It’s happened.  My dad’s discovered Facebook.  He has a profile picture and everything.  He even yearbooked himself.

In early July I heard a story on NPR that posed the question: “Can you be friends with your mom on Facebook?”  When I heard that story on the radio I laughed, but I immediately started the debate in my head: if one of my parents joined Facebook would I befriend them?  I thought, I’m 27 years old and I have nothing to hide from my parents so yes, I would add my parents as Facebook friends if they ever joined.  Less than a month later my sister sent me a friend suggestion for my father.

There’s a website devoted to children whose parents have joined Facebook.

I only reviewed the site for a moment, but it seemed to be comprised of screenshots of status updates and comments from kids poking fun at their parents for taking quizzes or leaving flirtatious messages on their spouse’s wall.  It was less of a support group for kids whose doting parents had joined Facebook to check up on them while they are away at college and more of a place to vent about the moral frustrations of not being able to deny their mom or dad’s friend request.

Over the course of the last three months my dad has joined Twitter and Facebook and most recently joined the ranks of the iPhone elite.  He currently has two apps on his iPhone, one of them is Twitterific.

I asked my dad why he Tweets and why he finally decided to join Facebook.  To understand his answer, I should probably preface it with a little background on my father.  He’s the Associate Director of Facilities for Maintenance at St. Bonaventure University.  Most recently he participated in a campus-wide safety drill.

“I wasn’t real interested in Facebook until this spring when we had our emergency preparedness drill. I ended up in the middle of the response command center (they actually moved inside and took over my building). (My boss) was at the operations command center across campus.”

In the fall of 2008, St. Bonaventure ran an emergency preparedness drill to ensure the safety of students, staff, and faculty members in case of a campus-wide emergency in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings and other college campus emergencies.

“Throughout years of emergency preparedness I have had a strong opinion that communicating in this current era and with this generation required some non-traditional concepts. That was my first reaction after Virginia Tech. At SBU they would have sent an emergency notice board on the e-mail system. I thought, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE PEOPLE POTENTAILLY AFFECTED AT SBU WOULD GET THAT MESSEAGE?  We have since done some things differently. On drill day, (a staff member) was able to produce a photo from Facebook and forward it to my PC for law enforcement officials to view.  We were making things up as we went along and were at that point forced to think ‘outside the box,’ thus, my interest in Facebook.”

My sister and I both have iPhones, and since our father told us that he was thinking about getting a new phone last fall we’ve been pushing him toward getting an iPhone as well.  The emergency preparedness helped solidify his decision.

“That is also why I wanted a smart phone- and particularly an iPhone, to have access to all of these communication vehicles from anywhere.”

I’ll take credit for his Twitterdom though.  I was the first person who I knew to adopt Twitter (I’m not bragging, it just wasn’t in my friends’ vocabulary until I talked them into joining).

“Twitter is more of a curiosity. But I want to be familiar- again if I want to use it or if it ever became an emergency communication pathway. Nobody is going to follow me, and I don’t have much to say until I have followers. I just have random thoughts that I like to express. And I like to have my finger on the pulse even though I am old.”

The truth is I didn’t cringe when my father joined Facebook, I smiled.  He actually uses technology for something useful/work related, where as I am seeking only to reap the social rewards.  Using Facebook for work hasn’t stopped him from having fun with it though.  He’s uploaded vacation pictures and a photo of his enormous cat.   Who knows maybe he’ll even talk my mom into joining?

Don’t be discouraged next time you hear someone talking about Facebook or Twitter.  When you have a few minutes do some research for yourself and find out which social network is right for you to join.  If my dad can do it, so can you.  Just remember, you’re never too old to Tweet.

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To be successful on the web, one of your responsibilities is to satisfy your client’s needs and help them reach their goals.  But nothing frustrates visitors more than sloppy, broken, ugly websites.    How does your site hold up?

Consider your website to be wallpaper, it will fade over time.   If you already operate on the Fission Web System then you really have no excuse to have a stinky website.  But how do you know if your site stinks?

Is your content stale?

Freshening up your content is not only good for search engines, it keeps reader satisfaction high.  The idea is to keep readers engaged and give them relevant information.  If you’ve had the same content on your website for a year or two, then you’re not offering visitors anything new.

Updating your website’s content can be easy.  Add company news and industry news with the Fission News Manager.  Have your products changed?  Update product descriptions.  Post special events that you have coming up in the event manager and add links on your homepage.  Do you have an FAQ page?   Stay on top of help topics.  Help your visitors and update your content at the same time.

The Fission Web System’s easy-to-use content management system makes it easy update your site’s content in the WYSIWYG editor.  Change your headlines, update keywords, and change your pictures and title tags.

Is your press manager old news?

Newspapers are distributed daily; news shows every morning and evening; and news websites are updated constantly.  We understand that you’re not a news organization and staying on top of industry news can be a daunting task.  However, letting your clients know that your company is still a vital participant in your industry is important.  Any time you have a company event, win an award, or reach a milestone (even small ones), why not write a short press release?

Fission’s press manager makes it easy to create news articles and publish them on a news page or create a news module to show up on specific pages as an RSS feed of your own company news.

