Bootstrap is great, but there will be times where I don’t want to use everything. Recently, I needed to implement a modal dialog box. It didn’t need to be complicated and needed to look nice. Bootstrap has one, and it fit all of my criteria. Alas, I can’t just shove a gigantic CSS sheet that overrides (probably) everything I have already implemented on an existing app.

Fortunately, Twitter Bootstrap is written with LESS. LESS is a superset of CSS that adds all kinds of gorgeous dainties (Variables! Mixins! Nested Rules!) to CSS that makes life in Webdevland more awesome. Bootstrap is modular, so it can be easily modified to remove components that aren’t needed.

My modified Bootstrap includes only the CSS styling for the UI/Javascript components. You can find it here. If you’d like to use it, clone the repository and include the bootstrap-js.min.css stylesheet and the Javascript components you want in your HTML and you’re good to go.

You can customize Bootstrap yourself. It’s simple. You will need to install npm and LESS first.

Installing npm and LESS

npm is a package manager for node. Other than installing it, that’s about all you need to know about npm for this exercise. It won’t set nuclear missiles on a trajectory targeted to your house. I promise. If you have the latest version of Ubuntu, you can open up a terminal and install npm with apt-get:

sudo apt-get install npm

If you’re not on a recent iteration of Ubuntu and you’re on a modern UNIX-like platform, the following line will work given you have curl installed:

curl http://npmjs.org/install.sh | sh

Follow the instructions. If everything installed successfully, you should have a copy of npm installed on your machine.

Now we need to install LESS. npm makes this easy for us. Pop open an ice-cold and refreshing terminal and run this:

npm install less

If everything went as expected, if you haven’t been paying attention this always means successfully, then we’re almost setup to start hacking on Twitter Bootstrap.

Making Modifications to Twitter Bootstrap

We need a copy of Twitter’s Bootstrap repository, which is hosted on Github. I’m assuming you have Git installed. If you don’t, go install it right now. You can either fork it on Github or clone it to make your modifications only local to your machine. For this tutorial, let’s just clone their repository:

git clone git://github.com/twitter/bootstrap.git

Now, you should have a directory named bootstrap containing its project files. The files we interested in are located in the lib directory of the bootstrap project. This directory contains all of the LESS files needed to generate the bootstrap CSS. Open up bootstrap.less and you should see a bunch of imports. It looks like this:

/*!
 * Bootstrap @VERSION
 *
 * Copyright 2011 Twitter, Inc
 * Licensed under the Apache License v2.0
 * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Designed and built with all the love in the world @twitter by @mdo and @fat.
 * Date: @DATE
 */

// CSS Reset
@import "reset.less";

// Core variables and mixins
@import "variables.less"; // Modify this for custom colors, font-sizes, etc
@import "mixins.less";

// Grid system and page structure
@import "scaffolding.less";

// Styled patterns and elements
@import "type.less";
@import "forms.less";
@import "tables.less";
@import "patterns.less";

Since I just want the UI components, namely the modal box, I only really want the patterns.less file. Since the patterns.less file references variables and mixins in variables.less and mixins.less, you must keep the references to these files. Remove all references except variables.less, mixins.less, patterns.less My modified bootstrap.less file looks like this:

/*!
 * Bootstrap-js @VERSION
 *
 * Copyright 2011 Twitter, Inc
 * Licensed under the Apache License v2.0
 * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 *
 * Designed and built with all the love in the world @twitter by @mdo and @fat.
 * Modified by @seabre to remove everything except what is needed for the extra UI components.
 * Date: @DATE
 */

// Core variables and mixins
@import "variables.less"; // Modify this for custom colors, font-sizes, etc
@import "mixins.less";

@import "patterns.less";

Save the file. Now we need to build it. You can build this two different ways. You can either build it directly with LESS, or you can use make. I’ll show both.

Building with LESS

Run the following in a terminal within the lib directory of the bootstrap project:

lessc bootstrap.less > my-customized-bootstrap.min.css --compress

You can also leave out the --compress flag if you don’t want minified CSS:

lessc bootstrap.less > my-customized-bootstrap.css

If you want to keep the original bootstrap.less file and create another one for your modified bootstrap, you will have to use this method unless you customize the Makefile. You can use the Makefile I edited as a reference in my project if you wish.

Building with Make

Go to the parent directory of the bootstrap project and run:

make

It will generate bootstrap.css (not minified) and bootstrap-min.css (minified). You may find this method easier.

This should get you going on modifying Twitter Bootstrap. You should include a note in the less source about your changes and that it was you who made them. This is a requirement of the Apache license.

Tuggle’s has been in business in Rome since 1990, and in that time has moved from a primarily brick-and-mortar operation to selling almost exclusively online. Most of those sales were coming from eBay, however, and the store owner wanted to sell directly to customers.

Using the popular open-source shopping cart system Magento, we were able to implement a functional, easy-to-use, secure store without breaking the bank.

Here are some of the features we incorporated into the Tuggle’s web store:

• Large, eye-catching photos on the home page that show what’s possible with wallpaper
• Featured products feed on the home page
• Shop by category, price or manufacturer
• Volume discounts for customers purchasing a large number of a particular item
• Display how many of each item are in stock
• Show both the MSRP and Tuggle’s lower prices
• Multiple photos for each item in the store

After we set up the design and functionality of the store, the Tuggle’s staff has been busy adding new products, including wallpaper, murals and decals. So head over to Tuggles.com if you need to spruce up your walls!

Here’s a fun infographic of what we have accomplished in the last three years as a company. It highlights the total web traffic we have generated with the websites we have created, the total number of emails delivered over the last 3 years, social media influence, and the sales of digital products we have created along the way.

Enjoy!

]]> http://saidigital.co/2012/01/sai-digital-by-the-numbers/feed/ 0 http://saidigital.co/2011/12/attaway-linville-gains-new-identity/ http://saidigital.co/2011/12/attaway-linville-gains-new-identity/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:54:25 +0000 JF Steele http://saidigital.co/?p=4032

Attaway Linville, formerly Attaway Swaim & Associates, has just launched a brand new site courtesy of SAI Digital to coordinate with its recent rebranding.

Attaway Linville is an accounting firm that offers tax, financial, and management advisory services. They began in the early 1990s as Swaim and Associates.  Originally, the firm specialized in real estate tax and IRS dispute resolution services.  After years of growth, the firm took on new partners, Swaim retired, and they expanded their services.

Web

Attaway Linville came to us looking for a way to bring their website into the 21st century. They had outgrown their 10 year-old website for several reasons. The first being the most obvious: they were no longer called Attaway Swaim and wanted a new look and feel with the new name. The second is that the former site was very aggressive in its tone, and they wanted to move in a direction that was less abrasive but still direct. The last complaint was that they previously had no way of maintaining and updating their website themselves. Because the site was over 10 years old, Attaway Linville was very frustrated and unwilling to tell people how to find them online.

The first thing to ease the overall aggressive tone was to change the color scheme from dark reds and blacks to a much lighter and more welcoming family of blues and light grays. We then updated the content to talk about the services they provide, but in a less abrasive manner.  We kept the direct approach when crafting content, but took a kinder, more open tone.

Along with the modern update we brought to the website, the company now has a website powered by a CMS that lets them maintain and update the website as often as they would like. This gives the firm the opportunity to fine tune any of the pages we helped create and also gives them an opportunity to offer clients and visitors recent news and current information. When dealing with the IRS, current information is quite valuable to Attaway Linville’s client base.

Most of Attaway Linville’s clients are those seeking aid with IRS problems. Every one of these clients has to go through a discovery process to discuss each situation and evaluate what is necessary for their claims to get resolved. Before now, the firm’s members had to go through a form with a potential client over the phone to ascertain this information. Not only was this a tedious process, but often the callers did not have the right information on hand. In order to streamline this process for the firm, and save them money by saving them time, we took their questions and turned it into a web form that visitors can fill out on their own time.  The information is then sent to Attaway Linville to let them quickly evaluate where the potential IRS difficulties are located.

Logo Design

Once the color scheme was decided upon, Attaway Linville wanted a new logo that would bring all the design elements together for rebranding. Their main request was to transform the new initials into a symbol to include within the logo. Having the initials “AL” made it difficult to not look like some abbreviation for the state of Alabama, but the end result accomplished the distinction and looks very professional.

Print Work

With the update to their website, name, and logo, the company also needed all their print materials updated to include their new identity. We designed their company brochure and IRS leaflet to match the colors and design of their website so that their company had a cohesive message, look, and feel across all their marketing channels.

So if you need IRS Assistance or general financial management, be sure visit http://atlantatax.com to see what they can do for you.

We’re pleased to announce we have launched the new Bussey’s site, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.

The first step was the design process, which really was a collaborative effort with Mr. Bussey. Here’s what he wanted:

• A rich design that evoked earthiness and nature
• Colors to match his brand, which is brown and green
• A focus on fresh flower sales
• Easy access to information about wedding flowers
• A prominent place to spotlight sympathy and funeral flowers

After we settled on a design, it was time to start building the store. Since Bussey’s was already selling online with the national flower brand, the client understood how to use e-commerce. But there were some special considerations unique to the floral industry we had to take into account. Here’s a rundown of some of the features of the Bussey’s online flower store:

• Shop by occasion, type and price
• Ability to specify delivery date and add a card message
• Choose standard, deluxe and premium versions of floral arrangements
• Offer storewide coupons, or coupons on specific products or categories
• Home page banners to highlight holiday flowers
• Wish lists and wedding registries
• Address book so customers can easily save addresses of those they often send flowers to
• Powerful reports and analytics for site administrators
• Secure payment processing

Soon after launching, Bussey’s was able to shut down their previous template-based website and switch to using the new site exclusively, and had great success offering a 20% off coupon on Thanksgiving flowers.

If you need flowers to mark a special occasion or send your condolences, or if you’re looking for a great local provider of wedding and bridal flowers, check out the new Bussey’s Flowers, Gifts & Decor website.

We are excited to attend this year, and we hope to bring back information, inspiration, and ideas to better serve our clients. It should also be one interesting road trip!

You can learn more about conference here.

While our office will be closed through Tuesday, Nov. 15 – Thursday, Nov. 17, we’ll still be available to our clients via email. Normal business hours will resume Friday the 18th.

Follow us on twitter or follow the event for real-time notes from the conference!

• Device recognition. Accessing the site is simple. Thanks to device recognition, there’s no need for bank customers to memorize a separate web address. In addition, we designed the mobile version of the site to be visually appealing and functional, whether it is accessed from an Android phone, a Blackberry, or an iPhone.
• Concise, drop-down menus. Mobile users can access any portion of the site from Personal Banking to Investment Services in a single window. This cuts down on load times and keeps you in the same browser window, eliminating the need for constantly going back and forth between windows.
• Quick contact information. We also added the ability to call River City Bank right from the webpage. Rather than searching through an entire menu for contact information, it’s right there at your fingertips.
• Custom Design. Our designer expanded on the same theme of the web version, giving the mobile site continuity and reinforcing the bank’s brand image.

If you’re like most of us here at SAI Digital, you have several online profiles scattered around the Web. There’s your Facebook page for sharing with family and friends, your Twitter feed for having conversations with a larger circle, LinkedIn for work-related networking, Tumblr, Instagram, Foursquare, Flickr, YouTube… the list can seem endless.

So if you want to tell people where to find you online, what do you do?

This is where About.Me comes in. Launched in December 2010, the startup gives users a way to create colorful, personalized splash pages that pull in activity from their various social profiles, all at an easy to remember URL. The service has proven popular with everyone from bloggers to job hunters, and got an early vote of confidence from AOL, which acquired About.Me just days after it launched.

This video from About.Me explains a little more:

All About About.me video

Here’s how it works. You sign up for an about.me account and connect it to your online activity. Right now, you can add connections to Twitter, Facebook profile, Facebook page, LinkedIn, Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger, Posterous, Flickr, Typepad, Foursquare, Formspring, YouTube, Vimeo, Last.fm, Daily Booth, Instagram, Behance, Fitbit and Github. Plus, you can add links to other sites online, such as your personal website or the website for your business.

You can also write a small block of text to give visitors an introduction to who you are and what you’re about. For example, on my About.Me page, I talk about  my skills in web and print design, while our graphic designer JF Steele is more short and sweet with his introduction (which includes the fact that he’s a fan of cheese; as far as I know, he’s not talking about campy TV). A new college grad may want to use this space as something of a cover letter for prospective employers. There are several great fonts you can use to really give it a personalized look.

Finally, you’ll choose an image to use as a background for your page. You can use one of several great pre-loaded designs, or you can upload your own.

The result is an attractive, personal page that cuts the clutter of your online persona and makes it easy for people to learn more about you. Your About.Me dashboard will provide stats about visitors to your page.

Here are some examples of great About.Me pages. You can find more in the online directory.

Thanks to our work with State Mutual on their website redesign, we came recommended to the Savvy Seniors association. Before the redesign, Savvy Seniors was on the verge of launching their site nationally, but it required major changes. We were able to meet their needs to quickly revamp their website to the company’s specifications in just under four days.

