Official BV Software Blog

GoogleBase Feed Plugin Updated

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:30:31 -0300

Hot Fix A is available for BV Commerce 5.5 for maintenance plan subscribers. This patch modifies the GoogleBase Feed Plugin to support the “Condition” field which is now required by Google.

Maintenance Plan customers may download the patch here:

https://accounts.bvcommerce.com/Downloads/HotFix/bvc55_hotfix_a

BV Software News & SEO Tips

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:30:00 -0300

BV Software News
June 2009

June has been extremely busy for us a BV Software. Here is the latest news and updates:

1) Bug Tracker Available
2) Feature Voting Complete
3) SEO Tips

1) Bug Tracker Available
The bug tracker application is now available for all maintenance plan members. This application lets your view all reported, open and closed bugs for BV Software products. You can report new bugs if you happen to find one.
The bug tracker is pretty basic at the moment but I'll be working to add features in the coming months. One thing I'd like to include is the ability for users to comment on bug reports. This would help us track down difficult to duplicate problems.

View the bug tracker here:
http://accounts.bvcommerce.com/bugs

Report a bug (even if you're not a maintenance plan member) here:
http://accounts.bvcommerce.com/bugs/report

2) Feature Voting Complete
The first round of feature voting is complete. Last month, maintenance plan members voted on which features they would most like to see added to BV Commerce. The winning features are PCI Compliance, Drill Down / Faceted Search, Gift Certificate Overhaul and US Postal Label Printing. Loyalty Points / Store Credit was a close finisher.
I'll be working to get these features implemented over the next year. Hopefully I can get these implemented before the holiday shopping season but I won't add them until I know that they are stable features.
There will be additional feature votes throughout the year as features are completed. Don't worry if your favorite didn't win. You'll get another chance.

3) SEO Tips
Search Engine Optimization is something that I get asked about often. Here are some tips to get you started:

Submit your site to the search engines - Unless the search engines know about your site, there is no SEO. If you have a new site (or an old one) make sure that you are listed in the search engines. Do a search for your own domain name in each major search engine and make sure you show up. The top 3 search engines right now are Google.com, Yahoo.com and Bing.com (Microsoft's search engine).
Realize that SEO is a process, not a one time fix - Your competitors aren't standing still and you shouldn't be either. If you optimize your web site and manage to get on the first page for a specific keyword today, there is no guarantee you'll be there tomorrow. In fact, fresh content is one of the ways search engines determine relevance. Understand that you need to keep tweaking your site and adding content to stay at the top.
More Traffic does not mean more sales - It sound crazy but more traffic doesn't mean more sales. What you need is targeted traffic. If you sell women's bathing suits and you get 100% more visitors who are all men, you probably won't see an increase in sales. Make sure that you are targeting keywords which will bring qualified leads to your site.

Thank you for your continued support of BV Software. As always, feel free to give me a call or email and let me know what we're doing well and where we can improve.

Sincerely,

Marcus

Palm Pre uses HTML 5 for Native Applications

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:49:00 -0300

A few days ago I wrote about Google putting their weight behind HTML 5 and now it looks like Palm is pushing it too. The "mojo" developer's kit is based on HTML 5 and uses Javascript as the primary language. I still have some serious reservations about building serious apps in javascript. It just feels fagile. Bailing wire and chewing gum is not the feeling I want when building apps. The unholy alliance of javascript and HTML has made web apps a lot more interesting but it's still a very breakable platform.

Palm has taken an interesting approach though. They are providing a library of application components that are scripted by javascript. Palm has most likely built those core modules in c++, java or something more robust. Javascript is used, as it's name implies, as a scripting language.

I'll be keeping an eye out to see how successful this combination becomes.

"Condition" field is becoming a requirement for Google Base Feeds on June 30th

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:30:00 -0300

Google will be requiring the "Condition" field on all Google Base feeds starting on June 30th. We'll be updating the BV Commerce Google Base plugin to support this field shortly.

http://googlebase.blogspot.com/2009/06/condition-attribute-becoming-required.html

Condition options are: New, Used, Refurbished

Google Jumping on the HTML5 Bandwagon

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:05:00 -0300

At the Google I/O Conference HTML5 was on display. Google showed that every major browser except Internet Explorer now supports the CANVAS element and other HTML5 tags. That's one big exception though. Internet Explorer dominates web browsers the way Google dominates web search. Without IE support it's going to take a lot of pushing to make the canvas tag and others mainstream.

Microsoft has it's weight behind Silverlight and pointed out a few weeks ago that Silverlight has more installations that Chrome, Safari and Firefox combined. In typical Microsoft fasion they will fight for the closed platform under their control instead of an open web standard. For once, I think they may be right about it. Javascript is a great language but it's not what I would select to write a rich application for the desktop.

Google wants everyone to believe that Javascript plus HTML5 is going to replace all native applications. I just don't see that happening anytime soon. For one, Javascript is sent over the wire in source code form and then run in the browser. This is not the way most developers want to distribute their apps. Precompiled byte code in downloadable modules makes a lot more sense. It's smaller, it doesn't need to be compiled on the fly and offers at least some protection for developers from the average user tinkering with their code. If you want to offer the source code for your app over the web I'm all for it but Javascript forces you to send source code.

