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Why You Should Consider Having a Blog.

alien — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:23:29 +0000

Definition of BLOG:

“A publication of content and Web links, sorted in chronological order, with the most recent at the top. The content reflects personal or corporate interests, and is almost always written by an individual. Blogs were originally called web logs or weblogs. However, as “web log” can also mean a server’s log files, the term was confusing. To avoid this confusion, the abbreviation “blog” was coined, and became the common term. “

Blog content varies dramatically. While often it reflects what is happening in a person’s life, there are many blogs used by companies to distribute content. Some affiliate / reseller programs use them as a way to control what is published about their company and its offerings on partner sites.

There Are Literally Tens Of Thousands Of Blogs On The Internet Today.

Some major corporations’ web sites contain internal blogs, where employees can post their thoughts, ideas and more; sometimes they are public, sometimes not. But mostly, blogs are hosted on independent web sites. When using one of these, the diary keeper, or blogger, logs in and starts posting his or her thoughts in real time to the Internet. Witnesses to events can comment on breaking stories faster than the mainstream media, which usually are at least one hour from being ‘live on the scene’. Thus, bloggers can publish reports and commentaries live on the Internet, and provide information to the world faster than traditional media, all without a publisher or editor to review or approve their work.

As powerful as this may seem, the real power lies in syndication, which gives any writer the ability to broadly distribute their writings by plugging the content into an RSS feed: Really Simple Syndication.

Imagine the possibilities. You can now have your content spread through the entire network in the twinkling of an eye, to build an audience overnight. You’ve just tapped into the ultimate in viral marketing and branding.

This ability has brought forth a whole new type of guerrilla marketing. While at first blogging was simply seen as something neat to do, when the concept hit the mainstream, people realized that they could be used to build personal and corporate credibility that would attract customers.

If you are thinking about using a blog for your business, the key to remember in making a blog work for you is to focus on a topic that relates to your work and or expertise.

Like any other communication medium, blogs’ effectiveness depends upon quality of content and execution. If you plan on starting one for your business, below are some easy steps to follow:

1. Keep it up to date, a blog which people will consider
relevant should be updated every few days. Concentrate
on providing the most current information on issues
facing your industry, or information of interest to your
marketplace at large. Also remember to post any breaking
news you come across as soon as you find it.

2. Ask for Feedback: Successful blogs encourage reader
participation. If you are afraid of criticism, or don’t
want to host a debate forum on your ideas, or your
company policies, stick to publishing informative
articles on your website.

3. Link to numerous outside resources and to other weblogs
with like content. It shows your readers that you are
keeping up to date on what is going on elsewhere too.

4. Keep it Simple, use very few graphics, and simple color
schemes. Focus on the text; that’s why people come and
read your content anyhow. If you discuss many topics,
use categorical sections, and keep archives of older
material.

5. Remember, you too were clueless about blogs, possibly
not all too long ago. Many of your readers are probably
clueless regarding blogs, XML, RSS. In fact, many may
not know when they are even reading a blog.

6. Be Patient, expect a small readership initially, and
allow your audience to grow organically. The better the
content you provide, the quicker your audience will grow.

Whether blogging turns out to be a passing fad, or if it proves itself to be a whole new way to communicate with existing and potential customers, you owe it to yourself, and your company to examine what the potential is for you.

Another good reason to consider blogging is most businesses hit a wall at some point, wherein they have posted so much information on their business online that they struggle to find new items to post about themselves which keep their web site looking fresh and attractive, and encourage visitors to come back. For any businesses that have reached this point, blogs may prove to be an answer.

Content is a necessity for online businesses, because it gives visitors a reason to come back.

There are many ways to build a successful blog. What it really comes down to is offering readers relevant, interesting information, and providing links to resources and news.

To succeed, it is essential that your blog provides readers more than just facts and links. You need to insert observations and commentaries. Your readers can probably get all the information you are presenting elsewhere. What they can’t get is your commentary or analysis. If it’s good, or humorous, people willremember it, and soon come to consider you an expert in your field.

7 Things Every Good Website Should Have.

alien — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:11:19 +0000

1. Quick Loading website designs
2. Easy Navigation
3. Works in All Resolutions
4. Browser Compatibility
5. Fonts you can read and look professional
6. Organized not Cluttered (good use of white space and color)
7. No Broken Links

Who Is A Good Designer And How Much Do They Charge?

alien — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:06:51 +0000

Much of your choice of designers depends on whether you want to work locally with someone, or whether you are willing to work remotely with them over the phone. Here are some things to think and ask about when hiring a website designer:

Pay attention to how much they ask you about YOUR BUSINESS. They should want to get to know you and your business intimately. How else can they design a site that reflects you and your business, unless they spend time to get to know you?

Look at sites they’ve designed to see if you like their style. Is there a certain feel to ALL their sites, or are they flexible in their designs?

Ask them if they did the actual graphic and layout design of the site, or if they just did the programming.

