For the last week or so Fox News and local talk radio have been covering the heartfelt comments from the leader of the Philidelphia Black Panther party King Samir Shabazz but can the same be said for CNN and MSNBC? These two networks are very quick to tarnish and ridicule the Tea Party but surely they are balanced enough to at least cover the controversial comments made by this piece of garbage Jester Samir. Actually no, they aren’t. I am appalled at the disgusting slant of CNN. Don’t take my word for it; let’s take a look at some pictures. Click on each picture and read the accompanying description.

As you can see from the pictures there is an obvious political (possibly racial) slant on CNN’s website. Searching for “black panther” on their website comes up with no related articles or videos (Same results were produced on MSNBC’s website). Visiting the politics page surfaces three negative stories regarding the tea party and no mention of Samir’s comments. Visiting the justice page features a video of Mel Gibson (An obvious racist) but fails to include anything about King Samir. I should note that I would equally disgusted if Fox News didn’t cover the Mel Gibson racial rant.

This is how it started:

Let’s see what Samir has to say.

So what was Eric Holder and the Department of Justice Thinking?

“In the first week of January (While Bush was still in office), the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit against the New Black Panther Party and three of its members, saying they violated the 1965 Voting Rights Act by scaring voters with the weapon, uniforms and racial slurs. In March, Mr. Bull submitted an affidavit at Justice’s request to support its lawsuit.

When none of the defendants filed any response to the complaint or appeared in federal district court in Philadelphia to answer the suit, it appeared almost certain Justice would have prevailed by default. Instead, the department in May suddenly allowed the party and two of the three defendants to walk away. Against the third defendant, Minister King Samir Shabazz, it sought only an injunction barring him from displaying a weapon within 100 feet of a Philadelphia polling place for the next three years—action that’s already illegal under existing law.“
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203550604574361071968458430.html

So what does the head of the New Black Panther party have to say about Samir’s racist comments?

Mel Gibson’s Most Recent Racial Rant.

You might be asking, so what happens when you search for Mel Gibson on CNN.com. Here you go:

I’ll end this post with the following question; Why has a majority of the media chosen to ignore black racists but has no problem covering white racists? If we must give either one these racist pieces of trash a spotlight they should both be covered and neither one should be ignored. Wake up CNN, MSNBC, and so many other media outlets.

So what do you think? Does CNN have a racial bias? Click here to take a side and speak your mind.

Don’t agree with me?

As always with JealousBrother.com we welcome differing opinions, views, thoughts, ideas, ideologies, etc… So if you’d like to offer a rebuttal you can leave a comment, request an opportunity to compose a guest post (See our “Guest Authors” page for more details), or start a rivalry on our main site. Remember this is the JealousBrother Blog, JealousBrother.com is a social network that thrives on disagreement.

Profile Notification System: Your profile has received a very cool notification system. Look for the “Recent Activity” link on your profile. This cool new feature will inform you whenever someone leaves a comment on rivalries you started, replies to one of your comments left on a rivalry, and when a new shout has been left on your profile. This feature takes the guesswork out of figuring out who’s interacting with who.

Email Notification System: The new email notification system will promptly notify you whenever you receive a JealousBrother private message, a new shout on your profiles wall, or a new reply to one of your comments. As always, JealousBrother respects your privacy and you can turn email updates off at any time by navigating to “Edit Profile” section of your profile.


RSS (Really Simple Syndication) System Amazingly simple yet so useful. You can now subscribe to JealousBrothers RSS feed(s). That’s right I said Feeds as in plural. You can subscribe to JealousBrothers main feed, any rivalry category feed, as well as individual rivalries.

JealousBrother Main Feed: This will keep you informed of the latest rivalries featured on the main page. Navigate to JealousBrother.com and click on the RSS button on your browser or on the button on the JealousBrother header.

Category Feeds: Simply click on the category you’d like to subscribe to and then click on either one of the RSS buttons. (Browser or JealousBrother Header)

Subscribe to Comments on Individual Rivalries: A little different than your typical RSS feed, this feature will email you with any activity that takes place within that particular rivalry. (You can unsubscribe at any time)

Last Login Date: Your JealousBrother profile now boasts a last login date. If one of your friends hasn’t logged in for a while make sure you give them a hard time.

