Are you, or someone you love, afraid of technology? If so, 207′s “tech expert” is here to help. Here are a few ideas for New Year’s resolutions that will help you overcome your irrational fear of technology. It’s time to strap on your jet pack, take your robot dog for a flight, and get down to business.
Like Mom used to say…If you don’t have anything to blog about, don’t blog at all.
Wait a minute that’s not right. Quite the contrary, in fact. Keep blogging!
Out of ideas? Just not feeling creative? We all get like that. Here are some tips and tricks to help you through (less creative) rainy days…
Stock up. When your writing juices are flowing, keep going. (Excuse the rhyme.) If you have the time to devote, then write as many blogposts as you can. You’ll appreciate the stock pile when you have a blogging dry spell.
Short, sweet tips. Something you do, maybe everyday, may be the exact thing someone else can’t figure out and has been searching for relentlessly. A quick, simple “how-to”. For example, I couldn’t figure out how to fix my Google Analytics scheduled reports and when I finally did, I wrote about it.
Top 10/Most Popular Posts. If you can’t think of anything at all, go with what you’ve already done. Compile a list of your most popular blog posts – it might help someone see what they’ve missed!
Videos/Articles…not by you. If you see a great video, article, post, even podcast…take a clip, copy and paste, or drop it into a blogpost (giving the author credit, of course). Then, write a little about your take on it.
Write it down as you think of it. If you come up with a really great idea, but don’t have the time to expand on it, jot some notes down. Better yet, use a voice recording device and transcribe it later.
How about you; what’s your best tip for when you can’t think of anything to write?
Recently, flyte began a relationship with Mentoring Minds, a company that sells educational tools with a goal to help teachers help students.
Like many Ecommerce websites, there was originally little content to be found on the site. While little content is good from a usability standpoint, we know there still has to be content.
How do you create the balance for Ecommerce?
One issue I’ve seen a lot in Ecommerce sites is the insatiable urge to force the user to make an obscene amount of clicks (less so an issue for this particular site). But if you have an ecommerce site, with a myriad of categories, subcategories, and finally individual product pages; ask yourself: Can I condense and simplify?
When you do have necessary category pages, like Mentoring Minds’ Response to Intervention page, make sure you use it as an opportunity to create content around the subject. Contrary to popular belief, people will scroll. That doesn’t mean you should force them to scroll a lot; simply that (nearly) gone are the days when everything has to be above the fold.
So if you (or the teacher in your life) need better tools for success in the classroom, be sure to give Mentoring Minds a call. If you need help optimizing your Ecommerce website, then be sure to give flyte a call.
About a year ago, a client requested to receive weekly Google Analytics reports; a request I was more than happy to oblige. In order to stay on top of the client’s statistics, I added my own email to the list.
Now, months later, our contract has been completed and I’m still receiving those pesky emails. While I’m ecstatic my client’s website continues to perform well, it’s become annoying that Google Analytics emails me every Monday morning..like clock work.
This morning I decided to do something about it.
After some searching, I found the current Google Analytics Help section on the topic is somewhat out of date, having been written before one of the minor redesigns.
In an effort to help others pestered with the same annoyance I was having, the solution is simple.
Go into “View Reports” of the account in question. On the left hand menu, you’ll see hiding under “My Customizations”, an Email button:
Once here, you can change, manage, or update any of your scheduled reports!
Ever wanted to see how much traffic you’re getting from your social media networks? Or your email newsletter? How about from a particular link – maybe a directory?
You can obviously filter this traffic using Google Analytics; but with Advanced Segments, spending a little time now will save you a lot of time filtering from now on.
In the top right of your dashboard, you’ll see “Advanced Segments”, with a default drop down of “All Visits”:
Basically, an Advanced Segment is simply a way to compare sets of Analytics data against each other – whether it’s traffic, referring sites, time on site, etc. These are many of the pre-set segments.
