Hi Everyone,
All of a sudden, I'm unable to create comments, or to reply to comments on this blog (Julian, I understand your frustration). This is my own blog, dammit! I should be able to do what I want to on it.
I tried four times to reply to a comment by Wilma. Each time it told me I had to select a profile - while I was logged in to my blog. If I find out how to correct this, I will try to let you know. Until then, please don't be disappointed if I don't reply to your comment.
Thanks for your understanding.
Cheers,
Dave
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
14 October, 2015
21 April, 2015
Notice Anything?
Look, up in the sky... Well, up at the top of the page anyway. Is it a bird? No, that's missing (just for a bit). Of course, it's not a plane either. What it is, is white lettering (of course this morning, it is now the proper gold color... What can I say?), but in a boring plain font.
I purchased a font that is the one we've used for years for our banner. I have no idea where I initially got the font, but I tried for quite some time to find it on the Web.
Technology has progressed such that there are several places on the Net that if you can provide them a snippet of a font, they can make an educated guess as to what the font is and possibly where you might find it.
Such was the case with this one. I happened to luck out and pick myfonts.com to search for this one. It's called Matura MT Script Capitals, part of the Matura family of fonts, that is also available from MyFonts.
So, I have it, but my coding is weak enough anymore that I'm having a hard time getting the blog template and the font coding organized so that the font displays on the banner or header of the blog. Hence the white text you see now.
As for the bird, it will be back, sort of in the same position it is in the banner above, but first the font. It's always one thing or another, y'know?
I purchased a font that is the one we've used for years for our banner. I have no idea where I initially got the font, but I tried for quite some time to find it on the Web.
 |
| Winjama Banner and Font |
Such was the case with this one. I happened to luck out and pick myfonts.com to search for this one. It's called Matura MT Script Capitals, part of the Matura family of fonts, that is also available from MyFonts.
So, I have it, but my coding is weak enough anymore that I'm having a hard time getting the blog template and the font coding organized so that the font displays on the banner or header of the blog. Hence the white text you see now.
As for the bird, it will be back, sort of in the same position it is in the banner above, but first the font. It's always one thing or another, y'know?
15 April, 2015
It's Getting There
Finally. Some of you might think the format resembles how this blog used to be, and you'd be right.
I got my fill of trying to work with WordPress. Yes, it's a powerful program, with all (and more) of the bells and whistles and stuff, that you could possibly hope for in a blog-writing environment. It just got to be too much for me. I wanted to write. I didn't want to have to re-learn how to be part of the IT crew again.
WordPress was taking all my time (well, all the time that I wasn't spending in the pool) and that simply was not fun. So, I dumped WordPress and InMotionHosting and went back to Google and Blogger, with a bit of behind-the-scenes stuff with Yahoo, or as I affectionately call them, 'Yayhoo.'
InMotion, I'll have to say, had the best tech support I've ever seen. In fact, too much of a good thing. It was really overwhelming, but in a good sort of way.
I had kept the old blog at Google's Blogger, because I was still having some import and formatting issues (read nightmares) with WordPress. It's a good thing too, because I want back to Blogger and revamped the blog. You'll notice some font changes and whatnot. The URL is almost what I want. That would be http://winjama.net. Right now, it's http://info.winjama.net. As soon as I figure out some things, it'll go to winjama.net.
I mentioned Yayhoo. The blog is maintained or housed at Google and Blogger. The domain, winjama.net, that I own, is housed at Yahoo Small Business. It took me a day and a half to figure out the interface between Blogger and Yayhoo. Lot's of techno-babble to get there. I knew going in that Yayhoo's tech support sucked big time, from my previous time having tried having them host the blog when I first decided to leave Blogger. I didn't expect any changes this time around. And I wasn't surprised.
I spent about two-hours on the phone with Yayhoo's tech support. Language problems cropped up throughout the session, as Yayhoo's tech support is in India (or maybe Pakistan or somewhere). That was very frustrating. I finally gave up on them after 1) having my cell-phone battery discharge, and then after I recharged it, 2) my pre-purchased time expired.
