GPC Compatible Web Tools

VISIT COUNTER & STATISTICS

My first visible counter came from http://www.ewebcounter.com/, but I found it didn't work very well with GPC. I changed to http://www.statcounter.com/ and I never had a problem again.

• GOOD: It works very well with GPC.
• BAD: It keeps information of your last 500 entries only... I am also using Google Analytics to have a better insight of my site activity.

E-MAIL (contact me)

Following a suggestion from Tswi Brazil I am not publishing my gmail address anymore. Now I am using http://www.emailmeform.com/ (see my mail box HERE ).

GUESTBOOK

I am using the guest book from http://www.bravenet.com/ (you can sign my guestbook  HERE ).

• GOOD: It works OK for me, though it doesn't have too much activity
• BAD: It doesn't work with Google Page Accelerator! (2/29/2008)

MP3 MUSIC AND SOUNDS

I am using Playtagger from del.icio.us ( http://del.icio.us/help/playtagger ). Very easy to use (see http://gpc.tipstricks.googlepages.com/mp3.html ). I am satisfied so far. See an example in my 24 Hours @ Valparaiso-Chile page).

MAPS

I absolutely love Google Earth and Google Maps ( http://maps.google.com/ ) and the way you can move between them. Everything is good here.

CHAT BOXES

I am using Cbox (http://cbox.ws/).

• GOOD: Very easy to implement and customize.
• BAD: It allows only one chat box per account, so I had to open several accounts with different names to install the boxes in my travel planning sites (see an example in my
  Personal Travel Guides ).

SEARCH ENGINE

I am using Google, of course, for my search boxes http://www.google.com/coop/cse/ ).

• GOOD: Easy to implement and configure (see an example in Personal Travel Guides: 3 Weeks in Europe ).
• BAD: I haven't found the way to make the answers page to open in a new tab in
  FF2 or IE7. Tips?

STORAGE

Most of my photos are stored in my Flickr site ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/clixyou/ ). At first I uploaded them in my GPC site, but very soon I found the way to link directly to Flickr.
I use a Picasa account ( http://picasaweb.google.com/ ) to store pictures that are not in Flickr (like modified versions of my originals).

CALENDAR

I failed trying to use Google Calendar ( http://www.google.com/calendar ) in my Travel Planning pages. It always open in the CURRENT month.

• GOOD: It works.
• BAD: I couldn't make it open in a particular FUTURE date, so I gave up. (If some of you knows how to do it, please let me know). I haven't had the time to research for other tools.

Complementary Tools

HTML EDITOR

For complex edition, I use the CoffeCup Html Editor ( www.coffeecup.com ). For example, I use tables to organize elements inside the columns, and creating or modifying a complex table is a very tough job inside the GPC editor. I start creating the structure in CoffeeCup and the I copy and paste in the editor.

SPELL CHECKING

I was using the Spell Checker from CoffeCup ( http://firefactor.coffeecup.com/ ), until I found the "Check" button in the Google Toolbar! There are versions for Firefox and Internet Explorer.

• BAD: My IE7 was crashing rather frequently for unknown reasons, and then I found THIS in the IE7 Google Toolbar IE Help Group: "IE7 crashes while Google Toolbar is Enabled". It's annoying, but I have to survive with it, because (for me) the GPC editor works better with IE7 than with FF2. I use FF2 for every other thing!
• GOOD: Everything else!

LINK CHECKER

I am using the Link Checker from CoffeCup ( http://firefactor.coffeecup.com/ ). It works OK, and it saves a lot of work.   

PICTURE WATERMARKER

A good tool to watermark your photos (if you don't want to use Photoshop, of course is Picture Shark ( http://www.picture-shark.com/ ). It is FREE and easy to use.