I Wanna New Host & Tech Update on My FB Feed Filter

For a long time now, I've been a GoDaddy/Wild West reseller. It was easy to set up clients, create accounts for them and manage it. They also had a phone number you could call for support, and they were friendly, knowlegeable and had American accents. This is important because I've encountered big problems with outsourced tech support due to a miscommunication issue. However, the GoDaddy/Wild West servers are crap. 256MB on a 512mhz processor??? WTF? Gimme a break! And working with db driven web apps like Joomla and Wordpress are impossible - the data connections are incredibly slow and at times would time out. Frustrating for myself, and my clients when their site would go down, particularly while editing.

As I have been doing web design and development since 1996 (yikes I'm old!) I have been through the whole hosting provider/domain name registrar switcheroo. Hear about these mortgages being resold to other banks? It's kinda like that - the host is too small, goes under or gets bought by a bigger fish that sometimes does not know how to migrate its customers and keep them happy. I figured, reselling GoDaddy (who was supposed to be the domain name registrar for Google) surely this one won't go down... umm yeah.

So with a new web client, I've started investigating new hosts. One thing that I try to be is ecologically smart (ie "green"). Another is cost-effective. And another is feature-rich. I found that in a host: fatcow.com. Granted, I haven't looked into their reseller program yet, but this new site is FAST! And their tech support has been great - Live Chat 24/7 and phone support! Unlimited bandwidth, disk space and MySQL dbs, what more could a gal ask for!

I would have liked to go local, but unfortunately I haven't found anything that compares with price and features.

And re: the FB app I was working on - sorry folks, the dream of the "My Feed Filter" is not going to work. Argh. Much to my chagrin, FB does not give access to the properties of the updates in the stream. Only thing you can do is pull the entire feed/stream, can't sort it based on if it is an application, photos, etc. I suppose I could create a "copied" page, and use a ton of JavaScript innerHTML fun to redesign the feed, but because I don't have the time it would take to creating it, I'll stick to more "simple" FB apps for now...

Adventures in Web Development version 132.9: Or the Joy of Open-Source

Working on a membership driven, Joomla 1.5, Community Builder site.

Have I lost you yet?

Alright, well Joomla is a CMS system (see first post re: Content Management Systems*) and is a free, open source web application. This particular site though has given me much heartache in the development, and as it has for my client.

Most sites I do are cut and dry. I run about 23 sites. Wordpress, Joomla, vBulletin, static html, maybe some php/mysql db, two in Drupal, one Volusion site (another venting post for another day), but once the functionality and features have been implemented, it's there. Only thing I need to worry about is training, maintenance which usually is maybe a security patch or two, and maybe a random content/graphic.

Anyways, so this site is constantly evolving. Which is great in that it keeps me on my toes and constantly tests my abilities. On the other hand, it keeps me on my toes and constantly tests my abilities. Which is why I need staff. Bad. Another problem is that as we implement new features that will support a real revenue stream, the server configurations change as well. It isn't just set it up on a server, click and install a couple things and go. It is tweaking Apache and OpenSSL, managing memory, and all the fun stuff when it comes to developing an enterprise level app.

If you don't know much about Joomla, it has an extensive community and many free and paid for commercial apps. You know that saying, "You get what you pay for?" At times with these mods, you don't.

I have found getting a free app and hacking the crap out of it to bend it to my will seems to work a lot better than paid for apps so far. Problem is, I dont have the time I need to sit around and make it work. So, I buy yet another mod/component that is "supposed to do" x and ends up *maybe* doing y, but because it won't play well with other apps and I can't get into the source code because they've protected it using a compiler like Ioncube, it screws up the rest of the site and spits out nada. Like CBSubs. I want to like it - I want to use it. I really really do. I love Community Builder - it's robust, highly configurable/hackable, has a great community for support, a truly solid and stable community platform, and it's the magic word: free! - BUT CBSubs with CB doesn't work on my server configuration, and frankly, I do not have time nor patience to move the whole site over to another server, yet again.

Another $ app: JomSocial. It looked so pretty, and I wanted to like it, but ended up going back to Community Builder. Maybe in a few more years JomSocial will have caught up, but now, I just feel a bit cheated that it doesn't have the capabilities I need it to do.

Another $ app: CorePHP's WordpressMU component. Really did not like how limiting the blogs were when implemented. There was no theme customization per user, no ability to do fqdn blog URLs (which is a true feature of WPMU), no real compliance with other Joomla core apps, and I found it to be buggy with all of the other components I added on.

Here I am, doing it again: buying another mod called AEC that is supposed to cure all my ails. So I am crossing my fingers, holding my breath and backing up the db yet again...

Will report back on how it goes...