I took that as an omen and tackled it on my own, figuring that if it blew up, not much was lost. Anyway, I managed to get stuff entered in the proper sequence, more or less, and it functions. All transparent to you the reader, but trust me, there's some magic going on between Blogger and Yayhoo to enable you to read the blog.
It's a start - er, a re-start, I guess. I hope you like it. Now, I can concentrate on writing and doing fun stuff. I'll still work at tweaking the layout and such but on my own time, when I feel like it.
Cheers,
Dave
I got my fill of trying to work with WordPress. Yes, it's a powerful program, with all (and more) of the bells and whistles and stuff, that you could possibly hope for in a blog-writing environment. It just got to be too much for me. I wanted to write. I didn't want to have to re-learn how to be part of the IT crew again.
WordPress was taking all my time (well, all the time that I wasn't spending in the pool) and that simply was not fun. So, I dumped WordPress and InMotionHosting and went back to Google and Blogger, with a bit of behind-the-scenes stuff with Yahoo, or as I affectionately call them, 'Yayhoo.'
InMotion, I'll have to say, had the best tech support I've ever seen. In fact, too much of a good thing. It was really overwhelming, but in a good sort of way.
I had kept the old blog at Google's Blogger, because I was still having some import and formatting issues (read nightmares) with WordPress. It's a good thing too, because I want back to Blogger and revamped the blog. You'll notice some font changes and whatnot. The URL is almost what I want. That would be http://winjama.net. Right now, it's http://info.winjama.net. As soon as I figure out some things, it'll go to winjama.net.
I mentioned Yayhoo. The blog is maintained or housed at Google and Blogger. The domain, winjama.net, that I own, is housed at Yahoo Small Business. It took me a day and a half to figure out the interface between Blogger and Yayhoo. Lot's of techno-babble to get there. I knew going in that Yayhoo's tech support sucked big time, from my previous time having tried having them host the blog when I first decided to leave Blogger. I didn't expect any changes this time around. And I wasn't surprised.
I spent about two-hours on the phone with Yayhoo's tech support. Language problems cropped up throughout the session, as Yayhoo's tech support is in India (or maybe Pakistan or somewhere). That was very frustrating. I finally gave up on them after 1) having my cell-phone battery discharge, and then after I recharged it, 2) my pre-purchased time expired.
I took that as an omen and tackled it on my own, figuring that if it blew up, not much was lost. Anyway, I managed to get stuff entered in the proper sequence, more or less, and it functions. All transparent to you the reader, but trust me, there's some magic going on between Blogger and Yayhoo to enable you to read the blog.
It's a start - er, a re-start, I guess. I hope you like it. Now, I can concentrate on writing and doing fun stuff. I'll still work at tweaking the layout and such but on my own time, when I feel like it.
Cheers,
Dave
22 September, 2014
Change Been A Long Time Comin'
For better than seven years now this blog has been resident on Google's Blogger servers and using the Blogger software. We actually started the blog in March 2007, about three months before we left up north.
For those of you who want to read the full story, it's there, from the very beginning - packing, moving, and all. In short, the whole nine yards.
Overall I can't complain about how it(Blogger) has worked. It does have some limitations, but for general day-to-day use, the Blogger software has done what I wanted it to and more.
Nine hundred thirty nine (939) posts, well, with this one, 940 posts and I can't say there have been any major problems. Over the years, some formatting issues have come up here and there of things I wanted to do but was unable because the feature wasn't offered in the Blogger environment.
I've drooled for a long time over WordPress. It seemed to offer a lot of features that were things I wanted to do, along with a lot of formatting advantages, and some behind-the-scenes tools.
But, it seemed that every time I tried to install WordPress, I entered the foggy landscape of murky instructions, poor brain functioning, laziness and the feeling, kind of like in a dream when you're trying to run, but the ground has become a sea of molasses.
