Internet Marketing, SEM, News, Sports, Videos, and Politics Blog
Web’s Best
failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in – Solution
Nov 19th
Okay, I got this message when I upgraded PHP to version 5.2. The cause was a few includes that linked to remote files. I couldn’t easily find the answer, so I solved it after doing a bit of research.
The solution is quite simple. Find your php.ini file and add the following line:
allow_url_include = On
This did not exist in my PHP.ini file, but if it does exists in yours, just change it to “On”. If you have a similar message but it pertains to fopen, the solution is basically the same.
Add this line to the PHP.ini
allow_url_fopen = On
The same rules apply: add it if isn’t there or modify it if it isn’t.
Hopefully this post will save you some time. I personally love it when I can quickly find the answer using a search engine, so maybe this will help you out.
Calling all commenters – I need a favor
Aug 18th
Anyone out there. I don’t care who you are, and if you’ve never commented before, but do me a favor and make a comment. I can’t take another day of looking at “Scott’s” negative diatribe about Web 2.0 on the “Get Recent Comments” section of the Sidebar. I never expected it to stay there as a long as it has, and now it’s really making me nervous.
Assure me there’s still hope in this world. Tell me that Scott isn’t right. If I have to wake up every day for another 3 weeks staring at that, it will put me in a negative spiral that I may never recover from. The funny thing is, this blog has 3 times as many as comments as posts, so it means I’m losing my touch. I haven’t been able to get any of you to say anything.
Well all that’s about to change. I can feel it. Just say “Hi” or “Scott sucks” or just nod your head in agreement. Wait, don’t just nod your head in agreement! I can’t hear it or see it and it won’t fix the last comment problem. So whatever you say, make sure you type it so the whole world can see. Thanks for listening. And understanding….I guess 
Our blog network learns how to cook
Jul 20th
This week, the Blog Republic learns to cook, by adding our newest blog to the network. We’re also proud to add Erik Christensen to our staff.
If you’re in need of learning how to cook, make sure to check out our new blog at Absolutely Scrump-tio.us.
Blog Republic also is interviewing bloggers, so this would be a way for you to get your name out there. Expect the first in the interview series to start this week.
Don’t forget, Blog Republic is always looking for new bloggers (we work with people on a pay per post or revenue-sharing basis). Please join our network if you feel you’re a good fit.
Mozilla Thunderbird is better email than Outlook Express
Jul 19th
I’ve been using Firefox for a long while, but I stubbornly kept hanging in there with Outlook Express out of habit. Finally, I had enough. Outlook Express would routinely crash. I decided to check out the free Mozilla Thunderbird. Whoa, baby, where have you been all my life.
How is Thunderbird superior to Outlook Express?
- It’s faster – all functions run significantly quicker
- It’s sleeker in design – with less excess crap built in
- It’s not as prone to crashing – god does that make life easier
- It has built in spam filtering
- It has extremely useful RSS reader tools
If you haven’t already, check this free download out. It’s well worth it.
O’Reilly and the Irish Web 2.0 Conference Controversy
May 27th
The controversy heated up a bit, with different camps choosing their arguments. The anti-O’Reilly people are hot, and demanding a lynching. Pro-Reilly supporters like John Battelle urge everyone to be calm, until O’Reilly returns from his vacation. Apparently, pissing people off is tiring work 
BoingBoing says no one can own Web 2.0, so that’s at least re-assuring for everyone who has “Web 2.0″ categories on their blogs, like me. “Web”. “2.0″. Brilliant stuff! It’s hard to believe anyone could coin a phrase like that. It’s not really too similar to “Business 2.0″, so it’s quite original. It’s hard to disagree with that sentiment. In reality, this is a case of a “small business issue” that was grossly mis-handled by someone incompetent. In essence, O’Reilly can’t gain anything from this event, but stands to lose a ton of goodwill built up for the O’Reilly network and books over the years. To think the O’Reilly empire was emperiled by a conference in Ireland makes you shake your head. But we all know just how petty corporations really are.
When O’Reilly gets back he’ll be spinning fast I’d guess. The damage may already be done.
It’s one thing to protect a copyright, but it’s another thing to be stupid about it. I doubt this controversy will do much in the long run. It’s just something for people to talk about for a few days until some far greater comes along.
Web’s Best Directory is now PDA friendly
May 11th
We’re happy to announce that Web’s Best Directory is now PDA friendly. The best part is, you don’t have do to anything on your part to access the service. We’re using auto-detection to determine if you’re using a mobile browser, if so, we automatically serve you the shrunken and pictureless pages.
I think we have most popular models working correctly, and it worked well on my Palm T/X (PalmSource), but if you notice anything quirky, please do let us know.
New blog for internet marketing, SEO, and Web 2.0 punditry
May 10th
I’d like to take the time to announce our new blog here at Web’s Best Directory. This blog will be somewhat general in focus, but will keep the idea of making money online as the main theme.
Technology is changing fast, and online marketing is morphing right along with it. I plan on updating often to keep up with the changes. I look forward to speaking with you in the future.