Digital Pacific Company Blog

Many people phone Digital Pacific to ask if we can run a particular type of content management system (CMS), even ones not listed on our Extended Support page. Generally speaking, if the CMS runs using PHP and MySQL it can be hosted by Digital Pacific.

To technical, PHP is a scripting language used to create dynamic websites. It works with the MySQL database to present a website’s content that has been stored on the server in its tables and cells. To break it down, you could imagine a MySQL database as being like an Excel spreadsheet. The PHP code calls specific tables and cells of information and then presents it on the website in the specified location and format.

The beauty of a content management system is that the program does all the hard work for you in the background. All you have to do is input the information (after having it installed of course) and the rest is history.

Here are 12 of the most popular requested content management systems at Digital Pacific:

1. Joomla!

   Joomla! is one of the most popular content management systems on the market today. It is said to have an impressive amount of functionality, but the simplicity cannot beat ones such as WordPress. Joomla! is the perfect CMS for corporate, e-commerce and even personal websites.

   Joomla! Demo

   Related Blog Posts:
   Drupal, Joomla!, and WordPress – Which CMS to choose?

---

2. WordPress

   
   WordPress has become the software choice of bloggers everywhere in the world. Created by users for users, WordPress does an excellent job of taking the confusion out of constructing fully-functional websites and weblogs. Navigation is never an issue, & countless features can be added in the form of plugins.
   wordpress demo

   Related Blog Posts:
   Five Reasons Why Blogs Benefit Businesses
   10 Essential WordPress Plugins for Your Blog

---

3. Drupal

   Drupal is said to have the highest learning curve of the top 3 content management systems listed here, but its users and developers swear by its overall power. Drupal can be used for community sites, forums, weblogs, and corporate websites.

   Drupal Demo

---

4. Moodle

   Moodle is a content management system that is used to create online courses and web-based learning websites. Moodle stands for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, but the word “moodle” itself means to while the time away (a little trivia for you). This CMS is great for universities, schools and any organisation that needs to run learning modules on the web.
   Moodle Demo

---

5. Pligg

   Pligg is a CMS that is meant to create social network / user-driven websites. Pligg offers the ability for members to log in and submit their own content, news, video, etc. to the site. Users are then able to vote for their favorites, which are bumped to the front page.

   Pligg Demo

---

6. Xoops

   Xoops is yet another great and powerful CMS software that is said to work well for large and small organisations and companies, as well as personal blogs and websites. Xoops stands for eXtensible Object Oriented Portal System, and like other CMS software, it can be customised with add-on modules.

   Xoops Demo

---

7. TYPO3

   TYPO3 is a CMS that is ready to take on small to medium enterprise websites. It offers user-friendly tools, detailed permissions settings and an internal messaging system to help bring collaboration to any project.

   TYPO3 demo

.

---

8. phpBB

   PhpBBboasts its community building powers through the use of its dynamic forum layouts. It provides multi-category layouts, advanced settings and video tutorials to help anyone create an amazing stand-alone message board or integrate one with an existing website.

   phpBB demo

---

9. MediaWiki

   MediaWiki software was originally used on the Wikipedia website, but has become available to web users wishing to create a collaborative and informational website. MediaWiki allows for users to collectively update and edit information, so it is good for help and knowledgebase sites where the data changes often.
   MediaWiki Demo

---

10. Mambo

    Mambo is a content management system that can cover just about any type of website out there, and better yet, it is simple to use. A number of high-profile websites have used Mambo, such as Mitsubishi and the French Parliament to name a few.

    Mambo Demo

---

11. CMS Made Simple

    CMSMS talks about its cross-the-board functionality from personal to corporate websites. It features drop-down site navigation menus, SEO friendly URLs, various extensions and the ability to incorporate a different design on every page.

    CMS Made Simple Demo

---

12. PHP Link Directory

    PHP Link Directory is the perfect solution for any directory or listings website. It allows users to assign categories, allow link submissions (even paid ones) and the creation of articles and pages.

