In the process of launching a client’s website on bluehost.com this evening – things got complicated. It was a supposed-to-be-simple website deploy gone bad… SUBDOMAIN OWNERS AND USERS OF CPANEL BEWARE!

If you were granted control of a subdomain and are responsible for your own hosting, you have an extra consideration to make when choosing a hosting company than everyone else does.

Questions you need to ask:

• Does the hosting company I plan to go with use cPanel?
• If yes, does this hosting company already host a website with the same top domain name or a subdomain under the same top domain name as mine?

If you answer yes to both of those questions, as per BlueHost.com, it is time to find a different hosting company. As per BlueHost’s explanation, cPanel creates accounts based on only one level below the tld. For example, even if I only control thissubdomain.ny.us, cPanel will associate my account with ny.us and all subdomains – disabling any other subdomain or even the main domain, ny.us in this case, to use this hosting company / instance of cPanel. When you try to add an add-on domain in this situation, it will return an error:

The domain “thissubdomain.ny.us” is a subdomain of a domain on a different cpanel account and cannot be added to your account.

BlueHost is one of the largest, if not the largest according to the BlueHost’s Domain Manager, users of cPanel. BlueHost has also been our choice hosting company for basic website hosting and continues to be despite this problem.

So for all of those subdomain controllers in charge of your own hosting – good luck. Specifically, ny.us sub domain controllers, if you go to BlueHost.com, you are out of luck!

BlueHost’s Proposed Solutions:

1. Talk to the owner of the ny.us domain account – in this example’s case, the owner of ny.us – Problem: If you share the account, you have access to eachother’s domains and are at risk of their domain admin’s mistakes / vulnerabilities.
2. Register with another hosting company- Problem: I want to use the company I am used to working with! Also, in this case, I was trying to add the domain as an add-on domain, so if I took this route, I would have to pay for an additional hosting account.

As per BlueHost, cPanel believes it is too small an issue to worry about – supposedly, there is only a very small group of unhappy users like myself who can’t go with the hosting company they would like to. I would hope server admins using cPanel would not only demand this for users like me, but don’t you think cPanel should address this given that this can potentially turn away business!?

We were recently provoked by Matt Cheuvront, from Life Without Pants to think about the reason why we started our blog here at Ashworth and what we want to accomplish. These are some of the words that came to our mind immediately: design. passion. creativity. genuine. teaching. relationships. learning. two way. These are some of the things we want to inspire in others. Of course, we want to learn and grow from our blogging journey as well. We aim to serve our customers better, refine our process and develop creative solutions for clients.

Design is truly at the heart of all we do at Ashwoth Creative. We want to build relationships to instill passion and design through those connections. Our goal is to ooze out creativity thus infecting everyone who approaches our blog and site.

“Creativity is an inborn capacity for thinking differently than most, seeing differently, and making connections and perceiving relationships others miss”

- Andy Rutledge,  “On Creativity”

Next step is to stay genuine and real through our blogging journey. We definitely think every blogger needs to build their blog on the cornerstone of honesty and authenticity. Would you take advice on how to prepare Mexican flautas from a grandma born and raised in Mexico or an American teenager? Chances are the grandma knows her stuff and makes authentic Mexican flautas. Staying genuine and authentic is bound to draw people in. This isn’t some formula for attracting readers, but we know that clients want to do business with genuine people. Same thing goes for blog followers and readers.

Relationships are all about being genuine, teaching and learning. This is another reason we started our blog. We desire to teach people and to learn from experts in the industry. It all comes down to the two-way communication. For us, a blog is a great way to reach out to people with the same passions and desires as Ashworth Creative.

So, now that you know what drives us to maintain a blog… What are some of the reasons you read blogs? What drives you to maintain a blog?

Yes, the economy is putting a squeeze on everyone’s finances. Yes, cutbacks are necessary.  But, cutting back in the wrong places can end up hurting you rather than helping. Some things are more beneficial the “do it yourself” or DIY way and some things just aren’t. Like web development and design. The whole purpose of having a website is to market your company to potential clients and to eventually drop the “potential” from clients.  If your website isn’t constructed or designed properly, then neither of those two goals can be reached.

For example, when a search phrase relevant to your company is typed into a search engine, you want your site to be ranked among the top listings, also known as search engine optimization.  One of the best ways to accomplish this goal is through your web copy. A professional can write this copy for you in a way that incorporates the search phrases that will get you found while still appealing to the users who access your site all at the same time.

