tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58232622008-07-10T17:38:55.547+10:00Lloyd Borrett's BlogLloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1112847562052904172005-04-07T14:09:00.000+10:002006-09-20T14:57:09.956+10:00Another busy monthMarch 2005 set another high point in the history of this web site.<br /> * 41,342 unique visitors<br /> * 57,045 visits<br /> * 163,215 pages served<br /> * 2,646,512 hits<br />which consumed 8.09 GB of bandwidth.<br /><br />It looks like I'm going to be finding out how much my web hosting provider charges for extra bandwith soon.Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1110232496514616182005-03-08T08:55:00.000+11:002005-03-08T08:54:56.516+11:00It's been busy around hereFebruary 2005 was another milestone in the history of this web site.<br /> * 42,369 unique visitors<br /> * 55,319 visits<br /> * 153,160 pages served<br /> * 2,580,379 hits<br />which consumed 7.92 GB of bandwidth.<br /><br />That is a 25% increase in the number of hits, and a 50% increase in the number of unique visitors since the previous best month in September 2004.Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1107648625629242222005-02-06T11:03:00.000+11:002005-02-06T11:10:25.630+11:00Reading blogsI find that many people don't grasp how blogs get read. I personally use an RSS reader called Awasu (<a href="https://www.awasu.com">www.awasu.com</a>). I find however that after I explain the concept of a blog, the person I am talking with is already a bit overwhelmed. Needless to say also explaining RSS really can loose some people. What are other people running into? Do you have a favorite RSS reader? Do you tell your associates about it? Are your associates jumping on the blogging wagon?Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1102197144641315942004-12-05T08:36:00.000+11:002006-05-18T14:04:49.563+10:00Deepdene Bears Cricket Club web siteA couple of weeks ago I finished building a new web site for a friend's cricket club. Check out the Deepdene Bears Cricket Club web site at <a href="https://www.deepdenebears.com/" target="_blank">www.deepdenebears.com</a>.
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<br />For this web site I decided to use a content management system / community portal approach. After looking at quite a few open source solutions, I settled on CPG-Nuke as the best way forward (see <a href="https://www.cpgnuke.com/" target="_blank">www.cpgnuke.com</a>). CPG-Nuke comes out of the box with a CMS framework, phpBB forums and Coppermine photo gallery already integrated, plus other modules for functions like News, FAQ, Encyclopedia, Surveys, Downloads and Web Links.
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<br />None of the available themes seemed appropriate for a cricket club with green and gold team colours, so I proceeded to build my own CPG-Nuke theme. I think it came out okay. Best of all, so far the club members seem happy with their new web site.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1097208294017147292004-10-08T13:57:00.000+10:002004-10-08T14:04:54.016+10:00Melbourne BizTalk user groupA former colleague and Microsoft BizTalk MVP, Bill Chesnut, is looking to start up a <strong>Melbourne BizTalk User Group</strong>. He is currently the leader of the <a href="https://www.mdnug.org/" target="_blank">Melbourne .Net User Group</a> and is very passionate on the importance of user groups.
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<br />Bill has the support of Microsoft in Melbourne, so if you're interested in BizTalk, check out <a href="https://melbiz.org/" target="_blank">https://melbiz.org/</a>.Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1097100041745996282004-10-07T07:55:00.000+10:002004-10-07T08:06:24.473+10:00Come on let's blogAt the Melb PC main monthly meeting last night, I gave a presentation titled, "Come On Let's Blog." This presentation covers: What is a blog; Why blog; How you create a blog; What is RSS; and What are news aggregators. You can download the MS PowerPoint slides of the presentation (11.8 Mb PPT file) from <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au/computing/articles.htm" target="_blank">here</a>.Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1097099644121411622004-10-07T07:36:00.000+10:002004-10-07T08:21:37.696+10:00Product pricing primerThe other day I met an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) who was struggling with some product marketing and pricing issues. In the area of product pricing the best thing I could do, was to steer him towards an excellent article I came across in August by Eric Sink. If you're an ISV, make sure you read Eric's <a href="https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnsoftware/html/software08052004.asp" target="_blank">Product Pricing Primer</a> article. If you're an ISV and you haven't read it, be prepared to get left behind. A couple great tidbits:
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<br /><blockquote><em>In fact, if nobody is complaining about your price, then it is probably too low. The trick is to tune your pricing until the volume of the whining is just right.</em></blockquote>
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<br />And my favourites:
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<br /><blockquote><em>I've given you a whole bunch of guidelines and issues to consider as you face your pricing decision. I've said some things here which conflict with other things I've said here. Which issues are you supposed to consider?
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<br />You should consider all of these issues, and probably a few more that are specific to your situation. Look at the decision from every possible angle. Anything you read on the subject of pricing is merely an aid to your own judgment, not a substitute for it.</em></blockquote>
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1096677678875668092004-10-02T10:34:00.000+10:002004-10-02T10:41:18.876+10:00Melb PC online discussion forums offerBack in June 2004, I sent a letter to the PC Update editor and Melb PC committee titled, "New Ways to Implement the Melb PC Vision". Unfortunately the "powers that be" decided not to publish the letter, though you can read it for yourself online at <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au/insight/2004/06/new-ways-to-implement-melb-pc-vision.htm">https://www.borrett.id.au/insight/2004/06/new-ways-to-implement-melb-pc-vision.htm</a>.
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<br />One of the suggestions in my letter was the need for Melb PC to establish online discussion forums on the Melb PC web site and thus greatly improve the interaction between members, plus member access to timely information. Well it seems that idea, along with many others, has been put into the "too hard basket", or the "sometime later basket". So I've come up with a way that Melb PC can have all of the online discussion forums it needs, TODAY!
