Availability: As of recently, my availability has changed and I will no longer be able to take on the volume or scale of projects that I used to. I have recently begun a new ongoing contract that will take up the majority of my time indefinitely, and will not permit me the time to take on anything larger than smaller sized projects and maintenance work (needing something fixed, adjusted, added etc). Even then I may have to occasionally turn down inquiries for smaller projects, as I will only have the available time to take on so many, and with the number of clients I have I may not be able to fit you all in in a given timeframe. I will however always do my best to be here for you guys if at all possible, and you are welcome to inquire about any needs. Just please bear in mind that should you need anything of fair size, I will not be able to offer turnaround times as I did previously, as my available time to work on your project will be much more limited.(Clients that had existing projects booked, rest assured I am temporarily pulling extra hours to get you completed as soon as possible.)

Hours: I have recently been working harder to reign in my hours and get on a more set schedule, which can be very difficult in design. There’s always 20 more things in your inbox that weren’t there when you started work for the day that need tended to, just one more thing you want to try and get finished before logging off, and those times you just push and push because something hasn’t quite come together right yet and you know a client is waiting on you to bring it on home. It can be a vicious cycle that if you don’t draw set lines with, can suck you in from the time you get up til the time you go to bed.

As much as I adore all of my clients and want to be there for them 24/7, I have to draw stricter lines for not only my sanity, but my family and health as well. Recently another designer friend of mine was diagnosed with high blood pressure and sleep deprivation from their hours, and sadly my first thought after concern for them was thank god, it’s not just me. Sometimes as designer’s I think we push too hard, feeling the expectations of our clients and wanting so badly not to disappoint them, but the weight of those expectations can often leave us burning the candle at both ends and missing out on our own lives. It isn’t their fault in any way, but my own for not setting better boundaries between my work life and home life.  I need to learn to actually walk away from work, and your understanding and help with that would go a long way.

So starting now I am more strictly implementing my hours and will not be available after 5 PM EST  or on weekends, except for emergencies. Come 5 pm, I will be shutting everything down cold. Should you have an emergency that absolutely has to be tended to in my off hours, please be aware that there will now be a $25 fee for after hours service.  I have never been one to implement fees, however if there is something that absolutely cannot wait until the next day and requires me missing dinner or homework time with my family, or requires me to leave a family movie to come and tend to, I do ask for a small fee to compensate for the personal time lost to come back to the computer, boot it up, start my programs and locate any necessary files,  and tend to the task.

Any inquiries that come in after 5pm, if they are not labeled as an emergency, will be answered on the next business day. Please bear in mind as well that even with emergencies, I still might not be able to tend to you at that time if I am not home.

Niteflirt Coding Changes: As I am sure you are all aware, Niteflirt is implementing the new restrictions on what code they will and will not allow. For many of you, this means you will likely end up with broken listings, as all listings I designed were compliant with their standards at the time and prior to any mention from Niteflirt of the change. As much as I would like to help out and fix things up for you guys, I do have to ask for a small fee if you would like your listing converted, as I could not have foreseen Niteflirt changing and breaking designs and this change was both beyond my control and not my fault in any way. So please keep that in mind when you email me about any Niteflirt related issues with your designs. I will always fix anything that was a genuine mistake of mine at no charge, but if I provided a product that was correct at the time, and it is no longer working due to a third party’s changes, that is beyond my control and I do have to ask for compensation for the time and labor to fix an issue that someone else created.If you do need conversion done, let me know and I will do my absolute best to work you in as soon as possible.

Freebies and sale items: Depending on how things go with my new schedule and availabity, I plan to set aside more time now that my schedule will be more under control to releasing more freebies on a regular bases and putting up some items for sale (templates and other items.) There are also some services I have in the works that should be coming along before too long, so keep an eye out for those as well.

So I think that about wraps up the announcements. Sorry to hit you guys with so much at once, but it’s been a big month between my shedule changing, Niteflirt going all to hell with code changes, and all kinds of craziness. Hopefully I will still be able to help most of you out with your needs, and for what I lack in availability now, I plan to try and make up for in freebies and other items of interest.

