I am used to finding my entertainment on the Web through my favorite pop culture (or basically online tabloid) Web sites- www.perezhilton.com, www.tmz.com and of course, www.people.com. However recently I discovered an entertaining site that does not report on Lindsay Lohan stealing a fur coat or Britney Spears still trying to get custody back of those sweet, innocent little boys. No, this Web site is actually useful AND it is entertaining at the same time. The site is called WuFoo, www.wufoo.com. It is named for the founders two favorite groups, Wu Tang Clan and Foo Fighters. Anyone that can be as creative as Wufoo, well as Renee Zellweger said, has me at hello! The Web site offers free software to build surveys, order forms, registration forms, etc. for your Web site. I have used it a few times and on top of being user-friendly, it is just a really fun Web site. For example, when you are finished and logging out of the site, you are prompted with the famous line, “parting is such sweet sorrow”. Yes, it is very silly but in a work environment where we tend to take ourselves too seriously, it is nice to chuckle every once in a while. Using a Web site like Wufoo has challenged me to find ways in which Trio and the Nonprofit Nook Web sites can showcase our personalities. Ultimately that is what Wufoo does, it brings the personalities of the founders into their site and that is what makes the Web site so unique and fun. Check ‘em out.

This past Thursday, Trio Solutions Inc. launched our latest service to the nonprofit world at the 11th annual SCANPO conference - The Nonprofit Nook. We signed up an enthusiastic group of nonprofit professionals to help serve as our launch focus group. We look forward to receiving their feedback and making this site the best resource it can be. Our goal is that The Nonprofit Nook will offer a special section on the World Wide Web for nonprofits to gather free information, resources and support for their marketing needs. A place for nonprofits to make the most of their marketing, event and Web efforts. We have lofty plans for The Nonprofit Nook and look forward to providing quality, useful and innovative services for our nonprofit members. Check it out!

I read an interesting article on editorialemergency.com that really hit home. I’ve seen this type of behavior on many Web site development projects that I have been involved with:

http://www.editorialemergency.com/content/view/181/51

The premise of the article is that people often come to marketers (print, Web, whatever) and say that they want to stand out, do something different, and capture people’s attention. So the creative team goes off and produces a design or copy that is edgy, unique, or different in some way, and often when presented with it, the client will shy away from moving forward and wants to revert back to what they see everyone else in their industry doing.

When organizations do something different, there is often the fear that they will turn someone off, or perhaps that they will not appeal to a broad enough audience. It’s that fear that produces bland designs and jargon-laden copy. If you are using the same style as everyone else, why would a customer choose you over your competitors? If you are willing to stake your business on luck, then go with that approach.

I believe the key is to first identify your target audience (everyone is not a target audience) and then find out what makes them tick. What do they respond to? Once you know that, don’t be afraid to get creative. There are too many other voices out there, and you can’t afford for yours not to stand out.

On Wednesday we launched a new Web site for Creative Worksite Solutions. A couple months ago they put up a temporary site for a trade show at the end of January, but this is their first professionally produced Web site. They wanted to start off small to get their presence established on the Internet, but they now have a solid foundation to build an online identity and utilize the Web to promote their business.

As most people know about me, I hate it when the phrase “click here” is used as a hyperlink. As a matter of fact, it made #6 on my top 10 list of dos and don’ts for Web sites. Well, I finally found the perfect example of why “click here” links are a bad idea. Take a look at this screen shot from the Consumer Reports Web site. Notice on this page there are three, yes THREE, uses of “click here.”

This totally threw me off and took me at least 10 to 20 seconds to get my bearings and figure out what to do. Instead of having three links labeled “Sign up,” “Log in,” and “Customer Service” so that I could quickly scan the page and in less than a second know exactly where I needed to go, I was forced to read the entire page.

Now, you might say that I am being whiny and impatient about a small amount of time, but in the words of Vito Corleone, “This was completely unnecessary.” There are enough challenges to overcome on the Web, don’t make irritating your users one of them. Avoid “click here!”

I’ve always said that good karma keeps us employed! As we struggle to collect overdue invoices and make ends meet so we can continue to do what we all love, it amazes me that the big dog marketing firm in town can get $650K to develop a Web site and promote a green initiative for a local energy provider. I’m sure the $650K campaign included more than just the Web site. That price tag reminds me of the early-90s dot com pricing days. But regardless, some guys really do have all the luck.

On Monday of this week we launched a redesigned Web site for Community Solutions Inc. This project involved not only redesigning the site, but also reorganizing the information, as well as updating the content to accurately reflect the mission and services that Community Solutions provides.

csi-online.org

Brief article with some tips for Web site design and content:

http://www.businessknowhow.com/internet/web-design-mistakes.htm

My favorites are:

2. Text-heavy Pages
Actually, lots of text is OK, just don’t use lengthy paragraphs with no visual breaks. Reading online is much different than print. Use the following to break-up blocks of text: shorter, more focused paragraphs; headlines and subheads; bullets and numbers; a few well-placed photos or graphics; and appropriate white space.

4. “Noise” and Clutter
Even if you have a great site, if your visitors are forced to wade through long blocks of copy, promotional offers, animation, sales pitches, and worthless dribble, you’ll quickly confuse them and drive them away.

7. Inappropriate Graphics and Photos
Photos and graphics can visually enhance the appearance of your site as well as support and substantiate your copy. But don’t use load-intensive graphics or photos of your corporate office which are relevant to no one.

Really, what it all boils down to is making sure that you have content on your Web site that people are interested in and then making it easy for them to find it and read it. Don’t just put stuff on your site to fill space. That includes photos, images, and graphics. If a picture doesn’t serve a purpose, don’t put a picture there just to make the site look pretty. It will just be another distraction that gets in a visitor’s way. Simple is good!

In a recent article in The Nonprofit Times I read about Techsoup.org’s Second Life for nonprofits. What a brilliant idea (I always think - “man, why couldn’t I have thought of that?”). For you parents out there, it’s like Webkinz for nonprofits. The concept stems from the original Second Life Web site that is a 3-D virtual world entirely built by the “residents” (i.e. account users). As of today there are more than 9.7 million residents in the Second Life world (or “in-world” as they call it). Even for me, who feels pretty comfortable with technology and the Internet, this is pretty out there for non-techies but it appears that once you are in, you’re sucked in and it becomes a new way of life. Techsoup.org is hoping to use this virtual technology to help nonprofits tell their stories, collaborate with others and make a difference through the world of avatars. Organizations like Global Aid Foundation and the American Cancer Society have already started their journey into the Second Life. American Cancer Society held a grand opening!!!

Check out our STATUS REPORT

A special thank you to the Createathon team:
Krista Robertson
Jeanine Szczesniak
Jennifer Cherock
Jessica Munday
Jessica Kersey
Brian Cendrowski
Nicole Cendrowski
Roxanne Hicks
Brian Dadin
Cultigraphic girls

Trio Solutions was selected as the official CreateAthon® agency for the Lowcountry. Although CreateAthon is in its tenth year nationally, this will be the first year this event has been available to Lowcountry nonprofits. For 24 hours, from 8 a.m. on Thursday, September 13 until 8 a.m. on Friday, September 14, every member of our staff will work on pro-bono projects for several nonprofit organizations in our area. During that time, we will complete 15 projects for five organizations. All of our time will be donated.

Congratulations to this year’s CreateAthon recipients:

LOVE Inc.
My Sister’s House
Teacher’s Supply Closet
Lowcountry Earth Force
Berkeley County Foundation of Volunteers for the SC Guardian Ad Litem Program