Load.net

Screengrab! for Firefox

steve.reed@load.com — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:14:00 GMT

Just to let you know, I'm not one of these guys that installs every single add-on or extension out there to my browser. I'm very picky and only like to add things that are practical. Well, I've found one recently that has been a HUGE help and best of all, it's very simple. It's called Screengrab! and here's what they say about it on their site:

"Basically Screengrab! let’s you take what you want from a web-page: the entire scrollable document, just the visible bit, or a draggable selection. Screengrab will even save just the contents of an individual frame."

It actually does what it says, it allows you to take a screen shot of just the browser contents while eliminating the surrounding browser. It has basically three options under two categories. You can copy the complete page or frame, just the viewable area or select a specific portion of the page to copy by drawing a simple box. The other section gives you the same options but instead of just copying, it saves them straight to a .png so you can skip pasting them into Photoshop altogether!

My old trick was using "ALT+prt sc" instead of just plain old print screen. In case you didn't know, that allows you to copy just the active program you are in instead of the entire screen. It's pretty helpful, but you still have to go and crop out the browser window or whatever. I got frustrated the other day and thought, "You know, some dude out there has to have made some kind of plug-in or something to let me just copy the content of the browser instead of the whole dang thing." Sure enough, the people, or person at Screengrab! made my day.

Give it a shot, I highly recommend it. Here's the link again: http://www.screengrab.org/home/

The incredibly cool Cintiq 12WX

steve.reed@load.com — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:01:00 GMT

Check out the site and be sure to watch the video

Ok, I've written before about how much I love the Cintiq 21UX, now there's a new Cintiq that is causing me to drool; it's the Cintiq 12WX. It's quite a bit smaller than the beast of a Cintiq that I'm currently using, but it looks like it's light years easier to tote around. I'm also guessing that it's a lot easier on the lap than the 23lb 21UX, because it only weighs 4.4lbs! What's great is the price; while not exactly cheap, it rolls in at $999, much less than the $2,300 21UX. I am a huge, huge fan of these devices and cannot say enough about how easy they are to use, how efficient they make your work flow and how cool they are to look at. My Cintiq 21UX is by far the coolest gadget that I own. So I'm looking forward to picking up one of these little guys and and giving it a whirl!

Happy New Year! YouLoad booming, Pats go 16-0, Bowl Games Galore, 'The Task Parrots', and 4OVER.com completely sucks!

nick@load.com — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 23:03:20 GMT

Wow! I can't believe it's 2008 already. Last year sure flew by in a hurry and I'm so glad it's over. I'm not saying that it was a bad year for me, in fact, it was quite an eye opener and it was good to get back on my feet and be me again. But this year is going to be a HUGE year. Load is moving forward and we have some developments happening this quarter that are sure to inspire everyone around the office. Not to mention that YouLoad, our large file delivery service continues to gain momentum and we think YouLoad 3.0 isn't too far away. We're just looking forward to the next few months as we progress on the development side of the house and continue to grow the company.

How 'Bout them Patriots!
16-0! Unbelievable. Tom Brady breaks records. Randy Moss is resurrected and breaking records. Bill Belichick wins Coach of the Year. Man, what else can go right for Title Town? Well, don't get too excited just yet. If the weather is bad in Foxboro, things could get very interesting. I've been saying for 8 weeks now that the one team that I think could beat the Pats is the Jaguars. And now we'll see how accurate I am. I think the Pats are the best team I've ever seen (my girlfriend Amy will vouche for that) but I just think the running game of the Jags will give New England fits. So, of all the games I want to watch, it's Pats vs Jags baby!

Bowl Games, Bowl Games, Bowl Games
So much football and so many mediocre contests. I hardly watched any bowl games this year. Such a travesty! But the reality is, the college football was boring and the match ups this year were brutal. Except for the pounding that West Virgiina put on Oklahoma, nothing really surprised me. Oh, and about that Oklahoma team...are they the worst coached team in football when it comes to bowl games? Bob Stoops may be a nice guy, but he's horrible when it comes to getting his players ready. Four (4) straight BCS losses! Are you kidding me? And we're still calling him a great coach? If a salesman can't close the deal, he's not rewarded. If a guy hits on a woman at a bar and always leaves by himself, he's not a stud! So how can a guy that keeps losing be called one of the great college coaches? Quick quiz: Name the top 10 coaches in the NFL all time. My guess is you won't have Marv Levy on your list.

The Task Parrots
As the legend goes, the task parrot came out of a conversation about employees meeting timelines. We started getting a little ridiculous and sarcastic and said our employees needed something to yell at them constantly to keep them on task. We couldn't create mini versions of my ex-wife, so the next best thing was a parrot. Steve Reed, our resident Art Director drew a parrot on the board and it just stuck. So, as we thought about this year's Holiday Cartoon, we couldn't resist. Hope you enjoy 'The Task Parrots'.

