Technical advances for members of Outdoor Writers Association of America

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Your Web Site: Initial Considerations
Making Money While You Sleep

By Bob Knopf

Today, most outdoor communicators have Web sites. If you’re a holdout, it’s time to get started. To quote the Nike slogan: “Just Do It.” You can start small and expand your site as your business needs grow.

If you already have a Web site, is it working? Does it do you justice? What do you hope to accomplish with it? Are you making money from it?

I once read an excellent book by Art Spikol, Magazine Writing: The Inside Angle. Spikol stressed the importance of pinpointing a specific subject and purpose for every story we write. Once they’re identified, we allow ourselves to wander.

This also works for developing or improving a Web site. Identify your primary subject (probably you and your skills) and your intended purpose (hopefully generating income!).

Next, list ways you hope to make money via the Web. Your list might look something like this:

* Sell my work (radio tapes, videos, books, photos) online
* Use my Web site to showcase my works (sell myself) to editors
* Help editors and others find me and my stuff
* Use my site as a means of transporting my photos to buyers
* Make myself look good (professional, competent) to my customers
* Develop my name/authority in the outdoors
* Author an online subscription service or newsletter
* Network with communicators
* Sell other people’s stuff online

You may have other items, but the above list is a start. Now ask yourself if your current Web site meets these needs. If not, change it so it does. Too many Web sites are merely statements that Joe Communicator is a wonderful writer, TV personality and photographer. Remember, your Web site is seen worldwide; it’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It works while you sleep, fish, hunt, hike and bird watch. The primary job of a Web site is to make money and do business while you aren’t at your computer. A properly designed Web site will do exactly that.

Judging Your Site: Its Efficiency and Effectiveness

What makes an effective Web site? Here are a few considerations.

* Present important information to a visitor in two or three clicks.
* Simply and clearly identify what information is in each site section. Include easily understood
       and descriptive section heads with links, such as “Bio”; “View Sample Photos”; “Buy: Books,
       Photos, Tapes”; “Contact Me”; “Editors Click Here”; “Download Photos”; etc. Clicking a link
       should result in minimal text. Keep it concise – ideally to the visible area of the first screen,
       without scrolling.
* Each page should download in 25 seconds or fewer (15 is best) using a 56K modem. Clock page
       download and adjust page size/graphics accordingly. Minimize graphics, eliminate
       backgrounds (they’re distracting anyways) and use the latest Web-compression
       technology. Sound and animation are fun, but make sure you control download time.
* To show photos, thumbnails are a good idea, with a “click to enlarge” feature that opens the
       photo in a sub-page window. Show a variety of photos, and indicate how many photos you
       have on key topics.

To evaluate your site, ask these questions:

* Is my home page clean?
* Does it promote exploration of the site?
* Does it download quickly?
* Are the most important items in each section visible on the first screen, without scrolling?
* Do I employ undesirable side scroll bars to read left and right?
* Are my links orderly and understandable?
* Is a slogan or statement about who I am on every page?
* Are links to my “Contact Info” and “Buy” on every page?
* Do pages download quickly?
* Do I have a common header and link panel to speed downloading of pages?
* Do key pages and graphics have proper descriptions and metatags for search engine
       registration?
* Does my site view the same to visitors using different browsers?
* Can visitors get to important content in one to three clicks?
* Does my e-mail address use my Web site URL (Web site address)?
* Do my stationery and business cards promote my Web site?

Once you have a fast, attractive Web site and can answer “yes” to the above questions, the next step is to market your Web site in everything you do. The “Field of Dreams” slogan, “Build it and they will come,” simply doesn’t work here. You must market your site in all you do.

Have a Web question? Send it in. OWAA’s Technology Committee will answer it.

Bob Knopf, www.outdoormarketing.com, www.americaoutdoors.com, is a writer-photographer who specializes in digital communication of outdoor recreation topics, both as a freelancer and as a business consultant.

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Point-and-Shoot Digital Cameras

Before digital, I carried a small, point-and-shoot, 35-mm camera for photos when I did not want to unlimber my 35-mm SLR system.

Now I do it digitally.

Get at least a 4-megapixel model (cost: $300-$500). Brands are not as important as features. A wide-to-medium telephoto zoom, 28-85 mm will cover most general outdoor photo situations. Macro capability is important for close-ups of fishing lures or other small items. A slow flash sync feature is helpful in combining existing light and fill flash, such as in a lodge or other interior situations.

You’ll find that you can make images easily and may even be able to illustrate a full article with these pocket-sized tools.