Web copy or web content also has the ability to convert users into customers.  The copy needs to explain what your company has to offer in a manner that intrigues the user and makes them want to know more. Another useful tip is to include “how to” lists on your website. Search engines like them, and so do your customers. If a company writes their own web copy, they have a biased view, where as a professional is an outside party and therefore has the ability to create something that accommodates both the customers and the company.

Photos are another feature that generate clientele.  Photos show the user what your company has to offer in a more tangible way than web content. With photos, users connect on a visual level, which for some is deeper than a cognitive level. This is because photos tend to take up more residency in ones brain when compared to language. Based on this information it is vital to have adequate photos on your site. A professional has the capability to select the photos that will most affect a consumer’s buying decision. When you choose your own photos you most likely choose ones you like the best, not the ones that will appeal to the consumers the most. If a company chooses to resort to DIY photos, they will most likely loose the interest of users rather than converting them to consumers.

Copy and photos tell a story about your company. This means web design is the climax of your story. Web design is the innate fusion of your company’s DNA with the copy and the photos. DIY way just doesn’t cut it when it comes to competitive web design. If you can build a website, it doesn’t mean you can DESIGN a website. Today, there’s a lot of web design out there, but creativity and good design is what will set you apart from the competition. Standing out among competition usually means winning over customer business and trust.

Good web design attracts potential clients and keeps them on your web site. Would you want to read about the services and products of a company with a neon green background, copy all over the place and poor image quality? We didn’t think so. Good web design gives you credibility. It shows visitors you actually care about your company’s image and try to accommodate the needs of visitors. In the long run, DIY web design will hurt your business. So, we suggest you start fresh and let professionals build the most enticing climax for your story.

What do you think? Do you think it’s ok to do somethings yourself and let professionals take care of the rest?
What specific things would you do yourself?
What are things you wouldn’t dare to do yourself?

Relationships. What do relationships mean to clients today? What do relationships mean to businesses? Is it something that focuses on driving the most traffic to your web site and getting clients to buy products or services? Or is it having a large number of followers or fans on Twitter and Facebook?

Building real relationships with clients and followers means different things to different businesses. The focus of building relationships and relationship stewarding is shifting in many directions.  Some forget that there’s more to relationships than occasional Facebook and Twitter updates sent to fans and followers. Others rely too much on web presence and forget to exercise their people skills in person.

Dictionary.com puts it this way:
relationship (noun)
1. a connection, association, or involvement.
2. connection between persons by blood or marriage.
3. an emotional or other connection between people: the relationship between teachers and students.

Relationships are a unique connection between people. It is more than a monetary and business transaction.  A relationship sets humans apart from other earthly creatures. The same goes for a business that reaches out to consumers to sell services or products. It is almost impossible to avoid relationships, regardless of how they are manifested.

So, relationships are harbored in a number of ways: in person, through websites, social media, e-mails and lots more. Clients tend to speak out their opinions on web and traditional mediums. Our job is to listen, understand, explain or even change our approach.

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are tools that help drive the communication. They help, NOT replace. It is by no means the only form of communication that yields lasting relationships. It is easy to get caught up in the sea of clients, followers, comments, complaints, suggestions but if we focus on building relationships and not tearing them down we can really hit a home run with our clients.

Here are some approaches to building and stewarding client relationships. Start as simple as listening. Listen. Don’t try to jump in the conversation forgetting your initial role. Continue with transparency- tell people what is actually going on, sugar coating might lead to more damage.  Add corporate social responsibility, which means caring about the community, the environment and employees by acting for the benefit and not harm of others through company services and products. Insist on actually caring about clients by inspiring two-way communication that educates, encourages and morphs into lasting relationships.

What do client relationships look like for you?

How do you continue stewarding relationships when your main desire is to make a profit?

Here are some extra resources:

http://www.conversationagent.com/2009/03/top-10-reasons-why-your-customers-are-being-difficult.html?cid=6a00d8341c03bb53ef011168c1f60a970c

http://blog.ogilvypr.com/2009/07/3-steps-to-building-a-successful-community/

So, here’s the deal. You can create a website, but is it a quality website? You can create a website with a bunch of information loaded with industry speak that visitors don’t understand, lacks in visitor interaction, and that only focuses on what you believe people want to hear, but that will probably help your bounce rate more than it does your conversion rate.

Bounce Rate – the percentage of visitors to a site who leave quickly, rather than explore the same website.

Conversion Rate – the percentage of visitors who convert into customers rather than just visit a website and leave.

When it comes to building a website, the root of all evil is thinking egocentrically and not keeping the visitor in mind. The main purpose of the website; to attract and convert visitors. This means meeting the needs of potential visitors through a useful, interactive and quality website. The following website tips will help you get on track for building a quality website.

