Newsletter - November, 2010
In this newsletter 11/3/2010
In the past 12 months the internet has been evolving - that's not new. The constant march forward has made user experiences more immediate, relevant and frankly - useful.
Google is still the most effective search engine and ad placement service. Gmail is now the preferred free webmail service.
Those of you who use my Search Engine Management services need to know that Google has updated it's scripts requiring some small changes to the code. I will be contacting you individually about what that means for your websites.
All of the major browsers have updated - several times for some. The changes have been significant for all. Long established websites may look strange as old code is depreciated and ignored.
Check your website in the newest browsers. Latest versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Safari matter. We are no longer updating the Website Administrator for use on Firefox. Use either Internet Explorer or Google Chrome if you notice problems in Firefox.
How we access the internet is changing. Well, when I say we I mean they - the folks using Iphones and SmartPhones. Instant information is available where ever you are.
Every website should now have a mobile landing page at the very least. The basic contact information, hours and links to Google mobile maps are the minimum content needed. If you use our Website Administrator tools you'll soon have access to an Ap that will create a basic mobile page. Stay tuned.
While we still use the word internet - we are really starting to move from the world wide web (www) to the world of Facebook. More and more people are logging on to their Facebook world and never going to other websites. Looking for a fishing guide? Search on Facebook. Looking for a church? Find one on Facebook. Looking for a bakery, clothing store or any other consumer based service? Find it on Facebook. These super users go straight to a Facebook page and never visit a website . Many of you took my advice last year and joined Facebook. It's time to revisit what social media is and how to use it.
Social Media
There are many sites that qualify as social media. To generalize, social media starts with a website that offers a peer to peer network connecting people and/or businesses based on shared interests, locations or experiences. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn are just three of the most popular social media networks. There are more narrowly focused networks that are enormously important for specific interests. Ravelry.com for knitters, for example, can make or break a fiber business.
As of this date, Facebook.com is the single most important network and the focus of this newsletter
Using Facebook
Who is doing it right:
Revolution Sports Training here in Anchorage is doing an excellent job of using Facebook to support their clients. See their Facebook page
Covenant House Alaska is a local non-profit that is making a difference with their Facebook page by connecting supporters with the needs of their community.
Alaska Dinner Factory uses their Facebook page to stay fresh in the minds of their customers by promoting monthly menus and upcoming special events.
Vogue Knitting is an iconic national publication not too big to stay at the top of marketing tools.
Need help setting up your social media? Ask me. I am available for either an initial consultation or full social media management services. As always, you won't be sold services you can't use or won't need!
As a person - a real live person - you will have a Facebook account. You'll talk to Aunt Sally, post pictures of the Halloween Party, discuss politics and play games. This is NOT the place to connect with clients, customers or business associates.
(Do as I say, not as I do) Yes, I'm friends with many of you. You now know far about my family than you want. By adding you to my friend's list I was able to help several of you to get started. If you are ready to unfriend me, my feelings won't be hurt. After all, my garden, knitting projects, grandchildren, pets and high school buddies are probably interesting only to me!
As a business, service or non-profit organization you create a Facebook Page. This is where you connect with customers and business partners. Your Page won't have friends - it has people who "Like" you (formerly known as Fans). Load your page with information. Reflect your business identity with a personality by posting on a regular basis use photos, links, videos and specials just for your Facebook Page.
- Do be inviting - write with a personal style (not personal information)
- Don't be a pest - too many posts will be annoying
- Do be social - encourage a camradarie among your Page fans
- Don't use the Discussions tab if you can't find the time to moderate it
- Do use the Events, Photos and Links tools whenever you can
Post a link from your website to your Facebook Page and use your customer database to invite people to "Like" your page.
Facebook Ads - If you really want to be a Facebook power user you'll create Facebook Ad campaigns to connect directly with your target audience. We'll talk more about these ads in the coming months. Facebook ads are the single most effective way to advertise on the internet as of this date. Costs begin at $1/day. Target by location, interests, ages, gender and Facebook helps by translating your specifications to content. You can choose to use the ad for branding - paying only by impressions or generate action - pay per click through.
Recently Asked Questions
Backups: Websites on AKALT.net servers are backed up nightly and kept for 7 days. Our backups are meant to be used to restore websites and website content in a timely manner. If you need extended backups for older content you need to contact us in advance for data storage services. (Applies only to websites hosted by AKALT.net)
Search Engine Services: We regularly monitor the websites that have requested this service. If you haven't heard from me, you are doing good. We don't mess with success and we don't run up your expenses just to spend your money. If, on the other hand, your website is slipping - we'll let you know that work needs to be done!
Billing: If the paypal link on your email invoice doesn't work it means that a security setting in your email program is preventing access. You can go directly to www.paypal.com and send payment to jomarie@akalt.net. If you prefer to receive a paypal invoice, just let me know. Checks should be written to JoMarie Thomson and mailed to 11300 Willene Drive, Anchorage, AK 99516.
Domain Renewals: Our domain renewal service continues to be very popular. We renew domains on the last days of the month before your domain expires. Some registrars have increased their prices and may be reflected in your renewal.
Incoming Spam: What a pain in the neck! We do have an updated content filter available for our SmarterMail users. I can't email it or it will be caught by spam filters and I sure don't want to post it on any of my websites. I can and will put it into your webmail's filter. We will soon be adding an optional filter that compares the emails FROM line to the actual server the email is sent from. This filter will be very effective in keeping spam from your inbox. Unfortunately it will also mean that some legitimate emails will end up in your spam filters (see Outgoing Email below).
Outgoing Email: If your email program's Outgoing Mail Server does not match the email's From line you may find that your emails are not reaching their destination. This is caused by using your ISP's mail server as outgoing SMTP server. For example if I set my outgoing server to mail.gci.net and send it from my clients@akalt.net email address - Gmail users won't get my emails. Another common outgoing mail issue is when your ISP blocks Port 25 (the default mail port). They do this to prevent their servers from being blacklisted as a spam server. If you are using an ISP with these restrictions you'll need to contact their technical support to find the correct settings.
Search Engine Stuff
Google Local - Many of you have asked about getting listed on the map box for location specific searches (for example: "anchorage lodging"). This takes several steps but once you are included in the Google Places program you should see a quick improvement in both your website's placement and results. Google Places is only effective for search terms that include a town name.
The first step is to sign up and verify ownership of the website. Then Google will verify your ownership of a local business by sending you a postcard. You MUST return the postcard and follow their instructions.
Google Merchant Center - If you are selling actual products (rather than services) Google's Merchant Center allows you to put your inventory into a searchable spreadsheet and promote by product not just by webpage.
Google Talk - Looking for an alternative to Skype and a way to video conference on your website? Google Talk may provide an answer http://www.google.com/talk/
Reciprocal Links - Google is taking a harder stance against link schemes "Don't participate in link schemes designed to increase your site's ranking or PageRank. In particular, avoid links to web spammers or "bad neighborhoods" on the web, as your own ranking may be affected adversely by those links." It is not enough to remove bad or dead links from your site. You need to control who is linking to your site.
Bing - Fuggetaboutit