When we began planning for the new DiveSports.com website, we needed to find the most feature-rich software platform. The result of our search landed us with Volusion, one of the premier e-commerce software providers in the country. Volusion is rapidly becoming one of the standard bearers in the industry, a standard against which all other e-commerce programs are measured.

About two weeks ago, Michelle Greer from Volusion contacted us about being the subject of a profile feature for the Volusion blog. This blog is followed by many people in the e-commerce business, because of the insightful information about selling online. We provided Michelle with answers to a number of questions about our business. Yesterday, she published the feature profile of Dive Sports on the Volusion blog. For those interested, you can read the profile by using the link below.

Dive Sports Profile on Volusion Blog

I would like to thank Michelle and Volusion for this focus on Dive Sports. I hope all of the readers of the divesportsblog enjoy it. Thank you again.

Phil Ellis

Save on Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com

Yesterday, the President of the United States posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Master-at-Arms Second Class Michael A. Monsoor, United States Navy. It doesn’t much matter what we think of the war, the depth and dedication to our individual politics, the conduct of our elected officials, or the wisdom of intervention in other places in the world. What matters most is that all Americans, and people from countries all over the world, get the benefits of the service of people like Master-at-Arms Second Class Michael A. Monsoor. When we think of the terms bravery, service, dedication, and honor, we should think about this sailor and all like him who stand up so that we can all stand up. With tears in his eyes, the President of the United States presented the official Citation to the parents of Master-at-Arms Second Class Michael A. Monsoor, in his honor. The text of the official Citation is shown below.

 

FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY AT THE RISK OF HIS LIFE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY AS AUTOMATIC WEAPONS GUNNER FOR NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE TASK GROUP ARABIAN PENINSULA, IN SUPPORT OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM ON 29 SEPTEMBER 2006. AS A MEMBER OF A COMBINED SEAL AND IRAQI ARMY SNIPER OVERWATCH ELEMENT, TASKED WITH PROVIDING EARLY WARNING AND STAND-OFF PROTECTION FROM A ROOFTOP IN AN INSURGENT HELD SECTOR OF AR RAMADI, IRAQ, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF BY HIS EXCEPTIONAL BRAVERY IN THE FACE OF GRAVE DANGER. IN THE EARLY MORNING, INSURGENTS PREPARED TO EXECUTE A COORDINATED ATTACK BY RECONNOITERING THE AREA AROUND THE ELEMENT’S POSITION. ELEMENT SNIPERS THWARTED THE ENEMY’S INITIAL ATTEMPT BY ELIMINATING TWO INSURGENTS. THE ENEMY CONTINUED TO ASSAULT THE ELEMENT, ENGAGING THEM WITH A ROCKET-PROPELLED GRENADE AND SMALL ARMS FIRE. AS ENEMY ACTIVITY INCREASED, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR TOOK POSITION WITH HIS MACHINE GUN BETWEEN TWO TEAMMATES ON AN OUTCROPPING OF THE ROOF. WHILE THE SEALS VIGILANTLY WATCHED FOR ENEMY ACTIVITY, AN INSURGENT THREW A HAND GRENADE FROM AN UNSEEN LOCATION, WHICH BOUNCED OFF PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR’S CHEST AND LANDED IN FRONT OF HIM. ALTHOUGH ONLY HE COULD HAVE ESCAPED THE BLAST, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR CHOSE INSTEAD TO PROTECT HIS TEAMMATES. INSTANTLY AND WITHOUT REGARD FOR HIS OWN SAFETY, HE THREW HIMSELF ONTO THE GRENADE TO ABSORB THE FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION WITH HIS BODY, SAVING THE LIVES OF HIS TWO TEAMMATES. BY HIS UNDAUNTED COURAGE, FIGHTING SPIRIT, AND UNWAVERING DEVOTION TO DUTY IN THE FACE OF CERTAIN DEATH, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR GALLANTLY GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY, THEREBY REFLECTING GREAT CREDIT UPON HIMSELF AND UPHOLDING THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.

SIGNED GEORGE W. BUSH

Wow. How lucky we are.

