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.

I can’t believe I got married two months ago today! This is my first official post as a married woman. You may be wondering what two months of marraige has taught me. I have learned a thing or two and they are as follows:

1. Apparently married or not, you should not go to the bathroom with the door open. Your husband will not think this is cute.
2. It’s ok to go to bed angry. (Although this is something I learned while playing bridezilla) It’s actually nice to have your own bed for one night!
3. Don’t get defensive when your husband wants to talk about how much money you are spending. Just try not to listen!
4. Read the Five Languages of Love together and tell your husband that even though the test doesn’t say so, your love language really is receiving gifts.
5. Don’t start taking out the trash and you will never have to.

Ok, so these probably aren’t words of wisdom from a married woman, but they are some fun things I wanted to share. I can say without a doubt that I have enjoyed every single minute of being married. Two months down, many, many, many more to come!

Jen and I are at “The Special Event” in Atlanta, Georgia, the event industry’s largest trade show and conference. More than 9000 professionals within the event industry from around the world are here sharing ideas and trends. It’s been a great experience so far. I actually presented on planning events for nonprofits on Tuesday morning. There were close to 200 people in my session. Pretty amazing. The coolest thing that we have gotten out of the conference so far is the committment to create a green office at Trio Solutions and to start creating green events for our clients. Our first step is to develop a sustainable plan for our office. This isn’t going to happen overnight but there is no reason why we shouldn’t put our best foot forward now and there are countless reasons why we shouldn’t do anything at all. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

In the current edition of U.S. News & World Report their staff shared 50 ways to improve your life. These are quick tips and advice that can improve your body, mind, money, world, and play. I highly recommend picking up this issue. I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the quick picks was to “purchase a health care gift card.”

Our team at Trio Solutions Inc. has been working with our client, MedExpress in Augusta, Georgia to develop gift cards that give the gift of better health. In a country where health insurance premiums are soaring and small, medium and large businesses are struggling with providing affordable health benefits to their employees we have all been very excited about this new concept. Our thought is that employers can now provide their employees with gift cards in increments of $25 to $1000. The article in U.S. News & World Report just valided that we are on to something and it makes us proud to help our clients be on the cutting-edge. We are very excited about offering this to businesses in the Augusta area.

Some of the other tips that I enjoyed and hope to do in the new year include:

• Stop drinking bottled water. There is nothing wrong with our tap water
• Say good-bye to baseball legends. Go see a baseball game at Shea or Yankee stadium
• Teach your children how to vote
• Take time to listen

If you can’t get the current issue, check out this video of the staffers at U.S. News & World Report sharing the different ways to improve your life in 2008.

Trio Christmas Party on Water’s Edge

This time of the year is full of so much cheer and everyone at Trio Solutions indulged in some holiday festivities on Dec. 13 at our annual Christmas party. The evening began with a harbor cruise abroad Water’s Edge. The sunset was breathtaking, the wine flowed well and the music (although not Christmas carols) was jamming thanks to DJ/Captain Jamie Holcombe. Some great rock ‘n roll from the 70s and 80s always gets folks in a party mode. After the harbor cruise we met up with our friends and significant others at Chai’s Lounge. The evening was full of Christmas cheer. We should do this more often. Merry Christmas everybody!

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!