Our very own blog

It's been a little longer than I had hoped to blog, even after my disclaimer in the "Typical First Post".  And that is due in large part to us being really busy.  And busy in the referal, new sales, new projects, bigger better projects sort of way.

It's been out philosophy since we started JC TECH to target smaller businesses and organizations where it doesn't make sence to have a full time web guy.  We were aware that there were businesses out there that want or even need a web presence, but don't know the first thing about what it takes to register a domain name, not-to-mention all the stuff that comes after that.  We have since discovered that there are quite a number of medium sized businesses that are interested in the same thing… "We don't care how it all works, we just want it to all work."  JC TECH has now grown to over 35 companies who's websites are entirely managing by us.

So thanks to all of you who helped to make that possible. (and tell your friends)

Search Engine Optimization (Lovingly referred to as SEO) is one of my pet projects and at the same time, one of my pet peeves.  There are a TON of web service companies that want to guarantee high search engine rankings, by some special skill that they can do fairly quickly and with some nifty fee structure.

The desired result is that if you type in "Widget" into google's search form, that the results will then have a link to your nifty "widgetstore.com" somewhere near the top of the page.  Google returns millions of links to websites for any word (or combination of words) that you type in, but most people only look at the first few.  A few loyal Internet surfers will even look at the links on the first few pages of results, but if your nifty "widgetstore.com" is on page 359, you are not going to get any visitors to your site from searchers.

So how do we get your nifty "widgetstore.com" up where people can find it, especially when they really need a Widget.  The answer does actually lie in Search Engine Optimization.  Now there are lots, and I mean LOTS of companies that are very aware of the fact that you don't know what that means.  They even know that you don't know that they don't really even know, or that they don't want to put in the real effort required.  They will take your money with a straight face and give you some very minimal results, and may even get you black listed.  That's right, if Google or Yahoo or any other Internet search company catches you cheating, you could have your website removed totally…. not even displayed on page 359.

So for this intro, I want to point out what Search Engines are trying to do.  The old saying is that if you help them get what they want, then they will help you get what you want.

Search Engines offer information… Good information.  That's their product.  When you type in "Widget" they want the first link to be the most important page on the Internet related to "Widget".  If there is an international consortium on Widget that maintains the world-wide standards and definitive guide to Widget, that's the link they want on top.  The second link should then be the second most important, etc. etc. etc. all the way to page 359.  That's the product they offer.

There are too many pages for search engines to rank each page, so they use a few tools to find your site, index it and rank it.  What's important for you to know is that they are using a series of formulas to get the job done.  These formulas are changed on a regular basis to accomplish one thing… Make the information better.  If someone has figured out a trick that gets a page about "Gizmos" up at the top of the "Widget" list, it might actually work, but rest assured that the formula will be changed and the Gizmo site will get black listed.

I could go into the different formulas that are used, and I will eventually, but for now, the best thing that you can do is to make sure that your site has good information about your topic.  If your info is good, it will make its way higher in the list.  I will take some time over the next little while to talk about maximizing your site for the Internet, but DON'T pay for a guaranteed - lock solid - solution by some guy that claims they have found a cool trick that will make you popular.

Well sticking with my January theme about useful software titles, I've come across a title that I'm all geeked out about.  It's called Auto Gordian Knot (or AutoGK).

The background story goes like this: I have recently been asked to do a memorial website for a young lady that was murdered.  The family had a nice DVD that was made for the funeral, but as you may know there are not a lot of programs out there that will let you copy a DVD to your computer in a usable format, at least not with good quality and good price… Specifically I was trying to convert from DVD to AVI and as I'm donating a bunch of the work, I didn't want to pay much for a good tool.  Searched Google, and finally came upon this little tool.  It was free.  It was easy to install, and it did a flawless job in relatively good time.

Once I had the AVI file, I could edit it to my heart's content (and my heart IS now content with a flash version, Windows Media version and Quicktime version of the video).

