June 2008
Stupid Advertising… does it really work?
I am truly amazed how often I see stupid banner advertising and wonder if they really work.
On Weather.com, I often see these stupid ads from LowerMyBills.com. If you look at 
the weather for any area, you are likely to run into them. Sometimes it is a stupid dancing alien or baby. These two were side by side and are two stupid dancing women.
How does someone dancing make me want to click through? Then, I wonder, how many people that do click through to their site actually convert to buy a product?
It would be nice if Experian, the company that owns LowerMyBill.com had at least a little respect for their potential customers. continue reading...
If You Don’t Pay Attention, You’ll Pay More
I wanted a quick bite for lunch, so I drove down the street to go through the drive through at the local Taco Bell. As I was waiting for my order to be taken, I noticed this "brilliant" piece of advertising and pricing.
Now, the quality isn't very good because I only had my phone camera with me.
They have the traditional combo menu and now the "New, Why Pay More!" menu. continue reading...
Another Great Client Site Launched - ADS-S
I just posted a press release over at OfficeProductNews.net for one of my clients, Allied 
Document Solutions & Services. We are very excited as we built their new corporate image including their logo and their new web presence.
It took a bit more work than usual to make sure that we got the design right, but it was well worth it. With new content, a new look and a library of great white-papers, the site should do them very well.
From their Press Release:
In addition to the new logo, ADS-S also wanted to refresh its web presence. The company engaged ProspectBuilder.net to design a new web presence.
The design of new site features bright colors to match the new logo. Rotating flash on the home page explains the value proposition. Other graphics feature the core offerings of the company.
“Inside the site, clients will find rich content explaining the benefits of ADS-S’ new services and solutions,” commented Darrell Amy, President of ProspectBuilder.net. “We wanted to make sure that the company is correctly positioned to be seen as the credible source of managed print and document solutions that they are.”
Go on over to OfficeProductNews.net to read the full release. We hope you like new site and corporate direction. continue reading...
Files Too Big For Email
I have a lot of clients that need to send me files. It sometimes is a chore to teach them how to use FTP because they first have to download an FTP client, get it configured properly and then upload to the right folder. Not to mention that I have to set up the FTP account on my server so their files don't get mixed up with other clients' files.
WinXP made it pretty easy, but as people are moving to Mac or Vista, FTP isn't as easy as it used to be. So, I decided to checkout a few online storage locations. There are a number of free services out there. I think that box.net is really the best option.
Here is how you do it.
They offer a few plans. The basic plan, the lite version, provides 1GB of space online for free. You can get more space for a monthly fee. With the lite version, the maximum file size is only 10MB. When you sign up for the lite version, you have the option to upgrade to the next level (giving you 5GB of space and 1GB max files size) for 14 days for free. The problem is that you have to provide credit card information and they will bill you at the end of the trial if you don't cancel it. continue reading...
Get I.T. Out Of Your Marketing
I find it fascinating how often I.T. is assigned to the task of building a website.
For the uninitiated, this may seem like a logical thing to do. After all, a website is technology and requires programming and stuff, right? Wrong. 
A very small part of a website is programming. A very small part of a website is technology.
Oh, it might take a lot of work. It might be a requirement for the site to function properly, but I.T. should really not have a say in what the customer sees... the face or the marketing aspect of the site.
In my opinion, here are the top five components of a website... in order of importance. continue reading...
Launched Another Client Website - Current Business Technologies
I just launched another client site. I have posted the press release at OfficeProductNews.net.
Here is an excerpt of the press release.
Current Business Technologies, a Texas-based Hewlett-Packard Office Printing Solutions partner,
launched their new website today. The new site features the company’s full portfolio of solutions including printers & multifunction systems, managed print services and workflow solutions.
“Our company continues to expand our capability to add value to our clients,” said Tim Cislo, President. “This new website helps communicate the scope of the services that we can provide.”
The site features CBT’s core competencies of helping clients optimize their print infrastructure, manage their environment and streamline their workflow. This messaging coordinates with HP’s Print 2.0 strategy.
Read the rest of the press release here. continue reading...
Insurance Companies Are The Problem, Not The Solution
I have chronic heart burn and I have to take medication for that heart burn. The best drug that works for me is Nexium. But, I don't take that because my insurance co-pay is too expensive. If I did take that, I would only have to take one per day. 
Because Nexium isn't a preferred drug on the insurance policy, I have to take two per day of Priolsec (or its generic equivalent). So, instead of 30 pills per month, I take 60 pills per month. If I miss a pill, I have a horrible few hours until the next pill kicks in.
I thought I would do a little research on what the real cost is.
The total cost per month for my prescription is $153.99. Because I have a reasonable insurance plan, my co pay for that drug is $10.00 and the pharmacy is proud to say that I "saved" $143.99.
I decided to look at Amazon.com for comparisons. continue reading...
Just Launched a Client’s Site
I just launched one of my client's brand new sites. Here is an excerpt from their press release:
Document Systems, an Oxnard, CA based
document solutions provider, is pleased to announce the launch of their new website at www.documentsystems.com. The new website offers clients a comprehensive overview of the company’s new solutions offerings.
“We are excited to let our clients know about the new areas where we can help reduce costs and improve productivity,” said George Dauphine, CEO of Document Systems. “The new site gives our current and potential clients a true snapshot of the value that we can bring.”
Read the rest of the press release at Office Product News. continue reading...
Where does the data go when you lose a key employee?
I was talking with a friend who is, now, the only programmer supporting a key system for the DMV for the entire state of Idaho. He had someone else working with him on the mainframe system up until about a month ago. This other gentlemen had been working on the system for better than 20 years but suddenly lost his life and left the office with all his knowledge.
Fortunately his was very good at documentation. He documented everything that he did. He worked hard to make sure there was a record.
The problem is that he has a very unique filing system. 120 folders each with sub-folders documenting a different part of the system. Each file labeled based on his way of doing things with no standardization. Not to mention that his filing system evolved over the years... as all of our systems do. continue reading...
Who is the real support dude?
I have a few servers hosting my client accounts. I spend a bit of time on occasion with technical support. I prefer the live chat option because I can ask a question and easily do other things while waiting for the answer instead of having to worry about listening... I get to communicate in my time.
I find it interesting on their live chat they have "Real Photo" (look in the bottom right corner of the pictures). I decided to take a screen shot of the last four that I found... notice the names.
Either they are quadruplets or it isn't really a "Real Photo." continue reading...
