The World O' Crap Archive

Welcome to the Collected World O' Crap, a comprehensive library of posts from the original Salon Blog, and our successor site, world-o-crap.com (2006 to 2010).

Current posts can be found here.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Any Animal-Loving Computer Geniuses Out There?

Shannon from Four Paws (the privately funded cat and dog rescue group for which I’m fostering Jeep) sent me an email asking if I could help with the group’s website. Unfortunately, I am probably the world’s most web design-illiterate blogger in the world (as you probably already know from my rants about Word Press). So, I am going to post her request here in the hopes that some kind techie out there could give her a little advice, or point her towards some commercial applications or something. (I am so unknowledgeable that I don’t even know what kind of help she needs, or how hard it would be, etc, so please forgive me if this request for assistance is impossible or stupid).
I am trying to spruce up the foster care program (well, start one that is!).
I have my Public Service Announcement ready to submit to the radio stations, my flyers made, etc.  I think having an online application would help divert some of the calls that Lisa [the group's director] gets.  Before I call all this attention to Four Paws, I’d like to get something like the application form in place.
I’d like to include a link on the shelter’s PetFinder webpage for a “foster care application.”  I’d like the link to open up in a new window.  This new window could be something really simple like a PDF, the version you can type right on the page and check off boxes and such.
Then I’d like two options:
1)  I’d like the option for someone to actually print it off and mail it, so they can actually handprint on it if they want, or hand it to a friend.
AND
2) A “submit” link, so that when they fill it out they can submit it and it gets automatically sent to my email address.
Do you know how to even go about any of this?  I only know basic HTML stuff.
Thanks,
Shannon
If you have any wisdom to pass on, you can email me using my super-secret pet rescue screen name:  namelite-at-aol.com, and I’ll forward your message to Shannon.  Thanks in advance!

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7 Responses to “Any Animal-Loving Computer Geniuses Out There?”


I’ve sent out the dispatch just now, madame — to every techno-geek/genius who’s helped me to keep M.O.B. up & running, and I hope that you’ll be hearing from them soon, as well. I’ve directed them all to this post, so that they can offer their vast experience & expertise to Four Paws!
And as soon as I can get the pictures developed, I’ll be sending you pix of the Feral Kitties out back of L’Hotel Du Fucktards, too.
Love ya and all that you do,
Annti
Thanks, Annti! You’re the cat’s meow (so to speak)!
Seriously, you are the best example of Christ’s teachings that I can think of. (Sorry if that hurts.)
There’s a super-easy way to do this, actually – but you (well, your clients) may have to look at some ads. Go to http://www.response-o-matic.com – you can create any kind of submittable form there by just telling it what fields you want.
Also, I did a printable order form for my sister’s now-defunct website, and she’d be welcome to the HTML from that, which she could alter.
Of course, knowing your readership you’ll probably find someone to turn the site into a marvel of technology for free, but this would be a quick-and-dirty solution.
Quickly and dirtily,
E
Thanks, Elizabeth! I will pass this tip (and your offer of the HTML) to Shannon — I’m sure she will find it helpful.
It could be done the way Shannon is asking, but it would be much easier to do this as two different forms: a PDF people could download and fill out or distribute, and a standard mailto form for those who fill it out online.
Here’s a tutorial on how to do HTML mailto forms. To make a PDF form, create it in Word, then go here to convert it to PDF.
And a big THANK YOU to Realist! I forwarded your suggestion and Elizabeth’s to Shannon, and think they just might solve her problem, and help the group to get Foster parents to help the new dogs (and the puppies, of which there are a bunch right now) learn about home life so they will make suitable adoption candidates.
That’s why Realist is one of my favoritest techno-geniuses on the planet.

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