Give me a Website

Social networking service

Steve Ruttenburg — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 04:51:53 +0000

Wikipedia define social networking service as an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service essentially consists of a representation of each user (often a profile), his/her social links, and a variety of additional services. Most social network services areweb based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet, such as e-mail and instant messaging. Online community services are sometimes considered as a social network service, though in a broader sense, social network service usually means an individual-centered service whereas online community services are group-centered. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, activities, events, and interests within their individual networks.^{[citation needed]}

The main types of social networking services are those which contain category places (such as former school year or classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages) and a recommendation system linked to trust. Popular methods now combine many of these, with Facebook and Twitter widely used worldwide, Nexopia (mostly in Canada); Bebo, VKontakte, Hi5, Hyves (mostly in The Netherlands), Draugiem.lv (mostly in Latvia), StudiVZ (mostly in Germany), iWiW (mostly in Hungary), Tuenti(mostly in Spain), Nasza-Klasa (mostly in Poland), Decayenne, Tagged, XING, Badoo and Skyrock in parts of Europe; Orkut andHi5 in South America and Central America; and Mixi, Multiply, Orkut, Wretch, renren and Cyworld in Asia and the Pacific Islands andLinkedIn and Orkut are very popular in India.

There have been attempts to standardize these services to avoid the need to duplicate entries of friends and interests (see the FOAFstandard and the Open Source Initiative). A 2011 survey found that 47% of American adults used a social network.

Emerging trends in social networking

As the increase in popularity of social networking is on a constant rise,^[26] new uses for the technology are constantly being observed.

At the forefront of emerging trends in social networking sites is the concept of “real-time web” and “location based.” Real time allows users to contribute content, which is then broadcasted as it is being uploaded – the concept is analogous to live radio and television broadcasts. Twitter set the trend for “real time” services, where users can broadcast to the world what they are doing, or what is on their minds within a 140 character limit. Facebook followed suit with their “Live Feed” where users’ activities are streamed as soon as it happens. While Twitter focuses on words, Clixtr, another real time service, focuses on group photo sharing where users can update their photo streams with photos while at an event. Facebook, however, remains easily the greatest photo sharing site – Facebook application and photo aggregator Pixable estimates that Facebook will have 100 billion photos by Summer 2011.

Companies have begun to merge business technologies and solutions, such as cloud computing, with social networking concepts. Instead of connecting individuals based on social interest, companies are developing interactive communities that connect individuals based off shared business needs or experiences. Many provide specialized networking tools and applications that can be accessed via their websites, such as LinkedIn. Others companies, such as Monster.com, have been steadily developing a more “socialized” feel to their career center sites to harness some of the power of social networking sites. These more business related sites have their own nomenclature for the most part but the most common naming conventions are “Vocational Networking Sites” or “Vocational Media Networks”, with the former more closely tied to individual networking relationships based on social networking principles.

Foursquare gained popularity as it allowed for users to “check-in” to places that they are frequenting at that moment. Gowalla is another such service which functions in much the same way that Foursquare does, leveraging the GPS in phones to create a location-based user experience. Clixtr, though in the real time space, is also a location based social networking site since events created by users are automatically geotagged, and users can view events occurring nearby through the Clixtr iPhone app. Recently, Yelpannounced its entrance into the location based social networking space through check-ins with their mobile app; whether or not this becomes detrimental to Foursquare or Gowalla is yet to be seen as it is still considered a new space in the Internet technology industry.

One popular use for this new technology is social networking between businesses. Companies have found that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are great ways to build their brand image. According to Jody Nimetz, author of Marketing Jive,there are five major uses for businesses and social media: to create brand awareness, as an online reputation management tool, for recruiting, to learn about new technologies and competitors, and as a lead generation tool to intercept potential prospects. These companies are able to drive traffic to their own online sites while encouraging their consumers and clients to have discussions on how to improve or change products or services.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_networking_service

Top 15 Most Popular Websites | September 2011

Steve Ruttenburg — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:24:52 +0000

Here are the 15 Most Popular Sites (English Language) as derived from our eBizMBA Rank which is a constantly updated average of each website’s Alexa Global Traffic Rank, and U.S. Traffic Rank from both Compete andQuantcast. “*#*” Denotes an estimate for sites with limited Compete or Quantcast data. Last Updated: September 20, 2011

http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/most-popular-websites

52 Incredibly Useful Sites: The Full List Here’s our entire collection of the best, most practical Websites, arranged by category.