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<br />I'm now able to provide Melb PC with access to a powerful online discussion forum setup, for free. I'm offering the Melb PC management, the SIGs, PC Update, each Dial-Help topic, and whatever other parts of Melb PC that want them, as many free forums as they like. The appropriate people will be given complete control as moderators of their forums.
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<br />In late June 2004, I switched web hosting providers and gained access to lots of bandwidth and disk space for way less than I'd been paying previously. (Try $140 for the year as opposed to $1200 for the previous 6 months!) In addition, I now had available server side scripting and MySQL database services. So, I proceeded to do a makeover of my personal web site to use these new features. This included setting up a phpBB based discussion forum (see <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au/forums/index.php">https://www.borrett.id.au/forums/index.php</a>). It will cost me nothing extra to host any forums for Melb PC.
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<br />Consider this offer a free, no strings attached, trial to see if online discussion forums can really be of real benefit to Melb PC members.
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<br />What's in it for me? Simply the satisfaction of helping Melb PC to take another step forward.
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<br />Should the use of the forums prove successful enough for Melb PC to desire to host the forums itself, I hereby pledge that I will gladly help Melb PC to do so. I will provide free time and advise, a dump of the phpBB forum MySQL database from my web site, and shutdown the Melb PC related forums on my web site once Melb PC has its forum hosting running.
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<br />How do we get started? Well if you are a SIG coordinator, or some other Melb PC functionary that thinks it would be nice to have an online discussion forum, simply contact me (details at <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au/">www.borrett.id.au</a>) and we'll set it up. Then just let your people know where your forum is via your meetings, magazine reports and/or web site links. It really is that simple.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1096193876985074482004-09-26T20:15:00.000+10:002004-09-26T20:17:56.986+10:00A WiFi service inspiration from Philadelphia I read recently that the USA city of Philadelphia is considering adding WiFi boxes to all street lights, making the whole city WiFi alive. What a simply amazing concept!
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<br />This would benefit Philadelphia in ways we can only begin to imagine today. The city provides a platform, and the community and its entrepreneurs will find a million new ways to make it valuable.
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<br />Can you imagine an Australian city, state or federal government being enlightened enough to even consider this? Sadly, I can't.
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<br />The only new public utility service I can think of that has been created in my lifetime is the global positioning system (GPS). But GPS was created and paid for by the USA for military purposes. Australia's public leaders had nothing to do with it. GPS was only set free for serious public use relatively recently. We are only just starting to see the many ways that GPS as a free public utility service will benefit government, industry, community and individuals though improved navigation, tracking and measurement systems.
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<br />No, in the modern age of "free markets" and "user pays", it is hard to see any new public utility service ever being created, let alone implemented, in Australia.
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<br />We seem to so easily forget that had earlier generations of Australia's public leaders had the same attitudes as today's public leaders, we would never have seen the introduction of what were then revolutionary new public utility services like sewage, water, electricity, street lighting, telephone, freeways, railways etc. Nor would generations of the Australian people and their communities have prospered from the introduction of such beneficial new public services.
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<br />Can you imagine what our communities would look like today if our forebears didn't have the vision to implement and support such new public service utilities? Well you probably won't have to imagine it for too long. For if today's public leaders continue on the path they are currently on, we will get to see it for ourselves, sooner rather than later.
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<br />Sadly, today's political leaders don't seem to be able to have a vision for anything beyond their current elected term. The exception that proves the rule is when, at election time, they start to promise us what they might do in their next elected term. But then, we all know that there are very few "core promises" made these days. Gone are the days when leaders with vision would deliver public services that would bring real benefits to future generations.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1096190369173765702004-09-26T19:12:00.000+10:002006-07-29T01:52:46.723+10:00New Scientist almost gets itThere’s an interesting article in the <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/" target="_blank">New Scientist</a> about the dangers of intellectual property extremism. As it rightly notes...
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<br /><em>There are some things in life we take for granted. Among them are the ability to lend each other books, record TV programmes, back up expensive computer programs, and sell on our old CDs when we've got tired of them. That could change. New technologies are giving copyright owners the power to control the time and place we can view or play digital versions of music, films and text so tightly that we run the risk of losing these rights altogether.</em>
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<br />But to read the article at the New Scientist web site, you'll need to subscribe.Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1096017528114950062004-09-24T19:02:00.000+10:002004-09-24T19:22:30.896+10:00Set up your own blog using BloggerThe August 2004 edition of <em>PC Update</em>, the monthly magazine of the <a href="https://www.melbpc.org.au/" target="_blank">Melbourne PC User Group</a>, contained an article I wrote called <em><strong>"Set Up Your Own Blog Using Blogger"</strong></em>.
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<br />The article is a step-by-step guide on how to set up a Blogger Advanced Blog for users of the Melb PC Internet Service. Pointers are also given for people using a different ISP as to the changes they'll need to make to the process.
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<br />An Adobe PDF file of the 9 page article is now available for downloading from my web site at <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au/computing/articles.htm">https://www.borrett.id.au/computing/articles.htm</a>.
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<br />Alternatively, you might like to go straight to the 1.2 Mb Adobe PDF file at <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au/downloads/blogger_hires.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.borrett.id.au/downloads/blogger_hires.pdf</a>.Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1095892709822239762004-09-23T08:18:00.000+10:002004-09-23T08:38:29.823+10:00New web site peakOn Monday, 20th September 2004, my web site hit a new peak of 491,000 hits per day. That's almost double the previous peak set back in May 2004.
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<br />My web site statistics reveal some interesting trends.
