Free (Highly Customizable) WordPress Theme: Introducing NomeBlog

Written by Alex Denning, a Twitter fan who has finally got around to launching his own blog, Nometech.com!

Recently WordPress has had a huge popularity surge, with the rise of ‘magazine themes’. At the same time that WordPress’ popularity has soared, people have forgotten about what WP is all about: fundamentally, it is a blogging system. Trying to keep that in mind, I’m releasing my first WordPress theme, NomeBlog.

NomeBlog

NomeBlog is as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be; those of you who don’t have much experience coding or don’t want to edit your theme files, you can just install the theme and leave it at that. However, those of you who are into theme customization, you’re going to love NomeBlog! Why? I’ll run down some of the features:

  • XHTML valid code
  • Auto-image resizing
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Awesome jQuery navigation
  • Widgetised sidebar
  • Author info at the bottom of posts
  • Related posts automatically displayed
  • iPhone support
  • ‘Login’ option displayed on the navbar to those logged in
  • Customised default gravatar (+gravatar support)
  • Support for WP-Pagenavi
  • Sidebar blog
  • Built in archive
  • 125×125 ad ready
  • Feedburner subscribe by email ready
  • Homepage thumbnail support

NomeBlog prides itself in ease of use - I originally built the theme, or at least what I based NomeBlog on for one of my other sites, Nometet.com. Why did I build it? It was taking me too long just to post something on Nometet, resizing images, inserting custom fields; I needed something that did the hard work for me. The solution was to build the NomeBlog theme.

As I’ve already said, NomeBlog is as simple or as complicated as you’d like it to be, so I’ll quickly run through some of the more advanced features:

iPhone

  • phpthumb built in - the script that timthumb was built off, phpthumb is the image resizer to end all image resizers; it is great! Check out the getting started guide (link below) for details of how to use it in posts, alternatively, you can create the custom field ‘Image’ and on the homepage will be displayed a thumbnail of the image you’ve input.
  • iPhone support - as I wrote here a short while ago, iPhone support is becoming increasingly a necessity. NomeBlog supports the iPhone through the use of the iWPhone plugin, which I’ve customized. You can download the customized version of the plugin (which looks great!) here.
  • Customised default gravatar - fed up with random monsters and boring silhouettes being displayed next to Gravatar-less-comments? NomeBlog has built in support for your own customized Gravatar. Just upload your own image file (again, see the getting started guide) and you’re done.

It is hard to show off all the features briefly, so for the full, complete list of features and details on how to get started, check out my new blog, where there is a lengthy getting started guide. To keep updated, make sure you grab the Nometech RSS feed too!

And of course, you can view a live demo here or download the theme. It is free, but please keep the link back. Any comments would be appreciated.

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How To: Find the Right WordPress Theme

Although WP Hacks was originally setup with WordPress Hacks in mind, based upon our readers needs we’ve invested a lot of time over the past year and a half into researching WordPress themes and providing you with a large selection of WordPress theme galleries.

Back when this website was launched the premium themes market didn’t exist yet, so we had originally placed our focus on the different types of free WordPress themes.  The result was a bunch of galleries broken down into types.

Since that time, a second market has emerged known as premium WordPress themes (premium was the term originally used to describe a more advanced or higher quality WordPress theme).   Over time we adapted and now offer a variety of both types of theme galleries.  

I always felt there is a market for both types of themes in the WordPress community, but some shoppers don’t know which of the two they should be looking at.   Add in the fact that too many designers over the past year have released low quality themes under the ”premium” business model, and a lot of people have been left unhappy with their purchases and an overall loss of trust in the premium themes market as a whole.   

So, if you were shopping for a new WordPress theme for your website or blog, what should you be looking for?   Based upon the individuals needs of the shopper, there are a variety of factors that should be considered, but it mostly boils down to three essential factors:

  1. Price - Is the theme free?  If there is a cost associated with the theme, am I getting the right value for the price?   In the price category, free WordPress themes are always going to have an advantage, but there are a few downsides to going this route.   Free themes usually require you to leave the link in the footer, while many premium themes do not.   Many free themes are also unsupported, so if you aren’t comfortable hacking your own theme, it may be worth the price to purchase a supported theme.   There is also minimal risk of sponsored links or malicious code showing up in a purchased theme. 
  2. Quality - Another obvious point of comparison between free WordPress themes and premium WordPress themes is the quality of the themes.   There are a number of high quality free WordPress themes and (as mentioned above) there are some low quality premium themes.   When looking for your theme, the designer or design companies reputation is everything.   Does the theme I want offer control panel options, cross browser compatibility, or widget support? Are there multiple layouts and color choices to choose from?
  3. Support - Although support isn’t going to be relevant for some people looking who have the ability to customize their own theme, for most shoppers this should be the most important factor.   Some free themes offer support from the designer, but most do not.   If you decide to purchase a theme, you are usually paying as much for the support as you are for the acutal theme!   Does this designer have trustworthy testimonials?  Do you know any existing customers who are happy with the support they are receiving?  