At which point, I just backed out of trying to deal with WordPress and became content, once again, to do my thing using Blogger. That is, till a few weeks ago. Suddenly, the light turned on, the fog went away, along with the molasses, and I was able to set up WordPress and actually start doing some stuff with it.
For example, I was able to import all nine-hundred-thirty-nine posts, including pictures and other images (all told, there were about 4,000 images successfully imported). In addition, all the comments that readers have posted (over 1,700 of those) imported fine.
Right now, I'm working on fine-tuning the indexing of all the posts (I'm about a third of the way through that chore), making sure that all the photos are located as I want them with the right captions, and a myriad of other housekeeping items.
I've picked a format that gives the blog a really clean and up-to-date look that I think readers will really appreciate - I know it's easier for me to look at it.
Not only is there new software, a new look, and all that, but there's going to be a new URL, or address for the blog. It will be under its own domain - which it's OK if that doesn't mean anything to you. It's just that it makes the URL shorter and easier to use and remember. It's part of a domain that I've owned for several years now and really, other than some email stuff, have done very little with it.
The new URL is:
Part of that fine-tuning I mentioned is blowing out some of the cobwebs and dust-bunnies that have accumulated in the domain because of lack of use. Maybe I should get a virtual Roomba to help keep the domain clean.
Anyway, I'm guessing that it's going to be a couple of more weeks, give or take, before the new URL is completely ready. One way I've found to encourage myself to complete a task is simply to dive in and do it. So, that's what I'm going to do.
The only downside is that I'm going to virtually drag you along. You'll just have to put up with some missing things for a bit, as and until I figure out how to do them in WordPress. I've still got several hundred postings to go through, one by one, to get the indexing firmed up, along with a bunch of widgets and other plug-ins that I'm figuring out how they work and where on the blog they need to be stashed.
Even though it's not quite ready for prime time, it's up and functioning (I think). So, if you would, go ahead and change your bookmark for Winjama to the new URL above. I probably won't make but a couple more postings on the current URL. I'll put in a simple page advising folks to go to the new URL and I'll leave that up for a month or so. Eventually, I'll pull the plug on this URL and then it'll be all moved to the new site and that will be that.
We look forward to seeing you at the new site.
Cheers,
Dave and Dianna
For those of you who want to read the full story, it's there, from the very beginning - packing, moving, and all. In short, the whole nine yards.
 |
| Blogger Logo |
Nine hundred thirty nine (939) posts, well, with this one, 940 posts and I can't say there have been any major problems. Over the years, some formatting issues have come up here and there of things I wanted to do but was unable because the feature wasn't offered in the Blogger environment.
I've drooled for a long time over WordPress. It seemed to offer a lot of features that were things I wanted to do, along with a lot of formatting advantages, and some behind-the-scenes tools.
 |
| WordPress Logo |
At which point, I just backed out of trying to deal with WordPress and became content, once again, to do my thing using Blogger. That is, till a few weeks ago. Suddenly, the light turned on, the fog went away, along with the molasses, and I was able to set up WordPress and actually start doing some stuff with it.
For example, I was able to import all nine-hundred-thirty-nine posts, including pictures and other images (all told, there were about 4,000 images successfully imported). In addition, all the comments that readers have posted (over 1,700 of those) imported fine.
Right now, I'm working on fine-tuning the indexing of all the posts (I'm about a third of the way through that chore), making sure that all the photos are located as I want them with the right captions, and a myriad of other housekeeping items.
I've picked a format that gives the blog a really clean and up-to-date look that I think readers will really appreciate - I know it's easier for me to look at it.
Not only is there new software, a new look, and all that, but there's going to be a new URL, or address for the blog. It will be under its own domain - which it's OK if that doesn't mean anything to you. It's just that it makes the URL shorter and easier to use and remember. It's part of a domain that I've owned for several years now and really, other than some email stuff, have done very little with it.
The new URL is:
Part of that fine-tuning I mentioned is blowing out some of the cobwebs and dust-bunnies that have accumulated in the domain because of lack of use. Maybe I should get a virtual Roomba to help keep the domain clean.