Phil Ellis

Today is the traditional day of foolishness, practical jokes, and pranks on friends and relatives. Today is April Fools Day. Every year, when April 1 arrives, I begin the day by planning to learn how we came to consider April 1 as April Fools Day. I have access to lots of internet capability, but for some reason, I have never searched for the origin of this day. Well, today, I actually sat down at my computer and began a search. Guess what? There is no real answer to the question of how today became the day of the year for trickery and pranks. Lots of theories abound and there are a number of claims, but no definite answer.

I am apparently not the only one asking the question about how this day came to be. The answer is apparently so important that Yvette Best, a staff writer for NationNews, the largest newspaper in Barbados, actually wrote an article giving an explanation for this day.

The History of All Fools’ Day
Published on: 4/1/08 on www.nationnews.com

by YVETTE BEST

BE CAREFUL with whatever you do today; someone might very well be playing a trick on you!

Today is April 1, commonly known as All Fools’ Day, and while there are no specific traditions associated with the day here in Barbados, it has become the norm for people to fall prey to a few pranks. These tricks usually involve prank calls, silly jokes, being sent on false errands and leading people into believing that their shoelaces are undone or that something is on their face. Whatever the prank, the trickster invariably yells “April Fool!”.

Research has shown that there is no first April Fool’s Day that can be pinpointed on the calendar, but it is believed the day evolved in different cultures around the world, from celebrations involving the first day of spring.

The All Fools’ Day tradition is believed to have started in 1582 in France. Due to a change in the calendar under Charles IX, when the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. According to one account, news of this change traveled by foot and many people did not receive the news for several years. Some of those who got the information refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. Those people were listed as “fools” by the general populace and were subject to ridicule and often sent on “fools’ errands”, or were made the brunt of practical jokes.

The tradition spread to England and Scotland in the 18th century and later to American colonies of the English and French. It is celebrated for two days in Scotland, with the second day devoted to pranks involving the posterior region of the body. It is called the
Taily Day. The origin of the “kick me” sign can be traced to this observance.

Over in Mexico, April Fool’s Day is actually observed on December 28. What was originally a day to remember children slaughtered by King Herod, evolved into a lighter commemoration involving pranks and trickery.

Well, I have already noticed that the jokesters are out on several of my favorite chat boards, I already have a prank email from a customer demanding a refund on everything he has ever purchased, and I expect more before the day ends. Regardless of how this day came to be, everyone sure seems to enjoy it. So, play a joke on me. I am an easy target.

Happy April Fools Day

Phil Ellis

Low Prices are No Joke at DiveSports.com

Just as a joke, I tried changing the date of this article to November 2, 1976, but WordPress wouldn’t let me. I guess the folks at WordPress don’t celebrate April Fools Day. Oh well.

I didn’t make a post about this when it happened, because I honestly didn’t want to jinx myself any more than necessary.  Anyway, our air compressor has been broken.  And when I say broken, I mean REALLY broken.

Yesterday, after a one month delay, we got a brand-new pump installed and after several hours of rewiring, adjusting plumbing, and other related tasks, Brad and Jonathan turned it on.  As I sit here, I hear the gentle whine of the compressor running and filling our banks.   I don’t want to say too much, I don’t want to brag too loud.  All I will say it that for now, Dive Sports is making air.

Phil Ellis

Buy Lots of Stuff from DiveSports.com

Since 2001, Dive Sports has been a proud retailer of the Safe Sea Jellyfish Sting protective lotion. This is an amazing product and has protected millions of divers and ocean-lovers from the painful sting of jellyfish, sea nettles, and other stinging ocean organisms. There is no other product like it on the market and the folks at Nidaria, Inc. created a really nice product.

When we opened our online store, of course we put the Safe Sea lotion up as one of our very first products. We have grown to become one of the major retailers of this product in the United States; filling orders for dozens of bottles each week. During the time that we have acted as a retailer for this product, we have seen several North American distributors come and go…but we have always been able to maintain a good supply at a price that satisfied the market.

