Web Class Blog

If you own a website, it pays to stay on top of the rules for online trade. The FTC website has a number of regulations that you are required to comply with.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/ruleroad.shtm

Most of them are common sense, dealing with honest disclosure, which a business owner with high integrity will do anyway. There are a few that are specific to certain businesses though, that you might not think of.

Most of these regulations have been created to avoid misunderstanding in communication  – they require you to list things in ways that people cannot mistake for something more than what it is.

Once again, integrity is the greatest protection.

Hands on learning is the key to learning some of the complex concepts of web development. But practice is the key to making them both efficient, and professional.

This is true of writing, coding, marketing, designing, page layout, and the other skills involved in creating a successful website.

I’ve noticed this mostly in writing. With practice, you can become so familiar with the writing process that you can sit down to the blank page, and channel your thoughts directly from your brain, through your fingers and onto the screen. Practice improves typing skills also, so both your writing skills, and the ability to record the thoughts, improve at the same time.

With practice, you begin to conceptualize very complex sites in your mind, in ways that help you build it more efficiently to start. Long term, you can pull many parts into a quick assessment and conceive of an entire project in a way that makes the process far faster.

These are things that I cannot share though – I mean, I can TELL you this, but some of it you don’t get until you DO it – until you see the results of your own practice.

Practice can help with any aspect of building a site – just doing it, more than once, helps you remember and grow in skill.

We remember what we do. We understand what we do repeatedly.

If you are going to blog for business, there is a distinct difference between business blogging, and personal blogging. The principal difference is, business blogging has to have a financial benefit.

That means your concept, your methods, and your layout have to have a purpose in bringing an increase in sales or traffic. It can do that directly, or indirectly.

Some people put products on their blog, and link back to them. Some people put ads on the blog – either paid ads, or ads for their own products. Some people just link back to their business website, and write about business topics. Any method will do, but you just need to make sure that it does benefit your business in one of those ways, so that you can justify the time. Because it WILL take time!

You can’t just build it and throw it out there and expect it to benefit you. You have to think about what you want it to accomplish, who you want to attract, and what you’d like them to do after they finish reading. Then make it easy for them to do that.

Otherwise, you have another drain that doesn’t bring results.

Ok, so we know it is out there, where do we find it?

If you know what the software type is called, it is pretty easy to Google it and come up with something. Of course, you have to be careful what you download, because it can be infected with a virus or spyware. But you can usually find useful software through reputable directories, such as Downloads.com.

About half the software we use in our business is free software. That includes stuff we use on our desktop, and stuff we install for clients, to run a website from. There are a few types of software that we have not found good free alternatives for, but for most daily tasks, we are running free.

Part of me likes free software just because it is one way to break out of the MicroSoft box. Part of me likes it because it is a bit of an equalizer – it allows the little guy to get a foot in the door, then to donate to the cause when he grows a bit. That seems to capture the spirit of the American dream to me, even though many programmers who create free software aren’t American.

We always make sure that our students go home armed with a CD that has the course handouts on it, and a nice assortment of free software goodies. And they are usually pleasantly surprised as well, at the types of things that you can do with free software.

I’ve been noticing some things since I started teaching last fall. Teaching has been one of the best things for my business.

I’ve learned to feel completely comfortable in front of strangers, and to introduce myself more easily. I’ve also learned how to teach without being glued to my notes (not sure my students think that is progress, but it provides a sense of freedom!).

Teaching also gives me a huge credibility boost. Makes me somewhat of an expert at what I do, and validates me to new clients and new students alike.

It is opening doors to other speaking opportunities also, which is really cool, because that is something I actually enjoy doing.

I remember when I got my first web contract, way back in 1999. I was terrified, almost shaking, having a hard time slowing down to actually speak. I had to present in front of the town council – now, understand, this is Medicine Bow we are talking about! 5 council members and a handful of town’s people who had gathered to watch the show (and the show they came to watch most certainly was not me!). I was terrifed, had tons of notes, and a printout of the old site and the proposed site design.

I’ve presented before councils many times since, but never been quite comfortable until the last few times. The experience of commanding a classroom has done that for me – given me speaking experience that has made me feel comfortable in front of nearly any audience.

I’ve presented to many organizations in the last year, and have done more and more training or informational presentations. Each one gets easier, and I look forward to more of them. Being required to explain technical and aesthetic concepts on the spur of the moment to a class of inquisitive students has helped me see that when you work with an audience of any kind, they are just people. If you can find a way to strike a chord with them, it becomes easy to enjoy the experience.

Our primary clientele consists of small business owners without many employees. The business owner is usually personally responsible for marketing their business. I’m always delighted when I find a business owner who can write well, because I know the asset it is, and it simplifies the task of helping them learn how to adapt their skills to marketing and instructional writing.

Writing is an asset to a business in three primary areas:

1. Marketing. If you can write, you can produce good ad copy, web page copy, article marketing, text ads for online marketing, email newsletters, published brochures and much more.
2. Communication. A good writer can communicate better with customers, employees, and contractors. This helps business run more smoothly.
3. Documentation. Strong writing skills help a business owner create a good plan to clarify their vision, to document policy and procedure for their business, and to create training guidelines. All of these things help to move a business forward and enhance the sustainability of the business through growth phases.

Many business owners are better writers than they think they are. Their writing needs only a little polish – and with time, they can learn that.

Practice also makes a huge difference. As we DO, we learn to do better. I can sit down and whip out an article for a blog or article marketing, which is 90% accurate, in about 15 minutes. When I began writing regularly, that took an hour and a half, sometimes longer, and my accuracy level on the first draft was much lower. If you write once a day, to an audience, for ANY purpose, your writing skills will improve. If you have a professional review your writing periodically, and give suggestions on improvements, you’ll gain skills faster.

Have the confidence to try. If you can produce a single page of writing, on a specific topic, without getting lost by the second sentence, then chances are, you can learn to write well for your business. It doesn’t have to be perfect, you just have to be able to DO it.

Good writing skills will enhance your business, and you’ll never regret having developed them.