WSI WebStrategies

What's next for Office -> Microsoft Office 2010

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (mckilldj) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:42:00 -1000

So ... If you are wondering what fun features the next MS Office will have well then look no further! Here in a nutshell are the main 2010 changes of interest:

1) Updated Menu system:

Office 2007 was a bit of a pain with a confusing "stuff-everything-into-an-unintuitive-top-bar" setup. The new office has been rewired up such that when you select a different group of settings, the entire page changes color and focuses specifically on this section of tabs (removing all others). Whether this is good or bad I'm not sure - but personally I preferred the old school drop down menus - why change something so intuitive and usability friendly??

2) Deeper Multimedia Editing:

For the graphically challenged amongst us (i.e. those that know Photoshop about as well as they know Mandarin), the new Office offers up a nice suite of basic image and video tweaking tools. So once you have your documents all prepared you can simply make your edits within Office, without having to redo something you have missed and then reimport etc.

3) Real-time interaction:

For what it's worth you will be able to chat with your IM buddies while editting a word document ... erm I wonder if this isn't a ploy by Microsoft to continue in their (ever failing efforts) to take over the universe. It seems a little pointless to me; feels like Microsoft is trying to glue all the parts together without making sure the puzzle makes sense first. I don't really understand this new feature but we will see how it takes on I suppose. It's almost as it MS has asked their programmers to start doing the job of their business analysts; That is, make it work then figure out what is really need - cart before the horse.

4) Better security:

The new Office 2010 reworks the author settings, restricted editing, and adds a protected mode, which stops you from accidentally editing a file you download until you enable it. This has some use I spose as we have all accidentally changed a word doc entirely by accident and ... eh no - again I don't see much use in this; maybe it becomes useful when collaborating with others but I don't see anything ground breaking here.

5) Web Apps:

It seems Microsoft have finally gotten something right. I remember back in the day when the earlier versions of Office were just germinating and I thought to myself how useful it would be to have these tools online ... then Google took the initiative with Google Docs. At last Microsoft has decided to move in the direction of Web Apps to provide this much needed functionality. The ubiquitous nature of the Web just screams out for MS Office 2010 to finally go online. The specifics aren't clear yet but from all accounts it will be at least one thing we can take as a useful development from the new Office bag of tricks.

In summary, what with Bing being rubbish, Vista being a disaster and Windows 7 being nothing ground breaking I am starting to wonder about Microsoft's future. Will MS still be around in 2025? Either MS is about to unveil some amazingly shiny/sparkly new invention that will have us all bowing down once again like the old days, or Microsoft is on it's last legs. Bill all is forgiven, come home and save us.

Bing Bigger Than Digg, Twitter, and CNN: A Dumb Comparison

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (cleone@webstrategiesinc.com) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:42:00 -1000

Social Media news site Mashable.com made a post on Wednesday on Bing's surge in internet popularity. After only one month, Bing is now the 13th most visited site on the internet.

"According to Compete.com, Bing was able to amass 49.57 million unique visitors in its first month as Microsoft’s official search engine. Bing’s traffic trumps that of Digg (38.96 million) Twitter (23 million), and CNN (28.54 million). We want to note that this focuses on U.S. visitors, since Compete does not track international visits."

Is Bing really taking off at an astronomical rate positioning itself to pass internet overlord Google, or are we drawing some lame comparisons? Unfortunately for Steve Balmer's dream of building a real-life Death Star, it's the latter.

Here's are reasons why this news is very unimpressive:

1) Dumb Comparison: Twitter, CNN, and Digg are not search engines. They are completely different kinds of sites and used very differently. Comparing Bing to these three is like comparing a bank to a night club.

2) The Hype: Microsoft spent $300mm in advertising for Bing. If you haven't seen or heard about it last month, you're living in a cave. Curious visits do not equal loyal users.

3) Live redirect: If you used to use Live.com for searching, you are now redirected to Bing. Bing has simply inherited all Live traffic. Live was already bigger than Twitter, CNN, and Digg so it makes sense that Bing is where it is.

4) Internet Explorer: The default search engine in Internet Explorer is now Bing. If you enter a URL incorrectly, it brings you to Bing. These are not intentional visits to the search engine.

