These services, like the design services , are available to anyone.
Here’s a list of some of the things I can do, many are small jobs that no one else really wants to do.
- Set up Cron jobs (assuming your host allows them) to run shell scripts to back up your database on a schedule and gzip it. That can be done as a daily backup which writes over the prior day, for just $5 (includes testing), or a more complex script can keep several backups and roll over, for a few dollars more (depends on how number of backups and complexity). We can also one that e-mails you the backup each day (if you really want that).
How much is it worth it to you to not lose all your data? Do you really want to go into your CPanel daily and download an SQL backup? Like me, before I set it up for myself, you probably only do that when you were about to upgrade (if then). - I can also set up Cron jobs for other things. Some of the PHP blog software uses Cron jobs to do things PHP isn’t allowed to do. I’ll happily set them up for just a few dollars each!
- Have you got bad spiders/robots eating up your bandwidth? I will do a robots.txt to tell the good robots what you don’t want them caching (your images or cgi-bin, for instance). Then I can install you a simple bot trap that bans bots who follow banned robots.txt links from your site, along with an .htaccess file that bans already known ‘bad bots’. Just $10.
I can also install a slightly more aggressive ‘bot trap’ to catch bots that ignore robots.txt altogether. That one includes the simple bot trap, and is an extra $5.
I’ll warn you; though, once you ban some bad bots, your page hits may look a bit less flattering. I was appalled a couple of years ago at how many of my readers were e-mail-harvesting bots rather than humans. - I’ll install software for you (if it’s legal). Have some script you can’t quite get working? Let me tear my hair out while you relax. All you’ll have to do is wait for my notice that “It works now!” Price on these depends on complexity, but it isn’t much!
- Got some javascript (or Perl or PHP script) that does almost what you want? I’ll take a look, and won’t charge you a penny unless I can tweak it to do what you want — or stop it from doing what you don’t want.
- Been getting spammed and want someone to check all your old comments and delete spams you might have missed? I’ll even do that boring job for you. Make an offer.
- I can set up SSI or PHP (or even ASP )includes for static pages — very handy if you have static pages and start to run out of disk space. They can be used for banners, footers, sidebars, and other things that you may want on every page, but not want to go edit in every template whenever you change things. This service may require a host that allows you to use htaccess to tell the server to parse html (as PHP or SSI or file) or renaming of files and an htaccess redirect to get old links to work.
- Have a corrupt Berkely database? I’m becoming an expert on Berkeley database fixes (even to the point of editing them by hand). Having a problem moving because you can’t get your mySQL database moved? Inserts timing out? I’ll do the boring work of splitting it up and putting it in in chunks your server can take. This one will cost some money. It’s a time consuming job.
- Want to move your blog without the hassle of doing it all yourself? I can do that too! Just answer a few questions, and sit back and relax. Price depends on the size of the site and size of any databases (see above comment on SQL timeouts)
- Please check out my design services too! I don’t do only full site designs. I do tweaks, adjustments and other ‘little touches’ that aren’t enough for many designers to bother with. As well, I’m experienced in translating templates from one software to another (geocities excepted…). I’ll set up alternate skins, and/or alternate templates (such as for PDA browsers or printers). Anything from adding a border on up to a complete site design! No job is too small!
- Oh, and if you need tutoring on something I know about, I can get on chat and walk you through it. I don’t know everything but I know quite a bit about computers (UNIX and Windows; you Mac people are on yer own…).
- If there’s something I haven’t mentioned here, ask! Make an offer. If I can do it, we can deal!
- Oh… and I also have a lot of old books, most of them SF. So if you are looking to fill in an old series or get that one book you can’t find by a favorite author, ask me. I might have it. (Warning, all my books are in well-read condition. I won’t sell them if they are really badly damaged, though.)
