Here is something that I've seen recently that is just making the best use of the available tools. I've been on Webinars with ThinkVitamin and Boagworld and one thing - amongst the many others - that I learned was how they handled their webcast.
One of the things that really stood out to me was how they used Twitter hash-tags as chat streams for the live broadcast. For one of the ThinkVitamin conferences I was on, it was a necessity as the chat in the platform they were using failed. Read more »
Just a quick post this morning to let you know that we're now launching eBay Blackthorne MS SQL Database hosting! Details are to come, but we think $50 per month for Blackthorne database hosting is a steal compared to the hundreds of dollars per month a dedicated Microsoft server would cost from any of the big hosting companies out there! Our hosting is powered by the Rackspace Cloud so you know that performance and support will be second to none! Read more »
I've been asking myself the same question after seeing the Old Spice Guy's viral videos on YouTube. It's been all the rage and everyone is talking about it. So what can be learned from the Old Spice campaign and how can you apply it to your business? Here are 4 ways that I'm learning from this campaign.
1. We are starved for original, compelling content. I think that one of the main reasons Old Spice Guy has been so successful is that it represents everything that is right about social media. They've done a great job of telling a compelling story and building the persona of the Old Spice Guy. They've attracted thousands and thousands of followers on Twitter. It's original, it's entertaining and it's attracting a ton of attention because it's well done, original and compelling. Read more »
Recently I came across this article on Carsonified.com that goes over a questionnaire designers and developers might use to evaluate web projects. That got me thinking - Is there a way for my business to diversify by utilizing or creating a web application for it? And with that thought the wheels really started to turn. I do web design and development and so I might consider expanding by partnering with a programmer to do the actual design and development work. However, I really started thinking about my clients and how they might be able to expand as well. As far as other businesses and business ideas I would imagine that some might do very well as a iphone/android app. Have you thought about this? Read more »
I talked a few weeks about about the basics of search engine optimization. In that post I talked about how SEO is art and science and it takes regular, specific efforts to make sure that your site is well prepared to be indexed well by search engines. I told you about creating pages with good X/HTML markup, the length of registration for your domain, and making sure you're using all your meta information correctly. All of those elements lend themselves more to the science-side of the search engine optimization pr Read more »
I thought about this the other day while I was reading a thread on a forum talking about what's needed to get your website up and running. While there is much to cover when creating your website (I've written on the thought process for creating your website here) the first and best step is to just get started. I would say that if you've spent a lot of time and effort thinking about the design, the CMS, your content, how you want it laid out etc. but you've still not started your site, I'd say put your planning pads aside and get to work. Read more »
An important topic for any website owner to invest time in learning would be the basics of search engine optimization (SEO). Early on in my experimentation with website design and development I learned that for any site to be successful that, not only did it have to look good and present itself in a professional manner, but the content had to be constructed with equal or greater care than the visual aspect of the site in order to perform well for its target audience.
There is art and science to properly optimizing your site. There is an entire industry dedicated to it, and if you're in the web design & development business you're likely to get spammed by companies offering SEO services and promising to produce dramatic results. However the basics of getting your website in to great shape to be found and crawled by search engines are not that mystical, or complicated - quite the contrary. It can be done by following sound coding and design principles and making a conscious effort to highlight the things that are central to the goals you're trying to accomplish. Read more »
How is your site doing? Do you know? Are the keywords that you're targeting generating traffic? How are people finding your site? What about your competitors - do you know how they're doing?
Getting quality visitor data from your website is key to any successful site. You need to know if your site is getting the exposure that you want. Competition is fierce, and getting quality results from your site is absolutely essential.
Actionable data is available if you know where to find it. Some of these you will have heard of, others may be new, but these tools are the ones that I’ve found most useful and valuable for my projects and clients.
Google Analytics
This free application is invaluable for getting relevant information and statistics about the traffic for your site. Whenever I hear a question about increasing traffic or gaining increased visibility my first response is always, “do you have Google Analytics set up on your site?” Read more »
Want to get a great overview for business applications of social media? Look no further than Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff.
For those who work with social media, this is an invaluable introduction to the topic and gives great coverage to what companies are doing to adapt to this new world. The fact of the matter is that regardless of the size of your company, dealing with social media is not a choice, but that's not a bad thing. However, what is important is that managers, executives, and marketing departments need to get up to speed on the various aspects of social media. Read more »
Okay, so there is a theme here. But one works in conjunction with the other, and helps me stay on track. I've committed to writing every week with Project 52. It's something that I've wanted to do for a long time, but now I have the accountability tools in place to help urge me in the right (write?) direction.
I'll be writing a lot about what I read, as I mentioned in my previous post. Plus, if I'm keeping to my reading commitment, then it gives me something to write about each week if I don't come up with something better! I'm back in game now, so keep your ears tuned in - I'll be writing my review of Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?
There will be news about what projects I'm working on, what I'm learning in social media, and other cool stuff. Stay tuned! Read more »
