Web-enabling the world of business

Imagining Out Loud
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Let's talk quickly on timely topics to elevate your web strategy. Fellow developers will be addressed as well, but in small doses, and wherever possible, in common-speak.

Archive for the ‘SEO’ Category

Updating the Old Portfolio, but going Local again

July 7th, 2009
Author: Andrew

This is one of those things that I always enjoyed delegating, but always knew it was up to me to really dial in the messaging for. So time has indeed gone by since the last update, and every one of our clients has an updated story on their website. I am personally very honored to have continuing great clients over the years and am glad that the projects keep rolling in.

Since our best work is really on the back end of a website, where browsing around as a user only shows about 10% of our work, linking over to sites has never really been a great promotional tool for us anyway. With the blog however, we can certainly tell our story.

Please take a look at our portfolio now and get yourself updated while I talk about our new local web portal we are launching… which is really what I want to talk about anyway.

It was back in 1996 I had a vision of how the internet would not only revolutionize the way we do business, but also that it would be used to revitalize local economies that were otherwise hard hit and/or isolated. I was wrong about my idea in terms of timing, as at that time I started a local web service called victorvalley.com (see remnants here) and it simply came before it’s time.. and for the next decade the internet dispersed economies rather than anchored them locally.

Now that we are just getting into an especially funky recession, and our network dependent economy is leaving local business at a disadvantage, I believe the time is right to work on building the local web. People will still of course be using Google to research buying decisions and looking for value, but they will include local searches and should by now expect to be finding the answers locally, not elsewhere.

Enter LocaSource - crazy hot values from wise local experts. We expect to have 200+ of the best local business people, restaurants and retail outlets occupying positions as local anchored go-to resources for everything from home remodeling, to charitable giving, to night spots, realty and accounting. As long as it is local, and our partner can contribute relevant content for their category, then a new relevant blog is born.

We plan on always keeping this resource local, so as not to fall into the trap seen so often with empty, diluted national directories. We want to build something the community can gather around.

(the design is coming together soon. Stay tuned)

New Year, New Challenges, New Web 2.0 Services

February 13th, 2009
Author: Andrew

In case you haven’t already heard, there is a new recession in town. Just kidding. Well, what you probably haven’t heard is that until recently, CGI has been protected from the storm by a client with a huge language learning project called Echolearn. Unfortunately, for the time being, we have had to suspend that project even though it is 95% complete! Sad.

Well, the good news is that we are back on the market with a new set of wicked skills that can really give you the edge in your web presence this year. I am confident that once we let the cat out of the bag on our various combined business, marketing and programming skills, getting new clients will be no problem despite the shortfall in investments.

Now, some would say that getting new business is just too hard these days, no matter what your skills. To that I say, ‘horse hockey’! Smart businesses are not categorically suspending investment at all, but actually they are spending wisely on new ways to streamline their productivity for starters. This gives us great confidence, because this is our strength. We are experts in web-enabling processes that take up a lot of personnel time. Since the headlines are all about layoffs, companies need our services to close gaps in the operation created by these layoffs. We like to come into an operation, identify areas of inefficiency in workflow processes, and provide a quick solution. We can eliminate 2-3 FTE’s of waste in companies as small as 12 people.

Of course there are companies that spend well into 6 figures on these kinds of upgrades to their operation, but that is not necessary. Since CGI is a smaller operation, with long-term commitments to a short list of clients, we can perform at a much higher level of efficiency than our competitors, which translates into a better ROI for you. I will personally oversee your project and build a custom solution that fits your company values and mission. My team is available around the clock for support, but remains small and dedicated, which gives you direct access and zero bureaucracy.

Now, stay tuned for the next post that highlights our updated skill sets related to the media industry, mobile web, and data feed management. Plus, take a look at our recent SEO triumphs in getting 3-4 positions on the first two pages of a google search for Mobile Talk Radio. look for cellecast.com and fourthspeaker.com links there.

Mobile Web - The Future of Business

December 22nd, 2008
Author: Kyle Wukawitz

As we progress into the new millennium the importance of staying connected within an informational based society grows in parallel to the advancement that technology affords it. The ability to stay ‘within the loop’ of 21st century communication will become exponentially paramount as a growing reliance on connectivity permeates itself through both the professional and personal realms of life.  Devices and the software that drives them will only continue to grow in both complexity and specialization so it’s no doubt that an environment as such would create a paradigm of ease-of-use versus elaboration.  It’s those that are able to provide services that bridge this paradigm that will lead the information industry into the next decade and beyond. Leaders, both professional and otherwise would be prudent to position themselves and their organizations at the forefront of the digital tsunami that will only continue to get larger and more prevalent.  Sink or swim will become the mantra of all brave souls who wish to compete in tomorrow’s informational network superstructure.

The ability to access one’s own information easily will be Paul-bearer of the 21st century technology.  Mobile devices are only beginning to bring forth the web to its users as they develop their infrastructures literally as fast as they can.  As wireless networks grow in both speed and reliability, organizations should see as steady increase of users who use their mobile devices as their primary access point to Internet.  The question then imposes itself….what does this mean to businesses that wish to capitalize upon this movement?  The answer itself lies within building applications that maximize one’s message within the mobile world’s boundaries to the best of their ability.  The mobile web environment is most certainly different than the Internet we have grown accustomed to over the past 10 years of so.  From the speed of the connectivity itself to the wide array of technical specs in terms of size and computing power from one device to another, user experience can differ greatly depending on ones choice of device.  To further compound the complexity of the mobile web, the industry at large has seemed opposed to any form of standardization that would help those who wish to develop rich Internet applications on their platforms as whole.  This resistance has posed a huge burden on companies because they must often create several versions of one application or simply forgo a popular device altogether due to limited resources.  The ability to navigate the seemingly endless one-offs can be achieved by developing simple, yet elegant web applications that intelligently adapt and capitalize on  hardware in which their being ran on.

Creating robust, versatile mobile web applications is the key to success for the future of any company or organization.  By developing a web infrastructure that caters specifically to the mobile web one will be able to establish themselves as a truly anytime-anywhere company that has embraced the mobile web in a positive way.  Future consumers will only grow to appreciate the organization that provided them with ability to access their goods, services, and information literally from anywhere.