Clickfire Spark Free Webmaster Newsletter
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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C L I C K F I R E S P A R K
Issue Number 1, July 15, 2003
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CONTENTS
NEWS:
New Editor, Web Design, and Recent Awards
VIEWPOINTS:
Article: "Becoming a Webmaster"
Web Site Review: WebMaster-Talk
Visitor Mail
Affiliate Network Review: FineClicks
TOOLS:
New Freeware Tool for Webmasters: Rapid Deployment
CONTENT:
Banner Backgrounds
CLICKFIRE SITE FORECAST
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...
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
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.
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/awardsThanks 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
Visitor Mail
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
Hi Brian,
Yahoo gets its main data from Google. Once your domain is listed in Google, you don't have to keep submitting. Google will "spider" your web site periodically and determine what your web site’s ranking should be according to Google's search engine algorithm. One thing you can do to find out if you're listed at all is to type your name into Google or Yahoo like this:
http://www.TheNameOfYourDomain.com
If your link comes up, then you're in!
Emory
Webmaster Affiliate Network Review: FineClicks
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
TOOLS
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
CONTENT
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
CLICKFIRE SITE FORECAST
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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