Top 10 Consumer Web Products – Agree or disagree
ReadWriteWeb released their top10. Don’t know who ReadWriteWeb is? www.readwriteweb.com. Check ‘em out.
1. Google Chrome
You thought it was just a browser? Now we have a Chrome Web Store, Chrome Books (like netbooks without guts) and a lot of future stuff coming. I say a worthy number 1. And I bet you were thinking iSomething.
2. Dropbox
Cloud apps are emerging but the average user still thinks cloud is a way to get your music to your devices. Dropbox lets you share folders between two or more people. What you put in your folder, the other gets and viceversa.
3. iCould
So there’s your iSomething. Even though Apple didn’t invent cloud apps, they definitely have cloud clout. All your stuff floating around up there…do you really want that. It seems so.
4. Kindle
Just when we were getting used to reading in two colors, Kindle fire emerges. And Kindle as you’ll learn is not just a book reader. It’s an adventure in marketing.
5. Evernote
What you’re brain doesn’t remember, Evernote will. Evernote works everywhere delivering the information when you need it.
6. Spotify
I don’t get this being on the list frankly. We have Napster and iTunes and there’s nothing really compelling about Spotify. It’s being touted for it’s social aspects. I just want to listen to tunes.
7. Instapaper
Saving the web for later. Since I’m never that remote from the web, I’m not so wowed by this entry.
8. Flipboard
One of many feed readers out there. Not my favorite (I’m a huge Pulse fan). But the general category warrants a top ten given that these types of apps do very well on tablets.
9. Google Maps
Are you yawning yet? I love MAPS. I optimize MAPS for my clients. MAPS has replaced that 8.5x11x2″ brick you used to thumb through to find a plumber. But as a “consumer” web product. OK…I guess.
10. Siri
Yeah, we’re getting into that Star Trek mode where we can talk to our computers. There’s a bit of a learning curve and i’m not so sure Siri is ready for prime time. It’s not bleeding edge either but Apple never was that. For the most part, they just did it better.
ReadWriteWeb concludes that the prevailing theme is “content”. Given this list, I can agree with that however it almost seems like the conclusion was rendered before the list was developed.
If I had to create a top 10 consumer web products list as the title suggests I think more in terms of webified hardware: iPads, Kindle, Android Tablets (Samsung if I had to pick one), iPhone (still on my list), Cloud enabled printers (HP), Movies Everywhere (as in Netflix and Netflix enabled devices) etc.
Everybody has a top 10. Perhaps this is the real theme. Hardware is becoming personalized.
Small Business Blogging
I know, you hear it all the time…YOU NEED TO BLOG! Well you do! I will tell you from experience and observation that some of my blogs show up in the search engine searches IN A MATTER OF MINUTES! Google is getting that good. It’s almost as if I’m typing on their computer!
The problem that most businesses have is: Really? Blog about what? There are two things that you perhaps should be doing and aren’t. First, you should be reading blogs relative to your industry. 2nd, of course, you should be blogging. Reading other blogs will give YOU ideas. You blogging might give YOUR CUSTOMERS ideas.
My client base falls squarely in the Yellow Pages Categories. So for example, let’s assume your an electrician. Let’s face it, not a lot of your clients are looking for electrician blogs. BUT GOOGLE IS! Your blog will be found when the client needs you if you know how to blog. I help my clients first derive a set of keywords they’d like to promote and then blog from there. Someone needing an electrician that sees a blog about electrical safety on your site might immediately develop a more positive attitude about calling you than someone who sees a typical site. Blog for the moment when that customer arrives on your site and he may return if for no other reason but to see the rest of what you have to say.
If your keyword list doesn’t spark a blogging idea…REBLOG! Your clients are not reading your industry blogs. That doesn’t mean the information isn’t relevant to them. News sites do this all the time. See Drudge.com or theBlaze.com for stories they find that they think might be interesting to their audience. When you use third party blogs, give the original blog credit, link to it and then add your own comments. It really isn’t that hard and the dividends are filled with customers.
Domain Name Security – Your Domain Name Could Be Vulnerable and Worth a LOT to a Hacker
One of my clients, who was managing his own domain, discovered that his domain was up for auction for $2000. We help resolve the issue (on Godaddy.com) Here are some guidelines you should consider.
