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noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:24:00 +0000

IVM WEB SOLUTIONS

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JOOMTORIAL.COM - for all your Joomla questions

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Recently, I've found myself developing several websites using the open source content management system (CMS) called Joomla. This CMS is quite robust and fully capable to handle large scale websites with ease.

The one catch with using Joomla is that it is similar to drinking from a fire hydrant when learning how to navigate its many features. LOTS OF INFO to digest.

But never fear! JOOMTORIAL.COM is here! Here's what they say about themselves:

At Joomtorial.com you will find Joomla Video Tutorials for beginners, intermediate and professional Joomla users.

Joomla is a highly usable content management system and can be used for personal use as well as for business use. Websites made with Joomla can be found in many sizes varying from a few pages up to entire community websites with 10.000+ pages. When starting with Joomla the versatility of Joomla can become quite overwhelming. It's more or less like a Dutch saying; "You can't see the forest because of all the trees in front of it."

Our purpose is to offer useful and most of all, understandable Joomla Video Tutorials that will help you in creating your Joomla website. Visit our Shop to purchase our tutorials.

In our 10+ years of experience in web-development and 5+ years of experience in Joomla, we decided to share our knowledge-base. You will find usefull Joomla information in our Forum and you can purchase Joomla Video tutorials in our Shop.

Through the use of DMs on Twitter and posts on the Joomtorial Forum, Joomtorial.com has been a tremendous help to me, and I look forward to continued communication with them in the future.

Sincerely,
Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Web Solutions
www.ivmwebsolutions.com

Web Design: New Staley, Inc. website to launch this weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:56:00 +0000

THE OLD SITE:

THE NEW SITE:

New Site Features:
Fast loading CSS
Flash navigation
Employee login redirects
Professional photography

If your current website needs an Extreme Makeover, contact rob@ivmcommunications.com or 501.690.5628 to schedule a free consultation.

Sincerely,

Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

Priced for your size. Designed for your growth.

Ping.fm for all you status updating/blogging junkies...

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Ping.fm is a simple service that makes updating your social networks a snap.

The set up was simple and now I don't have to visit six different websites to post status updates or blogs.

Check it out and make your life simpler. :)

Sincerely,

Rob

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Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

If you must send a fax, do it for free!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:01:00 +0000

They say that necessity is the mother of invention.

Here are some inventions fit for small business owners who don't want or need to plop down a large sum of money for antiquated fax machines.

Out of necessity, I have to occasionally receive faxes. For this, I use the free service from eFax.com. This provides me with a dedicated fax number and e-mails me digital copies of any faxes that I receive. Pretty handy!

To send faxes from eFax.com requires a hefty monthly fee so I googled "send fax online" and stumbled across faxzero.com. It's really simple to use and perfect for those of us who only fax once every election year or so. Did I mention it is FREE?

Faxzero features:

Free!
Ad on the cover page
Fax 1 document—maximum 3 pages
Maximum 2 free faxes per day

That's all, folks!

Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

My new favorite free thing from Google Docs!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:40:00 +0000

Create forms in a jiffy
Choose New > Form to create new forms straight from Docs Home. We've also improved form editing, starting with drag-and-drop to reorder questions.

Features: Creating forms

You can create a form from the Docs list or from any spreadsheet.

Creating a form from your Docs list:

Click New > Form
In the form template that opens, you can add any questions and options you'd like.
Click Email this from once you've finished adding your questions.
Add email addresses for your desired recipients.
Click Send.

Creating a form from a spreadsheet:

Click on the Form tab and click on Create a form.
In the form template that opens, you can add any questions and options you'd like.
Click Email this from once you've finished adding your questions.
Add email addresses for your desired recipients.
Click Send.

How do I...

...edit a question?

...delete a question?

...duplicate a question?

...embed a form?

...create multiple choice questions?