Let’s say I want to see my total visits compared to those from referring sites. By simply checking off those two boxes, I can then see the data:
Keep in mind that you can change the date range, as well as travel to any other page (bounce rate, for example) and still have the segment set.
Since Google Analytics couldn’t create every segment, you have the ability to create your own. Click the drop-down Advanced Segments menu, then choose to create a new advanced segment.
You’ll be taken to this page:
Let’s say I want to see how much traffic I get from Facebook. I click down within Dimensions > Traffic Sources > Source, and drag it to the Dimension or Metric box. In this case, I’m going to match the dimension with “Contains”, for the traffic that contains the domain facebook.com. Input the domain, name the segment, and you’re done!
Notice you can add “or” and/or “and” statements depending on the segment you want to set. You’d use these if you were tracking traffic from multiple sources; for instance, all social media sources (twitter.com, facebook.com, and linkedin.com).
Not sure you did it right? Click “Test Segment” to see if it worked.
Then, if I go back to my dashboard and set “All Visits” and my new “Facebook” segment, I can see the comparison:
Again, this process takes some time to set up, but once it is, you’ll be able to create seemingly customized reports in no time!
Nicki Hicks
Create custom reports with the click of a button
We just posted our editorial calendar of Webinars for the first half of 2010; everything from SEO to Social Media to Google Analytics and beyond.
As I was looking at the fresh list last night, I realized that although any one of them is powerful, taken as a group they offer a huge competitive advantage. So here’s what I did:
We’re now offering all six Webinars for 1/2 off. This includes:
Together those Webinars list at $300, but for right now we’re offering them for $150.
But wait, you say. I can’t make all of those dates!
Not to worry. Everyone who signs up for the Webinar Six-Pack will receive the audio and slides from each presentation which you can listen to…forever! And at your leisure!
This is, as they say, a limited time offer. And remember: a six-pack of Webinars makes the perfect stocking stuffer.
Before they’re all gone…
Rich Brooks
Using the Interwebs to Talk About the Interwebs
Photo credit: bbaunach
Just the other day, a prospect said this to me.
And I got to thinking about it. She’s exactly right.
Every day, old websites, blogs, heck even social media profiles, are being optimized. Most, obviously, not all, new websites launched are optimized to a certain extent.
So while, for the moment, there are plenty of sites to optimize…it may not be like that forever.
Instead, content creation is king. Constantly putting out new, fresh content is the way things have been, and will continue to be, headed.
You’ll hear time and time again that Google loves fresh content. What’s fresher than a blog? Or social media? Or social bookmarking?
More and more, people look for small, sweet snippets of information: easily digestible and quickly answering whatever query they may have.
What’s the lesson for you?
If your website isn’t optimized, start there. Get that puppy search engine friendly.
If you don’t already have a blog…create one. Then answer questions you get all the time, whatever industry you may be in; include images and video. Make lists, how-to’s, even step-by-step guides.
If you’re not on any social media network, first find out where your audience is. Then get there! Start putting out fresh content – some self serving, but more importantly information your audience wants to know – whether it’s stats, local updates, or even a piece of witty humor.
Nicki Hicks
Optimization may be dying, but content is thriving
Last week flyte new media launched a new Web site for Albin, Randall and Bennett (ARB), certified public accountants and business consults with offices in Portland and Auburn, Maine.
By organizing themselves into teams of specialists, each focusing on a specific industry, ARB stays up-to-date on the latest developments within their field; therefore learning how new developments may affect your individual business.
While ARB serves many markets, they primarily focus on:
ARB also offers great financial resources including tools and other tax forms and IRS publications for your convenience.
The website–built on the WordPress platform–allows ARB to maintain their own site updates and edits without any HTML knowledge.
Be sure to consider ARB the next time you are looking for a CPA firm, as they offer a no-cost, no-obligation consult.
Beyond Likes: Turning Fans into Customers
Watch live on 5/30/13 or on demand.
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