As I laid in my bed this weekend feeling very sorry for myself (well I did have Man Flu!”) the strangest thought entered my mind….

You know when you speak to someone on the phone or even converse on a Forum, for some reason you create a picture of the person you are talking to in your mind, now dont say I am the only person this happens to please!

But where do we get this picture from, is it from a memory of someone who sounds similar or a joint effect of known people with similar voices? Or just a random image?

Yet when we meet them they are generally nothing like we expect(that bits not strange!).

Is there some part of our brain that needs to visualise in this circumstance?

As I said….Random Thought!

What Makes a Good Forum?

I have seen this same question posted before and to be honest have not paid a lot of heed to the answers.

I had the opinion that it was the number of members and the quantity of posts. Even when I launched the Forum at TriPHP last January I was still of the same mind. During the following months I began to buy posters, now this had a good effect on posting numbers but the quality of the posts dropped. At the time I did not realise that due to this I lost a few very good members, it was only later I found out. Luckily they have returned.

I always panic when the posting is quiet and still consider buying posters ,fortunately I see sense before I do. I have realised now that it a good forum is basically down to three key elements.

1)      Quality Members

2)      Quality Posts

3)      A good community spirit

You will notice I have put Members at the top of the list, that is because without them the next two can’t exist.

One other key element must be the hard work, dedication and a passion to make the Forum successful by the owner. I must also mention that a Forum owner needs a dedicated team of Moderators to help out, I am very fortunate to have a great team with me.

So for anyone starting or thinking of starting a Forum remember the three main points I have made, it may take longer for the Forum to grow but you will benefit more in the long run.

Too Much Hosting Choice?

Today’s Internet is flooded with Hosting Providers offering a wide array of Hosting choices. So who do you choose and what should you look for?

Experience tells us that generally the free providers are not a good choice if you want to host a site that is important to you, as the reliability is usually pretty poor. Though to be fair there are a few decent free providers.

Also avoid offers of “unlimited” space and bandwidth, it is impossible for anyone to provide anything “unlimited”.After all if you actually need that sort of space and bandwidth then you most likely are the owner of Google and you would have your own bank of servers anyway!!!

A good way to find a decent and reliable provider is to join one of the many Forums, there are always plenty of members who are willing to share good and bad experiences.

Decide what features you actually do need, after all there is no point paying for added extras that you will never use. Decide what you can afford, then stick to it, don’t be tempted to overspend.

Once you have decided these you will usually have narrowed your search down enough to consider a few options.

Beware of offers of free Domain Names, some will retain ownership of the domain and will not allow transfer, though they are in the minority but check first.

If you want “live help” make sure that the offer actually means “Live”. Some offer this and either they are only live for an hour or so a day or they actually mean email support.

Lastly, avoid buying hosting offers from Ebay, now for those of you who sell on ebay and are genuine I apologise,but…there are too many who have bought cheap reseller plans, who have never provided hosting before and are just not worth the trouble. The problem is telling these from the rest as some can make their website and adverts look very professional.

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is a tricky subject.

When to start to research it you realise that there are so many different views and ideas on what are and are not the best methods. Just as you think you have understood it you read another Blog or Article that blows what you believe to be true out of the water! Who or what do you believe, thats the Million Dollar question. Is any one person or Company right,or is it best to take in as much as your brain can stand and then,after much deliberation,create your own view?

Then we have Google!! Now there is so much talk about Google, it must be one of the biggest subjects talked about in the webmaster area.The problem with Google is just as you think you have got it right and finally understood what its all about,spent hours doing what you think is right……the rules get changed! A bit like playing a game of Football and the ref changing the rules every 10 minutes!

I think most website owners are “part timers”, and as such dont have the time,money or resources that the “full timers” or big Companies have. So what chance do they have? Or should the question be, what chance do they want? Turn it round that way and its a whole new ball game. Set yourself achievable goals and enjoy what you do, have to be the two main points.

SEO for “part timers”(excuse the phrase!) has to begin with the basic steps,all of which can be easily found, not just at TriPHP but most good Webmaster Forums. Start with these, get them right first and take pride that you have done it,and do it right. You can only do so much, so be selective what you do, decide where you want your site to be and focus on that area.For example if you are selling and shipping a product only to the Uk then why promote your site to, say Japan?

Welcome to TriPHP Blog. Finally I have got round to installing this.

I hope this will prove a valuable addition the the rest of the TriPHP site. Your comments,views,suggestions and input will be very much appreciated.

TriPHP Blog will become more useful the more the database grows. Please let others know about this Blog by linking to us. Thanks!

Regards

John