October 2008 Archives

A few more than 2700 posts and about 2400 comments.

Most of those posts are pretty short, especially the first year, but each post and comment is an entry in a database that is getting bigger and bigger. I usually don't pay much attention to the numbers. Frankly, I'll keep writing as long as there is a place for me to do it.

This does not come without a price, though.

My ISP has no issues with what I'm hosting and my account is in good standing.

But, I'm putting a significant load on the server that hosts my site. Enough that some of the scripts behind the web page generation have been auto-disabled due to sustained heavy processor usage. Last night was a case in point. I had to re-enable the script that lets me actually log in to write or to approve comments.

Another issue is the search tool that my blog software provides. All of the search engines kept hitting it over and over and over. Hundreds of times in a day. The issue is that there does not seem to be any permanent index created—every post was searched with every hit on the search tool in order to produce up-to-the-minute results. That's a very cool feature, but it takes a lot of power to do that.

For now, I have disabled the search feature. I'm not sure that many, other than the search engines, ever used it much. My server and the blog software seem much more responsive as a result. For that I am glad. There is a down side, though. The search tool was what enabled the tag functionality. I think tags are pretty cool, a way to associate posts with other posts that have similar threads even if they aren't connected in sequence or in kind.

In the past, if you had clicked on a tag, the search script would have searched all of my posts for ones that had a similar tag and then displayed them all for you. I think that is a good thing. I think you should be able to do that. I regret having to turn it off, frankly. So the search tool and the tag cloud are gone from the front page.

All of this puts me at another crossroad. Do I modify my blog and reduce functionality in order to be able to run everything my way, as much as I can manage under the circumstances, or do I move my content back to a host that does nothing but blogs?

I started on Blogger long ago with a free account. They had paid accounts available before Google bought them. Paid or free, there were no comments in those days unless you used a third-party commenting tool. I left Blogger for a paid TypePad account because TypePad had commenting built-in and stable. Once I had my own domain name, I felt invincible and moved to my own web space and to the free MovableType software. Hell, I used to want to host it on my own computer in my own home. Cable providers don't like that so that never worked.

Where I'm at now is that I would prefer to simply write. I do not wish to be a web administrator nor a server administrator nor an application administrator. Not here. B.A.M.S. exists for me to get stuff out of my head. I need to know that it will be there, and be stable, and ready for when I need it.

I am currently considering migrating this blog to TypePad or to WordPress, as a paid customer because of the features I prefer.

I remember TypePad fondly, and I remember they were reasonably stable though I do remember frustrations around personalization—at the time. In the interim I have checked in on them and it does seem like there have been a number of improvements, though they don't have the same buzz around them as WordPress. WordPress does seem to have all of the features I'm using and wanting to use and at a price per feature per year that appears to be less than TypePad.

If I move, my domain and my content will follow. If I stay, I will not be upgrading or changing my software anymore, because I'm already at the performance ceiling on my server. I fear I'm at the point of the curve where the potential for overload goes exponential.

I would like to hear from anyone who feels he or she has insight into the matter.

And also?

I would prefer to spend my time doing more play and writing about my experiences than worrying about the tech.

Enough.

Many hopes and dreams.

But we have picked a date, Flower and I.

And I cannot wait to see what lies in store.

Yes, I'm rebuilding here.

I accidentally deleted the template used to generate the main page through a series of mistakes and uneducated guesses. First, I unintentionally replaced the default template. Subsequently, I deleted the backup thinking… it was not the backup I was looking for.

So right now the blog design is one of the included styles and layouts. This morning, I saved the HTML (not the same as the template, not at all) of the page as it existed, then I did a complete refresh back to "factory standard" and added the "Minimalist White" site style.

Next, I'm adding back all of the links. Yes, I've got them all. I promise to pull out the broken links—I know there were several. Adding back my links is going to require the creation of several "widgets." The widgets aren't difficult at all, but will just take a little time to code and add into the layout.

Another project includes moving to Google Analytics for analysis of site traffic.

When all of that is done, I'm going to revisit the CSS and change the style from the current "minimal" back to "sinful." Not sure what that means yet, except that I will honor the past design without repeating it.

And that's why I haven't posted for the past several days. Among other things, because I knew I had broken my site and I needed to decide on a new direction for the design. The way this tool works, the moment I published a new entry, the front page would have taken the look of the new template. I wanted to be sure the rest of the site had fallen in line first.

The moral of the story? Don't delete anything. Move it or copy it. Deletion is forever.

*** I have 19 invites remaining.

If you're interested, I have invitations to send out for the model and photographer site called Zivity.

It's an interesting concept. Photos are uploaded by photographers, but the sets are approved by the models. There is voting, friending, and fandom. Voting is approval and support. Votes produce royalties for photographers and models.

The quality of the sets I have seen and voted for myself are very well done. I'm not a fan of every frame and every pose necessarily, but some sets are exceptional.

My criticisms at the moment are that the images are smaller than I would prefer, fitting within an 800x500 pixel frame. The FAQ indicates that a higher resolution image viewer may be available in the near future. I think it is sorely needed.

The other issue I have is that neither images nor sets are available for download at this point. The FAQ on the site indicates to photographers and models both that intellectual property is respected. I personally would like to see a business model that would allow high-resolution images or sets to be downloaded for a fee. I'm willing to pay for the good stuff.

***While Zivity is still currently in beta, once it goes live there will be a small subscription fee after the first 30 days. I'm told this will be $10 monthly which includes up to 5 votes per month. You can view sets and participate in the various social aspects of the site. Vote as much as you like or as much as your credit limit will allow—votes over the included 5 are a dollar each.

What's Zivity like? It's simple and elegant, a plus for me. There is opportunity to create a profile and upload some profile pics and like other social sites there are ways to link back to your other endeavors.

The pics? Awesome, but more pin-up than porn. Refreshingly real and more honest than Playboy. But unlike in older mediums, there is easy access to the artists. That's actually really cool.

Zivity states in no uncertain terms that photos must meet standards. I'm pretty sure that means nudity but no sex acts or penetration. Beautiful women in beautiful pictures? Yep. You bet!

While I am not affiliated with Zivity in any way, I have a beta membership and now I have been given 20 invitations. Drop me a message if you like and I will send an invite your way.

There's a mix of old and new style templates, break-fix style, that allow my tag cloud to function correctly.

I think all of my links work again. Please let me know if you notice links that are broken or error messages.

Thanks!