Easy to navigate

One of the major issues they had with the old site was that all the news articles they wanted to feature had been placed into just three main categories: health, wealth, and happiness. While these are helpful places to start, several unrelated news articles found their way into each of these categories because they were just too broad. However, because of the old website’s platform, the association had no way of adding more categories and customizing their site without the aid of the web company that created it.

Easy to update

This lack of control over their site’s content also presented a problem when the association noticed spelling errors and misinformation. The only way any changes could be made was to request changes directly from the web company and wait for them to fix the problems. The association wanted a way to fix site issues immediately and on their own terms, and that’s where we came in.

We were able to give Savvy Seniors an open-source Content Management System that allowed them to maintain their own content in a manner that didn’t involve knowing heavy amounts of programming.  We also divided the news content into the more sensible categories of FINANCE, HEALTH, LIFESTYLE, RETIREMENT, TRAVEL, and WELLNESS. These categories were then organized into a vertical navigation to make the overall experience on the site more intuitive for visitors.

Easy to monetize

Savvy Seniors also requested a way to monetize the site without being complicated or overwhelming.  We were able to set up an ad manager that allows anyone at Savvy Seniors with administrative permissions to create and change ads. This was a great addition, and it came in handy:  shortly after the new website was launched, Savvy Seniors received several requests for advertising space.

Easy to connect

The Savvy Seniors organization wanted to make it easy to connect with users outside the website. We incorporated a Facebook box that shows pictures of recent fans, and added a link for Facebook users to like or share each article on the site. Plus, site visitors can request Savvy Seniors e-mails through a simple sign-up box on the bottom of each page.

Easy to find

All of these new features were happily approved, but the association required one more thing:  findability. Before the redesign, their old site had been up and running for several weeks, but the association noticed that simply being online wasn’t bringing any traffic to their site. During the redesign process, the SAI Digital team systematically went through the existing content and instituted several best practices for Search Engine Optimization. After the launch of the redesigned site, Savvy Seniors discovered that they were receiving much more traffic, and they haven’t looked back since.

You can check out all of the redesign work furnished by SAI Digital at savvyseniors.com.

Enjoy! The Magazine is a periodic publication for the residents and businesses in Northwest Georgia. The magazine was founded in 2008 by Advertising Dynamics, Inc based out of Rome, GA. Over 10,000 copies are distributed freely at businesses, restaurants, and other public venues in Rome, Cartersville, Calhoun, Cedartown, Rockmart and other nearby areas.

Web Needs

When the client first came to us, they expressed three things they wanted this new site to achieve for their magazine. The first was to highlight the great features and events from the magazine online, the second was a way for users to see and interact with the magazine on the website, and the third was add some value to their advertisers with some online attention.

The first was the simplest of these requests. We were sure to include large, bold sliders on the homepage to highlight each major feature article from each current edition. We also included a calendar of events section that the client can manage and update on their own with each new edition.

PDF Viewer

The magazine viewer was much trickier, but in the end our team found a great solution. We discovered the solution with the aid of the powerful web platform, Scribd. If you are not familiar, Scribd  describes itself as, “the world’s largest social reading and publishing company.”  They have created an easy way to share PDFs across the web and mobile devices in a very stylish presentation. Easily the greatest asset about this platform though is that every document uploaded is search engine friendly. This allows everything that is included within the magazine can be found through search terms.

Our team took their powerful platform and seamlessly integrated with Enjoy! Magazine’s website. The client can easily upload every new issue from the backend of the Enjoy’s website and once uploaded, the issue will automatically post to Issues page on the website. All with one click of a button. Users can then browse through each issue using the Scribd platform and never leave Enjoy’s website. A truly simple and painless process for the client to easily manage on their own.

Advertiser Index

The last requested feature was another fun one. Enjoy wanted a way to add value with their website to those that graciously advertised in their magazine. Opting for something much better than just a list of names, we came up with the idea of having a database of advertisers that included name, location/directions, contact information, and any type description companies would like to include. Many of their advertisers do not have websites and often suffer from not being able to be found online. With this handy feature on Enjoy!, not only do companies gain exposure in their ads, but also increase their findability and presence online.

The most powerful feature to this added element is that the Enjoy can update this list themselves. The database has a separate portal on the backend and the client can easily add and subtract advertisers as needed.

Be sure to check out all the action at myenjoymagazine.com today.

Presentation to the Economic Development Committee of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce.  Listen to the audio version here. 

What Does Technology Have to Do with My Business?

As the owner of a company that builds digital technology, I am, obviously, ecstatic about the upcoming Spectrum of Technology Symposium hosted by the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce. It has been especially enjoyable being a part of envisioning the conference this year and watching it grow over the last three years.

But let me tell you what I’ve seen digital technology, like the types we’ll be exploring next week, do for all kinds of other businesses.

I have seen many reasons to be encouraged by the use of digital technology in Rome & Floyd County.

• In the last three years, I’ve seen a manufacturer become of aware of the way the web worked to organize and retrieve information and use that knowledge to increase their business and hire additional sales staff, an in-house sales manager, and more than twenty hourly employees. That same company has invested in manufacturing technology that has made them competitive with international companies.
• I’ve seen a financial institution make use of enterprise cloud technology in partnership with on-site servers to save money and increase security and uptime. I’ve seen that institution use an awareness of how their customers used mobile to access their financial information and implement a mobile-friendly website to decrease the amount of time a customer has to wait before getting to the information they want. They did that without spending the standard $25K plus for a native mobile application, because they were able to make an educated decision between a native application and a web application meant for mobile use based on knowledge of how these different types of technology worked and what would meet their customers needs at this time.
• I’ve seen a health-focused non-profit organization successfully implement web applications to manage forms and tests in order to eliminate 80+ hours of manual entry each semester — allowing those employees to be more productive, more engaged with actual service of their constituents, and to reduce error in processing hundreds of medical students arriving to or growing out of our county every week.
• I’ve seen that same organization and a hospital utilize enterprise cloud technology and custom web applications to manage the EMR access assigned to each of those medical students in a way that streamlines the HR operation, reduces error, and improves the experience of that student at the hospital, allowing the recruiters to focus on the important thing — training doctors and retaining the best to add to the local economy.
• I’ve seen a insurance company be the first in its industry to offer direct access to medicare supplement insurance via an online application and policy management tools which have changed the role of the agent and kept more jobs here.
• I’ve seen a local flower shop, wallpaper distributor, interior designer, and others use cloud-based services, web applications, software-as-a-service, and other digital technologies increase business capacity, lower costs, or provide functions and tools to the customer that make the local business competitive with larger, national companies. In many cases, this increase of productivity and competitiveness allow that business to bring on additional part-time or full-time staff.
• And in the life of my own business, I’ve been able to start from literally nothing to become a company that utilizes enterprise level software-as-a-service to manage payroll, transparent billing of customers, financial reporting and projections, and hosting of our client data in a way that has allowed us to double annually, remain profitable, and grow to a staff of six full time employees with benefits with one more being sought currently.

On the flip-side, I have seen many things that discourage me.

• I have seen high school and college students in our area who know nothing of these technologies.
• I have seen colleges allow the elimination of a Computer Science major in a time when software engineers have an unemployment rate of close to zero.
• I have seen individuals scoff that my company can even exist in Rome, Georgia, because they don’t recognize the way these technologies can be used in the life of businesses of all sizes and industries.

I have seen the incredibly inspiring and the downright disappointing.

And based on what I’ve seen, I believe that every person interested in growing our local economy, increasing our capacity for jobs across different sectors, or educating our kids to be sure they are competitive when they enter the job market should make it a priority to be a part of the conversation at this year’s Technology Symposium.

I believe that every provider of business services – attorneys, insurance agents, accountants, consultants should use the Symposium as an opportunity to become better able to serve their customers.

The truth of the matter is that health, manufacturing, and digital technology are intrinsically tied to economic development goals, the potential for businesses in our area to expand markets or do what they do more efficiently, and directly responsible for the next wave of innovators that we are raising and recruiting.

I hope to see all of you — and your coworkers, staff, and supervisors next week, joining in the conversation at this year’s Spectrum of Technology Symposium.

It came as a collective shock when it was announced that Steve Jobs, tech innovator and business leader, lost his battle with cancer on Oct. 5, 2011. It is still very hard to imagine a world that Jobs will not continue to revolutionize and tinker with as he sees fit. There’s no denying the impact Jobs has had on technology that we interact with daily. The computer mouse, flash drives, PIXAR, and the many gadgets and software put out by Apple in the last 15 years make it clear that Steve Jobs made one of the greatest impacts on how the world operates and communicates. Jobs was perhaps one of the greatest innovators since Gutenberg.

Besides being a pioneer for the advancement of digital technology, he was also a pioneer in business.  Jobs found success with the products he engineered by doing business differently. His was a way that wasn’t driven by selling the cheapest possible product in the fastest way possible, but by giving people quality products that streamlined their own usefulness. This gift is something that we can all carry on to help his legacy thrive long after the iPods, iPhones, and iPads become obsolete.

How did he make this happen? Well, according to Jobs himself, it was through these key methods:

Being Great

“Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

What made Steve Jobs great was that he never settled for a mediocre product. If Apple was going to make it and Jobs was going to promote it, then the product had to be great. We can take this practice into any business or industry. Why be in business if not to provide clients and customers with great products and services? Don’t just have a business exist just to have one, but look for ways to set yourselves apart and provide advantages and opportunities that no one else is providing. Look for ways to make things better than they currently are.

Always Keep Getting Better.

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.”

In order to be great, you must always look for ways to improve. Just think if Steve Jobs stopped at the Macintosh personal computer in 1982, or if he stopped innovating altogether after being pushed out of the company by the Apple board in 1985. Think of where technology would be today if he had stopped when he became part owner of a new startup called PIXAR, or if he had stopped when he created the software for NEXT (which brought him back to Apple). Or what if he stopped when they came out with the candy colored iMacs? What if he had stopped when they created the iPod? The iPhone? We can also say this about the iPad and a countless number of things. He never stopped looking for new challenges to take on and refine. Without this sense of getting better, we would be without a myriad of technologies that have shaped our world.

“I think we’re having fun. I think our customers really like our products. And we’re always trying to do better.”

There are always ways to improve. You’ll never know how much you can continue to improve your business or products unless you keep trying to discover new and different ways to do things that may or may not have been done before. Never think that you’re done once something has been created; there will always be ways in which to improve it, whether that be the process, the product, or the platform itself. Jobs taught us to never stop the process of refining because there will always be better things to discover along the way.

“A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.”

The computer, the cell phone, the tablet: these were things that existed before Apple created their products, but they’re also things that were greatly improved and continually enhanced by Steve Jobs and Apple.

“The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.”

Never Be Too Afraid to Fail.

“Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”‎

Not everything will be a success, but everything is always an opportunity to learn how to make things better. Never be afraid of never having another great idea. Success is a constantly moving machine. You must push to stay forward thinking so that you are not left in the dust. Stifling innovation is always a good breeding ground for complacency. Jobs and Apple had many misses, but they all helped to bring better ideas and projects to the table.

“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

Most experts called the original Apple TV a bust for the company, but that bust turned into a success four years later when they re-envisioned their concept and released their next version. They didn’t give up on this project and made a better one because of it.

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.”

Taking risks in business is paramount to success. You have nothing to lose because there is an end to everything, even your own life. But by creating something that is greater than yourself, you can live on through your innovations. There’s nothing stopping you.

The End User Should Drive Everything You Do, So Surprise Them

“For something this complicated, it’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.“

Whatever business or industry you’re in, you are selling products and services that others can’t create themselves. This makes you the expert in this field or industry and gives you the advantage in seeing how to make your product even greater to those that need it. Think through the end users’ experience of what you’re providing, and see how you can anticipate meeting needs before the end user can. This one of the things that made Steve Jobs the legendary pioneer that he was. He was intuitively and acutely  fixed on user experience and concentrated on how to streamline technology to make it instinctively easier and intuitive for the consumer. No one knew how much easier their lives could be with the world’s greatest traveling computer and phone until Steve Jobs and Apple created it.

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

The best way to do this is to identify two to three of the biggest problem areas that you or your customers run into the most.  Think through each of the ways in which these areas can be improved, prevented, and planned for. Implementing change in these problem areas will show your clients that you are working hard to make their experience better and you will be rewarded with loyalty and repeat business.

“This is what customers pay us for–to sweat all these details so it’s easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We’re supposed to be really good at this. That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to customers, but it’s hard for them to tell you what they want when they’ve never seen anything remotely like it. Take desktop video editing. I never got one request from someone who wanted to edit movies on his computer. Yet now that people see it, they say, ‘Oh my God, that’s great!’”

Surround Yourself with the Best and the Brightest

“My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other’s kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. That’s how I see business: great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.“

There’s no way that Steve Jobs could have made any of the innovative products on his own. He needed a highly competent team that could turn his ideas into a reality.  Jobs has never taken sole credit for anything, but rather credited the collaborative process in order to get to the end goal. Build a support team that can collaborate effectively to pushing innovation in your business and industry. If you find yourself  hitting a wall, look for ways to bring more diversity into the mix so that more viewpoints can be seen. People with different backgrounds and specialties will always bring a new and fresh perspective  to any ideas on the table. Just be sure it is the kind that breeds productivity and not chaos.

