select all the .VCF files and copy it to your Desktop or other location.

Tip : You will have different VCF file for each contact, In order to have a single file you can use the simple Batch File. Create a .Bat file in the same location as the VCF and open it with Notepad. Paste the following code in it: copy *.vcf merged.vcf now save the file and double click the .Bat file to get a merged.VCF file with all your contacts.

Will be adding more Mobile Operating Systems.. To be continued..

I hope this article has helped you in backing up important stuff from your Mobile Phone. Share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter to let them know about Backups.

Facebook-Home

Earlier today we had posted about the Facebook Home being made available on Google Play Store and also posted the original Facebook Home APK file. But as you know the application is currently supported (officially) on limited number of devices such as the HTC One X or Samsung Galaxy SIII.

What about others? Though the compatibility will eventually roll out and other devices might be made available too but who wants to wait when we can get it now?

There are two ways to make it work for you. The first method requires a Rooted Android device and the second method works on any device.

Method for Rooted Android Device.

This method works by editing your android’s Build.Prop file to spoof your device to be one among the supported Facebook Home devices. You can use any of the supported phone’s details to spoof your phone.

I will list details of Samsung Galaxy SIII and HTC One X.

HTC One X Build.Prop Details:

ro.product.model=HTC One X
ro.product.name=evita
ro.product.device=evita

Samsung Galaxy SII Build.Prop Details:

ro.product.model=SCH-I535
ro.product.name=d2vzw
ro.product.device=d2vzw

Steps to edit your Build.Prop.

Step 1. Install Root Browser Lite on your Rooted Android.

Step 2. Open Root Browser Lite and navigate to System Folder which should be below the SD Card folder.

Step 3. Once in it, Scroll down to find the Build.Prop file. Copy it and create a backup of it.

Step 4. Then open it with RB Text Editor or any other editor and look for the following lines:

ro.product.model=XXXXXX
ro.product.name=XXXXXX
ro.product.device=XXXXXX

Where XXXXX will be having your phone details such as Samsung,LG etc.

Step 5. Replace the XXXX with values from the HTC One X or Samsung Galaxy SIII details which I have given above. Make sure you replace the correct value in front of correct line.

Step 6. Save it and Reboot your phone. After rebooting install Facebook Home App and it should work.

Get Original Facebook Home APK from here.

Note : For Facebook Home to work, You need to have Facebook App and Facebook Messenger App installed.

Update : It seems some of you are getting Parse error when installing the APK. I will update the article with a fix asap.

Method for UnRooted Android using Patched Facebook Home App.

This method is for unrooted android devices. Here a developer named PaulOBrien from Modaco has successfully released a patched version of Facebook Home App which bypasses the device check in the APK.

For this patch to work, You need to have patched versions of the other two Facebook Apps too. i.e Facebook App and Facebook Messenger App.

If you have the original versions of Facebook App and Messenger App, You need to uninstall it and download and reinstall the following patched versions.

You can download all the patched apps from his links listed below. Thanks to Paul for releasing these patches for the community.

1. Facebook App (Patched APK)
2. Facebook Messenger App (Patched APK)
3. Facebook Home App (Patched APK)

You can find his thread here : Thread.

After you install this, Go to Facebook App’s Settings and activate Facebook Home.

Hope this works for those who have been wanting to try the Facebook Home App. Share this with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!

facebook home

Facebook Home is a new Android launcher that puts the Facebook and its messaging, photo and other services in front of a user’s mobile device. The app is available for select devices only such as HTC One X, HTC One X+, Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note II. The app was made available earlier this month but was not launched on Google Play. Today the app has arrived on Google Play and is read for download on the above mentioned devices.

To run this app you need to have the updated Facebook App and Facebook Messenger app for Android. Earlier today, the Facebook messenger app was updated which added Chat Heads to the application in Android. You can download these two apps from the Play Store itself. Follow these links:

1. Facebook App.
2. Facebook Messenger App.

Once you have installed this, You need to check if the Facebook Home is compatible with your Android. Chances are that it will not be compatible with any other devices other than the ones I mentioned above but still try your luck.

Download Facebook Home:

1. Facebook Home on Google Play.
2. Facebook Home APK. (258KB)

When you have installed Facebook Home on your Android, Press “Home” button on your phone, Android will ask whether you want to use Facebook Home launcher or your existing launcher, choose Facebook Home and start using it. You can change it back to the default launcher in the Android Application Settings.

wordpress security

WordPress Blogs has been under massive brute force attack from the past few days. This has increased to such an extent that all the major web hosts have informed their customers about the attack and asking them to take precautionary measures. Popular hosts such as Hostgator, Hostdime, Liquidweb have all issued warnings via Emails.

What is Brute Force BTW?

