Thursday, December 31, 2009

Top 10....Well, Make That Top 5 List

Happy New Year's Eve to all! The end of the year always means top ten lists everywhere, from tv to music to the internet. Of course, bloggers everywhere are making their own lists of 10 things they thought were important/stupid/influential/etc. All for you to read and ponder.
But let's face it, its New Year's Eve. You, dear reader, are more than likely about to go out with friends, or sit cozily at home and watch them take Dick Clark out of the formaldehyde vat for one more ball drop countdown. You have things to do. So, out of the greatest consideration for your time, we've condensed all the top 10 lists into the top five things that caught our attention.

5.Green Things
Everything has "gone green" lately, from laundry detergent to light bulbs. Why wouldn't IT? It's not only where to recycle those computer parts anymore, either, it's the fact that companies are evaluating how to make their data centers more energy efficient, and seeing how to reduce their carbon footprint.

4.More People Use Netbooks
Tiny computers for business folk to use for internet and email. Bigger screen than a cellphone, but smaller than the average laptop. Great for buses, subways, coffee shops and park benches nationwide. Of course they're a hit!

3. More Built-In Wireless Broadband
For us at Addison Technologies, and any other web businesses, this is a good thing. More people have built in wireless cards in their phones, netbooks and laptops, thereby giving more people web access. More people on the web = more potential customers.

2. Google Chrome
Its always interesting to watch competition, especially when it involves giants like Microsoft and Google. Chrome is promising things like security, which Microsoft has been notoriously hackable on. As with all free market competition, this should be beneficial to us, the end users!

1. Flying Car
It's quite nearly 2010, and we still don't have those flying cars that we were promised way back in the day. But things are looking up, a Massachusetts company is working on a car/airplane that runs on regular unleaded, and can drive on the highway.


Happy New Year, All!

Friday, December 11, 2009

The Searches, They Are a Changing

Bing vs. Google. Google vs. Bing. As the search war heats up, its only going to get better for web business. As the search giants battle it out, the spoils of the war will go to us, the consumers, by way of better and more relevant search results. Your target audience will better be able to search for your products with the features that are to come. Competition leads to change and innovation!
Addison Technologies already provides our customers with excellent search engine optimization. As the search engines improve their results, then, our work for you becomes that much better!

More Seniors on the Web

Found an interesting article for all of us web people showing that more seniors age 65+ are using the web. They are still a small overall percentage of web traffic, but they are there and growing in number. What will this mean for us as web developers, and as businesses who have websites (beyond making the text larger, that is.) It will prove interesting as well to see how it pans out as more baby boomers become seniors, therefore making more seniors web proficient.

Google Goggles: Practical and Lazy

So, according to an article at Internetnews.com, http://tinyurl.com/ydtujv7 , Google is working on adding some new features for all of us. We all know and love (or hate, depending on who you are) some of Google's other functions, but they are adding some interesting ones this time around. While some of the other features intrigue me immensely, I think the Google Goggles feature may hold loads of potential for those of us who do commerce on and with the web.

Google Goggles is a feature where you can take a photo of something and Google will research it for you. How many times have I seen something, asked myself “What exactly IS that?" and had to reply "Heck if I know." How useful, as a consumer, to be able to Goggle something, and get a reply? Want to know what work of art you're looking at? Want to know how much amazon is selling the book on a friend's coffee table for? What subtle flavor profiles does this wine have? Google Goggles would be able to answer those questions for the buyer.

And as a goods producer, how useful would it be for you to be able to see if people were looking up your product via Goggles? I have no idea if Google has any plans on allowing us to see when/where/frequency/etc of a product's Google Goggling, but to me, it would make sense. And if has occurred to me, then one would hope that the officials there would have thought of it. The producer could then get an idea of whether or not your branding is doing its job, if the consumer is aware of your product (ie, what they're looking at.) Or, if your branding is working within a particular geographic region, or with a certain advertising campaign. With that knowledge, you can then tailor your website (from Addison Technologies, of course,) marketing and business plans.