    PHP Link Directory Demo

---

Have you experienced success or failure with any of the content management systems in this list? If so, please share your story by leaving a comment below.

We can install any cms that is php / mysql based for a small one off fee. Please see our extended support section for more information.

.

For the normal person looking to get online, searching through a web host’s website can simply be a confusing list of technological terms and abbreviations. Just one quick look at the Digital Pacific site and you will probably encounter a number of them, such as Gb, VPS and MySQL, right off the bat. Do you happen to know what all of these terms refer to?

If not, (it’s OK!) then there’s a good chance that SSL also makes that list of confusing terms, but it definitely doesn’t have to. That’s why we’re going to break it down and explain why SSL certificates are important to ANY website owner that wishes to exchange sensitive information with customers via their website.

What does an SSL certificate do?

Basically, an SSL (secure socket layer) certificate protects the information that is being transferred between a web user and the server. That information can be credit card details while making an online transaction, login details for protected pages of websites and file transfers. An SSL certificate sends the information in an encrypted form, up to 256-bit, so as to provide security to both the web user and website owner.

Do I need an SSL certificate?

If you are a website owner looking to take part in ecommerce or to provide a secure area in your site, then YES, you will need an SSL certificate!

What are the benefits of using an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate authenticates a website, providing peace of mind to your visitors as well as yourself. The benefits of using an SSL certificate include the following:

• Website authentication and business validation proof for web visitors
• Secure transactions and information transfer
• Chance for increased web sales since customers feel more comfortable

You may not realize it, but the GeoTrust seal that comes with our SSL certificates says a lot to wary online shoppers. GeoTrust provides products for more than 100,000 customers around the world, making them more than just a company, but a household name when it comes to Internet security. There are seals to match each of the different SSL certificates available that can be displayed on your website to provide immediate trust to your customers; some even have an instant click-to-verify capability. With today’s online environment swarming with hackers, scammers and identity thieves, there is every reason to invest in an SSL certificate, and no reason not to.

Beyond the seals, an SSL certificate provides a “locked” lock icon in the bottom of your browser window that will display a certificate’s information when clicked. Some certificates go as far as providing a different colour address bar that also displays the lock icon and credentials.

If you would like to learn more about the SSL certificates on offer at Digital Pacific, please take a closer look at our SSL Certificates page. As always, our sales and support teams are ready to answer any additional questions you might have.

Hopefully this aids you in understanding the SSL certificate a bit more in non-technological terms. Please do let us know if you found this article helpful by leaving a comment below!

1.Use Keywords

When a good domain name is taken, such as one matching your business name, then using a combination of keywords is a good alternate route. Make a list of words and phrases that web users might be entering into search engines to find a site like yours, and then come up with a catchy combination that you can still register.

2.Use Hyphens

Break up words in your desired domain name with hyphens if the name is already taken.

3.Different Extension

The .com and .com.au extensions are going to naturally be the most popular and well-known extensions to Australians, so the chance of your name being gone is more likely on these extensions. If possible, try choosing another extension, such as .net and .net.au if the registration requirements can be met.

4.Drop Letters

Flickr made a bold move by dropping that last vowel, but it has been something both innovative and marketable on their behalf. However, marketable is the key word here. If you do decide to drop a letter, you will need to make sure this name is marketed quite well in order to make sure web users are accessing the right page.

5.Domain Hacking

Domain hacking has become quite popular these days with the rollout of numerous new domain extensions. The extension .me, for example, has led domain registrants to choose cute domains like love.me and contact.me. It is also possible to split a word up to include the extension like in revie.ws. As with dropping letters, these types of domains need to be marketed well in order to ensure the web user will understand where the extension is involved.

6.Acronyms

Acronyms are a great way to break down long names and phrases into a short and memorable domain name. Of recent popularity are the acronyms brought about by texting slang, such as omg.com (Oh My God) and idk.com (I Don’t Know).