1. Use a dedicated email address that is NOT your everyday business email. You can usually forward it to your normal email account so you don’t have to access separately.
2. Login to GoDaddy by browsing to the site…never click a link to it from your email. Even if it looks legit.
3. Pay Attention and Update the admin contacts to the domains in your account. If these change without your knowledge, you could be headed for disaster.
4. Having multiple domain accounts under your user name and password highlights the need for strong passwords and account security.
1. Don’t use a password that is easy to guess.
2. Change your passwords occasionally.
3. Use a password generator to make it harder to guess.
4. Use a password encryption system like Roboform to encrypt your passwords. It will also help you remember the passwords you’re using.
5. Don’t “remember” passwords in your browser. It’s convenient but usually not encrypted. They can be encrypted in the later browsers but most people don’t use the encryption (or even know how).
6. Roboform and other similar programs enter the password into the site for you. This allows you to avoid typing it in. One of the most common viruses is a keylogger program that tracks each key press. Roboform is a way to avoid passing along your passwords if you happen to have a keylogger virus (which in this case will only see a mouse click). Note that credit card numbers and bank accounts are susceptible to keyloggers too even if you’re on a secure site. (I like paying with paypal because I never have to enter a credit card number. It’s actually safer when used with something like Roboform).
5. A lot of the information needed for domain access is given in the whois information available to anyone. That’s where the hackers start. Consider setting the privacy settings of each domain. Cost more but may be worth it in the long run. This hides the whois information from general access.
What’s New Rundown
Just some things you might be interested in:
- Google Chrome is already at 20% market share. If you’re using Firefox or IE, you might want to give it a try. In my experience, it is faster.
- Super Cookies. Consumer tracking that hides from your browser history erase function. Even Microsoft has taken advantage of this loophole (which they have promised to stop doing).
- Cloud computing on the rise. Cloud just means the application runs off the web. Google has created an entire product using this technology that will be out soon running Google apps. Clound computing is also for those who want online storage (for example – their music collection) or backup like Carbonite. Apple and Amazon are among the major retailers promoting this technology. As others jump in, the price will go down and the number of gigs you’ll have online should increase. This is increasingly important with Tablet and Phone computing where local storage is still at a minimum. Best cloud based office suites: Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365, Zoho Docs.
- Did you know that your Android phone (if you have one) is a UNIX operating system. Just so you know…UNIX is far from dead. Long live UNIX.
- Phishing Scheme: Domains. I just had a client report that his website domain was up for auction! If you manage your own domains you should treat this with the same caution as you do bank accounts online. If you get an email saying to verify your account information, LOG IN DIRECTLY – never follow email links…even if you think its legit.
- Email is NOT secure. If you send email with secure information like passwords and even credit card numbers, you are exposing yourself to identity theft. Your email will sit on a server for a potentially long time depending on how the recipient client email is set up (for example I can tell Outlook to keep emails on the server for 2 weeks). While the email is sitting there, it can be read by any hacker with minimal server access. So be careful.
- Is your business not coming up in Google Local? This service can be optimized by a knowledgable SEO professional who understands how local SEO works.
- Facebook is slowing down. Just thought you might want to know. It’s not tanking by any stretch.
- Best Free APPs – Ones that I actually use. (Google them for more info)
- CCleaner (basic PC maintenance and uninstaller)
- PrimoPDF (PDF creator)
- Filezilla – only if your a webhead : )
- SyncBack – Good local backup program
- Defraggler – Speed up your computer by defragging – very efficient.
- Fences – Let’s you group icons on your desktop and hide them to expose the
wallpaper. Love this program.
- Objectdock. Makes you PC act like a MAC to launch programs. - DotNetNuke 6.0 – We’ve used DotNetNuke for 4 years now and boy has it come a long way! It’s basically a framework that separates custom programming, design and apps so a non-programmer can build a really decent business website. Highly recommended. You probably will still need a developer but the costs are significantly cheaper than building a website from the ground up.
Adding Third Party Forms to DNN
It typically takes an act of god to get DNN to display a third party form. You can’t just drop the html in the text/html module. There are other modules designed to do this (script injectors) but they don’t always work. I am a non-programmer and don’t particularly relish paying a programmer to do something so simple. I just got a quote on Freelancer to do it for $600! I didn’t charge that for the whole site!