Auto Gordian Knot / AutoGK

I have people ask me from time to time for a specific piece of software to convert an audio file from one format to another, or to record some noise that they just must have in digital format, or some other such audio related question.  They think that because I am a tech guy and seem to have every other tech question answered for them, that I must know something about audio…

Well I am actually a sound engineer and love doing really loud and complicated rock shows with thousands in attendance and pyrotechnics (cause I do pyro work from time to time too), but I digress.  As it turns out I know a thing or two about audio, including where to get just that special tool to do whatever your heart desires.

I found a company in Australia that has a gaggle of audio tools, some are reasonably priced and others are free, but they are all technically great.  You can find them here.

Now, if you find it all too complicated, but still need a sound result, give us a call or e-mail and we will be glad to assist.

http://www.nch.com.au/index.html

tis the season to sit back and reflect on the triumphs of the previous year, mainly getting Christmas presents.  It was during this season that I learned a valuable lesson that I feel is only fitting that I pass it on to the rest of humanity.

Check out the product returns.

That's right, the great moral victory to be learned from last year is "Go check out the returns!"  To break that down for you, you have a look a typical shopping flier experience.  You see something in a flier for a great price that would be a perfect gift.  You make some time a day or two later to go to the corresponding store and find out that the item in question is long ago sold out, but an equivalent model is only 300X more expensive.

But here's the great wisdom.  In today's "no questions asked"-return-policy-world, there are a number of people that will buy that great priced product, just because its a great deal and then will think to themselves, "what was I thinking?" and will take it back, where it will get stocked in a pile in the back of the customer service desk, ne'r to be thought of again.  I discovered that they will sell you stuff right out of the return pile if you would only ask, and most of the time, the great priced perfect gift will be there en mass.

So there you have it… wisdom from me to you.  Happy new year!

As part of our ongoing service - we aim to help make technical problems either less complicated or else take care of them for you.  So… we thought it would be a fun idea to make the first post of each month a place for you to ask your tech questions.

To ask a question, simply comment on this post, by clicking on the comment link at the bottom of this post.  We will in turn post a comment to answer your question (if we know the answer.)

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Have you ever gotten your brand new computer and been all excited to turn it on and then use it, only to discover that there was no software on your computer.  Or if you are like a lot of people, you had a computer that was working great and then *this guy* had a copy of Microsoft Office that you could use and he installed it for free, then when your computer had a virus and needed to be cleared off… THEN it came home with all of your data (if a good company cleared it for you), but didn't have the software to open the files.  THEN you couldn't find *this guy* any more and went to future shop and then ate your socks when you saw how expensive Office can be, and you only use it for a few letters and newsletter you write for your local PTA.

I HAVE A SOLUTION FOR YOU.

I've had quite a number of people recomend Open Office and so I've looked into it, and yup - its great!  The idea is that a bunch of programmers got together and made an office suite in their spare time, probably to see if they could (cause us programmers are just geeky that way).  They did and released it under a special license for free.  The license basically says that they didn't profit from making the software, so they ask you not to profit from reselling it or anything like that.

If you need a Word processor, Spread sheet, Math program, Presentation software (like Powerpoint) or even a Database program, you can go here to get it.

GO HERE TO READ MORE AND DOWNLOAD OPEN OFFICE

Many of you know and a lot of you have asked for info about our trip to Indonesia. So let me start by saying that I was in Indonesia 28 years ago, when I was 4. Our family was involved in some missions type work and we were in Indonesia for about 12 months of my life.  I was young, and let's face it, we don't remember too many details from 3 and 4 years old.  I do have to say that I remember a few small things from back then, like the sate vendor coming down the street and tugging on my dad's clothes trying to get him to go out and get some.  (Sate - (S-ah-tay) - is chicken or pork or mistery-red-meat cooked on a skewer over open coals, which is not all that exiting, but the sause they cook it in is to die for.)

So having the oportunity to go back was to say the least, "Cool"!  The "job" was to follow around a local missionary and video and photograph what they are doing.  Apparently it is really hard to capture that kind of media when you are actually doing the work.  When we got there, I was immediately returned to smells of my childhood.  I could go on about how the sense of smell impacts your memory, but lets just say, I remember more than sate from my childhood now.

