Nov 30, 2009

Just Ask The Blog Guy

Q :( What's the difference between a Dynamic and Static IP Address ?

A ): Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a network application protocol used by devices (DHCP clients) to obtain configuration information for operation in an Internet Protocol Network.
An IP address which changes periodically, e.g. each time a user dials into their Internet Service Provider. This contrast static IP addresses. This is common with Cable Internet Providers.
This is a group of IP Addresses that come from a pool. So every time you start your computer or disconnect / reconnect your modem, a new IP address is assigned from that pool.

Static IP Address is a permanent IP address that is assigned to a node in a TCP/IP network. This is used on DSL (digital subscriber line) which are primarily used on telephone lines. These like cable connections are dedicated lines that require no dial-up. Essentially this is one dedicated line assigned to you, the user.

I hope this info was helpful.

Got a question?
Just ask The Blog Guy.

Don't forget to follow me.

Nov 23, 2009

Ask The Blog Guy for Help

Q :) Can you suggest a free video online service other than YouTube, they removed my video?

A ): I don't use any of these myself and have never tried to upload to an online video service such as Google YouTube.
Saying that, there are some alternatives.

I have heard good things about these, but again I cannot verify any of that:
1) - LiveLeak.com
2) - Break.com
3) - Metacafe.com
4) - motionboxnews.com (this is pretty new)

Note: If YouTube removed your video I wouldn't bother trying Yahoo Videos.

I hope this was helpful.
If you could please send me an email and let me know which ones you tried and how they worked out.

Got a Blogging Question, ask me - I am The Blog Guy.

Nov 22, 2009

Blog and Social Network Site Preferences

Q1 :( Do you have a Facebook Page ?
Q2 :( What in your opinion is the best Blog or Social Network to have ?


A1 ): I do NOT have a Facebook Page and currently have no intention on getting one. Here's why - Facebook sent me an invitation to join, so I went online filled out the usual stupidness people ask for. Then at the end I get a message they wont accept the name : Blog Guy.
So I click on problem with name and in my email is a confirmation with reply memo field. I simply tell them they invited me, and the name : Blog Guy is used on all my sites and blogs. They send me back an email, 3-days later saying it wasn't acceptable and I'd have to comply with their requirements. Well WTF and excuse me, who ask who to join?
These people are arrogant and have a bad reputation for how they treat their customers.
Facebook is still getting new bloggers but more are leaving than joining. As I stated in my response yesterday on a different subject, people no longer need Facebook, Myspace, and Google. There are plenty of others out there to choose from, and more popping up everyday.

A2 ): Personally I like Google blogspot for a Blog choice. It has plenty of flexibility and is easy to use.
As for a Social Network currently I am going with the trend most people are, Twitter.
If you have a Blog like Google or Wordpress you may want to supplement your blog with Twitter, that's what I am doing, and so are many others!
In fact Twitter is the fastest growing Social Network in America. So Facebook watch out your own poor attitude will be your shot cumming.
So then I would recommend Google blogspot for a good Blog and Twitter for an excellent Social Network.

I hope this was helpful.
Keep your Blogging questions coming.
Remember to Follow this Blog - Thank You!

Nov 21, 2009

Lets Talk with The Blog Guy : Copyrights and Stuff on Blogs and Websites

Q :) A follow up on Copyright crap versus the Internet. What is a Proxy Server, how does it work, and if someone uses your posted materials can you do anything about it?

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this is solely my opinion. I did consult a lawyer for an off the record type opinion for some of this response.
A ): A 'Proxy Server' is an anonymous listing generally issued and held by a Website Hosting Company. In other words, if you have a registered domain name and search it on 'whois' it should show you who owns the domain name and website. If the site is listed as a 'proxy' that means the owner of the domain name and website has paid the hosting company to hide their identity. This is done for various reasons.
As I stated in my earlier post covering this topic, if someone is copying a Video (music or movie); a Video Game; a Registered Logo Trademark; Literally copying say 10 pages from a best selling novel; Selling illegal CDs or DVDs; downloading music or movies illegally on the Internet - then yes the site can be removed.
Understanding who owns what is very important.
1/ - If you are using a FREE social network like Google blogspot, Myspace, Facebook etc. They can remove the post or even take down your blog / site. For example - see Googles terms of use agreement.
Reality says, however, the blog owner can just move it to another social network. Up until a few years ago social networks were dominated by the United States. Now they are everywhere. So lets say Google removes your Blog Site, if you want to be a horses butt you can go to a developing country and they will be glad to host it. It's all about money. The economy even has giant companies scrambling for business. If you have a popular Blog Site with one or two complaints then probably nothing is going to happen, but you run that risk.

2/ - If you purchased a domain name (.com .net .org) these belong to you until the expiration date. If you renew them they still belong to you. In other words unlike a Free Blog such as Google who owns the blog and lets you use it, the domain is yours, you own it.

3/ - Domains need a server to work. This can be done in one of three ways:
- - You pay a hosting company to host your domain and therefore your website.
- - You host your own website, you need a server, one computer will do but it needs to be dedicated to that site. It cannot be used for anything else.
- - You are a shared user. Basically this is like piggy backing you are using someones server. Some companies will allow their employees to host their own websites with their servers. A good example of this are colleges and universities that allow students to host their websites (.edu) on the school's servers.

4/ - Although you own the domain name, if you pay a hosting company to host your website they generally have terms and conditions and could take your site down without notice. A common practice within the United States. But again, if you are in a developing country or in a country that doesn't care about copyright infringement on an individual basis then it probably will remain there no matter how many complaints they get. Again, it's all about the money. Some countries are not participants of the International Copyright Agreement, so they don't care, others signed the agreement but wont enforce it.

Conclusion:
If someone is using something of yours the soft approach is best, ask them to remove it or give you credit and link to your site. I spoke to a lawyer friend of mine, Wall Street type. Basically they feel copyright infringement and plagiarisms are impossible to enforce. About 90% of all books printed and sold have some type of plagiarism. There are just so many ways you can phrase something or so many words that describe something before you use someone elses materials. Also this lawyer said that suing someone over copyrighted items probably would cost about 35,000 US dollars and in the end would only result in getting the item removed especially if the person had no assets of any kind to obtain damages.
Pictures (photographs), prints, sketches, and art are generally owned by the photographer or artist unless they work for a company as their employee or have a written agreement with the company that paid them to do the work. Joint ownership is common so you may have to legally obtain both parties agreement to use it.
The guideline I was given is simply-
Yes it's illegal but almost not enforceable. If there is no compensation, money involved directly related to that particular item(s) then it becomes a mute point.
Lastly if someone is using your personal name or site name they may have stolen your identity. It is wise to check your credit report. In addition it is advisable in today's electronic age to Google yourself and your site to see what comes up.

I was told by a writer friend of mine, that book publishers use software to check for proper names, that seems to be a real stickler on copyrights. In other words, if you use a persons name you have to have their written permission. Same goes for pictures, prints, sketches, and art.
Good Luck with your problem.

I hope this was helpful. Again this is getting outside of my privy and as I said it's an opinion, legal matters should be handled by an attorney who specializes in these matters.
I would like to stay on point for Blogging and Website / Web Page Tips.

Do you have a Blogging question, email me.

Please Follow this BLOG.
Have a good weekend.
The Blog Guy

Nov 19, 2009

Another Question for The Blog Guy:

Q :( Would you install Google Wave?

A ): NO. Google Wave is in Beta Testing. If you have the time and patience you can learn more about Google Wave by clicking on the LINK below and watching the One Hour and 20 Minute Video, I did, I was bored. If you are a programmer / developer - Google has invited you to join in the development. I personally don't expect it to be ready for at least six months for the general public and it will probably still have bugs even then.

For those who are curious, Google Wave is suppose to be a combination conversation tool and document. Personally I can get this by using my Google Blog and Twitter. The demo doesn't mention anything about video conferencing. If you really need something for work and have multiple locations, you can use SKYPE for Free. It's a Video Chat program with conference features; and you can type IMs at the same time.

Here in the LINK:
About Google Wave

Note - This is just my opinion, try it yourself if you want, or just watch the video. You can also check out what others are saying who have tried it.

I hope this was helpful.

Got a Blogging Question, email me.

Nov 18, 2009

Ask The Blog Guy for Help

Q :( I am doing a new blog. Do you know of a FREE program that I can download that will convert standard picture images to cartoons?
P.S. Sample Enclosed.

A ): I found one. You don't download the program you simple upload the image you want. They seem to prefer .jpg image format. You can use .png and .bmp as well. The size limitation is 500k with 500 x 500 pixels. I tried it out with the sample you gave me along with two other pictures I got from Google Online Free Images, all were in .jpg format.
You click on which cartoon style image you want converted. I tried the top 3, one for each image. You have to give the image a name. I just uploaded mine from the desktop. It takes about 15 seconds, so wait, when done just click see image.
Once there you can play with various attributes. I would look at it first then play with it.

Here is the LINK:
Convert Your Photo Image to a Cartoon

Here are three samples I did online uploading images:
The sample image you sent me - Boooty



Barack Obama



Sarah Palin



I hope this was helpful.
Got a Question about Blogging, ask me, I am The Blog Guy.

