tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60718533908217081362024-03-14T05:09:21.270-04:002cre82cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-17057280954042384582009-07-30T21:47:00.023-04:002009-08-02T23:44:20.681-04:00"Crowdsourcing" Continues To Be a Hotly Debated Topic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/SnJhoVcVxpI/AAAAAAAAAEc/1_R9RqlKOaI/s1600-h/questionmark.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 310px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/SnJhoVcVxpI/AAAAAAAAAEc/1_R9RqlKOaI/s400/questionmark.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364457451730355858" border="0" /></a>Some of you may have read a hotly debated topic on "crowdsourcing" or also referred to as "spec work" where designers bid for a design job online with the likes of "<a href="http://www.crowdspring.com/" target="_blank">crowdSpring</a>" and "<a href="http://99designs.com/" target="_blank">99designs</a>". It has created quite a controversy to the point a group called <a href="http://www.no-spec.com/" target="_blank">No!Spec</a> (Twitter account <a href="http://twitter.com/nospec" target="_blank">@nospec</a>) was created.<br /><br />Recently I stumbled upon an article written by Jeremiah Owyang entitled "<a href="http://tinyurl.com/5hfebh" target="_blank">Designers: Why Spec Work Is Not Going Away – How You Should Respond</a>". Jeremiah's article was simply stating a social media trend. He actually started off his career as a UI designer. However, it wasn't so much his article that had taken me aback, but what had gotten my attention was the lively discussion that ensued at the end of the article. So of course, being a professional interactive manager/designer (one of many hats), I commented the following:<br /><br /><blockquote>"What’s not reflected in the conversation is the value Experienced Designers bring to the table. It’s not just about a design that’s aesthetically pleasing, but how strategic design can enhance a brand campaign and product positioning, as well as heighten a brand’s perception. Experienced designers are also strategic creative business partners for the brand and their products.<br /><br />Spec work may be a venue/channel for a new designer just starting out in the field. I believe there are other options out there, but it takes time to build. I think they need to consider the time they spent vying after spec work vs. creating and building up their personal brand from scratch, i.e., portfolio sites, WOM marketing, etc."</blockquote><br />This whole topic spurred me to ask a question on LinkedIn in the 2 design groups I belong to, AIGA and ADCNJ. I wrote 'Do you think "crowdsourcing" devalues designers and design in general?' I wrote a brief description then added, 'I'm curious to hear your thoughts about this issue and what you would recommend as other alternatives for designers.'<br /><br />The intent of the post was to draw out recommendations and alternatives from other designers. Besides committing to not follow this trend, we all need to find a solution and become proactive in our own personal branding. Here are some ideas that were listed:<ul><li>Non-profit organizations for designers just getting their foot in the door<br /></li><li>Get involved with your city's Chamber of Commerce<br /></li><li>Cold calls<br /></li><li>Referrals (this should include friends, family, colleagues and old acquaintances)<br /></li><li>I haven't heard of too many people having luck with these, but it's possible: Elance, Guru, Odesk, iFreelance, RentaCoder, etc.<br /></li><li>"The Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market" (book listings)<br /></li><li>Craigslist<br /></li><li>Branding/Identity/Marketing yourself<br /></li><li>Advertise<br /></li><li>Find design firms that have overflow work that can use your assistance<br /></li><li>Join communities like <a href="http://www.no-spec.com/" target="_blank">No!Spec</a> (Twitter account <a href="http://twitter.com/nospec">@nospec</a>)</li></ul><br />Then a fellow designer posted just a link with no comments to this video, which I have to say, really made my day. (Thanks <a href="http://twitter.com/kenlange" target="_blank">@kenlange</a>! :D)<br /><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2a8TRSgzZY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2a8TRSgzZY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />I'll continue to follow this hotly debated topic and may update the list above from comments provided. What could we do collectively and what could we do for our own personal branding and WOM marketing?<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script><br /><div id="dsq-recentcomments" class="dsq-widget"><h2 class="dsq-widget-title">Recent Comments</h2><script type="text/javascript" src="http://disqus.com/forums/2cre8/recent_comments_widget.js?num_items=5&avatar_size=32"></script></div><a href="http://disqus.com/">Powered by Disqus</a>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-54855119132341488322009-07-24T20:59:00.034-04:002009-07-28T17:21:04.448-04:00A Woman's Story: Growing Up To Be a "Winner"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm07F6JUosI/AAAAAAAAAEE/C0Od2G0vqWo/s1600-h/Melinda_photo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 255px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm07F6JUosI/AAAAAAAAAEE/C0Od2G0vqWo/s400/Melinda_photo.jpg" border="0" alt="Melinda Winner" title="Melinda Winner" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363007703961871042" /></a>I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to an amazingly determined woman, <span style="font-style:italic;">Melinda Winner</span>. She is about to embark on a journey across the United States to raise awareness about the crippling effects of arthritis to children and adults alike. Melinda herself suffers from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), fibromyalgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), osteoarthritis, and degenerative disk disease. The National Arthritis Foundation Western PA chapter, <a href="http://www.creakyjoints.org/" target="_blank">Creeky Joints</a>, and Melinda's Web site will also be following and posting photos and stories about Melinda’s journey across the United States. While on her journey Melinda will be speaking at events, hosting cooking demonstrations for the physically challenged, speaking with the media in the form of television, print and radio. Melinda has recently completed her first radio/podcast spot that will air on Monday, July 27, 2009. You can listen by <a href="http://www.arthritis.org/chapters/western-pennsylvania/" target="_blank">clicking here</a> or download from iTunes by going to arthritis radio. She is also a <a href="http://tinyurl.com/mqclua" target="_blank">featured guest blogger</a> for Arthritis Foundation Western PA chapter.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm04EPlLT8I/AAAAAAAAAD8/Z-Ej00xw6uE/s1600-h/FoundationLogos.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 60px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm04EPlLT8I/AAAAAAAAAD8/Z-Ej00xw6uE/s400/FoundationLogos.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363004376821223362" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Melinda's Story</span><br />Melinda came into this world 47 years ago not breathing. When revived, it was quickly realized she had a serious birth injury that could not be repaired. Being born to a diabetic mother, Melinda weighed in at 12.6 at birth. She had extensive nerve damage and deformity to her right arm. At age 26, she began experiencing traveling pain. Melinda was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. It did not stop there. A few years passed and she was diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), also called complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease and osteoarthritis. She faught a personal battle gaining then losing over 100 pounds and keeping it off, all the while enduring pain that is unbearable and still embracing life. She continues her life mission to help others not only survive this disease but live a productive life filled with hope, happiness and joy! Melinda believes in her plight so much that she has branded herself. She had a tattoo placed on her back at the jean line that states she is “On A Mission”. When asked about the reason for the placement of her tattoo, she laughs, “Men are always looking at my backside when they shouldn’t be, so what better place to get my message across? When people ask me what “on a mission” means, I tell my story of hope for others.”<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm1Sanu7dCI/AAAAAAAAAEM/aJF3RzSsYIA/s1600-h/cakes.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm1Sanu7dCI/AAAAAAAAAEM/aJF3RzSsYIA/s400/cakes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363033348564022306" /></a>No, the story does not end here. About four years ago, Melinda was watching the constant news reports about Hurricane Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast. Everyone she spoke with had well wishes for the victims of the storm but not many actually got involved. Melinda did. Not only did she give up her holiday to visit the ravished coast, she moved her entire family there to help with the rebuilding the only way she knew how…through food. She prepared gourmet meals for the out of town workers complete with an entrée, fresh baked breads or rolls, cakes, pies and strudels made from scratch and a drink or two, then delivered to their job sites. Melinda also helped in the rebuilding of a playground, cleaned streets, volunteered at the Red Cross in the shelter, and attended the public speaker workshop at Camp Mash in Alabama. She became an Ambassador for the National Arthritis Foundation for her Congressional District. Melinda befriended strangers in need, helped with painting, paperwork, cooking and was a much needed friend to those in need. She allowed a homeless man to move in with her family until he could get back on his feet. To the residents Melinda proudly earned the name “The Cake Lady”. She not only cooked for neighbors, but baked daily and shared. All this with pain levels exceeding level 8 each and everyday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm0qMIkGy9I/AAAAAAAAADs/q5XoiLlcscQ/s1600-h/Melinda_FoodNetwork.