Designed by Krista
Web Design

I get pretty excited about saving money, and thanks to the recent economic downturn, everyone else seems to be in the same boat. These tips will help your printer supplies last longer, which saves money and it’s good for the environment besides.

1. Print in Black and White. Just because you have a color printer doesn’t mean you have to use color every time. In fact, I find that most of what I print looks just fine in black only, which saves on color print cartridges. This is especially important if you have a combined color cartridge, in which you have to replace the whole thing as soon as one of the three colors runs out.
2. Switch to Fast Draft mode. I lower my printer quality to fast draft as a default, which uses less ink. The prints are noticeably lower quality, but still completely legible – I just have to remember to switch to a higher quality for print-outs for clients or Christmas letters, etc. As a bonus, the printing is a lot faster.
3. Narrow your margins. Sounds a little nit-picky, but if you regularly print long documents, this can save paper.
4. Don’t print it. How many times have you printed something when it really wasn’t necessary? You can proofread on your screen, save files in on-line archives instead of file drawers, print just the first page if you don’t need the rest, and use print preview to prevent avoidable re-printing.
5. Print selection. In most software, including web browsers, you can just print the portion of the page that you need, without having to print a bunch of extra pages. In Internet Explorer, select the text or images you want to print and type CTRL + P or choose File: Print. When the print dialog box appears, make sure to choose Selection in the Page Range section before you click Print.
6. Use both sides of the paper. Once you’ve used one side of the paper, you can just flip it over and print on the other side: Voila! Green printing… I usually keep this type of paper in a stack next to the printer. If you’re really committed, you can save junk mail from companies and print on the other side. Warning: This could drive your spouse nuts. My husband hates this because invariably he ends up with something private or confidential on the back of something he printed at home and then took to work. Whoops.
7. Use recycled, refilled, or remanufactured ink cartridges. Any of these will save money, but printer manufacturers say that this can cause problems with your printer. Whether true or not, in my experience, if you call tech support and you are using a recycled ink cartridge, they are likely to blame that without delving further into the issue. I also noted that about 1 out of every 5 recycled cartridges I tried wouldn’t work at all. So, I do not use either of these methods – I’m just listing it here so that you know the consequences.
8. Do cost comparisons Good, old-fashioned smart shopping works well – on the internet, just type the part number of your ink cartridge into Google, e.g. hp c8721w. Watch for sales and use coupons, buy in bulk if it’s a good price, look at Costco, etc. I typically find that Costco is the best, so you’re pretty safe choosing that if you don’t have the time to make detailed comparisons. Warning: don’t stock up too far in advance, because many ink cartridges stop working when they are past the expiration date. If this happens, you can try rolling back the date on your computer, but that’s obviously quite a hassle.

Conferences are great for networking and keeping up to speed on technology. Don’t you find, though, that it’s hard to actually take a step back from the designing and coding to go learn about designing and coding? I made it my goal this year to break away and get to a conference, and I reviewed several great options online. See the dates and cities below, along with my impressions of each from their websites. Did I miss any good ones? Let me know!
UPDATE, 2/18/2010: I found some more to add, courtesy of SitePoint, listed below…

Adobe Max, Los Angeles, October 24 -27

Impressions… Focus on Adobe products (understandably). Personally can’t afford to spend this much time on all Adobe. To repeat a quote I heard recently: “Real developers use notepad!”

An Event Apart, Seattle, April 5 – 7 (other cities offered)

Impressions… Corporate, perhaps even stuffy, though I would love to be a fly on the wall to hear Microsoft Product Manager’s topic: Microsoft: Help Us Kill IE6. I’ll do my part, Pete!

A Day Apart, Seattle, April 7

Impressions… Spend a day getting the latest on HTML5 and CSS3. Can I say goodbye to Verdana and Tahoma? I may attend just for that!

Future of Web Apps, Miami, February 22-24

Impressions… Cutting edge, beach parties and so forth; focus on application development.