7.Subdomains

Subdomains easily open up a number of witty domain name ideas. Subdomains go in front of the main domain name and can combine with the main domain to both categorise and create something catchy. A quick example could involve the main domain of for-you.com. If this website sells different products, there could be subdomains tossed in like flowers.for-you.com and chocolate.for-you.com.

8.Merge Words

Creating new words from merging two keywords or descriptive words is yet another creative option. Wordoid is a website that specially helps with this process. All you do is enter in a word that you would definitely like to have in your name, and then it “automagically” presents you with various ideas.

9.Prefixes and Suffixes

The iPhone has now caused a trend of applications that are named starting with the letter “i”, so it is always a possibility to follow suit and try adding a prefix of your own. Fun suffixes can also turn a normal and used up domain name into something new. Take the popular –ster ending that can take a normal domain from blog.com to blogster.com and so on.

Firefox is definitely Digital Pacific’s web browser of choice, and we gladly recommend it to any of our customers. Like Internet Explorer, Firefox retrieves website files and then renders them together to present the website that you view on the screen before you. Mozilla Firefox works in true open source fashion by allowing users to customise its look, feel and functionality with the addition of numerous add-ons. These add-ons give the web browser the ability to do everything from social bookmarking your favourite blog posts to helping you edit a website’s code.

Here are five of our favourite Firfox Add-ons

1. Firebug

Firebug allows you to view, browse and edit a preview version of a website’s code as you look at it in your browser. Better yet, you get to do it without having to open up any other programs! Just click on the tiny little Firebug icon in the bottom-right corner of Firefox and a window will open up directly in your current browser with access to the code. This little add-on also allows you to try out different options on a live website without affecting the live code.

2. ColorfulTabs

ColorfulTabs does just what the name says; it makes each of your open website tabs a different colour. This can not only make your web browser prettier, but it can also help you with tab organisation and quick tab identification. ColorfulTabs is one of the simplest Firefox add-ons, but it is definitely one of the most popular.

3. Fire Gestures

Fire Gestures provides the ability to take its five different mouse gestures and link them to various commands. With this awesome add-on, you can make opening different browser tabs, or click the forward and back buttons, a breeze. The add-on’s homepage provides an entire list of mapping options to apply to each gesture including enlarging and reducing an image’s size, accessing Firefox options and translating a page’s language.

4. YSlow

Yslow is especially great for web developers, but anyone interested in web design can benefit by using this Firefox add-on. YSlow analyses a website’s performance, and the criteria with which it uses to determine this level can be customised. Besides that, it will provide a list of suggestions that can be used to make it better. This add-on works in conjunction with Firebug, so of course, that add-on should be installed as well in order for YSlow to function.

5. Delicious Bookmarks

Delicious Bookmarks is a Firefox add-on that helps you to quickly and easily bookmark your favourite websites and blogs. With the integration into the toolbar, you can even access and search your bookmarks, view and search your tags and share via the Internet. For those concerned about consistency between the web version and the toolbar version, you will be happy to know there is a synchronise feature to keep the both the same.

Last time I checked, there were a couple thousand Firefox add-ons to choose from in their add-on repository, and these are just five! So, even if there wasn’t anything in this entry that you would enjoy integrating with Firefox, it would still be worthwhile searching the add-on site for a desired feature.

As always, we want to know which add-ons you would recommend, and why. Leave us a comment below to add to this list.

If you would like to learn more about Internet Explorer and Firefox – the two most popular web browsers – please read more in Browser Compatibility.

It seems that we often talk about blogs around here as being an added benefit to an existing business, or other, website. The truth is that blogs are for everyone – with or without that existing website or business. In reality, many individuals will often choose to have a blog website instead of a standard website because a blog is easy to manage and also allows information to be displayed on static pages.

Getting a blog website of your very own, with a specific domain name of your choosing, is made possible by initially acquiring blog hosting. Blog hosting allows you to get a customised blog domain name and to install the blog software that will run the site. Each of these three items is described further below and easily obtainable from Digital Pacific.