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 228px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm0qMIkGy9I/AAAAAAAAADs/q5XoiLlcscQ/s400/Melinda_FoodNetwork.jpg" border="0" alt="Food Network '2008 Ultimate Recipe Showdown'" title="Food Network '2008 Ultimate Recipe Showdown'"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362989119213849554" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Where she is today</span><br />Melinda has followed her dreams all the way to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Food Network</span>. She competed on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Ultimate Recipe Showdown</span> in 2008. She has also authored two books: The first, <span style="font-style: italic;">Yankee Cooking with Southern Charm</span> was released in 2008.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm0lftj5m2I/AAAAAAAAADU/KDONjhOHLv8/s1600-h/CookingWithArthritisBook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 314px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm0lftj5m2I/AAAAAAAAADU/KDONjhOHLv8/s400/CookingWithArthritisBook.jpg" alt="Cooking With Arthritis" title="Cooking With Arthritis" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362983958004472674" border="0" /></a>The Second, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Complete Illustrated Guide to Cooking with Arthritis</span>*, is scheduled to be released in September of this year. The second book is the first of its kind. This book was designed to help the physically challenged regain their independence in the kitchen. The color step by step photos and delectable recipes take the reader on a culinary journey around the world pain free and fearless. The target market for her latest release is suffers of chronic pain, arthritis (all 100 + forms), people with injuries (may it be temporary or permanent), disabled and people who simply enjoy food and cooking. Melinda will take her book on her journey across the US, in hopes of offering a bright beacon of light to the sufferers of disability, young and old alike.<br /><br />*<span style="font-style:italic;">Book is being offered at $22.99. Mention the CODE: 2CRE8 and receive a 10% discount.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm0q1lG-VzI/AAAAAAAAAD0/v2Ak1jMox_4/s1600-h/mindy%27s_headshot.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 96px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sm0q1lG-VzI/AAAAAAAAAD0/v2Ak1jMox_4/s400/mindy%27s_headshot.jpg" border="0" alt="Melinda Winner" title="Melinda Winner" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362989831250925362" /></a>Melinda on the web: <a href="http://www.cookingwitharthritis.com" target="_blank">www.cookingwitharthritis.com</a><br />Melinda’s contact information: <a href="mailto:melshomecorner@aol.com">melshomecorner@aol.com</a><br />On Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/mobilegourmet47">@mobilegourmet47</a><br />Cell on the road: 228-265-2928<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Thank you Melinda for sharing your inspirational story with me. I'm humbled and deeply honored. Despite it all, you've truly grown up to be a "winner!"</span><br /><br />I hope this story inspires you as it has for me. Comment below and tell me one thing you'll do to overcome a seemingly unsurmountable obstacle or a challenge you're going to try and face head on.<br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script><br /><div id="dsq-recentcomments" class="dsq-widget"><h2 class="dsq-widget-title">Recent Comments</h2><script type="text/javascript" src="http://disqus.com/forums/2cre8/recent_comments_widget.js?num_items=5&avatar_size=32"></script></div><a href="http://disqus.com">Powered by Disqus</a>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-71265758802699691562009-07-17T21:22:00.014-04:002009-07-25T00:17:53.546-04:00July 2009 "Best Tweets" List: Small Business/Marketing/Social Media/Mobile, etc<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/SmHZKcBO3II/AAAAAAAAAC8/s-Nlea4RrbM/s1600-h/July2009Award.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 199px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/SmHZKcBO3II/AAAAAAAAAC8/s-Nlea4RrbM/s400/July2009Award.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359803804890881154" /></a><br />And the winners for July 2009 are:<br /><ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Small Business</span><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/m74h9r" target="_blank">Seniors as Entrepreneurs: Their Time Has Come</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nlwnfn" target="_blank">Small Biz Growth Secret: Creative Partnerships</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ln8q7s" target="_blank">The Customer Knows Best</a> <br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/or48r4" target="_blank">Recession can't stop entrepreneurial spirit</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/kmgcfp" target="_blank">Capital Strategy: About Bootstrapping</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Social Media/Communities</span><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mau8ya" target="_blank">Is your social media expert really an expert? The top 25 ways to find out</a> @PRsarahevans<br /><li><a href="http://u.mavrev.com/ofgz" target="_blank">Five rules of thumb for social media advertising | VentureBeat</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/le25p6" target="_blank">5 Business Models for Social Media Startups</a> @mashable<br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/bM0nK" target="_blank">10 Ways to Use Social Media to Pick a College</a> @mashable<br /><li><a href="http://ow.ly/gYjc" target="_blank">ULTIMATE Guide for Building Your Social Network</a> One of the best lists! @rgbroitman<br /><li><a href="http://ping.fm/r2YZc" target="_blank">Excellent super-guide to Facebook for Business</a> Great list! @mcrosson<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mywnpa" target="_blank">SuperFan: The Super-Charged Alternative to Facebook Fan Pages</a> @mashable<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mupvrq" target="_blank">Where Social Media and Shopper Marketing Merge to Reach Moms</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mxoyzx" target="_blank">3 Powerful Free Apps to Monitor Your Small Business in Social Media</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/lzgx25" target="_blank">July's Top 25 Facebook Games Topped By Zynga, MindJolt Titles</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mdtt9r" target="_blank">Innovative advertising systems are luring cautious brands like the Gap and GM to social sites</a> <br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/vPdRw" target="_blank">List of tools to Monitor and Measure your Social Media efforts</a> @SocialMediaComm<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mv543d" target="_blank">Smart Social Networking For Your Small Business</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blogs/Microblogs</span><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/kpn669" target="_blank">Twitter tips for marketers (do's and don'ts)</a><br /><li><a href="http://twitthis.com/rhd8yx" target="_blank">Twitter Social Networking - Marketing Your Business</a> @smmguide @Tweet_Business<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/l9j2q4" target="_blank">Gigaom: Twitter for Business FAQ</a><br /><li><a href="http://prevential.com/twitter-tips/" target="_blank">How to Attract and Influence People on Twitter (The Ultimate Twitter Resource)</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/l9j2q4" target="_blank">Twitter for Business FAQ</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/m27nqy" target="_blank">Approval by a Blogger May Please a Sponsor</a> Interesting article! <br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/m6ohue" target="_blank">The Search Engine Twitter Accounts that Matter | Digital Marketing</a> @ashwanibhasin<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/l4m2ef" target="_blank">Great Ways to Grow Your Business Using Twitter.</a> @5eo<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/l4m2ef" target="_blank">10 Ways to Find People on Twitter</a> @mashable<br /><li><a href="http://digg.com/d1vW1H" target="_blank">Power Tips For WordPress Template Developers</a> @smashingmag<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mobile/Gaming/Etc.</span><br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/dT0Xr" target="_blank">40 Exceptionally Well Designed iPhone App Websites</a> @webupd8 @webdesign_news<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/l2ftld" target="_blank">Can apps succeed without Apple endorsement?</a> @iphone_diaspora <br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/m3qj4v" target="_blank">Cellphones: The New Billboards</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mr8xam" target="_blank">iPhone Apps That Make the Grade. What Sets Them Apart From All the Rest?