Here's a look at how Live and Bing are about to swap traffic volume:

Another important point worth noting: this is not representative of search volume. Only site traffic. Microsoft email accounts are hosted on Live which do not migrate to Bing (at least, not yet), and Yahoo offers plenty more than a search engine (mail service, news, etc).

Nothing about the current data on Bing can be attributed to user loyalty. It's first month of traffic was contaminated with hype and advertising $$'s that won't stay around for long. We're nowhere close to drawing real conclusions on the success of the search engine, especially not when we're comparing it to non search engine sites. Show me search volume numbers in three months and then I'll take a serious look...

PageMorph Demo

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (chris@webstrategiesinc.com) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:22:00 -1000

Here is a short video demonstrating a commercial application introduced this week by Eye Wonder Labs of their PageMorph technology. It can be used to feature an underlying ad from a web page using a technique very different from the more standard pop-up. In this video I recorded a BMW ad that ran on a European moto sports website. The user clicks on a button and the page divides with the halves moving back in a curtain effect to reveal the underlying ad.

The actual instances where this technique could be used may be limited, but it just demonstrates the almost daily advances in web technology. Effective websites are dynamic, meaning it is important to maintain fresh content and use website design techniques that attract targeted traffic and convert business.

Video Gone Wild

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (neal@webstrategiesinc.com) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:27:00 -1000

I read recently that people are uploading 20 hours of video to YouTube every minute. That's right - 20 hours every minute. Considering it is free, one must wonder how long YouTube's business model will survive...but that's not the point. What's really happening here is that video is the new method of delivering content on the internet. Those of us interested in driving revenue, serving the customer and creating effective internet marketing plans better pay attention to this trend. We're really not surprised when you think about it. Once TV sets began to populate our homes, the TV set became the preferred source for news and entertainment. And then this thing we call the internet came along a few years ago and it has consumed our time and attention. No surprise the two have come together.

Incorporating video into website design is becoming a competitive advantage. Firms that use video to deliver their message are viewed as being more up-to-date. Using video to explain how to use something or the reasons why one product or service is better than another can be extremely effective. Think about it - would you rather watch a 2 minute video about a product or service vs. 5 minutes reading 1,000 words of text? Most of us would choose the video. After all, more of us than ever are experiencing too little time in the day to get everything done. To view an example - go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM_0RXQDBOo.

Fortunately, video production has become much easier. We recently invested in a camera, lights, green-screen and other items to provide video creation services to our customers. We're not creating award winning videos or commercials that will be seen during the Super Bowl, but that's not what the customer needs. A good, short video (no more than 2 minutes) can be a very effective way to communicate important information and will give you a competitive edge.

Bacon Explosion Part II

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (phil@webstrategiesinc.com) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:37:00 -1000

I don’t care who you are, but it’s a tough act to follow the Bacon Explosion. Here goes nothin’…..

More people than ever are using the internet. Why do you think that is? Faster connection speeds and wider availability of those fast connections are certainly good explanations. I submit that it’s really a change in behavior more than anything else. I read an article recently that said people now spend more time online than they do watching TV. That’s HUGE!!!!! Television has been the dominant advertising medium since the 60s and the internet as we know it has only been around since the mid 90s. Face it, the internet is how we search for information. Now that I’ve told you something you already know let’s carry it a step further.

Customers search for information about bacon, barbecue sauce and cholesterol drugs on line. Restaurants, grocery stores and drug makers know this, so they make an investment in internet marketing. According to eMarketer, online advertising spending will increase 176% from 2007 to 2013. Good business people don’t trifle with fads—they invest in the future so their companies can reap the rewards. Internet usage, and in particular internet usage for business is increasing because we now have access to information from our homes, offices, and on the go from the myriad of mobile devices we carry with us every day. It is vital for a business to have a visible presence on line. “Visible” is the operative word in the last sentence.

The Bacon Explosion guys no doubt spent a lot of time, and probably a fair amount of cash to get their BBQ sauce and dry rub to market. As my esteemed colleague mentions, they did something a little offbeat to attract attention. Their efforts were rewarded with lots of new website traffic, and hopefully lots of new business as well. Whether these guys invested time, effort or money the bottom line is they invested in driving traffic to their website. Without an investment in internet marketing, these guys are just another bunch backyard barbecue kings with no way to tell the world about their gut-bustin’, monster meat log.

