Recently, Matt Mullenweg, the founding developer of WordPress, and Chris Pearson, developer of the premium Thesis theme, have been at odds about whether or not Thesis needs to be released up the General Public License (GPL) like the open source WordPress program.  Matt claims that since themes use WordPress, they are derivative works and require that they be released up the GPL.  Chris, on the other hand, says that his Thesis theme is not subject to the GPL.

I’m not a lawyer, and quite frankly, I don’t care all that much about the legal nuances of the arguments on either side.  What I care about is keeping WordPress moving forward as smoothly as possible. And, as a user of Thesis, I prefer the support offered through the robust Thesis user community and have no problem whatsoever paying to purchase Thesis and its support.  I’ve found the folks on the forums at the Thesis user community to be extremely helpful in developing websites using WordPress and Thesis.

What I hope is that the arguments can be settled quickly and the status quo restored so I don’t have to worry about the Thesis community, or the WordPress community, being splintered into a number of different factions supporting one side or the other.  These types of disagreements are usually argued in the court of public opinion, with very little basis in law, and generally devolve into flame wars and name calling.

Whether Thesis is forced to go to a GPL or not, I’m still going to purchase my licenses for sites I develop using WordPress and Thesis because I like the comfort of the support community around Thesis, and I like the way Chris and his team have continually moved the Thesis theme forward, adding new features and functionality as the theme has matured.  I’m comfortable with Thesis, and a protracted litigation is non-productive for both Thesis and WordPress.

Let’s hope this gets resolved quickly so the WordPress community can move forward, knowing that premium theme developers can still make a living doing what they love – creating high-quality themes that enhance WordPress, the best content management system around.  I have the utmost respect for both Matt and Chris (although I don’t know them personally).  Now it’s time to put the “big boy” pants on and work this out.

Further reading about the brouhaha:

• Audio Interview with Matt Mullenweg and Chris Pearson on Mixergy.com
• WordPress, Thesis and the GPL
• Is Thesis for WordPress Legal?  Almost Certainly.
• The Great Thesis vs. WordPress Debate Rages On
• My Thoughts on the WordPress/Thesis Debate
• Themes Are GPL, 2.0 – Matt Mullenweg
• What Do Solutions Have to Do with Ideology? NOTHING! – Chris Pearson

It’s that time of year… the dreaded New Year’s Resolution is approaching, and most people start thinking about what they are going to do different or better or more or less of in the upcoming year.  In short, it’s time to reevaluate your life, both personally and professionally, and take stock of what you can do differently in the new year.

One of the bigger problems I have in my business is focus.  I am always coming up with new ideas, and I am a voracious reader both online and offline.  It seems I’m coming up with new business ideas, ways to market existing businesses, and some just plain crazy ideas on an hourly basis.  And part of this is the fire hose of information that comes with always being connected.  Facebook, Twitter, Google, RSS, and email newsletters provide me with a steady stream of great ideas from others who have forged paths I hope to follow.

But, in keeping with the theme of looking ahead, I’ve realized that I need to focus a great deal more in 2010 if I want to grow my small business and learn the right things from the right sources.  I’ve decided to drastically reduce my influencers and really try to focus on who I think will help me the most in the upcoming year.  Help me grow my business and strengthen my relationships with the community of people who I can most relate to on a more personal level.

Here are the top folks I’ll be keeping on my list, and I hope you get a chance to explore all the great content they have to offer any small business when they are looking to make the most of today’s connected world.

• Seth Godin – To me, Seth is one of the most insightful minds in marketing and business today.  Seth offers great advice and insight into how business should be run in a world where the consumer has taken back control of the transactions in business.
• Chris Brogan – If you’re looking for someone who knows all about social media and how it can be used in business and personal branding, Chris is one of my go-to guys.  He puts out a ton of great content and he’s one of the most giving people in the space.
• Jonathan Fields – An interesting guy who has been involved in a number of careers, and now does the work he most enjoys.  For those of you (like me) who are at a crossroads in their professional life, Jonathan offers some great advice.
• John Jantsch – The mind behind Duct Tape Marketing, which is a great resource for information about marketing your local business.  There’s tons of free info, and some great products for purchase.
• Naomi Dunford – She’s the face of Itty Biz, a site for very small businesses that have no marketing department.  Naomi’s an acquired taste (WARNING: If you don’t like swearing, don’t visit the site!), but the information and advice she offers is top-notch.

There are quite a few other folks that I’ll be following in 2010, but this is a great starting list if you’re looking to improve the effectiveness of your marketing and to take advantage of social media and the connected world we now live in.

Here’s to a prosperous 2010, and I hope to see you online soon!

Chuck

Front row: Sam Buck, Chapel Guarnieri, Madeleine Prevost, Casey Libonate, Alan St. Croix, Gretchen Archambault, Wendy Orazio, Marissa Smith Back row: Kevin Babineau, Steve Foley, Richard Buck, John Bruner, Kevin Visnaukis, Tom Powers, Chuck Smith

Life Is Local sponsored and promoted the Merry Rockmas Benefit Bash, a local event that featured two bands – Mumblefish and Eastwood Peak – and benefitted the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of North Middlesex Regional High School.  It was a great event, and we raised $1,000 to help in the fight against cancer.

Here’s a picture of Alan St. Croix of the Pepperell Music Center presenting the check to student representatives for the Relay For Life while members of both Eastwood Peak and Mumblefish look on.  In addition, Gretchen Archambault, another sponsor of the event, is in the picture.  I’m even in the picture (back row, far right), right in front of my daughter Marissa!