What is interesting to me too, is how it this feature will be abused. We can already foresee that somehow your innocent look-up of a bag of exotic coffee beans will somehow garner a link to a porn site for kinky coffee addicts. Don't smirk, you know it'll happen. And additionally, how will advertisers be compensated for this feature? Will your coffee bean look up garner a Starbucks link first, even if it has no real relevance? Then there's the underlying question: how lazy are we, I mean really? (I'll give you a pass if you Goggle something with labeling in a foreign language.) You can't take the time to type out that book title, you just want to take a photo--unfortunately, yes, we're getting that lazy.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Government Stimulus Website to Cost Taxpayers $18M USD

You can say one thing for the federal government, they are willing to spend top dollar for the items that they want. The question will be, 'should they be spending that much money for what they are receiving?'

With the fed spending just a shade over $797 billion in U.S. taxpayer money on the last stimulus package in an effort to kick start the economy and reduce unemployment, there are more than a few taxpayers who are leery about exactly how all that money will be spent. President Obama launched the website Recovery.gov in an attempt to alleviate those fears. There were initial complaints about usability and accessibility regarding the website, so the federal government decided to spend some money to upgrade the site.

This was seemingly a good idea that all would welcome, until the General Services Administration quietly released an announcement that the site would cost a total of $18 million USD over a 5 year period. An estimated $9.5 million of that will go to site design alone!

While I am sure most tax payers would be upset at those figures alone, people in the tech sector who handle site building projects (both large and small) are scratching their collective heads at these figures and wondering exactly 'why?' it will cost this much.

According to the report over at DailyTech.com:

"Craig Jennings of OMB Watch, a watchdog group often critical of government spending, states, "I do think $9.5 million is a bit much. They already have a large data set to work with. What Recovery.gov will do -- and whether they need $9.5 million to do this, I don't know -- is display it."

The site currently offers information on the $60.4B USD of stimulus money award by July 3. Many complain that the information is hard to read and understand with it being unclear where exactly the money is going in the case of a specific stimulus award.

Edward Pound, spokesman for the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, the government group running the site insists the site is taxpayer money well spent. He states, "This thing has a lot more to do than designing a good-looking Web site. We're not here to waste the taxpayers' money."

He says that his organization will demand reports from every group receiving stimulus money, telling how they spent it. He states, "We have to have the capability to receive that information and post it. And we need the infrastructure to support all of that. They are going to be filing very detailed information -- who the key officers are on every project, what they're paid, and so forth. And you'll have to be able to see that, very quickly."

The site when first launched was relatively popular, receiving 150 million hits in its first month according to market research firm Alexa. Since then, traffic has lulled and the site currently sits at 36,572nd in Alexa's traffic rankings.

Andrew MacRae, a website developer comments, "It's not a bad website. But it's not a tool to tell me where the money is being used."

Mr. Jennings says his organization has already made a better site at a fraction of the cost. He states, "OMB Watch built a site called FedSpending.org, which does basically the same thing. We said we'll license it for $600,000."


Addison Technologies, Inc offers web solutions to your business problems. For answers to your solution in hosting, website design, search engine optimization, social media and web marketing, feel free to contact their expert staff anytime.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Vizio's announcement makes internet TV one stop closer to reality

Vizio announced their latest lineup of 31 new HDTVs for the upcoming year. They were oddly quiet on the subject of VIA connected HDTV sets. That changed last week when Vizio announced that they will have three sets available near the end of the year.

Vizio smartly included both an Ethernet jack as well as 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter in the VIA sets, making it easier for more consumers to connect their TV to the Internet. VIA’s online capabilities are powered by Yahoo’s Widget Engine, and Vizio has an impressive lineup of services ready at launch. Some, like Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr widgets, are pretty basic, but the audio and video apps are the real news: for music, there’s Pandora, Radiotime, and Rhapsody, and for video you have your choice of Amazon Video On Demand, Blockbuster On Demand, Netflix, and Vudu. Showtime is also preparing a widget, though it’s limited to samples episodes of its original programming, trailers, and extras.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Netbooks effect broadband market and Twitter not selling out, yet.

A recent report by the Pyramid Research Firm has found that the continued rise in sales of Netbooks will result in a continued and prolonged demand for mobile broadband services. This has to be great news for wireless carriers and certainly explains why several have begun to offer discount, or subsidized, netbooks as part of their service packages.

Quickly vanishing are the days in which customers were required to purchase bulky computer systems with powerful operating systems. Netbooks typically operate on less resource-intensive operating systems since they are designed to provide easy internet and email access to the user. These systems allow the user to concentrate their online time and efforts on web browsing, email, and social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook. Such developments in online communities also display the need for targeted online marketing strategies by businesses. Some components of these strategies, such as search engine enhancement, became vital as users are spending more time online but less time willing to wade through pages of search results to find what they are looking for on the web.