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<br />Operating System usage is: Windows 87%, Mac 9%, Linux 3%. Those figures have been fairly static over the last year or so.
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<br />Brower usage is: MS Internet Explorer 73%, Mozilla 16%, Safari 7% and Opera 2%. Those figures represent a significant change with MS IE loosing about 15% share to the other browers in the last six months.
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<br />It would appear that although there is a lot of talk about Linux increasing its share of the desktop operating system market, not much change is actually happening. But on the other hand, it seems plenty of people are finding enough feature and/or usability benefits with other browsers to go to the trouble of installing one of them and using it in preference to Microsoft IE on the Windows operating system platform.
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<br />I'm sure my web site would be simply reflecting a world-wide trend. These figures show that the market can change quickly, and thus should be a wake up call to those asleep at the wheel in the MS IE product team. Perhaps Microsoft will soon put some additional resources into improving the standards compliance, features and usability of Internet Explorer in an effort to regain lost market share. Certainly it would seem Microsoft can no longer assume the browser war has been won.Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1095487679111959202004-09-18T16:03:00.000+10:002004-09-30T10:01:19.106+10:00The future of customer serviceThe trend is pretty clear: move your customer support operations offshore to cut costs. After all, customer service is a cost, not a profit centre, and if you can cut those costs, you win.
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<br />Here is the plan:
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<br />Someone starts a service designed to cut customer service costs close to zero. The way it works: a computerised operation, totally turnkey, located on some desolate island with very low wages and just enough English. Any firm with a customer service 'problem' can hire them -- they can handle dozens of clients at once. The extremely polite operators answer with the name of the firm and use a database to keep track of all the information they receive. They keep people on hold for as long as possible (but not a moment longer) and then transfer them to someone else.
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<br />The goal is make the customer feel as though the operators are doing their best, but of course, to never actually DO anything. Keep track of the conversations and the record numbers. Keep transferring people. Promise to call back, never do. Sooner or later, the customer gives up and walks away. (If the firm does their job right, the customer blames himself, at least a little bit, for not being more patient.)
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<br />End result? Not only are operator costs saved, but you don't even have to fix any products!
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<br />But then again, maybe I am too late. For it seems this is the new leading-edge customer service strategy already being employed by many leading companies. The short-term results are so good that profits are up. So are CEO salary packages. Given that the average tenure for today's typical CEO is just three years, dealing with the long-term negative consequences to the company of such a customer service strategy will be the next CEO's problem.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1095039091795739922004-09-13T11:28:00.000+10:002004-09-30T10:02:25.876+10:00Hypocrisy breeds mediocrityTen years ago, virtually every IT services firm latched onto Business Process Reengineering (BPR) as the Holy Grail. The combination of process improvement and technology created a jungle for clients. And opportunistic IT consultants set out to bring their clients in from the wilderness, no matter what the risk.
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<br />But in those days, no singular, large-scale IT company bivouacked with clients through the entire journey. The strategy focused companies like McKinsey and BCG would usher their clients to the precipice and then offer a hearty backslap and cheerio for a safe crossing. IT implementers, particularly the Andersens and PwCs, would offer support and a sure hand as they steadied the ropes while crossing the chasm. On the other side, hordes of IT outsourcing types like IBM, EDS, Unisys and CSC, stood ready to soothe the clients' weary feet.
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<br />Five years ago the IT services companies all hyped the benefits of using the Internet as the basis for a "new economy", advising their clients that they needed to be "e-business" enabled to succeed into the future. They trampled all over their ethical responsibilities to their clients as they grabbed greedily for their share of the rich river of rewards. The resulting conflicts of interest were soon exposed and the big accounting based companies were forced to shed their IT consulting, implementation and outsourcing units. This realignment proved more confusing than clarifying. The big may have gotten somewhat bigger, but hardly better.
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<br />Today we have large-scale, IT services companies who claim to have fully-integrated consulting, implementation and outsourcing services. They seek to hold the client's hand through the whole journey. And they are all pushing their clients towards the new "big idea" of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). Unfortunately, nobody seems to have a clue as to how such a business should look, much less operate.
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<br />So the two biggest IT services operations (IBM and Accenture) are now locked in an epic battle with offshore companies like Infosys and Wipro to scale a new business model.
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<br />Meanwhile, traditional IT strategy consultants dabble in BPO by adopting "sourcing" practices that advise clients on the best BPO providers.
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<br />Transformational BPO has captured the fascination of IT service providers and clients alike because of potentially spectacular rewards, both for the service providers and their clients. We'll strategise on the problem and fix your process, BPO service providers say, and then we'll assume responsibility for consequences. Results with no regrets.
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<br />But in return, both sides must accept the death-defying risks of complete commitment; the notion of one service provider that takes a client from business strategy, through IT implementation, to activity support.
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<br />BPO seems a natural progression of BPR -- a sort of one-stop shop for the sophisticated client. But it still remains to be seen whether one BPO company can really cover the entire spectrum of services.
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<br />None of the major players have yet aligned all the parts into a cohesive whole, yet each one of them is praising the miracles of BPO. The hypocrisy of this is yet another example of how IT services is fast becoming a middling mass of mediocrity.
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<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1094693726072253592004-09-09T11:31:00.000+10:002004-09-30T10:04:04.696+10:00The ah-ha factorMost of us initially struggle with difficult problems and learning new skills. But eventually everything magically falls into place, and it's as if everything is crystal clear and easy to do. I've always referred to it as getting to the "ah-ha" moment.
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<br />Can you remember when you first started learning to ride a bicycle? Do you remember how you kept falling down? Do you remember how hard it seemed to balance?
