webgyrl

Mitch! Hi! Yah I know it's been ages. I was so busy finishing my Christmas CD. I was gonna post something about it in the Main Forum. I'm trying to get this newsletter off and get all the press releases done. It's nutz! I'll try port 26 and let you know what happens. Thanks, Nat

Hi! I switched to a new ISP a short time ago and lo and behold they won't let me send out my eNewsletter to my fans as the error message I get states that the number of people in my email exceeds their allowed amount and that this is to safeguard people from sending spam, etc. SIGH The way I do my newsletter is via Outlook Distribution Groups which are alphabetized and grouped. eg: #-c is one group, d-e is another etc. There are about 2200 subscribers to my eNewsletter and the groups are all broken down into manageable chunks. The message is in Plain Text format, so it's not a big file. To bypass using my ISP (Juno) I decided to try to set up the email through my domain name identitymusicgroup.com. I've set up an email account enewsletter@identitymusicgroup.com in Outlook and also in c-Panel. I used these settings: POP3 mail.identitymusicgroup.com SMTP mail.identitymusicgroup.com Account Name: enewsletter@identitymusicgroup.com Password: the password I set up in C-Panel for this particular email account Server Port Numbers are set as follows: SMTP 25 POP 110 This is the error I get when trying to send email using Outlook through the Domain: The TCP/IP Connection was unexpectedly terminated by the server (Account: Identity Music Group, Inc. | Natalie Brown eNewsletter, SMTP server mail.identitymusicgroup.com, Error Number 0x8000ccc0f) Can anyone shed some light on how to get this working correctly? Thanks, Natalie

Thanks Turtle The pages are simple for now. When I have more time, I'll make them less boring! LOL See ya

OK cool. I just uploaded both SHTML and HTML versions of all the error pages. I figured I just customize them all. I'll go now and take down the HTML versions if they are redundant. Thanks a million Turtle... didn't mean to make you do so much handholding today. I appreciate the help. I really must get some sleep!! All I hear are dayum Christmas chimes and sleighbells in my head! LOL Nat

Oh OK. I am using Dreamweaver FTP so perhaps it doesn't show hidden files. I'll have to see if I can change that. Do I upload all the error pages as both HTML and SHTML files or just SHTML and the 404 as HTML and SHTML. I'm doing custom pages for 400, 401, 403, 404 and 500 Errors. Thanks again Nat

Turtle, Just working on the new pages. Do I have to put the code into the cPanel Custom Error Pages code box or can I just upload the pages to the root directory? I noticed some people made 'error' folders and put the error pages in there. Is that better? Also, for the life of me I can't find my htaccess file. I checked at the vti folders etc, but it's not there. Where can I find it. Sorry for all the silly questions... I'm working on very little sleep these days trying to wrap this Christmas album in time. There are not enough hours in the day! Thanks, Nat

Turtle, I was just reading that info. I went to cPanel and I did change from the default page, but it's kinda simple. Gonna finish reading the thread you left. Thanks, Nat

Jim, Thanks a million for that info. From what I read, is it safe to assume that if I don't want to dissallow a robot from indexing or visiting any of the pages on my site I just open WordPad, create a blank robots.txt file and upload it to the root directory? Are these the same bots that harvest all the email addresses on my site and send me spam? If I want to dissallow a bot from doing that type of harvesting would I dissallow access to the contact.htm page? I'm a bit fearful of messing with my htaccess file. Is there a way to create those error pages in cPanel? If there are more detailed instructions on how to make those changes in htaccess, is there a link? I am assuming I'd create those html/shtml pages and upload them to the root directory and then make a note of that in the htaccess file? Is that correct? Thanks again. Nat

Turtle, Thanks for clearing that up. Should the robot.txt file contain anything specific? As for the shtml file, do I just make a regular 404 error file with the shtml extension and put it in the root folder. I don't recall ever having one, unless there was one with my last host that was a default file on the server side. Thanks again. Nat

Hey guys- Any idea what these files would be? File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/robots.txt File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml I'm not sure what they are and where, if anywhere, they should be. Thanks, Nat

Well, 24 hours later I got the auto-responders. Maybe it was my ISP or something. What's strange is that I got the test to the email I get the newsletter subscriptions sent to right away, just the autoresponders took 24 hours to process and get to the email addies I used to test. Well, at least I know it works. I'll be sure to check that new version ASAP. About those page errors... I think they must be from someone trying to access those particular pages via bookmarks. I used to have my site as a sub site of another domain and now I have my own stuff seperate. I'm gonna go thru the errors tonight tho and see what I can fix. Thanks for the help. Nat

This is what I get: [Tue Oct 14 19:20:20 2003] [error] [client 68.45.177.165] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 19:20:20 2003] [error] [client 68.45.177.165] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/ezboard_files/deletetopic.gif [Tue Oct 14 19:08:10 2003] [error] [client 67.201.162.95] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 19:08:10 2003] [error] [client 67.201.162.95] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/ezboard_files/deletetopic.gif [Tue Oct 14 18:51:25 2003] [error] [client 68.71.172.159] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 18:51:25 2003] [error] [client 68.71.172.159] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/nataliebrown/music.htm [Tue Oct 14 18:34:47 2003] [error] [client 67.201.162.95] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 18:34:47 2003] [error] [client 67.201.162.95] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/ezboard_files/deletetopic.gif [Tue Oct 14 18:28:31 2003] [error] [client 67.201.162.95] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 18:28:31 2003] [error] [client 67.201.162.95] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/ezboard_files/deletetopic.gif [Tue Oct 14 18:20:15 2003] [error] [client 148.100.208.93] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 18:20:15 2003] [error] [client 148.100.208.93] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/ezboard_files/deletetopic.gif [Tue Oct 14 18:04:24 2003] [error] [client 216.175.123.140] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 18:04:24 2003] [error] [client 216.175.123.140] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/natalie_brown/Audio/Natalie_Brown_Confused.mp3 [Tue Oct 14 17:59:04 2003] [error] [client 82.38.80.74] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 17:59:04 2003] [error] [client 82.38.80.74] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/ezboard_files/deletetopic.gif [Tue Oct 14 17:42:26 2003] [error] [client 131.107.137.166] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 17:42:26 2003] [error] [client 131.107.137.166] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/robots.txt [Tue Oct 14 17:29:21 2003] [error] [client 62.3.233.164] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 17:29:21 2003] [error] [client 62.3.233.164] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/ezboard_files/deletetopic.gif [Tue Oct 14 17:05:17 2003] [error] [client 128.163.95.66] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 17:05:17 2003] [error] [client 128.163.95.66] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/ezboard_files/deletetopic.gif [Tue Oct 14 17:05:17 2003] [error] [client 128.163.95.66] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 17:05:17 2003] [error] [client 128.163.95.66] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/nataliebrown/artist_spotlight/noteables.gif [Tue Oct 14 17:03:42 2003] [error] [client 128.163.95.66] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 17:03:42 2003] [error] [client 128.163.95.66] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/ezboard_files/deletetopic.gif [Tue Oct 14 17:03:42 2003] [error] [client 128.163.95.66] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 17:03:42 2003] [error] [client 128.163.95.66] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/nataliebrown/artist_spotlight/noteables.gif [Tue Oct 14 16:33:02 2003] [error] [client 216.39.50.158] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 16:33:02 2003] [error] [client 216.39.50.158] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/robots.txt [Tue Oct 14 16:30:34 2003] [error] [client 131.107.137.166] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 16:30:34 2003] [error] [client 131.107.137.166] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/robots.txt [Tue Oct 14 16:24:40 2003] [error] [client 68.19.209.171] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/404.shtml [Tue Oct 14 16:24:40 2003] [error] [client 68.19.209.171] File does not exist: /home/natalie/public_html/audio/realaudio/ysgtm_ra_clip.rm I have also been wondering why none of my Real Audio clips are streaming. This is a mystery to me. Thanks, Nat

