After quite a few stumbles, the website is up and running! It was a lot harder to get from step two – designing the site – to the finished product. My biggest problem was choosing the best website design software. I started with What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG), which was not the best choice for a first time website builder. There were no templates in WYSIWYG – so I basically had to build it from scratch. I jumped ship pretty quickly and tried out PageBreeze. I liked PageBreeze quite a bit. I made the homepage of www.savethacherpark.com first. Here, I put a picture of Thacher Park, and then links to other related sites and to other pages of the website. I had media, rally info and action pages. I finally finished it up and uploaded it to the server. I looked at it online and it did not look like how I designed it. The fonts were messed up and the picture was not appearing. I spoke with my supervisor, and she thought I ought to give Adobe Dreamweaver a shot. It was by far the best design software. Luckily, the site was up just in time for the Thacher Park Rally.

My supervisor, Anneke, joined forces with the Parks and Trails NY Campaign Director, Sean, and together they organized an amazing rally. To prepare, they had a pizza and poster making party the Sunday before. This had a good turnout – about 20 people showed. Hundreds made it out on Wednesday to protest and lobby for Thacher Park. Veterans, Senators, elementary school children, senior citizens who had fought for Harlem parks in the 60s, and many other park loving people came to Albany to fight for this cause. The anger was palpable and their voices were heard. In fact, quickly after the rally, New York State Senator Serrano issued a press release stating that he would push to block $11 million from the budget cuts to keep the parks opened. Thanks to the hard work and passion of a few individuals, the beloved parks have a chance to stay open for everyone’s enjoyment. Make sure to check my site, www.savethacherpark.com, often to learn about more fun events and Thacher Park’s status!

Overall, the site-making project went really well. I’m keeping it updated and recent with new information and links, and have had a great response from the public. The main lesson learned here: if I can do this, anyone can! Save the park!

Abbey Connick
Intern

As the newest guy on the team, Network Engineer Brian has already become a much-loved member of the TurnKey family. Hilarious, industrious and great at what he does, we’re all so glad to have him. Welcome, Brian!

What attracted you to the hosting business?

As a programmer by nature I found myself constantly setting up environments on which to develop. Having experience in both Windows and Nix gives me an edge in supporting and
running hosting environments. Being able to bring and constantly refine these skill-sets to a higher level is a challenge that I enjoy.

How did you find TurnKey?

Through a colleague, by happenstance.

What aspect of your job brings out the best in you?

Working in a dynamic and versatile environment allows me to shine as a Jack-of-all-trades.

Do you have any hobbies?

In the Winter I enjoy snowmobiling in the Adirondack’s and during the Summer I like to work in the yard.

Tell me something interesting about yourself…

My left arm is longer than my right arm.

What hardware/software do you use on your home computer?

Windows 7 x64, Ubuntu Server 8.04 LTS

Google has recently designed a new way to stalk, I mean, ‘stay connected,’ with friends, family and acquaintances.  It’s called Google Buzz.  This social networking tool is essentially a Twitter and Facebook status hybrid.  Much like Twitter, you can ‘follow’ your friends and update your Google Buzz update with what you are thinking.  It has also incorporated two Facebook status features – the ability to ‘like’ an update and the ability to comment directly to the person.  The latter point is an especially important feature.  My biggest complaint with Twitter is that it’s not only hard to follow a conversation, but also, if someone does reply, Twitter does not notify you.  Google Buzz takes care of both of these problems.  In addition, Google has integrated YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, and Google Reader to make it easier for its users to share interesting links, videos, and pictures.

When Google Buzz was introduced, it faced a lot of harsh criticism.  Many complained that it was adding ‘more noise into an already buzzing area of my life.’  A Harvard Law School student filed a class action suit against Google, claiming Buzz violated many privacy laws.  Since then, Google has taken many measures to further protect the privacy of its clients.  The negative ‘buzz’ surrounding Google Buzz has simmered down also.

Along with our Twitter and Facebook profiles, Turnkey Internet has created a Google Buzz account.  Please follow us at ‘TurnkeyInternetinc’ on Buzz to stay on top of breaking news, updates, and specials for our company.

With SEO, there are innumerable factors that contribute to your page rank, and keeping on top of them is the only way to make sure you’re doing all you can to optimize your website. One critical and often overlooked angle to investigate when it comes to SEO, is your web host.

Server Reliability

It may seem obvious, but uptime is one of the fundamental aspects of your hosting experience that will effect your site rank. Search engine spiders are unpredictable and could be crawling your website at any time. If your site is down when they stop by, you’re not getting indexed. All of your hard work means nothing if your site is m.i.a when it matters most. As a quick aside, I would like to mention that TurnKey Internet offers 100% uptime 🙂

Robot Text

Robot text is another important factor for SEO that is often overlooked. Robot text is a document that tells your server how to deal with search engine crawlers. Make sure your host has the document set to allow crawlers, otherwise you won’t be indexed.

