I wanted to take a moment to let you all know something that I found out today, some really sad news... this is off-topic from ColdFusion; however it reminds us that the little things in life we need to remember and apprecaite. Most of all family. We all tend to get tied up with work, deadlines, deliverables, clients, etc... but then we find out that those things (though important) are not that important.

I found out from a close friend today, Kim, that her 6 year old son Kelton was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor; and they are giving him 2-4 weeks to live. Now as most of you know I am not one to start a debate on religion, etc... but she has asked me (as any mother would) to please reach out to those I know (all of you :) and ask that they please say a short prayer for her son. Again, not saying you have to, but if you do believe in God and in prayer, plase take a moment to pray for little Kelton. I appreciate your support and I am sure Kim does too!

This is a picture of Kelton Scott Edmonds

If you'd like to send a kind note to the mother, please send send me the email and i will pass it on or reply to her MySpace post below. I appreciate your help!
http://bulletins.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bulletin.read&messageID=5711968897&MyToken=2d6d8a4d-6800-4e1c-ad83-e0b85893be40

Thanks for your support and help!

I wanted to reach out to the authors and ask; how did you like this type of voting? Did you prefer this method or the old one? Let me know your thoughts!

I have gotten a few emails regarding FreeColdFusionHosting.Com; I am still persuing this venture and wish to open t soon; but am having some licensing issues and with cost. I know some of you (if not all of you) are excited to see this launch; and just know it is STILL in the works. On a side note; I reacquired the domain name cfm-resources.com (the original company i owned that provided free ColdFusion hosting back in the day (the first one to provide free CF hosting!), and I will be incorporating this domain into the site... more to come on that.... I am really excited to be able to reuse this name and to provide the same (and better) services then once before! :)

I am looking at replacing the forum to use something more "new-age" with web 2.0 (Ajax?) implemented and that will allow uploading of content (i.e. videos, attachments, etc) and also maybe even tie it into some type of newsgroup server for those that don't want to particularly use the site everyday... Ever done something like this? Help us get better... get with me!

Lastly, I wanted to get some feedback on individuals that use this site to see if there are things you'd like to see on the site.. I am looking to expand it to provide more free stuff to our users; if you have an idea... let me know!

Some ideas I was kicking around were...:

1. Web services that you can integration to deliver content to your sites
2. A system that we can incorporate for people to post jobs and for you guys to get contracts (similar to www.elance.com)
3. A place for our developers to post their work and sell their applications, tags, etc...
4. A new system that will allow everyone to leverage more skills and test things on newer environments... like a CF 7 sandbox, a CF 8 Sandbox, a BlueDragon sand box, etc...
5. A new section on the site to interview people, companies, leaders in the community, etc so we can make a difference across the board in the CF community!
6. An online system for you guys to track your projects, tasks, etc with your clients... Basically a community driven project management system!
7. A true (powerful) work showcase area where individuals can go in and really provide work showcases... things you've done.. the challenges, the achievements, etc... This would be cool to have!

What do you think? anything else you;d like to see that would benefit everyone? Please let me know.. I want to expand the site to give you guys (and gals) easier tools to learn, get better and expand your knowledge and businesses... let me know... I look forward to your comments!
More to come...

First off; I'd like to thank all the tutorial author's that have submitted a tutorial during the sweepstakes period.

I am finalizing the voting system that the site judge's will use to rate the entries; and then the majority selection (based on rating) will be declared a winner. Expect a winner really really soon!

I'd also like the thank HostMySite.Com for sponsoring this tutorial sweepstakes, if you're looking for ColdFusion Hosting check them out today!