</a> @timcascio <br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/m3qj4v" target="_blank">Cellphones: The New Billboards</a> (...marketers are calling)<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ln9ofd" target="_blank">Getting Noticed on the iPhone App Store</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ltnwl3" target="_blank">IPhone Apps to Organize Your Life</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ll5hkd" target="_blank">Six Tools For Testing Designs On Mobile Devices</a> @sitepointdotcom <br /><li><a href="http://digg.com/u17nQq" target="_blank">The Future of the iPhone: Intelligent Object Recognition</a> @mashable<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/krlmjk" target="_blank">EA Stepping Up In-House Social Gaming Efforts</a><br /><li><a href="http://ff.im/-4Ln79" target="_blank">This Week in iPhone News - July 3/2009</a> @lemonkey<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Marketing/PR</span><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/muotee" target="_blank">Entrepreneurs: The Single Greatest Marketing Tool</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mzs47m" target="_blank">When does a product launch end? Or does it?</a> @launchclinic<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/lfb7hz" target="_blank">16 Things You Can Do Yourself to Create Word-of-Mouth for Your Business</a><br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/xjh9l" target="_blank">Luring local traffic to your Web site</a> @jamisonfirst<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nsym6y" target="_blank">Click by Click, Reviewers Gain Clout</a><br /><li><a href="http://is.gd/1Bgu6" target="_blank">Marketing to the Social Web and the New Rules of Engagement</a> @smmguide @smallbizbee <br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/l482kn" target="_blank">Innovative Ways to Reel in Cash</a><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ldkg5m" target="_blank">Online Video Contests Can Help Marketers Listen To And Energize Their Customers</a><br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/h46TV" target="_blank">Internet Marketing | Affiliate Marketing | Network Marketing</a>@TopMarketing411 Interesting...<br /><li><a href="http://snipr.com/l7no0" target="_blank">Why “real” marketing is done before the product is created</a> @designdamage<br /><li><a href="http://ff.im/-4W2dK" target="_blank">3 Super Simple Ways To Increase Your Visitors, 40 New Places to Spread Free Your Articles</a> @brandonacox<br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/XaqoM" target="_blank">10 Rules for Quick and Easy PR</a> @DiscoverTN<br /><li><a href="http://tr.im/qR3A" target="_blank">50 Ways to Get Your Site Noticed</a> @iniwoonet<br /><li><a href="http://shar.es/5Tws" target="_blank">Cool Idea Hits it Big with Publicity</a> <br /><li><a href="http://shar.es/5YoS" target="_blank">You Can't Beat Habit - Learning how to alter customers' routine</a><br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Design/UI/HTML/CSS</span><br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/2zwdAJ" target="_blank">Great Collection of Code Snippet Resources</a><br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/fB01P" target="_blank">Freebies: 20 Interesting PSD Files to Download</a> @iniwoonet<br /><li><a href="http://snipr.com/n7c69" target="_blank">Best Websites to Download Free JavaScript Code Snippets</a> @bkmacdaddy<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mpyv5d" target="_blank">5 Free Online Banner Makers to Aid Your Web Marketing Campaign</a> @greggluhring <br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nkhool" target="_blank">33 Promising Web Development & Social Network Firefox 3.5 Plugins</a> @mayhemstudios @1stwebdesigner<br /><li><a href="http://ff.im/-4Y66a" target="_blank">Best CSS Resources to Become a CSS Guru</a> @brandonacox<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/kr24nl" target="_blank">100 Outstanding Login Forms | Design Reviver</a> @webupd8 Simplicity at its best!<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/c5e4kr" target="_blank">120 Best Free Blogger Templates Around</a> @mikeperras<br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/tDXZK" target="_blank">Best Practices For Effective Design Of “About Us”-Pages</a> @KeithDriscoll<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Search/SEO/SEM</span><br /><li><a href="http://ow.ly/hnPy" target="_blank">Razorfish proposes social influence score to measure sentiment around brand/industry</a> @whatworks Great idea! <br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ksukmp" target="_blank">33 Mobile SEO & Mobile Analytics Resources</a> @SEOptimise Excellent!<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/lx6p8z" target="_blank">Collection of Social Media Statistics and Tracking Sites</a><br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/OTdz0" target="_blank">Decoding the Formula for Link Building | LetsTalkSEO.com</a> @5eo<br /><li><a href="http://tr.im/qvKw" target="_blank">How To Use Google Product Search To Promote E-Commerce Websites - View official Google video</a> @GetOnFast<br /></ul><br />Keep checking back as this list will be expanding until the end of July.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Do you have additional articles you'd like me to add? Comment below or let me know at <a href="mailto:2cre8@2cre8llc.com" target="_blank">2cre8@2cre8llc.com</a>. Enjoy!</span><br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script><br /><div id="dsq-recentcomments" class="dsq-widget"><h2 class="dsq-widget-title">Recent Comments</h2><script type="text/javascript" src="http://disqus.com/forums/2cre8/recent_comments_widget.js?num_items=5&avatar_size=32"></script></div><a href="http://disqus.com">Powered by Disqus</a>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-20910690723102781572009-07-12T01:47:00.017-04:002009-07-12T10:38:24.648-04:00Rethinking: Banner Ads and Ad Delivery Systems<span style="font-style:italic;">LinkedIn.com</span> recently conducted a poll and asked "Of the ads you see in a typical day, how many engage your attention?" 66% respondents answered "a small minority of them", 25% none of them, 5% many of them and 1% most of them. Majority of the comments specific to web media banner ads say they're typically ignored. I agree...if it's not relevant, however creative, it will get a 1/2 a second glance. So it begs the question—should we continue to put our advertising dollars towards this media?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Of the ads you see in a typical day, how many engage your attention?</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sll5VTzv1JI/AAAAAAAAACk/OPcIC0yECYo/s1600-h/LinkedInPoll.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 211px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sll5VTzv1JI/AAAAAAAAACk/OPcIC0yECYo/s400/LinkedInPoll.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357446638735447186" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Innovative advertising systems</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Forbes.com</span> recently published an article about how big brands are fearful of placing ads on social sites that will appear next to offensive and inappropriate content. <span style="font-style:italic;">Facebook</span>, using a novel ad delivery systems called <span style="font-style:italic;">RockYou</span>, assured giant marketers such as <span style="font-style:italic;">General Motors</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">VW</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Gap</span> that this would not happen and has seemingly squelched that fear.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sll_HJ1AxkI/AAAAAAAAAC0/C4qgcMNBtLw/s1600-h/choices.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 193px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Sll_HJ1AxkI/AAAAAAAAAC0/C4qgcMNBtLw/s400/choices.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357452992607995458" /></a>But we need to go beyond that. Take it a step further and allow consumers an option of what type of ads <span style="font-style:italic;">they</span> want to see and how many. Keep it open-ended so they can change their selections at any time. Let your consumers choose if they want to see ads even down to a local level. It's all about empowering your audience and giving them choices.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Creative engagement</span><br />Beside strategic ad placement—content and how content is delivered is key. Flash banners are only as good as the design and content. But where's the creativity and interactivity? Create something wildly different. Pose an interesting question with a fun, interactive component. Challenge them, pique their curiosity. Allow users to vote, comment or share the ad. Include a random drawing to engage your audience even further. Just create a unique feature that stands out from the traditional banner ads. <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://bit.ly/94k2m" target="_blank">Pringles</a></span> created a small, square banner ad that makes you want to consistently click on it...where it goes, I don't know. But it's definitely unique.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Post engagement</span><br />Now that you've converted your audience to followers, don't stop there. Several companies are rewarding their followers like <span style="font-style:italic;">Klymit</span>, who rewards their <span style="font-style:italic;">Facebook</span> followers with special discounts and early access to products. <span style="font-style:italic;">Starbucks</span> recently offered <span style="font-style:italic;">Facebook</span> fans 280,000 pints of ice cream where users can redeem a coupon or send one to anyone in their network. <span style="font-style:italic;">Crate & Barrel</span> sent out a <span style="font-style:italic;">Crate & Barrel Product Review "A penny for your thoughts could win $1000 for your home"</span> e-mail to current registrants for a chance to win a randomly-selected $1,000 shopping spree by posting comments on previously purchased items.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Take away</span><br />The opportunities are endless. Remember, it's all about your customers. Think creatively. Think interactively. Once you build traction, don't forget to empower and reward your loyal followers. And for social sites developing an ad delivery system, it's not just about contextually relevant placement, but also about empowering your audience and giving them choices.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Please feel free to share and add your own comments about this topic. Are there other examples you can think of?</span><br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-31434120512378933172009-07-09T21:50:00.016-04:002009-07-14T17:55:12.450-04:00Blogger AM Radio: Turn Up The Volume!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/SlcmUwkfWMI/AAAAAAAAACc/jbssGgpU8Ig/s1600-h/OnTheAir.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 226px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/SlcmUwkfWMI/AAAAAAAAACc/jbssGgpU8Ig/s400/OnTheAir.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356792419857684674" /></a>I've been reading some of the most informative and well-written blogs aimed to truly motivate and educate the mass population out there in the blogsphere. Having an affinity for social media trends, technology and marketing, it dawned on me that it would be truly monumental to actually hear these wonderful and informative bloggers live on AM radio. Sure there's the <span style="font-style:italic;">SIRIUS</span> Blog Radio, but not all of us have (or want) to pay for satellite radio. There's also the popular <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com">blogtalkradio.com</a> site with an average of 680K+ unique visitors every month. No, I'm talking about a syndicated broadcast on AM radio where I can listen without having to search online or wait for a podcast.<br /><br />Imagine being able to hear "subject matter experts (sme)" such as <span style="font-style:italic;">Chris Brogan</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Jeremiah Owyang</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Seth Godin</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">the G-man</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">Guy Kawasaki</span>? They could invite opinion or thought leaders in various industries, celebrity Twitterers, reporters and other sme's as guest speakers. Imagine the sponsorships that would line up to support this new radio venue covering everything from social media, future marketing and technology trends, and more.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">I know I would definitely be tuned in! What's your thoughts?</span><br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-66914883978791037152009-06-17T21:07:00.033-04:002009-07-07T20:33:25.843-04:0040+ Terrific Articles/Resources for June 2009And the winners for June 2009 are:<br /><ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Technology</span><br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/4cA82R" target="_blank">Chris Hughes: Augmented reality made easy</a> @TED<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/n6nnb4" target="_blank">Cannes Attendees Find Future Is Now for Touch-Screen Tech</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Social Media</span><br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/oGY9j" target="_blank">300+ helpful tips on using social media</a> Thx @AlVinKoay! Great resource!<br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nty4dk" target="_blank">Why Brands Need To Engage In Social Conversation</a> (Includes a funny, but valid video.)</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/lcr67h" target="_blank">The 5 newest interactive trends: How will they affect you?</a> @scheyney</li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/pMmd6" target="_blank">Is there such a thing as social media etiquette?</a></li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/117NY7" target="_blank">From Social Media To Social Business Design</a> @peterkim</li><li><a href="http://ow.ly/fCEp" target="_blank">10.5 Tasty Tips: Social Media Etiquette | The Brand Chef</a> @swoodruff</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nggbae" target="_blank">Whose Word-of-Mouth Matters?</a></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/lt4mff" target="_blank">10 Reasons to use Social Media When Launching a Hotel</a></li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/YZWHB" target="_blank">Report: Social networking up 83 percent for US</a> @GbrilliantQ</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/lcth3x" target="_blank">Social media advertising strategy: six profiles you must have</a></li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/aAJ9c" target="_blank">Will brands be ready when every web page is social? Find out what they should do</a> @jowyang</li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/vVI7f" target="_blank">The Top 10 Social Networks for Creative People</a> @phaoloo</li><li><a href="http://sbne.ws/r/1eGu" target="_blank">Do Teens Tweet? And Other Social Media FAQs</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Blogs/Microblogs</span><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/dcc8ep" target="_blank">Here are the newspapers that are using Twitter, with their Twitter accounts</a> @1websurfer</li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/4mPK7" target="_blank">Local Tweets: 9 Ways to Find Twitter Users in Your Town</a> @mashable</li><li>Excellent! <a href="http://twitrounds.com/" target="_blank">Free Twitter backgrounds</a> via @twitround<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mobile/Gaming/Etc.</span><br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/mDWAH" target="_blank">50 Ways to Promote Your iPhone App</a> Excellent List!<br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/fXaiL" target="_blank">Gaming Market Could Reach $90 Billion By 2015</a></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/m5u9og" target="_blank">15 Free iPhone Healthcare Apps</a></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/mdzseb" target="_blank">IPhone 3.0 Excels at Wi-Fi Hotspots</a> @iphonerocker</li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/xtT5B" target="_blank">How To Use The Best 40 Features of #iPhone 3.0</a> @prebynski</li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/qyMpc" target="_blank">The Awesome Potential of iPhone In-App Purchases</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Marketing</span><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/n3fu7o" target="_blank">Build Awareness For Your Biz In Your Community</a> Good list!<br /><li><a href="http://is.gd/1cZLc" target="_blank">6 common sense tips on how to go viral</a> @bkmacdaddy<br /><li><a href="http://shar.es/vvrW" target="_blank">Get Free or Low-Cost Publicity (10 tools)</a> (via Entrepreneur.com)<br /><li><a href="http://is.gd/1a76i" target="_blank">Link Building Worksheets - Organize Your Campaign</a></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/qxt6sv" target="_blank">Top PPC Tactics To Increase Customer or Professional Leads--An Innovative PPC Model</a></li><li><a href="http://technology.inc.com/software/articles/200906/leary.html" target="_blank">Traditional CRM vs. Social CRM</a></li><li><a href="http://is.gd/WoN7" target="_blank">Excellent Example of Mobile Marketing Integration into a Multi-Channel Brand Campaign</a> @BuzzThreeSixty</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/n45qd3" target="_blank">Marketing on the Web</a> Great list!</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/abhdcl" target="_blank">OPEN Book: A Practical Guide to Online Marketing</a> (PDF download)</li><li><a href="http://shar.es/qb3F" target="_blank">Email Marketing Success Is About Relevance</a> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Design/UI/HTML/CSS</span><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/c44db8" target="_blank">How-To-Guides: Building a Better Web Site</a> Good tips from Inc.com<br /><li><a href="http://ff.im/-4r1th" target="_blank">Minimalism in Web Design - Tips and 59 Examples</a> @webupd8 @wpstudios @brandonacox<br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/gabbisky1117" target="_blank">10 Tools to Improve Your Site's Usability on a Low Budget</a> @hashdesigns @GabriellaSky<br /><li><a href="http://is.gd/1cPei" target="_blank">A complete social network icon pack (40 icons)</a> @smashingmag <br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/nca2nk" target="_blank">Superb Examples of Form Design</a> @superbwebdesign<br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/dUUlb" target="_blank">10 Rare HTML Tags You Really Should Know</a> @phaoloo</li><li><a href="http://cli.gs/ea4nj9" target="_blank">60 Beautiful & Creative Web Interface Designs</a> @tweetmeme</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ox7euv" target="_blank">Motherload Collection of Inspirational Website Design Collections</a> @PerryBelcher</li> <li><a href="http://digg.com/d1u3wS?t" target="_blank">Informative And Usable Footers In Web Design</a> @smashingmag</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/c2wemv" target="_blank">25 Examples of Cool Coming Soon Pages</a> - Part II | Dzine Blog<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Search/SEO/SEM</span><br /><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/l7ka2a" target="_blank">The Top 10 Twitter SEO Tips</a> @mashable<br /><li><a href="http://bit.ly/Aa3sD" target="_blank">The Intricate Relationship between Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Marketing</a> @SeanSEO</li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/lbnpoz" target="_blank">Google Crawls Flash Files Even Better Now</a></li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/hDuKP" target="_blank">Learn some quick new Google search tricks today</a> @google<br /></ul><br />And last, but not least...another extensive list: <a href="http://bit.ly/Mnrvd" target="_blank">50 Top Noise-free Twitter Tips & Links in Marketing, SEO, Design & Writing</a> @AlVinKoay @amerkawar<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Do you have additional articles you'd like me to add? Comment below or let me know at <a href="http://twitter.com/2cre8" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/2cre8</a>. Enjoy!