4OVER.com Completely Sucks!
Recently, I placed an order for 10,000 flyers with 4OVER.com, a printing company that specializes in large print jobs. Being in Vegas, I'm certain they're used for all of the night club flyers and possibly the high-class to-your-room entertainment flyers that can be routinely found in the gutter on the strip.

Anyway, I gave 4OVER.com a job and they failed, big time. Now in all fairness, I did NOT give them a long lead time. Things were going to be tight and I knew it. So, to play it safe, I called and paid extra for overnight delivery. But it didn't matter. 4OVER.com emailed me 2 days before my event to inform me that the flyers were NOT going to be done because they had a printing problem. Well, I got on the phone with one of their managers and they emailed me a picture of the snafu. I didn't think the flyers were going to be an issue, so I said I would still pay for them at a discount. They seemed appreciative and assured me I would have the flyers in time.

So, you can imagine my surprise when the flyers didn't arrive as promised. When I called 4OVER.com to find out the status, I was put on hold and then told that the flyers were trashed and my order was cancelled. WHAT!@&$ There I sit, no flyers, and less than 24 hours before the event. Had I been given a warning or at least been told the truth, we might have been able to figure out a solution to this problem. Well, lucky me, at least their support person told me to "have a nice day" after she ripped my heart out. In the end, I got screwed and they didn't credit my card back. I'm still waiting to see the outcome of that billing problem. When I think of how much business I have personally referred to this company, I want to vomit. I DO NOT recommend doing business with this company. I'd say pay the extra $$$ and use someone like Print Runner.

Forcing a scrollbar in FireFox

adam@loadmail.com — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 03:06:00 GMT

If you have ever developed a site that is centrally aligned that has a vertical scrollbar on some pages and not on others then I am sure you have come across this problem in Firefox. Basically the page layout appears to jump left and right when switching to a page that needs the scroll bar. This is especially troublesome in Ajax applications as sometimes Firefox will make it look like the entire page has reloaded because of this jump in client side page width.

There is a fix which will force the scrollbar gutter (notice I did not say scroll bar) to appear and, by doing that will prevent the jumping of the page. The good news is it’s actually really simple to implement.

After investigating about 10 different fixes, this one seems to be the most reliable, and causes the fewest side effects.

html
{
       height: 100%;
       overflow-x: hidden;
       overflow-y: scroll;
       overflow:-moz-scrollbars-vertical !important;
}

"Jessica" the Sprint/Nextel Robot

steve.reed@load.com — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 18:48:00 GMT

So basically I was interested in adding some services to my phone this morning. I've got a Treo 755p and have been interesting in using Google Maps on it. So I go to Sprint.com to check their rates and a little chat window opens up and I'm greeted by a person or robot named "Jessica". All I want is a price - what does it cost to add the features I'm interested in. Seems like an easy question. The whole conversation took about 30 agonizing minutes. Some of my responses may seem pretty harsh, and I probably shouldn't have taken out my rage on poor little "Jessica". So if "Jessica" is reading this, I apologize, you were probably trained wrong or were, in fact, a robot. Those of you who appreciate the great customer service at your local mobile provider may appreciate this conversation. Enjoy.

----------------------------

Jessica says: Hello, I'm a Sprint products and services EXPERT (emphasis added). May I help you pick the plan that is best for you?

You say: I'm interested in adding Vision services to my phone and was wondering what the price would be?

You say: I'd just like to get Email and use google maps. I have a Treo 755p.

Jessica says: I can help you with that (I wonder how Sprint defines 'help'). First; may I move this chat to the top of the window? It will be out of the way and I can stay with you in case you run into any problems or if you have any questions, okay? (That's reasonable, thanks Jess)

You say: sure

JESSICA SENDS A PAGE

Jessica says: Can you see the page below?

You say: I don't see anything below, all I see is the chat section. (The page was gray for about five minutes until she replied)

Jessica says: I'm going to send a Web page to the bottom of your screen showing our great Sprint Wireless Plans. OK? (If at first you don't succeed...)

You say: sure. (I'm still trying to be reasonable)

(about five minutes passes)

You say: You there? (did you fall asleep, Jessica?)

Jessica says: Yes.

JESSICA SENDS A PAGE

Jessica says: Are you currently a Sprint or Nextel customer?

You say: yep

Jessica says: Would you like to upgrae your phone, add a new phone to share minutes, add a new phone with a new plan, or modify your services?

You say: well, I'd like to just use the google maps feature on my phone and maybe receive Email

Jessica says: Yes yu (not a typo) can do that. (DUH)

You say: ok, how much $$$

Jessica says: How much for what? (Uh, Star Wars collectibles on Ebay, what do you think?!)

You say: ok, do you understand what I am trying to do here? I am a customer. Customers pay money for services. I would like the features that I mentioned. There is a price you company charges for the services. I, as the customer, would like to know what they cost. (This was probably a little harsh)

Jessica says: Would you like to upgrade your phone, add a new phone to share minutes, add a new phone with a new plan, or modify your services?

