Mobile Devices and Tablets Drive 7% of Total U.S. Digital Traffic

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Nov 292011

A recent report from comScore,Inc. called “Digital Omnivores”, revealed that nearly 7% of digital traffic in the U.S. is driven by smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.  The report says that digital media consumption is exploding and the impact on online visitation is tremendous!

The term “digital omnivore” is defined by the report as “a consumer who accesses content through several touchpoints during the course of their daily lives”. 

The report goes on to say that, “…in order to meet the needs of these consumers, advertisers and publishers must learn to navigate this new landscape so they develop cross-platform strategies to effectively engage their audiences.”

According to the report, half of the total U.S. mobile population uses mobile media and those mobile media users grew 19 percent to more than 116 million people at the end of summer 2011. Almost 54% of tablet owners use their tablets to research information before making a purchase.

What does that mean for your business website? It means you need to have a mobile presence for a connected device (phone or tablet) in addition to your current web/internet presence.  If your website is not optimized for mobile devices, now is the time to act!

Interested in learning more about making your website mobile compatible?  Please give Bryn a call at 262-953-6025 or visit www.comstar.biz.

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 10:00 AM Tagged with: , , ,

Cloud Computing

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Nov 222011

Understanding the concept of Cloud computing has been compared to electricity – you don’t have to see it or understand it, you just use it and it works! 

“The Cloud” has a real definition, too.  It provides a service that you can access from your computer or mobile device and is delivered over the internet in real time. 

Ok, so perhaps The Cloud is a fluffy marketing term and metaphor for the Internet, but it does handle new technology in new ways.  And how is using the cloud different from how you are using technology right now? 

Well, most of the time, if you want to do word processing or send emails, you have to open a program on your computer like Microsoft Word or Outlook.  Also, if you want to save something, you store it on your hard drive.  Most of what you do on a computer is operated by the computer using the installed software.  Make sense so far? 

Good.  If you switch to using Cloud computing,  a lot of your “stuff” – documents, emails, pictures– is no longer stored on your computer (or other devices) but is kept on remote servers probably operated by familiar names such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon.   In addition, you no longer open a program on your computer, you open your browser or app and work off “the net”.

For business owners, cloud computing is especially good news. Businesses no longer need an infrastructure of networked computers in the office and an IT department running it.  For individuals, cloud computing frees them from having to buy special software to run on their computers and other tech devices. 

The cloud can provide apps, software, data access, storage and backups, all from web-based tools.

I have read that The Cloud was made possible by the development of high speed internet connections and the technology of vast information sharing and handling that came from search engines like Google and Yahoo.  Those combined advances led to the cloud computing we are getting to know today.

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 10:00 AM Tagged with: , ,

Backing Up Your Blog Content

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Nov 152011

It’s not enough to back up your blog template because it is not the look and feel of your blog site that matters.  It is what you have to say that counts.

If you have a separate corporate blog that links to your corporate website, then it’s important to think about backing up your blog content.   Your blog site is a tool; it educates your customers, it demonstrates your expertise and it helps to drive traffic to your website.  You don’t want to lose all that search engine traction or the comments and interactions with your customers.

Let’s say you have a blog set up at WordPress.com.  I know WordPress backs up blogs, but I recommend you learn to export your blog content yourself and do it often, especially if you change content daily.  It is also a good idea when you have multiple users assigned to your blog.  Administrators and editors are able to delete posts or pages and there would be no way to restore material that is accidentally removed from your blog. 

Use the WordPress dashboard (WordPress Database Backup Plugin)  to export or use FTP to download both your database and filebase (XML files).  This filebase should contain your posts, media (video and images) pages, plugins, comments, categories, and tags.

If the worst thing should happen – your blog site crashes- having a contingency plan is a good idea.  The plan should include the following:

-          Restore the database from the backup file.

-          Upload (FTP) your most recent backed up blog filebase.

-          Use Google or Yahoo search engine “cache” feature to recover any recent articles that were posted after the last backup.  It may be that one of the main search sites (Google, Yahoo and Bing) indexed and cached, or saved, the content of a page from one of your recent posts. 

Exporting your blog content does not necessarily mean the templates associated with your blog are backed up.  Template backups should be available by your blog account provider.

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 12:00 PM Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Back Up Your Website!

Website Tips No Responses »
Nov 082011

Backing up a website is one of those things we often forget only to realize what a poor decision that was when it’s too late.

Why do we skip something this important?  Had we just done the simple backup, we could have restored our lost work and saved time, money and headaches!

If you read last week’s blog, you will start to understand why it is easy to let backups slide.  Most backup operations are difficult to understand and use.   It takes time and effort just to decide how to get things started.

At the very least, every business should have a copy of their original website design, its contents, photos, graphics and databases.

There are many online backup services out there.  In one click, you can “zip” up your website and store it off-site on the service provider’s server.  Or, you can use FTP to download a copy of your website files to a back up folder of your own computer.

