Websites 101

Killer add ons for your website

2008-12-17T23:55:00.000-08:00

One of the beauties about having a Joomla! site is that you have over 4000 features available to you! Take a look at a few examples from sites I've already created:

Photo Slide Show: http://www.ccippro.com
Right on the home page is a easy to update slide show presentation for all the realtor's current listings.

Event Calendar: http://www.bodyandsouldance.com/index.php?option=com_events&Itemid=5
This is only one of many varieties of calendars and event modules available by having a Joomla! site.

Visitor Poll: http://www.saltacademy.com/dance
Would you like to know what your visitors' interests are? Are you trying to see if you should promote one product or service over another? The Poll feature will show a simple chart of how many votes a particular option as received.

Online mp3 Player: http://www.riverhillschurch.net/sermons-online
Easily post your music or other audio content (in this case sermons) on your site and even allow your visitor to download the files if you want.

Flash intro pages and banners: http://www.kgraphicdesign.com/multimedia
Need a "flashy" intro page for your site or even just a banner ad? Almost any time you can add video or animation content to your site, your credibility increases. Flash content created through a collaborative effort with Christy Moormann: http://www.christymoormann.com.

Like I mentioned before there are over 4000 different features you can choose from. Here are a few others:

FORUMS
CHAT ROOMS
SOCIAL NETWORKING
COUNTDOWN TIMERS
E-NEWSLETTERS
VIDEO PLAYERS
E-COMMERCE
BILLING SYSTEMS
BANNER ADS
EVENT REGISTRATION
CONTENT RATING
RSS FEEDS/SYNDICATION

Be proactive and creative with your site. Contact me for more info!

Time is not the enemy

2008-12-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

Time is not the enemy
A candid look at getting the most out of your day

by Kirk Moormann, President of K-Design
http://www.kgraphicdesign.com

Twelve billion, two hundred and sixty million (12,260,000,000) – that’s how many instances of the word “time” show up on a Google search (as of the writing of this article). There must be something important about this little word to make it so widely used and in so many ways. One thing is for sure though: we only have so much of it and once it’s gone, it’s never to be seen again. Since time is so precious and fleeting, I’ve made up my mind that I’m going to make every minute count…here are three tips on how you can too:

Tip #1: STOP using meaningless excuses
Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I didn’t have time to…”? It’s a wonderful excuse because everyone uses it! This excuse is based on the assumption that people will automatically understand and sympathize with you in the fact that really, no one can control time and since everyone is always so “busy” sometimes things just don’t get done.

You: “Gee, Mr. Customer, I’m sorry you didn’t get that order this morning. I just didn’t have time to get it out before the end of the day yesterday.”

What you really mean is you didn’t make time because it wasn’t enough of a priority, or didn’t plan, or weren’t ready, or just plain forgot. If you messed up, just admit it, apologize, and move on! If you truly did run out of time, that’s ok. All you need to do is communicate to whomever you need to about the situation, but for goodness sake, don’t use excuses.

Tip #2: Be REALISTIC about what you can handle and learn to say ‘No’
Are you one of those people who just can’t say ‘no’? I know lot’s of people like that and one thing I’ve noticed in common is that they are constantly frustrated about not having enough time. Hmmm, no wonder. I understand the desire to please everyone and to try to make people happy. I also understand that there is a risk of missing out on an opportunity if you say ‘no’. But there’s a bigger risk that if you take on more projects or favors than you can handle, either they don’t get done in time, or they get done with less quality than you’re capable of. Ultimately, you wind up playing the firefighter running from fire to fire and then you experience burnout (no pun intended…well, maybe a little). Even firefighters only put out one fire at a time.

Tip #3: Get ORGANIZED
“But I’m not very organized!” ,you say. Oops, did you forget Tip #1 already? That’s another one of those great excuses that often means “I don’t want to get organized”, “I don’t know how to get organized”, “I’m avoiding getting organized because it’s too painful to try it because I’ve failed so many times”, or here’s a good one: “I don’t have time to get organized”.

Different people have different pictures in mind when thinking about what being or getting organized means. The key is this: There is no single “right” way to be organized. My wife and I are both exact opposites when it comes to how we structure our daily tasks into some sort of a system to help us get things done. I use a PDA, Outlook, my phone calendar, and anything else that I think might remind me of a job I have to do. My wife, however, pretty much has it all in her head and on sticky notes and miscellaneous pieces of paper. To me, it doesn’t LOOK organized, but it works for her. Quit beating yourself over the head about the fact that you can’t use a certain method or system that seems to work for others. Use the system that WORKS FOR YOU!

“There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.” –Brian Tracy

You CAN have a website too!

2008-12-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

You CAN Have a Website too!
Four Myths and Facts about having your own website...

by Kirk Moormann, President of K-Design
http://www.kgraphicdesign.com

Have you been thinking about having a web site for your small business or personal use, but just thought it was too complicated and expensive? Well, I’m here to dispel some possible misconceptions you might have (or maybe people you know might have) about what it takes to have your own site.

• Myth #1 – “I need to know all the programming lingo first.”
• Fact: Programming language IS necessary to create any website, but you DON’T have to know it. Over the last few years the advancement of the Content Management System (CMS) model has made increasingly easy to create your own website using a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) interface. You type the content and add any graphics, audio, video, or flash that you wish. Then just tell the program where you want the different components to display, and it takes care of the rest. Some popular CMS programs are: Joomla!, Xoops, Mambo, and Drupal.

• Myth #2 – “I need to purchase costly web creation software.”
• Fact: CMS is Open Source for the most part. That means it’s FREE! Not only that, but you don’t even need to download or install memory-sucking programs since it’s all web-based. You can work on your site anywhere that you have an internet connection.

• Myth #3 – “I can’t afford the monthly hosting fee.”
• Fact: There are many hosting companies out there that offer package deals for $25, $50, $200 per month and more. However, unless you are selling thousands of products online or have over 1 gigabyte of information on the server, you should be able to get hosting for under $10/mo and even then, you will probably have more features than you’ll need.

• Myth #4 – “There is too much competition, so why bother?”
• Fact: One thing to remember with the internet, is that it is WORLD-WIDE so your exposure is huge. While you may not actually sell your pet rock, t-shirt, or enterprise software to someone in Madagascar, you never know who’s looking at you. In addition, online business come and go every day so don’t think that just because some else is doing it that they are forever going to hold the corner on your market. If you already have an established business, your customers and clients aren’t going to leave you just because you decide to get a website. The worst you can do is provide another means of getting information to your customer that they can access 24/7.

For more information about how K-Design can help your business please visit our site!