One Versus the Rest

Technology companies gave the name (gTLD) market when they named .org as one of their gTLD's domains in October 1984. Schools, open-source projects, and communities has increased from fewer than one million in the 1990s, to ten million as of June, 2012, with solid indication that .org is here to stay. But of course following the vote to expand the gTLDs if you have $180,000 you could probably get new top-level domain and call it whatever you like otherwise I am firm believer that .org is here to stay second to the leader .com.

If you are looking to grow your business through networking, buying a .NET domain could be the next step.

The name is derived from network and is most commonly used by networking technologies such as Internet service providers, Web-hosting companies or other businesses that are directly involved in the infrastructure of the Internet. Additionally, less businesses choose domain names with a .net extension for their intranet Websites. Originally intended for use by domains pointing to an arranged network of computers, or "Cinderella" sites that act as the portal to a set of smaller websites. There are absolutely no ball and chain on .NET domains. This means that anyone in the world can register a .NET domain and can include any type of content on the website associated with that domain.

Branding Your Business Online

Are you considering or in the process of starting a new business? Do you propose to use internet to market and advertise your company? If so their are a few things that you need to consider and steps you must take to make certain you give your business the best opportunity to get professionally branded. Hopefully you have not yet settled on a business name and if you have I hope you have taken unto consideration what I'm about to tell you. If you are counting on getting a significant amount of your business and or publicity from the internet then you might strongly consider picking a business name that contains a keyword or two that people will use on the search engine to find a business like yours.

For example, you might consider a name like "Kim's Customized Graphic Design" if you are a graphical designer instead of a name like "The Designs Unique". And if your fortunate you might then be able to get a website name, url; using your business name. This approach will strengthen your online brand and presence as well as assist with helping your potential customers finding your business.

The next thing you want to do is design or have someone design your business logo. It is important that your logo looks professional if you want your business to be taken seriously. If you are small business with a limited budget and cannot afford to purchase graphic design software like Photoshop and you cannot afford to pay to have your logo professionally designed initially, you may try your hand at designing your own logo using Microsoft paint, PowerPoint and or some the free applications available on the internet.

Next were going to subscribe to some social media platforms to let the world know your business is online available and ready to satisfy them. Sign up for Twitter and YouTube using your business name as your account name. You may have to shorten or abbreviate your business name due to space limitations allowed for accounts names. Sign up for a personal account on Facebook and then create a fan page using your business name. Facebook Terms and Use prohibits using a non-personal name for a personal individual Facebook account. Enter the required information to complete the profile section and use the write up you did to complete the description section. If you are the founder or principle person for your company try and include a picture of you and a profile picture your logo on your social media sites. One way you can do this is by creating a customized background for your sites with a picture of your logo and then upload a profile picture of yourself. Remember its social media so people want to see and interact with other people and not logos and facades.

Congratulations, your business is now equipped with branded tools that you will use to advertise and promote your product and service. Provide relevant information and content and to interact with those who are interested in your industry.

Let me help you brand your business today.

Typography Design: Typefaces

Yeah no surprise right? Well recently I've noticed that a lot of people want to be the en-lightener  So rather than answering your questions, they tell you, " I want it like this", "I want it like that". So I decided to dedicate this post to enlighten you on the basic font typefaces.

Fonts come in many different varieties. From Fancy to Foreign and to the most popular Script. With the most basic font typefaces being Sans Serif Fonts and Serif Fonts. Your probably wondering what is Serif and its infamous predecessor Sans Serif when you should be asking yourself what are Sans Serif's and Serif fonts.

(In typography, serifs are the small details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up the letters and symbols. A typeface without serifs is called sans serif or sans-serif, from the French sans, meaning “without”. Some typography sources refer to sans-serif typefaces as "Grotesque" (in German "grotesk") or "Gothic", and serif typefaces as "roman".) (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans-serif)

Still skeptical? This really goes along the lines of give a man a fish. Feed him for a day, or teach him to fish and feed him for life. The problem with this is that the visual approach to typography design always determines final appearance whether you choose a sans serif or serif font.

Colin Wheildon published a book called Type and Layout: How Typography and Design Can Get your Message Across - Or Get in the Way. Berkeley*. Quoting page 57; "Serif fonts are widely used in traditional printed material such as books and newspapers. Many magazines employ sans serif typefaces, as some editors state that they are "cleaner", regardless of any impact on readability from the lack of serifs".

Numerous studies have been done on the readability of serif vs. sans serif typefaces. One in particular Study on Wikipedia indicates that serif typefaces may be more readable in print. Studies of on-screen use are more ambiguous, suggesting that low screen resolutions make serifs more difficult to discern, with a resulting erosion of readability compared to sans serif fonts.

* Wheildon, Colin (1995). Type and Layout: How Typography and Design Can Get your Message Across - Or Get in the Way. Berkeley: Strathmoor Press. p. 57. ISBN 0962489158.

Wouldn't it have been something if you could have just set it all up inside a good old shed with a corrugated metal roof and order those parts like you want them and not have to smuggle all that copper and all that sugar and all that everything out here in the field and be a coppersmith and a plumber and a copper and carpenter and a pack horse and every other goddammed thing God ever saw in the world, all at once. And live decent hours.

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Just Another WordPress Blog...

Originally I thought I would have to write a blog post to pound into your heads what WordPress is all about again. Nonetheless I already have written a blog dedicated to just that for many other reasons. Besides what is the fun in that? WordPress is not as complicated as it sounds. As a matter of fact WordPress is easy to manage and operate once installed. Its as easy as icing a cake.

Much like other Content Management Systems (CMS's) the core software package is also built by hundreds of community developers around the world. and when you’re ready for more there are thousands of plugins and themes available to transform your site into almost anything you can imagine. According to WordPress over 60 million people have chosen WordPress to power the place on the web they call “home” — we’d love you to join the family.

Ready to get started? Download the latest version of WordPress and search for a template below with the keyword "WORDPRESS". We look forward to hearing from you in the near future and hopefully to schedule an interview in which we hope to learn more about your company. It's goals and plans and how we may be able to contribute to its continued success and growth.

Professional Service Templates

Professional Service Templates, a set on my Flickr.

Professional services must establish credible experience, provide an offering relevant to the potential client's needs and motivate these potential clients to action. When you are developing a Web site for a professional practice, it is important to communicate your message and keep the interests, questions and concerns of the potential client in mind. A webpage can be your face to the world, defining your values and motivating potential clients to seek consultation.


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