Silverlight isn't perfect. It's controlled by Microsoft and that is very limiting. I'd rather see the Mono project pushing Moonlight as an open source alternative.

I do think that desktop apps are almost dead at this point. With high speed connections and local storage there isn't much difference between a well architected web based app that supports and off-line mode and a traditional desktop application. I just don't think that the canvas tag and HTML5 are going to usher in this new era of web based programs.

Don’t Be Evil* (unless you decide that evil is okay)

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:30:00 -0300

Google decided last week to shut down an AdSense account I’ve had for several years without issue. The account didn’t even make enough money for them to send me a check because it was on small personal sites and traffic is low. Two months ago I added AdSense for Domains to the account for some domain names I owned but wasn’t using.

The infuriating thing is that Google won’t say why they shut down the account. Just an ominous warning that it poses a “significant risk to our advertisers.” Really!! The account hasn’t made enough money for you to send me a check so you’ll just keep the $75 I earned in referrals. That certainly sounds like a significant risk to your advertisers!

Google claims they can’t say why the account was shut down because it would reveal secrets about their protection mechanisms. Sounds like we need a FISA court for Google so they can prove to an independent 3rd party that their secrets are justifiably secret. Oh, wait, they are a monopoly and don’t answer to anyone.

Doesn’t Google realize that security through obscurity doesn’t work? If their protection algorithms are so strong they shouldn’t have any problem telling me in at least basic terms what caused them to close the account.

Overall, I spend a good deal of money with Google through Gmail, AdWords and other services. I support Google Analytics and Google Checkout by building support for those services into my shopping cart software. This has just left a really bad taste in my mouth. What happens when Google decides that my Analytics integration should be shut down because of some Google secret formula that says it should be shut down? I have to take it because Google says so?

Google, you’re being a petty, evil, dictator.

Working on BV Transfer. A new way to get data into and out of BV Commerce

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:53:00 -0300

I'm working on BV Transfer today. It's a new import/export tool that's designed to be a lot more flexible than the current tools. Right now, there is a flat file import/export tool, a StoreFront import tool, a BVC 2004 Migration tool and of course web service import/export. They all do very similar things and there is a lot of duplicate code. The bad part is that even with all of those tools you still can't do some simple things like a BV 5 to BV 5 transfer without extra steps in the middle.

The new BV Transfer tool is taking a modular approach. There is a universal "product" class and there will be providers that can read and write this format. The idea is that I could create an XML provider to read/write a specific type of XML file. Then, someone else could create a Mail Order Manager provider. In that example, I could transfer products directly from Mail Order Manager to an XML file. Write a provider for BV Commerce 5 and now you can import from XML into BV Commerce and then export to Mail Order Manager.

My goal is that the univeral format in the middle will help protect against some version changes. There could be a BV Commerce 5.3 provider and a 5.5 provider so that the tool could be used to migrate from an older store to a new development store on the latest service packs.

I don't know when it will be ready. Just wanted everyone to know that it's in development.

Thousands of unused feature votes

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:05:00 -0300

There are thousands of unused feature votes right now. If you signed up for the maintenance plan you've got votes. Use them now because at the end of the week I'll be tallying up the winning features. Those features will be added to BV Commerce within a year. If you don't use your votes your voice won't be heard. The top feature at the moment only has 50 votes so your votes still matter.

Vote at https://accounts.bvcommerce.com/

Last Day to Add Maintenance Plan to your BV Commerce 5 Store

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:55:00 -0300

Today is the last day to add the Maintenance Plan to your BV Commerce 5 stores. After midnight eastern time tonight there will be a significant penatly fee if you wish to add it later. If you don't already have a BV Commerce 5 store you will be able to purchase maintenance at the time of purchase for the normal price.

http://accounts.bvcommerce.com/MaintenancePlan

BV Software at Internet Retailer Conference - June 15th - 18th, 2009 in Boston, MA

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:09:00 -0300

I'll be attending the Internet Retailer Conference from June 15th to 18th, 2009 in Boston. If you are in the area or going to the conference drop me a line and we can meet up.

Don't Lose Your Service Packs - Sign up for the Maintenance Plan Today

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:38:00 -0300

For the last 8 years I have provided FREE service packs and updates for each version of BV Commerce. During that time BV Commerce has grown in size and features. It integrates with many outside systems like UPS, shippers, Authorize.net, credit card gateways, tax services, QuickBooks and more. The effort required to keep up with these features has grown exponentially.

In order to keep up with integrations and add new features to BV Commerce I have introduced an annual maintenance plan. The plan will ensure that I can maintain BV Commerce going forward, complete PCI Certification and add new features for FREE for those customers subscribing to the maintenance plan.

Benefits You Don't Want to Lose

Service Packs to keep your copy of BV Commerce working with the latest payment processors, shipping providers and other services.

New Feature Updates like PCI Compliance, new reports, enhanced searching and more.

