Posts Tagged ‘Social Networking design’

Customized Widgets For Website Promotion

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

Business owners with profiles on multiple social networking websites are constantly trying to find innovative ways to promote their own, specialized, websites without breaking user agreements. While many social networking sites allow users to link to other profiles they sometimes make the process of sharing very difficult. Some websites offer warnings to discourage users from leaving there sites. For this reason many users are not willing to visit outside websites unless they are sure that they will find some information that will be useful to them.

widget social manager

 

 

This is where custom designed widgets come in.

Widgets are used by some of the most well known companies to share up to the minute news feeds. News providers like CNN and the Associated Press in particular take advantage of widgets to let site owners keep their readers informed about world events. Widgets can also be used by website owners, especially blog owners, to keep others informed about their own website activity.

Customized widgets can be designed to update each time your website has new content or your company has breaking news to share. This will encourage curious individuals to visit your website by letting them know what news you have to offer. These widgets can be placed on any social networking website profile that allows outside HTML coding. If you have a steady client or customer base you can even encourage them to place copies of the code on their own website to help advertise your site.

Widget designs are often very affordable and should be considered if you want to do something to make your website stand out on the crowd. Hiring a developer to create a custom widget is usually much more affordable than investing in an entirely new website design. Widgets can be branded with your website or blog name, a logo, or anything else you can imagine. If you are trying to encourage visitors to install your widget on their own site then ask your designer to make a variety of sizes and colors. This will increase the chances of visitors using them since they will be more likely to find a widget that fits with their own profile or website design.


 

 


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Posted in Internet Marketing, Social Networks | 4 Comments »

Professional Social Network Design

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

There are many experienced website owners and marketers that are interested in creating their own social networking site. The problem that many of these businesses experience is the lack of reputable social network website designers currently available. While there are many website design companies promoting their services few specialize in social networking. The few companies that do advertise social networking design services are often extremely expensive or have very long waiting lists.

Fortunately there are web design companies emerging that create fully functioning social networking websites for affordable prices. If you are a website owner that is interested in designing a social networking website but are operating on a budget there are few things that you should do before requesting a quote. This will help you avoid wasting valuable time and will also help prevent you from becoming discouraged during your search.

First of all, visit the web design company’s portfolio. Try to visit every website that is live to get an idea of what sort of web design style they offer. If you find two or three websites that have functions that you like and will work with your finished social networking site remember to mention these when requesting a quote. On the other hand, if you do not find anything that you like in the web designers’ portfolio do not be afraid to move on.

When you have an idea of what features you want the designer to implement contact the designer for a quote and reference the sites in their portfolio that interest you. Do not be afraid to tell the designer exactly what you are going for. If you are interested in a video sharing website tell them and do not try to beat around the bush. A professional will be able to tell you right away if they are able to help you or not. In some cases if the designer you have contacted cannot create the site you want they will be able to refer you to someone that can give you the site that you are envisioning.

Finally, find out what additional services are offered along with website design. Many companies like Mega Star Media will be able to help with website optimization that will make sure your newly launch site receives traffic. They will also be able to provide, or recommend, web hosting services that will suit the needs of your new site. In many instances the company will even be able to provide start up marketing advice and services in the form of press releases and search in Pay Per Click campaigns designed to drive traffic to your website while generating interest among the news media.

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Posted in Social Networking Services, Social Networks, Website Design | No Comments »

Choosing a Professional Website Designer

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

Choosing a professional web design company can be a daunting task especially if you are new to the Internet and have never completed a transaction on an independent contractor basis. Unfortunately, in order to succeed and be taken seriously your business will need a professional website which means contracting a web design company. With so many different companies offering their services it is important that contact, and talk to, at least three design companies. This will help ensure that you pick the best web design company for your professional needs. Try not to settle for the first company you stumble upon after completing a web search.

When you have narrowed your choices down to at least three web design companies you will want to ask a few questions. While some of these questions might be answered on a company’s business site do not be afraid to repeat a question. Most companies will not mind going over information again with a potential client.

The first thing you should always ask for is a portfolio. Find out the names of the companies they have designed for and never settle for domain names that are no longer online. Ask for samples of their work that are online and are in your industry or field. Once you have gotten a list of their work do not be afraid to contact the clients directly using the information found on their own sites. Make sure that the design firm is being honest because it is easy for amateurs or scam artists to make claims to online work that they really did not do.

The second thing you should ask is how many revisions they are willing to do before charging additional fees. It is possible that the first design mock up they present you with will not be up to your standards. Never be afraid to ask for reasonable changes but do not expect a professional designer to come up with four or five different versions of your site. Time is money for independent contractors so expect them to charge additional fees if you insist upon many changes or if the changes you request completely contradict your initial design request.

Third, find out how much time it will take the web design company to complete your site. Once again, time is money, and how long can you afford to wait for a website. Most professionals will be able to quote a completion time frame based on the work requested. This is especially important when you are working with a company that charges on a flat rate basis. While hourly charging companies will be glad to tell you how many hours of work are necessary a flat rate company will usually quote you a time in days. If the web design company tells you the work will be done in five or ten days always find out if they mean business days or consecutive days.

Hiring a web design company does not have to be a difficult task and once you have successfully hired an Internet based company you will be surprised and pleased by the ease and convenience of the process.

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Posted in Website Design | 1 Comment »

Build a Community Site and Keep Your Company Connected

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

Have you been looking for a way to build the level of teamwork between your employees without seeming like you’re forcing the issue? Build a community website for your employees and watch them grow closer. A lot of the time when the people that work together in an office don’t really form a tight team it’s because they don’t really know one other and don’t share anything except an office.

Since people are busy working they might not have the chance to sit down and chat with their co-workers or form friendships with other people in the office. But when you build a community web site just for the people that work in the office where people can fill out profiles, share family photos and other important aspects of their lives you are giving them the chance to share things with their co-workers online, when it’s convenient for them. Co-workers can share information and stories about themselves using blogs and discussion forums and leave messages for their co-workers on their co-workers profiles.

If your company is a large one and employees are spread out in many different offices or on different floors then you can build a community web site to make sure that everyone stays in the loop and gets the same information. It’s also more effective to send someone in another message asking them to come see you about something or to remind them of a meeting than it is to call them if they are already on the phone or email them if they don’t check their email very often.

Employees can use the forums and messaging applications to blow off steam, ask each other questions about procedure and policy, and support each other. An inter-office community web site has been shown to dramatically increase the ability of teams to work together and to increase the overall efficiency of the day to day running of the office.

You can also build a community web site for the office that will be a central communication point for everyone in the office. You can post sales figures, monthly goals, meeting times or other information all on the community web site where everyone has access. That way no one can say they weren’t told about a deadline or missed a meeting because they didn’t know when it was. Good teamwork is all about communication, and every office needs a lot of teamwork in order to operate successfully. Build a community web site for your employees and you’ll probably see an increase in productivity and communication almost immediately.

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Posted in Internet Marketing, Social Networks, Web Development | No Comments »