Steve Ruttenburg — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 08:14:51 +0000

You know all about Google’s smorgasbord of Web tools, but have you tried Measy, Topicfire, or Yammer? While a few big names seem to dominate the Internet, the Web continues to flourish with a never-ending stream of incredibly useful new sites and services.

PCWorld’s editors never stop scouring the Internet for the best and most creative new ideas we can find. Here are 52 phenomenally cool Web services that you may not have heard of, but definitely need to try.

Business

GenBook: Allows clients to schedule appointments with your company
Huddle: Helps your workgroup manage projects, and offers online storage
JobSpice: Generates attractive online résumés
Phonebooth: Provides phone services
Stacks: Organizes tasks by person and project
TextFlow: Simplifies document collaboration
Yammer: Gives workgroups a private microblog
Zoho: Offers a large variety of cloud-based apps

Communication

FaxZero: Sends no-cost, ad-supported faxes
Foursquare: Broadcasts the locations where you and your pals “check in”
Meebo: Connects to multiple IM services
Sobees: Coordinates various social networks
Tatango: Distributes texts to small groups

Dining

Nutrition Data: Details the content of food at restaurants and in recipes
OpenTable: Makes reservations at restaurants

File Sharing and Storage

Dropbox: Gives 2GB of storage and syncs files
Drop.io: Creates anonymous drop boxes
Humyo: Provides 10GB of free storage
Livecage: Allows live audio and video streaming
Live Mesh: Syncs files and gives remote access
Qik: Streams video from your smartphone

Media

Animoto: Assembles stunning slideshows
Citrify: Supplies quick photo-editing tools
CutMP3: Trims any song to ringtone length
Eventful: Lists happenings in your area
Grooveshark: Provides diverse music and social features in a slick interface
Librophile.com: Offers downloadable audiobooks
Pixorial: Presents easy-to-use video-editing tools

Productivity

Bubbl.us: Offers simple mind-mapping tools
Evernote: Captures ideas, notes, or audio
LogMeIn: Gives you remote access to your PCs
Mint: Syncs with your financial accounts to help you monitor your budget
Passpack: Manages all of your online passwords
PearBudget: Tracks your income and spending
Proxify: Gives you anonymous access to regionally blocked content
Smart.fm: Provides free online courses
Speedtest.net: Assesses your Internet connection’s download and upload speeds
Springpad: Supplies templates for organizing your personal data
Stickybits: Links digital data to physical objects
Teux Deux: Groups your weekly tasks by date
Topicfire: Aggregates news in topics you choose
TwitPay: Lets you raise funds via Twitter
Wakerupper: Makes calls to rouse or remind you
Zip Code Lookup: Shows the right code for mail

Shopping

Droolr: Lists the hottest gadgets
Filler Item Finder: Digs up useful but cheap items on Amazon for meeting the free-shipping amount
Measy: Gives quizzes to narrow down choices
RetailMeNot: Provides store coupon codes
TheFind: Ferrets out obscure products

Travel

GasBuddy.com: Reports current local fuel prices
SeatExpert: Shows the best seats on any flight
Sit or Squat: Indicates the closest clean restroom

http://www.pcworld.com/article/194735/52_incredibly_useful_sites_the_full_list.html

12 Benefits Of Having A Website

Steve Ruttenburg — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:24:46 +0000

Some of the goals that can be achieved by launching a website include the following:

1. Far Cheaper and Much More Flexible Than Print Advertising
The Internet is extremely different from print advertising in that space is cheap, your advertisement is accessible for a longer period of time, the content can be changed without having to ask someone to do it for you (if you use a content management system) and you can potentially reach a wider audience.