</span><br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-17864104375797156952009-06-07T09:14:00.026-04:002009-06-23T21:17:07.608-04:00Social Media Communities: Rules of Engagement<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Si7IQaqamWI/AAAAAAAAABc/T1zGnIbd09U/s1600-h/iStock_000008628870XSmall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Si7IQaqamWI/AAAAAAAAABc/T1zGnIbd09U/s320/iStock_000008628870XSmall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345429992096045410" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Balance of design, function and engagement</span><br />As an active social media advocate, I've found some sites are so much more intuitive to navigate and engaging than others. I'm a firm believer that the <span style="font-style: italic;">quality</span> of engagement is sometimes a lot more important than quantity. I would encourage social media and community networks to "listen" to your audience and apply some basic user-experience fundamentals:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Registration</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Why ask for everything upfront?</span> You risk losing a potential customer and avid follower.<br /><ul><li>Implement an Open ID platform instead...just the basics...e-mail address as the user name and a password that has already been established with other community/social sites. You've made it so simple to register and that much faster to now engage a new follower.</li><br /><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Facebook</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">LinkedIn</span> allows you to complete your full profile at your leisure. Sites that require a birth date upfront really is annoying. Sites that make it optional, even partially filled, is much more empowering to the user. Even better is choosing what information I want made public. <span style="font-style: italic;">MySpace</span> offered that option but it was very difficult to find.</li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">User Interface</span><br />This is a critical factor. Even more so when you have a complex architecture with lots of features. <span style="font-style: italic;">Simplicity</span> is the key word here. There are some community sites whose pages are sooo busy and confusing, I rarely go back to visit. Here are other issues that come immediately to mind:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Branding</span> - Do you really need a massive logo or header that explains the site on every single page? Once a value proposition was explained in the pre-registration process, the meat of your site should be all about engaging your users with your brand. The design, functions and features should also resonate your brand hallmarks. If your brand claim is innovation, then show some feature, content or functionality that's innovate. Remember...the "user experience" also equates to the "brand experience" as well.</li><br /><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Ad Space</span> - Is it starting to get in the way of important content? Some ad placements are so huge that it pushes down the content or feeds on the page thus having to scroll down. Some sites need to revisit and restructure their ad placement.</li><br /><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Navigation</span> - A good user interface implements a standard global navigation and visual cues so the users know where they are at all times. Regardless of a new section within your site, keep the navigation consistently placed. Imposing a new set of navigational elements on a new section without a consistent global navigation will confuse your users.<br /></li><br /><li><span style="font-style: italic;">Load times</span> - When experiencing long load times, I immediately exit the site. Especially if it holds up everything and makes my computer inoperable. Are your graphics, Flash components and ads optimized? Where are your videos streaming from? Check all your add-ons. Are too many widgets part of the problem? Long load times are indicators that elements on the page are not fully optimized or there are just too many add-ons or widgets. Be selective.<br /></li><br /></ul><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Si75I-fO6_I/AAAAAAAAABs/7TQssl81HrE/s1600-h/opportunity.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 190px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Si75I-fO6_I/AAAAAAAAABs/7TQssl81HrE/s320/opportunity.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345483740343626738" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">E-commerce</span><br />It's hard to believe in this day and age that e-commerce sites are not implementing good practices:<br /><ul><li>Purchasing an item should be intuitive and trackable. I just went online to order parts for a grill. After going through the online purchasing process, there was no confirmation page or e-mail confirmation of my purchase. Again, this should be a standard practice so users are assured their order went through and a means by which to track it.</li><br /><li>If you need to include a :60 video on how to purchase an item on your site, then maybe you should revisit the design flow and function of the purchasing process.</li><br /><li>Include a "back to search results" or "continue shopping" function after a user stores an item in their shopping cart or wish list. And take the user back to the search result list or category they were previously in. A lot of stock photo sites implement this feature quite well.<br /></li><br /><li>On the top of my wish list is for social commerce sites to create an incentive program for repeat buyers. And don't tease me with free shipping only good for a period of time. I may not be in the market at that moment, so inevitably the e-mail gets deleted. Incentivising your users will surely win you repeat customers.<br /></li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">E-mails</span><br />Again, these should be standard best practices:<br /><ul><li>Just listing who posted a commented doesn't prompt me to visit the site. Include the comment within the e-mail with a link to view or respond. </li><br /><li>Via CAN-SPAM laws, if someone unsubscribes from your site, you should honor their request at least 10 days after they've opted out.</li><br /><li>On your unsubscribe confirmation page, allow the user to describe why they're leaving. Advise them you'll use this valuable information to assist and drive new practices and tactics when revamping the site.<br /></li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Giveways</span><br />Companies that require you to provide a W-9 form in order to receive a prize you've won is another big turn off. Why would I want to give away personally identifiable information, especially a Tax ID...come on! After validating who you are, a full name and mailing address should be all that's required. (It's true...a company actually asked for a W-9 form!)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Messages</span><br />I've visited some sites where the community group's message never changes. I urge you to enlighten me with something new and interesting. You've given the message prime real estate on your site, so here's an opportunity to motivate and compel your audience with a reason to come back.<br /><br />Another missed opportunity is commenting back on some of the community posts...not just moderating them. It reinforces that you're really "listening" and value their input. <span style="font-style: italic;">Perceived perception</span> is extremely important.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">Resources</span><br />Here are other articles that will impart some knowledge of the "do's and dont's" when establishing an online presence:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://shar.es/bcSG">Website Marketing Turnoffs: 13 things not to do when adapting your product to an online model.</a> by <span style="font-style: italic;">Guy Kawasaki</span></li><li><a href="http://bit.ly/48Kbo">12 Tips For Designing an Excellent Checkout Process</a> by <span style="font-style: italic;">Smashing Magazine</span></li><li><a href="http://tinyurl.com/cythlf">The Elements of Social Architecture</a> by <span style="font-style: italic;">Christina Wodtke</span></li></ul><br />In closing, there's a huge opportunity to enhance your brand relationship with your customers. Through simplicity in design, function and information architecture, you create positive experiences. Through innovative and compelling tactics, you build traction. If you decide to implement any changes, be transparent about it and continually encourage feedback. And don't forget to really "listen." You'll gain loyal followers who, by word-of-mouth (WOM), will inevitably market the site for you.<br /><br />Are there any further insights you would recommend?