Blog Hosting

Our personal hosting plans are perfect for blog hosting as they contain just what you need to manage a blog website and at a lower cost than our business hosting plans. The Personal Standard plan, for example, is only $9.90 a month and contains many features including the necessary MySQL database needed to run the popular blogging software, WordPress. Like all of our business web hosting plans, blog hosting is powered by green energy.

Blog Domain Name

Part of the joy of choosing blog hosting is having the customised domain name for your blog website. Unlike free blog hosting websites that limit your capabilities and lack a personal domain, blog hosting gives you the ability to better build a blog presence with the domain name. Not only that, but (let’s face it) it also looks nicer, more professional and serious to the people that visit it.

As with any website, it is best to think about branding, marketing and relevance when choosing the blog domain name. For more assistance, read a previous post on choosing the right domain name.

WordPress Blogging Software

The final piece of the puzzle involves installing a good blogging software to the blog hosting account. Whereas many content management systems (CMS), like Drupal and Joomla!, can also function as blogging platforms, we recommend WordPress because it has been structured specifically for blogging purposes and being easy to use by practically anybody. In addition, the capabilities offered by the thousands of free templates and plugins help take a normal blog website from boring to exciting with little work.

With WordPress, the most difficult part is the initial installation and setup, which some may find tricky. To help with this, Digital Pacific offers extended support to assist in the installation of WordPress and many other scripts.

Getting a personalised blog website has never been easier, and Digital Pacific offers the blog hosting, blog domain names and blogging software assistance necessary to get you started.

Setting up email on your iPhone is a hot topic. Due to a huge amount of our customers requesting information on how to do this, we have decided to create a detailed tutorial to allow for quick and easy setup.

Before proceeding, you will need to set up your email account in your control panel first and keep the details handy for the iPhone setup.

This post addresses the following:

- Setting up email on the iPhone
- IMAP email on the iPhone
- Disabling SSL on the iPhone
- Fetching email on the iPhone

Important iPhone Information – please note:

Exiting or using the “Home” button during setup will remove ALL previous entries.

 

Section 1: Account Setup

Accessing the iPhone Settings Area

Select the “Settings” option on your iPhone

iPhone Settings

Select the “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” option

Mail, Contacts, Calendars

Select the “Add Account” option

Add Account

Select the “Other” option on your iPhone

Other Options

Select the “Add Mail Account” option

New Account

Enter your account information

Important Notes:
* Make sure you replace all instances of “your domain” with your own settings.
* The username is your entire email address.
* Upon hitting “Save”, this process can take up to 5 minutes – please be patient.
* Connecting to a router / wireless network will speed this process up and save on your mobile downloads. Just be sure to test your iPhone on your mobile network after setup.

Entering Account Information (Incoming / Outgoing Mail Servers)

Select the “IMAP” option and fill required fields as suggested below.
* If you receive a certificate error message, use the “Continue” option to bypass.

Now your account is set up – It’s time to disable SSL.

 

Section 2: Turning off SSL

Access the iPhone Settings Area once again

Select the “Settings” option on your iPhone

iPhone Settings

Select the “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” option

Mail, Contacts, Calendars

Select your newly created account

Account Settings

Scroll to the bottom and select “Advanced”

Advanced Settings

Turn off “Use SSL”

 

Section 3: Setting Up the iPhone to Fetch Emails

Access the iPhone Settings Area once again

Select the “Settings” option on your iPhone

iPhone Settings

Select the “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” option

Mail, Contacts, Calendars

Select the “Fetch New Data” option

Fetch New Data

Select the desired time frame

That’s it! You have now set up email on your iPhone.

Having Problems?
* Call our support team on 1300 MY HOST (694 678) or lodge a support ticket here.

When it comes to selling goods and services, you need to make sure you are tapping all possible markets in order to fully realise the success of your business. Today, the online market is practically taking over, meaning that if your business is not taking advantage of the possibilities of being online, then you just might be overlooking loads of potential customers. Don’t miss out! Get your business online with ecommerce and immediately gain access to a constantly growing market.

