Newsletter October 2008
Hi All,
Here's the latest installment of Alwin's monthly ramblings, AKA the Collectorz.com Newsletter. Today, I bring you:
- InfusionSoft... What's that?
- Unveiling Book Collector 6.0!
- Tip: Linking websites and files
- Remember, remember ...
- Meet the Collector: Scott Fuller
InfusionSoft... What's that?
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Yep, we switched to a new email system called InfusionSoft. It's going to make things so much easier for you... easier to communicate with us... easier to get updates... easier to stay on top of the latest, hottest collection news. With InfusionSoft, you'll never miss an important message from us.
Unveiling Book Collector 6.0!
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What makes our Collectorz.com software so powerful? The list is long... but at the core, it's our robust and deep online database.
All the other programs have their own, extensive online database, but for books we still rely on Amazon and lots of national libraries. I mean, there's MILLIONS of books out there! How are we ever going to get enough of 'em in a Collectorz.com Book Database to make it useful?
But, we finally decided it had to be done. And here's why...
With an ever growing list of supported national libraries, it hasn't gotten easier or quicker to add books in Book Collector. In fact, it's gotten progressively harder... Complicated, cumbersome, and a blasted daily annoyance really.
Well, I told the tech team this madness has got to stop. So, we put our brains together and thought long and hard... and we got it!
Read about it in our Book Collector 6 Preview Club.
Tip: Linking websites and files
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An often overlooked but powerful part of the Collectorz.com programs is the Links feature. You know, that last tab on your Edit screen. Here's how to use it:
The top part of the screen lets you add links to websites. Of course, you can use the Add URL button (that's the slow way...), but I'll tell you a little secret:
You can also drag links directly from your browser. Just drag the little icon from your browser's address bar and drop it onto the top part of the Links tab. It will automatically create a new link, with URL and Description filled in for you. Is that cool or what? This drag and drop trick also works on the bottom part. Drag images or other files on there to create links to files on your computer. The websites and file links will show up in the Details panel on your main screen. Dropped images will be shown as thumbnails at the bottom. Great for band pics, screenshots, interior art, etc... Drag em and drop em, it's that simple.
Remember, remember...
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Remember AJ? He was our movie admin guy for 2 years and left the company in April to work in the movie industry. Sad for him, his new job didn't work out that well. Their loss is our gain... we're happy to welcome him back at the Collectorz.com headquarters.
AJ will be monitoring the quality and coverage of our online media databases and will address areas that need attention. He'll also be assisting Sytske and me with all kinds of marketing stuff.
Now, how about Steven Kramer? Remember him? He's the guy that originally created the Mac OS X editions of our software. Well, he got married on August 9. Me and the missus attended his wedding party, in Amsterdam's Vondelpark. Great event! Why am I telling you all this? Hang on, I'm getting there...
At this party we met an old friend, Robbert van Koningsbruggen. We got talking and we learned about Robbert's 10 years of experience as a web developer. We realized that his skills were exactly what we needed to move Collectorz.com into the world of web applications.
To cut a long story short: on October 1st, Robbert started his new job as Lead Web Developer at Collectorz.com and he's now helping our young pups, Sven and Mark, master XHTML and CSS. Watch out for the results of his work early next year.
Meet the Collector: Scott Fuller from London
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This month, Scott tells us how Bowie changed his taste in music:
"In case you are short on Meet The Collector stories, here is my tale!
The first song I remember hearing was 'Radio Ga Ga' by Queen As a kid in the eighties I really loved the Thriller and Bad albums by Michael Jackson. I would listen to them over and over and rumour has it that at 7 years old I could perform the entire 'Thriller' dance routine. I also quite liked Wham...
Despite this inauspicious start things changed when I began to pester my brother to listen to some of his albums. At aged 10 I was spinning his copy of The Best Of The Doors and bemused my class mates by choosing 'Light My Fire' as my show-and-tell choice at school.
As I entered my stroppy teens I got heavily into Guns N' Roses, but unfortunately at the exclusion of everything else! I used to wear out the cassette tapes and had to rebuy them. My tastes then started to broaden a little and I was listening to some of the indie bands of the day like Blur and Oasis.
Then in the late nineties, totally on a whim, I bought The Best Of David Bowie 1969/1974. Wow. This was totally unlike anything I'd heard before. Something about the odd lyrics and the unique melodies really struck a deep chord. My appreciation for music just exploded. Firstly I mined Bowie's back catalogue and remain to this day a "serious" collector of his music, hunting down every rarity and obscurity. Secondly, Bowie springboarded me onto other artists like Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Iggy Pop. And from there Dylan, The Kinks, The Who. I could go on. My collection just multiplied (and still is!)
I've amassed probably about 800 CD's, roughly 150 of which are David Bowie. My collection ranges wide in taste and style from folk, 60's/70's rock, soul, metal, indie, pop. This is probably due in part to my diverse childhood listening and in part to being a Bowie fan. You have to like different genres with Bowie, as he changes his style so often.
I still like to keep my ear to the ground and seek out new music when I can. I avoid radio on the premise that I'd rather not have to wade through the manure for the peppercorns. Instead I buy the monthly music rags and see what's hot and what's not. My monthly purchases are usually a mix of brand new music and classic albums, topped off with some obscure Bowie promo off of ebay.
Collectorz.com has been great for keeping track of my collection which has now merged with my wife's extensive Boyzone collection (which I have also diligently catalogued and scanned all the covers for - how's that for dedication?). I fairly recently went back and bought Thriller and Bad, and I've got all The Doors and Guns N' Roses albums. i think it's important to know how you got to where you are today.
(Though I might give Wham a miss...)
best wishes,
Scott Fuller, 29, from Penge, London"
Enjoy,
Alwin Hoogerdijk
President, Collectorz.com