<br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-82256395842198136572009-06-05T16:59:00.018-04:002009-06-26T11:30:32.751-04:00Journey Into The Social Experience<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Si11ahOfArI/AAAAAAAAABM/UIsI7bPwGas/s1600-h/iStock_000005474170XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ZNcLbqF9pF8/Si11ahOfArI/AAAAAAAAABM/UIsI7bPwGas/s320/iStock_000005474170XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345057431214817970" /></a><br />Being a small start-up business just entering the market, I realized I needed to step up my game and get actively involved in communities and the social media arena. I've also discovered there's a wealth of online information for start-ups — business development, intellectual property, business plans, best business practices and so on. I've immersed myself thoroughly in the past few months. To say the least, it's been an overwhelming experience with a bombardment of information overload. I'm now at the stage where I can discern what's valuable information vs. hype and clear out the noise and clutter. My take away thusfar:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The playing field is flat</span><br />Whether you're new to communities and the social media world or recently started blogging/microblogging, the playing field is flat. You may not be the <a href="http://twitter.com/chrisbrogan" target="_blank">Chris Brogan</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/jowyang" target="_blank">Jeremiah Owyang</a>, <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/" target="_blank">Seth Godin</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/the_gman" target="_blank">Gerald Weber</a> or <a href="http://twitter.com/GuyKawasaki" target="_blank">Guy Kawasaki's</a> of the blogsphere (who I all highly recommend you follow), but you do have a "voice." You'll also discover there's a boat load of people willing to help...just be <span style="font-style:italic;">smart</span> about it and use <span style="font-style:italic;">common sense</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Where do I begin?</span><br />Whether your goal is to market yourself, a product, service or company (in other words, what's your <span style="font-style:italic;">underlying objective</span>?) — it helps to follow subject-matter experts. They provide invaluable information that can save you precious time and unnecessary headaches. So how do you find them?<br /><ul><li><span style="font-style:italic;">Join groups, communities and affiliations</span>: For me, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com" target="_blank">LinkedIn.com</a> is an absolute must since it gives you an opportunity to connect with people within your industry and outside your industry. LinkedIn not only allows you to link up with colleagues, but it also extends your reach by joining groups where you'd otherwise never have the opportunity. Here are a couple of useful links that will guide you through LinkedIn: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/dedt5o" target="_blank">CEO of LinkedIn.com gives you tips on how to use LinkedIn - CNN Video</a> and my favorite <a href="http://e-strategyblog.com/2009/05/linkedin-best-practices-for-business/" target="_blank">LinkedIn Best Practices For Business</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rule of thumb</span>: Conduct all your communications in a professional manner. Remember, this is a <span style="font-style:italic;">business</span> community. Build your credibility by your postings and even your comments. If people are intrigued or enlightened, believe me...they <span style="font-style:italic;">will</span> check your profile. Some beneficial connection may even result from it.</li><br /><br /><li><span style="font-style:italic;">Open a Twitter account</span>: You may ask, "Why do I need to bother?" or "What's the value for me?" As more and more companies are realizing the value of <a href="http://twitter.com" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, it's being utilized as channel for customer relationship management, recruitment, marketing and advertising. It also helps you to find subject-matter experts. I highly recommend reading <a href="http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/03/the-ultimate-guide-for-everything-twitter/" target="_blank">The Ultimate Guide for Everything Twitter</a>. It also includes best practices on Twitter which is extremely helpful for those new to Twitter.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rule of thumb</span>: Always be professional, it's also okay to be personable, be selective who you follow...remember the same goes for the online world as in real life, you are the company you keep. Post things you feel would interest and help your followers. And lastly, be real.</li><br /><br /><li><span style="font-style:italic;">Facebook</span>: I still have my reservations utilizing <a href="http://www.facebook.com" target="_blank">Facebook</a> as a way to establish business connections or leads. I prefer keeping my personal connections exactly as it states...personal. I limit it to friends, family and a few colleagues. However, with that said, it is beneficial for businesses and companies to build brand awareness, create traction and really engage an audience within Facebook. Here's a great example on how Adobe engaged an elusive target audience with an innovative social media experience, "<a href="http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/23240.asp" target="_blank">Case study: A Facebook campaign that connected</a>."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rule of thumb</span>: It's really up to you and your comfort level on how you want to engage within Facebook. Depending on your business, you may want to utilize a widget that posts to all your social sites and blogs or you may want to keep Facebook as just a personal tool. You may want to have 2 accounts...one personal and one for business. There's really no "one size fits all" answer. Just be cognoscente of who your audience are within each given network and be very selective who you let in. Again, just be <span style="font-style:italic;">smart</span> about it and use <span style="font-style:italic;">common sense</span>.</li><br /></ul><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Okay, so now what?</span><br />So you've done everything – joined LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and even other communities within your industry. So now what? You've got a few more followers but no real connections. <br /><br />Personally for me, I felt like that after a few months. I started feeling the whole social media stuff was really (un)social. Once I mistakenly reposted the same tweet a handful of times, then realized I should take a different approach. I even met up with some questionable characters who I won't mention (or really not worth mentioning). It's amazing how varied the responses you get depending on what community or social media channel you use. Only recently I've started to feel like I'm actually seeing results. Some of my connections actually came from recommendations I read on postings and various blogs. Ableit not a direct connection, but helpful nonetheless. And a handful have introduced me to some business partnerships. My advice to you is to be patient and your persistency will pay off! Celebrate every baby step you make...don't underestimate yourself!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Helpful resources</span><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Now for all you up and coming success stories</span>, I've listed below other helpful resources that I hope you find useful and refer back to from time to time. I'll update this list periodically as I find other gems to share:<br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/peozor" target="_blank">The Smart Way to Tap Social Media</a><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/qsgmtb" target="_blank">Social Media Mistakes Businesses Should Avoid</a><br /><a href="http://www.evancarmichael.com/Tools/Top-50-Blogs-For-Startups-In-2009.htm" target="_blank">The Top 50 Blogs for Startups In 2009</a><br /><a href="http://www.sociableblog.com/2009/05/20/100-terrific-twitter-feeds-for-young-entrepreneurs/" target="_blank">100 Terrific Twitter Feeds for Young Entrepreneurs</a><br /><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/websmarts/article199544.html">65 Indispensable Websites for Business Owners</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Bottom line</span>: What's your objective? Develop a strategy. Research, research research. Then just do it! Experiment and see what works and doesn't work. We're always learning. And remember, "<span style="font-style:italic;">The quality of engagement is equally, if not sometimes more, as important than quantity</span>."<br /><br />I'll continue to touch base and share my discoveries along the way. Please feel free to comment, share additional resources or <a href="mailto:2cre8@2crellc.com">drop me a line</a>! Enjoy!<br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-15239225013315217422009-06-04T17:51:00.005-04:002009-06-08T17:07:18.601-04:00American Express Online ExperienceI'm kindly requesting American Express to please revisit your online user requirements and interface for registering or forgetting a password.<br /><br />Your registration process was painful. Then when I was prompted to call, the line was dropped as I was holding. I went through the whole process probably 6 times having to re-enter my corporate card number. Very bad user experience both offline and online. So I respectfully ask you to restructure your registration and make it more intuitive and user-friendly.2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-44553654763761087732009-05-30T08:34:00.018-04:002009-07-03T12:01:54.143-04:00Your Opinion on a Retail Social Networking SiteThis poll is to solicit feedback on a retail social media domain name coming in early 2010. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Your opinion will help shape the development of the branding of the site</span>.<br /><br />You're getting an opportunity to get in from the ground up! This poll will be discontinued in August 2009. Thank you for your participation!<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" charset="utf-8" src="http://static.polldaddy.com/p/1630672.js"></script><noscript><br /><a href="http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1630672/">What name resonates with you as a Retail Social Media site that adds a "fun" factor to the traditional "window" browsing and creates a true sense of ownership?