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<br />Then suddenly one day everything just fell in place. You cycled around for hours and didn't fall off the bike once.
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<br />Which is weird isn't it?
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<br />I mean, one day you're struggling and the next day you're zooming away like a pro. And the same principle applies to many other aspects of your personal and business life. One day you're struggling in the mud and the next day you're skimming over the waves.
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<br />Well I recently learned that the Japanese have a term for my "ah-ha" moment. It's called Satori (Sa-to-ree) or a state of sudden spiritual enlightenment or awareness.
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<br />Even though you may not realise it, many things are really spiritual. You set out to change someone's life. You set out to reduce someone's pain. And that someone may be a family member, a friend, or a business client. When the moment of Satori comes, it's instant. You won't see the steps. It will be like bike riding. One moment you won't understand a thing about what the heck you're doing, and the next moment you will.
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<br />Keep at what you're doing. You too will get your moment. And then these sets of paragraphs will make perfect sense to you.
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<br />Satori is not as far away as you think.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1094460467603383642004-09-06T18:45:00.000+10:002004-09-06T18:47:47.603+10:00Try to avoid underliningAnother hangover from the days of the typewriter is the extensive use of underling by some people.
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<br />In the days of the typewriter, when bold and italic options were not available, underlining was used for contrast. But now we have so many more, and better looking, ways to emphasise -- bolding, italicising (or both), using a different font, increasing font size etc. -- depending on whether it is a heading, subheading or part of the body text you wish to draw attention to.
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<br />The original reason the publishing industry avoided the use of underlining was that it affects legibility by covering the parts of letters that descend below the line.
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<br />Of course today, underlining has become an established and very useful way of showing hyperlinks. Thus good practice today would be to reserve the use of underlining for showing hyperlinks.
<br /> Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1092737913073922882004-08-17T20:14:00.000+10:002004-08-17T20:18:33.073+10:00There is usually only one space after a periodI received a document from a friend the other day. Yet again I found two spaces after each period. It simply amazes me how this hangover from the typewriter age still persists.
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<br />Let me explain.
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<br />When a typewriter (the old-fashioned mechanical kind) types a letter, the carriage moves ahead by a set increment in preparation for typing the next letter. This increment is always the same. This means that typewriter typefaces have to be designed so that all the characters occupy the same amount of space on the line. These are so called "mono-spaced" typefaces.
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<br />In mechanical terms, you would say all of the letters of a mono-spaced typeface have the same "escapement," which is the distance the typewriter mechanism moves. In computer terms, you would say that they all have the same "character width." Creating mono-spaced typefaces calls for characters that have unnatural proportions. Wide characters can be squeezed, but narrow characters can only be designed to be so wide, so many of them (especially punctuation) have a lot of white space on either side of them.
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<br />The overall effect of this kind of typeface design is that the type you set using them looks very loosely spaced on the page. Thus, if you use only one word space at the end of a typewritten sentence, it's not wide enough to make an appreciable gap between one sentence and the one that follows it. This gap is a visual cue that you're transitioning from one sentence to the next, and if the space is too small, this cue just doesn't do its job.
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<br />More concisely put, double word spaces between typewritten sentences of mono-spaced typefaces help to make the type look more naturally spaced and enable it to be read more easily.
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<br />Thus in the days of the typewriter and fixed- or mono-spaced typefaces, people were taught to put two spaces after a period. Unfortunately, that teaching style seems to be still in the system, regardless that people are typically now using computers and proportionally spaced typefaces.
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<br />The typesetting systems used to produce books, magazines, newspapers etc. use proportionally spaced typefaces, where the width of each character can be customised to accommodate the natural shapes of the letters. For example, the width of the letter "i" is much smaller than the width of the letter "m". When this happens, type sets more tightly, which makes word spaces stand out more. A result is that one word space after a sentence is sufficient to provide that visual cue. Two spaces after a period simply look too wide.
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<br />Almost all books, magazines and newspapers are typeset with proportionally spaced typefaces. Pick up one and take a look. You'll see there is only one space after a period.
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<br />Today, when using computers, most of the typefaces available are proportionally spaced. Thus when using a word processor program, a desktop publishing program, a web page publishing program, e-mail program etc. with proportionally spaced typefaces, the correct solution is just one space after a period. Only when explicitly using a fixed- or mono-spaced typeface like Courier should two spaces be used.
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<br />So ultimately it's an issue of aesthetics and readability. The best solution on a typewriter with a mono-spaced typeface is two spaces between sentences, but on a computer when using a proportionally spaced typeface the best solution is just one space.
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<br />So if you were taught to put two spaces after a period, it's time to unlearn that habit. Now that you are aware of the issue and understand when to use two spaces and when to use one space, you will find that there is usually only one space after a period.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1090999774656250142004-07-28T17:23:00.000+10:002004-09-30T10:04:59.196+10:00Old articles and news discoveredI recently came across a number of computing articles I had written for various publications over the years. Naturally, I've added the <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au/computing/articles.htm">articles</a> to my web site for all to see.
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<br />I also cames across a few <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au/about/inthenews.htm">press stories</a> and added them as well.
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<br />All in all, these items make an interesting look back at the way things were.
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<br /> Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1088417910108766912004-06-28T20:07:00.000+10:002004-09-30T10:05:57.950+10:00The third generation of Lloyd's web siteJust a few weeks ago, I switched to a new web site hosting provider, <a href="https://www.jaguarpc.com" target="_blank">www.jaguarpc.com</a>, and gained access to a wide range of new features and services, including support for CGI, Perl and PHP languages, plus MySQL databases. However, an initial look at how to use those features in a way that fitted in with the existing web site design revealed that a design refresh would be a good idea.
