By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers
Man, this computer stuff is another “can of worms”! After several days of frustration, I have two new announcements … and a smattering of advice at the end of this blog.
ANNOUNCEMENT 1 – I have switched the website to another new name: ontopoftheworld.bz (replaces ontopoftheworld.cc), which we think is a pretty cool name.
ANNOUNCEMENT 2 – The problem in accessing the site, as many of you have reported, is ‘site visibility,’ at least as far as search engines (Bing, Yahoo, Google, etc.) go. I’ve learned that it’s more complicated than I ever thought it would be. Good news is that the problem is being corrected.
The best way to reach the Alaska blogs, photographs and a bit more on ontopoftheworld.bz is by typing or pasting it into the bar at the top of your Internet page that starts out http:// . From what I can tell, you can access it through Google, but it’s tougher with Yahoo and Bing – the better, quicker way is in the space at the top of the page.
If you’re wondering if it’s worth the effort, apparently lots of people who have unraveled the knot tying up access are finding it valuable … or at least enjoyable. Once the glitches are worked out, I will upload (that’s computer talk, of course) much more onto the site. Please bear (maybe “moose” is more appropriate) with me.
Whetting your appetite for a visit to the Alaskan pages on ontopoftheworld.bz
NOW FOR SOME WEBSITE TALK: When I saw the new “.bz” extension, I knew I had to have it. But before that, I had registered the “.cc “site, and then very little happened until recently, and for good reason. I wasn’t sure why I needed a website.
If you’re thinking about getting one of your own, here’s advice I have after plowing this far into the process. 1) Begin with a clear idea of what you hope to accomplish with your site. For me, it took weeks of working with a web designer before it coalesced, and each change of direction and addition cost me money. Anyone who has worked with a contractor building or remodeling a house can identify with that. From my decade at the helm of an advertising & public relations agency, I know that the most important issue in achieving your goals is deciding on your objective(s).
2) Next is determining what audience (for instance, full-time RVers, family & acquaintances, ATV enthusiasts or environmental advocates) you want to reach.
3) Then, list what that audience is likely to respond to (destinations, safety, humor, etc.).
There are lots of directions to pursue from here, but basically, you want to make the site as easy for people to maneuver through as possible. If you’ve ever tried to decide where to go on many U.S. government sites, you probably found it frustrating, because of the density of choices on the home page. Often, it takes a few minutes to just find the button that says, “log in.”
Is this computer lesson RV-related? It probably is, based on comments from a few readers who mention that they want to blog about their travels but don’t know where to start. I’m not knowledgeable enough to recommend a webhost, so I suggest you talk with acquaintances who have set up personal sites. Before you’ve made that decision, however, think long and hard about your objectives and to whom you want to tell your story.
If you think it’s too complicated, just remember, you’ve overcome the strange ways of your GPS … and have a good idea when to obey it and when to trust your own radar.
And, now back to my quest for website visibility.
Oh, but before signing off, here’s a quip from one of my favorite sites, Ask-Leo.com about forwarding emails: “I hate it when I don’t forward an email and die the next day.”
From the “Never-Bored RVers,” We’ll see you on down the road.
Because of the numerous Spam comments on this site, the comments section has been deactivated. Please email us at [email protected] and I will pass along your comments.
© All photos by Barry Zander. All rights reserved