Here's one for the spiders.

The photo above is of an honest-to-goodness Filipino spider....one that comes from Siquijor not Dumaguete however.This post is for the techno spiders crawling the internet.OK crawlers.....have a bite.Technorati Profile

The Dumaguete website becoming relevant?

Whenever I do a search of Dumaguete blogs,the search results I find are divided into "date" or "relevance".This blog has finally shown up in the "relevance" area. Having it listed by date was not such an accomplishment;I could get there by merely posting something every day.It pleases me to see this new result.
I wish I could take all the credit; after all, I have done quite a bit of work on the web site and blogs,but some of the credit has to go to Corey of an-american-in-dumaguete . He has been very helpful and encouraging.He's given me several tips on how I can improve the site's ranking.
I'm also very grateful for the visitors to this blog and to those who've visited the website as well.Seeing all the hits I'm getting from around the world keeps me optimistic about the site's future. I'm looking forward to 2007 and I hope to improve the web site through out the year.

Merry Christmas from the Dumaguete website

Christmas Day will be here soon. We want to wish all who visit the website and blogs a very Merry Christmas.
Maayong Pasko!!!!

few changes on the Dumaguete website

It's reached a point with the web site that very few changes are expected in the near future.
The pen pals page is at a standstill; I can't see anything coming of it until I can go to Dumaguete.
I'm expecting new photos from one of my wife's friends and I'll put them online whenever they arrive.
I expect there will be changes in the Blogosphere page as more blogs are added.
There will continue to be updates on this blog but I suspect the most activity will be on the sorryalltheclevernamesaretaken blog.
As for the photo on the right.....it was taken in Lee Plaza and I put in here just because I like it.

Changing the Dumaguete Internet page

When I first started the Dumaguete website,I put in an Internet page.The plan was to highlight the Internet cafes in the city with an additional side panel of blog listings.The lack of response from the Internet cafes in Dumaguete has caused me to alter this plan.The title of the page has been changed to "Blogosphere".There will still be a listing of some Internet cafes but the main emphasis will be on blogs.
Any blogger who isn't on the page....but wants to be.....should contact me. If your blog is on there but you want the image changed just let me know.

Totsukacho visits the Dumaguete website

Both the website and this blog were recently visited by someone in Totsukacho Japan.I've never heard of that city until now.I'm glad that this person was interested enough to visit both places,but I wish he (or she) had left a comment on this blog.I know you're there....I see you via the Google Analytics,but it would be nice if you'd say hello.
I wish I could offer you a cup of tea....invite you to sit a spell ( as we say here).I'd like to know what you think;why you came to the site....what you were looking for.Did you like what you saw?Will you be back? How can I improve the site? Hello Totsukacho....Hello Seattle, Hello Studley and Kuala Lumpur. Let me hear from you all.

A resolution revolution for the Dumaguete website?

Oh wad some power the giftie gie us
To see oursel’s as others see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us,
And foolish notion.
from Robert Burns' poem: A Louse

Robert Burns' words are as true today as they were 200 years ago;the words are as relevant in this day of PCs and cellphones as they were in the early days of the steam engine.
I can't say enough about how much I love Google Analytics.I learn something from every day.Today I took a look at the website stats from the webmaster view rather than the executive view I normally used.From that view, I've learned that 60% of the site's viewers are using Internet Explorer when they look at my site....I'm more inclined to use Firefox as my browser.I also found out that most viewers of my site have their resolution set at 1024 x 768.Mine was set at 800 x 600 but I set the resolution to 1024 x 768 to "To see oursel’s as others see us!". Very enlightening.
For my tastes, the page written with 800 x 600 in mind doesn't look as good when viewed under the other resolution. Because most folks aren't using the same resolution as I've been using, I'm going to have to make some changes to make the site look it's best.Gives me something to work on.......as if I don't have enough to do.

google Dumaguete website

The Dumaguete website is relatively new.It's only been online for a few months so it's not difficult for me to understand why it would have a low rank with Google.
I'd be the first to say that the site isn't finished. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done. But, in some ways I am puzzled by the way Google ranks one site over another. The conventional wisdom says that having your site's url linked on other websites is a significant factor in determining rank.The more sites that have your url, the better. I can see the value of that.......it makes Google's work easier.But actually,that is more a sign of a site's age as opposed to a site's value as a source of information.What happens when you "google" the word "Dumaguete"? The number one website you get from a Google search is a website that is,for all practical purposes,non-functional.The front page of that site is there but none of the interior pages are on the server.That Dumaguete site has been around quite a long time.....I'm sure there are a great many other websites that have a link to it, but that does not justify the site having such a high rank on Google.
As I said, I'd be the first one to admit that www.dumaguetecity.net needs work.But it does deserve a higher spot than the current #1.

The origins of the name "Dumaguete".

Go to any website that has anything to say about the history of Dumaguete-mine included-and you will read the same story concerning the origins of the name "Dumaguete".The story goes that, in the past, the area was frequented by Moro (Muslim) pirates who were in the habit of kidnapping people living near the coast. The story implies that these kidnappings were worse in the area around what is now known as Dumaguete.The legend goes on to say that "Dumaguete" is,somehow,derived from the Visayan word for "abduct"....that is "dagit" or "daggit".
It would be impossible for me to know whether or not there is any truth in this legend. It is certainly a colorful story and one that people in Dumaguete love to tell. But is it true?
I have no doubt that there were Moros in the area and I'm sure kidnappings probably happened but, it is hard for me to see how "dagit" becomes "Dumaguete".Maybe someone more familiar with the history of the area can explain it to me.

Pontiff Sends Condolences for Deadly Typhoon

Pontiff Sends Condolences for Deadly Typhoon


VATICAN CITY, DEC. 1, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI expressed his sadness on receiving the news of the deadly typhoon that struck the Philippines and left 198 people dead in its wake.

A telegram sent in the Pope's name by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone to the apostolic nuncio in the Philippines, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, "assures all those affected of his closeness in prayer" and "commends the deceased to the loving mercy of Almighty God," invoking "upon the grieving families and all those injured … divine strength and comfort."

The message added that the Holy Father is also praying "for the rescue workers and all involved in providing practical assistance to the victims of this disaster, encouraging them to persevere in their efforts to bring relief and support."

Typhoon Durian struck Thursday. Strong winds and rains brought tons of mud and rocks the size of vehicles into some villages. About 260 people were reported missing today.

ZE06120108

I can retire to Dumaguete now

The title of the photo on the left is "feet-up time, job done". An appropriate photo for this entry now that I can retire to Dumaguete.How did I manage it? How can I retire now? Let me explain:
When I started this blog I was given the chance to open an adsense account.I haven't used the ads on this blog, but my Dumaguete website pages have the ads there. I hadn't logged into my adsense account in quite awhile and wanted to do that today......mostly out of curiosity.I had a difficult time logging in.This wasn't the first time adsense had given me trouble.
To make a long story short,I was finally able to log in and I checked to see how much money I'd made.Admittedly,I wasn't expecting much; I haven't had the account long. The amount I've earned so far totals $1.90 .Oh, yes; happy day! I can retire to Dumaguete now.

All eyes on Dumaguete

From the very beginning, the greatest number of hits to the website have come from the U.S.A.. Of course, that's understandable.The U.S. is huge and millions have access to the Internet.We also have to take into account that there are countless numbers living here who were born in Philippines or otherwise have some sort of connection with the country.
There's been an interesting turn of events; within the last two days, the site has been getting more and more hits from Philippines;Cebu being the city with the most visitors, worldwide.
There also seems to be greater traffic on the pen pals page.....though no pen pals are signing up.
It's obvious that I'm going to have to take another route.
There are basically two types of Filipinas viz a viz the Internet. There is one group which is technically savvy and knows how to navigate the Internet.Unfortunately, my website isn't equipped to provide the high level of computer sophistication that these ladies are accustomed to.They want to be able to chat online ( like on Yahoo) and they expect us to be more like Friendster.
The other type of Filipina is one who has not had the opportunities to use computers the way the first group has. Most in the 2ND group are unlikely to have email and they don't know their way around the Web. The 2ND group would benefit more from a site that accommodated a "snail mail" approach. These ladies are unlikely to visit an Internet cafe and are unable to scan and upload their photos or check email on a regular basis.
The problem I have is in reaching these potential applicants. I don't really see any other way of doing that except being there in person and doing it myself.
I'm getting more hits everyday from Philippines and perhaps I may begin to get a few responses......but I am not as optimistic about that as I once was.

Flying Dutchman in Dumaguete?

Thank goodness for Google analytics.By using the analytics, I can see that the blog and the website are getting hits.I would have no idea I had visitors otherwise.If I were to judge my success strictly by the replies and emails I am receiving I would be very discouraged.
Why the flying Dutchman? According to the analytics, I had a few hits from the Netherlands yesterday and the Wagnerian opera was the first thing that came to mind.There's an air of mystery involved in doing business over the Internet.Nothing is face to face.....you can't always be sure what's going on.It's not always easy to judge the value of what you're doing.

Internet cafes in Dumaguete

One of the more frustrating problems I've had so far in putting this site together is the overwhelming lack of response from the Internet cafes in Dumaguete.I've set aside a page on the website for promoting the cafes.I've also put on the same page a side table of blogs and websites that I thought were interesting.
I have received emails from two Internet cafes in Dumaguete; Mighty Joe and The Business Atrium. My sister-in-law has gone to several of the Internet cafes in an attempt to have the managers check out the site but that hasn't brought any responses.I've done a Google search and I can't find any active email addresses...I've found phone numbers but I'm not going to make an International long distance phone call.
So much of this would go by much better if I were there to handle it myself.Unfortunately,we're not able to go now.I guess you can't do everything over the Internet.

Hotels and Resorts in Dumaguete

I managed to get quite a lot done today on the "Hotels and Resorts" page on the website.This is in spite of the fact that I have a year-old son who is constantly trying to get my attention while I work.
I haven't listed every hotel in the city;in some cases there's the issue of "imagery" viz-a-viz the website's pages. I want the site to have a nice look as well as provide information but,if I don't have a photo or logo to put up the hotel gets lower priority.
I've sent emails to all the hotels and resorts in Dumaguete that have their email address listed somewhere on the web. I hope I'll get a bit of feedback from the managers.

Visitors. Part 2

It's become my habit to check my Google account a few times every day to see what sort of visitors I'm getting.I'm very often surprised by what I see.I now know that most of the folks viewing this blog came here from the website link......no surprise there. But, what has me intrigued is my visitor from India. I'm able to see percentage rates for the spot where the vistors come from and it looks like he ( or she) came here from an Indian based blog. I went to that blog myself and have no clue how he ( or she) got here from there.
We're still not having as much success with the penpal area as I'd like. Going to have to put on my "thinking cap"( as the nuns at Sacred Heart would say).

Visitors

Thanks to the Google Analytics I know the site is getting a few hits.We're getting hits from Great Britain,Thailand,Philippines and different areas of the U.S.. I'm happy that the site is getting viewed,but I wish we had enough penpals to open up that area of the website. My sister-in-law still has a few more Internet cafes on her list.
I've got the information I need to put a few more places on the Hotels page......I hope to have time Monday to finish up that area. The website isn't finished, by any means.We still have a lot of work and now that I can see (via Google Analytics) that we're getting hits, I feel a strong obligation to get more done.

Internet cafe

Here's the logo from the most recent Internet cafe to contact me.It's slow going but things are picking up a little.I've put the info I have for them online but I hope to get a photo from them soon.
As for the Google program that gives me page view info for the site....I was surprised to see that someone from Thailand was looking at the site.I was also surprised to learn that it was viewed by someone in Ireland too.Everything is depending on the penpal area of the site. I still haven't received enough responses from filipinas to do anything with the page. I'm sure I could do more if I was in Dumaguete.

so much work to do

There's always so much work to do on the site.I've been working on the Hotel page and I've published what I have although there's still more to do with that portion. I haven't been able to get so much done on the Internet cafe page.I like what I've done for Mighty Joe but I don't really have enough on Scooby's to satisfy me. I've been trying to add The Business Atrium.....they've sent a link to their new website but I'd like them to send a photo and/or a logo.The Penpals page looks nice, but without penpals to list there the page is useless.
Corey from an-american-in-dumaguete let me know that the site has jumped up on Google.....that's great. He also let me know about a google service for site analytics. It looks ok.I can track the visits to the site now.Maybe I'd rather not know...ha ha ha ha

Email

We've received our first unsolicited email to the dumaguete city account.We've gotten emails before but those were the result of emails we sent out or ad put up in Internet cafes in Dumaguete.
It was from someone who came across the site by surfing the web. The writer didn't say exactly how it happened but I think it was because he found Corey's an-american-in-Dumaguete  blog and then finding the link to our site in his blog.
The email was complimentary and was happy to get it.
Not long afterwards we received our first spam and scam email. Quess you have to put up with the bad with the good.
I'm trying to find out more about Internet cafes in Dumaguete......not getting responses though. The lack of penpal responses is discouraging too. My goal is for the site to be the first item on a google search. It's difficult to judge how far we are from that.The site is young and I'm learning more every day.

Mighty Joe

I received my first email from an Internet Cafe regarding the website.......Mighty Joe Internet Center. I have them online even though I haven't heard from any others.
Maybe seeing this one online will encourage the other Internet cafes who want to keep up with their competition. (worked with the affiliate ads).

connections

Today was spent using various search engines to learn more about getting the site onto various search engines.One place advised putting META tags in my HTML.....another said it was a waste because Google ignored them.It's generally agreed that having your site linked to lots of other sites helps. OK, fine. Went to a few web directories for reciprocal linking. All will and good but one site has my link in the Georgia Travel section. (because my actual location is GA., I guess) It's Saturday afternoon now in Dumaguete. I'm hoping my sister-in-law is busy with our project. I'm ready to get the Internet cafe and penpal sections online.

Yes FM

This logo had been on my website. I had a link to this Dumaguete radio station but I removed it yesterday.I tried listening to the station on the Winamp player but it wasn't working.When I couldn't get the music, I clicked on the link......their website is no longer on the server.
I've no idea what happened.I don't know if the situation is temporary. I had to remove the link and logo.
On the plus side; I've gotten a few more affiliates.Now,I just need the penpal section up and running so folks will have a reason to go there.
If a few of the internet cafes in the area will contact me I could have the cafe and blog page up in no time.

The index page of the website is basically finished. There'll be changes to it from time to time as affiliates are added or subtracted.There's a lot more work to do on the other pages,but we can't do anything until we get more input from the folks in Dumaguete. I hope that with help from my sister-in-law we can have everything ready in a few more days.
I'm not 100% happy with the site's host. I don't care for the HTML editor that I have to use there.....it always gives me a problem putting in the site's background color. I can get the editor to do close to what I want so I have to make do.

website is online

The image located to the left is the logo for our new website www.dumaguetecity.net
We licensed the domain name,contacted a host and now, even though the site isn't completely finished, we have it online. We're hoping to promote Dumaguete and provide a modest penpal service as well.
The idea of getting the license for the domain name is a bit odd to me. We have to pay someone- who does not own the name- for the right to use the name. Of course, I understand that there has to be some way of controlling the usage and availability of the domain names but the concept just seems strange. When the license expires, I will have the first option of renewing before anyone else gets a chance.That's only fair.....but what happens when a name is not renewed? I licensed another domain name a few years back, didn't renew it and now it's unavailable. But, as far as I know, it is not being used by anyone.
There are a few links on the site.......some complete, others not. When it's finished I hope to have a section where visitors can link to blogs and personal websites about Dumaguete. I'll try to keep this blog going for a bit too.