I built this for a presentation last week, but I’ve had lots of requests to see it again. This is a demonstration of how a web site is built using WordPress.

On June 8th, Google announced on their company blog that they were using an new searching algorithm (method) for keeping track of all in information on the web. They named this new system Caffeine.

Caffeine lets us index web pages on an enormous scale. In fact, every second Caffeine processes hundreds of thousands of pages in parallel. If this were a pile of paper it would grow three miles taller every second. Caffeine takes up nearly 100 million gigabytes of storage in one database and adds new information at a rate of hundreds of thousands of gigabytes per day. You would need 625,000 of the largest iPods to store that much information; if these were stacked end-to-end they would go for more than 40 miles.

Google claims that Caffeine provides 50% more up-to-date information than their old system and has more stored information about the Internet than ever before.

Why is this big news: Analysts listen to and watch Google (G) because G’s search engines often provide more traffic to a website than when people just type the address into a web browser.

Google’s… old index had several layers, some of which were refreshed at a faster rate than others; the main layer would update every couple of weeks. To refresh a layer of the old index, we would analyze the entire web, which meant there was a significant delay between when we found a page and made it available to you.

With Caffeine, we analyze the web in small portions and update our search index on a continuous basis, globally. As we find new pages, or new information on existing pages, we can add these straight to the index. That means you can find fresher information than ever before—no matter when or where it was published.

Recently Google posted an article on their webmaster blog explaining their ranking methods. It’s all about quality. Google’s advice to owners of new websites is simple. Get involved in an online community and contribute with substance. Avoid fluff. Humor is OK, but don’t waste people’s time with ads and other junk. They discourage the purchase of links from unrelated sites or doing random link exchanges (where you trade links on sites with people who have nothing in common with you.) It is definitely a long-term game. Getting good rankings on Google is about consistency. It is not for sprinters. This race is for the turtle. Finally, Google suggests that you make it easy for novice users to link to your site. Notice below that you can post a bookmark to

Holly wrote this up on Monday, and I’m just getting to it at 1:41 the following Friday. Oops.

Here are the notes :}

Hello and Happy Monday to all!

Here are the notes from meeting, please read them all, there is a lot of important information in this and you don’t want to miss anything.

I know we spoke of a Givers Gain Blog – Nohl how are we doing on that?! <Its under construction. Hope to have it ready early next week>

We had a couple people decide to not continue.  Even though we will re-invite them, please keep their positions open for when you are making your 40 invite lists.
Mark Campbell – Car School
James Currain – Interior Designer
Erica and Brice – Me Salon / Better Bodies
Eric Stone – Nutrition

<This bums me out. I liked those guys.>
This Friday, June 19th our first leadership team training is going to be held after our meeting. Please remember to put it on your calendar.
President -  Chuck Zaepfel
Vice President – Holly Behan
Secretary / Treasurer – Jason Watson
Membership Committee – Corinne Ortiz and Amaya Maat
Education – Phil Manker
Event Coordinator – Chaz Elsten
Visitor Host – Jason Robinson, Jen O’Brien, Chach Jackson
*If you cannot make it, please make sure you touch base with myself or Chuck*
<Wow, I think I’m the only one not on the leadership team.>
Chrisie has taken off the Northwest as a showcase chapter.  Also keep in mind – We want to be a showcase chapter to start off!

Important Dates to remember:

June 16th – This Wednesday 2:30 – 6:30 MSP Training.  At Varsity Suites – Speedway / Alvernon
June 24th – Advanced MSP Training – Module 1 – Referral Mindset * this is going to be an amazing class, please try to attend since it is the beginning of the modules!
June 25th – Letters are due * attached are the documents for merging your letters * please don’t wait until the last minute to get these completed
July 9th – Is our kick off date!  Whoohoo!!
July 10th – Last MSP Training able to attend (if you have not already attended) 9:00 – 12:00 Varsity Suites – Speedway /Alvernon
July 16th – First run meeting with Chuck as President!

Please take a look at the attachments and please let Chuck know if there are any issues.

Thank you ALL again for ALL you do!  Have a great week and we will see a lot of you at the training this Wednesday!

<Man, she takes good notes – Thanks Holly>

As more people read this blog, I am asked, “What is BNI?”

Business Networking International (BNI) is the best way to market your business. Period. For 25 years BNI has helped business people the world over improve their business networking skills and master the art of business by referral.

