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I have spoken with many small business owners who have asked if they really need to do anything with social networking. The stigma the previous generations see in social networking is clearly associated with a characterization of teenage girls gossiping or people sharing photos of their cat. However, we don’t let gossiping girls stop us from using the telephone to make client phone calls. We need to see social networking as a medium of communication used by all sides of the culture spectrum. Very few of your clients are not on at least one of the social networks.

Here are some easy ways to get your business exposure using social networks:

1.      Create a page for your business on all social networks (twitter, facebook, linkedin, google+)

a.      This is a simple process of entering in basic business information

b.      Be sure to include company website and phone number

2.      Create buttons that link people from your website to your social network pages

a.      Your web developer can do this for you or you can easily find the buttons on the social networks

3.      Create buttons for your dynamic content

a.      for example a +1 button on the bottom of each blog post so people can share something interesting to them

4.      Post short messages of interest to your industry or client base on the social networks at least weekly

a.      There are web browser add-ons that can make this less cumbersome

5.      Invite your current clients to your social networks

a.      The more points of contact you have with them the more you will stay on their minds for their future projects and when a friend asks for a recommendation

Whether you complete one of these tasks or all or even become a social networking guru, the important thing to remember is that social networking done right can be a huge boost to your web traffic, and ultimately your profits. For years people have spent large budgets on marketing campaigns with post cards, on phone book listings, etc… but did you imagine that the future of marketing would be free?

If you need help with your social networking campaigns call FOO Web Development at 813-406-0366.

2012-02-22 10:33:59 | tags: howto small business twitter

1. Genuis Scan+ - a steal of an app, as it turns your phone into a virtual scanner for documents. Whether you nede to scan checks, contracts, or anything really, you can turn any image from your image folder or with your camera into a pdf and send it via email, dropbox, box.net, expensify, google docs, evernote, or even print it. This is a great app for productivity and these additional features that come with + make it well work the dollar.
2. Wunderlist - a great listing tool that allows you to create categories (by project or client or department) of lists to use, and share, to get through your project management successfully
3. ProjectTime - this app tracks the time you spend on any given project allowing you to properly account and expense your time. Very easy to use. Easy Interface.
4. vTiger - if you are running a vTiger CRM solution the vtiger app itself is not worth the money as it often crashes and becomes diifficult to use. But as long as you have remote access enabled on your server, you are able to save a link to the server on your desktop as a bookmark and access this app anywhere you have data access. Ideal!
5. FedEx Mobile - while I wish this app contained more functionality in the app than just tracking packages, this is definitely a good app to have if you ship via fedex in your business
6. Splashtop - this app is clearly a must have for any small business owner. By adding the free software to your computer and downloading the app to your phone you can very easily use your computer via your phone with just a few clicks of the button. This is one of the only apps that lets you access multimedia including audio via this remote desktop connection
7. Google Places - even if you only use this app to manage your reputation by monitoring the reviews that go in for your business this is a useful app. However, if you are looking for a close place to have lunch with a client or need to find a bank asap - there are a million and two reasons that you would need this app.
8. Skype - whether you are video-conferencing a client across the country or across the street this is the app to use. The fluid portability between iphone and computer is ideal and allows you to always stay connected.
9. Dropbox - everyone needs a dropbox account, as the files we transfer around these days are beyond what many email carriers allow through the portholes. Grab yourself a dropbox account and free up your "my documents" folder and allow yourself access to your documents no matter where you are.
10. Elance - a good app to have and a good website to set an account up on. If you need a quick freelancer without the pressure of publicizing your hiring process locally then grab a freelancer to do some sales calls, or paperwork or whatever.

2012-02-15 12:39:47 | tags: hiring iphone small business

Google is making changes to ensure sites that overflow with ads above the fold will lose some google juice. If your website has ads taking up considerable real estate on the monitor before scrolling, you ought to consider modifying it before the new algorithm crawls your website. Call us at 813-406-0366 if you would like help modifying your website.

source

2012-01-23 16:08:03 | tags: google seo web design

GUEST POST :: Today's guest post is written by Christine Adler. Christine Adler is a USF graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree. Although her formal education is in the technical sciences, her practical background is in promotions. These diverse experiences have given her an uncommon, yet very useful, skill-set. Whether giving a presentation, launching a campaign or talking one on one with candidates or employers, Christine is always up for the task. In her free time, Christine enjoys listening to music, having good conversations with friends, trying new foods and giving back. Christine is a campaign manager for HireMeCampaign, a company offering a new and innovative approach to the job search.

