Archive for September, 2007


Skylights & Curtain Wall – Architectural Glazing Technology

Friday, September 28th, 2007

Agthome
Today flyte launched a Web site for Architectural Glazing Technology, a company that can do magic with custom skylight and curtain wall solutions.

AGT has worked with such illustrious architects as Frank Gehry, Moshe Safdie and Rafael Viñoly. Site visitors can see these projects, or view all of the projects in AGT’s project portfolio. Projects include everything from the Bellagio in Las Vegas to the San Francisco Main Library to the Portland International Jetport here in Portland.

The portfolio is powered by a custom programming job by flyte using php/MySQL. AGT can add, edit or delete projects, assign them to specific architects, and include multiple photographs that can be viewed as thumbnails or in bigger versions by site visitors. Visitors can also run advanced searches to find projects.

AgtprojectArchitects can quickly search for and download skylight and/or curtail wall detail drawings that they can quickly integrate into their own building plans from AGT’s robust Technical Binder, again powered by custom programming.

If you’re an architect looking for a custom glass solution that seems impossible, you owe it to yourself to talk to Architectural Glazing Technology.

Rich Brooks
Glass Half Full


Verizon’s War on Free Speech

Friday, September 28th, 2007

Verizon gave us a sneak peek into what the US and the state of free speech might look like in a few years after we’ve all forgotten that Net Neutrality has been done away with.

In a New York Times article, Verizon Blocks Messages of Abortion Rights Group, it was reported that Verizon has decided not to allow an abortion rights group "to make Verizon’s mobile network available for a text-message program."

Now, although you may not be a supporter of abortion rights, please see if you can put those feelings aside for a moment. Imagine, if it helps, that this was a anti-abortion group, or an anti-smoking group, or a republican group, or a freedom of religion group, or whatever group you may sympathize with.

The NYT went on to say:

In turning down the program, Verizon, one of the nation’s two largest
wireless carriers, told Naral that it does not accept programs from any
group “that seeks to promote an agenda or distribute content that, in
its discretion, may be seen as controversial or unsavory to any of our
users
.” (emphasis mine)

What topic under the sun isn’t going to be controversial or unsavory to any of Verizon’s users? Isn’t the point of free speech to protect controversial ideas, and not to protect us from them? Isn’t this what the first amendment provides us?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or of the people peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The problem is that, as the article points out, "the First Amendment limits government power, not that of private companies like Verizon." And this is why we need to bring back Net Neutrality so that the freedom we enjoy in a free flowing of ideas over the Internet is protected under the first amendment, and not dictated by shareholder value.

And now, for the rebuttal….


Plastic Surgery Web Site for Dr. Michael Pickart

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007

Pickart
Yesterday we launched a new Web site for Dr. Michael Pickart, a plastic surgeon from Ventura County, California. Dr. Pickart is the author of The Cosmetic Surgery Patient: The Aesthetician’s Role, available in November of 2007.

The site features an email newsletter, cosmetic surgery information en español, and details on the different procedures that Pickart Plastic Surgery offers…everything from tummy tucks to facelifts. Visitors to the site can also learn more about Dr. Pickart, a board certified plastic surgeon.

We included some subtle Flash on the landing pages as well, enough to give a little movement to the pages without distracting visitors from reading more.

Rich Brooks
Plastic Surgery Web Sites


Are You Blogging in Four Wheel Drive?

Monday, September 24th, 2007

Driving in Maine during the winter (October – June) often requires four-wheel drive; it doubles your chance of finding traction on a wet and slippery road. However, if there’s no pavement to grab, your four wheel drive doesn’t improve your chances of staying on the road. In other words: 4 x 0 = 0.

It’s with this indisputable math that we turn to blogging. I’ve written before about The Three Faces of Blogs, which is the idea that with each blog post you get three distribution channels:

  • a new Web page that can be read, linked to by other bloggers, and indexed by the search engines (bringing future readers),
  • a newsfeed for real simple syndication, and
  • an email feed for the vast majority of humans who wouldn’t know an RSS feed if it slapped ‘em upside the head.

The built-in communication tools of a blog are a great way to leverage your content and reach a wider audience.

By doing some additional marketing/promotion for your blog you can generate amazing results for that single blog post. These include:

  • submitting to blog directories,
  • pinging news aggregators,
  • leaving intelligent, appropriate comments and trackbacks at related blogs, and
  • including social bookmarking links like Digg and StumbleUpon.

However, like the slick roads of northern Maine, to see results you need to have some traction. No matter how much work you or your blog developer has put into your blog, no matter how many plugins she may have installed, your blog is ineffective until you regularly generate content that is interesting and compelling to your target audience.

To stick with the automotive metaphor, your content is the fuel that powers that high-performance machine we call a business blog. There’s a lot of ways to fill your blogging tank, but I recommend you start with, "what are my customers and prospects interested in? What are they searching for at Google? What questions will lead them to do business with me?"

When you know the answers to these questions you can start to get some traction, and a return on your investment.

Rich Brooks
Business Blog Consultant


Chapter11Library.com: Bankruptcy Documents and Chapter 11 Filing Information

Friday, September 21st, 2007

Chapter11library
If you need instant access to corporate bankruptcy documents or chapter 11 filing information then you’ll want to check out Chapter 11 Library; it’s the nation’s premium online database of Chapter 11 bankruptcy documents.

Law firms and individuals can quickly access the documents they need through a case search interface built into the Web site. New cases are being added daily.

