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Comic Relief

November 30th, 2009

From the good ol’ T&T:

PointClickComic

WOOF!

Posted in General News

Last Weeks Twitter Updates for 2009-11-30

November 30th, 2009

  • Point Click has exciting news coming up so stay tuned! #
  • RT @stephenbrander: ! The Commodore 64 has been ported to the iPhone! :-) This is so many levels of awesome, I'm dizzy! http://tr.im/FN7c #
  • MS is talking Windows 8 already… why not.. they finally did something right with Win 7 so why not skip right on! #
  • Got Google Wave? We just did.. very interesting. #
Posted in Twitter Updates

An Offer You Can’t Refuse

November 25th, 2009

I before E - except on my PC

By Matt Cook
Point.Click Media

How would you feel if I offered you a brand new FREE 40-inch High Definition ready flat screen television, right now, no questions asked? Would you reply with: “No thanks, Law & Order looks much better on my black & white 19-inch Hitachi with limited reception and a missing volume knob.” ? Don’t lie now…

Well unfortunately it’s not free TV day at Point.Click Media, but there is a point to my rhetorical inquiry. Why would you want to keep a piece of technology that’s fit for the pit when there’s better, faster, stronger and best of all, FREE products out there ready to knock your socks off? I’m looking at those of you still plodding along on Internet Explorer 6.

So what’s wrong with IE 6?

The average Canadian lifespan is now 80.4 years, so I’ll try to keep this as brief as possible, but there aren’t enough letters in the alphabet to create a volume of encyclopedias detailing the problems of IE 6. It was first released in 2001, which may not seem like a long time ago but by technology standards is as old as time itself. Do you remember your work station in 2001? That old milk carton with a 90 lb monitor you used to surf Napster before it got shut down? That thing came with IE 6. Why would anyone still subject themselves to such torture? Apparently self mutilation is a popular activity, as IE 6 still operates 23% of the overall browser marketplace today. It’s shocking. Old habits die hard they say….

A plethora of security holes and bugs, outdated technologies and rendering issues ensure that users who still use IE 6 simply aren’t able to get the most out of the web that they could be getting… and most people don’t even know it. To see a great example of what a webpage can look like in IE 6 versus other web browsers see our article on the browser wars. It is simply not the same user experience. IE 6 doesn’t include many new technologies that are now virtually imperative with proper web development. Many larger web-based companies have even begun shutting down support for the old maiden of madness. YouTube is a good example.

So how do I upgrade?

I thought you’d never ask.

If you don’t want to stray too far from Mother Microsoft, don’t worry, there’s still hope for you. We’re up to version 8 now folks. There’s also a variety of other browsers on the market that suit all of your web based needs: Firefox, Chrome, Safari… take your pick. If you’d like to do a little recon mission before upgrading your browser, I highly recommend the Which Browser For Me? site.

Hold up, cowboy. I’m still upset about not getting my free TV

OK, fair enough. I thought you might say that, but to be fair, nobody will be going home empty handed today. That’s right…

FREE BROWSER UPGRADES FOR EVERYONE!!!

You won’t regret it. Guaranteed.

If you’re having trouble focusing on the light of day after emerging from the dark ages, don’t adjust your set. Those menu buttons are supposed to work. This text is supposed to be here. Spread the word. Point.Click Media welcomes you to a new world.

Posted in Product Reviews

Last Weeks Twitter Updates for 2009-11-23

November 23rd, 2009

Posted in Twitter Updates

Do-It-Yourself SEO

November 18th, 2009

The Wall is Made of Lava

photo credit: Orin Zebest

By Matt Cook
Point.Click Media

By now, if you’ve put any amount of time into developing your brand on the web, you’ve likely figured out quite quickly that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is key to solidifying your web presence. But operating a successful website is not quite the Field Of Dreams you thought it might be… you’ve built it, but they didn’t come.

SEO can be overwhelming at first glance, and depending on your expectations it can be a real challenge. In fact, this is why some businesses go out and hire SEO specialists to focus on this one task: keeping your name on that elusive first page of search results. However, there are some tricks you can do yourself to help your search engine ranking that will save you much needed time and effort in the long run, and since we all know that time is money, your wallet will thank you.

So, let’s get to it shall we?

1. Put Keywords in Your Content

When developing content for your website, be it a blog post or simply your About Us page, it’s a good idea to sit down before you begin and brainstorm a list of keywords that you’d like to be found with. When you begin writing the content, pepper those keywords throughout your writing. The more search engines see these keywords on your site, they’ll start to get a better idea of what your business is all about and can begin to rank your website properly.

2. Link Building

Do you belong to any industry associations? Local Chamber of Commerce or enterprise groups? Ask these groups and associations for a link swap, where they’ll list your company on their website in exchange for your self promotion as a member of their association on your website. Submit your link to the Yellowpages website. Anywhere your company contact information appears on the web should have your website address plastered at the bottom. It’s kind of like a popularity contest; the more inbound links from other websites, the more search engines have to rank you with.

3. Expand Your Social Network

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn… you’ve heard about it a million times. So why aren’t you on board? The thing about social networking is that it allows for as much shameless self promotion as you wish, so long as it’s tasteful (wink, wink). If you’re a little uncomfortable discussing your business with close friends and relatives, there are oodles of social networking sites out there just for business people and entrepreneurs (like the aforementioned LinkedIn).

4. The Little Things

Hank Scorpio, the James Bond-esque villain from The Simpsons once told his new employee Homer: “Well Homer, you can’t argue with the little things. It’s the little things that make up life.” Even our daily actions that we sometimes take for granted can have great meaning and potential.

*Cough*EMAIL*Cough*

*Sneeze*BLOGGING*Sneeze*

Gesundheit.

Putting your website address in your email signature, putting keywords in your blog titles, adding captions to your photo galleries… all the little things that you may think “What’s the point?” can have the most impact of all. The little things often add up to big results.

You don’t always need to hire an SEO guru or buy ad space and special website plugins to achieve the results you want. Of course it all depends what you want to get out of it, but more often than not a business that takes care of the basics will be recognized for it. It’s not like you need to throw a sacrificial offering into Mt. Pinatubo to gain brownie points with the Greek God of Google. Follow the rules, be persistent, and most of all, have patience. You won’t see instant improvement. It can take weeks, months, even years but if you keep on developing your Search Engine Optimization you will see results.

Looking to get started? Contact Point.Click Media.

Posted in Tips and Tricks

What do I really need in a hosting package?

November 12th, 2009

By Matt Cook
Point.Click Media

Knowing what you need is always best when it comes to your budget. This much is common sense. But how do you know what you need when putting together a website? The last thing you want is to have a boatload of extra fees and charges on top of what you’ve budgeted for your website. Hosting packages are a good example. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Tips and Tricks

Last Weeks Twitter Updates for 2009-11-09

November 9th, 2009

Posted in Twitter Updates

Twitter Me This

November 4th, 2009

Twitter book

photo credit: DavePress

By Matt Cook
Point.Click Media

As much as anyone might wish to avoid it, there’s no denying that Twitter is as much a face on the technological Mount Rushmore of today as are Facebook, YouTube, or Google. Why do I want to read about someone taking their morning vitamins or reading the paper? Well, for every person that goes into overkill mode, there’s always someone out there providing useful information that is beneficial to the rest of us. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Web Tools