Technical advances for members of Outdoor Writers Association of America

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Author Blogs and Web Sites
The First Step in Online Promotion

By Craig Buddo

The first step for authors who want to promote their work online is to set up a Web site. Author Web sites are like zero-gravity press kits permanently floating in cyberspace. There’s no limit to how much information can be included – chapter summaries, review quotes, author biography, reader feedback, sample pages – and you can conveniently, discretely broadcast that information on the Internet by including your URL along with your signature, as in

Craig Buddo
http://www.1000BestFishingSites.com

Forward-thinking publishers budget Web site creation into promotion expenses, but if you’re left to do it yourself, one of the cheapest and easiest ways is to create a blog. Blogs allow people with no knowledge of html to quickly set up a functioning site that can be instantly edited or updated. The best-known blog provider, Blogger, is a free service offered by Google, but for ease of use and professional appearance, my recommendation is TypePad.

It took me about a day to set up my TypePad blog, which includes an introduction, chapter summaries, reviews, an Amazon link, author biography, contact information and a little artwork. I choose the Plus package, which runs just over $100 per year for a fully featured site and hosting.

Craig Buddo is the author of the recently published book Fishing Online: 1,000 Best Web Sites. He thinks it makes an excellent reference guide for any outdoor writer who wants to sell his or her work online.

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The Truth about JPGs
How to Make the Most of Digital Image Files

By Michael Furtman
www.michaelfurtman.com

A great myth in digital imaging – adopted as gospel by both photographers and editors – is that JPG images are inferior to RAW or TIF files and thus unsuitable for professional work.

First, some terms: RAW files are compressed (made smaller) files, but are “lossless” – that is, they lose no information in compression. TIF files are also lossless and are not compressed at all. Identical images shot with my Canon 10D yield a JPG of about 3 megabytes (mb) (shot at highest JPG settings), a RAW of about 6 mb and a TIF of 18 mb.

The myth of JPG inferiority arises because a JPG image is a compressed image and, in the process of compression, information is lost. It is also common belief that each time you open and close a JPG file it undergoes more compression, thus continuing to lose information.

While it is true that a JPG file does lose some information in compression, the amount lost is so small that it is indiscernible to the human eye. I’ve made giant prints from RAW and JPG images to prove the point, and no one can tell which is which. I’ve also sold many JPG images – some of which have run full page or larger – and editors had no qualms about the quality. Last year, National Geographic’s first all-digital photo story used nothing but JPG images.

More myths debunked
OK, so JPGs are fine initially, but they’ll degrade over time, right, because each time you look at them and close them they get compressed? No. It is not true that opening and closing a JPG file continues the loss. To be sure of this, I contacted the programmers of Adobe Photoshop. Only when you save the file does it undergo another compression. Opening, examining then closing the file has absolutely no impact. Even if you resave the file – provided you save at Photoshop’s maximum JPG setting of 12 – the loss is insignificant.

How insignificant? As a test, I saved a JPG 30 times – far more times than anyone would normally ever do. I then produced 100-percent crops of the two images – the original and saved versions – and compared them. While there was some slight change in contrast and hue (both fixable), there was little degradation of detail. I e-mailed this composite image to several magazine photo editors, and they all said the same thing – they could discern very little, if any, loss. Some couldn’t even see the changes in contrast or hue. View this image!

Some claim that RAW files are superior because they are “digital negatives.” But so are original JPG images. If you only adjust copies of it and never re-save the original, you’ll always have a digital negative to return to. And you can always save it as a TIF file for editors who insist on this huge, space-robbing file format – they’ll never know the difference! When shooting JPG images, always shoot at your camera’s highest JPG settings and, if possible, set the color space to aRGB (Adobe RGB), which gives a broader range of colors. Both Nikon and Canon include the aRGB option on their better digital SLRs.

Last but not least
There’s one last myth about JPG – that it doesn’t provide enough adjustment latitude for correction. Bunk. A JPG file will give you a full F-stop above and below proper exposure for correction purposes. Sure, if you’re shooting a concert indoors under funky lighting, by all means, shoot RAW so you can correct the white balance later. For our use, however, JPG is more forgiving than the slide film we shot for years, which essentially has zero latitude.

JPGs have advantages over other file formats. A smaller file size, JPG is better for action photography, because your camera will not have to pause to write to disk as soon. You’ll also get more shots per flash card. Finally, JPGs take less space on your hard drive, and you can fit many more on a CD or DVD for archiving – no small point for those of us who shoot thousands of images per year.

There’s a time and place for RAW and TIF. I use them both. That said, JPG’s bad rap is undeserved, and it is time we disposed of the myths surrounding it.

An OWAA member since 1985, Michael Furtman hails from Duluth, Minn. An award-winning book author, freelance writer and still photographer, he chairs OWAA's Technology Committee.

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An E-mail Filter that Works

If “You’ve Got Mail” – e-mail, that is, rings out on your computer every minute, here’s a way to control spam.

Because my office hosts and manages many Web sites and utilizes multiple e-mail addresses, our office e-mail computer receives 1,000-1,200 unwanted e-mail messages a day. But because we receive Internet purchases via e-mail, handling customers who have unknown e-mail addresses, we have been unable to take advantage of much of the spam software.

After trying a variety of “blocker” programs, where keywords are used to screen out some of the bad stuff, we found Norton Internet Security 2004 (about $40), which works wonders. The multi-task software (virus protection, spam protection, privacy protection, firewall protection) stops 99 percent of spam from reaching our inbox. It works seamlessly with MS Outlook, Outlook Express and a few other e-mail programs, and, miraculously, it even allows credible e-mails through. A tremendous timesaver, this software has paid for itself.

Bob Knopf
www.outdoormarketing.com; www.americaoutdoors.com


Back up Microsoft Outlook

Saving a backup copy of your Microsoft Outlook folders is a good thing to do once in a while, especially if your computer is a few years old!

In Outlook, go to File, then Import/Export. Choose Export to File. Export to “Personal Folder.” Check the box “Include subfolders.”

This backs up everything in Outlook, including contacts, e-mail folders and the calendar.
If you can’t find the backup file on your computer, go to Start … then Search. Search drive C for files ending in .pst. Copy the file with today’s date to a removable disk.

Kevin Rhoades


Cutting, Copying, Pasting ... and Clipboards

Most people know how to copy and paste text using the buttons on Microsoft Word’s toolbar. (Select text with your cursor, then click the button with scissors to cut, the button with two sheets of paper to copy and the button with the clipboard to paste.)

Another, faster way to execute these commands is via your keyboard: after selecting the desired text, press Ctrl + X to cut, Ctrl + C to copy and Ctrl + V to paste (pressing Ctrl + A selects all the text in a document).

Microsoft Word’s clipboard holds the last 24 items you cut or copied (Microsoft Office’s clipboard  holds 12 items). To view the clipboard, press Ctrl + C twice. If you copy a 25th item, the first item on the clipboard is replaced by the new item.

Katie McKalip

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OWAA EIC Contest Rules, Forms Online

Over $50,000 in prize money is up for grabs in the 2005 OWAA Excellence in Craft (EIC) contests! An under-utilized member service, the EIC contests allow OWAA members to 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 geared to 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. Start filling out those forms – and good luck!

Comprehensive Hunting Info

Hunting mule deer in Arizona? Black bear in Manitoba? Crows in Georgia? Finally, here’s an Internet site that puts hunting regulations – for just about anywhere – right at your fingertips. Huntingregulations.com has compiled the hunting regulations for all 50 states and the bordering countries of Mexico and Canada. Included on this site are outfitters in every area, so you can start planning your hunt right away.

Jeff Foster

Photography Web Sites that Teach

I love a good photography Web site, especially when the photographer is willing to share his or her techniques. One such Web site is Dave Black’s site. Black provides a section each month called “Workshop at the Ranch” that teaches techniques and shares information about photography. One technique Black uses is called light painting. He uses everything from spotlights to flashlights to produce stunning photos. His workshop series also covers location lighting, fill flash, equipment reviews and more. Check it out – you won't be disappointed.