Jim, Sorry for sounding blondeish... but where would I find the error log? Thanks, Nat

That's awesome Bill. Congrats! Nat

Hey gang! Oh Help... this was working, and now, for some reason it's not auto-responding anymore. Can someone check this code and see what's missing? For some reason the auto-respond is not working for my mailing list form. this is the Config.php Code: <?php $allowed_email_recipients_array = array('natalie-brown.com','www.natalie-brown.com', 'subscribe@natalie-brown.com'); $referers = array('64.246.62.111', 'natalie-brown.com','www.natalie-brown.com'); //64.246.62.111 is IP for TCH... helps new sites work //Should not be required after propogation //But doesn't hurt $recipient = "subscribe@natalie-brown.com"; $subject = "Natalie Brown eNewsletter Subscription";//Optional, feel free to remove //redirect determines the page where visitors go //after submitting form //feel free to change to thanks.htm or whatever you want //but file must exist //Or leave it as is... blank $redirect = "http://www.natalie-brown.com/enewsletter_thanks.htm";'>http://www.natalie-brown.com/enewsletter_thanks.htm"; //$redirect = "http://www.natalie-brown.com/enewsletter_thanks.htm"; // banned emails, these will be email addresses of people // who are blocked from using the script (requested) $banlist = array ('*@somedomain.com', 'user@domain.com', 'etc@domains.com'); $header_file = "";// leave blank if you don't have a header file //$header_file = "/folder/header.php"; $footer_file = "";// leave blank if you don't have a footer file //$footer_file = "/folder/footer.php"; $css_file = "";//leave blank if you don't have a css file //$css_file = "file.css"; $banned_ext="php|phtml|cgi|pl|asp|jsp|c|cfm|shtml|exe|bat|com|"; $max_size=500;//Max size of file in Kilobytes $missing_fields_redirect = "";//optional error page for missing fields. Leave blank if unsure $env_report = 0;//Send environment variables 1=on 0=off $autoresponder = 1;//1=Send message back to visitor, 0=Do not send an autoresponse //$auto_from = "subscribe@natalie-brown.com"; $auto_subject = "Thank you for subscribing to the Natalie Brown eNewsletter"; $auto_content = "Your request to subscribe to the Natalie Brown eNewsletter has been received.\r\n"; $auto_content .= "\r\n";//Line break $auto_content .= "\r\n"; $auto_content .= "Thanks for your interest in Natalie! Feel free to join in with other Natalie Brown fans on the message board for discussion of Natalie's music, Music Business related topics and General chat. You can access the board by visiting: http://pub39.ezboard.com/bnataliebrownfanclubboard or you can join the Natalie Brown Yahoo Group by visiting this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nataliebrownfanclub Natalie posts updates in both forums, so you can get the latest there. Natalie really appreciates your support. YOU make all the difference in getting the word out about Natalie and her music. It would be great if you could pass the word along to your friends about Natalie. In the month of November, we will be sending all Natalie eNewsletter subscribers a link to a special site where you will be able to download Natalie's Christmas Album, 'A Cool Christmas' free of charge. Thanks again for your support of Natalie's music!"; ?>

Thanks for the heads up Bill. AwStats is indeed the best I've come across for accurate and detailed stats Nat

Thanks Turtle! I am really trying to learn a lot about web and graphic design. It's a lot of fun Just gonna start getting into Using Adobe Photoshop and GoLive for web layouts. Can't wait to see what I can come up with Thanks again everyone for such positive words Nat

