It started with three words: “They raped me.” David Meehan’s disclosure to his wife seven years ago set into motion an unprecedented criminal investigation into New Hampshire’s state-run youth detention center, which was built in the 1850s as a “house of reformation.” It is now called the Sununu Youth Services Center, after former Gov. John … Continue reading First of nearly 1,200 lawsuits against New Hampshire youth detention center set for trial
Author: Lindsey McQueen
PhotoRoom (YC S20) Is Hiring an API Designer in Paris (Node, Rust)
New comment by csaba-boros in "Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (July 2023)"
SEEKING WORK | REMOTE (US time zones)
Available for part-time or full-time contract work, preferably on a long-term basis, but I’m also available for smaller projects.
I am very flexible with my working hours (mostly working with clients from USA).
I am a backend developer with more than 9 years of professional experience mostly in the C# .NET stack. I don’t shy away from the DevOps and DBA parts of the project either.
I prefer a long-term contract, but I’m also available for smaller projects.
I also work through Toptal. My CV is available on my toptal profile and my website.
My rate is $90/hour.
Some of the technologies: C# .NET, Azure DevOps, Circle CI, AWS, Docker, Blazor, Kubernetes, Rabbit MQ etc.
Github: https://github.com/boros-csaba
Website: https://www.boroscsaba.com/
Toptal: https://www.toptal.com/resume/boros-csaba
Email: boros.csaba94@gmail.com
NYC Mayor Eric Adams slams 'irresponsibility' of White House on immigration
New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday criticized the “irresponsibility” of the White House regarding immigration.
The comments came during a press conference, where Adams complained his city has taken in a burden of asylum-seekers due to failures by both parties in the nation’s capital.
“It is not about the asylum-seekers and migrants, all of us came from somewhere to pursue the American Dream,” Adams said. “It is the irresponsibility of the Republican Party in Washington for refusing to do real immigration reform, and it’s the irresponsibility of the White House for not addressing this problem.”
The complaint came a day after Adams criticized Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his latest plan to send asylum-seekers to cities across the nation.
“Not only is this behavior morally bankrupt and devoid of any concern for the well-being of asylum seekers, but it is also impossible to ignore the fact that Abbott is now targeting five cities run by Black mayors,” Adams said. “Put plainly, Abbott is using this crisis to hurt Black-run cities.”
NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS SAYS ‘MIGRANT CRISIS’ UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS ‘DESTROYED’ CITY
Adams clarified in an interview on WABC Tuesday he did not think Abbott’s actions make him a racist.
“I didn’t use the term racist,” Adams sad. “What I did was show the facts. We have 108,000 cities in America, 108,000. Many of them are Democratic cities, but where did Abbott send the migrants? To New York, to Chicago, to Denver, to Los Angeles, to Houston, to Washington. Each one of those cities are run by Black mayors.”
The Biden administration approved sending 1,500 active-duty U.S. troops to the southern border in May to prepare for the end of Title 42, sources told Fox News Tuesday.
New comment by toddsantaniello in "Ask HN: Who is hiring? (March 2023)"
The Athletic | Sr. Android Engineer | Full Time | Remote (US & Canada) https://jobs.lever.co/theathletic/e07a9eee-93b5-439e-9c97-bd… The Athletic is looking for a Sr. Engineer to join our Android team. We have lots of exciting projects lined up from community features to new media content to architecture opportunities and more. We’re looking for an experienced engineer who … Continue reading New comment by toddsantaniello in "Ask HN: Who is hiring? (March 2023)"
Biden campaigns for heavily favored Democrat on eve of 'most important' election
President Biden will spend Election Day eve campaigning for a Democrat running for governor in Maryland who is up by 30 points in the latest polls, instead of several other candidates in much tighter races across the country that could determine which party controls the House and Senate.
Biden over the weekend called the midterm “one of the most important elections. One of the most important elections in our lifetime.”
But on Monday, Biden will leave the candidates in tight races on their own and instead will campaign for Wes Moore, the Democratic candidate for Maryland governor who appears set to coast to a victory on Tuesday.
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN SLAMS BIDEN’S MIDTERM CLOSING ARGUMENT: ‘IT WAS A MISTAKE’
Moore will hold a rally Monday night that will be attended by the president, first lady and several prominent Maryland Democrats. Biden’s appearance comes as the latest poll places Moore 31 percentage points ahead of his Republican opponent, Dan Cox. FiveThirtyEight, the polling data website, gives Moore a more than 99% chance of winning the race to replace moderate Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.
