Tried out our new Czech gas mask today for some lung conditioning, we also have to try stuff out before we offer it to our clients. There were a few times I felt pretty claustrophobic and wanted to rip the gas mask of my face, but I made it through the 8 minute round alive and kicking. I will be doing this more to get in better shape!

PS. my form sucks, shoulder injury and I was fatigued.
Watch this space www.gasmasktraining.com.au

I’ve recently completed my Caveman Training Trainer Certification from www.cavemantraining.com.au. The seminar and certification was awesome, learned quite a bit. I also organized the course and got 14 trainers together from all over Australia which I consider quite an achievement.

I’ve started planning next years seminar which will be held in Phuket Thailand and will have some of the best trainers in the world, one already confirmed Scott Ramsdell from API (Caveman Training) and the other just as good and similar style of training, also produced some world champions in MMA.

This will be the seminar/workout of 2010, if you attend no other course this is the one you must attend. Of course I will be there myself to experience every bit of physical torture and learn from the best.

Keep an eye out on www.cavemantraining.com.au and www.executiveresults.com.au for up-to-date info.

If you want to add social bookmarking links to your WordPress blog just simply paste the following HTML in your post and it will allow users to post your blog post to facebook, twitter, digg, reddit etc.

<div id=”social-bookmark-F5G6G2S3″><p>Put this on: <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/facebook/”><span>Facebook</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/twitter/”><span>Twitter</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/digg/”><span>Digg</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/reddit/”><span>Reddit</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/technorati/”><span>Technorati</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/delicious/”><span>Delicious</span></a> <a href=”http://www.socialbookmarkinglinks.com/bookmark/stumbleupon/”><span>Stumbleupon</span></a></p></div>

There is also a better looking version with icons, but this requires JavaScript. I’m working on something more advanced, so stay tuned.

24 November another beautiful day in paradise waiting on the same bus I’ve been taking to work every day for the last one and a half year. I see the shimmering light of the bus’ window reflection on the top of the hill, I get in line to board, I hear the bus driver say “you cannot pay cash!” to the passenger in front of me, I quickly jump in thinking I can explain to him that he is wrong, after all, I received an email from Translink several days ago and it’s not till 2010 that you can’t pay cash anymore! He wouldn’t hear of it, so I ask “do you mean to say we need to get off the bus because you don’t accept cash!?” his short answer was “yes”, a few more unkind words were exchanged that I normally would not dare take in my mouth in public, but I can tell you that I was very displeased with the disorganized planning of Brisbane’s transport. I think I can also speak for the other countless people I saw still sitting and waiting at the bus stop (for a bus that does take cash) when I drove by in the car half an hour later than normal.

The reason I was fuming with anger:

• never had I seen one sign saying “this bus is going to stop taking cash on ….. and you need to“, I have seen the ads for ice age 3 that clearly are more important than advertising something far more important
• if Translink thinks that getting the grumpy bus driver (who would rather be somewhere else) to mumble “this is a pre-paid service” is sufficient then they should seriously think about firing the person who came up with that idea, as only now do I realize what message he was TRYING to convey, but at the time it meant nothing to me, it certainly did not mean ‘from November 2009 we will stop accepting cash, you need to…’
• I came in two hours late at the job where I’m still on probation and had a very stressful morning
• when I called Translink on 13 12 30 at 8:06am 23 Nov I got to speak to John who was adamant that the bus service I’ve been taking had already stopped taking cash months ago “sorry John, but don’t tell me that I’ve not been paying cash up till today”, “John, let me speak to your supervisor”……. 6 minutes on hold, yes, six whole minutes, I assume he was hoping for me to hang up instead I was keeping track of time so I could include it in my complaint to Translink, again John came back on the phone repeating himself, not putting me through to his supervisor, I started wondering whether John could actually put me through since he sounded like he was in a country where the number one job is telephone customer disservice, you know what I mean, I gave up!

