Here is something commendable. I must say I am very impressed with the web hosting support from Hostgator.
I am in the process of migrating a domain over to a their servers, and I was experiencing some issues getting a big mySQL database file imported. I headed to their live chat, and I was advised to submit a support ticket for my issue.
So on I went to submit a support ticket thru email, explaining my case. MINUTES later, there was a reply in email asking for confirmation, and within 20 minutes, I received another reply (from a separate support administrator) saying the database has been imported successfully.
Here’s my screenshot from Gmail.
I don’t know about you, but I think this support is awesome. I’ve had experience with other hosting companies that take MONTHS to resolve a technical issue.
Well done Hostgator!
If you are considering a web hosting service, consider Hostgator.
I’ve finally gotten down to work on the new theme for Blogopreneur.com. This is the 3rd time there is a radical change in design, and the new theme is put in place so I can add more content to this site apart from the blog posts.
So new things are coming, change is on the way.
Here’s the old theme:
and this is the new (current) one:
In the process of changing the theme, I decided to take away my free e-course (its long outdated), and also did a lot of cleaning up – my categories, tags and stuff. Well this means a lot of work is still pending in the backend, fiddling with my .htaccess files. I’m expecting it to be nothing less than a nightmare! Haha!
But change is good, change keeps up moving, so do let me know what you like about the new theme, and how I can further improve it!
Today, Google released Google Chrome Frame, a plugin for Windows XP / Vista users to take advantage of richer javascript experiences. After installing a the plugin, you can specify a separate meta tag on your website, so users with the plugin installed can indentify themselves, and take advantage of the functionality.
I haven’t given Chrome Frame codes a go yet, but as much as I am excited about the possiblity of the new functionality, I also know in the back of my mind how long I’d have to wait for advanced web technologies like this to reach even 1% of a website’s audience (that especially if you are expecting a non tech savvy audience).
Back in 2005, Seth Godin posted about “stats that cannot be true“, and he mentions that its “inconceivable to me that 40% of the audience knows how to use their browser to erase their cookies.”
And what he says is true today, 4 years down the road.
Today, I see people in Singapore (a country with one of the highest Internet Penetration Rates in the world), still using Internet Explorer 6, Windows 98/95, and not knowing the difference between Microsoft Windows (the OS) and Microsoft Office (the applications suite).
Just read another very thought provoking Seth Godin post on assets in marketers.
For a marketer, an asset is a tool or a platform, something you can use over and over without using it up. In fact, it’s something that gets better the more you invest… Running an ad is an expense. Building a brand people trust is an asset.
This is something traditional business owners have to realise when marketing online. Its easy to discount an organic SEO campaign by comparing the immediate ROI (or even if you consider the ROI of a project lasting 6-12 months, or longer). Afterall, when you pay to blast an ad out in the regular channels, you might get a reasonable return. SEO projects might take longer to get started, depending on how well the site has been performing.
What many people fail to realise is that having a well performing website in the organic results of SERPs is an asset built for your company. Your leads don’t stop coming in when the campaign is done. In fact, a well optimized site can continue to perform well in the search listings for a long time (years!) if your competitors are not SEO fanatics, and as long as you keep up with maintenance of the site – adding content and building links occassionally.
Think about it this way. An ad campaign is like going out to the cafe to get a cup of coffee. Doing organic SEO is like investing in a good expresso machine and then making your own coffee at home. It may be a huge investment upfront, and regular maintenance costs (getting the beans, electricity, water, your own time to make the coffee), but if you love coffee, you’ll know that over time that investment will pay off, and you can continue to enjoy you daily cup however you want it, whenever you want it.
According to Lorelle’s post, old WordPress installations are being attacked (as you read this), and the number grows by the hour. The current version for WordPress is 2.8.4. Check yours. If its not 2.8.4, you are at risk.
How do you know if you’ve been attacked?
Lorelle also mentions two clues:
There are two clues that your WordPress site has been attacked.
There are strange additions to the pretty permalinks, such as example.com/category/post-title/%&(%7B$%7Beval(base64_decode($_SERVER%5BHTTP_REFERER%5D))%7D%7D|.+)&%/. The keywords are “eval” and “base64_decode.”
The second clue is that a “back door” was created by a “hidden” Administrator. Check your site users for “Administrator (2)” or a name you do not recognize.
Tan Kian Ann is blog marketer based in Singapore. He now works with individuals and small businesses to reach out to the world with the use of blogs. More about Kian Ann »
Think about it this way. An ad campaign is like going out to the cafe to get a cup of coffee. Doing organic SEO is like investing in a good expresso machine and then making your own coffee at home. It may be a huge investment upfront, and regular maintenance costs (getting the beans, electricity, water, your own time to make the coffee), but if you love coffee, you’ll know that over time that investment will pay off, and you can continue to enjoy you daily cup however you want it, whenever you want it.