As employers run through resumes searching for the perfect candidate to fill their open (entry level-ish) position they are likely to have a variety of people on their hands: The experienced but out of work, the person with 3-5 years experience looking to hop around, and of course, the recent grad.  With all these options, many people wonder why anyone would ever choose the recent grad.  Recent graduates, however, bring a lot to the table and if they fit the position, are great assets to any company or team. 

First things first: Recent graduates are hungry!  They want this first job and they want to ROCK this first job.  Notice, I didn’t say rock, I said ROCK – that’s because recent graduates have just spent 4+ years working on getting their diploma and they are now ready to do what they’ve been dreaming of.  They are ready for the paychecks, the co-workers, the long nights and the possibility of moving up in a company.  Many recent graduates recognize that they’ll be low on the totem pole and don’t take offense to it; they just want to work hard and let that degree pay off. 

In the same token, recent graduates are trainable.  Many experienced candidates (whether 3 or 25 years) have developed routines and, more times than not, some bad habits at their previous place of employment.  Some of these routines might be great but some might be different than how things need to take place at your company.  We all know that changing habits can be hard, and this is no exception.  Recent graduates have a clean slate so the way you teach them is the way they’ll do things.  To an extent, when you hire a recent graduate, you are able to mold them into the employee you’d like them to be.   Of course, their personality and individual thoughts will come out, but in terms of the “hows” and “whens” of daily operation, you should be able to train recent grads with no problem.

Finally, and this is important to remember: Recent graduate is not synonymous with lack of experience or skills!  Many recent graduates have had internships, professional roles in student organizations or even part time jobs during which they have grown into a good candidate.  No matter what the position, a good candidate will take the experiences of the past and use them to better themselves for all future endeavors.  If a recent graduate has had an internship, it’s even better.  They’ve lived the corporate life-style for at least a couple of months and had the opportunity to see, first hand, what goes on in the field.  If they’ve had internships at more than one place, they’ve seen a variety of corporate cultures and positions within the field.  This experience is invaluable and will always be helpful when training and getting the new hire accustomed to your company.

Whether you’re hiring for a large or small company, it’s important not to immediately overlook or disqualify a recent graduate.  Of course, the position must fit, but assuming that it does, I urge you to take some time to consider some of the recent graduates who have sent you their resume.  Examine the experience they do have and make sure you get the full picture of what they can bring to the table before tossing their resume aside. 

Read More from Hire Me Campaign on @HMcampaign or on facebook.

2012-01-23 08:45:47 | tags: small business hiring

As all of us could use some stress relief now and again I downloaded an app today that I heard about on Lifehacker, and thought I would share it with you. With long hours behind the keyboard, as many of you also partake in, I imagine we could all use some breathing time. The Breathing Zone app, available on the app store for $2.99, helps you practice your therapeutic breathing and can even assist you to lower your heart rate and blood pressure. I for one am going to take this on my next plane trip and practice at takeoff.

The app gives you easy to follow voice commands and leads you into leveling out your breathing and reaching for goals. Breathing Zone will even run an analysis of your breathing and create a personalized plan just for you. While I am always hesitant to purchase new apps on my overflowing iphone, the fact that the Harvard Medical School recommends this one was a good enough referral for me.

Visit the app store here to purchase.

2012-01-18 10:34:51 | tags: iphone

We here at Foowebs have come to a blessed place where we needed a new way to organize our growing client base. Creativity being abound we decided to draw a magnetic timeline across the wall and move our client's along it. If you feel like this is something that could help your small business better visualize your client's present needs here is a short tutorial to do it on a wall in your office:

Materials:

• Magnetic Paint
• Adhesive backed magnets
• Printed logos of your clients (or business cards -or if you are not b2b perhaps their last names printed on cardstock)
• Labels for stages (I printed on carstock and used those 3m sticky poster hangers to place above stages)

1. Design your timeline. We used our 10 step process to determine stages that we could assign to our clients placement in the development process. We spent some time drawing out on paper how we would put this process in a graphic that we could paint on the wall. You can use a standard box timeline, or one that moves up and down, or just up, or anything your mind can come up with. 
2. Paint timeline on wall. Once you have visualized your timeline you will want to paint it onto the wall with magnetic paint. Use tape if your hand is not steady or hire an artist to come do it for you. If your magnetic paint does not come in color, leave tape on and paint over it.
3. Afix your labels. Assign your labels to each point in the timeline in the way that best suits you.
4. Attach magnets. Whether you choose business cards or cut out little logos of your clients (way cuter). Go ahead and attach the magnet's adhesive side to your client icons. Place them along the wall at the point of stage in the timeline they are in.