</a><span style="font-size:9px;">(<a href="http://www.polldaddy.com">survey software</a>)</span><br /></noscript><br /><br /><font size="2pt"><span style="font-style:italic;">If you're interested in being part of our beta user group, feel free to send an e-mail at <a href="mailto:2cre8@2cre8llc.com">2cre8@2cre8llc.com</a>.</span></font><script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="http://s3.polldaddy.com/p/1630672"></script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-78571671597978016372009-05-17T09:31:00.014-04:002009-06-17T21:06:28.962-04:00How people really use the iPhone<span style="font-style:italic;">Bill Westerman, Create with Context</span><br /><br />We frequently see that interaction and visual designs from one flagship product - such as the iPhone - have an influence throughout design for the web, desktop, mobile, and consumer electronics platforms. As a strategic design firm, Create with Context finds it important to stay on top of emerging design trends. We recently published "How people really use the iPhone", an interesting readout of design issues and recommendations for people designing for the iPhone and beyond. Our presentation on this topic at the iPhone Developer's Summit was called the "best presentation of the conference" by several attendees. Give us a shout if you're looking for strategic design and/or research for web, mobile, desktop, or consumer electronics. We're Silicon Valley-based, and work globally. We're at <a href="http://www.createwithcontext.com" target="_blank">createwithcontext.com</a>.<br /><br /><div style='width:425px;text-align:left'><object style='margin:0px' width='425' height='355'><param name='movie' value='http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=cwchowpeopleuseiphone-1225738539763858-9&stripped_title=how-people-really-use-the-iphone-presentation' /><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'/><param name='allowScriptAccess' value='always'/><embed src='http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=cwchowpeopleuseiphone-1225738539763858-9&stripped_title=how-people-really-use-the-iphone-presentation' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' allowscriptaccess='always' allowfullscreen='true' width='425' height='355'></embed></object></div><br /><br /><div style='line-height:8pt'><font size='1pt'>Bill Westerman is a Principal with Create with Context, a strategic design and research firm focused on helping clients invent and reinvigorate digital products. He works with companies ranging from early-stage startups to global brands like Adobe, Panasonic, and Yahoo! to help translate customer needs into compelling products.</font></div><br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-72771726869662651442009-05-02T11:01:00.009-04:002009-05-30T09:48:31.795-04:00My Favorite Resources - May 2009As promised, here's my ever growing resource list and good reads for May 2009:<br /><ul><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Technology</span><br /><li>Organic Motion: Inching Closer to Virtual Reality (love this!) <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/technology">http://abcnews.go.com/technology</a><br />- scroll through Sci-Tech Videos<br />- select: WATCH: Inching closer to virtual reality</li><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Social Media</span><br /><li>Terrific article from @mashable! 12 Inspiring Stories of Successful Social Networkers <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cjwhay">http://tinyurl.com/cjwhay</a><br /><li>Ignore Twitter? Major brands learn they'd better respond -- and quick <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cmlskm">http://tinyurl.com/cmlskm</a> #social_media<br /><li>Pizza Hut 'Twintern' to Guide Twitter Presence <a href="http://tinyurl.com/dljrjx">http://tinyurl.com/dljrjx</a> #twintern (new careers for interns...?)<br /><li>Sodexo.com tripling their traffic with social media - <a href="http://tinyurl.com/dbhud9">http://tinyurl.com/dbhud9</a> #social_media @smheadhunter @chrisbrogan<br /><li>Interesting post - How to Monitor Your Social Media Presence in 10 Minutes a Day. <a href="http://bit.ly/NIP9v">http://bit.ly/NIP9v</a><br /><li>Kids Go Social <a href="http://education.zdnet.com/">http://education.zdnet.com/</a>... and Child-friendly social networking tools <a href="http://tinyurl.com/dkp469">http://tinyurl.com/dkp469</a> @MaryEllenGibson<br /><li>Great resource: 15 Tools Lists, Twitter Business & Social Life Resources <a href="http://tinyurl.com/bfvjfy">http://tinyurl.com/bfvjfy</a> @seoptimise<br /><li>Twitter Customer Service - the Ultimate List of Stores on Twitter <a href="http://tinyurl.com/c3yjxr">http://tinyurl.com/c3yjxr</a></li><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Mobile</span><br /><li>Bookmark this good article - Mobile: Making iPhone Apps Pay <a href="http://tinyurl.com/clp7by">http://tinyurl.com/clp7by</a><br /><li>40 Awesome #iPhone Application Websites <a href="http://tinyurl.com/dys2zd">http://tinyurl.com/dys2zd</a> (<span style="font-style:italic;">By the way, let me know if you find others</span>!)<br /><li>Giz Explains: All The Smartphone Mobile App Stores <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cj2gfl">http://tinyurl.com/cj2gfl</a></li><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Marketing</span><br /><li>No Money To Get Started with Promoting? <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cg8hks">http://tinyurl.com/cg8hks</a> #ad-free @ArticlesBin<br /><li>Love it! RT @compete It's official - the new compete.com has launched <a href="http://www.compete.com/">http://www.compete.com/</a><br />Compete is a new breed of web analytics company. Great UI and graphic analytics tool!<br /><li>50 Content Ideas that Create Buzz (worth your time) <a href="http://is.gd/rRik">http://is.gd/rRik</a> RT @webupd8 @phaoloo</li><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Design</span><br /><li>84 Amazingly Useful CSS Tips & Resources | Hi, I'm Grace Smith <a href="http://ff.im/-2lnWJ">http://ff.im/-2lnWJ</a> @Stecki @webupd8<br /><li>600+ Free Design, Twitter and Social Media Icons: A Collection Motherload! <a href="http://tinyurl.com/dawu8w">http://tinyurl.com/dawu8w</a> @perrybelcher</li><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Other</span><br /><li>Top 50 Resources & Web 2.0 Sites for Buying or Selling a Home... <a href="http://tinyurl.com/c9exr7">http://tinyurl.com/c9exr7</a> @energysection</li><br /></ul><br /><br />Please feel free to comment to add your own resource links that I may have missed! Enjoy!<br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-31466814255062830382009-04-21T08:52:00.010-04:002009-05-30T09:48:45.739-04:00Google's mobile product chief on mobile productivity<object width="480" height="295" id="embedded_player" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://twistage.fastcompany.tv/plugins/player.swf?v=66e066c5fee7f&p=fctv_social"><param name="movie" value="http://twistage.fastcompany.tv/plugins/player.swf?v=66e066c5fee7f&p=fctv_social"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="TRUE"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="base" value="http://twistage.fastcompany.tv"/></object><br /><font size="1">Saturday, September 27th, 2008</font><br /><br /><font size="1">Robert Scoble (<em>FastCompany.TV Managing Director</em>)</font><br />The iPhone, despite all the attention, is only a small part of how mobile is changing our work lives. Google's mobile team has some ideas of their own. Sumit Agarwal, product manager, will demonstrate to us all sorts of fun ways to improve our lives with mobile phones, and how Google is involved.<br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-21461263258300678472009-04-11T08:39:00.012-04:002009-05-30T09:48:57.450-04:00My Favorite Resources - April 2009Here are my favorite resources that I hope you'll find invaluable. I will start compiling a list together each month. Check 2cre8's blog for my monthly favorite articles. Feel free to comment if you find additional ones to include.<br /><ul><br /><li> Must read for those who are engaged in blogging @infomarketr <a href="http://snurl.com/foqz2">http://snurl.com/foqz2</a> Bookmarked!<br /><li>115 Marketing Tips For Your Business. @TPEntrepreneur <a href="http://tinyurl.com/c6o9uw">http://tinyurl.com/c6o9uw</a><br /><li>How to Grow Your Google Authority @the_gman <a href="http://bit.ly/2mebVe">http://bit.ly/2mebVe</a><br /><li>50 Totally Free Lessons in Graphic Design Theory @dustyedwards @webupd8 <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ceazoj">http://tinyurl.com/ceazoj</a><br /><li>Likes this for tracking on Twitter: Twitter and Google Analytics: What to Track <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6bo2ul">http://tinyurl.com/6bo2ul</a><br /><li>Healthcare/Pharma Social Media Wiki @ericglazer @ekarofsky <a href="http://twurl.nl/dl7sm7">http://twurl.nl/dl7sm7</a><br /><li>Very comprehensive list! Web Marketing's Most Useful Posts of March 2009 <a href="http://tinyurl.com/c69poz">http://tinyurl.com/c69poz</a><br /><li>VERY old article, but interesting nonetheless-Brave New World of Digital Intimacy <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cme6nh">http://tinyurl.com/cme6nh</a><br /><li>AdAge Power150: Todd Andrlik ranks the top media and marketing blogs <a href="http://adage.com/power150/">http://adage.com/power150/</a><br /><li>Terrific video (thought-provoking)!! Did You Know 3.0 - From Meeting in Rome this Year <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6pg8tv">http://tinyurl.com/6pg8tv</a><br /><li>Best Practices for Speeding Up Your Web Site <a href="http://tinyurl.com/yo227m">http://tinyurl.com/yo227m</a><br /><li>Top 50 blogs for startups @guykawasaki <a href="http://adjix.com/jv83">http://adjix.com/jv83</a><br /><li>What GoDaddy Can Teach Us About Using Social Media for Damage Control <a href="http://tinyurl.com/d5ntvv">http://tinyurl.com/d5ntvv</a><br /><li>65 Indispensable Websites for Business Owners <a href="http://tinyurl.com/95qlde">http://tinyurl.com/95qlde</a><br /><li>How Web 3.0 Will Work <a href="http://tinyurl.com/347cj2">http://tinyurl.com/347cj2</a><br /><li>50 Ways To Use Twitter for Business <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cv6tkg">http://tinyurl.com/cv6tkg</a><br /><li>Sixth Sense Technology and the Possibilities for Future Devices <a href="http://bit.ly/13ImzA">http://bit.ly/13ImzA</a><br /><li>Top 50 Best CSS Articles & Resources <a href="http://cli.gs/J9BZ7U">http://cli.gs/J9BZ7U</a><br /><br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">And last but not least:</span><br />Twouble with Twitters <a href="http://is.gd/oBIx">http://is.gd/oBIx</a></li><br /></ul><br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-67015647525910267222009-04-05T10:53:00.004-04:002009-05-30T09:49:13.728-04:007 Things Beginners Should Know About Creating a Website<b>7 Things Beginners Should Know About Creating a Website</b> by Travis Garner<br />Google, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and every large website started with a simple idea. You may have the next million dollar idea, but you'll still need to know the basics...