This is not to say that you should not use other forms of advertising at all You can use it to entice people to visit your website and find out about your company and potentially open two-way communication between the potential customer and a sales person.

2. Market Expansion
The Internet has allowed businesses to break through the geographical barriers and become accessible, virtually, from any country in the world by a potential customer that has Internet access.

3. Diversify Revenue Streams
A website is not just a medium for representation of your company, it is a form of media from which everybody can acquire information. You can use this media to sell advertising space to other businesses.

A recent trend has risen where businesses feature their very own directory of complimentary services, where the visitor can search for information on a business that will enhance the use of your service. The business sells complimentary businesses a listing in their directory.

A good example is a catering company featuring a directory with businesses such as event co-coordinators, electronic equipment rental companies, etc.

4. No more turning customers away when its time to close shop, putting up a note saying closed for public holiday , or leaving an irritating message on your answering service specifying your trading hours tell them to visit your website for information they are looking for.

5. Offer Convenience
It is far more convenient for a person to research a product on the Internet than it is to get in a car, drive somewhere and look for or ask someone for information on a product. Also, a potential customer won t have to judge a call centre agent to determine whether he/she has their best interests in mind, or just wants to make a sale.

The potential customer can visit your website whenever they like in their own privacy and comfort, without the stresses and distractions that exist in the real world .
Your website is a self-service medium for example, instead of having to wait in a long cue to pay your TV License, you can now do it electronically through the TV License website.

6. Add Value and Satisfaction
By offering convenience, a point of reference and that touch of individualized customer service, you ultimately add value to your offering and your customers experience a higher level of satisfaction.

Your website can add value in other ways too, by featuring tips, advice and general interest content you can entertain your customers. This will also help them remember you better.

7. Standardize Sales Performance
By looking at which approached / pitches have worked in the past and those which have not, you can produce the ultimate pitch and use it with your website, so that you use it on every customer. No more training of sales people and waiting for them to get a feel for your line of trade.

8. Improve credibility
A website gives you the opportunity to tell potential customers what you are about and why you deserve their trust and confidence. In fact, many people use the internet for pre-purchase research so that they can determine for themselves whether a particular supplier or brand is worthy of their patronage, and won t take them for a ride.
The Internet also allows for Viral Marketing where your website visitors spread positive word-of-mouth about your business – your customers do your marketing!

9. Promote your Brick n Mortar Presence
Getting lost trying to find a place can be frustrating for a potential customer. You can publish what they call a dummy map on your website, which shows directions and landmarks graphically, and the potential customer can print it out when looking for your Brick n Mortar premises.

You might advertise a promotion on your website encouraging the visitor to visit your Brick n Mortar premises (e.g.. At a branch near you! ).
Also, if you recently moved to a new location, you will have to wait for the next ‘phone directory to come out before people figure out where you currently are. Because a website is flexible you can change the content as you like you can change you contact details instantly and lower the risk of losing customers when moving to a new location.

10. Growth Opportunity
A website serves as a great place to refer potential investors to, to show them what your company is about, what it has achieved and what it can achieve in future.

11. Two-Way Communicative Marketing
Customers can quickly and easily give feedback on your product and/or marketing approach.

12. Cheap Market Research
You can use features on your website such as visitor polls, online surveys and your website statistics to find out what your customers like more and how they feel about certain aspects of your business to determine how you can improve your product and the way you do business.

Website statistics show you how much traffic your website receives, how the visitor got to your website and where, geographically, the visitor is from.

http://www.webworldindex.com/articles/12-Benefits-Of-Having-A-Website.html

10 Steps To Create A Website

Steve Ruttenburg — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:22:57 +0000

Here is a fantastic guide to creating your own website in 10 simple steps. It important to know the basis of internet/ web technology yo be able to make your way around easily. This guide will help you with the basics.

This simple guide explains in detail how to create your very own money making website. Having your own website is the first step you can take to make money online. It is very easy to create a website nowadays thanks to some free stuff that i will walk-through. The best part about my guide is that you don’t need to be an expert or skilled in any way, it is aimed for beginners.

