Your Own Web Cluster

Your Own Web Cluster

Ryze is good but not perfect. There are several features I'd like to see added to the site, but money is short, and Ryze seems to develop in it's own way, and in it's own time. (Thankfully it is moving forward.)

I would like to see each Ryze member with space for several web pages and images, most Ryze users need blog space, and a formal easy to maintain contact record is desirable. This can all be done, using services outside of Ryze, with a little effort. All the services have valuable free versions too.

I've been thinking about how to improve the way my Ryze page is presented. It got far too large. I wasn't happy with the uncontrolled way the pictures were displayed. I wasn't sure what to do either. In principle you need to choose the resources you need and to combine them in a little cluster that connects in a seamless way.

Creating your cluster

Blog Space: I have opened two blogs using Blogger. There is a link to both those documents from my Ryze Page.

Web Space: My ISP does not offer free web space with my connection, but most ISP's do. You could put some photographs to use on your Ryze site in your ISP's web space. My solution was to go to Geocities, a site that in my past experience was slow and cluttered with annoying advertisements. I congratulate Yahoo on the amount of web space they now offer and the ease of use of the Geocities site. The free service, currently provided is both usable and manageable.

A Formal Listing: I'm also using Linked In, to hold a different sort of record, something more formal. My record at Linked In is more like a formal record of past employment and activities.

Linking

I've created a little chain of internet connections, each linked to the others. But there are also many links from my material to the material of other people. I hope in the fullness of time other people will link into my material. These links not only bring visitors to your pages, but search engines see inward links from other people (not your own links to yourself) as a sign that particular pages have valuable or interesting information. Of course you need to prepare valuable and interesting information first. If your material is good you might be surprised over time how many people link to you. The world wide web was named because of the linking feature. Too many people neglect to put links to other people into their material, and lose the value of pointing to other places that provide value.

I began at Geocities just setting up a dummy page and adding half a dozen photographs that I could use on Ryze. A couple of weeks later I've built several additional pages. Here's why.

I wanted to shorten my Ryze page. Two large chunks were removed an re-posted at Geocities. They are still available, and my Ryze page is a much better length. For some time in my Veech Innovation Network (at Ryze) I wanted to make a record of the key back posts. So I've done that at Geocities. That inspired another idea, what about listing some of my more interesting posts to various Ryze networks. I've made a start on that too.

Once I got started I began to imagine lots of new possibilities. One was to remove all my photographs a Ryze and house them at Geocities. Now I can create tables in which to put images and comments in the Ryze site, and call those images from the Geocities web space.

These are things I've been learning in the last week. You do need a little skill with HTMl, but you don't need to be an expert. On Ryze you can use the network HTML Helper to get ideas and to improve your skills. It does take some time, but building a web presence always takes time. That's also an advantage. You can do it slowly, and as your skills improve you'll do better.

Regards
John
John S Veitch at Geocities.