Monday, April 23, 2012

Converting to HTML5

I am starting the long, slow process of converting all of the Community Color sites to HTML 5.

It appears that HTML 5 is cleaner and more user friendly than HTML 4 and XHTML. Perhaps I will become enthusiastic about HTML programming again.

I started with Mobile Sites.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Anyone Up for a Game?

Do you like being active?

Do you like social networking?

Do you like the free market?

Would you like to make money playing games on the weekend? (or on the weekdays).

Do you like coaching or want to be a coach? (a life coach)?

Are you in the following states or planning a vacation to the following states this summer: Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, SoCal or Nevada?

To recap, if you would like to participate in a social networking sport and will be within a few hundred miles of Salt Lake this summer; please contact me, and I will get you set up. The game is pro-free market.

MODEL ONE: If you are planning a trip to Moab or Park City, and would like to play a fun game for a few hours, then go home owning a sports franchise that has unlimited potential, then you would be a great candidate.

MODEL TWO: If you own a business and would like to add a side product with unlimited potential. The product would give you a lot of free advertising and would draw people to your business at neglible cost ... and you happen to be planning a visit to Grand Junction, then contact me.

MODEL THREE: A person would like to make money at an activity booth at a Farmers' Market, Fair or community festival.

MODEL FOUR: A college student who would like to make some money playing games on the weekend, during Spring Break or during the summer.

The opportunity involves social networking and recreation (a physical outdoor activity with other people). Running is a physical activity with little interaction. This is a physical activity with substantial interaction.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Miche Shells

I am tired of the world where I buy cheap stuff that I will either toss out or hoard. So, I am interested in finding things that have resell value. So, I spend time trolling eBay to see what people actually are buying.

Interestingly, I discovered that there is a robust after market for Miche Shells. Miche Bag of Salt Lake makes hand bags with interchangeable shells. This way you can match your shell to your wardrobe.

As people's wardrobes change, they will want to change shells, making for an interesting little after market. The online price for the shells seem to run from $25 to $50. Used shells seem to be going for $12 to $25 on ebay. Hmm, I would have done better investing in Miche Bag Shells than in the stock market.


It will be interesting to see if Miche creates a sustainable market, or if they oversaturate the market. Anyway, I will be keeping an eye out for used shells when I visit garage sales this summer.

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Anyone Up for a Game?

I get the feeling that people are hungry for something new.

They want something that is active, that isn't mean.

This morning, I discovered a whole slew of web sites about a sport called Pickleball. Pickleball is a cross between badminton and tennis. The game uses paddles and slow balls; so the game is not as fast as tennis, but involves more strategy.

Because the game values strategy over speed, people of all ages can play the game.  In the videos I viewed, people appeared to be having fun.

Because more people can play, pickleball can become part of a more dynamic community than football, basketball or other traditional team sports.

This sport was created in the 1960s. I remember coming across it a long time ago. Wouldn't it be fun to be part of the group that created a new sport?

Way back in the 1980s, I invented a game called juggleball. Juggleball turns the entire concept of a team sport on its head. Most team sports are about vanquishing the opposition team.

The most interesting part of juggling is learning how to toss balls with others. In a toss, both people have a ball and toss it in the air at the same time. Hopefully, the other person will catch it.

You don't have to know how to juggle to play juggleball, you just have to be able to coordinate a toss with another person.

Basically, the sport involves juggle relays. In the sport, you would run with a ball to a base. Coordinate a toss then run to another base. Whoever is best at coordinating tosses with others wins.

In juggleball, people compete to see who is best at cooperating.

I live in a place where people are notoriously close-minded (Utah). In the thirty years since I came up with the idea, I've never been able to find anyone interested in actually living life.

I hope to hit the road this summer. If anyone is interested in taking a leading role in inventing a new social networking sport ... they can contact me.

Monday, April 02, 2012

Income Dropped Again

I tally up the income for the Community Color sites on the first day of the quarter. It appears to have dropped again.

My revenue report shows I have 658 active advertisers, but made only $569.21. The directories cost about $200 a month or $600 to host; The sites are now officially operating in the red.

Due to hardware errors at my web host, I suffered a solid three weeks of down time in September and lost pretty much all of the inbound links to the sites.

On the plus side, the traffic is finally starting to recover ... however, I fear advertising rates for the site has dropped to the point that the marketing plan is no longer feasible for the site.

The sites started with several interactive features. I've systematically turned off all interactive features because the inevitably became full of spam and ugly-speak. I might take a stab at new features ... but realize that my time is better spent on other projects.