Alternatives to Google Page Creater - Officelive.com Comparison

Office Live Comparison
With Google Page Creator being eliminated, I have decided to do a quick comparison of Google Page Creator (GPC) and OfficeLive.com . I have put this together to aid in making a decision on where to migrate my Google Page Creator site to.

This comparison is not exhaustive, but centered around the key features of GPC


Officelive.com is a Microsoft web service that is similar to Google Apps for Domains. Officelive.com offers domain tools such as email, document collaboration and blog functionality in addition to web page hosting.


For the purpose of this comparison, I will just be looking at Officelive.com web page hosting.

Feature Comparison
Branding
Item	Google Page Creator	Officelive
Domain Name Integration	Your domain name was used as the root for all pages	Your Domain Name can be used as the root for your web pages.
FavIcon	You can brand your site with a FavIcon using simple Javascript	You can brand your site with a FavIcon using simple Javascript
Themes	Each page could have a different theme and with CSS you had pretty fine control over presentation of the site.	You need to select a theme and color scheme for your entire site. However, you can mix and match as well as use CSS for fine tuning and tweaking.
Technology
Item	Google Page Creator	Officelive.com
Javascript	Javascript is allowed on pages.	Javascript is allowed on pages
CSS	You can integration custom CSS files using Javascript to direct the client to load the file.	You can create site wide CSS code in the editor without requiring javascript
Google Analytics	You can add Analytics via javascript. You have control over how each page is tracked.	You can add Analytics via javascript. You have control over how each page is tracked.
Google Adsense	You can add Adsense ad blocks via javascript	You can add Adsense ad blocks via javascript
Google Gadgets	Supported	You can add google gadgets and microsoft widgets as well
Google Webmasters Tools	Supported via uploaded file.	Supported via uploaded file or meta tag.
Other Webmasters Tools	Supported via uploaded files.	Supported via uploaded file or meta tag.
Static Files	Can upload files via HTTP to root directory. Cannot make sub directories. Can upload pages you created in other web design tools (i.e. iWeb)	Can upload via HTTP into a Documents gallery and images into a Image gallery. Site visitors may be able to see the files depending on permissions. Can upload pages you created in other web design tools (i.e. iWeb)
Limits	Maximum Files = 500 Maximum Space = 100 MB Maximum File Size = 10 MB Themes = 41	Maximum Space = 30 MB Maximum File Size = ?? MB Themes = Unique combinations > 500
Google Docs Integration	Integration via Google Gadgets	Integration via Google Gadgets
Editor
Item	Google Page Creator	Officelive.com
Tables	You can create tables manually with HTML code	Editor includes built in table editor.
Page Layout	Supports 5 Page Layouts	Supports 11 Page Layouts
Navigation	Create your own navigation and breadcrumbs and sitemaps.	Automatically creates navigation, breadcrumbs and sitemaps. NOTE: The built in navigation is done with scripting, so I recommend that you add some standard links to help search engines index your pages.
Comments	Cannot incorporate comments from visitors	Cannot incorporate comments from visitors

Summary
Officelive.com has all the features (and a few more) that Google Pages had, and it is priced the same (free). In addition, if you are using Google Apps for Domains, you can move your whole domain to office live, or just your web pages.


In general, if you are finding that Google Sites (see my post on a Google Sites comparison) does not have what you are looking for, Officelive.com seems like a very good alternative.

Note: If you site contains many cross links, GPC pages did not have a file extension at the end (i.e. http://www.timalosi.com/about) where as weebly uses a .aspx extension and links without the extension will return a 404 error. (This is most unfortunate)

Related Posts:
GPC to Google Sites Comparision
GPC to Weebly Comparision

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Google Disappoints by Eliminating Google Page Creator

I was wondering what my next post would be about and, unfortunately, I now have a topic.  I was disappointed yesterday when I went to make some changes to my site (http://www.timalosi.com ) to add preview thumbnails (a topic for another post), and I was informed that my site, which is Google Page Creator based (via Google Apps for Domains) is scheduled for migration to Google Sites.  At first I was, "Well ok, perhaps they are merging functionality?!?", but apparently that is not the case. After a quick search I located the official announcement at http://groups.google.com/group/GPC-How-to/msg/1260f67111144902.    In a word ... disappointed.


Google Sites ... Are they Crazy?
 I do use Google Sites, but in general, I have been underwhelmed by the functionality (more aptly the lack of functionality of Google Sites).


Currently my biggest concerns with Google Sites are:

• Designed more like a collaboration site (ala Sharepoint) than web site, but without most of the better features of Sharepoint.
• Limited layout templates.  Google Page Creator uses the paradigm of a traditional site, and allows you better control over headers and footers.  In general, I find that GPC provides better control over the appearance of the site.
• No javascript or CSS.  This is perhaps the biggest one for me.  I don't use much javascript, but there are some elements that I am unwilling to give up at this time, and CSS and Javascript is important to providing those features.  

So I am faced with a dilemma.  I have embraced Google for much of my basic web presence (Blogger, Google Apps for Domains, Google Page Creator, Google Sites, Analytics, Adsense, Gmail and more), but I simply cannot see loosing the functionality that I currently use.  It looks like I am faced with migrating away from Google Apps for Domains to host my web pages.


So, over the next few weeks, I'll be evaluating my options.  I'll be posting my observations and opinions in some future posts.


Alternatives to Google Page Creator
To start, I am going to take a look at:

• Google Sites (http://sites.google.com ) ... I will take another look to make sure I give them a fair chance.
  
• Microsoft Office Live (http://officelive.com )
  
• Blogger (http://www.blogger.com ) ... I am curious if I can achieve the functionality from this platform.

I will also look for additional alternatives to Google Page Creator


If you are also running a GPC site and would like to petition Google to rethink their decision, check out the online petition at (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/googlepagesalive/).


Check out my Delicious Links related to this post at http://www.delicious.com/tim.alosi/gpc 

Living in the Cloud with Microsoft's Live Services

Hey ... I own a Mac ... but I am not anti-Microsoft. I think that they do most things just OK ... for example, OS X is better then Windows as an operating system, Firefox is a better browser than IE, but when it comes to strategy on Web 2.0 and Cloud services, Microsoft has taken on Google and others, and in many aspects, comes out on top!

Specifically, I am talking about two services, Mesh.com and Sync.Live.com. Although these two services have some overlap, I have found that they both have become invaluable tools in my day to day computing.

Mesh.com

The concept behind Mesh.com is that you have a "mesh" of devices, this includes Windows PC's, Mac's, as well as Smart Phones (currently only Microsoft SmartPhone (Windows CE) based devices are supported). Mesh.Com allows you to synchronize files between the devices, as well as remotely control Windows based computers (which is a really neat feature). Mesh.com's main features are described below.

File Synchronization

Mesh.com supports both Peer-to-Peer file synchronization, as well as synchronization to online ("cloud") storage. The Peer-to-Peer synchronization requires both computers to be on at the same time (obviously), whereas the synchronization via the cloud storage allows synchronization to happen at any time. First the file is copied from the source computer to the cloud, then, later, a second computer can synchronize that file from the cloud ... sort of asynchronous synchronization ;-). The synchronization paradigm is based on folders. You can choose which folders on your computer that you want synchronized, and with what computers (or the cloud) you would like the folders synchronized.

File Synchronization Caveats

• On the Mac, you must synchronize via the cloud. Currently there is no Mac Peer-to-Peer support.
  

Cloud Storage

Mesh.com currently provided 5 GB of free online cloud storage. This is significantly larger than other synchronization servers offer for free (syncplicity, dropbox, etc). This storage is used to provide access to files that you have synchronized from any computer, at any time.

Cloud Storage Caveats

• Currently there is no way to increase the storage provided by Mesh.com
  
• No interface with Live.com's Skydrive which provides 25GB of online storage
  
• Although you can access files from the web (Mesh Desktop) you cannot upload files from there and must use synchronization to populate your Cloud storage

Remote Control

With Windows based PC's (from Internet Explorer) you can connect to and take control of your remotely located (also) Windows PC using Mesh.com. OK ... that didn't come out too well. Imagine controlling your PC at home from your computer at work (through firewalls and no VPN, but still secure). This works assuming both PCs are running Windows, and you are using IE as a browser (and have the feature enabled. Anyway, it is super easy to setup and still reasonably secure. Great to get the file you need or (as I often have to do) trouble shoot for the family while away.

Remote Control Caveats

• You need to be running Windows on both sides and you need to be using IE as a browser.
  

Mobile Phones

With Windows Smart Phones (currently) you can load a mobile version of Mesh.com's software. In the mobile version, Mesh can monitor and synchronize folders, for example, monitoring your My Pictures folder so whenever you take a picture with your phone, the picture is automatically uploaded to your Mesh.Com cloud storage.

Mobile Phone Caveats

• You can only synchronize files that are stored in the Cloud storage
• This only works with Windows phones currently.
  

File Sharing

In addition to synchronizing your files, you can also share some of your folders with others, such as setting up a picture folder that the grandparents can see and automatically get copies of pictures downloaded to their computer.

Sync.Live.com

Sync.Live.com, formerly Foldershare.com is very similar to Mesh.com. This seems confusing a bit, since both technologies come from the same company, but perhaps Microsoft will eventually merge the technologies, taking the best of both. Sync.Live.com has a simpler mission in life, synchronize folders between computers. The main features are described below.

File Synchronization

Sync.Live.com supports file synchronization between Windows and Mac computers. Sync.Live.com only supports Peer-to-Peer synchronization, so both computers need to be on at the same time for the synchronization to take place. Sync.Live.com supports up to 20 Folders to be synchronized. Each folder can have upto 20,000 files (total for all folders and sub-folders). The synchronization appears to be quicker and a bit more robust than Mesh.com when syncing very large numbers of files (which I do).

File Synchronization Caveats

• It may not seem like much of a limit, but 20 Folders with 20,000 files is a limit. With almost 18,000 original photos in iPhoto, It takes 3 folders to sync, (originals, data, modified), and that will only last me for another year (until I have over 20,000 originals).
• Since Sync.Live.Com only supports Peer-to-Peer synchronization, both computers need to be on.
  

File System Access

Where as Mesh.com provides remote access and control of computers, Sync.Live.Com provides remote access to the file system, and allows you to access and download any file from your computer via its web page.

Live Photo Gallery Synchronization

Sync.Live.com is embedded in Microsoft Live Essentials Photo Gallery (please note on teh Mac this link will redirect you to Microsoft's Mac Download page :-p) that makes it easier to use Live.Com to sync Photo's between windows based computers.

Photo Gallery Caveats

• Since you cannot run Photo Gallery on a Mac ... this feature is not available there)
  

SO WHAT... HOW DOES THIS HELP.

Let me tell you how I use these services and perhaps this will provide some insight on its usefulness.

First of all, I am a backup fanatic. I actually bought my first Mac computer because of Time Machine (of course, that was as soon as Time Machine was announced, before Time Machine was even released). Time Machine is greate for backups, but the information is stored locally (same physical location). I use Sync.Live.Com to backup all my photo's (iPhoto), music (iTunes), movies (iMovie), and documents to an Off-Site computer. This saves me about $50 per year in offsite backkup (I have about 40GB worth of files to sync).

I use Mesh for keeping all my current work synchronized between my work laptop, my home Mac and another Windows computer. I also share some of these files with co-workers who need to collaborate on files. Since we all travel alot, Mesh.com takes care of the heavy lifting to ensure that the most current spreadsheet is available for everyone.

I also use Mesh for remote access and the periodic remote troubleshooting. (I was using it for my Windows based Treo, but have since switched to the Blackberry and am anxiously awaiting Mesh for the bberry.

So, there, I hope you like the post.

Microsoft's Live Tools

mesh.com

sync.live.com

skydrive.live.com (onine storage)
spaces.live.com (blog engine)
photos.live.com (photo sharing)
www.officelive.com (document collaboration and web site hosting)

.

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HowTo Display Facebook Updates on your ScreenSaver

I just finished up a HOWTO on displaying status updates from your Facebook friends on your Mac OS X screen saver.

The HowTo can be found at: http://www.timalosi.com/facebookscreensaverhowto

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Point B Documentary Web Site Launched

Just finished helping out my brother (Michael Alosi) with launching his web site for a documentary that he filmed.

Point B is a documentary on Parkour which discusses the origins, current state and future of this up and coming sport. This documentary follows Parkour Traceurs (practitioners) across three continents. Point B debuted at the Asheville Film Festival in 2008.

The film is available to watch from the web site (http://www.pointbmovie.com), along with histories of the film and a forum for Parkour.

Whether your are a serious Parkour fan, or just curious about what Parkour is, checkout Point B

Check out my Delicious.com links related to this post at (http://www.delicious.com/tim.alosi/parkour)

Blackberry Tips and Tricks

Its been a week with my new Blackberry Curve. Previously, I had a Windows Smartphone (Treo 700WX), and was fairly happy with the functionality, but the stability of the device left much to be desired.

My new Blackberry Curve has been a pleasure. At first I was concerned that it wouldn't have some of the features that I had grown accustomed to with the Treo. That has not only proved false, but there are some excellent applications available that take the smart phone further than the Windows Smartphone platform can currently support. I am sure that there is still untapped functionality in the Blackberry, given that I have only been using it for a week.

Here are some quickly learned tips and tricks (which I'll add to as I learn more)
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
Soft Reset: If you would like to reset your Blackberry without popping out the battery, give it a "three fingered salute" using the [alt], [right shift], and [del] keys all at once (don't start with the delete key).

Email Commands
Compose an Email: Roll your cursor so that it is not on an email (on the date for example) and press [enter] to start a new email.
Delete a Message: Use the [del] key followed by [enter] to quickly delete a message
Reply to a Message: Use the [r] key while in a message to reply.
Forward a Message: Use the [f] key while in a message to forward.
To select multiple messages (to file or delete) hold the [shift] key.

MUST HAVE APPLICATIONS
BLACKBERRY APP WORLD: Just recently released, App World is a definite must have ... easy to find, pay for, install (and remove) applications. What more to say? Visit http://www.blackberry.com to download.

VLINGO: Did you know that you can talk to your Blackberry (and it may even talk back to you). VLingo (http://www.vlingo.com) is a great application that uses voice recognition (you talk, it types) to send, reply and forward emails, text (SMS) messages, open applications, search on Google and Yahoo, update your status on Twitter and Facebook, and (of course) dial your phone.

This is a must have application if you spend any time in the car or with your hands busy. You can download VLingo at (http://www.vlingo.com/vlingo/downloadvlingo).

SLACKER: Listen to and customize streaming internet radio stations right to your Blackberry over your 3g network. Slacker Radio (http://www.slacker.com) is pretty cool. You can search for songs and artists or pick from approximately 100 channels of various music genres. There is a free version that has a few limitations, but nothing significant. You can download slacker at (http://www.slacker.com/mobile/blackberrydownload/). (Flycast is another similar application ... I prefer Slacker, but they both seem very functional. )

BLACKBERRY MAPS: While using my Treo, one of my "can't do without" applications was Google Maps. One of the features that I missed was the "My Location" feature, which didn't work on the Treo. So when I loaded up Google Maps on my Blackberry I was very happy to see the "My Location" feature was working as advertised. I was pretty happy ... big step up. Low and behold, I determined after a bit of searching that the Blackberry Maps application actually utilized the internal GPS in the Curve. Now, I have Verizon as a carrier and any googling will indicate that Verizon disables application access to the Internal GPS. Well Blackberry Maps can use the Internal GPS, which makes it my Mapping application of choice. Furthermore, Blackberry Maps utilizes Google Local for its search functionality (note: the search feature is not quite as good as Google Maps). Isn't it great when the built in application does exactly what you need it to.

OTHER TIPS:
YOUR BLACKBERRY as Portable Storage: If you connect your Blackberry to a computer with a USB cable, you can turn on Mass Storage Mode and your Blackberry will be available to uses as a "flash" drive. Pretty handy, especially since the USB cable connection is a standard cable and readily available.

Well that is all for NOW ... I'll update this as I get any more information.

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Rebooting a Mac when all else fails

So, I'm off using OpenOffice 3.o (which seems rather buggy compared to 2.4.x) and it locks up ... even Forced Quit application is just sitting there. Now one option is to pull the plug, but that is never the best choice, so here are the steps that I followed to resolve this situation.

1. Stopping Open Office: Since Forced Quitting the application didn't work, I launched the Application Monitor app (found in the Utilities folder in Applications). From there Open Office was shown as not responding. Selecting it in the list of processes and clicking the Stop Sign (kill process) was effective in taking care of Open Office.
2. So ... Now a reboot, something pretty easy one would expect, but after selecting reboot from the Apple Menu, the desktop cleared, but the machine didn't reboot and eventually an error message popped up and said it timed out waiting for Finder to kill itself.
3. Clicking on the Finder in the Dock (which was still visible) started up Finder again. So I tried to do the Reboot from the menu a few times ... repeating steps 2 and 3 here. That didn't work. So when all else fails, it is time to use the Terminal for some command line triage. This is not something that most Mac users will do often, and most will be uncomfortable with it, but it is not that tricky and better than just pulling the plug. To start the terminal App, go to the Utilities folder in Applications and double click on the terminal application.
   
4. Rebooting from Terminal: In general, I don't use the admin account for day to day activities (and neither should you), so the first step is to set the SuperUser (su) to your admin account (the first account you created when you set up your Mac). This is accomplished with the su command. For some help on Mac terminal commands, check out http://www.ss64.com/osx/. From the bash$ prompt, type the following
   

home$ su admin_account (where admin_account is your administration account)
password: (enter your password for the administration account)

Now, to force the reboot. From the bash$ prompt type the following

bash-3.2$ sudo shutdown -r now (translated: "super-user do shutdown and reboot rightnow")
password: (enter your password again)

Rebooting this way is quick and safe, meaning that the system cleans up before rebooting. It is not "pretty" since everything stops immediately. I would say that the prefered method is to use the Apple menu, but when you need it, rebooting from the terminal is better than pulling the plug on your Mac.

See the screen shots below for additional help.