Hi there!

I’m travelling on business in Bulgaria, and using a PC that’s based on a local operating system (and keyboard), so if something looks strange, I apologise in advance!  In theory I should catch all the errors before I publish, but that doesn’t always work out the way you plan it.  If you want to see what I was doing in Bulgaria (actually, I’m still finishing things up here), take a look at the Bulgaria Realtor Blog.

The Jimmy Craig Affiliate Page blog is progressing, albeit not as fast as I would like it to.  In the mean time, there is one part that has a new name, which is “Webmaster Resources and Information” otherwise known as http://webmaster-resources.info.  Since it’s a WordPress blog, you can watch it develop as we work on it.  Right now, it has only one post, but it is informative, and will give you an idea about what to expect in the future.  We welcome your comments, but you have to register as a subscriber to post a comment.  Having to be a subscriber in order to comment may help reduce the garbage that might land on the website.  It will NOT subject you to a blizzard of email traffic - and that’s a promise!  The new resources and information blog is hosted for free for one year on a system I will tell you more about in the next week or so.  It is an income-producing organisation that has a one-time-only membership fee, and the benefits just keep on coming!  More later…

We have also established a new blog as the Jimmy Craig Websites home page - it’s located at http://jimmycraig.info and there’s one post up already - it’s also a WordPress blog, version 2.6.1, I think (I’ll confirm that later) that was loaded through the cPanel and Fantastico.  FYI, this blog is version 2.5.2 and is a free SEO-tweaked version from Jeff Johnson’s Underground Training Lab.

I guess that’s all for now.  Thanks for looking in, and

ciao for now

Jimmy Craig

Hi again everybody,

Wanted to touch base with you and apologise for the long silence - we’re working on something new for all of you, but on the main website, not the blog.  However, the end result may be a series of related blogs to concentrate on each subject more accurately.

We’re in the process of revamping the Jimmy Craig Affiliate Page main website’s construction - ultimately into a series of blogs on various subjects (we think).  Because of this, we don’t have so much time for new entries (or new goodies in the sidebar) for the blog.  We call our development website “the mule,” like the race car drivers call their testing cars for components, new developments, etc.  If you’re really interested, you can look at our test mule at http://mule.jimmycraigaffiliatepage.com and see what it is we are up to.  You have to remember, though, that what you see there may never make it to “production” on the main website.  Hope you enjoy the experience!

Ciao for now,

Jimmy Craig

Hi there!

Those of you who have been watching the blog recently have certainly noticed that it wasn’t there!

Whot hoppened?

Well, basically two things happened - one is that Jimmy Craig (me) got curious.  We who have WordPress blogs tend to get advertised to on a routine basis from WordPress - particularly when they have a new version available.  And I fell for it!

About four weeks ago, I finally decided to “do it”, and I started all the procedures that a prudent webmaster should do to prepare for changes on the website.  Most importantly, I backed up the database and the website itself to my harddisk.  At two different places.  Good. 

Then I went to WordPress and read the instructions on how to do the upgrade (from version 2.5 to version 2.6) - three times.  Sounded simple enough!  OK, let’s do it!  Great - started off by downloading the new software - about 9MB on my poor mickery little one-lung microwave Italian ADSL system. Only took about 30 minutes - not bad, really.  WordPress says that you CAN migrate from an older version to the new one, but they prefer that you start afresh.  OK - “afresh” it will be.

Now, the moment of truth - I trashed the first website and uploaded the new stuff.  Voila!!  Nothing.  Not even an error message!  I had absolutely no connection between the website and my computer at all!  I knew all the files were there - I could see them in my FTP system.  But I got N-O-T-H-I-N-G to see, at all.

Frustration sets in - I tried all the tricks I had to use to install the first blog.  Still nothing.  I put an html index file in just to be sure that the website was working!  Yes - website works.  But no blog.  Not even an error message - just a blank page.  More “playing around” as my wife puts it…  still nothing.  In desparation, I even erased the website and tried again on a different one.  Still nada.  After all that, the panic starts to mount…  what do I do if it doesn’t work?  Ach! NO PROBLEM (thanks, Alf) - there’s always the backup.  I can re-install that and everything will be back to normal.  So…

Reverse the process - strip out the new software, zero out the database, put the old database info back in, and ready everything to upload the old blog and put it back on line.  Phew, I was worried there for awhile!  Out with the new, in with the old and here we go!  WHAT??  STILL NOTHING??  I put the same html index file in just to be sure that the website was working!  Yes - website works.  BUT NO BLOG!!

Of course, about the same time, I had a ten-day trip (no, not vacation) and I got very busy with a new program and also with the house that we’re trying to sell, and I lost the flow, as they say (they who?).  A few WEEKS went by (did you miss me?)

…

Finally, today I got up enough courage (desperation?) to tackle the problem again.  I was talking about it on our group’s chat (more about the group in a later post), and someone who shall remain unnamed (unless he tells me ok later on) but goes under the username of “GoSmallBiz” (capital letters my assistance) gave me the backing and courage to forge into the unknown (again) with a few street signs!  Wow!  What a difference a few weeks and a few street signs make!  About 60 minutes later (including upload time) the blog was back on line!  Thanks GoSmallBiz!!

Only one problem, I got so frustrated with the original situation somewhere there in the middle of the mess, that I trashed the most recent backups - the ones just before I took the old blog down.  So I’m re-starting with the backups from about 2-1/2 months earlier, which was just after I started the first blog.  So that’s where I re-started. 

BUT IT WORKS!!

How about that!

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One NOTE for SUBSCRIBERS!  IF you subscribed to the blog prior to today (19 August 2008) and you would like to remain on our list, please re-subscribe, just to be sure.  Thanks!

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Thanks for your patience, and ciao for now

Jimmy Craig

P.S.  You maybe also noticed that I changed the theme since I put the blog back up - I like this one better, what do you think? - I think it gives a cleaner picture. 

J.C.