Doug Wilson
www.dougwilsonphoto.com



Sniffing Out Spyware

Got spyware – snoopy little programs that track your Web viewing – on your computer? I guarantee you do! Even reputable Web sites sometimes install spyware on your computer, and, in addition to the nasty insult to your personal privacy spyware represents, they can clog up and slow down your computer.

Get rid of them easily and for free. Download Ad-Aware SE. Ad-Aware will run a scan, pinpoint the offending downloads and delete them from your computer. Run it weekly. Free updates ensure that it catches the latest intrusive threats to your privacy.

Michael Furtman
www.michaelfurtman.com

Advanced Digital Workflow Tips

For advanced digital shooters, there are numerous reasons for capturing images in RAW format.

However, RAW formats require some manual Adobe Photoshop processing, and processing requires selecting between numerous variables, such as lighting source, exposure compensation and resolution. Wouldn’t it be great to have the flexibility of all those manual settings but also have an automated process that could process hundreds of images for you?

A solution is on Russell Brown’s Web site. At the top of that page is a free download of Dr. Brown’s Image Processor 2.0 New!! This Java script utility runs in Photoshop CS (sorry; other versions of Photoshop won’t work), saving enormous amounts of time.

How will this help you, the digital shooter? Simply put, you will be able to shoot hundreds of images, download them to your computer, view and click/select the best images using the File Browser, then run Brown’s utility and have it save various types of files all at the same time, all in different folders, and all with your copyright notice automatically.

A 20-minute QuickTime movie on Brown’s site explains this tool. Watch the movie and be amazed ... and then thank Brown for making this available for FREE!

Chase Swift

Noise Ninja: Quieter Digital Images

Shooting digital at high ISO settings is a fact of life for outdoor photographers – critters often come out at dawn or dusk.

The result can be noisy images – the digital equivalent of grain in film. Noise Ninja, a freestanding application or plug-in to Adobe Photoshop, does an outstanding job of reducing or eliminating noise from images without loss of saturation or giving faces the smooth, plastic look of a Barbie – a problem with other noise-reduction programs.

See for yourself: Digital photo guru Rob Galbraith posts links to images before Noise Ninja – and after. (Note: size of image files can result in long download times!)

The program can used either by sampling (“profiling”) the noise in your image, which might result in it eliminating patterns perceived as noise – like freckles – or by loading a “profile” specific to your camera and ISO setting (better). Or you can download and print a color chart and create your own profiles with your camera (best).

The plug-in version for PhotoShop 6, 7, CS, Elements on Windows, and PhotoShop CS on Mac OS X 10.2 and 10.3 is in public beta testing and can be downloaded for free for a limited time. Buy the stand-alone version – a professional license with all features – for $69, or a home version that works on JPGs and 8-bit TIFs: available for Macintosh OS X and Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP. If you buy the current stand-alone version, the plug-in will cost you less than $10 when it comes out. Jim Christian, the program’s inventor, promptly answers e-mail support questions.

Bill Becher
www.becher.com

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EIC Contest Deadline Approaches!

Over $50,000 in prize money is up for grabs in the 2005 OWAA Excellence in Craft (EIC) contests! OWAA members can win acclaim and money by entering their personal best in competitions that judge everything from small game hunting to natural history. This year’s EIC competition features a brand-new contest on boating safety. Plus, digital photos are eligible for all contests for the first time. Questions about the EIC contests? Contact Contest Coordinator Eileen King. Contest rules, forms and deadlines are online. The deadline for entries is Jan. 2! (Late entries may be submitted – with a late fee – until Jan. 28.)

Trends and Stats for Outdoor Recreation

This site from the USDA Forest Service gives national participation statistics on most forms of outdoor recreation. You also can review recent reports on issues such as recreation on private land and expanding recreational markets. ... Or for a real kick, you can look at the non-market user values of the Florida Keys! The site also includes obscure statistics – like how many people go sledding each year, or how many people like to go for Sunday drives.

Jesse Nation-Ames

New Boating Research Network

Most statistical research available on the recreational boating industry now can be viewed at Recreational Boating Research Network, a site developed by the Recreational Marine Research Center (RMRC), which features more than 1,200 studies accessible by researchers and anyone interested in boating industry statistical information. Additionally, researchers who register as members can upload their own research to the site. The RMRC, created through a partnership between Michigan State University and National Marine Manufacturers Association, was developed to address market research needs in the marine industry. Its membership includes all segments of the industry, including boat and engine manufacturers, dealers, retailers, marinas and financial services organizations.

