Web site and blog design, along with reducing apps

I have briefly mentioned a side project that I am working on with a handful of people. The person behind this project, whom is my friend, said that he had set up the Web site. I have been writing and feeding him content.

Well, I asked him to show me the Web site. It is literally one long page of sample content. I told him a while back to take my content and paste it. He hasn't. Either he doesn't know how to or is expecting me to do it.

Now that I have access to looking at these files on the FTP site, I pointed out that having a one-page Web site where each section changes after a certain period is annoying. It's also not the best if you have a ton of content and have to scroll down the single page to see what you want.

Since we talked about having a blog and my contributing to it, which I obviously have experience in, I asked if we can use WordPress or something where we can have both Web page and blog content all in one. He wanted one site for our Web site and another one for the blog. What?

He knows that I have Web site design and maintenance experience. When we worked together at the same company over a decade ago, I handled the corporate Web site.

Apparently, his version of WordPress is just for blogging. I have asked him to provide me with the login information and I'll take it from there. I need to see what version he has installed.

I tend to end up leading certain tasks, mainly because I am competent and have a vision for how Web site design and usability go. I can also recognize when things aren't going as well as they should, such as the one-page Web site without any of my content. The site is his and it probably is difficult to have someone else take over what he is supposed to do.

He also has asked me to join WeChat, WhatsApp, and Slack. We do not need so many communication channels. I uninstalled WeChat. All our development chats are on Slack, so we don't need WhatsApp. He also has my phone number and we can text. Just pick one app and stick with it!

Anyway, that's my little update on the odd things happening with this project. Here's hoping that I can get both the blog and Web site working this week.

Productive weekend and WhatsApp for my laptop

Weekends blow by so quickly. Just like that, this weekend is over.

It was a productive weekend. I am doing some writing for a side business project. I got excited about it in the past, got distracted, and then lost some of that excitement. However, it all came back this weekend.

I am to provide content for a Web site. In past jobs that I held, I did both writing the content and putting the content up on the site. It was the case with all Web sites that I designed for me.

I don't control the Web site for this project, so I have to feed the content to a person. It's difficult to visualize how everything will fit. I asked him to post everything and then we can review the site.

The other reason why I lost interest is that most of my writing happens on a laptop. Our little group uses WhatsApp on our phones to chat. It was such a turnoff to provide the content through this app by copying this content from a document on Google Drive.

I managed to install the desktop version of WhatsApp and it made a world of difference. Yay!

Here's to another week.

Friends, work, business, wings, and beer

Even though I was running on two hours of sleep on Thursday, I managed to stay awake and went out for dinner and drinks with two friends.

All three of us worked at the same company over a decade ago. They both left a year before I did. We are working on a business joint venture. I have the writing, social media, and Web site skills. One of my friends conceptualized this business model. The other friend has connections and is a smooth talker. So far, what I have been doing is exciting.

Getting back to dinner, between the three of us, we had forty chicken wings and two pitchers of Sapporo beer. I probably downed the most wings. I don't think that I drank the most beer. Thank goodness!

The good news is that I came back home and slept like a log. I simply need to remember not to drink a large strawberry black tea before I go to bed. Beer is okay.

New year with a new venture

I recently posted a photo of the Toronto skyline that I took this past summer on my other social site. Several friends pointed out how great the photo was, which I appreciated.

One friend, in particular, suggested that I sell the photo to the city. One thing led to another. I have started my own Etsy site. The idea is to earn a bit of money for photos that I have taken.

Anyone who knows me will understand that I am not the entrepreneurial type. If I were, I would be rich and would have quit my regular job by now. Rather, I like sharing my photos for folks to view. If they want to buy them, that's fine. Otherwise, this gig is more to figure out how much interest there is out there to buy pretty photos.

I don't know how lucrative this venture will be. Frankly, it's more of a hobby for me. Still, it's exciting to do something different and set this photo site up. It's a new learning experience. We'll see where this path takes me.

Cell phone plan and corporate discount

Every two years, I have to renew my cell phone plan. I am on a corporate discount. 

It's always an event to get the discount reapplied every two years. I'm at that stage again.

I normally have to get a special passcode. I got mine. Apparently, being able to apply it online is supposed to make it easy. It's not the case. It claims that my cell phone number isn't eligible.

I'll need to give my cell phone provider a call in the morning. Ah, what fun.

This minor hassle ties in with my budget and debt reduction. I save 25% with the corporate discount. I decided to keep the same plan that I have been with for now over two years. I don't need more data. This plan works for me.

Here's hoping that getting this billing issue fixed goes smoothly.

Costco.ca account hacked - fraudulent order

It is another episode of having my credit card compromised. Luckily, things end well.

On Monday evening, I was exercising on my glider and checking my e-mail on my phone. I noticed an e-mail alert from my costco.ca account saying that my account changes went through. That alert was odd. I haven't logged on to this account for at least a month.

I decided to give it a try. Sure enough, I had been hacked. My mailing address had changed, as did my phone number. My date of birth was wrong, too.

I immediately changed my password. I then went back and changed my contact information.

This person decided to order a Samsung Galaxy S9+ phone in lilac purple using the credit card that I had on file. It was a transaction just over $1200 CAD. The only positive thing that I can say is that I concur with the colour choice. That's about it.

I immediately cancelled my order. For the reason for cancelling this order, I stated that my account was hacked. Customer service was closed at 9 pm. I will need to call back during business hours.

I went over to my saved credit cards and deleted the lone credit card on file. I won't be saving any credit cards on this site going forward.

After all of that, I called my credit card company to inform it of this fraudulent charge. Naturally, I won't be charged. I also let the woman know that I had cancelled this horrible order. My credit card has now been cancelled. A new card will be coming my way.

It is sad that costco.ca does not have a fraud department or some after-hours line. I had called support, but it is for their products.

It's not fun being a victim of such an act. I am simply thankful that I acted quickly to undo everything.