A great way to personalise your website is favicon, a small icon which appears in your browser window, just before your url. There are two ways of generating favicons; First, you can use a picture already on your computer. Locate the image that you would like to use as your Favicon and make sure that the dimensions are perfectly square (ie. 100 Pixels x 100 Pixels). Then go here to upload the image using browse, then select “generate favicon”, and the result will be a file with extension .ico. Then, using an ftp programme, upload this file to your sites root directory, and visitors will see it in their browser window! You can then go to faviconuk to upload your favicon to their gallery, and get your site a link as a result!

Another way is to create your own favicon using any paint programme. If you don’t have such a programme, you can go to a site to create one by simply selecting a palette and use the crayon to draw it on screen.

Favicons show up in firefox, and other up to date browser, but NOT always using IE6. Here they are stored in temporary internet files. If you still use IE6 and want to bookmark sites using favicons, which is always helpful to utilise (makes for easier viewing) follow these steps below to make sure bookmarked favicons are not lost;

In essence, what we do here is simply make a copy of the .ico file and store it in a new folder in my documents, then point the computer to that file. First, bookmark the site, or add to favourites, close the browser, then open again. In IE go to tools>internet options>settings>view files> then click type. Scroll down the long list until you see files marked .ico, or called favicon. Right click the file you want, select copy, then make a new folder in my documents, call it for example favicons.

Now go to the new folder, and paste the file into there. At this point I recommend renaming this file, because later you will keep being prompted to overwrite it if you don’t. Just give it a new number, like favicon 20, because when you add other files later from temporary internet files the default will always be favicon (1) Now you have the file in place, back to IE, click favourites, find the location, right click, then select properties>change icon. Scroll to the my documents favicon file, select it, then click apply and you’re done. The favicon will never get lost again. And it’s far easier on the eye if you have a long fav list to look for the favicon rather than the site name I think.

Hopefully, that’s all you need to know for using, keeping, and enjoying, favicons! It’s one way of personalising your blog or website. A more detailed look at design will come later.

How many people upgrade wordpress every time? Constant upgrades can be a nuisance, but it’s always important to keep ahead of hackers and spammers…

The latest version of wordpress is 2.6.2. There is hardly any difference between this and 2.6.0, and upgrading from that seems pointless, IF 2.6.0 runs well on your system. But it had been awhile since I upgraded, and below are some things I like and don’t like most.

First the good things. It seems to run more stable, and taglines are incorporated in posts. Image editing has been improved. And adding other media into posts has also been greatly improved upon.

As to dislikes, two annoying issues; When writing posts, it seems totally ridiculous to be warned every time about “navigating away from this page” simply because you want to add a link or use bold text But the worst thing occured in wp version 2.3 onwards. The absence of incoming links in the control panel which I know annoys many users, including myself. Instead of checking incoming links from Technorati, wp now employs the far less useful google blog search to check links coming in.

There was a plugin at version 2.3 whch overcame this issue and enabled Technorati links back again, but this plugin stopped working around wp version 2.5. It appears there are bad blood between   wordpress and Technorati, but many found Technorati incoming links useful. As far as I know, there is not yet a plugin which enables your incoming links reverting to Technorati, or one which works with the later versions of wp. If anyone does know of a plugin, please let me know

 So you decided on writing a blog, but what’s the first step? You will need a domain name, the title of your newly found web empire, and someone to actually host the site, because the domain name in itself does not go anywhere. The other consideration, what software to use, wordpress, blogger, or typepad being among  the most popular…

If you are a total novice it may be worth buying a domain name of your choice, and signing up for a google blogger account, then linking them together. That is the easiest way of doing it. But if you are serious, I strongly recommend getting a web hosting account, and taking full control with a platform like wordpress. It is that platform that this blog will focus on most, not least because I know more about it!

I’ll admit I made mistakes when I first became a webmaster a year ago. I jumped in too early and the focus of my sites became muddled, with confusion between hosting accounts and domains This is why I took the decision to start again with a new domain. It’s a brave step I realise, having to start over after losing all my previous comments and incoming links. But the beauty of my position is readers can chart my progress as I go along!

I advise against separate domain accounts, and using them to point to your web host. It’s far clearer and makes more sense in the first stages to concentrate on finding a suitable host. Most hosts will offer you a free first domain to work with, so you can administer everything from one control panel. But make sure your new host will allow you to run other domains on the same hosting plan at affordable cost, always looking at the “ongoing fees” if there are any. Over time, you may well want to administer more than one domain, so make sure in advance your host is in a position to administer them.

It does no harm to go over the first steps in detail. Because, believe me, the first steps you take in anything are the most important ones! All the very best of luck!

On this domain also, I moved my fiction site “A Bugle For The New Day”  This is the title of a novel written by my late Father, Frank Pearson, a family saga set in rural Wales.

My intention is to upload, in serial form, chapter one of the novel. I am having to type it manually, as my Father must have been one of the last people to use an old fashioned typewriter! But it’s a romantic story, one which people who have read it, feel it deserves a wider readership.

The site also over time may well feature other works of fiction.

So who am I you may ask….Here is a question and answer post to provide, at least, some clues Some of these questions were taken from a meme sent to me by footiam.

Name; Mark Antony

Location; West Wales, United Kingdom

Work; Health, social care

Married or single; Yes

What color do you like most? Black

What in life do you fear the most? Reincarnation..In the next life I might come back as a City supporter!

Where is the place that you want to go the most? Mexico

Which part of you that you hate the most? None, I am glad to have all parts in Reasonable working order!

When you encounter a sad moment, what would you do? Reflect.

What are you afraid to lose the most? Peace of mind.

If you win $1 million, what would you do? Fix what’s wrong with my house, then buy another! Seriously, the way things are going, what CAN you do buy $1 million dollars? This time next year, it may fill my gas tank

If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her? Or would you keep it to yourself and observe from afar? Up till now I’ve kept most things to myself, so I would probably give it some time.

What are the requirements that you wish from your other half? Understanding, compassion, and to cook Pizza without Cheese.

Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most? No room in my life for regrets. I think to regret is also to regress.

Which type of person do you hate the most? Users.

What is your ambition? To make other peoples lives better for my own contribution.

What is the thing that will make you think he/she is bad? Cruelty.

If you had one wish what would you wish for? Peace to the world.

Name one of your body part your partner tells you he/she adores. In this respect I must be hard of hearing!

Favourite Music; Classical Guitar, 60′s 70′s pop.

Favourite Books; The Stars Look Down, AJ Cronin.

Favourite films; Chariots Of Fire, Spartacus, A Rather English Marriage, The Appartment.

Aim of this website; A bloggers quest, a journey of self discovery in the world of internet social network and marketing. To learn as I go along, chart my progress, and hopefully, others learn with me.

So there you are…Anything else, feel free to ask

Welcome to my new corner on the web I previously ran my sites on Technology and the enviroment, and my life and times in music, but I moved my internet domain here, with new hosting. After exactly one year blogging, I decided to start over afresh, with hopefully clearer focus for all my blogs. 

It’s fair to call  this site  a bloggers quest.. A journey into the diverse world of blogging, meeting other writers on the way, sharing tools, tips and tricks, and maybe a little fun along the way One thing I’ve learned after one year as a webmaster is the need to build from solid foundations. If not, like any business plan, it’s like building on quicksand, no matter how good your content, if the structure of your site is not as you’d like it from the start things get muddled, and you get more work than you bargained for trying to dig yourself out. With this site, I hope to provide a guide to running an internet domain from the very first stages of creating your first domain, towards the exciting part, monetizing your site to deliver income.  But meanwhile, life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans…

This is to be no fairy tale or excursion into fantasy land. Any blog that bears ones own name has to reflect the life and times of the writer, in order to be credible. I don’t want to create yet another SEO blog by an author without a face who simply wants to make money online, and anything else is considered “off topic”. I’d like my internet domain to reflect myself, who I am, the things I enjoy, and what I like to share.  I’ve met some great people from blogging in the past year, as well as in my new job in health and social care. It’s a journey I’d like to continue, you’re all welcome to join me.

See you soon, and please be safe