Brute forcing is a technique used to login to panel by guessing passwords. A brute-force attack is an attempt to discover a password by systematically trying every possible combination of letters, numbers, and symbols until you discover the one correct combination that works. Brute forcing ensures 100% success rate at hacking. But the downside to this hacking attempt is the amount of time it can take to crack the password. A well set password can take years to crack.

Now you know why you should change your password often right? Imagine someone has decided to brute force your account and it will take months. Now when he is about to succeed at the end of 2nd month, You change your password.. He is doomed!

Usually a brute forcer doesn’t go through the normal systematic way of guessing every alphabet. He uses what is known as a Dictionary which contains the most common passwords anyone would set and mind you people have compiled very huge dictionaries even ranging upto 50-100GBs.

Here we will help you protect your WordPress blog with these simple yet powerful procedures. Follow these steps and you can decrease the extent of your vulnerability to a great level.

Start Securing..

Step 0. Backup!

Before you do anything, Just. Simply. Backup. Backup your entire wordpress blog, There are plugins to do that and also do an entire Cpanel export.

Step 1. Lock Down Your Blog Login Page.

Install a wordpress plugin known as Limit Login Attempts. It is a plugin that will block unlimited login attempts, By default wordpress allows anyone to try any number of password for a username and brute forcers love this! This plugin will block further attempts to login after a certain number of failed attempts.

This might not work in this case since the Login Attempts come from different IP Addresses at a constant rate, But still you should keep this installed.

Search for it in your WordPress Plugins page or Download it from here : Limit Login Attempts.

Step 2. Put in a Captcha for that Bot.

When massive amount of attacks are carried out, ‘They’ usually use Malwares and Bots to perform the attack. In that case you can put up a Captcha on the Login page to ensure these are ruled out. Although captchas can be bypassed (Deathbycaptcha,Decaptcher services) but still this adds an extra layer of protection.

captcha

BONUS : It also prevents SPAM!

To install captcha on your blog, Go to WordPress Plugins page and search for “Captcha” and install the BestWebSoft’s plugin or Download it from here : Captcha.

Step 3. Power UP Your Password. (Change it)

Your password is the main vulnerable target in this scenario, So ensure you have a secure and strong password. Much like the following passwords:

4vW*ZpX@OeQs

^X11iQ$&WyN3

i@8WjSf6GRn$

Don’t use the above They are just examples.

password strength

Once you have chosen one, Check its strength using the Microsoft’s Password Strength Checker.

Step 4. Password Protect the wp-login.php File.

You can password protect your Wp-Login.php file which is the WordPress’s login page. Follow the tutorial by Hostgator to accomplish this : [LINK]

Step 5. IP Block Frequent Abusers.

If you have checked your logs to find the IP addresses from where the attacks are originating, Then you can use .htaccess to block those IPs or IP range from accessing your blog.

To Ban Single IPs use the code below :

order allow,deny
deny from 192.168.1.2
deny from 10.130.130.6
deny from 172.16.130.106
allow from all

To ban a whole IP range, such as from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254 you can use the code below :

order allow,deny
deny from 192.168.1.
allow from all

Step 6. Use Extra Layer of Protection with CloudFlare.

Cloudflare is a a Content Delivery Network with added security measures, They offer a free version of their services. I encourage you to setup Cloudflare on your website so that the traffic is routed through their servers and unauthorized attempts are filtered out. Earlier I had explained how to setup Cloudflare on your blog, Although it hasn’t been updated for a long time but it might help, take a look : [LINK].

Visit Cloudflare.

Step 7. Use Stealth Login Page.

Using Stealth Login Page plugin you can protect your wp-admin and wp-login.php pages from being accessed by obscuring the WP login form URL. This plugin creates a secret, customizable, login URL string. Those attempting to gain access to your login form will be automatically redirected to this customizable URL. Much like hiding your real Login page.

Search for it in the Plugins page or download it from here : Stealth Login Page.

Step 8. Harden WordPress Security.

Read more about hardening your wordpress security by following this official guide from WordPress creators : [Guide]

mobile website comparision

In recent years, the use of mobile devices to access the Internet has skyrocketed. With smartphones and tablets, people are able to access the Internet from just about anywhere and at any time they feel the desire. However, since traditional websites designed for desktop computers often function poorly on mobile devices, it is important to develop a mobile alternative. Doing so is different than designing a desktop website and requires some particular considerations.

What to consider when designing a mobile website?

A generic mobile website can be created within a matter of minutes, but having one that is truly Google-friendly and optimized for smartphone use will take a little extra time and effort.

Content – Text and images should be condensed in order for it to be viewed comfortably on a smaller screen. Mobile device users want to be able to access the information they are seeking without a lot of scrolling. Text should be prioritized based on specific keywords so the most important holds a priority position. Additional pages can be created for the rest. Images should be scaled down. This will also help the site to load faster.