Anyway, I'm guessing that it's going to be a couple of more weeks, give or take, before the new URL is completely ready. One way I've found to encourage myself to complete a task is simply to dive in and do it. So, that's what I'm going to do.
The only downside is that I'm going to virtually drag you along. You'll just have to put up with some missing things for a bit, as and until I figure out how to do them in WordPress. I've still got several hundred postings to go through, one by one, to get the indexing firmed up, along with a bunch of widgets and other plug-ins that I'm figuring out how they work and where on the blog they need to be stashed.
Even though it's not quite ready for prime time, it's up and functioning (I think). So, if you would, go ahead and change your bookmark for Winjama to the new URL above. I probably won't make but a couple more postings on the current URL. I'll put in a simple page advising folks to go to the new URL and I'll leave that up for a month or so. Eventually, I'll pull the plug on this URL and then it'll be all moved to the new site and that will be that.
We look forward to seeing you at the new site.
Cheers,
Dave and Dianna
21 November, 2013
It Must Be Love
I got into my blog a few minutes ago in a different way than I usually do (trust me, as with most things computerish, there's more than one way to do anything). This time I entered the URL in Google, expecting to just go to the blog and do my usual blog-related stuff. But, something caught my eye.
The item right below the listing for the blog, said something about winjama.blogspot.com being ranked 7,728,079th in the United States. Well, that was interesting. What's that all about? So, I clicked on the link to explore further.
Sure enough. Google said the blog definitely was ranked 7,718,079th in the United States and 5,721,877th in the worldwide ranking. Well, is that good or bad? Seven Million and change against how many total sites? It doesn't say. Though I'm guessing it's probably on the lower end of the goodness scale. If it's against a billion or so websites, that would be pretty good. If it's against say, eight million other sites, well then, maybe not so good.
Then Google goes on to slice things even finer with page views, visits, value per visitor... Hey, wait a minute. I'm not making any money out of this deal. What's 'value per visitor' and how's it determined?
How do they come up with 'value per visitor' and 'estimated worth?' What a bunch of tightwads. That's kind of insulting. They could at least round up on the worth bit. I mean eighty-one cents? It's like when I was in university. My major was Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Services. My professors kept talking about 'psychic income'. What that equates to in English is, "This field is one where you'll work for peanuts, but look at the great view of the mountains. You get that for FREE!"
Well, that's niche marketing for you. Good thing I'm not depending on this for my livelihood. That must mean it's a labor of love. I guess after almost seven years of writing it, it is.
The item right below the listing for the blog, said something about winjama.blogspot.com being ranked 7,728,079th in the United States. Well, that was interesting. What's that all about? So, I clicked on the link to explore further.
Sure enough. Google said the blog definitely was ranked 7,718,079th in the United States and 5,721,877th in the worldwide ranking. Well, is that good or bad? Seven Million and change against how many total sites? It doesn't say. Though I'm guessing it's probably on the lower end of the goodness scale. If it's against a billion or so websites, that would be pretty good. If it's against say, eight million other sites, well then, maybe not so good.
Then Google goes on to slice things even finer with page views, visits, value per visitor... Hey, wait a minute. I'm not making any money out of this deal. What's 'value per visitor' and how's it determined?
| Monthly pages viewed | 1,588 | |
| Monthly visits | 1,588 | |
| Value per visitor | $0.75 | |
| Estimated worth | $1,784.81 * |
How do they come up with 'value per visitor' and 'estimated worth?' What a bunch of tightwads. That's kind of insulting. They could at least round up on the worth bit. I mean eighty-one cents? It's like when I was in university. My major was Outdoor Recreation and Leisure Services. My professors kept talking about 'psychic income'. What that equates to in English is, "This field is one where you'll work for peanuts, but look at the great view of the mountains. You get that for FREE!"
Well, that's niche marketing for you. Good thing I'm not depending on this for my livelihood. That must mean it's a labor of love. I guess after almost seven years of writing it, it is.
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