In Control, Orlando, February 22-23

Impressions… Good coverage on a wide range of topics; perfect for a freelance generalist such as myself. *my choice*

Internet Week, New York, June 7 – 14

Impressions… Can’t tell, because the schedule is not online, but I don’t think I could do any conference for a whole week: overload!

MinneWebCon St. Paul, April 12

Impressions… Focus on education, though the topics seem to be a great overview in one day.

Microsoft MIX10, Las Vegas, March 15-17

Impressions… Not as product-centric as I expected, but probably still not for someone (like me) who is determined to remain product-agnostic…

SXSWeek, Austin, March 12-21

Impressions… Focus on music & film.

Usability Week, Various cities/dates

Impressions… Focus on usability.

Web Directions, Atlanta, Date TBA

Impressions… Based on a brief look at past events, seemed high on theoretical, low on practical.

WebVisions, Portland, May 19-21

Impressions… Only 1 of 3 days are currently scheduled, but what is there looks intriguing: HTML5, CSS3, iPhone Apps, and Photography tips.

International

I can’t justify heading off to New Zealand or London, as much as I would love to, but here are some International web conferences if these countries are closer to home for you.

• @media: London, June 8 – 11
• Design It, Build It: United Kingdom, April 28
• Form,Function & Class: Philippines, July
• UX London: London, May 19 – 21
• Webdesign International Festival: France, June 4 – 5
• WebhostingDay: Germany, March 17 – 19
• Webstock: New Zealand, February 15 – 19

A recent study of customer satisfaction shows that the most important factors for your customers are perception of price, appeal of merchandise, website functionality, and product information. Foresee Results performs an annual survey of large retail websites to analyze customer satisfaction, and you can learn from the experience of large “e-tailers” like Amazon, Netflix, and Apple – the leaders in ecommerce customer satisfaction. According to this study, improvements in these four areas increase the likelihood that your customer will purchase now, purchase again, recommend your site, and become loyal to your brand. Who wouldn’t want that? See how you can improve your ecommerce conversion rate by making changes in these four areas.

Price

Price became a top priority factor for customers this year, likely due to the recent economic downturn. Obviously, everyone likes low prices and deals, but note that the actual price was less important than the customer’s perception of the price. Does your pricing and shipping seem fair and competitive to your customers?

Merchandise

In the past, the appeal, variety, and availability of stores’ merchandise has been the primary determiner of customer satisfaction. This year, it is still a top priority factor, though slightly overshadowed by price. Do your products seem fresh and appealing to your customers? Are they in stock when your customers want them?

Website Functionality

Functionality seems to be the first area that business owners try to work on for improved conversion rate, and it is indeed important to maintain or improve in this area. However, the study results indicate that merchants will get a better return on investment if they focus on pricing and merchandise, while not losing ground in functionality. Is your website convenient for your customers to use?

Content

This element refers to the accuracy, quality, and freshness of information on your site. Customers value quality information about your products, so you must continue to provide it, but it’s probably not necessary to make this a major focus for improvement. Do you give your customers the information they want about your products?

How customer satisfaction impacts ecommerce success
ForeSeeResults US Holiday Retail Satisfaction Index, 2009

In the late 1900’s, the Internet Mail Consortium came out with an electronic business card format called “vCard.” Because this format is widely supported by email software, such as Microsoft Outlook, you can use the vCard file (ending in “.vcf”) to save all of your contact information and pass it along to your customers and clients. Once you create your vCard (instructions below), you can either attach it to an email message to your client or post it on your website (or both). When your client opens the file, it will automatically be added to their contact folder or address book.

How Do I Make a vCard for a Website?

1. In a Contact folder, create and save a contact with your name, title, company name, etc. You may also want to add further information about your business in the “Notes” field, such as the services you offer and benefits of doing business with you.
2. Click to select the contact you just saved.
3. On the File menu, click Save As.
4. Optional: In the File name box, remove all the spaces in the file name: this will make it easier to link to this file later on.
5. In the Save file as type box, click to select VCARD Files (*.vcf).
6. In the Save In box, select the folder where you want to save the vCard file, and then click Save.

You can send the vCard file as a file attachment in any email message – just insert it like a regular attachment, and when your client opens it, your contact information will be added to their address book or contact folder.

