By Garrett Blanton posted on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 @ 2:38 PM - (General)
JVF Consulting believes in social networking and uses it as a tool to receive feedback from our customers. In order for us to share links with our Twitter followers and Facebook fans we use a web service tool called Bit.ly. Bit.ly is URL shortener which reduces the URL length and allows us to track the amount of clicks each link has received in order us to calculate our analytics and conversation rates. As of recently bit.ly has not been displaying the number of clicks in Firefox browsers on Windows computers. Apple computers running Firefox render the page just fine and the amount of clicks are visible.
With Firefox being the choice and default browser for JVF it makes us rather frustrated that bit.ly has not corrected this issue. In the screenshots below you can see the number of clicks is missing for each link. We have tested this several Windows machines running the latest Firefox 3.6 and we get the same results, Bi.ly does not work with Firefox!
By Garrett Blanton posted on Friday, February 26, 2010 @ 3:12 PM - (General)
We’re going to admit something kind of geeky. JVF really likes favicons. They’re not only fun, but it’s a great way to make a website stand out and give it a creative edge. Favicons allow your visitors to create a visual connection with your site and act as great branding tool. When JVF deploys a custom website, we make sure every aspect is dialed in before we deploy it, that means the addition of a custom favicon.
Favicons are also known as a website icon, shortcut icon, url icon, or bookmark icon. They’re a 16x16 pixel square icon associated with a particular website or webpage. The favicon is displayed in your browser's address bar, bookmarks & favorites list, tabs and even desktop shortcuts to web pages. Below are some of the custom favicons we have created for our customers that we would like to share with you.
By Jason Franco posted on Monday, January 25, 2010 @ 3:24 PM - (General)
With the increasing variety of farming management software available to you, how do you decide which system best fits your farming operation? The SureHarvest whitepaper provides a sample request for information as guidance for evaluating which farming data management system will be most relevant to your needs.
SureHarvest provides a full set of solutions for growers and agrifood companies pursuing sustainability strategies through farming management software, sustainability management software, sustainability consulting services and third-party sustainability certification throughout the agrifood supply chain. To evaluate and determine which farming management software system is right for your business, complete the form located on the SureHarvest download page. Once completed you will be prompted to download the SureHarvest whitepaper. This whitepaper is a comprehensive tool for designing a request for information to submit to vendors that will give you a way to evaluate which products will best serve your needs for farming data management and decision-analysis.
Since 1999, SureHarvest has helped growers farming a total of over 300,000 acres to improve profitability by increasing efficiencies, enhancing product quality and practicing environmental stewardship. While many farmers keep good records of their farming activities, SureHarvest provides a workflow process to improve efficiencies and decision-analysis reports to measure if farming practices are yielding intended results and achieving economic sustainability.
By Garrett Blanton posted on Monday, January 25, 2010 @ 3:15 PM - (General)
CCSW-Certified is short for Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing, a certification program that provides third-party verification of a winery or vineyard’s adherence to a "process of continuous improvement" in the adoption and implementation of sustainable winegrowing practices.
CCSW-Certified wineries and vineyards must:
* Evaluate the sustainability of their operations on a scale of 1 to 4 in 227 criteria included in the Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices Self-Assessment Workbook annually * Meet a set of 58 prerequisites among the 227 Code criteria to be eligible for the program * Verify the accuracy of their scores and practices through a third-party auditor * Identify key areas in which they can improve the sustainability of their practices * Create and implement annual action plans to accomplish these improvements
Seventeen companies have received certification for some or all of their vineyard and winery operations after participating in a pilot program to test the certification requirements and offer feedback. The below links show the companies that are Certified Participants and each link provides details on which part of the operation was certified. For more information on how to become a Certified Participant please see the Certification Guidebook or contact info@sustainablewinegrowing.org.
Please download the Certification Guidebook for full details about the certification program including the certification requirements, pre-requisites, process to obtain certification, guidelines for communicating certification, and other information by visiting this link Certification Guidebook.
By Garrett Blanton posted on Friday, January 15, 2010 @ 9:19 AM - (General)
Since 1979 George Family Enterprises NorCal has served California by providing quality acoustical and decorative wall and ceiling systems. Working in earthquake prone areas such as California require us to stay up with the latest in safety and building codes. Staying up to date with all codes ensures that every ceiling grid they work on will never sway laterally during an earthquake. Older buildings with installations that are not up to current safety and building codes can lead to partial or total collapse of the ceiling grid during a severe tremor. If your current ceiling needs repair due to an earthquake or natural disaster then contact GFENC immediately!
George Family Enterprises NorCal is a licensed installer of Whisper Wall Acoustical & Tackable Fabric Wrapped Wall and Ceiling Panels. We are also a licensed installer of Newmat, a thermal vinyl stretched ceiling and wall system. GFENC employs some of the finest and most competent Union Carpenters and Lathers on the West Coast who specialize in the installation of Decorative and Ornamental Ceilings; Upholstered and Panelized Fabric Walls & Ceilings; Luminous Ceilings; Wood Ceiling & Wall Systems in addition to standard Acoustical Ceilings. George Family NorCal’s staff are seasoned professionals for all types of acoustical ceiling repair and are prepared to give you a competitive quote.