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<br />One priority was to get rid of the use of graphic files for the site navigation elements. My experience with new generation screens running at better than 96 dpi showed this concept had a limited life. Using a Dynamic HTML and JavaScript based menu, would enable the site pages to load faster, and be more search engine friendly.
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<br />Another goal was to make site navigation easier, by implementing the method I had first developed whilst building the <a href="https://www.omniton.com.au" target="_blank">Omniton</a> web site, a few months earlier.
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<br />Anyway the job is done. The 3rd generation version of <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au" target="_blank">www.borrett.id.au</a> is now online, complete with phpBB based forums, plus some updates to the content as I worked through the web pages.
<br />
<br />Anyway, check it out and let me know what you think. Try using the <a href="https://www.borrett.id.au/forums/" target="_blank">forums</a> to provide some feedback.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1086912771400238932004-06-11T10:08:00.000+10:002004-09-30T10:06:43.983+10:00Free vector-graphics programMicrosoft purchased the Creature House technology and development team in 2003. Creature House had an innovative vector-based illustration and graphics tool called Expression available for both MS Windows and Mac OS. Before Microsoft changes its mind, you might want to check it out, as Expression 3 is available as a free download at: <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/products/expression/">www.microsoft.com/products/expression/</a>
<br />
<br />Expression has the features you'd expect in a vector-based illustration package, but in addition it has the ability to mimic brush, pen, pastel, wash and palette knife effects. In essence, you can create graphics that have the look of traditional media.
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<br />If you're on a tight budget and looking for a good drawing tool, check it out. But be warned, it is a 57 Mb download.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1086912004125241652004-06-11T09:50:00.000+10:002004-06-11T10:00:04.126+10:00Symantec, Brightmail and MicrosoftWhile sorting out a potential virus problem for friends recently, I noticed Symantec has purchased Brightmail, a high flying anti-spam provider, for US$370 million. Seems like company valuations reminiscent of the dot-com boom are back if you are an anti-virus and/or anti-spam company. Brightmail had only just posted its first profit (US$1.2 million) in fiscal year ending January '04, with revenue jumping from $12 million to $26 million. Symantec had already invested US$18 million in Brightmail back in 2000 for an 11% stake. Apparently Brightmail receives about 85% of its revenue from only 5% of its customer base, with Microsoft alone accounting for more than 10% of total revenue and the world's larger ISPs around 50%.
<br />
<br />Microsoft is working on building its own anti-spam software, as well as an anti-virus offering that will compete with Symantec. So I guess Symantec now has 370 million more reason to cry foul when Microsoft properly integrates these solutions with its various operating systems, desktop and enterprise business software solutions.
<br />
<br />I can remember when one had to buy expensive memory managers, defrag tools, PC interconnect and a host of other utilities as third-party party add-ons, simply in order to get things done. They often didn't properly integrate, which caused many more headaches than I care to remember. Yet today, when Microsoft bundles some utility into its operating systems they cop a lot of flack. That is why we don't already have excellent backup, defrag, anti-spam, anti-virus and other system utilities built into the operating systems instead of nothing or, at best, crippled versions.
<br />
<br />The same people that complain about everything not being properly integrated, and having to remember about so many bits and pieces in order to run a reliable, stable, protected system, also accuse Microsoft of being a powerful monopoly when they bundle in a new utility or service that is already available from a third-party company. I hope Symantec aren't paying dot-com type prices because they think they can win the PR war and stop Microsoft from bundling anti-virus and anti-spam solutions into its operating systems anytime soon. Let's hope that common-sense will prevail and Microsoft is allowed to do the right thing.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1086594243126255602004-06-07T17:43:00.000+10:002004-09-30T10:07:45.040+10:00Getting to know your friendsWelcome to the newest edition of "getting to know your friends" a little better! What you're supposed to do is copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you'll send. Change all of the answers so they apply to you. Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you'll learn a lot of little known facts about your friends.
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<br />WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
<br />Around 5:00 a.m. But not by choice. A certain brown heeler dog forces this upon me.
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<br />IF YOU COULD EAT LUNCH WITH ONE FAMOUS PERSON, DEAD OR ALIVE, WHO WOULD IT BE?
<br />Jesus. I'd like to find out what he was taking.
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<br />GOLD OR SILVER?
<br />Gold.
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<br />WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA?
<br />That recent one about the US civil war. It was so forgettable I can't even recall its name.
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<br />FAVOURITE TV SHOW?
<br />Currently... Enough Rope and The Sopranos. Waiting for the next season of The West Wing.
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<br />WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST?
<br />Usually nothing. Sometimes boiled eggs, or bread with peanut butter and apricot jam.
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<br />WHO WOULD YOU HATE TO BE LEFT IN A ROOM WITH?
<br />George W Bush. I'd feel compelled to knock some sense into him, but they put you away for a very long time for messing with a US president.
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<br />CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR NOSE WITH YOUR TONGUE?
<br />No.
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<br />WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
<br />Life.
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<br />WHAT'S YOUR MIDDLE NAME?
<br />Robert.
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<br />BEACH, CITY OR COUNTRY?
<br />Country.
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<br />SUMMER OR WINTER?
<br />Summer.
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<br />FAVOURITE ICE CREAM?
<br />Vanilla with chocolate topping.
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<br />BUTTERED, PLAIN, OR SALTED POPCORN?
<br />Honey popcorn. (Hey, so I won't conform to the boundaries set!)
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<br />FAVOURITE COLOUR?
<br />All colours are good. Though what's the name of that shade of blue patented by the modern artist who's name I can't recall?
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<br />FAVOURITE CAR?
