Branding Across the Social Media Web

Customers are ringing our phones off the hook trying to take advantage of all the free advertising available from the Social Media web explosion. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn... they want to be everywhere and updated all the time.

Social Media is an amazing market with tons of potential and everyone trying to find the next big thing. Your website strategy should include an attitude of constant improvement and tweaking. Content, keywords, reaching out to new markets. Your website is never, ever, "done". Keep that in mind as you are preparing your budget for 2010. Make sure there is room for your website technology to grow.

With the explosion of all the social media websites, has come the question "when is enough... enough?" When do we put down the mouse, keyboard, crack-berry, and other media and information feeding devices and go outside to jump in the leaves?

Located in Charlotte, NC we experience some beautiful fall days. Let's hope with all this information overload we don't forget to occasionally call it a day early and enjoy the weather.

Cheers fellow surfers,
Raechel

Jumping into the Mosh Pit of Micro Blogging

At Charlotte WebPROS we're constantly looking for ways to improve our rank, standing, and how the internet world finds us. Today we jumped into the pit and updated accounts all over the place: Twitter, TweetMyJobs, Facebook... but honestly, do we have the budget to invest in each of these advertising paths? Who does these days? There are so many places to advertise and so many little things that have to be done to manage a web strategy, the little guys are going to get overwhelmed. Again.

I have customers that we have to nag to get them to update their websites once per year. Now its daily, hourly. When does it end? When we have Blackberries Anonymous? Will we create a shorter list of steps for those people addicted to updating everything, all the time. Move over cocaine, meth, here comes the greatest addiction of all... information.

All of a sudden I want to take my kids outside and play in the sprinklers while my phone, email, and pager all remain on my desk; vibrating, beeping, and screaming for my return.

Unplug yourself if you can.

Cheers!

Raechel

Page Rank - Lessons Learned

Web Design is becoming more and more a race to the top of Google. Everyone is viewing page source, copying META tags, and Blogging their brains out to get a higher rank. We are no exception. But how does the average business owner tap into their web design firm to get the info they need without paying an arm and a leg in support hours?

Easy, its called your website statistics reports and Google Analytics.

Website Statistics
I never did well in statistics, but boy do I wish I had studied harder now. Any well architected web server should contain a set of reports that you can access on a monthly basis to review traffic and surfing trends. If your hosting company doesn't provide this type of service, contact Charlotte WebPROS, Inc.

Google Analytics
If you can use Google to search, set up your own analytics account. Then, navigating through the help and documentation, you can do some research and pinpoint areas for improvement in your websites. With some time spent looking into your website as Google sees it, you can talk intelligently with your web support team and channel their efforts in the direction of tasks that will gain you the most for your SEO dollar.

One thing holds true in all of this, no matter now fancy the ranking tools get, your website will only be as good as the effort you put into it. If you build it and then never update it, forget it. "Build it and they will come" is an attitude of the past. You have to update it, you have to read your own site, you have to look at what your competitors are doing and do it better.

GIGI (Garbage In Garbage Out) is still the montra of any computer programmer, internet developer, client-server architect, or mainframe manager worth his or her salt.

Cheers,

Raechel D. Curiel
Senior Application Designer
Charlotte WebPROS, Inc.

Shady Web Companies - Don't Get Taken!

Dear Internet Public:

As a web design firm, Charlotte WebPROS designers meet with customers all over the Carolinas to discuss their current websites, their goals, and what steps they have taken to date to achieve their goals. Recently, I met with a local Charlotte company which had contracted another firm to support their new website effort. During the contract initiation, the CEO got suspicious of the new firm and called us. Once I heard what they had encountered, I was glad they called.

If you are reading this, and take one thing away from the information herein, let it be this - YOU SHOULD OWN YOUR NAME ON THE WEB! Do not, under any circumstances, let any company buy, transfer, or replace the management of your Internet domain name record. My customer was asked to do just that by their new web firm. This is absolutely a shady tactic! Watch out for anyone who says, "We need you to transfer your Domain Name Registration to us."

I have been designing and programming on the Internet for over 14 years. I have NEVER told a customer they had to transfer their domain record. They can if they want, but it is NEVER a requirement. If this is happening to you, call me at my office 704-287-6785. I'd be glad to listen to your situation and suggest a best next step, even if you are not a Charlotte WebPROS customer.

Our company is devoted to excellence on the Internet - one website at a time. If your instincts send up a red flag, LISTEN TO THEM!

Watch out for the shady characters.

Best of luck,

Raechel D. Curiel
Senior Application Designer
Charlotte WebPROS, Inc.

Website Design for Non-Profits

On average we get about 2 calls per month from groups who need a website, or need a better website, but have no budget for it and they are reaching out to see if there are companies out there who will donate their services. Where some companies are all about the paying contract, Charlotte WebPROS is different.

We have been responsible for several robust web based applications for non-profit organizations and are always looking for an opportunity to give back to our community through donations of time and talent.

Want a closer look at our donated websites? Check out these current and completed projects:

• St. Thomas Aquinas Church


• Alliance Francais of Charlotte


• Avenues 2 Success - Newly launched

We enjoy supporting the Cultural, Religious, and Social entities that help people in our community every day. The internet is growing and expanding, and non-profit organizations need websites too. Next time you talk to a web design firm, ask them how they give back, not just what their bottom line is.


Regards,

Raechel D. Curiel
Senior Application Designer
Charlotte WebPROS, Inc.