How To Deal With Web Hosting Services That Go Bad
Not every bad web hosting service starts out that way. A variety of factors can be at play when a hosting service fails to live up to the promises that it initially made to you. While you would like to see the relationship grow and strengthen over time, you cannot stay in a place out of loyalty when it is affecting your traffic and user satisfaction. If your web hosting company has started to go bad, then it probably means they've let a few things happen like increased downtime, security faults, and price increases. All these things can be detrimental to the success of your site and the safety of your users. So when a good hosting company starts to go bad, here's how you should deal with it:
Communicate Immediately
Some problems with downtime, for instance, can be solved if you chat one on one with your hosting company's representative and begin taking copious notes on the incidents, so you can report them. Don't feel like you are being too pushy here. Report them, each and every one, and don't let them give you the run around. Eventually, one of two things will happen. They'll get so sick of you they'll finally fix the problem, or they won't care and you'll need to go somewhere else. But how do you know when to make the move? It usually pays to be upfront with them about the implications. If that's not enough for motivation, then you shouldn't be talking with them any more.
Protect Your Traffic
When security becomes a major concern at your hosting provider, you will need to let the company know right away that either results are achieved immediately, or you are taking your site and however many users you have with you. The people, who make you successful, trust that your site will protect their identities. So make sure that you do all you can to stave off the spambots and hackers and viruses that would maliciously want to steal and use their information.
Shop Around
The minute you feel discomfort with your hosting company, it doesn't hurt to start shopping around. After all, web hosting is the most vital part of bringing your site to the masses. A day or a week or a month down can hurt you greatly. So can sporadic availability. But what if your hosting company isn't doing any of that? They are simply, and inexplicably, raising their prices frequently, and it's starting to cost you. That's where shopping around helps. By letting your hosting company know that you have been looking around, you can generally find some understanding between yourself and them.
Keep these things in mind, and also keep a close eye on your provider.
Simple Scrapbook Ideas For Creative Scrapbooking
Many people who do scrapping know that when you get started there are numerous scrapbook ideas you can use for your scrapbook pages. Sometimes you begin to understand that you are using previous layouts over and over. You get bored without fresh ideas for your album. What you need is an inspiration. You can find many unique ways to get fresh and creative scrapbooking ideas for your future project. And the best is creative scrapbooking.
A creative scrapbook does not focus on the scrapbook designs, rules and procedures. All what you need is a creativity and ability to create or find a creative scrapbook idea. It will help you show a story from photos and another details. You can cut out and create your own details for use in an album or you can use the right scrapbooking supplies, elements, details for your needs. Using these scrapbooking supplies do not limit your creativity in creating your pages. Your ingenuity in using these details requires your creativeness. Creativity is the thinking without limitations in creating your scrapbooks. You can use the usual scrapbook elements, some creative objects on your page to enhance your photos, to give more dimension, texture and color to your pages and add your own creative touch.
Develop your creativity by practicing some sketches in your designs. You can create your own sketches by using photos and adding some supplies. You can find the perfect original sketch for your creative scrapbooking. They have a variety of designs, themes and layouts that help you to create your creative scrapbooks. You can choose a different visuals and use them with great creativity. You can develop these sketches that other can decide that it is your own creative work. Your sketches easy enhance creative look and impression of your work.
There are no rules in the scrapbooking. Usually the most creative and free person can make a really unrepeatable art of work. You must think only about photos, your thoughts, your feelings and how showcase these things altogether in the finest way. Play around with your pics, notes, words, thoughts. Try to choose another layouts, color schemes, techniques.
You can get an inspiration not only by viewing your photos. Colorful words can discover you a new bright solutions for your pages. You can use a comic or famous quotes as a fine decorative elements. Sometime an eye-catching phrase could become the theme or title of your pages. Only what you need is relax and feel yourself free. Stop your scrap activity and read interesting book or see a breathless film. And many various hints come to you in easy and fast way. These changes can really activate your imagination and inspiration for creating a perfect pages. You really can fire your creative engine.
Be true with yourself and readers. Express your real feelings. Do not try to embellish your real life events. It is a life and a history. And you must be a true historian. I hope these scrapbook ideas will help you to enrich your scrap booking and your life.
WUCF TV’s pitch: We saved PBS for community; we need your help
The aristocrats on 'Downton Abbey' have lots of money; PBS stations don't Photo credit: Nick Briggs/ITV for Masterpiece
WUCF TV begins the traditional PBS pledge drive Friday. The event, which runs through March 18, will include concerts built around the B-52s, Tony-winner Idina Menzel, Yanni and “The Phantom of the Opera.”
