Tel: 0113 2170419
www.littlefishwebdesign.com
Get Safe Online
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Get Safe Online in its own words "...will help you protect yourself against internet threats. The site is sponsored by government and leading businesses working together to provide a free, public service."
It's split into 3 sections - Protect Your PC, Protect Yourself and Protect Your Business to be relevant to everybody from home users to small business owners.
It's sponsored by the UK Government, BT, Dell, eBay, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, Message Labs, Microsoft, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, Secure Trading and Yell.com so you know that the site knows what it is talking about!
Take a look, and also consider these free* software packages to protect your PC:
- Adaware - Removes spyware
- AVG Antivirus - Removes viruses, worms, trojan horses and other nasties
- Spybot Search & Destroy - Removes spyware
- ZoneAlarm - Free Download- Firewall software
Labels: email, resources, security, spam
E-mail campaigns...Part 2
Friday, October 28, 2005
Last post looked at the legal side of e-mail and newsletter campaigns. Now to look at how to implement them at no cost. Using your desktop e-mail program is the simplest method, followed by a hosted solution. Finally, there are some very good free scripts out there but are slightly more complex to set up.
*** Using Outlook Express, or another desktop e-mail program ***
1) Copy your list of recipients into the BCC (='Blind Carbon Copy') field in a new e-mail. [TIP: If this is not visible, go to 'View' and select 'All Headers']
2) Put your e-mail address in the 'To' field
3) Type your message and off you go!
4) To see who you sent it to, right click on the message in the 'Sent Items' folder and choose 'Properties'.
Advantages
- No recipient can see the e-mail address of any other recipient, so you maintain privacy.
- You know that it's been sent because you'll also receive a copy.
Disadvantages
- You have to deal with unsubscribes and bounces manually.
- Limited customisation options.
*** Using a hosted solution ***
We've found Listapp to be a very simple and effective newsletter service. The setup is very straightforward, and it automatically generates the code for people to (un)subscribe, for both your e-mails and webpages, as well as letting you customise various options.
Advantages
- Simple to setup and maintain.
Disadvantages
- Limited customisation options.
*** Hosting your own script ***
If you can host your own scripts and have some experience in setting them up, PHPlist is by far and away the best free script we've seen.
Advantages
- Fully customisable.
- Automated bounce and subscribe options
Disadvantages
- Setup not for the faint-hearted! You must have knowledge of FTP, CHMOD and editing script files.
Labels: email, programming, resources, spam
E-mail campaigns...Part 1
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
So you've decided to set up an e-mail campaign/newsletter. That's great, but have you checked that it's legally compliant?
E-mail marketing is exceedingly powerful - it's focussed marketing allowing you to set up a relationship with your prospects and it's pro-active - you have control.
Your main objective is obviously to capture and use e-mail addresses, but only after you have obtained permission. If you do not obtain permission, you are spamming and therefore breaking the law.
Opt-in lists can be built up from your website, offline materials, joint ventures and existing contacts. When you're starting out, some of the mailing lists that you can purchase (advertised as "100,000 opted-in leads" or similar) look very tempting. However, even if they are opted-in, they have not opted-in to your list, and whilst they may have ticked a box agreeing to receive third-party mailings, you don't know what service they signed up from e.g. if someone agreed to receive 3rd party mailings from a pet food company, what use is that to a clothing manufacturer??!!
Side note : You must have received spam (or UCE - 'unsolicited commercial e-mail') before - it never comes from the same person more than once and offers you all sorts of items or services that you don't need. If you receive several of these a day, or if you're really unlucky, hundreds, you'll understand how irritating spam is.
In the UK, there are two main legal areas to comply with, both regulated by the Information Commissioner - www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
1. Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (EU Law)
- The sender must not conceal their identity
- The sender must provide a valid address for opt-out requests
- The sender must not send out messages without having prior permission unless there is a pre-existing business relationship
2. Data Protection Act (UK Law)
- The person holding the personal data in electronic format ("Data Controller") must register with the Information Commissioner
- Registration is annual, costing £35
Part 2 will tell you how to set-up a mailing list/newsletter for free!
If you've got it...flaunt it!
