Site Hosting Robbers

[RuralWeb]

what image size would you suggest having as the default warning level

I would go for 15k for a product and 35k for an extended info image.

The spell check sounds great - you can have my money now!

[Jan]

:-)

Thanks Malcomn.

Regards,

[oldhasbeen]

Jan - what about a link checker too? On a big site where you've got lots of internal links and pop ups these can get overlooked (especially when you move bits about), but it would be a useful general tool as well (presuming this isn't already in actinic - if so, can't find it!).

Old clunky FrontPage does this quite well with a built in results screen to fix any broken ones as you go along - would be kewl to have a similar facility in actinic.

[Jan]

Thanks Helen.

I'll have a think about that - might involve lots of HTML parsing though, not sure. I think that there are free tools available already that will trawl through your website looking for broken links, unless I have misunderstood that you meant.

Regards,

[Jan]

Thanks Helen.

I'll have a think about that - might involve lots of HTML parsing though, not sure. I think that there are free tools available already that will trawl through your website looking for broken links, unless I have misunderstood what you meant.

Regards,

[oldhasbeen]

Hi Jan - you got what I meant. It would be ideal though if you're working on this type of tool where you could have one interface - check a few reports - check image sizes - check spelling - text find and replace - plus check links..... all in one neat little package (with bow on top which I can supply if required!).

Cripes, I have enough software open when doing website work as it is, so it would be fabbo to open up one piece of kit that could do all these things either before or after an upload. regards - H

[pinbrook]

I'd like to see a report that tells you what images you have hanging around in site1 that are no longer attached to a product or extended product.

And images in additional files that are no longer referenced anywhere

Overall page weight could be usefull too,

listing individual images over a certain size is useful, and 15k is a good start, but if you have a page with 20 15K images that wouldalso be useful to know.

[Jan]

If you have an image on a product and then remove the product, Actinic should remove it the next time you upload. Just checked it here on my local server and it did. What might be possible would be to check the server for files that haven't been accessed for x time, it could have a checkbox to limit this to files in the additional files list.

Helen, I see your point and it is very valid but will have to think about it, reinvented wheels often have missing spokes, maybe I should allow it to remember and launch other tools, to centralise things a little.

The tool will almost certainly be released in it's current state by the way with suggestions made here going into version 2 of it. Expected release date is around 4 weeks times by the way.

Regards,

[pinbrook]

I'd like to see a report that tells you what images you have hanging around in site1 that are no longer attached to a product or extended product.

it was site1 I was suggesting rather than webspace.

I do sufficient number of site refreshes not to be worried about the remote space. I tend to have images hanging around in site one that I don't know are current images or old ones

[Ghome1971]

Was I Robbed

Whether the bandwidth use is my fault or not isn't the issue. Netbenefits ripped me off because:

1) They didn't make me aware of the bandwidth charges (and other charges)when I signed up.

2) They gave very poor customer service. When I asked for help on bandwidth I was advised to upgrade to their top package which I did. They did not ask about my image sizes even though I told them my site was small. From this thread it seem like an obvious question!

I PAID A PREMIUM PRICE AND DESERVED GOOD SUPPORT

I don't think they are a suitable host for Actinic catalog customers who I bet are mainly new users and really want something reliable but cheap. Actinic have said that they were not aware of Netbenefits steep bandwidth charges and will warn customers in future.

Great to see Mole End has ideas on how to help us idiots!

Anyway thanks to all of you I have optimized my site. Please take a look at
www.stardustkids.co.uk

[Mark Evenden]

I have just caught up with this thread and firstly have to say (if its not blindingly apparent) that I am self taught with both PC and Actinic.

I found my opinion ebbing and flowing as I read the posts from the professionals and from the non-professionals. Both had very valid points I felt.

So what am I banging on about?....a little tolerance ladies and gents, a bit more of a humble attitude?

Some of us have plenty of enthusiasm, sit with a lap top ten hours a day heating our legs, often getting nowhere, we lack an understanding of mega bites, bandwidth, pixels and so on.

But this is a community, not an elite club, taking part is not compulsory and if somebody makes a daft, or iffy comment the community should embrace that problem, not poke fun and tutt at it.

Maybe somebody could find the time to produce an idiot guide to technical terms, their meanings and the effect ignorant implication can have on costs and so on. I agree anyone can use the Actinic software to create a site, but to fulfil its potential is well beyond those of us who seek to do it alone – maybe those of us who struggle could have our own wish list ? because sometimes a question pops into your head but you don’t post it, for fear of ridicule.

I have good deal of sympathy with the threads author, and am pleased that it would seam that costly problems are sorted, and I think your site looks great.

I apologise if I personally have offended any individual for that was not my intention, I am just responding to a gut feeling upon reading what is actually a very interesting thread, and to the pros that spend some time on here, I am extremely grateful that you feel able to offer your advice with out charge.

Jan as soon as the spell checker is done put me down for one! -my spelling and grammer would be a very good test for it! Currently I do everything in word, then copy and paste it...

[RuralWeb]

I have optimized my site. Please take a look

A big difference! the site loads much quicker and the images look very good.

[leehack]

However "green" one may be with regards to their knowledge on websites etc. I can guarantee you 100% that every single person who has ever designed a website (pro or brand new to it) has taken a look at the site they are creating a number of times. If it takes ages to load for you, what is the likely thing that will happen to your customers also? Its not rocket science.

Where do you draw the line......?

In my shop i have things up for sale at full RRP, on my website they are cheaper. New customer comes in and picks something off shelf and puts it on counter to buy it. Should i at this stage say its cheaper online, why dont you put it back on shelf and buy it online from home?

Business is business, i would never expect a hosting company to tell me that my website images are too large. Short of it being that i designed the site, if i didn't research or pick up the very basic amount of knowledge to do so, then i am left open to abuse. Its not ideal and we'd all love it different - BUT its the way it is and theres bugger all you can do about it.

People often spend more time moaning and complaining about things after they've gone wrong than they do researching the thing in the first place. This is a vicious circle easily changed.

[Mark Evenden]

Looks like I wasted my time then Lee as the point is wasted on you!

A simple top 10 tips, just like on your site would be of use to many Im sure.

[leehack]

Taking the time to share your opinion or help someone in a forum is never wasted time. A real online community is not just about kissing a$$ and making someone feel better about something daft they have done. Friends, colleagues and family would regularly laugh at someone they care about, it's the putting their arm round and helping after the pi$$ take that counts.

We all do daft things, me probably more than most, if i'm called daft, i can either take it personally or i can laugh along and make sure it doesn't happen again. Communities are about many walks of life, many different people and many different opinions.

G. called herself an "idiot" in one of her posts and if we're gonna be honest and truthful then many who have read the post will also think the same. This is not wrong. The fact that people have tried to help and offer support is the single and most important factor of the "community".

Its the real world, not Waltons mountain!!