This worked out well for us and we are able to get a big picture of where our clients are in the process with a quick glance. While we love our CMS program, there is something to be said for seeing something in black and white.

2012-01-12 12:54:42 | tags: howto small business web development

Make sure you take our website for a ride on your iPhone. We have created a new website optimized for your favorite mobile device. Let us know if you would like a website for your small business that is optimized for mobile devices. Visit us here at www.foowebs.com on your iPhone and check it out.

Have a great weekend!

2012-01-06 15:50:16 | tags: iphone small business web design

We Design it. We Develop it. We Market it. Our 10 step program will quickly bring your ideas to fruition.

1. Research
2. Design
3. Wireframing
4. Development
5. Programming
6. Content
7. SEO
8. Launch
9. Marketing
10. Maintenance

The timeframe for each step will vary depending on the size of your project. And some projects will include additional steps or skip step. But these are the 10 steps almost every project will entail when you work with Foo Web Development.

2011-12-29 14:25:10 | tags: adwords seo small business web design web development

JQuery Spinning Image Cube Slideshow

http://keith-wood.name/imageCube.html

Pros: Open Source, Ease of implementation, Many options, unique

Cons: a little sketchy around the edges, especially if you change the levels

Use: Would be good to use in a slideshow or part of a feature

TN3 JQuery Gallery

http://www.tn3gallery.com/examples/

Pros: Beautiful implementation, Fullscreen slideshow, many options, Flickr support, Multiple albums, scrollbar with thumbnails

Cons: less features with free option, not open source

Use: a beautiful way to show images, artwork, photography in an aesthetically pleasing way

JQuery AD Gallery

http://coffeescripter.com/code/ad-gallery/

Pros: Open Source, Super Easy Implementation, captions, titles, scrollbar with thumbnails, super customizeable

Cons: Rough interface

Use: This is a great tool for many implementations that you can customize it for. I have used it from everything from news headline sliders to showing before and after photos of projects

JQuery Gallerific

http://www.twospy.com/galleriffic/index.html

Pros: Open Source, Pretty Interface, captions and descriptions, Many options, Speed Optimizations, thumbnail navigation, custom controls and effects

Cons: You must create your own thumbnail images

Use: Displaying photographs or other images

Pikachoose JQuery Slider

http://www.pikachoose.com/

Pros: Open Source, Many Styles, Many Options, Optional Thumbnails, Sweet transitions

Cons: Themes cost $

Use: This one works really well as a content slider (carousel) for the top of your website

JQuery Cycle Plugin

http://jquery.malsup.com/cycle/

Pros: Super Easy Implementation, Many slideshow transitions, Can be customized to be used in many other ways

Cons: rough interface

Use: I use this one in a zillion different ways and customize it to allow for any flash type slideshow or animation for html chunks

JQuery Rotating Billboard

http://tympanus.net/codrops/2009/12/16/creating-a-rotating-billboard-system-with-jquery-and-css/

Pros: Beautiful interface, Unique

Cons: Lots of image slicing, intricate work

Use: would be a great use for advertising banners or to promote a specific thing on your site

JQuery Featured Content Slider

http://webdeveloperplus.com/jquery/featured-content-slider-using-jquery-ui/

Pros: Pretty Interface, Thumbnails, Titles and descriptions, Thumbnails even have titles, Open Source

Cons: Not as simple of an implementation

Use: To show off the featured content on your website in an eye catching way

Nivo JQuery Slider

http://nivo.dev7studios.com/

Pros: Open Source, Simple implementation, many transition options, Pretty interface

Cons: no thumbnails

Use: For featured Content on your website

Fancy JQuery Image Gallery

http://www.admixweb.com/2010/03/08/how-to-create-a-fancy-image-gallery-with-css3/

Pros: Very Simple interface, Pretty Interface, hovering an image autozooms image overlayed, Simple Implementation

Cons: No titles or descriptions

Use: This is great for a simple gallery that will pop up a larger image when hovering

2011-12-29 09:19:48 | tags: code snippet javascript web development image gallery carousel animation web design

2011-12-24 00:49:01 | tags: magento