Blogpress

This is only my first time using Blogpress on the iPhone, but so far I dig it. Upload each blog entry to multiple services simultaneously with pictures, video, and sends an update to your Facebook & Twitter with a link back to your Blog. In this hectic world, we can use all the help we can get to save every minute possible.

This app sports a clean interface, no bugs noticed so far, and a $2.99 price tag. It’s worth checking out.

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew

Picasa, coming to a site near you

How do you create a gallery page that’s seamlessly integrated into your website, polished looking, and most importantly easily updatable? Integrate a Picasa gallery.

A fully customizable solution.

All you need is a little CSS skill, and no one can ever tell that this is an add-on to you website. Add to that a list of dozens of editable parameters, and you can use this tool over and over and always get a finished product that looks and feels unique.

A little work in the beginning pays off big

Yes, there are easier and quicker solutions out there. On top of a really polished looking final product, there is one big advantage that this tool has. You can’t ask for an easier way to update. When you have new items to add to your gallery, upload them to Picasa, add a caption, and that’s it. Your website is automatically updated. There’s no additional coding, no more formatting. The little extra time it might take to set up, is well worth it in the end.

Have a look at my portfolio page redone with this tool here.
Interested in trying this free tool out? Head on over to the Google code page.

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew

Blog on the run

As usual, this blog entry is coming to you courtesy of the iPhone.  My original blog is in WordPress, from there, it’s syndicated all over the net.  So the WordPress App for the iPhone is the first place to see my posts.

The Features

• Write new blog posts or edit old ones
• Change title, tags, category, and status for any post
• Post a comment or approve pending comments
• Add a new stand-alone page or edit current pages

The Goods

Write your blog postings from anywhere. Waiting at the dentist, on the train, in front of the TV. Even if you don’t have an Internet connection, you can still write a new post then save it as a local draft.
Make sure you never miss out when inspiration hits. Sometimes the creative bug bites. You don’t have to be in front of the computer to scratch that creative itch anymore.
Never forget a good idea again when your journal is always with you.

The Bads

There is no WYSIWYG HTML capabilities.  However, I found this works as a benefit as well.  I find myself focusing 100% on the content of my blog post. When I get back to my computer I do all the formatting, add links and video.  It seems to make the process more streamline, so what would seem like the biggest pitfall works out as a win.

My suggestion, even if you use a different smartphone or blog, see if there is an application available for you to blog on the run.  If you’re interested in the free WordPress App for iPhone, check out this short video.

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew

Make every page a dynamic page.

The saying goes, “change is a good thing.”  When it comes to change on your website, change is a very good thing.

Give visitors a reason to return

Once a visitor has assimilated all the data they need on a static webpage why would they ever need to return?  Find a way to incorporate dynamic data on every page of your website.  One great way to do this is with your externally hosted blog.  The content is already yours, so why not use that to its fullest extent.  There are plenty of RSS readers out there that integrate a feed into a webpage.  A quick search will reveal a number of readers that will work with your hosting plan.

Give search engines a reason to re-index

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, search engines LOVE change. However, this is the trickier part of the two. Many of the RSS readers that you’ll find for websites output syndications in the form of JavaScript. This will not do for the search engine robots. The kind of reader you’re going to need has to output in PHP, ASP, or there’s even services that output in plain HTML. All work equally well for getting your pages re-indexed.

There you have it, folks. One simple way to keep visitors coming back, and gain new visitors at the same time.  Take a look at the service we use on Door County Central.  It’s called RSSinclude, a simple utility to use with many options.

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew

Streamlining Fan Page Updates

Having a Facebook fan page is an essential part of most social media marketing campaigns.  The traffic that flows through Facebook and the sheer numbers of loyal followers of the service are too great to be ignored.

The issue

Most third-party applications aren’t designed to play well with fan pages.  If you are running a serious social marketing campaign, you are always looking for ways to streamline and automate updates.  So, any one service that you have to update separately usually ends up getting neglected.

Seesmic to the Rescue!

Along comes the Seesmic Desktop application.  As the name implies this is a desktop app, written on the Adobe Air platform, so this functions the same across any OS – Windows, Mac, or Linux. It sports a polished UI and can be configured to display a number of columns at once, streaming all of your essential data in near real-time from your Facebook fan page & Twitter.  Conversely, you can send out a Tweet and update your fan page status simultaneously.  Since Twitter can be configured to pass updates to other services such as LinkedIn and Google Buzz you’re down to one manual update again!

Head on over to the Seesmic website and check it out.

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew

Publishing your thoughts

Show your expertise

Your website is a great source of information.  The necessity for having a business website is not going away anytime in the near future.  When someone wants information on your company that is the first place they’re going to look.  What happens when someone needs more?

Keeping up with the Joneses

In this new world there is a constant evolution of information.  Every day we see shifts in trends and new information that didn’t even exist the day before.  So what’s the best way to get all of this information posted on your website right away?  Web 2.0 to the rescue!  Stay ahead of the game with your blog.  Publishing information to your website traditionally requires special software usually, it requires coding, hyperlinks, formatting, and in most cases it requires you waiting for your webmaster to do the work.  Not only is your blog an excellent way to disseminate information quickly, most blogging services do a great job of organizing that information for you.