Speaking of Twitter, web strategy and marketing... For some time now, people have begun to wonder exactly how Twitter will begin to generate revenue. Despite the immense popularity of the online social networking tool, it has yet to show a means of producing revenue. According to Twitter co-Founder Biz Stone, Twitter will not be turning to online advertising. In the meantime, it appears that Twitter will continue to operate largely off of the $55 million in venture capital the company has received.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Google to allow Google profiles in search results

According to Google's official blog, they will now be allowing Google profile results at the bottom of U.S. name-query search pages.

Google claims that they are doing this "To give you greater control over what people find when they search for your name." Like most things related to Google, there are those that will embrace this as an opportunity to have greater control over their personal and professional brand, meanwhile others will see this as yet another move by 'big brother' to gather and reveal more of their personal information.

Regardless of your position on the subject, it is wise to keep in mind that so long as your name is attached to it then you may well be held accountable for your content. Social networking online is no different than how you would present yourself personally and professionally 'offline.' Recently, we have started to move past simple online marketing and search engine enhancement with our clients and work on web strategies and business consulting to help clients maintain a positive image for themselves as well as their company. Feel free to contact us to learn more about our web strategies that will help keep hits coming to your site, while building your professional credibility in your respective industry.

Addison Technologies, Inc. provides web development and business solutions for clients nationwide. We are located in Pottstown, PA with a satellite office in Florence, AL.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Google moving to purchase Twitter?

It wasn't too long ago that Google CEO Erich Schmidt referred to Twitter as "a poor man's email system." Now it appears that Google was either slow playing the market, or they have finally discovered the growing value of the micro blogging tool. Rumors and reports this week have Google talking with Twitter about a possible acquisition.

The merger would seem to make a lot of sense on the surface. Twitter catalogs information in real-time, which is sure to take a bite out of the Google market share. While Google and other search engines are clearly the better choice for information in most scenarios, Twitter has a major advantage by allowing events to be documented as they are happening. This effectively removes the filter of the media and gives people the feeling that they are somehow experiencing and learning of events through the eyes and words of those living it. We saw this play out here in the United States during the crash landing of US Airways flight 1549 , as well as abroad during the terrorist attacks in Mumbia, India.

In the past, Google has shown the ability to both improve markets while dominating them. At this time, it appears that they cannot compete with this newer technology of Twitter and may well look to purchase it.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Updates on Adwords and the end of Microsoft XP

This week Addison Technologies, Inc. is going to post some useful news articles, as we have a larger update planned for later on. Feel free to check out the links and give us a visit to discuss these further.

First, and this may well have an effect on many of you reading this, is a reminder that Microsoft will be ending the free support for XP users effective April 14, 2009. Given that an estimated 68% of global internet users are currently using XP, this is bound to upset a few folks. Namely those people who have purchased a new computer in the last year with an XP operating system. This is most likely due to Microsoft's release of the free copy of Window 7 in May. Microsoft tried, and failed, a similar approach with the release of Vista in the past. It appears that Microsoft is putting their eggs in one basket with this approach, but surely they cannot begin to market and sell Windows 7 with so many users still on XP. If you'd like to read more on this, Steven Vaughan-Nichols has a more detailed wrote up of the phase out process for Windows XP here.

In recent Google news, AdWords is now allowing you to create 'coupons' in your digital advertising. If you are currently an Addison Technologies, Inc. marketing client or would like to discuss this option further with us, please feel free to contact our Marketing staff for more details on how this may be of benefit to your company.

Are you on Twitter? Feel free to follow Addison Technologies, Inc. on Twitter by clicking this link!

Friday, March 20, 2009

THE RISKS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING IN TODAY'S JOB MARKET

Social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have proven to be amazing tools that are either SEO friendly or hold immense networking capabilities. Somewhat recently, progressive minded companies have embraced these programs as a means for enhancing their market position and to gain greater Google penetration. The benefits to the company are obvious in terms of bringing their brand to a wider audience.

However, there are risks to employees or job-seekers. Most companies initially stayed away from reaching out to social networking sites which gave users of the these pages an impression of privacy. Now users must be aware of what they are posting on the internet under their public profiles.