We Have Widgets/Blidgets:
Don’t worry it’s not a disease and it’s not contagious…Well hopefully it’s contagious and spreads like a wild fire. The JealousBrother Rivalry Blidget is far more than a standard widget, it’s actually an RSS feed on steroids. With this one blidget you can track the RSS feeds of every single category on JealousBrother. The default feed displayed is the popular rivalries but by the click of a mouse you can quickly access any category of your choosing. Sports, Politics, Entertainment… you get the idea. So pick a widget that fits your website, social network profile, or blog and never again will you have to go without JealousBrother. I guess you can say the JealousBrother’s will always be at your side. Thanks and have fun!

Visit our Widget/Blidget page to see all of the available sizes

JealousBrother Rivalry Widget 325w x 400h:

Facebook Application: Thanks to Widgetbox we now have a simple but effective Facebook application. You can find it here. The application will allow you to add a small JealousBrother Widget to your Facebook profile. It can be added as a tab or a movable box widget.

To Install the JealousBrother Rivalry Widget you’ll need to do the following:

1.) Click on the “Add to my Page” link on the left of the Applications Wall (This Page).

2.) When prompted select which page/profile you’d like to add the App to.

3.) You’ll then need to grant the application access to your account.

4.) Go to your Account drop down and select “Application Settings”

5.) Locate the JealousBrother Rivalry Widget and click on “Application Settings”

6.) You can then decide whether you want a Tab, Box, or both. Adding a box will give you the option of adding a box to your visible profile.

7.) That’s it……Thanks for your support!

Additional Information: You can add a box, tab, as well as status updates. If you add a box you opt to move it to your wall.
For those of you who want to add the Widget to your main wall you’ll need to do the following.

At step 6.) above you’ll need to make sure you add the box option; after saving your setting you’ll need to navigate to your profile. You’ll see a new tab labeled “Boxes” Click on it. You’ll see the JealousBrother Widget and you need to click on the little pencil above it to edit it. It will give you the option to “move to your wall” and selecting that option will add it as a movable widget on your wall. Enjoy.

After looking back at a rivalry I started several months ago I decided to raise the same question again, only this time on the JealousBrother blog. As I was working one day in a small town in East Tennessee I noticed a stray dog ravaging the Food Lion (grocery store) parking lot for food. The idea for the rivalry that follows was instantly spurred from my very brief interaction with this poor dog. Every time I see a stray I tend to ask myself multiple questions. Where’s this pets owners? Did they abandon him/her? Should I call the shelter? Will this poor animal end up dead on the side of a road? You get the point.
Who do you have more compassion for, Homeless People or Homeless Animals?

I’ve bumped into a couple of different conversations with people on this very topic and the discussions usually hit altering points of view. The topic I’m referring to is whether you have more compassion/sympathy for a homeless pet or a homeless person. Before you start calling me names and telling me how bad of a person I am I would appreciate at least a minute to explain my point of view.



First and foremost I’m forced to realize that each and every stray animal (excluding those born wild) had an owner at some point and time. Anyone who decides to take the responsibility of pet ownership knows there are a lot of requirements to take adequate care of an animal. There are several scenarios that play through my mind as I imagine how each pet became a stray but the replicating result is pure negligence of a human to put the animal in the situation of being homeless. Whether the animal was dropped off on the side of the road, escaped a back yard by digging under a fence, or was allowed to aimlessly roam the neighborhood with no contained perimeter, it all leads back to negligent owners.

Now that we’ve established a pet becomes homeless due to irresponsible owners we now need to realize animals rely on their masters/owners for nearly every aspect of their well being, including food, shelter, hygiene, etc… Here’s the reality, sure a dog can survive for a period of time on natural instincts but not for long, especially when you’re considering a domesticated animal. So I raise this question. Can an animal get a job to provide shelter and food for itself?

Here’s where a number of you probably won’t like me very much, this is where my lack of sympathy and compassion comes into play. When a person becomes homeless it’s usually due to a choice or decision they made in life. Sure some people make choices that seem responsible at the time but later end up realizing it may have been the wrong decision to make. However, each and every human being has the ability to pick themselves up and start over. For me survival is a must and living a life on the streets isn’t an option. If something horrible happened I could end up on the streets but not for a minute longer than needed. I would get a job at all costs, even if it meant flipping burgers at a fast food joint. I would survive, even if that meant renting a studio apartment or a garage at someone’s house.