What do you value most when shopping for the right free or premium WordPress theme for your website or blog?  I know most of the WordPress theme designers read this site and will see your feedback, so let us know in the comments!

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My Thoughts on Digg and Their Community

Despite the fact that I’ve been blogging for over three years now, the past two days have been a unique experience for me.   For the first time in my blogging career, one of my posts made the front page of Digg.    Truthfully, this isn’t the big accomplishment that it used to be as many bloggers make it there in their first few months of blogging, but this post isn’t about that.  Instead I wanted to post about my experience being on the front page of Digg.

Funny thing is, the post that was Dugg was our best 3-Column WordPress Themes gallery, which was actually published on October 2, 2007.   In that post, we featured our favorite 3-column WordPress themes in a gallery format for people to look through and find a suitable theme for their WordPress blog.   This of course was before any of the premium WordPress themes or content management themes we have today.  After I noticed the post was on Digg’s front page, I decided to revisit this post and noticed how “2007″ it was.   WordPress has grown a lot since then and the quality of themes has really grown with it, making many of these themes really look outdated.

Anyway, I digress.  It was Sunday afternoon before I realized WP Hacks had crashed due to being on the front page of Digg and it took a few hours before I tracked down the reason why and got the site back up and running.   Once that was figured out I decided to dig through the Digg comments (pun intended) and was surprised with what I found:

1) Surely not the “best” themes out there.
Even though some look good, the others are really… well, insignificant.

2) Is it just me or are all of these comments ridiculous? This has become very common on posts like this where they are a ‘best of’ list. My guess is someone is paying people to digg their article and make it FP.

3) Wow, someone just randomly grabs a heap of themes with no discernible consistency of quality at all, jams a bunch of screen shots together into a blog post, then by virtue of having dug every submission of of anyone in his list of ‘friends’ in the last six months, gets this propelled to front page. Then he logs in his army of fake accounts and makes a bunch of comments about his own post.

4) These aren’t that great, and all of these comments look like spam . . .

Seriously?!?   I wasn’t even aware this post had been Dugg for almost 24 hours and suddenly I have an army of accounts and I have friends digging for me?   Is it not possible for people to legitimately make the front page of Digg these days?   I guess I don’t use Digg enough these days to know the “rules for getting to the front page.” With that said, probably the funniest part is this post being close to a year and a half old, yet people act like it was a fresh post showing current themes.

Anyway, for years now I’ve never really focused on Digg traffic and I think the comments above show why.  It is simply a rush of traffic which is usually not targeted to your niche topic, so there is little chance of converting them into readers.   Why exactly would someone want their post on the front page of Digg?  The only potential benefits I can think of are incoming links I suppose.   Otherwise it is more of a hassle than anything.

So, what are your thoughts on Digg?  Do you still use it?

Oh, and to our new readers, if you’re looking for a new WordPress theme, here are a few updated theme galleries we’ve made:

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140+ Free & Premium WordPress Themes Gallery

Updated: March 25, 2009

As WordPress continues to grow in popularity, more and more designers are realizing the potential of building WordPress themes.   In addition to the financial benefits, designers can also use WordPress themes to create additional inbound links, improve their reputation as a designer, and of course help generate freelance work.

Because of the huge size of the WordPress theme market, it has become increasingly difficult to find a good way to browse through the available WordPress themes.   Unfortunately I don’t have a solution, but I have spent several hours trying to sort through the available themes and create a gallery to display many of the top designs in both the free and premium WordPress theme markets.  Currently this page has over 150 WordPress themes, plus a few known theme clubs thrown in at the bottom for people that prefer that route.

Due to the size of this post, I have broken the themes contained within this post into 6 categories for easier navigation.  Simply click the link which applies to the type of WordPress theme you are looking for and you’ll be directed directly to that section!