<br />Chooky's hoon machine... my Monaro.
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<br />BELIEVE IN LOVE?
<br />Yes, of course.
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<br />WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU DESPISE?
<br />Fundamentalism. Greed and envy.
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<br />FAVOURITE FLOWER?
<br />Sturt desert pea.
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<br />FAVOURITE WEB SITE?
<br />www.borrett.id.au Someone has to like it!
<br />
<br />FAVOURITE BLOG?
<br />www.pbs.org/cringely/
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<br />WHAT IS YOUR BATHROOM LIKE?
<br />Spacious.
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<br />WHERE WILL YOU RETIRE?
<br />Likely... where I live now.
<br />I wish... on a yacht cruising the oceans of the world.
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<br />CAN YOU JUGGLE?
<br />Nope, not even poorly.
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<br />FAVOURITE DAY OF THE WEEK?
<br />POETS day. As in "Piss Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday"
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<br />WHITE OR RED WINE?
<br />Neither thanks. Got any Coke? No, post-mix won't do!
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<br />WHAT DID YOU DO ON YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY?
<br />Went to work and later tried to have a quiet night at home. But the phone kept ringing.
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<br />WHO IS THE PERSON THAT SENT THIS TO YOU?
<br />Andre. That lad has a lot to answer for!
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<br />WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
<br />My dad.
<br />
<br />WHO IS THE PERSON YOU EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK FIRST?
<br />The Diva. It's the sort of thing she would enjoy.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1086479904548405292004-06-06T09:17:00.000+10:002006-03-07T17:29:56.850+11:00My web site has gone ballistic againBack in late October 2003, traffic to my web site suddenly spiked from an average of 5,000 hits per day to a peak of 215,000 hits per day. And over the months since then, the site has been averaging around 50,000 hits per day.
<br />
<br />I first noticed this major increase in site traffic back in November 2003 when I got a huge bill from my hosting provider, WebCentral, for excess data traffic. Something must be wrong I thought. In more than five years of hosting with WebCentral, I had never come close to exceeding my hosting plan's built in data traffic allowance. But no, my web site had suddenly gone ballistic.
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<br />It seems the world had switched on to <strong>"Petals Around the Rose"</strong>. Interesting given that the challenge / brain teaser had been online since early in 1996!
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<br />Indeed, when talking to WebCentral about it, their technical support guy said, "Oh, so you're the one behind that web site. I played and solved Petals Around the Rose just the other day!"
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<br />A search found Petals being referenced from discussion forums all over the web. There are even teachers using it as a part of their learning curriculum. Go figure!
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<br />Well I came up with some strategies for getting rid of the excess data charges, implemented them, and quickly got the cost of running my site back to normal. Phew!
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<br />Ash Nallawalla suggested I also sign up for Google AdSense and use my site's popularity to get some revenue to help subsidise my costs. However, it turned out Google AdSense weren't supporting personal web sites back in November 2003, so they rejected my application. But late in April 2004, Google came back to me saying they had changed their policy and invited me to apply again. So I did and was accepted.
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<br />Unfortunately though, the Google AdSense algorithms just don't seem to be able to classify the pages with adverts well. Thus they are serving up very few relevant adverts. The result has been an extremely low click through rate and thus very little revenue. It seems I just can't win. (I've since contacted Google AdSense and they are looking into it. Problem sites like mine actually help them to improve their advert deliver system.)
<br />
<br />Anyway, it appeared that everything had finally settled down into a regular pattern. But then on 24 May 2004, my site traffic suddenly spiked again. Now instead of averaging 50,000 hits per day, I'm getting over 250,000 hits per day!
<br />
<br />I'm now looking at more excess data traffic bills from WebCentral. Yet another cost reduction strategy has to be devised and implemented.
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<br />The World Wide Web certainly is a weird and wonderful place. Anyone that says they truly understand it is lying. No-one, but no-one, would have predicted what's been happening to my web site of late.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1086476315205595362004-06-06T08:23:00.000+10:002004-09-30T10:14:55.176+10:00Omniton goes onlineOff and on over recent months, I have been building a web site for Tim Norton's technology business and strategy consulting company Omniton. Well last Monday the site went live at <a href="https://www.omniton.com.au" target="_blank">https://www.omniton.com.au</a>
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<br />There are still a few things to be finished off, like client testimonials and better pictures of Tim, but on the whole the site is pretty complete. It will take some time for the site to be indexed by the major search engines, and the site search won't work properly until Google has done that, but that's just the way it is.
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<br /><strong>Site Implementation Description</strong>
<br />
<br />The site uses very few graphic files, which makes it quick to load on low bandwidth connections. Cascading style sheet (CSS) sytles have ben used much more than on any site I'd built previously.
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<br />With the omniton site I have tried a new navigation design principle. Like many sites today I've used a menu tree at the top of the page which lets users navigate to almost every page on the site. And of course there is the plain HTML menu at the bottom of the page that can be used to navigate to the beginning of each main section of the site. Nothing new about that.
<br />
<br />But I've also placed the context based navigation menus on the right hand side of the page instead of on the left as is commonly done today. The scroll bar is on the right, so that is where users typically have their mouse to move up and down a page. By putting key navigation options near there, it's easier and quicker to use them. The other benefit is that it moves the important content to the left side of the page. Thus when users print pages out, nothing is lost. I don't know about you, but I get so frustrated when I print out a page and I get the navigation details, but the content I want is cut off.
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<br />I understand the main reasons why most sites use the left column for navigation. But I figure if the page design is fairly clean, simple and uncluttered, users will still see the menus on the right clearly, and be able to use them more easily.
