New Web Site Going Live – Sort of….

Today will be a step into the future of our new web site and a new web address for our woodworkers.  The new web address is:

http://www.charlesneilwoodworking.com

Now, you can still get to the website with a click of a button if you go to www.antiquesbuiltdaily.com. Our old site will eventually become our furniture site and the new site will house all of our woodworking stuff.

During this transition period, the new site will actually be linking to web pages on the old site as they are re-furbished on the new site. Am I confusing everyone?

The reason we are going to the new site as quickly as we can is because of the video player. We have the new “Video of the Day” player live on the new site and it is changing daily, the old site still has the Brightcove player and as of last month, I can’t make any changes to it so it needs to go away! Now, we have a couple of new videos that we will be able to launch on the new web site shortly, Ken is finishing the work on the other two players we have on our site. The project player (currently has only the Valley Quilt Rack) and the Tips and Techniques Player that has all of our videos (except the projects).

There is a link to contact the web person if you are having any troubles with the new site.

Thanks Ken, it looks good.

We look forward to your feedback.

Sherri

2009 – Looking Ahead

I hope everyone had a blessed holiday season and ready to rock and roll in 2009.

It’s been a while since I posted here, my apologies. Inundated with getting some things done at years end and then I took a week off and visited my son in Savannah, Georgia. It was a needed break, not only from the cold weather but my mind had time to clear and I think I will be able to focus better on the new year.

As Charles has mentioned several times, a wonderful man in Colorado, one of our woodworking family members has found the time to re-work our website, including a video player that is all ours….we expect this to be live by the end of January. It’s looking really good and we are excited about the whole thing.

We do want to make the site look and work the best that we can for you, the end user so I have a couple of questions for you.

1. What do you think would make the site easier to use? and is there something you would like to see added?

2. What resolution and browser do you use? This is important feedback because we want to gear the site to the most popular used resolution.

We have also added a site map and you will be able to search the site by keyword, daily quote, weekly contest, daily video will change automatically so if I’m not available it will still update! Hooray!

The days off clearing my head has given me a lot of focus on how we can make sharing our information better. I have really studied the video editing software and think that I have a better handle on making our videos flow better. #1 – Menus will be provided on all videos!

If 2009 allows, we are going to try to do re-makes of our earlier videos improving the quality – visual and audio. If and when we get to this, all of you who have the original versions may get the updated version when available with no charge except for shipping the disc. We’ll let you know as this happens.

Charles and I don’t operate really well with a set schedule or time-line as sometimes things go quicker, more often longer, but we have taken time to sit down and decide priorities and the order we want to do things in the coming year.

That’s about it for now. Let’s all have a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidays to all.

I will be celebrating Christmas with my children and grandchildren and then spending the time between Christmas and New Years with my son and grandson in Savannah, Georgia.  Charles is staying behind and slaving away but shipping will begin again for all new orders once I return.

Have a blessed holiday.

Just an update, our website is being re-worked as we speak, I’ll keep you informed when the new version goes live.  Also, work continues on a new, stand alone video player for our video feeds.  Brightcove has ended the free platform accounts but they are leaving the players in tact until January 31st.  After I return from Savannah I will be diligently working on the new format.

Has Your Day Ever Been Hijacked?

I’m pretty used to coming to the shop with an agenda only to have it go this way or that. Today is Friday, I’ve been pushin’ hard getting all of the DVDs completed and shipped and thought that since I only had a few to get out today that I would take time and find my office again.

Please understand that I have allowed Charles a corner of my shipping table to set-up his laptop and his little area has kind of ran over, so today, I contemplated setting him up outside the door, but after thinking a bit more, decided I’d fix him up a little bit bigger area, clean it up and tell him I expect it to stay that way! (right!)

In rummaging through his little corner, I came across several books, ear protectors, couple of rags, a couple of router bits, a drill bit, a pair of pliers, “no mouse pad” (I gave him mine)….and this cube thing. Aha, I’ll just set over here and put it back together then I can put it on the shelf with all of the other nice things you guys and gals have sent in. Well…….

10:00 am

10:30 AM

11:00 AM

NOON

HELP!

December 9, 2008

Well, just making an update. The Router DVDs will be shipping on Wednesday and Thursday, still getting them packaged and as much as I hate to admit it, just can’t do what I used to be able to.

This also pushes back the Hancock Shaker Clock project. Charles is ready to go, but I can’t film until I have these DVD orders shipped, that is the top priority. Check back and I’ll keep you posted.

December 5, 2008

Hello Everyone, been a while since I’ve had a chance to write. Think the last time was before we left on our North East Road Trip. Charles has kept you abreast of things that happened on our trip. It was good.

The Magic of Router DVD is in the shipping process. I have found that I can keep you updated via your payment through the shopping cart so if you ordered this DVD set, you should have received an email stating that the order is “In Process,” what this means is that I am packing and boxing the DVDs and will begin printing the shipping labels tomorrow. I had hoped to ship today, but guys and gals, I’m out of gas and will do it on Monday after a day of rest. We cannot say enough to those of you who have been so patient and supporting in this fiasco that we encountered and have tried to get fixed as well as keeping up with everything else. Thank you one and all.

The “Hancock Shaker Clock” project which will be a FREE online video will be completed next week. Stay tuned for posting dates, not going to give one right now, learned my lesson. This is a long over due project that got pushed back with the other video issues.

We have a new single title DVD that will be released very soon, “Re-Sawing with Charles” more news about that in the coming days. We are getting back on our feet and in the swing of getting the videos done in a timely manner so that you can expect new and interesting videos more frequently than the past few months.

I am still working on the replacement for Brightcove and hope to have a smooth transition in the coming weeks. I needed to get the router DVD wrapped up before I could wrap my arms around this next challenge.

December Newsletter will be coming out sometime next week so check your in-boxes.

Want to send a shout out to Copper and Hummin8bird from the forum. A great couple from Georgia who stopped by our shop recently to say hi!

Have a great day and Happy Woodworking.

Hello to Charles and George

November 7, 2008

Here’s our Road Trip Revised Schedule

The tour stops will be:

November 11th, 2008 – 4pm to 6pm – Woodcraft, Parkway Shopping Center, 1543 LeHigh Street, Allentown, PA

November 12th, 2008 – 12 noon to 1pm – Woodcraft, 239A Memorial Ave., West Springfield, MA

November 12th, 2008 – 4pm to 6pm – Woodcraft, 313 Montvale Ave., Woburn, MA

November 13th, 2008 – 9am to 10am – Woodcraft, 249 Spencer St., Manchester, CT

November 13th, 2008 – 4pm to 5pm – Woodcraft, Westport Ave., Norwalk, CT

November 14th, 2008 – 10am to 1pm – Woodcraft, S. Dupont Hwy, New Castle, DE

November 14th, 2008 – 3pm to 6pm – Woodcraft, 417 Boot Rd., Downingtown, PA 19335

November 15th, 2008 – 10am to 1pm – Woodcraft, 1123 Cromwell Bridge Rd., Towson, MD

November 15th, 2008 – 3pm to 6pm – Woodcraft, 4950 Wyaconda Rd., Rockville, MD

# # #

We look forward to meeting you!

November 6, 2008

Hey Everyone!

Feeling better, thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.

On Monday, we received an email from Brightcove that they are ending their “Free” platform for video players and Brightcove TV. I clicked on the button to get more information about their “BASIC” plan, thinking that it might not be too bad. Well…..the basic plan is $6K a year and the professional plan is, are ya ready? $20K per month. Guess they just don’t want us little guys. As you can figure out, there is no way we can financially support the videos through Brightcove after December 17th, which is their D-Day. We’ll figure something out before then but will have to make a lot of changes to how we have everything laid out. My fear is that all of the “FREE” video sites will be going that way as explained to me, they had aspirations that putting the ads at the end of the free platform videos would bring them in revenue, not sure what they charged, but in a year our share was a whopping $12.49 that they don’t even pay unless it is over $20.00, and we’ve had a lot of views and click throughs. Oh well, onward we march. I got an email from Marc Spagnuolo, aka The Wood Whisperer who is in the same boat as us, he hasn’t figured out quite what to do either but in a phone conversation later, we discussed some options, it is good that we work with Marc on this because both Marc and Charles bring different things to the woodworkers and often times, behind the scenes, there are discussions and tips exchanged.

Looks like I will be released from doctor’s care on Monday afternoon so we are planning to get in the end of our Road Trip. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was that the trip would have to be postponed, so looking forward to it. Anyway, thrilled that we won’t have to toss the whole thing and we made the decision to take in the end of the trip because of the distance and wanting to get it in before harsh winter weather. I am putting together the itinerary this afternoon and will update the road trip page when complete. I’ll post the schedule tomorrow.

Lots to do today so gonna get with it.

Have a GREAT DAY!

October 30, 2008

Hey all, glad you could stop by and take a minute to read my blog.

Charles has been working really hard in the shop to get some stuff out before we leave on our road trip and I’ve been trying to get videos rendered and some new “short” stuff out on the web. Put up a new one today about a visit Charles made several weeks ago to a local lumber mill. Good video, I hope you glean some new information.

Beating my head against the wall to try and get the numbers up so that we can maintain our sponsors and get more. The more we can get to sponsor these videos, the more we can move to total education. It may not seem like it, but there is a considerable amount of time and money that go into making this stuff happen on-line. A dream come true when you look at the numbers compared to just one year ago. If you are reading this, then you are a true supporter of our efforts to get the information and word out about woodworking, but I need to ask all of you to refer your friends, talk about the information we offer here on our website to woodworkers and the access that Charles’ tries to provide to answer your woodworking and finishing questions. I hate to keep mentioning the numbers but in the real world, for us to continue to bring this stuff to you, we’ve got to be able to show that we are reaching you. Charles and I are so close to each of you and yet so alone out here in the Shenandoah Valley.

We got a really nice note from Barry at Timbermate. Seems that Woodcraftwill be stocking all of their Timbermate colors at the warehouse and should be getting into your local stores soon. Barry wanted to thank us for our efforts in getting the information to the Woodworkers who in turn, requested it be carried and more accessible. Thanks for everyone supporting Timberate and US!

In the past few weeks I have been trying to work with our web site to make it more interesting and provide more information for you. We don’t try and keep up with the Jones’ but do want to give you all that we know how to give. So far we have on our web site

Daily Quote - Usually this is a Charles Neil quote but sometimes it is one that Charles likes.
Daily Video - When we have a new broadcast (except projects), this is the first place you’ll see it. Other days you will find the video of the day an older one rotated in, after all, in the past year you may have missed one or two!
Daily Blog - Charles tries to blog every day about what is happening here at our shop. He takes you right along with him as he builds or finishes from day to day.
Our Woodworking Forum – this is where you can interact with Neil and other woodworkers from around the world. Lots of tips, techniques and joking around.
Video Tips & Techniques- a video player that has most all of our videos that we have produced in the last 18 months. A few on youtube that I wasn’t able to convert, but for the most part, they are there.
Sponsor Page – We have a special page with banners for all of the companies who financially back the production and broadcast of our project videos. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to take the time away from every day woodworking to produce them.
Woodworking Articles – Just starting to work on this page and will add articles as they come to be.

Well, I’ll stop rambling and let you get on with your day.

Happy Woodworking and Be Safe!

October 28, 2008

Just a note to let you know that I am making some updates to the web site in the next few days.  One page that is being added is “Woodworking Articles.”  These pages will be links to articles hosted at our site and written by Charles or others from our woodworking audience.  Page isn’t complete yet, but wanted to give you a heads up.

Remember to click on those banners and check out what our sponsors are doing, some of them change their web sites frequently with some special offers.

Happy Woodworking and Be Safe!