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Blog WordPress Themes

Vintage Theme

vintage-theme

Source | Download | Demo

Blues Theme

blues-theme

Source | Download | Demo

Shades of Blue Theme

shades-of-blue-theme

Source | Download | Demo

Typebased Theme

Source/Demo | Download

PassionDuo Theme (3 Colors)

Green: Demo | Download, Red: Demo | Download, Blue: Demo | Download

WP Freemium Theme

Source | Download

SimpleWP Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Evolution Theme

Source | Download | Demos: Blue, Green, Red

GlossyBlue Theme

GlossyBlue Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Color Paper Theme

Source | Download | Demo

StudioPress Theme

StudioPress Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Blak Magik Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Several3 Theme

Several3 Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Mag on Wood Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Simply Ornate Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Agregado Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Notepad Chaos Theme

Source | Download | (Unable to Locate a Demo)

WordPress Fun Theme

Source | Download | (Unable to Locate a Demo)

Daily Press Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Curious Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Rewire Theme

rewire-theme

Source | Download | Demo

Pixeled Theme

Source | Download | (Unable to Locate a Demo)

Daily32 Theme

Daily32 Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Digital Statement Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Curved Theme

Curved Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Accord Theme

Accord Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Webby Green Theme | Webby Blue Theme

Webby Green Theme

Source | Download (Green) | Download (Blue) | Demo (Green) | Demo (Blue)

Maggo Theme

Maggo Theme

Source | Download | Demo

iPhone Theme

iPhone Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Firebug Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Padangan Theme

Padangan Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Free Revolution Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Black and White Theme

Black and White Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Xplosive Theme

Xplosive Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Xplosive Reloaded

Xplosive Reloaded Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Blog oh Blog Theme

Blog oh Blog Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Langit Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Blue Block Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Dark Zen Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Tomodachi Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Blue Dream Theme

Blue Dream Theme

Source/Demo | Download

BizFresh Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Simple Red Theme

Simple Red Theme

Source | Download (Requires free registration) | Demo

True Blue Theme

True Blue Theme

Source | Download (Requires free registration) | Demo

Resurrection Theme

Resurrection

Source/Demo | Download

WP Premiere Theme

WP Premiere Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Silveray Theme

Silveray Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Rhea Theme

Rhea Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Aspire Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Velocity Theme

Velocity Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Techicon Theme

Techicon Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Biz Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Quadruple Blue Theme

Quad Blue Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Lightsource Theme

lightsource

Comes with $20.00 subscription to Elegant Themes Club!

Source/Demo | Download

Flexx Theme

  • Over 1,000 Possible Layout Combinations!

Single-Use ($79.95), Multiple-Use ($249.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Gotham News Theme

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Blog Theme

Single-Use ($40.00), Developer’s ($90.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Omni Social Networking Theme

Single-Use ($79.99), Developer’s ($199.99)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Over Easy Theme

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Blubs Theme

Single-Use ($49.95), Multiple-Use ($99.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Killian 1.0 Theme

Killian Theme

Personal ($49.00), Developer ($159.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Thesis Theme

Personal License ($87.00), Developer’s License ($164.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

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Magazine/News WordPress Themes

OpenBook Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Options Theme

Options Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Hamasaki Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Structure Theme

Structure Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Massive News Theme

Massive News Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Visionary Theme

Visionary Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Mimbo Theme

mimbo3

Source | Download | Demo

Morning After Theme

Morning After Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Forte Theme

Forte

Source | Download | Demo

The Studio Theme

Studio Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Arthemia Free Theme (Premium Version Also Available)

Source | Download | Demo | Premium Version of Arthemia

Guzel Magazine Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Newsweek Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Studio WordPress Theme (Available in Blue, Green, & Red)

Source | Download | Demo

Transparency Theme

transparency-theme

Source | Download | Demo

Slick Press Theme

slick-press-theme

Source | Download | Demo

Cellar Heat Theme

Source | Download | Demo

MonarTech Theme

monartech-theme

Source | Download | Demo

Premium News Theme

Source | Download | Demo

Small Magazine Theme

Source | Download | (Unable to Locate a Demo)

Revolution Church Theme

Source/Demo | Download

Revolution Lifestyle Theme

Source/Demo | Download

Revolution Office

Source/Demo | Download

One Theme (5 Color Choices Included)

Single-Use ($99.95), Three-Use ($199.99), Developer’s License ($299.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Thick Theme (20 Color Combinations)

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Open Air Theme

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Gemini Theme

Single-Use ($60.00), Developer’s ($120.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Pass It On Theme

Single-Use ($85.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Fresh News Theme

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

WP-Magazine Theme

WP-Magazine Theme

Basic (Single License $99.00), Premium (Multiple Use $199.00), Developer ($299.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Papercut Theme

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Live Wire 2.0 Theme (Available in Green, Red, and Blue!)

