JOHN SUMSER,
E D I T O R

LINDA WILSON,
R E P O R T E R


S P O N S O R S


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The advertising
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into a thousand
fragments due to
the knowledge explosion
and the proliferation
of new technologies.
There are no
more grand theories
that hold sway
over the entire
industry.
Michael Strangelove


Advertising is
one of the minor
arts, so don't
be intimidated
by it. Try
not to lose
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playfulness.
Keep it fun.
Robert Bly



Reality
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complex
than
it seems.
John Gall



The System
is its own
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explanation.
John Gall



It's better to
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really well than
than to do
a lot of things
badly.
If you can't
make the necessary
commitments of
time and energy
to your
electronic
marketing
efforts
scale back
your plan.
John Sumser


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February 1, 1997

Weekend Reading

Here is this weekend's "must-reads".

  • Online Content: The Web Delivers from PC Magazine
    Push technology is still in its infancy. Therefore, it can be very difficult to evaluate which competitor will emerge on top. PC magazine is well known for their in-depth analysis of competing products. This review will give you an overview of each product in a crowded marketplace and recommend an Editor's Choice. A good article if you have ever thought about employing this technology as a way to deliver content to users.
  • Web glitz: How much is enough? from NetMarketing
    This article asks marketers to examine the use of multimedia on their sites. The article warns that too much "glitz" can turn off customers. Examining more than just bandwidth issues, the authors point out that you need to know your audience.
  • To Build a Better Banner from Who's Marketing Online
    Building advertising banners is a tricky business. You have limited real estate to convey your message. This article tackles what constitutes good design and how to illicit the click-through. Illustrated with examples, this is a good place to start before designing a banner ad. Unfortunately, it doesn't discuss banner design limitations such as byte size or color depth.
  • --Linda Wilson

January 31, 1997

123 Domain Me

123 Domain Me has three great services. They provide a basic check with InterNic to see if a domain name is available. They also provide an interface to check a list of several domain names at once. This can be quite useful as many names are already taken.


If your creativity is in short supply, an additional service will help you think up names for your site. It returns suggestions back to you via three emails. The first one provides you with a list of possibilities that are already registered. The second list provides you with available choices and the third email tells you which ones they were not able to check. --Linda Wilson

January 30, 1997

Publicity

An interesting resource popped on to the radar screen this morning. Publicity.com is a Minneapolis based monthly webzine focused on (you guessed it) publicity. With PR Success stories, deep contents each month and media trend watching, the 'zine has lots of potential. We'll keep watching to see if they stay in the game. (We're rooting for them)

We give them very high marks for design, content and flair.

January 29, 1997

Revisiting Microsoft and Apple

Without a specific schedule for changes or an email notification service, it is easy to assume that a site doesn't change. We revisited two obvious sources of design information to see if we were overlooking obvious resources.

Apple has recently redesigned their Web Design Guide. It offers guidelines on designing a user-friendly web site. The tutorial provides a checklist to help consider the needs of users coming from different configurations and experience levels. There's also a design bibliography and pointers to pages about effective web design. (Most of the material can be used by designers on both platforms.)

Apple also has an area of their site devoted to using Java on a Macintosh

Site Builder Network provides information on products, technologies, and support for the latest Microsoft Internet technologies. There are good resources for both platforms.

Many additional free software tools are available if you join the Site Builder Network. (Register and put a Microsoft logo on your site.) Mac users will find the trip worth while. --Linda Wilson

January 28, 1997

New Advertising Network Auctions Ads

In October WebWeek predicted that most web advertising would be sold by networks. The announcement of the Adbot network seems to endorse that forecast. Created to auction groups of available impressions on different web sites of similar content, Adbot will solicit participation from sites of all sizes. The interesting thing about these auctions is that they will not be entirely virtual. While the auction will be broadcast on their web site, the actual auction is held in Chicago. The first auction will be April 10th where bids will be cried out by Adbot's brokers on behalf of their clients. Currently, Adbot is seeking to enroll web publishers, advertisers, and associates that will refer publishers from their own web site. Sites that are seeking to put advertising on their site may consider this a viable option, especially if the impressions they are receiving are too low to be considered by other networks such as Doubleclick or the Infoseek Network. The question that remains is whether advertisers will consider waiting for an auction to purchase advertising and to feel that these ads are worth the inconvenience of having to make decisions through this process. --Linda Wilson

January 27, 1997

What's Your Site About?

When we focus on design issues, it easy to get caught up in graphical, HTML, and technical considerations. However, we can not forget the marketers true forte, communication. Periodically you need to look at your site with a critical eye and ask yourself, "how accurately does my site convey what we are trying to communicate?" Many managers imagine the users of their web sites as browsers. This is seldom the case. The average user may spend only 4 minutes in a site consisting of over 1000 pages. When a user visits your home page does he immediately know the purpose of your site? Is enticed to move further through the site? While we cringe at the thought of comparing the web to print media. There is much to be learned from print magazine cover design. Seldom is it unclear what target audience is being solicited nor does a magazine list it's topic areas on a the cover. Instead, "teasers" and the promise of information lure the reader inside. The easiest mistake to make can be in thinking that your user spends as much time thinking about your site as you do. Nor is your visitor likely to be as familiar with your site topic as you are. Look at your site with fresh eyes, or better still ask someone unrelated to your industry (and preferably an Internet "newbie"), to evaluate your site against this criteria. Then look at your site from the prospective of the "savvy" Internet user. Does the user assume your site is "just like the others" or is it clear how your site differentiates itself and offers something new. AddURL makes this very mistake. The home page on this site does not immediately convey the true benefits and conveniences being offered. Does the "newbie" realize that adding "info to popular websites" means publicizing and promoting his site? Does the experienced Internet user realize that this site with its submission process to 600 sites and ability to customize each submission gives it advantages and benefits over similar sites? Communication is the essence of the Internet, but it can be overlooked by technology, interactivity, and other elements specific to this medium. --Linda Wilson


Take a look at the Archives. We've indexed all the past issues with topic pointers.



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Check out the Archives....75 Weeks of Back issues including:

Week Ending January 26, 1997 Including:
  • Drowning In Links
  • Ad Tutorial
  • Internet News
  • Cookies
  • Weekend Reading
Week Ending January 19, 1997 Including:
  • Finding Online Marketing Info
  • Microscope
  • Promotion Tools
  • Bad Form Email
  • Weekend Reading
Week Ending January 12, 1997 Including:
  • Ad Placement
  • Oooops
  • Odd Bedfellows
  • Advertising Advice
  • Weekend Reading
Complete Indexed Archives(19 months of marketing and design) Complete Indexed Archives(19 months of marketing and design)

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All material on this site is © 1995, 1996 by IBN (The Internet Business Network), Mill Valley, CA 94941