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.”

Success on the scale of Apple’s is difficult to come by, but these tenets are key ingredients for success in our modern business world. As with most things Steve Jobs has touched, probably the most powerful advice he gave was in this simple but direct admonition:

“Stay hungry and stay foolish.”

Because it was such a big project, our Beer Fest sponsorship involved several SAI Digital team members. We created digital and print marketing materials for the festival, including a website, social media, branding and advertisements. Here’s a detailed look at our Beer Fest project:

Digital

• Created the Beer Fest website, with a rotating banner solution to highlight sponsors
• Managed Twitter and Facebook profiles
• Designed custom tabs for the event’s Facebook page
• Branded the Twitter page
• Implemented online ticketing program

Print

• Designed a new logo
• Designed event t-shirts
• Created banners, fliers and posters
• Designed print advertisements
• Worked on various marketing materials for sponsors

Media

• Radio advertising
• Radio interviews

Throughout our design process, we wanted to emphasize the art of beer. Creating the new logo was the first step in that direction. The logo, with its brush strokes and paint splatters, is meant to feel like real art. Taking a cue from the logo, the website features a canvas texture and old-style typography.

Of course, creating great-looking posters and websites doesn’t mean much if no one buys tickets. We worked with TicketBud to offer tickets online; it’s easy for festival-goers to buy, and easy for Beer Fest organizers to keep track of sales. And you know we love QR codes, so we’re pumped that the tickets include QR codes to be scanned when ticket-holders enter the park.

Our custom Facebook tabs — which include a countdown, ticket information and beer list — encourage fans to buy tickets, and we’ve been using Twitter to spread the news about the beers available. This is one modern event!

We hope that our contributions will help make this the most successful beer festival yet. RACA is a great organization that promotes local artists, so if you haven’t bought your ticket yet, what are you waiting for?

Dr. Lavonne K. Fore is one of Rome, Ga.’s most popular orthodontists. As tech geeks, we were impressed by her state-of-the-art practice on North Fourth Avenue. Did you know Fore Orthodontics uses a fingerprint sign-in system? Or that patients can play video games while they wait? It was clear after visiting Dr. Fore’s office that her website should be as fun and modern as she is.

The website we created for Dr. Fore is bright and cheerful, in shades of blue that complement the newly-updated Fore Orthodontics logo. The design focuses on letting prospective patients know why they should choose Fore Orthodontics, while also making it easy to find resources about orthodontic treatment. From the front page of the website, it’s easy to learn about Dr. Fore’s qualifications, see examples of common bite problems and read about treatment options for everyone from kids to adults.

After the design was complete, we optimized the site for search engines, so Dr. Fore will appear as high as possible in search results from sites such as Google and Bing.

But our work with Fore Orthodontics wasn’t limited just to forebraces.com. We also helped them launch a YouTube channel, where they have been busy adding videos of their patients talking about their braces. We customized the Fore Orthodontics YouTube page, got them started by uploading some videos and taught the staff how to add videos and optimize their tags and descriptions to be easily searchable. In the short time the page has been active, it has gotten nearly 2,000 video views.

The patient testimonial video on the Fore YouTube channel was created by SAI Digital, with music and title screens. We edited lots of footage of patient interviews to best highlight why patients should choose Fore Orthodontics.

On the other side of the social media realm, we created custom tabs on the Fore Orthodontics Facebook page. Dr. Fore and her staff were already active on Facebook, but they wanted to include information about the practice for those not familiar with them. Now, when non-fans visit Facebook.com/ForeOrthodontics, they see a custom page that explains the benefits of Dr. Fore’s practice, along with contact information and easy access to a map to the office. Other tabs we created include a before and after photo slideshow of several Fore Orthodontics patients, and pictures of the types of braces Fore Orthodontics offers. We also integrated their YouTube account, so new videos automatically display on their Facebook page.

Working with Dr. Fore and her staff was a real pleasure. They were excited about learning to update their new website, and enthusiastic about working with social media like Facebook and YouTube.

So if you’re looking for a great orthodontist with a passionate staff, visit ForeBraces.com. And tell ‘em SAI Digital sent ya.

Three years ago this week, I walked into City Hall and bought myself a business license.  It was a move out of necessity as I had learned just two days prior that my salary would disappear in a week. It was August 2008, and no one was hiring. However, I was sure that I could find a handful of restaurants and local businesses that would hire me to do what I was good at:  sell events, design promotions, or fill a dining room or shop floor.  I refused to talk in “we” because the “company” was just me working from my house and Panera.

I knew what I believed in and before I made an official dollar, I wrote a philosophical statement (now, of course, it must say “we”).  I conceived of a web presence where the site itself was just the hub, the engine that would drive content and interaction in many different places. I took my stand on the side of permission-based email, authentic reviews, and fearlessness in the face of negative response.

And slowly but surely, people began to trust me, but more important to my mortgage company, they began to hire me! There is no thrill like the first signed contract. I will forever be indebted to the clients that took on the risk of a gal with a vision and some skills.

As the projects and ideas grew, I found smart people and the space to fit them (albeit extremely tight until now).  The thing I’ve learned is that it’s not really the clients that make the business a success, but the team. I am honored that my brother and brilliant designer decided to move states and give me a chance. And I’m the luckiest woman
in the world to have five extremely gifted, problem-solving innovators not who are constantly thinking of ways to improve and explore for both our company and our client projects.

The accomplishment of having grown during a recession and have the ability to provide meaningful jobs and benefits belongs to a community that celebrates local business, a Chamber of Commerce that works tirelessly to support start-ups, and to the established business leaders willing to give new ideas and new methods a chance while still offering their own wisdom in the face of challenges.

Today, we cut the ribbon on a new building where we can again double, and where, in the meantime, we can offer start-ups the shared office space and resources they need to begin the growth process. I am humbled by the last three years and cannot wait to see what the next will hold. Thank you to all who made it possible.

Chieftains is a museum of Cherokee and Native American history in Rome, Ga. The museum is housed in the historic home of Major Ridge, one of the signers of the Treaty of New Echota, which resulted in the forced removal of the Cherokee along the Trail of Tears. In fact, the Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home is one of only a few private entities to be certified by the National Park Service as a site on the Trail of Tears.

Major Ridge is the “face” of Chieftains, and the museum staff wanted to make sure his history was front and center on the website. But it was also important that potential museum visitors could easily find information about operating hours and admission. Our design was able to include both a focus on history and a focus on visitor information.

The centerpiece of the website is a dynamic calendar of upcoming events at the museum. Using a content management system, Chieftains staff can create calendar entries that automatically display on the events area of the homepage. Plus, the program will make a page for each event, with more details about time, location, admission, etc. They can even set up recurring events to show up every week or every month. And once an event is over, it automatically gets removed from the website.

In addition to sharing information about upcoming events at the museum, the Chieftains staff wanted to be able to post news articles about special exhibits, promotions, fundraisers and more. Our staff set up a blog area on the website and trained the museum staff to create and update articles.

The museum staffers working on the website were thrilled with the simplicity of the events calendar and blog areas, and have already added several new events and articles to the site.

SAI Digital didn’t just create a new design; we also helped organize the large amount of content that was on the museum’s old site. By breaking up the content into shorter pages and subpages, we made it easier for site visitors to find exactly what they need on the site, whether that’s information about field trips, facility rental, Cherokee history or becoming a museum member.

Chieftains is a neat place with a lot of history, and a great resource for Northwest Georgia. We were very happy to help the museum create a website that encourages more visitors and more members, and shares the rich history of local Cherokee culture.

AVFN is a federal grant-funded project designed to bring better and faster technology to Northwest Georgia and Southeast Alabama. The Network will provide the opportunity for large capacity, high speed broadband availability within the network area of Northwest Georgia and Eastern Alabama. AVFN will encourage business development and benefit a variety of users throughout these regions including government agencies, educational institutions and medical facilities. With AVFN, the region will have competitive, top-tier broadband service that any company can use to provide connectivity to its clientele without the high cost of privatized networks.

We were pleased to have the opportunity to educate not only the residents in the proposed service area about the incredible opportunity that is forthcoming, but to help potential vendors from across the US apply for the ability to offer broadband access to a wider client base.

The site itself was intended to be simple in design and function, and the overall look and feel reflects the modern feel of the project as a whole. The main goal of the site was to supply important and detailed information and resources for news agencies or other researchers who may need more in-depth information about the AVFN project. At the same time, the site also needed to provide details about the grant itself for general public knowledge, and what this project would accomplish.

Our staff was able to filter and generate the entire site’s content from the AVFN Grant proposal and study. We also created several FAQ pages to answer some common questions that the general public might have about the project in order to clearly define what the project will provide and how it is funded. For potential vendors, we built an admin portal that allows vendors to register and view up-to-date RFPs. Our programmers built a versatile content management system to allow the staff of the AVFN project easily upload RFP PDFs. When these PDFs are uploaded in the admin panel, they are automatically updated on the front-end of the site that registered vendors can access. We also built a messaging system into the site that alerts any registered user of new and updated RFPs.

We also created an interactive map that allows user to see the broad scope of the project. The map highlights areas that are already developed and those that the are coming thanks to AVFN.

If you are curious about the AVFN project, visit the site to see the unique opportunities coming to the Northwest Georgia and Eastern Alabama area.

This name change has been in the works for some time, and we are happy to share the events that led to this transition.

The company began as a traditional marketing agency with an emphasis on social, but we quickly found that the expanding digital market created extensive needs that were not being filled by other local companies. Late 2009, we decided to focus our efforts solely on those avenues that were digital and measurable.  Since then, we have matured as a company to offer web development, email marketing, social media engagement, search engine optimization, as well as digital advertising. We have developed new types of customers through the development of several custom web software plug-ins.

While our direction became clearer and clearer, our name continued to limit us or stereotype the company as a traditional print marketing agency. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with traditional print marketing agencies–it’s just not our style.

So why SAI Digital? Not only is it an acronym of our former name (Steele Agency, Inc.), it serves another purpose. A sai (pronounced sigh) is a short-range Japanese martial arts weapon, chosen for its effectiveness and precision. We like that reputation. Its three-pronged design provides a visual image of what we offer:  integrated web strategy, custom coding projects and innovative software.

When you hear our new name mentioned, know that we’re still the same company looking to solve problems and deliver creative solutions to any digital marketing needs any business might have.

Looking forward, we see tremendous opportunities for growth.

Feel free to have a look around our new site. We’re always open for feedback and new ideas. Let us hear from you!

Before I go into why I didn’t like the book, I want to first talk about some of the positive aspects of it. The author was a little misleading when he says that you’ll be building applications without learning another framework. That’s not exactly true. CherryPy, a web framework, is used. It is a very minimal framework, but it is a web framework nonetheless. I honestly think that the format of this book was influenced more by the lack of availability of a large web framework like Django for Python 3 and not meant to “save” the reader from learning a framework alongside web application development. Even if the lack of availability of frameworks for Python 3 is the true motivation, I think it’s a great idea to teach building web applications without all of the nice abstractions you would have with a huge fancy framework. This aspect is what I really loved about this book.  For instance, the author walks you through building your own ORM. I’ve never actually read a beginning web development book that had their readers build their own, but I think readers that follow through with this exercise will definitely have an easier time when they move on to something like SQLAlchemy.

Although I liked that the author walked readers through web development at a low-level, there are some issues with the book that ultimately led me to the decision that I could not recommend it.

One of the biggest issues I had with the book are the walls and walls of dense Javascript. I felt like I wrote way more Javascript than Python going through most of these projects. In the Preface, the author states that only an introductory level of Javascript is needed. While that may be true, if you finish all of the projects in this book you will have more experience developing Javascript than building web applications in Python 3. The amount of Javascript used was unnecessary and I feel someone with an introductory knowledge of Javascript would be very intimidated with the amount of Javascript strewn throughout the projects. Large amounts of HTML are encountered as well, which could have been reduced if the author had introduced some kind of templating system.

Another issue I had with this book is that I don’t use Windows, and this book is geared toward people who use Windows. All instructions given for installation of the various software packages are for people using Windows. The author gives you enough resources to figure out what you need to do if you’re using Linux or OS X, but why not include instructions for all three, or even just Windows and Linux? It wouldn’t have taken long to include instructions for both. The reason only including directions for Windows wasn’t a good idea, other than the fact that I don’t have an extra Windows machine laying around in my house, is that I’m not so certain that intermediate Python programmers looking to learn web development are using Windows.

Finally, I think that some of the projects are too difficult for people new to web development. Chapter 2 was especially unusual. I know it’s rather cliché now for web development tutorials to do this, but I think it would have been best if the author started out with building a blog. It’s stupid simple to do, you can use it to easily illustrate as many web development concepts as you want, and it gives the beginner something that they’re familiar with.

While I found the exercises helpful for people wanting to learn Javascript, the title suggested I would be working with Python 3. This was disappointing. Coupled with the fact that I feel that many of these projects are too difficult for people wanting to get started in web development, I cannot recommend this book for beginners. Ultimately, the goal of the book was to teach web development to beginners. It did not reach this goal.

If you would like to preview or purchase Python 3 Web Development Beginner’s Guide, it is available on Amazon.