Live Wire 2.0 Theme

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

WP Vybe Theme

Basic (Single License $99.00), Premium (Multiple Use $199.00), Developer ($299.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Shiva Pro Theme

Single-Use ($89.00), Multiple-Use ($149.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Tauren Pro Theme

Single-Use ($69.00), Multiple-Use ($128.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Chimera Theme

Single-Use ($59.00), Multiple-Use ($109.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Flash News/Magazine Theme

Flash News Magazine Theme

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Premium News: Gazette Edition

Gazette Edition

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Deep Blue Theme

Single-Use License ($50.00), Developer’s Pack License ($199.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Citrus Theme

Single-Use ($79.00), Multiple-Use ($99.00), Developer’s Pack ($149.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Scarlett Theme

scarlette-theme

Source | Download | Demo

Arthemia Premium Theme

Single License ($70.00), Five Licenses ($140.00), Developer’s Pack ($240.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Traveler Theme

Single-Use ($79.95), Multiple-Use ($179.95), Developer’s License ($279.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Celebrity Press Theme

Single-Use ($79.95), Multiple-Use ($179.95), Developer’s Pack ($279.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Celebrity Gossip Theme

Single-Use ($35.00), Multiple-Use ($95.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

MagNews Theme

Single-Use License ($49.00), Developer’s Pack ($199.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Newspaper Theme

Single-Use ($59.00), Mutiple-Use ($159.00), Developer’s License ($259.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

NewsPro Theme

Single-Use ($59.00), Mutiple-Use ($159.00), Developer’s License ($259.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Suvi Theme

Single-Use ($59.00), Mutiple-Use ($159.00), Developer’s License ($259.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

iTeam Theme

Single-Use ($59.95), Multiple-Use ($149.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

iNews Theme

Single-Use ($49.95), Multiple-Use ($79.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Springs Theme

Single-Use ($79.95), Multiple-Use ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

bSocial Theme

Single-Use ($79.95), Multiple-Use ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Ultimate Blogging Theme

Single License ($67.00), Unlimited License ($97.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Credit Crunch Theme

Single License ($70.00), Unlimited License ($249.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

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Small Business WordPress Themes

Essence Theme (6 Colors to Choose From)

Essence Themes

Single-Use ($79.95), Multiple-Use ($249.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Coldstone Theme

coldstone-theme

Comes with $20.00 subscription to Elegant Themes Club!

Source/Demo | Download

WP-Remix Theme

Personal ($75.00), Multiple-Use ($275.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Titanium WordPress Theme

Single-Use ($79.95), Multiple-Use ($149.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

WP Realtor Theme

Single-Use ($79.99), Multiple-Use ($149.99), Developer’s Pack ($349.99)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Colonial Real Estate WordPress Theme

Single-Use ($59.95), Multiple-Use ($149.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

iRealEstate WordPress Theme

Single-Use ($49.95),Multiple-Use ($59.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Deep Order Theme

Deep Order Theme

Single-Use ($79.95), Multiple-Use ($249.95)

Source/Demo | Purchase

eCommerce Theme

Single-Use ($49.00), Multiple-Use ($199.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Industrial Series Themes (Includes 6 Different Colors)

Industrial Series Theme

Single-Use ($49.95), Multiple-Use ($99.95)

Source/Purchase | Demo

Deep Stack Poker Theme

Single-Use ($79.95), Multiple-Use ($199.95)

Source/Purchase | Demo

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Portfolio WordPress Themes

Viz | Biz Portfolio Theme

viz-biz-theme

Single-Use License ($79.95), Multiple-Use License ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Download

WP Showcase Theme

wp-showcase

Single-Use License ($59.00), Multiple-Use License ($99.00), Developer’s Pack ($159.00)

Source/Demo | Download

Simple Site Theme

simple-site

Single-Use License ($49.00), Multiple-Use License ($149.00)

Source/Demo | Download

VibrantCMS Theme

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Cassiopeia Theme

cassiopeia-theme

Single-Use ($80.00), Developer’s Pack ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

Fresh Folio Theme

Single-Use ($70.00), Developer’s ($150.00)

Source/Demo | Purchase

eGallery Theme

egallery-theme

Comes with $20.00 subscription to Elegant Themes Club!

Source/Demo | Download

eVid Theme

evid-elegant-themes

Comes with $20.00 subscription to Elegant Themes Club!

Source/Demo | Download

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Video WordPress Themes

Revolution Album Theme

Source/Demo | Download

Revolution Elements Theme

Source/Demo | Download

Revolution Charred

Source/Demo | Download

Revolution Chrome

Source/Demo | Download

Revolution Black Canvas Theme

Source/Demo | Download

Revolution Video

Source/Demo | Download

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WordPress Theme Clubs

Theme Hybrid Club

theme-hybrid-club

All themes are free with limited support.  $25.00 for full support!

Source/Join | Download

Single Subscription (3 months = $150.00 or 6 months = $250.00), Developer Subscription (3 months = $225.00 or 6 months = $375.00)

Source | Purchase

iThemes Theme Club

EVERY iThemes release for only $399.95!

Source | Purchase

Elegant Premium Themes Club

EVERY premium WordPress theme for only $19.99!  Optional yearly renewal.

Source | Purchase

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WordPress News & Notes - October 23, 2008

Here are some WordPress-related news and notes I’ve run across over the past week and felt were worth sharing with everyone:

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