Here’s an expanded caption for the photo:

Front row:

• Sam Buck – student and Mumblefish roadie
• Chapel Guarnieri – student representative for Relay For Life
• Madeleine Prevost – student representative for Relay For Life
• Casey Libonate – student chair for Relay For Life
• Alan St. Croix – event sponsor and owner of the Pepperell Music Center
• Gretchen Archambault – event sponsor and author of “Hats, Gloves, Hot Cocoa with Love”
• Wendy Orazio – parent chair for Relay For Life
• Marissa Smith – student representative for Relay For Life

Back row:

• Kevin Babineau – student representative for Relay For Life
• Steve Foley – bass player for Mumblefish
• Richard Buck – drummer for Mumblefish
• John Bruner – bass player for Eastwood Peak
• Kevin Visnaukis – guitar player for Eastwood Peak
• Tom Powers – lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Mumblefish
• Chuck Smith – event sponsor and owner of Life Is Local

This event was a lot of work, but since we were able to raise some funds for the Relay For Life, it was well worth the effort.  Thanks to our sponsors, the bands, and all the people who came out and rocked the night away!

NOTE: To see a larger version of the picture, just click on the small picture.

Sometimes, just being there is not enough.  I’ve been building my websites, and helping some of my customers (and friends) build up their little homes on the web, and that’s great.  The sites have done well with local searches, they get compliments for their look and navigation, and in general, everyone is happy.

But, what’s missing for the most part is the interaction.  The two-way communication that gets people involved with your business and turns casual visitors to your website into a true community.  The “social” in social media.

So, I’ve decided I need to step up my game quite a bit and start doing the little things that will help my brand – Life Is Local – grow and become the business I want (and need) it to become to be a better marketer and a happier business person.  Instead of doing “business as usual,” I am going to dive headfirst into social media and work at becoming a valued resource for businesses looking to make the most of all the benefits of a connected world.

I’m going to make a commitment – in writing (or at least in electrons floating on the Interweb) – to the following:

1. To communicate on a more frequent basis, and that means at least three times a week.
2. To deliver content that I believe will help local businesses create their own communities.
3. To get to know the tools available out there – Facebook, Twitter, and other tools – and share my successes and failures for others to learn from.
4. To build my own businesses – Life Is Local and NashobaValley.com – by helping as many people as I can.
5. To have more fun and work harder than I’ve ever worked in my life.

By posting this for everyone to see, I’m making myself accountable for my commitments.  The safety net is gone, and its time to see if I can create the success I know I’m capable of, while enjoying my work life for the first time in years.  I truly find working on marketing in today’s connected environment as exciting as any time in my (long) working career.

If you have any words of encouragement, suggestions, comments, or just a plain “attaboy,” please feel free to share in the comments.  If nothing else, your words have always been an inspiration to me.

Here’s to a happy and healthy holiday season to all, and to a prosperous, fun, and interesting new year.

Best regards,
Chuck

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a promotion for a benefit concert for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of North Middlesex Regional High School (phew… that’s a mouthful!).  As part of the promotional efforts, I’ve:

• Created a Theme: The Merry Rockmas Benefit Bash obviously ties into the holiday season and the party mood.  This is a concert with two local bands – Mumblefish and Eastwood Peak – who have a decent following in the area and are known for rocking the house.
• Designed and Printed Posters: The posters feature a rocking Santa figure, and give details for the bash and the charity.  If you click the small poster in the right of this post, you’ll see a larger version.  Posters were put around the surrounding towns in high-traffic areas.
• Secured a Charity Partner: Nancy Prevost works with the American Cancer Society, and my daughter has been involved with the Relay For Life of North Middlesex Regional High School for the past three years.  It was a natural fit, and Nancy was happy to help.
• Launched an Email Campaign: When we first started planning, we combined the Mumblefish email list with the Eastwood Peak email list.  Over the course of the past four weeks or so, we’ve been sending promotional emails to both lists talking about the bands, the event, and the charity.
• Written and Distributed a Press Release: I used www.PRLog.com to send out a free press release which has been indexed by Google.  I also sent a copy of the press release to all of the local newspapers that I thought might be interested in the story.  It’s been picked up by four outlets so far.
• Found Some Sponsors: In addition to me sponsoring the event (I’m giving a free website design or redesign away as a prize), the Pepperell Music Center and local author, Gretchen Archambault, are helping with prizes and promoting the event.
• Used Facebook to Spread the Word: Mumblefish has a Fan Page on Facebook, so we spread the news that way, and also used my own personal account to keep people informed.
• Set Up a PayPal Shopping Cart: As part of the promotional efforts, I wanted to give people the chance to buy tickets early (and to gauge the effectiveness of our promotional efforts).  We’ve sold over 75 tickets and have commitments from some people who couldn’t purchase through PayPal.

Working with Mumblefish and Eastwood Peak, as well as the American Cancer Society and our sponsors, has been a great learning experience (and quite a bit of work).  A portion of every ticket sold is going to the Relay For Life, and all of the money collected for the prize drawings will be given to the charity.  In addition, we’re looking to see if we can record the event so we can sell the recordings to raise additional funds.

If you get a chance, check out our sponsors:

• Pepperell Music Center - donating a Fender Strat Guitar autographed by legendary rocker, J. Geils
• Gretchen Archambault – donating signed copies of her children’s book, “Hats, Gloves, Hot Cocoa with Love” (a perfect holiday gift)
• Life Is Local – I’m donating a complete website design (or redesign) and six months of hosting (if needed)

I’ll be there with bells on (along with my lovely wife, Michele), so if you’re available, stop on by and enjoy some hot music on a cold winter’s night.

Once the event is over and we’ve had a chance to do a little post mortem, I’ll let everyone know how it went.