Bad things happen to good people but we all can make the choice to keep going, to pick up whatever pieces are intact and begin rebuilding things. Can stray animals say the same thing? No. When people ask me why I choose to donate to charities/organizations that support animals I confidently reply, “I have compassion for them. They can’t choose their owners and certainly can’t fend for themselves.” It’s not my goal to say giving to charities that support homeless shelters is a bad idea; it’s a great thing to do. It’s homeless shelters and other related programs that give some individuals the helping hand they need to get back on their feet and it’s the homeless people who strive to reverse their course in life that I do have compassion for. So whether you contribute to animals or people just follow your heart and do what feels right to you. I welcome your thoughts here on the blog or feel free to express yourself within the rivalry.

As always with JealousBrother.com we welcome differing opinions, views, thoughts, ideas, ideologies, etc… So if you’d like to offer a rebuttal you can leave a comment, request an opportunity to compose a guest post (See our “Guest Authors” page for more details), or start a rivalry on our main site. Remember this is the JealousBrother Blog, JealousBrother.com is a social network that thrives on disagreement.

Vote Now: Express Your Opinion!

Who do you have more compassion for, Homeless People or Homeless Animals?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rMDAhVeY6o

www.youtube.com/watch?v=015Phk6Frpg

Anything Can Make a Difference:

Humane Society Donation Page

National Coalition for the Homeless Donation Page

About two days into a rising fever that floated from 99.6 to 101.4 degrees my wife decided to head to the doctor. Once she made it into the clinic she registered a heart wrenching 103.5 degrees. After some back and forth and somewhere around fourteen phone calls including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the doctor came back and was candidly honest with my wife and mother. Much to his dismay he informed them that there was no sub-type specific test available to detect the swine flu (Novel Influenza Type A (H1N1)) without lengthy laboratory analysis. (My wife was told results would take between 7 – 14 days to get back)


You might be asking so what does this mean? There is no way for physicians to test specifically for the swine flu (Novel Influenza Type A (H1N1)) without a positive culture or RT-PCR performed by an approved laboratory. This means that you’ll be completely better or dead before you can find out whether or not you actually had the swine flu and not some other sub-type of the Type A virus. (Which includes the seasonal flu)

According to the CDC, “At this time, there are only two FDA cleared assays for confirmation of novel influenza A(H1N1) virus infection, including the CDC rRT-PCR Swine Flu Panel assay; however, experimental rRT-PCR assays, not approved or authorized by FDA, may be able to detect novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection.”(source)

The two CDC approved tests are “real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR)” and “laboratory analyzed viral cultures” but the only test physicians can use is the “Rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs)”. I’m not a physician so if you’d like to know the details of each test you’ll need to do some research (See the Links at the bottom of the page) or ask your physician. What is important is what the CDC has to say about each test.

RIDT’s: According to the CDC website, “None of the currently FDA approved RIDTs can distinguish between influenza A virus subtypes (e.g. seasonal influenza A (H3N2) versus seasonal influenza A (H1N1) viruses), and RIDTs cannot provide any information about antiviral drug susceptibility.” (Source)

rRT-PCR Swine Flu Panel: “The rRt-PCR Swine Flu Panel test should be ordered to presumptively diagnose novel influenza A (H1N1) infection only.” (Source)

Further, “A positive test result from the rRt-PCR Swine Flu Panel indicates that the patient is presumptively infected with novel influenza A (H1N1).” (Source)

According to Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary, Presumptive is “expected to develop in a particular direction under normal conditions” (Source)

CDC had the following to say when comparing the RIDT’s (Only test physician can perform) and The rRt-PCR Swine Flu Panel test ,

“These tests differ in their sensitivity and specificity in detecting influenza viruses as well as in their commercial availability, the amount of time needed from specimen collection until results are available, and the tests’ ability to distinguish between different influenza virus types (A versus B) and influenza A subtypes (e.g. novel H1N1 versus seasonal H1N1 versus seasonal H3N2 viruses).” (Source)

I’m left with one VERY important question, What does the CDC consider a confirmed case of Swine Flu?
The CDC uses the following guidelines: A confirmed case of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection is defined as a person with an influenza-like illness with laboratory confirmed novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection by one or more of the following tests:

(Source)
The CDC has this to say about the real-time RT-PCR test, “If reactivity of real-time RT-PCR for influenza A is strong (e.g. Ct <30) it is more suggestive of a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. Confirmation as novel influenza A (H1N1) virus by real-time RT-PCR was originally performed only at CDC, but at this time may be available in your state public health laboratory." (Source) What I’m left wandering is how something based on suggestion turns conclusive. I couldn’t find any information where the CDC elaborates.

