Maintained Website Services Donates Furniture

Myklin Enterprises, LLC who owns www.maintained-website-services.com and www.myklin.com was able to find used furniture to donate to the victims of the Katrina disaster.

25 complete beds plus dresser/desks were moved to the Salvation Army offices in FT. Smith, AR over the past two weeks. No restrictions were put on the use of the donations.

Pictures and more details can be seen at www.myklin.com/donations.

The Salvation Army said they have a shortage of some fresh foods - milk, bread, coffee and large cans of prepared foods they use to feed the needy in their shelters. Donations of these items are always welcome.

Predicting the Internet Future

I remember watching TV shows when I grew up that made a lasting impression on me. Not just the Wild Kingdom shows but also the “Home of Tomorrow” and “In the Future”. I’m sure these sound familiar to many of you.

The shows that looked to the future painted pictures of a bright world where technology was going to make incredible things possible.

Our meals would be cooked in seconds by the power of atomic energy.

Entertainment would be beamed into our homes from space.

Homes would be so easy to move and cheap to build that we could set them down almost anywhere.

We’d also be able to move almost anywhere because we’d work from home over the airwaves.
But when I sat and imagined all these wonderful things I didn’t imagine the way in which all of them have come to pass.

· $20 microwave ovens from the local discount chain.
· Satellite TV channels that show black and white re-runs from my childhood.
· Mobile homes (‘scuse me; manufactured housing) that can be wheeled onto site for no money down and resold several times by the financiers.
· Dial up Internet connections that allow us to explore our limits of patience.

So when I hear people talking about the ways in which the Internet will continue to impact our lives I wonder which version it will turn out to be; the imagination of my childhood or the implementation of their ideas that I see around me now. Even the Bill Gate’s and Steve Job’s of the world must surely have their dreams modified by the stern constraints of manufacturing processes and market demand forces.

I have been reading the released patent application of a group of search engine engineers from Google, (Retrieval Based on Historical Data, December 2003). They talked of many things were already being done and implied several new areas in which they were working. Now, anyone who does anything with patents knows that you always claim as much as possible in order to protect your claim. Patent awards get downsized as you go through the process. But the implications of where they are heading can be amazing.

The development of local search is something that you hear much about in this business. The widening of technology to allow search results to be brought to not only your computer but also your cell phone may bring you the greatest changes. The changes may not just be in the information you get but also the technology you get it through. Gateway and Dell (plus others) want you to use their integrated home media centers for all your entertainment issues; television and Internet both in one package. It doesn’t take much imagination to see the phones tied into this with voice activated control systems that can set limits on options depending on the person talking.

I wonder how the reality will be implemented.

Mike Myklin is an author, a lecturer, and an e-commerce owner specializing in Search Engine Optimization. If you have questions about the Internet and e-commerce, you can send them to him and he will try to answer them in his column. You can also get information on-line at http://www.myklin.com/.

Questions for Maintained Website Services

A reader writes to ask, “What’s to stop a website developer from taking my ideas for their own? I think I have a good idea and don’t want to lose it.”

When you bring your ideas to a developer you are creating a relationship as binding as that between attorney and client. By paying even a small retainer you are hiring the ethical expertise of the company and can confidently expect them to respect your intellectual property.

Are there unscrupulous website developers? Yes, of course there are, just as there are unscrupulous people in any business. But, by staying away from fly by night firms that promise the moon you can reasonably expect security in your dealings.

If you’re in doubt as to how a company protects your confidential information, ask them before you start. We make a point of telling all our visitors that we don’t share anything we learn about you with anyone else, whether you become a client or not. My yardstick of trust is based on this; if a company talks to you about their clients, they will talk about you to others.

A pet peeve of mine is the headline advertising that is spread about the Internet. A company claiming that “so-and-so” company had a terrible time making sales until they came along and saved them. Or, that they increased their traffic and sales by some huge amount.

It may be true, but I don’t like the implied superiority behind the bragging. A simple point these advertisers seem to miss is that these companies are already successful. They make sales, treat their customers well, have a good reputation, and will probably continue to do well with, or without, someone else’s help. Respect is something you bring with you at all times, not just when it suits you.

I recommend you insist on the same confidentiality and respect you would expect from your attorney or banker. Just because you’re heading to the Internet doesn’t mean you must leave your privacy behind.

Another question, “How do I know if my idea will flourish using the Internet?” A reputable company can do some research for you and help you discover the answer. There are several ways to determine demand or competition; combine that with some key term research and you’re well on your way with your due diligence.

You can get your questions answered in person over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be teaching continuing education classes through Carl Albert State College. The class is called, “To Ebay or not to Ebay”. It’s about e-commerce in general, not just Ebay. You can still get seats by calling Linda Bradbury at 647-1278. The classes will be held at the Sallisaw campus on September 24th and at the Poteau campus on October 1st.

Mike Myklin is an author, a lecturer, and an e-commerce owner specializing in Search Engine Optimization. If you have questions about the Internet and e-commerce, you can send them to him and he will try to answer them in his column. You can also get information on-line at http://www.myklin.com/.

