Talance Friendly Web Tools Blog

February 2010 Newsletter: Digging for Gold Issue

Talance — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:46:04 +0000

[This little gem is the e-mail newsletter our subscribers just received. Want a slice of this for yourself? Sign up now.]

Digging for Website Gold

Too many people think the best content they have to offer on their websites are event listings. Sure, those are helpful, but you almost certainly have something better you’re already producing that you can use to make your website a better resource. Here are some ideas to help you dig up hidden content:

Newsletter. It may be printed, or an e-newsletter you’re sending out via a third-party service, but chances are someone has written articles that can be used somewhere on your website.

Sermons. Congregations we work with are always producing some kind of spiritual thoughts worth sharing, including sermons and prayers.

Employee reports. Most companies have regular staff meetings where employees give status reports, and many of these reports center around special events and campaigns.

E-mail. Everybody writes e-mails, and some of the stuff you send out must be applicable to the people who visit your website. Look through your sent messages for treasures.

Training. Many organizations have manuals stacked on office bookshelves that contain useful information. Translate that online, and it can be more accessible to the people who need to see it.

Think creatively about where you look for content, and your website will be a richer place.

© Talance for Talance Friendly Web Tools Blog, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us digg reddit email facebook
Who's linking ? Google
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Marketing, Tech Trick, newsletters.

You may also enjoy the following related articles:

Top Blogs from Mass Mentoring

Talance — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:18:15 +0000

This is a guest post from some of our favorite clients: Lauren Dean, Manager of Communications & Public Awareness, and Allison Smith, Highland Street Ambassador of Mentoring, at Mass Mentoring Partnership. We asked Lauren what blogs she turns to regularly for help running her job at a major non-profit.

Top 5 Blogs

1. Nonprofit Tech 2.0
Bookmark this on your favorites right now. Every non-profit interested in using social media or actively using it should be reading this blog that is dedicated to “helping nonprofit organizations utilize the Internet as a tool for social change.” Its creator, Heather Mansfield, is the owner of DIOSNA|Communications and has over 15 years of non-profit fundraising and online community organizing experience. She brings it all to her blog, introducing new social media tools beyond the normal Facebook and Twitter, and thinks outside the box with fresh ideas to spice up your non-profit’s Web presence.

2. Beth’s Blog
I really enjoy good and informative graphs, therefore I read Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media. Beth Kanter is a tour de force when it comes to social media, having written on the subject extensively, and it is no wonder why she was named one of Business Week’s “Voices of Innovation for Social Media.” After being introduced to her blog early on last year, it has been a mainstay on my top visited Web sites.

3. Something for the Ladies
Every day needs to have a good soundtrack. On the days when I am bored with my Ipod I turn to “Something For the Ladies” for music. It is a great showcase of music that I wouldn’t necessarily hear if not for this blog. And since I am a lady, it is seemingly appropriate.

4. Mashable
These people are Web gurus! Really. The site neatly packages Web 2.0 and social media news for your consumption – a quick rundown of today’s posts on the home page include business deals, free offers, job postings, trends, and commentary. Whew! Best of all, this well-rounded collection of posts is aimed at every social media audience imaginable, whether you’re an early adopter or enthusiast; business person or non-profit worker; marketer or engineer.

5. Kath Eats Real Food
OK, so this is not work-related. But this food blog mesmerizes me! Kath lost 31 pounds through transforming her eating habits and adapting more exercise, and her blog is dedicated to her daily consumption and activities…and she takes some pretty good pictures of her food. I like it because she is such a varied, healthy eater and the blog gives me new ideas of foods I should try. While she might eat healthier than most people, she also eats rather normally – the girl likes her snacks! She’s on her way to becoming a registered dietitian because of her new-found appreciation for healthfulness, as well as a desire to help others.

Based in Boston, Mass Mentoring Partnership is the only statewide organization solely dedicated to strategically expanding quality youth mentoring in Massachusetts. As the umbrella organization for more than 165 mentoring programs across the state, we provide them with training, technical assistance, networking, advocacy, recruitment support and resources. Read more on the Mass Mentoring blog.

You may also enjoy the following related articles:

February Birthday Treat

Talance — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:57:38 +0000

[Photo credit: 10 by Phae, on Flickr]

It’s the second month of our 10th year anniversary bash, and we’ve just kicked off a new deal. From now until February 28, get 10% off anything.

Yup, anything.