Thanks for the heads up Mike, apparently there is also a similar typoe scam going on with Paypal. None of these consumer sites ever send out emails asking for your personal info in that manner, so if you get anything from anybody asking to verify personal info, it's usually a scam tactic. More info on PayPal Scams More info on eBay Personal Info Scams Also there is a "Microsoft Patch" email that is going around that is actually a means of spreading a virus. There was an article about it on Yahoo last night. You can check it out: Worm Comes Disguised As Windows Warning I tell ya, these people will try by any means to mess around with unsuspecting computer users. Shame on em! Have a great weekend everyone, Nat

Just wanted to thank Mitch and the TCH staff very much for the MySite Feature. I normally do a lot of Music Zine and Industry related interviews, so this one was a breath of fresh air as it came from a different perspective. I really enjoyed the interview questions and it was great fun to prepare. I'm very flattered by the support and kind words from all of you here and I sincerely hope that I can bring more musicians into the TCH Family fold. Having an online presence for an artist is very important and TCH makes it fast, fun and simple to do. Thanks a million everyone Nat

Hey gang... Links Removed. This is not a classified board. Hope everyone is groovy! Take care, Nat

dsdemmin, Thanks for such a comprehensive look at things! From looking at webstats, most people type in "natalie" or "natalie brown" to find me... but I am seriously going to study things over the next few months and I will most definitly be re-doing the keywords in the meta tags for the Christmas revision. I'm thinking that 'R&B vocalist' might be the main one with other terms like s'ongwriter', 'singer', 'music' etc in the keyword section. How would you go about determining what phrases would be most important? There are so many phrases or words that people could type in to find an artist, and it's hard to know what is most important to include. But I do agree with you that revision and analysis is in order! Good point. I'll revise that. Ha Ha! I know, I know... we went keyword crazy and I haven't revised the list in a long while. My bad! Is it better to keep these shorter? I had put in this description what people woudl find at the site as I know this is generally the text that shows up underneath the Yahoo, Google etc listing first and lets people know what to expect at the site. I've seen you say this to other people, as have I heard the same comment from other web designers. I am curious as to what the disadvantage is to using frames in a design. Does using frames make the site inaccessable to certain visitors? I'd be interested in why some don't like frames. The new design I am working on for my next release and website re-do has no frames. I could revise this current design and put the navigation bar on each page. I just figured it makes things cleaner and less stuff to change should edits be made to the nav bar by using a frames based design. I'm all ears on this topic. Yup! Ok, I'll keep that in mind and re-work some things. How does having too many external links on the home page create "bleed"? Does that mean I am giving rank to the sites that are listed on my homepage when they might not otherwise attain that rank? I'm a bit unclear on how all that works. It's a done deal! Thanks!!! I really appreciate all the feedback. I want to make my site the best it can be within my means! I'm willing to learn and very open to opinions on how to make things cleaner, better and more efficient! You rawk! Nat

Just had to make it known that it was my naivety in setting up Email via cPanel that caused my email issues. I had thought that oyu had to set up the main accounts first then add forwarders, which is not the case. I was recieveing duplicates of all emails on the domian as I had set up webmail accounts when I didn't really need them. My bad! Hi-5 to Andy B. for helpin a sista out! Nat

Andy the great helped a blonde figure it all out! Many thanks Andy! Nat

How does that work? If I delete username@**** in the main "manage Accounts" portion of the Email panel, doesn't that eliminate me from getting mail at that domain address even if I have a forward from username@domain.com to username@hotmail.com? Sorry, I'm a bit confused... either that or my blonde roots are just deper than I thought, or I;m too tired to think straight! LOL I thought the first domain email had to be in place first for a forward to work. Not sure where to do this in Outlook or Hotmail. I'm gonna send you a PM with a linkt o a webpage I set up to show you how I set up both the email accounts on TCH and also my Outlook Client. Maybe a visual will help. I thought it was set up to do that on the accounts I access using Outlook. I can see where it says to keep messages on the server, but not necessarily a direct box to check that tells the client to ensure all email is cleared of whatever server it used to access that email account. Look for that PM in a few seconds. Sorry for the trouble, I'm sure it's something super silly that I've overlooked. Nat

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