Bacon Explosion - A Social Media Phenomenon

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (cleone@webstrategiesinc.com) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:43:00 -1000

I recently stumbled across what had to be the most deliciously evil culinary concoction I've ever laid eyes on. Behold, the BACON EXPLOSION

So what is this thing? It's a sausage roll with bacon inside rolled up yet again with a latice of more bacon. Smoked for 2.5 hours, doused and smothered in BBQ rub and sauce and served to your coronary delite.

Ok, so now you're asking, "Chris, I know you're smart and good looking, but what does this have to do with social media?"

Everything!

Here's the backstory: The bacon explosion was created in Jason Day’s kitchen with the help of Aaron Chronister, who anchor a barbecue team called Burnt Finger BBQ. Jason and Aaron were looking for ways to get more traffic exposed to their site BBQAddicts.com. More traffic would mean more advertising revenue, which they needed to help fund their expensive BBQ'ing hobby. They decided to do something over the top - something people would get interested in and want to share. Thus was born the Bacon Explosion.

Let's pause here for a second and look at two very important words: share and expose. Jason and Aaron knew if they could come up with a wild enough idea (related to their site), other people would want to share the idea in turn exposing more and more people to their site. Social media and networks accomplish this better than any platform ever has.

So what happened next? Once Jason and Aaron posted the recipe on their website, they shared it with their network (Facebook and Twitter), who then shared it with THEIR friends who shared it with their friends. All the while, their site was getting submitted and hitting the front pages of Digg and StumbleUpon - some of the internets most popular social bookmarking sites.

Now it was out of control. The story was picked up by Men's Journal, the New York Times, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, etc. At last count their site had 13,000 inbound links, just under 3x the calorie count of the bacon explosion itself!

Are you still wondering how they monetized this beyond simple ad revenue? Take a look at the picture above again. Behind the Bacon Explosion is, you guessed it, their signature BBQ sauce and BBQ rub - both of which are listed on the original recipe, were seen by hundreds of thousands of people in just a few months, and are available to buy through their site.

This is just another of the thousands of examples of how new media have changed, and greatly accelerated, the path to popularity and business success. You have to be remarkable, but the opportunity is there and it is huge.

Social Media Marketing - What's Your Niche?

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (neal@webstrategiesinc.com) — Sun, 24 May 2009 02:23:00 -1000

I read an article recently that stated 60% of US Fortune 500 companies will start an online social media campaign this year and half of them will fail at it. If these "deep pockets" can't figure it out, what about the thousands of small and medium sized businesses out there battling to develop an effective internet marketing program? We have discussions with our clients all the time about how to capitalize on this social media explosion, and we advise them to think hard about their niche.

In social media you must have a niche - something you are known for and something important enough to the audience that they want to hear what you are saying. I did a Twitter search recently as part of a client meeting and the entries some people put in Twitter - it's like who cares!!! However, if you have a niche or something you become known for and others are interested - now you are on your way to building your personal brand.

Now, do some hard thinking about what you are, what's important to you, what good things your business can provide to the marketplace. Make a short list and then do a Twitter search for these terms. Go to www.search.twitter.com. Type in some of the words you think people would use to describe your topics. See what people are saying about your topic. If there's good activity and after reading some of the "tweets" you think you can make a positive contribution to the online conversations, then maybe you found your niche.

We all struggle with making the connection between helpful online conversations and how it helps your business. Well first, don't get "salesy". Just like at a networking event you have conversations and if there's an opportunity to be helpful, you help. It doesn't mean you are constantly doing a sales pitch. On the social networks it's all about making a positive contribution to the conversation. By doing so you build your personal credibility and brand, and that often translates to business.

Windows 7 Release Candidate

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (luke@webstrategiesinc.com) — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:37:00 -1000

After the abysmal failure of Windows Vista in the business market, Microsoft is hoping to regain customer loyalties with the pending release of Windows 7.