The CDC has this to say about Viral Cultures: “Isolation of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus is diagnostic of infection, but may not yield timely results for clinical management. A negative viral culture does not exclude infection with novel influenza A (H1N1) virus.” Seeing the word “Diagnostic” is a move in the right direction but I am a bit discouraged when they say a negative culture does not exclude an infection. My hopes are this leaves room for human error when collecting the cultures and isn’t proclaiming the culture test itself is flawed.

So what exactly am I getting at? There is no way for a physician or health organization to definitively tell a patient whether they have H1N1, H3N2, or any other Influenza A sub-type (Which includes seasonal flu) when using readily available RIDT’s. The only diagnostic results come from the lengthy process of laboratory analyzed cultures and rRt-PCR swine flu panels.

If you have any information you think I should add or anything you’d like to say feel free to leave a comment.

Will you be Taking the Swine Flu Vaccine when it’s made available?

As always with JealousBrother.com we welcome differing opinions, views, thoughts, ideas, ideologies, etc… So if you’d like to offer a rebuttal you can leave a comment, request an opportunity to compose a guest post (See our “Guest Authors” page for more details), or start a rivalry on our main site. Remember this is the JealousBrother Blog, JealousBrother.com is a social network that thrives on disagreement.
CDC Sources:
1.) http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/rapid_testing.htm
2.) http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/eua/pdf/eua_amendment_swine_healthcare.pdf
3.) http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/eua/testkit.htm
4.) http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/casedef.htm
5.) http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/specimencollection.htm
Merriam-Webster Medical Source:
1.) http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/presumptive

You see, I was a Republican, and I voted for Bush – once. But somewhere along the way the GOP stopped caring about my vote. Maybe because I am a conservative that believes in a strong military but also thinks that a woman has the right to chose, or that there is much to be gained from stem cell research and we should fund it with the full throated support of the U.S. government. Maybe it’s my northeast liberal upbringing, but I could care less if a man wants to marry another man, for we should all know the trials and tribulations of love and marriage.

And I think the GOP knows that they need to be a bit more progressive too, but they also know that that can never happen as long as the face of the party remains that of Rush Limbaugh’s.

Because Limbaugh and his ilk and their never ending rants against anyone who isn’t so far right that they fall over is what has pushed me into the loving arms of the Dems. I mean, it’s easy to say you believe in everything one party believes in right? You don’t have to think, you can just say, hey, I’m a Republican, so I have to think this way.

But to come out and say you are for bombing Iran back into the 12th century but that you also want your daughter to have the right to have an abortion takes some logical, rational thought doesn’t it?

And in the end, it may very well be the wrong way of thinking, and I will be judged by my creator just like you will, and some of us are going to be right, and some of us are going to be wrong.

But I don’t think the likes of Rush Limbaugh should be telling me I am wrong, considering his own checkered past. Which leads me to my question, on the heels of some of Limbaugh’s most controversial statements, I want to know from the Republicans out there, is Limbaugh the voice of the Republican party and does he represent your point of view?

Or, in perfect Jealous Brother parlance, is Rush Limbaugh good for the Republican Party?

About the Author:

Robert Barr is the founder of blabrmouth.com, a political commentary weblog that cuts through the media hype of today’s top political news! He also founded Philabustr.com which covers Philadelphia Business News in the Raw.

Before diving much further into this creative little tactic I should explain that I am fairly new to Twitter and I undoubtedly have a lot to learn which I will continue to do on a daily basis through research and trial and error (hopefully less error). Seeing how I am not a Twitter power user and make no claim of knowing all of the in’s and out’s of Twitter I am writing this for those of you who are new to twitter trying to find a way to get your profile started in a positive direction. One thing you’ll learn very quickly is that there are a lot of third party app’s, websites, services that can interact with your Twitter account; with this strategy we are going to take advantage of two of those tools to jump start your Twitter following.

Do you Twollo? That’s a question you need to ask yourself. If the answer is no, It’s time to enter twollo.com into the address bar of your favorite browser to take a peak. Twollo is an auto follow program that will follow a set amount of people who are tweeting about any keyword(s) you enter. You can set the amount of people twollo will auto follow for each keyword. Do you see how this could be useful? Of course you do but don’t get carried away.

When I get those infamous emails from Twitter notifying me of a new follower one of the first things I do is look at is that users following/followers ratio. This isn’t my only determining factor but if their ratio is too far in one direction I usually don’t follow them in return. I have read on a couple of occasions that the following/follower ratio isn’t only significant to the way other people on Twitter view you but also has some form of an impact within a Twitter algorithm. It is important to note that I have never actually seen evidence to support this but the ratio shouldn’t be taken lightly regardless. After discovering Twollo you may be tempted to auto follow thousands of people, don’t do it! Very similar to real life, people don’t like tag-a-longs who offer little or nothing to the conversation. I can guarantee you that you will be a nuisance and of little value to anyone.

So now that you know about Twollo it’s time to ask another question. How do you know the friend status of those you are following? Are they following you in return? These questions are easy to answer when you have a hand full of friends but anyone who has attempted to compare Twitter’s following and follower list after you exceed a hundred or more friends will tell you it is damn near impossible. The second service/website I’m going to introduce you to is LessFriends.com which is wonderful tool. LessFriends provides you with an entire list of your friends and highlights their status, whether you follow them, they follow you, or if it’s a mutual relationship. This is extremely useful because you don’t want to be following a large number of people who don’t follow you in return.

There are some circumstances where it’s perfectly appropriate to follow and not be followed in return. To list a couple of the exceptions, first off, you may want to follow news organizations to stay up to date on breaking news. Secondly, it’s okay to follow Twitter users who you can learn from. I’d say it’s probably a good idea to follow users who are directly related to your interest but even I follow some random people. An example would be Gary Vaynerchuk who I find absolutely hilarious, but he blogs, tweets, etc… about wine and I’ve always been a beer guy. Who cares? That is the idea behind Twitter, following people who you find interesting.

There are some downsides to using services like Twollo.com. You may end up following some people or organizations that you’d rather not. This happened to me when I used Twollo to follow people using the keyword “Knoxville” which is the region I’m from. I ended up following a couple of churches in the Knoxville area. I’m not anti-religious or anything but I really didn’t want to make sure all of my tweets were church appropriate if you know what I mean. So be prepared to have some unexpected results from Twollo.

The Strategy: (Probably too much detail)

1.) Setup a Twitter account (If you haven’t already done so). You’ll also want to add basic information (Be honest and interesting) and more importantly a picture of yourself or company logo. The more memorable and or unique your avatar is the better (Within reason of course). You may find it useful to add a custom wall paper to your Twitter profile as well. Also add a few tweets to show you’re human and not some spam bot.

2.) Head over to Twollo.com and break the social ice by starting an initial campaign. I would suggest starting with a few different keywords related to your interests but don’t follow more than a hundred people initially. Pick three or so keywords and follow between 10 – 30 people for each one. You’ll immediately (within an hour) start seeing results but you will notice that not everyone follows you in return. Can you blame them? They don’t know you and you’re profile likely doesn’t have much substance to it yet.

3.) Start contributing to the vast and informational community that is Twitter. Add quirky tweets, share interesting websites, articles, information, ReTweet interesting and useful tweets from those you are following, and get involved in the conversation, interact with your fellow tweeters by replying to their tweets. If you have any questions, just ask. You’ll be amazed at how helpful the Twitter community is. Have Fun!

4.) After at least two days have passed since you started your initial Twollo campaign it’s now time to head over to LessFriends.com. Why two days you ask? What’s the point of following people if you don’t give them an adequate amount of time to follow you in return? Giving at least 48 hours in between campaigns is a good idea for a number of reasons but remember that most people receive notifications from Twitter when they get new followers. How tacky would it be if someone gets an email saying that you are following them and when they head to your profile to check your tweets out they see that you are no longer following them?

Now that you are on LessFriends.com you should be looking at a detailed list of all of your Twitter friends. Keeping in mind the people/companies you’re willing to follow without being followed in return, start un-following the people who haven’t returned the favor. If they aren’t people who you can learn from there’s not much sense in following someone who doesn’t want to follow your tweets.

5.) Head back to Twollo.com and begin the process again. Follow more people using keywords pertinent to your interests and continue the cycle until you are happy with the number of followers you have. Make sure and continue giving at least 48 hours in between cycles and don’t get too crazy with the amount of people you follow in each cycle. Following too many people can hurt your following/followed ratio and result in a lot less people following you in return.