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<br />Well anyway, so far it seems to be working and feedback to date has been encouraging.
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<br />One thing I am considering implementing is a mail list system for the newsletter subscription and distribution. Right now it's a manual process for the admin team. Implementing something like Dada Mail, MailMan or such would make it a lot better. Plus having an automated subscription confirmation and unsubscribe process would make life easier for everyone. Any suggestions from those that have done this before would be most welcome.
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5823262.post-1086402235803913482004-06-05T13:19:00.000+10:002004-09-30T10:16:34.800+10:00New ways to implement the Melb PC visionWhen we founded the Melbourne PC User Group (Melb PC) back in 1983, there were two phrases we regularly used to describe the group and our vision.
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<br />"Users helping users," was the first phrase. It was a basic, fundamental vision for what we do and how we do it. Sure it could be expanded as "computer users", "PC users" etc. but that was just extra padding. Everyone knew we weren't referring to drug users!
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<br />"Melb PC is the RACV for computer users," was the second phrase. That made the vision clearer to Melbourne people and put it into a context that more people could easily relate to.
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<br />Many computer user groups of that time were about users getting together and pirating software, or simple bulk discount buying schemes. Melb PC was not about any of that. Our vision was much greater, and that vision has been faithfully handed down to subsequent presidents and management committees for implementation. Thankfully those who followed believed in the vision and, I believe, that is why Melb PC is still around today.
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<br /><strong>Doubts Beginning to Surface</strong>
<br />
<br />For some time now I have been concerned that the implementation of Melb PC's vision may have stagnated. Charles Wright, a former president and life member, in his "Bleeding Edge" column in "The Age Green Guide", 27 May 2004, page 12, made it obvious that I wasn't the only one having some doubts. (See his column online <a target="_blank" href="https://theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/26/1085461800916.html">here</a>.)
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<br />Now I'm not about to question what the present committee is doing about accommodation changes. Nor what they have recently done on the ADSL front. Charles raised some questions and I'm sure the committee has valid responses.
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<br />Having never personally visited the current offices of Melb PC, I'm not in a position to comment with any authority on the group's accommodation needs. I simply trust that a new facility is needed, and that the committee will make an excellent choice, as I am sure would do the majority of the membership. Hopefully there will be sufficient space to accommodate future member services, but more on that later.
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<br />I am also confident that the decision to become a WestNet reseller as the way to deliver ADSL to the membership is sound. Though I do have a few concerns about the implementation.
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<br />Melb PC members don't seem to get any better pricing from WestNet; they just keep access to a few additional Melb PC Internet services. Sure WestNet charge $30 extra per year for email virus checking and email spam filtering, and it is my understanding that Melb PC members will continue to get that for free via Melb PC, so that's a real benefit to members. (Though I notice on the ADSL Application Form in PC Update, Melb PC members are being asked if they want to sign up and pay for this.)
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<br />WestNet clients get 6 email addresses and 20 Mb of web space. Do Melb PC members get those facilities in addition to the 1 email address and 10 Mb of web space from Melb PC?
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<br />Interestingly, the arrangement with WestNet doesn't seem to be reciprocal on the marketing front. WestNet don't seem to be encouraging their existing and/or potential new customers to join Melb PC and access additional services and facilities.
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<br />I suspect now that the ADSL deal is done, someone will spend some time thinking such issues through and spelling out a more compelling value proposition for Melb PC members. My concerns about Melb PC's ADSL offering are probably just teething problems that will no doubt be resolved in due course.
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<br /><strong>Is Implementation of the Melb PC Vision Stagnant?</strong>
<br />
<br />Earlier this year I again attended the annual event Melb PC has to thank its volunteers. It was a joy to talk to those actively contributing to the ongoing success of Melb PC and feel their enthusiasm.
<br />
<br />One volunteer asked me, "You must be very proud of what Melb PC is today and where it is heading?"
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<br />My reply was that pride doesn't really come into it. The past is the past. I'm more concerned about trends I'm observing which are raising some doubts in my mind about Melb PC's future.
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<br />At age 47, I think I might have been one of the youngest people in the room at the volunteer's event. Yet in the early days of Melb PC, at age 27, I was one of the older active members. Now there are some obvious reasons for the change, and I am in no way knocking the great efforts of our older volunteers. However the age demographic of our membership is significantly older today than it once was. We should be asking ourselves the question, "Are we providing services to attract younger members?" And sadly, I think the answer is, no!
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<br />Why is the size of our membership base so stagnant? Let's face it, for a number of years now the membership size has been relatively stagnant in the 10,000 to 12,000 range. Why are we not continuing to grow at rates that match the growth of the PC marketplace? The RACV continues to grow at a rate that matches the increase in cars on our roads. What can be done to reverse this trend and see Melb PC increasing its relevance to the community and hence its membership numbers?
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<br />I think the above factors are strong indicators that the implementation of the Melb PC vision is stagnant. It's time for some serious questions to be asked, new opportunities looked in to, and for new paths forward to be found.
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<br /><strong>Putting People in Touch</strong>
<br />
<br />Users helping users. That is what Melb PC is about. Yet we are not effectively using today's available collaborative solutions to help users to help each other.
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<br />Where are the online discussion forums on the Melb PC web site?
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<br />I'm sorry but newsgroups just don't cut it today. We should have online discussion forums for all of the active areas of Melb PC. Each SIG should have a discussion forum. The various committees should have discussion forums. Each Dial Help topic should have a discussion forum.
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<br />It would be so simple and cheap for Melb PC to set up discussion forums using an open source solution like phpBB, or a similar offering. So what is stopping us?