New Version Upgrades to BV Commerce 6 which is built on ASP.NET MVC and c#

Software Download Assurance which allows you to re-download your software and license keys in the event that you lose them or need to switch hosting companies

FREE QuickBooks Connector tool and source code to synchronize order data with QuickBooks

FREE Import/Export tools to help transfer data into and out of your store.

A chance to vote on new features and enhancements.

Access to a bug tracking database with detailed status information (Q4 2009)

Access to a Premium Forum section for faster responses (Q4 2009)

Please take a moment to learn more and sign up for the maintenance plan:

http://accounts.bvcommerce.com/MaintenancePlan

Customer who sign up by Friday, April 24th will receive an extra benefit of Double Voting power on new feature suggestions.

Increase Sales by Crossing Customer Segments

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 11:24:00 -0300

I had to rent a truck the other day to move some furniture. The giant yellow truck was 10 feet tall and at least 15 feet long. I climbed up into the beast of a machine and was thankful that I didn't have to back out of the rental lot. When I arrived at my destination with the furniture it was time to back the truck up so the loading ramp was close to where the furniture was going.

Backing up a rental truck like this takes a lot of "situational awareness." You have to keep a mental picture of where everything around your truck is and how the mirrors show you a partial view of the surroundings. Then it occured to me that almost every SUV sold these days has an optional backup camera which is a cheap component.

Why don't the "professional" trucks have a cheap backup camera like the consumer SUVs do? The camera manufacturers are missing a huge market.

Apple sells professional level video editing software to a market they call "pro-sumer" which is consumers who want professional level products. The hardware industry always has up-sell options for the weekend warrior who wants the same brand of tool that the pros use.

Do you have products targeted to "professionals" and "consumers" that could cross over to the other segment?

SuperPreview helps test web pages in multiple browsers

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:48:00 -0300

Microsoft has released SuperPreview for Internet Explorer as a free trial download. SuperPreview is an upcoming feature in Expression Web 3 that lets web designers preview their web sites/pages in every major browser (even if you don't have it installed). You select the main browser you'd like to work in and then you compare your page to what it looks like in other browsers. If you have the browser installed locally, SuperPreview will use it to render the preview. If you don't have it installed locally, a web service is called that renders the page and sends it back to SuperPreview.

One of the neat parts is that you can highlight elements in your master browser and the preview shows where they should be in the other browser and where they actually are in the other browser. I'm looking forward to using SuperPreview for IE 6, 7 and 8 compatibility testing without resorting to virtual machines.

Beta Version of BV Commmerce Hosted Launched

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 21:07:08 -0300

Today, the beta version of BV Commerce Hosted officially launched. I’m still requiring people to request invitation codes so that I can control the number of signups while we scale out servers. If you’re interested stop by http://www.bvcommerce.com and request an invite code.

For those that are curious, BV Commerce Hosted is NOT simply a copy of BV Commerce 5 thrown up on a server. It is a completely new application. Parts of the hosted version come from the BV Commerce code base because it would be silly not to reuse good code but many parts are brand new.

The software is multi-tenant which means that there is really only one “web site” or “application” running and every store lives in that one application. In reality there are several “web sites” because the software runs across many servers at the same time. This means that Store A and Store B are both running on the same application but every server in the farm at the same time. This means that if Store A gets busy it can access more resources while Store B is not very busy.

The service is written in c# using ASP.NET MVC as the front end technology. This is a new way to build .NET web applications that gets rid of things like ViewState and some other HTML quirks that made working with ASP.NET web forms difficult at times. JQuery is the main JavaScript library along with some great plugins and modules for color pickers and animations.

The overall philosophy for the hosted version is to reduce unnecessary features and options. BV Commerce 5 is extremely flexible but flexibility usually comes with the price of complexity. The hosted service uses “best practices” learned from over a decade of building and creating ecommerce solutions. That doesn’t mean you can’t configure the hosted version to your needs. It just means that for some things we know what works well and will “guide” you to choices that will be beneficial to your store’s sales. The pricing plans are based on total products AND total sales so it’s in my best interest to have growing, well run stores on the platform.

Do you see the Matrix?

info.nospam@nospam.bvsoftware.com (mmcconnell1618) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:07:50 -0300

In The Matrix, the lead character NEO has the ability to view a computer generated world like no other inhabitant. He sees the inner workings of the system and can manipulate them because of this information.

I was happily churning out some code this morning when “blink!” Out went the power. I remembered the power company calling a few days ago with some message about replacing a part in the substation for my neighborhood. Great! I was just getting into the zone.

As I left and headed for Panera to scoop up some free internet access with my coffee I realized that the army of power company workers must have a completely unique view of the world. I drive by those little (or big) green boxes sprouting up from every neighborhood in the area without noticing them. I’m sure the power workers key in on them as though they were bright pink. They “see” a different world than most people because they know what to look for.

Other professions are similar. A cop on the beat keys in on certain behaviors and mannerisms to locate suspects. An ER doctor picks up on clues to a patient’s condition that might go unnoticed by others. A ship captain “reads” the waves and knows when trouble is over the horizon.

How do you view the Matrix? What unique things do you notice and how can you take advantage of them?