Advice on my website please...

[swede]

Maybe it needs slightly different "labels" for english speaking audience, to explain how it works better.

I would look at the two travel booking sites above and others which use two calendars, then copy their labels. Also, you can add a note underneath for the technically challenged to the effect, "If you are having problems obtaining information you need from the booking calendars above, please complete contact form below and we will work it out for you and respond by email." Then you have best of both worlds.

Yes this has been a constant problem for me as English is not my native language but about half of my guests are. An even bigger problem are the phone calls but that's another thing...
I'm in a bit of a situation here as I can see that it is not working as it should but a part of me wants to keep it because of the months we spend on it.

I would suggest you focus on images instead - there's also a problem with thumbnail enlargements. Each photo opens new window, so I ended up with about 15 windows open - one for each photo. Enlargement should really open an album, so it is then possible to click across all photos in the one new window - by clicking next - previous - close etc., not individual photos.

I never thought about this before but will probably look into it. Again here we really didn't look around so much but just made it as we thought would be good.

[A-two]

Helen, your calendar booking system may appear to be better on the face of it, but you don't host it and if you look at the uptime stats, it's too often down and unavailable to be reliable IMHO. That's why I have never bought it, or recommended it to anyone. I think something that someone can build and host for themselves is worth a heck of a lot more. Go ahead, call me eccentric......but long live innovation! I think swede deserves praise for his considerable efforts to build his own solution and if by some miracle, someone could even get in there and help him sort out the code so it runs a bit smoother for the likes of MG, now that would be a fine thing, and more in keeping with the pioneering spirit of this forum. Others here are telling him to trash his own efforts and buy into some less than perfect proprietary software. I think that advice is rubbish, and I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings, but it's not out of order on this forum to express an opinion in this way.

Keep the calendars!

[Mountain Goat]

No blanket criticism, A2, no coding problem either, I was just too thick to work the system out. Not everyone is going to have your generous help when they want to use it.

MG

[Garri]

long live innovation! I think swede deserves praise for his considerable efforts to build his own solution

Agreed. It wouldn't take much for him to sort out from here as he's done all the hard work. It's a styling and presentation issue.

But let's have the pricing in Forints

[Hells Bells]

Helen, your calendar booking system may appear to be better on the face of it, but you don't host it and if you look at the uptime stats, it's too often down and unavailable to be reliable IMHO. That's why I have never bought it, or recommended it to anyone. I think something that someone can build and host for themselves is worth a heck of a lot more. Go ahead, call me eccentric......but long live innovation! I think swede deserves praise for his considerable efforts to build his own solution and if by some miracle, someone could even get in there and help him sort out the code so it runs a bit smoother for the likes of MG, now that would be a fine thing, and more in keeping with the pioneering spirit of this forum. Others here are telling him to trash his own efforts and buy into some less than perfect proprietary software. I think that advice is rubbish, and I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings, but it's not out of order on this forum to express an opinion in this way.

Keep the calendars!

I have never had any problems with down time on the booking system,and if I had , I would not be using it or recommending it.I do not have the ability to set something up myself, and why change something that works for me I am not sure which stats you are quoting, but the ones I have are as follows.

Holiday Bookings Online Ltd Booking Calendar
holiday.booking-system.net
Detailed report 10 m. London, UK UP 99.99 100.00 100.00
Dusseldorf, Germany UP 99.99 100.00 99.98
Amsterdam, Netherlands UP 99.98 100.00 100.00
Miami, FL UP 99.99 99.98 100.00
Washington, DC UP 100.00 100.00 100.00
Sydney, Australia UP 99.99 100.00 99.97

Nothing there to alarm me at all.

[swede]

Oh thanks for the appreciation of my calender. It's nice to hear because deep down I'm seriously attached to it and I'll probably get some emotional problem if I ditch it.

Then again it's business and I shouldn't let my feelings decide so it will be a big decision for me and my colleague.

Another factor in the equation is that it's time consuming to update the calender as I have to change every date individually and not as in holidaylettings for example where it's much easier.

Thanks for all help anyway it really helpful with feedback, positive or negative.

[A-two]

Holiday Bookings Online Ltd Booking Calendar
holiday.booking-system.net
Detailed report 10 m. London, UK UP 99.99 100.00 100.00
Dusseldorf, Germany UP 99.99 100.00 99.98
Amsterdam, Netherlands UP 99.98 100.00 100.00
Miami, FL UP 99.99 99.98 100.00
Washington, DC UP 100.00 100.00 100.00
Sydney, Australia UP 99.99 100.00 99.97

Nothing there to alarm me at all.

Wow, they have really improved a lot!

[Mountain Goat]

A2, it would be really useful and instructive for LMHers to learn how you monitored the uptime stats of a website which isn't under your control.

Perhaps we could benefit from your expertise? Pioneering spirit of the Forum etc.

MG

[A-two]

Doesn't take much expertise MG! They publish their stats in the FAQ section under "security and reliability". See: http://www.mywebreports.net/HBOCalendarSummary.html

[Mountain Goat]

Thanks, A2, that's really useful.

Where did you get your poor figures from? Those uptime stats look excellent for the last six months: only 17 mins downtime in 24 weeks?

MG

[Mountain Goat]

Helen, your calendar booking system may appear to be better on the face of it, but you don't host it and if you look at the uptime stats, it's too often down and unavailable to be reliable IMHO. That's why I have never bought it, or recommended it to anyone

A2, when you criticise a site or business with no hard facts at all, or 'trash their efforts' to use your own phrase, do you ever feel as though you're being unfair or just wrong - plain and simple? Have you ever been known to apologise for your erratic outbursts? Or is it just 'the pioneering spirit of the forum'? It's damaging and unnecessary.

MG