Week 4a - Target Market

I decided to compare the websites and the target markets of Econobum and Just Cheap Diapers. Both businesses claim to be founded by mothers seeking a better diapering solution.

The target demographic is similar as the customers for both sites are exclusively parents of babies and toddlers. And although the companies both have names that emphasis inexpensive, their target customer's standard of measure for value is different. Econobum's customer's are willing to spend more money and an insane amount more effort for an ethical choice, while Just Cheap customer's top concern is finding a less expensive option. Econobum's customer has most likely more disposable income.

Just Cheap Diapers keeps the site simple with fun graphics and information, offering a range of diapers with quantity pricing. Their site lives up to it's name - it's just diapers at a cheap price. Throwing diapers in the landfill is just fine with their customers.

But Econobum website offers the full experience to show the customer their enviromentally responsible values. Starting with their leaf logo and soft natural color choices, they provide a sense of well being  and consciousness. Their site goes into great detail about the quality of the cotton, technological features, care instructions, product awards, and many pages describing their values. In fact, there are more pages devoted to describing their ethical values than their product! It does not list the price for any of their diapers.

Just Cheap Diapers is lacking a call to action, other than a Facebook link and a contact us page. Neither of those choices makes it clear on how to purchase their product. Econobum has a 'find stores' link on the home page. This site is geared toward providing marketing support for brick and mortor retail shops.

Two Websites that are my favs!

It's no secret to those that know me know that I love Target. And I love their website too. It is very sleek with just the right amount of drama mixed with fun and cute. Simple yet complex. If I could marry Target, I would. Target has literally thousands of products in many different categories, but all of the immense product navigation is mostly contained in two drop down menus on the upper right next to the logo. If there is something specific I am looking for, I go straight to that menu. But they are clever and draw my eye by putting the weeks latest offerings with a big bold image on the home page. I can't help but take notice. And I can count on getting the same experience from their mobile site.

Another site I use almost daily is Google Finance. Bare bones news site of the financial markets.  If I search on a stock, they give me a snapshot of that stock, a list of current news associated with that stock, and a list of the history of past searches I performed. Now there are hundreds of websites that offer basically the same information, so why choose Google Finance when there is no pretty decoration, no list of related offerings, no fun social media links? Because that's the beauty of it. Stocks change in price so quickly, no one wants a slow loading page with lag time. Google finance may not be the beauty at the ball, but I'm happy it's my dance partner.

I commented on the insightful blogs of
Jennette Leigh
Sherrie Moore
Kendall Holmes

Week 3a - Principles of good social media design

Good design for social media is not much different than good design for any other medium, sharing many of the same principles that go beyond the aesthetic to make something more functional and understandable.

When I read the current assignment to assess the design qualities of 4 websites from the list, I was concerned it would be hard to figure out which ones needed improvement. But that turned out to be the easy part. It's what makes a website great that's hard to define. Good design doesn't stand in the way of presenting the material. It often goes unnoticed.

I'm going to start with spotmetering.com. I'm not familiar with what spot metering is, but this website seems to offer valuable information to those in the photography industry. Unfortunately the dark design, poor structure, and lack of branding makes the author seem not in the least bit credible. Clearly he's very technical, but he is also an artist for goodness sake! While the book he is selling is not a high purchase item, his site is poor enough that I would be concerned his book is just a bad and would have reservations about a purchase. Some quick improvements:

1. Remove the top animation and background image. They attract attention, yet offer no information to the visitor or reinforce the brand. The page is easier to read without these items. Instead put the links near the top of the page to help the viewer find information.
2. Layout the page in a column format and left justify the text, placing the page navigation in a side column so that the viewer doesn't have to scroll to read the main content. Padding around the text will help it look less crowded. The page will be more organized making the content easier to quickly scan and read.
3.  Rather than emphasize text by using all CAPS AND DIFFERENT COLORS AND UNDERLINE, choose one, or better yet none at all and emphasize by using white space to group important content.
4. Use a heading hierarchy rather than different colored boxes to help the reader understand how the content is organized. It's difficult to know what and where to read, almost like you have to force yourself to find the content. It's not that boxes are bad, but there needs to be some rhyme or reason to the type of boxes.
5. The page has many beautiful photos, perfect for creating a stunning website. Put them near the top of the page to encourage the viewer to read further to learn how to create a beautiful image. The author can display his knowledge and authority on the subject matter.
6. Black or dark text on a light background is preferred by viewers. If the owner wants a dark background to create a sense of elegance, then the page needs more white space and a larger font size than the average website. 

Next is www.roverp6cars.com, an auto parts retail website packed with quality content and information for the visitor. Structure, organization, and aesthetics are important if the viewer is able to quickly navigate to the specific auto part they need. This appears to be a Mom and Pop shop, and dealers for classic cars are considered nerdy. Certainly not know for their design expertise. I would expect the website to be a little clunky so I am okay with some ugly. But, if the site makes it too hard for to find what I'm looking for, I'll exit the site in frustration without making a purchase rather than put in the effort.

1. First thing to address is readability. With the mid-grey background and images behind all of the links, it is impossible to get enough contrast to read without straining. Taking away the images behind the links would increase readability.
2. The text is in multiple sizes, colors, and underline, making it hard to understand the hierarchy of the text.  Format the text to help the reader understand what is going on. On some of the secondary pages, the pages are formatted, but the text is small with low contrast and the paragraphs are too wide. The use of margins and padding around the paragraphs will make them narrower so that the reader is less likely to jump lines. Larger text in a sans serif with a lighter background will make the text easier to read. Finally, center alignment makes it hard to tell when a topic starts and ends and therefore can only accommodate very little text. Left alignment makes it easier to understand content if there is a lot to read.
3. This site has a split personality. It's almost as though you've accidentally jumped to a different website on some of the pages. Using the same style throughout the site helps the viewer understand the content and reinforces the brand. In addition, I see a logo in my Chrome tab, but no where else on the site. Using the logo in the upper left corner will reinforce the brand.
    

The Toyota website offers many different products, services, and information, but you don't get sensory overload when you open their page. It is polished, current, easy to navigate, giving me a sense that their products offer the same qualities. Everything reinforces the brand. It builds confidence that, as a company, they are organized, competent, well funded, and professional - important considerations for what is one of the biggest purchases I'll ever make.

1. Despite all of the information this site offers, the main page is has minimal links (before scrolling) allowing the viewer to focus first on what they are selling - cars! The changing image of the car presents several of their products in a small footprint.
2. Drop down links make it easy to navigate and find information on the site. And the "back to the top" link makes it easy to navigate to get back to those top links after scrolling.
3. Plenty of white space makes the page easy to scan and read. I'm happy to peruse their product information. The main information they want the viewer to find is available without scrolling, and the rest of the information is laid out in a grid format below.
4. They use one color for headlines and the same font throughout reinforcing the brand.
5. Social media links are on the main page to help the viewer share and find information. 

The Apple website has fantastic design as well, as it should seeing how that is the main justification for the premium price point of it's products.  The sleek, well crafted site mirrors the products they sell -  products that are of high importance to it's customers. When was the last time you were away from your phone for an extended period of time? I am not a user of Apple products, but I was a little surprised that their site was kind of solemn rather than little more playful, like the old iPod ads. The current design makes me think they are trying to appeal to a broader customer base.

1. They are masters at distilling down the information and getting you to read what they want you to read. The pages have a large image with only a few lines of text. This is a case where center alignment works.
2. The double row links at the top of the page with simple icons lets the user know what is available on other pages without distracting from what is on the current page.
3. The colors, the font, the white space all reinforce the glossy brand.
4. The Apple logo is at the top right corner of every page, reinforcing the history of the brand.
5. They alter between light and dark backgrounds on different sections of the site, creating impact. Plenty of white space makes the content easy to read.
6. Apple offers a wide range of products and services, but the same design and formatting is the glue that holds it together. 

So much more that could be said about each of these sites. Thanks Claudia for throwing softballs.

Week 2b - Businesses using Social Media

This was a fun adventure into the social media of several local businesses that I frequent. In fact, some gained my patronage through social media (MacBeth Footwear, Catalina Offshore, and Crossing Dental) , and others through word of mouth (6 degrees and Tasting Room Del Mar).

What I've noticed of many businesses that use social media is that the target audience sees the same information posts on several sites. However, there are a couple of businesses that target different content per social media site. I would imagne that takes effort and my guess is those businesses have one or more staff members dedicated to social media.

Probably tops on the list of effective social media is the wholesale seafood business Catalina Offshore. They use videos as the main form of communication to offer valuable content, presenting entertainment, education on preparing and sourcing seafood, and updates on what's for sale in the shop. They are most active on Facebook and use it and website blogs to offer content and to draw you to their videos. They give you a reason to visit their web page or social media sites almost daily! They are also the only site in this list that responds to users on Yelp.

The networking business of 6 degrees uses Linked In creatively, which makes sense since they are all about offering their members tools to extend their reach. They also offer enough quality content of videos and blogs on local events and members to encourage frequent visits to one of their social media sites several times per week. I know from experience, they have an effective email campaign that draws the customer to their site. And I tend to check out posts on Facebook to see pics and causally communicate with other business professionals I met at an event. They seem to be most active on Twitter.

The local dentist Crossing Dental mainly updated Facebook on occasion to keep human face on the business. Considering it's a place a client visits only every six months, quarterly posts on Facebook seem appropriate. Anything more than that would be a nuisance. As a service provider, they are the only business listed here that has a link to Angie's List. Their Twitter and Google + sites have not been updated in 4 years.

The wine bar Tasting Room is only a few months old and already has over a thousand followers on Facebook and Instagram. They post pics almost daily and both social media sites mirror each other in content. It is hard to tell if their followers have been gained organically and also if their content is effective. So far, the social media does not offer a human face or voice I associate with the business. They are so new, I think it is great that they are establishing a presence from the start. Unfortunately, they hid their social media links at the bottom of their secondary web pages.

