This is the sentence that we all dread to hear ask.  Is Google down?  Now, you can always pull up Google in your browser, and check for yourself – however I have a better place for you to check and see what problems are going on with Google. 

The Google Apps Status Dashboard is the place to go.  Not only will this let you know if there are any issues with your Google Apps, but it will tell you if Google Mail, Google Calendar, Google Talk and more are having issues too.  Right from the front page, you can check on the status from 7 days back, and further if needed.

You can also get status updates for performance issues on:

• Google Docs
• Google Spreadsheets
• Google Presentations
• Google Video for Business
• and Google Groups

So go ahead and bookmark this resource now (or subscribe to the RSS feed for it), so you will have it handy next time one of your favorite Google services is having trouble. 

Easy AdSense

Easy AdSense provides a very easy way to generate revenue from your blog using Google AdSense. With its full set of features, Easy AdSense is perhaps the first plugin to give you a complete solution for everything AdSense-related.

 AdSense Attachment Page

This great way to earn some money and show large images in new window. This plugin show attachments with thumbnail image, and when you click on it will show image in full size. You can setup plugin not to show image in full size if you want.

AdSense Immediately!

AdSense Immediately! is a simple way to generate revenue from your blog using Google AdSense. AdSense Immediately! is a simple plugin to ad AdSense ads into the body of your content. It can add one, two or three AdSense block to your article body in any Google ads format.

 AdSense Revenue Sharing

AdSense Revenue Sharing is a WordPress plugin which allows you to easy display ads in your posts by using a quick tag and share your AdSense impressions with your friends and co-authors.

Advertising Manager

With the Advertisement Management plugin you can add advertisements to your blog directly from the backend.

 AdSense Under Image

Places specified AdSense code under the first image in a post. If there are no images no AdSense code will be inserted. Also the ads will only appear in single post pages.

 WhyDoWork AdSense Plugin

WhyDoWork AdSense is a WordPress plugin that allows you to insert AdSense ads on your blog without modifying the template. More then that, you can set it up to show different AdSense ads for articles older then X days (x is the number of days you decide).

 WP Simple AdSense Insertion

Use this plugin to quickly and easily insert Google AdSense to your posts, pages and sidebar by using a trigger text or calling the PHP function.

 AdSense Integrator

This plugin was developed to insert and manage your AdSense ads, based on the last Google rules and AdSense updates.

 AdSense Now!

AdSense Now! is the simplest possible way to generate revenue from your blog using Google AdSense. Aiming at simplicity, AdSense Now! does only one thing: it puts your AdSense code in up to three spots in your posts and pages (both existing ones and those yet to be written).

With PeekURL you can see a preview of a shortened website address.  This tool comes in handy because it can confirm that you are not being sent to a “bad” website.

Here is a little more about the add-on for Firefox from the developers:

That means one extra click, but it also means more peace of mind. PeekURL also plays YouTube, MTV, and MySpace videos directly in the page. You can create a shortened URL using an icon in the add-on bar or using an item in the context menu. The context menu item operates on the page as a whole or on individual links in the page. After a link is created, it’s copied to your clipboard.

It should also be mentioned that you can also set up these options in the options pane:

• Whether to show notifications or not.
• Whether to show the add-on bar icon or not.
• Whether to show a “goodbye” message or not (if you don’t like the add-on or the service, please let me know why).
• The keyboard shortcut to use, if any.

Want to try PeekURL out? Head on over to the Firefox Add-ons website and install it.

Every town needs a forge, right? Well, since the town that spawned here did not come with one – I thought today we could build a bigger one based on the one that comes with the default villages in Minecraft. It is the super forge!

What secrets are in store for us under the village? I’ll show off and explore a few caves we found deep in the underbelly of the village we have been working on.

So what does the future hold for this website?  Well, I am going to keep posting articles here and turn it into more of a web hosting and web development blog.  So, you will still be getting all the same great content, just not in audio form.  If you really miss the sound of my voice – and want to see another multimedia project of mine – check out my YouTube “Let’s Play” series, Mitchcraft.

Thank you again for letting me fill your MP3 players for a number of years and stay tuned, because more (text based) web hosting and web development tutorials will continue to stock pile here on webhostingshow.com for your enjoyment.

Today I will finish up a few more details on the Minecraft prison and then take care of a few leftover tasks that need to be done. Won’t you join me? Let me know what big project you would like for me to take on next too!

We got most of the basics done with the Minecraft prison we are building – what comes next? Well, we should do a little decorating and detailing to smooth out the rough edges. We are almost done with the build – be sure to leave a comment, like the video and let me know what you think about this episode.

On today’s episode, we’ll work on the walls for our new Minecraft prison built on top of our Desert Stronghold. Oh yeah, this is the 50th episode of the Mitchcraft series too. Thank you to all the great subscribers, commenters and everyone else who has encouraged me to continue on with the series.

As promised, here is the world download:
http://www.mediafire.com/?pn794thovojxktr

Please do not post messages telling me where I can find this, that or the other. Thanks and enjoy!

What Repair Work Should You Do?

First thing you have to ask yourself, is what should you be looking at when it comes to doing maintenance on your web site?

• Update Your Scripts
• Check for Dead or Wrong Links
• Check for Typo, Grammar, and Spelling Errors
• Make Sure You Are Showing Up in the Search Engines
• Check for Security Holes and Flaws

How Do You Organize Your Web Site Maintenance Routine?

Now that we know what you should be doing, now how do you do it?  Your lucky that organizing is one of my favorite things to do.  When it comes to setting a schedule for this, you might try:

• Calendar Based System
• To Do List Based System

The calendar solution works best when you have many sites to watch over, while the to do list method is better for just one or two web sites.  This way you have something to check every day to see if you have anything to do. 

Try to stick with the maintenance routine you have set.  If you find it too hard to do everything in one day, do not despair.  Just spread the tasks out a ‘bit more into something you can more easily schedule into your day, week or month of work.  Everybody’s system is going to be a little different. Find something that works best for your needs.

I hope these tips and suggestions come in handy when it comes to setting your own maintenance routine.  If you have any additional tips to share, be sure to leave them in the comments.