Necessity is the mother of invention. The problem in DNN is technically DNN is itself a form. So you can’t put a form in a form. What you can do is add an iFrame! So here’s what I did. I generated the form from my third party system (constant contact and most email marketing programs will generate the form code you need). Paste the form code into a text file and call it whatever you want to call it with a .html extension. FTP that file to your root directory. Then add an iframe to the page where you need to see the form:
Here’s a simple iframe for a form I created:
<p><iframe width=”100%” height=”800″ src=”http://www.yourwebsite.com/formname.html” frameborder=”0″>
</iframe></p>
This procedure allowed me to put the third party form on any page in a DNN site and it works perfectly!
The world still revolves around Google
With respect to getting your business found on the web, Google is still the place you need to focus on. While I would not refer to the social media buzz as hype, when it comes to making sure your business is visible on the web, Google is it.
Now having said that, there are some changes in Google that should help your business visibility if you take heed. MAPS listings are now dominating the search results for local searches. Specifically, if your business falls in the category of major yellow page listings, then it’s highly likely that the local listings appear first in a search for your products and services.
It still amazes me how many businesses have not claimed their own listings in Google Places. Its simple, it’s free and it’s extremely important. What does Google Places do for your business? Well, Google yourself and see who among your competitors shows up…and where. If your product or services fall in the range of typical yellow page categories, the listing you’ll see first in the search are map markered local listings. If you check this on your cell phone, you’ll notice these first listings are far easier to find a phone number and therefore promote a phone call.
So basically you have no excuse to update your Google place page. Since longevity is one of the parameters of quality for Google, the sooner you do it the better.
For more about local search optimization in Dayton Ohio, check out http://www.localwebsearchresults.com.
Web Color – For the design challenged
Good sites make use of color combinations that appeal to the visitor almost imperceptibly. I’ll be the first to admit that my color coordination and choice leave a lot to be desired. I know when something looks good. I can’t necessarily create that look. That’s when some good online color tools come into play.
Colour Scheme Designer – http://colorschemedesigner.com/
ColourSchemer – http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html
Kuler – http://kuler.adobe.com
Aviary – www.aviary.com/tools/colour-swatches
Rather that rate and review each of these sites, I think it’s worth your time just to go “play”. If you are embarking on a website and are confused by color schemes, these sites will help you ferret out color combinations that will make your site look great. Hint… seed the color tools with your basic logo colors to start. That way you know your logo will look great in the site you set up. Some of the tools also allow you to upload a picture and you can generate a swatch based on the colors in the picture. This is cool so long as you stick to the same colors in most of your pictures. Choosing colors for your website is not unlike choosing colors for picture frames and matting.
So have fun. We use these tools in our small business web design services for Dayton Ohio region.
Gaga for Cloud?
You got to give it to Apple. Cloud computing is nothing new. It’s simply doing stuff over the web. It’s basically using your local computer or pad device as a terminal to access your stuff online. But relative to Apple’s Cloud music streaming service, I gotta tell ya! I’ve dumped my iPod. I don’t put any MP3′s on any device. I don’t buy music per se but I have access to just about anything published (legally I might add).
I can take your request and have it playing on my phone, on my computer, on my Logitech Squeezebox in a matter of seconds. Single songs, entire albums, obscure stuff that I’d never think to buy even though I like it and anything in between. It’s like I’ve got the biggest music collection ever. So pardon me if I yawn at the prospect of iCloud or even Amazon’s Cloud service. You still have to own that music. In my case, I kind of rent it I guess is the way to put it. The only time it’s an issue is when I don’t have access to the web…which is almost never. Then again, Cloud won’t work either.
As we move into the digital age we have to give up our hoarding tendencies. You don’t need to download every song ever created by Madonna! You don’t! I have a Napster To-Go streaming account. I’ve had it more than two years. The selection on Napster is HUGE! I’ve justified the cost because I don’t buy music anymore. For the price you’d pay for a CD, you get a months worth of unlimited access to Napster. How can you beat that? Sorry Apple, sorry Amazon. Napster has you beat and has been doing it for years.