This one only lasts for a month. Click here and start saving. Hurry!

© Talance for Talance Friendly Web Tools Blog, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us digg reddit email facebook
Who's linking ? Google
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under Free Tool, Tech Trick.

You may also enjoy the following related articles:

Brochures and Websites Don’t Mix

Talance — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:19:11 +0000

Pick up a magazine and try to notice what you look at. Where do your eyes go? Directly to the middle of the page? The big headline on the right-hand side? What do you do when you hold the publication: flip from the back to the front like I do?

Now go to a new website you’ve never seen before, and think about where your eyes go. If you’re paying attention, you’ll discover you do not look at the same places. You’re certainly not going to the back cover first and work your way forward.

This is because websites and print publications are designed completely differently. Occasionally a client will come to us with a design that’s been created by the company that made their brochure or put together a postcard for them. Invariably, these websites don’t work. Even when they’re beautiful, print publications are simply made for a different way of reading.

So next time you pick out a Web designer, it’s OK to suggest colors and ideas and even the look and feel of a print publication, but don’t try to reproduce it online.

You may also enjoy the following related articles:

Wedding a Blog and a Website

Talance — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:55:22 +0000

[Photo credit: Vintage Wedding Postcard ~ Bride & Groom, on Flickr]

So you’ve decided to start a blog – good for you! Blogs are important ways for you to build a faithful following and enrich your site with valuable content.

But before you open up your first free Blogger or Wordpress account, think about how that blog will integrate with your overall communications strategy and online presence. Websites and blogs should support each other, not compete. Too many efforts are siloed, the blog hanging off the side like an extra appendage, or vice versa.

A few ideas for integrating them more closely:

Publish blog entries directly into your website. If what you’re writing in the blog relates to your site, make it show up there. Vice versa, if you’re creating content within your main website that could be useful for your blog readers, republish.

Share tags. Tags, or categories, can be shown on both website material and blog entries. Link them together.

Make the blog appear within the framework of your website. The Talance blog is actually on Wordpress while our website is on Drupal. But we’ve made them look the same so you never really feel like you’re leaving our website.

Create a related links section at the bottom of blog entries that refer back to related material on your main website.

Create a Feedback page on your blog that links back to your website feedback page.

You may also enjoy the following related articles:

Four Useful Links

Talance — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:35:23 +0000

What we’re reading this week:

What Makes a Product Cool
People go nuts for the iPod. It’s useful to read about neuromarketing to understand better how people emotionally connect with products. How does this transfer to popular websites?

Twitalyzer – The Average Twitter User
This slideshow from the company that measures who uses your Twitter account. Good overview to the kinds of people who use Twitter.

Design Patterns
Ever wonder why things are designed the way they are? This library of conventions tells you the why behind where website widgets are placed.

Building a successful online community
One of our own mantras is to make the web a friendlier place. This article from the Creating Passionate Users blog shows you how you might build your own community through being friendly.

9 Website Upgrades That Visitors Love

Talance — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:23:08 +0000

If you’re trying to sell a house, update the kitchen and bathroom. If you’re trying to get people to use your website, do it with these easy upgrades.

1. Most recent blog entry.

Some organizations have a blog, but hide it. An easy way to bring your words closer to your visitors is not only to provide a prominent link to your blog, but to also let the first few entries display on your homepage.

2. Twitter feed.

If you have a Twitter account, you should provide access to it on your website. It’s surprising how many organizations have an account, but you’d never know it by visiting their site. Treat your Twitter updates just like your blog updates, and show the most recent ones on your website.

3. Big Share buttons.

Any time you publish something worth sharing, you should encourage people to do so through e-mail or a social network. Big buttons encouraging people to share do better than small ones.

4. One-click donation.

It’s a pity if you miss out on donations simply because no one can figure out how to donate on your site. Make sure it’s easy to donate by clicking just one link.

5. Search.

If you have more than five pages, include a way to search your website. And make search easy to find. No hiding it in the lower regions of your site.

6. CMS (Content Management System).

If you’re struggling with keeping a mass of single-file pages looking the same, give up and get a CMS. Your visitors will respond to the organization.

7. Call to action links.

Tell people what you want them to do whenever you provide a link on your site. If you want donations, name your donation button “Give.” If you want people to register for your newsletter, call your newsletter link, “Sign up for the newsletter.” People will respond if you make it clear.