On Monday of this past week, we phoned Teeka Tan, the North American distributor, to place an order for approximately 50 cases of the product. I was stunned when I was told that they would no longer be distributing Safe Sea. Apparently, the manufacturer, located in Israel, is somewhat difficult to deal with and the buys for the North American distributor are gigantic. Teeka Tan feels it is no longer economically feasible to handle this product. That is really bad news for DiveSports.com and especially bad news for our army of faithful customers. Unless someone steps in and takes the helm with this product, we have no source of supply. We are already out of the popular SPF 30 version, and our supply is running short on other protection varieties. As much as I dismay in saying this, it appears that Safe Sea is no more.

Maybe we will be lucky and someone will step in and sign a suitable contract with Nidaria for this product. DiveSports.com and hundreds of other loyal retailers will happily provide the orders and the consumers, who have come to rely on this product for ocean protection, will make sure that the sales are there. Anyone interested in becoming the North American distributor for Safe Sea?

Phil Ellis

Save on Discount Scuba Gear at DiveSports.com

In Alabama, the mere mention of the word “snow” closes the schools, delays factory openings, sends everyone to the grocery store, and basically radically changes the lifestyle of several million people who think a harsh winter is two or more days below freezing. Our fear of cascading out of control down a snowy road, submerged forever in a dark creek or river, is stronger than any natural urge. Having been surprised in some select years in the past by heavier than normal ice and snow coatings, we are easy prey for the panic, doom, and gloom forecast by our local television stations. Yesterday and last night was typical of what we see about every two or three years…..a forecast of the “big one”.

I pride myself in not falling prey to the hysteria that is our local weather reporting. I laugh as my fellow Alabamians rush to get 10 loaves of bread and 5 gallons of milk “just in case”. Unlike others I know, I fear no weather! Unfortunately, this time they even got me.

I live in Florence, Alabama, about 60 miles from our store in Decatur, Alabama. To make my way to work, I must cross one of three bridges or river damns operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a federal entity created nearly 75 years ago to manage the mighty Tennessee River and its water resources. TVA will close these transportation facilities at the drop of a hat, and when that happens, I have no way to get to the “other side of the river”. So yesterday, as everyone who dropped into the store talked about the blizzard of 2008 that was coming, I decided that I should spend the night in a local motel and eliminate the possibility of being stuck 60 miles away from my business, unable to do what I do every day, without fail…..open the scuba store. We had an open water class scheduled, we have a distinguished visiting guest from a major scuba company in today, and as always, we have the online orders that must be filled. So, for last night, I lived at the Best Western just down from the store.

Well, the Alabama blizzard of 2008 didn’t amount to much in our part of the world. A little sleet, a little snow, and a blistering 30F overnight temperature. Of course, that didn’t stop these gentle Alabama folks from creating chaos on the roads. Cars in the ditches, police cruisers everywhere, and not a gallon of milk to be found this morning on any grocery store shelf. All in all, we have survived here in Alabama. The Blizzard of 2008 will be much more interesting years from now when I am telling the story to my grandchildren. Prone anyway to a little exaggeration, I bet I will be able to tell it well 10 years hence.

Personally, I could kick myself for falling for it this time. I wasted $69 on the room fee, my skin will take weeks to recover from the scratchy hotel sheets, and Jan had to put the dog on the telephone this morning for his “daily walk” with dad. Oh well….time to go back to what we love, introducing a brand new crowd to this great sport of ours…..scuba diving. THEY will be able to say that they learned to dive during the Blizzard of 2008!

Phil Ellis

Rain, Sleet, or Snow…Get the Best Scuba Prices at DiveSports.com

I have spent the morning working on the next edition of our monthly newsletter and one of the articles I was considering got me to thinking….is the DiveSports network Web 2.0? To get a grasp on the answer to this question, we have to first define what Web 2.0 is. This term (Web 2.0) was first mentioned by Tim O’Reilly during a Internet conference in 2004. At the time, he defined the term as an Internet application where users provide content to move the modern website to a two-way communication device.

For my business use, I define the term Web 2.0 as an Internet application where we (the Dive Sports crew) begin to use the Internet to talk WITH you instead of TO you. Our old, static website simply gave you information about our products and our operation. It was a single platform of communication where we told you things about our products and services, without the capability for you to speak back. Our current website at www.divesports.com is, in fact, designed in keeping with our personal definition of Web 2.0 technology. Not only do we tell you about our products and services, but you have the capability to talk back to us through product reviews. You can use the Post a Review capability on every product page to tell us what you like and what you don’t like about that product. But your communication, through product review, goes even farther. You can directly influence our shoppers by having your reviews and comments published right there on the product page for potential buyers to read and consider BEFORE they press the Add to Cart button!

Taking this two-way communication concept a little further, we now envision our Dive Sports Internet presence not as a website, but as a network of sites working together. This web blog, the DiveSportsBlog, is just another part of this network. It is tightly linked to the primary website at www.divesports.com and extends YOUR capability to communicate with us even further. In addition, we have added opt-in email communications to our Dive Sports network, further extending the ability to communicate with our customers.

Later this year, we will begin adding content to another website designed JUST for product reviews. We already have another blog at www.divegearreviews.com waiting just for this purpose. We have not added any content yet, because we haven’t yet determined how this content will be added. We would like to have a number of friends and customers providing in-depth reviews of the products available to the modern scuba diver. If anyone has any suggestions for www.divegearreviews.com, we would love to hear them. We want to get this up and going, and providing you with valuable information and reviews, before the years end.

So, is DiveSports.com Web 2.0? I think so. Mind you, our technological ability is dwarfed by that of some of our competitors. That said, we are working hard and using every bit of our skill and ability to make our Internet network a two-way communication platform that achieves our business objectives while keeping a keen ear to the ground about what YOU think.

Phil Ellis

See Web 2.0 at Work at www.divesports.com

I have the helm by myself today.  The boys are out with customers doing open-water checkout dives and it is a little cold here in Alabama for many customers.  So, I have a little time on my hands.

I was just taking a look around our website and I have to say that Brad has been busy!  I am amazed at the number of new products he has added since we launched the new website.  It looks like he has been concentrating on accessories, gadgets, and other cool stuff.  He must have added over 300 products in the last couple of weeks.  If you get a few moments of spare time, spend it looking over our accessory categories and take a look at the stuff he has added.   At his current pace, he will have every accessory we sell available for electronic purchase in a couple of months.

 Anyway, thanks to all of you for helping make DiveSports.com a success.  We promise to continue to add products, continues to bring you deal, and as always….we will continue to give you the best service possible.  Remember, we want to be your local scuba store, no matter where you live!

Phil Ellis

DiveSports.com…you local scuba store, no matter where you live!

As part of our effort to improve and expand our Internet presence, we have one additional area that all of you can help improve.  Our new website at www.divesports.com has the capability of soliciting product reviews and comments on every single product in the site.   We would like for you to take a look at the things you have purchased from us and give us your opinion of the item.  If there is something you have on your serious want list, navigate to that page and tell us what you are thinking.

To write a product review or comment on www.divesports.com, simply move to any product page.  Just below the description of the item, you will see a link that allows you to make comments about that product.  In the screen shot below, the red circled area shows what this looks like on a typical product page.

Take a moment to browse our product pages.  Pick a couple of products that you think are worthy of comment.  When you have made comments or reviews on 5 products or more, send me an email with your full name and address, along with the name you used on the product review, and I will send you a little something in the mail.

Thanks for all of your support of www.divesports.com and our walk-in store in Decatur.  We look forward to diving with all of you this year.

Phil Ellis

Write a Product Review at DiveSports.com

I thought I would let you all know that Brad has not let up one minute since we launched the new website.  He spends his entire day taking photographs and adding products to the website.  He must have added over 200 additional products since we launched 10 days ago.  Most of it is accessory stuff like dive license tags and frames, o-ring kits, regulator mouthpieces, dive flags, first aid supplies, octopus holders, safety equipment, diving slates, and well…….the list is way too long.  You will have to take a look and see for yourself.

I think when you take a look at our new website, you have to agree that Brad is done a very good job.  It certainly is a long way from the cartoon-looking website we had before.  We hope all of you like it as much as we do.  And remember, ordering from the NEW Divesports.com is so easy!  How can you resist?

Phil Ellis

Save at the NEW DiveSports.com