A site for sore eyes!
As usual, I’m behind the curve when it comes to what everybody else is doing. I’m at least two years behind any trend. I discover things long after everyone else has yawned and moved on. Now is no exception.
I’m experimenting with Windows Live Writer, and a few plug-ins. I want to see what happens when I post, to see if Twitter and Facebook update as per the promised result. So, here we go…
Comments closedA long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I worked for the nation’s largest software-only reseller, Egghead Discount Software. Remember them? If you do, I know how old you are, and sadly, you likely know how old I am, too. If you have ever worked in retail, no matter how much you may have enjoyed your job, you might agree that, at times, retail can be one of the most draining, spirit-siphoning, temperament-torturing types of employment a person can ever endure. As a store manager, I loved what I did from day to day, loved the customers and loved being a part of the birth of the home computer industry. . What I didn’t love were the many work hours, nights, weekends and holidays that were required to prove my dedication and maintain my profit margins.
What finally did me in was the New Year’s Day when the company decided we needed to be open. Anyone who came into my store that day was really, really sorry that they did. After five years, I resigned. I was so burned out that I vowed I would never touch a computer again. I refused even to own an answering machine
(remember those?) , and I swore off the use of anything that required electricity, unless it was necessary to run basic household appliances.
Despite the subsequent revolution that swept the globe once somebody figured out how to monetize the Internet, I refused to take part. I just didn’t care WHAT the Internet could do for me, or how many things I could get for free, or that email was the next best thing to telepathy. It took me eight years to get another desktop computer, and it happened only because my brother bought one for me as a gift. Caught between showing proper appreciation and an uncontrollable shudder of revulsion, I found myself back in the modern world.
I had a great deal to learn. I had a lot of catching up to do. I discovered email newsletters, and signed up for anything that looked as though it might help me to learn everything I could about creating web sites, marketing and getting the most from the world wide web. Among the very first of these newsletters to which I subscribed was a publication called Site Pro News. It seemed to be a repository for all things Internet, and it seemed like a good place to begin my new millennium computer education. It didn’t take too long, though, before I realized Site Pro News was way over my head. The last thing I recalled about a home computer was using Word Perfect on a 386. If you remember those, you’re dating yourself again. I really did try to understand what everybody was so excited about, but my utter blase was really creating a barrier. Finally, I was forced to unsubscribe from Site Pro News, citing complete ignorance and a potential illiteracy that made me feel uneasy.
As is often the case for many who learn a new language, a new skill, build new relationships or who start life all over again, the journey can be grueling. It has taken over ten years of personal, professional and practical experience to feel that I can at last claim some expertise.
So, imagine my surprise when I accidentally discovered that one of my articles had just been published on Site
Pro News. The same publication that was too sophisticated for me ten years ago now has my name associated with it. The irony of this has me reeling. Proud, too, especially when I read the positive and generous bon mots of those who took the time to leave comments. It took ten years to come full circle. What a world.
Find it here: Why You Should Care about Web Site Accessibility ~ Site Pro News. tinyurl.com/ybnlzv2
LL
Comments closedI’m experimenting with Windows Live Writer today. I’ve been having trouble with my blog posts, as they appear to have oddly placed hard line breaks that disrupt the visual flow and readability.
What looked interesting about this program is that it may add a layer of accessibility to the Word Press platform that bridges the gap between the admin “back door” area and the use of a word processor. I’ve been having trouble with html conflicts, so I switched to a text editor, and now I have the word wrap/line break issues. I’ve now tried Word, Word Pad, Notepad, Jarte and email, both html and plain text. None of the results look particularly good, so I’m testing out Windows Live Writer.
This program offers more than a text editor in that there is some formatting and editing features that text editors do not have. These include font formatting, colorizing , previewing posts and spell check.
You can also easily insert video and links, and add a variety of plugins that make publishing even easier and more flexible.
If you are having issues with any of the programs you are using now but need something better than the admin interface in your blog’s dashboard, give this a try.
LL
Comments closedIn an effort to be as accessible as possible, I have subscribed to a service that will enable my readers to become listeners. The service is called Odiogo.
For my screen reading friends, it is spelled O D I O G O. Cleverly named, in my view, because it turns your blog into an audio feed that can also be podcast on iTunes and other feed directories. Just click the “listen” button, and you can hear the blog post spoken in synthesized speech, and if you subscribe to the RSS feed of this blog, you can download it to your phone or iPod.
Rocked my world. You?
To give credit where credit is due, I discovered this cool plugin while browsing through the Fred’s Head blog at American Printing House. I wrote to the Fred’s Head blogmeister, Michael, and he filled me in.
Thank you, sir, and be flattered. My blog wants to be like yours when it grows up.
Just go to Odiogo.com and read up on it, and add the listen feature to your own blog.
I’ll reveal a little secret about how I believe being a screen reader user gives me an advantage over others: Hearing your writing spoken aloud will make you a better writer. Or, speaker. Don’t tell anyone I said that.
It’s true. Once you hear your own words spoken aloud by someone else, or in this case, something else, you will be pained to discover your sloppy writing habits. If you suffer from comma-itis, rambling run-ons or dangling prepositions, the writing maladies will suddenly leap out at you. “Leap out at you” being a good example of a dangling preposition. Horrifying.
Okay, that entire previous paragraph consisted of the worst grammar ever.
anyway, give it a try. It adds a fun new dimension to your otherwise silent cyberspace.
Go to:
Visit the American Printing House for the Blind blog:
American Printing House for the Blind:
LL
Comments closedIn the interest of full disclosure, I get paid absolutely nothing to write
my blog. So, when I write about a person or enterprise that I find to be
very helpful, useful or otherwise incredible, it is my pleasure to sing
their praises. Anger is a great motivator, and statistically more of us are
inclined to write a nasty letter than an affirming one. Just read the
comments at the bottom of almost any news story, and you’ll see what I mean.
Maybe it isn’t as much fun to write a note of encouragement or support,
maybe it just makes me a chump. However, I like to help others, and if I
find something wonderful that I believe might be a benefit to someone else,
I’m happy to share.
My most recent find is a little consulting firm called Word Press Help
Center. I discovered them while I was surfing the sea of Word Press plugins
that I might want to use to enhance my blog. On one of the myriad lists of
“best SEO tools,” “must-have Facebook apps” or “mission critical WP
plugins,” I found them.
After choosing the plugins I wanted, I realized that I didn’t have the
faintest idea how to install them. So, I resorted to surfing the endless
“how to” articles on the task. After consuming everything I could find on
the subject, I realized that I still didn’t have the faintest idea how to
install a Word Press plugin. So, I called the number on the Word Press Help
Center web site.
Amazingly, an actual human being answered the phone, and when I sent email,
that same human being wrote back, almost immediately. the novelty made my
head spin.
Matt, one of the consultants with the WP Help Center, relocated my blog to
my web site, copied over every one of the posts, installed my handful of
plugins, and dispatched each requested task with courtesy and efficiency.
What’s not to love there? His boss may not be thrilled that I say this, but
Matt was generous with his time, and his prices were very reasonable.
I asked Matt if he wouldn’t mind adding just a few words to my post, so you
can get a sense of what kind of great guy he is.
“I work hard for my money and when I spend it, I want to feel like I’m
getting value for that money. I expect our clients to feel similarly,
so we take a customer first attitude in our approach. As long as a
client is willing to compensate us fairly for the work we do, we’re
willing to do everything in our power to make sure the job gets done
right and that they are taken care of.”
Word Press Help Center
p: (303) 395-1346
w: wphelpcenter.com/
You can hire them on an ongoing basis via retainer, or hire them by the
job/hour. Good humans, good service, good job.
LL
Comments closedSince I could not attend the CSUN AT conference on disability this year, I want to know what I missed. Tell me about what you think might be the next big thing in assistive tech. What was your favorite new product release? Most improved? Best party? Presentation? Let us who did not attend live vicariously through you. Spill!
Comments closedBuilding the Accessible Insights blog wasn’t exactly the most well thought-through undertaking of my business life. Seems that while I was struggling to dream up captivating posts week after week, I neglected to dream up the accompanying categories that should be attached to them. thirty posts later, I realized that a little organization probably would have improved the overall readability of my blog. Gee, you think?
(Insert Homer Simpson sound here)
Unfortunately, what I also overlooked was that by not self-hosting my blog, I would be unable to add those really cool plug-ins that everyone is using, also enhancing the blog’s readability. Well, if there was ever an opportunity to remedy that, the time is now.
The entire Insights Empire is being relocated to a new web host. The previous web hosting company suffered from an abundant lack of service, support, accessibility, features or benefits. They did manage, however, to excel at infuriating me with their utter disinterest in my customer satisfaction.
I’m one of those people who tends to vote with my wallet, so it didn’t take too long for me to come to terms with the hassle factor, grit my teeth and decide to move all five web sites, my parked domains, and whatever else was in the junk drawer to another web host. Enter Host Gator. they are the new, only somewhat more interested landlords of the Insights Empire. Actually, to be honest, their service and support have been stellar. they have gone out of their way to make my experience as painless as it could possibly be.
(I would proudly display my affiliate link here, but I can’t find it right now.)
So, while the DNS is propagating throughout the globe (there’s just no end to the jokes that could be made here), I will become a blog grown-up and install the Accessible Insights blog onto the Accessible Insights web site.
While my email bounces like a superball across the digital cosmos and links get disrupted like the Earth’s crust in a subduction zone (sorry, the quakes are on my mind), and my search engine rankings go from 2,837,354 page rank to hovering just above 17 billion, I’m hoping the new and improved Accessible Insights blog will merit a grand reopening. thank you for your patience, and your patronage.
Gratefully,
LL
Comments closedI’m in the process of putting together a list of accessibility and disability related Twitter users, with a 140 character pitch about who you are and what you do. Wish I could claim it to be an original idea, but imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, and all…
It’s just a list for the benefit of my readers…both of them…and it would be great if you were on it. So, either DM me or tweet at me @Accessible_Info, and help me build the list. You can also include the link to your web site, if you like. Thanks for being part of the community.
LL
Comments closedIf you are a self-described geek, tech-head, audiophile, gadget hound or a hopelessly addicted slave of all things electronic, you probably already know about or have attended two of the largest technology exhibitions held each year. Focusing on computer hardware, software and related, there’s COMDEX, the computer dealer exposition. For more general interest, in-home, music, mobile or gaming technologies, you can attend CES, or the consumer electronics show. Both are held in Las Vegas, Nevada, and both draw enormous crowds.
The equivalent of these events that showcases assistive technology devices for people with disabilities is called the CSUN International Conference on Assistive Technology and Disability. There are several AT conferences throughout the year, but the largest is held in March, and is sponsored by California State University, Northridge (CSUN). As long as I’ve been attending, it has been held in Los Angeles, spread throughout a handful of hotels near the Los Angeles International airport.
This year, there has been a change of venue. In celebration of the 25th anniversary, the CSUN 2010 conference is being held at the San Diego Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel. From March 22 through 27, you can attend demonstrations, presentations and workshop sessions, as well as wander through the vast exhibit hall.
If you want to go social, you can become a fan of the CSUN Center on Disability Facebook page, and even RSVP on the event page. You can also follow the CSUN Center on Disability on Twitter @CSUNCOD. When tweeting about the event, use the hash tag #csun10 to ensure everyone sees your tweets.
For all the details, including travel and lodging information, list of speakers, vendors and registration instructions, go here (I’ve shortened the URL):
:
tinyurl.com/yghsvo5
Hope to see you there.
LL.