Self Website Maintenance

Hello Everyone!
A common question among clients of ours is "Can I log in and change my own website content?" First let's start with YES you can and secondly let's talk about how this works. Paying a website developer (such as myself) can become very costly. If you need to change a sentence or two a website developer is going to charge you at least a 1/2 an hour of their time. If you have more extensive pages that need updated often, that could potentially run into a lot of money!

Our software allows you to log in, change whatever you would like with the content, and then publish it back to your own website, all by yourself! It also allows you to log in as often as you need or want to and at any time of any day. How does it work? It is called content management and what happens is it allows you to edit your live html documents, then publish them back to the same location they were before you edited them.

Our software also allows you to use a familiar format to edit your content. It is similar to a notepad format, or even blogger for a good example. It will allow you to add text, links, photos, even video, all of your own choice.

Now, your asking yourself how does this save me money? Because we charge $35/month for the content management, with all of the above featured benefits. You could easily spend that with your developer changing your content for you. So, what are you waiting for? Contact me today, call me direct at 515.229.4767 or email me at misty@mistylinc.com. Let's get started on your website today!

Self sufficient,
Misty

Best Widgets

Hello Everyone!

I have been pondering lately, what are the best widgets to get from companies who want your business? In the past I've done coasters and magnets and brochures, oh my, but in your opinion, what are the best goodies to receive? Are they pens; are they rulers; are they post it notes?

Please take the poll to the left and tell me, what goodies are worthy of creating and also if you have any ideas of great marketing goodies, please send me an email (misty@mistylinc.com) and tell me all about it!

Cheers!
Misty
http://www.mistylinc.com/

Flash vs. HTML

Hello Everyone!
I have been asked in the past, do I create flash websites, and are they better then standard HTML? Well to answer that question, let's talk shop for a minute. What is Flash? Flash is a program made by (or bought out by) Adobe. It is part the Macromedia Suite, which is used to develop the really fancy websites you see out there today. Flash in my definition is a computerized flip book. When we were little kids, we'd make animations by creating a flip book: the same image, but doing different things on different pages, so that when you put them together and flip the edges it became animated. Just as Mr. Walt Disney did way back when... Flash does this electronically.

And although Flash is awesome for fade in and fade out words, and slideshows, I prefer standard HTML. Why? Because Flash can sometimes take a long time to load and I don't think your customers will want to wait around to see what's in store, even if it's only for 15 seconds, they won't be willing to wait. That's probably my biggest hesitation for not using Flash, of course that is just my humble opinion.

Standard HTML is what my site is built on (www.mistylinc.com), it's simple tables and rows, and some fancy placement coding, but just simple HTML. There are various (too many) types of HTML, such as Dynamic, Static, XHTML, etc... They all have their disadvantages and advantages. They are all useful in their own way.

I hope this was somewhat helpful to all of you out there!

Happy Building,
Misty

And the Winner Is!

Howdy Everyone!
Aren't you dying to know who the winner of the Pay It Forward Contest is? His name is Norm Michaels from New York.

Norm is the husband of one of my clients, and his name was entered by his lovely wife, Heidi Michaels (www.nowsthetime4u.com). His deeds were simple, yet mighty. Here's what Heidi had to say regarding Norm:

My husband, Norm, is one of the most giving, selfless people I know. When I saw Misty's contest, I knew I had to enter for my husband. Norm is a father of five, ages 12-30. He owns his own Employee Benefits firm and is the Commissioner of the Girls Softball league for our town. (We don't even have kids in the league anymore) He volunteers his time to a Mental Health organization and serves as an Elder at our church. Along with his volunteering, owning his own business requires him to work many hours each week. He never complains, has tons of energy and is just the type of person that comes across people in need. If there is someone on the side of the road with a flat, Norm will stop. If a child needs a new softball mitt, he gives her one. The list is endless...as are his good deeds. Misty, the right man won this prize.