Flyte again partnered with Hurley Solutions, a top-notch, soup-to-nuts ecommerce and technology provider to bring this project to completion. I love working with Josh and his company; if he says it can be done, it can, and it will.

Chapter11logo
Hurley Solutions designed and implemented the ecommerce backend application. Flyte designed the user interface, created the logo, and built the Chapter 11 Library blog that powers the new filings section on the home page and throughout the site.

Chapter 11 Library is a service of Maine-based Nationwide Research & Consulting. Despite the seemingly dry topic (at least to me–sorry!), Ken Troubh and his team were some of the most enjoyable clients I’ve ever worked with. They really seemed to dig the whole process and made the whole project, dare I say, fun? The project succeeded as well as it did because of their great attitude.

Rich Brooks
Maine Web Design


Format Your Basecamp Messages

Thursday, September 20th, 2007

Basecamp_logo
Here at flyte we rely on Basecamp–or "The Hangar", as we call it–as an online project management tool. We use it to create milestones, post designs, trade emails and more.

However, the formatting of a post within Basecamp leaves a lot to be desired; there’s no wysiwyg interface. There used to be a quick link to some of the more basic methods of marking up a post, but at some point the folks at 37 Signals have hidden it away.

So, for all of you Basecamp users (and my future self when I forget the URL), here’s a quick reference for Basecamp message formatting. Thanks, Hobix.

Rich Brooks
Basecamp Devotee


How to Optimize Your PDFs for the Search Engines

Thursday, September 20th, 2007

Pdf_icon_2
For years I’ve been telling clients to take important information out of their PDFs and convert it into HTML. This was because although search engines can read PDFs, I’ve never felt their as search engine friendly as HTML docs.

Well, I was wrong. It just turns out there are some extra steps to take to make your PDFs more search engine friendly.

I still think that PDFs should be reserved for specific goals, such as when formatting needs to be unchangeable, or insanely long curriculum viteas that have lots of formatting and are interesting to a very select group.

However, if you are planning on adding PDFs to your site and you want to learn how to best optimize them, check out Eleven Tips for Optimizing PDFs for Search Engines over at Search Engine Land.

Rich Brooks
Learning Something New Every Day


SCORE Maine: Business Counseling and Workshops for Entrepreneurs

Tuesday, September 18th, 2007

Scoremaine
Since this is the blog for Web marketing strategies for small business, and since we’re located in Portland, Maine, it’s with great pride that we launched the brand new site for the southern Maine chapter of SCORE, Counselors to America’s Small Business.

SCORE offers free counseling and workshops for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Visitors to the site can register and pay for the workshops online. Upcoming workshops include Starting Your Own Business, Sales & Marketing, and Writing a Business Plan.

The site also features a number of success stories of local businesses, everything from The Front Room (yum!) to Elm Street Assisted Living.

Flyte built back-end programming so that SCORE volunteers could update sections of the site without any HTML knowledge. The admin controls the Success Stories, Workshops, Events and the Resource Library. We also helped SCORE setup their email newsletter.

If you run a small business, or interested in starting one, I strongly recommend using the resources that SCORE offers, whether the Southern Maine SCORE or the one in your neck of the woods.

Rich Brooks
Maine Small Business Owner


O Olive Oil: Olive Oil and Artisan Vingegars

Friday, September 14th, 2007

Ooohome
Ever since the good folks over at O Olive Oil sent us a care package of their organic citrus-crushed olive oils and artisan vinegars, we’ve been smitten with their products.

So it was with great enthusiasm that we launched their e-commerce site today, with flavors as varied as jalapeño lime olive oil to pomegranate champagne vinegar. You can check all of their olive oils and vinegars in their products section.


Oooolivecrush
If you want to learn more about how their oils and vinegars are made–tender loving care doesn’t being to describe it–you owe it to yourself to check out their crush section. It’s filled with beautiful, mouth-watering photography. Who knew learning could be this much fun?

The online store we build for OOO is all custom built, offering them incredibly flexibility in adding, updating and removing product from the store and other sections throughout the site.


Oooproducts
If you’re a foodie, or know one, you owe it to yourself to check out O Olive Oil’s new site. And, if you’ve been wondering what to get that favorite Web development team, I’m guessing you can’t go wrong with this.

This site was originally designed by Karyn Nelson with later pages created by Jennifer Beales. I had been doing work with Karyn almost since I started flyte, back in late 1997 I think. Karyn was a talented artist and a very sweet person, although I never got a chance to meet her face-to-face.

Karyn passed away last year after a battle with cancer. It was bittersweet to work on this project knowing that I wouldn’t be able to work directly with Karyn; her husband Julian brought me in. Although there were design changes that were needed to work with the backend functionality (handled beautifully by Jennifer), Karyn had always been open to collaboration. Wherever she is, I hope she appreciates the final product.

Rich Brooks
E-Commerce Developer


Three Steps to Increase Your Search Engine Visibility

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

Yes, it’s a few days late. (If by "few" you mean "seven.")

However, we’ve been busy wrapping up current projects and signing up quite a few new ones, plus kindergarten started last week so I’m still in a state of shock. At least she’s looking up to Disney princesses and not Lindsay Lohan.

But I digress….

We just published the latest issue of flyte log, our award-winning email newsletter (BTW, do awards from your mom count?) with a featured article entitled Increase Your Search Engine Visibility: Three Things You Can Do Today.

Enjoy.

Rich Brooks
Search Engine Optimizer