You say: Look, am I talking to a computer, or someone who doesn't speak English? (This wasn't harsh, I was serious)

Jessica says: No you are not. (Well, that's a relief)

Jessica says: The Sprint website currently allows customers to modify their existing plans and services online by logging into your account.

Jessica says: I'm going to send the Sprint home page to the bottom of your screen so we may begin this process, OK?

You say: I tried logging in before I started this chat and my account said that it was currently not available. This happens a lot. (This is true, my account is unavailable about 80% of the time)

Jessica says: Unfortunately, we're unable to do that online. You can either visit a local Sprint Nextel store or contact Sales Support at 1-800-777-4681.

Jessica says: Is there anything else I can help you with today? (I swear Jessica is a robot)

Jessica says: Again, my name is Jessica. Thank you for visiting Sprint.com today. We appreciate your interest and look forward to meeting your wireless needs in the future. Have a great day.

You say: Wow, I can't believe what a waste of time this was. No offense.

Sprint: Thank you for your time.

(No Sprint, thank YOU)

----------------------------

So there you have it. It doesn't look like I'll be adding any services soon, so I'll probably just wait until I get to the office or home to check my Email. I'll probably just use a real 'map' in the mean time as well. Thanks, Sprint!

Vista RDP Client Is Slow Connecting To Non Vista Machines.

adam@loadmail.com — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 11:20:00 GMT

Ever since I upgraded my personal and development machines to Vista, I have been having problems connecting to non Vista machines over the internet using Terminal Services. I could connect and log in no problem, but they were incredibly slow. I could move windows around and then I would have to wait about 20 seconds and the screen to update. Now I am quite familiar with slow connections and update lag, but this was different. In normal slow situations the screen would re-draw itself, 100 pixel at a time block by block, but what I was seeing would not update at all and then after about 10 to 20 seconds the entire screen would just update.

Well all of those problems are behind me because I have finally found the answer. I figured I would post the solution here for two reasons #1 it's a lot easier for me to come back here and reference it, (I know that sounds selfish) #2 I know a lot of our users / clients use terminal services, and I can only assume that a vista upgrade has happened or is in a lot of peoples future (either by choice or necessity).

RDP 6.0, the version that currently ships with Vista, has an auto tuning feature that has at least in our environment (and many others by the looks of things from a simple Google search) has been known to cause connection slowness or choppiness.

To get around this the solution is to simply disable the new auto tuning feature of RDP, this basically just makes it work like the prior version used to.

You have to get to a cmd prompt with Administrative Privlidges.

The easiest way to do this is to type cmd into the vista search box, and when the CMD program comes up in the list of available program shortcuts, right click on it and select "Run As Administrator". This will put you in a cmd prompt with Administrative Privileges.

Here comes the part you have all been waiting for

at the cmd prompt type the following

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled

and then hit enter. Once the command completes you will see an "OK", after this you should be able to connect using RDP with no problems.

If you ever want to turn the Auto Tuning features back on just run the same command, changing the last part to "enabled" instead of "disabled". (I know I just had to make sure I said something about it.)

-Adam

A Brand New Christmas LoadToon is on the Way!

steve.reed@load.com — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:54:00 GMT

Just to let the LoadToons fans know, we are currently in production of a new LoadToon that will be appearing shortly before Christmas. We hope everyone will get a real kick out of it. There hasn't been a new toon for quite a while and we apologize for that; we will try to do better in the future. We do not plan on stopping the toons anytime soon or in the future so don't go getting all concerned about it and letting it add to your holiday stress. Find some zen in knowing that a LoadToon is coming soon to give you a good laugh that will stay with you through all the long lines at the malls while you're surrounded with screaming children and cutesy animatronic characters singing the same song over, and over and over...

Great bag for air travel

steve.reed@load.com — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:17:00 GMT

This is a really great idea for a carry on bag that you can take with you to the airport. I'd love to get one and just see what the reaction is. Although I'm not sure I'd want to risk the cavity search. Get one for your friend and see what happens to them next time they fly the friendly skies.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/giftsunder20/9856/

The NEW SIGNARAMA.com, LoadMail, BCS Madness, and Sean Taylor

nick@load.com — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:39:49 GMT

As always, I try to start my personal blog with something about work so I don't get accused of turning this portion of Load.net into my own sports haven. But it's bound to happen anyway. Nevertheless, I'll take a moment to speak about an exciting development on the horizon.

The NEW SIGNARAMA.com website will be launching December 7, 2007 and it has been a LONG time coming. LOAD was hired 1 year ago to build this site. In January 2007, LOAD created more than 15 unique website designs for SIGNARAMA so they could choose one (1) for the new direction of their online presence. After long debate and a number of weeks, SIGNARAMA settled upon a layout after receiving approval from corporate and worldwide franchisors.