More things you can do with forms:

More things you can do with the results spreadsheet:

Additional tips:

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Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

3 Ways to Sink Your E-mail Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:01:00 +0000

(a recent post from Church Marketing Sucks)

That's it. I tried to let it roll off my back, but no more. I'm sick of stupid mistakes in e-mail newsletters. If you want your e-mail newsletter to be effective, you've got to do it right. I've seen three e-mail newsletter mistakes in the last week alone:

Where Do I Click?
Offender number one is my VOIP-provider Vonage. They sent me an e-mail pitching their annual payment plan. Save $60/year. What a deal--where do I sign up? Turns out you can't sign up anywhere in the e-mail. There wasn't a single link in the e-mail, aside from privacy policy and unsubscribe (hmm ... tempting) links. I felt like a web rookie, clicking all over the e-mail trying to figure out who was stupider, me or Vonage.

Give me the Details
Next came an announcement about Outreach magazine's 2008 National Outreach Convention. Hey, that sounds interesting! Wonder if it's been added to our Events Lab yet? No? OK, let's add it. Wait--when and where is it? The e-mail didn't include the date and location. So it's not such an egregious error as not including the link--clicking just about anywhere in the e-mail would give me the answer--but c'mon, it's an event. The most important thing you need to tell me is when and where. Don't make me click for that. (To save you a click, it's Nov. 5-7 in San Diego)

Make Sure it Works
With a wad of birthday money in my pocket I'm in the market for a new digital camera. I love my Canon Powershot, so I'm thinking of just upgrading to the latest model. And lo, one of Canon's regular e-mails that I usually ignore showed up in my inbox. So I opened it up and clicked through to see what deals they were offering. And I got an error. Which prompted this rant. In the interest of fairness I just tried Canon's links again and they did work. Maybe their site was down, who knows? But in most cases you're not going to get that second chance. Make sure it works the first time.

I hate to single out organizations like this, but sometimes you need the nitty-gritty real world examples. Most people don't even open your e-mail newsletter, but for the ones who do you've got to do everything right if you want it to be effective. And most church e-mail newsletters don't have the resources of Canon or Vonage, so it's all the more reason to get the little things right:

What am I supposed to do?
What's the basic information?
Does it even work?

---------------------------------

Rob McBryde
President | Project Manager
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

Technology and the Small Church/Small Business

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:11:00 +0000

I just stumbled across an article on Church Marketing Sucks that touches on one of my favorite aspects of IVM Communications...helping the smaller organizations use the big-ness (I know...I made that word up) of the world wide web. There are so many free or nearly free resources to utilize on the web that can help you or your organization communicate your message. Click the title below to read the whole article and check out some of my favorite tools of the web below.

Small Churches Should Embrace Cheap Technology
While the need and the cash might not be there for small churches, I think there are still some inexpensive benefits they can gain from technology. Every church needs to connect their members and keep everyone in touch, and cheap to free technologies like e-mail newsletters, web sites, blogs and social networking sites can do just that. These same technologies can make it easier to reach out to your community as well. You might not be able to afford a newspaper ad for your church garage sale, but a Craigslist post is free.

Resources that I recommend:

Facebook - social networking at it's best. Relevant for your business or church. Free!
iContact - e-mail marketing solution great for newsletters, promotions, and keeping your brand in front of the masses. Inexpensive and effective.
Google Calendar - Great resource for keeping your schedule or many people's schedule on track. You can embed it into your website, invite people to events, get text message reminders before events, and much more. This can idiot-proof your life so you never forget an appointment again. Free!
Google Docs - Another great one from Google. Collaborate with others online with documents, spreadsheets, or presentations. You can embed the presentations on your website, chat with your collaborators online, and print or save to your computer. Again, FREE!
YouTube - Ever want to be on TV? This is nearly as good, if not better. YouTube is a viral catapult for businesses, politicians, non-profits, and anyone else who has a message, talent, or funny happening in his/her life. I put a short video of my dad singing a song once, and it's been viewed 5,679 times! Click here to see it. FREE!
Blogger - Free blogging tool. You are looking at a Blogger blog right now. Again, FREE

If you are interested in learning more about how these and other online resources can benefit your business or organization, we are available for face-to-face consultations in the Central Arkansas area. Please call me (Rob) at 690-5628 to set up an appointment.

Sincerely,

Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

Spanish Interpretation: UAMS Medical Interpreter Certification

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:39:00 +0000

We have exciting news about IVM Communications' Spanish Interpreter and Translator Inés Velásquez-McBryde! She just completed the 48 hour training for Medical Interpreters provided by the UAMS Regional Programs. Ines is now officially a certified medical interpreter.

Details below...

Medical Interpreter Certificate Program

Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap is a nationally recognized Health Care Interpreter Training Program developed by the Cross Cultural Health Care Program based in Seattle, Washington.

The program helps “bridging the gap” in communication between a health care provider and LEP patients. It is a 40-hour course for health care interpreters of any non - English language. Incorporated into BTG program additional 8 hour Practical Skills Course becomes an integral part of the medical interpreter training program and takes place at the UAMS Clinical Skills Center. This component of the program hones medical interpreter skills and abilities to facilitate communication in a health care setting. It also employs a real and active health care environment.

Curriculum

Interpreter’s Roles
National Code of Ethics and National Standards of Practice
Modes of Interpreting
Managing the Flow of Communication
Memory Development
Sight Translation
Biomedical Culture
Anatomy, Physiology, Common Problems and Specialists, Medical Procedures
Culture and Cultural Competency in Medical Interpreting
Communication Skills and Advocacy
Professional Development

Training Methods

Includes lectures by expert instructors based on a trainee-centered approach. Group discussions, tutorials, brainstorming, discussion of case studies, video discussions, sight translation, role playing, drills and quizzes, pre-tests and post-tests. Trainees also use web resources to research and discover information.

Class material: a medical interpreting manual, medical glossaries, a guide to common medications, National Council on Interpreting in Health Care papers and documents; class handouts

Skills and professional development sessions with physicians are part of the training.

Certificate of Successful Completion

Participants, upon completion of the program, with a final test score of 80% or better coupled with their day-to-day practical skills assessment, receive a Certificate of Completion. To set a professional accent UAMS staff medical interpreters get a “Certified Medical Interpreter” Card. The Card helps identify a trained interpreter, and implies the individual’s capacity to perform a particular set of skills up to National Standards of Practice.

Ines scored 94% on her final exam. Way to go, Ines!

Sincerely,

Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

Web Design: new IVM Communications site and Ozark Conference Center coming in 6 weeks!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 02:56:00 +0000

Today IVM Communications launched its new and improved website! The new site uses a eye-pleasing design with user-friendly navigation and a sign up option for our e-mail updates.

The shift to this simpler layout puts the graphic focus on the work that we are most proud of...our clients' websites.

In other news, today I met with Tony Nading, the Director of the Ozark Conference Center in Solgohachia, AR to discuss their website. In the coming weeks, IVM Communications will begin the exciting task of creating an amazing new site for this incredible organization. Be on the lookout for the launch of their new site.

Sincerely,

Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

Check out Scotti Bunge's online art gallery!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:29:00 +0000

IVM Communications recently completed Scotti Bunge's site www.gallerysb.com. This online art gallery simply focuses on the beautifully crafted works of art that Scotti is increasingly known for in the Little Rock area. The web design incorporated a flash photo gallery technique that allows Scotti to control which pieces of art are displayed in various sections of her online gallery using her Flickr account.

Her works of art can be viewed and purchased at two Java Roasting Cafe locations as well as Stephano's Fine Art Gallery.

Visit www.gallerysb.com to check out her craft and shoot her an e-mail letting her know you stopped by and what you thought of her paintings. Oh, and buy one or two of them if you feel so inclined. :)

Sincerely,

Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

Guitar genious Jason Truby playing out!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:06:00 +0000

Our very first website customer was the famous guitar player Jason Truby of Living Sacrifice and P.O.D. fame. His website www.jasontruby.com offers fans regular updates on his schedule, online listening of some new tracks, a Flash photo gallery, and the ability to order his CDs online. There are also links to his blog and MySpace.

IVM Communications is extremely thankful to Jason for giving us the chance to design his website. We hope that you will visit www.jasontruby.com and check out a show when you get the chance.

Sincerely,

Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

You Need Big Web Presence

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:08:00 +0000

from ArkansasBusiness.com ...

Businesses of All Sizes Need Big Web Presence
By Jamie Walden
2/18/2008

Web sites are increasingly becoming businesses' first impression, a reality that can strain the shallow pockets of small businesses but can also allow them a chance to compete with the big boys.

Fortunately, the sages at Aristotle, the builders at Flex360 and the weavers at ArkansasWeb.com have plenty of advice.

"You may have the greatest storefront in the world and a neat office building and great furniture and all that, and you have a Web site that looks like it was built 10 years ago," said Brent Birch, director of Flex360, a division of Arkansas Business Publishing Group. "And that's what more people see than your office ... because it's available 24-7-365.

"Somebody could be looking for an architect in the middle of the night. You may have the coolest architect office on the planet, and if your Web site's terrible, they're probably not going to call you."

So what can small businesses do in a bumpy economy to gain an E-edge?

The first, and most difficult, hurdle is to drive traffic to the site, a feat accomplished by search engine optimization - making it easier to find a Web site - and search engine marketing, which means spending money to promote or perfect a site.

"Small businesses cannot survive without placing well in search engines," said Marla Johnson Norris, chief executive officer of Aristotle Inc. of Little Rock. "There's nothing more cost-effective that they can do than place well in search engines."

Norris went so far as to recommend that small-business owners spend their entire marketing budget on performing well in search engines.

Search engine performance depends on the content. Ideally, a site owner should craft his Web content to be as search engine-friendly as possible, which involves a careful tracking of his traffic through a Web analytics program. This tool allows a site owner to determine which search engines are bringing users to the site, identify the keywords that got them there, monitor what they do after they arrive and time how long they stay, Birch said. The site owner can then tweak the Web content to make more use of the most effective keywords.

Norris acknowledged her frequent astonishment at how underused Web analytics are.

"I am constantly shocked at how there are small businesses who do not know that they have Web site tracking. ... If you're going to invest even a small amount, you can get a much bigger bang for your buck if you just look at your Web stats," she said.

Viewer Retention

While driving traffic to the site depends entirely on the words that are used, capturing and maintaining the audience's attention is a different matter. Knowing the audience is essential.

"One of the most basic things ... is businesses need to understand who's going to be using their Web site," said Chip Simons, Web producer and search engine marketing specialist for ArkansasWeb.com of Little Rock.

"Get out of your head a little bit and try to look at it from the customer's perspective," he advised. "And try to find out the things that they will want on the site rather than the things you want to give them."

Simons recommended using focus groups to test site usability.

The "they" Simons mentioned, however, should be a particular demographic. Minell Eberdt, president of ArkansasWeb.com, said, "You have to focus in on one specific group of people that are going to bring you the majority of your revenue."

Once the audience is audited, the next step is ensuring that the content reads well. For that task, eyes and ears outside the company are indispensable, Simons said.

"A lot of times, we look at our own businesses and we think we're explaining it really well, but to somebody who's coming in, they don't hear it the same way," he said. "They don't speak [our] language, so [we] have to work in their language."

If users don't naturally speak the language of the content, they're unlikely to search with the most effective keywords. That means potential visitors are unlikely to be directed toward a site by a search engine.

If a user does happen across the site and it's laden with jargon, the chances of him staying are minuscule. "People need to be able to come to your Web site and immediately be able to figure out what it is that you do," Norris said.

The waning attention span of the virtual audience means that a site owner has a brief time to retain a viewer: less than about 10 seconds.

"You've got a reason to have this site up," Simons said. "So you want as much information as it takes to fulfill that purpose. And if you've got too much, they'll get bored and leave before they ever get to the point where you ask them to do something; if you don't have enough, they're not compelled to take the action either."