Let’s talk about this go card or (go kart as my wife understood I was needing to buy to get to work). First of all I don’t like to be forced into something, secondly I really hate it when a large organisation like Translink can’t plan something this important properly, thirdly, what in gods name am I going to do when circumstances arise where my go card credit plus topping has run out? Let’s say I can’t top up my card in time, don’t have access to the Internet or the time to do it, I certainly can’t pay with CASH! I guess I better train up to be Brisbane’s fittest so I can run to work.

Let’s have a look at some of the emails I received from Translink before the incident:

Friday 20 Nov 2009
“Single trip paper tickets will still be available under the new fare structure until they are removed in December 2010.” 2010 hence my surprise when being kicked out of the bus while still in 2009.

“go card users have realised how much easier travel is when not having to fumble through their bags looking for change, buying a ticket and putting away their change”, instead I now carry around two kilo’s in coins that I can’t spend on the bus anymore every day.

“With a pre-paid ticket or go card there is no need to look for change and fewer delays when boarding the bus, helping both passengers and drivers have a stress-free trip.” stress free!? You’ve just added to my already stressful day by having to think about touching off when exiting, not to mention all those times these go box gadgets on your buses don’t work, euh is it 20% of the time they don’t work or more? What about when you’re waiving it for 30 seconds only to find out the bus driver hasn’t turned it on yet.

Monday 23 Nov 2009
“There will be a two-week amnesty so passengers can still buy tickets if they need to on board buses until Friday, November 27.” I guess my bus must have been an exception to the rule, ooh and John, how can you say my bus has been paperless for months?

Yes I see the advantage of the go card, but don’t stop accepting cash and force me to use what YOU think is best.

PS. Thanks Translink for a great service and now not having to exchange any words at all anymore with the bus driver…

PPS. Is this part of a bigger conspiracy to phase cash out all together?

Always nice to hear “This is one of the best Australian business directories I’ve seen.” which were the words of John Hacking from Search Tempo in Brisbane.

As most of you probably know, I’m associated with Executive Results a health and fitness business based in Brisbane and have recently placed first for Brisbane’s Fittest

It’s not as glamorous as it sounds, although I did beat two of the fittest personal trainers in brisbane I know there must be some seriously fit people in Brisbane who will beat my time by a mile. I pretty much poored everything in the challenge and although I did not puke as some of the others, I did almost pass out! I love it though, bring it on..

Many times, businesses getting online for the first time will only purchase a domain name thinking that will provide the tools necessary for a proper web presence.  Soon, however, they return when they realise they also need web hosting, which actually provides the ability to produce and store a website and email account(s) for the domain name.  To the unsuspecting business owner, this process can end up being more surprising and stressful than it should be.  For this reason, we have put together a helpful guide for getting your business online for the first time including what is needed to start running email accounts and your own website.

• Register your domain name.
• Purchase hosting for your domain name.
• Set up email account.
• Build a website.
• Market your website.

1) Register your domain name. Find a domain provider, which can depend on the type of domain you want to purchase. Be wary of the price when purchasing a domain name because there is a huge unjustified price gap in Australia. 

Please note:

a)      Since registering domain names falls under a completely different class of rules and regulations than the trademark process, one cannot assume that his/her business name will automatically give them the rights to a domain name.   Therefore, it is important to research the possibilities for a good domain name.  You can use a domain lookup tool to see if your desired domain name is available.

b)      You must also have an ABN, an Australian Business Number, before registering a .AU domain name and pass the eligibility process specified by the auda.  This is done in order to lessen the amount of people purchasing random domain names with intentions of reselling them for huge profits in the future.

2) Purchase hosting for your domain name. Without a hosting account, you simply have the lease for the domain name and nothing else. By not purchasing hosting, which is the space on a server that will store your website, there is no way that you will be able to set up a website or email account.

a)      Deciding on a web host can depend on your business location, or the location of your web visitors.  If you, for example, have a company that markets itself overseas to one specific country, it is wise to purchase a country-specific domain name as well as hosting in that country.  Since the location of your web host is said to identify the location of your website, it has been a highly debated topic by search engine optimisers for years that it will actually give you bonus points in search engine results.  In addition, the speed of website loading and downloads will be better for your visitors.

b)      Many times, web hosting companies also act as domain providers meaning you can purchase and manage both of these features from the same company.  This will save you the trouble of having to manually set up the name servers for a domain name to point to the hosting account in another location.

3) Set up your hosted email address. Now that you have a hosting account where actual space is allocated for storing mail messages, your email address for your domain name can be set up.  With this option, you can now have an email address that reads something like manager@yourdomainname.com.au (or sales@yourdomainname.com and info@yourdomainname.com), which is more professional looking than using an email address from a free provider, such as hotmail or Gmail.  Your web host can most likely provide assistance with the email setup process as it can vary slightly depending on the provider.

4) Build and upload a website. So web visitors have something to look at, it’s a good idea to create a website.  The process involves planning, building and uploading.

a)      Think about how you would like your website to look and be organised.  You can get ideas by looking at other websites and noting what works, and what does not.  A key to a good website is to make it engaging, informative, and most of all, easy to navigate.  If the information is the star of the show in your website, think about how best to deliver it.

b)      As for building the website, you can either attempt to do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you.  The choice here might revolve around how complex and professional a site you are looking for.  Some web hosts even provide easy website building software, such as Sitebuilder, that most beginners can use.  Otherwise, it is a wise decision to pay someone to build it for you, which can save you hours of headaches in the long run. Content management system software such as Joomla!, Drupal and WordPress may also be something worth looking into if you are looking to take matters into your own hands.

c)       After a website is created, it must be uploaded to the hosting account for it to appear on the internet.  This process is completed using an FTP program, one either provided by your hosting company or downloaded from the web. (e.g. FileZilla- free ftp program).

5) Market your website. During the entire building process and follow-up maintenance, importance falls on optimisation.  Optimisation generally refers to Search Engine Optimisation and the importance of presenting your website with appropriate keywords.  Optimisation can also refer to the upkeep process, meaning your website is always in its best working order.  Check for broken links, page loading times and grammatical errors periodically.

Beyond these ideas, successful website marketing has been found through various activities such as joining social networks, blogging, creating email and newsletter campaigns, starting an affiliate program and putting on contests.  Listing your products and services with a reputable online business directory, such as Clickfind, can also increase chances for potential customers to navigate to your website.  Using these possibilities to build a web presence is an essential and ongoing step to getting your business online.

Now that you are armed with the steps involved in getting a business online, and realise it takes more than just a domain name to get there, how about checking out Digital Pacific to help get you started.  Digital Pacific offers a variety of web hosting packages and services, including domain names, hosting for email accounts, website building software and SEO packages that can make the process that much easier.

Written by Brooke from Digital Pacific

The Starlight Children’s Foundation is again appealing to the community to help bring love, laughter and support to seriously ill children and their families by generously volunteering their time for Starlight’s biggest annual fundraiser across Australia – Starlight Day on Friday 1st May 2009.

This year we’re aiming for 4,900 volunteers to help us raise more than $1.6 million, and we need your help.

We’re asking our supporters to help us spread the word about becoming a Starlight Day Volunteer. On the Starlight website we’ve setup a page with all the info potential volunteers need to sign up, as well as all the tools you’ll need to spread the word via your social network. Check it out at http://www.starlight.org.au/Howyoucanhelp/Pages/Volunteering.aspx

And if you’ve got a blog we’d love you to help us out by letting your readers know how easy and rewarding it is to become a volunteer. We’ve even included a link to our Flickr page so you can grab some great photos from Starlight Days past. How easy is that?

Thanks again for your support, and we look forward to seeing you at Starlight Day 2009!

Today we’ve published the very simple pages for our Australian Affiliate Marketing Website and Network. These are the first few pages of a sophisticated affiliate network that we will be rolling out in the new year.

