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.