In Closing:

I follow Perry Belcher on Twitter and watched a couple of his social media videos on YouTube the other day. Take a minute and watch Perry’s video below and pay extra close attention to rule # 7. Don’t be an A$$hole! These amazing Twitter tools can do a lot to help you establish your presence and reach on Twitter but if you’re an A$$hole you won’t make it very far on Twitter or any social network for that matter. When asked for advice I recommend being yourself on social networks but that only applies if you’re fun, interesting, or have something to add to the never-ending conversation that is social media. So if you don’t fall into any of those categories you have two options, pretend that you are fun or interesting or STAY off of the social networks.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9SzyC79Lbg

Update: March 24th, 2009
A friend of mine has informed me of an alternate to LessFriends.com and I must admit it works great. TwitterKarma The overall interface isn’t as pretty as LessFriends.com but the feature set makes up for the lack of design. With Twitter Karma you can perform mass follow/unfollow in addition to a couple of different sorting options.

There are many different brands of control panels available; cPanel is the most popular one while vDeck tends to get overlooked. CPanel has been such a dominant force in the market that most people aren’t aware of the existence of other control panels like vDeck. It’s likely cPanel’s popularity that tends to blind people keeping them from judging rationally. No doubt cPanel is a great control panel but vDeck has made up some ground with their latest release, vDeck 3.0.

CPanel has been incorporated independently since 1997 and has been working to provide the best hosting automation tools. The tool functions include the ability to manage PGP keys, crontab tasks, mail and FTP accounts (including mailing lists). However, the reason cPanel has become so successful is due to its user friendly design and interface. Thanks to the simple yet affective design most people can learn their way around cPanel very quickly.


CPanel also has add-ons to enhance the functionality of the control panel. One of the notable add-ons is Fantastico, which is a script library with an extensive collection of scripts that anyone can use on their website. With over 50 free scripts users can build almost anything online instantly. Some of the famous scripts widely used on the internet are Wordpress, b2evolution, Mambo, Joomla, phpBB, SMF, etc. These scripts have different functions and all of them can be installed onto your website with a few quick clicks in cPanel. For example if you would like to build a discussion board on your website, what you need to do is to navigate to Fantastico and look for phpBB and install it. That’s all it takes to have the discussion board up and running. After that the only thing left to do is customize the design of the bulletin board to suit the needs of your website.

On the other hand, vDeck 2.0 isn’t nearly as user friendly or convenient as cPanel. Their interface is more complicated and people have been complaining about the very slow speed of vDeck 2.0. However, things are totally different with vDeck 3.0, a recently released version of the vDeck control panel. In this version, vDeck has made some significant improvements to their interface. They have made some major changes to the way the functions are categorized and they are now very similar to cPanel’s interface. Functionality wise, vDeck is more advance in terms of e-commerce features. The community toolbar, HubSpot and search engine submission service are examples of Vdeck 3.0’s features that aim to enhance your conversion rate and internet presence.

To compete with Fantastico, vDeck has Install-Central, a script library. Through Install Central, the scripts are available in the following categories, Content Management System (CMS), Blogs, Galleries, Forums, Shopping Cart and Misc. Install-Central is definitely comparable to Fantastico in terms of quality but there aren’t nearly as many scripts available. More importantly, the more popular scripts are all included which makes it easier to deal with the smaller number of scripts currently available. I believe vDeck is going to expand the list in the near future. While cPanel is famous for its user friendly interface, there are in fact people complaining that their tools are too basic. Perhaps the advanced users and coders find that there isn’t enough room for customization. So in this case these people would probably prefer vDeck to cPanel.

Now that I’ve highlighted the key features of both control panels it’s easy to see why cPanel’s easy to use interface has earned them a huge portion of the control panel market. CPanel is a favorite among the more popular web hosts like Bluehost and Hostgator. In fact, cPanel is widely used for reseller hosting accounts because it’s so easy to use and is incredibly stable. However vDeck 3.0 shouldn’t be taken lightly, their features and usability are first class too. VDeck is losing badly in regards to marketing for the time being but I can see vDeck is a solid control panel with some great features. Vdeck’s programmers are doing their best to keep up cPanel.