If you have any questions about anything above, please do not hesitate to email me and inquire. I will be happy to address any concerns you might have.

Aside from that, hope you are all well and making great money. =)

XOXOLlara

For anyone unaware, hotlinking is when you take a freebie and use the direct URL to it from my site on your wepage or listing, instead of downloading or saving the images and uploading them to host somewhere else. When you do this, your use of the image and page loads cost me bandwidth, which I pay for. I love doing freebies for you guys and will keep doing them, but all I do ask is that you host them somewhere on your own (your own server or a free image host like PSOHosting.com) and not cost me bandwidth to use them.

So if for any reason you are hotlinking freebies from here, please know that as of Sunday night, your images will no longer show. You are still welcome to use them, but you will need to download and host the images somewhere else, because your direct links will no longer work.  I’m posting this and will wait until Sunday give anyone a chance to replace their links without having any broken images on their listings or sites.

Hope you all are having a great year so far, and stay tuned for more changes and freebies in the works!

Just a quick note to let you all know that I have switched over all of my subscription services to Feedburner. In the past I was using Subscribe2, which served me well for the most part, but had a few quirks I didn’t care for and lacked some options I desire.

If you were a current subscriber, you will receive this post, as well as an email to confirm you’d like to receive the new subscription. This will be the last post you will receive on the old service, so make sure you click the link in the subscription email so you don’t miss out on news and freebies!!!

With the new service, you will receive only 1 email in the evening, no matter how many posts are made, and only on days where new content is added. So we won’t be cluttering your inbox.

If you haven’t subscribed, and would like to be notified when new freebies are released (a nice batch is currently in the works), new services are added, specials are offered, or other news or articles are posted, just enter your email in the box to the right and get your free cookie…I mean subscription. =P

Okay…we’ll throw in cookies…but only cuz we luvs ya. *giggles*

So exactly who the hell am I? Well I am an IT contractor who focuses on network design and engineering as well as security. I am in the process of completing my CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) certification, and ultimately I want to be a CISSP. I am Microsoft Certified in various topics, along with Cisco and Linux. What does this mean to you? Nothing, all that you need to remember is that “Oh! Steve is that geek who writes on Sparklewhore.”

Computers and security in general scare the hell out of people. Not everyone is a computer expert. While some of you know quite a bit, others know only how to read email, post on a few forums, and access NF. The truth is, security and computers can be complex, but only if you allow them to be. The best advice I can offer you right now with regard to security is this, patch now, patch often, and update constantly. In better terms, what I mean is that if a program you use on the computer has a “check for updates” option. You should use it. Windows has “Windows Update” and “Microsoft Update” you NEED to use them monthly at the least, and always enable the automatic update options.

There are lots of so called experts what will scare the hell out of you with news and stories of updates gone wrong. For example, lots of news sites and forums reported on some of the issues with Vista and Service Pack 1 when it was released. There was a lot of advice given to people to avoid updating. The same advice is given on Patch Tuesday (The day Microsoft releases monthly security patches for Windows), where people are told to disable auto updates and not to install them.

What is missing from this advice is that almost all updates can be un-installed if the break something, and as was the case with Vista and Service Pack 1, most of the reported issues will never affect the entire populous rather only a small few will experience problems. Most of the attacks online, and Malware (Malware is defined as being a Virus, Trojan, or downloader that installs or causes malicious activity on your computer.) take aim at systems that are not fully patched. So when you got that Virus, it could very likely be because you disabled Automatic updates, and missed a critical patch for Internet Explorer that would have protected you.

I can cover as many or as few topics as you want. However, I will make sure to cover what you ask me too. I am a geek who is here to help you, not ramble aimlessly to see my writings appear online. If you have a question; Internet related, security related, or computer related, then ask me. You can use the comments to do so or email Lara.