Now, I don't want to get into the details and the ridiculousness of this project, but I can assure you SIGNARAMA is getting a great site. If you compare this new site to their competition, I can proudly say that SIGNARAMA is the best sign franchise in the world...especially on the Internet. And, I'll be ecstatic to get all of my employees back once this is done. So check it out and let us know what you think. And if you're looking for a sign company in your area, go to www.signarama.com.

LoadMail Issues
This past week LOAD encountered an issue that has not happened for nearly five (5) years. Needless to say, we had delays in email delivery and some clients experienced email downloading errors. Fortunately, we were able to get incoming mail functioning properly and back online in a short period of time and most of our clients were patient as we resolved the issue. Luckily, most of you understood that we never would knowingly cause problems for ourselves the first day back after the Thanksgiving Holiday. Thank you for your understanding during this crazy time. Now, we'll get to deal with every random email problem that has nothing to do with LOAD being automatically blamed on us. Ah, the joys of email management at its finest.

Now, let's get down to the nitty gritty and talk some BCS Football
First, let me say that I was wrong about USC playing in the Las Vegas Bowl. Miraculously, USC is going to play in the Rose Bowl versus Illinois (wish it was Georgia) and I'm very happy for this turn of events. Weeks ago, I predicted that USC would not make a BCS Bowl because of the amazing effort of the Oregon football team. At that time, Dennis Dixon was the Heisman favorite and Oregon looked like the clear-cut team to beat. But, a blown knee by the Heisman favorite (I hate injuries) coupled with a few losses AND a major beatdown by USC on Arizona State and the Trojans are in the mix. Yee-haw!!! Now, if they could have just gotten a serious opponent to crush to get some love at the end of the season. Oh well, beggers can't be choosers. Of course, I want USC big in the Rose Bowl. The other games have some intriguing match-ups so I'll give you my $0.02 quickly...

FIESTA BOWL: Oklahoma should crush West Virginia. Simply put, West Virginia crumbles when they play any team with speed and can hit. Oh, and Steve Slaton disappears in big games when his team needs him most. Or maybe it's Rich Rodriguez who forgets that his best player exists.
ORANGE BOWL: Va. Tech vs. Kansas. I'm not so sure that Kansas can't win this game. I've watched Va. Tech a lot this year and they always seem ready to crumble somehow. I'm not touching this game, but I'll be rooting for Kansas.
SUGAR BOWL: Hawaii vs. Georgia. Okay, I have to be honest, I don't know that Hawaii can play with this SEC school, but I'm rooting for them like crazy. I love Davone Bess and the entire Hawaii receiving corp and I hope they come up with a game plan to totally screw with Georgia. Sorry, I'm originally from Hawaii. What can I say?
BCS Championship: LSU vs. Ohio St. Hmmm. LSU will probably win and cover the spread. But I'm rooting for Ohio St. to win this game just because they'll be playin in LSU's backyard and they'll have 65% of the crowd cheering for them.

Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins Passes Away
Such a tragic event for a young man that seemed to have the world by the tail. Obviously, I don't know Sean Taylor, but have admired him as a football player since he played for the Hurricanes. A magnificent talent with tremendous potential, Sean Taylor seemed to get in trouble and I remember thinking that he was going to be another thug player with all the talent and no brains. But something happened. Sean Taylor became a father and he grew up in a hurry. Suddenly, he was a leader and an even more ferocious competitor. It was a site to see and I personally grew to respect him more because he embraced the responsibility he had as a father and a role model. I always like Sean Taylor for what he could do on the field, but I really loved what he was becoming off the field as a young man in a vicious game. Like so many other great black athletes, I will always wonder how great Sean Taylor could have been.

Well, that's it for this week. Keep an eye out for the new SIGNARAMA.com and put all your money on the Patriots tonight versus the Ravens.

Outlook Training Available Online through Microsoft.com

nick@load.com — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:26:12 GMT

As the number of incoming calls and e-mails increase related to Microsoft's Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007, we've had to come up with creative ways to help customers, since we don't really support Microsoft, nor do we claim to be experts with their programs. However, since we do know our way around the program we have helped hundreds of users set up their e-mail accounts and configure their Outlook to their needs. Some would argue (especially LOAD) that we've gone above and beyond the call of duty in helping users learn how to use their own computers and configure their Outlook. Unfortunately, this will soon cease to be the purpose of our customer support and will force the user to actually get support from the company that built the program. (We know...that's just crazy talk.)

Now, available online at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/default.aspx are training tutorials complete with video and sound. Simply watch along and use the most effective way to configure Outlook for you and your needs. It appears that a number of tutorials are FREE and it may be that training will cost the user something in the future, but we recommend checking this website out. We think this could prove to be much more effective than going to Google.com or Ask.com and searching for "Outlook support".