Anyways, here are the tutorials that are qualified to win the prize:

Beginners Tutorials

How to greet your users on their birthday
This tutorial uses a couple of date/time functions and database query results in order to get your DBMS to greet your users when their birthday dates match the current date.
Date added: Wed. January 2, 2008 | Posted by: Julio Cesar Sousa Amaral

Sending e-mail with Flex and ColdFusion
I demonstrate as sending e-mails integrating Flex and ColdFusion
Date added: Fri. January 4, 2008 | Posted by: Francisco Paulino - Tofinha

Creating a chat system with Flex and Coldfusion
This tutorial will cover both the Flex and Coldfusion areas of a chat application that uses the users computer to store the entire chat log and coldfusion only stores the 5 newest messages.
Date added: Wed. February 6, 2008 | Posted by: Craig

Editing with a Flex Datagrid
Would you like to learn how to edit the information in a Flex 2 DataGrid directly? All the examples I’ve seen proceed by data binding TextInputs to a DataGrid as part of a form. I’ve written this tutorial so that you can change the information right in the DataGrid cells.
Date added: Thu. February 21, 2008 | Posted by: Renee

Making a Forum
In this tutorial we will learn how to make a forum from scratch.
Date added: Wed. January 16, 2008 | Posted by: Louis Stowasser

Yet Another Dynamic Drop Down Tutorial
Another tutorial which demonstrates an easier method of making dynamic drop down menus. It uses multidimensional arrays.
Date added: Wed. January 16, 2008 | Posted by: Louis Stowasser

ColdFusion tutorial to create same hash as CF, but in MS SQL!
How cool would it be, being able to create the same MD5 hash as ColdFusion, directly in the MS SQL RDMBS?
Date added: Sun. January 6, 2008 | Posted by: Taco Fleur

ColdFusion tutorial to export from database to RSS
Always wanted to export items from your existing database into RSS with ColdFusion and syndicate it, but don’t know how? Well, this is your lucky day! We’re going to show you how you can easily export your database records to RSS.
Date added: Sat. January 5, 2008 | Posted by: Taco Fleur

Check out our EasyCFM products... The clock is awesome if you're looking for a gift!

The Official EasyCFM.COM Product Line! Get yours today!
The Official EasyCFM.COM Wall Clock - Only $12.99	The Official EasyCFM.COM Mousepad - Only $10.99	The Official EasyCFM.COM Messenger Bag - Only $20.99

More to come....

First and foremost; I wish you all happy holidays and a happy new year! I hope you all have fun, get all the gifts you've been wanting and more importantly are safe through it all!!!

I also wanted to let everyone know that I've teamed up with Rey Bango (over at GotCFM?com) to bring the list of powered by coldfusion sites to easy... There is a new navigation menu option titled "CF Sites" that you can use to see who else is using ColdFusion out there... Let me know what you think and also check out GotCFM?Com if you're site isnt listed!

Lastly... I am announcing the launch of the next Tutorial Sweepstakes... and the prize? A brand new XBox 360... I know you've seen some of the new HostMySite.com banners on the site (make sure you visit them; they rock when it comes to ColdFusion hosting) and they have volunteered to sponsor the next sweepstakes... so we're teaming up to give the winning author a new xBox 360 and 2 games of your choosing. So make sure you add your tutorial today!

Note: Sweepstakes begins on January 1st, 2008 (to bring in the new year) and runs through the end of February.

Update: I have gotten a lot of questions around how the winner will be selected since we are doing a judges voting (Past authros have asked for this to level the playing field and make the votes more fair and accurate) system. The judges will rate all submitted tutorials based on the following criteria:

1. Rate one to ten the need this tutorial fills in the community.
2. Rate one to ten on the level of experience level this tutorial is written for.
3. Rate one to ten on the orgianlity of this tutorial.
4. Rate one to ten on the concept in which this tutorial is written.
5. Rate one to ten on the written ability of the tutorial.
6. Rate one to ten your overall impression with this tutorial.

Let me know if you have questions on the prize and how the winner will be selected; since this is the new way all users have been asking for a winner... So if you need clarification; drop me a note!

More to come...

I am going to be starting the new tutorial contest really soon; stay tuned for that... more details coming soon! (The prize looks like it's going to be a PlayStation 3 at this point)

I am also incorporating a easter egg into the website, where you will have to find the easycfm mascot (the bear) and whoever finds it first will win $100.00 cash! More to come on that also!

More to come...

If this has caused anyone an inconvenience; you have my sincerest appologies. I'm just testing some stuff and apparently they thought they could just add more things (I even ran into some "questionable" ads) so again you have my appologies.

The ads have been removed from the site and will nto return :-)

Let me know if you have an questions!

