IslayBlog.com -> Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

IslayBlog.com

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Nobody has really asked these questions yet, they certainly haven't been asked frequently. But then again the answers to these questions might help you and answer some questions you might have. I also read somewhere that a good website should have FAQs, so here are the ones for IslayBlog.com:

Who are you and why are you running this blog?

My name is Armin Grewe, you can find out a bit more about me on www.grewe.co.uk, my personal homepage. I first visited Islay in 1998, really liked the place and have returned at least once a year ever since. I've been blogging for quite a few years now (my first steps were back in 2001), my ‘normal’ blog currently being the Ministry of Propaganda, started in 2003.

In 2006 I upgraded my webspace, which gave me the opportunity to register a few more domains. I decided to register islayblog.com and start a blog about Islay. While I don't live on Islay (at least not yet, who knows, I might move there one day) I still feel I can find enough interesting content to fill a blog. I hope the content will be of interest to a few people, entertain them and if they haven't been to Islay yet may interest them in a visit.

Is this an official blog for Islay?

No, far from it. I don't speak for anyone on or from Islay. All views expressed here are mine and mine alone, unless stated otherwise. They might or might not reflect the views of the population of Islay (assuming there is such thing as a unified opinion, which it probably isn't in a lot of cases).

What are you going to blog here?

In short: Anything Isle of Islay (or Jura, Colonsay or Gigha, I might even go as far as Kintyre or Ireland) related. This could be interesting websites, pictures, news, links, other blog entries, whisky, food, drink, wildlife, hillwalking, music, bird watching, travelling, accommodation, art, sport or anything else I forgot in this list.

For some of the regular topics you might want to take a look at the aptly named Favourites and Frequent Topics about Islay page. Regular weekly features include the Friday Islay Picture and the Islay Blogging Roundup.

How often do you update this blog?

There is no fixed schedule for updates, but I'm aiming to post new entries more or less once a day. There might be the odd day where I don't find the time to post, but hopefully there won't be many. If I find a lot to write about there might be two or even three entries on a day as well. I will also take the occasional break when I'm travelling, there will usually be a notice just before I leave.

The best way to be informed about new entries is to subscribe to the RSS feed for IslayBlog.com. Learn more about RSS at the BBC's 'What is RSS?' page.

How can I find old entries?

There are two ways to find old entries: If you don't know the exact entry and/or are interested in several entries for a topic I suggest you use the Search page. You should be able to find most pages through it.

If you know the title and approximate date of the entry you might want to try the archives. They are structured by year and month: 2006, 2007, 2008 and currently 2009. They are also a good starting point to discover other entries.

What does ‘biggerise’ mean?

Under some pictures you might find a link with a text like ‘Biggerise the Islay picture’. If you click on the link you will see a larger version of the picture, nothing more, nothing less. ‘Biggerise’ is a bit of blog and internet slang, nothing sinister.

I'm not sure where it started, but I've seen it on a number of blogs and internet forums first and for some reason quite liked it and then started to use it myself. Basically it comes from ‘making bigger’. You'll find biggerize in the Urban Dictionary, but as I use British spelling, I write it with a s instead of a z. I suspect it will find its way into the Oxford Dictionary in a few years time...

Can you answer my question about Islay?

I will certainly try. Just keep in mind that I'm running this blog in my spare time, don't live on Islay and won't have the ultimate answer to all questions. I'm not the tourist information either. Meaning I might not respond immediately (although I will try my best, time permitting) and I might not have the answer. I won't claim it will be the authorative answer either.

And if do provide an answer I would appreciate a response from you as well, letting me know if you found my answer helpful. Not much is more frustrating than spending my time on an answer for you and then not hearing anything from you.

Will you link to my site?

Good question, let me answer it with a clear ‘may be, it depends’. First of all, I won't link to any site just because you ask me to link to you. I will not participate in generic link exchanges, don't bother asking me, in particular if the only purpose is to increase search engine rankings.

If your site or a page on your site is in some sense Islay (or Jura, Colonsay or Gigha, I might even go as far as Kintyre or Ireland) related your chances of a link are quite high. If I like your site or what you offer on your site your chances increase significantly. And if it is good enough to warrant a blog entry the chances go even higher.

Send me a mail with your link and some further information and I'll see what I can do.

Will you publish my picture of Islay?

If you have nice pictures from Islay or of an event on Islay (or Jura or Colonsay) it is quite likely that I would be interested in publishing them on this blog. Feel free to contact me through the form, I'll then let you know which address to e-mail the picture to (To avoid the spam bots I don't really want to publish my e-mail address here, although I'm sure you can build it from my first name, the @ sign and the domain of this website).

Please understand that I can only publish pictures you have the rights to and give me permission to publish. Also let me know if you prefer to remain ‘nameless’ or under which name I should credit you (as well as the address of your website, if you have one).

Can I link to IslayBlog.com?

Sure you can. You can link to the whole blog or just to individual entries, whatever suits you best.

If you just want to link to an individual entry from the homepage I recommend to use the 'permalink' at the bottom of the entry. Over time the older entries will roll of the homepage, therefore it is better to link to individual entries if you're refering to them.

Just one thing: Please do not 'hotlink' to individual pictures. If you like a picture and want others to see it please link to the page with the picture, not the picture itself.

Yes, you can. If your site or offering is Islay related you can get 'free' advertising if I blog about your site or whatever you offer. Send me a mail with some input and if it's interesting enough I'll blog about it.

For more general advertising you might want to try Google AdWords, with the right keywords your ads are likely to show up on this blog as well. You should even be able to target specific Islay related sites, including this one.

Do you make money from running this blog?

No, the money coming in from the advertising just about covers the cost for hosting and running this blog. And it might pay for a bottle of Islay Single Malt to drink while working on the blog. That's all. I don't run this blog to make money, I run it because I enjoy writing about Islay and sharing links, videos and pictures of Islay. My reward is your feedback and knowing that hopefully many people enjoy reading this blog.

Any browser you recommend for visiting this site?

You should be able to view and enjoy this site with any recent and standard compliant browser. However, it will look best in the Mozilla Firefox browser. That's the browser I use as well.

Do you have a privacy policy for this site?

Yes, as I recognise the importance of protecting your personal information I have put together the following privacy policy. If you have any questions or concerns pleasae don't hesitate to contact me

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