LoadMail works extremely well with Outlook, but depending on your needs, your configuration may vary. We hope the training will help you to better understand how to use Outlook as a tool to more effectively run your business. We also hope that it will help you to become more familiar with the Outlook application and some of the junk-mail features automatically included. We recommend becoming familiar with the Rules and Alerts function in Outlook, which may help you more effectively manage your e-mail and combat junk-mail and [SPAM].

FREE LoadStats Pro, Red Sox Sweep, A-Rod Ops Out, USC Tanks, and more...

nick@load.com — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:19:58 GMT

Wow, there is so much to talk about on this Monday morning. Where do I begin? Well, as usual, I'll try to keep my blog posts professionally centered before going off on my sports tangent and personal life, which seems to make our clients laugh. I'm glad I can be of service to many of you that need a nice chuckle to round out your day. :)

Recently, Load.com (LOAD) decided to make a move that it has been contemplating for quite some time. In an effort to better serve our subscribers and educate them on the importance of website optimization and search engine placement, LOAD is making LoadStats Professional available to all CompanyWebsite subscribers. This means that each website owner will now have the ability to identify where all traffic is coming from and where it is going on their site. There are hundreds of reports available to each subscriber to help them better manage their site and maximize their website traffic. We hope to have this service implemented across all CompanyWebsite sites by the end of 2007. We're extremely excited about this offering and look forward to delivering more value to our members.

Sweet, that's really great for LOAD, but there's so much going on in sports...
So true. So let's get started with the Red Sox. Earlier this year I made a number of predictions that were nearly all wrong. The Red Sox started off HOT, proceeded to sleep walk through the 2nd half of the season, then turned "it" on during the playoffs when they needed to. The manner in which the Red Sox disposed of teams and crushed their hopes was eerily reminiscent of the Yankees in the '90s. I don't know if the Red Sox will win it all next year, but with such a great nucleas of young talent I have to believe they're going to make a run. I really like Jacoby Ellsbury. That kids is flat-out awesome.

A-Rod Opts Out and leaves Yankees in the lurch...
If now is a great time to be a sports fan in New England, it is equally brutal to be a sports fan in New York. Yankees stink and are OLD. Jets are brutal. Knicks are a joke. Mets are aging and choking. And the fact that your hopes may be pinned to an NFC team that has no chance of winning the Super Bowl really is further proof that some things need to change. Luckily for YOU, A-Rod may no longer be a Yankee and that may mean the curse will be lifted and you'll start winning again. No matter where A-Rod goes, he's like the black plague. Sure he'll break records, but he also breaks hearts.

My poor Trojans...
I don't know what to say. I had high expectations for USC. I thought they'd even be good enough to overcome John David Booty at QB. Alas, it isn't meant to be. A costly fumble by USC vs. Oregon late in the 3rd quarter might have cost them their season. The sad part is that they should have won the game against Oregon and definitely had their chances for the upset on the road. But at least there is a bright spot for next season. USC has tons of young talent coming back and they should get plenty of playing time now that their bowl hopes are tied to a NON-BCS bowl. Can you say BYU vs. USC in the Las Vegas Bowl? Man...how the mighty have fallen.

Patriots vs. Colts
What else can you say? Two undefeated teams playing the best football in the NFL meeting up to probably decide who has home field advantage in the playoffs. Tom Brady is unbelievable this season. Peyton Manning looks better than ever (if that's even possible). And both teams look extremely polished. The Patriots are 4.5 point favorites and I honestly see them covering that spread with no problem. I love the Colts, but there's something to be said for a killer mentality and the Pats have that big time. My greatest fear is that this game is so overhyped and it will turn out to be a disappointing game and one team (Patriots) will win in a blowout. If you were ever going to gamble, lay money on the Pats. This Halloween, the scariest monster is Tom Brady's offense. Hide the women and kids!

Happy Halloween
Here in Vegas, Halloween (October 31st) is also the State holiday. So most kids grow up thinking Halloween is a holiday and candy is cause for celebration. NICE! Anyway, I had the pleasure of attending a Halloween party this past week and I had a blast. There's something absolutely liberating about dressing up and knowing most people won't recognize you. However, I highly recommend foregoing fake facial hair if you plan on eating food at your Halloween party. It's really rough eating junk-food with a fake beard and mustache.

That's my story for this week. I'd really love to elaborate on my sports topics, but I've got way too much work to get done. Have a great week...

Using HTML Content Items for secondary navigation on your site

nick@load.com — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 20:02:15 GMT

CompanyWebsite is a great content management system because it gives site managers full control over their website and also gives them the ability to create hundreds of pages of content quickly and easily. Most often, these pages are created to populate a Products/Services section or to simply maximize search engine optimization, also known as SEO. However, since most CompanyWebsite templates are designed specificpally to keep a clean, consistent look across all franchisee websites, site managers are limited with what they can place in the normal website navigation area.

