• ABOUT "THE BLURB"
♥♥Hey!♥ 8/14/10:♥ "The Blurb" ♥ was Two-Years-Old!!♥♥
About the Blurb
By: Miles Whitley, Website Owner & Publisher
July 31, 2009
My name is Miles Whitley, a Home Member for about 2 ½ years. Not long after I came to the Home and finished orientation, I wanted to find a volunteer opportunity. Because of my background as a Social Worker, I thought I would have no problem finding something to use my training and experience here at the Home. After running into a number of roadblocks to doing that (those reasons are another story!), I realized that there was a real need for a website for the Members.
The CDVA (California Department of Veterans’ Affairs) has a website and I thought they might be able to "sponsor" me by giving me some space on their big website. There might even be needs for websites at the other Veterans’ Homes in Chula Vista and Barstow. So, I began checking out possibilities of doing that. Again I ran into glitches, roadblocks and delays.
After waiting to get answers, time was passing by and nothing was happening. So, with absolutely no experience operating a website or even knowing how to get one, I took "the dive" and ordered a "domain" (the name of the website) and website space thru AT&T. I decided on AT&T after doing some research on the internet.
So, now I had a website and a domain, which was www.OurVeteransHomeBlurb.com. Now what was I going to do?!!
Seriously, I was a bit overwhelmed – having never operated a website before and now I have one that has been activated and I need to get to work and get some content on the blank pages.
Fortunately, there were fairly good instructions, so I did a little reading and just jumped in! The early, published Blurb was basically a few pages with a white font on a black background. From there on, I basically experimented and learned as I went. There were some scary times, like when I published something that came out totally wrong and I had to find a way to undo that and begin again.
From there, as I learned more, I went on to adding colors and different fonts in different sizes. I learned how to activate the Guestbook, the counter and even the favicon (that little icon-like symbol that appears just to the left of a website when you pull it up on your computer. I designed it and activated it!
Then I moved on to adding pictures – even a number of pictures that I had taken myself. I learned how to do the links to take you to other pages or other internet sites. I got some valuable feedback about adding sections, like "Wanted +4 Sale." The Dining Room Menu was a popular page, even though I had to completely transcribe it from the form I got from the Dining Room as it was not compatible to just "cut and paste." I basically got the site up to where I wanted it to be. I was happy with what I saw and I was getting some nice feedback about my site. Perhaps most importantly, I enjoyed what I was doing and I was happy to be providing a service for my fellow Members here at the Home.
There were things that I wanted but did not have – some simple things like being able to automatically center rather than having to "eye-ball" it on the page, and I wanted to be able to underline and use other features. I also wanted some complex features that AT&T did not have, like being able to scan and download documents. After not quite a year in operation, I decided to change to a new web host provider that offered more services and features. I did a lot of research and finally found a provider that offered all that I wanted. But was I ready to transfer to another company? Should I wait another year? (The web host providers generally contract on a yearly basis.)
After a lot of thinking, I decided to take the jump again and terminate AT&T services and sign on with the new company: "Just Host." Fortunately, with Just Host, if I signed up for a 3-year contract, I would get a substantial discount. I decided to go for it and I signed up effective July 1st, 2009. My AT&T contract did not expire until August 14th, so I had some transition time.www.OurVeteransHomeBlurb.com. I was very pleased to be able to get www.VetsOrg.org as a new domain. The old one is still active and I will keep that (perhaps for sentimental reasons!), so viewers can use either website address to get to The Blurb. How cool!
One thing that has been a consistent motivation for me has been the support of Marcella. From the very beginning, she has been a supporter and advocate, offering constructive advice for making my website even better. (Thank you, Marcella!)
Well, after my Just Host account was activated and I got a look at all of the different ways of doing things … well, I sort of panicked! EVERYTHING was a lot different than what I was used to. It all looked so complicated! I was going to have to do a lot of learning to get up to the level that I had reached at AT&T.
At first, I tried to keep the exact website that I had at AT&T, but there were too many things at Just Host that were different, some AT&T things were even incompatible with Just Host. So, I made the hard decision to start from scratch with a new template (the basic design – color, layout, etc. – of the website). The initial work was slow and there was a lot of "trial and error" as I tried to do the things I did at AT&T and get the website back where I wanted it to be.
Another positive thing was being able to get another domain, one that was much shorter and easier to remember than
With patience and perseverance, I finally got back to almost where I wanted to be. I love the fact that there is automatic centering and underlining. The new provider has way more features and services than did AT&T – some that I will never use. However, I think that I have everything that I will need to keep me busy for the next three years.So, What’s Next?
What is next for me is just to continue to produce and publish The Blurb and make the necessary changes to best meet the needs of the Members. As I mentioned before, an important factor for me is that I enjoy what I am doing. It is a far cry from counseling or social work, but at least I have something to constructively occupy my time and give me the opportunity to work and give back.
I would also like to see The Blurb get better exposure so more of the Membership knows about the site and how to access it. I want to add even more features than the site has now.
One problem that I have run into since transferring to the new provider is that "spammers" have been abusing my Contact Forms. These forms were designed so people with questions or comments could get them to me without using e-mail. Unfortunately, I have had to temporarily (I hope) suspend these forms and ask people
to simply e-mail me, which is almost just as convenient.
For the longer-term future, I want to be able to transfer The Blurb on – perhaps to another Member or perhaps to the Observation Post or KVET to operate (but AFTER I am no longer able to do it!). I do want the site to continue because I think there is a big need, which will increase as new Members come in who have computer skills. Also, for more personal reasons, I want The Blurb to be my legacy – my contribution to the Home and future Members after I am no longer here. But that is the long, LONG-term future! :)
So, that is all for now. I plan to modify/update this as needed.
Please take a moment to e-mail me with your ideas, suggestions, feedback, etc. It is important that I hear from you because this is YOUR website and I need to know what you want changed or added.
Thank you for taking the time to read about The Blurb!
~Miles Whitley, your Webmaster :)
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