Dan Green

News From Around the World

Want to stay informed on global issues? Or maybe you’re looking for a list of all the newspapers in a particular state? Visit the American Journalism Review’s Web site. The site includes 9,000 links to newspapers, magazines, broadcasters and news services around the world. The magazine’s articles also are posted, along with links to professional references and other useful sites.

Eileen King

For the Armchair Hunter

Huntingnet is devoted to the hunter. Your average hunting junkie could spend countless hours at this site, browsing its many hunting-related forums. Huntingnet offers hunting stories, photos, recipes, classified ads and even trivia on all types of hunting. Once you look through its many sister sites, such as bowhunting.com, settle back and shoot everything from deer to ducks in the online games section.

Jeff Foster 

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Meet Dr. WoodKnot

Lost as an infant in an old-growth forest, Dr. P.C. Woodknot (a.k.a. John Hong) was raised by a vegetarian wolf commune until age 10. Discovered by a band of barefoot hikers and returned to the awkward bosom of humankind, he grew up in an organic, high-tech household, and the rest, as we all know, is histrionic. If you have a question for Dr. Woodknot, submit it via the Tech-E-Letter feedback form. 

Do-It-Yourself Tech Support

Dear Dr. WoodKnot,

I don’t have the luxury of an in-house tech-support department to look after my computer. If something stops working, needs updating or has to be replaced, then I’m the big buck stopper.

Now, if I was a pale, wimpy, ex-computer geek like you (no offense intended), no problem! But I’m not. So how about it, pasty boy – set me up with some reliable self-help Web sites.

Signed,
Lumber Jack Okay

Dr. WoodKnot replies:

Dear Lumber Hack,

No offense taken. Here’s an idea: You probably have a big ole chainsaw, vintage, with none of that anti-kickback Commie crap, right? (Don’t try this at home, kids!) Fire up that bad boy, rev it up and wave it in front of the computer to scare it straight. Hey, it works for me!

Seriously, the bad news is that a lot of the free stuff that was around when “dot-coms roamed the earth” is gone. Much of what remains needs to make something called “profit.” The good news is that some free stuff persists. It’s just harder to find.

One other general bit of advice. Once you get your PC running the way you want it, stop fooling with it. New is not necessarily better. (It’s a conspiracy, you know.)

Let’s start with the operating system software. Microsoft is still the most common, and, pal, that’s your biggest problem right there. However, Microsoft does spend a lot of time and money on its tech-support site, where you can find solutions to most Windows problems. I usually use the “Search (KB)” button. (“KB” stands for “knowledge base.”)

Most vendors and manufacturers have support sections on their Web sites. The major ones are pretty good, with manuals, frequently asked questions (FAQs), updates and troubleshooting guides. Searching Google can point you toward others who have had your problem and, hopefully, their solutions. Remember to try Google “groups” if “Web” doesn’t do the trick.

For general PC geek knowledge I like these three sites:
http://pcsupport.about.com
www.pcmagazine.com
www.zdnet.com

If you really get stuck, try Geeks on Call. They are not free but are getting good press – and they make housecalls. Halloween just passed, but how about putting up a “help wanted” sign next year and hiring a neighborhood youth to be your computer whiz? Make sure you hire a pale little wimpy one!

As with anything, if you want to be self sufficient, you’ve got to put out the brain sweat to understand the basic principles of your system and know where to go for detailed information. Lumber Hack, consider yourself told where to go.

Dr. WoodRot

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Questions/Comments: Let the editor know what you think of OWAA’s Tech-E-Letter.

Editorial Guidelines for OWAA’s Tech-E-Letter: OWAA welcomes your submissions of features
(500 words or less), tips (150 words or less) and emerging news (50 words or less).
E-mail your articles or story ideas to Tech-E-Letter Editor Katie McKalip.   

Technology Committee:

Chair: Michael Furtman

Members: John L. Beath, Bill Becher, Scott Brown, Jeff Carpenter, Eric Hansen,
John Hong, Tes Randle Jolly, Bob Knopf, Marty Malin, Kevin Rhoades,
Katie McKalip, Brett Pauly, Chase Swift, Mike Walker, Doug Wilson 

OWAA Staff:

Executive Director, Kevin Rhoades
Tech-E-Letter, OU Editor, Katie McKalip
Member Services Manager, Myra Gray
Administrative Assistant, Dawn Biery
Intern, Jesse Nation-Ames

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