Step 1

Find a product you get paid to promote

This is very easy to do, fortunately there are thousands of companies that want you to help sell their products, these companies join affiliate platforms, which allow them to sell their products through your website. If a customer goes on to buy a product you get paid a commission of their sales.

Step 2

Buy a domain name

Your new website will need a name, so you now have to buy one, there are some places where you can get domain names for free, but i would advise to buy a (.com) domain name, they cost about $8 from the cheapest places, which are name.com, GoDaddy.com and namecheap.com

Step 3

Buy some website hosting

You now need somewhere on the internet to store your website, this is called a web server, but it is in fact just a normal computer that is hooked up to the internet. Website hosting companies “host” these computers and will rent them out to you, this is called website hosting. This costs about $4 per month, you can get free hosting but it has some disadvantages.

Step 4

Connect your domain name to your web server

You now need to connect your domain name to your web hosting account. This sounds quite tricky, but in practice it is very simple.

Step 5

Stop and relax for 24 hours!

You need to wait for about 24 hours for the connection you just created to take effect, the geeky term for this is called DNS propagation, this is your time to site back and relax!

Step 6

Create your website

Fortunately thanks to lots of people that devote their time for free, you can now get free website platforms, that are reliable, optimized for Google, free to use and most importantly very easy to use for a beginner. Check out WordPress.org for the best free website platform there is.

Step 7

Login to your website

This is very easy, just enter your website domain followed by /wp-login.php to gain access to your new shiny website.

Step 8

Add some content

You now need to add some content to your website, articles, reviews, images that sort of thing. In fact this is perhaps the most important step, google loves content and will send you some visitors if you have lots of useful information on your website.

Step 9

Make some money!

This is perhaps the bit that most people enjoy the most, making some money from their websites. You have a few options here, the best option to make money from your site is to promote an affiliate product, you can make lots of money per sale.

Step 10

Get visitors to your website

This is what some people find hard, but in fact it is quite easy. You can get visitors in one of two ways. The first is to buy it from google or other ppc providers. The second way is to create lots and lots of content that is interesting to visitors.

Thats it! Good luck with creating your own money making website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6013131

Creating a Website for your New Business

Steve Ruttenburg — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:02:37 +0000

Building a website for your new business used to be a luxury. These days it’s a necessity, and even so-called “bricks and mortar” establishments have abandoned the notion that their business can thrive without an online component. As a result, most have become “clicks and mortar” operations, allowing their customers to choose between the virtual or physical world

Getting started building a website

You can hire someone to create a website, or you can roll up your sleeves and do it yourself. If you’re starting out on a tight budget, and/or the website will serve primarily as a source of information for your customers – and provided you have at least a modicum of computer savvy – then creating an attractive and functional website from scratch is well within your abilities.

To get started building a website for your new business, you will need:

A registered domain name
A web hosting service
A web authoring software or service to design the site

Purchasing a domain name

A domain is the name and address of your website, rolled into one. Choosing a domain name can be tricky, as a huge number of domains, particularly the .com versions, are already reserved. So you’ll need to check which of your preferred names are still available. If you choose a name that’s already taken, you can always offer to purchase it from the owner, but beware of “squatters” who look to cash in on a pool of unused domain names they’ve bought cheaply.

Think about domain names that are memorable and describe your business well – given the competition for domains and the premium on short or highly-trafficked domains, you may even want to let the availability of domains influence your choice of business name (if it’s not already decided).

There are a number of websites, such as MyDomain.com or GoDaddy.com, that will allow you to check the availability of domain names and register available names immediately – for a fee, of course. A one-year registration normally costs less than $10.

Hosting your new business’ website

While it’s possible to host your website yourself, it requires dedicating a powerful PC server to that purpose and making sure it’s running and accessible to the internet 24 hours a day. It’s usually a task best left to the experts.

With the way competition has reduced hosting costs, it’s relatively easy to find an inexpensive hosting option, particularly if you have no need for serious e-commerce or database functionality.

