How to build a dynamic web presence in three simple steps

by Jennifer J. Breazeale on November 2, 2009

A kitten with eyes open for the first time.

Image via Wikipedia

When you hang out around geeks, it seems like everyone’s on Twitter, has a Facebook page, or an iPhone app, or is working on some other sort of really cool and bleeding edge technology, but then you realize – these people are not the norm.

For every Twitter DM or Facebook Wall post I receive, I get at least two or three “aww, look at these cute animals/babies/baby animals, and here’s an inspirational poem/prayer for you in multi-colored comic sans font” email messages.  And, for every slick website I see for a hot startup, I run across a neighborhood restaurant or community center with an abysmal site (or no site at all).  I might not be able to kill the baby animal chain mail, but maybe I can help those folks with the awful (or non-existent) websites.

Here’s how you can build a dynamic site for your business in three simple steps:

1. Register a domain name.

I use 1&1, but GoDaddy is also an economical choice. When selecting a name, remember that a .com domain that matches your actual business name is best. Although many techies argue that a .com extension isn’t that important anymore (because people will just Google your business to find the domain), they’re talking about a much more sophisticated audience than the typical user.  Unless you have a tech-savvy primary audience, stick with a name you can pronounce and spell, that’s not too long, and that ends in .com

2. Create an email address with that domain name.

…and forward it to an email account that you actually use.* This is an easy way to instantly add some credibility to your business. Who would you rather buy from: craftyguy45@hotmail.com or Adam@CabinetsbyAdam.com? If you can’t take 5 minutes to get a professional email address, I’m not sure I want to trust you with my business.

*Gmail makes this really easy. Check out this Lifehacker article for more info.

3. Send an email (from your new email account) to post@posterous.com

I know, I know… I wrote a few months ago about how I preferred Tumblr to Posterous, but here I am recommending Posterous. Why? Well, because if you can use email, you can use Posterous. Audio, video, text, links – just email them into your Posterous account and now you have a dynamic site for your business. Change your menu? Send an email. Running a special? Send an email. Have photos from your latest event? Send an email.

So for those of you out there with the website from hell, no more excuses. Take 15 minutes and change your world. What are you waiting for?

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The power of simple

by Jennifer J. Breazeale on October 7, 2009

Enso, the Zen Circle.

Image via Wikipedia

I added a Contact page and form to my blog last night. (It’s a work in progress, but feel free to stop in and say Hi!)

I’ve been meaning to add one for awhile and had played around with a form or two, but nothing seemed to stick. So, what finally got me moving?

Four sentences from a blog post:

So, I went to Google Docs and started a new form. File>New>Form. I put in the categories that you see when you see my contact form. Then, I save the form with a template. Finally, I wrote a new WordPress page called “contact” and embedded the form into it (copy/paste level of difficulty).

In ~50 words, I know what steps to take, how many steps there are, an approximate level of difficulty, and therefore about how much time it would take.

The result? One hour later I had a live, working form on my site.

When faced with an unfamiliar task,  we’re often presented with either an obsessively detailed checklist or a hopelessly vague idea – both of which inspire a distinct feeling of dread and almost always cause preventable delays.

What are you doing to find the middle ground?

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Bring on the inspiration

September 9, 2009

I think the universe is trying to tell me something.
I recently completed a research project that provided sparked some creative business ideas. (Direction!)
I had dinner with friends on Sunday and in addition to a tummy full of s’mores, came away with plans to meet with a small group to hash out our stuckness and inertia [...]

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You’re doing it wrong: Twitter (the command-and-control edition)

September 2, 2009

Earlier this month, I wrote about a non-profit who wanted to jump onto the Twitter bandwagon without understanding the tool or having a strategy for using it. Well, they’ve now created an account that may be headed for Twitter failure. While it may be too late to get some strategic planning around social media in this case, maybe we can still manage to salvage a little bit of dignity.

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Looking to stretch your brain? Try Defrag-ging it.

September 1, 2009

I stay on top of general technology and business trends through various blogs, Twitter, etc. But once a year, I treat myself to a real technology brain stretcher and attend the Defrag conference in Denver.

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Volunteering made easy: SnapImpact launches its iPhone app

August 27, 2009

SnapImpact is a location-based volunteering app that pulls in feeds from organizations that don’t usually work together and after months of hard work, it launched in the iPhone app store yesterday.

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You’re doing it wrong: How poor communication drives customers away

August 21, 2009

I don’t know if there’s a full moon or some other astrological craziness right now, but my friends and I seem to all be facing crazy (and often, sucky) communication challenges lately! Here are a couple of tips for avoiding communication that drives your customers (and employees) away.

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Denver New Tech Meetup: The Farm Report

August 19, 2009

I know some people still consider Denver a cow-town, but after last night’s Boulder Denver New Tech Meetup, maybe we’re more of a CowPotato and LocalBunny town…

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Do nothing (and get better results)

August 13, 2009

When it comes to social media, be careful to balance the dealmaker (”do something”) with the creator (”do nothing”) for improved results.

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Public Relations 101: Todd Defren kicks off Inbound Marketing University 2

August 12, 2009

Todd Defren kicked off the second round of Inbound Marketing University yesterday with a topic that didn’t get much coverage the first time around – public relations. As Todd defines it: Public Relations is not just about hits – it’s about frequently distributing relevant content via the right channels to boost credibility and findability.

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