Christmas Countdown

Countdown to Christmas.

I both love and hate this time of year - the countdown is in it's final stages, and the office is very, very busy! The decorations and music are creating a happy, festive atmosphere and we've all picked our menu choices for our staff Xmas dinner on Friday (at www.arbukles.biz of course...) but it's a nightmare too, because (despite doing this for customers) we're left with very little time for getting our own Christmas Cards out to customers/suppliers/associates.

Luckily this year, we've planned to do e-cards, and the design is in the bag, we just need to send it out. However, the delay in doing so is now not because we're busy, but because of the debate in how to do so for the best. We could just send the jpeg in an email (not very cool) or a link to a webpage (a bit boring) or an html email which reads in the recipients mail programme (much more preferable).

We're been researching e-shot software, (having used a few different ones last year) and we are keen to test the best version we have found so far. It's typical then, that as I worked late last night to set up the account, in preparation for the e-xmas-shot... the webpage to buy credits online came up with a firefox security alert that parts of the page are unencrypted!! arg!!!

Vigilance is my watchword with internet security, and having foiled a potentially fraudulent transaction on an e-commerce site of one of our customers last week, (involving phone calls to the police's Computer Crime Unit)...this is right at the front of my mind, and I'm not about to enter my card details on an unsecure page!

Craig has said he'll have a look - ( he should be able to tell me what is wrong - perhaps the certificate is out of date?) but the countdown is still ticking and I'm as more cards arrive from other customers, it's going to have to be sorted soon!!!

In other news: We're really pleased to have Claire back in the office full time, (welcome back birdie) and fingers crossed in 2009 her role will include updates and additions to the side project www.downhamweb.co.uk which is gathering pace (again) now she's back.

In website news: The latest launch is the ecommerce (although no online sales) website Draft Wheelchairs