MacBeth Footwear is a SoCal footwear shop. They keep regular posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but those posts seem mechanical - mainly pics from professional photoshots of models wearing product or lifequotes. They used to be very active in their posts, blogs, and music updates. The website doesn't seem to have been updated since Jan 2016. I believe this is a business in decline.

Here are the stats:

6 Degrees Networking
http://www.6degreesnetworking.com/
Website: Updated daily
Facebook: Updates almost daily. Last update 9-19-16
Twitter: Updates multiple times per day. Last update 9-16-16
Instagram: Updates several times per week. Last update 9-14-16
You Tube: Updates every six months. Last update 5-16-16
Vimeo: Updates every few months. Last update 8-17-19
Linked In: Updates every other day. Last update 9-11-16

Catalina Offshore Products
http://catalinaop.com/
Website: Updated 7-26-16
You tube: Updates several times per year. Last update 9-16-16
Pinterest: Many boards updated weekely. Last update 9-15-16
Facebook: Updated daily. Last update 9-19-16
Twitter: Updates multiple times per day. 9-06-16

Crossings Dental
http://www.crossings-dental.com/
Facebook: Updates every other month or so. Last update 8-29-16.
Yelp: Had a link to the website. No posted responses to comments
Linked In
Google +: Last update 11-2012
Twitter: Nov 2012
Angie's List

Tasting Room Del Mar
https://www.tastingroomdelmar.com/
Site asks for email upon visiting their page.
Open Table link
Facebook Link: Updated daily. Last update 9-17-16
Instagram: Updated almost daily. Last update 9-17

Macbeth Footwear
http://macbeth.com/us/
Facebook: Updates almost daily. Last update 9-19-16
Twitter: Updates almost daily. Last update 9-16-16
Instagram: Updates almost daily. Last update 9-16-16

I commented on the wonderful blogs of
Antonio Russo
Sophia Ludyjan
Sherrie Moore

Week 2a - Business communication through social media

About 15 years ago before social media took off, I used AT&T for my wireless service. I had a problem in that they double charged me for all my long distance calls. This happened more than once. Pretty obvious that it was a mistake, but I could not seem to explain it well enough on the phone to the customer service representative in India. They didn't remove the charges and of course I swore I'd never use AT&T again.

I cancelled my service and switched to another carrier. While that solved my billing problem, I was not satisfied. It was like leaving a room angry and gently closing the door. I felt others should be warned so I filed a complaint with the BBB. Who knows if anyone noticed it. Today, I would have just posted on YouTube or Facebook.

It's rare anymore when I have that kind of negative experience. It's the opposite. Not long ago I posted a favorable review of a hotel on Trip Advisor in Oahu. I felt it was a good value and wanted to share. The hotel manager commented on my post and thanked me for my review. Her comments made me feel like I mattered. That simple positive reinforcement was enough to make me want to book with them again.

For my own business, I hope to respond to comments on social media by showing that I am listening and what my customer says is important. Even if it is a problem that is not solvable, I would hope to make a connection. Sometimes just acknowledgement is enough to gain loyalty.

Week 1 - Comments

I commented on the blogs of
Antonio Russo
Kylee Grice
Kendall Holmes

Week 1b - Social Media Platforms

Question - Which social media platforms seem geared towards personal use? Which ones seem to work better for business?

In my seventh grade history class, somehow the subject of Raquel Welch came up. During the discussion one of my classmates referred to her as an actress and my teacher replyed "Really? I didn't realize she had a job, I thought she was just, you know, a person." I remember thinking how ridiculous. How can anyone make money by just existing? I never imagined Kim Kardashian.

While there are many sites geared toward businesses, like Linked In, Angel List, and Yelp, most social sites that started out for strictly personal use have morphed into catering toward both. Facebook is a great example. Everything from novels to fan clubs to restaurants have a page now. Snapchat is another. Try a simple Google search of Snapchat for busniess, and you'll see a long list of articles written on how to promote your brand. Which makes sense, since businesses are generally the main revenue source for social media platforms. Even online dating sites and apps like Match.com and POF that monitor interactions to try and keep it strictly social fall short. Businesses professionals (and scam artists) manage to make their way through and connect with potential customers. In short, even if a social media platform is geared strictly for personal use, there will be those like the Kardashians who will find a way to monetize it.

Week 1 - CSIT155. My template choice

My first blog post. Hooray!

I'm sitting in the Starbucks that's in a Safeway in Gallup, NM. I'm driving a uHaul filled with what's left of my former life to my daughter's new home in Colorado. As I shed my past lifestyle and move forward, I hope to share one small, but important, aspect of this journey.

I chose the simple template because, in my mind, simple = easy. And who doesn't like easy, right? I'm still working toward finding a focus for my blog. As my content evolves and I learn new skills, so will the layout of my blog.

Ok, so I realize I'm being totally vague about the subject of this blog. I wish it was because I'm the master of suspense. I'm more like the master of undecided. But isn't that every blogger's problem?

Thanks for reading