Our worst nightmare came true! Our server crashed (thanks to the storms on Sat. night) and our back-up system doesn’t appear to have worked like we planned. We thought we had our bases covered (nightly backups, surge protectors, external hard drives, etc.) but with all the glory technology bestows on us; it is the biggest ordeal when it doesn’t work. We are all hard at work to recreate the files and to ensure little to no downtime for our clients. We are rebuilding our library - file by file - thanks to e-mail attachments. In the meantime, let’s hope the miracle workers at Data Recovery Specialists in California can deliver on their mission. As for a long-term plan, Trio is going to have a security and data management system tighter than Fort Knox. For other small businesses out there, here’s a good article about data recovery planning. I highly recommend you set your plan in place before you experience the pain.

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.

A little over a year ago, Trio began discussing the importance of nonprofits communicating and sharing with one another. Specifically, we felt that the three areas of Web, marketing and event planning are all important topics for nonprofits to share their successes, concerns and questions. From our discussions was born the Nonprofit Nook. Although the Web site is still in development, we have begun hosting monthly workshops at our office. The workshops are being lead by our incredibly talented VPs, Krista, Jen and Brian, and they have been a huge success! I can’t say enough good things about the presenters or tell them enough how proud I am of them. It takes a lot to speak in front of an audience. Especially one of eager nonprofits wanting you to share all your wisdom! But their hardwork has been worth it. This is just another way that Trio continues to give back to nonprofits. We truly do live out our mission- Work hard. Enjoy life. Make a Difference.

Recently, our client MedExpress, a retail health care clinic in Augusta, Georgia, learned that after nine months of branding themselves in the community, they would have to change their name. It seemed that another health care company in West Virginia already had the trademark on the usage. Initially, we all gasped and thought the world had ended. But after thinking things over we decided to turn this negative into a positive. We took this as an opportunity to find a new name that could better represent their mission and image already established in the community. ExpressHealth Inc. would be the new name. Slowly the changed occurred. The Web site, marketing collateral and advertising all began using the new name. By keeping with the same look and feel as well as message, the re-branding effort which was almost invisible to the general public, went very smooth. Business has steadily increased and the switch doesn’t appear to have been a major setback. It’s just business as usual for ExpressHealth.

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

One of our clients recently asked us about double spaces after a period. The funny thing is that double spaces after a period originated with the typesetting machine or typewriters. Adding an extra space made it easier for the reader. However with word processors and computers the need for that extra space diminished. It’s not incorrect to put two spaces, it’s just not necessary nowadays. The typeface of digital fonts and a single space provides enough space to indicate the sentence is over and the next one has begun. But if you are still working on a typewriter, be sure to add that extra space. The ironic thing is the other day my five-year-old son and I were visiting my mom at her office and he noticed the typewriter in the corner of the room. He said, “Grandmother, what is wrong with that computer?”

My son had a “perfect” day in kindergarten today. You wondering what that means? Well, put it this way - we have been struggling since the first day of kindergarten to get a smiley face for every section of his day. Learning to read - check; understanding the concept of adding and subtracting - check; goofing out in the bathroom - check; pouring milk into peas at lunch - check. You get the point. Well today we made a significant turn. The teacher was pleased with every aspect of his day. We made a big deal of this milestone and all he wanted in return were Legos. Legos it is! The feeling of accomplishment was priceless. His gold medal was Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase. Watching his happiness made me yearn for the days when life was so simple. I thought to myself, if only I could go to the office and get through an entire day with smiley faces. Maybe if society followed the rules of kindergarten we could all get through the day with happy faces and Legos as our prize. Wouldn’t that be nice?

We are always good listeners.
We are helpers, not hurters.
We are walkers, not runners.
We are builders, not breakers.
We are talkers, not shouters.