NEWSFLASH Internet-based 2010 Handicap SystemSome of you may be aware through our Short Game Blog, and in particular the posting titled, "New Handicap System (Internet version)," that we will have a new Handicap System in 2010 that will run in your browser (Internet Explorer, FireFox, etc.) from any computer connected to the Internet. We will initially release it as a free beta version for anyone to try, and it will handle up to 20 golfers. We will continue to provide a version that runs on local computers. |
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NEW FOR WEBSITE BUILDER Website integration with Google toolsWe are adding integration with some of Google's tools to enable you to enhance your websites. Customers using either Website Builder or Website Designer (which are part of our Par, Birdie and Eagle packages) can take advantage of these. The tools for which you will have instructions include Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Groups, Google Picasa, Blogger and YouTube. See below for details. |
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NEW BLOG Short Game blogAs many of you know, a "blog" is short for "web log". It is a special type of website where blog entries - or "posts" - are regular and usually arranged in reverse chronological order. We at GolfSoftware.com have recently started our own blog called Short Game. Our blog posts will consist of various golf-related topics including our work on future products. Blogs typically have an interactive aspect in which readers can post comments about a post. Your are invited to do so, if you like. You can follow our Short Game blog by finding its link in our website navigation menu or using a RSS reader. View a short video on RSS (Real Simple Syndication). |
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PRODUCT FOCUS "Twitter, tweets, re-tweets." Whether you use Twitter or not, you almost certainly have heard of it. Twitter is described as free social networking and "micro blogging." It is a way for individuals to share and find out what is happening in topics of interest. You can read about Twitter at Wikipedia or PC Magazine to find out more. We will primarily use Twitter to alert followers to new Short Game blog posts. The button below is a live button and also appears on GolfSoftware.com pages. 
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PRODUCT FOCUS Share information from our website with friends...Have you seen some information on our GolfSoftware.com or Short Game Blog that you like? We've provided a simple way for you to share the page at hand. By positioning your mouse pointer on top of the "SHARE" image - see below - you can very easily share a page with someone via various methods including email, Facebook, MySpace, Delicious, Twitter, Stumbleupon, and many others. Try it with the image under this sentence! 
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BACKUP & RESTORE
Have you heard the one about...
The golf secretary who backed up his program regularly.. to his computer's hard drive. When his computer died, his data died with it. (May the league's scores & handicaps rest in peace.)
The guy who never made a backup, until a hurricane threatened his home. Minutes before evacuating, he calls tech support to find out how to make a backup. (No pressure. Hope the tech line isn't busy!)
The lady who made a backup, but can't remember when or where. Unfortunately, tech support was unable to jog her memory. (Unless the backup is made to the internet, our hands are tied.)
The details have been changed to protect the innocent non-backer-uppers, but the moral remains the same... Make backups regularly to external/off-site devices!
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NEW FEATURES Three new menu features in Website BuilderTake advantage of three new menu features available soon in our Eagle Package's Website Builder tool. The left-side navigation menu will have a variable width to accommodate different needs of users. Category labels will help you organize the links on the menu. The labels are non-linking text to help your website visitors with a clearer menu structure. The third new feature will be the ability to collapse sub-categories, so less vertical room is taken up in your menu. Get a sneak preview.
Web design tip #1 - Add an interactive calendar to your websiteOur League Manager software produces a schedule of your events, but sometimes there are other calendar related nuggets of information that you might like to put on your website for your members. A slick way to do that is to use Google Calendar, a free tool offered by Google. With Google Calendar the visitor to your website can click through the months of the calendar and on a specific date to view event information. This type of interactive calendar offers more than a static calendar created using a table or in Excel. Members can also "subscribe" to the calendar and access it with their mobile devices. Read more...
Web design tip #2 - Enhance your website photo sharingPicasa is another Google tool which has two parts. One part is a free program you load onto your computer that lets you organize, touch up and do other things with your photos. Picasa Web Album, also free, allows you to share those photos in various ways on the website you create using Website Builder from our Eagle Package. You can share a single photo, a photo "album" or a slide show of a photo album. What's great is that if you update a web album, your web page automatically displays the updated version of your web album or slide show. Take a peek...
Web design tip #3 - Create web pages a different (easier?) way...What if you could create your web pages in a word processor environment? Some folks prefer that to creating pages using a website creation tool. MS Word unfortunately adds extraneous code that sometimes creates more problems for you. An alternative is Google Docs, another free tool. Google Docs has a word processor, spreadsheet (like Excel) and presentation manager (like PowerPoint). The beauty of these tools is not only may you prefer working in them, but it makes different kinds of collaboration on your website possible. You may want some help from another member or members of your group but not want to give access to Website Builder. You can give them editing access to a Google Docs page which can then be published to your website. You could have different pages on your website updated by different folks so that it spreads the work load and promotes camaraderie. Every time they update the Google Docs page, it updates on your website automatically. The presentation manager will even do a slide show of text and/or images. Explore this idea...
Web design tip #4 - Add a newsletter or new communication toolOne of the challenges of running a golf league, course or tournament is communicating effectively with members and participants. The fact that you have a website is a great start. A website, though, requires that your member visit it for updated information. What if you could easily put information on your website as well as in your members' hands via email. Google Groups may be your answer. Another free offering from Google, Groups provides an attractive and easy way to actively put information in your members' inboxes when you want them to have it. It also provides a way for members to provide input and have a group conversation. Check it out...
Web design tip #5 - Blog away...The Short Game blog was mentioned above. It is another way that we hope to communicate to our customers entertaining as well as informative golf-related content. We thought some of our customers may want to add a blog to their Website Builder package. You can do so now with Google's free Blogger. A blog will give you another communication tool, different from the Google Groups. One may fit your needs better than the other. Find out about using a blog...
Web design tip #6 - Add your own videos or ones produced by othersYou may remember an introduction to videos we had in our Summer Golf Bytes newsletter. We are going to make adding video easier than ever in early 2010. Whether it's video from your last event or golf tips videos, you'll be able to share that on your website simply. YouTube, another free Google service, makes this easy for anyone. See how... |
WEBSITE DESIGNER Lest you have website feature envy...We have shown how Website Designer users can also take advantage of the above free Google tools to enhance their websites. Adding the features in Website Designer may not be quite as seamless as in Website Builder, but they can be added, nevertheless. Take a look. |
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- JOHN UPDIKE
- MICHAEL GREEN
- SAM SNEAD |
Golf appeals to the idiot in us and the child. Just how childlike golf players become is proven by their frequent inability to count past five.
GOLFBYTES NEWSLETTER Prior issues of Golf Bytes newsletterThank you for reading Golf Bytes. If you would like to view prior issues, go to our newsletter archive page: Newsletter Archive. |
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