Gary Smith

Water Science for Schools

How much water does it take to grow a hamburger? Students can find out the answer to that question and many more at the U.S. Geological Survey Water Science for Schools Web site. The site offers information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data and maps. At the interactive center, students can test their water knowledge by figuring how many bathtubs can be filled from a rainstorm and how many gallons of water their family uses in a day. For more information, e-mail Heather Friesen or call 703-648-4469.

Online Guide for Boat Buyers

Having problems with your newly-purchased boat? Do you think your dealer, marina or repair yard isn’t treating you right? Are you looking to buy a boat out-of-state and want to check out the dealer? Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.), the nation’s largest organization for recreational boaters, just made these tasks easier! BoatU.S. has created the only online nationwide consumer affairs agency database that gives definitive information on regional consumer affairs bureaus, as well as what assistance they may offer the boater. Included in the database are government agencies that may provide consumer affairs assistance related to boating, such as offering complaint databases or formal complaint and remediation services. Direct links to the agencies also are featured. For details, e-mail Scott Croft or call 703-461-2864. For more news on BoatU.S., visit its newsroom.

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Richard and Susan Day

Over the summer, Richard Day and Susan Day added more than 500 new photos to their Web site. Their company, Daybreak Imagery, specializes in birds (especially backyard birds), butterflies, Midwestern scenics, mammals and panoramic images. Richard’s and Susan’s images have been published in National Geographic, Sports Afield, Birders World and Audubon, to name only a few. Take a few minutes to visit their site and view some truly amazing images!

If you are interested in having your Web site reviewed or know of another OWAA member whose site deserves mention, please send us the link and tell us why your nomination should be featured in a future issue of the Tech-E-Letter.

Browse other OWAA member Web sites!

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Meet Dr. WoodKnot

John Hong, a k a Dr. P.C. WoodKnot, enjoyed an idyllic childhood in Hawaii. Whisked yonder to the college town of Boston, he became a mechanical engineer. Living to the ideal that one should never take the job for which one is trained, he discovered the freedom of software contract work and the joys of driving, fixing and writing about old Land Rovers. He fled Silicon Valley before the house of cards fell flat and is amused that his six years in Vegas makes him an old timer. If you have a question for Dr. WoodKnot, submit it via the Tech-E-Letter feedback form.

Giving Spammers the Slip

Dear Dr. WoodKnot,

It seems some dastardly person is passing my e-mail address to evil spammers. Am I the only one? What can I do? I guess I could change my e-mail address, but eventually spammers will get the new one, too, eh?

Signed,
Monogamous Mailer

Dr. WoodKnot replies:

Dear Mono Male,

You are not the only one with this problem. My first bit of advice is that you should think twice about using a permanent or main e-mail address in places like casual e-mail or “secondary” business cards.

Perhaps your Internet Service Provider (ISP) allows you to create multiple e-mail accounts or forwarding addresses. Or you can get free e-mail addresses to use until they get overwhelmed with spam – at which point you switch. This is like having both an unlisted phone number and a public one. And let's not forget about e-mail filtering services.

If you feel the need for a more professional e-mail address than “john123456@hotmail.com,” how about getting your own Internet domain name? (owaa.com and owaa.org are examples of domain names) Then you can create, delete and forward e-mail for as many e-mail addresses as your domain hosting plan allows.

This is where it gets nerdy. I actually have a domain name that I use when I think the odds are high that it will draw spam. Every time I sign up at a new Web site or for a service that wants an e-mail address, I give it a unique one. It includes the initials of the particular organization and the year – something like “johnXYZ04@domain.com.” All e-mail for domain.com goes into one e-mail account until I specify otherwise. When I start to see a lot of spam to a particular address, I can terminate that address just like I would disconnect a phone number, or I can forward it to a separate, low-priority e-mail account so it doesn’t clog up my main e-mail.

As for secondary business cards, when I go to a trade show I carry both my “real” business cards with a permanent e-mail and “secondary” ones with a “johnXYZ04@domain.com” address. I make sure to use the secondary one when registering for trade shows because some of them sell attendee address lists, and you can bet that it will be companies you have no interest in that send you the most spam. And if you want to “drop your business card in the bowl” to win a prize – voila, there you go. You can easily print your own business cards using special paper from any store with a reasonable stationery selection.

Sibylishly Yours,
Dr. P.C. WoodKnot

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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:

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

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