You Don’t Want a Website

There can be many reasons why you don’t want a website. Simply not being comfortable with the technology is often at the center of these reasons. As widespread as the Internet has become, it’s still very new to many people.

If you think the reluctance is from the older generations you’ll be surprised. Amongst our older citizens, Internet use is growing rapidly. For those of use with decreasing mobility and even decreased resources, the Internet is a very easy and cost effective way to maintain social contacts. It’s proving to be a good way to find entertainment, services and products.

The youngest generations seem to have been born with a modem already implanted... uh, I mean installed. I have grandchildren who can sit beside me and guide me through complex tasks at this computer. They seem to have an uncanny ability to understand the relationship between cursor and mouse. Computer use will feel very natural and basic to them as they continue to grow.

So if it’s not the young and the old who aren’t comfortable with the technology, who is it? Surprisingly (at least to me) it is the “bridge generation”. It’s those of us in our 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s who didn’t have exposure to computers as they emerged. The people whose work doesn’t rely on heavy computer use and who haven’t yet bought into the whole PDA, Computer, Cell-Phone, and “constant contact” lifestyle.

But, this is also the age group most likely to be starting new businesses. Not being comfortable with the technology will make its use a lot less attractive to these entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, it will prevent them from attracting two very important market segments. Both younger and older groups tend to have disposable income and time to make considered purchases. Without a website you won’t be showing them your products.

A simple information website is very inexpensive to run with costs starting out lower than most monthly advertising costs. Plus, you can listed in the various “local search” services being developed by the Search Engines. This means that if someone goes looking for a “shoe repair” within 50 miles of their home your business can be at the top of their search results. (I picked on “shoe repair” because this is becoming difficult to find. Increasing labor costs and decreased pricing for new shoes has helped make this skill an endangered species.) I will point out that increasing numbers of people are likely to use the Internet over the phone book to find what they want.

To get results from Internet marketing you don’t even need to have a computer yourself. The listing can show your business address, other pertinent information, and even have a map to show people exactly where you are or the area you service.

All good reasons to use the Internet to your advantage even when you don’t want a website.

Mike Myklin is an author, a lecturer, and an e-commerce owner specializing in Search Engine Optimization. If you have questions about the Internet and e-commerce, you can send them to him and he will try to answer them in his column. You can also get information on-line at http://www.myklin.com/.

Maintained Website Services Traffic Stats

It's no secret that we maintain different websites across several interest areas for our clients. Because we do, we sometimes see things that would usually be overlooked.

An interesting thing showed up this week when we compiled our server logs and checked the traffic patterns. Across the different sites we had the first week where the majority of the traffic came from non-Internet Explorer browsers.

Does this mean something special? Yes, if you're designing web pages that only show well in IE you'd have missed over 50% of our visitors this week. Kind of a large segment to ignore.

Hmmmmmm ....

Have a great weekend!

-Mike-

www.maintained-website-services.com
www.myklin.com

Check Your Website

With all the pressure to perform that can be put on your website, it’s not surprising to find lots of outside help trying to tell you what it should be doing. The conflicting messages are numerous and each one can sound very convincing. How do you tell what is more than “smoke and mirrors”? How do you tell which of the offers you should listen to and which belong in the junk mail pile?

Measurable performance has to be the keystone of your expectations. Any special software that someone is trying to sell you to make your website perform better has to pass this test. Do the Search Engine Results improve after you use the products?

To know this you need to know your starting point. How does your website perform right now?
An easy question but not always an easy answer. If you ask a pure IT professional they’ll most likely answer with figures about bandwidth usage and raw hits. Your marketing department is likely to give entirely different answers as they talk about click-through traffic and per impression costs.

My answers tend to be questions first. What’s your target keywords? How high do you rank in Search Engine Results pages (SERPs)? What’s the conversion rate (the numbers of leads or sales per hundreds of visitors) of the website? Once you know where you’re starting from you can then decide where you want to go and how you’ll get there.

Today I’ll even make a special offer to all our readers. I will check the performance of your website for no charge or obligation. Just send me the web address you own (for example; http://www.myklin.com/) and I’ll take a look at the publicly available information and send you an e-mail about what I find. Sometimes when I do this I get to tell the owners – Great Job! Keep up the good work.

The Internet potential is too large to ignore for most businesses. With local search gaining strength the time to get your position established is now. Local search is coming to phones, which means the service will be everywhere there are people. Even in our less densely populated areas you can find many services that are already at the top of their categories. Getting in now means not having to fight for your place in the years to come.

Look at some of the big retailers and see what they’re doing with local search. Does anyone reading this article not know where to find the local Wal-Mart store? Or Sears, or Penny’s? Why then are these stores in most local searches along with the other big chains. Because they are planning for 3-5 years down the road when your Internet experience will be centered on where you live, where you work, and where you drive. They are positioning themselves to provide the most relevant content to your world. Exactly what the Search Engines claim to be doing for you today.


Mike Myklin is an author, a lecturer, and an e-commerce owner specializing in Search Engine Optimization. If you have questions about the Internet and e-commerce, you can send them to him and he will try to answer them in his column. You can also get information on-line at http://www.myklin.com/.