Group your thoughts

Choose a good category and if your blog supports sub-categories, use them.  Think about any tag that your blog falls under and use it.  Also, if your blogging service has a tag cloud feature, this is a great way to group your thoughts and show your readers what you are all about.  It gives a baseline view of what you know and how much time you focus on any one topic.

Check out this 30 second video from WordPress, if you’re not familiar with tag clouds.

The Tag Cloud Widget

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So take advantage of the nature of blogs.  You can have your thoughts published on the internet just about as soon as they come to you.  Plus they do an excellent job or organizing them with very little outside help.

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew

Why Social Networks? Part 2.

A More Personal Internet

It was a few years ago that this little thing came around called the Internet.  It was great.  This amazing new tool to reach out to customers.  A way to advertise to millions of consumers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  That actually sounds like my sales pitch back in the day.

Yes, there was a drawback

The Internet as a whole wasn’t personal.  Sure, on your website you could add your logo, some pictures, a good theme.  After awhile there was even live chat that you could post right on your website.  It still lacked that one on one feel of dealing with customers live.

Along comes Web 2.0

Web 2.0 spawned entire websites based on interaction rather than content.  Eventually, website owners were able to integrate these interactive sites with their traditional content based sites with widgets and modules.  We are at the point where we can develop an entire network of websites ripe with interaction between businesses and consumers.  A place where customers interact with each other, bolstering your reputation and sales for you.  This is the personal Internet that businesses have needed.

Take advantage of the interaction

This new Internet gives businesses a voice & a personality.  With that voice, customers can feel less like a number and more like a person.  You develop trust by constantly being in the public eye, and that leads to increased sales.  On top of all this, you are giving your fan base a reason to stay in touch, as social media is an excellent outlet for special announcements and promotions.

So, if you haven’t already, do it. Start your business blog. Get a Twitter account. Create your Facebook fan page. There are tons of websites and tools out there, free to use, and at your disposal.  You can now connect with potential customers half way around the world as if they were standing in front of you, and like never before.

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew

Why Social Networks? Part 1.

This is a several part blog which is going to delve into the key benefits of a social network marketing campaign.  In this post we’re going to focus on two key points that work together for you.

Developing a Reputable Network

You are developing a network of reputable interlinked websites that ultimately point back to your central hub.  The central hub of course is your website.   Unlike link farming, which by now most of the top search engines recognize as a cheap method to feign popularity, these websites are reliant on real-time, real people interaction.

A Hive of Activity

Now we come to the best part.  Google and other search engines LOVE activity.  It is common that most of these types of websites tell search engines to come back every week and check for changes.  With all the hustle going on in a well-maintained social network, you are almost guaranteed to rise the ranks faster than Ralph Macchio at the annual All Valley Tournament.

What’s the Caveat

There is one drawback which stands out with marketing through social media. It requires more attention. Although there are methods to automate the task, in order to perform a successful campaign, it requires real-time human interaction on the company’s part. Whether that’s blogging, responding to comments, requests or messages, folks are going to know when they’re being ignored or talking to a robot. At which point you get the boot off of their friend list, and anything that you did invest was all for nothing.

The pay-off for running your campaign correctly, however, can be phenomenal.

In the next few days, I’ll dig in deeper to these points and touch on quite a bit more.  So, as always…

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew

Marketing & Tourism

Does your business reside in an area dependent on tourism?

Anyone who runs a business or even resides in an area like that knows it’s all about the season. The question is, when do you start thinking about advertising for that season.

Don’t wait too long.

March is already here and now is the time to think about what kind of budget you’re going to allot to your advertising for this summer. It’s also an ideal time to take advantage of the slower business by tying up loose ends in your advertising & marketing. Get those website updates done. Order your promotional items. Go to your printer and top off your business cards, brochures & flyers.  Summer will be here before you know it and by taking care of all those little things now, your season will be all the more smoother.

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew

#hashtags on Twitter

Wave hello to new Twitter friends with hash tags

The use of hash tags is a great way to gain more followers on Twitter.  The implementation of hash tags in Twitter was a user driven convention for grouping common tweets.  Hash tags inform other users on Twitter that the subject of your tweet is something in which they may have an interest.

How does this help me gain more followers?

Through the practice of retweets.   If you are adept at blogging and have something of interest to the community, then you have a greater chance of being retweeted into foreign territory.  Hash tags are the perfect way to show potential followers that you share common interests.  Whereas you might have gone unnoticed before, your hash tag gives a nice wave to these future friends, letting them know, “Hey, I’m a philatelist too.  What a small world!”

So, How do I use hash tags in my tweets?

The use of hash tags can’t get any easier.

1. It’s best to do a quick search on Twitter to find out if there’s already a common hash tag for your tweeting topic.
2. Proceed your tweet with your hash tag – example: #stampcollecting Visit my blog at…

Hash tags are a very simple method for both grouping topics and gathering more followers with common interests - the kind of followers that your Twitter page deserves!

Hope to see you around the web,
Matthew