If they don’t do the graphic work themselves, can they recommend a graphic artist?

Do they have a structured planning process that leads you through the design phase, and if will they document all the discussions and decisions? If they have a Website Planning Guide that you’ll work through together, that’s really helpful.

Ask them what they know about internet marketing and search engine optimization. Be sure that they’re creating a site for you that meets your larger marketing and business goals. (A pretty site is no good to you unless it generates revenue and prospects.)

Ask the designer for their fees and what is the estimated cost for the site you want. They may not be able to give you a good estimate until you discuss content and features of the site. Expect to pay between $60 - $125 an hour, depending on their skill and their location. A quality website of 10 pages will cost around $1000 - $1500. If you add a blog, newsletter, shopping cart, membership site, or logo design (or if you have more than 10 pages), expect the price to be higher.

Ask them how they bill you. Will they invoice you monthly, or when certain milestones are reached? Do you have to make deposits?

Pay attention to whether they’ll try to stick within your budget, or whether they keep suggesting new add-ons that increase to the cost of your site. Remember, designers aren’t responsible for your budget — you are.

Talk to some of their current and recent clients, to see how smooth the process was. You want someone who has good project management skills AND good communication skills. They have to listen to you, not just give advice.

Ask them whether they will maintain your site after the initial design, and how much they’ll charge for that. Some designers want to create new sites but don’t want to maintain them. Someone like a virtual assistant (VA) may be able to maintain your site for a lower hourly fee, as long as the VA is skilled in website programming. The more bells and whistles and complicated programming in your site, the less likely that an average VA will be able to maintain it for you.

If you’re going to maintain the site yourself, ask them if they’ll design your site so that it is easily maintained by a business owner. We recommend Adobe Contribute for basic maintenance tasks to all our website design clients, as it’s easy-to-use and if you make a mistake, you can “roll back” the website to a previous (good) version.

Make sure that your contract states that you own the copyright to the entire website (except, of course, for stock photos and graphic…the original photographer/artist owns the copyright to stock images). All content, including graphics that you hired someone to custom-create for you, should be owned by you.

Make sure you own your domain name, even if the website designer registered it for you.

Ask your designer for original, editable source files. You need to be assured that you will be able to edit your website (or have another designer edit your website) with ease.

You have got to enjoy talking and working with them. Do you LIKE the designer? Do you believe they’ll act ethically? Do you enjoy speaking with them? Do they stay focused to the task at hand, or do they ramble and waste your time? Do you feel you “click” with their personality and values? Do they offer you invaluable insight and advice about your site design?

Tell each prospective website designer what your deadline is and ask if they can meet it. Many good website designers are already booked for the next 4-6 weeks, so you may have to wait for the designer of your choice. If you don’t have a specific deadline, brainstorm with the designer to create a good working deadline that you can both meet, especially if you will be doing the job of writing the website text.

Your website is crucial to the success of your business. By doing extensive interviewing of potential website designers, you’re more likely to pick one that can do the work you want, is willing to really listen to you, can create a site that reflects you and your business, and keeps within your budget and timeframe.

What Types Of Web Designers Are There?

alien — Fri, 01 May 2009 05:05:29 +0000

I don’t think there is an “official” definition, so I’ll give you MY definition:

Website Designer - helps you to determine the page layout, graphics, text location and colors of your site, as well as the navigation and how pages will cross-link to one another. He may also do the actual computer programming and graphic art work for the site, or may hire out that work to a programming specialist. A Website Designer is the project manager for your site design.

Website Programmer - takes the design from the Designer and creates the code to make the site run. She is also responsible for all the technical stuff that happens behind-the-scenes to make sure the site works properly for your visitors.

Graphic Designer - creates the graphics for the site, including page layout, colors, etc. Think of this person as the “visual artist” for your site.

Internet Marketing Consultant - helps you to determine how your website fits into your overall marketing strategy, and how to get more traffic and sales from your website.

Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can get all four of these skills from the same person.

A Note on Copywriting
You may find a designer who can also help you with the text for your website but don’t count on it. Be prepared to write the text yourself, or hire a professional copywriter. Copywriters charge per page, sometimes up to $400 a page ($4,000 for a 10-page website.)

Consider a hybrid solution: get advice about simple website copywriting principles from an internet marketing consultant, then you write the text. Have the consultant edit the text to make sure that it works on the web.

Daffodil Hill!

alien — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:57:25 +0000

Each spring, from mid-March through mid-April, Daffodil Hill explodes with thousands of blooms, attracting visitors from around the world.

Among the most well-known of Amador County’s many attractions, Daffodil Hill is a 4 acre farm owned by the McLaughlin family since 1887.

The farm began as a 36-acre ranch and toll road for travelers and teamsters hauling timber. In the 1930’s, the first visitors stopped to admire the family’s garden. Responding to public interest, the family began expanding the flower bed.