Clickfire Spark Webmaster Newsletter – First Issue

Original Issue

This is the original issue of the Clickfre Spark Webmaster Newsletter sent to subscribers years ago. We’ve grown in the number of subscribers and quality of content since then and hopefully become a little more sophisticated. This should give you an idea of where we started. Thanks to all who have been along for the ride.

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VIEWPOINTS:


Article: "Becoming a Webmaster"
Web Site Review: WebMaster-Talk
Visitor Mail
Affiliate Network Review: FineClicks

Dear Clickfire Visitors,

I’m delighted to bring you Clickfire’s first real newsletter, which we
are calling "Clickfire Spark." Some of you have waited a long time, some a
short time, and others probably don’t even remember what Clickfire is or
know why you’re reading this. I’ll get to the point. A little over five
years ago I started clickfire.com as an outlet for my creativity (you have
to be very creative when you don’t have skill). The Internet was in full
bloom and everyone was talking about web design, web graphics, web marketing
and something called "webmastering." When someone asked you for something
and you wanted to sound cool, you just laughed and said, "I get it on the
web." Having little technical expertise but lots of creativity, I jumped
right in to the web of anything web related. I worked myself into an IT job
doing just about everything, but my true expression of creativity came when
I arrived at home after work, logged on, sipped my latte, and began dreaming
of a world where I could do things my way and not the bosses’ way.

Things were going smooth until recently, when I was unexpectedly laid
from my comfortable IT job. I’d given the company over ten years of my life.
They gave me a pink slip and ten minutes to get out. That day, as I walked
out of the building, got in my car, and began driving out of the parking lot
for the last time, I felt the warmth of a beautiful sunny day descend on my
pale skin. I felt spring. I felt good. A hidden burden began lifting from my
shoulders. I smiled as I drove away into the unknown, free. Clickfire was
now my full time job.

So, here I am four months later, extremely excited about what’s been
happening at Clickfire and wanting to share a bit of it with you. I can do
that because I have no time for corporate America and plenty of time for
you. One of our primary goals is to communicate viewpoints, tools, and
content of substance to webmasters via the Clickfire Spark
newsletter. I’m enthusiastic about all the cool webmaster discoveries I’ve
made recently. Here goes…

After passing through the fire of self-employment for a few months, I can
breathe freely and set a smile on my lips anticipating the good news for
you. Drum roll (loud)…

New Editor at Clickfire!

I am very excited to welcome Suzana Hendrika to our editorial staff at
Clickfire! Suzana lives in Jakarta, Indonesia and has worked in the IT industry for
over six years. She is very creative and exploding with energy! She remains
a source of inspiration to me and I suspect she’ll inspire you as well.

New Web Design Projects: Illbeback.net and Terminator Shop

You guessed right. These two websites are related to the new movie,
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The
first, illbeback.net, is a fan site for the movie. The second, Terminator
Shop is an unofficial fan resource and affiliate shop. Check them out here
and send comments please.

http://www.illbeback.net
http://www.terminatorshop.com

Metty 1.31 Awards

Another bit of good news that lots more awards have also been given to
Clickfire’s flagship software program, Metty Freeware Meta Tag Maker. I’d be
ashamed for anyone to see the source code and the project took me about a
year to complete, but it works! We released the new version (1.31) in
November 2002 and received awards from lots of software sites like
Brothersoft, FileHungry, TopShareware and others. You can check out the full
list here:

http://www.clickfire.com/tools/freeware/metty/awards/

Thanks to everyone who helped with coding, testing and moral support in
this latest release, especially TC Ong, Robert DeArmond, Stan Rowland, and
Jamie Ontiveros.

If you want to support Metty Freeware Meta Tag Maker you can do so in a
variety of ways, all free:

http://www.clickfire.com/tools/freeware/metty/support%20metty

By the way if anyone is wondering what meta tags actually are, you can
check out our article entitled, "A Meta Tag Adventure" here:

http://www.clickfire.com/viewpoints/articles/metatags.php

Or have a look at our comprehensive list of meta tags with examples here:

http://www.clickfire.com/tools/freeware/metty/meta%20tags

Enough of meta tags! To be quite honest, meta tags isn’t the most thrilling
subject on the web. Exciting stuff ahead, so read on!

VIEWPOINTS

Article: "Becoming a Webmaster"

Have you ever tried to define what a webmaster actually is? Do you
remember the moment when you became a webmaster? There are lots of different
notions floating around about a webmaster’s true role. I’ve had some ideas
in my head about for a while that I have been longing to express. Finally,
I’ve cooked them all up into a two-part article called "Becoming a
Webmaster." I’ve posted parts 1 and 2 of the article for you to read first,
here:

http://www.clickfire.com/viewpoints/articles/webmaster_become.php

I hope you get something out of it. I’d be interested in hearing your comments, too. It’s a bit lengthy to fit in this newsletter, so here’s an excerpt from the beginning:

"It is not often that a person becomes
something. Those rare times when a great personal transformation occurs, one
looks across the mountain range of life accomplishments which once held
mystery, relevance, and the call to climb higher, and realizes that those
crests marking the horizon are now small, distant hills. Epiphanies do not
always come from high places. Nor are they always instantaneous. Sometimes
the road to Damascus leads through the desktop computer screen over years of
time.

"After trying on every IT hat on the rack, I gradually realized that
there was one line of work that even IT people had trouble defining. It was
a title that seemed amorphous, yet ubiquitous. Sometimes professional, other
times amateur. Sometimes honorable, other times shameful. The title of
"webmaster" could appear on any of the most popular religious websites as
well as the most offensive pornographic sites. It seemed impossible to
label. Every online business had a webmaster, but ask the executives what
the webmaster does and listen to the cacophony of answers.

"During the process of chasing down the meaning of this elusive job
title, I realized that I had become a webmaster. I cannot ascribe a place or
time to becoming a webmaster, only a sureness that it had occurred. I
remember reflecting on all the responsibilities a webmaster might perform.
"I’ve been doing that for years," I thought, as I checked them off in my
mind. Had anyone ever taken the time to describe what a webmaster actually
does?"

View the entire article here:

http://www.clickfire.com/viewpoints/articles/webmaster_become.php

Web Site Review: Webmaster-Talk Forums

Have you noticed that Free Internet forums (also called bulletin boards)
have become very popular over the last few years? I’ve been active on the
Webmaster-Talk Forums for about a year and found it to be valuable source of
help and advice as a webmaster. Webmaster-Talk is a free forum comprised of
members from all over the world from beginner to professional skill level.
The cosmopolitan environment doesn’t stop it from being like a small town
where everyone knows everyone and is always willing to help. You can get and
give advice about the various search engines, web design, hosting and
everything related to webmastering. I can’t count the times that I have
really needed to get an important question answered and some kind webmaster
on the forums lent some good advice. Here’s the address if you want to
explore:

http://www.clickfire.com/viewpoints/reviews/websites

Brian Carroll writes:

Emory

Do I have to update my web sites to search engines every now and again as
I can no longer see my site about IBC studios on the yahoo site which was at
number 28 a few weeks ago? Do they take them off if you do not submit them
again or do you just hit them once and that is it? Your views welcome.

Cheers,

Brian

http://www.TheNameOfYourDomain.com

FineClicks is one of the smaller affiliate networks that I’ve used with
success. If you have a respectable number of visitors to your web site, you
can place one of the FineClicks merchant ads (creatives) like banners,
buttons, and email creatives on your web site. FineClicks also offers decent
reporting, sub id tracking and other features. If you need a special
creative to help you maximize your revenue they might even create it for
you! I always receive swift responses to support inquires, which are rare.
Publishers also receive $5.00 for each new referral that that earns $5.00 in
their account.

http://www.clickfire.com/affiliates/fineclicks

New webmaster freeware tool: Rapid Deployment

Rapid Deployment is Clickfire’s light weight, simple freeware program
that allows you to create, store, and launch a customized list of regularly
visited url’s, which can be "rapidly deployed" with one click. Webmasters
and anyone who surfs a lot of web sites each day may find Rapid Deployment
useful.

Of course, as a subscriber, you get it first. I’ll post it to the public
later this week. You can download it now at the link below:

http://www.clickfire.com/tools/freeware/rapiddeployment

Thanks go to Robert DeArmond for programming and Stan Rowland and Jamie
Ontiveros for beta testing. We’d very much appreciate hearing your comments
for future improvements.

http://www.clickfire.com/contact/

Free Banner Backgrounds

Some of you may have seen our most recent free content, banner
backgrounds that you can use as templates to make website banner ads. The
banner backgrounds are in .jpg format, size 468 X 60. If you like these, Let
us know. We’d be glad to make more. See details and download info at:

http://www.clickfire.com/content/graphics/banners/

Some of this material may change or never happen, but I want to give you
a forecast of what’s likely coming your way in the future.

Articles:

We have so many ideas to give birth to! I just looked in my articles
directory on my desktop and saw a total of 50 documents, each containing
notes for different articles I’m working on: tips, web hosting, web design,
and other general webmaster related stuff. Get ready. Some of this should be
coming your way soon.

Affiliate Programs:

There are several good ones to tell you about and some not so good ones
to warn you about.

Graphics:

I have finished making some new favicons and should soon finish some
nifty desktop wallpaper. Of course, you’ll see it soon on Clickfire to
download for free.

Reviews:

Innosetup – I love this free installation program and can’t wait to tell
you about it!

Tools:

Several free JavaScript tools useful for webmasters are in the works as
well as an XHTML version of Metty Online Meta Tag Generator.

Please send your comments to us at the below address. Since this is our
first newsletter, we would really appreciate your thoughts.

http://www.clickfire.com/contact/

Keep the fire under your mouse burning,

Emory Rowland
Editor, Clickfire Spark
Clickfire Viewpoints, Tools, and Content for Webmasters
http://www.clickfire.com

Feel free to forward this in its entirety to your family, friends, or
enemies who might be interested! All material contained in the Clickfire Spark newsletter is
copyright © Clickfire, All rights reserved.

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