But thanks to the flexibility of HTML Content Items, site managers can easily create sub-navigation areas with unique links to any page created within CompanyWebsite. Simply Add the HTML Content Item to a designated content area and create links to pages as shown below:

STEP 1: Using the HTML Editor, enter the text how you would like it to appear in the selected content area. In this example, we've chosen to enter the text using standard paragraph breaks. Another common display option to accentuate links are bulleted lists, which can be easily created using the HTML Editor.

As shown, the word Services is highlighted because we want to link it to the Services page which was created earlier by the site manager.

STEP 2: In Step 2, we have clicked the Custom Links drop-down menu to display the list of pages created in the CompanyWebsite service.

STEP 3: As shown, the site manager chooses the Services pages to create the active link in the list.

Once all 3 steps have been completed, be sure to click Save to apply the changes to the HTML Content Item and update the selected content area.

Reusable Content Items:
Load.com recommends using Reusable Content Items if/when you want to create a secondary navigation in a selected content area. The main reason for this is to make sure you do NOT have to duplicate your work. If you plan on using the links as a way to quickly and easily move between products or sections on your site, you'll absolutely want to make your HTML Content Item re-usable. This is most notably needed when placing links in a content area that is located in the right-hand or left-hand margin area on your site, as shown below.

If you have any questions about CompanyWebsite, or how to use specific functions in the service, be sure to view the Guides and Tutorials in the CompanyWebsite service.

Create SEO-friendly content with the Press Releases content item

nick@load.com — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 03:34:09 GMT

A lot of website owners have been trying to come up with new ways to optimize their website and drive users to their site. In previous articles, we recommended using Targeted Search Domains, or using Site Map techniques and making sure you take full advantage of your Meta Tags, Title Tags, and Header Tags. Another SEO-friendly option inherently built into CompanyWebsite can be found in the Applications controls called Press Releases.

The Press Release manager is very useful because it allows many site owners to create news for their site easily in an organized format. The Press Release manager also allows site managers to archive content on their site while displaying the content in the proper format to maximize search engine optimization rules.

So...what sort of content can you use the Press Release manager for? We recommend using this control to announce News-worthy content such as new clients, or recently completed jobs, or even things as simple as new hires within your organization. The primary goal is to create content that identifies your company, what you do, and what you specialize in. The bottom line is that your content should be written to emphasize key phrases or terms that might be used to find your site in search engines. However, please make sure your press release content is relevant to the Title of your press release. (See Search Engine Optimization Techniques: Content, Content, Content.)

Adding the Press Release Manager to your site:

Identify which page you would like to have the Press Releases control included. If you don't have a page already created, we suggest creating a NEW page called PRESS to help you organize your Web pages in an easy-to-understand format.
Click the Add New Content Item button.
Click the Applications tab.
Click Press Releases from the left-hand menu.
Click the Add This Control button. You will be redirected to the Web page with the Press Releases content item now added to the page.
Click Edit to begin adding content to your Press Release manager.

Photoshop World 2007, Create Magazine, Barry Bonds' Last Hurrah, and Cubs Win!

nick@load.com — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:44:17 GMT

This past month was pretty crazy for everyone at Load.com. At the beginning of the month we attended the 2007 Photoshop World conference in Las Vegas as a vendor. Paul Korol, our VP of Business Development, came into town for the show and we worked the booth for two days. We had great turnout at our booth and received great feedback from attendees at the show.

We also announced the release of YouLoad 2.0 and gave everyone an opportunity to check out the "good stuff" by offering a 1-Month FREE Trial to the YouLoad Enterprise service. One of our current YouLoad Enterprise subscribers, Create Magazine, stopped by our booth and took a photo of Paul and me and hopefully we'll show up in Create Mag's VOICE: Where in the World section (no pressure Julia) ;).

Overall, we were thrilled with the response we got at the show and we've been happy to see the growth of the service and the feedback from customers over the past couple of months.

Nick's Sports Fix
Well, the baseball season is almost over and I see that teams are figuring out a way to choke down the stretch. I have to say that the New York Mets continue to shoot themselves in the foot and the way they're playing, it would be a shame to have them stumbling into the playoffs. It's rough because I love Jose Reyes and David Wright and I think Willie Randolph is one of the classiest coaches in baseball. That said, I'm rooting for the Phillies and I hope the Colorado Rockies knock off the Padres so there's some hitting in the NL Playoffs.

Barry Bonds a Giant No More!
I know all of you Barry-haters are probably ecstatic that his time in SF is done. In all honesty, I'm sad to see him go and I think the Giants will miss what he brought to the team. However, I don't like how he handled the media during his departure and it only adds fuel to the fire for reporters that simply can't stand the guy. Performance enhancing drugs or not, he's simply the most impressive hitter I've ever seen in baseball and I'll be hard pressed to find anyone that makes me stop to watch an at-bat the way Barry did. So, my hope is that he'll join an American League squad, hit for a couple more years and let me enjoy him in his last couple of years. Here's to hoping he ends up in Anaheim, Oakland, or at least some AL contender so I don't have to watch him disappear into obscurity as many fans rejoice in his demise. After all, most of America's baseball fans drank the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa Kool-Aid, so I don't want to hear about Barry Bonds.