All the best, Heidi Michaels,
Certified Life CoachLife and Sports Performance Coach
Now's The Time
www.nowsthetime4u.com
(914) 232-7004/(914) 263-8659

If anyone would like to know what Norm's deeds were, please drop me a line at misty@mistylinc.com and I will gladly share them with you.

I will be hosting future contests, so get your RSS feeds off of my blog and be watching!

Happy Winnings Norm!
Misty

Pay It Forward Contest

Salutations Fellow Bloggers!
I am not sure if my audience has seen the movie (based on the book by Catherine Ryan Hyde) called "Pay It Forward?" It is a brilliant movie about a young boy who is assigned a social studies assignment, which leads to social changes that spread from city-to-city. He is assigned to come up with some idea that will improve mankind, this young boy decides that if he can do three good deeds for someone and they in turn can "pay it forward" and so forth, positive changes can occur.

As you all know I am very into the laws of attraction and believe this universe could use a little human element... so this is the basis of my first online contest! Here are the rules:

1. Email me (misty@mistylinc.com) three great (not just good, but great) deeds you've done in the past month. I will get to judge which ones I think are the best. Of course, the best group of three WINS!

2. I will award $100 off of my already cheap website design (3 page), which would make the winning price $299! I am only awarding this discount to one lucky individual, so you had better get busy and email me your deeds!

3. Contest entry deadline is 2 weeks from now. Entries must be sent in no later than January 22nd, 2008.

4. Simple rules, but please do be honest and these must be true deeds, as well as it will be at my discretion of which ones are true Pay It Forward deeds!

Best of luck to all of you and by golly, let's Pay it Forward!

Misty
http://www.mistylinc.com/

AdWords Campaign

Merry Everything, Everyone!
I am just jotting down a few notes before finishing up my last minute shopping, probably like the rest of the US of A! Any way... one of my clients recently asked me if I knew anything about launching an adwords campaign. At the time, nope, didn't know a thing, but after reading up on it; I did know something after all. And after that wonderful introduction, here's what I know!

Adwords campaign is in my definition, buying search words from google. Whatever do I mean by this? When a user goes to google and types in "web design" there is a listing of websites in a block form at the top of the search results and at the side of the search results. Adwords campaign means buying those spots, when people search for whatever keywords your buying time for. So if I were to buy/bid on time for the words "web design" (top bidder $ wise, gets the top spot) and anyone who typed in web design, would see my listing in either of those boxes. This is a way to generate more traffic to your site.

Google's (I should really get commission for using their name so much, but I don't!) adwords campaign url is http://adwords.google.com. Yahoo also has their own version of this as well.

Now the drum roll, please! Do I think it's worth it? I guess it depends on your company. If you feel like you need more people directed to your site, then by all means, go for it! Again, as I've said before in other posts, there are other "free" ways of getting traffic to your site, but I don't think google's adword campaign is useless either. I guess the room is divided, and you'll have to go with your gut on this one!

Enjoy your Christmas and make sure to make it count!

Merrily yours,
Misty

Blog, Blog, Blog...

Happy Blogging Everyone!
Recently I have been asked "What exactly is a blog?" A blog is by definition A frequently updated journal or diary usually, often hosted by a third party. It seems to me that everyone and almost all of their brothers have a blog for all sorts of reasons. I have two, this one which is my more professional stuff and then I have my personal one that I get to post the thoughts and feelings of a passionate graphic mind... The fun thing about the blog is you can post nearly anything you want up there. I get to post and people get to subscribe!

That brings me to my next topic, how does one subscribe to a blog? There are RSS Feed Readers out there. These RSS Feed Readers will allow you to collect your favorite blog in a very plain format, so when you receive the email from your reader it will not have a lot of other information besides the text from the chosen blog. You can check it out more at http://www.google.com/intl/en/googlereader/tour.html. The googlreader is, as Martha Stewart would say, a good thing!

I hope you will all get to subscribe to my crazy blog and be watching for an updated website of mine: www.mistylinc.com. I am hoping to launch for the New Year!

Happily Blogging,
Misty