Information Technology,Blogging

Well, it just can’t be avoided, we’re always on the lookout for a new way for a new day, right?

So, it’s like this: There I was, clicking in my start menu, and I clicked the wrong icon, and up comes Contribute. Yeah, Ok, I’d used it before, quite a few years ago by now, and it had never been received with very much love from the people that I might have expected to be the actual end-users of it. In almost every case however, it worked out to be too difficult and/or too expensive for all parties to come together and use it.

But here I was looking at a whole new version, all these years later, and after poking at it with a stick a few times I notice that it has this “connect to blog” feature… and that WordPress is listed in the drop-down menu! Well all right, let’s take another look at this!

WYSIWYG editors are more and more available in readily available dynamic website products, but they leave so much to be desired! The great temptation for using Contribute, then, would be to have a visual editor that is as good as DreamWeaver, as the editor control for a blog… Could it be true? What are its drawbacks, they’re there, I know they are!

Pros
Well, I’m able to write this post right now, and I’m using it, so I was successfully able to login and edit a basic post. Not bad, editing is natural; you see the whole page in more or less WYSIWYG, ie, the headers, banners, sidebars, footers, etc., are all there, but you can only edit the relevant portion of the page that is there for you to edit. Inline spell-checking is also working.

Cons
Image handling is kind of chunky, and this could be a problem right up front. I see that for each page you have the ability to use Contribute like a web browser and use the built-in functionality of WP to edit the page, or just click the Edit Post button in the upper left provided by Contribute, and you’ll get the editor from that.

Another problem that I had was that this was the only blog that I was able to connect to. I have several WordPress sites, and of the others I have not had any success yet. WordPress versions, or a plugins and their versions, I suppose, is where I’ll have to look for a solution. For these sites, when I try to connect, I just get a quick rejection, even though I know all the info is correct.

Aha, I have solved the above problem! Apparently, you need to go into your Word Press settings and turn on XML-RPC under the sub-heading of "writing". After doing this, I have had NO problem connecting to my blogs!

So, I have it all working, what have I gained? A slightly better WYSIWYG editor for my blogs. Slightly. Which is to say that while it does not have as advanced of image editing, it does not insert dead paragraph tags all over the place either.

If you already have Contribute, and are sick of the common editors for your WordPress site then you may want to give it it a try. If you don’t already have Contribute, it’s a hard decision to say whether or not it would be worth it for you to purchase it just for this purpose. Probably not, though!

Feel otherwise, or did I miss something important? Feel free to leave a comment below!

How to troubleshoot missing network connections icons in Windows Server 2003 and in Windows XP

A Dog’s Purpose.  (From the view of a 6 year old)

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker ’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on… Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion… We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ”I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said,”People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The Six-year-old continued,

”Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

“We at Sonshine Educational Tours are extremely impressed with Coastal Data’s focus and service. Coastal Data is customer oriented and are qualified to meet all of our IT needs, even the urgent ones! They have been exceptionally helpful in working out the small details just perfect and are to be commended for their undivided attention and focus for on the projects at hand. You are the best!”

Cheryl Beton
General Manager, Sonshine Educational Tours, Inc.

Coastal Data Enterprises, Inc. also provides FREE consultation and evaluation of your custom database and website needs.   We provide flexible and professional tier-staged proposals to suit any budget or limitations.   Why wait …. Contact CoDE today!

Coastal Data Enterprises, Inc. provides FREE consultation and evaluation of your custom database and website needs. We provide flexible and professional tier-staged proposals to suit any budget or limitations. Why wait …. Contact CoDE today!

Early Bird (purchase before 10/6): $65
Full Price: $95
Student: $40
Conference Only: $65
Social Function Only: $30

We at Coastal Data would love to see everyone there!

Coastal Data Enterprises, Inc. also provides FREE consultation and evaluation of your custom database and website needs. We provide flexible and professional tier-staged proposals to suit any budget or limitations. Why wait …. Contact CoDE today!

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Your website visitor count has multiplied like bunnies!

The definition of viral marketing is any strategy that encourages individuals to pass on a marketing message or form of media to others.  This soon creates exponential growth in your company and website’s exposure and influence!

For an example, let us promise our potential customers here at Coastal Data Enterprises, Inc. that any computer sent to us for upgrades and service is guaranteed to be given a whole lot of loving care…


…by our office mascot Sir Sass.  He keeps a very close eye on our production time here at CoDE and doesn’t tolerate any slack.   Sir Sass is the boss around here and if you want to get on his good side, an empty box will do… for a little while.

Now we dare you – pull a Cute Overload and if you have a social networking account with Digg, Stumble Upon, Del-icio-ous or Twitter – press the corresponding button below this article.

Of course “Kitty straddling Dell Computer” may get a few chuckles, could go viral and may not – but there are other ways that a professional company can put their own spin on a social networking market and create a big buzz:

1. Gives away products or services: Great deals, FREE offers and contests create a buzz – not to mention will expand your potential customer contact list by collecting data on site visitors and registration.
2. Provides for effortless transfer to others: If all a person has to do is click to share link, or copy and paste your URL to share on facebook – you’re in!
3. Scales easily from small to very large: In utilizing YouTube or Flicker, sharing a photo with a friend or on their blog can be simple and unobtrusive to the rest of their content.  Yet noticed and easily shared by a simple click of the mouse.
4. Exploits common motivations and behaviors: Let’s face it we all love to laugh!  Got funny?  Share!   Many are motivated by great deals and quality service; be the one who provides this.
5. Utilizes existing communication networks: If you haven’t signed up for a social networking account somewhere, try it!   We promise you the possibilities are endless.
6. Takes advantage of others’ resources: The top banner of this post is reproduced by Squirrelizer – recreating the viral photo of a curious squirrel over a camera as a newlywed couple tried to take a photo of themselves.

Coastal Data Enterprises, Inc. also provides FREE consultation and evaluation of your custom database and website needs. We provide flexible and professional tier-staged proposals to suit any budget or limitations. Why wait …. Contact CoDE today!

“Real spending on travel and tourism declined at an annual rate of 5.9 percent in 2009:1 after decreasing 6.9 percent (revised) in 2008:4.  By comparison, real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased 5.7 percent (preliminary) in 2009:1 after a decrease of 6.3 percent in 2008:4. Real spending declined despite a drop in travel and tourism prices of 10.9 percent in 2009:1 following a 16.5 percent (revised) decrease in 2008:4.  Leading the decline was passenger air transportation (28.7 percent) and traveler accommodations (15.1 percent).”

• Passenger air transportation continued to contract—decreasing 5.8 percent in 2009:1 after decreasing 8.7 percent (revised) in 2008:4.  Real spending on domestic flights declined for the sixth consecutive quarter; however, real spending on international flights rose 10.5 percent after an increase of 10.1 percent in the previous quarter.
• Spending on accommodations posted a larger decrease—18.6 percent in 2009:1 after a 10.4 percent (revised) decrease in 2008:4.  The hotel industry continued to experience declining demand that was only partially offset by reduced room rates, leading to the decline in real spending.
• Retail shopping by travelers showed a smaller decrease of 1.3 percent in 2009:1 compared to a decrease of 11.6 percent in 2008:4.

Real Tourism Spending. Spending on passenger air transportation declined for the fourth straight quarter, falling 5.8 percent in 2009:1 after an 8.7 percent decrease in 2008:4.  However, international air transportation increased by 10.5 percent for the quarter. An 18.6 percent decline in traveler accommodations spending followed a decline of 10.4 percent (revised) in the previous quarter. Transportation prices continued to decline in 2009:1—decreasing 23.0 percent after decreasing 36.1 percent (revised) in 2008:4.  Auto travelers and tourists continued to pay significantly less for gasoline at the pump and airfare continued to become more affordable.

Tourism Prices. Prices for passenger air transportation fell sharply in 2009:1—decreasing 28.7 percent following a decrease of 2.3 percent (revised) in 2008:4. Fuel costs continued to decrease allowing airlines to reduce fares to stimulate demand. Prices for accommodations decreased 15.1 percent after falling 7.0 percent in the previous quarter. Business travel continued to decline and those traveling were using lower cost lodging to reduce expenditures.

Total Tourism-Related Spending. The U.S. production that tourism spending generates not only includes the goods and services that are purchased directly, but also the inputs used to produce these goods and services—indirect tourism-related spending.  In 2009:1, total current-dollar tourism-related spending of $1.2 trillion consisted of $705.0 billion (57 percent) of direct tourism spending—goods and services sold directly to visitors—and $540.0 billion (43 percent) of indirect tourism-related spending—goods and services used to produce what visitors buy.

1. Providing a professional representation of your service with a website that attracts the savvy tourist.
2. Not just any website but an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) website that will put your business at the top of their internet queries.  They can’t miss you!
3. The potential for an interactive website where the customer can make reservations, payments and receive confirmation on the great service you are offering.
4. Provide an in-house database that speaks to the website for all of your accounting, inventory and prospective in-office needs.  Saving your business precious time and resources yet building your customer base.

• Current, relevant information presented by experts in the navigation community
• Professional networking opportunities
• Opportunities to present research/information
• Registration discounts for ION individual/corporate members
• Exhibit displays offer demonstrations of available products and services
• Proceedings of these meetings may be ordered from the Publications section.

Events and Conventions are an excellent cohesive marketing tool to promote sales in the travel, tourism and leisure industry. If you have an upcoming event or convention, we would love to share it right here at Coastal Data Enterprises.

Coastal Data Enterprises, Inc. also provides FREE consultation and evaluation of your custom database and website needs. We provide flexible and professional tier-staged proposals to suit any budget or limitations. Why wait …. Contact CoDE today!

“I have had the pleasure of working with Coastal Data Enterprises, Inc. for several years.  This company has indeed been THE SOLUTION to all of my technology and support needs. They provide a high quality of professional service that is accurate, dependable and very competitively priced for the budget, multi-faceted and varied needs of Kelly Tours.”

Don Adams
President, Kelly Tours, Inc.