Cubs Win! Let's Hope Steve Bartman can make a great play!
Well, the off-season spending and the hiring of manager Lou Piniella (always calm and collected) helped turn this franchise around. Admittedly, I'd love to see the Cubs in the series because it would make for great ratings, great storylines, and might actually make people watch baseball this postseason. One thing is for certain, Steve Bartman won't be anywhere near Wrigley field. You remember Steve don't you? He's the guy that was blamed for the Cubs' collapse in Game 6 a few years back. Nevermind that blaming a guy in the stands for a team's failure is the biggest load of crap ever because there's no guarantee that Moises Alou would have caught that foul ball. Nevermind that the Cubs choked the rest of the game to help usher the Marlins into the World Series. Nevermind that it completed a Cubs/Red Sox double-choke in that year's playoffs. I'm hoping Chicago goes to the World Series so people stop talking about Steve Bartman and start talking about the great team that Lou Piniella has assembled. I love Alfonso Soriano, Jacque Jones (former Twin), Derrek Lee, and all of the hard-nosed Cubs that make them fun to watch. Go Cubs!

Patriots...could...go...all...the...way!
Isn't it enough that Tom Brady gets two beautiful women to illegitimately have his child out of wed-lock? I mean the guy is on his way to becoming Ben Franklin or Wilt Chamberlain. But then, he also gets to quarterback the best team in the NFL as he single-handedly resurrects Randy Moss's career. If it wasn't for the fact that Peyton Manning makes the best commercials by an athlete, I'd be willing to have Tom's kids too! The frickin' guy is amazing and I don't see anyone stopping them. So you can be sure that I'm anxious to watch the Colts vs. Patriots game later this season, because I think both squads will be undefeated going into that match-up. Yup! That means I think the Pats will crush the Bengals on MNF!

USC Trojans look weak, and it breaks my heart to say it!
If you've ever read my blog, you know I got divorced in the past two years! One of the hardest things I've ever had to deal with. But, one thing good that did come out of my marriage was my conversion to USC football. I was introduced to USC intimately because my ex-inlaws and my ex-wife's family were SC alums. So, I was baptized into the Trojan culture with SC vs Notre Dame and it's been nuts ever since. Mind you, this all took place the season before USC became good, so I feel like I'm not a complete bandwagon jumper.

Now, that said, SC is going to break my heart this season because Cal is going to whoop up on them. I don't see any defensive back that can contain DeSean Jackson and USC's receivers look too inexperienced to step up in a game of this magnitude with National Title implications. Don't get me wrong, I want USC to win. I want them to dominate and for Booty to take a step towards the Heisman. But if their play this season is any indicator, I am going to hope and pray that the week they play Cal is the week they wake up. Otherwise, this will be DeSean Jackson's Heisman campaign coming-out party.

That's all for now, let's hope I see you guys again soon!
I'll try to post something soon. I may actually post my mortal-locks of the week so we can see if my picks are better than Colin Cowherd's on ESPN Radio.

Until then...have a great week and GO ROCKIES!

YouLoad FREE Trial available with release of YouLoad 2.0

nick@load.com — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:22:42 GMT

Earlier this month Load.com announced the release of YouLoad 2.0 at Photoshop World 2007 in Las Vegas, NV. An upgrade to our already popular large file delivery service, YouLoad now comes standard with a File Upload Page for ALL service levels (Enterprise, Professional, and Basic). What's more, YouLoad Enterprise received the biggest change enabling subscribers to further customize their Upload Pages. By utilizing the Custom Form Builder included with YouLoad Enterprise, subscribers can now collect pertinent information about the uploaded file or the sender. This came as a welcome upgrade to many of our business-level subscribers like CBS Outdoor and Bella Pictures who often exchange hundreds of files each month.

YouLoad 2.0 continues to grow in popularity with photographers, architects, graphic designers, and multimedia specialists. If you're looking for a fully customizable solution to your large file exchange problems, give YouLoad a try! For 30-Days, you can try out our Enterprise level service absolutely FREE and send AND receive as many files as you wish.

If you're interested in bulk-access to your YouLoad Large File Delivery service, please feel free to contact our corporate offices by calling 702.898.1234 and ask to speak to a Load Sales Representative.

LoadDNS now fully supports SRV and record level TTLs

adam@loadmail.com — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:26:00 GMT

Just a quick update for those using LoadDNS.

The most recent update of LoadDNS has full SRV record support in the Admin UI. (LoadDNS had supported SRV records via the LoadAPI for some time now )

Newer internet protocols such as SIP and XMPP often require SRV support from clients.