BNI is part club and part high performance selling organization. It is composed of chapters all over the world that hold a 90 minute meeting once a week. This meeting follows a specific agenda. This agenda is the same in over 51 countries. They all follow this agenda because it works.

BNI is better organized than the Mob and more fun than Chuck E Cheese and less expensive than a weekend at Disneyland. It teaches public speaking, how to market your business, how to build visibility, how to improve self confidence, and how to develop a sales force of 20 – 40 members.

I personally know people who have made thousands of dollars doing business in their BNI chapter after only a few months of membership. It really is that good. You will have to work at it, but it’s fun work with fun people.

You can learn more about BNI here. If you would like to see how business gets done in person, come visit a chapter meeting. Just  contact me.

Top 10 Tips for Using Twitter
When it comes to social media, no one “gets it” as well as Twitter. According to Econsultancy, as of Jan 2010, Twitter has 75 million user accounts, with about 15 million of that total being active users. See “20+ Mind-Blowing Social Media Statistics Revisited.” That’s a lot of people sending a lot of Tweets. This micro-blogging service makes it easy for small businesses and entrepreneurs to stay in touch with those who choose to follow them, and stay updated on new products, services, specíal offers, industry news and more. It’s a win-win for both the Tweeter, and their followers.

When it comes to using Twitter, there’s a right way and a wrong way to use it. Your messages must be kept short, under 140 characters, and they need to be helpful or informative. Don’t carry on about what you ate for breakfast, or the fact that you just brushed your teeth. People will unfollow you faster than they can hit the button, even if you do have good oral habits.

I’ve been using Twitter for a long time now and here’s what I’ve found works best when participating in this close knit community of few words.

1) Regular Postings: Now I’m not saying you need to post every day, although that would be nice. You do need to make an appearance on a regular basis. It’s like school – you need to show up to pass. Be a contributor that your followers get to really know and look forward to your Tweets. If you’re the type of person who needs to plan ahead, you can always use a service that allows you to schedule tweets in advance, such as Socialoomph.com

2) Retweet: If you see Tweets posted by other users that you think your followers would like, then retweet them. It only takes one click, and you’ll also be creating goodwill with other Twitter users at the same time. If you’d like, you can add a personal thought or comment before sending it. Also, make it easy for others to retweet your posts by adding RT buttons to your website or blog. It’s easy with the TweetMeme Retweet Button.

3) Be Helpful: Keep in mind Twitter is a form of social Media, so social interaction is key. It’s not all about you. Whenever a chance arises to answer a question, participate in a survey, or help solve a problem, do so. In this way you’re participating in the community. This also will help your brand and image when others know they can count on you for support or feedback.

4) Don’t Be A Follow CopyCat: Don’t follow everybody who follows you. This is probably my biggest pet peeve when it comes to Twitter. So many people turn this feature on to auto follow those who follow them. Why would you want to do this? I’d prefer that those I follow are people and topics I’ve hand-selected that interest me, and not a mish-mash of followers who may be ranting about things I have no interest in. Be selective in who you follow or your Twitter stream could quickly fill up with junk or spam. For quality people to follow, see – FollowOnTwitterLists.com.

5) What to Tweet: Make sure that the tweets you post are helpful and/or informative. Late breaking news pertaining to your industry, as well as any specials or sales you may have going on are always good topics. If you find something you think your followers would like, especially if it’s free or a bargain, share the love. Plus, if your tweets are good, it will encourage others to retweet them. For ideas see – ArtBizBlog.com

6) Comment: Particpate in the community by commenting on other people’s tweets. If you can answer a question, do so. It doesn’t hurt and people really will appreciate it when you take the time to comment on what they have to say. It lets them know that others are actually listening to what they have to say in the “Twitterverse”.

7) Say Thank You: When someone takes the time to retweet one of your tweets, make sure to reply to them with a “thank you”. Manners rule online as well as off, and they’ll like the fact that you noticed the retweet and took the time to show some gratitude. It may even inspire them to retweet more of your tweets in the future.

Be Personal: Again, I don’t need to know what you ate for dinner, but every now and then you should show your human side with a creative thought, quote, or other statement. Let people know you’re “real” and not just a lean mean business machine. You want to tread lightly in this area. Too personal is overkill, but a little can help in establishing a connection with your followers.

9) Post Pictures/Video: Remember, Twitter is not just for text. It’s easy to post short videos, and pictures too. It’s nice to mix it up a little and share content in other formats as well. Here are some resources – Video Sharing Websites for Twitter.

