I’m spending more time outside this month. Last month seemed to require an extra-intensive amount of screen-time. Now, getting out, the weather invites it. The clients are fun to connect and plan with. The garden demands it. Also looking at new things to use online and evaluating what is benefit and what is cute but useless. Almost like weeding.
I was invited to beta http://www.breadpro.com/howitworks. Spent all of one minute looking at it and walked away. Haven’t we moved beyond the interruption ad days of television? ’Excuse me while I flash this disruption in front of your face for 20 seconds. We know you didn’t ask for it but hey, maybe what we want to show you is more important than what you clicked to see.’ It doesn’t seem respectful.
Word Clouds. http://www.wordle.net/ Fun. Copy/Paste a bunch of text from your blog, your FB newsfeed, your website… and see what rises to the top.
Storage space online? Back-up place? Docs repository? https://drive.google.com offers 5GB for free, to start. Nice.
We’re building more http://wordpress.org websites than ever. So apparently, is the rest of the world. Rapidly becoming ‘expert’.
Please join me outside your normal routine. We’ll both be more balanced and the people we work and live with will probably benefit collaterally as well! What have you done this month that is new, for you?
Photo: stephaniemcmillan.org
[video]
Many of us in this info-industry work on behalf of clients and often are asked to speak for them online. Under their banner, on their website or via their social media we represent their message but are clearly under contract to do what they cannot or simply don’t have time for. Recently it has become more important to fully disclose the actual source of the content. You, the writer.
The American Federal Trade Commission recently released their “Dot Com Disclosures,” which spells out what is OK and what is not. The disclosure must be clear and conspicuous.
Canada often holds hands with the FTA on internet security issues. How clear must this disclosure be? This post at SpinSucks.com clarifies the extent of the new rules. Protect yourself, your company, and/or your clients. Disclose. Better to be safe than sorry.
As many of you know I have a hobby-maybe-bigger pre-occupation of late, with aquaponic gardening. I was reading an article recently with Murray Hallam and Sylvia Bernstein, two very well known leaders in the world of plants and fish. Here is an excerpt from PracticalAquaponics.com.
Murray Hallam. …Now, why do you think we need a website?
Sylvia Bernstein. You know, the reality today is that we connect to each other in many ways through the internet. If somebody is going to find you, chances are they’re going to do it through the internet. Even if they go, let’s take the scenario, they go to the farmers market and they see you there at your table, and they think “wow, Aquaponics, what’s that? Maybe I want to learn more about these people” .They’re going to go home and they’re going to look for you on the internet.
So the internet has really become the common store front for all of us, and your website is very much the front door. It’s your business on line, and that is where people get an impression of you, and so, their impression is either going to be “ooh” or “these people don’t know what they’re doing” or “they sell too hard” or “they’re very amateurish. Gosh, I’m not sure that I want to trust them with my food “, which is a pretty important thing…..Or, you’re going to get the impression that these are people that I can really relate to and that I want to do business with them. I want to really support them as local farmers. And the difference between website number one and website number two can really be some very minor differences, and we’re going to go into some of that in this class.
Murray Hallam. Sylvia, I can really relate to what you’re saying there because I know I do that, I tend to look at the website, you know, get the internet up when I’m looking for anything at all, even if I am about to go down the road to the Mall, I tend to look up the internet first, to get an idea of what I want…So true.
Sylvia Bernstein. You bet, and God forbid you can’t find them on the internet.
Murray Hallam. I think “What’s going on here?”
Sylvia Bernstein. Exactly; “What’s going on here? These people aren’t real. You know, they must be just slack, or whatever.” But all sorts of bad things happen!!! So, it’s very important. You know, it’s funny to think, that even as a farmer, you really do need to have a good internet presence that represents who you really are.
Take a look at the photo at the top of this post. Which door would you prefer to enter? Does your business have a website that is a suitable front door for your online visitors? Got one?-Great! Have you advertised? Can your front door be found online?
Today is Monday morning here. Have a great week!