A work in progress: http://benchmarkreviews.com

[Olin Coles]

Howdy!

If you are reading this, then I know you have managed to navigate past the tangled mess which barely resembles a web site. I know, it's ugly. For the past week I have spent many hours each day testing out CMS website packages.

My first try out was with my handy Macromedia Dreamweaver WYSIWYG editor. Even with a vast library of templates, this turned into a quick dead end.

Next, I spent a few hours dredging down to the lowest resources, and downloaded a handful of packaged CMS websites. Prior to this entire project (inception 02/27/07), I had no idea what a content management system (CMS) was. Talk about learning the hard way!

So on my second attempt, I used PHP-Nuke. The installation was really very simple considering I am/was new to creating hosted SQL databases. But once I had PHP-Nuke installed, I had a real problem with the ergonomics. Nothing was where I wanted it, and I couldn't find the tools to make change. Two days later, I deleted PHP-Nuke and its SQL database.

Now I am on my third try. Actually, this would be 3.5, since I have now uploaded/reinstalled/reloaded five times in various experiments and tests. At any rate, this time I have decided to utilize Joomla CMS. It's free, which is always appreciated, and if it works I plan on making a nice donation. So far it looks promising, since I have begun to load and make CSS templates which are somewhat pleasing to the eyes.

Which brings me to the here and now. As you see, I already have vBulletin up and running long before I even have the website designed. Well, this wasn't how I planned things. It turns out that I realized how much more difficult it would be to get the front end up and running, that I decided it would be better to spend the $180 on the backend software (vBulletin) and get it done and over with. There were a few free forum packages I liked, but the testing and reload/retest cycle is already a major h***le.

So here we are. It's 10:30PM on 03/01/07, and I am uploading Joomla for the fifth time. I know I should just install JSAS or XAMPP, and run the site from my local server before I upload onto the site, but it is always nice to see things in real time (despite the fact that doing this all local first would save me a whole lot of time).

[Olin Coles]

I forgot to add a few things:

Help is needed in just about every area you can think of. It could be a while before reviews are started; at least until April. In the mean time, I could really use a skilled web developer and a decent news and feed manager.

If you think this could be you, please e-mail administrator [at] benchmarkreviews <dot> com

This project is just starting, so getting in early could mean that you are helping to build your own home (and possible ownership down the road).

[Olin Coles]

After much testing, trial and error, and a whole lot more testing, it appears that Joomla is going to be the portal CMS. There were a few promising alternatives, namely vBadvanced, but in the end having a world full of support forums wins over a paid product with little support.

So now it is on to the fine tuning and installation of modules. You may notice a few ads here and there, which help to give related links for shoppers and web surfers. Please click on one if it interests you.

The forum is nearly complete. I have tested dozens of styles, but only four have survived. You can select a custom style in the lower left hand corner. Presently the default sytle is Crastel.

[Olin Coles]

It appears that most of the framework is final, which means that the site and forum are appearing as they will into the future. Both the site and forum layout are looking respectable, but I am not totally thrilled with either layout. Perhaps a motivated web developer will see the potential here and want to add some energy into the site.

Product reviews and how-to guides are being posted at this time. More new and previously completed work will release over the next few weeks. There may even be a 1080P 52" HDTV review in the future, should time allow it.

With everything coming together nicely, Benchmark Reviews is right on schedule for its April 1st start of operations. Want on the team? Contact me by e-mail: administrator [at] benchmarkreviews <dot> com

[Olin Coles]

It has been two months since I last added an entry to this thread, and this clearly proves that time does fly. So much happened over the past two months, that I'm not sure where to start. I suppost I will get the basics out of the way first, and drop in a few random thoughts.

The site layout and logo are final, but suggestions are always welcome. While I am happy with the layout and design of Benchmark Reviews (http://benchmarkreviews.com/), although the logo is not exactly what I had imagined. It will have to do for now, because it was enough work just getting it this far. Perhaps one day I will hold a contest, and offer a fabulous prize for the best logo design.

All of the iFrames were removed for the three AdSense items, which were always off-center. Now everything is HTML of Java, and the search engines will like the site better for it. As of today, everything on the site works. There are not bugs, no hacks, no problems. This may come as a surprise, but the site has been unstable from day one. Now it's stable (knock on wood).

I added a poll, in hopes that the readers would leave me some useful feedback. But because it was made public (since I don't offer website registration) many people voted repeatedly as their IP changes. Please vote only once, I really just want feedback.

Presently I have inserted as many ads as I think people will tolerate. Would I like to remove them all? Sure. But then I would have to replace them with ugly "Donate" buttons, which would never get clicked. If you buy from NewEgg (http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-2339666-10446076?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2F), you would be helping the site if you used the logo ads anywhere on this site to reach them.

I am learning that not every website in this industry is keen to partner or affiliate programs. Some of the sites I have approached are as good or less popular than Benchmark Reviews, and yet they point their nose in the air and tell me to get lost. Thankfully, there are other sites that see the value in backlinks and cross-promoted news, and they are listed here (http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_weblinks&catid=13&Itemid=45). We even post thier product reviews, which can be read here (http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=21&Itemid=49).

I like the quote of the day module, if for nothing more than personal amusement. I have added a few that I think are worthy, including my own quote, but I want more. Feel free to send me (http://benchmarkreviews.com/forum/sendmessage.php) whatever quotes you would like added, and it will probably be added.

Finally, reviews are being finished and new content is being posted. These past two months have really kept me busy; and I'm not talking about a few minutes each night. On average, I have probably put 3-6 hours into this site nearly every day for two months now. The results aren't all totally evident, because so much of it occurs on the backend, but for the most part it has made this site what it is now. Without doing this for yourself, you never appreciate the envolvement it requires, which might explain why so many other sites don't last long.

[Olin Coles]

Its been a busy couple of weeks since the last updates. I have changed advertisers in a few areas, which should help clean up the appearance. Additionally, I received my first payment from an advertiser: eBay Auction Ads. Thanks to ad-clicks and auction bids I received almost $60 for the month of May. This may sound like chump change, but you must keep in mind that May was only the second month the site had been open, so most search engines have only just begun to list our content.

Today I spent several hours designing a new layout optimized for 1280 width display or larger. It was a real trial-and-error project, but I think the semi-finished product is acceptable. I'm not totally in love with the new look just yet, but I think that it will please many of the readers with larger resolutions. Just for reference, here are the display resolutions which view the site:

1. 1280x1024 35.00%
2. 1024x768 21.57%
3. 1680x1050 11.62%
4. 1600x1200 5.95%
5. 1920x1200 5.68%
6. 1440x900 4.86%
7. 1280x800 4.06%
8. 1152x864 2.92%
9. 1400x1050 1.66%
10.1280x960 1.49%

EDIT: It turns out that at least one FireFox user had some issues looking at the site. Until the bugs get worked out, this is the only page (http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=40) that will get the new layout.

[Olin Coles]

So I have discovered that the Google Translation module is what screwed up the layout for FireFox browsers. Durning the developement period, I have moved it beneath the menu so that it doesn't get too ugly. The 1280 pixel wide version seems way too wide, so I am rebuilding a version that is just barely wider. It should be a true 1024 pixel wide page (but maybe 1064 final), as opposed to the 970 pixel wide page which is presently used.

[Olin Coles]

The new layout is complete for the website. I have optimized the design for 1280+ displays, and made the article intro's into a two-column design. Although I still think the old layout worked fine on the larger display resolutions (even my 1600x1200), the single column design really did mean a lot of scrolling. There's a poll (http://benchmarkreviews.com/), so let please me know what you think about the new layout... I really do want to know. Suggestions can be added anywhere in this forum, or you can PM me with your idea.

[Olin Coles]

It's been six months of very hard work, but I believe the site has really done quite well. Our database for the frontend has been moved to a faster server, likewise with the forum database (which was already fast), so hopefully pageload times will be speedy. At our six month mark this site was averaging nearly 62,000 unique visitors and 293,000 page views per month, which is better than almost 85% of the review sites out there... so thank you all!

[Olin Coles]

I can't believe it has been only been none months now, and Benchmark Reviews is receiving almost exactly 100,000 unique visitors with 550,000 page views! That's great news, and very promising for our hard working staff.

BmR opened the doors to additional writers almost two months ago, and so far we have been fortunate enough to have several great people join the staff. Of course, I would always like to have more writers for the site, since our sponsors are very excited to send us product, but as any of our new staff members would attest to: writing for Benchmark Reviews is almost a part time job.

As of today both the front-end website and forum have been moved to new servers with MySQL 5.0 databases. Page operations have improved just a little over the previously fast times, so hopefully we will live up to expectations for quite a while.

I have been very conservative with advertising on the site. Initially BmR had several ads, albeit no more than most others, as I wanted the site to pay for itself. Now I am looking for more promising interests, which would enable us to pay for new site designs and staff incentives.

[Olin Coles]

I have just realized that by the time I make it to this thread to post updates, the site has received so many changes that it almost seems pointless. Well, change is a good thing...

Last week I tried a new pop-up window that appears (only once) to mention the featured review. I later heard some staff grumblings, so I put it to a poll vote; and now it's gone. You haven't seen the last of the pop-up window! I won't ever use it for ads, but I think it would be great to announce contests and help wanted.

Next on the change order list is the new comments function on the main site. Now you can add your opinion to the end of every article. Somehow I think I have enough opinion for us all, but feel free to have yours too.

Finally, there's a new poll on the main site. Now I know we have a new poll ever other week, but this one is important. I'm asking you all to rate our site. You have no idea how much time I put into working on this website, and YOUR VOTE COUNTS!!!

[Olin Coles]

I have modified the front end template design to match the forums. I think that it was time for a change, and this should do nicely.

[Olin Coles]

Benchmark Reviews is now humming along nicely using nginx, and it's all thanks to forum member edge. Big THANKS!!!

R.I.P. Apache, you whore.

[Olin Coles]

Benchmark Reviews has been moved from Los Angeles onto a larger/faster server in Boston. It will take a day to figure out what's changed and iron out some bugs, but for the most part things should be improved.

[Olin Coles]

A new commenting system has been installed. This system requires that you be a registered user on the main Benchmark Reviews website (not this forum).

[Olin Coles]

The (2nd iteration) commenting system has been removed. It put a large load on the server, and after five days it didn't really get any attention. Perhaps I will revisit it another day, but for now it is a disappointment. Oh well- there goes money that could have been better spent on something else.

[Olin Coles]

We're moving! Again (x2).

We started on a shared hosting account with 1and1 Internet, and they worked for a few months until the site demanded more resources than they wanted to give.

Then we landed at StartLogic and purchased their VPS service based on a positive recommendation. That has been a lesson learned the hard way.

Now Benchmark Reviews is about to call VPSLink home. They are a no-frill LAMP-admin necessary host. No phone numbers, no free tech support, and no easy interface. It's all shell and command line. It's also a lot more hardware than we've ever had!

I expect that this will be a seamless move. Unlike at 1and1 (who are dirty whores), we are not being kicked out of our hosting plan. So while this server is pushing along, I will be prepping the new server.

[Olin Coles]

Today Benchmark Reviews moved into our new home at VPSLink (Spry). It took some planning, and the email system for benchmarkreviews.com is still getting the bugs worked out, but otherwise all is well. Yay!

[Olin Coles]

One year to the day since our last update, Benchmark Reviews has upgraded our server (this would be #4). We're now running with a full gigabyte of system memory on our Xeon server.

[Olin Coles]

Benchmark Reviews will soon release our 2.0 version of the website (if anyone is counting). A sneak peek is available at: Benchmark Reviews 2.0 (http://demo.benchmarkreviews.com/)

[Olin Coles]

After spending much time on the 2.0 version of Benchmark Reviews, we've decided to wait for Joomla 1.6 to be released before migrating. In the meantime, a new comment system has been included on the 1.0 website to help make it easier for visitors to leave feedback. We hope you enjoy this new feature!

[Olin Coles]

Hooray! Benchmark Reviews is three years old!