The affiliate network is yet another step for our Online Marketing Platform which is a centralized place for Australian to do their online marketing.

Inline with our direction to support small businesses, we are sponsoring a new website called preventonlinefraud.org which will publish information on how you as a business can help prevent online fraud.

This direction will also eventually lead to another website which will allow any online user to verify an Australian business in several ways, aiding with the prevention of online fraud.

A word of warning for everyone who watched Today Tonight and saw the Free TV Internet program – I tried it and its not what you expect, I have not been able to get the Movie channels I expected to see. I’ve only been able to get free informational and religous channels through the program.

http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/4821852/consumer/cut-price-pay-tv

Our telephone services are outsourced and we just got a message saying we need to return a call to Google Australia! I found it very hard to believe that Google Australia was actually on the phone, so I did some research on the phone number (1800732724 or 1800 732 724), it turns out that the phone number belongs to www.yodelaustralia.com.au

I don’t often write about things that are not directly related to something positive, but I find it a very bad business practice that they’ve employed, and I have also seen other people complain about yodel calling themselves Google Australia.

Seeing that it’s almost impossible to contact Google themselves to lodge a complaint, I am ousting my concerns via this blog and hopefully the next person researching the telephone number will end up at this blog entry.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics published an interesting report on the number of businesses in Australia.

“There were 2,011,770 actively trading businesses in Australia as at June 2007.

While growth in the number of businesses slowed slightly between 2003-04 and 2005-06, there was a significant increase in the growth rate of businesses in 2006-07. Overall, growth rates for the past four financial years were 2.2% during 2003-04; 1.5% during 2004-05; 1.3% during 2005-06; and 2.4% in 2006-07.

In comparison, GDP (in chain volume terms) over the corresponding periods grew by 4.0%, 2.8%, 3.0%, and 3.2%, respectively, while Australia’s population grew by 1.1%, 1.2%,1.3% and 1.5% over the same periods.

The growth in the number of businesses during the financial year to June 2007 was mainly due to increasing entry rates coupled with slightly decreasing exit rates. The entry rate for new businesses during 2006-07 was 17.0%, up from the 16.2% entry rate recorded in 2005-06. The business exit rate during 2006-07 was 14.6%, down from 14.9% in 2005-06. This exit rate was the lowest rate recorded over the four year period to June 2007.

Of the 1,868,969 businesses operating in June 2003 (which is when this data series commenced), 58% were still operating in June 2007. Of the 777,106 businesses which exited, 37% exited during 2003-04, 28% during 2004-05, 20% during 2005-06 and the remaining 16% during 2006-07.

Of the 325,935 business entries during 2003-04, 49% were still operating in June 2007. Of the 167,434 which exited, 48% had exited during 2004-05, 33% during 2005-06 and the remaining 19% during 2006-07.

In combination, the above two points indicate that, over the short to medium term, business survival is related to the age of a business. That is, the longer a business survives, the greater its chances of continuing survival.

Survival rates are also heavily influenced by non-employing businesses, which have significantly lower survival rates than employing businesses but contribute the greatest proportion of both the stock of existing businesses and business entries (67% of businesses operating in June 2003 and 72% of business entries in 2003-04 were non-employers). For example, while 49% of all entries in 2003-04 were still operating in June 2007, 71% of new employing businesses were still operating compared to 40% of new non-employers. “

Read the full report

Mark from Rave About It pointed out this website that provides the latest news on local search and online business directory developments across Oceania, including Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. 

Michael Visser, Peter Newsome and Luke Carbis make-up the Start Listing team and collectively we have over 12 years of experience in search engine optimisation, online marketing, website design and development, Internet programming and web hosting.

“We felt that it was time for the broader community to benefit from our years of experience working with local Australian businesses and seeing first-hand the benefits gained from high quality local directories”

You can find their website on http://www.startlisting.com.au/

And when you get a chance, don’t forget to vote for us on http://www.startlisting.com.au/company/clickfind/

I have compiled a Business Directory Review and Comparison document. This is the first draft of the document.

