Chiriquí Chatter FAQs
Mar 22nd, 2007 by Don Ray
I hope that La Gringa, who writes La Gringa’s Blogicito, realizes that imitation and plagiarism is two of the highest forms of complements.
I try to stay tuned into La Gringa’s blog because she lives in Honduras and it is interesting to me to see problems and issues in other Latin American countries that are have a commonality with the problems and issues of Panama.
She has a current post on FAQ (Frequently Ask Questions). In the first sentence of that post she told me that every “good” website has a FAQ. Not wanting to eliminate the possibility of having a “good” website, I will try to fulfill this newly learned requirement.
First something about blogs.
Many first time visitors bump into Chiriquí Chatter as a result of some search engine such as Yahoo or Google. The poor person possibly came in search of information about Chiriquí or Panama Independence or traditions and now they are immersed into the strange world of blogs. While I believe there is a fair amount of information about Panama and Chiriquí in Chiriquí Chatter, finding it can sometimes be a challenge.
One of the first things you should understand about blogs, if you want to get the most out of them, is related to comments and permalinks. Rather than duplicate a previous post, I will use a permalink to refer you to that post. To learn about commenting and permalinks go here.
How do I find what I want to find?
Having read the post on ‘Comments and Permalinks” you understand that a blog is really like an online journal and each new day may bring a new post and the previous post will be pushed down. So in this strange beast, how can you find anything you are specifically interested in?
Well there are multiple ways.
1. Most blogs (this one included) have built-in search engines. At the top of this page you will see a window and the word “Search” to the right of it. You may search for what you are interested in by using this feature.
2. Also at the top of this blog you will find a tab called “Archives”. All posts are categorized into one or more of the categories listed on that webpage. To see all posts in that category, just click on the category. Below the list of categories are the past archives of all posts that make up this blog.
3. If you are reading a post make sure you read the comments. Many times the comments have more information than the post itself. Furthermore, I try to tie related posts together via permalinks and they will appear as another comment.
4. Another tab at the top of this page is labeled “Links”. With the exception of the first section, which is a list of blogs I read that are of interest to me, all sections are Panama related links. These will not be links to paid propaganda sites. Some sites are more valuable than others, but it wouldn’t be there if I hadn’t found some value in it.
5. Just to close out the upper portion of the page, there is a tab called “Photos”. This will direct you to a photo album that contains photos from my last four years in Panama. The “About” sections tells you something about me and the philosophy of this blog.
Can I advertise on Chiriquí Chatter?
No. This is a labor of love and a hobby and not a commercial endeavor. I write what I want and don’t want any obligation that might alter what I say. If I use a business it may be written about. If I have an opinion about it, I will write it.
If you are an individual and have a piece of property for rent or sale I have no problem posting information about it. If you are a realtor don’t bother contacting me. Also if you are a realtor and leave a comment with a URL to you commercial site, don’t be surprised if the URL isn’t included with the comment.
Will you add this URL to your link section?
Maybe. Websites that go into my blogroll go there because I enjoy reading them. I decide what I want there.
If you have a Panama related blog or Latin American blog I will consider adding it. There are a lot of blogs out there with questionable content and I want to read it a while before I include it in the blog sections.
If you have found a Panama related URL that you consider extremely helpful, feel free to send it to me. If I agree that it has valuable content and is not a propaganda site, it will be included.
But I would really like to know about this.
If you have something that is of interest, send me an email. It might wind up being in some future post. If it is a question that I don’t know the answer to, then I may post the question and other readers will probably give you an answer.
Well, that may only scratch the surface of some of the Chiriquí Chatter FAQs. I will try to answer the other questions as they come up in the comment section of this post.
Aha! I caught you!
Just kidding. You, my friend, are welcome to “steal” any ideas you like from my blog and I do consider it a compliment. I’ve probably stolen a few ideas from you, too. For your readers who haven’t seen what I wrote, Don’s article is not plagiarism!
The only disappointing thing is that you did a better FAQ than me.
La Gringa - My FAQs are a little different. They are not any better.
I went to her blog too and read “some” of the answers to supposed FAQs. The theory is that the better blogs and websites have all the answers stuck here and there. And, the problem is that the answers seldom match people’s questions. Somebody always wants to know something else.
I posted a “Dumb-ass People” post the other day and that became an instant success. It is geared toward all those kids who drop out of high school. I have read so many blogs and websites where people are so depressed and so disappointed in life that they try to kill themselves. I sometimes wonder what the world is coming to.
Dumb-ass People
My wife’s breast cancer treatments are going well. But she is getting very red looking now.
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Hi Abe. Glad you dropped in again. I am also glad to hear that your wife’s treatments are going well.
I got a kick out of your Dumb-ass People post. Too many people complain and want the world to solver their problem.
Personally when I left the corporate arena, I was working on my 3rd million. Of course that was because I had failed at the first two.
Don:
Funny, I fell into your website by accident. I was looking for a Panamanian Restraunt in Dallas Texas and landed here. Never the less I am not dissapointed and was entertained by what I read. I was born in Costa Rica and lived 11 years of my life in Panama and can say that my heart still belongs there. Who knows where I’ll end up when retirement comes around.
Till then,
Ruthi
Hi Ruthi, Thanks for dropping in. Did you find a Panamanian restaurant in Dallas?