How to Present a vCard in a Website

If you have a web server, or web-hosting, you can also upload that file to your website. You can use any FTP client to do this, or (if you use BlueHost) you can do this via your cPanel File Manager – just use the Upload button on the File Manager toolbar. You would put it somewhere within the public_html folder. Then, you can add a link to the file to your email signature block and even to your Contact Us web page.

Example: <a href=”http://yourdomain.com/vCards/YourName.vcf”>Add my contact information to your address book</a>.
Looks Like: Add my contact information to your address book

If your file just opens up in plain text, you may need to do a few extra steps.

1. Create a folder for your vCard file on your webserver
2. Move the vCard file to that folder
3. Create a blank, text-only file called .htaccess and add the line  AddType text/x-vcard .vcf
4. Save the .htaccess file to the vCard folder you created

NOTE: This file is not secure, therefore anyone who discovers it on your website will be able to have your contact information. Thus, I would not put anything in your vCard contact unless you are also willing to put that information on your public webpage.

Every business today seems to have a newsletter, so you may wonder: should I have one for my business? Good newsletters are a great way to market your business because you can provide free and valuable information to your customers, and thus foster good will and prove that you are knowledgeable in your field. However, you must keep in mind that your customers are getting bombarded with newsletters from every other company, too.

I recommend that you have a newsletter for your organization if you have something valuable to say. You can adjust the frequency of the newsletter so that every issue is relevant to your customers or clients. For example, if you feel like you have something newsworthy for your subscribers once a week, then have a weekly newsletter. If you have something of value every other month, then have a bi-monthly newsletter. Resist the temptation to just send something out in order to have your company name pop-up in people’s email inbox – that’s a fast way to lose your subscribers.

So, how do you make a good newsletter? Here are some thoughts:

1. Minimize images: Do not put a lot of images in your newsletter, since many email systems show images as a red “x” in the preview window. Instead, use images only for your company logo or when the image will help explain the article.
2. Write succinctly: Even if someone loves your newsletter, they don’t have a lot of time to read it. Use bold headings so that they can skim directly to the part that is most interesting to them, and don’t get overly wordy.
3. Add reader-friendly content: Remember that you are trying to write things your customers want to know about – newsletters which are purely self-promotional marketing pieces just drive people to hit the “delete” key.
   GOOD: ways they can save time or money, sales and coupons for your business, tips and tricks, or links to interesting posts from your forum or blog.
   BAD: announcing new employees at  your company or increased sales at your company.
4. Make your call to action: If you are attempting to market your product or solicit donations, make sure that you make a clear “call to action” – usually at the top and the bottom of the newsletter. You can also create a sense of urgency by adding a deadline.
   EXAMPLE: “Use coupon code ENDOFSUMMER by 8/31/09 to save 10% on your order.”

When you are creating your master marketing plan, try to put yourself in your clients’ shoes: will this offend or insult them in any way? I recently had a lawn-care brochure stuck in our front door, and I couldn’t help but think it was a great example of “what not to do”. This company’s flyer displayed a list of common lawn problems, and the person placing the brochure would check off the items that seemed to apply to our lawn. (see below) When I read this, I was a litle miffed! Sure, my lawn has all these issues, but does this company really think they have inspired me to do business with them? No. In fact, I felt criticized and defensive. As a test, I left it casually on the counter for my husband to come across, and sure enough, he picked it up later that evening and commented on the lack of tact in this marketing plan.

If you provide a service, you are an expert in the service and your potential customers are not experts in that area. They know that already, otherwise why would they be reading your marketing materials? There is no need to point out their flaws, and you may risk alienating them if you do so. Rather, focus on helping them solve problems and point out the benefits of your services. For example, this company could have noted how their services would save me valuable time and give me a lawn I could enjoy on the weekends, rather than have to waste weekend hours weeding, fertilizing, thatching, etc. Another approach would be to change the wording above the checklist “We can cure these common lawn problems:”. This leaves the impression that everyone has these problems, but this company can provide the solution.

In these trying financial times, you may be shying away from starting a web project or a redesigning your site. While you must always consider your expenditures carefully, I found these 13 reasons to “embrace the web” very compelling:

1. The web is cost effective
2. The web adapts and grows with you
3. The web is timely
4. The web is measurable
5. The web is improved communication
6. The web is now expected
7. The web reduces customer service costs
8. The web improves systems
9. The web builds brand awareness
10. The web is global
11. The web works whilst you sleep
12. The web is faster
13. Your competition is already here

See full article or Read “Do I need a website?”

Title: The Cluetrain Manifesto
Authors: Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, David Weinberger
Summary: Not a light, easy read, but the philosophies are pertinent and valuable.

This book was written based on the phenomenon that started with the www.cluetrain.com website in April, 1999. The authors posted the manifesto comprised of 95 Theses – presumably a combined allusion to the Communist Manifesto and Martin Luther’s 95 Theses.

The Communist Manifesto, among other things, bemoaned the fact that the worker has been alienated from the results of his/her work, resulting in a lack of joy and satisfaction from a job well-done. Luther’s 95 Theses, demanded direct access to God (a Biblically sound request, I might add), without having to go through the “middle man.” The Cluetrain Manifesto begs companies to put the worker back in touch with the result of the work, as well as give the consumer direct access to people inside the company firewall.

The point? Our society used to have open markets – loud and noisy street fairs with vendors hawking their wares, villagers bargaining for price, and most importantly, everyone talking to everyone. Over time, things like the industrial revolution, the assembly line, and the advent of mass-marketing caused a huge divide between craftsman and customer. No one talked anymore, and if they did speak it was some amalgamation of “corporate speak” and glossy marketing lingo.

The advent of the internet suddenly freed everyone to speak in their own voice, but corporations have been (and still are) reluctant to jump on that bandwagon. In some ways, we have revived the boisterous open marketplace online – via forums, chat rooms, social media sites and so on. As consumers, we can get the straight skinny on the products or services we want to buy from people who have actually bought those things and posted about them. We like it, and signers of the manifesto are asking for more of it.

The book expounds on these concepts thoroughly, starting with the 95 theses and going on to talk about how they apply to companies and people today. This book was actually written in 2000, and you can tell that some of the information is dated. However, the core philosophies are quite valid, even today. Namely, that people yearn to hear “real” or “human” voice on the internet – drop the “corporate speak” and marketing lingo, and also drop the attitudes behind them. It was written in open, conversational style, but even so, I found it strangely hard to read – it was like reading a 190 page blog-post. Of course, I am used to either straight fiction or more technical books – this was neither: more of a philosophical treatise. Decent.

Favorite Quotes:

We know telephones are for talking with people, televisions are for watching programs, and highways are for driving. So what’s the web for? … We don’t know what the web is for, but we’ve adopted it faster than any technology since fire.

Try snipping paragraphs of text from press releases and a few pieces of printed person-to-person email. Shuffle the paper slips. Hand the pile to your office-mate, your spouse, or your next-door neighbor. Can they sort them? Of course they can, in short order…. Talk is cheap. The value of our [human] voices is beyond mere words.

That’s the awful truth about marketing. It broadcasts messages to people who don’t want to listen.

A search engine, on the internet, is just a computer program that retrieves web pages based on keywords typed in by the user. The most popular search engines are Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. The hot topic today is “Search Engine Optimization,” in which you try to structure your website to be the first web page in the list of results, so that more people will click on your website.

Key Point: Search Engine Optimization is vital, and there are many ways to improve your rankings.

1. How to create a free website
2. Adding content to your website
3. Making your website user-friendly
4. What is a search engine?

(more…)

Part 3 of 4: In truth, if you have been reading this article series in order, you have already learned some ways to make your website user-friendly. This article will hit the highlights of website usability. “Website Usability” refers to how easy your site is for people to learn and use.

Key Point: Make your site as easy as possible to use – no one will complain that your site is “too easy” to use, even if they are an expert user.

1. How to create a free website
2. Adding content to your website
3. Making your website user-friendly
4. What is a search engine?

(more…)