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13 Jan 2010 21:34
RSS/Email updating - Travel Stories - Giveaway for Subscribers - Mobile Travel blog
RSS/Email updating: Traveling in an area with not much internet nor reception is not always easy! Yesterday I switched over some settings on my rss/email options so I could send this subscriber only update out. In doing so it took changes from my home page and sent it out as an update.
So the update containing an ad, and copyright information wasn't an ad sponsor but just the front page updating itself.
Personal updates, to subscribers only, is something I have been working on for the past year. The system I currently use is very good. But not to the standard I want. Hopefully in the coming months I'll be able to find some good internet and upgrade this so you can get personal updates like this.
Travel Stories: It's taken a while to put them together but I'll be running a new batch of travel stories from real people I've met in about a month from now. All excerpts and a few complete stories will appear on the blog/journal page, and a link will take you to the full story. Once the series is over I will post all the links over on the Stories page.
If you have an interest in real people that many travelers don't get to see, I hope you will enjoy this new feature.
Giveaway for Subscribers: I really appreciate the time people have taken to subscribe to my journey's website. It's one of the reasons I have this private RSS/Email message. You get to know things ahead of time, and you get to know things that are not published on the blog.
As a way of saying thank you for subscribing to my journey I'll be giving something away to all subscribers in the coming couple of months. It's nothing overwhelming, but it will only be available to subscribers. It's also something quite a few people have requested. So stay tuned for that, it'll be announced on the blog/journal page which you'll get right here as well. Maybe even before!
Mobile Travel blog: As I mentioned previously there were serious issues with the mobile version of the travel blog/journal and so I had to take it down for a while. I will be trying something new out in the coming weeks that will hopefully be more stable. In the meantime, I recommend Opera Mini for viewing the website if you are on mobile. Again I will post here, when the mobile blog is up and running again.
If there is anyone who would prefer to see something like expanding the photo gallery as a priority over the mobile version of the blog, then please send me a mail.
Other Notes: During the upcoming Real People series I will also be writing some articles on projects I am working on that I think will give you a unique insight into a life on the road on a search. Different perspectives, and some untold truths about travel, work and living in another land!
: This entry is only available to RSS and email subscribers. It's purpose is to tell of behind the scenes changes to the website, updates, and upcoming features.
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04 Jan 2010 14:34
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22 Dec 2009 13:09
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20 Sep 2009 12:45
HOME JOURNEYS MobileTravel blog - Brief Changes - Stories - Emails
Changes: If you get this update via RSS or Email then there might be some random images appearing. Or text. The reason for this is that I've been busy with some backend changes to the website.
Pages should load a little faster now, and certainly consume less bandwidth. Again, much like the blog page the changes are subtle, but behind the scenes were quite time consuming, and there in lies the cost.
There is more I'd like to do. But I'm out of time and resources to make them happen at the moment. I need to get back to my real job, which is trying to find a home.
Mobile Blog: I've also temporarily disabled the Mobile Travel Blog as it was conflicting with a few new things. And, it really needs to be fully tested before rolling out otherwise it might cause problems when I'm not around to fix them asap.It should be back soon though.
Stories: I've had some emails from people wondering why there are no recent travelogues, or real people entries on my stories page. They are on the way. In another month to six weeks there will be some travel stories about real everyday people and their lives. It's something I'm really pleased with, as it will bring to you a side of travel and people one rarely gets to see.
I'll be posting extracts on the Travel Blog page when they go live, and then they'll be made available on the Stories page.
E-Mails: I am still very much behind in replying to people. I am simply overwhelmed with email right now. I always reply, and will continue to do so. So if you are a new RSS or Email subscriber and have sent me an email. Please bare with me. I am traveling, sorting visas, and trying to deal with a lot at the moment.
: This entry is only available to RSS and email subscribers. It's purpose is to tell of behind the scenes changes to the website, updates, and upcoming features.
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The changes should help with alot, and also make somethings easier to impelemt in the future as well.
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11 Sep 2009 15:55
Facelift to the travel blog - Improvements all around- Photograph gallery news and more
Finally things are back on track. It's been a good learning experience since last weeks spike in visitors that's led to more time in front of a laptop than travelling.
