Renamed Category
What Is This Site About?
Crystal Clouds is primarily focused on providing reflective, motivational and entertaining content. These are generally in the form of quotations, poems and humourous phrases. How this site differs from others is its attempt to provide more of a human touch and feel to the way this content is displayed.
Although having more content than one's contemporaries is a natural ambition of most websites, I as webmaster, will try as much as possible, not to sacrifice quality for quantity. That is to say, Crystal Clouds will first and foremost strive to maintain a collection of meaningful and useful quotations rather than trying to build a larger collection than those of other, older quotation sites.
The Site's History
It all began in late 2001, when I had collected a substantial number of quotations in a text file. Being interested in learning more about databases I transferred them into MS Access and soon after, having already made a few websites in the past, decided to create a site for my quotation's collection.
The original site, Quotez2k02 began in January 2002, and was just a static HTML site. I was forced to copy the quotations from the database to the webpages manually for the best part of 6-9 months.
After installing IIS I began using ASP to dynamically create pages of quotations, which then could be copied onto the HTML pages. Soon, using PHP, I was able to do the same and started working on a new MYSQL database driven site, which eventually ended up as this site you see here today.
Since then, I've added many more categories, a search feature, source information and off-site links for almost all the quotations/poem authors, an electronic greeting card system with many good photographs, a place for visitors to submit their quotations and poems, a detailed help page, MyQuotes accounts through which visitors can make a part of the site their own by organising a gallery of their favourite quotations, poems, and their own creations.
Crystal Clouds has grown enormously since it was founded and will continue to do so, thanks mostly to the regular and supportive visitors who make it all worthwhile.
Where do the quotations come from?
Pretty much anywhere I see them. Quotations usually aren't copyrighted, so I tend to surf around various websites every so often and grab a number of them to add here as well as borrowing good ones from academic books, news articles and anywhere else I can find them.
Can I submit quotations or poems?
YES, please use the submit page. I'm happy, unlike many website, to include good user-made quotations.
I've found an error/repetition, what can I do?
I'd be grateful if you could report the error using the Quotation/Poem Options popup window or alternatively, use the contact form to send me a message with as much info about the problem as possible. e.g. quote, source, category, page.
Will you add my site to your Links Database?
Usually this page is for providing links to places I take quotations from, so as to try and pay them back. I am willing to add sites to the list if they have exchanged links with me and are suitable.
How often is the site updated?
Ideally once a month, but depending on my workload this could differ. However I check my email regularly during the day, so I should be able to reply to any questions quickly.
Can I Use These Quotations On My Site?
Sure! I found most of the site's content on other websites, so its perfectly fair I should allow others to borrow content from mine. HOWEVER, please respect the layout and effort used in making the site and collecting its contents, by not simply reproducing everything I have here. The format I use for the quotations is particularly easy to recognise and sadly cases of blatant plagiarism have already occurred.
Still, quotations are not copyrighted and in general, quotations, poetry, humour etc should be available freely to all. They are a form of art, like music, writing, paintings and should be allowed to benefit as many people as possible.
I would ask that nobody uses the e-card photos publicly without contacting me first. Thank you.
Alternatively, you can store quotations from this site in your own MyQuotes gallery, which is a free service provided by Crystal Clouds.
How Do I Send An Electronic Greeting Card?
1. Simply visit a quotation category and click the 
image adjacent to the quotation or poem. This will open a small pop-up window (so turn off popup stoppers before you click).
2. This window gives you a variety of options, one being to send an e-card. On clicking this you will be taken to the e-card creation page, where you need to confirm your choice of quotation or poem.
3. If you wish to include an image with your card, click 'Open Image Gallery', and choose an image by clicking its thumbnail. To see a preview of the image, click 'preview', below the thumbnail. Once you have decided on an image, close the gallery window. Please note, you may need a recent version of a web browser to insert an image.
4. Fill in the form below, and click 'Continue' to confirm the data and settings.
5. On the second page, to change any of the settings, click 'Edit', to preview the card as it will be seen by the recipient, click 'Preview' and to send the card, click 'Send.'
6. The web site will send an email to the recipient, informing them of the card, and proving them with a link to view it. You will also receive a confirmation email to your email account.
All data entered in the card is stored on this site for a period of time. Although the webmaster doesn't view the message, please refrain from including passwords, addresses or other personal information, since no guarantees about security can be made.
You can edit unsent cards and re-send ones that haven't for some reason made it to the recipient using your MyQuotes account (Note, you must have been logged in when you made the card for this to work).
How Does The Search Engine Work?
The search engine is quite powerful, and allows you to search in a number of different ways through most of the content stored in the site's database. It is constantly being improved, and features being added to improve search effectiveness.
Match Searches vs Wildcard Searches
Two different methods of searching are utilised. The main one, Match Searching allows a string of words to be searched - this is ideal for entire quotations and full names of sources. Wildcard Searches are generally a secondary means of finding information and work better on single words. They look for any instance of the word in a block of text and thus can create a large number of hits, probably containing some irrelevant results. However, these are ideal for finding quotation on specific themes, which might otherwise be missed by the Match search. In some cases, these two types of search are combined, and in others you will need to perform each separately. Some searches are restricted to only one type as well.
Source Searching
The basic source search is a Match Search, but below the results, it offers you the chance to do a Wildcard search as well. However, you'll probably only want to use the wildcard search in case of finding no results with the initial Match Search.
There are other more specific searches, which require you to type a prefix in before the search term/number. These include searching by Birth Date (type 'BIRTH: ' before a year. You can type in 'BC' after the year if relevant), Death Date (type 'DEATH ' before a year. You can type in 'BC' after the year if relevant), Nationality (type 'NAT: ' before a nationality, which can contain hyphens e.g. 'Irish-American'), Occupation (type 'OCC: ' before an occupation, career or something the source is famous for, e.g. 'Writer', 'President', 'Activist') or finally the ID Code used by this site to identify that source (type 'ID: ' before a number. The numbers are often found in hyperlinks, but this is generally only useful for experienced users).
Quotation Searching
The quotation search combines a Match and Wildcard Search together, producing firstly the best result for a string of words (i.e. a quotation) if you typed one in using a Match Search, and then below it a set of results either from the same Match Search or from a Wildcard Search. If you type only one search word in, the Wildcard Search will be used, if multiple terms are submitted, the Match Search will be enabled instead. If you want to search for a specific topic, it is advisable to only type in one word when searching. If you wish to find a quotation matching a number of words, then by all means type as many as you can in.
A recent addition is the ability to search within individual quotation categories, rather than the whole site. When you load a category, an extra option should appear in the right hand menu's search options, which if you check it, along with selecting 'Quote', will look only in that category.
You may also search by the ID Code this site uses to identify each quotation, simply by typing 'ID: ' before the id number you wish to search for. These can often be found in hyperlinks on the site, but will generally only be useful to experienced users.
Poem Searching
Currently the only poetry search option is by Poem Title, which uses Match Search. More advanced features will be added in the future.
MyQuotes User Searching
MyQuotes Users can be searched, using a Match Search, however, if they have set their gallery to be hidden, you will not be able to view it.
Error-Checking
There are some in-built features for removing BOOLEAN signs and other characters which might interfere with the search, but to get a good result, you need to ensure you have spelt words correctly and provided enough information for a match to be found. Words shorter than three characters are no use for Match Searching, thus a warning is provided, which can be bypassed by inserting a few blank spaces in front of the search term.
It is highly recommend that users consult the Source Index if they are unsure of the spelling or name of a source.
How To Find Quotations and Poems Online?
Recently I've had quite a few emails from visitors asking for my help in finding quotations or poems that they had heard from one place or another, but couldn't find on the internet.
Now I have no qualms about helping people find quotations or poems online, but usually I am of little assistance. Therefore I have decided to write a short help section detailing the best ways to search for these. I can't guarantee you success, but if you're new to the Internet, or have never tried developing your searching skills, this might prove useful.
The first place to start looking for anything on the Internet is the Google search engine. Here you can perform a quick search of millions of web pages and will no doubt find what you want within minutes.
If you're searching for a source/author, do a search using their second name. If you're unsure of the spelling then it's usually best to check it beforehand, if possible. Google is good at picking up on spelling errors, but it won't be able to spot everything, especially on lesser known words/names.
If you get too many results then try searching again with first and second name and possibly even the word 'poem' or 'quotation' after them, so as to narrow down your search criteria.
If you're searching for a quotation and don't know the source, then initially try typing in part of the quotation or a line of the poem enclosed in quote marks ("…."). These will ensure that only this combination of words in this particular order will be used in the search. Google does have a word limit, so it will cut the query off after a set number, so try to keep lines to fewer than 10 words, though usually this won't adversely affect the result of the query.
If Google is proving fruitless then don't get your hopes up; if Google can't find what you want, not much will. However, before you give in, try repeating your searches in Google Groups, Google's web-based news groups (there's a link to it on the Google site). Though limited in number, they can be a useful source for finding information.
Additionally, you may want to post a message into one of the poetry or quotation groups and hopefully someone will be able to answer your request.
Whilst on the subject of newsgroups, don't forget than most ISP's and probably your own, will supply you with free access to USENET, a network of newsgroups where thousands of people reside every day and may very well be able to help you.
Some newsgroups can be a bit daunting at first sight and many are invariably filled with spam and people with lousy attitudes, but you can safely browse the groups and may well find what you're after.
If you fail to find any quotations on the newsgroups then Bartleby.com may provide you with a solution. This excellent site has a huge database of quotations and verses. However, since its indexed by Google, if you haven't found it already, then again you may find it doesn't provide you with what you wanted.
Still no luck? Offline resources might be your best bet for older quotations. Libraries usually stock a number of volumes dedicated to quotations, often quite old and rare ones, though since not everyone has access to a half-decent library this option isn't always available.
If the quotation or poem is a recent one, then web-based forums might be an answer. Forums are sites were a number of web users will congregate regularly (not all at once) and post static messages to one another. If you search for ones based primarily on quotations or poetry, you may well find a request here will get you what you wanted.