Missing Images?

Did someone from your office delete your images?  Were your images linked from another website, maybe your old site, and the site no longer exists?

Missing images will make your website look empty and broken.  Upload new images to your image manager and give them titles and descriptions so search engines can reference them.  Fission’s image manager is user friendly.  You can upload and edit photos right in the CMS.

Broken links?

Does your site have link rot?  Over time your links can become broken or irrelevant, but it might not always be your fault.  If a site that you link to allows its domain to expire, your link could point to a page that no longer relates to your content or possibly no longer exists.

Point your visitors in the right direction, double check your links to make sure they point to the correct content.

Is your web design outdated?

If your site is between two and three years old then it’s time to start thinking about a redesign.

With Fission’s framework you can keep all of your SEO and content and just swap out your old design.  Think of a redesign as a new suit or a new dress.  Your old one is worn out, it has a few holes, the stitching is coming apart, and it’s faded.  Add a new website design to your Fission framework and wow your audience.

Your web designer bailed?

Did your web designer start creating your site and then bail on you halfway through the project?  A lot of free lancers will leave in the middle of the project or drop the ball because of lack of experience and discipline.  Just because your web designer isn’t accountable, doesn’t mean that you should get stuck with half the product.  It’s time to find a reliable company who can fix your problems and help you take your site to the next level.

360 PSG employs full-time experienced graphic designers who are focused on delivering professional websites that are effective marketing tools.  With your brand image at the forefront of the project, 360 PSG’s graphic designers create functional websites that convey your message clearly and allow visitors to navigate

Not showing up in Google?

Search engine optimization is constantly changing.  Have you checked your keyword density, page titles, page headings, and keywords?  Just like visitors, search engines like to see new content, so make your site more visible to them.

In the Fission CMS, you have the power to control all of the elements mentioned above.  Plus, 360 PSG offers comprehensive search engine optimization analysis packages that go more in depth than your standard SEO.

Not sure what stinks?

Fill out the website stinks form here and let 360 PSG’s web design experts tell you why your site stinks.

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I’m standing in the middle of the Delaware Park golf course staring at a red garbage truck parked under an elm tree.  I had just walked the length of two par three fairways, holes 12 and 13, and then most of the par four 14, and I was lost.

Welcome to the 2009 JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge: 10,000 participants, 3.5 miles around Delaware Park; where half the fun’s just getting there!

Part One: Getting There

Traffic was supposed to be horrendous; 10,000 Corporate Challengers all going to Delaware Park at rush hour on Thursday with Thursday in the Square going on less than 5 miles away.  Oh Gar!  Luckily the Scajaqueda and the 190 were clear and I made it to Parkside Ave. from the 360 PSG Amherst headquarters in almost no time.  I pulled up a side street and then down another.  Most houses had “Do Not Stand” signs taped to garbage cans at the end of their driveways.  Parking was scarce.  Lucky for me, a Ford Focus was pulling out of a spot as I came to a stop sign.  I swung my car around, parallel parked, and began my trek toward the park.

Call #1:

As I was leaving my car, I called Joel to ask him where he, Matt, and Ben were.  He said, “You’ll see some tents set up, just start heading toward them.”

Unfortunately, when I reached the park it was a tent jungle, and I was looking for our small group of 360 PSG corporate challengers; one of the groups without a tent.  It would be almost impossible to spot them.

I stopped short of the tents.  Let’s try this again I thought.

Call #2:

“Where are you guys?” I had to ask Joel again.

He told me, “Somewhere in the middle.”

I tried to use a landmark to figure it out.  “If I’m facing the wall of Porta Johns are you to the left or the right of that?”

“Kind of in the middle, in the back.”

“Okay, I’ll find you,” I said and hung up.

I was never going to find them.

All around me other corporate challengers were sending up hotdog flavored smoke signals to their coworkers, throwing Frisbees and footballs; I’m sifting through the crowd trying to pick out two guys wearing red shirts.  News flash: Believe it or not, much to my chagrin, we don’t have a monopoly on the red t-shirt industry.  Weird.

Under an elm tree to my left a bunch of red shirts were taking a group photo.  My spirits were lifted momentarily while I considered the potential photo bombing opportunities that would surely arise in such a large crowd.  I walked a little further until I could see the end of tent row.

This is ridiculous, I thought.  Find a landmark.

I stopped “in the middle” behind the tent village and looked out into Delaware Park.  That’s when I saw the red garbage truck parked in the grass under the shade of a huge elm.  I called Joel again.

Call #3:

“Hey, where are you?” He answered his phone.

“Okay, can you see the red garbage truck parked in the middle of the park?”

“Yeah, we can see that.”

“Where are you in relation to that?”

As I’m asking him, I turned and saw Matt carrying a manila envelope.

“Wait, nevermind I see Matt.  I’ll just follow him.”

I turned around to follow Matt and noticed that Joel, Ben, and Jen (Ben’s wife) were all sitting in a circle of green fold-out chairs no more than 20 feet from me.

