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The Seven "C's" of a Successful Web SiteThe Web Doctor at CreatiVision offers his words of wisdom on a variety of topics, amongst them "The Seven "C's" of a Successful Web Site". Good, straightforward stuff. While we suppose that you could as easily do the "The Sixteen "X's" of a Successful Web Site", or "The Five "E's"...", these are worth checking out as a reminder. Essentially, they cover these areas:
You can probably figure out most of them - but we felt that "Cult-ability" was scraping the bottom of the barrel a little. The Doc also pronounces on his "Nine (?) Top Peeves" - once again, pretty normal stuff, running the gamut from Ad Pollution to ActiveX. There's also a box into which you can insert your URL for the Doc's consideration and criticism. Our collective breath is bated... --John Blower
Whisper It Not Aloud...In one of the many discussion lists to which we subscribe, there is much talk about the effectiveness of banner ads, click-through rates, CPM's and all the other jargon which attaches itself to online advertising and promotion. The virtual "conversation" could be overheard amongst any group of media professionals, whether print, TV, radio or any other broadcast medium. We have long harbored the belief that the Web is not a broadcast medium, and that using mass medium models for the New Medium is inappropriate and misleading. We are not alone, it seems. At a recent trade association meeting, we fell into conversation with a senior executive from a prominent banner ad placement company. To our surprise, he agreed with our assertion that the Web is a narrowcast medium, and serves us best by fostering one-to-one relationships. "Why then," we asked, "do companies like yours insist on using a mass medium model for advertising and promotion in the New Medium?" His response was that "people understand it". And that there isn't an alternative model. Yet. Later that evening, we spoke with an account executive from a large ad agency. We asked the same question. And got the same response. Listen up people. From both sides of the ad equation there is no faith in the model to which we all nominally subscribe. The Web is not TV. It is not "broadcast". We do not have a model for using this medium effectively. There is, as yet, no magic formula. But, finally, there seems to be some tacit admission that the model we are currently using is not appropriate. --John Blower
RelationshipsDiscussions about the Internet often revolve around bandwidth, faster modem speeds, the latest "killer app" and other, largely peripheral technologies. Forget about 'em. The Internet is about relationships: individual to individual, individual to organization, organization to organization. Ask yourself why someone would visit your site. They probably want information of one sort or another. And if they can't find it at your site, they may mail you. Your visitor will expect a prompt response, rendered in a friendly, knowledgeable and welcoming manner. They will expect accurate information - not a hard sell. If the information your visitor requests is not immediately available, they will expect an immediate response telling them that and a follow-up with the requested information within twenty-four hours. If this doesn't happen, your organization will be perceived as slow and unresponsive. And it will doubtless be perceived the same in terms of the delivery of your product or service. This is the essence of doing business on the Internet. It seems to us that far too many organizations do not, as yet, understand this basic principle. It often appears that they have a site "because they should" - they don't actually believe in the medium. The Internet component of their sales and marketing effort is seen as peripheral. Too many sites are static, rarely updated, full of excessive graphics, and make no attempt to interact with their visitors. The Internet is about building and consolidating relationships. In the Digital Age, we need to remind ourselves from time to time that it is this base which underlies the whole superstructure. --John Blower
Real CallA lady with a charming English accent called me up the other day. I was, in fact, expecting the call, as I had entered my phone number in a box at Real Call. This is a new twist on the "credit card security on the 'Net" red herring. Here's how it works. Simply install a RealCall button on the appropriate page of your site, and all your customer has to do is enter their phone number in a box, and a call from your site is automatically generated. The call (obviously) has your message, and is charged to your telephone. The major advantage seems to be that your potential customer doesn't have to remember an 800 number or, indeed, any number other than their own. It's fun. Check it out. Clarification: In a recent article about >Northern Light Search Engine, we may have given the impression that payment was required to use the Special Collection search. In fact, the search is free and you pay to retrieve the article. But retrieval is free until September 11... --John Blower
More eMailIf you use the original "push" client, eMail, as a marketing and promotion tool, you may be interested in a new list manager from British company Unipalm. Revnet's GroupMaster gives users a fully-featured tool for scheduling the delivery of bulk email messages, web content and attached data files. It automatically delivers pre-scheduled information, manages "bounced" or undeliverable email, and keeps accurate list membership and email read-rate statistics. GroupMaster enables the list manager to:
GroupMaster supports discussion groups and offers a unique member control panel that lets list participants control their own list options over the web. The product runs on Windows NT Server and requires an SMTP (TCP/IP) mail server on another machine. List managers require a Web browser plus an email client and subscribers require only an email client. There are four versions of GroupMaster available from Unipalm, priced as follows:
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