In conclusion, cPanel has definitely won the popularity contest but in terms of functionality and quality, vDeck might not be that far behind. Both control panels are rich in features. One is the world’s most popular control panel while the other is hiding in the corner serving a small portion of satisfied customers. Which control panel would work best for you? Perhaps you will only know after spending some time with both control panels. But after all, this relates to your time and money, so why risk it? This could be the reason why so many people make a conservative decision and go with the most widely used choice, cPanel.

About the Author:
This article was a guest post written by Daren Lch. Daren runs the website WebHostingDeals.org where he takes the guess work out of choosing a quality webhost. Not only does he write detailed reviews but he does extensive research, signs up for accounts, and tests the support staff at each host so you don’t have to. Darren has been a supporter and member of JealousBrother.com for several months now and we are both appreciative and fortunate to have him.

There are numerous articles that cover the process of transferring a Wordpress blog from one server or host to another but I’ve found that most of them left me asking questions after reading them. I am a very visual person and hope the following article and images help you get your Wordpress blog transferred successfully. The following article was compiled from firsthand experience of transferring two Wordpress blogs from a Godaddy hosting account to my own dedicated linux server.

Step #1 -Backup Your Wordpress Database:

Most hosting accounts include PhpMyAdmin which is what you will use to backup the Wordpress database. The process really isn’t that difficult. The first thing you’ll need to do is find PhpMyAdmin within your hosts control panel. After you’ve logged into PhpMyAdmin you’ll need to do the following.

• Click on the database you need to back up. It will be located on the top left region of the screen.

• Click on “Export” on the top tool bar of PhpMyAdmin.

• Complete the following steps.

1. In the Export box make sure all of the tables are highlighted and if they’re not click on “Select All”
2. In the Options box make sure to select the following options in addition to the default settings. 1.) Add DROP TABLE/VIEW/PROCEDURE/FUNCTION 2.) Add AUTO_INCREMENT value 3.) Enclose table and field names with backquotes 4.) Complete inserts 5.) Use Hexadecimal for BLOB
3. Lastly, towards the bottom of the screen make sure you select “Save as file” and then type a file name that correlates to your website and click “Go”. That’s it, your Database should now be backed up on your local drive.

Step #2 Transfer all of your Wordpress files to the new server:

For the time being I’m not going to cover this step in extreme detail because there are so many different ways this can be done. I chose to use the FTP client FileZilla to complete this task which is free. If any of you would like me to add additional information on this step of the process please let me know and I’ll add it to this post.

Step #3 Create a new Database on your new server/host.

If you’re using Cpanel this task is extremely simple but should be a very similar process on other control panels.

• Click on “MySQL database wizard”
• Enter a Database name. This could be wordpress or anything else you’d like. Then click “next step”.
• Enter a Username and Password. Note: The Password must be entered twice and make sure it’s secure. (variation of numbers,letters, and cases) Then click “next step”.
• Select “All Privileges” and click “next step”. That’s It!
• Important Note: Make sure you write down the Database Name, Username, and Password or you’ll have to go back and find that information later.

Step #4 Edit the WPCONFIG.php

• Click on “File Manager”.
• Select “Web Root” and make sure “show hidden files” is selected(May not be necessary but better safe than sorry).
• Find WPCONFIG.php within the file manager. Depending on where you copied the Wordpress files on the server this file should be located in Wordpress’s root directory. (Meaning it’s not located in wpcontent or wpadmin, it’s located in the same directory as all of the wordpress folders)
• Once you locate WPCONFIG you’ll need to click on the mouses right button and select “Edit”.
• You now need to alter three (possibly four) different items in the file.

1. Database Name
2. Username
3. Database Password
4. Database Host (If you’re hosting Wordpress on your own server this should be localhost but may vary depending your hosting situation. If you’re unsure you’ll need to contact your administrator)

• Note on Charset Value: This value must match the value of your old Database. I left it at the default setting and everything worked correctly but I have read that having an incorrect charset can cause compatibility issues within the Database.
• Save Changes to the file and you’re done.

Step #5 Import your old Database tables into your newly added Database.

This is a step that caused some serious issues for me when I first tried transfering a Wordpress blog. Whithout completing this step your new database will not function because it doesn’t contain any of the tables or information from your Wordpress powered website. There are a couple of options to complete this task and your choice should very based on the size of your database backup. If you’re database is larger than 10mb in size you’ll likely need to use third party software to complete the task. If you’re Database backup is smaller than 10mb in size you can use PhpMyAdmin to complete the import.

