There are free access sites that I also maintain called "Sphingidae of the Americas", "North American Catocala", "Giant Silkmoths of Prince Edward Island", "Sphingidae of Prince Edward Island", "Butterflies of Prince Edward Island", "Brahmaeidae" and a caterpillar identification website/webservice where I try to assist people with identifications of all kinds of larvae.
When I receive electronic images (occasionally slides, regular prints, cds) I save the images to special folders I have created for each photographer on my G drive. Then I resize (if necessary) and rename so images can be found easily by myself, if needed at a later date.
Each image to be posted is then saved to my C drive in the directory that I use as my own reference. It has many images that I have from publications that are not on display on websites (respect for copyright). Then I save the same Saturniidae images to my H drive and butterfly images to G and H drives, usually at lower resolution.
There are one or two professional photographers who have requested that I not use their images on the cd of WLSS so the H drive directory has the WLSS files for the cd without two sets of images (1 copyrighted from books; 2 from photographer who request I not use them on cd). Then I save images, often at lower resolution, to my C drive in a temporary folder for uploading (easier to find them there than among the thousands of files in the larger directories). Sometimes I miss copying to the temporary upload directory or I save it there, but, when I go to use the FTP utility to upload, I miss the file or get interrupted.
Many of you are aware that each image that gets saved to the same directory must have a different name, or, during the saving process, the newer file will overwrite the older file. When one has literally over 100 different images of a single species (like cecropia), the renaming of images can be tricky.
The same is true about the naming of the html files which combine the images and the text. They get saved not just once, but several times, sometimes with different names. First they get saved to my own reference, then to H drive for cd, then to temp file for uploading, then renamed so when membership has been corrupted sufficiently through leaks or errors, I can simply change names of files to control access. Things would go much faster if I just made one copy of each image and one copy of each html file.
Of course I always make a few errors along the way and, in the case of updates as well, go back and repeat the saving and uploading process all over again.
The FTP utility that I use also is set up to post Sphingidae and Catocala images and files to one site, Saturniidae images and information files to a second site (and to another entirely different location as a back up) and butterfly images to another site, and now hostplant and Brahmaeidae files to a fourth site.
To change upload destinations I have to shut down FTP execution each time I change to a new destination.
While I am maintaining the sites, I am also producing "Mothly Newsletter", answering email questions, helping with ids, promoting and making sales, etc.. I also still have one son at home, two daughters that appreciate occasional help with cars and/or houses, an active community and church life and, in summer, a hectic rearing schedule. Fortunately my house is maintenance free, I no longer eat or sleep, and my wife is one of those Stepford wives who only needs periodic recharging. (Chuckle)
The WLSS, currently accessed by members, is on webspace provided free for three years. In one year I have to either rent the webspace or move the website. There is a complete backup which I still do on the original Clive Pratt webspace. The main index page and some of the other minor indices are not there to block the "hackers" who were able to obtain access one way or another without taking out a membership. Periodically, when my cd drive is not acting up, I burn cd backups of the sites.
The Sphingidae and Catocala websites are on space rented from Bizland (500 mgb--quite reliable, good service, the best I have dealt with, slightly over $100.00/year); the P.E.I. Silkmoths site is on webspace (only 5 mgb) provided through my email service provider. The Butterfly website is on space provided by Clive Pratt. I am maintaining some other websites (Tim Dyson: Night Vision Photography, and Catocala backup) on free space provided by Steve Huffmann. I forgot to mention Kirby Wolfe Collection Saturniidae site, Thibaud Decaens Collection Saturniidae Site and soon to be publicly launched Bernhard Wenczel and Viktor Suter Collection Saturniidae Site. All together there is probably close to 700 mgb of html files and image files on all sites.
With all this and a few other things going on, sometimes it is difficult to keep up with images and updates.
Again I very much appreciate the images, articles and info that arrive. Somethings that would greatly help would be inclusion of data with any and all images: date, location, larval foodplant, wingspans, camera equipment, etc., when available.
The website now has a membership that will exceed 500 by year's end.
Many members communicate regularly and I recognize them quickly
by first name only or by email address. During the summer and fall
I get many requests for information and ids from members and
non-members. A first and last name signature is
very helpful to me.
It is also helpful in an ongoing conversation on a particular topic
if the reponder includes the previous correspondence. This is best done
by using the reply button instead of new message button.
I can get so many questions about
"what should we do with the caterpillar now?" that two days later,
when the same individual writes to me asking another question, I can't
always remember the species in question that I had ided earlier. (happens a lot).
A final request: please when you send payment for eggs or cocoons or sleeves,
indicate quantity, species, size. Some send a copy of the email
correspondence with the payment; others write "36 cecropia eggs"
on bottom of check; many write out what they have ordered.
It can be quite frustrating and time consuming to have to
search back through a series of emails to find out what has been
ordered when all that is in the envelope is a check. I appreciate
the order/money,
but my memory just isn't that good,and I would rather spend the search
time doing something else.
I also try to help members market items and find items with email efforts beyond the postings in the wishlist, members' sidelines, dried specimens sections of the websites. I don't mind doing this and really appreciate the same efforts that so many others make for me.
I also am one who is much more likely to post a single image or set of five to ten images than a collection of forty of them when I have to look at them all, many quite similar, and pick out the best one(s). The CDs are great, epecially when the names indicate species. I near went foolish one summer when I kept receiving a great number of beautiful (very beautiful) images, identified solely by numbers or DSCN followed by a number. Imagine trying to find an image of a moth three months later in a directory of a thousand or more images, named only by number.
So much comes in here that I have to process emails fairly quickly or my mailbox can get "overfull". Unfortunately sometimes my cd drive acts up (currently not accessible) and I have to wait for some drier weather to access images and info on cds.
My rearing operation generates some valuable income and helps with the childrens' educations. Website design and maintenance, as described above, is done more as a hobby and service. The revenue over expenses for website maintenance, I am sure, would calculate to less than $1.00/hour.
Thanks for your continued support and patience.
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