We are excited to share our recent work of creating a highly functional website for Outdoor Living Studio based in Rome, GA. 

Outdoor Living Studio is a team with over 30 years of experience in designing the perfect outdoor living spaces. They create custom packages for each of their clients, turning the outdoors into exciting and relaxing atmospheres. Apart from designing and building each unique space, Outdoor Living Studio adds creative finishing touches with landscape, furniture, pottery, and other outdoor garden accessories.

When the team at OLS approached us about their website, they already had a clear vision of what they wanted the site look like. In fact, they worked with a contract graphic designer to create a mockup of the website look and feel. We were excited to start work on this project because they had already accomplished one of the big hurdles of the development process.

After a few tweaks, we were able to easily create a custom website based on the work they had already done, but we were also eager to find ways to mirror their home studio on the web. If you ever had the privilege of visiting their unique space, you know that most of projects they provide to their clients are on display when you visit their office. Visitors can tour the space to get ideas and visual aids of how projects they want might look and feel.

We ultimately settled on creating the same visual atmosphere online with unique photo galleries on almost every page. This function allows users and potential clients to see visual examples of all  various and impressive projects they have produced, and they can do this all from the comfort of their computer screens.

The interesting challenge with the photo galleries, was that OLS wanted the ability to  manage the website themselves after it live. This meant that all the photo galleries could be managed by someone other than a programmer. We built a back-end dashboard that easily allowed the client to maintain it on their own.

But Amazon also is popular with website owners, who can make money through the retailer’s Amazon Associates program.

It’s a simple concept: You place links to Amazon products on your site, and Amazon gives you a cut of the money spent by shoppers who follow those links. The amount you get depends on the number of sales you refer to Amazon, starting at 4 percent and going up to 8.5 percent.

Linking to Amazon

Amazon has an easy tool to help you customize product links.

Building Amazon Associates links is easy. Once you sign up, every time you visit Amazon you’ll see their “Site Stripe” at the top of the page. Just navigate to the item or category you want to promote, and click “link to this page” on the stripe. Then you’ll get the HTML code to add the link.

But links aren’t the only way to earn money through Amazon Associates. The site also offers widgets (interactive blocks that you can feature in your site’s sidebar, for example) and the aStore, which lets you “sell” Amazon products on your site.

First, widgets. Some are personalized, and let you hand-pick products to feature. Others can showcase Amazon’s daily deals or a search box. There’s also a widget that automatically chooses products to display based on the content of your site. The widgets come in many sizes so you can use them wherever you want on your site.

To spotlight even more products, you could set up an aStore. You can define categories, choose products and customize the look and colors to match your site. Plus you can add widgets to show things like your customers’ wish lists or related products.

Getting paid

The 'daily deals' widget is one option for referring your site's visitors to Amazon.

After your site’s visitors buy on Amazon, how do you get paid? You have a few options. You can choose to receive your earnings as an Amazon credit, or get money through direct deposit or check. Payment is issued monthly.

The Amazon Associates site has detailed reports so you can track your earnings, as well as see what your site’s visitors purchased.

Who should use Amazon Associates?

Most people who publish online can find a way to monetize their site with Amazon Associates.

If you’re a new mom who blogs about raising a baby, you can include links to the products you find helpful. Or if you’re a movie or TV buff with an entertainment site, you can send your readers to Amazon to buy DVDs.

But it’s not just bloggers who can benefit from Amazon Associates. Take, for example, a small business that does in-home computer repair but doesn’t have a retail location. The business website could include an aStore of software or accessories that the owner finds helpful. Or, a school could use an aStore to sell summer reading list books, school supplies (organized by grade level), musical instruments for band members or even uniforms. The school could also share its “wishlist” and allow parents and others to donate books, supplies or other needed items.

A step further

Amazon Associates is an easy way to start making money with your website, but Amazon has other tools you could use.

You can sell your items through Amazon, either as a professional or individual. This is like the reverse of Amazon Associates; you provide the product, and Amazon takes a cut of the sale.

An affiliate program with audio book website Audible (an Amazon partner) lets web publishers make a commission on each person who signs up.

You can even use Amazon e-commerce software to set up your own web store.

As Web Designer,  Sarah will help clients conceptualize digital projects and work to produce the perfect content management system, landing page, or email template to meet their goals.  As a former editor, she will be invaluable in post-production quality assurance – making sure functions, punctuation, and words are all in order.

For the last decade, Sarah has worked in the world of print journalism as the Rome News-Tribune, where she served (among other roles) as Web Editor. Managing a multi-user, around-the-clock publishing machine gives her an enormous set of skills that will translate naturally to client project design, training, and support.  She has lived and breathed deadlines for over a decade and doesn’t like wasting time on projects.  This trait is a perfect complement to our philosophy of sticking to timelines (and to be honest, she’ll probably make us better at it!).

Her technical skills include hand-crafting sites in HTML and CSS, as well as designing for and using modern content management systems. She also has experience in print design, as well as extensive text and photo editing.

And while she may be a new “official” full-time staffer, Sarah has designed several projects since the company’s beginnings including: Rome Boulevard, RJ Fricks, Outdoor Living Studio, The Season Events (in a weekend!), Profile Extrusion catalog, and State Mutual Insurance Company print materials.

While Sarah is the only non-caffeinated member of the production team, she adds major cool points for her love of video gaming, playing Fantasy Football, and nerdy book series’ like The Hunger Games and DiscWorld.

Empire Avenue is The Social Media Stock Market. Launched by a Canadian team of designers and developers in February of 2010 as an invite-only service, the last few weeks have brought a surge of virtual shareholders from all over the world. On some level, Empire Avenue is more than a game; it’s also a social media tracker and tool that can be used to improve one’s social media skills and etiquette, or make attempts at social media experiments.

When first signing up for Empire Avenue, it strikes anyone familiar with social media as nothing new. You’ve got your avatar, your ticker symbol (which works as a delightfully interesting take on the username), your bio, and links to your other social media accounts. What’s truly different is how you interact with users on the site. Unlike Facebook, it’s not about who you know. Unlike Twitter, it’s not about what you say. With Empire Avenue, it’s about what you do.

Your share price is directly related to how you interact with others over the web, and how they respond to you. Not only are internal actions on Empire Avenue rewarded, but actions of those in your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flikr, and LinkedIn networks are beneficial to you as well. Obtaining new followers, uploading and rating videos, getting likes, comments and @replies all help your stock price.

The goal of Empire Avenue is to amass wealth in the virtual currency of Eaves while increasing your own stock value on the site. Like the real Stock Market Exchange, prices and value of stock are subject to change, and often. During the learning curve, don’t be surprised if your stock value seemingly plummets despite your social media activities. What’s the trick to keeping that stock on the rise? After a month of experimenting with the game, I think it’s safe to say that consistent, valuable interaction with Facebook friends, Tweeting and Re-Tweeting, and investing in other Empire Avenue users is key. In the beginning, I found that I was prone to going “off the grid” every weekend and then returning to my regular updating and posting routine at the beginning of the week, and that seems to have hurt my share price. Just keep in mind that it’s an experiment, and it’s something that can add an extra element of fun to your social media experience.

As for the conversation aspect on the site itself, I find that there are two extremes:  the polite silence of investing and/or recommending another user, or mass amounts of notifications through the Empire Avenue communities and their highly populated chat rooms. There are the occasional wall-like shout outs; however, it’s not so much of an ongoing conversation between users as it is a social media timeline of your activity across other sites. After a day or two on Empire Avenue, it seemed as though the context of interaction between investors is not wall-driven, and mainly consisted of buying and selling virtual stock.

I mentioned that Empire Avenue may also turn out to be a great tool for training users in social media etiquette. Spammy users with tweets of “buy me! buy me!” do not get bought. The group as a whole virtually punishes other users for acting inappropriately. Sure, it is courteous to purchase shares in someone who just invested in you, but expecting that they automatically do so or passive-aggressively reminding them with a shout out on their profile to “invest in me, too,” comes across as rude. In fact, posting such updates seems counter-intuitive to the game itself. Begging people to buy your stock does not add value to any of your social media interactions, nor does it prompt a discussion. But tweeting about a blog entry for Empire Avenue…now there’s a thought.

In my opinion, Empire Avenue serves mostly as a gauge for your social media interactions and a reward system for valuable content rather than an actual arena for discussion. It’s more like a network that facilitates finding people to interact with over other social media sites . That being said, our entire office finds  it to be highly entertaining; we are hooked! Check it out for yourself to get in on the fun! If you create an account, give us a shout–we’re always looking for new ventures to invest in. A few of their recognizable brands include Ford (e)FORD – Ford was one of the first and soon to release a virtual product for sale -  Rackspace Hosting (e)RACKSPACE, AT&T (e)ATT, as well as Dell, Inc. (e)DELL. And if you’re curious about the more in-depth rules of Empire Avenue, check out their rules and FAQ pages.

The company itself was newly formed within the last year. The management team brought together a combined 7 decades of experience  working in the manufacturing aluminum cable trays. During that time, they saw majors ways in which they could improve production and customer experience. When their company was bought out and sold, they decided that now was the time to start their own company and implement innovative and improved manufacturing processes and products.

These product improvements include unique interlocking clamps, one-size-fits-all cover systems, and state-of-the-art welding technologies. They also made great service improvements with short lead times, detailed packing labels, and pre-shipment pictures to easily ensure that every product ordered is clearly defined at all times. A new and helpful improvement for all involved.

To mirror these ground-breaking improvements, the founders of USP approached our team with several requests that were sure to make for a challenging project, but end with great results and reflect their innovative manufacturing processes and products. Overall, USP needed a site that would speak to everyone involved in their trade:  business owners, contractors, architects, and engineers. This is because while the contractor or client will be the one paying for the product, the electrical engineer is the one who must select and submit product specifications for approval.  They needed to appeal to both the decision maker looking for value, and the engineer looking for high function and access to specific data.

They also needed features on their website to include:

• Interactive US map of sales reps and distributors
• Access to NEMA, UL cable tray standards
• Datasheet Manager
• Online PDF Briefcase

These needs were all met, but one of the most complex parts of this website was the development of USP’s online database of data sheets for all trays, covers, connectors, and components manufactured by the company. USP boasts almost 400 standard products and is also able to expand their catalog numbering system on-the-fly to accommodate custom part orders.  Our team responded by building a visual navigation path and a database of documents that anyone at USP can easily update with a simple PDF upload.  Using an API, the database controls were integrated into the content management system so that the USP staff has the ability to easily manage updates themselves and all in one place.

When a PDF datasheet is uploaded onto the website from the backend admin portal, it not only uploads the PDF that users can then add to their briefcase and download, but it also converts the data into a jpg image to conveniently and automatically display the information onto the individual product page uploaded on.  A javascript magnifying glass was also constructed to allow customers to zoom in on the areas of detail.

Using cookie management, users are able to navigate the data sheets and save to a briefcase without registering. They can then gather all needed documentation and download as a single zipped folder of desired datasheets complete with proper cover sheet for order placement. The resultant PDF preserves writable fields so that customers can indicate their own specifications for order and permit approval.

As products are added or changed, USP has the ability to expand and modify all documents without hassle or programming knowledge. This is extremely important for a growing company!

This was definitely one of the most complex, custom designed sites that SAI Digital has created for a client. We are extremely proud of each of the unique features on the site, from the overall design and branding to the custom-created database. Check it out and see for yourself what we can do when a client has a big dream at USTray.com.

The law firm of White, Choate, Watkins and Mroczko, LLC is located in both Cartersville and Calhoun, GA, and provides representation to local and national business and individual clients throughout North Georgia and the metropolitan Atlanta area. The firm’s attorneys practice in all levels of State and Federal Court.

The law firm’s six practicing attorneys provide legal advice to their clients in virtually all aspects of Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, General and Commercial Litigation, Civil Rights, Criminal Law, Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Zoning and Land Use, Estate Planning, Family Law, Wills, Probate, Corporate and Business Law and School Law. By providing their clients with a full range of services, they are able to support them in almost any legal situation they may encounter.

The website project provided a great opportunity for the company to redefine themselves on the web. Having a website that was closing in on 10 years old, they constantly felt hampered and stifled by the limited use and outdated look & feel of their old site. All the Firm’s information was out of date and the site’s content had very little information that was helpful to anyone in need of their services.

With our help, the firm now has a fresh, modern look that they can easily maintain over time.

The first change was enlisting the help of Sabrina Wilson, of Blue Dawn Photography, to take contemporary photography of the attorneys, staff, and office building. These images were the driving force for the new site and they accent every page with views that are familiar to everyone who knows and has worked with WCW.

For the attorneys, we were able to flesh out their own pages to include more accurate and defined resumes, as well as integrate information from around the Internet about each lawyer. This includes each lawyer’s Martindale-Hubbell rating, their LinkedIn profiles, and a downloadable v-card so you can quickly and easily add each lawyer’s contact information to your electronic address book. We also included a photo directory to allow future and present clients to easily find each lawyer at WCW.

SAI Digital also worked with the firm to develop a more comprehensive listing of the firm’s Practice Areas on the website. Not only can users see a more accurate and defined Practice Area, but within each Practice Area category is a helpful sidebar list of which practicing attorneys can most help them with the specific need; a valuable asset to anyone who quickly needs to find what they are looking for.