Birch thinks that a calculated level of ambiguity in the content can be more beneficial than laying all your cards on the table. A Web site should offer just enough information to turn the user into a lead where he has to contact the business, Birch said. Then a sales representative has the opportunity to close the sale.

Professional Design

Unfortunately, there isn't a checklist for quality design, but users recognize it when they see it, Simons said. And as Web sites increasingly provide the first impression of a company, Birch advises investing in them

"The Web site is such a big piece of your branding and marketing effort nowadays, you'd make a huge mistake going cheap," Birch said. And for those who still stumble over Web site costs, Birch had this to say: "Web sites are a lot cheaper than people."

"If people will think of it on those terms, the investment they're making, even if it's seven grand, 10 grand, 20 grand, it's probably a lot cheaper than a person or the time it takes some person to do some of the tasks that can get accomplished online," Birch said.

Both Norris and Eberdt encouraged small businesses to invest in professional photography. "Good, clear, professional photography," Eberdt said, "makes a small business look like a big business."

The quality of the hosting service a site owner uses can also sway potential customers. "If Web sites aren't speedy, there is a subconscious message of not being customer-centric," Norris said. "You could have a great Web site, but, if it takes too long to load, then you're going to be losing people."

The design needs to create psychological effects in users that will help close the deal, Norris said. "They need to feel welcomed. They need to feel like you want their business and there's no better way than saying, 'We really want your business,'" she said.

For online retail, making buying easy is essential, Norris said. "When I come to your main page, I need to know what your products are, I need to know what your product lines are, I need to be able to quickly get it, and I need to, without jumping through too many hoops, be able to make a purchase," she said.

Getting information from a user is an essential part of transforming that person into a potential customer. Asking for too much information, however, can be worse than not asking at all.

"Don't make them go through a big long registration that's got a million questions to it, because most people aren't going fill it out," Birch said. "They'll immediately back out and go someplace else."

Eberdt suggested making the process a transaction rather than an elicitation. "It may just be something you give away," she said. One ArkansasWeb.com client, for instance, offers to send Web site visitors a recipe associated with one of its baking products.

Since you lose people with every page, Norris said, the elicitation of information should be on the main page.

All agreed that responsiveness is crucial to closing the deal. "If [businesses] aren't quick within 24 hours to respond, their customers will go elsewhere and make a decision," Norris said.

Eberdt and Simons offered some tips for the "Contact Information" or "About Us" pages. Personalizing these areas can go a long way. "Instead of having an e-mail address like sales@arkansasweb.com, Minell@arkansasweb.com means a little more," Simons said. "It lets you know there's somebody responsible."

Eberdt added that short bios of the employees or a staff photo can also help personalize a business.

Most importantly, Web sites are not a get-rich-quick tactic for a business. Perfecting a Web site takes time. Search engine optimization can take several months to take effect, Simons said. "There is a misconception that it all happens overnight," Eberdt said.

Simons added that many mistakenly consider an effective Web site "cheap, easy and magic." It's not. As these Web gurus noted, it takes forethought, skill and commitment. And it just might take some professional help.

-----------------------------------------------

Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

Take some tips from Google's Matt Cutts

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:00:00 +0000

IVM Communications makes some additions...

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 04:15:00 +0000

Hello World!

In an effort to keep the masses informed on useful tricks of the tech trade as well as special offers on IVM services like web design and Spanish language interpretation & translation, we have expanded our online arsenal to include this weblog. I regularly come across handy information on improving your online visibility, utilizing free or nearly free resources on the web, and other stuff that will help you get your message where it needs to go.

Also, I'm excited to report that IVM has added the 6.5 years worth of experience and creativity of Steve Manatt to our available talent pool! Steve will utilize his incredible abilities in the areas of Flash and scripting to take IVM's web designs to the next level.

Be on the lookout for some dynamic and beautiful websites!

Getting your message seen and heard,

Rob McBryde
President | Web Developer
IVM Communications
www.ivmcommunications.com

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