Option #1 Using PhpMyAdmin (Databases under 10mb in size)

Follow these steps when using PhpMyAdmin to complete the import.

• Click on PhpMyAdmin within Cpanel and login.
• Click on the Database you created earlier. This database should have a zero next to it representing that it doesn’t contain and tables. It should in the upper left hand side of the screen.
• Click on the “Import” tab located on the upper navigation toolbar.
• Click on “Browse” and find the Database backup that you earlier saved to your local drive.
• Click “Go” and let PhpMyAdmin handle the rest.

Presuming you’re database backup was less than 10mb in size you should now be ready to roll.

Option #2 Using BigDump (Databases over 10mb in size)

• Create a temporary folder on your server using “File Manager” in Cpanel. The reccommended name for the folder is “Dump” but it doesn’t really matter.
• Upload bigdump.php and your database backup(example – wordpress.sql) into the “Dump” temporary” folder.
• You now need to edit bigdump.php with the same process you used to edit WPCONFIG.php earlier. Use file manager within cpanel, right click on bigdump.php, click “edit”, and then proceed to modify DB host, DB name, Username, and Password. Save changes!
• You now need to load bigdump.php in your browser. Open your favorite browser and enter the location of bigdump.php (example: http://www.yourdomain.com/dump/bigdump.php) Once loaded you’ll see the BigDump menu and you should see your database backup listed.
• Click “Start Import” and let BigDump go to work.
• You will see an activity page and will see a prompt below the activity page informing you when BigDump has completed the task.

Final Step: Don’t forget about your Nameservers!

Depending on your situation you will likely need to alter your Nameservers with your domain registrar. In some situations you can continue to use the Nameservers provided by the domain registrar as long as you make the necessary modifications on your new server/host. It should be noted that a lot of other people suggest changing nameservers earlier in the process but I refrain from doing that because of some issues I had with DNS on my server the first time I attempted the transfer.

In Closing

I hope you found this article helpful and if anyone would like me to add more details on any of steps in the process please let me know. If you found this article helpful I would greatly appreciate you sharing it with others. You can use the sociable links below or share it on other networks that aren’t listed. Thank You!br

If you’re one of the 500k people who use Mint and also own an iPhone, I suspect you had just about the same reaction. The funny thing is that I only started using Mint about a month ago and I’m completely in love with it. The fact that all I have to do is open the app and I can see all my up to date financial info… is astonishing.

I had written a post a while ago about some concept iPhone apps I’d love to have, and an HSBC app was on that list. My reasoning was that I hate having to spend so long each time I log into my bank account online. I thought with such a flexible platform such as the iPhone, there much be a quicker way. Unfortunately there wasn’t a way to connect directly to my bank account over the iPhone… keyword being “directly”. Mint’s iPhone app allows me to indirectly view real time account information including the available balance, and transation history. So instead of creating a mock-up of what an HSBC iPhone app might look like, I’m going to pump up Mint’s tire here a bit and give them a review.

The good stuff:

• Cool badge graphic (seriously it’s important to me)
• Simple interface – The only sections which you can ‘click’ to from the front page are: “accounts”, “budget”, “cash flow”, and “investments” but most of them go 2 more levels deep. For instance, you can go to Accounts > checking account > transaction history, and it will show you a list broken down by day with the merchant, category, and total amounts listed.
• Robust feature set – As far as I can tell the transaction history goes all the way back to the beginning of your record – and fast. The interface is minimalistic and fairly usable. Being able to break down your information by budget or cash flow, and by category, time frame, or merchant is really more than I would have asked for in the first release of this app so I’m not going to complain here.

Stuff I’d like to see in a future version:

• Investment account details – as it stands now you cannot view any levels beyond seeing the total value of your investments. Wheras on the web app, you can do all sorts of cool stuff like tracking the performance of each individual stock, etc.
• Better usability queues – I find it annoying that the investment section doesn’t look like you can’t click an account. It looks like the other pages where you CAN click the account and get more information. At the very least add a colored border to clickable sections or something.

Summary

This is a solid iPhone app and should be on the front page of your iPhone if you are a Mint.com user. I have no idea about any plans for new features but I know that as soon as I see it the Updates section of the app store I’ll probably have another total nerd meltdown because I’m a total app store geek