One day I'm going to make Wonderhubby a meal worth eating. No more coming home to reconstituted cardboard on a plate after a hard day's work. He must think I've had an easy day when he comes through the door to find the Teens and I on the settee, reclining, a couple of laptops between us. He doesn't realise all the sweat on brow that this tableau represents. That night I graciously allow Teen2 to stay up until almost midnight in an attempt to make head or tail of the instructions for downloading audio files onto the blog for Mum. Having promised author John Murray that I would put the recording of his reading and interview on my blog to coincide with his features in the Independent and Sunday Independent, I feel I must deliver. At that point I thought it would be a case of following a few easy steps as outlined per instructions and 10 minutes later hey presto! Another 1am morning, up again at 5.30am and still no nearer, Teen2 wanders down much later, bleary eyed and with an (almost) fresh pair of eyes manages to work out the correct sequence of events.
It had been my intention to work on my business plan and cash flow forecast this week but such is the lot of the entrepreneur that we must to be ready to change our course at a moment's notice, especially when John e-mails me to say that he can't get any sound when he clicks on the audio file. Another lengthy day of abandoned intentions and all hands to the laptops once again. By the time I manage to get to bed it hardly seems worth it.
John e-mails the next morning to say thanks everything is fine. I am working through all the e-mails that have stacked up when one comes through from John - 3 of his friends have failed to get any sound. John's publisher, Flambard, e-mails to thank me for the recording; it's really clear. Someone leaves a comment on the blog saying how much they enjoyed it but where's the sound? I try accessing the site through 2 other browsers and find John's reading is playing on a continuos loop and his interview is failing to start up. My first recording out to an audience and it's all in a mess and so disappointing. I think it's time to get in touch with Typepad so I leave a message before I tiptoe upstairs. Bedtimes spent curled up with a good book now seem like a distant memory.
The next day, I am banned from going on the blog by the Teens and Wonderhubby who diagnose a severe case of blogitis and prescribe total abstinence for 24 hours. I quickly prepare for my first review meeting for my DigitalCity Fellowship at IDI Teeside University. I decide to to try a nearby car park with the possiblity of using it for future visits - better to pay a few quid rather than drive round for hours on end looking for street parking. That is until I find it's £14.70 for the day. The distance means that public transport will be out of the question so I think I'm going to have to set off pre-morning rush-hour to bag a space which will mean dark frosty starts as winter creeps in.
The visit to IDI is to discuss my needs and how the IDI can best help them. We agree a plan: firstly to sort out the finance model - working with a mentor working who has expertise in monetising the website, then the specifications with someone from the IDI before going on to develop the website. As always lots of things to follow up, all very useful and necessary. But that's OK - I'll just add them to my list of things to do instead of going to bed.
Typepad get back and can't find any problems. I ask the Teens to take the recordings off and put them back on again from scratch - perhaps there's a fault in the html code? There's mutiny on the Bounty, but after Captain Bligh threatens them with walking the plank, they reluctantly agree to give it a go. Everything works - all audio files through all servers. Perhaps I'm getting a bit digital savvy after all. John e-mails me to say well done and many thanks for my hard work. I thank the Teens and for them it's extra pocket money all round -and for me an early night with a good book.