10) Talk About More Than Yourself: It’s not all about you, so please don’t make all your tweets one big marketing message, such as only tweeting about your latest press release, blog posting, or article that was published. No one will want to follow you if you’re one big commercial. Yes, some of this is fine in moderation, but you need to walk a fine line and mix it up with other helpful, interesting topics.

Now it’s time to start putting these tips into action. Social media is all about participating and listening to what others have to say. It’s all about creating and sharing information and becoming part of the community. If you approach Twitter in this fashion, you’ll not only have a lot more fun, but your followers will like and respect you – and if that doesn’t strengthen your brand, nothing will.

About The Author
Merle’s Mission Blog – “Rants, Raves and Random Acts of Kindness.” A self-proclaimed “Internet Junkie” with a passion for net marketing, affiliate marketing, and social networking. An avid Blogger and writer with several niche sites. Find out more at merlesworld.blogspot.com. Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/msmerle

It’s amazing how quickly patterns form. Some schools of thought say that it only takes three times to build a pattern. Other schools state that you begin to miss a pattern if it suddenly goes away.

How can you use that in your business? If you were sending emails like this one, you would be reminding people that you are there and are ready to help.

Just put this in real world terms; ever since we started sending these email, we’ve picked up a new project a week. When we stopped, people actually asked if they missed the message. Food for thought, no?

In case you’re wondering, our gnomes are hard at work developing our next web site for Focus Web Works. Features to look for include easy navigation and a blog to share news and marketing ideas.

Let’s talk soon

Nohl

When you are deciding how to spend you business dollars, how are you making your decision?

What you should be doing is asking questions and making notes. “How did you hear about us?” This tells you which of your ads or web sites are working for you.

Once upon a time, everyone said, “yellow pages.” Now, I don’t know more than one or two people who still rely on that medium. If you deal primarily with younger customers – downsizing your Yellow Page ad will save some serious green.

If you get lots of business by referral, how can you reward people for their support? For many people, the reward is to continue the quality of service that made them appreciate you in the past.  Some sort of carrot is still a nice way to say, ‘Thank you.”

If you are using multiple ads, do you know which ads bring in the most money? Make sure that your entire customer service team asks, “How did you hear about us?”

One method that we can help with is to setup different web pages for different promotions. This will help you track which promotions drove the most traffic to your web site.

Remember: a business without advertising is like smiling at someone pretty in a dark room. You know what your doing, but nobody else does.

Nohl

Last week I promised that I would be back…that and I promised more suggestions for business success.

I know that you are busy and watching every penny. We sure are. So I wanted to point out an opportunity.

Have you noticed how many billboards and bus benches are advertising for non-profit organizations lately? Well that is a signal that the advertising media are struggling to sell space. In fact, they are giving it away to non-profits for a tax break.

For you this means that you could get a smoking deal on ad space. If the price seems too steep, have you considered co-branding? That is sharing ad space with a compatible business. Restaurants and theaters make great pairs. Who would be a good partner for your business?

Don’t take my word for it. I’ve got a friend named Priscilla Sheridan. She specializes in marketing strategies and Public Relations. She has generously offered to fit you into her schedule for a phone call or visit if you mention this email. This Lady knows her stuff, and this is a very generous offer. I encourage you to say, “Hello!”

You can make an appointment by calling her at (520) 749-5845

Thinking of you,

Nohl

Let’s be honest, tough economic times challenge the best of us. Do you see opportunities around you? At Focus Web Works we know that there are many opportunities for your business.

Now is the time to keep your name out there. Take steps to increase contact with your customers and create opportunity to strengthen relationships. If given the choice between businesses, a customer will choose the one he remembers and trusts.

In the weeks to come, we will be sharing resources and ideas to help you keep your glass full.

If you can’t wait, give me a call (520) 444-6533

The holidays are here, and to show our appreciation for your support over the years, we will take 15% off all new work from now until January 15th, 2009!

Have you been waiting to update your menu?  Make a big announcement? Change your sale content?  Update your “about us” page?  Take advantage now of this 15% savings!

This is also the perfect time to show your seasonal flair to your clients!  Make them merry by adding one of our standard holiday images, or we can work with our graphic designer to create unique animations tailored to your website.  Your clients will smile when they see holiday spirit reflected in your site!  With 15% off, there’s no better time to try out a new graphic!

And a stocking stuffer too: for every hosting customer you refer to us, we’ll give you one hosting month free!

Happy Holidays from the Focus Web Works Team

p.s. if you wish to be removed from this mailing list, just let us know.