Earlier this year, a teen was fired from her job for posting on her facebook account that her job was 'boring.' In another example, a young account manager was fired for calling in sick so she could go surfing. The employee's friend later posted pictures in a comment that said 'we should call in sick more often.' When her employer discovered the comment, she was promptly terminated.

A higher profile example is the Ketchum public relations representative, who posted a message on Twitter (known as a tweet) sharing his feelings about the city of Memphis (home of their client, FedEx) that read:






You can read the entire response from Fed Ex here .

Considering that the response ends with
"Additionally Mr. Andrews, with all due respect, to continue the context of your post; true confession: many of my peers and I don’t see much relevance between your presentation this morning and the work we do in Employee Communications."

I think it is safe to assume that this communication has strained relations between the two companies.

Most recently, a University of California graduate student interviewed with Cisco Systems and was offered a position with the company. Sometime later, that person decided to send a tweet that said:

"Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work."

What this user did not know is that Tim Levad, who is the channel partner advocate for Cisco was searching for web chatter about their brand and discovered the message. He responded with





The end result is that a random utterance of a potential employee cost them a valuable job opportunity.

People, both professionally and personally, need to understand that the idea of 'internet privacy' is a mirage. Anything posted on the internet can, and most likely will, be found by another looking for information. That information may well cost them a job, job opportunity, or even a client for their company.


Addison Technologies, Inc. offers a variety of business consulting services including management of their web marketing and corporate social networking profiles.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

This week's Google updates from Addison Technologies

For the past few days, the internet has been abuzz with the latest Google updates. This week we will recap a few of those for you and would be glad to field any questions you may have.

If you have been following the newsfeeds lately, you may have read that Google will now utilize "Interest-based Advertising." This is hardly new or groundbreaking technology on the surface. Both Yahoo and Microsoft have been in the practice of basing customized advertising on activities of particular web browsers.

To date, Google has been basing its system on search content, keywords and website content. Where Google will take this practice to a new level is by combining their existing data with the technology purchased in their $3.2 billion acquisition of the Internet ad service DoubleClick, Inc. By installing Double Click's existing code, also known as a 'cookie', to their advertising partners servers, Google has already begun the monitoring process of its users. Google will be able to track the user's favorite websites, interests and frequent searches while providing that information fluidly to their advertising partners.

While the there are those who only see the nefarious potential of such power, Google is hoping that this new combined technology will create an atmosphere in which the customer is a more willing participant in the marketing process.

To further enhance the overall experience, and perhaps to quiet the critics, Google has provided an opt-in and out-out feature to your profile. This will allow you to provide any additional interests that you may have, and more importantly, you can opt out of the marketing tracking process with a few simple clicks.

Another update from Google that we believe you may find useful is this video breakdown of the Google AdWords advertising process. Have you ever wondered why you pay as much, or as little as you do? Have you wondered if the SEO quality of your page has an effect of both your rankings and your advertising? Google's Chief Economist Hal Varian explains it all for you here:



Addison Technologies, Inc. is your professional answer to your business questions. We provide Web Development, Online Marketing, Web Hosting, Business Consulting and a variety of other programs to meet the needs of your business.

Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Navigation is where it starts

While Site Navigation certainly is not the only concern when designing your website, it is the one element of your new site that will make, or break it.

The key to site navigation is to ensure that your customers know where to find what they are looking for, and to make sure it is as easy to find as possible. Quite often the business can become too concerned with what they want in terms of visual aesthetics, and lose focus on what will enable their customers to navigate their site more easily.

Helen Bradley of E-Commerce Guide wrote an article last month that breaks this down well.

For more information on site design and business solutions on the web, feel free to contact us.


Thursday, February 19, 2009

Business to Business Web Design

At Addison Technologies, Inc. we offer a variety of business to business web design strategies that are designed to better your business and your understanding of your market.

We work closely with our clients and listen to their needs. We begin the process by interviewing you to gain an in-depth perspective on your business and your goals. Once we have a throughout understanding of what your business does, and where you want to take it, we will implement a strategy that will work best for your company. Not only do we want a working business tool for your website, we want one that captures the spirit of your business and conveys the exact message about your business that you want to have delivered.

We offer a variety of business tools that will be able to help you in your day-to-day online operations. Our customer support and graphic design team have extensive experience working with traditional offline marketing agencies that you may already be using. we can work with them to maximize the market penetration and search engine optimization to benefit your company.

Contact us today, and we can begin working toward a brighter future for you and your business.

Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious