Instagram has been making headlines lately. Originally an iPhone app, Instagram is a social platform for mobile photos.  After snapping a photo, simple filters and effects can be applied before posting to the platform or sharing to your other social properties (Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, etc.). The application later released an Android app, has received rousing adoption and the community is growing by leaps and bounds. Of course then, there was little surprise that Facebook acquired the company for $1,000,000,000!

Pinterest is the online equivalent of your local cafe’s community corkboard. Instead of business cards and babysitting flyers, photos or videos are ‘pinned’ and organized on ‘boards’ where Pinterest users can ‘repin’, ‘like’, or ‘comment’. Captions can be included with the bookmarked content where users can add links to direct traffic or describe the content of the media. Pinterest profiles become clean collages of aggregated interests.

Business Brainstorming

With millions and millions of users between them, these platforms are hard to ignore. If your brand can be enhanced through visual content and has a business to consumer market, then consider Pinterest. If you’re capturing that content on-the-go with your mobile device, also consider Instagram.  If your business is driven by work portfolios or products consider the following ideas:

• Real Estate: listings or open house photos
• Builder/Designer: project progress, DIY tips or before & after photos
• Restaurant: food specials, recipes or catering spreads
• Creative Agencies: sources of inspiration

As with any social platform, don’t join ONLY to post, remember to engage. Follow others and participate in the overall happening of the network. Research your competitors and learn best practices. Also don’t forget to include links to convert platform interests on your company’s website.

Next Steps:

• Download Instagram | Read, “Instagram for Businesses“
• Request a Pinterest Invite

One final piece of advice. Be intentional about the quality of the photography that your company shares. Well lit, clear photos that are well staged (if possible) will be most appealing to these networks where feeds are built of beautifully curated pieces or creatively inspired snapshots.

Maybe not the best backup option...

Blizzards, earthquakes, hurricanes—oh my. In the past year or so, Northern Virginia, where we’re located, has experienced all three of these natural disasters. Thankfully, these weren’t extreme events, but power was lost, trees felled, and even bricks sent scattering onto a car.

And this is why we back up data. Whether it’s a flood rampaging your server or a hacker deleting your databases, having a solid backup is your first—and sometimes only—line of defense.

Backups are easy to create and deploy, and cost less than most insurance plans.

With a growing majority of websites built on the WordPress platform, several developers and companies have taken it upon themselves to make backups as simple as possible. Below I’ll layout the three most popular solutions, along with their pros and cons.

WP-DB-Backup

Created as a free plugin for any WordPress site, WP-DB-Backup will backup your site’s database on a regular schedule.

• Pros: Free and easy to install.
• Cons: Only creates a backup of the database and keeps this backup on the same server the site is on.

BackupBuddy

BackupBuddy is part of the PluginBuddy suite of tools offered by iThemes. It’s like a super plugin, offering tons of features and configuration settings.

• Pros: Install it on multiple sites; backup to multiple locations; safeguard your database and files.
• Cons: Configuring the plugin and restoring files can be complicated; you have to create your own backup location.

VaultPress

The creators of WordPress, Automattic, released VaultPress just a couple of years ago as a way for site owners to easily protect their assets.

• Pros: Super easy install; backup securely to Automattic’s servers; one-click restorations.
• Cons: Can be expensive if you have more than one site; no control over the backup location.

Which one should you go with? It depends on your needs. If money is an issue or the site is not that important, WP-DB-Backup may suffice. However, if you need a heavyweight backup solution to use across multiple domains, BackupBuddy is the best way to go. Or, if you only have one site, and you want the Cadillac backup option, VaultPress might just be up your alley.

Image Credit: Austin Marshall

What’s the big deal and why should business owners and hiring managers be worried? To sum it up with one reason: Title VII, ADA, GINA, CRA, and EEO in general. What is all of this? That alphabet soup of acronyms describes several Federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws on the books that apply to effectively any new hire in the United States. (Okay, if you’re outside of the U.S. entirely this may not apply to you, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have other federal or local labor laws. Consult a qualified attorney.

These laws have been on the books for decades to protect workers from unfair hiring practices based on various factors such as race, sex, or age. How does this affect potential new hires and their social media profiles? Well, it’s a Pandora’s box of sorts. Let’s use an example:

• Mike J, candidate #1, is a U.S. citizen who has a certain disability that wasn’t obvious and that Mike didn’t disclose (as he’s protected by law from doing so).
• Randy R, candidate #2, is a foreign national (legal to work in the U.S.) with no disabilities or protected views or statuses.

In both instances the candidates are fully qualified and capable of fulfilling the duties of the job they are applying for. Both are interviewed fairly and through the same process. Both agree to let their prospective employer access their Facebook profiles. The hiring manager (or outside screening agency) reviews information from both candidate’s Facebook profiles and then Randy R is offered the position over Mike J. Mike had “liked” various pages for agencies and non-profits that work to address the certain disability Mike has, and he had mentioned it in a status update a few months ago.

The employer has just opened themselves up to a potential legal battle as Mike J may have a strong EEO claim against them for unfair hiring practices.

Let me be clear, I’m not a lawyer and this is a fictitious scenario I just made up, but it is certainly a very plausible situation that is likely already occurring or may occur. As always it’s advisable to consult with your own legal counsel with regard to hiring practices.

As an employer it’s a very fine line between ensuring your candidates are qualified while doing your due diligence with proper background checks and not overstepping your boundaries. It’s already very well established that certain topics are completely off limits during an interview and the hiring process. Digging into a candidate’s seemingly private online profile can unknowingly put you on the receiving end of a nasty lawsuit since you came across protected information.

What’s a candidate to do? Mashable has a great article on responding to that request for access. And employers? I would keep a very close eye on legislation working through the Maryland legislature that could prohibit you from asking for access to candidate’s social media accounts.

This is a sticky area that’s only going to get more heated as the debate between employer and employee privacy in an increasingly public society rages on. In the meantime, get a good lawyer and make sure your bases are covered!

Last fall, Apple launched iCloud, a service most recognizable by iPhone and iPad users. iCloud, which is available on Mac & PC, is tailored to keep the files you rely on and the applications that you’re used to (photostream, calendar, mail, contacts, etc.) synced and ready to go on each device the software is installed. Unlike Dropbox, iCloud is more device focused instead of web centered. For iTunes fans, iCloud also offers iTunes Match, a paid service to make your iTunes library accessible. iCloud offers a free 5GB plan, that doesn’t count most native Apple application data against your monthly quota.

Today, Google officially entered the cloud storage scene with Google Drive. With a starter 5GB plan, a long list of easily viewable file extensions and seamless integration with their current web software suites, is Google Drive a Dropbox killer? Check it out for yourself and see whether the software is already available for your Google account.

Have you considered a cloud service for your company’s file storage needs?

Search engine robots are suffering from meta tag indigestion

Ah, meta tags. A leftover relic from the times when one actually did need to submit their site to search engines and directories. Thankfully, those times have passed, and search engines are a heck of a lot smarter.

But meta tags–well, those still exist.

Every once in a while I hear that meta tags are essential, that they must be added immediately to the website. The truth is, meta tags aren’t that useful at all. You could build an entire website without mentioning meta keywords or meta descriptions and do just fine in search rankings. But meta tags are so ingrained in our thinking that we think they’re necessary.

Don’t get me wrong. Meta tags are essential for instructing search robots and redirecting websites, but that’s just not exciting. It’s the search people want to know about. How many keywords can be stuffed into the meta description to improve rankings?