The new Orlando PBS station’s target is $225,000.
WUCF also seeks donations through a half-dozen spots, shot around Central Florida, that have started airing. Those spots ask viewers to support “Masterpiece,” “Nova” and children’s programs. Could “Downton Abbey” be PBS’ best fund-raising tool this year?
“We want to stress that WUCF TV is for the community and part of the community. It is more than just UCF,” said Grant Heston, associate vice president at the University of Central Florida. “Our main message is that WUCF TV saved PBS for our community, but we need the community to help us keep it here.”
WUCF TV went live for the first time Tuesday night to encourage viewers to invest in PBS, Heston said. Pop-ups during programs will make the same request.
The pledge-drive specials also include “Horses of the West: America’s Love Story,” “Il Volo Takes Flight” and “Hugh Laurie: Let them Talk – A Celebration of New Orleans Blues.”
One program of special interest to older viewers is “Big Bang Vocalists,” a celebration of Louis Armstrong, Perry Como, Doris Day and many others.
China Beat Mailbag: Are You Having Problems Searching the Renmin ribao?
The following message was sent to us earlier today by a reader who requests to remain anonymous; it has also been posted to the MCLC listserv. If you have experienced similar problems accessing the Renmin ribao database, or if you have any information about why the database is problematic, please contact us by writing to thechinabeat[at]gmail[dot]com.
On Friday (Feb. 24, 2012), I attempted a search of my university’s library-subscribed, full-text-searchable database of Renmin ribao (People’s Daily), provided to us by OriProbe Information Services. The term I was searching for was “xinao” (??, brainwashing). Although the search produced a list of results, each time I clicked on an article title or attempted to navigate to another page of results, I lost my connection. At first I thought that the OriProbe site was simply experiencing technical difficulties. However, subsequent searches using other terms proceeded smoothly. Suspicious, I began testing the database with a variety of searches, some politically sensitive and some not. Searches for “Falungong” and “June 4″ (??) consistently resulted in terminated connections; searches for other terms (e.g., “very good,” “labor,” “class struggle,” and “newspaper”) were fine. I have been checking repeatedly all weekend, and as of this morning (Tue., Feb. 28) the problem remains.
I have alerted the East Asia librarian at my university and have begun spreading the word to others in the field. China scholars may not have much power to change the PRC state’s practice of Internet censorship within China, but we should have some influence over the policies governing the very expensive databases to which our libraries subscribe.
If your library subscribes to this or other databases (Duxiu, for example, seems to have the same problem), would you please run some test searches and then inform your librarian of any restrictions you face?
Please note that the search may produce a list of results; make sure to follow through by clicking on an article title—that will probably be the point at which the connection drops. Of course, it’s possible to copy the titles of the articles in the search results and then start a new session in the database and search for individual titles in order to access the articles. It’s usually possible to get around this kind of thing one way or another. But there is a larger principle at stake here, and it would be good if we could make a collective fuss about this.
‘House’ ends its Fox run May 21; Fox celebrates 25 years
House (Hugh Laurie, right) in the season premiere of the Fox medical drama. Photo credit: Ray Mickshaw/Fox
The prognosis for “House”: The Hugh Laurie drama ends its Fox run with two hours May 21. The first hour will be a retrospective on the series’ eight-year run.
The 2011-12 TV season will end two nights later, when “American Idol” names its latest winner.
Fox has announced more scheduling changes, one affecting ”House.” The medical drama will shift to 9 p.m. Mondays, starting April 2.
The same night, “Bones” will move into the 8 p.m. Monday slot that has been home to “House.”
“Alcatraz” wraps up its first season with two hours on Monday, March 26.
“The Finder,” the “Bones” spinoff, offers its spring finale March 8. A second season seems unlikely, but we’ll have to wait for Fox’s next-season announcement in May.
“Touch,” the Kiefer Sutherland drama, moves into the 9 p.m. Thursday slot. It will repeat its preview from earlier this year on March 15. New episodes begin March 22.
Fox also will mark 25 years of broadcasting with a special airing from 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday, April 22. The network said the event will celebrate Fox’s shows, stars and ”earliest days as a bold, brazen upstart.” Expect tributes to “24,” “The Simpsons,” ”Ally McBeal,” ”Married … With Children” and “House.”
Oscars nearly match Grammy audience, dwarf NBA All-Star Game
Jennifer Lopez, left, and Cameron Diaz were Oscar presenters. Photo credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
The Academy Awards averaged 39.3 million viewers Sunday night, according to early ratings released this afternoon.
The Oscar audience nearly equaled the 39.9 million who caught the Grammys earlier this month. We’ll have updated Oscar numbers on Tuesday morning.
The Oscars were far bigger than the NBA All-Star Game on TNT. The Orlando event averaged 7 million viewers. The game peaked from 10 to 10:30 p.m. with 7.8 million viewers. The top markets in order were Miami, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Tampa and Tulsa.
ABC trumpeted that the Oscar telecast, with Billy Crystal back as host, was up 1.4 million viewers from last year’s audience.
The Oscar telecast was ABC’s most-watched broadcast since March 7, 2010, when the 82nd annual Oscars were presented. Last night’s 84th edition of the awards did well even though most of the top contenders weren’t box-office blockbusters.
“The Artist,” a mostly silent black-and-white film, won best picture. Jean Dujardin, the French star of “The Artist,” was named best actor.
Meryl Streep was chosen best actress for “The Iron Lady.” It was her third win on a record 17 nominations. Streep joins a select group of actors who have won three Academy Awards: Walter Brennan, Ingrid Bergman and Jack Nicholson. Katharine Hepburn won a record four Oscars on 12 nominations.
Christopher Plummer of “Beginners” was named best supporting actor. At 82, he is the oldest performer to win. Octavia Spencer of “The Help” was chosen best supporting actress.
Academy Awards: Angelina Jolie wins style contest; Christopher Plummer sets record
Angelina Jolie strikes a memorable pose on the red carpet. She repeated it on the Oscar telecast. Photo credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Billy Crystal was back as host, and he got off some choice Oscar zingers. In a nod to “The Descendants,” he awakened to a kiss from George Clooney.
But the best moments belonged to other performers.
1. Knock-your-socks-off segment: Cirque du Soleil put on an astonishing, high-flying production number saluting the movies, notably the crop duster sequence from “North by Northwest.” “Wow, I pulled a hamstring just watching that,” Crystal said.
2. Best speech: Supporting actor Christopher Plummer, who, at 82, made Oscar history by becoming the oldest performer to win. Looking at his statuette for “Beginners,” Plummer said, “You’re only two years older than me, darling. Where have you been all my life?” Plummer also said his long-suffering wife deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
Runner-up: Meryl Streep’s lovely thank-you in winning best actress for “The Iron Lady.” She thanked her husband first, because he has given her everything she values most in her life. She also thanked her friends, here and departed, for “this inexplicably wonderful career.”
3. Best exponent of glamour: Angelina Jolie,in a stunning black gown, presented the writing awards. She came out, struck a commanding pose and revealed a leg. Va-va-va voom. The lesson: When you’ve got it, you can flaunt it.
4. Best comedy: The focus group on “The Wizard of Oz.” Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, Catherine O’Hara and Christopher Guest played 1939 filmgoers who registered hilarious complaints about the Judy Garland classic.
5. Best song: “What a Wonderful World,” delivered by Esperanza Spalding and a choir to salute the industry folk who had died in the past year. It was touching and classy, and it kept the audience from applauding during the sequence.
The show had good pacing until the end, when the best-actor and best-actress presentations became long-winded exercises.
There were no real surprises. As predicted, “The Artist” won best picture, and star Jean Dujardin was best actor. Octavia Spencer was best supporting actress for “The Help.” The show ran 3 hours, 8 minutes, brisk by Oscar standards.
Was the American public interested in watching “Hugo” pick up technical prizes? We’ll know when the ratings come in. The telecast was well-produced, but it helped if you were interested in the material.
Academy Awards: Fearless picks in a ho-hum year; why not a best-actress tie?
Meryl Streep at an Academy Awards reception on Friday. Photo credit: Fred Prouser/Reuters
The Academy Awards usually stir some excitement. Not this year, though.
The feeling this year: Please make it be over. We’ve seen too many movie-awards shows.
Host Billy Crystal will have a hard time with the comedy because the best-movie candidates are such a lackluster crop. How do you joke about ”The Artist” and “The Descendants” if most viewers haven’t seen them?
The awards start at 8:30 p.m. ET Sunday on ABC. The academy has rounded up the usual suspects after the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the British Academy Awards. You’ve heard the likely winners speak several times before. There’s little suspense, and there’s so little to pull for, too.
Best picture: “The Artist” is likely to win. The better pick: “Midnight in Paris,” which is more original and imaginative. It is also the biggest hit of Woody Allen’s long, prolific career. I bet that “Midnight in Paris” will stand the test of time better than ”The Artist.”
Best actor: It’s a toss-up between George Clooney of “The Descendants” and Jean Dujardin of “The Artist.” Dujardin will and should win because he’s the main reason “The Artist” succeeds. He’s also mostly silent, a real challenge for an actor.
Best supporting actor: Christopher Plummer will win for “Beginners.” He’s also winning for “The Sound of Music.” In this weak field, Plummer deserves to win. I might be pulling for Max von Sydow, but I detested “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.” I did love him in “The Seventh Seal,” though.
Best supporting actress: Octavia Spencer is a sure winner as a fierce maid in “The Help.” But the more deserving contender is Melissa McCarthy for her earthy, bravura comedy work in “Bridesmaids.” Now that was a landmark, take-no-prisoners performance.
Best director: Micahel Hazanavicius will reach the podium for “The Artist.” The better choice: Woody Allen.
Best actress: It’s a two-way race between good friends Viola Davis of “The Help” and Meryl Streep of “The Iron Lady.” Davis is given the edge for a fine performance in a sentimental movie. Streep is brilliant in a misguided movie. I’m pulling for Streep, a 17-time nominee who has won twice. How many more times will the academy have a chance to honor her?
I’d even settle for a tie. We haven’t seen one of those since the 1968 best-actress race between Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand. A tie would jazz up a show that will need surprises.
SEO Introduction
Search engine optimization - commonly abbreviated to SEO - is the process whereby a web site, or more specifically a web page or document, is Minneapolis SEO constructed or amended in such a way as to improve its placement in the search engine results pages or SERPs. SEO should not be seen as an end in itself. It is a function that should be undertaken to improve the overall commercial performance of a web site.
Good SEO will ensure that a page appears higher in the search Engine results for a range of relevant, specific and valuable search terms or queries. The simple objective of SEO is to generate more valuable web site traffic. The achievement of a higher ranking against relevant search terms has commercial value for a web site because it will attract more traffic than a lower ranking. In an increasingly crowded online environment, SEO is therefore a crucial online marketing discipline.
The role of SEO is to legitimately influence the process of improving rankings. There are few genuine guarantees of a top placement, particularly for highly competitive search terms. Good SEO will improve a web site's ranking across a range of selected terms. However, any process whereby a search engine is illicitly manipulated in order to guarantee a high placement is referred to as spamming. The successful execution of a search engine optimization project requires skills in the areas of analysis, research, planning, copy writing and communication. A comprehensive search engine optimization project is divided into four interrelated phases.
Pre-site activities
The research and planning activities undertaken before an existing or new site or page is actually touched or built.
1.Understanding your organization's online business strategy
2. Researching your market category, customers and competitors
3. Keyword research and selection
On-site activities
The activities directly involved in the content and design of web pages.
1.Writing the title, description and keyword meta tags
2.Writing content - Body copy, titles, image tags, outbound links that reflect and enhance keywords.
3.Building internal links - Helping the search engines local SEO navigate the site
4.Site design and construction - Ensuring the web page utilizes design and code that can be properly crawled and indexed by the search engines.
Off-site activities
Building a portfolio of quality inbound links to your web site.
Post site activities
Analyzing and responding to site traffic and user feedback once a web site has been optimized. Effective SEO is a continuous activity.
‘The Walking Dead’: David Morrissey to play the Governor
David Morrissey will join 'The Walking Dead.' Photo credit: Ian Gavan/Getty Images
You get a new “Walking Dead” this weekend, and you get some big news, too.
The AMC drama has cast David Morrissey as the Governor, who becomes a foe for series hero Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). The Governor, from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel, leads survivors of the zombie apocalypse who live in the settlement Woodbury.
Morrissey will begin his role in the third season of “The Walking Dead.” Production on 16 episodes for that season begins this spring in Atlanta.
Season two continues at 9 p.m. Sunday, when the latest episode premieres.
Morrissey’s credits include the “Masterpiece” productions of “South Riding” and “Sense and Sensibility.” He had a guest role in “Doctor Who.” He acted in the British series “State of Play,” “Meadowlands,” “The Deal” and “Blackpool.” His film credits include “The Reaping,” “The Other Boleyn Girl,” “Centurion,” “Nowhere Boy” and “Blitz.” Upcoming is “Welcome to the Punch” with James McAvoy.