8. Home link.

Always, always provide a clearly labeled link that says Home.

9. Feedback form.

If there’s no way for people to respond to you, they won’t. Make it easy with a feedback form.

The best thing you can do for your website is to keep thinking about it. Keep tabs on what people like and what they ask for. Make upgrades on a regular basis, and you’ll notice a difference.

You may also enjoy the following related articles:

January 2010 Newsletter: Birthday Issue

Talance — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:02:35 +0000

[This little gem is the e-mail newsletter our subscribers just received. Want a slice of this for yourself? Sign up now.]

Hi, Friends.

We’re all giddy at Talance because 2010 marks our 10th year. Ten is an important number. It’s the diamond anniversary. It’s the first double digit. It’s also a long time for an Internet development company to have been in business.

A decade ago, while the country was stockpiling soup cans in preparation for a Y2K catastrophe, we were busy launching something special. We wanted to use our skills building enterprise quality systems for organizations that rarely had access to those tools. We also knew that most developers spoke in cryptic, intimidating terms, and we wanted to make the Web a kinder, gentler place.

These past 10 years have been outstanding. We know, because you tell us so:

“The support from Talance has been incredible,” says Reuben Rotman from Jewish Family Services of MetroWest New Jersey.
Lauren Dean from Mass Mentoring Partnership says, “Talance was able to simplify our Web site in ways I never dreamed imaginable!”
“Anyone who wants advice from experts who are thorough, pay attention to details and deadlines, and provide support should engage Talance in their technical projects,” said Jill Friedman Fixler from JFFixler & Associates.

OK, we’re bragging. But it’s still nice to know that over the last decade we’ve reached our goals of helping people understand technology better and keep up with the wild tech landscape. We have more and bigger goals for the coming years and look forward to working with you during them.

Happy New Year, and happy new decade,

The birthday bunch at Talance

January Birthday Treat

We’d serve you a big piece of cake for our 10th anniversary, but since cake doesn’t do well in the mail, we’re going to celebrate by offering you something special each month of 2010.

Your January treat: a free copy of Ready, Set, Go! Social Media Plan Workbook. You need a plan to develop a meaningful social media program, and this workbook takes you through the basic steps to become organized.

>> Get your copy here.

You may also enjoy the following related articles:

Socialize with Your Team

Talance — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:12:46 +0000

Many nonprofit organizations that are beginning to adopt Web 2.0 technologies consider them the “cool” part of their online communication. They look at them as a way to engage younger or larger audiences or to project an image of hipness.

But the reason social tools such as Twitter, Facebook and Flickr have become so popular is that they make it incredibly easy for people to work together. Yet, if you look at the internal structure of many organizations, you’ll see that they communicate with one another through phone calls, printed notes and in-person meetings. True, there’s no substitue for face-to-face communication, but social tools can make it much easier to share information among your workmates.

For example, every time we have a meeting at Talance HQ, we have our intranet chat open to facilitate sending links or snippets of documents back and forth. We open a bulletin board for every project so the whole team can communicate about it, and we have a record of everything that was said. Our wiki keeps track of standard procedures and methodologies so we can access them any time, and make revisions when necessary. We use these tools in the office and with our team members who live across the country, and we do it because it’s entirely practical.

The majority of our social tools are built into our website (you do have a CMS, don’t you?). It’s the perfect place to build out a business, because everybody knows your web address, and it’s all centrally stored and accessible online.

Think about what you can do to make it easier for your employees to communicate with one another, and then give them the tools they need. You’ll very well find your organization runs better just by opening up new avenues of communication.

© Talance for Talance Friendly Web Tools Blog, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us digg reddit email facebook
Who's linking ? Google
Want more on these topics ? Browse the archive of posts filed under CMS, Management, Social Media, Tech Trick.

You may also enjoy the following related articles:

Share Button: a Quick Fix for More Website Traffic

Talance — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:06:55 +0000

One of the best ways to get people to use your website is to ask them. As simple as that. Of course you can, and should, personally ask people to use your site. Tell them it’s there and ask for feedback. But there’s also a frequently overlooked widget that does the job for you.

A Share toolbar or button (see ours at the bottom of this blog entry) is adept at asking people to brag about you. You can plug it into your website, blog, or social networking page, and give people one-click access to share your best resources with their connections.

It’s a fast, cheap and easy way for you to boost traffic to your site.

You may also enjoy the following related articles: