Category Off-topic

How to migrate from Blogger to WordPress

February 21, 2013 Articles and Opinions, Off-topic, Uncategorized

Migrating content, particularly in this day of search engines and old links, can be tricky if you don't want to lose a lot of ground. However, I found the new Google interface difficult to use and awkward, which is why I started the new blog in the first place, and trying to handle comments was difficult. Ideally I wanted to get all my content in one place without breaking any third party links and losing visitors. Making any links to posts redirect to the new posts without having to manually recode them, or add the annoying "This blog has moved page" was the main target - and if I could get the search engines to redirect that would be even better.

It turns out there is actually a way to do this.

The process I used was based on this article from Digital Inspirations with a few

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Indie Firsts – A new Indie Magazine

November 30, 2011 Off-topic

With the sudden popularity of ebooks, it can be hard to find one you want to read, given huge variation in quality, subject and e-reader formats. Indie Firsts is a e-magazine. Downloadable in a range of formats it offers selection of first chapters from small press and self-published books, designed to allow readers to find new authors they want to read. It also has a few opinion pieces or short stories, depending on the magazine's theme. Indie Firsts was created by Bards and Sages Publishing, under their Positive Publishing Perspectives Imprint. It is planned to be a monthly magazine, with each issue focusing on a different theme, but all offering a wide range of quality fiction.The first issue is now available from sites including Amazon, Smashwords and

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New websites & Riot Relief

August 19, 2011 Off-topic

A small marketing update. Rather than the basic website (a Google site) that is currently up, a set of new sites under the VHFolland.com URL are being put up.
The first two are now live:
The DocksConflictFire Season and my own site will be moving under this setup soon. As always feedback would be welcome.

On the topic of riot relief, the Reeves family have set up a fund to rebuild the Reeves corner area. It isn't just their own 150 year old business, but all the small businesses and houses that were affected (twenty-eight families lost their homes and possessions).
The fund accepts Paypal, as well as credit cards or cheques. For anyone who pledged to Mark Thompson's campaign, this is where you can redeem the pledge.

Rebuild Reeves Corner

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A general update and appeal

August 12, 2011 Off-topic

I haven't posted here, or much anywhere else, this week. For those of you following events in London, you can probably guess why. The end of the week was spent cleaning up the fallout, something which has been delayed by the fact that many sites are still crime scenes or outright unsafe.
If you would like to help, please view #riotcleanup or follow @riotcleanup for details of planned cleanups.For more ongoing relief efforts, the Evening Standard has details here.
An Appeal
Which brings me to a local tragedy: the destruction of Reeves Corner and House of Reeves. Founded in 1867, the House of Reeves store has been a landmark in Croydon for longer than living memory, run by five generations of the same family. It was completely destroyed on Monday night by the looters.
More than

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Pennies for Japan

March 24, 2011 Off-topic

Before getting on to the main body of this post, I'd like to say thanks to Kristie Cook for organising the Indie Authors Relief Fund, and to the winner of the Fire Season auction. Your book is on its way. There are still lots available for auction and all proceeds go to the Red Cross. For more details and ongoing auctions, please see the: Indie Authors Relief Fund That said, I would like to move on to mention a rather unique fundraiser by an author of my acquaintance. Pennies for Japan

Pennies for Japan is a set of elongated pennies, ideal for collectors or as unique gifts. The entire purchase price is donated to disaster relief in Japan through Direct Relief. There are three pennies in the set, with designs depicting Hamsa, Lady Usume and the Tree of Life, and a storycard about the

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Indie authors relief fund

March 18, 2011 Off-topic

I just saw this online, and as they are asking for promotion and spreading the word, blogging it is the least I can do. Please have a look and donate an item or bid, for a very good cause. If you are an author or small publisher some of the things up for offer include a manuscript critique and membership in the small publishers association. For readers and booklovers, there are signed copies, collectibles and more.As well as the Indie Authors Relief Fund, there are other campaigns underway. Please take a look.Authors for Japan - Donating all funds raised to the Red Cross, this campaign is no longer accepting donated items after they were flooded with offers.Write Hope for Japan - A Collection of authors all with a connection to Japan offering childrens and kidlit items to raise

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Gatwick Aviation Museum Open Day

June 21, 2010 Off-topic

We got to Gatwick Aviation Museum, and had a pleasant day looking round. Not only do they have one of the only live Shackletons in the world, but their Buccaneer is now runnable. Sadly no Shackleton engine runs are currently planned because of the cost - starting at £600-£800 and going up depending on maintenance requirements.Several of the aircraft are newly painted, but the weather is slowly taking its toll on them. News from the Museum is that they are putting in for planning permission to replace the temporary buildings and grass site with a hanger, which would provide the aircraft being restored (and the people working on them) with some protection from the elements.Another notable addition was some of the owner's photographs. He had some beautiful photographs of the Gatwick Airport

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