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 Welcome, friends, to the premiere dispatch of Craig Richards' News2Me – the e-zine designed to help keep you up to date with software and other issues here at Craig Richards Design.
Why Did I Send News2Me To You?
You are a recipient of this newsletter because you have subscribed, you're a custom programming or design client, you're a Registered User of one of our software tools including AdminPro, AdminFTP, Envirolyzer or Percenticon, you're a member of the media, or I may have included you because you had previously indicated interest in products and services at Craig Richards Design. I do not plan to blast out daily or even weekly mailings – rather I'll send out only occasional messages as software updates become available, events occur or as a quick announcement to you seems in order. If, however, you prefer to be excluded from future mailings, simply follow the link at the bottom of this message to be instantly removed.
In This Issue:
- New Guide for AdminPro Users
- AdminFTP Discontinued?
- Are You Going Postal?
- Until Next Time
New Guide for AdminPro Users
If you haven't yet checked out the all-new AdminPro User Guide, you'll find it provides a much greater level of detail on installing, configuring and using AdminPro. Check out the new User Guide at CraigRichards.com/software/userguide/adminpro.html
AdminFTP Discontinued?
On May 16, 2001, I announced discontinuation of AdminFTP, my popular CGI debugging and website content management software.
Simultaneously, AdminPro version 2.5 was publicly released which re-combines each tool into a single application and provides powerful new functions and capabilities often requested by users.
"Originally, there was one tool, AdminPro," explains Mr. Richards, "but when I beefed it up to perform in 'more difficult' server environments, users (and their hosting firms) asked me for a tool with all the newer features of AdminPro but with the server access limitations built into previous versions of AdminPro."
Craig adds, "Since August 2000, AdminPro and AdminFTP had parallel development, marketing and distribution cycles which slowed innovation and caused some confusion among users, software reviewers and the media."
AdminFTP users who have paid the US$20 shareware fee have been automatically converted to AdminPro Licensed Users and they will continue to enjoy their usual benefits including technical support and automatic update notifications, etc.
AdminPro: Two Modes for Different Server Environments
Identical features are present whether the user sets AdminPro to operate in "default" or "administrator" mode. The primary difference, however, is in the nature of the hosting environment in which AdminPro is to perform.
AdminPro's "default" mode (similar to AdminFTP) will perform in many hosting environments including Unix, Linux, Windows NT and Windows 2000. For users with domains on a Mac OS X Server or a Unix, Linux or Windows server that uses symbolic links (aliases), CGIWrap or other stealth technologies, users simply toggle the mode preference to "administrator" then continue with their file management tasks or perform diagnostics on their CGI scripts.
AdminPro 2.5 is packed with so many features, it can replace the desktop FTP application for most users and can slash the tedious production cycle (see chart below) by putting all the routine tasks in one otherwise passive application – a standard web browser.
AdminPro can streamline website production, CGI development and routine content administration by providing all the needed tools that run from a single program most users already have – their standard web browser.
AdminPro runs from any standard web browser including Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator and others (so it's platform and operating system agnostic) and lets users navigate their remote domain, upload, download, delete, rename, chmod (Unix & Linux), open, edit and save remote files (without first needing to download the file), create, rename and remove directories – plus two-click CGI debugging to help users pinpoint their pesky "server 500" errors.
The compact interface also reports each file's name, file size, modification date/time and permissions. Two-click CGI debugging round out the features set.
Designer/developer Craig Richards has made AdminPro and other tools publicly available for free download by going to http://www.CraigRichards.com/software/. Users who like and continue to use AdminPro after the 10-day trial are encouraged to register and pay a nominal US$20 shareware fee which entitles them to unlimited email technical support, notification of new releases and free updates for life. See website for details.
Are You Going Postal?
The "downturn" in the net economy has forced me and many others to re-examine if we're maximizing our opportunities or if we're squandering them. One very important lesson from the most successful web ventures is to communicate frequently with your constituency of clients, customers and prospects.
I know I hesitate to send "bulk" email because it is often done so badly by all those snake-oil salesbots out there and I do not want my products and services associated with "that" kind of marketing. I'll have to get past my own preconceptions, though. Done "correctly," frequent communications can make the difference between viability and the alternative.
SPAM, the ugly cousin of communications technologies, is a commercial email message sent to recipients who have not expressed interest in being contacted by the sender. With the growing quantity of SPAM messages we delete each day, it's hard to think bulk email could be a reputable path for any legitimate enterprise. So to be clear, SPAM is not what I'm suggesting. I'm writing about opt-in email messaging.
Statistically very successful, opt-in email messaging has measurably higher clickthrough rates than banner advertising and rich-formatted email has proven even more effective!
