Web Development

Great web host offers special: $20.10 for year’s hosting

January 6, 2010 By Administrator

tigertech-102x72-bg-fff7e6 I’ve used Tiger Tech for years, and have always had 24/7 support and it’s been excellent. I just got an email that, until January 15, they’re offering new hosting for $20.10 for a year. Terrific New Year’s special. Here’s what they say:

To celebrate the new year, we’re offering a special deal: a full year of
Web hosting service for $20.10. That’s more than a 75% savings over the
standard price of $83.40 — you’ll save over $63!

Our Web hosting plan includes e-mail accounts, free domain name
registration, and free WHOIS privacy (an option that often costs $8.99
or more elsewhere). Get the full details here:

http://support.tigertech.net/special-plan-2010

Failing as a Web Designer? Specialize!

October 17, 2009 By Administrator

By Judy Vorfeld

dahlia-20

Did you struggle to create your own business Web site, deciding along the way to become a Web designer? Or did you plan on becoming a Webmaster from Day One? Are things working out as you’d hoped? If not, read on.

Mari Bontrager, a graphic designer, works with her husband, Will, a programmer. Most of their projects call for a team, and they prove a good mix. "I can’t imagine how one person could take on the complete design of a site: programming and the visual aspects, unless they were extremely multi-talented,"” she says. “If I were working alone, I would only be doing the graphics end of it, with perhaps some layout."

"A truly professional web presentation," says Jeff Clark of Internet Brothers, "requires the skills of artists, designers, programmers, writers, copy editors, marketers and administrators. Since I am only professional at programming, it would be unfair for me to describe the activities of each, but suffice it to say that each is definitely its own specialty."

Eva Rosenberg of Tax Mama attended a conference of Web experts, and discovered that one of the most important ideas to came out of the conference was, "Focus – stop scattering your energies everywhere." How, you ask, does that apply to Webmasters?

"Perhaps," says Mari Bontrager, "the key to success is in not only recognizing one’s specific talents, but also one’s personal strengths. It has long been my thought that I am successful in what I do because I am teamed up with a topnotch programmer." The Bontragers’ willingness to advertise their unique specialties has made William’s cup run over. In a recent newsletter, he asked readers to recommend programmers they’ve hired.

While some developers choose to work independently, others form a team atmosphere that allows all members to grow together in the industry, gaining experience from the other team members.

If you have have a variety of skills, have done a great deal of studying and intend to continue: excellent! If, however, you have an area or two where you are very much a specialist, and are weaker and less comfortable in all other aspects of Web development, you’re left with some choices. You can:

Start a business (or change the present one) to include other independent contractors as part of a team to help in the areas in which you are weak. You must be highly organized and have excellent communication skills for such a venture to work!
Begin by marketing yourself as a specialist in your field: programming, editing, graphic
design, scripting, search engine optimization, etc. Your primary aim, then, would be to become a part of other Web development teams.
Try to run your business by yourself, aware that you do not have the necessary skills required of an effective Web designer, and pay for it by seeing yourself with little or no business.

If, in fact, you are extremely good at designing graphics, or scripting, or writing, or programming, or streaming media, or search engine positioning…but not comfortable with most of the others, why not make your specialty the theme of your business, and go after your share of the market? This doesn’t mean you can’t create and maintain sites for others. That’s your choice. It does mean announcing that you have a specialty and capitalizing on it.

Emphasize what you do best. Get out and network. Start a newsletter and give great tips…and mention your newsletter in your sig line. It doesn’t have to be a dissertation. Just clean, clear, and crisp. Give away great tips: the good you do in this area will come back to reward you. It worked for Will Bontrager.

It’s time for you to do some serious promoting! You’ll work as hard to market yourself as a specialist as you did with your Web design business. The difference is that now you will truly love what you do. You’ll be surprised and pleased at the results. Focus, don’t scatter! Brand yourself. And if you have several specialties, categorize them with loving care.

Questions? Comments? Contact Judy Vorfeld

Put Your Online Text to Work!

September 23, 2009 By Administrator

By Judy Vorfeld

zebrascream-collage Do you struggle through a maze of Internet words, acronyms, and phrases, wondering if you’ll ever learn enough to successfully operate your online business? Is your brain buzzing with thoughts of associate programs, e-commerce, conflicting statistics, just-in-time transactions, B2B, B2C, B2Whatever, and branding?

A marketing expert once said, “The problem that most web site owners and Internet marketers have is that they are focusing on promoting the site rather than building the business.” Sounds good. Can you do it?

Perhaps you have visited, or created, a site whose text began, “Welcome to our site. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and browse through our site. We want you to enjoy your visit, and hope you will take time to give us feedback. Your opinions are very important to us.”

Compelling text? Um, not exactly. The problem: thousands of business owners mistakenly believe that because they introduce themselves in a warm, casual manner, visitors will eagerly devour everything on their site. Warmth in text is okay, but it usually takes more than warmth to convince people to read on.

If the average visitor takes less than 20 seconds to decide whether or not s/he will investigate your site, it is vital to give enough information or clues on your first screen to “hook” that person.

EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTIONS

Now what? If “welcome to our site, have a good visit, and let us hear from you” isn’t effective, what is? How about:

http://www.whatsnextonline.com/: “Need A Radical Business Boost? Let us help you sell the pants off your competitors, with fluff-free, creative and cost-effective marketing solutions.”

If your business is dwelling in the doldrums, and your ability doesn’t lie in marketing, public relations, and presentations, wouldn’t you think twice about hiring BL Ochman to get you up and running? Especially when she says, “The rules of business have changed in the information age. Yet most companies are still using tired old techniques to try to draw attention to their business. We’ll show you what works now!”

If you needed help marketing your snazzy online business, would these words be enough to compel you to read on? In this case, they’re so good, they should! Especially with the clean, clear graphics and layout.

And we have the resourceful Dyslexia.com site at http://www.dyslexia.com: “Join us as we explore the positive talents that give rise to dyslexia, and share our knowledge about the best ways for dyslexic people to learn. Here’s what we have to offer: Information, materials, training, and certification in the use of methods for overcoming academic problems…”

Did you know dyslexia often causes significant problems for entire families? Yet what do we find in the site’s first words? Not only an upbeat, positive presentation, but the suggestion that there is HOPE for dyslexic people. The bright, colorful logo is a delightful plus.

WHAT HAPPENS WITH GREAT TEXT AND HORRIBLE GRAPHICS?

Let’s take things in a different direction for just a moment. Let’s borrow some of the text from whatsnextonline.com and use it on a page with different graphics, just to see how these similar words come across: Whatsgarishonline: The words you see on this site are identical to those used in the previous example…if you can even find the words. Only the graphics differ.

QUESTION: Would the words on this page convince you to hire the company to create your graphic design? Can you even find the words? Moral of this digression: there must be a balance between crisp copy and graphic presentation.

Want to try an interesting experiment in creating a page from scratch? Try crafting the text as if you didn’t have any graphics or colors available. By starting this way, and building from there, your site may better reflect you and your business than if you start with graphics and finish with text.

BIASED TOWARD TEXT?

You may think I’m totally text-oriented. Nope. Look at www.spindustrysystems.com/. The home page is clean, concise, and communicative. Well-crafted text inside this nicely designed site helps convey the personality and character of the business.

Did Spindustry Systems offer sufficient information about its business and the principals? Were graphics and text focused and professional? Did you find the first screen of the first page compelling or at least unusually descriptive regarding the site’s contents? Would you, based only on this one visit, seriously consider giving Spindustry Systems your business? Analyze why you would or would not, given the need.

Most small business owners have no choice but to design and re-design their sites. Rather than using graphics as a crutch, use them to complement your text. Try to keep everything simple. Simple doesn’t have to be ugly or boring.

Build your Web presence, in part, by the careful, creative use of words. You and I need visitors who view us not only as effective business people, but as good communicators. Words matter.

For more information, contact Judy Vorfeld

Martell interviewed by Wall Street Journal

September 6, 2009 By Administrator

karmamartell I met Karma Martell through my long-time internet pal, BL Ochman. Karma’s work as a powerful web developer and savvy businesswoman was just covered in the WSJ, and I wanted to share it. She found what the customer needed and ran with it. And everyone’s happy. What a nice combination of Internet and phone support for reservations!

She said the article in the Wall Street Journal wasn’t totally on target. KarmaCom made over Body by Brooklyn’s entire online marketing strategy, including redoing their entire web site, email newsletter program, and we did complete organic SEO program. The price quoted for the click to call in the article is inaccurate, as she quoted the renewal price, not the initial set up, which is higher, as the call boxes are personalized. The other competitors mentioned charge a per-minute fee, and this is just a flat subscription for the year –unlimited. And it does not rely on VOIP to work at all.

Why is she so successful? Karma Martell is president and founder of KarmaCom Inc., a New York-based marketing consultancy with a concentration on interactive marketing strategy, business development, branding and marketing public relations. With over twenty years of experience in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing, she’s served private and public entities in major categories such as apparel, chemicals, education, entertainment, food, financial services, healthcare, travel, retail, telecommunications, and dot coms.