GFE NC’s team of highly skilled estimators and project managers can offer assistance with both product consultations and budget pricing to facilitate you in your selection of ceiling systems. They offer competitive pricing and can fulfill all your needs in every aspects of Acoustical Ceiling and Wall Systems. GFE’s installers strive to bring your project in under budget, on-time and accident free.
For more information about George Family Enterprises NorCal, and to view their online portfolio, visit their website at www.gfeinc.com.
By Garrett Blanton posted on Monday, January 4, 2010 @ 3:58 PM - (General)
JVF Consulting would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year 2010! We are once again at that time of year where we all promise to lose weight, stop smoking and save more money. Along with all the personal resolutions we make, think about your business resolutions and goals. If your resolution is to create a new website, or redesign and update your existing website, then JVF Consulting can help!
For those of you without a website, let us remind you that a website the primary source of advertising for every company of any size. An effective website will showcase your products and services through the use of photos and/or videos, while allowing you to tell potential clients about your services and why they should use you.
Don’t let your ambitions of finally building or redesigning your website get swept under the carpet. The sooner you initiate the process, the sooner you will reap the rewards. Contact us at (925) 479-9768 for more information about our web design services.
By Garrett Blanton posted on Friday, December 18, 2009 @ 1:11 PM - (General)
You can tell the holiday season is among us when the cards and gifts start arriving. Stuffing our faces with candy from gingerbread houses and gift baskets has always been an issue here. But before JVF Consulting locks our doors for the holidays, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be an exciting year in website design and search engine optimization. We look forward to building powerful business solutions to help you save time and money. Merry Christmas!
By Garrett Blanton posted on Friday, June 19, 2009 @ 3:34 PM - (General)
Greetings Friends of Livermore Valley Wine Country! Summer is here and we are offering a $15 discount on Wine Country PASSPORTS to our friends who receive our monthly newsletters!
Get your PASSPORT for only $30 (regularly $45) and receive over $2300 in exclusive savings at the best wineries, restaurants, spas, boutique retailers, golf and recreation activities within the cities of Castro Valley, Danville, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and Sunol.
Use your PASSPORT all summer long. (valid now through September 4, 2009)
Art! Space Gallery & Framing, Aventine MedSpa, Bankhead Theater, Bent Creek Winery, Big White House & John Evan Cellars, Blackhawk Grille, Blackhawk Museum, Bodegas Aguirre Winery, Body Options, Burke Williams Day Spa, Camp di Bocce of Livermore, Casa Madrid Tapas & More!, Charles R Vineyards, Chouinard Vineyards, Concannon Vineyard, Crooked Vine and Stony Ridge, Deer Ridge Vineyards, Eagle Ridge Vineyard, Eckert Estate Winery, Eddie Papa's American Hangout, el Sol Winery, Elliston Vineyards, Fenestra Winery, Firehouse Bistro and Books, Forbes Mill Steakhouse, Garré Vineyard & Winery Tasting Room, Garré Vineyard & Winery Café , Hidden Creek Wine, John Christopher Cellars, La Rochelle Winery, Les Chªnes Estate Vineyards, Little Valley Winery, Livermore Valley Florist, Longevity Wines, Market Café, McGrail Vineyards & Winery, Mitchell Katz Winery, Murphy's Paw, Murrieta's Well, Page Mill Winery, Patrick David's Restaurant & Bar, Poppy Ridge Golf Course, Poppy Ridge Grille, PW Markets, Retzlaff Winery, Rodrigue Molyneaux Winery, Ruby Hill Winery, Signature Limousine Services, Simply Fondue, Studio 7 Fine Arts, Tamas Estates, Terra Mia, The Club at Wente Vineyards Entertainment, The Grill at Wente Vineyards, The Pleasanton Spa, The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards, The Steven Kent Winery, The Wine Steward, Umigo Indoor Kart Racing, Vino Cellars, Wente Vineyards Estate Tasting Room, Wente Vineyards Vineyard Tasting Room, White Crane Winery
Some of the fantastic offers include:
"Enjoy a glass of Wente Vineyards Estate Grown wine with purchase of an entrée" - The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards"
"Receive a $25 gift certificate with purchase of 2 dinner entrees" - Forbes Mill Steakhouse
"Enjoy a private tasting for 4 and a grand tour of the Barrel Room" - el Sol Winery
"Enjoy a glass of wine and dessert with purchase of an entrée" - Patrick David's Restaurant
"1/2 off bocce ball for up to 12 people" - Campo di Bocce
"Purchase a new club Wente Membership and receive a Wente Vineyards $10 gift card" - Club Wente Entertainment
By Garrett Blanton posted on Friday, June 5, 2009 @ 3:36 PM - (General)
Below is a response from the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance to National Geographic regarding a May article "Toll of Wine," which greatly misrepresented the carbon footprint from shipping a bottle of wine and was based on a highly flawed working paper filled with untested assumptions. The California wine industry is engaged in a series of projects on the topic of carbon footprints and climate change. A wine carbon footprint calculator was released in 2008 and is available for use by the international wine community. CSWA, with the help of scientists, also undertook an extensive literature review of the current state of the science on greenhouse gases in vineyards, and a copy of the executive summary from the report is available here. We continue to devote time and energy to better understand this very important topic, and will work to determine the real carbon footprint of wine, which will require capturing all the complex contributing factors that go into the carbon footprint of wine.
I am writing in
response to the menacing title and erroneous graphic portraying the
"Toll of Wine" in the May 2009 issue of National Geographic. This
graphic depicts the carbon intensity of shipping wine from various
global wine regions to key U.S. cities and bases its data on a
seriously flawed, two-year-old working paper that is filled with
untested assumptions, has not been peer reviewed, and does not
accurately reflect the complexities of greenhouse gas emissions in the
wine sector. Research on a science-based Life Cycle Analysis for wine
is underway but this graphic, as well as the paper on which it is
based, misleads consumers into believing that foreign imports are
somehow more environmentally-friendly than California wines.
This
distortion of fact is particularly unfortunate given the
ground-breaking work by California wineries and vineyards to tackle the
issue of GHG emissions by working to improve air quality and energy
efficiency, along with other sustainable winegrowing practices from
ground to bottle, through the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program.
This statewide program guides California's wineries and winegrape
growers to adopt an integrated system for their operations based on
tested "best practices" in alternative energy, packaging,
transportation, production and farming practices to reduce greenhouse
gas (GHG) footprints in the state with the most stringent environmental
laws in the country.
California vintners and growers are
taking their carbon footprint seriously and have partnered with the
international wine community to create an International Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Accounting Tool.
In addition, we are working with scientists to better understand the
carbon balance of wineries and vineyards, including how vines, soil and
broader vineyard ecosystems may benefit the environment by sequestering
carbon. For instance, we worked with leading agricultureand climate
scientists at UC Davis on a comprehensive review of state of the
science in 2008.
We're
confident that U.S. consumers can add "environmental track record" to
many other reasons for choosing California wines, including quality,
diversity, value, and significant contributions to local, state, and
federal economies through jobs, taxes, charitable donations and
tourism.
Sincerely,
Allison Jordan Executive Director California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance
By Jason Franco posted on Friday, May 1, 2009 @ 11:49 AM - (General)
JVF has never heard about UCEPROTECT until now. Their practices are bordering on extortion. Ourselves, as well as others in our same situation, feel that a class action lawsuit should be brought against them. Their method of blocking the entire ISP's IP range just because of a similar users IP is unacceptable and against every rule in the spam book. Below you can see the hoops we have been jumping through to get our IP address removed from their blacklist. JVF Consulting recently upgraded our dedicated server to Liquid Web and was assigned a new IP address. After migrating everyone over one of our customers noticed their emails were bouncing back from an email address that he was normally able to send to. To investigate the reason behind this we did a quick blacklist check using mxtoolbox. As you can see in the screenshot below our IP address is listed on 11 out of 118 known blacklists.
Of course we were instantly interested in removing our IP to fix our clients email issues. We visited the website we were directed to, and from the first impression you can tell they're kind of shady and definitely not located in the USA.
UCEPROTECT is just another DNS blacklist. They track IP addresses possibly involved with spam so email server administrators can configure their servers to block email messages. We entered our IP address and ran a scan to see if in fact our IP address is really listed. The results below show that our entire IP range is on their list! Of course this is not due to us, but more than likely someone with a similar IP address. Thanks to UCEPROTECT's policy they block the entire IP range of /24 and /16 networks with their Level 2 and Level 3 lists. Simply said, JVF Consulting is getting punished by UCEPROTECT because of somebody else's spam. This is ridiculous!
OK, so we're listed on their blacklist, this is not the first time we have had to remove an IP address we manage that has been incorrectly added to a blacklist, so what is the process? As you can see in the screenshot below, they want us to pay 150.00 € Euro's (EUR) to process our request and remove our IP address. That's almost $200 dollars! This is totally unacceptable, and quite possibly illegal! We are aware that some IP addresses are definitely more suspicious than
others, but you wouldn't want to filter mail from them without a little
further evidence (like seeing some spam from them).
After further reading UCEPROTECT suggests that we should change our ISP. Why would we ever switch from Liquid Web, they're by far the best hosting company on the planet. If we don't want to cough up the $200 to be removed is there another option? Supposedly there is, UCEPROTECT Network claims a 7 day waiting period for removal of blacklisted IP addresses, but we have be waiting for ours to expire for months now. The problem with this situation is that there is no indication as to when the blacklisting began, or when the 7 day ban began. UCEPROTECT does have an adequate IP removal process and their contact form is no help since they will purposefully ignore you and ban your IP if you request help with removal. These are direct quotes taken from their contact us page. "I know that my IP will be listed for further 7 days because of abusing the contact form if i ask for removals here!!"
After this experience we feel that independently operated black lists should not be taken seriously, especially this one. I have submitted an email to them requesting free removal even though we risk them adding us to their blacklist for an additional 7 days. I'm still waiting on a response, so when or if we have any news or updates to this situation we will keep you posted.