The rally marks the last campaign event for Biden before Election Day. The president has traveled for campaign events in largely blue areas over the past week, including New York, Illinois and California. The exception to this trend was Pennsylvania, where he appeared in an event with Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, who is in a tight race with Mehmet Oz.
CNN PANELIST PREDICTS ‘BAD NIGHT,’ SAYS DEMOCRATS DIDN’T ‘LISTEN’ TO VOTERS THROUGHOUT THE ELECTION
Moore, a bestselling author and progressive activist, won a tight Democratic primary earlier this year, then received prominent endorsements in the general election, most notably from former President Barack Obama. Cox, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, won a tight Republican primary matchup over Kelly Schulz, who was endorsed by Hogan.
The Maryland governor race, which is expected to be a seamless victory for Democrats, has received significant national involvement. The Democratic Governors Association funded ads in support of Cox during the primary, part of an effort to boost Trump-endorsed candidates, who they believed would be more vulnerable in the general election.
How to Make a Website in 6 Easy Steps
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Making a website has gotten much, much easier over the years. It’s cheaper, faster, and more straightforward than ever before.
But what do you really need to build a website?
A stable internet connection and an hour or two of your time is plenty.
You don’t need any web development experience or tons of money, don’t worry.
In this step-by-step guide, I’ll teach you how to make a website from scratch in just one afternoon. Just follow my tactics below to avoid the mistakes I made when I was starting from ground zero.
Your 2-Minute Cheat Sheet
Here’s your quick-start guide to making a website. This section won’t cover the details–just the crucial steps–each step is broken down in more detail below.
Start by choosing the right web host. We highly recommend Bluehost for speed, reliability, and ease of setup. It only costs a few bucks a month, and it’s got everything you need to make your first website look professional.
Then you’ll need a domain name that represents what your website is going to be all about. A .com domain name is best because it helps you earn brownie points in the eyes of visitors.
One reason I like Bluehost so much is that they throw in a free domain name for the first year. That saves you some cash and the extra step of having to go through a domain registrar.
Once you’ve registered your domain name, choose a content management system or CMS. You can consider WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, among others.
I like WordPress the best and it’s what I use for my site. If you go with Bluehost, WordPress is a one-click install.
Boom, now you have a version of a website up and running. Congrats!
But you aren’t done yet.
Next on your list would be to market your business. Since branding is crucial today, you need to consider a logo, write your website copy, plan your marketing strategy, and definitely install Google Analytics.
Basically, the exciting stuff that you may know all about already.
Now let’s discuss how to build a website in more detail. Keep reading or jump right to the step you need help with:
- Choose Web Hosting
- Select a Unique and Relevant Domain Name
- Select a Good Website Building Platform or CMS
- Design Your Website to Make It Look Awesome
- Protect Your Website by Using a Child Theme
- Configure Your Website and Add Relevant Content
Step #1: Choose Web Hosting
Do you remember how your school library had those large categorized bookshelves?
A web hosting company is precisely like that bookshelf, while the library is the internet.
A hosting service provider or a web hosting company stores your website on a server, making everything you put up on your website visible on the internet and your visitors.
These companies offer monthly or annual plans on shared servers, dedicated servers, or virtual private servers, allowing you to choose a plan according to your security and support requirements.
If your website doesn’t collect or store personal or financial data, you can always select the basic plan. So, you don’t have to shell out a lot of money.
But how do you know which web hosting company or service is right for you?
Site Speed
If you want to earn money from your website, you need to get a stable and fast web host.
Fast sites have many things going for them. They rank better, help with SEO, and maximize conversions.
I would 100% recommend Bluehost, as it keeps loading time minimal and short.
That said, we would also advise you to avoid shared hosting or overly cheap services.
Shared hosting means you’ll be sharing your web server with thousands of other sites. In other words, hosting speed will be slow–plus, you may even end up sharing the server with spammy sites, which you may end up with you facing the brunt of Google.
As for skipping cheap hosting services, the rule here is simple: You get what you pay for.
The level of security, speed, and uptime wouldn’t be as great when you pay $5 per month, especially when you compare it to plans costing more than $120 per month.
I’m not telling you to buy the most expensive plan–just avoid the cheapest hosting.
Uptime Dependability
Your web hosting service should always operate properly. Otherwise, no one can access your website.
A good hosting provider provides you an uptime guarantee–something like “We offer a 100% network uptime guarantee” or similar claims.
For instance, if a hosting provider tells you 99% uptime, your site can be down for 3.5 days a year. But providers offering 99.99% or 99.999% will have about one hour and five minutes downtime, respectively.