Nov 17, 2009

Asking The Blog Guy ?

Q :( Hey Blog Guy, love your Blogs, they are great and very helpful. My question evolves from a readers comment on my Google Blog, Daily Gun Pictures. How come Google has a 'Mouseover / Click on a Picture Image'?
I never paid any attention to this feature before.
One reader brought to my attention that when he clicks on the image I posted, the image size is the same as shown - so why does Google even have this feature and can it be used?

A :) Good question for all readers.
Yes the feature can be used. My guess is that your are pre-sizing the picture images using something like Adobe Photoshop. If the image is pre-sized, then when you click on the image you get the same size picture.
Example you set the image size for 350 x 350 pixels.
However, if you have a larger picture, say 600 x 600 pixels
and have your settings set correctly on your Google Image Upload, you should get two different sized image formats. One that will fit inside your Google Post, and one that will be truer to the actual size image when you click on it with your mouse.
Important Notes:
1) This feature may have restrictions on the Google Blog template you choose.
2) Google does restrict the amount of data you can upload to any specific Blog. So since you do a lot of Blog Pictures everyday, it's recommended to confine the image size to a maximum of 350 x 350 pixels per image. This may be too small for viewing in some cases, but I wouldn't go larger than 400 x 400 pixels. After all you wouldn't want to get a message from Google saying you have reached your maximum allowable storage.
3) To help Bloggers, Google has added a feature to it's picture uploads. Look at the very bottom of the 'Add a Image from your Computer'
See Picture Below - it will tell you how much storage you have used and how much you have remaining.



I hope this has been helpful.

Please follow The Blog Guy.

Got a Blogging question, send it to The Blog Guy.

Don't forget to vote for your favorite Blog or Site at Google Blog Awards.

Nov 16, 2009

Questions about Google Blogging Problems

Q :( I seem to be having problems viewing my favorite Google blogs, what causes this ?

Q :( I am getting error messages when trying to post comments to Google or when signing out of my Google account, what is causing this problem ?

Q :( My Google Friends Connect fades in and out, first it's there then not, is this me or Google ?

A :) Google is experiencing numerous problems. This is not you. I received about dozen emails this morning, the topics are posted as questions above, asking me for help and explanation.
The most likely explanation is Google is under some form of cyber Internet attack, so they shutdown part or all of the system being attacked so they can find the source and either block it or correct it.
Google should be fine within 24-hours.

Nov 15, 2009

Ask The Blog Guy ?

Q :( Should I add Google 'Find Me' on my Blog? What's your thoughts on this?

A ): I wouldn't add it unless you are a business.
If you post something that someone doesn't like you are telling them exactly where to find you. Also giving out personal information of any kind is bad, now you would be publishing it to the world. Keep in mind there are a lot of damn crazy people in world today, why open yourself up for problems?

For those who do not know what Google Find Me is -
You put your name and street address on a Google Map Gadget and it shows where you live using Google Maps. This can be added to any Google blogspot Blog or Website.

Nov 13, 2009

Asking The Blog Guy



Q :( Hello Blog Guy, what's the story on this Copyright crap versus the Internet?

Disclaimer Notice: I am not a lawyer, this is a commonsense answer only.
A ): Simply put Copyrights, Patents, and Trademarks are all covered by law. In the United States these are Federal Laws. There are a lot of International agreements that are suppose to protect these rights, but reality is another issue altogether. Trademarks and patents are easier to enforce. Copyrights on the other hand is another story altogether. Look some commonsense is needed. If you put something up on the Internet, even if you embed your name / domain address it still doesn't mean much. It will not stop someone from copying it. The FBI is primarily responsible for U.S. Copyright protection. They are inundated by illegal copying of CD's and DVD's. They have little time for an individual. Also, claiming it is a copyrighted item means you have to own it, as in, you created it. It cannot be something that you plagiarized and then claim its yours.
As for Blogs like Googles blogspot they make a good effort to stop these types of things but keep in mind just on Google Blogs there's a new post about very minute somewhere in the world. Google claims there's a new follower added every second. Even if Google removes a Blog, people will simply create another one using Myspace, Facebook, Wordpress, etc.
So it's REALITY Check Time!
If you don't want someone else to have something you created, never put it up on the Internet because someone somewhere is going to download it, and probably use it.

I hope this has been helpful.

Please Follow this Blog.

Got a Blogging question, ask The Blog Guy.

Nov 11, 2009

Ask The Blog Guy a Question:

Q :( Hey there Mr. Blog Guy I had a Gadget installed on my computer site and now it stopped working, what causes this?

A :) Here are some general guidelines about installing Gadgets (widgets) on Blogs and Websites:

First if the code in not embedded then you shouldn't have any problem. Simple HTML Codes are the best, but even then you have to look for any links associated with installing these.