Current site main apps configuration:
* WPMU (at root for user blogs with subdomains)
* Joomla 1.5
* Community Builder 1.2.2
* Kunena Forums
* MediaWiki
* EventList
* JDownloads
* VirtueMart
* Post Affiliate Pro

* Will add in links to items later when I get more time... yeah right!

2010: Being Resolute in my Resolutions

Alright 2010, I *think* I'm ready for ya...

2009 had me for a loop, with two businesses* and two non-profits*, multiple projects some of which got done, some didn't, living on savings because I was focused on the afore mentioned corps, oh, and my social life, centered around networking - both online social and in-person, and not to mention being a single mom on top of it all...

In the twenty-ten, I will accomplish a few more things this year, and unfortunately, they have mainly to do with the stuff I started last year, except of course the kid thing which was est. in 2002 :)

So, for the masses of the intertubes (and really a to-do list more for myself), I will explain all of these items in nauseating detail, in somewhat of a chronological order. Hopefully, this will prove I'm really not a slacker -> read "insecure a bit?" - but also so if you happen to be a part of my inner sanctum, even peripherally, you'll realize that I'm pretty frickin' busy and do NOT take it personally if I don't come to an event or respond quickly. Several of these goals are quite ambitious, some I need to complete them in the first month, so thanks for understanding!

1. Spend more time with my son. Last year I had the mixed fortune to travel a lot: the inauguration* (see film project A), campouts, friends' weddings (which is both joyful and depressing on a whole 'nother level but let's not go there right now -> read "spinster"), but these were unfortunately, without my 7 yr-old son. I am very blessed that my parents help me with him, but now that he is getting older, we need to be doing more things together. However, it is hard to date and bring the lil guy around much as obviously, not every time/place/person is suitable for an introduction to the youngin'.

2. Finish my projects that I really need to from 2009
I.) Films/Creative Productions
A.) Inauguration Tales: An American Hajj - Need to hurry on this and at least get out a short to YouTube by Jan 20. Truth is, I was very unhappy with the footage I got from the event, which would have been better if I had had a PA to help and a press pass, but got discouraged going through some initial footage, so I put it away for a bit... I think I did get some good stories though - just have to get the gumption up to import and go through it...
B.) Upsourced 2.0 - my 48hr project I did with comedians Kristin Russo and Dave Waite and a great crew from Columbus. A task originally Bill Rinehart and I were going to write, along with Adam Thede, but somehow during the weekend festivities, things got a little discombobulated... Usually 48hr projects just live on as they were completed, but the story did not feel complete to me, and what we had was quite good - for a 48 - but I know once we do more story and character development, it will be a great short I can submit to other fests... but I HAVE to do this soon. Like by Feb.
C.) Xanadu RiffTrack - pretty much all written down and hashed out just need to record.
D.) Music vid with Pike. This is Eric's baby, so hopefully we can do this by end of Q1.
E.) Secret local political web series project. Can't discuss right now :)
F.) Work more on the biofuel project. Need to turn this into a short rather than a feature.
1.) Get interviews/footage at Cardinal
2.) Get interviews w/family farmer footage from farm
G.) Shoot more for Filmmaking in Ohio project
II.) Web dev
A.) Complete re-dev of Batafilms.com
B.) Keep clients happy
C.) Finish FB app side projects
D.) Get f/t stable job w/yet unnamed web portal company :) woohoo!!!!
III.) High-level stuff
A.) Make 2010 a successful year for the Cinci-Oxford Film Fest
B.) Get action items acted upon/completed from film dev working group list
C.) GET FILMS TO BE MADE HERE!

3. Say "No" more often. Need to stop taking on too many new projects, stop spinning my wheels on projects/causes that are stressing me out/bringing me down and drop projects that suck up my time and don't pay me. Yeah this looks like 3 resolutions, but they center around the same root cause of overcommitting myself. One of the ways I will work towards this is by moving away from one of the non-profits and one of the businesses (stated above) in lieu for a f/t job that will be more satisfying and stable - financially and with stream of work. Another part of this problem is, I'm an idea person - so when I get one, I can't always find someone to hand it off to, so I end up doing something myself. Maybe blogging/twittering these will give someone else the inspiration and they will take it and run.

4. Which brings me to #4: Blog/Tweet more. I usually focus on my Facebook page and IM, but I need to use these more. Heck I've had my twitter acct since about 6 months after they started Twitter, but I have just tweeted my 1000th tweet.

5. Move. Doesn't matter if it's Wyoming, OH or SJC or Kentucky anymore- just do it before next school year.

6. Re-enroll in a master's program

Lofty? Yes. Doable? ...remains to be seen. I keep thinking if I shoot for the stars, at least I'll hit the moon... or maybe just Mt. Adams, but I gotta at least do a few of these things. I'll try to chronicle my progress in this blog.

Wish me luck!