Of course, the easiest solution is to let someone else take care of it!  Comstar backs up websites that subscribe to our Small Business Hosting plan, $29.95/month.  We do a full back up on websites and databases each week.  Then, we back up incrementally each night to save your daily changes and updates. 

What if you host with Comstar but did not sign up for the Small Business plan?  Simply visit us at www.comstar.biz or give me a call at 262-953-6025 if you want to upgrade your hosting plan to include backups.

Just imagine the piece of mind you’ll have knowing there is a backup of your website.  Plus, when your website is backed up off-site, it means it’s safe even if a major disaster such as flood, fire or tornado strikes your office! 

What happens if disaster should hit Comstar?  We have backups of backups – and we store them away from our building for safe keeping.  Some say we are overly cautious.  Would you have it any other way?

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 10:10 AM Tagged with: , , ,

Data Backup Basics

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Nov 012011

Protecting your computer/ business data is a top priority.  The idea is simple enough, but choosing the right type of backup plan or program can be difficult.

The main goal of data backup is to create a copy of the data so that if the data is lost or corrupted, it can be restored.  Thus, data backup is only one part of the operation….data recovery is the other. 

Data backup is sometimes confused with data storage or archiving.  Data in storage is not currently being used so the primary or original data is moved out of the way.  Backups involve a secondary set or a copy of something that is being used.  Storage is often a low cost service while backup and retrieval services cost more.

There are three types of data backup: full, incremental and differential.

Full backups.   A full backup makes a copy of ALL data and transfers it to tape, DVD or CD. This action takes a while to complete and uses a lot of storage space, but recovery is fairly quick.  Every business should do this at least weekly.

Incremental backups.  After making a full backup, most companies find it important to make incremental backups at least daily. This gives maximum protection of data that is constantly changing or updating.  Incremental backups backup any files that have changed since the last incremental backup.  This means the backup is faster and takes up less space that a full back up.  There is a down side, however.  Restoration of incremental backup files takes longer because you must restore the last full backup along with the incremental ones performed since that time.

Differential backups.  A differential backup is similar to an incremental except that it will copy all data changed from last full backup.  Thus, differential backups require even more space and extra time to complete than incremental backups.

Perhaps the most effective backup strategy is to use a combination of at least two types of backups.  For example:  full weekly + differential daily or full weekly + incremental daily. 

At the end of day, it isn’t really a question of whether to backup your data or not, but rather, which combination of backup scenarios best fit your business and data security goals.  Oh yes, and your budget!

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 10:00 AM Tagged with: , , ,

How Important Has The Internet Become?

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Oct 252011

And The Internet Survey Says……………..

A recent survey, “2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report”, reveals that the Internet is perceived as important to our lives as water, food or air. More than half of those that responded said they could not live without the Internet.

The international study consisted of two surveys; one included 2,800 college students from 14 different countries and the other included 2,800 young working professionals in their 20s.

33% of college students and employees surveyed around the world believe the Internet is a “fundamental resource for the human race—as important as air, water, food and shelter.” 

Almost 50% believe it is “pretty close” to that importance.

66% of college students respond that a mobile device such as a laptop, smart phone or tablet is “the most important technology in their lives.”

58% of young employees respond that a smart phone will be ready to pass desktop computers as the most technological tool.

19% of college students believe their smart phones are their most important device used every day compared to their desktop computers. 

91% of college students and 88% of employees said they have a personal Facebook account and about 77% check the account at least once per day.  33% check their account at least 5 times a day!

84% of the college students surveyed said they are interrupted at least once per hour while doing projects or homework by texts, social media updates and phone calls.  Nearly 19% indicated that they are interrupted about once every 10 minutes!

70% of employees said they have “friended” their supervisor and/or co-workers on Facebook.

Sure, the internet is important to me – it makes my life a lot easier – but I would never say it’s as important as food or shelter.  Of course, I’m not a college student anymore or a “young” professional as these survey takers were.  I do realize, however, that the younger generation is all about technology.

 If you want to tap into today’s techno generation, your website should part of their world.  Visit our website, www.comstar.biz, or give me a call and I’ll help you take your website to the next level.

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 12:00 PM Tagged with: , ,

Choosing the Right Domain Name – Long or Short? Hyphenated or Not?

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Oct 182011

Long domain names – upwards of 50 to 67 characters in length- are generally considered beneficial if they have site keywords in them.  This can offer an advantage with a number of search engines.

Overall, I am a fan of shorter domain names.  I find typing a long one to be a chore and inevitably I enter it wrong and have to start over!   Now, I am not opposed to long domain names, but recommend avoiding extremely long ones over 67 characters.  Really long domain names are hard to remember and are hard to fit as a title on your web page.

What if you find the perfect domain name but only the hyphenated version is available?

The main disadvantage with a hyphenated name is that it’s easy to forget the hyphen, especially if the web address is passed on by word of mouth.  Imagine saying this at your networking event, “We’ve got a great website: www dot A1 hyphen home hyphen decorating dot com”   Yeah, right.  That person types it in without the hyphens and ends up at your competitor’s site.  Oops.

One advantage, though, is that search engines see your domain name separated by hyphens as a string of key words and that may bring higher ranking results for your site.  That said, I would advise against using more than two hyphens.

A great alternative to using hyphens is using capital letters in your domain name (e.g. WorldWideWeb.com).  Domain names are not case sensitive.  You are free to have it printed on your business cards using capital letters for each word.

What about including “the” or “and” or using an “s” to make it plural?  If it is appropriate and meaningful then go ahead.  It makes more sense to have ToysforPets.com instead of ToyforPet.com.

Be sure to search for your perfect domain name at www.comstar.biz.

 

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 12:00 PM Tagged with: , , , ,

Choosing the Right Domain Name – .COM, .NET, etc

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Oct 112011

What should you do if the “.com” of your domain name is already reserved but “.net”, “.org” or other top level domains (TLDs) are available?

Some TLDs are restricted for specific use like .edu and .gov and .biz.  Your business or institution must qualify in order to reserve these extensions.  Recent arrivals on the TLD scene such as country designations like .us and .uk have become very popular.

Which one of these would be your best choice instead of .com?

There are different ways of looking at this situation.  I consider the domain name to be the most important aspect of branding and marketing.  In this case, choosing an alternate TLD to the .COM shouldn’t be too much of a concern.  If your domain name is memorable and easy to spell, it won’t matter which extension you use.

On the other hand, it is easy to think it should be “.com” and nothing else.  Online users assumes a web address is  .com and many would never think to use .net as an alternative when looking for a site.  That could result in a lost visitor.

As you can see, there are good reasons for both schools of thought.   In either case, there are two things I want to highlight.  First, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) success can happen regardless of the TLD.  Second, as long as you clearly communicate your www.domainname.NET (or other TLD), visitors will find you.

Remember to search for available domain names at www.comstar.biz

Next time:  Good Domain Names – Long or short?  Hyphenated or Not?

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 1:00 PM Tagged with: , , , ,

Choosing the Right Domain Name – Think Long Term

Website Tips No Responses »
Oct 062011

Deciding on a domain name seems pretty simple.  Just put a .com at the end of your company name, right?

It’s not as easy as it sounds.  You want a domain name that will be relevant to your business, your prospects, and Search Engines.  Here are some suggestions:

  1. Don’t make your domain name too long or say everything about you.  People may not remember it.  (e.g. JandSonsPaintandHomeDecoratingStore.com)
  2. Don’t shorten your domain name by dropping parts of words.  People will have difficulty recalling it. (e.g. John & Sons Paint and Home-Decorating Store to jspaintnhomedec.com)
  3.  Don’t end a word and start the next word with the same letter.  People will misspell it. (e.g. accountinggurus.com)
  4.  Don’t substitute too many letters with numbers.  People will get frustrated when typing it. (e.g. L0veP03m5.com)
  5.  Don’t be too generic.  (e.g. cars.com)
  6.  Do make your domain relevant to your brand and business. 
  7.  Do make it easy to spell.
  8.  Do make your domain name memorable.  How does it sound when you say it out loud? Does it rhyme (e.g. MoodFood.com) or glide off the tongue (e.g. WackyWeb.com)?

All this preparation won’t mean a thing unless the domain name is available.  Comstar offers a great domain search tool on their website, www.comstar.biz.  Click on the Hosting Services menu. Then click on Domain Registration.

Come back next week for our discussion on the pros and cons of .com, .net or .org!

Posted by Bryn Kirk at 3:00 PM Tagged with: , , ,

Going Mobile

Website Tips, Website Tools No Responses »
Aug 182011

The use of BlackBerrys, smartphones, and other mobile devices with internet service is on the rise.  In fact, 1 out of every 5 Americans use the mobile web every day!  With that knowledge, don’t you think it is wise to have a mobile-compatible version of your website?  If you answered yes, way to go! If you are skeptical on whether or not a mobile website is that big of a deal, let me share some quick facts with you that may start getting you to think otherwise.

As you know, phone screens come in all shapes and sizes.  This can make your regular website hard to read.  By making a simplified mobile version of your site, people will be able to get a clear view of it, no matter their screen size.

With data plans and phones becoming cheaper, more and more people are able to afford internet access on their devices.  This explains why there are billions of dollars of purchases made from phones and mobile devices each year.  It is becoming more convenient to shop from mobile devices, instead of sitting at your computer, turning it on, waiting, letting the internet load, more waiting, and then shopping.  If you sell products online, it is ideal that you mobilize your website asap.

Advertising spending is a good indicator of where technology is headed in the future.  With a projected spending of over $6.5 billion in 2012, it is more than obvious that the mobile web is becoming a very popular and powerful platform.  Hmmm…a new place for you to advertise your business?!?

It is also projected that by 2014 more people will be accessing the internet from their phones than from computers.  If you don’t have a mobile site by then, you will be missing out on tons of traffic and prospects.  Think about that!  Are you convinced yet?

Comstar can help you go mobile! Give us a call at 262-953-6000 and find out how!

Posted by Joe Como at 10:44 AM Tagged with: , ,
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