Costs will be based on the amount of storage and bandwidth (amount of traffic in and out of your site) you require, and add-on services such as e-mail accounts. You’ll need to budget anywhere from $5 to $50 a month, depending on your requirements.

Creating your website

If you can spend a little more, consider a hosted service that allows you to build your site online using drag-and-drop, fill-in-the-blank templates, which require little technical prowess. Some examples of this type of service include Yahoo! Small Business, StartLogic.com and ValueWeb, which offers affordable packages that include design, hosting and site maintenance. ValueWeb offers “do-it-yourself” and professionally-designed packages, depending on your needs. You can also select options that include e-commerce and shopping cart functionality if you intend to sell products online.

Microsoft (a StartupNation sponsor) offers a free web-authoring and hosting package (with free email) called Office Live Small Business.

If you want more control, autonomy, and design options, you’ll want to invest in a standalone software package specifically for website design. Popular authoring packages range from the basic, such as HomeSite and Amaya, to the complex, such as Dreamweaver. Typical costs range from $60 up to $200 or more (per installation), and most offer free trial downloads.

Putting your new business website together

Once you establish an account with a hosting service, they will provide you with instructions for uploading your website onto their server. This is usually accomplished with FTP utility software.

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It’s a technical standard for allowing two computers to communicate, and it’s the most common means of uploading and publishing your website. Your hosting service may also have file upload options within the control panel you use to manage your site.

If you’d like to purchase an FTP package, popular ones include WS-FTP, Cute FTP, FileZilla and Fetch. They range from $25 to $60. Or you can try a free FTP utility like Core FTP.

Building a website from scratch for your new business represents an investment of time and money. There are a wide variety of options available to you, and it’s important to decide how much you can afford to invest in creating a fantastic website that will keep your customers coming back for more.

Resource: http://www.startupnation.com/business-articles/1260/1/building-website-basics-business.asp

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The Power of Websites

Steve Ruttenburg — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 04:19:55 +0000

The Internet has been around and in everyday use for close to 30 years.

Technology has changed and shaped society in so many ways, making the world simultaneously smaller and bigger for the average person with an Internet connection.

How Websites Have Changed Our Lives

Websites have changed our lives for the better in many areas, from business to communication. Things that have evolved and become a part of daily life thanks to websites are:

•Business- there is not a successful business today that is not connected to modern technology in some way, from small businesses to huge corporations. Banks are online, providing banking service’s from home computers while ATMs make cash available anytime 24/7.

Companies have set up online bill paying in order to make bills payable at the customers’ convenience. Airplane flights, bus tickets and train reservations can be made, changed and confirmed online. Not to mention the thousands and thousands of online stores and websites offering everything from books to groceries and shoes or handmade items. Goods and services abound online.

•Communication- the world of communication has boomed with technology’s evolution. Email, Facebook,Twitter, texting all ensure you can contact your friends and family anytime of the day or night—at home or on the go.

•Education- no longer is education limited to those who can get to a campus to attend classes, for in this computer dominated day and age, online education is accessible to anyone who can get to an Internet connection.

All of this goes to show that websites have improved the lives of many people and how businesses can benefit greatly from having a successful website.

How To Develop a Website For Your Business

There are a few things to keep in mind when considering your business website:

•Perhaps the most important thing to remember when developing a website for your business is that your brand, your name is everything. The site should be professional while also being inviting and friendly.

•Your business website must be functional and interactive, for customers will have no patience with a site that loads slowly or is not user friendly. If your website is cumbersome and bulky, customers will click away and your brand will be damaged. Such damage is next to impossible to repair.

• If you are not a website expert, it is well worth the expense to hire an experienced website designer to set up your business website and keep it running smoothly. In this day and age, an attractive, smoothly run business website is a necessity for success.

By recognizing the power of websites, you are making great strides towards your business success in this ever-changing era of technology.

The Internet is here to stay, those who learn about it and how to effectively use websites in business will be the ones that enjoy success.