Let’s review quickly what meta tags Google actually considers:

• Meta Description: Yes, Google will actually index based on this, but if you think you can improve your ranking by stuffing in hundreds of keywords, think again. This is but a very small metric in Google’s vast and secret search algorithm, and I’d argue meta description gets little–if any–play at all. Meta description is mostly useful for manipulating the sample content that appears in Google’s search results; otherwise, Google will automatically choose something from the content.
• Meta Robots: This is for setting up robots.txt to enable or disable search bot access to the website. Useful if you want to prevent bots from accessing duplicate content directories, which will get you a small penalty in search engine land.
• Meta Google: Don’t want Google to add a translate link to your search results? Define this to disable that feature. Not really something to worry about, though, unless you have foreign languages plastered all over your site.
• Meta Google-Site-Verification: For verifying your site with Google Webmaster Tools.
• Meta Content-Type: Tell Google what sort of content and characters it can expect. This is usually going to be text/html and UTF-8.
• Meta Refresh: Need to redirect a page on the fly? This is a quick and easy way, though Google recommends a server-side 301 redirect instead. I agree.

So that’s it for what Google looks at in the meta realm. Notice meta keywords is missing. Google doesn’t look at it.

The point is, don’t spend much time fretting about meta tags. They’re really only useful for technical functions, not search engine optimization. Your time would be better spent crafting solid content for your web pages.

To learn more about what Google does and doesn’t look at in meta tags, take a look at Google Webmaster’s content guidelines.

Image Credit: Dan Thornton

Diving In

Social network platforms thrive on all types of users, including businesses. Subsequently, getting started with a new platform is usually free and easy. Having a presence on every platform that pops up may not be necessary so take some time to evaluate where your target audience and competitors are active. Always have a web sized logo file and your company’s website URL ready when you sign up to one of the popular platforms. Once your company has created an account, be ready to observe the platform specific behavior of users and businesses alike, then begin to engage by posting and creating points of discussion related to your field. Use the platform to lead back to content on your website, promote events, highlight new services or offer deals. Sign up via these links:

• Facebook Pages
• Twitter
• LinkedIn (“Companies” tab » “Add a Company” link)

Branding Creatively

The visualization of your company shouldn’t stop with your signage, letterhead or polo! Your logo, color scheme and typographic choices should seamlessly translate to all of your online platforms. This will give your company recognition and credibility. Often times, you’ll need the assistance of a design company to leverage platform specific branding options. Check out some examples here: Website, Facebook, Twitter. Need help? Get Social Online

Engaging Consistently

Interaction on social media platforms has conversion in mind but also caters to keeping your online community informed and interested. This is the time for your customer service representatives to shine when there is an issue and for your marketing personnel to extend their reach when there is positive press and upcoming events. Be intentional about capturing media that is company related, client oriented or industry specific. Most platforms have excellent ways of highlighting photographs and videos. Use your posts, tweets and connections to build a web of influence. Offer your target audience expert information and practical tips and solutions. Publish a blog post on your website then share that post to your various social media platforms. Wherever you are online, be sure to remain present! Forgetting to respond to user interaction or having an idle account can work against your social media strategy, brand and company reputation.

Updating Accordingly

Did you know that Twitter modified its layout last year? Have you noticed that your Facebook Page was converted to a new format on March 31, 2012? Or that LinkedIn has company profile options that allow you to add products and services? Social media platforms are continuously undergoing updates and adding features. Staying committed to social media platforms is an ongoing effort and investment. Stay knowledgeable and be diligent. Social media strategy is a necessary success.

This event is not open to the public and you MUST RSVP to be allowed in. You may RSVP on our Facebook page here or also on our website here.

We are expecting a large crowd so please arrive at anytime. There will be plenty of parking nearby if our parking lot gets full. You may want to either arrive right at 4:00 or wait until 5:00-6:00. We will be open from 4:00-7:00 so you don’t have to get here right at 4:00 (there will be plenty to go around, we promise).

We look forward to seeing everyone and wish you a very safe and happy holiday season.

Those words: “Above the fold.”

It was a myth that I thought had been debunked and sent to the annals of history, a myth never to be repeated. But every year, even in the high-tech times of 2011, just a year shy of the world’s supposed demise, I still hear the myth.

For those who aren’t familiar with the concept of the fold, it’s a belief that people will pay the most attention to what’s printed on the front page a newspaper. Perhaps that’s still true–I don’t know, I’m not a newspaper publisher–but somehow this belief got translated over to the nets. People believed with conviction that everything on their homepage had to be jammed all the way to the top, that no one would scroll down below. So in the early times of the internet, designers complied and shoved navigation, headlines, links, content, and ads all the way to the top, and you’d look at these websites and think they were about to explode.

But then the debunking process began. Most notably, famed usability expert Jakob Nielsen found in 1997 that, yes, people do scroll down on the homepage. His own words were, “[W]e have seen that most users scroll when they visit a long home page or a long navigation screen.”

And yes, you read that right: 1997. This conclusion was formed almost 14 years ago. Yet the myth still somehow prevails even today.

And if you read that study, you’ll see that the myth was formed in 1994 (maybe not a myth then) out of a recorded behavior of people not understanding the concept of scrolling. That’s because the internet was a brand new thing in 1994–so new that there were more people reading newspapers than there were looking at webpages.

So folks, this is why I cringe whenever I hear those three words, “above the fold.” It’s a concept founded in 1994 that was subsequently debunked in 1997. People do scroll; it’s been studied and confirmed. And yet were now two new decades away and there are still those subscribing to the myth.

Whack-a-Myth

Image Source

Another great study on the fold was done by Milissa Taquini at Boxes and Arrows back in 2007 (yes, 10 years after the myth was originally debunked). The basic premise of the article is that people are still scrolling, but there’s also some useful guidance on when the fold is relevant. The best advice from Milissa (and a basic rule of thumb as she notes) is “that for every site the user should be able to understand what your site is about by the information presented to them above the fold.” That doesn’t mean cramming everything at the top; it means just making sure those bare essential items (like who you are and what you do) are instantly visible when someone views the site.

I have a feeling this myth will keep popping its ugly little head up from time to time, and I’ll continue to keep kicking it back down, because that’s all it is: a myth.

Our official move date is Monday, November 14, 2011. As of that date we’ll be fully operational in our new headquarters. We are very excited to be the newest business to relocate to Prince William County in Northern Virginia.

Our new address is:

10515 Crestwood Drive
Suite 103
Manassas, Virginia 20109

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Coles District of Prince William County

Coles District is one of the seven magisterial districts of Prince William County. The website features a blue and brown theme uniquely adapted from Prince William County’s official website. The design contextualizes the geographic location of Coles District by subtly incorporating local maps.

Functionally, the site’s content management system streamlines both news and event publishing. The home page features the latest of these two areas, enticing the user to stay abreast of  the district’s happenings. Finally, the website also offers an online means of subscribing to the district’s newsletter and viewing an archive of past editions.

Visit the launched site!

Lensis Builders

Lensis Builders specializes in all aspects of residential home improvement. Lensis needed to re-frame their online content to showcase their work and survey interested home owners. Inspired by the architectural elements of the industry, the website has a vertical navigation and large icon based text links that connect to key conversion opportunities and social network platforms.

Throughout the site, photography from Lensis projects are highlighted above the fold of each page and through section oriented galleries. Several forms were created to empower users to begin thinking about potential projects and share their thoughts with Lensis employees.

The site also features a blog that adds a dynamic layer to the content. With the blog, the site becomes a resource to current and potential clients. It provides a medium for conversation through the comments, an opportunity to share site content to other platforms and new content for search engine crawlers. Behind the scenes, the site is also steeped with organic search engine optimization.

Visit the launched site!

Cavendo & Prince William County

Developing a comprehensive web strategy for our clients is what gives us satisfaction. Headquartered, in a top place for business and job growth, we have projects underway that we cannot wait to share! Stay tuned for our next round of site launch highlights.