Ecommerce can be defined simply as the buying and selling of goods or services in a web-based environment. Through the use of some great software programs, such as Digital Pacific Shopping Cart, you, too, can put your business on the web. It is not only a great idea for new businesses, or completely online-run businesses, but it is also helpful for existing businesses to integrate into their current website.

Existing Businesses

As just mentioned, heading into ecommerce is a great route for existing businesses to take in order to access new markets. Using ecommerce software programs, you can create an online presence, or integrate a shop-like presence into your current website. For example, if you have a physical shop somewhere with real products but sometimes feel you are not reaching your full potential, then why not create an online market, too? With the number of people completing purchases on the web because of time issues and just plain convenience (Who doesn’t like to shop in their pyjamas?), your sales might double given there is an active way to buy your product(s) online as well.

Even if there is not a physical product, but merely a service to sell, going online opens up a world of possibilities. Customers like convenience, and believe it or not, sometimes the thought of needing to communicate with other people seems like a hassle. We live in a digital age where emails and text messages are replacing phone conversations, so if a person is given the ability to order and communicate via the web, they may be more likely to make that purchase if they can do it from wherever and – most importantly – whenever.

New Businesses

For new businesses, taking the ecommerce route is a quick and easy way to get a business underway. With shopping carts, a business can bypass the need to find an office or even own a physical shop at all! This could also be beneficial to new businesses who want to start out small and then grow to more physical locations in the future.

The beauty of getting into ecommerce with shopping carts is that all aspects of a business can be managed through the website. Keeping track of inventory, printing invoices, and collecting payments to name only a few can be done from this one location, and it has never been easier. For those looking to learn more, Digital Pacific even has a handy online demo for you to try at http://ecommerce.digitalpacific.com.au/.

For the same reason many shoppers are turning to the online marketplace – time restrictions in a fast-paced world – would it not seem like a great idea to get online and start selling with your own business as soon as possible? It just so happens that the idea of an ecommerce solution does just that while also helping you to tap the online market you would otherwise miss out on.

*To learn more about shopping carts solutions or about getting your business online visit Digital Pacific

A big change happened to web search two weeks ago, but you may not have even heard about it.

Google unleashed its Personalised Search onto the world, and it is more than likely affecting your search results at this very moment. Take a quick look at this video to see what personalised search is all about.

What this means is simply that standard search results are a thing of the past. Personalised search is now automatically turned on for all Google browsers, even if the user is not logged into a Google account. In order to make this possible, Google puts a tracking cookie onto the computer that monitors data and uses that information from the past six months to provide “customised” search engine results.

For example: Let’s say that you visit your own website twice a day. If the next day you attempt to search for your website in Google by typing in your most competitive keywords, you may just find your website ranking much higher, even first position in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Please be advised – this is what personalised search will do – and this is not necessarily the result that everybody else is receiving. Google recognises that you have been to that website before based on your “web history” and serves your website first in the hope that this is the best result for you.

So, in the same sense, if you have been tracking your own website’s activity in the SERPs for the past week, you could very well be fooled into believing your ranking is much higher than it actually is.

Many people in the web industry are upset because they feel it takes away from the reliability of standard search results, while also affecting methods of search engine marketing. How is any website supposed to effectively compete for search engine traffic when a web surfer is being given previously customised results?

For those concerned, there is the option of always turning off the personalised search results. A big problem, however, is that many people simply do not know about the new feature as it was only announced on the Google blog, and on a Friday nonetheless. Another issue, being that it is an opt-out feature, is that very few people will probably take the time to turn it off.

If you would like turn off the personalised search, do the following:

1. Click on “Web History” in the upper right corner of a search results page.
2. Then, click on “Disable customizations based on search activity”.

How do you feel about Google’s roll-out of the new personalised search? Now that you know about it, are you planning to keep it active, or disable it?

