Can my Gremlin Win the Big Race?
Submitted by Joshua Briley on October 10, 2008 - 11:39am.As a kid, I thought my Mom’s Gremlin was the coolest car in the world. I guess at some point, she did too. A unique (very) shape not shared by any other car on the market… A devil on the side, behind the passenger door. It was a mean machine… nothing could beat it. It was cool… at least to us. If you were to ask a mechanic, especially a NASCAR mechanic, their opinion of a Gremin, I’m sure it’d be much different.
If you were to ask the same mechanic to get my Mom’s Gremlin passing through the checkered flag first at the Indy500, he’d tell you it was impossible. We’ll, he’d probably tell you he could help if you’d let him rebuild the engine, the chassis, suspension, etc. He’d have to strip it down, and completely rebuild it to make it remotely raceable. Then it’d take tons more tweaking to get it competitive… It’d be a lot of work.
Jott It Down
Submitted by Joshua Briley on October 10, 2008 - 11:23am.When it comes to social networks, there is a ton of redundant data entry. I have to keep track of a ridiculous amount of user names and passwords, and type the same information over and over again. Ugghhh... Can you scream inefficient? I asked a few developers what it would take to create an application that would make this situation more manageable. You know, one point of access for all of the popular social networks like Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, etc. They all thought the idea was great, but ensured me that it couldn't be done. Well... guess what... it's done. Enter Jott.
I just "stumbled upon" a very neat little online tool called Jott. With this system I can call a phone number and update my blog, send myself an email reminder, update my Google calendar, and update my social networking applications like Twitter, etc. The cool thing is that I can do it for free, without being tied down to a computer. The Jott system employees excellent voice recognition software that transcribes my spoken word into text, and then updates the things I tell it to update. Revolutionary... It is a sign of our times and I'm loving it.
Frugal Website Promotion
Submitted by Joshua Briley on October 10, 2008 - 11:14am.A reocurring question that arises in majority of conversations with potential Para-Diddle Design customers is, "how do I get more traffic to my site?" I can make a whole website about this, but I'll keep it brief. Although we believe an integrated marketing strategy is best, we've found the following resources to be useful in website promotion.
Search Directories
First and foremost, if you're website is not listed in the Open Directory Project (DMOZ) directory, get it in there right away. DMOZ is the directory that feeds most of the major search engines, and if your site isn't there, many of the search engines are unlikely to "know" about you. This is free, so there's no excuse. :)
Got a great website, but no sales?
Submitted by Joshua Briley on October 10, 2008 - 11:06am.OK, I could point out the obvious fact that websites that are designed to make sales and generate leads are anything but “great” if they don’t live up to their expectations. Much like we expect sales people to bring in business, we should hold our websites equally accountable. We’ll touch on a couple topics here on the good old Para-Diddle Design blog about this topic from time to time… let’s talk about website conversion potential.
Lots of folks we encounter want a website with a big “WOW” factor, thinking that’s what their customers want to see. From fancy splash screens (animated intro pages - you’ve seen them, “Skip Animation To Enter Site”), to overdone colors and textures. Although it may lend to the immediate, short term credibility factor, overly designed websites are generally a distraction. The folks over at Future Now (one of the leading website optimization firms in the country) compile a montly list of websites that are experiencing the highest conversion rates. Recent results are for the US and Canada.
Easy Link Icons
Submitted by somecallmejosh on March 31, 2008 - 12:25am.- Word Document
- Rich Text Format Document
- Text File
- Excel Spreadsheet
- RSS or Atom Feed
- Outline Processor Markup Language Fele
- PHP Source File
- Bit Torrent File
- Application files (.app and .dmg for Mac)
- Power Point Document
- PDF Document
- Visa
- Master Card
- American Express
- Discover
New Marketing
Submitted by Joshua Briley on March 7, 2008 - 8:54am.I just finished Seth Godin's new book, "Meatball Sundae." It's an interesting take on new marketing mediums for modern businesses. He does a good job demonstrating how and how not to use the new social networks, and other mediums to market your business.
The Social Networks are a source to which many businesses turn. MySpace, Linked In, Plaxo, Squidoo, etc. He mentions how many businesses are using these tools inappropriately. And to a certain degree, I agree. Seth points out a few case studies, which help drive the point home a little better. I came across one company recently that seems to be using the new media to the extremes...
Now Accepting Credit Cards
Submitted by Joshua Briley on February 12, 2008 - 3:00pm.Writing checks takes time. We understand that. As a convenience to our clients, we now accept the following credit cards:
Beginning March 1, 2008, our clients will be able to pay for web design and development services right here on the Para-Diddle Design, LLC website.
Para-Diddle Design Expands to New England
Submitted by Joshua Briley on July 29, 2007 - 5:58am.
In July 2007, Josh and family relocated from Mandeville, LA to Manchester, Connecticut. As a home based organization, this was much easier, and much more financially feasible than if we had a traditional brick and mortar presence. Our telephone number remains the same - 888.232.8250. We've become members of the local chamber, and have taken a seat in a local Business Network International Chapter. Things are moving right along. We will continue servicing our clients in the New Orleans and the Gulf South regions.
Website Design and Development
Is your website living up to its job description? Does it need a good kick in the pants? Getting your website to perform at a high level may be less expensive than you imagined. From sales, to customer retention, and all things in between, your website can help increase consumer confidence in your offering, strengthen customer loyalty, and employee satisfaction.