Immigration and all of the government there is interesting.  We were being greeted by people that were friends with a previous president, so while we were there, we didn't have to go through immigration, or security or anything else.  Interesting.  At one point I was asked while boarding a plane if I had a knife. They didn't check my bags, or even screen them.  I gave them the look that is supposed to say "What are you doing? If you treated everyone on this plane like this, then there is no security and I am not safe getting on this plane."  But apparently in Indonesian the look meant, "No".  So off we went.

We travelled in country a bit and here are a few pics…

This is from a Bogi wedding.  This is where the "Boogy Man" comes from.  Apparently the "Bogy men" are known for piracy and the saying when travelling the waters in the South-Pacific was "Be careful or the Bogi men will get you."  Click on the picture and look at the detail in her makeup and hair.  Very cool to see this.

There are lots of rice terraces in Indonesia.  The views are breath-taking, but never seem to show up with the same awe in a picture.

Gotta love kids and their impression of the "Western" world.  Have a look at the girls in the left.  There are two girls teaching one girl how to flip the middle finger.  I have lots of pictures of school kids, as we visited some schools with kids that we sponsor and to teach English, and in almost every picture an in every video there are kids flipping their middle fingers.  In a way its really funny, but it also makes it hard to edit the footage so that I can show you these sweet little kids that you will want sponsor.

Notice the big hole in the ground in the first picture. That's a real live well.  How would you like one of those built right into your kitchen?  The girls in the first photo made us the meal that I am displaying in the second photo.  They made the food in the extremely sanitary (Not) kitchen in the first photo.

Sate Ayam = Chicken Sate.  I waited 28 years to have that exact taste again. mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

This is a mountain market that we stopped at. We were served the greatest cup of coffee ever here. The villagers pick wild coffee, but they pick it like we pick wild berries… they only pick the ripe stuff.  the local markets roast and grind the stuff into a very fine powder. They put it in the bottom of a pot and then pour hot water on top, let it sit for a few minutes and then pour the coffee without straining it.  It comes out so thick that you could stand a spoon up in it, has a powerful coffee taste, but is 0% bitter and has no aftertaste.  Outside the market they had this cool fruit called in English, "snake skin fruit."  Tastes a bit like pears.

Well, I've got more photos of Indonesia, but I'll save some for another post on another day.  If you ever get the chance to go, jump on it (and try to get the ex-president's friend to escort you around.)

Cheers,

Hi there, I told my loyal followers and various clients that JC TECH SERVICES would have a blog up and that I would update the world on our recent trip to Indonesia.  I couldn't put a post like that up yet, without a "First Post". A "First Post" is an important thing.  It's like the first two weeks of marriage… whatever you do there, sets the standard for everything else that follows.  For instance, if you wanted to impress your new wife with how domesticated and 21st century you are and do all the dishes and and a good portion of the other duties around the house, she may be impressed, but she is also defining what the next 20 years will look like.  A few years down the road, you may wonder why you are still doing a good portion of the dishes. So I need to come up with a first post… something that is easy to read, and in plain English, 'cause that kind of defines our company.  It also has to be fun to read, but not cheesy.  Somewhere in there, I need to warn my readers that I will not be posting each and every day, because I have more important things to do like keeping your websites secure, updated and graphically stunning.  I may not even post weekly, but I don't want to leave the reader thinking that I will never post and not bother even coming back, because that would defeat the purpose of having a blog, which is to slowly and methodically draw the reader into a quasi, cyber relationship that will ultimately lead to referrals and repeat business.  It's an intricate balance. I also need to include a description of what the content will contain.  You see, it will probably have information and thoughts on starting running and improving a business, technical information and discussions about different things that effect the way you or I might use the Internet, and it may contain the occasional personal thought or musing.  I can't make it sound too formal or people won't read it in their "down" time, but I can't make it seem too informal, bacause then people won't take it or us seriously.  Another balance to maintain. Obviously writing a first post like that would be close to impossible, and setting a wrong first impression is not worth it (as pointed out earlier), so I am just going to say…

Hi, and welcome to our blog from your friends at JC TECH SERVICES