As the owner and administrator of several web properties including FamilyReunion.com, I have an obligation to my constituency to keep the lines of communication open, to let them know of new opportunities that I suspect will interest them, new site features or information on new products and services. Frankly, I haven't been as diligent at communication as I need to be.
Bulk messaging software I've examined miss the most important features – such as personalization or rich formatting, are only available on certain platforms or operating systems, or are cost-prohibitive.
For several months, I've been handcrafting from the ground up my own email messaging system and I have finally begun testing it. (This message was sent to you using this new messaging system.)
When finished, this messaging system software will practically install itself on the server, will have advanced point-and-click administrative controls, a single-click opt-out function, and will permit broadcast of what I call "hybrid" messages that feature HTML formatting and also plain text formatting in the same document (for compatibility with every recipient's email software).
I am not yet able to announce the system's release; some coding remains and testing usually reveals unforeseen feature opportunities and/or bugs that I'll want to address. I still have to decide on a title and determine the licensing model and structure.
If you've been looking for a simple, fast and powerful high-volume messaging solution, why not contact me with your features wish list? I'm nearing completion and hope to have an announcement soon on this system's availability...
Until Next Time
I hope you enjoyed reading this issue of News2Me. In coming issues, I'll pass along user tips for our software, announcements and other information of interest to you. Thank you for your continued patronage and I look forward to being of further service to you.
Craig Richards
News2Me Archive
BigSender 3.80 Availability Announced
In addition to other improvements and enhancements, BigSender now includes the long-awaited user authentication feature for connecting to your mailserver.
News2Me 05/20/2006
In this issue: we discuss some hosting firms' anti-spam policies, our shiny new dedicated webserver, our discussion forum is temporarily disabled and improved transaction security at CraigRichards.com with high-grade 256-bit SSL encryption
Craig Richards Design Plans BigSender Update to 3.70 in Early January
This BigSender release further enhances the Message Composer interface with a realtime WYSIWYG HTML Editor, a plain-text wordwrap feature, an initial caps format for names and other handy improvements.
BigSender Now Speaks Italian
In addition to other improvements, fixes and enhancements, BigSender now includes an Italian BigSender Language File plug-in.
News2Me
In this issue, we announce our website's new search feature, information on my recent movie role and the latest enhancements to BigSender.
News2Me: Imagine Contact Management Made Simpler
What should you look for in a contact management solution? Power. Affordability. Flexibility. Simplicity.
BigSender 3.670 Released: Breakthrough Features
Innovative new features make BigSender 3 more powerful than ever!
BigSender Technical Bulletin: Annotations
BigSender 3.661 Gets Convenient New Features
BigSender Reviewed by The Office Letter
After an independent comprehensive evaluation of BigSender, The Office Letter concludes that, "for the money, it's a steal!"
BigSender Now Speaks German
BigSender Broadcasts: Get the Speed You Need
How to optimize BigSender and your server environment for the fastest send rates possible.
BigSender 3.6: Continuing the Revolution
After more than six months in development, now you can match to whole records or only specific fields for the most granular narrowcasting!
BigSender 3x: Now Even More Power and Flexibility
Announcing the newest batch of features in our popular web application designed to make it simple to manage your contact lists and to easily publish your announcements, e-zines, press releases and other online publications
Monday 10/21/2002 News2Me
In this issue: Pursuing Passions and Perfection
News2Me
In this issue, we announce our new alliance with Sun Microsystems, our smooth move, and BigSender gets even more new features!
BigSender 3 Released: More List-Management Features Built In
The most complete online list-management and email/web publishing system available gets a one-click automated bounce manager and other built-in conveniences!
News2Me: How To Publish Without Spamming
BigSender is a powerful yet easy-to-use publishing system ñ but like any tool, it can be used incorrectly. Follow these guidelines to get optimal results with BigSender...
E-News Gallery Goes Live
Where publishers of electronic newsletters & e-zines can showcase their publications.
AdminPro Is Updated
No longer requires Perl to execute!
Then The Rope Went Slack
Rather than dazzled and empowererd, has all this techno-speak ever left you feeling dazed and confused?
Marketing Secrets Revealed: When Customer Loyalty Isn't
Master Minds: Becoming a Software Guru
Are you an entry-level veteran or an inquisitive innovator?
What Is A Web App?
Bill Gates emphasizes the web browser as the "central application of computing."
BigSender Backgrounder
Microsoft Discontinues ListBot
Out: free services. In: fee services.
Official Premiere: News2Me
What's Happened to AdminFTP and TestMy.CGI?
AdminPro 2.5: More Power, More Control
Debug CGI & Manage Files from a Web Browser?
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