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Far too many small businesses have a website because they think they should. Not because they know how to use it. A website can be used for many purposes e.g. selling a service/product or providing information, but this is no good if people don't know the site exists.
When setting up a website, there is so much emphasis on SEO (search engine optimisation) and SEM (search engine marketing) that it's easy to forget about offline promotion.
Make sure that you let people know that your site exists:
- Put your web address on all company literature
- What about on your company car/van?
- Never underestimate the power of word of mouth
- Use your web address in advertising, whether it's via the media or by giving away freebies e.g. mousemats to the local college
- Include your web address on your answer machine (after all, you are open 24/7 on the internet) or holding messages
Choosing a domain name (web address)
Saturday, October 22, 2005
With such a huge growth in the number of websites and the resulting difficulty in finding an available domain name, it is tempting to grab the first one that sounds like it might do the trick. However, a small amount of homework will pay big dividends - follow the ten steps below to obtain the optimal domain:
AVAILABILITY
If it's not available you can't have it - simple!
COPYRIGHT
Ensure that you do not breach copyright or infringe trademarks with your choice of domain.
EXTENSIONS
It's widely acknowledged that the best TLD (top level domain) is .com. However, in the UK, web users are more than used to .co.uk so this is equally acceptable for UK websites. If .com isn't available and you use .net instead (for example), check that .com isn't either a competitor or that the .com site content is acceptable! Always try to get the .com first, then your country TLD or finally .net in that order. Web users are still not used to .biz or .info.
BE GREEDY!
If more than one TLD variant is available, buy as many as you can afford and set them all to point to your website. This is a form of brand protection and prevents unscrupulous competitors trying to cash in on your hard-earned web traffic.
BE MEMORABLE
Make sure that potential web users will remember your domain name and that they can spell it properly.
BE PRONOUNCABLE
Try telling people your web address over the phone - can they understand what you tell them? Or do they give up and try someone else's website.
BE DESCRIPTIVE
If you are a new business, very few people will remember or search for your domain name if it is your company name. Try choosing a domain name that is descriptive of your products instead e.g. cheap<
OFFLINE MARKETING
Use your domain name in your offline marketing literature and ensure that it is as visible as possible. However, if your domain name consists of more than one word, that isn't hyphenated, try using capital letters e.g. which is easier to read - littlefishwebdesign.com or LittleFishWebDesign.com? Domain names are not case sensitive so your clients will find your site whichever version they use.
BUY YOUR DOMAIN FOR LONGER
Search engines are now looking at less obvious information such as how long you have bought your domain name for. Domain names owned for less than two years are though to be penalised, so buy your domain for as long as possible.
OWN YOUR DOMAIN NAME
If you use a web designer or third party for your domain names, ensure they are registered in your name and that you have a signed agreement with the company that they will release all the details (including password) to you, quibble free, if you choose to move to another design or hosting company.
Labels: domains
Hello!
Friday, October 21, 2005
Well, this is a brand new venture for LittleFish Web Design, so I should start with a proper introduction. My name is Emma and I'm a web designer in Leeds, West Yorkshire. I set up LittleFish Web Design earlier this year with the aim of providing a fast, friendly and affordable service to small businesses - they are not in a position to spend thousands on an all-singing all-dancing webpage, and in many cases this isnā??t necessary anyway! I don't design with bells and whistles, but write fast-loading accessible pages.
In addition, the LittleFish Web Design shop sells high-quality e-books to people wanting to increase the quality and earning potential of their website(s), whether they are just starting in web design or are a seasoned webmaster!
This blog will be published regularly with loads of tips on how to make the most of your website, whether by improving its design or by increasing its earning potential. Other topics covered will include computer safety, how to keep on the right side of the law in cyberspace and links to some fantastic freebies.
Just use the links on the left to navigate the rest of the LittleFish Web Design site and check back here regularly!
Labels: misc
Links
Previous Posts
- How linkable is your blog?
- Stop Yahoo! tracking your every move
- Grab your free copy of Lucid SEO
- Wordtracker coupon code - 15% discount
- Free Wordpress theme generator
- Comprehensive list of CSS techniques
- Web 2.0 online generators
- Tracking your e-mail marketing campaigns
- The Internet Marketing Myth - A Review
- Review: MyBlogLog and its marketing potential