• Cooperative Conversations Issue, November 2001
• Editor: don@arkvalwebworks.com
• Publisher: Arkansas Valley Web Works
• http://www.arkvalwebworks.com/ 

1. What’s Up?: I Think I Can.

2. Web Page Help: Just A Contact Away

3. Promotional/Advertising: Imelda Baby

4. Web Issues and Stuff: A Frame Job

5. Web Humor and Entertainment: An Advanced Discussion

6. Promotional/Advertising: Cooperation, Not Competition!

7. Ark Announcements: I Thought I Could. GRAND OPENING!!!

8. Both Sides Of The Coin, (Words of Wit and Wisdom)

The client’s proposed project was quite extensive involving password authentication, e-commerce, and a discussion board in addition to all the other web tricks I usually employ. I thought I could do it; but I wasn’t positive.

"Do you think you can make it work," the potential client asked?

"Yes, I think I can, but I’m not positive," I said, "this project is big enough that usually a whole team of web professionals would work on it. There are some scripts and insertion work that I am totally unfamiliar with; but I think I know the resources needed to assist me."

"So you want to give it a try," the client asked, "I really like the way you’re being so totally honest with me."

"I don’t like to make promises I can’t keep," I said, "I’ll tell you what, if I end up not being able to do it you won’t owe me anything for my work."

"I can’t lose with a deal like that," he said.

Sometimes relief is just a contact away. Ironically perhaps, that relief can take strange twists in the road before becoming reality.

"This project might be a little out of my league," I confessed to my fellow web master friend Dennis Gaskill, alias Boogie Jack, http://www.boogiejack.com ,"Could you take a quick look at the concept for the site and tell me what you think?"

"Send it to me and I’ll give you an assessment," he said. I know he is one busy man so I felt deeply in his debt.

I waited several weeks and then heard from Dennis. The date for a consultation with the client was fast approaching and I still didn’t have but just a few ideas how to proceed.

"What do you think about the project," I asked with anticipation.

"Have you changed hosts to http://www.sunsetcreations.com yet," Dennis inquired.

"I’m in the process of doing it right now," I said.

"Good, I’m sure it will work out then," he said, "Get to know Tommy and Shannon, they can help."

I was also being plagued with another problem. The domain name transfer wasn’t going well. (The original company I registered my domain with was reluctant to let the domain name be transferred to another company’s services). It was no fault of Sunset Creations, but they helped me with that worrisome process and I got to know them a bit better with our correspondences.

I was on a roll, and I decided to stretch my luck to the next level. With my limited experience on the issue, I believed some of my perceived problems would be coordination between the client and myself as primary web master, the host, and the person or persons who were responsible for installing scripts and discussion boards. With that in mind I proceeded to bombard my newly found resources with a veritable barrage of questions.

To my delight they were not only able to answer my questions; but had knowledge of all the other resources I would need to complete the project, coordinated those resources, and installed the desired scripts and discussion board for me in addition to actual hosting.

I have a sneaking suspicion upon reflection that Dennis had a hand in pointing me toward Sunset Creations as a solution to my problems. Dennis has the remarkable gift of being a great teacher. It is not easy, but he is a natural. Some people, myself included, can not do as well with many years of education and experience at our disposal.

I haven’t asked him if he did so; but it would be like him to do it that way to teach me a subtle lesson without taking credit. That’s the way the better teachers I ever met do it anyway; and he is certainly one of the best.

My poor tired puppies needed a new pair of shoes so naturally I went to Payless Shoes at http://www.payless.com/?sourceid=00386815354057732682. Holy Imelda Marcos, Shoeshine Man, do they ever have a bunch of shoes. Casual shoes, dress shoes, work shoes, sneakers, you name it. I was thinking how much Imelda Marcos would run amuck shopping there.

When Imelda is just relaxing around the house she would look especially charming in a pair of shoes found at http://www.payless.com/payless/men.html.

Of course there are those times when even Imelda must act her age, and the shoes she’s wearing have to be an important part of that appearance. Wouldn’t a pair of these stunning shoes found at http://www.payless.com/payless/infants.html be an ideal choice?

Or when Imelda has to make a good first impression at a formal occasion she might try on a pair of the lovelies found at http://www.payless.com/payless/specialty.html .

She could save a buck or two from all those millions her and her husband swindled, as if she really cares. Now Imelda behave yourself!

For the rest of us poor working stiffs with aching feet the bargains found at http://www.payless.com/?sourceid=00386815354057732682 are a real pleasure. Ah..., that feels so much better!

Maybe after I can save enough money for that stick of gum I’ve been keeping my eye on I’ll think of purchasing another pair of shoes for Imelda. After all, she could always use another pair.

I was messaging back and forth on ICQ with my new friend Tommy Dean of Sunset Creations, http://www.sunsetcreations.com . He was showing me an example of a site at http://www.morton-pub.com/ they had done that contained a discussion board. I needed to understand what it looked like before I could begin to design the new site I was about to construct.

"Ah huh..., that’s neat but it is going to foul up my idea of having navigation buttons on the left hand side...," I said, "I’ll have to think about this."

"You could always frame the site," Tommy said. "We did another site with a board on it at http://www.left-teegolf.com/ ."

I navigated to the left-tee golf site and it was like a light went on in my little pumpkin head. (After all, it is Halloween). Framing the site I was designing was the answer to my problem.

"I really like the way you did that site," I exclaimed, "how much did you have to pay for the navigation bar script?"

"I got it free at http://www.dynamicdrive.com ," he said.

"Hey thanks," I sincerely wrote, "this really helps me a lot."

"No problem," Tommy said, "I’m glad to help."

It was all falling into place nicely. A week later I had the design and layout of the new site finished and was showing Tommy some of the work that I had finished to that point.

"I really like the graphics," Tommy said.

"Heck I got the idea from you," I said, "I was hoping you wouldn’t think I was infringing on your copyright."

"Very funny, Don," he chuckled, "You can’t copyright colors!"

"Ah come on," I responded, "I’ve got a million of them."

I was engaged in one of my numerous message sessions with my new friend Shannon Taylor of Sunset Creations at http://www.sunsetcreations.com . Have I mentioned how much help they have been to me? I digress.

"I’ve been trying to work with a free discussion board, but it just isn’t going to cut it," I said. "It isn’t sophisticated enough for my purposes."

"Have you tried http://www.infopop.com/ ," she said, "They have a really nice one called the Ultimate Bulletin Board."

"Yea baby," I exclaimed, "This is more like it, widely used, sophisticated, easily customized and a browser control panel. I’m almost sure this is what the client wants."

Sure enough, the client ordered it at http://www.infopop.com/order/order.php?a=ubb&t=new . He wanted the best for his members and he is certainly getting it.

An advanced discussion indeed! Administrators can set up tons of options including multiple forums, topics, moderators, passwords, and a whole host of other features. Did I say sophisticated? I knew I did.

So, what is the point of devoting an entire issue of this newsletter toward discussing cooperation between web masters for the good of all? For the good of all is the point!

With cooperation, not competition, we are all able to benefit. I obtained a superb hosting service for my own site. I also gained two resources that are impossible to put a value on they are so cherished. They have gained a source for hopefully more work in the future.

So what does it mean for you the subscriber, you ask? It means I’ve gained more confidence to take your own web experience or idea to a new level too. With expert help from excellent resources it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. And all it took was a little cooperation.

I have the feeling this initial cooperation is just the beginning of a long line of mutually beneficial cooperative ventures. Cooperation can’t be beat..., and that is the point!

I thought I could. So just what does this new site I’ve been working on so diligently actually look like?. Is it a figment of a web master’s fantasies of does this site actually exist? Okay..., I’ve teased you all enough.

Drum roll please. Thank you, (clear throat). Announcing the grand opening of the International Association of Precious Metal Collectors web site at http://www.iapmc.com .

The Article of the Month and Member Report examples got me hooked on the possibilities of coin collecting right off the bat. The Links page includes descriptions of resource links as well.

But that is not all by a long shot. Members have access to the Member Discussion Board where inquiries and information can be exchanged all over the world. The Member Board is very sophisticated as well, with many special features including message icons and graemlins, and instant bulletin board code to really set your message apart from the others. There are even detailed tutorials to show you how to optimize your discussion board experience.

Mighty cool! But don’t just take my word for it, go ahead and check it out and then sign up for membership for yourself at http://www.iapmc.com/frameset.htm. A little bird told me that for a limited time you can get 90 days FREE membership when you sign up for one of the three convenient plans.

Actually it was a great big bird, but who’s counting? See, I knew I could do it.

"When ideas fail, words come in very handy."