A good number of these are difficult to find though, many not indexed fully or indeed at all by search engines and thus they and their contents can remain hidden from most people.
If none of the above has helped, or if what you're searching for is very new or very rare, waiting for it to appear online or in some other media form may be your best chance. If you do find it offline, please introduce it to the internet quickly, by posting it on a quotations/poems site such as Crystal Clouds, so that it might spread and other might enjoy it.
What Is MyQuotes?
MyQuotes allows Crystal Clouds' visitors to interact with the site by collecting and displaying their favourite quotations in a customisable gallery which can then be shown to friends and relatives. It can even be kept private, acting as a means of bookmarking quotations for your personal viewing pleasure.
Furthermore, MyQuotes allows for parts of the site to be customised, for example default font sizes, and provides users with a list of the most recent electronic cards they've sent (whilst being logged in), so there's no need to write down long id codes anymore. Best of all MyQuotes is completely free and extremely easy to use.
How To Use MyQuotes?
1. Simply sign up for an account and provide the requested information. It is quite safe to provide your email address and it will NEVER be provided to any mailing lists of spamming companies. It will only ever be used for sending you private messages from visitors to your MyQuotes Quotations Gallery, to send you forgotten passwords or to send other account-related messages. Finalise the sign up process and be sure to note down your username and password.
2. You will be directed to the login page. This is always accessible by clicking the MyQuotes link on the top of the page or if you're already logged in, by clicking the logout button located in the right hand menu in the 'Services' submenu. Login by providing your username and password and clicking the 'Log In' button. You will remain logged in until you either leave the site, or choose to logout.
3. The MyQuotes user page is split into a number of sections, the first being basic statistics about your account.
a.) The Gallery Visits numerals indicate the number of visitors who have been to your gallery since you signed up for an account. Initially this value will be '0'. Whilst being logged in, your visits to the gallery page will not be counted and any visitor who loads the gallery more than once per visit to the site, will only register as one visitor count.
b.) The Favourite Quotations number indicates the total number of quotations from this site's database that you currently have in your gallery. Favourite Poems indicates how many of this site's poems you have selected for the gallery. Personal Quotations and Personal Poems do likewise for the quotations and poems you've added to the site yourself. Currently there is no limit to the number of quotations or poems you can store. If you have one or more quotations in your gallery, then a link will appear which takes you to the gallery editing page, from which you can view and delete items from your gallery.
The export buttons allow you to create a Rich Text File of all the quotations and poems in each section. This is ideal for opening in Microsoft Wordpad or Microsoft Word.
c.) The Next section contains your profile information, including name, nationality, email address, username and personal profile. All of these, except your username can be edited by making necessary amendments and then clicking the save profile button.
d.) The subsequent section lets you change your account password, which you may wish to do often for security purposes, though it isn't mandatory. The password must be between 6 and 10 characters and must be typed twice so as to prevent typing errors from rendering your account unusable.
e.) 'Your Preferences' lets you edit various settings on the site, not all to do with your quotations gallery. Crystal Clouds allows you to set your preferred font size for large sections of the site. These include the quotations, humour and poems categories, MyQuotes Galleries and search results. This only sets the font size for your viewing pleasure, not the font size that other users visiting your gallery will see.
The Menu Style setting will load the site's main navigation menu (for quotations) in either the short 'contracted' mode (default) or the much larger 'expanded' mode. This saves you having to change the menu every time you visit the site
f.) Order Content By lets you choose how the quotations and poems are ordered in your gallery and the exported RTF files.
g.) The Allow Visitors To Contact You lets visitors to your quotations gallery send you messages, which are redirected to your email address. You email address is never displayed to the visitor and then can likewise choose to be anonymous. This feature will remain disabled unless you provide an email address in the Profile section.
h.) If you wish to keep your MyQuotes gallery hidden from public view, then select 'no' on the Allow People To View My Quotations Gallery option.
i.) The Final section of the page deals exclusively with any electronic greeting cards you have sent recently whilst being logged in. Cards older than 30-40 days are usually deleted, so this list will reflect these changes as time goes on. This is a great way of finding the ID code for a card that never reached its destination.
j.) At the very bottom of the page are three links, one to logout of your account, another to view your quotations gallery in a pop-up window* and a third to delete the automatic login cookie which you may have set when accessing your account.
* Viewing this gallery whilst logged in will not increment (increase) the visitor count. Even if you have set you gallery not to be viewable by the public, it will still be available for you to browse, whilst logged in.
What Are Redundant ID's In MyQuotes
Quotations are stored as ID codes in your MyQuotes account, and then in effect 'linked' back to the main database of quotations when your gallery is loaded. Redundant ID's are simply ID codes that are found not to have a corresponding quotation on the site. In other words, a quotation has been removed and thus to keep your account tidy, these are automatically picked up by the website.
Quotations are removed at each site update for a number of reasons, usually because they are found to be repeats of another quotation. Please remember, these quotations are not being removed specifically from your account, but from the site as a whole.
There is not yet a system in place for letting you replace the quotation with the repeated one (assuming it has one), but this will be included during the January update.
