Membership

Q: Why do you require registration to get the feed?

A: In short, as a minimally-intrusive mechanism for preventing content theft. Every member has a unique key to the feed, which can be regenerated or revoked at any time. This provides accountability for the redistribution of content from this site.

I recognizing the convenience that a feed offers. If you intend to use it, you know that it will save you far more time than it takes to register.

All members can download hand-crafted PDF versions of any of the articles on this site. (These may be formatted differently, and are not just "print to postscript" crap.)

Many of the articles I've written deal with software packages, and since Ubuntu is my Linux distribution of choice, I've taken a few extra steps to support my fellow Ubuntu users. Technically this can work with Debian, though you'll need to go through a few extra hoops. All versions of Ubuntu from 7.10 onward support this installation method with no configuration required. If you are still using something earlier than 7.10¹ you can still enjoy this feature by jumping through the same hoops as Debian users.

If the software is in any official repository (Main, Restricted, Universe, Multiverse), this installation method works. For any official repository that has not been enabled, the installation will enable it. As I don't typically discuss software that's not available in the major repositories, cases outside this are unlikely.

As long as you have an active membership (Supporter or Patron), I'll do my best to assist with any software I've written. This includes bug fixes, if required. Patrons are invited to request additional features or enhancements to any of the software I write. While anyone can make a request, those coming from (or endorsed by) Patrons will get priority.

Opinions on ads seem to range from outright hate, to a grudging acceptance of them as a fair means of keeping prices reasonable, to active appreciation for advertisements that are creative and/or interesting.

Every advert you see on olstrom.com was carefully selected by me. This selection process involves evaluating a potential advertiser, and ensuring that the product or service being offered:

• Is a good match for this site and the good people who visit it. You won't find any weight loss products or health supplements being hawked around here. I don't write about these things, you didn't come here to read about those things, and this creates a lose-lose-lose situation.
• Operates strictly on a per-sale basis. I don't sell impressions or clicks. If I have matched an advert poorly to the site, content, or audience... charging for that isn't ethical. If I recommend a product or service to someone who finds it useful and opts to purchase it, accepting payment for that is reasonable and fair.

Because these ads are not "sold", I have substantially more creative freedom in how I present those services. You'll note that some articles have ads, and others don't. This occurs when I don't have an advert that I think is suitable for that content. The volume and placement of adverts on the site will vary with the number (and quality) of offers in play at the time.

If you opted for a Supporter or Patron membership, I'll leave these ads out. You can still view them by choice at the sponsors page, but there will be no adverts along any content, or in posts.

If you're purchasing any of my photography prints, consider buying a membership first. Supporters get comfortable 10% off, and Patrons get a hefty 20% discount.

If you purchased prints without this discount, send me a copy of your invoice, and I'll credit the amount you would have been discounted towards the appropriate membership level.

Note: These vouchers are unique to your account, and are not intended to be shared on coupon sites. If you get busted for distributing a voucher, the coupon will be revoked, and you will not get another one.

Supporters and Patrons get access to my brainstorming sessions, where I discuss ideas as I'm planning them. Some of these ideas may or may not be implemented, but this is where the action happens. It's also a chance to get your ideas in, if you have specific questions related to a concept I'm working on.

If there's something you've been wondering about (how to do something, technical questions, "how does he do that", and so on), you can add those requests to the idea queue. There's no assurance that I will write about these, but if the idea is a good fit for the site, I'll likely make a point of doing it.

I generate a lot of ideas, and I don't implement them all. Patron members get a list of these ideas, including (where applicable) database schemas, API designs, code snippets, process maps, marketing plans, competitive analysis, keyword lists and more. The amount of content may vary depending on the idea.

Describing me as an information junkie would be a bit of an understatement. I follow over 270 sites, and attempt to digest as much of their published content as possible in a given day. The magic of content syndication makes this possible.

Along the side, you can always find a list of "My Latest Picks": a subset of the items I think are worth reading (specifically, those I expect will have the widest appeal). Registered members get the raw list, which contains a substantially volume of gritty technical content.