Part Two: The “Race”

I started at the 9-minute mile mark with Ben, Jen, and Joel.  Matt had gone up to take a place at the 7-minute mile marker.  He warned us that if you start anywhere behind the 10-minute line you’re forced to walk for the first five minutes while the crowd filters out, and Matt wanted to run.

Mayor Byron Brown was on a stage just past the 6-minute mile starting line.  I could barely hear him start the race, but as I stood on my toes overlooking the crowd, the herd of runners started to go.  It was like the wave pool at Cedar Point.  It started at the front.  Heads started to bounce and like the road was a suspension bridge the bouncing worked its way back to me; before I knew it my feet were moving and I was one of the pack.

And then we ran.  Some walked, some actually RAN, and some, like me, jogged.  We went West down Amherst Street, turned South on Delaware Ave., ran around the statue at Gates Circle, and then back up to Middlesex Road, where we cut across to Meadow Road until we hit the finish on Ring Road back in Delaware Park.

A mustachioed gentleman handed me a bottle of water after I crossed the finish line.  40 minutes and 22 seconds.  On the road back to the tents there were tables with boxes full of fruits and snacks for runners to refuel.

Tent city was a ghost town.  Two thirds of the runners were still on the course.  Finding our spot behind the tents wasn’t difficult after the race.  I headed toward the red garbage truck until I saw our green chairs.

I was the first one back, so I sat down and stretched out.  I drank my bottle of water and enjoyed the warm afternoon sun as it sunk behind the park trees over the race course.  Soon Matt appeared eating a cookie.  Ben and Jen followed, and finally Joel.  Ian and his girlfriend Jess appeared from the sea of tents.

Ben and Matt grilled hot dogs on a small propane grill.  We joked about our struggles to make it through the three miles; Matt and Joel inevitably talked business and networked; and Ben took a pretty good ribbing from pretty much everyone for forgetting his Frisbee in his car.

Luckily, the tent next to us offered us their Frisbee.  Ben, Ian, Jess, and I played catch until almost dark.  Tents started to come down and the crowd dissipated.  We folded up our green chairs, put the leftover hot dogs back in the cooler, and parted ways.

“See you at work tomorrow.”

I walked back past the red garbage truck, across the 14th and 13th fairways toward Parkside Ave. and got to the basketball courts before I stopped.

I panicked for a moment as I thought, “Where’d I park my car?”

My stats:

I finished the 3.5 mile course with a time of 40 minutes and 22 seconds; two chocolate chip cookies, two bottles of water, two hot dogs, one bag of Troyer Farms Cheese Puffs, and one banana.  Not great.  Not terrible.  And I’d say it was a little refreshing if I didn’t feel like I was going to barf up a lung afterward.  Overall good first Corporate Challenge.

Update:

Matt’s Stats:  38 minutes, 2 seconds (a wall of people prevented me finishing under the 38 minute mark), 4 Beers (2 Before the Race and 2 After), 2 Water Bottles, 4 Chocolate Chip Cookies, 1 Bag of Pretzels, 1 Bag of Chips, 4 Hot Dogs, 1 Banana, 1 Apple, 1 Orange.

Feelings after the Race: Hurting …

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Find out how 360 Professional Services Group created a fake limo company, had the site crawled by search engines, ranked on the first page of results of two major search engines, and even got a ride request with no search engine optimization efforts.

In an effort to engage new clients, 360 PSG built a vertical market in November 2008 geared toward limousine and transport companies in need of websites.  Fission Transport was launched to promote packages ranging from simple sites to fully customized websites.

As part of the Fission Transport site, 360 PSG graphic designers built a demo site for Luxury Limo Co., a fictitious transport company, to showcase Fission web features like customizable modules, event calendar, testimonial manager, photo gallery, customizable content pages, and a basic “reserve your ride” contact form.

On March 21, 2009 360 PSG received a completed contact form reserving a stretch baby Bentley limo for Friday May 8, 2009.  The customer searched for “stretch Bentley limo” and found our site, which was ranked 6th and 7th on AOL and Google search engines respectively as of March 21st.

How was this possible?

We launched a demo site for a vertical market with basic content population and zero search optimization efforts; but the built-in search engine optimization tools of the Fission Web System got the site crawled by search engines and even garnered a limousine reservation.

The answer is simple: the power of the Fission Web System.

Every Fission website has powerful search engine optimization tools built in, which is why Luxury Limo Co. was able to reach the first page of search results on two major search engines.

Not only was our demo site extremely easy to find, but our “Call to Action” on the site was so effective that a customer actually booked a limousine ride with us.

So the point of this isn’t to boast that we tricked a customer into believing that we were a real limousine company, but rather to demonstrate the potential your website could possess if it operated on the Fission Web System.

Update: Since the first request for a limousine ride, we have received TWO more reservations for limo rides.

The Fission Web System continues to bring business to Luxury Limo Co. even though the company doesn’t exist, so just imagine what Fission could do for your site if we just put five minutes of actual dedicated SEO service in place.

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Good news for everyone who is still playing catch up on the social networking scene.  There’s something new.  Wait, before you throw your hands up in defeat, let me tell you that it is not a new network, well not really, but it is useful and extremely easy to use.  It’s called Poken.

