Posted by:
David Dittman
December 29, 2007
Issue #320
Welcome back for the second part of our Infrastructure talk.
Alright, last issue we discussed a very popular problem facing most businesses these days: “How do I create an IT infrastructure without breaking the bank?”
We discussed a scenario that involved a company that doesn’t have a brick and mortar building, but instead works mainly with consultants and off-site employees.
In the end I showed how a person could have a fully functional shopping cart, plus an IT infrastructure that would rival any large company, complete with remote computer access and conference calling, for less than $3000 a year or about $250 a month.
Well, this will work for most business owners that are essentially a one-man-show. But what happens when you have employees and a building?
Today I’m going to discuss that exact scenario.
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Posted by:
David Dittman
December 15, 2007
Issue #308
Welcome to another Saturday Edition!
It’s time we sit down and discuss a few things.
It’s a long awaited talk that your parents probably never gave you but SHOULD have!
It’s about the birds, the bees and most importantly your IT department.
I probably shouldn’t even be telling you this. (I can almost hear Bill Gates and the consortium of IT dorks cringing at the content of this document.)
I’m hoping that after reading this Clayton doesn’t give me the Axe …
Well, enough is enough, PEOPLE your IT department is lying is to you.
It is not that hard! IT ain’t Rocket Surgery!
Before Clayton rescued me from the clutches of computer consulting, I was often asked to do a seemingly impossible thing.
Here is the standard conversation that is asked of all consultants when it comes time to discuss the building of your IT infrastructure:
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Posted by:
David Dittman
December 1, 2007
Issue #296
I want to share with you a special “Black Friday” story …
Two years ago, right before “Cyber Monday” was invented, I decided to brave the lines and go out at the crack of dawn on Friday.
I had a clear plan.
On Thanksgiving night, I was going to fill up on equal parts wine and turkey, thus ensuring that I was sound asleep by about 6:00pm. I figured this would give me the best chance for waking up early the following morning.
Next, I would wake up at 3:00am and drive an hour to the closest Circuit City that was essentially giving away a computer.
Circuit City was opening their doors at 4:00am and I was sure that only a handful of people would be stupid enough to wake up that early.
So with my plan in place, I started my drinking and eating around 3:00pm on Thanksgiving.
The plan was going off without a hitch, I was soundly asleep by 6:00pm and my alarm woke me up at 2:30am.
Now, I was in a great mood for 2:30 in the morning … Everything was transpiring just as planned, now all I needed to do was drive in and collect my prize that Circuit City was foolishly giving away.
Of course my dreams came crashing down as I approached Circuit City and the parking lot was packed to the gills with a line around the block.
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Posted by:
David Dittman
November 17, 2007
Issue #284
Hello and welcome back to Working IT Out! Today, I’m going to continue talking about usability, but with an SEO twist. Nothing frustrates me more than when I am forced to sacrifice a useful part of a website to accommodate for the new latest great, cure-all SEO trick.
I say no more!
Today, I’m going to show you how to have your SEO cake and eat it too. Here are ten SEO tips you can start using immediately that are both sound SEO practices and great ways to improve the usability of your site.
I will say one thing before I jump in, Google changes constantly. These are ten sound SEO practices. Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engine crawlers all act differently. These are meant to be timeless changes that can help keep your site both relevant and user friendly. These are not tips that are tailored specifically to Google.
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Posted by:
David Dittman
November 3, 2007
Issue #272
Hello again and welcome to another installment of Working IT Out! Today I want to talk about a very important, but often understated issue … usability.
When I say usability, I simply mean: Does my website provide the type of user experience I envision my customers having?
Is my website actually usable?
Today we are going to find out.
In this issue:
- How to use empathy on your website to bring customers back again and again …
- 3 ways to use testimonials on your site to build credibility and increase sales …
- A fun involvement device that brings visitors to your website in droves – and keeps them coming back for more …
- And much More!
Let’s face it, the goal is sales.
The only way to buy the new car/boat/shiny metal watch is with money.
So that translates into: I got to get paid.
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