On to better things... the new sweepstakes will be launching soon.. I appologize for my absence; I have been trying to get the free hosting going... more on that coming soon!

More to come....

Though I have gone through and ran bots to check the site; if you run into any errors... Please let me know ASAP so i can fix them! I would appreciate any feedback (also if you see things slow and anything else).

I am thinking of starting another tutorial sweepstakes soon (like in the next week or so) and i need some ideas on the next prize... Like if I gave away an iPhone... would you like that? Would you get your own phone contract thingy? or would you prefer something else? I was thinking something in the $500-$750 range for the prize... Got an idea? Let me know!

Lastly, I am looking for people to come work with me at Vurv.. I run a team of engineers and database specialists and I am looking to bring more people to my team.. if you are interested; please reach out. I'd love to work with you :)

More to come...

I am in the works on starting the next tutorial sweepstakes... I am thinking that the prize for it will be a brand new iPhone (you got to get your own phone service thought) or a new Nintendo Wii (your choice)... Let me know your thoughts..

Also; the winner this time around will be selected a little differently.. this time it will be by panel of experts rating more then just a voting as it has done in the past.. it will include rating based on usability, coding standards, clarification, etc... I know someone people have mentioned that they didnt like the old way of voting... so we're going to give this a shot and see how it goes! I will let you know when the sweepstake will beging! I am anticipating first of August.

I have been getting a lot of emails regarding FreeColdFusionHosting.Com asking if this is still in the works; the answer is Yes. I have had a couple of set backs with having to change data center providers (which we are somewhere good and fast now) and then on the code for the advertising system. Jeff and I are in the final stages.. This is a priority and there is a lot of things happening at the same time to get this live; but do know that I am pushing to have this launched ASAP!!!! (the sooner the better!)

Lastly, I will be introducing a new section on the site in the coming weeks... Articles. I want to start having people write articles on ColdFusion, real world scenarios, lessons lerned, etc. If you are interested in writing articles for EasyCFM... please let me know.

More to come...

I wanted to also see if there is an interest out there for people to get online (live streaming) training from EasyCFM... I am considering doing some online classes to teach ColdFusion (via a breeze session or something) that I can walk through and teach you how to do ColdFusion apps, coding, setting up the system, etc... I would have to charge for these classes to cover the costs of the breeze and bandwidth... If you would be interesting in these types of learning courses with me as the teacher; please drop me an email.. if I get enough of you to reply I will put a course together. Let me know.

Next, I wanted to announce that I have a few things in the works for the site... I have been very busy at work lately; but I am planning on making some big changes to EasyCFM... Stay tuned for that.. I am excited and can't wait to get them out... it should be a fun addition to the site!

Want to work with Pablo? Here's how...
I wanted to reach out to see if anyone out there is interested in coming to work for me at Vurv Technology; I am currently looking to fill two ColdFusion/SQL Integration Positions. You would be working alongside a team of Developers to build, enhance and perfect integrations. You would also be working directly with me to perfect the integrations platform (which means that lots more exciting stuff is coming)... if you are interested; please apply here (and mention that Pablo Sent you.... as it will help expedite your application... For all the international folks out there... Vurv can and will sponsor Visas as necessary for folks applying to the position... so make sure you apply today!)

More to come...

You can now submit your vote for your favorite tutorial entry. The winning author will win a Microsoft Zune MP3 player. To cast your vote; please go to: http://www.easycfm.com/vote/

What is the prize exactly?
A New Microsoft Zune Mp3 Player
- 30 GB space
- large screen and wireless media sharing.. (and yes it plays FM radio too!)

Please vote for your favorite author's tutorail today!

I wanted to also let people know of some books that I have to suggest you get if you are looking to learn ColdFusion. Ben Forta's CFWACK (ColdFusion Web Application Construction Kit) is one of the best books out there. If you are serious about learning ColdFusion; using EasyCFM and the books below will improve your chances of learning the language, the logic and more importantly; learning them right! Get your copies today!

For beginners/intermediate:	For advanced users:
Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7 Web Application Construction Kit (click to buy)	Advanced Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7 Application Development (Paperback) (click to buy)

More To Come!