We are trying to provide reviews from all points of views. One of the most searched for reviews are for Web Hosting reviews. I am planning g to write one in the coming days for the web hosting service that I use. However, I would like to hear from you my readers. If you love your hosting service, hate it, or somewhere in between, the readers of this blog could benefit from your opinion.
In exchange for writing your review, we will provide a link in the review linking back to your website or blog.
To submit your review, please visit the Submission Page to submit your review.
Posted on June 26th, 2008 by Tom under Web Hosting Reviews.
I have my phone service and my DSL service through Verizon. I have been with them since I lived in New York State, over 6 years, because they are the only phone service available to me. This is an honest review of the company as a whole.
My first experience with Verizon’s customer service was shortly after I moved in my new house. Our phone went out and we contacted them to repair it. This was just the beginning of the problems we have had with them. First they said everything was fine on their part and it was in my internal wires. I checked everything and it did not work at their box. After two days of waiting for appointments that they never showed up, they finally arrived to find out the box was bad. Between all the appointments, they lied about times and never showed the 12 times they said they would be there.
I contacted them regarding DSL service for my home. They stated it would be available in six months. This was six years ago and I called every six months and was told the same thing. I received DSL in March of this year.
I was having problems with my dial-up Internet service every time it rained, I could not connect. I called them on six different occasions and told them there was a problem with the wires when it rained. They made appointments and never showed and when they did, the rain was gone so everything checked out fine. Finally after taking a day off work to wait for an appointment and they never showed, I found the email to the CEO of Verizon and contacted him. It is not public information so I had to do some research. The next morning at 7 am, on a Saturday, three trucks showed up and worked all weekend and the problem was fixed.
There has been numerous problems since than with the company. The last was a recent storm knocked out my phone for a week. I contacted them and they were so friendly that I thought I had the wrong company. I thought maybe they had changed. That was until I made an appointment for them to come out and fix the problem. I was scheduled for between 8 am and 12 noon. I called at 12 to see where they were and was told that they got stuck longer on the job right before me and they would defiantly be there by 1 pm. I called back at 4 pm and was told that they had till 5 pm and that they would be there for sure. I called at 5 pm and was told that no one was ever dispatched to my house. They arrived the next day at 12 noon after I was told I was the first customer at 8 am.
I could write forever on my problems with Verizon. My opinion is, they are the number one worse company I have ever dealt with. They have no ethics or morals and honestly is not known with in the company. When you call customer service, you may end up anywhere from India to Jamaica and they state there is no way to contact anyone locally who really knows what is going on. If you call back, the second representative has no idea that you ever called and where you called the first time.
If I had a choice, I would go with any other phone company but they are the only one available. I can sign up for a partner company but they rely on Verizon for all the maintenance and repairs. On a scale of one to ten, they would rate as a minus 5.
If you have used Verizon, please feel free to share your experience by leaving a comment.
Posted on June 23rd, 2008 by Tom under Services.
When I go to sell something, I am always interested in finding free advertising in a wide variety of places. I decided to search around and see how many sites I could find on the Internet to Post Free Local Classified Ads.
I ran across a free classified site called Stumble Here. It had a great name so I decided to check it out. One thing I found very unique on this site was the fact that there is a section to Post Your Resume Online. I have not found that on any other free ads site. It is a great way for job seekers to sell themselves to potential employers. This is also a great way for employers to find candidates that they may be interested in.
I also decided to Search Cars and Trucks to see what was available that might be cheaper on gas. I found hundreds of cars in my price range. It was a little tricky find something in my area because as of now, most ads seem to be listed as nationwide ads. I did find a few with in driving distance from home and I will be checking on a few of them later today.
This is a nice easy to navigate site. My only complaint would be that I would like to see the local ads placed first in each local area than the nationwide ads. However, this site is loaded with ads and is a great source of both selling and buying. As always, I provided some links for you to check it out. Feel free to leave a comment or two about what you think.
Posted on June 20th, 2008 by Tom under Uncategorized.
I purchased this digital camera around Christmas time. Up until that point, all my digital cameras were all HP. I always likes the ease of use with HP but this camera was on sale at Wal-Mart for such a great price, I decided to switch brands.
The Kodak Easy Share ZD710 has tons of features. Some of them I have never used. This camera offers digital image stabilization which in layman’s mean if you shake or the subject moves while taking the picture, the camera will compensate for that to give you clear pictures. Other features include 16 scenes/ 5 color modes, built in flash, digital view finder plus a 2″ screen for playback or live view, ISO up to 3200, and much more.