<br /><br />A Few Tips to Help You Get Your New Website Off of the Ground<br />I have built a number of websites, as well as worked technical support for an international domain name registrar and hosting company. Throughout these experiences, I have acquired a bit of experience with the basics. If you are new to building websites, or are just kicking the idea of starting one up around, here are 7 tips you should know about creating a website.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7. Your website will not show up within Google for at least six months.</span><br /><br />Every single webmaster out there wants to be number one on Google for their desired keyword. Unfortunately we can't all be number one. It will take roughly 3-6 months for your website to be indexed by Google. Indexing is the term used when a search engines spider crawls your website and then adds it to their database of websites, or their index. MSN and Yahoo seem to be a bit faster with indexing new sites. Do not fret if you're website is not indexed after six months, it takes time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6. Stay away from annoying 1990s trends.</span><br /><br />Even in 2008, people are still using hit counters. Do NOT use HTML, visible, hit counters. Period. Day in and day out I see people adding hit counters to their websites. You know what the average surfer thinks about your hit counter? It's out-dated and tacky. You may be asking yourself, "Self, what am I going to do about stats if I can't use a hit counter?" That's next on the list, don't get ahead of me. Other annoying 1990s trends that you should avoid are animated GIFs, standard Times New Roman font, extremely contrasting colors (such as white on hot pink), and visible table borders.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Use Google Analytics</span><br /><br />Google Analytics is a free, amazing traffic statistics program. It delivers more information about your website than most people want or need to know. It shows what browser, operating system, resolution and sexual preference of your users. It shows how they reached your website. It will also show you how long people stayed on your website, how they navigated your site, and what pages they were on and how long. It'll also let you know the city/country that your hits are coming from.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Use your statistical information to refine your website.</span><br /><br />All of the information that Google Analytics provides is useful for the designing, optimizing, and marketing of your website. For example, I have a website that does absolutely horrible in the U.S., but it gets about 8,000 hits a day from Russia. Knowing this, I have<br /> been working to translate my website into Russian to help satisfy those crazy Russians. If you notice that a lot of people are viewing your website on an extremely low resolution, change your resolution to theirs and see how your website looks. Chances are it looks horrible, so re-examine your code. You may notice that you get a lot of users that use Opera. Download it, and see how your website looks it in. Every browser parses HTML in a slightly different manner, so what your website looks like in Internet Explorer may be different from what you'll see in Firefox.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. You are not going to be 'the next' anything.</span><br /><br />If your website idea or plan is to 'be the next ', then you will probably fail. I hear people talk about wanting to be the next YouTube, the next MySpace, the next Google, the next anything. These websites already exist, they're already doing successful, and they aren't going anywhere any time soon. You may be able to make a little money by emulating another website, but if you want to have a truly great website you will need to do something original. Look for a void, and fill it. This is how all the above sites got popular; by being original and filling voids. No idea is too radical or too stupid. Popular websites show up all the time, and if you're like me when you see them you think 'Why didn't I think of that!?'<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Add content often.</span><br /><br />Regardless of what your website is about, you can attach a blog to it. Blogs are handy because they allow for an easy and viable source of new content. Search engines, and especially Google, love content. If they notice that every time your website is crawled there is another chunk of content for them to index, then your website will receive traffic from the keywords from that article. If you are making a website, chances are it's about something that you're passionate about. Throw a blog up and write a little somethin' somethin' once a day. It doesn't have to be a fully fledged article, just a blurb about what's new in the industry, what people can get out of your product, or whatever you want to write about.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. Use social bookmarking websites.</span><br /><br />Look up to my dashingly handsome picture at the top of this page. Below and to the right of that mug shot you will see 'Share' with scrolling icons. Hover over that. Everything that this menu links you to is a social bookmarking website or a tool that you can use to promote your website.<br /><br />I use all of those tools to promote every article I write, including this one, and for any blog entries or any website that I create. If people like your content, they might bookmark you as well. This helps you get even more traffic; it's like a snowball. Make sure you're website and content are quality, and you should get a reasonable amount of traffic from these sources.<br /><br />Think of your website as a tree; it starts as a seed, or an idea. This idea is then planted in your code to grow into a baby tree. The baby tree is then transplanted to a wild untamed forest, the Internet. Your job is now to nurture and grow this baby tree. With patience, time, constantly updated content, and social bookmarking, your tree will grow in to a mighty oak!<br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-75930217923325928272009-04-05T10:45:00.002-04:002009-05-30T09:49:29.492-04:00My Review of Edu Science Microscope 600X<div class="hreview"><div class="item"><p><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3140258"> Toys R Us</a></p><div><img src="http://images.powerreviews.com/images_products/04/57/2611578_100.jpg" class="photo" align="left" style="margin: 0 0.5em 0 0"><p style="margin-top:0">600x Total Magnification; 15/30/60x Objective Lens Magnification; Dual Slide Capability; Plastic Body; Battery Operated; Entry Level Microscope.</p></div><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3140258" style="display: none;" class="url fn"><span class="fn">Edu Science Microscope 600X</span></a></div><br clear="left"><p><strong class="summary">Very Unhappy with Edu Science Microscope</strong></p><div> <strong>2cre8</strong> <strong>New Jersey</strong> <strong><abbr title="200945T1200-0800" class="dtreviewed" style="border: none; text-decoration: none;">4/5/2009</abbr></strong></div><p><div style="margin: 0.5em 0; height: 15px; width: 83px; background-image: url(http://images.powerreviews.com/images_merchants/stars/10141_stars_small.gif); background-position: 0px -36px;" class="prStars prStarsSmall"> </div></p><div style="display: none"><span class="rating">1</span> 5</div><p><strong>Describe Yourself: </strong>Working Parent</p><p style="margin-top:1em" class="description">This was the number one gift my son wanted for his birthday. It's horrible...you see a light with a dark circle on anything you put under the microscope.</p><p style="margin-top:0.5em">(<a href="http://www.powerreviews.com/legal/terms_of_use.html" rel="license"></a>)</p></div><br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6071853390821708136.post-75490618850169721352009-03-23T13:47:00.002-04:002009-05-30T09:50:31.400-04:00Doctors Use Wii To Treat SeizuresDoctors at Cook Children's Medical Center are now using Nintendo's Wii console to research and treat seizures.<br /><br /><a href="http://tinyurl.com/dk92wq">http://tinyurl.com/dk92wq</a><br /><br />Credit: NBC Universal<br />Copyright: kxas<br /><script type="text/javascript">var _sttoolbar = {}</script><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/widget/stblogger.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">stBlogger.init("http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=8d7b2bb6-2804-4774-91f3-1c436c2f5917&type=blogger");</script>2cre8http://www.blogger.com/profile/02013935978647262023noreply@blogger.com0