Also this update added support for record level TTL's, again this had been a feature of the API for a while now but due to popular demand we pushed it into the Admin UI, its getting crowded in there

Please let us know if you have any questions about any of the new features. We will be updating the support documentation to reflect these changes over the coming days.

SCORE with Sign-A-Rama, ReviewJournal.com, 756, and more...

nick@load.com — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 02:28:21 GMT

If you haven't been to West Palm Beach, FL I highly recommend it. The weather is great even with the humidity, and if you like good looking people it's not a bad place to be. :) Fortunately for me, I had the pleasure of spending most of last week in West Palm Beach, albeit on business, but who's complaining? United Franchise Group, the umbrella corporation for such recognizable brands as Sign-A-Rama, Embroidme, and Billboard Connection, held their 1st Annual Vendor Alliance Summit and I'd say it was a huge success. Vendors from all over the U.S. and abroad arrived at UFG's headquarters and participated in one of the most inspirational and productive meetings I've ever taken part in. As you can see in the photo to the right, the Summit was a huge success and I know that all of the vendors left feeling great about the direction that UFG and it's underlying brands, is heading.

Load.com is the primary Web-based technology provider for UFG. We deliver services ranging from corporate e-mail communication, web analytics, hosted DNS, content management systems, and domain name management. We also have been tasked with the challenge of optimizing all of UFG's online initiatives for organic search results. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a very effective method of generating leads cost effectively and UFG is very progressive with it's strategy and implementation of various Web-related services. We're looking forward to the new SignARama.com website and we're certain that all of the Sign-A-Rama franchisees will love what's coming down the pipe. We'll keep you posted!

ReviewJournal.com Planning Big Online Moves with Load
Las Vegas' #1 local newspaper continues to expand it's online initiatives and LoadStats will be in the mix. We recently met with their Online Advertising Department and figure to have a big hand in the development and optimization of their online properties. One of the many advantages associated with LoadStats Web Analytics is our Search Engine Optimization reports. LoadStats monitors the organic search results for keywords and key search phrases as defined by the client. LoadStats' ability to identify current search position and then historically compare organic search results over time makes Load's Web statistics solution invaluable for many clients, including the Review Journal.

Barry Bonds Hits 756 and then explodes...
Okay. If you don't know that I'm a HUGE Barry Bonds fan, now you do! Here's my take and I'll get off my soap box. Barry Bonds is, quite simply, the best hitter I've ever witnessed. You can argue about Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Joe Dimaggio, Ted Williams, etc. The fact is, I haven't seen those players in real life, so I won't comment on them. However, I DO think that those older players played during a time when pitching talent was harder to come by and teams did not use a strong bullpen system to close out games. So, my estimation is that there were a lot of home runs coming off tired pitchers late in the game.

For those of you that want to talk steroids, I'm tired of hearing it. He's still hitting the ball and you can't guarantee me that pitchers he faced were not juicing. Play the averages and I bet it all evens out.

Also, take into account that Bonds pretty much lost the better part of two (2) seasons recovering from surgery and it's pretty remarkable that he has accomplished what he has. If he plays healthy for those 2 seasons, you could possibly add another 60 home runs to his total. So, YAY for Barry, boo on you for not paying attention.

Michael Vick Pleads Guilty...
Man, I don't even know where to start. If you don't know what this topic is about, I'd like to congratulate you on waking up out of your coma. It breaks my heart that this young man blew his opportunity to change his life and the generations of Vicks coming after him. Nevermind the fact that there are a number of young men looking up to him that have been let down. You can get into the money and the team being let down, but quite frankly, I'm just sad to see such a great talent with so much potential be wasted.

Fantasy Football is set to Kick Off...
I spend most of my time talking to non-technical people and apologizing for talking over their heads when describing what Load.com is and what my functionality is within the constraints of the company. Now, I have to apologize to all of the technical people I know that know absolutely SQUAT about football and think Fantasy Sports is a waste of time. The truth is, IT IS a waste of time, but so what!!! What really matters is how much useless knowledge you can put together during the season to really make people aware of your ability to rattle off non-sense on a whim. And, if you want to pull the wool over on your significant other's friends, please see the tip sheet below:

Things you should incorporate into your pre-game and in-game rituals during the football season

If your spouse has a favorite team, know who their best players are.
Yell obscenities during the game to show your passion. Examples include, "That's a bullsh*t call!" and "We got totally screwed by that replay official."
Bet $5.00 on the game you're watching. You'd be amazed how even the chance to win $$$ to pay for your appetizer heightens your senses.
Wear a jersey during the game (Ladies this is pretty sexy.)
Call your friends after big plays and sound overly excited! Also yell obscenities to make you seem really pumped.
High-five everyone in the room after touchdowns or scores that give your team the lead.

Now, this is by no means a comprehensive list, but it's a good start. I hope you enjoy the football season and if you need help deciding on which tight end or which sleeper receiver you should pick up for your fantasy squad, just shoot me an email.

Until next time, go Trojans!