Please review, submit your own opinion and report any discrepancies you notice.

“The purpose of this document is to record the results of the review and comparison between 4 Australian Business Directories, respectively: www.yellowpages.com.au, www.truelocal.com.au, www.clickfind.com.au and mylocal.ninemsn.com.au 
The main focus of the review is the comparison chart, and then touching upon several important items like: SEO, Accessibility and Google Indexing”

Please download the document here >> Business Directory Review and Comparison

We’ve started to get tough on spammers and the likes, anyone who requests something from our server they should not, will be banned by IP address.

We’ll also be recording the IP and RDNS in this post to hopefully gather some useful information that can be of help in the future.

Request: http://www.clickfind.com.au:80/main.php?other=http://www.fgwarez.com/bbs/skin/ting_music/…/usa??
Date Time: Feb 16, 2008 10:47 PM
Remote Address: 205.234.130.198
Reverse DNS: server.ingenieroweb.net

Request: http://www.clickfind.com.au:80/modules/coppermine/themes/default/theme.php?THEME_DIR=http://smolen.org/test.txt???
Date Time: Feb 16, 2008 9:49 PM
Remote Address: 209.126.142.130
Reverse DNS: dish4.net.ibizdns.com

We’ve just published a website dedicated to website designers and website awards, the URL is http://www.web-designers-australia.com/

There are a couple of reasons for bringing this new website to life:

- creating a more specialized directory that gets its content directly from clickfind
- another resource to publish clickfind contributors on, i.e. web and SEO companies who help clickfind, get help in return by us offering more exposure for their business
- it was time for a new website designers directory that also offers awards, awards based on web standards and other areas that other australian web awards seem to forgot about

Listing in the directory costs nothing extra for web design companies already listed on www.clickfind.com.au and is completely free for partners who help out!

We aim to bring to life other specialized directories that get their quality content from www.clickfind.com.au

Most people will know clickfind™ as an Australian Business Directory and Search Engine for products and services. But… it doesn’t stop there, clickfind™ can easily be used as a CMS (Content Management System).

Think about it for a minute, you can upload your business description, which is the “About us” for your website, your contact details and other business info is the “Contact us” for your website, and the products and services you can upload is the content for the website. With an easy to use interface, clickfind™ is your one and only option for managing your own content in Australia.

Not only can you get your very own Content Management System for $19.95 a month, you also get heaps of exposure, as your listings will be searchable from the main search engine of the site.

clickfind™ already has 17,900 pages indexed in Google, see the search results for yourself. http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=site%3Aclickfind.com.au&btnG=Search&meta=
Pages on clickfind™ are indexed quite quickly, which means you don’t need to do the hard SEO work yourself.

As of 4 Feb. 08 the functionality that allows you to setup a dedicated website with your own domain is still under development. But you can already get your own clickfind™ URL, which is something like http://websitedesign.clickfind.com.au but pointing directly to your listings.

Rob from JustWeb has compiled an excellent list of Australian Business Directory Websites.

He has also got a listing in our developers directory and is an active participant who provides valuable SEO (search engine optimization) tips, testing and much more…

Thanks for helping build a great Australian search engine and business directory.

Looking for a way to import your IIS W3C format logs into MS SQL?

Microsoft has a utility available that makes the import very easy. The tool can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=890cd06b-abf8-4c25-91b2-f8d975cf8c07&displaylang=en

To run the import, run the program after download and install, this will open up a command prompt, at the command prompt is where you give it the commands for the import, following is an example;

 LogParser “SELECT * INTO webLog FROM ex020111.log” -i:W3C -o:SQL -server:192.168.0.1 -database:yourDatabaseName -driver:”SQL Server” -username:yourSQLUsername -password:yourSQLPassword -createTable:ON 

Running the above command will create a new table in your database with all the entries from the log file. Once it is in your database you can move it to another table, from where you can work with the data.