Mobile Security Doesn’t Exist
Google “Google” and you’ll notice one of the top headlines “Google Pulls Malware-Infected Apps from Android Market”. The long and short of it is hackers were cloning existing apps for the Android Phone and adding their own malware to the application. These apps were available to the market via the Android Market app.
It makes me rethink what I am using my phone for. I check my banking account on my phone…no more! I’ve already changed the passwords. I’ve since deleted my PayPal app for the same reason. I use an email address not published to my phone when I want the account to be more secure. I delete emails off the server after I’ve read them (but save them on a local backup).
I also just switched from iPhone to Android and if this security issue is any indication, I think I may have made a mistake. Too late to go back now, I’ve got two years to play cat and mouse with a bunch of hackers who want my personal information until my contract runs out. My thinking is that iPhone being a more closed application, it should also be more secure. So I Googled “iPhone security” and the following headline pops up: “iPhone Security Breach Gives Hackers Access To Your Private Data“. So I guess iPhone is no better in this department.
As long as you’re walking around in public with a phone that has access to WiFi in a public venue, you are vulnerable. So I don’t use my WiFi as much in public. I added antivirus software to my phone but the hackers simply created apps that were completely ignored by that software. Once you download and use the app, you are open to hacker attack. Honestly I don’t see how to stop this. I don’t think I’m overstating this issue. The two most common things to do with your phone include connecting to WiFi and downloading apps. Since both of these are vulnerable, user beware!
Oh, and this might be of interest. If you happen to have one of those rogue apps on your phone, Google will delete it for you! Thanks Google! But that opens up a whole new can of worms. You mean Google can just delete apps off your device without asking? Yup…they can and did. Scary! Intrusive! Big Brother-ish…
For those who are wondering, here’s a list of Apps that Google recently deleted from the Android market…and from your phone. http://blog.mylookout.com/2011/05/security-alert-droiddreamlight-new-malware-from-the-developers-of-droiddream/
Windows…really?
A behemoth like Microsoft is a good example of why monopolies can’t exist in a free market. I’ll save that argument for later but for now I would like to posit the idea that you probably won’t be using windows less than five years from now. Operating systems have tried to move in on this market before, so what’s different? Well, most of the early challengers were going after Windows on their turf – the ubiquitous PC. So to say that you won’t be using windows comes down to this…what is going to replace the PC?
First let me point out how poorly Microsoft has done in the cell phone market. Android is set to trounce iPhone just because of its sheer open-ness. When Google moved into the cell phone market there were some that were scratching their heads. When Google suggested that the browser was going to become the operating system, Microsoft got a little worried. Microsoft of course was busy integrating their browser with their operating system with the idea that you couldn’t separate the two. This may have been a big mistake because as browsers go, Microsoft IE is now nothing but a me too product. Watch Firefox and Chrome continue to take market share and if I were a betting man, watch the combination of Chrome and Android become the new operating system for Google phones and the emerging pad market.
PAD computers and phones are establishing the standards for the new operating system. And ultimately, you shouldn’t have to care what is driving your computer so long as it works. And the iPhone works beautifully! And so does the new Android phones. Blackberry too. Windows ? Well I suspect it works to but it’s a little late to the party. Microsoft has never done so well at driving the market standards. They lost the MP3 player wars. They bought their way into the game console market and maybe the XBox is their one shining star. But that doesn’t win them many points. Phones win first. Pads second. New PC’s will start to pop up too because we want the bigger monitors and the speed. Imagine your home desktop PC running a grown-up version of Android! It’s coming!
Applications has long been a primary reason why many companies can’t make the switch. But new, easier to use applications that are compatible with your existing Microsoft Office files are coming on the scene costing 10% of a Microsoft Office upgrade. We use less than 10% of the features in Microsoft Office to begin with. Do we really need all that bloat! No. So the applications are no longer anchoring you to your antiquated operating system. If it’s not the applications, if it’s not the cost, if it’s not the hardware…what is it? Well, truth be told, we are running our businesses. I’ll switch when what I have breaks…literally. You’re already probably looking at Apple but again, we’re not talking desktop operating systems. The next time you buy a Pad computer or phone, that is your new operating system. Say goodbye to Microsoft.