Maybe I'm too old. Maybe it is our rural satellite internet connection, that is anything but high speed. I know part of the problem is the desktop computer with the frozen fan. Anyway, creating websites, updating facebook pages, and trying to figure out how to link them all is overwhelming to me. I'm frustrated.
January is that quiet, peaceful month in winter when I spend hours planning and preparing for the year ahead. Its the time to update websites and get them working once and for all. Its the time to create a new facebook page and separate out the family discussions from the farm discussions. I'm all for some personal boundaries. Gosh, it takes so much time. UGH!!! I've spent the last two weekends tethered to the computer.
I can't tell you how many pages I've lost because the internet connection has timed out. Here's a news flash for those of you who don't live in rural areas. Folks who live out in the country can't get high-speed internet through the phone service or some other cable company. The service provider we have (Wild Blue) has a fair use policy. So we have two modems and we have to switch them out half way through the month because we've used up more than our fair share of the service. Its expensive, slow, and unreliable. But with all these constraints, I've still managed to put together a working website with the help of WIX.
If you aren't familiar with WIX, I encourage you to check it out at www.wix.com. You can create a website for free if you don't mind their ad banners. I've gradually upgraded our farm website to the point where we now offer e-commerce through pay pal. Wix is really fun and easy to use. It would be so much more fun if my internet connection didn't constantly time out when I try to upload a new page or save changes to existing pages. It uses flash player and it really is as simple as drag and drop. The only downside is that I can't view my website on my iphone because Apple and Adobe (makers of flash player) are at odds with one another. I hope a truce is negotiated soon because I'd love to get an ipad. I can really envision myself working on the website while sitting in a comfy chair by a roaring fire in a coffeehouse sipping a chai latte. Oh wait, there's no place with Wi-Fi in my town and there's no place around here that sells decent coffee. Garrison Keiler's version of Minnesota's small town cafes fails to disclose just how weak and tasteless the coffee in these joints really is.
So I'm at home with my computer and my marketing plan. Maybe that's good because I can walk away when I'm totally exasperated - like this morning when I lost two hour's worth of work. Yes, I know I should have saved it sooner. Since I'm at home, I can wash wool while I'm waiting for a web page to load.
My goal this year is to increase our farm's online presence and integrated our website, facebook, local harvest site, and twitter. As I sit here in the dead of winter with another snow storm on the way, I wonder "Will anyone care? Will anyone read this stuff? Will it help us connect with fiber lovers in our area?" I guess only time will tell. In the meantime, I'll hit the "publish post" button, get up and drain the rinse water in the sink, and hope this blog entry is saved.
January is that quiet, peaceful month in winter when I spend hours planning and preparing for the year ahead. Its the time to update websites and get them working once and for all. Its the time to create a new facebook page and separate out the family discussions from the farm discussions. I'm all for some personal boundaries. Gosh, it takes so much time. UGH!!! I've spent the last two weekends tethered to the computer.
I can't tell you how many pages I've lost because the internet connection has timed out. Here's a news flash for those of you who don't live in rural areas. Folks who live out in the country can't get high-speed internet through the phone service or some other cable company. The service provider we have (Wild Blue) has a fair use policy. So we have two modems and we have to switch them out half way through the month because we've used up more than our fair share of the service. Its expensive, slow, and unreliable. But with all these constraints, I've still managed to put together a working website with the help of WIX.
If you aren't familiar with WIX, I encourage you to check it out at www.wix.com. You can create a website for free if you don't mind their ad banners. I've gradually upgraded our farm website to the point where we now offer e-commerce through pay pal. Wix is really fun and easy to use. It would be so much more fun if my internet connection didn't constantly time out when I try to upload a new page or save changes to existing pages. It uses flash player and it really is as simple as drag and drop. The only downside is that I can't view my website on my iphone because Apple and Adobe (makers of flash player) are at odds with one another. I hope a truce is negotiated soon because I'd love to get an ipad. I can really envision myself working on the website while sitting in a comfy chair by a roaring fire in a coffeehouse sipping a chai latte. Oh wait, there's no place with Wi-Fi in my town and there's no place around here that sells decent coffee. Garrison Keiler's version of Minnesota's small town cafes fails to disclose just how weak and tasteless the coffee in these joints really is.
So I'm at home with my computer and my marketing plan. Maybe that's good because I can walk away when I'm totally exasperated - like this morning when I lost two hour's worth of work. Yes, I know I should have saved it sooner. Since I'm at home, I can wash wool while I'm waiting for a web page to load.
My goal this year is to increase our farm's online presence and integrated our website, facebook, local harvest site, and twitter. As I sit here in the dead of winter with another snow storm on the way, I wonder "Will anyone care? Will anyone read this stuff? Will it help us connect with fiber lovers in our area?" I guess only time will tell. In the meantime, I'll hit the "publish post" button, get up and drain the rinse water in the sink, and hope this blog entry is saved.
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