IP Address Reputability

Another SEO factor you should consider when researching a new web host is your IP address. With some hosting plans you have your own address, while with others you share an IP. Sharing an IP address brings with it a substantial risk. Search engines penalize IP addresses that are linked to non-reputable sites, and, if you happen to be sharing one of these penalized IP’s, it can dramatically affect your SEO. If SEO really matters to you (and if you have any kind of online business, it should) the safest bet is to talk to your hosting provider about purchasing your own dedicated IP.

Recently the company Canon announced that it will be buying its own top-level domain, which means its web pages will end with .canon.  If Canon can successful buy it, the .canon top-level domain (TLD) will open as soon as late 2011.  With this TLD, Internet users will be able to navigate to “http://canon” to reach its website and Canon employees could create e-mail addresses like “Abbey@canon.”  Recently, in a press release, the company has said, “Canon hopes to globally integrate open communication policies that are intuitive and easier to remember compared with existing domain names such as ‘canon.com.’

The Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has loosened restrictions this year, making it possible to create new TLDs.  The rules regarding TLD ownership will not be finalized until the middle of 2011.  Currently, ICANN has the TLD application fee set at $185,000.  However, fees can increase if there are disputes and multiple organizations apply for the same name.  In these cases, the name would go to the highest bidder. 

Rob Beckstrom, the CEO of ICANN, has stated, “One of the least innovative spaces in the Internet is the global top-level domains.  It’s an anomaly.  When the Internet opens up, then there is innovation.”  The new CEO plans to make the approval process for new domains quicker.  Along with Canon, Beckstrom predicts that one hundred of the most popular websites would eventually apply for their own TLD.  In addition to these TLDs, Beckstrom plans on reinstating the approval of the “.XXX” domain for pornographic websites.  He is also proposing that cities receive their own TLD and other languages get their own domains in their own language using language-specific characters.  He believes it will preserve local cultures and promote global interconnection.

Many people are criticizing Beckstrom that his new plans for the Internet are inspired by greedy motives.  Opponents claim that with all these new domain name possibilities, ICANN will make even more money from domain registration fees, and in turn, Beckstrom will be a richer man.  Beckstrom reinforces this is not the case and stands behind his statement that “adding more TLDS will add innovation.”

Turnkey Internet is up for the Nobel Peace Prize this year.  Well, Turnkey and the millions of other users who log into the Internet everyday.  Last week, it was announced that the ‘Internet’ is being considered among 237 other candidates for this coveted award.

The Italian edition of Wired magazine is the main proponent behind this decision.  Wired Italy Editor-in-Chief Riccardo Luna explains, “The Internet can be considered the first weapon of mass construction, which we can deploy to destroy hate and conflict and to propagate peace and democracy.”  Wired is promoting their idea of the Internet being a ‘tool for peace’ with the campaign ‘Internet for Peace.’  It already has many supporters, including 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, professor Umberto Veronesi, and stylist Giorgio Armani.

This would not be the first year that an individual does not win the prize.  In 1965, the prize went to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and in 1985, it went to the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.  If the Internet does win the prize, it is unclear who would receive the $1.4 million cash reward.

Sean is our big bad network and datacenter manager. The ladies love him!

What attracted you to the hosting business?

The magnets.  Sorry, had to say that.  I did 20 years in the mainframe world doing everything from tape librarian to support to database administration to capacity planning. But the big iron was static, basically unchanging, and I found that the client-server world and the internet was where my future was.   I started with just a simple hosting account and learned the ropes of site management and development.  Soon I moved up to a reseller account for more flexibility. Eventually, I started doing helpdesk support for a couple of hosting companies where I learned more about the back-end of the business which led me to start doing network and server management.  I simply enjoy the work.

How did you find TurnKey?

Google maps.  There I go again… lol.  Actually, TurnKey found me.  Isn’t the internet great?

What aspect of your job brings out the best in you?

Watching Dave bounce off the walls after 15 Red Bulls. Ok, maybe that’s what brings out the best in Dave. For me, it’s the challenges.  Every day is full of new opportunities  and I am lucky enough to work for someone that allows his employees to explore new options and ideas freely.

Do you have any hobbies?

Yes, filling out staff interviews.  Actually, I’m an accomplished semi-professional photographer in my spare time (don’t let Adam know I have any spare time 🙂

Tell me something interesting about yourself…

I am made mostly of awesome.

What hardware/software do you use on your home computer?

I’m hardcore.  I use an abacus!

What is your most memorable moment at TurnKey?

The day Anni started.