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<br />But don't stop there. Give each SIG, committee, dial help volunteer etc. a blog. Again, using an open source solution, this is simple and cheap to do. Then the various volunteers need have no knowledge of HTML to communicate about their activities to the rest of us. And the rest of us can stay informed via RSS feeds of the topics we are interested in.
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<br />Should a blog not prove to be a sufficient solution for some of the larger SIGs, let them use an open source content management system, like Mambo Open Source or similar, to manageme their web site. Again, all of the communication facilities you could want for in the hands of our volunteers without the barriers of having to learn about HTML etc.
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<br />Today I get more of a sense of community from many company and private individual web sites using such tools than I get from Melb PC. And yet Melb PC truly is a huge, self-help community.
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<br />Even Microsoft has incorporated collaboration facilities into their standard software offerings. That's how mainstream this stuff has become. Yet Melb PC has done little in the way of enhancing channels for collaboration for quite some time. It's time for us to get with the programme and put more people in touch with each other online.
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<br /><strong>New Member Service Ideas</strong>
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<br />Are the services we are providing today enough? What more could Melb PC be doing?
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<br />Think about how the whole Internet Cafe concept has caught on. You can even go into many small rural and regional towns and find one. Yet Melb PC doesn't provide a single Internet Cafe facility anywhere in Melbourne, let alone Victoria. I would have thought that was a natural thing for Melb PC to have got involved in. Perhaps that opportunity has passed us by, but maybe, just maybe, it hasn't. Could our new office accommodate an Internet Cafe?
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<br />The youth of today are flocking to gaming events, and other such group gatherings, taking along their PCs. Has Melb PC ever considered getting involved? Would the new office location be able to accommodate such events?
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<br />Why does our Internet service not include gaming servers?
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<br />Though I only got there the once, I loved the annual SeaMist weekend, started by Tom Coleman. Why not take some of the essential ingredients of that event and host two-day sessions at the Melb PC office on say a quarterly basis?
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<br />It would seem Melb PC has chosen to maintain the existing dial-up access service and contract out the provision of broadband access services. But is it just status quo from here? What can Melb PC do to further enhance its Internet Service offerings?
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<br />Only a small percentage of Melb PC members using our Internet Service have active member web sites. Yet I'm certain that many would like to have one, it's just that they aren't interested in becoming web site designers and programmers. So why not provide them with the ability to run a selected open source content management system so that they can have a web site without the hassles. Making a content management system part of the standard Melb PC Internet service offering would put Melb PC way ahead of most of today's ISPs.
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<br />A friend of mine came to me seeking a better solution than HotMail. For $30 every two years he can register a <your surname>.id.au domain name. For $20 per year he can get an email hosting package. So for $35 per year my friend, his wife, his two kids, and other extended family members can each have a unique email address that relates to their surname. They can all change ISPs as much as they like without changing their email addresses. Wouldn't it be nice if Melb PC offered such a simple email hosting option as part of its Internet Service?
<br />
<br />Wouldn't it also be nice if Melb PC's Internet Service enabled users to use have their own domain name? I'm sure there are quite a few people that might prefer this option and become/stay a Melb PC member because of it.
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<br />Should Melb PC move into offering more advanced hosting solutions? We don't have to be the hosting provider, simply a reseller of one, just as we now are a reseller of WestNet's ADSL service. We just have to come up with attractive value-added offerings that our current and potential members would desire.
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<br />Should Melb PC get involved in providing Wireless Internet Access to its membership? Now that Melb PC members have broadband access, why not use that to extend their Internet access? If each member with broadband access were to install the same secure WiFi hardware, and we were to put in place the right access and control services and protocols back at Melb PC, we could gradually cover Melbourne with our own standardised WiFi network. With the right advertising or vendor assistance, we might even be able to get those access points extremely cheap. For free even! Think about that. Being a Melb PC member with broadband access at home could give you WiFi access throughout much of Melbourne.
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<br />It's time for Melb PC to catch up in some areas we have let pass us by. It's time for us to also look around at new and emerging areas and embrace them.
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<br /><strong>It's Time</strong>
<br />
<br />"It's Time," as most of you reading this would recall, was the catch phrase that saw Gough Whitlam coming into power as Prime Minister in the early 1970s. Most of the population under 30 years of age probably wouldn't know that, which I think highlights my point about the age demographics of our membership. They simply weren't around at the time. It's modern Australian history to them.
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<br />I believe "it's time" for Melb PC to become more active in seeking out new ways to benefit its membership. We have let too many opportunities pass us by.
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<br />There was a time in the history of Melb PC where we were extremely active when it came to new opportunities. We introduced lots of new services. Some were great successes. Others were dismal failures. But it's hard to have the great successes without having a few failures.
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<br />I believe today's Melb PC is stagnating because it has become too risk adverse. That Melb PC is sitting on the large cash reserves it has is a symptom of the problem. Think about what could be achieved if Melb PC were to make just 20% of that cash reserve available to fund new services over the coming 12 to 24 months.
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<br />There is little risk and cost in actually going ahead with most of the ideas I have raised here. And I'm sure there are plenty of members who would have other more valuable ideas that are just as cheap and risk adverse, which could be easily implemented. I'm also sure that we could come up with some interesting ideas that might be a tad risky and/or costly, and yet agree that they are worth the risk/cost for the benefits achievable. But sadly we don't have an online discussion forum for such ideas. No wonder we seem to be stagnating.
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<br />It's time for some fresh new ways to implement the Melb PC vision.
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<br />(Lloyd Borrett is the Melb-PC founder, inaugural president and life member.)
<br />Lloyd Borretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18145444626026324486noreply@blogger.com