Travel blog and website improvements: Taking advantage of good internet I have given the travel blog section a small makeover from both the front end and the backend side of things. Everything should be a lot more stable from now on. It should also be able to take care of anymore sudden spikes in visitors.
Cosmetically the blog page looks much like before. But I've taken advantage of having some good internet and spent some sleepless nights making room for future features. It now, also, loads a lot faster which is a good thing. And, the mobile blog is up and running better than ever.
Photograph Gallery: Due to some of these changes I'm holding back on the new gallery page for a while. With backend improvements I have a lot of new options that I want to consider incorporating into the website. I'm also challenged by time constraints these days. That said, I will be going ahead with a nice new 'project' feature that subscribers here will get before anyone else!
It's also a place where you get the inside story on extra things, like new pages, additions and upcoming things in the works.
For now though, I am leaving the small windowless hotel room and going back on the road on my search.
Links mentioned:
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04 Sep 2009 02:10
Travel Blog and Journal Update
As you may have noticed I had to take down the travel blog section of The Longest Way Home yesterday.
An article about the site on the mainstream Italian Newspaper La Republica generated a huge amount of interest and my current hosting package was not able to handle it.
As a precaution to the whole website going down I've turned off the blog for a while as it consumes a lot of bandwidth.
Unfortunately this also means that the RSS and email updates are also offline for a while. However they will be back just as soon as the journal is online again. You don't have to do anything, they'll just resume as normal.
I'm very lucky to have logged in yesterday. And am currently looking at some solutions to this without breaking the bank nor taking up too much time as accommodation is also something I have to factor in.
Finally I'd like to welcome all the new RSS and email subscribers to The Longest Way Home. And I apologize for you not being able to read my journals at the moment.
Special thanks to the many, many new Italian readers who have emailed me over the last few days. It's been great reading your emails. I will reply to everyone, but please give me some time to sort everything out.
I hope to have most things sorted out over the next few days. If you are subscribing to my email or RSS updates - then you won't miss out on anything as the latest ones will appear once things are back online.
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07 Jul 2009 22:23
Upcoming Features on The Longest Way Home
Just a few things that I am working on in between rain and bus breakdowns.
Local Stories: There will be a host of new stories coming out at the end of the current series in Palawan. Some of which will really be a huge eye opener into the lives of local people I've met. Something I have a unique insight into given my search around the world for home.
I took a break from publishing them on my stories page when the blog changed platforms and I was writing about how to live on an island etc. It's given me some time to work on the podcast versions of these stories too. Something that's brought a lot of joy to people with sight impairments and reading difficulties.
Photograph Gallery: just a small update here. I've settled on a template for the new gallery. It's nice. I'd like a little more eye candy, but the website is not at that stage yet financially. But what I have is very nice, and with some innovative thinking, will be something special.
The Blog: The mobile version of the blog page just had a little change. It's not really noticeable, but works very well.
Emails: I usually make a point to answer emails whenever I have internet access or have a good gprs connection. Likewise for comments. If someone takes the time to send me an email, or write a comment then I will endeavor to reply in kind.
However it's not always possible to reply straight away, neither is it possible to approve comments or reply to them straight away either.
I am focused on finding a place to live, rather than spending all my time online. Please bare that in mind if you are expecting a reply asap.
If it's an urgent email, then please mark it as "urgent". Either way I will get to all emails & comments, and will reply!
Links mentioned:
travel blog -
01 Jul 2009 05:30
The Longest Way Home Mobile Travel Blog
These days I am using my mobile phone to do a lot emailing, and updates to my blog. If you are following my journey's in Palawan then most of it has been put together using mobile blogging.
I'll have an article on blogging through a mobile phone up soon.
If you view my web site through a mobile phone all the other pages load really quickly; except the blog page. One of the things I have noticed is that since I switched platforms to write my journals/blog is that the new one takes up a lot of bandwidth compared to the old one.
Well that's just changed. I'm trying out a new mobile blog and so far it's working out quite well. You don't have to do anything if you are browsing The Longest Way Home on a mobile phone. You'll simply see a scaled down mobile version with smaller images etc.
It's incredibly fast, and makes reading my entries a lot faster. I do recommend Opera mini if you are browsing on mobile. It does everything automatically. If you don't use Opera mini, then no problems the web site will do it all for you.