In an attempt to jump-start some buzz about the Windows 7 release this holiday season, Microsoft is offering Windows 7 RC (build 7100) as a free download from Microsoft.com. Once you have registered and chosen your flavor (32-bit or 64-bit) you will be given a free serial number to activate your copy of Windows 7 RC. This serial number will be good for 1 full year! In March of 2010 your computer will shut down after 2 hours of use (you will receive a warning about this 2 weeks ahead of time). And in June of 2010 your computer will cease to boot without first purchasing a release copy of Windows 7 or reinstalling your older OS.

I myself have been using Windows 7 RC for a few weeks now and couldn’t be more pleased.

Twitter this ... Twitter that - what's all this jargon about anyway?

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (mckilldj) — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:30:00 -1000

If you feel like you are getting old and out of touch with all these new Web gadgets and thingamajigs ... well join the club. It gets over whelming sometimes how quickly technology changes. One minute you are using Yahoo to search the "Internet" for "stuff", the next you are being asked why you don't have a Twitter account. It just seems like so much of this technology stuff ... the Web, Twitters, Facebooking ... is all just a flash in the pan, and that ultimately the good old methods of grabbing clients through word of mouth will line your small business wallet with green again. Unfortunately, it is a fact that NOT keeping up with technology in todays E-world could ultimately, if not end, critically affective your "Bricks-n-Mortar" business.

Believe it or not technologies like Twitter ARE the new word of mouth. New generations of buyers and clients consume these technologies like their lives depend on it. Just about everyone out there now is, at the very least, thinking about buying what I like to call a "Pocket-Puter". These PP's (iphones etc.) come with the Web readily available ... and so the world is fast becoming Web centric. There is no doubt the Web is our future whether we like it or not, from our fridge beeping at us while we walk down the isles of the super market, reminding us we need to buy milk, to the dog bowl Twittering at us that it needs a refill.

In some ways it is a little scary and depressing. It can be hard migrating our business practices. The good news though, is that if we DO decide to take a peak ... to embrace these new things, we begin to realize some very fun and interesting means of ensuring our businesses push on into the next few decades, not just surviving but thriving by use of these new Web based technologies.

Send us an email - we can take it step by step and break it down into simple terms to show you how the Web can genuinely improve your profit margins. It's not a gimic, it's real honest to goodness business success.

Off-site Blog Hosting

name.nospam@nospam.example.com (chris@webstrategiesinc.com) — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:24:00 -1000

Most people know that blogs are a great way to help users keep informed about topics of interest, and at the same time drive qualified traffic to the website. For this reason, search engines love blogs. Blogs with new material posted on a frequent basis that is relevant to the website will encourage search engine spiders to index the parent website more frequently. For many site owners, however, adding a blog can be a daunting prospect, particularly if their website is hosted with a provider with restrictive policies regarding new features.

It is usually advantageous from an SEO standpoint for add-on features such as blogs to be hosted at the same place as the main website. This is also a convenience if configuration changes need to be made, since everything is in one place. In some cases, however, it just is not possible for something like a blog to be hosted with a website. We have clients who have very restrictive hosting environments where installing additional functionality isn't allowed. An example of this could be an eCommerce website that is closely tied into the client's POS (point-of-sale) system. This is great for the client from the standpoint of maintaining the product catalog, tracking sales and inventory levels, etc., but not so good when it comes time to add unsupported functionality.

A workable solution is to host the blog in a different hosting environment, and link to it appropriately from the main website. The major search engines recognize this as acceptable practice. For those comfortable with making DNS changes, this is a matter of creating a sub-domain such as blog.yourdomain.com, where "yourdomain.com" is the URl of the main website. An A Record can be created in the DNS Zone that points this new sub-domain to the IP address of the server hosting the blog. The nice thing is that to the end user, this separate hosting of the blog is completely transparent. The blog is simply another navigation link on the website, and the fact that it is hosted separately really doesn't matter.

I am writing this to help website owners realize they have options when it comes to having add-on functionality such as blogs installed on their website. Even though your current hosting plan may not support the addition of a blog, it doesn't mean it is impossible to get one. In fact, adding a blog to almost any website is a relatively straightforward process, and the long term benefits can be significant.