Net Results
Helping your business succeed online.
Published by nrichmedia (www.nrichmedia.com)
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Volume 2, Issue 4 – Winter 2007
In This Issue
Welcome
Okay, technically it’s barely winter any more. Only a week to
go, according to the calendar. But, as long as it’s still cold
and rainy here on Vancouver Island, spring hasn’t sprung yet!
I was fortunate enough to enjoy two wonderful weeks in Hawaii recently.
Although I would have been happy to stay longer, coming home and going
back to work I had a fresh perspective, which we all need from time
to time. The same, of course, can be said about your web site. Sometimes
you need to take a break from looking at your site and come back to
it in a couple days (or weeks) to see what could really use improvement.
Or, get a fresh set of eyes to view it for you. (If the eye shop is
sold out of fresh eyes, you can just ask a friend to look at your site.)
FAQ: What is a CMS?
CMS stands for Content Management System. It’s essentially a
system of files set up on your web site, which allows you to manage
the content of its pages. With a CMS, the text (and, perhaps graphics
and other elements) in your site are stored in a database and, thanks
to some fancy programming, you’re able to access and update that
text without needing to worry about the database or learning how to
use Dreamweaver or FrontPage (web editing tools) or FTP software.
All you have to do is log in to a password protected area of your
site then choose the page that needs to be updated and use the system’s
text editor to make and save changes to the page. Then those changes
are automatically incorporated to your public site.
There are various types of content management systems available at
various costs. Depending on how often your site needs updating, it
may be a worthwhile long term investment to have one set up for you.
If there’s a web-related question that you’ve been wondering
about, feel free to send me an email (info@nrichmedia.com). Chances
are you won’t be the only person to find the answer useful in
improving your web site.
Featured Article: Determining
Your Web Site’s “CQ” (Cheesiness Quotient)
CQ isn’t an official technical term. You won’t find it
in any dictionary that I’m aware of. In fact, as far as I know,
I just made the term up.
Your web site’s cheesiness quotient is, in essence, its ability
to make people say, “Oh my Gawd” (in the bad way). There
are many factors that determine your web site’s CQ. Following
is a list of some of the worst offenders:
1. Flashing graphics.
You know the ones that say “new” or “click here” and
keep flashing ad nauseum. Those are major eye sores and really distract
and annoy visitors to your site.
2. MIDI (computer generated) music.
Although some music (say subtle classical music) can add a nice touch
to certain web sites, for the most part I’m against it. But,
whatever you do, don’t put that horrible, loud, cheesy circus-like
MIDI created stuff on your site. It just screams “unprofessional.”
3. Overuse of colours.
Especially bright colours. Not every line of text need to be in a
different colour. Is looking at the page hurting your eyes? Colour
can certainly be a very effective communication tool, but be careful
not to go overboard.
4. Tables with thick borders.
Double the points for this one if they’re 3-D borders. Those
just look awful. The thicker they are, the worse they look.
5. Cutesy animations.
Unless you’re selling children’s toys or stuffed animals,
these rarely add anything positive to your site.
6. Overhyped marketing talk.
Yes, you need to get your message across. But does each sentence need
to end with 16 exclamation marks?
7. Overuse of text formatting.
Sure, some points need to stand out more than others, but if most
of your page is in huge font, bold, and/or italics, this formatting
loses its effectiveness (and looks ugly).
8. Dark text on a black background.
If your site is going for the “goth” look, fine. But,
at least make sure people can read the text.
I’m sure I’ve missed some characteristics that add to
a site’s CQ score. And I’m sure people will email with
their suggestions to be added. But you get the point.
Have a good look at your web site. Does it contain any of the above
items? If so, its CQ is probably creeping up there and it might be
time to have it redesigned. Hey, even nicely designed sites need to
be redesigned every couple of years. But, if your site’s CQ is
high, you’re likely losing potential customers because of it
and you might want to put a rush order (with the word “rush” flashing
in big bright letters) on getting it redesigned.
Want more valuable information like this to help your socially responsible
business become an online success and get the results you've been looking
for? Subscribe to Net Results, our FREE
quarterly newsletter by filling in the form at the top left of this
page.
About nrichmedia
nrichmedia creates innovative and unique web sites and other multimedia
for ethical and socially responsible businesses and organizations.
We also offer web site maintenance, CD-ROM production, and more.
nrichmedia was founded by Nathaniel Richman in 2000. Nathaniel graduated
from the Vancouver Film School with a Certificate of Recommendation
in Multimedia Studies in 1997 and has been working in the web design
and new media industry ever since. He previously received a Bachelor
of Mathematics degree (Honours Actuarial Science) from the University
of Waterloo and worked in the pension consulting industry.
Nathaniel works with several other designers and programmers, according
to the needs of the project, to provide the client with the most professionally
designed web site or presentation possible.
"I would like to thank Nathaniel for doing such a wonderful
job on my website. It is exactly what I has imagined. Nathaniel was
very easy to work with, extremely helpful, always getting back to
me quickly with any questions or concerns that I may have. I look
forward to working with Nathaniel again in the future."
- Dr. Michelle Hughes, Founder, Comox Valley Acupuncture and Traditional
Chinese Medicine (www.comoxvalleyacupuncture.com)
To learn more about nrichmedia’s services, view
our online portfolio, and read glowing
testimonials from many satisfied clients, please visit www.nrichmedia.com.
Web Site Design and Promotion Blog
For plenty of tips and tricks on designing, marketing, and promoting
your web site, have a look at www.websitedesignandpromotion.com,
a blog co-authored by nrichmedia and Juliet
Austin.
Recent postings include:
Web
2.0 and Marketing Your Socially Responsible Business
Greening
the Apple
Using
Images to Your Advantage
Excellent
Summary on Key Word Research
Feel free to place a comment on any of the posts there. It’s
an easy way to get a link to your site, which can increase your exposure
and help your site’s search engine rankings.
Charitable Causes
nrichmedia donates 5% of proceeds on all projects of $500 and above
to charitable organizations. We are pleased to have supported and continue
to support several worthy causes. To see a list of the organizations
we support, please visit www.nrichmedia.com/causes.htm.
The Not-to-be Missed
Link:
Hugg.com
Hugg (www.hugg.com), a project created by TreeHugger,
dubs itself "a source for user-generated green news." It lets you share an article,
video, or web site that you've wanted to tell all your green friends about,
with everyone. And, it lets other users rate shared stories by Hugging them.
Archives
To view previous editions of Net Results, visit www.nrichmedia.com/archives.htm.
Pass it on and Enjoy
Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to anyone who might find
it useful.
Want more valuable information like this to help your socially responsible
business become an online success and get the results you've been looking
for? Subscribe to Net Results, our FREE
quarterly newsletter by filling in the form at the top left of this
page.
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 nrichmedia
is located in Courtenay (in the Comox Valley, on Vancouver Island),
British Columbia, Canada, and thinks and works globally! Thanks
to the Internet, we're able to create web sites and other multimedia
for clients all over the world. You can contact us by
or by telephone, at 250.898.8795.
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