By the way if you are using a regular computer to view the site, you won't notice a difference. It just effects mobile phone readers.
If you have any feedback on this, please feel free to contact me.
In the works: Work on a new gallery has begun, and is scheduled to kick off at the end of the Great Food from the Philippines series.
It will start off with a series of high quality photographs that will be delivered to all subscribers for free. I'll also be looking for a little feedback on your favorites. In return I'll be giving away something to everyone that helps out!
I'll stop mentioning all this now, as it's a while off. But for those who subscribe to this Journal's RSS and email, these added updates are an inside look at upcoming features on the web site that others don't get to see!
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16 Jun 2009 13:52
A second photograph project starting soon, the book, plus a new FAQ answered, and an award of sorts!
The response to my recently published photographs has been really positive. As I mentioned previously I've begun working on a new gallery. This has now turned into a second photo project, and one I can do as I travel without access to the internet.
It's a while off from getting to the next level, but it's already begun and it should really bring something special to the web site. I'll write more about this as it develops. As it stands I'll probably start it once the Great Food from Around the World: The Philippines series concludes.
The Book: One of the biggest accomplishments I've achieved in the past year is completing my book. It's currently doing the rounds with a group of literary agents. I am looking for someone who I can work together with on this project and not just dump it on, or visa versa.
Some good news is that someone in the publishing business has offered to do a professional edit on the MS for me at no cost. I'm really pleased with this, and very grateful!
The FAQ: I've been getting a lot of emails about me (strangely enough). I've addressed the 'me' question in a new answer in the About page.
Awards: I was recently sent a mail telling me I've won a "Lovely Blog Award". From what I can tell it's a pass it along to a blog you like type award. Whether it's just a random thing or not, I don't know. But if someone felt that this web site deserved the time to be sent one, then thank you!
I am not online 24/7, in fact these days it's more like 7 days in a month I can connect. My priority in life is to find a home. This web site was created as part of that. I don't have the time nor the financial resources to invest in every social media outlet out there to promote the web site as perhaps I should.
I really do appreciate it when people send me a mail or comment letting me know if The Longest Way Home has been nominated, awarded, stumbled or linked to. It's very much appreciated and I do honestly wish to thank everyone for their help and support.
Someone recently asked me in person - "Why bother with a web site?" My answer is as ever: It's for a Dreamto come true, it's for Me to write on, hang photographs, tell real life stories about people around the world, and; it's here to help Others traveling or dreaming of a similar ideal.
Links from this post:
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03 Jun 2009 14:37
Photo-Gallery Poll results!
The poll I had on my travel photo gallery page asking if you would like to see individual gallerys per country, or just my favorites is now closed.
The results are as follows: 82% of voters wanted to see a gallery for every country. 12% wanted more on the current one. And a remainder of 6% were happy with how it is now.
Thank you to those who voted! Here's the scoop -
Yes, I will now make inroads into creating an individual gallery per country. Unfortunately it won't happen for a while. The main reasons for this are:
(1) I don't have access to enough bandwidth / time to do this properly at the moment.
(2) For now the websites revenue does not cover what I ultimately would like to do with the gallery. However if advertising & affiliate revenue continues this will be feasible in the near future.
(3) I want to do it right. And do not want to rush out and just put up a mess of a Photo Gallery. There's plenty of rushed gallerys out there, and I don't want to add mine to the list.
The main purpose of my photography gallery is quite simply a place to hang my personal favorite photographs from my journey. While many people have a living room to do this, I don't. And that's why I created it.
With this in mind, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to expanding it for everyone to enjoy. Almost like having an open house gallery.
In the meantime, I am putting together a little of both!
I just spent an evening working on something new for the photography section. And, it's working out quite well. It's going to be a little project and will take some time. But hopefully it's going to provide some great new options.
For now , I've uploaded new photographs from the Philippines to the Gallery section. And, there's a new video there as well!
Small note: For new subscribers who are reading this entry you should know that it doesn't appear on the blog page. These entries were actually started more as a personal log on new features and additions to the website. A place I can look back and go, 'ah, I remember when I added that to the website'
Now, it's also a place where you get the inside story on extra things, like new pages, additions and upcoming things in the works. Just like the new images added to the Photography Gallery!
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