Web Metrics – BusinessWeek Misses the Point

Web Metrics – BusinessWeek Misses the Point

Another great bit from Mediapost.com BusinessWeek’s article “Web Numbers – What’s Real?” provokes an interesting discussion.  Again we’re asking what is a true measure of web readership.  They make several good points, particularly about things like AJAX, which wreck the model for traditional analytics.  But they really head down the drain when they get into talking about analytics apps, then make the following statement:

Edelman Blogs Up a Storm

Edelman Blogs Up a Storm

Read the article on  Mediapost.com As I wrote the other day in my post “Rob O’Regan and Fake Blogging Across America” Edelman PR has gotten themselves into a “spot of trouble” over fake blogs they’ve been using to promote Walmart.  It turns out, there are more fake Walmart blogs that they’ve sponsored: One blog appears on the home page of Working Families for Wal-Mart, the allegedly grassroots advocacy group formed by Edelman last December, which is “committed to fostering open…

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Domain Squatters Targetting Children

Domain Squatters Targetting Children

David Churbuck had a great post about domain squatters today, which is definitely a must read…he calls it the “bottom of the online marketing barrel.” It’s a bigger issue…if you have children. I sat last weekend next to my daughters, 7 & 8, as they surfed.  At that age, spelling isn’t exactly a strong point.  As they moved around the heavily branded sites they like, such as http://www.postopia.com (Post Cereal), bratz.com, barbie.com, disney.com, they often mispelled the url.  Each time I…

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IE 7 – Many sites will require minor rework

IE 7 – Many sites will require minor rework

I’ve been doing some screenshotting of sites and I’ve found most sites that use CSS (like all Vario sites) will require a review prior to the final release of IE 7 later this month.  We will begin immediately screenshotting pages for our sites and contacting customers as to whether or not they require changes. The good news is that the changes required to accomodate this new browser from Microsoft are generally minor and can be accomplished quickly. Our general policy…

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AssistingYourSmallBusiness.com

AssistingYourSmallBusiness.com

AssistingYourSmallBusiness.com is now live – if you’re a small business owner, or you do business with small businesses, you should take a look. The premise of the site is to provide a network of businesses in Central Massachusetts who can help small business owners make their businesses a success.  Marketing, commercial construction, accounting/finance are just a few of the area which are covered by the site, and in the coming weeks we’ll have many more professionals join us. In addition…

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Rob O’Regan and Fake Blogging Across America

Rob O’Regan and Fake Blogging Across America

Fake Blogging Across America Rob O’Regan, former Editor in Chief of CMO Magazine (which had it’s plug pulled in January) posted to his (brand new) blog Magnosticism this week about a couple who have blogged their way across the country in an RV staying at Walmart parking lots (which is one of the little quirks of Walmart, RV’s are welcome over night).  The rub is, they were sponsored by Edelman, the “global PR firm” at the behest of Walmart itself. 

When Things Go Wrong

When Things Go Wrong

All the planning and preparation in the world can’t keep bad things from happening.  It’s a part of life.  That’s why flexibility is key.  Adapt, change, modify and ultimately do what you need to survive – that is the skill we need. For example, read this post about a boating mishap while tuna fishing last season.  Hair raising stuff, but also testimony to the need for flexibility. 

Your Email Signature as a Marketing Message

Your Email Signature as a Marketing Message

If you contact your customers via email extensively like I do, you should really think about how you set up your email signature.  Personally, email is one of my primary means of contact, so it’s the one thing that most of my customers will see during the course of our business.  And looking at what I’m sending, it’s honestly pretty weak. The trick here is that it’s a fine line between including a little marketing message and being preceived as…

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Good Specs Make Good Projects

Good Specs Make Good Projects

Having spent years as a construction project manager prior to starting to work on the internet in 1995, I know the value of a good specification.  It’s the document that defines the expectations, goals and means of achieving a final result which is agreed to and signed off on as the first phase of any project.  In the case of small projects, we’ll often rely on the accepted project estimate as our specification, but for anything more than a simple…

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