September 24, 2013

Family Tree Website Template version 2.0 now online!

So last week, I sold a Family Tree Website Template. I had an update that was not yet posted, and after a bit of correspondence I whipped up a short demo vid and posted it to the Video Studio to show the client—which I think sealed the deal. Anyway, going back to delete the demo vid I took a closer look at the viewer stats...and discovered that the Family Tree template had about EIGHT TIMES as many views as anything else...so I though hey...maybe I should start pumping out the family tree templates.

So that's going to be the next project. Genealogy is so hot right now. Well, here is the new demo video...Enjoy!

Hmm...So a while back YouTube One Channel forced me to make the switch and then Google+ rolled in and screwed everything up...and now apparently because the videos on the YouTube Channel are associated with the new account they won't connect to here...grrr. Well, I'm dropping that piece of garbage, but they say it might take a couple of days. In the meantime, here's a direct upload.

September 05, 2013

Summer's over AGAIN...and C2Kstudios is back fresh for Autumn!

It's hard to believe summer is almost over again for another year...and it isn't. It didn't really seem like it at the time but it did go by pretty fast. I'm working a couple of jobs, and taking care of the kids, and trying to have a modest social life...we went camping a few times, which was really nice. It's good for everyone to get back to nature once in a while.

I got some hardware upgraded—a new video card—and, as always happens around here, someone left a completely mint piece of equipment out for recycling...so now I have another widescreen monitor, too. How apropos was that? You'd be surprised how often that happens around here...at least to me. Just one more thing to love about this neighbourhood!

Oh, and I picked up a discarded computer from another neighbour, fixed 'er up, upgraded my modem and now we've got a nice little home network going! Sweet!

So, now that the oldest is back in school, and work has slowed a bit as the weather has not been so agreeable to patio sitting lately, I've turned my attention to updating the main site. She's still in Version 4; I won't be rolling out a major redux until after the new year, but 4.2 offers some interesting improvements.

First, and most significantly, I've dumped all Google services from the site. The first, being Google Analytics, was an easy sale. It stopped working suddenly on August 1st after a major update and after doing a bit of research I realized two things: a) mine was not the type of site that was going to get a lot of priority in terms of prompt service, and b) people are becoming more aware and concerned about how their online data is being mined and utilized by huge conglomerates like Google. So I went with Piwik.org. Holy cr*p it's awesome! Too bad I didn't find it sooner. And for those that are concerned about their privacy, there is also now an opt-out option located at the Infodesk.

I also removed Chrome Frame, created conditional stylesheets for IE 8 and 7, and provided a section on Legacy Support.

I added a Flash photo gallery to the Art Studio in the hopes of perhaps, this winter, having the chance to add to my portfolio. The little one is still a year away from kindergarten and it would be fun on those cold days to do some art together!

So the fall roll-out will happen in the next week or so...I just want to make sure all the graphics are updated across the C2Knetwork and that all the other little adjustments are taken care of. So ya...off I go!

Fiverr Gigs Online Now!

Oops! I started this post but never finished it...better late than never I suppose!

Fiverr gigs are online now at Fiverr.com/C2Kstudios. Currently I am offering seven different web templates, and some graphics packages. They were already there just waiting to be adapted to aid in the strategy that is why I put C2Kstudios on Fiverr in the first place: for some more exposure outside the Ottawa area.

Now, granted...most of my research indicates that there are a LOT of scammers on there...and that the site's admin team may or may not be the most capable...but then again, the auto-filters are tuned pretty high, so if you are doing shady things chances are you're going to get pinched...and then kicked off and those are the people who are going to complain the loudest, right? That's usually how it is. So you can't believe everything you read on the internet. Go figure. 

Anyway, all I do know is that I'm not a scammer, and as such I try to run as legit-looking an operation as possible. So when someone asks me if I'm able to convert a bunch of copyrighted images to icons, I say no.

The demo videos are online now on the C2Kstudios YouTube Channel!