Manage Your Content!

website: www.wildricesolutions.com
phone: 281.870.8380

We are very excited to announce that we have completed the core engine that drives what will become our advanced content management solution (CMS), currently named "Wildrice CMS". Wildrice Solutions and Squidz Ink Design (SID) are now in the process of completing the beginnings of a very robust CMS that will change how people manage their website content online.

Over the years, we've had a simple vision ... create a CMS that enables non-technical users the ability to create their website from the ground up using a secure online interface to manage their website content. We have implemented several kinds of online applications to manage website content, but always with certain conditions and limitations to the end-users.

Often times, when we embark on creating an online CMS application for our clients, it entails allowing management of certain content items, or limiting the number of web pages. We've even created menu management for some clients to enable them with creating for themselves an unlimited set of web pages. The most consistent complaints have been:

• the inability to fully manage page structure and layout
• the inability to manage multiple content areas of the same web page
• the lack of an easy-to-use interface to make the above two points a pleasant experience

Not any more ... complete website management has arrived!

Here's the nutshell process behind our CMS:

1. create a template (or we can create the template for you within the CMS)
2. create a page, to which you can easily apply a template
3. create your content from within the page manager, and watch your web page come to life

It really is as easy as that! We feel that the best part about this CMS is that you are not limited to having to select a template from a list of 20. The custom template can be created from the imagination of the web designer, and implemented directly into this system. Custom professional websites completely managed online in a direct and easy way ... that's how we think it should be done!

Here is a list of just some of the features that will be integrated into the Wildrice CMS:

• custom template management
• WYSIWYG editing of templates and content
• asset management (for media and flash files, documents, images, etc.)
• page management (with multiple content placement)
• menu management (to enable dynamic fly-out menus)
• user management, including permission to sections of the CMS control panel
• my account management
• readily available online help (PDF document for download or online at the Widlrice CMS website ... video tutorial for many features, to see them in action)
• other Xtras (additional feature modules or add-ons), such as RSS management, Profile management, News/Events management, and more

We plan to make great strides in 2008 to evolve this CMS into a web utility that easily helps the end-user to built out, manage and maintain their website whenever they want, wherever they want. We also plan to continually make available Xtras to further enhance the feature set. The objective has been, and will continue to be, to make content management as robust and as easy as possible for the end-user.

Wildrice CMS ... changing the way people manage the web!

Computer Guy or Web Guy?

website: www.wildricesolutions.com
phone: 281.870.8380

From an early age, I have been involved in some way with computers. So much so that I am often labeled a "computer guy". It's an interesting label that I most definitely take as a complement, but it's an incorrect label when talking about my profession. While I pride myself on learning what I can about using the computer as a tool to do my job, I'm not really a computer guy by trade ... I'm actually a "web guy".

So, what's the difference?

A "computer guy" is a general term used to describe people who work with, fix, troubleshoot, command, put together, program, and/or support computers. Typically, this computer guy has the innate ability to deal with issues that sometimes plague computer hardware and/or software. The computer guy is also usually the first person people in business call when they simply don't know what to do next when their computers don't behave as expected (or when they delete that report right before the Monday morning meeting with the VP of Sales, and blame it on faulty hardware, or worse, the computer guy), and the last to be remembered when it comes to the success of a business. A resourceful encyclopedia of computer knowledge, the computer guy is usually under-appreciated and treated as a second-class employee in many organizations.

A "web guy", sometimes referred to as "web geek" or "web developer", is a term used to describe people who develop websites. The web guy understands how the web works, and creates websites for people/companies to enhance their presence online, and/or offer products, services, and/or information to the largest possible targeted audience. Again, I am by trade a web guy, not a computer guy! If you need to have a website designed, the ability to manage your website's content, an e-commerce site, or some other online web application developed, then I'm your "guy" ... your "web guy"!

I shy away from the "computer guy" title, not because I'm ashamed of it ... on the contrary, I'm often quite impressed with computer guys and their ability to resolve issues. In fact, I do not possess the tolerance and patience that a computer guy must have in order to carry out the daily battles and wars that come with such a position. The computer is a cruel and unforgiving creature, and only the brave and strong can control and tame this wily beast.

Interestingly, in my experience, computer guys are usually willing to help, as they love to solve problems, sometimes to their own detriment (i.e., loss of sleep, food, sanity). It's generally a good idea to make friends with computer guys, as these folks really do have quite a bit of control over information ... those who control information, control the world; don't forget that.

So, treat your computer guy right, and take him to lunch every now and then, and you'll be amazed at the level of responsiveness to your computer issues. At the end of the day, when I have odd issues that I'm simply uncertain about how to solve, I still rely on the computer guys that handle my computer needs ... it makes my work as a web guy much easier, and my business wouldn't be successful without them!

Upgrading Vista

website: www.wildricesolutions.com
phone: 281.870.8380

I purchased a new notebook from Dell (XPS M1330) a couple weeks ago, and it arrived about a week ago (the reviews had said several weeks for delivery and so did Dell in fact, so I was pleasantly surprised that it arrived so quickly). It's a nice looking system and I had it put together with all the trimmings, except for the OS. I already have a copy of Microsoft Windows Vista, Business Edition Upgrade (in the Microsoft Action Pack for my business), so I purchased the system to come with Home Premium so as not to spend any additional coin, believing that I could easily upgrade to a version of Vista that would give me the networking and business stuff I need. It arrived looking sharp and behaving beautifully ... until today, that was the last of the sharp and beautiful for a while!

I commenced with the upgrade to Business Ed., and managed to get all the way through to the end for a final reboot. HELLO, BLUE SCREEN! Welcome ... didn't expect to see you so soon. Got a BSOD, then auto-reboot to the Safe Mode screen. Selecting any menu item simply yielded another BSOD and Safe Mode screen ... ad nauseum. Finally, I wiped the hard drive and started over, successfully reloading Home Premium with no issues from the Dell disc.

So, I got online, only to find that many people are having issues with this kind of upgrade ... surprisingly, I could not find resolution to the issue. There were some folks that said the upgrade worked with no issues, but I'll treat those as Bigfoot or Nessie sitings ... until I see it, there's just not enough compelling evidence to support it! I finally realized that I would have to purchase the Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU, which is an online download for a tiny file that licenses the upgrade to the version of Vista you decide to purchase) to make this work, along with the disc that apparently contains all Vista versions; $159 for a licensed upgrade from Home Premium to Ultimate, and $4.99 for the disc.

One week and $164 later, the disc arrives ... mind you, I had not used my new toy all week and was excited to get everything upgraded, installed, set up and configured so I could get on with using this notebook. I quickly commenced with the upgrade and did the WAU with no problems. I had no issues getting through the upgrade installation, and made it to the final reboot ... and then ... you guessed it ... BSOD! So, now I'm not happy, and contemplating contacting Dell to get the Ultimate version sent to me and just pay for the full license (if they wouldn't swap Home Premium for it and let me pay the difference).

Then I stumbled across this fantastic blog entry that talks about a gentleman that had the same issues, but with a Dell XPS M1710 ... EUREKA! The Dell disc, not labeled in any way whatsoever, actually contains all version of Vista. Reloaded everything once again and successfully upgraded to Ultimate, from which I am happily posting this entry right now.

So, boys and girls, to sum up:

• bought a new Dell notebook, built to run Vista
• having an issue upgrading from one Vista version to another between two discs ... lots o' blue screens
• Dell Vista disc appears to behave like a WAU disc ... you still need to purchase a license for the upgrade

It is my hope that this helps any and all who have trouble with Vista upgrades. So far, I will say that while Microsoft OS's always yield quirky issues in the beginning, I'm using the system in full capacity for my primary system in business and at home, and I'm loving it. Vista is like XP on graphic steroids ... I haven't found it necessarily better than XP from a usability standpoint for the most part, but there are a few things that make using the computer more efficient. Graphically, it's just amazing (if you have the right hardware, of course ... beef up the video and the memory, and you should have no problems running the OS in all its glory).

New look, new websites!

website: www.wildricesolutions.com
phone: 281.870.8380

Well, we finally got it together and created the new site. The great news is that it not only comes complete with a new look and feel, but a new logo. The best news is that it is completely powered by the new basic version of our Wildrice CMS (site is coming soon).

We're very excited about the new site, as it represents our best site yet (if we do say so ourselves). This site is more playful and we most certainly had a fun time putting it together. We have integrated the new look and feel into the Wildrice Hosting website, and plan to update the other sites, as we can find the time to get them done.

When you're ready to have a look, please stop by and explore our new site, and enjoy!

Content Management in 2007

website: www.wildricesolutions.com
phone: 281.870.8380

A content management system, or CMS, comes in many flavors, and is available in a variety of technologies. For the purposes of this posting (and for that matter, this blog), I will be referring to a CMS as an online tool to manage the content, in the form of copy (text) and images (graphics). There are a variety of features in any online CMS that enable users to handle such management, but that's the general definition here.

As a web development company, Wildrice Solutions offers many services and solutions for our clients. In particular, we specialize in providing custom online CMS applications, and we've been doing this for years. Big deal, you might say?!? Indeed it is, as we're getting solutions in place cheaper and faster, while enhancing and making more friendly the interface for our clients!

While the ideas that drive a web application like a CMS stay relatively consistent, the technology almost certainly changes. As any web development company must do with new technology, we set out in 2006 to begin researching the next iteration of Microsoft's latest development technology (ASP.NET 2.0) with the hope that it would lower overall development costs, so that we may bring those savings to our clients. And, I'm happy to report that we are seeing the results and benefits.

We are in the process of completing a couple client CMS projects that utilize the latest Microsoft technologies, and have several more CMS projects currently in the planning stages. From these projects, both past and present, we are able to find the patterns and commonalities that exist among them all, and we're moving toward a standard solution to be able to offer our clients at a much reduced rate.

The idea will be to offer simple solutions that allow you to manage your website's content without the need for that phone call to the "web guy"; you simply manage your content when you want, wherever you want!

We will soon be posting our CMS solution offerings, but if you have any questions in the mean time, please don't hesitate to call or contact us today.

Aptek Computers moves web clients to Wildrice Solutions

website: www.wildricesolutions.com
phone: 281.870.8380

One of the service offerings that we intend to grow in 2007 is the web maintenance side of things. When a client has a need for modifications to their website, but doesn't necessarily have the knowledge to do them. It's an ideal, and affordable, way for small- and mid-sized business to manage their website without the need for a fulltime web master.

Well, as fate would have it, Aptek computer services (http://www.aptekcomputers.com) approached us about two weeks ago with an appealing offer. Aptek computer services is letting go of their website division, but not without the right fit for their clients. I'm happy to report that we reached an agreement and finalized negotiations Thursday, March 02, 2007. In fact, the first round of clients began discussions with us Friday, March 03, and we're already moving their web needs forward.

Aptek computer services wants to ensure a smooth transition for their clients, and Wildrice Solutions was the first on their list of partners to seek out. One of the concerns for any client faced with having to move to a new vendor is finding the level of comfort they once had with their last vendor. We most certainly understand this concern, and do our best to make the transition as easy as possible, and the way we handle this is by open and honest communication, as well as flexibility with the client's web service needs.

Wildrice Solutions partners with several small businesses, including web & graphic design companies, networking companies, and web development companies as well. We believe in the internet and website development. We also happen to believe that there are plenty of companies in need of website work, and so we are always interested in growing our parnter relations in a variety of industries.

If you are interested in talking about building a lasting partnership with Wildrice Solutions and/or you're interested in talking about how we can provide quality web services for you, please don't hesitate to contact us today!

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Aptek computer services has provided computer solutions to small and mid size businesses in the greater Houston area since 1996.

Welcome!

website: www.wildricesolutions.com
phone: 281.870.8380

Welcome to the blog for Wildrice Solutions. Here, we plan to talk about the new developments and directions for our company, and encourage you to visit our website to get additional information about what we do and the services we provide. Of course, we love discussing what we can do for you, so don't hesitate to call us today.

Just getting started with the blog, so check back for additional content later!