New website for CampCareKids.org launched

April 21, 2010 Beth Devine

CampCareKids.org is a websitepartners.biz project, a collaboration between Lisa Catanese of Blue Blaze Communications, LLC and cgwebhelp, llc. The website uses the WordPress framework to make it easy for the Camp staff to update and maintain. We also used a very slick plug-in that pulls photos from interior pages to make the slideshow on the home page.

Manage your domain name and beware of domain renewal scams

April 13, 2010 Beth Devine

You own your domain name and it’s an important part of branding your business. Some businesses are even named after their domain name–think Google, Yahoo, and yes, even cgwebhelp. So it’s important that you have control of your domain. You should know where it’s registered, when it will be due for renewal and how the process of renewal works. And you should watch out for domain transfer scams. Here’s a couple of scams that I see regularly.

Domain Registry of America

This company may be a legitimate domain registry service, but their methods for obtaining customers is so unethical, I certainly wouldn’t want to do business with them. Their technique for obtaining new customers? They send an invoice. Well it’s not really an invoice–it’s a solicitation to transfer the domain. If you look very closely at the fine print, you will read that by sending payment you are authorizing them to transfer your domain to their registry service. So the unsuspecting person sends them the $35 (which is likely more than their current registry charges to renew a domain) and unwittingly starts the process of transferring the domain.

Chinese Domains

This one arrives by email and suggests that your trademark is about to be infringed upon unless you swiftly purchase your domain with the .cn extension, as in yourdomain.cn. This might be of benefit if you have a market in China or you anticipate developing a market in China, but most of the folks I’ve known who have received this solicitation have no intention of marketing to China. For more information on this scam see http://professionalwebservices.blogspot.com/2007/10/chinese-domain-name-scams-from-china.html.

Know Where Your Domain is Registered

If your domain is important to your branding, and it most likely is, you should always know the following:

Where is it located? GoDaddy, Register, Network Solutions, Enom, OpenSRS, or one of the many other registry services available.
Know how to access the information and keep it updated with current contact information.
Know when it is due to expire and the process for payment. If it’s set for auto- renewal, make sure you keep a current credit card and contact information on file with the registry service. If they can’t charge your card because it’s expired, and the e-mail address on file is outdated, you’ll likely lose the domain name.

7 Rules to help you avoid Phishing, Spoofing and Other Online Scams

April 12, 2010 Beth Devine

Rule #1: Never respond to an e-mail request asking for your username and password.

Reputable companies never request usernames and passwords by email. The example email shown below uses a common phishing tactic–they are posing as a company or system you are familiar with in order to lure you into providing information…DO NOT BITE! See Rules 2 for additional guidelines to determine that this email is phony.

Example: The Webmail Scam

From: email [mailto:access@cyberservices.com]
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 10:45 AM
To: undisclosed recipients:

This message is sent automatically by our webmail program which periodically checks the size of inbox and also control anonymous registration of webmail accounts so we are shutting down some webmail accounts and your account was among those to be deleted. To help us re-set your SPACE on our database prior to maintaining your INBOX, you must reply to this e-mail and enter your:
Current User name:{ }
and Password: { },

Webmail Help Desk.

Rule #2: Positively identify the sender

Be suspicious of any email address from unknown sources and never respond to them with information. In this email they used the official sounding “access@cyberservices.com” but it’s possible for email scammers to use a known address in the from field. So even if you’re one of my customers and you get an email from my known email address asking for username or passwords out of the blue, be suspicious. When in doubt, revert to Rule #1.

Rule #3: Beware of Email links to phony websites

Email marketing is huge and if you’re like me you get many offers in your inbox every day. And if you’re like me you spend more money online than at the local malls (but that’s another story). There’s nothing wrong with shopping online as long as you ensure your clickthroughs land you at the real website. Positively identify that you’re at a legitimate website by checking the address field in your browser. It’s pretty easy for a scammer to create a look-alike website. For example if one clicks through a link on my e-newsletter to my website, the domain name in the address field will begin with http://cgwebhelp.com. There might be something after my domain like http://cgwebhelp.com/ blog/?cat=7 but the primary domain name will be cgwebhelp.com. If someone were trying to spoof me, you might see something like http://cgwebhelp.someotherdomain.com or possibly http://someotherdomain.com/cgwebhelp.

Rule #4: When in doubt look for a phone number

If you have doubts about doing business with a website, look for a phone number and address. Call it and see if you get a real person.

Rule #5: Google them

The internet is a great place to purchase hard to find items. My husband has kept our refrigerator alive much longer than I could have with the help of an obscure online parts store. But if you’re doing business with an unknown source, it doesn’t hurt to Google the business name and their web address to see if they’ve scammed anyone else.

Rule #6: SSL Certificates — heed the warnings

Chances are, if your computer is kept current with internet protection and anti-virus software, your browser will pop up a warning window if a site has an unauthorized secure certificate. If you get a warning window, you probably don’t want to enter secure information like a credit card account. It’s also a good practice to ensure before you enter sensitive information that the address field starts with a https:// instead of http://. Just remember “https” for security.

Rule #7: If it seems to good to be true…it probably is

You’ve all seen the emails from foreign dignitaries kindly requesting your bank account so they can deposit millions into your account. Or the email saying you’ve won some foreign lottery. I know you won’t fall for these tactics …will you?

Yes, You Can Be A Thought Leader

April 8, 2010

When people consider who to do business with, they often give the first opportunity to the company that’s top of mind. One way to be top of mind is to become a thought leader. A thought leader is someone well-known within an industry for expertise in a certain area. A thought leader is recognized among peers for innovative ideas; confidently promotes those ideas; and earns recognition for high business acumen.

Thought leaders are seen as trusted resources. Prospects gravitate toward thought leaders. Statements made by thought leaders have added weight and credibility. Here are seven steps that can turn you into a thought leader.

1. Pick your niche
Not even Tom Peters and Steve Jobs are thought leaders across all business topics. The narrower your thought leadership area, the easier it will be to rise to prominence.

It may be near impossible to become the thought leader for your entire industry, but you can be the thought leader for a small highly targeted niche—a specific product, customer need or application. For example, don’t try to be the thought leader on politics. Become the thought leader on 21st century town politics in New England.

2. Research and update
Even if you think you know 99% of what there is to know about your area of expertise, do research. Do lots of research. And create a system that will keep you up-to-date. As a thought leader, you must always be investing in acquiring new knowledge. Perhaps you devote 60 minutes a day to reading about your subject area. Have the mindset that you want to know everything possible about your subject. Rely on many sources to keep yourself current.

3. Write
Here’s the meat of the process. You must share what you know and do so in the right way. Put the readers’ interests first, not your own. Give away some of your best information (you’ll stand out and draw people to you). Be different. If you write about what others do, you’ll come across not as an expert but as an equal.

Begin by writing a list of article ideas. Check your list to make sure each idea will help promote your business and your thought leadership. Rank you ideas and write about the most powerful, most innovative one first.

4. Publish
Find editors (online and off line) who run articles about topics like those on your list. Get published. Remember to submit your work to leading websites, ezines and blogs. Check the editorial guidelines before you submit so you make certain your article meets the publication requirements.

5. Promote
Congratulations, you’ve joined Shakespeare and Stephen King as a published author. Let everyone know about your article. Post it on the company website. E-mail a link to your business contact list. Hand out copies to employees, customers, colleagues, prospects and vendors.

6. Speak
Get the articles you publish in front of convention planners and others who select business event speakers. Tell them you’re available. Wherever you speak, make copies of your articles available. And mention that you’re open for other speaking engagements.

7. Repeat and Repeat
Neither one article nor one speech makes a thought leader. Keep writing. Keep speaking. Keep learning.

Exposure brings exposure. Promotion snowballs into more promotion. Speaking leads to more speaking. Get on a roll.

What are common sense internet solutions?

March 8, 2010 Beth Devine

Let’s break it down. Merriam-Webster defines “common sense” as “sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts”.

We also find reference to the pamphlet Common Sense written by Thomas Paine during revolutionary times. Paine’s Common Sense made a straightforward argument for colonial independence that common folks understood. The plain-spoken pamphlet was widely read and is likely to have influenced the course of American history.

Given the definition of common sense, what are common sense internet solutions? If you define “solution” as being a problem solved, you could conclude that “common sense internet solutions’ translates to “a straightforward, sound and prudent course to solve your internet problems“.

Whoa! We can’t solve all the problems of the internet! But what we can do is solve your internet problems as it relates to your website. So if your website is not performing as expected, we can help diagnose the problems and take steps to improve it’s performance.

How do we do that? Let’s break it down.

The problem: Your website is not performing as expected. Perhaps you’d like to see…

increased traffic and exposure
increased sales
increased leads
better branding

Once your expectations are clear, we can take specific steps to solve your problem(s). First we would look at your website.

Is the website customer friendly? Is it well-designed? Will it appeal to your target market? Does it look professional? Is the content well-written and organized for on-screen viewing? Can the average person find the information they need quickly when visiting your website?
Is the website current? Does it have relevant updated information? Does it provide a way for customers to communicate with you? Is it inviting?
Is the website technically sound? Does it comply with current coding standards? Do all links, forms, carts, pages work the way they’re supposed to?

Once the website is user-friendly and polished, we look at how to spread the word.

Is the site coded for search engine optimization? Does it have well-written keyword title and descriptions tags? Does the content include keyword rich headings?
Are you tracking traffic? Are you using a good statistics program like Google Analytics to analyze and review your website traffic?
Are you or should you use social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube or Twitter to help spread your message?
Would an e-newsletter or e-promotion strategy help?
How about online advertising such as pay-per-click programs or banner ads?
Could you benefit from online public relations strategy using websites like ezinearticles.com?

Once we’ve worked through these steps, we can create common sense internet solutions that will fit your business and your website will be in a better position to meet your expectations.

The Value of Video on Your Website

February 19, 2010 Beth Devine

This week one of my long-time clients, Lynn Damon, stopped by my office with video she wanted me to add to her website. Lynn is a photographic artist who specializes in creating children and family portraits. Her portraits are stunning and her portfolio website provides a nice sampling of the work that she’s done over the years. And although I’m sure her portfolio itself brings her business it doesn’t tell the story of what it’s like to work with Lynn. That’s why the use of video on Lynn’s site is brilliant.

With the video you can see the rapport that she develops with her clients and subjects — usually small children. You see how much fun she makes the shoot for the children. You see how she treats her clients and how much they appreciate her work. In two short videos–the trailer on the entry page and the longer version on the video page of the site — you see just how pleasant it might be to hire Lynn Damon.

Check it out at lynndamon.com. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the videos and the portfolio.

The ABCs of Business Writing

February 12, 2010

Ask for action.
Build trust by telling the truth.
Clearly state your case.
Deliver value to the reader.
Educate, don’t pontificate.

Focus on one main point.
Give specifics.
Honor the reader’s intelligence.
Include power words like “you” and “money.”
Just get to the dang point.
Know your audience.

Leave the cliches out.
Make it new, interesting or important.
Never forget the importance of readability.
Organize your ideas logically.
Proofread, proofread and remember to proofread.

Question your reader to elicit a response.
Repeat your main point creatively.
Simplify difficult concepts.
Talk reader benefits, not product features.
Use strong active verbs.

Vary your sentence pattern.
Write for the head and the heart.
X out jargon.
Yield understanding.
Zero in on your readers’ true needs.

New websites launched for local manufacturer & regional event

January 22, 2010 Beth Devine

Local manufacturing company, Vision Technical Molding, LLC, launched a new website today. The new website features flash header on the home page and carousel slideshow in the Community section. Project management and design by Beth Devine and Carolyn Griswold, cgwebhelp,llc, copy writing by Nancy Simonds.

Earlier this month, we launched the website for the Greater Hartford Women’s Conference. The website promotes this Greater Hartford conference, offers online event registration and includes video of the event.

If I Build It They Will Come…

January 19, 2010 Beth Devine

This is a common misconception about websites. Your website is like a store. If you build a store on a country road and don’t advertise, you’re not going to get much business. Oh sure, you’ll get the occasional passer-by but not much more than that. Similarly, if you create a website and put it on-line, you’ll get the occasional visitor but people won’t be coming in droves.

So how do you get people to your site? A combination of practices will increase the number of visitors. The first, of course is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I know I’ve mentioned this before (more than once) but it’s essential for driving traffic to your site. The key point here is that SEO is not a one time deal but a continuous process. You need to constantly review your site stats, determine what is and isn’t working and adjust accordingly.

Another method to get people to your site is simply let them know you’re there. When creating a new site, you should send out an announcement. This is something that we did in the 90’s but got away from. For some reason we began to believe that people would magically find us if we uploaded our site. We know this isn’t true, so by all means send out a notice to everyone in your address book once your site is on-line. This is something you should do every time you have a change to your site that the viewers may be interested, which will be every time because why make a change to a site if no one’s going to be interested?!

Finally don’t omit social media! It is probably the single most useful and cost-effective tool available today to spread the word about your business. Tweet about it, mention it on your Facebook page, post a YouTube video, and let everyone in your Linked-in account know about it. Your social media strategy may vary from business to business, but every type of business can use social media to communicate with their client base.

If I Build It They Will Come…But Only If They Know It’s There!

Does your website belong in the Wayback Machine?

January 18, 2010 Beth Devine

Do you believe it’s 2010? Time really flies when you’re busy building a business. Seriously, it seems like just yesterday, we were celebrating the new millennium. If you haven’t updated your website design in the past several years, it’s probably time to take a look at the design to see if you should incorporate 2010 techniques and strategies into the design.

Just for fun I took a visit to the Wayback Machine to see how my business website has morphed over the past 10 years. Here are 3 samplings–the first from 2001, the second from 2005 and the latest version from 2009.

Notice the excess of white space on the 2001 version. That’s because back in 2001 the most commonly used screen resolution was 800 x 600. Now the most common size is above 1024 x 768 so on a modern monitor the 2001 version looks like a postage stamp. The 2005 version took up a little more screen space and incorporated a animated Flash header. The 2009 version incorporates social network links and RSS feeds from relevant blogs. It also is built using a custom WordPress design.

What’s changed in the last 10 years? Specifically, what’s changed that affects the online marketer and website design? Here are a few things that are now commonplace now, which 10 years ago were a rarity online (if around at all) :

Higher resolution monitors. It’s obvious viewing the samples above how screen resolution has changed over the last 10 years. A well-designed site will make good use of screen space.
Online video: Expanded broadband usage along with more personal computing power has allowed the usage of online video on websites to become the norm when only 10 years ago it would have been painfully slow on the majority of home computer systems. In addition the cost and quality of digital video cameras in the past few years has made video far less cost prohibitive for savvy online marketers. And of course YouTube might have had an effect too.
Social networks: Forums and discussion boards have been around since the internet began, but the widespread popularity of social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and others as well as the use of blogging have changed how marketers communicate and network in the last few years. The savvy business person is incorporating social networks into their marketing strategy and is expanding their network worldwide.
Smartphones: As more people access the web via their smartphone, the savvy business person will make their web presence more usable on the smartphone screen and will make sure they show up in Smartphone search results by getting listed in directories such as Google Local.
Google power: Is there anything Google can’t do now? Google’s been around for at least ten years, but they continue to develop tools for webmasters and site owners that are essential for managing and monitoring your website strategies. Not just Google Search, but Google Local, Google Analytics, Google Checkout, IGoogle — these are just a few of the Google tools I use on a regular basis and there’s many more. Go to Google and search webmaster tools and see what they have to offer.

If you’re contemplating how to freshen your website for 2010, take a good look at the design and make sure the look is not dated. Consider adding video. Expand your online network through the social networking sites and make your presence there known on your website. Consider how your website looks on a smartphone and if your’re found when someone searches for your type of business on their smartphone. And finally, check out the Google tools and suggestions for managing your website.