And the winner of a brand new iPhone is Twitter user @jetprint!
Congratulations! We hope you enjoy the wonderful prize heading your way.
A huge thank you again to all who entered.

Digital Pacific is a specialist in small-to-medium organisation requirements and offers a range of Australian hosting services including reliable and green hosting (plans from $4.90), domain names (.com.au for $34.90),
virtual private servers and dedicated servers to businesses and entities Australia wide.

Retweet for a Chance to Win an iPhone
Digital Pacific is giving you the chance to win a 16GB iPhone 3GS just by clicking the black retweet now button! How simple is that? Once you use this special retweet button, you will get one entry into a draw at the end of this month for the wonderful prize. With Christmas just around the corner, this iPhone will surely make you or someone else on your list very happy.

All I have to do is retweet this? Is it really that easy?
Yes, it is that easy. All you have to do is click the black retweet now button on this blog post. After clicking the button, you will need to login to your Twitter account. Simply tweet the automatically generated code by selecting the update button, and you are now in the draw!

Can I retweet multiple times for multiple entries?
Sorry, but you may only be entered into the draw one time, but you can certainly retweet this message as many times as you want!

What if I don’t have a Twitter account?
That’s ok. If you don’t already have a Twitter account, you can get one issued immediately for free at http://www.twitter.com. You can then use the retweet button to enter as normal.

When will I know if I’ve won?
The entries will be accumulated through December 15 2009, and the draw will occur soon after. We will notify the winner via Twitter.

Best of Luck!

Digital Pacific

This contest is open to Australia residents only.

If you’ve been looking for an easy way to get your business selling online, we are proud to announce that our brand new shopping cart packages are the perfect tools for doing just that.

For many Australians, the idea of researching exactly how to start selling online is just too much work. Hey, that’s understandable. Starting an online business involves a lot of steps, but luckily we’ve made it easier. Our new shopping cart packages are inclusive of many necessities for ecommerce, such as fully featured shopping cart software, web hosting, IP address & SSL certificate, and they have been designed with Australian business owners in mind.

Besides providing all the tools that combine to create an effective online shop, our shopping cart software, itself, has features that not only make it dynamic, but also keep it simple in the process.

• Browser based, drag & drop design
• Integration with Australian payment gateways (eWAY)
• Integration with Australian postage gateways (Australia Post)
• Easily customisable designs
• Simple product import or creation
• Single page checkout
• Invoices & packing slip management
• Sell in multiple currencies

These are but a few of the great features that will allow more of our customers a better chance to compete in the online market. The need for any web design or development knowledge is basically obsolete with these packages.

As stated before, the ease of use makes our shopping cart great for new shops, but it fares even better for old ones. What this means is that many current ecommerce website owners could actually benefit by switching from their present shopping cart or open source ecommerce methods to one of the new Digital Pacific Shopping Cart packages.

Why is the Shopping Cart package better?

It’s all-inclusive: With one monthly fee, you can get the shopping cart license, web hosting, IP address, SSL certificate, in-depth user guide and maintenance. Even though you might be using an open source shopping cart, you may still need to acquire hosting, an SSL certificate, user guide, and other necessities, and that starts to add up fast.

It’s speedier: The top competitor when it comes to shopping carts has been known to have major issues with speed when running on a shared hosting environment. In order to combat the slowness, many of those shop owners upgrade to a pricier hosting plan. The Digital Pacific Shopping Cart, on the other hand, has been designed and tested to run fast.

It’s supported: If you’ve been in the situation where you couldn’t get timely support for an issue with your open source shopping cart, then perhaps it is time to try out a supported option. If you have an issue with your online shop – the means to your income perhaps – then being able to ring a support person in a time of need is vital.

Feel free to check out our demo shop in order to get a first-hand look at the capabilities with the new Shopping Cart. As always, we welcome your questions and can easily be reached at 1300 MY HOST for further assistance on this new offering.