I look forward to seeing what you have to say.
-Steve

]]> http://sparklewhore.com/and-now-for-something-completely-differenta-new-geek-speaks/feed/ 0 http://sparklewhore.com/zomg-its-stevewaitwho/ http://sparklewhore.com/zomg-its-stevewaitwho/#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:13:57 +0000 Lara http://sparklewhore.com/?p=224 Steve of course! *giggles*

Hey girlies! I know there hasn’t been a lot added to the site lately (bad Lara, bad bad!), but all that is about to change here soon. Part of that change involves me introducing you to one of the absolutely coolest people I know, Steve.

Steve has been a very close friend of mine for a long time, and is without a doubt, a geek god lol. His tech knowledge and experience constantly impresses me, and has been invaluable to me in the time that I have known him. During that time, he has not only shown the utmost respect for PSO’s and the business, he has also taken an active interest in what kinds of resources are available to us as PSO’s and the issues we often face with having to seek “adult friendly” assistance.

As most of you know, I tend to offer my clients more than just designs, coding, advice, tutoring, etc. Steve’s experience and knowledge in tech and more will bring a whole new level to Sparklewhore, and I couldn’t be more pleased that he has come on board with me.

Now I’m gonna get the hell outta his way and let him introduce himself lol.

Below are links to 3 screenshots of the templates. The screenshots are marked with a light watermark and will not show button animation, so one button from each is featured with the screenshot. Anywhere you see “Flirt Name” or “Spoil Name” your name will be implemented, as well as where you see “SparkleWhore” on the seduction template.

*Please excuse the funky thumbnails, click on them to see full size images including header.

#1

#2

#3

Templates are sold on a first come first served basis. To purchase a template, send an email to me at SparkleWhore@gmail.com with “Template #” in the subject line noting the number(s) of the templates you are interested in (#1, #2, or #3). As long as the template is still available, you will be contacted back shortly to get your customization information and to make your payment. Payment must be received before customization may begin. PP is preferred. To pay via NF, cost would be $36 per template. Please let me know in your inquiry mail how you wish to pay. =)

The sets come in 2 colors, one for the girly girl in all of us all, pretty in pink, and one for our darker side, a monochromatic set with a hint of red wickedness. So wicked or sweet, your choice.

Each set is available in a zip download below, and includes all 11 buttons.

Download Pink Set

Download Red Set

If you like this button style, but are interested in other colors or text, hit me up with an email at SparkleWhore@gmail.com and we can work out a custom order all special just for you. =)

If anyone has contacted me and not gotten a response due to this error I sincerely apologize. Every email that has come through to me has received my attention, so please know it was only a matter of not getting it.

The form will be removed shortly and I will try to work in some time to replace it here soon. =)

Soon you will see a new category on the site called Sparklepedia. One of the plans for the site is to start writing a few tutorials, as well as articles on information you may find useful such as tips on editing your listings and more. Keep an eye out for that to roll out this week. =P

Link exchange and updates:

I will also be doing some updates to the links on the site and recommended sites. If you have a site that you think may benefit by a link or link exchange, hit me up through the contact form or at Sparklewhore@gmail.com.

Portfolio:

The portfolio will be undergoing a work up and updating. I’ll be getting some fresh examples up you all here soon.

IMPORTANT NOTE – Hosted images over 90 days will be deleted:

In the works will also be a cleaning of the content stored on the site. As many of you know I often allow clients to keep images hosted on the site until they can find hosting of their own. Unfortunately the list has grown so much that I cannot keep track of who has found hosting and who has not. Any images that have been stored over 90 days will be taken down, so PLEASE, if for some reason you are still using SparkleWhore.com to host your images, transfer them to a new host or contact me to work something out. I will do one more reminder post before I begin housecleaning to give you all notice as to when they need to be down by. If you need a hosting option and do not have a domain, I recommend PSOHosting.com. You can host your images there for free. =)

There are some more things in the works, but that’s all for now. =)