The site also features a news portal that is maintained and updated by WCW itself.

So be sure to visit wcwattorneys.com to see if you can find the right attorney for you!

With over 10 years of combined experience, Langston Creative Systems is a team of electrical wiring experts who also pride themselves on giving the perfect artistic touch to any home entertainment, business space/conference room, solar power equiping, or home/garden lighting. They are able to create a functionality or feature for any lighting, security, or entertainment needs.

This website posed interesting challenges when meeting the CEO Sean Langston’s two requests in the design of the site. The first was to appropriately highlight the impressive aesthetic works created by Langston Creative Systems. The second was to create a website that stood apart from most of their competitor’s fairly standard websites. This led our team to the idea of creating an entirely unique and custom website that is modern and driven primarily by large, sweeping imagery that highlights a range of impressive services offered at Langston CS.

Each page on the website features a full-screen “hero” image that clearly and effectively portrays the type of work you can expect from Langston CS. We brought the navigation bar to the bottom of the page to emphasize the impressive imagery. We also created small description boxes on each page to complement each image rather than compete with it.

As our pièce de résistance, we fulfilled Sean Langston’s additional request for visually appealing and animated elements to greet visitors when they arrive at the welcome page. Instead of hindering the site with clunky flash elements, we opted to use a simple Java script to make Langston CS’s logo turn in opposite directions while visitors remain on the page. This simple, yet dynamic enhancement really brought the whole website together, and is a feature we are immensely proud of.

In addition to all of the web design, we had the opportunity to create the new logo for Langston Creative Systems and design their business cards. While we typically do not offer logo design, it was hard to pass up helping rebrand such a great business. Much like the website, both the logo and the business cards were created with the intention of setting Langston CS apart from their competition and making a statement as bold and impressive as the projects they create.

Check out their website, fully designed by SAI Digital, at langstoncs.com or become a fan on their facebook fan page (created and managed by SAI Digital).

The news from this weekend is unprecedented in 9 1/2 years, as is how a majority of the world accessed that news. Social media replaced main stream media for one of the most high-profile breaking news stories ever. In fact, according to Business Insider, several tweets broke the news: one, an unofficial and stunned update from Keith Urbahn, and a handful of others who live in Abattabad that were tweeting about the events in real time without knowing their significance.

From a personal point of view, after I received the initial text about the news, I relied heavily on Huffington Post, Twitter and Facebook for my updates. It didn’t occur to me that some might find that unnatural; I didn’t want to listen to the banter of newscasters and anchors as they groped for information while we all waited for the President to make his announcement. Social media provided the ability to effectively filter out news from banter as people posted links and updates while allowing people to participate in an ongoing conversation with their networks as the events unfolded.

Not only did social media provide users with a friendly filter, it provided us with a direct connection to each other. Seeing how others reacted to the very same news created a sense of virtual connectedness. Tweets and Facebook updates ranged from conspiracy theories, comedic commentary, tearfulness, and cynicism. There was an outpouring of gratitude to our military, a sense of wonder about how this was pulled off undercover, and of course the class clowns demanding a “long form death certificate.”

We were able to live-stream the President’s announcement, and then we turned to our friends and networks with shock, thoughtfulness, and/or criticism. Not to mention that this flurry of activity occurred when most of the working US was getting ready for bed! We didn’t have to wait for the morning edition or the hot topic discussion around the water cooler. We had access to entertaining, informative and witty banter almost instantly after the event. As Matt Zoller Seitz pointed out on Salon.com, even in the streets at Ground Zero and the White House, attendees were tweeting, Facebooking, texting and sharing news updates with their fellows via smartphones and iPads.

We have already observed social media “in action” during other major world events such as Egypt’s revolution and Japan’s earthquake and tsunami. Watch out Main Stream Media:  We might not have time for pundits we don’t know when our friends can become the pundits we trust. Do you think we’re one step closer to becoming a global network of reporters via social media?

Related Stories

One Twitter User Reports Live From Osama Bin Laden Raid
The Most Interesting Tweets About Osama Bin Laden’s Death

We are excited to announce that we have become Authorized Resellers of Tucows domains. Tucows is a highly respected wholesaler of DNS and other Internet services to ISPs and web hosting companies worldwide.  They were among the first group of thirty-four registrars to be accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 1999, and they now manage over 10 million domain names.  Tucows is also an active participant in Internet governance, working to maintain fair practices across the board. As an official reseller of Tucows domains, SAI Digital has placed itself on the forefront of international web business. There are several benefits from this strategic partnership which we can pass along to our clients; with a Tucows domain, you can rest assured that your site and domain name are protected.

Commitment to Fair Business Practices

Tucows is committed to fair business practices, which is why we at SAI Digital chose to work with them as a reseller. Their company motto is “to exceed the expectations of our customers and deliver the highest quality standards in every aspect of our business.” When you purchase a Tucows domain name, it becomes your unique property. Think of it as your little slice of the Internet, all to yourself. Because it is your property, you can do whatever you want with it, without fear of Tucows reclaiming your domain name for their own purposes. Tucows does not impose restrictions on where you host your domain name; if you want to change registrars, you have that ability without any extra fees. If for some reason you are unable to renew your domain name, Tucows promises a 40-day, no-questions-asked domain name rescue. During this 40 day period, you won’t have to pay any extra late fees; the normal hosting fee is all you need to restore your domain name. This is very different from the policies at companies like GoDaddy or Network Solutions – they find every way to charge you to access and control your own domain.

Read the full company philosophy!

Top-Notch Security for Less

Through Tucows, SAI Digital is proud to offer our clients extensive web security. For one, privacy registration comes standard.  No extra charge to keep your ownership identity away from pesky solicitation.

Even further, our clients can enjoy security features from nationally recognized companies such as VeriSign and Trustwave at 30-40% less than the cost of the same security features from other retailers.  ”This brings more value to our clients by providing some of the highest security features available today at a lower price,” states Tricia Seifert, SAI Digital CEO.

Domain Webmail

Whether you need to receive mail on your work station, your cell phone, or anywhere, we can offer superior email account hosting.  Your domain webmail access will be completely branded with your logo, and we can setup your email to also be sent to a variety of devices.

Variety of Top Level Domains

Through Tucows, SAI Digital also offers a wide variety of top level domain extensions.

These include:

.com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .name, .mobi, .asia, .tel, .co, .me, .tv, .ws, .au, .ca, .de, .eu, .nl, .uk, and .us.

Contact us today to get started with your Tucows domain!

In 2007, Mrs. Lynch began planning and putting on events such as conferences and weddings, and the business has definitely grown since then. Now, with over 20 associates, The Season can coordinate multiple events for the same date, all with finesse, professionalism, and style.

The complete site redesign was requested in an emergency situation by The Season. They had a crucial event which required a dynamic web presence, and needed their site up and running within a week. Our team at Steele Agency was able to transform the site from a static HTML based site into a dynamic, database driven content management system within the span of 5 days. We at Steele Agency then trained her staff on management of their website, such as adding blogs, managing the social media aspect of the site, and best practices for search engine optimization.

The Season approached our team with a particular design layout they preferred for their business and target market. With the time constraint, we were able to match their vision with a pre-designed CMS theme which we then further customized. This is critical, as The Season was working with a limited budget, but also needed a site that they could update and manage remotely.

A few features of the site include a blog for updates on etiquette, community happenings, and featured services for a range of events thrown by The Season. Also included are photo galleries, event summaries, and location information for those looking to plan an event.

Check out all of the updates and features at theseasonevents.com.

When customers post comments on Consumer Affairs, whether good or bad, the comments remain on the site forever.  As we’ve said before, it’s best to respond positively to your customers’ negative comments, rather than sweep them under the rug. Dismissal can often be read as a form of admission and an unwillingness to change, even if that is not the case.

Consumer Affairs states specifically on their blog article addressing such SEO Scams:  ”since its founding in 1998, [Consumer Affairs has] had a policy of not removing complaints.  Companies have always been welcome to post responses but, once posted, complaints are there indefinitely.  We do not accept payments from companies seeking to have complaints removed; in other words, we don’t take bribes.”

SEO firms are unable to remove negative comments or complaints from the site. If your business has hired an SEO firm and they are  generating  ”fake” positive comments to bury the negative comments, it should be noted that such activity  is illegal, not to mention bad business practice.

Consumer Affairs and similar sites are pro-business and pro-consumer enterprises. They are a resource for consumers and businesses alike. Have a little faith in your customers to do more research, and don’t be afraid to put a positive spin on a negative comment with an apologetic or helpful reply. Your SEO firm should give you direction as to how best to reply to naysayers, but they should never tell you that they can get rid of the naysayers entirely.

The Extended Version has some awesome features, not released in the free version!

Feature	WP Simple Survey	WP Simple Survey – Extended
Store Quiz Results In Database
View Quiz Results Summary
Email Each Quiz Result To Admin
Auto-Respond to users
Multiple answers per question
Multiple Quizzes
Custom Fields for gathering respondent information
Put users score on routed-to page
Export Results
Delete/Clear Results

Creating A Quiz

• Click ‘WPSS – Setup’ and fill out a new quiz including the Quiz Options, Questions and Answers, and Routing-To information.
• Put [wp-simple-survey-N] into a WordPress page or post, where N is the quiz ID given at the top and bottom of the quiz setup page.
• Routes can be split up in numerous ways:
  • Multiple pages and multiple ranges.
  • Two pages and two ranges (Pass or Fail).
  • One page (Thanks for taking our survey).

Tracking Data

• Each submission can be sent to an admin email address.
• An Auto-Respond can be setup for each submission so that if a user enters a valid email address, they can be sent a message along with their score and answers.
• Results can be stored in the database for later examination and export.

Displaying Results to the User

• The auto-response email can contain the user’s score and answers by using the tags:
  • [score] for the user’s score
  • [answers] for the user’s question and answer summary
  • [quiztitle] for the title of the quiz that the user took
  • [routed] for the location that the user was routed to based on their score
• The user’s landing page (the routed-to page after quiz completion) can contain the user’s score and quiz summary by using the tags:
  • 
  • 

Common Issues

1. Multiple jQuery’s being loaded – check your page source and look for multiple jquery.js being loaded. Web apps like WordPress have functions to ensure that only one version of a particular Javascript library is loaded. Unfortunately, plugin and theme developers can’t seem to understand this! See http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_enqueue_script for more detailed information.
2. Add Filter Priority Conflicts – Many plugins use the WordPress add_filter API. Sometimes two plugins conflict when running a filter at the same time. If your progress bar isn’t displaying correctly and the form submits on clicking Next, check your HTML source and see if WordPress is wrapping the WordPress Simple Survey JavaScript and division tags in HTML paragraph tags. If so, toggle the priority of the add_filter in the admin backend global options tab. The default is 10 which is probably when other plugins are running their filters, therefore decrease WordPress Simple Survey to 100.

Need Support? Have Questions about the product?

Use the Comment Forum on the main Simple Survey page.  Free email/phone support is not offered at this time.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

PLEASE NOTE:  YOU ARE PURCHASING A DIGITAL PRODUCT WHICH CANNOT BE RETURNED. THEREFORE, WE DO NOT OFFER REFUNDS FOR THIS SOFTWARE. WE OFFER A FREE VERSION OF THE SIMPLE SURVEY WHICH YOU ARE FREE TO DOWNLOAD AND TEST PRIOR TO PURCHASE OF THE EXTENDED VERSION.

In the perfect marketing scenario, this is a fate reserved only for spam emails. However, if you’re not careful with your subject lines and how often you send your emails, your well-intended marketing emails could look no different from those dreaded spam emails to servers and readers alike.

This doesn’t just happen overnight, however. If your business emails are perceived as spam, there is a large series of events that could lead up to blacklisting. Read on for a few pointers on how to avoid readers and Internet Service Providers from flagging your emails as spam.

Mail and Newsletter Frequency

When creating a new email list or planning for an established one, it’s best to pick a frequency for sending those emails and stick to it. Too many emails in a week or month could lead to the readers themselves flagging your emails as spam. If you are going to send emails to your mailing list weekly, once a week should be perfect. Information can always be stored for next week; it’s all about prioritizing your content. Once a month is good for businesses that have a lot of spread out events, and once a quarter is great for those that just want to update their customers on what’s going on with the business in general. The bottom line:  pick a frequency that you can deal with, and one that your readers will appreciate, rather than dread.

Subject Lines

Many times, readers will decide what to do with your email based on the subject line alone. Short, sweet, and relevant are the three big keys to remember when writing your subject line. Keep all of these in mind when developing your subject line.  In many ways, the subject line should receive just as much attention as the content of your email. Creative subject lines are good, but those with relevance go farther in the long run. If you can blend the two elements of creativity and relevance, then all the better. However, if it’s going to be creative, it needs to be relevant to the content of your email, not just a stand-alone, catchy subject line. A subject line that doesn’t match with the rest of your email content will more than likely disappoint your readers.

In addition to the construction, creativity, and relevance your subject lines need, there are always a set of words that you should avoid, no matter what. Think of what spam looks like; they’re trying to sell you something, right? Or there’s always a catch.  You may say, ”But my content is different! My readers can use context clues and figure out that I’m not a spammer.” That may be true of your readers, if it gets that far. Machines don’t use context clues to sort your emails from spam:  they use keywords. At all costs, avoid the following:

1. Free. This includes phrases such as “free offer,” “free gift,” and “free consultation.” You might be offering something free or free with purchase in your email, and this may be relevant, but there are more clever ways to say it. These days, people take the phrase “no such thing as a free lunch,” to heart, and “free” sounds more like a trap than a good deal.

2. Brand new. Nope, no, it isn’t. Even if it’s a brand new deal, even if it’s a brand new center or location you’re advertising, anything–do not use brand new. It’s very tempting to use, especially if it’s true, but just avoid it. Instead, try “Company announces renovated location.” The phrase “brand new”  just leads to skepticism–and the spam folder.

3. Profit, investment, gift certificate, offers, savings. Basically, if you would see it in on a piece of junk mail, don’t put it in your subject line.  Again, you may be offering all of these things to your readers, but your subject line is not the place for these announcements. It’s fine to have this in your content, but for subject lines, try something such as “Company says thanks during customer appreciation week.”

4. Exclamation points! This is one of the biggest triggers of spam email! Yes, if you’re announcing something exciting about your business, it can be tempting to add an exclamation point to the end of your subject line. It’s best to avoid the punctuation; if something is exciting, then your readers will understand that through context. That being said, definitely stay away from the use of multiple punctuation marks or symbols as well. Email subject lines with !!!, $$$, and ??? are dead giveaways for spam–make sure that your marketing email doesn’t fall into this category by avoiding them.

Here are two lists of spam keyword triggers that we have found through a little bit of Internet research. Feel free to print these out and keep them handy when crafting your subject lines.

THE WORST OF THE WORST

THE “PROBABLY SHOULDN’T USE THESE” LIST

Remember, when in doubt about whether or not an email could be flagged as spam, use your instincts. Sometimes we can get bogged down in business lingo that we don’t realize we could look a little “spammy” to a potential customer or client. It’s always best to re-read and get a second opinion (especially where subject lines are concerned). What do you think? Is there anything you can’t stand about spammers that you would add?

Look for an update in the next few weeks regarding building, growing, and maintaining your readership!

Remember in  A Christmas Story when Ralphie worked so hard to get his Secret Society decoder ring from the Little Orphan Annie radio show? After weeks of anxious waiting, and missing out on the daily “secret message” (which to a kid appeared very important) Ralphie is finally able to participate.

The radio show comes on. He is ready and poised with his decoder. The announcer starts reading numbers. Ralphie anxiously records each number and painstakingly decodes each one.

B-E    S-U-R-E     T-O    D-R-I-N-K    Y-O-U-R     O-V-A-L-T-I-N-E

“Ovaltine?! A crummy commercial?! Son of a bitch!”

He feels jipped, connived, taken advantage of.  He has put so much energy into getting the device only to be sold to?!

Here’s the deal.  This is how a lot of QR marketing these days is treating its scanners. People see a cool thing in a magazine, go find the app as instructed, download it, and scan the code…. only to arrive at A HOME PAGE?! In less time, they could have just entered the website address into their phone.  They have wasted not only their time, but they have been taken advantage of.

So, don’t be an Ovaltine commercial.  Make sure to give your QR scanner some VALUE. Make sure the page they land on is ready to be seen on a mobile device. Make sure it offers something they couldn’t get by just going to the web address. And give them a way to participate, to respond, to interact.

We are excited to share that we have received the 2010 All Star Award from Constant Contact^®, Inc., the trusted marketing advisor to more than 400,000 small organizations worldwide.  We were considered one of Constant Contact’s 2010 top performers and most prolific user of its tools, within Constant Contact’s email marketing, event marketing, social media marketing, and survey products.

“We are so proud to be recognized for our efforts in growing our clients’ businesses through email marketing,” remarks president and CEO Tricia Steele Seifert, “each member of our team has shown a commitment to quality writing, email marketing best practices, and integration of technology in our client campaigns and that work has paid off.”

Constant Contact looked at the following criteria when selecting this year’s All Stars: frequency of campaigns, high open and click-through rates, low bounce rates, mailing list sign up tools, use of reporting and analysis tools, and management of client accounts.

“The Constant Contact All Star Awards are our way of recognizing our customers that have successfully used Constant Contact to market their [clients] companies,” said Gail Goodman, chairman, president and CEO of Constant Contact, “We have some of the most committed, passionate customers out there and we’re proud we can be a part of their continued success.”

Read more:RN-T.com – Steele Agency Inc named one of Constant Contact’s 2010 All Stars

The experiences the user has while interacting with your website, email marketing, social media page, mobile site, or web application often directly determines the success of your advertising and marketing. If the user finds your information layout inconvenient,  slow, or unhelpful while interacting with it, chances are they will quickly move on to a company that has a site that is simple and easy to use even if you are the best option. The effort to stay on par with your competitors and convince users that you truly are “the best in the business” hinges on how you implement the term “The User is King” within your internet marketing strategy.

Some businesses might say that they have no need for this type of strategy because they don’t advertise on the Internet, but they neglect the fact that their website is a marketing and advertising tool in and of itself. A business’ website is the main portal for their customers and clients, and if users can’t get what they need from the site quickly and easily, it’s not doing its job. So if your company has (at the very least) a website, here are 3 things you must do to stay competitive:

Thou Shalt Understand Thine User Experience

When browsing through your website, it’s important to think like one of your customers. If you don’t enjoy spending time on your own website, chances are users do not either. If you’re not sure whether or not your site is user friendly, try asking yourself some critical questions. Is all of the information easily accessible? Is the layout confusing or does it encourage a natural flow? Is contact information easy to locate? Do all of the links work? These points may seem like common sense, but it’s easy for them to be forgotten in the foray of getting your message across. If these questions and answers aren’t getting attention, neither is your message that you want your visitors to receive. Take a moment to look at your site with a critical eye to find where improvements can be made.

Another large part of user experience is providing opportunities for the user to interact with on your site. A mass of static pages can be overwhelming and does little to keep visitors on your website. Installing plugins and widgets on your site can encourage users to find what they need easily and prove to your customers that your website is relevant to their needs. When your business give users reasons to find your website useful, they in turn will ultimately share their discoveries with others which turns them into marketers for your company.

Think user experience isn’t all that important?  Tell that to Digg.  They were kings of social news until they completely overhauled their website, but forgot to think about what the end users wanted and enjoyed about their original design.  As a result, a vast majority of Digg visitors went elsewhere to find what they wanted because Digg’s redesigned site no longer served their needs or added to their enjoyment of being on their website.

Thou Shalt Remain Accessible

In addition to user experience, it’s important to think about how accessible your site is to visitors. With the advent and popularity of smartphones, it’s critical to know how compatible your site is with mobile devices and multiple web browsers. With extensive reports coming out that in five years web access will be almost completely dominated by mobile platforms, it’s important that you don’t get left in the dust. More and more people want their information on the go, and if you’re not giving them the ability to access your site from anywhere, they won’t be giving you their business.

If your site can’t be viewed or takes too long to load on a mobile device or a popular browser, chances are that user is going to move on to a different site out of convenience. If you haven’t looked at your own site on your personal mobile device lately, now is a good time to check it out. Put yourself in your client’s shoes and ask:  Can I easily find the information the visitors are looking for? Is anything broken or not working on the mobile platform? Is it easy to navigate from one area of the site to the next? If any of these questions are difficult to answer, it’s time to develop legitimate mobile version of your website.

Not only should your mobile website have what people are looking for, but if you’re advertising your business you need to use unique landing pages for every ad creative. Whether you’re advertising on the radio, tv, in print, or around the web, you can incorporate the use of unique landing pages in your ad campaigns. Creating these pages for your site allows visitors to access exactly what they’re looking for from the ad that brought them to your site.  Landing pages offer specific information without the hassle of sifting through multiple pages of unrelated subjects.  No sales pitch would make customers dig for information; and neither should your website when used in advertising.

To Thine Own Customers Be True

This year, it’s customer service that is going to set you apart from your competitors. Service is one element of cyber business that can easily be lost behind a computer screen, but don’t let that happen to your company. Elements of customer service in the real world easily translate to the digital aspect of business.  It’s important to remember old school customer service etiquette when dealing with web-based clients.

Using sites such as Facebook to connect with your customers is a great way to provide top-notch service.  Whatever comments are made, good or bad, use the opportunity to respond to your clients in a positive and helpful manner.  Doing so will show your transparency as a company and build brand loyalty.  Dealing with negative feedback in a positive way is a mark of strength for your brand or company. Customers appreciate prompt and courteous service, and now more than ever, it’s easier to oblige them.  Doing so without criticism will definitely help your company grow.

You can also reach out to your customers via e-mail newsletter. This medium is now the most convenient way for many people to access information about your company, deals, and events.  Embracing e-mail marketing may be the best thing you can do for the promotion of your business. Not only do you stay in the forefront of your customer’s minds via their inbox, you give them the opportunity to forward that e-mail to potential customers as well.

Does your business lack brownie points in any of these areas? 2011 should be the year to consider making these things a priority.

ActionView::Helpers::FormTagHelper
check_box_tag(name, value = "1", checked = false, options = {})

For some, the check_box_tag is lacking, especially given the high standard set by much of the rest of Rails forms.

Here’s a straight-forward way of doing a checkbox group from a array in a model. Multiple checked values are stored in one database cell (shown as “db_category” here).

model
serialize :db_category, Hash

#constant array for check box options
CATEGORIES = ['Category I', 'Category II', 'Category III', 'Category IV', 'Category V']

_form
<% cats = Model::CATEGORIES.map{|k| k } %>
<% cats.each do |c| %>
<%= check_box_tag "model[db_category][#{c}]", "1", @model.db_category.include?(c) ? true : false %><%= c %>
<% end %>

index
<% cats = Model::CATEGORIES.map{|k| k } %>
<% @model.each do |c| %>
<% cats.each do |tc| %>
<%= tc.db_category.include?(c) ? '"' + c.to_s + '" ' : "" %>
<% end %>
<% end %>
#outputs selected list with each entry in quotations and a space in between

database
--- !map:HashWithIndifferentAccess
Category I: "1"
Category V: "1"

Note:
@model.db_category.include?(c)
will not run on a nil @model.db_category, meaning if the database for @model – column :db_category is empty, the check for inclusion of c will crash. Therefore check for nil and output false for all categories on new or empty.

<% cats = Model::CATEGORIES.map{|k| k } %>
<% if @model.db_category != nil %>
<% cats.each do |c| %>
<%= check_box_tag "model[db_category][#{c}]", "1", @model.db_category.include?(c) ? true : false %><%= c %>
<% end %>
<% else %>
<% cats.each do |c| %>
<%= check_box_tag "model[db_category][#{c}]", "1", false %><%= c %>
<% end %>
<% end %>

Worksite Fail

The Worksite Fail blog of the C&R website is an attempt to bring humor to the community-at-large and while educating the public and business owners about flagrant violations in a workplace environment.  We feel that this blog also brings a sense of community to the website; it is a special area where auditors and business owners alike can get together and share a chuckle while making the workplace a little safer for everyone involved.

Integrated RSS Feeds

A special feature of the C&R website is the use of the integrated RSS feed from the OSHA website.  Press releases, updated policies, and upcoming OSHA events are all posted in a to-the-minute display within site sidebars.  Not only is this feature useful for employees and auditors within C&R Compliance, but it makes the website a hub for other businesses as well, increasing client and potential client interaction.

Email Newsletter

In addition to the design, structure, and execution of the C&R Website, Steele Agency also manages a comprehensive email newsletter for C&R Compliance.  The use of email allows the company to stay in regular contact with their clients and interested parties, maintaining and building their market and client base in one.

Company Branding

Our team at Steele Agency started with a single company logo for C&R Compliance and developed an entire product brand. All design elements of the C&R website are integrated with various elements of company business and marketing.  Web and email design were streamlined for a polished effect to tie it all together.  A custom power point presentation header was created for C&R, streamlining all presentations to clients and potential clients for an impressive, polished presentation.  Company brochures and literature were also published with the brand designed by Steele Agency to reach out to potential clients in a printed format.

Future Development

Steele Agency continues to work with C&R Compliance to create other high-tech features for their business.  We are currently developing an online database for company and client documents.  The database will connect the administrative departments of both C&R Compliance and their clients, allowing for a more streamlined chain of communication.  The end goal of the project is to have a functional,  scalable site with online document management that can be accessed from a desktop computer or an on-site mobile device.  In effect, this will be a full-scale software system for audits, inspections, client communication, and policy updates.

Steele Agency took the vision and brainstorming of a company and turned it into a reality, with more to come.  View the website here, at crcompliance.com.

Sydney Adair

Sydney Adair has joined its staff as a writer.

Adair will write, edit, and proofread client website, email, and social content to ensure consistency in style, tone and quality of the client project. Steele Agency is Rome’s only digital marketing agency specializing in web software development, trackable cross-media campaigns, social media and digital advertising.

“Sydney has the ability to quickly learn new information and communicate with a particular audience or market in mind,” said President & CEO, Tricia Steele, “she brings to our client projects a command of language, excellent research skills, and a natural understanding of social media.”

Adair previously spent two years as a paralegal at the law offices of David and Rosetti LLP in Atlanta where she was responsible for maintaining client files and preparing documents relating to worker’s compensation cases.

Adair received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Berry College in 2008. She is continuing her education at Berry College where she is working on a second degree in French. While at Berry, Sydney participated in the Berry College Viking Crew, was the vice president and head delegate of the Model United Nations, served as a resident assistant and volunteered at the Gunby Equine Center.

Sydney’s hometown is Macon, Georgia, but she currently resides in Rome.

Read more:RN-T.com – Adair joins Steele Agency Inc

Site Features

Steele Agency created several new features for RJ Fricks Voila! to create a social and marketing image for the company.  We provided a space for print articles featuring the design talents of Ramona Fricks and her team in the Company News section.  These articles showcase the final product that RJ Fricks Voila! offers, as well as providing a space for reviews of the team’s work.

Future clients can also check out  a gallery of work by Ramona and her team on the Our Work page.  Here, clients can get ideas from Ramona’s past designs, and potential clients can get a feel for the range of design styles that RJ Fricks incorporates into their spaces.

To integrate a complete web presence for Fricks,  Steele Agency also created a Facebook page and a Twitter Feed for the company.  These pages allow the company to communicate with their clients on a regular basis.  Announcements of new collections and upcoming events are the highlight of these pages, improving the functionality of the Fricks web presence.

Virtual Room Building

One of the more exciting features of the site is the integrated E-preview software.  With this console, users can go into the Fricks online catalog and choose furniture by dimensions, room type, or style.  The furniture the user chooses can then be placed into a virtual room planner.  Inside the room planner, the user is free to move furniture and accessories around, while keeping everything to scale.  This is a great tool for designers and their clients to visualize the final product.

Upcoming Features

We still have a few things in the works for this multi-use website.  A fun feature that we’re planning to release soon is a “Where’s Ramona?” page.  Ramona Fricks travels all over the world, moves her team into a client’s house, and after a few days:  Voila! The Fricks team completely changes the look and feel of the space.  For this feature, we plan to integrate Google Maps to the site, where users can click on the map and see before and after photos and videos via Flickr and YouTube.  This exciting avenue for customer interaction and connection will be a great way for users to get the full Fricks experience!

Be sure to take a look around the RJ Fricks Voila! Website, and tell us what you think!  We’re proud of our work, and we hope that you enjoy browsing the gorgeous designs and spaces that Ramona and her team have created.

Slick Web Presence

Kuglar needed a site that would display his credentials and contact information for opposing counsel and interested parties in a slick, impressive manner. Our graphic designer worked directly with the attorney to create a new logo for the firm, which we then integrated throughout the site. The website is a mix of modern design with old-school functionality, something that Kuglar was insistent on. From the main page of the site, viewers are able to navigate to a variety of other areas without a lot of hassle.

Site Functionality

Not only does the Kuglar Law website promote the firm to potential and  future clients, it is also a  functional platform for current clients and opposing counsel.  It is imperative that Kuglar’s credentials and experience are accessible to opposing counsel, courtroom officials, and members of the press during the discovery and trial phases of various claims.  We presented all of the necessary information in a clear, concise manner, while still keeping in tune with the modern feel of the site.

Other Features and Future Development

While it’s often said that “necessity is the mother of invention,” in the case of Kuglar Law, LLC, it might be fair to say that “necessity is the mother of development.”  Kuglar needed the site to be live within 24 hours after his initial request for a web presence, and we were able to deliver.  All elements of design and functionality were taken into account, as were the client’s request for a modern look and impressive feel to the site.  We also developed a LinkedIn page for Craig Kuglar, Esq., to further solidify his web presence.  The website itself is database-driven, and we are working with Kuglar Law, LLC, to develop future updates and portals for Firm and Client use.

If not, don’t worry. Google has delivered a simple solution to help you understand what the internet is and how to use to it. In a simple to read and understand format, Google has developed an e-book to answer all of these fundamental questions and a few more.

Let me introduce you to “20 Things I Learned About Browsers and the  Internet”. It is simple to follow (especially with all the fun illustrations like the one here), but comprehensive enough to educate children and adults alike about the inner workings and makeup of the internet.

Along with the simple understanding of how the Internet works, this e-book also help you understand online security by properly protecting your data from vicious virus and hacking attacks. It also explores the advantages of cloud computing where your data can exist unharmed no matter the amount of hardware damage your personal computer might sustain. Making this a must read for any and every Internet user. To read or browse this extremely helpful Internet tool, simply visit 20thingsilearned.com

Integrated Online Quotes and Online Application

Dynamic Product Map

State Mutual Insurance covers people all over the United States; however, not all products are available in all areas.  To remove confusion from the process of purchasing medicare supplement products , Steele Agency created a Dynamic Product Map of the United States which shows product availability.  Now, users can easily see what products are offered in their state with a simple rollover, as well as when products are expected to be available in their state.

 

Plan Comparison Charts

Search Engine Optimization

So, what happened exactly?  On Thursday, October 7, 2010, customers in GAP’s online store were greeted with a new logo. The iconic denim background was reduced to a gradient square of color in the corner of the image, and the skinny jean font was replaced with bold, black letters. With little more than a Facebook update on GAP’s fan page, a new identity was launched (GAP’s Facebook fan page). In the hours that followed, the results proved to be mixed:  some fans of the company were legitimately angry, others indifferent, but the common thread was confusion (here’s a spot-on open letter from design firm Mat Doplhin).

Amidst the plethora of Facebook comments and Twitter jabs, GAP attempted to turn the tables with another Facebook update announcing the open-sourcing of the creation of a permanent new logo.  They received a range of responses from sarcastic clip art to genuine design concepts. Finally, on Thursday, October 12, 2010, less than a week after the new logo’s launch, the old logo reappeared on GAP’s website. In addition, the president of the company, Marka Hansen, stated in a press release, “We’ve learned a lot in this process. And we are clear that we did not go about this in the right way. We recognize that we missed the opportunity to engage with the online community.  This wasn’t the right project at the right time for crowd sourcing. There may be a time to evolve our logo, but if and when that time comes, we’ll handle it in a different way.” From GAP’s recent mistake, large and small businesses alike can take away several lessons.

First:  Don’t underestimate your customer’s ability and willingness to identify with your brand. While unassuming, the old GAP logo had been around for over twenty years, a fact which they continued to repeat on their Facebook fan page, and that resonates with their consumers. Whether your business has been around for twenty years, two years, or two months, chances are your clients will recognize your logo. Consistency, while often underappreciated, can be the key in some cases.

Second:  When making changes, gradually introducing them to your customers can go a long way. Imagine if GAP had posted not only one Facebook update (if they were truly trying the viral marketing route), but several updates leading up to the big unveiling. A simple “Be on the lookout for our newest online addition…” might have peaked everyone’s interest rather than immediately inviting criticism.  This way, buzz is still generated about the upcoming change, but in a more positive and anticipatory light.

Third:  Be confident in your changes and stand by them. Unfortunately, critics abound in the viral community. However, as a business owner or marketing director, if you feel that it truly is time for a change and that it will positively influence your business, fear not! Like GAP, no one is immune from criticism. By giving in to the pressure of an angry few, GAP has lost creative time and money spent on their new logo. If you are confident in the services offered by your business, and that the image you present to your customers is spot-on, then the detractors will eventually lose their steam. Granted, small businesses might not generate bad press releases over a simple logo, but change in any capacity is often met with resistance.

Whether this was a stunt or a legitimate “whoopsie daisy” logo recall, one thing is for sure:  GAP’s name is definitely out there in the marketing sphere. Essentially, the new logo created media buzz and brought consumer attention to the company. It also sparked and possibly reignited a fierce sense of brand loyalty among its customers. After all is said and done, isn’t that the best outcome that any change in business could possibly have?

Also, see the WordPress Plugin directory listing, and post any questions or issues here.

The support forum is located here.

Generate your own QR Code!

Type: Business Card URL Message

Choose colors:

First Name:

Last Name:

Company Name:

Title:

Telephone:

Work Address:

City:

State, ZIP Code:

Email Address

Website

Memo

Name:

URL

Name:

Message

Download it!

Download: JPG | PNG

Features

• A widget can be put in a sidebar, or by placing the shortcode: in a page or post the generator can be displayed in content.
• WordPress Simple QR Code Creator Widget can create Business Card QR Codes. Many smartphones recognize these codes as contact info and can immediately import them into the phone’s address book, making it extremely easy to share you or your business’s communication channels through print without error. At Steele Agency, we put QR Codes on the back of our business cards. This is a great way for print websites to push QR codes (and printing!)
• This widget can also create URL QR Codes. These can be shared through print and can allow you to send tech savvy users to special landing pages with special offers or promotions.
• Text Message QR Codes can be created which can allows you to encode special messages, data or directions on printed material.
• The Extended Version also tracks submissions on the WordPress backend, which allows you to see how the plug-in is being used and follow up with users.

Technical Aspects

• The widget uses jQuery to reload the sidebar with a QR Code without requiring a full page reload.
• The image is in-part created using Google Chart API which reduces the bandwidth required by your server.
• Submissions are recorded through the use of an AJAX call.
• Requires php5-gd, available on most shared hosting platforms.

Currently Recommended Readers

• i-nigma
• quickmark

Images

Download

The free version allows you to install the widget as demonstrated on this page. Your users can create their own cool QR Codes.

FREE VERSION LICENSE:
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it, except removing the watermark script and authoring comments within the code.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Extended Version Including Tracking

The extended version, WordPress Simple QR Code Creator Widget-Extended,  removes the watermark and allows you to track submissions.  Extended version is available for $15 by clicking below.

EXTENDED VERSION LICENSE:
Steele Agency retains full rights to the program. You do not have the right to redistribute, copy, or resell the program in any form.

Support

Click here for the support forum.

See the Joomla Extensions Directory Listing.

Info

Install the module, and create and enable a mod_simpleyoutubelist. Then select a width and height, by default these are – width: 100% (of containing division), and auto (browser-calculated height). Adjustments can be made in percents or pixel values.

Download

LICENSE:
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Crumbley will manage accounts payable and accounts receivable as well as assist in quoting and client management for the digital marketing agency specializing in web software development, trackable cross-media campaigns, social media, and digital advertising.

“Julie brings a vast experience in a professional service environment requiring hourly time tracking, intense focus on meeting client deadlines, and problem-solving, which will allow us to better meet the needs of our growing client base,” remarks President Tricia Steele, “We couldn’t be more excited that she has decided to join the team.”

Crumbley previously spent five years as paralegal for the litigation department of Cox, Byington, Corwin & Twyman where she was responsible for maintaining clients’ files, accounts receivable, and preparing legal documents. She also managed the apartments owned by East Fourth Partners. Prior, she was paralegal at Hine & Twyman, P.C following five years as data entry auditor for American Security Group in Rome.

Crumbley received her Paralegal Certificate from Berry College. She also attended Coosa Valley Technical College where she received a degree in Computer Programming.

Julie and her husband, Chris, reside in Kingston and have three children, Jacob, Alex and Luke. She attends Hollywood Baptist Church where she and her husband teach the three-year old Sunday school class.

Read more:RN-T.com – Crumbley joins Steele Agency Inc as office manager

You scored /3

You only scored /3

I’m about to send 10 tweets about Twitter.

Evan Williams warned an hour ago as the world waited to hear the next big announcement from the company. Like a countdown, he moved from big picture to statistic to the kind of definitions that would make Emily Dickinson proud.  She was great at saying a lot with very few words and would have thrived in a 140-character environment. 

10. Twitter is getting better—and bigger.

9. Twitter mobile users are up 250% this year.

8. Twitter is a real-time information network.

7. Twitter levels the playing field between creators and consumers of content.

6. You don’t need to tweet to get value from Twitter any more than you need to make a web page to use the web.

5. A lot of people are tweeting, though. flic.kr/p/8B132d

4. Twitter is the best way to discover what’s new in your world.

3. Infrastructure and performance are our biggest investment. They provide the foundation for new things.

2. Twitter.com has always been the most popular Twitter client. 78% of active users have used it in the last 30 days. flic.kr/p/8B12ZY

1. Today we’re launching a new Twitter.com—a faster, easier, and richer way to discover what’s new in your world. #NewTwitter

Check out the video that does the best job of visualizing the changes in functionality and integration with photo, video, and follower sharing:

I remember many years ago when I first heard the word blog. It was my freshman year of college, the year was 1 BF (Before Facebook), and my mass communication professor just kept talking to the class about how blogs were changing the world and revolutionizing the internet. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I didn’t want to be the only one to admit that I was clueless. So I just assumed he was talking about some sort of tech-y way for businesses to talk about themselves more. It took three more classes before someone finally confessed to our professor that we didn’t know what he was talking about. That day, not only did we all learn what a blog was, but we have never been the same since: blogging and other digital obligations became routine for individuals and groups of all kinds.

