script – Internetblog.org.uk

Mailing List Etiquette for Site Owners

Tue, 18 May 2010 15:49:18 +0000

Most users are familiar with email, texting, and even Twitter etiquette. Some might even refer to it as Netiquette, but there should also be a code of ethics for the owners of mailing lists. If you have ever done any shopping online, you will inevitably receive promotional emails from the places where you have shopped. Even large sites like Amazon.com do this, but there are certain guidelines you should follow.

1. If you are going to automatically add users after a sale transaction, make it clear on the order form, and give customers the option to opt out.

2. Provide an opt-out link at the bottom of each email.

3. Send as few message as possible. Once a month is reasonable. Once a week may be overkill. Once a day will land you in spam folders.

4. Make sure your opt out script actually works. I cannot tell you how many times I have unsubscribed from some lists only to be added again.

5. Just because someone is involved in an organization does not give you the right to add them. As someone who works in publishing, I have been added to numerous lists, because they assume I am interested in what they have to say.

Finally, always make sure your message are relevant. People who actually do sign up for your gardening mailing list do not want messages about iPhones. Stay on topic and be respectful.

Linux server backup to Amazon S3

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:28:31 +0000

Amazon S3 is a storage service provided by Amazon.com. It is part of Amazon’s cloud computing offering, and it used by all sorts of individuals and businesses. Although anyone with a Linux server can theoretically backup their server manually to S3 storage, it helps to have a tool to do it for you.

S3cmd is a command-line S3 client for Linux. It can be used with cron to create automated backups of your data.

“S3cmd is a command line tool for uploading, retrieving and managing data in Amazon S3. It is best suited for power users who don’t fear command line. It is also ideal for scripts, automated backups triggered from cron, etc.”

S3cmd is available for download from the project’s website in both source code packages and binaries for major Linux distributions. It is free and open source software released under the GNU General Public License.

Source: S3cmd

Speed up Google Analytics on your server

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:40:48 +0000

The Problem: You have a frequently visited website and use Google Analytics to gather important statistical information about your users. Unfortunately, every time a user accesses your main page, it takes longer load whenever they have to download the urchin.js file that Google’s server sends.

The essentially technical problem is that the user not only has to connect to your server to download your content but also has to contact Google’s server to download urchin.js. This takes more time and increases your page load time.

The Solution:Host urchin.js locally on your server. That way, the user never has to connect to Google’s server for anything. The only issue to resolve is what to do when Google updates their urchin.js. Fortunately, a thoughtful user has created a script, complete with instructions, that will periodically get the new urchin.js file from Google. Now you will have a faster site and still know whether or not people are actually visiting it.

Photo: Flickr

Secure your server and save space with a little spring cleaning

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:09:55 +0000

Winter is quickly approaching, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do some spring cleaning on your shared hosting account or dedicated server. After just a few months of use, your main directory can be full of all sorts of garbage needlessly taking up space, including:

Unused CMS or script installs
Duplicate or unused files, including pictures and videos
Ancient backups you forgot even existed.

Of the three things listed above, CMS platforms for scripts you installed some time ago but never touched again pose a major security risk. This is because they are often outdated and thus easy for hackers to target. Even worse, the CMS or script may have never been fully configured. Anyone who visits the right page could be able to continue the installation process.

I also find cleaning out my server files makes it easier for me to find the stuff I want later on. Not only that, but it goes a long ways towards conserving disk space.

Photo | Flickr

Linux File Compression

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:50:59 +0000

Question: I downloaded a script that I want to install on my website, but the file extension is tar.gz. What is it, and what do I do with it?

Answer: That file extension, .tar.gz means that the file has been doubly compressed with both TAR and GZIP. These are both common Unix and Linux programs that have better compression ratios than the typical Windows ZIP files. All you need to uncompress the file is the right software.

If you are running a dedicated server, just upload the file and then run the following command:

tar -zxvf filename.tar.gz

This will extract the file’s contents and preserve any directories inside.

If you are using a shared hosting account and do not have SSH access, you will need to extract the files onto your local computer and then upload them. For Windows, you can download a free and open source application called 7-Zip, which handles tar, zip, gzip, rar, and a host of others. For Mac OS X, try GUI Tar, which is also free of charge.

How to Setup PHPInfo on Your Website

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:22:40 +0000

When it works perfectly, PHP is the best thing since sliced bread. When something goes wrong, however, PHP can be real pain. Many of PHP’s settings may not be apparent to you, especially if you only have a shared hosting account and did not install and configure it. PHPInfo is an actual function built into PHP that displays a comprehensive list of PHP features and settings on your server. Here is how you can quickly setup and execute it.

1. Start your favorite text editor. Notepad is sufficient if you are using Windows.
2. Enter the following code into the text file:

< ?php phpinfo (); ?>

3. Save the file as phpinfo.php.
4. Upload the file to your server in the directory of your choice.
5. Open your browser and point it to the address where you uploaded the file.

That is it. You now have a quick and simple script that will always give you information about the PHP installation on your server.