Next look to see if the code is JavaScript or Flash driven. If it is a JavaScript look for any part of the code ending in .js this means that the functioning part of the code is on another web page, and if that page is removed or altered then the link that makes the gadget function is broken and your gadget stops working. The same thing goes for Flash driven Gadgets (widgets). Look for any code ending in .swf or a line containing Macromedia Shockwave. If the originator removes or alters this code link your Gadget will no longer function. An example of this is you put a YouTube Video link on your Blog or Website and later discover by clicking on the video it no longer plays because the link has been removed.

I hope this has been helpful.


Got a Blogging question, ask The Blog Guy.

Nov 10, 2009

A Tip from The Blog Guy:

Why not add your own Personalized Widget Button to Your Blog or Website?
Check out The Blog Guy's Tip # 87 to learn how, just click on the LINK and follow the instructions.
You can see how it loads on your Blog or Site by viewing the top of the sidebar column to left.
Personalized Widget Button

This install code from The Blog Guy allows others to copy and paste your own personalized widget button to their Blog or Site so they can just click with a mouse to view your site anytime they want, better than a Bookmark.

See how it works, Click on the Widget Icon below...


Nov 9, 2009

From - The Blog Guy

Hello fellow bloggers.
Did you remember I offer FREE Website Storage for your Flash (.swf); Animation Files (.gif); Midi Sound Files (.mid); and WAV Sounds (.wav).
Please visit my Home Page for more information at:
The Blog Guy's Website

I just added 10 NEW animation files submitted, take a look, see if you like any....
Free Animation File Storage

Are you Following this Blog?

Nov 8, 2009

Ask the Blog Guy

Q :( - I noticed on some blogs I visit they have a widget device that shows what city, country, and even sometimes the name of the blog visiting. Is this type of widget accurate and reliable?

A ): - Unfortunately this is one of those yes and no answers. If it is your personal computer, especially windows, and is not connected to a network, then it most likely is reading your incoming IP Address.
The exceptions are when:

1 - If the user is on a network, like a business network. For example my office laptop is on a central processing server network in Phoenix Arizona. The network uses a program that blocks all IP Addresses except their own. So if I am in Baltimore and use the computer you see it as Phoenix. Some networks block all out going IP Addresses.

2 - The user has modified his Network Settings to show a fake IP Address. This can be done if you know what your are doing.

3 - The user has installed a program, you can buy these, that generates false IP Addresses or blocks your IP Address from being read.

4 - The user is utilizing an online program, many of these are free, to alter or hide their IP Address. Spammers love these programs.


Got a Blogging question, send it to me at:
alternate4craigslist@yahoo.com

Nov 3, 2009

Q :( - I am trying to use the Multi-Purpose sound file player on my Google Blog, referenced in your Google Blogging Tip # 58. I am only playing one song so I figured out how to adjust the option value to one song. The problem I am having is that it will not allow me to add this feature again. Once a second POST is listed neither song will play. Please tell me how to fix this problem?

A ): - This is probably being caused by a codecs problem within Google blogspot. To fix this problem, simply follow these steps for your Google Blog:

1) Sign-in
2) From Post or Dashboard go to 'Settings'
3) Select 'formatting'
4) Change the first line, 'show' to '1' post only (see the pictures below)
5) Save
6) Go to POST, copy and paste your Music Song Player File JavaScript Code, change the player using a complete URL address.
7) In the event you want to use only one player file, and it is not a Midi (.mid) sound file you will have to apply the extension...example: .wav -or- .mp3
Note: This player plays most Midi, Wav, and mp3 sound files
If you want to play only mp3 files then use the player shown on Google Tip # 55.




Nov 2, 2009

Latest Updates to this Blog

I added theBlogFrog Community to this Blog.
See the sidebar near the bottom of the page.

I am testing theblogfrog to see how it works.
Try it with me, sign up now-
Just Click on the LINK-
The Blog Frog


What is blogfrog?
It's a scaled down version of Google Friends Connect that concentrates on Facebook and Twitter users that allows a Community (followers) to be added to third party Blogs like Google blogspot.

Nov 1, 2009

Always Remember....

Just some simple reminders that will help everyone:

Blogs are a form of social networking. Many people use them in an attempt to sell a product or service. The best way to do this is get a .com domain name and a website. The Blog should only be used to augment your Website. For reasons covered in my previous Blog Tips such as Google Blogging Tip # 75: Ten (10) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Myths and Facts for Blogs.

This Blog is now open to; and accepting comments.
Do you have a Blogging Question, please email me or leave me a comment.
Thanks for Visiting The Blog Guy.