Now, blogging did not start out the way I first imagined it – by companies – but it has become a cornerstone of business presence on the web. It’s true that we have covered this topic in the past (which you can find at the bottom of this blog), but it is so crucial to your company’s identity on the web that we have to continue to talk about its importance. And here’s why:

Findability

SEO has increasingly become the most important way to stay visible online, and there’s no better way to increase your visibility than with a business blog. Your content is how search engines find your website and the more they can find you and your relevant content, the more search engines will display links to it. So talking more about your services and features will bring more people to your site based on the amount of content that makes you easier to find by those searching for them.

Authori(bili)ty

So now you have people coming to your site because you’re able to be found easily,  but you should also look for ways to create content that people find valuable so they continue to want to go there. As you write and publish relevant content about your industry, your visitors start to see your website and company as an authority on . Creating that sense leads to brand loyalty and customer confidence in your products and/or services.

Shareability

Content that people can find and find value in these days tend to get passed around. Social media provides an incredible opportunity to interact and introduce your company to an audience that you wouldn’t have been able to be reached on your own. Thus creating a larger brand awareness than before, and a way to promote your business and generate more valuable leads.

So if your company hasn’t starting blogging yet, no fear. Right now is just a good time as any to start talking to the world about your great company.

Related Posts
The Information Stream
So You Want a Corporate Blog…
“If You’re Not Blogging Now, You’re Behind”
How to Harness the Marketing Power of Blogs
15 Excellent Corporate Blogs to Learn From

Demo

Custom fields can be created and required in order to submit the quiz.

Example:

• Name
• Email
• Special Code

Quiz results can be stored and viewed in the backend. Submissions can be exported to CSV including “All Results”, or just custom field information

Also see the WordPress Plugin directory listing.

For additional features, check out WPSS-Extended version!

Uses

Results can be stored in the WordPress database and displayed on the backend. Results can also be emailed to the user along with their results.

Screenshots

Notes

User’s Score = ∑( AnswerWeight_n )

Be careful about pasting the survey tag into the WYSIWYG editor, there is a difference between “wp-simple-survey-1″ and “wp-simple-survey-1″, and it will cause cross-browser compatibility issues. Type the tag in manually or check the HTML and remove any paragraph, strong, span or other formatting HTML tags surrounding the survey string.

The most common problem is multiple jQuery’s being loaded – check your page source and look for multiple jquery.js being loaded. Web apps like WordPress have functions to ensure that only one version of a particular Javascript library is loaded. Unfortunately, plugin and theme developers can’t seem to understand this! See http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_enqueue_script for more detailed information.

Also, please post your positive comments here or on the WordPress Plugin directory listing, and post any questions or issues here.

For additional features, check out WPSS-Extended version!

Download Free Version

Download the Latest
WordPress Simple Survey
Version: 2.2

LICENSE:
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Common Issues

1. Multiple jQuery’s being loaded – check your page source and look for multiple jquery.js being loaded. Web apps like WordPress have functions to ensure that only one version of a particular Javascript library is loaded. Unfortunately, plugin and theme developers can’t seem to understand this! See http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_enqueue_script for more detailed information.
2. Add Filter Priority Conflicts – Many plugins use the WordPress add_filter API. Sometimes two plugins conflict when running a filter at the same time. If your progress bar isn’t displaying correctly and the form submits on clicking Next, check your HTML source and see if WordPress is wrapping the WordPress Simple Survey JavaScript and division tags in HTML paragraph tags. If so, toggle the priority of the add_filter in the admin backend global options tab. The default is 10 which is probably when other plugins are running their filters, therefore decrease WordPress Simple Survey to 100.

WordPress Simple Survey support has moved here: WordPress Simple Survey Support Forum!

To better serve our customers and plugin users, plugin support has moved to a forum based method. Feel free to go ahead and start using the forum and suggesting new topics.

RCB's old website

Over the course of the last few months, we’ve pulled our collective brain power and skills together to bring River City customers an effortless and more inviting website, including:

News Portal/ Email Alerts

The major addition to their site was a news portal, appropriately titled Bank Notes, that River City Bank can now use to inform and update customers on the latest banking and financial information to glean tips and insights from River City Bank’s distinguished experts.  Since many customers are logging into their e-banking daily or weekly, a regularly updated news section is perfect to offer relevant information that changes over time.

Corresponding with the news portal, we retooled River City Bank’s email newsletter to highlight the articles available in Bank Notes. Along with the now quarterly email newsletter, customers can sign up for specific email news alerts including: Business Briefs, Economic Outlook, Financial Planning, Trust & Estate Planning, Saving Smartly, and Identity Theft Protection.

River City Ramblers

Another integral part of the website that has been developed more thoroughly is the River City Ramblers page. For those that don’t know, River City Bank has a senior world travel club that any River City Bank member over 50 can join. Along with an up-to-date calendar of yearly events and most recent newsletter, we developed a custom Google map detailing every stop the Ramblers have made along the way and where they are heading soon. We also couldn’t make a custom map without including a unique Rambler Flag map marker to make it extremely easy to see their travels.  This section will grow over time to include memoirs, photo galleries, and planning tools for members.

Homepage

The biggest change and developed area of the website is the homepage. Here are the best and most useful new features:

• Easy to find log-in for account holders and bank customers.
• A Calendar of Events that automatically pulls upcoming dates for bank holidays, future events, and River City Rambler travel days.
• Custom icons to bring attention to River City Ramblers, Switch to River City, and Join Our Mailing List
• “Did you know?” information box. River City Bank has so many amazing features (like refunded ATM fees and same day deposits, to start)  that it only seemed natural to help inform customers and visitors. So, every time you visit the homepage, you’ll learn something new about what makes River City Bank different.
• All the most recent articles from Bank Notes feed directly onto the  homepage under their respective categories.

Artwork

Another unique feature River City Bank offers is their impressive space and interesting ad campaigns which we couldn’t help but to incorporate into the site.

To help draw attention to River City Bank’s inspiring architecture, the talents of the lovely Sabrina Wilson of Blue Dawn Photography were employed.  She was able to integrate the visual impact of the physical location with their new online presence.

We also decided to pull inspiration from a SMART checking ad campaign and use customized piggy banks as a continuous theme throughout the site to celebrate all of the diverse ways to save, invest, and spend with River City Bank products.

________________________________________

So if you’re a River CIty Bank customer or not, we invite you to explore their site and look and all the unique features that we had a hand in enhancing. And who knows, River City Bank might just be the place for you (and we think it might!)

Blue Ridge Area Heath Education Center (AHEC) is a non-profit organization that serves a variety of functions and is run through federal and state grants as well as private contributions.  In order to continue growing their resources, they must constantly collect and report data on the people and organizations they serve.  We saw immediately a deep need for online forms and databases that would allow routine processes to be performed by their users and seamlessly integrated into the internal database saving time and preventing error.

A glimpse of their old website

The client estimated that developing this system saved them approximately 80 hours of labor each semester, or about 160 hours a year, and while we love building really cool things that look great, this fact filled us with more satisfaction than anything else.

The Blue Ridge AHEC site contained many database-driven elements including:

• multi-level access and data entry/maintenance roles,
• user communication and reporting tools
• real time database interaction by non-technical users
• multiple security and referential validation systems
• online forms importable to client local database
• file storage and retrieval
• online quizzes with performance review and results storage and sorting functions
• embedded multimedia included videos and slideshows manageable by non-technical staff
• search functions by keyword, category, and other fields as needed.

Note: You will need the API URL and API token for your FreshBooks account, see http://developers.freshbooks.com/

Your FreshBooks API URL has a single point of entry, derived from your account URL:

https://sample.freshbooks.com/api/2.1/xml-in

After enabling API access for your account, you’ll be given a unique authentication token. The admin user, and each staff member, has an API token. The admin user’s authentication token can be found on the “enable FreshBooks API” page. The staff token can be found on each staff member’s Profile page, or on the Edit Staff page (for admin only). At this time, staff members have limited access to the API (see the individual method pages for details).

Please note your authentication token is based on your account password. If your password changes, so will your authentication token.

To use this widget, install the plugin and then in the widgets setup admin area drag the “Freshbooks Widget” to a sidebar. Input your Title, API URL, and API token. Note, using the Freshbooks Admin API token will return the number hours billed by the Admin user and all the Staff accounts associated with the Admin account (the entire team), whereas inputing a Staff token will output the hours billed by that staff user only.

Screenshots

Note: PHP will produce a warning if it is operating in “safe_mode” which will look something like this:

Warning: curl_setopt() [function.curl-setopt]: CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION cannot be activated when in safe_mode or an open_basedir is set in /home/public_html/wp-content/plugins/freshbooks-widget/library/FreshBooks/HttpClient.php on line 79

Check with your host provider to turn-off “safe_mode” if this warning appears.

Thanks to developer: Milan Rukavina for providing a PHP5 library for the FreshBooks API. Saves the time of dealing with XML calls directly. Available at: http://code.google.com/p/freshbooks-php-library/

WordPress 2.8 and up.

LICENSE:

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Often, a sitemap is completely separate from the look and feel of a business website.  So, while the sitemap is a critical starting place to get you thinking about your web project, it doesn’t dictate that your site will be “boring”. On the flip side, a website that is graphically appealing or full of pizazz may still come off as a smoke and mirrors magic trick if the user does not know what information is available or how to find what they are looking for.

Visualization

A sitemap can be viewed in two ways:

1. A list format – this is like a table of contents in a book.

   Think text book:  the information is grouped by chapter and each chapter has a few subsections.  In the web world, we call the chapters ‘superpages” and the sections “subpages”.

2. A graphical map format – this is more like a mind map.

   Surprising, this can be dangerous. It looks great to present the end user with a visual map of your website, but during the planning phase of a website, it might become too easy to leave areas of your map too vague or to navigate a user through a series of pages without providing them a “map back” to main content.

Most important for anyone planning a website creation or redesign:  Not throughly planning out your website beforehand is an expensive disaster waiting to happen. Even when you are using great CMS technology.

Users love a new and engaging experience, but from the business world they expect a few constants:

• An “About Us” page: This should always be near a top-level page if not a superpage. It can be named something more clever as long as users will understand that the page is about your company.
• At least one top-level superpage devoted to your company’s products or services.
• A “Contact Us” page: Many times, users only go to your website to get up-to-date contact information. Remember, younger people are much less likely to use a phone book. Make this easy: don’t put up walls around the information your readers are looking for.

A Conceptual Template

• Home
• About Us
  • Our History
  • Our Staff
• Our Services
  • Service A
  • Service B
  • Get A Quote
• Submit Your Order
• Latest News
• Contact Us

Search engines have become increasingly good at recognizing legitimate businesses verses imitators by viewing a website’s sitemap and analyzing the content of each page. A well-structured site means that when a user searches for your company name, or related products and services in your area in order to buy and submitting orders for a specific product, your website is more likely to rank highly.

In fact, depending on your market, your Homepage, About Us, and Contact Us might all be listed in a search engine result so that users have one-click access.

XML Sitemap and SEO

Sitemaps are crucial when planning a website, but they do not have to be set in stone. One important aspect of the technologies we use is the ability for our clients to grow their website. This means that as a company expands and adds a service or adds a second type of service or product,  corresponding pages can easily be added to the website and and the content modified appropriately:

• Home
• About Us
  • Our History
  • Our Staff
• Our Services
  • Service A
    • Type I
    • Type II
  • Service B
  • Service C
  • Get A Quote
• Submit Your Order
• Latest News
• Contact Us

If a site has been structured correctly, search engines will pick-up on the addition and re-index your site accordingly. One last important step in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the existence of a properly formatted .XML sitemap that lives off-menu in the root directory of your website hosting server.

Check out Steele Agency’s XML sitemap.

As you can see, its a complicated array of URL’s and priorities, where superpages are given top priority and blog posts are given lower priority, which tells search engines to list your Homepage, About Us, and Contact Us pages first in their search listings.

Because this is one thing all the major search engines agree upon, there is a standard protocol for generating and submitting these links, and thus a we can build functions into your website that automatically update and submit a properly formated XML sitemap.

Final Notes

• When building a sitemap, start with a structure that is unlikely to change, but that will allow room for growth.
• Do not get in the habit of changing top-level pages, as Search Engines will take note and assume your content is unreliable and rank your website – and thus your digital presence – poorly.
• The sitemap can contain sections, for example, adding a top-level page call Blog or Recent News is understood as meaning that articles will be posted and displayed in that section.
• Every user experiences your site differently. Some may like your menu navigation and the way it reflects the organization of your content; however some people may prefer a simple organized list posted somewhere off-menu, for example: View Our User-Friendly Sitemap

In 1984, Owens Sporting Goods became “The Team Specialist,” offering customized sports uniforms, apparel, footwear, and equipment for baseball, football, lacrosse, basketball, soccer, wrestling, volleyball, and softball teams. They have also become one of the Southeast’s Elite Nike Team Dealers. They also provide in-house designing, screen printing, and embroidery, proving that Owens Sporting Goods can truely outfit any team from head to toe!

The sight features a simple setup that will grow over time. For now, the site includes a exciting image viewer that helps capture the excitement of sporting events and games. It also features a dynamic calendar of events highlighting deadlines, holidays, and general information. There is also a blog area  that will feature a host of guest writing coaches to connect with other coaches all across the Southeast.