Information Architecture (IA) Process

Your potential visitors need to see and feel the specific focus of your website that caters to their needs. The information architecture process is essentially the structuring of your website in a way that users can effectively find and interact with the information you have available; this means being “user friendly.” The structuring of the website includes defining the way pages will link to each other as well as specifying the actual position of information within the individual pages. For each type of visitor (ie: for colleges it would be prospective students, current students, parents, etc.) there should be a well-defined, and hopefully short path to each piece of information they may find helpful.

Optimal Web Content

Findable: Your web content affects your website performance in a number of ways, and one of the most important is the way in which it affects how you are found. For search engine optimization, you need to write copy that is both resourceful and uses key phrases effectively. Web pages should use key phrases throughout the web content, including titles and image descriptions. This approach informs search engines about the various subjects on your website. It is important not to overuse key phrases (this is known as “stuffing”) as this can cause a website to be “blacklisted” by search engines. This is just a chip off of the search engine optimization iceberg, but I could not have left out the subject when discussing web content.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – bettering the traffic to a website in terms of quantity and quality of visitors.

Key phrase – a phrase for which a website is attempting to be a result for in search engines.

Blacklist – in the context of this article, a blacklist is a list of web sites or web pages that have attempted to trick a search engine into believing they provide more information on a subject than they actually do. In response, search engine negatively weight their website in search results.

Understandable: In addition to being findable, your web content must also be understandable. When visitors land on your website, they want to know what you are about and how you can meet their needs. The last thing they want to do is have to go elsewhere and research unfamiliar acronyms and terms. Writing web content with the user in mind means avoiding the use of unfamiliar terms, acronyms or industry speak unless you provide a definition.

SEM, PHP, JSP, IMAP, XML, HTTP, SOAP, CPU, MVC, SEO, URL, SQL, AJAX, FTP, TCP. Even though these terms are second nature to me, it wouldn’t be nice of me to use any of them without providing some sort explanation… Be sure to have someone outside of your industry review your web copy in order to eliminate any such language.

Quality Images

It is always a good idea to match the quality of your images with the quality of your website and this usually means shooting new photos for a new site. Rather than just going out and taking random photos, it is a good idea to decide what pages the website will include and shoot photos for those pages. The photographer should also keep in mind how the images will be used on the website before taking them, because websites often call for landscape images and to avoid having narrow images when cropping them for the website.

Time Investment

If you are looking into building or redesigning your website, remember that this process will take a significant amount of time and usually ends up cutting into regular business tasks. Photography, writing the web content, as well as coding the website are best left to professionals. Professional web development firms go through the information architecture process and use professional copy writers, photographers, and programmers which is why I would recommend finding an expert and investing your time in what you do best – running your business!

Coding a website – the process of turning a design into a navigable and interactive website. There are many best practices that take years of experience to perfect. Template website are good for low/no budget projects, but the benefits of expert programmers will not be actualized.

Avoid Back Pedaling

Search engine optimization (SEO) and content management systems (CMS) are often left until the end of a web building project or forgotten about altogether. Rather than me re-explaining SEO, take a look at the SEO hand guide we made here are Ashworth Creative – I think it is quite good, but you be the judge! Finally, content management systems allow website owners to update and maintain their own websites through a simple interface. This keeps visitors coming back for the newest information – not just to attract and be a resource for one-time visitors. This makes your website more dynamic and interactive, which often yields better long term results for your company.

I hope this article was helpful – please take a second to leave me some feedback and let me know about you – maybe I can help!

What problems have you encountered when building a website?

Did you overcome these problems? If so, how?

On the way home from school when I was a child, we would stop at a corner sweet shop. I knew my mum and dad liked the shopkeeper and his wife, he was dead friendly and always spoke to us kindly. Needless to say, I looked forward to eating his sweets and the short jaunts to his cozy shop.

Branding yourself is no different from the corner shop concept. As you and I know branding has more depth than a logo or corporate identity. It is you and the value you offer to your clients, the way you treat your employees and serve in the community and in this digital age, your presence online. Your brand embodies all that you are and do. Almost everyone is trying to implement some type of online branding strategy, some are doing brilliantly whereas others are not doing so well.

You could benefit from some online brand loyalty. Here’s why. Online consumers spent over $200 billion in 2007, according to www.bizreport.com. This means that the web is a great resource for loyal customers willing to spend money on your products and services. About 70% of American families are in a constant search for local products and services on the web, according to www.dotster.com.  So, start the branding.

Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about online branding strategies for your company:

Develop Consistent Content and Messages

It’s not a bad idea to take your current branding strategy and freshen it up a little – an inside look at your companies DNA or branding document should prove to be beneficial and will develop messages that can be used throughout all marketing mediums.

Take a Look in the Mirror

Synergizing your look online with your traditional marketing materials is a must (We’re hoping your current materials look stellar – otherwise it may be time for a brand overhaul). Confusion is not what you want when a loyal customer takes a gander at your site. We have clients that only use our SEO services and when we check the analytics data they have a high bounce rate as their website does not reflect the quality of their services or their printed materials. Food for thought.

Social Media Plan

The power of social media is getting stronger with Facebook leading the herd plus Twitter and YouTube hot on its heels. A social media commitment only makes sense. What is so great about social media you may ask? Remember the shopkeeper and how my dad knew him? He was in my dad’s network of friends, that’s what social media can do for you today. You can create communities of interest and connect with pockets of similar interests, which are made up of people situated locally or all over the world. Within these networking sites people get to know you, track your progress, the services and products that you offer. As we all know people like to buy from and patronize companies they know and like.

Enter the Blogosphere

Blogs are the new sitcoms. People tune in every week (sometimes everyday) to see what the newest happenings are in their favorite areas of interest. As a company, keeping a blog can help direct an influx of traffic to your site that would otherwise not find you. Blogs also give your company credibility in the field.  All in all the more knowledgeable you are in your area of expertise the more you have to offer to your clients, customers and patients.

Overall, a top-notch online branding strategy is essential to surviving in the long term. Just check back to the stats if you disagree. We’re looking forward to hearing your comments, suggestions and ideas.

http://www.buzzlogic.com/blog/2009/08/the_great_brand_chase.html

http://www.clickz.com/3633673

Inspiration is like matter, it cannot be created nor destroyed; its presence is constant, but never seen.  Here at Ashworth Creative we are on a never-ending search for inspiration- but that’s just it, it’s not something you can search for, only thirst for.  That divine aqua comes in several different flavors at Ashworth Creative and each one suits one of our many different palettes. So where do we find the source? Well let’s find out.

One thing that seems to be a common motif in our team’s inspiration is nature. Our office is hidden away in the woods of Rhinebeck with huge windows that expose the green beauty and nature of our natural setting. Bambi sightings are a common occurrence and make it seem as though they are an automatic part of any office’s ambiance. “The huge office windows and constant connection to nature at the AshworthPlex helps to stimulate and relax me throughout the day,” Bryan stated. “Who wouldn’t be inspired by the view?” Isaac agreed.

The team also agreed that inspiration is more extrinsic based than intrinsic. And with such fabulous co-workers it’s obvious that we serve as extrinsic forces for one another. Chase’s creativity is a beacon for the team, “Chase’s ideas are truly inspirational,” Eve professed. “Most inspirational person in the office is Chase Evans – He’s the human form of Twitter,” Bryan affirmed.

A third inspirational factor that everyone expressed their consent on was music. With Ipods being a staple in the office, this one came as no surprise. From the Britney Spears loving Bryan (“Radar” being the dearest to his motivation) to Eve’s Parisian favorite “Yael Naim”, music plays a huge role in what ignites our creativity. Chase is so inspired by music that he couldn’t tag one song as his favorite. “It all depends on your mood,” he said. I would take him for an Arctic Monkeys fan for sure. He definitely rocks out to “Jet”.

Although our team seems to pull from the same inspirational sources, their personal definitions of the word were all very different. Bryan said that inspiration is what drives him to “strategize another day.” Yes, he is our web strategist. Eve coined inspiration as “the most important ideas, thoughts or acts” of her life. Isaac associates inspiration as motivation; “Something is not really inspiring unless it motivates us into a special or unusual activity or creativity. The thing itself that inspires us can be anything, but if it does not cause an action of some sort, perhaps it is just a thought.”

So it seems as though just when we think we have inspiration pinned to one definition, it shows its face in a different form and we are intrigued all over again. What the Ashworth team has to offer you is our creations that capture the essence of our inspiration. From Chase’s innovative ideas, Bryan’s practicality, Eve’s liveliness and Isaac’s brilliance, Ashworth Creative’s ideas are born and stamped with 100% inspiration.

Now share with us what inspires you by commenting below.

The future of the Web

Just imagine if you could manage your emails, social media accounts, find locations on a mapping service and have real time conversations with your family, friends and co-workers – all without opening multiple browser windows or multiple tabs. Fantasy right? Think again, that’s just the tip of the iceberg with Google Wave.