Developed in Switzerland, Poken is a USB drive shaped like a little person (three-eyed alien, panda bear, a firey skeleton, or a bee are available) with a silver hand attached to its side.  When you hold the hand against another person’s Poken, giving them a high four, your device glows green telling you that you have successfully exchanged virtual business cards between the two devices.

Your Poken can store up to 64 contacts at any one time, and it will glow red if a connection was not made, in which case you just try again.
At home, your Poken’s hand detaches from the body and plugs into your computer’s USB drive.  Through encrypted coding it transfers all of your new friend’s social network information into your Poken account where you can manage all of your contacts and your own information.

***In case you’ve only read this far and had to stop to immediately purchase a Poken for you and all of your friends or coworkers (hint, hint, Joel, you can buy them in twelve packs…) then I have good news: You don’t need to start an online account before using your Poken.  Of course you can set it up while you wait for your device to arrive in the mail, which you should have plenty of time to do because Pokens aren’t sold in the US yet.

Getting an account is painless and it takes about four minutes to complete the form.  But don’t drag your feet.  Be aware that you need to activate your account before your friends can add you to their network otherwise an “unregistered” message is displayed on their profile when they plug you into their computers and they’ll probably delete you.

When you create your “business card,” add information for up to 25 social networks from Badoo or Bahu to more stream-lined networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Orkut.  Upload a single picture, add as much contact information as you want friends to see like phone number, address, email, blogs, organizations, or birthday, and you’re on your way.

You can also set up different identities for yourself where you can group your new Poken friends as you add them giving contacts only the information that you want to see.

“Business card?  What is this, 2008?”

Poken means no more typing names and numbers in your cell phone or scribbling on cocktail napkins at parties.

Let me give you an example:

You’re at a party and you start talking to Tim Wilson whom you find out shares your love for collecting laserdiscs.

Before Poken:

Tim gives you his business card and tells you that he has a great Facebook laserdisc discussion group where rare discs are bartered for regularly.  You go home and search for “Tim Wilson” on Facebook ready to start trading movies with other cinephiles, but you find over 500 search results for his name.  Now you’re stuck sifting through every Tim Wilson on the planet.  Once you find him, you have to send him a friend request and cross your fingers that he checks his Facebook regularly before you can join his world-class laserdisc fan club.  No fun.

Since Poken:

You meet Tim Wilson at a party and talk about collecting laserdiscs.  You both have a Poken, you connect them, and when you get home all of his social networks are at your disposal.  Before you know it, you’re finally able to watch Jenny Lewis and Fred Savage in The Wizard on laserdisc thanks to your new friend Tim Wilson and his awesome Facebook group.

The Ups and Downs of Poken Strangers

Of course, like any piece of technology, there’s a downside.  If you are on Facebook and you Poken someone who is only on Orkut and Hyves then one of you needs to join one of the others’ networks.  On the upside, you might discover a new social network that you love in the process.

Another strike against the Poken is that it runs on battery power.  According to the official site www.doyoupoken.com, your Poken battery will last approximately six (6) months.  The more you use it though, the shorter your battery will last.  When inserted in your computer, your Poken will blink telling you that it’s hungry for more batteries.  Never fear, the battery is a Lithium CR1632, which I found for as cheap as $1.66 on Amazon.com.  You can remove your old battery and install the new one with a flathead screwdriver in a matter of seconds.

Security is not an issue.  When you set up your account, you enter your username and password for each social network that you use.  The information is only entered once used only to authenticate each account for your Poken.

If you ever lose your Poken, mark it “Lost” on your online account.  You can even send a message to the person who finds your Poken to display if they plug it into their computer.  By default, each time you plug the device into your USB port, you are prompted to enter your password anyway, ensuring security.  No one else ever has access to your information.  Plus, you don’t store personal information on your Poken.  It’s all stored on the website where you interact with new friends.

I’m sold on the idea, but do I really need another device to carry around with me?

By now you have enough grocery store key fobs and iPods and cell phones to carry around.  Why do you need another thing to lug around?  Pokens come with a clip that you can hook onto your keys, briefcase, backpack or belt loop.  It’s much faster than digging a business card out of your crusty wallet and your online identity is more comprehensive than a piece of cardboard with your name and phone number on it.

Poken hasn’t exactly caught on in the United States yet though NPR reported that Pokens were present at this year’s South by Southwest Festival (SXSW).  Until everyone is carrying these around, Poken friends will be scarce but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t get one.  The technology will probably move to cell phones very soon, but that will require everyone to buy a brand new $200 phone to use it.  Why not spend $16 for a Poken and start socializing now?

Drink the Kool Aid.  Get a Poken and you’ll be throwing more high fives (well, fours) than David Puddy.

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If you are fortunate enough to have a website designed and/or hosted by 360 Professional Services Group then coffee is fueling your internet.  More precisely, Folgers Classic Roast (now with 35 more cups.)

A fresh pot of coffee can be just as important to a busy office as a speedy internet connection; after all, coffee is the lifeblood of most workforces, certainly ours.  Whether we like to admit it or not, caffeine keeps us going.  We all fuel up before we leave for work or stop to get a cup on the way to work, and a cup once we get to work, and then maybe one more cup in the afternoon.  Okay, let’s face it.  We’re coffee fiends.

The internet never sleeps so for the 12 hours or so a day that we’re awake and producing quality websites, we need to be as alert as possible.

Take away our coffee pot and you’re probably going to see a significant decrease in productivity.  Like the undead in a Zombie apocalypse our workers turn cranky and unpredictable.  They start moaning from caffeine deprivation, stumbling around the office aimlessly biting coworkers.  It isn’t pretty.

For me there’s nothing better than being met at the front door by the sweet smell of a fresh pot of coffee brewing.  Unfortunately though, most days I’m the coffee man, which means there is no bitter aroma wafting down the hallway to greet me as I enter our office building.  If I want it, I have to make it.  Luckily, I have a little experience.

After college, I moved to Hollywood for three years.  All those tales you’ve heard about hapless production assistants who are forced to fetch their bosses coffee are true.  For the first 10 months that I lived and worked there, I was the coffee retriever for a production office.

Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Dunkin’ Donuts, double caramel macchiato, Venti vanilla latte no foam, small black two creams half a packet of Splenda, double-double three ice cubes and make sure the woman who sells it to you has green eyes and her name has to be Claire; you name it, I’ve ordered it, balanced it on the front seat of my car doing 50 through the morning traffic on Santa Monica Blvd., and delivered it while it was still hot enough to burn the pants off a McDonalds drive-thru patron.

So no, I don’t mind being the coffee guy.  But that doesn’t mean that the pressure is off.

Being responsible for providing the office java is nerve wracking.  The shear aroma from a bad brew can stink up the office for hours.  Do you make it the way that you like it?  The way the boss likes it?  Some like it strong, some like it mild.  Do you take a poll and go with the majority?

So what’s the secret to finding that perfect grounds-to-water ratio?

I’ll be honest.  Until only a few years ago, I had no coffee knowledge.  I didn’t consume coffee in college.  The only time I had ever been to a Starbucks until I moved to California and joined the workforce was to ask for directions or use the restroom.

What’s percolating in your office?

Just before Christmas, 360 PSG got a new coffee pot and a bean grinder.  It has been nothing short of awesome.  There’s even a “Flavor Plus” button.  (Though, whenever we brew straight Folgers, I’m not sure any actual flavor is enhanced, it just takes twice as long to brew).  Best of all though, productivity has gone through the roof.

Raise your hand if you can make a pot of coffee right now.

I did a survey to see how many people in the 360 PSG office drink coffee or if they prefer a caffeinated alternative, and if they’re able to make a pot of coffee.

1.    Do you drink coffee at work?  (Yes or No)
Ben: Not Often
Joel, Jill, Jason, Matt Wh., Tanya, and Matt Wetter: YES
Ian: Sometimes
Eric: Normally, unless I have Red Bull.

2.     If so, how many cups per day?
Ben: 1 per month
Joel: One Tim Horton’s extra large or about 4 Styrofoam cups of office brew
Jill, Matt Wh.: 1 – 2
Jason: More than I can count, and more than any normal person should drink in any given time period.
Ian: 0-2
Tanya: 4-5
Matt Wetter: I don’t drink it often, but when I do it’s usually 2-3 cups
Eric: I consume around a pot a coffee a day (including home) when I actually drink coffee

3.     Why do you drink it?
Ben: To satisfy a craving
Joel: Taste, plus keeps the edgy pep.
Jill: I liked the taste, but it’s almost just a habit
Jason: Stimulates my mind and body.  Also, because that’s what the cool workers do.
Matt Wh.: Taste, Caffeine, Hot Beverage
Tanya: Addiction
Matt Wetter: Usually to wake up
Eric: To make my brain function
Ian: Energy

4.    If you do not, do you drink tea, Red Bull, anything w/ caffeine?
Ben: Tea
Jason: I also drink tea on occasion for the antioxidant benefits.
Matt Wh.: Lots of Cherry Coke.
Matt Wetter: I drink tea a bit more often than coffee
Ian: If not coffee, I drink tea or Red Bull.

5.    What is your favorite kind of coffee or caffeine drink (Starbucks, Red Bull, Dunkin’, Tim Ho’s etc.)
Ben: Tim Ho’s, then Dunkin, then Red Bull, then the water in my sink after it fails to drain, then Starbucks*
Joel: Tim Horton’s
Jill: Tim Horton’s, though Starbucks can be a nice treat (it’s just way too pricey)
Jason: Tim Horton’s, everything else is for kids.
Matt Wh.: Tim Horton’s
Matt Wetter: Cafe Mocha
Eric: Starbucks or Red Bull
Ian: Red Bull

6.    If someone asked you to make a pot of coffee, right now, could you do it?  If not, why?
Ben: No, don’t know the proportions of grounds to water.
Joel: Yes, if I can find where all the stuff is stashed.
Jill: I could… but do you really want me to? I mean all sorts of fun hazardous materials make their way into that pot of coffee… just sayin.
Jason: I could, but that would involve me doing actual work.  Also, if coffee had a face I would punch it in it … because that’s what I do.  Oh wait wrong survey.
Matt Wh.: No, too busy! If I did, it wouldn’t be that good anyways.
Tanya: Sure if I’m not too busy @ work
Matt Wetter: Probably not, lol.  I’m not really a coffee drinker.  I usually will choose something over coffee.
Eric: Sure can.
Ian: Yes.

Tim Horton’s, here we come!

We love Tim Horton’s.  In fact, it’s usually the Canadian coffee guru’s brew that fuels our search engine optimizers, graphic designers and programmers.

There’s a Tim Horton’s on the corner of Ridge Lea and Niagara Falls Boulevard where all the web experts from 360 PSG turn on their way into work each morning.  It’s little more than a stone’s throw away from our headquarters so there is usually a daily “Tim Horton’s run.”
Our office trash cans are normally filled with Tim Horton’s cups.

And when it’s time for the “Roll Up the Rim to Win” contest, forget about it.  We win free donuts and large coffees like Jason Ortiz spins dollars on the Price is Right wheel.**

If nothing else, coffee might give you that afternoon jolt that inspires a blog for your website or the energy to finish the workday strong.

Drink coffee, drink it often, and be productive.

*What’s up with Ben’s disdain for Starbucks?

**On May 12, 2008, our director of programming services Jason Ortiz traveled to Los Angeles and attended a taping of the Price is Right.  He was called on stage, won a wine rack, spun $1 on the prize wheel resulting in a $1000 bonus and a trip to the showcase showdown, where, unfortunately, he overbid on the car package.

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“Get the big picture about the microblogosphere.”

You have 140 characters to say what you’re doing, what you’ve done, what you’re thinking about doing, or what just happened to you.

That’s Twitter in a nutshell.

Ready?  Go.

It isn’t easy.  But a few people have figured it out (Hubspot estimates 5-10,000 new users join each day) and are reaping all the benefits.

Don’t fret.  It isn’t necessary to Tweet every three minutes to be relevant in a social network.*

Prepare for flight; here’s how to Tweet:

1.   Say something
Don’t just post your breakfast menu; unless you were closing a lucrative business deal over breakfast or you’re Starbucks

’Just had a cup of our Guatemala Casi Cielo … It means ‘almost heaven’ in Spanish,’ a Starbucks manager wrote in a recent Twitter post.”

http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/18/twitter-europe-blog-tech-ebiz-cx_mb_0119twitter.html

Starbucks is just one U.S. company who markets on Twitter.  Dell, Pepsi, Ford, and the Wall Street Journal have also joined the trend.

Promote your business.  Let followers know what new services you are offering.  Give them news updates.

2.    Ask for help
Twitter is your messenger pigeon.  Work it until the wings fall off.  Ask your followers to reTweet for you.  More links = more business.

’Getting your content “ReTweeted” on Twitter (i.e. getting people to repeat what you’ve said, usually along with a link) can drive significant quality traffic to your site, which in turn can boost your subscriber numbers.’”

http://www.copyblogger.com/go-viral-on-twitter/

Beware though, Twitter uses link shortening, which means you may not reap all of the SEO benefits unless someone reposts your link on their blog.

3.    Be relevant
Post URLs and keywords (without keyword stuffing) and post at least once per day.  This is microblogging! It’s quick and easy.

4.    Grow your flock
Find followers.  Invite friends Myspace or Facebook.  Get closer to clients.  Invite your associates.  Spread the word.

5.    Share info faster
No more signing into blogs, writing an article just to link another article; to Tweet simply copy, paste, and post

6.    Branch out
Use Twitter to market.  Tweet your news first.

Check out what Tweetnews is doing:

TweetNews combines the results from Yahoo news and compares it with the topics which are hitting Twitter. The service then organizes the Yahoo News based upon what has popularity among individuals using Twitter. This will deliver a search engine that tracks breaking news using Twitter search results. Which will give individuals using Twitter exposure to more detailed information regarding breaking news Tweets.

During the Mumbai attacks, individuals were stressed when trying to get more details and it was difficult to find news articles as the news was breaking. This is actually where the inspiration for TweetNews came from. So now, when you search for Tweets on a specific topic, you are also delivered additional links to news articles.”

http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/content-view-41093-118.html

What is Twitter doing?

Isn’t Twitter just a fad?

Sure, Twitter might not be here for long.  But while it’s here, harness its potential.

President Obama found it to be a tool worthy of announcing his running mate.

NY Times technology columnist David Pogue recently reviewed Twitter in his blog and admitted that he was skeptical of Twitter’s usefulness:

Twitter.com is all the rage among geeks, although it has more hype than users at this point. (When I speak at tech and education conferences, I routinely ask my audience how many are on Twitter. Usually, it’s 1 in 500.)

Then my eyes were opened. A few months ago, I was one of 12 judges for a MacArthur grant program in Chicago. As we looked over one particular application, someone asked, “Hasn’t this project been tried before?”

Everyone looked blankly at each other.

Then the guy sitting next to me typed into the Twitter box. He posed the question to his followers. Within 30 seconds, two people replied, via Twitter, that it had been done before. And they provided links.

