I am not going to be so bold as to say that after these two sites I was an expert on web design, but things have gotten a lot easier. It is so true that practice makes perfect. You can read tons of blogs about webdesign, but until you get the chance to really try it out, it’s not going to click. For example, the Stonebridge website I created over break took a total of 20 hours as opposed to my previous endeavors which took upwards of 60+ hours to design, and even then there is still work to do. This is merely a result of having logged hours on wordpress and growing in an understanding of how to work with wordpress.

Make learning easier:

1)      Take the time to learn the theme you are using. As one might expect, each theme has different features that require a certain learning curve, but do not allow this to scare you away from using the theme. I spent a full semester switching themes whenever I did not understand things after five minutes, which is an awefull way to do things. Instead of running away, stick with it. I would give it at least an hour or two of solid usage to understand the theme (as long as it is actually capable of the things you desire it to do). If you are just starting with wordpress, I would recommend using a builder + child theme because it allows you to form a foundation of understanding about wordpress and web-design.

2)      Check out youtube/google for help from experts. Giving away information is part of the internet content marketing revolution, which is great for you because there are tons of bloggers who are giving away great information that can really help you make your website.

3)      Use plugins: Plugins just make life easier. Here are a few I really like

Gravity forms: This widget allows for the easy creation of forms that you can install on you site to get user feedback with ease.

Smart youtube: This widget enables you to post youtube videos in a simple yet aesthetically pleasing way.

WYSIWYG Widgets: This widget allows you to install your own text/photos/logos/etc. into widget bars on your website. This is a super handy plugin that is also free.

WordPress editorial calendar: If you are planning to do a large amount content marketing (which you should) this will help you organize things and store up posts in advance so that your content gets spread out throughout the calendar month.

Web design: Practice Makes Perfect and Three Tips That Make Practice More Perfect is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College

For 15 years the NFL has teamed up with World Vision to deliver the misprint merchandise to third world countries.  Impoverished people who have never had brand new shirts in their lives are given this merchandise.  The destination is to be determined every year.  More info on World Vision can be found here.

With all of the money that it takes to create merchandise for both teams, this is a great way to avoid wasting the loser apparel and to support those who live in poverty.  This is a win-win situation…except for the Super Bowl losers, of course.  So if you’re in a third world country sometime soon, you may run into someone wearing the hat pictured above.  To avoid confusion, keep current with ESPN before you go.

Get your 2012 Patriots Super Bowl Champs gear! is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College

Uncrate is a site tailored to men, and it adds five new products each day to its homepage. Uncrate doesn’t just add anything to its site. It adds products for men interested in adventure and the finer things in life. It ranges from Honda motorcycles to bulletproof polo shirts.

Uncrate has positioned itself as a site appealing to active men interested in high quality products. It’s a great vehicle for any company trying to establish its product with the active, classy man in mind.

Guys, you’re going to love uncrate!

For Men is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College

After a while, I was tired of sifting through page after page of hideous dresses. Finally, I had a bit of luck. My younger brother informed me of a site called svpply.com. I have never used Pinterest, but from my understanding, they are similar; however, I think Svpply appeals to a trendier crowd. Basically, people add products to Svpply’s database by liking products on outside sites.

Svpply helped me tremendously by narrowing my search results. No longer did I have to view a million dresses designed by someone just starting off in the industry.

There was one drawback to using Svpply: on some occasions, the dress I was interested in was sold-out. Yes, the search results were definitely narrowed down, but some of the products were not available for purchase. However, Svpply was very helpful, and my overall experience was great!

Narrowed Results is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College

Zappos has built its entire business on customer loyalty.  They bank on the customer enjoying the experience of the website and delivery.  I have ordered a few products from Zappos myself, and I have always been satisfied.  Their site is very user-friendly and I have always received my shipment before the intended arrival date.

After watching this inside look into Zappos (video below), I can understand why their company is successful in its mission.  They are completely focused on people and the experiences for both customers and employees.  Zappos does WOW.

The WOW of Zappos.com is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College

Feeling overwhelmed by the internet? Did CobbCC1′s post make your head spin? Are you trying to make a significant purchase but feel buried under a mountain of product reviews that all seem to contradict each other? If the answer to any of these questions is YES, try visiting: JustBuyThisOne.

This new site takes into account millions of reviews from Reevoo and condenses them into a single product recommendation for your price range. There are eleven different categories of products, from vacuum cleaners to laptops and each with multiple price ranges. The site is simple to use and easy to navigate. It even includes Room Service which is their guarantee that if you don’t love their recommended product, they’ll take care of returning it, refunding you, and replacing your product with a better one. For free.

It’s a European website so all the price quotes are in pounds but you can easily take the recommended product and plug it in on Amazon to get it in the US of A. So next time you need a new electric kettle, go to this site to help you get the best bang for your buck in the shortest amount of time.

Take a look at the company explained in 60 seconds:

Just Buy This One is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College

David Fischer

A Different Kind of Advertising

Users swarmed to Facebook back in 2005 because of its selectivity and clean look.  Unlike the flashing banners and confusing formats of Myspace, Facebook was uniform and surprisingly easy to navigate. One of the reasons why the social media monster, Facebook, is different than other social media sites is its advertising. Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg allegedly hates pop-up ads and obnoxious promotions which gives the vice president of marketing and former Google executive, David Fischer, the difficult task of selling ad space without discouraging users. Fischer has risen to the challenge by creating ad ‘experiences’ that engage readers by relating to them personally.

What Does Sponsored Mean?

Take a look at the right side of your Facebook page. There’s a column under your live feed titled ‘sponsored’ that pays Facebook’s bills.  This section highlights any status updates or likes that your friends make about a company and combines them with an ad straight from the company.  For example, under my sponsored section it says, “Justin P. likes Chevrolet” and there’s an ad for the Chevy Game Time app below it.

The Most Effective Form of Marketing

However, this month Facebook will start putting their sponsored stories directly into your news feed. So for the first time, companies can pay to be at the top of your page and at the forefront of your mind.  This strategy is to try and reproduce the most effective form of marketing, word-of-mouth.

Considering the fact that 85% of Facebook’s revenue last year was from their online advertising, I would say it’s working quite nicely.

What do you think of Facebook’s advertising technique? Will sponsored stories in your news feed get you more interested in brands that your friends endorse or just annoy you?

Facebook Finds Funds Through Your Friends is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College

People have tried to calculate the number of websites and pages on the internet (link). They have failed. Consider that. With all the tools we have available to us today, we don’t know how large the internet is. Consider something that is small, like Wikipedia. Do you know how long it would take you to read half of Wikipedia? Infinity. That is because content is constantly being added. If that scares you, remember Wikipedia is just a summary of information that is available elsewhere. Meaning, there is always going to be more out there.

Why is this a problem? (Besides being a little bit scary) Because of the limits of humans. The pool of information has become an ocean but we have not all become Michael Phelps. There is simply too much information to sort through.

What does this mean? Are we all doomed to drown in the overwhelming tide of new content? No. It just means that there are better waves that can be ridden if you are capable of upping your surf game.

Paralleling the growth of the information has been the rise of filter sites. They seek to gradate the information into manageable bites. These sites can act like specialized portals to specific stratospheres of the pool. Want to learn about xyz? Use site Everything-about-XYZ.com, Cars? Cars.com Things that are pink? –well, that site does not exist yet, but check back in a week and I bet it will.

Entrepreneurs, start salivating. Information will always be added to the internet and there will always be a need for a means of sifting through it all. Couple this steady demand with some strong fundamentals (coming soon) and you will be able to afford a beachfront condo in a few short years. Happy Surfing!

The Biggest Problem with the Internet is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College

What is this new Policy Shift?

Google recently announced that they are going to be eliminating a significant number of their privacy policies across their different services to make way for a single new privacy policy. This policy states that on March 1 of this year Google will begin integrating information from each of their different web services in order to develop a profile for each user. Google states that these profiles will be used to “tailor” search results and provide advertisements that each user will find more relevant. If you aren’t already worried about this policy, you should be.

Who Should Care and Why?

Just about everyone. Anyone who uses any form of Google web service (i.e. YouTube, Gmail, Google+, and Google’s search engine) and enjoys some level of privacy. The new policy becomes much more frightening in conjunction with the fourth privacy principle of the Google company philosophy:

People have different privacy concerns and needs. To best serve the full range of our users, Google strives to offer them meaningful and fine-grained choices over the use of their personal information. We believe personal information should not be held hostage and we are committed to building products that let users export their personal information to other services. We don’t sell users’ personal information.

This means that as of March 1, any online activity that you perform with some degree anonymity using one of Google’s services will be public knowledge that is associated with your name, your face, and your phone number. This should be particularly off-putting to android phone users whose real-time location, Google Wallet data, and much more will also be available.

The Take-Away Message?

So what can you do? Not much really. There’s no way to opt out of this debacle. If you plan on continuing to use Google’s web services, you’ll simply have to submit to these policies and the fact that all personal information you share or indicate with them being available to anyone who cares enough to know. Ultimately you’ll just need to reevaluate using Google’s services instead of their alternatives. Time to break out the pros & cons charts again!

Why You Should Care About Google’s Upcoming Privacy Policy Shift is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College

Skiing is a sport that has just recently taken a spin. Over the past few years free skiing has developed more and more. For those of you that don’t know what that means, free skiing is ‘trick skiing.’ Every free skier has their own style or ‘swag.’ The cool part about free skiing is that everyone is a community. So, how do you become part of this community? Visit the website www.newschoolers.com. This website has truly made a huge impact on young skiers and the development of the sport. This website started in 1999 by Matt Harvey while he was sitting at his work just brainstorming. The idea was to provide a core website for the sport of skiing that could help promote it. Over the next years, Matt made many innovations and changes to his site. Newschoolers eventually grew into what it is today. It is an online interactive skiing community. This community provides profile creation for skiers, picture/video uploads, news threads, advertising new gear, threads for trading and selling gear, and so much more.  After only being online for three months, the interactive website attracted over 500 members, which was a definite good sign. After years of re-coding and intense work www.newschoolers.com grew into a very successful and helpful website for all kinds of skiers. It is a great source to find information, talk to other skiers, watch videos, and look at pictures. Skiers are posting new threads and forums constantly. With major skiing corporations, mountains, and even pro-skiers noticing this site, the future is obviously very bright. It will be very interesting to see where not only this site goes, but also the future of skiing.

Thinking about skiing? is a post from Internet Entrepreneurship - Class Blog of ENTR 409 at Grove City College