In its most basic form, Google Wave is a “real-time communication platform.” But it is oh so much more than that.  What it essentially does is combine the different elements that each social networking site offers and puts it into one huge platform.  What makes this site so much better is not only its convenience, but its pioneering features: real time communication, embeddability, applications and extensions, alteration-friendly, playback features, spelling and translating tools, and drag-and-drop file sharing among others.

The main feature of Google wave is the Wave, a real-time threaded conversation between two or more people. This conversation is real-time – meaning that users will be able to see the letters being typed. Users will be able to share photos, locations on Google maps and more through the wave. At anytime users will be able to bring new users into a wave and once invited to a wave, the new users will be able to playback the entire wave (conversation) from the beginning.

Another feature that Wave enthusiasts are excited about is Wave Embeds.  This function enables users to take content from Wave and enter it into a third party source.  Only two Embeds known have been established so far, YouTube Playlist Discuss and Multiple Extensions, but it’s plausible that many are to follow.

So what does this mean for you? You will be able to: have real time conversations between clients and coworkers, make an invite for your best friend’s surprise party using a survey feature and linking Google maps for directions, while playing your Aunt Mae in Arkansas in chess and post a quick tweet (on Google wave, this is called a twave). You will be able to do all of this from one location on your computer or phone. Including the fact that Google has opened the code, making it available to developers around the world, the possibilities are endless.

We are excited to ride the Wave.

For more info please read:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-drips-with-ambition-can-it-fulfill-googles-grand-web-vision/

http://mashable.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-guide/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ

The 2012 London Olympic logo controversy

It’s not really new anymore, it was actually launched in the summer of 2007. When it was released by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, headed by Sebastian Coe (head of the London bid in 2005 and former Olympic athlete), everyone was in uproar. And the uproar was not good. Not good at all. Almost immediately there was a petition underway to redesign the identity, government officials were wondering how such a shape could have cost £400,000 (at that time almost $800,000) and the Epilepsy Action Organization claimed that it had received calls from people who had suffered fits after seeing it.

So why does it look the way it does and what’s the meaning behind it? Here are some snippets from the press release that help explain it, some what…

The powerful, modern emblem symbolises the dynamic Olympic spirit and its inspirational ability to reach out to people all over the world. London 2012 will be Everyone’s Games, everyone’s 2012. This is the vision at the very heart of our brand. It will define the venues we build and the Games we hold and act as a reminder of our promise to use the Olympic spirit to inspire everyone and reach out to young people around the world. The new emblem is dynamic, modern and flexible reflecting a brand savvy world where people, especially young people, no longer relate to static logos but respond to a dynamic brand that works with new technology and across traditional and new media networks.

And here are some words from the designer Wolff Olins…

Echoing London’s qualities of a modern, diverse and vibrant city, the London 2012 emblem is unconventionally bold, deliberately spirited and unexpectedly dissonant. The emblem’s form is inclusive. It can talk to anyone. It has incredible flexibility, yet is consistent. Behind the emblem is a dynamic grid from which comes a distinct visual language. A palette of colours, lines and shapes that create energy, inspiration and interest across every application.

So what does Ashworth Creative make of all this?

Well, it’s complicated. The head of the Olympic committee said:

This is a truly innovative brand logo that graphically captures the essence of the London 2012 Olympic Games — namely to inspire young people around the world through sport and the Olympic values. Each edition of the Olympic Games brings its own flavour and touch to what is now well over a century of modern Olympic history; the brand launched today by London 2012 is, I believe, an early indication of the dynamism, modernity and inclusiveness with which London 2012 will leave its Olympic mark.

This is where we feel the identity succeeds. Whether or not you actually like the logo, it is extremely memorable and unique. It certainly creates an emotion, perhaps more so than any of the past Olympic logos (can you remember any of them?). What has been created here by the designer is a visual mark or language that can be incorporated across all media without being reduced to boring and trite repetition. This brand will evolve, adapt and grow. There is much to happen to it yet. The task that is in front of it is extremely daunting and complicated and we have not seen the full picture. Perhaps it does feel clunky, obnoxious, ugly and daft in its basic state but we live in an ever evolving, changing and growing world. Perhaps we have to hold our tongue, be a bit patient, trust the designer’s vision and see where it leads.

For those of you that just might be interested here are some links to further enlighten you…

http://www.wolffolins.com/london2012.php

http://www.davidairey.com/london-2012-olympic-logo-disaster/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6724245.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6719805.stm