The fellow judge had just harnessed the wisdom of his followers in real time. No e-mail, chat, Web page, phone call or FedEx package could have achieved the same thing.”

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/twittering-tips-for-beginners/#more-635

Like the judges, Pogue was impressed.  He started Tweeting.

Pogue added that Guy Kawasaki, MD of Garage Technology Ventures, Tweets every 3 minutes with the help of automated software robots.

Pogue concluded:

*People, like Guy, use automated software robots to churn out tweets, largely to promote their own blogs, sites or other products.”

Smart move. Kawasaki’s blog “How to Change the World” is ranked 88th most-popular globally.

In conclusion, my suggestion is this:

Find people who Tweet about topics useful to you, your company, or your clients.

Follow others, pay attention to what they’re doing right and then emulate them.

Remember that Twitter is not just a media tool.  It’s a social network.  ReTweet for others and they will reciprocate.

Engage others.  Be friendly.  Be informative.

Follow 360 PSG on Twitter!

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After her third knee surgery, but long before she got a computer or the “internets,” my Grandma Sue joined the innumerable hordes of introverted silver-topped at-home shoppers who turned to QVC as a safe haven from the long lines of crowded shopping centers.

Needless to say, our Christmases ever since have been filled with cigarette lighter battery chargers sans iPhone USB ports, heatless soldering guns (or as we call them in our house “The Blister Maker 5000”), and battery-free wind up flashlight stocking stuffers; a smorgasbord of gadgets that would leave MacGruber green with envy. But our gifts often end up being flimsy and break after only a few months (or uses).

In her defense, how was Grandma Sue supposed to know? She didn’t test those products before she bought them. Besides, some offers are exclusive to TV, so even if she had gone to the mall, chances are she wouldn’t have found a doohickey as innovative as a flashlight that doubles as a personal fan complete with Styrofoam propellers and belt clip.

Not everyone shops from home though, well not yet anyway. Whether we want to admit it or not, the recession is in full swing, but even in our current economic downturn there are shoppers who want to spend money. At-home shopping may be causing stores to close their doors all over the country but e-commerce is on the rise.

Part Two: Where Did All the Stores Go?

People are always asking, did I know about Grandma Sue. In all of her years of navigating unsavory winter terrain and battles with unruly last-minute shoppers and disgruntled Walmart workers, is it likely that Grandma Sue developed such a hatred for physical shopping locations that she unwittingly became a major contributor to a commercial consumer goods boycott? Could it be possible that Grandma Sue is somehow responsible for the downfall of brick and mortar shopping centers around the world? Is it even plausible to assume that she could have at least seen this coming? Or that she’s part of some underground senior secret society that has its sights set on taking down major corporations one Home Shopping Network purchase at a time?

Probably not. But maybe she was on to something after all…

According to this bleak CNN Money post, senior writer Parija B. Kavilanz reported:

‘There’s going to be a massive sea change in the retail landscape,” said Nina Kampler, executive vice president with Hilco Real Estate, which advises retailers on their property management.’

Michael Burden, principal with industry adviser Excess Space Retail Services, expects as many as 14,000 stores will close in 2009. ‘We could see among the highest ever number of closures,” he said.’

Kavilanz added:

‘Ideally, (Kampler) said a retailer’s occupancy cost should be equal to 10% of its sales. But a long stretch of slumping sales and rising mall vacancies can dramatically push up the occupancy costs. Once rent and occupancy costs hit the 20% to 25% of sales threshold, you are treading water,’ ” Kampler said. ‘You can’t run a viable business with those numbers’.

What do you do if you’re one of the thousands of stores that are closing their doors?

Kavilanz added:

I think the whole consumer economy is being recalibrated,” said Kampler. “It’s something that’s not been done in decades. I think it will be a three-year recalibration of consumer behavior and expectations.

What is that “recalibration” going to involve? It’s likely that consumer trends will turn toward e-commerce. But will you be there waiting?

Part Three: Broadband internet connections, 3G networks, and QVC.com! Cover your hair and your eyes, it’s the Apocalypse!

The Home Shopping Network was launched in 1982. QVC (Quality, Value, and Convenience) followed in 1986. A decade later, www.qvc.com was launched (1996). The JC Penny catalog has been around since 1963. At-home shopping is not new, it’s just better.

I know this because Grandma Sue knows this.

High-speed internet connections are quickly becoming more affordable, definitely more affordable than rent and property tax, making it easier for “small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in worldwide marketing and expand their outlook beyond their nations.” http://www.trade.gov/investamerica/ecommerce.asp

The economic slowdown could actually force smaller businesses to turn to e-commerce, which potentially means more visibility, and drive up sales especially from foreign customers.

According to the International Trade Administration*:

The Census Bureau estimates that total e-commerce sales in 2007 were $127.2 billion, an increase of 17% from 2006. E-commerce sales accounted for 3.2% of total retail sales in 2007, rising from 2.8% in 2006. eMarketer continues to estimate that retail e-commerce sales will increase an average of 18.6% in 2008 and 2009. That is strong growth, but is still down from the annual growth rate of 20.6% experienced between 2001 and 2005.

But if your stores are forced to close their doors, will your website hold up?

I am Grandma Sue’s waning sense of consumer responsibility.

Cautious consumers are likely more frugal on every retail venture, which probably means they are doing extensive research before making any big purchase on electronics, winter coats, or even food.** Where are consumers conducting their research? On the internet. Since they are already there, why not get them to your site?

Part Four: Get a Website!

Get a website, make it a good one, and make yourself as visible as possible. Great web design, quality content, and strong search engine optimization are keys to getting your page ranked highly on Google so your customers can find you. Use social networks to promote your products and services. Sign up for everything: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, etc. and link them all to your site; generate linkbacks to your site and make it credible.

The ITA report concluded:

The continued rise in the percentage of total retail sales occurring through e-commerce is one sign of buyers and sellers becoming more comfortable with e-commerce transactions, while the fact that only 3.2% of total retail sales take place through e-commerce reflects the significant potential remaining.

While you may be left without a storefront, don’t be left out in the cold. Tap into the potential of e-commerce and be one of the survivors.

Maybe it’s time to start from scratch, again.

*As of this blog’s publication date, the 2008/09 report had not been released.

**Pink Dot, a grocery store in Los Angeles, will deliver your groceries to your apartment after you order them online.

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As social networks have become the darling of web advertisers, many myths have grown about them. Because they’re not quite mainstream, businesses are leary of their effect, and with good reason; depending on who you ask, sites like Myspace and Facebook are are worth either $1 billion or $20 billion. That being said, those dollar amounts are still in the billions, meaning they are still incredibly valuable.

So we’re offering some tips on our favorite ways to use social networks to advertise.

1) Paid banner advertising – One of the most powerful aspects of social networks is that network members are already separated by demographic – that’s almost the entire point of most social networks. Users enter their own information, including location, likes, dislikes, even income level. So when you purchase an ad on Myspace or Facebook, you can choose the type of user you want to see your ad. Technically, that can save you money, but just like the strange associations that occur with Google Adsense contextual ads, you’re going to find your ads popping up for people that have no interest in your products or services, and possibly not appearing for people who WOULD use your services. It’s not exactly a crap shoot, but with the way users utilize social networks – as a tool with ads on the far periphery – it’s not always the most cost effective strategy.

2) Create your own business profile, and make friends – The entire point of social networks is the put yourself out there, so do it – create a Linkedin Profile for yourself. Got employees on Facebook or Myspace? Have them post their job information on their profile – and “friend” your business. The average Facebook and Myspace user has about 50-60 “friends”, so even a small company of 10 employees can get exposure to people orders of magnitude larger than their workforce. Those “friends” are also potentially more likely conversions – as any business owner knows, a personal connection makes choosing a business that much more likely.

3) Form a group or a cause – This applies more to Facebook than any other network. “Groups” and “Causes” are organizational, well, groups that users can “join” within Facebook. Groups can be as serious or fun as the creators want – I’ve joined groups as varied as the “Buffalo Bills Fan Club” and the “I <3 the Spectrum EIC” (an inside joke if there ever was one) to the “Free Darfur” and “Fans of Wegmans” groups. These groups all have their own message boards, provide an easy-to-contact (and legal) distribution list for e-mail campaigns, and provides you with a base of interested customers right off the bat.

4) Post articles about or featuring you (or stuff you’ve written) – Almost every social network gives you the ability to post and share news articles that pique interest – blog posts, newspaper articles, videos, etc. It’s a venue to distribute that type of media, to share information about your company, your services, to highlight your accomplishments, whatever. It’s a great way to build name recognition, and if you already have social network “friends”, they’ll want to read it.

Those are just a few strategies – post comments with more suggestions.

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For me, Facebook was an integral part of my college experience – it was a natural extension to my real-life social networking. Just meet someone? Look them up and find out a little (or, in the case of over-sharers, a lot) about that person.

Need to contact a classmate? Look them up and send them a message – don’t know someone’s e-mail address? If they – and you – are on Facebook, all you need is their name. It’s an easy way of contact and maintaining casual connections without giving away specific contact information.

To start, these social networks were all about networking people for fun and social reasons. Other networks such as LinkedIn sprung up to target business networking, but the lines between fun-networks and business-networks are becoming blurred.

Employers oftentimes keep track of Myspace or Facebook pages of their employees – it’s not uncommon that employees have been fired for inappropriate “friending” or inappropriate pictures made public through these networks. But social networks are not just for tracking people – the reason Facebook and Myspace are worth so much money is because of their advertising potential. They’re ready-made repositories for sorted, organized and classified demographics. Simply put, social networks are full of potential customers.

There are many ways to dig into this type of marketing, though no one is the best – traditional banner-style ads can work, but are costly. Organic, viral marketing can explode your product or business to a large audience, but is often like trying to capture lightning in a bottle.

The real trick is to understand how these networks put people in touch with one another, and how people use them. CNN has a really good list of the social networks they use in their own research, and in their own personal experience – what makes them work, what makes them valuable. When you understand how these systems are used, it’s much easier to apply it to business.

Check back next week when we see the top ten ways to advertise on social networks.

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