iMedia Ventures - Easy to Create and Maintain Websites

November 28, 2011
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Is Your Website Usable from a Mobile Device?

The use of mobile devices is exploding. And even better, so are purchases made from these devices. So the question is ‘Is your website usable from a mobile device?’

I recently purchased an iPad and the reason may surprise you. I work from home and rarely go out, so why would I need an iPhone and an iPad? Yes I am on the desktop/laptop computer a lot but there are times when I am not. Some call those times ‘the in-between moments’, lying on the couch, watching TV, cooking, letting my dog out to go to the bathroom, and some even use them on the toilet. I can now watch tutorials and read PDFs from the comfort of my couch or bed without having to sit in a chair (which I do all day for the most part). As I started to surf and read things on my iPhone I realized it would be nicer to have a bigger screen but still be able to be away from my computer.

The surprising thing was how hard many websites are to use from a mobile device. They are often too big and so you have to scroll over, menus are hard to click on without zooming in, etc. With all the ‘real estate’ we’ve had on desktop computers, we’ve tended to fill all the available space with crap. So mobile devices can help us rethink our design.

So with this knowledge it is advisable to make sure your website is usable on various sizes of devices. You don’t necessarily have to run out and build an app but setup a mobile site for your customers or better yet (and more involved) create a website that can respond to all sorts of devices dynamically. The benefit of a separate mobile site is that you can eliminate a lot of information that would normally flow to one’s device which can cause performance isssues due to limited bandwidths. We can often ‘hide’ information from the devices but it still gets passed to the device.

November 18, 2011
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Why You Don’t Need an App for Your Business

For years I’ve seen business paying tens of thousands of dollars to have a website developed and they still have to pay for the site to be updated/maintained. This always frustrated me especially with great open source tools like WordPress. Now a similar frustration is happening in the mobile application space.

The common wisdom these days if you are a business owner is ‘We need an app’. This wisdom should be challenged especially with the recent developments in web technologies. Mobile app development can be expensive and you have to create and maintain an app for each device’s operating system (iOS for Apple, Blackberry, Windows, Android, etc). And if customers don’t have a need to check your site on a regular basis they probably won’t want to install an app just for your business. But if you still insist on an app there is a better way to go about it. So most likely you don’t need an app. Even Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google agrees.

Technologies like HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript allow you to develop a website that acts like a mobile app when viewed from a device and with PhoneGap the same code can be used to create an app. And with this design you can also have an app but it would use the same code as your website. With tools like jQTouch you can also have all the slick functionality of an app (slides, flips, touch, etc). Most sites that aren’t developed for a mobile device are hard to view and use on a mobile device, giving way to a negative view about mobile websites. But jQTouch and other technologies along with better design has changed the landscape (pardon the pun!).

Technologies like PhoneGap blur the line between app and website even further. It allows you to leverage your website content and build an app around it, while giving you access to the devices features such as GPS, Accelerometer, Contacts, etc. You might still need an app if you are creating a game or you want to sell your app on Apple’s App Store (which most businesses wouldn’t).

So if you’re considering a mobile app for your business make sure you aren’t dealing with the bias of the app developer and that you leverage your online content and recent technologies.

September 4, 2011
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Free Email newsletter plugin for WordPress

After a few years of paying for email newsletter services such as GetResponse and Aweber, I decided to switch to using a free WordPress plugin. This is for a free reasons – saving money, more control, annoyance at reduced features and increasing monthly fees, and so on.

Luckily there is a great WP-Autoresponder plugin for WordPress, and it’s free.

Before you switch over there are few things you’ll need to do before you cancel your account with your provider.

1. Export the users from your provider

Most providers such as GetResponse allow you to export your users into a comma-separated (csv) file (eg. will kriski, myemail@aol.com). There’s usually a lot of information saved for each user but all you will need is their name and email address. You might have different lists for different websites/segmented lists. Export each one separately if you need to.

2. Install the plugin, set up the newsletter, autoresponder series

You can install the plugin directly from WordPress now, just go to ‘Add new’ and type in autorersponder in the search box, then install WP-Autoresponder and set up the newsletter and autoresponder (links in menu of plugin)

3. Import the users from your paid provider.

Go the Import/Export menu item for the Autoresponder and import the csv file you exported above. You might want to set up different newsletters if you’ve segmented your list.

4. Export/import the users from your WordPress blog subscription

5. Delete any users that bounce back after you email them

Since you’re now using your own hosting provider to email you will receive the emails that can’t be delivered. Copy the email address in the search box (on the subscribers page) and once you find each one, delete it from your system. I had a list for many years so there were some invalid email addresses on it.

If you already had users who subscribed to your blog in WordPress (or joined as members to a membership site), you’ll have to transfer them over to your new newsletter(s) (separate from regular users). I use the free WP-Export Users plugin. Export your users (using the fields ‘display name’ and email address) making them comma-separated. Cut and paste the list into a plain text file, then import them as you did for the paid provider file.

Emails will go out if you have an autoresponder set up for ‘Day 0′ so if this is a problem, don’t set up the autoresponder before you import the lists. Also users won’t have to double-opt in (confirm their email address) which is great because you don’t want to have to get them to reconfirm again.

Good luck and let me know if you get this working.

July 8, 2011
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How to be a ‘Have’ in a ‘Have Not’ Province

After moving from Calgary, Alberta last June 2010 to New Brunswick I started hearing a lot about it being a ‘have not’ province. No jobs, no opportunities, low pay, lack of paying clients, having to receive money from Ottawa, etc. I decided that I wanted to change this perception and take personal responsibility by making a success of myself. I’m not talking about just finding a job, but having a business and generating a high 6 figure income. I don’t want to wait for the government to solve our problems.

I do IT work that is in a niche software market and there is only one company in New Brunswick that uses this software. They are not close to where I live and typically hire employees which I am not interested in being. I’ve come up with a few tips that can help you propel New Brunswick into being a Have province.

1. Incorporate a business

Most people who do well are business owners. It’s really hard to be successful as an employee since the pay is usually not that good and there are so many deductions, from EI to CPP, to taxes. Small business taxes are low and falling in New Brunswick and when you pay yourself a dividend you don’t have to deduct CPP, EI and the dividend tax rate is very low.

2. Think remote

Many provinces and states rely on local resources such as oil, natural gas, coal, steel or have established industries such as manufacturing, entertainment, financial and so on. But with Moncton attracting call centers you can hopefully see that it is not necessary to depend on local businesses – many call centers are set up for businesses that are far away in Canada or the United States.

Many local businesses depend on tourists rather than their own local community. Many small town folk prefer to ‘do it yourself’ – cutting their own lawn, growing their own food, eating at home instead of going out, etc. In my case I knew there was only one client in New Brunswick and wasn’t open to travelling anymore so that left me with remote clients.

I’ve obtained 3 remote projects since I’ve been here, mainly because I asked. Other CEOs were even surprised that clients were okay with this, so I feel it’s my duty to spread the work about the benefits of remote work for both the client and the workers.

Technology such as email, Skype, Webex/LiveMeeting, and VPN software allows many of us in various industries to work anywhere. There is no need to be face to face on a regular basis anymore. This should be a big boon to beautiful areas like New Brunswick where you can be successful and live in a less populated, scenic country area.

3. Establish yourself as an authority

It’s easy to make connections online nowadays through LinkedIn, forums and job sites such as Monster, Dice and Workopolis. The trick is to get clients to come to you. I’ve established myself as an authority by posting helpful comments in the software forums, my previous projects as well as using Twitter, blogging and Facebook.

Even if you’re not in IT, there are many things you can do online, such as selling information – how to courses, tutorials using videos, PDF files, audio, blogs and so on. I also sell online guitar lessons and courses, even doing webcam lessons live with some students.

4. It’s not what you make, but what you keep

I know business people who travel all over Canada and the United States in order to market themselves and ‘network’. They spend a ton of money on flights, hotels, conferences, meals, marketing materials and so at the end of the day their quality of life is horrible (away from their family, unhealthy eating habits, etc) and they don’t end up making that much after expenses. Sometimes it can sound good to say you’re bringing in 6 figure revenues when you have little to actually show for it at the end of the day. Some travel may be required to get things going at first but your goal should be to avoid needing to do this over time.

Conclusion

So I’m doing my little part to improve New Brunswick one person at a time. I’ve supported local businesses via landscaping, handywork, restaurants, retail stores and even a local wildlife charity with money, furniture and doing a new website for them. What can you do, using these tips, to turn New Brunswick into a Have province?