Look for a provider that offers a guarantee for insurance. If your website goes down, you can be compensated with hosting credits.
Customer Support
You’ll need quick and efficient backup support when technical difficulties arise. Chat, email, or telephone – there are various support methods. In my experience, though, email is the absolute worst. It’s much better to receive support by phone or live chat.
Choose a hosting provider that offers 24/7 support. This way, you’ll be able to get your business back online if something goes wrong within minutes.
You should also check your service level agreement (SLA) to get an idea of the kind of support you’ll receive. Looking at the company’s website will give you an idea about their support team too.
Definitely go with a host that offers you a free trial period–it’s the only way to get a real sense of the service you’re going to get. Even if you don’t need help, hit them up a few times during the first 30 days. See how quickly they get back to you.
If your new host is slow to respond, the quality of service is probably not going to improve. That’s why the free trial is so important. Bluehost lets you cancel for free within the first month if you’re not happy. DreamHost offers a 97-day money-back guarantee.
Scalability
Scalability is vital for two reasons. First, a hosting provider should grow organically with you, enabling you to upgrade when needed. Second, your website should be able to handle massive spikes in visitor numbers.
Consider the following questions to understand whether your web host is flexible:
- Will the web host upgrade you from an entry-level shared hosting plan to an intermediate VPS when your visitor numbers reach a certain level without any downtime?
- How easy is this upgrade process?
- Can the web host support seasonal fluctuations in web traffic seamlessly?
You should aim to get a solution that checks all three boxes.
Visit web hosting forums to learn about other people’s experiences with providers. Then compare services and prices to determine the right plan based on your needs and budget.
With a web host provider in place, you can move on to Step 2.
Step #2: Select a Unique and Relevant Domain Name
Don’t go looking for the perfect domain name–there isn’t one. Some names better than others, but ultimately, it’s a small part of your business. The content of your website remains most important.
A domain name is your website’s address on the internet. Mine is NeilPatel.com, and it reflects my personal brand. Yours can be anything you want it to be, provided it’s related to your business, topics that you want to write about, or your name.
The options are endless!
Following are a few rules of thumb to help you choose the right domain name:
- Keep it relevant
- Stick to short, memorable names
- Avoid numbers
- Choose a .com, .org, or .net
- Make sure your chosen domain name is available
Find the perfect name is also possible using the following methods:
Method 1 – Brute Force Method
Many have the creativity to come up with the perfect domain name independently. If that’s you, you’ll need a domain name registrar to purchase the domain, and then search the availability of your prospective domain name.
Bluehost is a great place to start, as it gives you a free domain for one year with their hosting plans, and you can search availability.
I’ll also advise you to avoid going for domain names that have hyphens (like neil-patel-marketing.com) even when you get it at a dirt-cheap price. It can get confusing.
Method 2 – Use a Tool
Some of us are not very creative, and that’s okay.
If you get stuck when coming up with a domain name, try using name generators. Just enter one or two keywords, and the generator will look for ways to combine those words into a domain name.
In addition to speed and downtime reliability, Bluehost also allows you to check domain name availability. Visit the sign up now page and enter your domain name in the box, and voila! You’ll have a name.
Bear in mind that your preferred domain name may be unavailable. Try mixing up words, using a thesaurus, or adding a verb if it happens.
After you’ve chosen your domain name, you’ll next need a website building platform.
Step #3: Select a Good Website Building Platform or CMS
A quick Google search about website builders and CMS will leave you overwhelmed with the enormity of options.
CMS stands for Content Management System. It allows you to edit your website within the domain itself, helping you save tons of time and make everything way simpler. Customizing layouts, settings, content, creating new pages and posts, and so on, becomes easier thanks to ready-to-use website templates.
Here are a few options to consider:
- WordPress. WordPress is number one when it comes to CMSs. It’s popular, user-friendly, and super easy to use. Moreover, the platform has over 58,000 plugins that allow you to do almost anything you want on your site.
Keep in mind that WordPress.com and WordPress.org aren’t the same. While the former is a third-party site that allows you to create free blogs, the latter enables you to download the WordPress software to install on a website.
- Wix. Wix is another website builder that makes things super easy. If you need a site with just a few pages, like restaurants, local businesses, freelancers, or portfolio sites, this could be a great option. Their reliability (99.98% uptime) and security features (like 24/7 managed monitoring and optimization) give you peace of mind, as well.
However, if you want to build a large site, Wix may lack the advanced features required for large amounts of traffic.
- Drupal. Drupal is the most advanced website building solution, which is why it has a steeper learning curve. Though when you consider the level of customization it offers, the hard work seems worth it.
While I don’t recommend Drupal for beginners, if advance customization is a priority on your list, this is hands down the best option. You can always hire an expert to learn the ropes of the platform.
You’ll now have a website up and running. All that is left to do is to make it look great.
Step #4: Design Your Website to Make It Look Awesome
For any website builder, you’ll have to install a theme. Themes can be free and paid, but the latter is more professional-looking and gives you more flexibility when customizing your website. They aren’t excessively expensive as well and can be bought for less than $100.
WordPress and Wix have some great free themes, but if you want to try out the premium variety, you can give StudioPress a shot.
Themes are built on the basic CMS but are customizable to give your website a unique look and allow it to function differently. After all, shouldn’t an artist’s website look different from a SaaS or a restaurant?
Visual representation is incredibly important as your visitors judge your website in a fraction of a second based on how it looks. If your site looks obsolete, untrustworthy, or doesn’t match their expectations, your visitors will be gone in seconds.
Luckily, choosing a good theme is easy.
I recommend reading reviews about the themes before choosing and never prioritizing visual appeal over functionality.
Yes, you want your website to look good with all those fancy fonts and colors, but that shouldn’t be at the cost of functionality.
Additionally, you can always change the theme at a later date. Just don’t change it frequently, as it will harm SEO and branding.
Step #5: Protect Your Website by Using a Child Theme
The best way to protect your website is to use a child theme. A child theme is a style sheet stored separately from the rest of your theme’s files on the webserver. Not only will it make your site hard to break, but it even protects you from redoing changes whenever you update a theme.
Keep in mind that different website builders have different names for creating a child theme.
You build a “child theme” in WordPress, but you create a “sub-theme” in Drupal. Also, some websites don’t allow you to create a child theme, but you can always make a duplicate theme to serve as back up, as in Joomla.
Step #6: Configure Your Website and Add Relevant Content
At this point, you’re done with most of the technical part and can now finally focus on the more interesting things.
Start by setting up navigation to make it easier for visitors to know what your website is all about and grant them easy access to different parts of your website. Choose a couple of colors to represent your site without going overboard.
For instance, I chose orange and white.
Organize, separate, and highlight the important areas of your website to make it eye-catching and clear. You can also install plugins to help your website function smoothly.
Here is a quick checklist of things you need to start marketing your business, especially if you want to earn money from the website:
- Get a logo. This will represent your brand, so be very careful here.
- Write your website copy, including the home page, About Me page, and other basic pages.
- Install Google Analytics code to your website to keep track of visitors.
- Start planning your marketing strategy to figure out your visitor’s likes and dislikes.
As for the last pointer, you’ll have to understand online marketing, content marketing, and the often neglected link building to gain visibility, generate leads, and achieve your business goals from your website.
Conclusion
Making a website does have its fair share of struggles, but the more experience you gain, the better you’ll become, and the easier it’ll be.
While we’ve covered all the necessary details for building your first website, if you find yourself getting stuck anywhere, you can turn to Google or YouTube to solve your problem.
Trust me, there are tutorials for almost everything out there on the internet.
Choosing a web host and CMS, designing your website, and marketing is just the tip of the iceberg. You can’t expect overnight success, but was just a bit of patience, you’ll see real progress.
HireArt (YC W12) Is Hiring a Product Designer
Article URL: https://www.hireart.com/jobs/0e40a78f/apply?utm_source=hackernews
Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31160541
Points: 1
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George W. Bush and Bill Clinton visit Ukrainian Church to lay flowers, pay respects
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush visited a Ukrainian church in a show of support as the country enters its fourth week of combating an invasion by Russia.
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Straight Talk: Is Divvy Really a Tool You Want In Your Business Toolbox?
We all have tools. I’m not just talking about hammers and nails. We have kitchen tools, lawn care tools, tools we use in the office, even tools we use to care for our pets and our children. Business owners have tools they use for many things, including managing finances. Is Divvy a tool that business owners need in their toolbox? Let’s find out.
Find Out If Divvy Is Right For Your Business
There are a number of money management tools on the market. We’re digging in with Divvy to find the good, the bad, and the ugly so you can make an informed decision for your business.
What Divvy Is, and What It Isn’t
What is Divvy? At its core, it is an expense management system. In fact, it was recently acquired by Bill.com, due to the fact that Bill.com had an increasing number of customers looking for help with money management.
Check out how our reliable process will help your business get the best business credit cards.
It is designed to help businesses manage their business finances by integrating with accounting systems and helping them control spending in a streamlined manner. That is what Divvy is.
It is not meant to be a business funding option on its own. It does offer a charge card option that allows for business funding, and even helps build business credit. However, it’s purpose is to be another spending management tool. If it were a hammer, this card would be the backside that pulls the nails out. You buy a hammer to hammer nails. The other side is useful, but generally you don’t use a hammer simply to pull nails. It works for that, but that is not it’s main purpose.
Money Management Tool
They offer a lot of great money management products for managing spending, expenses, and accounts payable. The system allows you to see transactions in real time, and send funds in seconds via mobile or desktop.
You can also issue cards to employees, either virtual or physical cards, and give them direct access to funds with a spending limit you set. This not only cuts down on expense reports, but also helps with budget management. That is the main purpose of the card.
The system currently integrates with Quickbooks Online and Oracle Netsuite. Integration with Xero and Quickbooks Desktop is coming soon.
On the accounts payable side, you can seamlessly receive invoices, get approvals, and send payment by either ACH, check, or virtual card. It’s truly an easy and innovative way to streamline processes and manage spend. However, there is currently a waitlist for accounts payable services.
Building Business Credit
So, what’s the deal with Divvy and business credit? They do offer a business card. They have more than one way of underwriting so that if you do not qualify with traditional underwriting, they can look at other factors for approval. There is really no elaboration on what these may be. But, often it is monthly income, time in business, and the like.
So, if you do not qualify for other cards, you may qualify for this one. The main point of the card however, is that it is attached to the Divvy system. That means, if you distribute cards or virtual cards to employees, you can see their spending in real time. It offers business owners more control.
Check out how our reliable process will help your business get the best business credit cards.
They report positive payment history to the Small Business Finance Exchange. That means this card does help you build your business credit score, because the SBFE reports information to Dun & Bradstreet. Since only 7% of companies that offer credit to businesses actually report positive history, this is big. One of the largest obstacles to building business credit is finding accounts that will report positive history. Most only report missed payments.
The thing about business credit building is, one account reporting is just not enough. Your business has to be set up properly to be fundable to begin with. Also, you need a lot more accounts that will report before you have a business credit score at all. That in itself is a challenge. This is where a program like the Credit Suite Business Credit Builder can be helpful, because it walks you through the process of setting up to be fundable, finding accounts that will report, and applying for them at the right time so that you actually qualify.
Divvy’s Online Reputation
If you look at online reviews, you are going to get a mixed bag. Most of the negative reviews and complaints come from those looking for a business credit card. They are not looking for money management services. Those looking for money management services seem to be pleased.
It does appear that maybe they are not clear on a lot of things, or at least they do not make the information easy to find, pertaining to how the card works and rewards. For example, one complaint was that this is a charge card, not a credit card. That means the balance must be paid in full each month. This would explain why there is no interest rate information, as there is no interest since the card carries no balance.
After a lot of digging around I did confirm that the Divvy card is a charge card used to pull against a line of credit. It is not a credit card, and therefore you cannot carry a balance. This information was definitely not easy to find on the website, and they refer to the card as a credit card multiple times.
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Another complaint noted that card rewards are not earned unless you use at least 30% of the credit line. I could not verify this. There is no mention of it that I could find. That doesn’t mean it isn’t there, but it certainly is not out front information.
There were many positive reviews from those who were using the service mainly for money management.
They have a D+ rating at BBB.org. However, the fact that the business is only 3 years old and there are only a handful of reviews and complaints, skews this grade. People are much more likely to report negative experiences to the Better Business Bureau. Any negative report is going to bring the grade down very quickly.
It’s important to note also that the company did respond to the complaints and worked to make them right if they were in the wrong.
What’s the Final Word on Divvy?
This is a new company, and it appears to be making its way well among the new-ish niche of money management options. They offer what appears to be smooth integration with common accounting systems. Their charge card allows for spend control and options for managing cash flow. It is an added bonus that they report on-time payments to your business credit profile.
In conclusion, this is a great tool for money management. One major reason for this is that they can help you build credit for your business. If you are looking for a money management option for your business tool box, it’s a solid choice. Apply for Divvy now. If you are mainly looking for a business credit card, you may be better off with something else.
The Credit Suite Business Credit Builder can help you position your business to qualify for all the funding you will ever need, and help you find the best vendors for your business at the same time. Sign up for a free business credit consultation today.
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