The camera has many features of a SLR with a much lower price. I paid $149.99 for the camera. Of course the main draw to this camera for me was the zoom lens. It has a 10X optical zoom and a 5X digital zoom and 7.1 MP. For those who know nothing about digital cameras, the optimal zoom is the real zoom that you can zoom in on a subject without affecting the quality or MP of the picture. The digital zoom also zooms in but the more digital zoom you use, the lower the quality or MP of the picture.
On top of this feature mentioned, this camera shoots clear perfect videos with ease. However, this is one of the drawbacks I found to the camera. The video is saved as .mov which is a Apple based file. In order to view the video on your computer, you have to download a special viewer. In order to send the video to other, you have to convert it which will mean purchasing additional software. You can upload directly to many video sharing sites like You Tube without any problems or additional software. The other drawback is that the software that comes with the camera is crap. I have not used it much because it not as good as my HP Image software or my Photo Shop Elements.
Besides the two drawbacks I mentioned, I love this camera. It is to date the best digital camera I have ever owned. I have tried many other cameras and the ease of use and the multiple features makes this the best digital camera under $500 that I have ever tried. I do not hesitate giving a 100% recommendation to anyone looking for an affordable digital camera that will do it all. To top it all off, I have taken about 30 videos and a countless number of pictures and I am still using the same Kodak CRV3 battery that came with the camera. I have never had another digital camera battery that lasted that long.
I think you will fall in love with picture taking by using this wonderful digital camera.
Posted on June 19th, 2008 by Tom under Products.
Entrecard.com is a site set up to exchange traffic with other bloggers. It is based off the premise of the old business card idea. If you stop by a blog that has a Entrecard widget installed, you can drop your card to show that you were there. By doing this, you review credits from Entrecard.
Using those very same widgets, people can advertise on your site and you can advertise on their site. This is done by spending your credits. You earn credits when you drop a card, someone drops a card on you, or you sell advertisements on your widget.
It is easy to sign up and the service is free. You simply create a 125×125 logo of your site. This can be done either yourself or you can use a generic one created on their site. You place a small widget on your blog in the sidebar and then start to visit blogs. The more drops you make, the more credits you have to advertise.
The cost of advertising is based on how popular the website is. Each ad runs for one day. The more ads waiting to advertise on a certain site, the more credits it cost to advertise. It is easy to search for related sites and also search by cheapest or newest.
I was a bit confused on how to use Entrecard so I did not use it much when I first signed up. I could not figure out how to approve sites to advertise on my blogs. This is quite easy. The ads are located on the right side of the dashboard when you log in. It will showing all ads waiting for approval and the ads waiting that have already been approved. It also shows the current ad running. You have the option to decline any ad you feel is not matched with your site or inappropriate.
I love the site, it is fun and a great way to see new blogs that I would otherwise never know about. I like to play around when I am bored and drop cards on several sites. The site is easy to navigate once you know what you are doing.
The downside is, I have not seen quality traffic from Entrecard. People seem to just stop by drop a card and leave. I have just recently started using the advertising and as of yet, I have not seen too many results. This may change and I will update this post if it does.
Overall, this site is fun, it does not take too much time. It is a free way to earn credits with a chance to advertise on other blogs. The quality of traffic is not well targeted because people will stop by any blog to be able to earn credits.
I would not say this is a huge source of traffic and it takes some time to earn credits. However, it is free and any traffic could have the potential to convert to a loyal reader. I say that you have nothing to lose by using their service and unlike many social exchange sites, they do not over regulate with their rules. For this reason, I say jump on board and have fun. You can see how it looks on your site by looking at the sidebar
If you use Entrecard, please feel free to share your experience and opinion by leaving a comment here.
Posted on June 18th, 2008 by Tom under Websites.
My wife and I both read the book Wicked by Gregory MaGuire. We loved the book and when we had the chance to see the Broadway play based off of the book in Rochester, New York we jumped at the opportunity. This is a review of the play.
Before the show even began, you knew it was going to have some neat effects. There was a very large dragon overhead that set the tone of anticipation in the theater. The show both began and ended with Glinda arriving on stage via a large bubble which in and of itself very cool to witness. If you are into special effects, this is a show to see and remember. I will leave the remainder of the effects to your imagination until you get to see the show for yourself.
The show itself is based upon the life of what we all know from the Wizard of Oz to be the Wicked Witch of the West. However in Wicked, you find yourself feeling pretty bad for “Elphaba” and the life she endured. No wonder she became so mean and cruel, you would too if you had lived her childhood. Yes, this show sets out to make you believe that all you have ever known about the Wicked Witch was wrong and misconstrued and by the end if you don’t believe that, you have not watched the same show that I did. The show draws you in and holds you for the entire 2 hours and 45 minutes that you are in the theater.
To say the show was spectacular is an understatement. The combination of wonderful acting and awesome effects created a show that left the audience enthralled into the plot. There was a mix of drama, fantasy, and comedy to make this one of the best plays I have ever seen.
If you are still unsure if this show is for you, the only way you will ever know is to go and see for yourself. I did not hear one person at the show have anything, but positive comments about it as well as others that have seen the show in other venues. From the music to the effects to the storyline, Wicked will change the way you think about these long loved fantasy characters. The show Wicked was truly wicked in every sense of the word.
Posted on June 17th, 2008 by Tom under Plays.
I recently signed up for Netflix because the television season has wound down and there was never anything to watch. It was highly recommended by my family so I joined.
Netflix.com offers several packages. The plans are as follows:
8 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $47.99
Unlimited rentals - up to 8 movies out at a time with unlimited time to watch instantly for a flat monthly fee of $47.99.
7 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $41.99
Unlimited rentals - up to 7 movies out at a time with unlimited time to watch instantly for a flat monthly fee of $41.99.
6 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $35.99
Unlimited rentals - up to 6 movies out at a time with unlimited time to watch instantly for a flat monthly fee of $35.99.
5 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $29.99
Unlimited rentals - up to 5 movies out at a time with unlimited time to watch instantly for a flat monthly fee of $29.99.
4 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $23.99
Unlimited rentals - up to 4 movies out at a time with unlimited time to watch instantly for a flat monthly fee of $23.99.
3 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $16.99
Unlimited rentals - up to 3 movies out at a time with unlimited time to watch instantly for a flat monthly fee of $16.99.
2 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $13.99
Unlimited rentals - up to 2 movies out at a time with unlimited time to watch instantly for a flat monthly fee of $13.99.
1 at-a-time (Unlimited) for $8.99
Unlimited rentals - up to 1 movie out at a time with unlimited time to watch instantly for a flat monthly fee of $8.99.
1 at-a-time (2 a month) for $4.99
Up to 2 rentals a month - up to 1 movie out at a time with 2 hours of time to watch instantly for a flat monthly fee of $4.99.
We choose to go with the $8.99 plan because we thought that would be the best deal for us. Since we do not watch a ton of movies, we thought that it was worth the price.
With any of the plans, you are able to set up what is called a Queue which is a list of the movies you wish to rent. As you return a movie, the next movie on your list is sent to you automatically. You are able to add and delete from your list at anytime and move the order around to which you would like first. The general turn around time from returning a movie to getting another one is about three days. I returned on Wednesday morning and had the next one on Saturday. There are no late fees so you can keep the movie for as long as you would like. However, the faster you return it, the quicker you will receive your next movie.
Netflix offers many great DVDs from new releases to older classics. The one thing I liked the best is that I can also watch many movies directly on my computer from the Internet. This is included unlimited with all packages but the $4.99 one. They do not offer any new releases directly for Internet watching. However, there are tons of good older movies, television shows, and documentaries that makes it easy to find a good movie to watch. Internet movie watching is not available if you do not have a high speed Internet connection.
I have been pleased with everything about Netflix. They deliver your money worth and more. My wife and I have watched several movies on the Internet and we have so far received a couple of DVDs of new releases. We also received our first two weeks free for a trial but we plan to stay with them at the great price. There is no shipping fees involved and Netflix provides the shipping envelopes for returning the DVD.
I have not purchased it, however, recently Netflix released a box for $100 that allows you to watch the instant movies off the Internet directly on your television. This seems like a great idea and may be something I look into in the future. However, as for now, my wife and I watch the movies off my laptop placed on the end of our bed.
I have nothing but good things to say about Netfilx. It is a great value. It is much cheaper than pay per view from your cable or satellite provider. It is also much easier and a whole lot cheaper than traveling to the local video store and there are never any worry about returning them on time. If you are looking for something to keep the family busy or just looking for something to watch, you would be very happy with Netflix.
Are you a Netflix user? Please share your opinion or your own rating by leaving a comment here.
Posted on June 16th, 2008 by Tom under Movies, Videos.
I started Ikariam.com a couple of months ago. It is a role playing type game where you build cities and try to manage them to keep all your people happy. You can also attack other cites in hope of expanding your wealth and material.
The idea is to build and keep building your cities and increase in levels. The game has wood (building material), grapes (to make wine), marble ( needed to build buildings), and crystal (to increase your learning and increase your academies).
You can own multiple cities on different Islands. Each Island has its own resource of the three above expect wood. Wood is available on all Islands. If everyone on the Island donates wood, the resources increase and you can get more for your city. Wine is served in the tavern and keeps your people happy. If you run out of wine, the people get angry and start leaving your city. The higher level you build each building, the more material you need.
This game started out as a lot of fun. It offers forums to interact with other players. You can also form alliances and make treaties with other players. You can buy and sell resources and even trade resources. As you get higher, the need for resources are so high and it takes longer and longer time to build a new level of buildings. If you are gone from the game for a few days, you become inactive. If you remain inactive, you will be deleted from the game.
I was excited when I first started this game. It was fun and entertaining. However, as I built bigger and bigger cities, the time to build and expand became longer and longer and I became bored. I recently quit playing and notified one of my allies that he could rob my city without any resistance from me.
Overall, the game is fun for the short term but if you are looking for a long term game, it gets too boring to keep playing. I would recommend looking for a game with a little more action and fun to it.
Posted on June 15th, 2008 by Tom under Online Games.
This was submitted by the owner of the website and since he provided testimony I am posting this review for him.
I am Andrew, the owner of Strike Data.
Strike Data provides a number of services for webmasters and online businesses. We provide web hosting, professional web design, and search engine optimization packages to help you improve your online existence. Here are just a few verifiable reviews our customer’s have left:
“I’m an old customer and i would really recommend this guy he is awesome the hosting is great i would give it 10/10 and the support is 10/10…….you should really register the servers are fast the owner is nice the support is great what are u waiting for?”
Amjad Y. - Larmad.net
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“I appreciate the service you have always provided very prompt, knowledgeable and thorough you can quote me on that!!”
David F. - MilwaukeeSEO.net
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“I had taken a package from them and the services have been satisfactory till now.”
Gunjan B. - SurvivingSkin.com
Posted on June 15th, 2008 by Tom under Uncategorized.
I do not own the Wii Fit but a member of my family purchased it and I was able to try it out and this is my opinion on the product.
There are many features helpful to help one lose weight and get into shape. The system takes your weight and BMI and, in a not so nice way, tells you where you are and where you need to be. The game offers cardio by jogging after a little Wii person. It offers strength training through both yoga and doing stuff like push-ups. There are also many other types of moves that are designed to improve both balance and strength.
My sister-in-law purchased it to improve her fitness and lose weight. When I visited their house, the three kids were playing with it. It seems a high price to pay for another game for the kids.
It seems like a great idea for someone who is in pretty good shape but just needs to tone up a bit. However, for people in need of a large weight loss or someone who is in really bad condition, this would not be the product I would recommend.
As with any exercise, the game Wii Fit requires dedication and the little fitness coach will remind you if you missed a few days. The system does track your progress and informs you how much you need to lose. Of course as I seen from one person online. it is quite rude if you are over the 350 pound weight limit for the balance board.
The balance board is cool and seems like a lot of fun. The kids were having fun playing with it. I inquired about purchase at Best Buy and they recommended you pay for a contract to cover the board because they are sure that it will wear out fast.
In my opinion, this is not a serious weight loss product. It will not motivate you anymore than walking or doing basic exercises on your own. At most dollar stores, you can now purchase exercise videos for $1 that will have the same motivation. It is fun and can be quite entertaining. However, if you are relying on it for exercise, as with any exercise, it will lose its appeal.
I found I can work up more sweat without trying by playing the sports games that came with my Wii. I could not see paying the $89.95 price for a another game that may or may not be used.
If you are serious about exercise, you do not need this game. Save your money and put it towards a treadmill or elliptical. The Wii Fit is just another gimmick by Nintendo to sell the Wii to a broader audience.
If you have a Wii Fit and would like to chime in on my review or write a review of you own, please feel free to leave a comment.
Posted on June 15th, 2008 by Tom under Uncategorized.