Freshness – Google prides itself on providing its users with the most relevant links possible to the information they are seeking. One technique to keep Google happy includes updating content frequently, and making it as original as is possible. It should also be considered reliable and thorough by users. Newer content will have Google coming back more often. Try to utilize catchy headlines and analyze which keywords are more important to your users. Incorporate them as much as possible without being excessive.

Be social – Work the social media sites to attract new potential customers or at least visitor to the site. This doesn’t have much to do with the design phase of the site, but it is important to attract new visitors. Provide links on Twitter and Facebook that will lead users to the original content on the site. Post pictures that also include keywords. As people share these posts with their friends, your site’s ranking on Google will increase.

Navigation – Provide plenty of space around buttons to avoid accidental clicks. Text should be set off from the background so it can be read easily.

Offer the desktop – Mobile users should be given the option of going to the desktop website if they so choose. Some may not enjoy the limitations that are placed on mobile sites and would prefer the full version, even if it’s not as easy to navigate with a smartphone.

A mobile website can be a great asset to a company if it’s done right. This may require a little more work than a normal website, an understanding of mobile users and employing the right optimization techniques to ensure high Google rankings, but it can also provide a great opportunity to expand the customer base and increase sales.

About the Author

Simon Phillips of TouchLogic.co.uk is a mobile web designer who helps small business owners to convert their existing website to a mobile ready version.

adblock plus removed by google play

Google today decided to remove the popular Adblocking Apps like Adblock Plus and Adaway from their app store, Google Play Store. The reason for which is cited to be that such apps violate the section 4.4 of the Developer Distribution Agreement. You can view the section 4.4 below.

4.4 Prohibited Actions.

You agree that you will not engage in any activity with the Market, including the development or distribution of Products, that interferes with, disrupts, damages, or accesses in an unauthorized manner the devices, servers, networks, or other properties or services of any third party including, but not limited to, Android users, Google or any mobile network operator. You may not use customer information obtained from the Market to sell or distribute Products outside of the Market.

These apps were just as famous as their Desktop counterparts (Adblock Plus addon) and their removal has brought an outcry among users. Here we show you an alternative which can be used by Rooted Android Users.

I hope you are aware of the presence of Hosts File in your intelligent systems. If not this is how Wikipedia describes the hosts file:

The hosts file is a computer file used by an operating system to map hostnames to IP addresses. The hosts file is a plain text file, and is conventionally named hosts.

Err.. ignore that ‘computer file’ part since this file is now present on Mobile devices too, Since Android uses Linux as base this file ought to exist. So what this Hosts file in short does is to redirect hostnames like Google.com to their IP address (74.125.236.130).

What we will be doing is redirecting all (well not all) hostnames which serve Ads in our mobile to 127.0.0.1 (localhost). Hence nullifying their requests and blocking the ad serving in the process.

Well this is the basic structure of a hosts file:

# Some text which are comments will be present here
127.0.0.1  localhost
::1        localhost

In Android, hosts file is present in the “/etc/” or “/system/etc/” folder and as you might have assumed this is inaccessible for non rooted users, So once you have rooted your device proceed with the steps or skip to the ending where you can download the APK file of AdBlock Plus or AdAway App.

How to Block Ads on Android with Hosts File.

Step 1. Install Root Browser Lite app on your device. [Google Play]

Step 2. Open the application and navigate to /etc/ or /system/etc/ folder on your Internal storage (Not SD Card).

Step 3. Look for a file named Hosts (doesn’t have a file extension like .txt etc), Copy it to your SD Card (for backup) then delete it from the original location.

Step 4. Download the Hosts file compiled by an awesome XDA Member (BSDgeek_Jake). [XDA Post with Attachment] [Box.com Mirror]

Step 5. Extract the Zip file and transfer the Hosts file to your device and paste it in place of your original Hosts file i.e /etc/ or /system/etc/.

Step 6. Reboot your android.

BSDgeek_Jake is doing a very commendable task by keeping the Hosts file updated by issuing regular updates via the XDA Forum Post. I suggest you register on the Forum and subscribe to the post. I will do my job and try to update the mirror whenever he issues a new update.

Google a few days ago had blocked Adblock Plus from running on their Android 4.2.2 by blocking the way the App modifies the Proxy settings on the device rendering the app unusable, But you can make the app work by manually tweaking the Proxy setting for each network you connect to. It is described here : Proxy Configuration.

Adblock Plus and Adaway APK files.

Adblock Plus APK can be downloaded from their website here : Adblock Plus Android.

Adaway APK can be download from the Fdroid repository here : Adaway APK.

Hope this has helped you in evading Ads on your mobile device, Remember to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter!