Dumaguete website

New PenPal Link on the Dumaguete Website.

2011-10-01T08:43:00.004-05:00

A few years back, I became affiliated with Cupid Media, posting links to their pen pal/dating websites.

Following a tip from Google Adsense, I created a blog - Pen pal Website of the Week - as a way of getting these links out onto the Web. This blog help generate more commissions than anything thing else I had tried. Unfortunately, Blogspot.com decided that that blog was a scam site.

I was forced to delete that blog from Blogspot or risk total removal of my Google account.

This week, I've decided to resurrect that blog -sort of - onto the Dumaguete Website. Calling that page PenPal Website of the Week, I've created pages for different Cupid Media site ads. Eventually, I'll showcase each site; I'll post a different one each Saturday, along with archives for the others.

With luck, this will bring the revenue back up.

Trying Kampozer on the Dumaguete Website.

2011-09-19T04:25:00.002-05:00

Realizing that the website needs a lot of work.......and knowing my knowledge of ccs is a handicap, I looked for and found a "web authoring system" that's helped me clean up the site. KompoZer.

You can compare the current screenshot with the previous one. I think it's an improvement.

I'm looking forward to using KompoZer to tidy up the loose ends (when I have time).

Still Much to do on the Dumaguete Website.

2011-09-18T05:46:00.008-05:00

Not only has it been way too long since my last post on this blog, but I've seriously neglected the dumaguetecity.net website.

After purchasing a new monitor for my PC, I discovered that the website looked horrible on a more up-to-date wide screen monitor. I was at a loss as to what I should do.

After a bit of online research, I settled on putting style="width:1000px" into the body. Doing that helped, though I'm not 100% happy with the results. (I don't know how to center the whole thing ).

Cupidmedia - the penpal conglomerate with which I am an affiliate - recently notified me that I'd have to make some major changes with all their banners. This has been a major headache...... I managed to update the pen pal affiliates page but I've a lot more work to do changing banners.

The "Penpal Website of the Week" was declared "spam" by blogger.com, so it looks like I'll have to figure out some other way of getting my affiliate banners out to the world. I'm getting modest results from my Google ads, but I miss the little bit of money I was getting from folks signing up on the penpal sites via the now defunct blog.

On the positive side, I've been using the website to post parody news website pages for my Sorry, All The Clever Names Are Taken blog. That's help increase my meager knowledge of HTML.

2010-03-22T09:16:00.002-05:00

After a week of working to get everything up on the web host's server, I finally have www.dumaguetecity.net back online. Of course, there's always work to do - areas that need tweaking, but it is up and running.

Slowly, but Surely.

2010-03-16T08:39:00.003-05:00

I've managed to get a few more sections of the Dumaguete web site back online. So far I have the penpal affiliates page, photos and affiliates pages. I've eliminated the Philippine adventures pages .....I may put those back some time in the future.
The index page is coming along, though not yet ready for publication.
The biggest challenge will be the Hotels and Resorts sections. That section is going to take longer than anything else on the site.
Slowly, but surely.

On the Way Back.

2010-03-15T11:26:00.002-05:00

I've finally managed to get the finances to put the website back online. As I write this, I haven't put the index page online ..... this first thing up is the penpal affiliates page.
More to come soon.

Dumaguete Website down.

2009-10-26T05:19:00.002-05:00

Due to financial difficulties, the website is down. I hope to have it up and running again very soon.

New Pen pal Affiliates on the Dumaguete Website.

2009-04-24T09:38:00.002-05:00

I've added two new pen pal affiliates to the Dumaguete Website......Caribbean Cupid.com and Iranian Singles Connection.com.

The banner ads for the two sites can be found on the pen pal affiliates web page.
Both sites will also be featured on upcoming posts on my pen pal web site of the week and internet dating websites blogs.

Another video of the flood damage in Dumaguete.

2009-02-10T11:03:00.002-05:00

I've made several unsuccessful attempts at uploading another video from the blog, i hate my job.
Since I haven't been able to do this, I'm linking to the video on another site.
Video: Damaged SacSac (Bacong) road

Flood in Dumaguete.

2009-02-08T14:40:00.004-05:00

From the blog,i hate my job videos from the flood in Dumaguete.

Server Problems on the Dumaguete Website.

2009-02-04T11:37:00.003-05:00

The picture speaks for itself.
Having problems accessing the website (and assorted files) because of server problems with my host.
Hope they can fix it soon. It's really aggravating.

Using GIMP on the Dumaguete Website.

2009-01-19T08:53:00.002-05:00

As I wrote in my last post, [New Template for the Dumaguete Website Blog.] I'm always looking for ways to improve my blogs and the Dumaguete website.

Yesterday, I redid quite a few of the images on the index page, as well as the Hotels and Resorts page.

Obviously, I think it's an improvement over what I had previously. I didn't like the written text under each of the photos.

Just how long I'll be happy with this version remains to be seen.

One aside: for some reason, the new Street Map jpg isn't loading fast enough. That, however, is more a problem with the server and not the image.

New Template for the Dumaguete Website Blog.

2009-01-12T08:05:00.003-05:00

Never satisfied, I am always on the look out for ways to improve, not only the Dumaguete Website , but this blog and my other Internet projects [Sorry, all the clever names are taken.-Pen Pal Website of the Week.-D'offus of the Big-Doofus.] as well.

With that goal in mind, I have changed the template of this blog.

The layout for this template is one of the Simple Layouts designed by Dominique Cimafranca.....better known as village idiot savant.

I've used variations of this template on my other blogs and may well change those templates to this latest version.

My original thought was to include the background image from the Dumaguete Website as the background for this blog. However, I was advised by Dom that the image was too large. I reduced the size of the image, but having an image background made reading the text difficult......I'm not savvey enough to figure out how to make the text background white while still using the background image.

There will be a few updates on the website soon. I hope to have some recent photos up on the website.....if my contact comes through.

Ad Affiliates on the Dumaguete Website.

2009-01-01T12:04:00.002-05:00

There are, basically, two different types of ads placed on the dumaguetecity.net websites; Google adsense ads and those that I am affiliated with through two companies specializing in connecting advertisers with web publishers.

Of the two types, the Google adsense has proven to be more lucrative. I haven't received a lot of money from the affiliate ads.

I've tried to affiliate the web site with advertisers which might be used by those looking at a "foreign" site. Most of the visitors to the site are from outside Dumaguete and it seemed logical to me to have ads on the site for long distance phone providers, hotel, travel and money transfer.

Of these, only one company has proven to get hits (and money)....Gorilla Mobile.
Because it was generating income, I placed their ad on several of my web pages.
Now, I've received word that Gorilla Mobile has been dropped from my list of advertisers. No reason was given. Perhaps they thought I wasn't providing enough customers. It's possible that they may have been disconnected from Link Share.

Whatever the reason, the result was that I had to edit several pages this morning to take the Gorilla Mobile ads off the web site.
These were replaced with Xoom ads. Let's hope Xoom proves to be a winner.

Political Satire on the Dumaguete Website.

2008-12-04T12:20:00.003-05:00

Not every blog I list on the dumaguete blogosphere page of the dumaguetecity.net website pertains to Dumaguete.....or even Philippines for that matter.
I try to find a wide variety of blogs which I hope will appeal to a wide variety of people.
With that in mind, I've listed a new blog.... D'offus of the Big-Doofus. As you can see by the title, this blog is anything but serious. It is an attempt to mock and satirize the new President of the United States, Barack Obama.
I hope you all enjoy this new addition.

A New Blog on the Dumaguete Website.

2008-11-08T15:56:00.002-05:00

I recently came across a blog from a young lady in Dumaguete going by the name JoSeLLE.
Her blog, Memoirs on a Post-It ,has been added to the Dumaguete blogosphere page of my webite,www.dumaguetecity.net.
She's only been blogging there since September and there aren't many postings so far.....
Her latest post has several nice photos taken on Apo Island. It's worth a look.
I'm looking forward to more posts from her in the future.

More Radio on the Dumaguete Website.

2008-10-20T07:05:00.001-05:00

Thanks to a tip from someone going by the name "Garbonzo" , I've added a link to a 2nd website containing links to Philippine radio stations.
The link can be found on the index page of the Dumaguete website.

A few more photos on the Dumaguete website.

2008-10-07T07:49:00.002-05:00

As I promised last week, I've scanned a few more photos taken in Dumaguete and posted the photos on the www.dumaguetecity.net website.
The folder is called Along the Boulevard , and can be found on the Dumaguete photos page.

Monarch Sands Beach Resort on the Dumaguete web site.

2008-09-30T08:50:00.002-05:00

I'm happy to say that a new beach resort is being featured on the dumaguetecity.net web site.
According to their web site:
"Monarch Sands Resort is situated on a secluded cove, located North of the sleepy town of Siaton. Native style cottages made of Nipa, Bamboo and local materials face the blue waters of the Bohol sea. Each cottage has a large porch to watch the local fishermen sail their small Bangka boats out for the nightly catch. The string of a hundred lights fill the horizon as they cast their nets."
Activities at the resort include scuba diving, snorkeling, golf, horseback & ATV riding.
Links to the featured resort can be found by going to the Dumaguete Hotels/ Resorts page......or by going to www.dumaguetecity.net/Monarch_sands.

Updated Photos page on the Dumaguete Website.

2008-09-29T07:49:00.002-05:00

A few weeks back, I updated most of the pages on the www.dumaguetecity.net website.
I noticed yesterday that I had failed to make changes on the Dumaguete Photos page. I have, since then, corrected that oversight.
I still a few photos taken around the boulevard that need to be scanned and uploaded. I hope to do that within the next few weeks.

Updated Dumaguete Hotels & Resorts webpage.

2008-09-03T08:18:00.002-05:00

As the snip shows, I've updated the Dumaguete Hotels & Resorts webpage on the dumaguetecity.net website.
Not only did I update that particular page, but the pages for the individual hotels and resorts received a make-over as well.
The pages were overhauled...... a hotel was added while another was dropped.
I even managed to line up a few more ad affiliates.
The Google Analytics stats tell me that the hotels and resorts section is the most active on the website. I hope this revamping brings in even more hits.

A few updated pages on the Dumaguete website.

2008-08-30T07:26:00.002-05:00

I wasn't happy with the changes I had made to the Dumaguete website last April .
I wasn't going back to the previous look.....
Although I kept a few things from April, I've made changes.As I write this, I've updated the main page, the affiliates and penpal pages and the blogosphere.
Look for more changes soon.

Addtional Affiliates for the Dumaguete Website.

2008-08-29T07:09:00.002-05:00

In addition to the new affiliate mentioned in yesterday's post, I've added quite a few more affiliates to the dumaguetecity.net website.
These affiliates are an assortment of personals,dating and pen pal websites.
These ads can be seen by going ,either to the main page and then clicking the penpals link or you can go directly by going to this link - dumaguetecity.net/pen pal affiliates.

New Affiliate for the Dumaguete Website.

2008-08-28T07:26:00.003-05:00

When I originally created the dumaguetecity.net website, my plan was to create a pen pal section. Unfortunately, this was more difficult than I had imagined it would be.
So,instead, I have become an affiliate of filipinaheart and have placed their ads on the website......and a couple of blogs as well.
Let's hope this is a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

Philippine Adventures on the Dumaguete Website.

2008-08-20T08:35:00.002-05:00

I have, on occasion, written about my trips to Philippines and posted these stories and essays on another blog-Sorry, all the clever names are taken.It seems to me now, that these stories and essays are not easily accessible in this blogger format; so, I've taken some of these essays and moved them to my website- dumaguetecity.net. As of this writing, I've re-worked and put up eight of these....I plan on adding more as time allows.
These can be located in one of three ways.....
1)by going to dumaguetecity.net then clicking on the blogs link and then the philippine adventures link.
2)by using this link to go to the dumaguete blogosphere page.
3) or directly to Philippine adventures.

Dumaguete Photo from Google Earth.

2008-05-28T07:06:00.004-05:00

I captured this Google Earth shot of Dumaguete using the Snipping Tool that comes with Windows Vista.
That's the harbor on the bottom right and the airport at the top.
Click on the photo to enlarge.

A new look for the Dumaguete Website.

2008-04-10T12:42:00.003-05:00

I've made several changes on the website.There's a new look and some pages have been dropped.
The website is still a work in progress and there's room for improvement.
I suppose it would look even better if I used a professionally done template but, I'm using this as a school, of sorts. I'm learning as I go.

Page edits on the Dumaguete website.

2008-04-08T11:19:00.003-05:00

I've made a few changes on some of the web site's pages......particularly, the PHOTOS, BLOGOSPHERE and HOTELS pages.
I've changed the background.....took out some out of date links and updated some of the ads.
I'll be doing a bit more within the next few days.

A New Dumaguete Blog.

2008-03-10T07:26:00.003-05:00

Dumaguete has a new blog.......My Dumaguete . The precise url is http://dgte.i.ph/.
This is a description of the blog, taken from the blog itself,
"My Dumaguete is for all Dumagueteños here and abroad... a perfect place to share all their thoughts, news, events, experiences, grudges, chika, and any articles that feature our great but humble city, Dumaguete.
Submit your article now. Talk about your firsts, your adventure, your complaints, your poems, and yes, chismis... hehehe!!! Yes you can... so long as it is about Dumaguete."
The site hasn't been around long but it already has a few interesting articles. I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves.
I've already put a link to it here and will be putting it on the Blogosphere page shortly.

The 2nd Adsense Check

2008-03-06T12:30:00.002-05:00

Below, is a duplication of a post I just put up on my "Sorry, all the clever names are taken." blog.

In October of last year, I wrote a piece for another blog about receiving my first Google Adsense check.
I mentioned, in the piece, that I had set up the Adsense account in December 2006 and it took eight months before I made the $100 minimum in order for Google to send the check.It takes quite a few clicks to reach that amount.
It's now March, 2008 and the amount I've made since the first check has finally topped the $100 mark, as well. So, any clicks I get between now and March 31 will add to the second check.
I've done everything I can think of to induce folks to click on my Google ads.There are ads here and in several locations on the Dumaguete website.
Even when I did "spoof" pages for this blog....like my phony Canadian Govt. website, my fake Communist Party of Canada website and the news website I made for parodies.....I put Google ads on them to try and pick up a few clicks.
I know from the Analytics reports that I get a fair amount of traffic on the website and blogs.It would be nice, however, if more of you would check out the ads.

Three News Links added to the Dumaguete Website

2008-01-25T08:43:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in the last entry,a few new links have been added to the Dumaguetecity.net Blogosphere page.
1)Dumaguete news
2)Adings Pick Quick
and now,
3)Dumaguete Directory
I received the jpgs I needed and put everything online today. To see it all go to this link.

A Few New Dumaguete Blogs

2008-01-22T11:05:00.000-05:00

I've haven't spent very much time with this blog lately.....most of my writing has been on my Sorry, all the clever names are taken. blog.
I was surfing for Dumaguete blogs today and found two I can add to the Dumaguete city.net Blogosphere page.
The links to the blogs can be found here; I'll put the links on the Blogosphere page whenever the blog writers send images I can use.
1) Dumaguete news
2) Adings Pick Quick

New Resort added to the Dumaguete Website

2007-10-07T16:42:00.000-05:00

A new Resort and Apartments have been added to the Hotels and Resorts page on the website.
The feature can be found at http://www.dumaguetecity.net/dgtesprgs.html
Dumaguete Springs Beach Resort and Apartments.
The Resort is located in Bacong while the apartments are found at Lower Bacacay, Valencia Road.
More information can be found by going to the website.

New Web Directory added to the Dumaguete website

2007-10-04T08:15:00.000-05:00

A new Web Directory has been added to the dumaguetecity.net website.
Alabay Negros.
They describe their site as " a web directory of Internet resources related or connected to the province of ORIENTAL NEGROS with comprehensive categories and subdirectories, initiated with free web submissions that are human-reviewed."
You can access the site by clicking the name/link above. A link can also be found on my blogosphere page.

First AdSense Check for the Dumaguete website

2007-10-03T10:38:00.000-05:00

I finally received my first check from Google for the AdSense ads placed on my blogs and website.
$101.38.
The account was set up around December....about two months after I started the Dumaguete website.
The check came just in time. It's time to renew the account with the site's host.That cost $95.40.It does cover the cost of keeping the website going but I'm certainly not making anything.

New Ads on the Dumaguete website

2007-09-19T23:01:00.000-05:00

I went to work,trying to get more affiliate advertisements for the website and blogs.
Most of the newer ads are from companies selling long distance calling cards or some sort of long distance phone service.
Of course, I still have the two major players (in my book) for those needing to send money overseas.....Western Union and Xoom.
On the pages set aside for the Hotels and resorts in Dumaguete, I've also put in a few ads for companies dealing in tourism.
Some may think that plenty ads means plenty money, but these ads only pay when someone buys something.....it's strictly commission.
With the Google ads, it's a pay per click deal. I just wish more folks were clicking on the links.
I'm not expecting to get rich off this, but a few bucks wouldn't hurt.

New links on the Dumaguete website.

2007-08-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

I've added 3 links to the Dumaguetecity.net website onto the Blogosphere page.
The first link is to Filpina Women's Network . I learned of the site from Losing Maia .
The second link is to a forum called atongtindahan.com.
The third is a blog I discovered from reading villageidiotsavant.This new blog is called knowread-knowrite by Gilbert Yap Tan. Being a blog, I'll put a link to this one on my two blogs as well.
Enjoy.

Latest thoughts on the Dumaguete website

2007-07-17T11:38:00.000-05:00

It hasn't been quite a year since I started the website...that'll be in October, I think.I have to say though, that it's not coming along in quite the way I expected.
My original idea was to highlight Dumaguete but I expected to get a bit of revenue from the ads. That hasn't happened.The affiliate ads are a bust, while the Google ads get a few hits but so far not enough to get a check.
I was planning on having quite a lot of Filipinas on the pen pals page.....drawing in more hits and potential ad clicks but that section is a great disappointment.
The biggest surprise comes from the Hotels and Resorts link. The plan had been to give the fellows who look at the pen pals an idea on where they might stay in the city.I never realized that this page would get the most views.It's good to know that the site is a good resource for people wanting to know more about the accommodations in the city but making money isn't a sin either.
Right now , I'm at a loss at what to do to improve the site.

Dumaguetecity.net AboutUs

2007-06-15T12:58:00.000-05:00

Surfing the web, I came across an article about my website on a site called aboutus.org . I don't remember having been to that site before and I'm not certain how the article came about. Anyway, I created an account there and did a little bit of editing on the article.It would probably be a good idea for me to learn more about all this and do some serious editing .

Blog page update

2007-06-13T11:11:00.000-05:00

After a long spell of laziness, I've updated a couple of pages on the Dumaguete city website;most of the changes being on the Blogosphere page.I've changed the background image,added buttons and took out a few blogs.I think the updated page looks a bit tidier.Incidentally, the background image is called "sfondo" and I swiped it from the Vatican's website.

More Dumaguete Photos

2007-05-11T13:14:00.000-05:00

More photo links have been added to the Dumaguete city web site.The links can be seen here.

Dumaguete Photos:Part 1

2007-05-08T23:05:00.000-05:00

Saint Catherine Cathedral Dumaguete

After a bit of delay due to laziness on my part,I've finally begun to upload the photos recently taken in Dumaguete.While the entire web page is not complete, there are some photos ready for viewing.There are a set of photos of St. Catherine's Cathedral....clicking on the photo will take you there.There will be more photos available in the next few days.

Buttons in the Dumaguete website

2007-05-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

The dumaguetecity.net website is a work in progress;I suppose it always will be.As anyone who's been to the site can see,I've not had any formal training in web design and I'm learning as I go.With a limited budget and practically no web design tools,I've had to get by with what I can get free of the Internet.I've not been satisfied with the links in the index page......the photos with the font beneath.I've wanted to have "buttons" instead but had no idea how to create them.I've assumed they were images and keep looking for some way to do it that way.Today,I finally found a tutorial site that explained how it's done.I've put the new buttons on the index page,but as of this writing, I've haven't made the same changes to any of the other pages.
The buttons on that page work OK and I think I can reproduce one here. We'll see.

Street Map on the Dumaguete website

2007-05-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

I received a email today from someone looking for a street map of Dumaguete.I wrote about this on another blog. Rather than go into the details, I'll just put a link to that post here.
I found out that others have been looking for a similar map, so I felt I should put a link to the map on the website and in 2 blogs.

Pen pals on the Dumaguete website

2007-04-22T11:34:00.000-05:00

Finally,after a seemingly endless wait,there are a few pen pal profiles on the website.I'm hoping that now that the ball is rolling, we'll have more before too much longer. I have someone in Dumaguete who'll try and help me on this.I know from my analytics that the old page was getting hits.Now,if the ladies who are profiled there get a lot of responses then "word of mouth" should be a big help in adding profiles,as well.The few listings I have,so far, are from young ladies who do not use email to any great extent. They can be contacted via "snail mail" which may be frustrating to some of the men out there, but in the long run I think it could lead to better relationships.
There's still a lot of work that needs to be done on the entire web site and not just the pen pal section.Hopefully, we can see changes in the site coming every day.

Holy Week in Dumaguete

2007-04-02T20:46:00.000-05:00

My wife, Cathy, my son, J.P. and I arrived in Dumaguete as planned on the Monday after Palm Sunday.It will be difficult doing everything I want to do during Holy Week, so most of my blogging will be on another blog. We plan on getting lots of photos, and try to work on the pen pal site as well.I hope everyone has a happy and blessed week.

Selling merchandise on the Dumaguete website

2007-03-29T14:36:00.000-05:00

We now have merchandise on the Dumaguete city website.We've started out with a limited selection of T-shirts but we'll be adding more items on a regular basis.We wanted to get this going before we left for Dumaguete.We're always looking for feedback and comments.We'd like to hear any and all suggestions.

Business Atrium has a new website

2007-03-24T12:03:00.000-05:00

The Business Atrium in Dumaguete has a new website.Located on Silliman Ave. the business includes an Internet cafe, coffee shop and Computer Sales, Graphic Design, Advertising, Publishing, Repairs and Services.Their new web address can be found by going to the Dumaguete Blogosphere page and clicking on the link there or by going directly to businessatrium.

New blog on the Dumaguete website

2007-03-19T05:35:00.000-05:00

I've added a link to another blog/website to the Dumaguete blogosphere page called Scammers!!!!. Those who have been to the blogosphere page before may have to refresh their browser to see the link.We've all received emails from people claiming that we can somehow lay claim to millions of dollars by providing this person with personal information such as name, phone number and bank account information.I've been communicating with a few of these scammers for several months-myself posing as different characters- and the Scammers!!!! site is the result, so far.It contains transcribed email exchanges as well as copies of photos and documents sent to me by these folks.The photo is one sent to me by someone claiming to be Modestus Iba.....a lawyer in Nigeria.Like everything else, Scammers!!! is a work in progress so the pages will have to be refreshed to see the latest changes. As of today, there are transcripts from five scammers but I have much more which I haven't been able to include yet but will be added ASAP.

T shirts on the Dumaguete website

2007-03-15T06:04:00.000-05:00

In a few weeks, probably after our return from Dumaguete, we will be selling T shirts on the Dumaguetecity website .We'll be be starting off with two designs on an ash grey shirt.We have the T shirts printed already, but I won't be able to sell them online until I've opened an Internet Merchant Account and set up the page with a shopping cart.This shouldn't take long,but there may be difficulties shipping the shirts to customers while we are out of the country.We don't have anyone working for us, so it looks like we may have to wait.
In addition to the T shirts, I hope to have the pen pal section up and running when we return.This area has been a disappointment but I think I might be able to turn it around while I am in Dumaguete.

2 new blogs on the Dumaguete website

2007-03-13T01:39:00.000-05:00

I've added two more blogs on to the Dumaguete blogosphere page on the website.These two blogs,eatingthesun and muffetsmenagerie were brought to my attention by Olga of losingmaia.
In the process of adding these blogs, I deleted links to two others. One was to a blog that had not had an entry posted in quite a long time.The 2nd one deleted was the link to Michelle Malkin's blog.I doubt Michelle will miss the modest exposure she received from my little site.

Sun Star Dumaguete link added

2007-03-10T06:29:00.000-05:00

I've added a new link to the Dumaguete Blogosphere page.Although Sun Star Dumaguete Online isn't a blog,I've included the link to it because I feel like those of us interested in Dumaguete will enjoy reading it for the latest news.

Updated website added to the Dumaguete blogosphere

2007-02-24T12:51:00.000-05:00

I've made a couple of changes on the Dumaguete blogosphere page.Regular visitors to that page may have to refresh their browser to see the changes.
First, I've removed the blog poll due to lack of interest.Only two votes were cast in the weeks it was up on the site. One vote for losing maia and one vote for an-american-in-dumaguete. Both are excellent blogs, though I wish there had been more voting from the web site's visitors.
Secondly,I've changed the link and image to negros island online.They've switched over to their new domain and completely changed the website.

Weak results on the Dumaguete website

2007-02-21T06:08:00.000-05:00

The poll for the most popular blog on the Blogosphere page has been there for a week now and the results are weak, indeed.I was expecting more voting but, so far,there's been only two votes cast.I'll keep it up for another week and,if there isn't more interest by then,I'll remove it.I guess that only shows how little I understand the folks visiting the website.We live and,hopefully,learn.

New Poll on the Dumaguete website

2007-02-14T11:57:00.000-05:00

I've put a poll onto the website on the Blogosphere page. Go there and vote for your favorite blog on that page.Just want to keep track...I won't vote on it myself.

Placing a value on the Dumaguete websites and blogs

2007-02-12T04:50:00.000-05:00

Trying to place a value on the various Dumaguete websites and blogs appears to be a never ending challenge.As for the outside links,I have,basically, only two ways of judging....Google PageRank and how-much-is-your-blog-worth. As for my own blogs and sites, I have the additional help of Google Analytics. Unfortunately,the results aren't conclusive.
According to PageRank the value of my own things are as follows:
(1) Tie between www.dumaguetecity.net/ and meditation-and-contemplative-prayer.blogspot.com/
(2) sorryalltheclevernamesaretaken.blogspot.com/
(3) This blog.
If you use the how much is your blog worth then the results are different.
(1) Tie between this blog and sorry........
(2) meditation blog
(3) not being a blog, the website is valued at zero.
If I use the Analytics to show number of visitors then the results are:
(1) the website
(2) this blog
(3) sorry......
(4) meditation blog.
If I try to judge by which one gives the most enjoyment or,conversely, which one gives me the biggest headache then in both cases it's a four-way tie.

Always trying to improve the Dumaguete website

2007-02-05T08:49:00.000-05:00

I installed the Google Analytics in Nov. 2006. December was the first full month of readings.At the end of January I was able to compare two full months for the first time and we've shown a marked increase in the number of hits.We're always trying to improve the website.We're looking to have t-shirts available soon....we're working with the t-shirt people now. We're hoping to go to Dumaguete within the next few months.You can expect several updates after that.We want to get the penpal section up and running.I'll be taking lots of new photos from all over the city.We're excited about going home.We need to get a passport for my son (can't even set a date until we have it). I'm also hoping to meet some of the bloggers that are linked on my Blogosphere page.

Seeing "green" on the Dumaguete website

2007-01-31T08:13:00.000-05:00

My Internet browser of choice is Firefox.Not long after I started the Dumaguete website I installed the Google tool bar onto the browser.With it, I am able to see the page ranking of the sites I visit.It's a little bar space that defaults white but becomes different levels of green to show the ranking....the more green you see the higher the ranking.For the longest time, the page ranking for the website has been pitifully white with no green what-so-ever.Today, I noticed that after the last "crawling" but the Google robots, a bit of green has started to appear.I'm even starting to see green on the sorryalltheclevernamesaretaken blog and the meditation blog too.Sadly, the blog you are reading now isn't showing any green at all.

Another blog added to the Dumaguete website

2007-01-27T13:12:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I came upon an interesting blog written by a woman-a wife and mother- in Dumaguete. The blog is entitled Losing Maia. I've commented on her blog posts one of my other blogs and today I added a link to her blog on the Dumaguete Blogosphere page.I hope everyone enjoys reading what she has to say.

On the recent fire in Dumaguete

2007-01-25T06:09:00.000-05:00

On this page and on the website as well, one will find links to other blogs about Dumaguete that I find worthwhile reading. It's impossible for me to have any idea just how many of my visitors read these other blogs. In two of these blogs there is mention of a recent fire in Dumaguete on the corner of Perdices Street and Silliman Avenue .For those of you who haven't read these blogs or have not heard about this fire, I'd you to go to archive pages for villageidiotsavant and jaydejaresco to read their respective commentaries.There are "before and after" photos in Jay Dejaresco's blog.You can also read about the fire in Visayan Daily Star.

External links on the Dumaguete website

2007-01-22T12:12:00.000-05:00

Maintaining a website can be challenging and frustrating.I want to keep the site fresh with links to keep the visitors entertained.Sometimes in this effort,I will include links to sites that are outside of my control.This is the case with the Live Radio link on the index page and ,of course,most of the blogs on the Blogosphere page.The radio link doesn't always do as it should and I'm still having problems with the negrosislandonline blog.I'm going to wait until this weekend before I decide about removing them.The Internet is wonderful but sometimes it seems like it has a life of it's own.

Sending text messages to Dumaguete

2007-01-21T06:12:00.000-05:00

I want to say from the beginning that this is not an advertisement.I am not getting paid or compensated in any way for this post. I am merely expressing my opinion.Anyone who has had any contact with someone in Philippines knows of the widespread use of text messaging as a means of communication.Unlike in the U.S., text messaging in Philippines is relatively cheap......especially compared to what they'd have to pay to call and talk to someone.One of the best ways for people in other countries to stay in daily contact with friends and loved ones in Philippines is to send messages from your home PC to their cell phone in Philippines. I highly recommend to everyone that they go to chikka.com and download their messenger.We've been using it for years and are very pleased with the speed and reliability. I know that there are other messengers that you can use and I'm sure they work very well but I am very familiar with this one and have no complaints with this company.It's a lot cheaper than international long distance phone calls and since they don't have to be in an Internet cafe, you can chat more often.It's free from the PC side and the rate for the cell phone user is reasonable.

Always a lot of work to do on the Dumaguete website

2007-01-18T07:33:00.000-05:00

As can be seen from this photo, I am always hard at work.I noticed yesterday that this new radio station on the main page was having the "singing chipmunk" problem so I've changed the link. Same station coming from different site.I took another look at the Blogosphere page after yesterday's posting and found a few problems that have now been corrected.I also added a few more links to that page and made some re-arrangments.As always,it's a good idea for return visitors to refresh the pages.

A missing blog from the Dumaguete website.

2007-01-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

When I first put the blog " negros island online " on the Dumaguete Blogosphere page the url was http://negrosilandonline.blogspot.com . A day or so ago I looked at the blog and learned that the domain had changed to http://www.negrosislandonline.com/. Today I find that using either url results in an ERROR 404 page not found.I don't know what the problem is but I will continue to leave the link as is for awhile. Maybe someone will let me know what's going on with the site.

Radio on the Dumaguete website

2007-01-15T04:12:00.000-05:00

Even before my wife arrived in the U.S.,I would listen to Yes FM radio from Dumaguete over the Internet.When she came here she liked hearing radio from her home and the stream was a bookmark on our Winamp player.When I put together the Dumaguete website, I included a link to Yes FM but,as I mentioned in an earlier post,I had to remove the link because the station is no longer on the Internet.Sadly,we haven't been able to find another Dumaguete radio station.We've been listening to stations out of Manila and Cebu, but lately there's been a problem with those too.The music seems to be streaming very fast and the voices sound like chipmunks.We finally found a suitable station to put on the website....90.3 EnergyFM out of Dagupan.You'll find the link on the main page (it's the Marconi jpg).The station will open in a media player and you can continue to surf the Internet while you listen.Needless to say,it'll be best if you have cable or DSL.According to the Google Analytics,that shouldn't be a problem with most of the visitors to the site.

A blog review from the Dumaguete website

2007-01-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

One of the new blogs listed on the Blogosphere page is humour and last laugh.A few days ago, a comment from a blogger was left on an earlier post. It’s my habit to look at websites and blogs of those who comment on my pages. I found his blog interesting enough to share with others. He is from Kathmandu,Nepal.The image used for his link on the Blogosphere page comes from here. It is of the Swayambhunath Stupa. In his profile, he mentions two authors. V.S. Naipaul and Samrat Upadhyay. Both are new to me, but after doing a Google on them, I decided they were worth looking into as well.

Updated pages on the Dumaguete website

2007-01-12T15:54:00.000-05:00

I've finally gotten around updating the Dumaguete blogosphere page.I moved all the files from the Comcast server to Host Monster.I added a couple of links on the page as well.While I was at it, I made a couple of changes on the main page of the website.Those of you who've been there before may have to refresh your browser to see the differences.There doesn't seem much point in moving the pen pals page until the whole project is finished.I know the photos page needs work too but I haven't decided how I should approach it.I'm sure I'll be doing further updates as time goes by.

Occasional server problems on the Dumaguete website

2007-01-09T05:49:00.000-05:00

It's been brought to my attention that occasionally,when trying to get to the website an "under construction" page will come up instead of the proper page.Corey sent a screen capture to me showing me the page.This was the page that originally came up before I contracted with a web Host.I'm thinking this error page is coming up when Host Monster's servers are down. I'm going to call them ASAP to find out what the problem is.Of course, the results of that exchange will appear on this blog. ( Thanks to Corey for the heads up).

Looking for blogs for the Dumaguete website

2007-01-08T06:05:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I transferred the Hotels and Resorts page on the website from my ISP account to the regular website server.While I was at it, I added a couple of hotels to the page.Soon, I'll be transferring the Blogosphere page as well and I want to add a few more blogs to that section while I'm doing all that work.There are lots of great blogs to choose from.I'm not going to limit my picks to Dumaguete blogs. Because of the set-up of the Blogosphere page,I want to put in an image with the link to the blog.If the blogger has an image in his or her profile I can use it.....but some folks don't use any.It that case I'll have to put in an image that I think fits.I'd hate to omit a blog because there wasn't a suitable image.I just hope that whatever image I use is OK with the blogger.

Dumaguete blog versus the Dumaguete website

2007-01-07T06:05:00.000-05:00

From it’s inception, I’ve looked at this blog as an extension of the dumaguetecity.net website. Its purpose is basically twofold. I hope to use it to drive visitors to the website and also, as a way of giving those already going to the site an update as to the progress being made on the site. Thanks to the wonder folks at Google and their Analytics program, I’m able to keep track of the hits going to the blog and the website. I find it interesting that the blog keeps getting fewer hits than the website. I’m not complaining….I am happy that so many people have gone to both places but to my mind, it seems that the blog has a bit more to offer when compared to the website. I try to put something new here as often as I can. There are incremental changes being made on the site but those changes are less noticeable. I’m not able at this point to do as much on the website as I’d like. The pen pal section has become a great disappointment to me. I can’t see how I can fix it until I go to Dumaguete. I’m not happy with the photos section either. I have more photos that I could add but these are pictures of family and friends…I don’t think the average visitor would be interested in them. One of my wife’s friends in Dumaguete has promised to send new photos but he has yet to do that. I guess I could troll the Internet looking for other folk’s photos but I won’t go that route. I hope that Cathy, J.P. & I can go home around Holy Week. I’ve been in Philippines during the Christmas season and arrived there once on Easter Sunday….but I would like to be there to experience Holy Week.

We really did test the waters at the Dumaguete website

2007-01-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

It's not as if I don't have enough to do.Between my 3 blogs,the web site, my regular job and helping out at home I don't have a lot of spare time.Yesterday,I started doing a little experimenting with photo imaging effects.After working with a jpeg, I wanted to see how the photo looked on my 2 blogs........there are different backgrounds, after all.I didn't have anything in particular to write about.I started with the sorryalltheclevernamesaretaken blog.I entitled the entry "testing the waters".I uploaded the photo,wrote a bit of nothing. I published the entry;After seeing how the photo looked on the white background,I deleted the entry.I went over to this blog and did exactly the same thing.Later,out of curiosity,I searched the blogs for Dumaguete blogs.The sorryalltheclevernamesaretaken listing was shown correctly, but the search results showed my last entry on this blog as "testing the waters"....the deleted entry. Of course,when I clicked on the link it took me to an error message.I'm not quite sure why this one was wrong while the other blog was right.It seems to me they should both be wrong or both right-not one of each.

Dumaguete Website: Inside Baseball

2007-01-04T09:11:00.000-05:00

Within the next few days,there will be a number of changes on the Dumaguete website.Most of these changes will probably go unnoticed the average visitor.This entry might appear to some as being "inside baseball". When I first put the site together,several of the pages were put on my ISP's free space with basically just the front page on my host's server.From a visual or content point of view,it really makes little difference on which server these secondary are located.But,I began to see some of these pages come up on a few search engines and the thought occurred to me that it would be better if all the pages were on the main server.This idea was confirmed by an email from Corey.I'll also make a few changes in the content while I'm transferring all this.I started working on the Hotels & Resorts page yesterday and the work involved is more than I anticipated....especially since I'm tending to my 1 year old while I work.

Happy 2007 from the Dumaguete website

2007-01-01T21:11:00.000-05:00

We want to wish a Happy New Year to the hundreds of people who have visited the website and blogs in the past few months.We hope everyone from Arizona to Uzbekistan....from Cebu to Cincinnati have a glorious and fulfilling 2007.May God's blessing come to each one of you.We know that some who come to our website who are away from their loved ones.We truly wish that these people can be re-united soon.To all of you we say pag ayo ayo and we hope you will continue to stop by.

Here's one for the spiders.

2006-12-29T16:25:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-12-27T11:09:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-20T11:08:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-18T06:19:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-15T13:27:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-11T16:04:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-12-07T12:49:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-06T12:14:00.000-05:00

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".

2006-12-03T20:26:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

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

2006-12-01T16:05:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-30T20:21:00.000-05:00

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?

2006-11-29T04:52:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-28T06:58:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-27T17:30:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-26T22:29:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-26T04:40:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-24T20:22:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-22T15:15:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-17T11:42:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-13T12:50:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

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

2006-11-10T05:52:00.000-05:00

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.

2006-11-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

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

2006-10-31T10:07:00.000-05:00

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.