HotTrax Radio Toolbar: Uber Cool!

Okay now... let me see if I remember how to blog. LOL Seriously, I've been meaning to write this post for a while now. I want EVERYONE to know about the HotTrax Uber Cool Toolbar! The HotTrax Toolbar is not only Uber Cool, it's the ONLY toolbar you really need! Unlike other toolbars, such as Google and Yahoo, the HotTrax Radio Toolbar uses fewer of your system's resources. And while other toolbars track where you go on the web, the HotTrax toolbar does not.

The HotTrax Radio Toolbar has been around for a while now, but it keeps getting better all the time! If you don't have it... why not? Hmmm... where do I begin? Let's start with Applets. Well, first off, once you have the toolbar, you need to create an account. This will let you sign onto the toolbar. Why would you want to do this? Well, two reasons, actually. First of all, if you are time challenged, as I am, it allows you to choose your time zone. Then when you go to the Applets and look at the schedule, it will give you the times in YOUR time zone! The other reason is so that you can use the Tune Minder. What's a Tune Minder, you ask? It's another nifty Applet. It allows you to remember a tune that is playing that you like and would like to add to your library. You can even use it to go directly to purchase the tune. Another cool feature of the HotTrax Radio Toolbar is the Playlist Search Applet. This allows you to search a DJ's playlist for a certain song. It also allows you to check ALL the DJ's lists at one time. I use it when I'm looking for a tune during my show. I can look to see if a DJ has a song, then contact them if they are online to send it to me. It's handy during a show, when a DJ gets a request. Sure, I could probably go online and find a tune, but if a DJ has it, then it's probably already been checked out and tagged! Other handy Applets are the Song History and the Listeners Map. Oh, and I mustn't forget... you can even come directly into our Chat room from the HotTrax Chat applet.

Then there are the Links you can get to from the toolbar! All the HotTrax Channels, all the DJ's playlists, and DJ Bios. The only way to get to the Bios is from the HotTrax Radio Toolbar! There are more channel links, plus from the ToolBar you can get to a couple of lyrics sites, the station's Facebook and MySpace pages, NASCAR.com, AND there's even a link for the WildWest Festival in Hayes, Kansas, where the HotTrax Gang will be meeting up again this year for the 4th of July Celebration! Oh, and don't forget the Blogs! You can reach those directly from the Toolbar, too!

Then there are the Gadgets. You gotta love gadgets! There are plenty of cool ones there, including the Countdown one, under "Tools/Utilities." It allows you to count down to special events in days, hours, minutes, and seconds. And there are some fun games under Gadgets, too. There is more than one DJ around HotTrax who can be found playing Bubbles... occasionally even during their show! TSK TSK!

Recently, our beloved Lizard Boss, who is responsible for constructing our fantastic toolbar, added a Games drop down menu from the toolbar. There are even more games to become addicted to there! How much better can it get? You can listen to HotTrax and play games all at the same time.

There is also a Newsfeed drop down menu, a place to set the weather so you have the temperature at your finger tips, and you can even set the Toolbar to check your email, and inform you when "you have mail!"

Of course, I've left out the obvious... you can tune in directly from the Toolbar and listen to your favorite HotTrax stream... or your favorite DJ! Also, the HotTrax Radio Toolbar uses Google as it's default search engine. And when you use the search engine on the HotTrax Radio Toolbar, it benefits HotTrax Radio. So download the Uber Cool HotTrax Radio Toolbar, lose the others, and start searching! And let your friends in on it... it truly IS Uber Cool!

The "MUST HAVE" List

We, the DJs at HotTraxRadio, don't have many rules. We don't play hate music, and we don't play more than 2 songs by an artist in an hour. That's about it. We choose our own music, and maintain our own playlists. But this weekend, a new "rule" has been written. I suppose the current DJs will be "grandfathered" in, but there is now a list of 8 songs new DJs MUST have.

The Lizard Boss' MUST HAVE List to be a HotTrax DJ
1. Boston - Foreplay/Long Time
2. Eric Clapton - Layla (acoustic)
3. Nickleback - Rockstar (he says it's the HotTrax anthem)
4. Shaggy - It Wasn't Me (I say this is the HotTrax anthem!)
5. Tesla - What U Give (live)
6. Eagles - Get Over It
7. Chicago - Beginnings
8. Enya - Orinoco Flow

I suppose that's not a lot to ask of your DJs. For the most part, they are pretty widely known, and most everyone seems to enjoy them... and they do seem to find their way into CDR (Context Driven Radio) fairly often in our chat room.

Actually, I did a little "research" as I was writing this, and I think most of the DJs have all of these, and those who don't have them all have the majority of them. Of course, the Boss was just joking about this list (sort of) but it makes me wonder... what would be on your list of 8 MUST HAVES? I'd love to hear your answers in comments!

It's A Pre-Race Party!

Okay all you NASCAR fans... come join the BIG BASH at HotTrax Live... Saturday, noon to 3 HotTrax Radio time. DJ LilHippie is hosting an end of the season party on Rock Your Racin'! You say you don't follow NASCAR? Well, c'mon anyway... LilHippie is an AWESOME DJ, and she will be playin' tunes that will really pump you up! And my Sista and honorary Texan, LilHippie, can PARTY! I promise, if you come, you'll have a GREAT time! You'll even have more time if you wander into our chat room. "How do I do that?" you ask. It's easy! Just go to our homepage at http://www.hottraxradio.com/. Once there, click on the HotTraxLive Link near the top of the page. On the right side of the page, under the "This Is HotTrax Live" Banner you will find a box that says "Chat." Just choose a nickname, type it in, and hit the "Connect" button. DJ LilHippie will be there. I will be there. And chances are, HardtoH8 (aka DJ Jazzy) will be there, too. And probably that won't be all... but even if it is, we'll be havin' fun.

LilHippie promises to have a spectacular show- better than usual, which in my humble opinion is going to be hard to beat, 'cause DJ LilHippie ALWAYS ROCKS! There will be a lot of Jimmie praisin' and a lot of Shrub bashin'... and all the latest NASCAR news. Hope to see you there!

WOW! What a week!

Yep, WOW is the word! I watched from the moment of my last post here till the listener count on HotTrax Smooth topped 240 listeners. It was at that moment that the server, (which was never intended to handle such loads) crashed and burned and the station came to a screeching halt. It only took five hours to get it back online and that was quite possibly the worst five hours of my life (at least in the last couple of years). It was however, a triumphant moment in that it showed me that people really DID want what we have to offer. And not just a few, but SIGNIFICANT numbers of people.

So after a short time, we've come up with a strategy, and our opportunity has been renewed. HotTrax Smooth will be the Featured Station again for Windows Media Tuner during the week of November 18th. We're so very happy to have a second shot at it.

For all of you listeners out there who may be reading this, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for giving us the continuing will to move forward!

The Lizard Boss