The ProVirtual Blog

New Services! Web Conferencing, Google Web Services Support & More

ProVirtual Solutions is now offering one-time specialty services, including web conferencing and recording, domain record updates and Google web services setup. These services are specially priced to provide better value without the need for an ongoing service agreement.

Web Conferencing: 90-minute service package includes webinar hosting and recording to a WMV file (with audio & video), using GoToMeeting. This is a great option for clients that have occasional webinars and need the audio and video recorded on one file. 90-minutes includes session hosting and file preparation.

Domain Record Update: Do you need a mail exchange (MX) record update or other more advanced change to your domain record and are hesitant to try it yourself? Let ProVirtual Solutions handle it!

Google Services Setup with Overview Webinars: Choose one or save with our bundled service packages. Most options include personalized training webinars so you can get the most out of the Google services you selected.

• Google Apps with EMail: Have you heard about the great services Google offers for free? You can get the renowned GMail service for your own domain and enjoy access to a 6GB mailbox, IMAP/POP access and more - along with the other Google Apps: Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets and Google Presentations - all mapped to your own domain. Have ProVirtual Solutions set it up for you and show you how to use it in a personalized webinar.
• Google Analytics Installation with Optional Webinar: Wondering about your website visitors and how they are finding your site? Google Analytics provides great detail about your site traffic and also works seamlessly with PPC camapigns. Opt for installation only or purchase with a personalized webinar to show you how it all works.
• Google Webmaster Tools with Local Business Listing:  Maximize your site's visibility with Google's Webmaster Tools and Local Business Listing with Maps. Service includes: Installation of Google Analytics for one domain/website, setup of Google Webmaster Tools, creation of XML sitemap, submission of sitemap file to Google, creation of local business listing with map for Google Local. Includes a 45 minute webinar overview.

Learn more about all ProVirtual service offers here.

AOL: Still evil after all these years

I notice that all my AOL contacts have little text ads in their emails. As AOL charges $25+ or so a month for their crappy, ad-laden, computer-clogging internet service, I think they can do without sneaking text ads in their email messages... just a thought.

The really galling part is that AOL users seem to be unaware of the fact that AOL is sneaking text ads into their messages. I was curious about this, so I have been asking. Not one seems to know this is going on. One thought it was coming from my reply. Nope.

Click on the picture to see an enlarged screenshot of an AOL message (personal info & message text greyed out).

Also note the extra-annoying forwarded message attachment (inline an option here?).

Don't Check Domain Availability at Network Solutions - They Will Hold It Hostage

A contact of one of my clients recently tried check the availability of a domain name with two registrars, GoDaddy and Network Solutions. Network Solutions was attempted first, and the domain appeared to be available. In the shopping-around process, GoDaddy was checked, and the domain came up as unavailable. Another provider was also checked - and sure enough - the domain was unavailable.

Hmmm... strange, that is. Upon trying to purchase the domain with Network Solutions, the price mysteriously jumped from $9.00 to $34.99. Looks like NetSol is squatting, perhaps? Oddly, the WHOIS doesn't have any info about the owner. I've been doing hosting & domains for years - and have never seen this.

Turns out that NetSol is basically "registering" domain names that people enter in for availability checks - then attempting to sell the domain back (and misrepresenting its availability) at a wildly inflated price. This removes the domain from general availability for all registrars and can't be sold anywhere else for 5 days because of the registrar 5-day grace period (another stupid ICANN policy that encourgages "tasting") - thus holding the domain hostage.

The DomainTools Blog has a detailed explanation of this here.

Why is Network Solutions still an accredited registrar?

The Best Time of Day for Marketing EMail Delivery: 9:00am (MarketingSherpa)

Renowned marketing advice site MarketingSherpa.com is famous for their case studies and comparative tests on all sorts of marketing tactics, especially email campaigns. An article just posted there addresses the age-old question of what time of day is best for delivery of email marketing campaigns.

This is a question I get often. The answer is generally a judgement call, and I have always advised clients that overall, midweek (Tue/Wed/Thu) is best - and morning is best. Monday is, well - Monday... and Friday is least likely to get attention, as everyone is distracted with weekend planning. I would always freely admit that this theory of mine is simply experience (business web traffic is generally highest midweek) and common sense.

Much of the answer to this question differs a lot based on the audience you are marketing to. I dont think the above works when marketing to consumers, as personal emails will do better evenings and weekends. I've also noticed that business contacts I have that market to us "solopreneurs" ofen send on Sundays (a quiet day when we all tend to catch up on email correspondence). The MarketingSherpa study described here addressed a combination: an e-tailer attempting to reach consumers at work. Here's a nutshell summary of MarketingSherpa's verdict:

Test returns produced a clear winner -- 9 a.m.
The clickthrough rates for each:

*  9 a.m. performed 15.63% better than 4 p.m.
*  9 a.m. performed 9.4% better than 12 p.m.
*  12 p.m. performed 6.9% better than 4 p.m.

Click here to view the whole article (open access until January 29, 2008)

A Few Thoughts on Choosing a Blog Platform

I am sure that I sound like a broken record to my clients about the value of having a blog. I often say the question isn't whether to have a blog (there's no reason NOT to have a blog), but how to blog. There are a multitude of options and choices - all of them good and each provide great search visibility. However, a honest consideration of not only desired results, but also one's working style, personality and technical savvy - are all things to think about before selecting a blogging service or software.

Before choosing a blogging option, I'd consider the following questions:

#1:  Purpose: Are you looking to build a community with lots of comments and guest authors?  Or are you just seeking a way to voice your opinion and showcase your knowledge? 

#2:  Service Provider vs. Self-Hosted: Do you like the ease and peace of mind of having the blog hosted and managed elsewhere? Or, do you prefer having the customization options and control of self-hosting?

#3:  Cost: Are you looking for a free solution? Or are you fine with paying a subscription fee for a few extra bells & whistles that make blogging more convenient?

#4:  Customization: Are you determined to have a fully customized blog that blends with the rest of your site (and are OK with paying for some development)? Or, are you looking to have a simple setup at minimal time and cost?

I have worked with every major blogging platform - Blogger, Wordpress (hosted & installed) and TypePad - the three big players in personal and small business blogging. They all have their strong points - and all are great choices. Based on my experience, here's the pros & cons of each:

Blogger

Blogger Pros: 

• The utilitarian's choice... everything you need, nothing you don't.
• Free
• Instant setup - I recommend it as a starter blog
• Easy to use

Blogger Cons:

• The navigation bar at the top of the screen can't be removed
• I have experienced issues working with the feeds generated by Blogger - especially when attempting to display headlines on other sites.
• Limited customization options

Wordpress (hosted & self-hosted versions)

Wordpress.com (Hosted) Pros:

• No installation needed - it's hosted by Wordpress
• Free
• Great bells & whistles for a free service

Wordpress.org (Self-Hosted) Pros:

• Free
• Flexible - endless possibilities for expansion
• Loads of plugins, themes and access to CSS for ease of customization

Wordpress Cons:

• Self-hosted version requires installation on your webserver - with the attendant need for maintenance time
• Appearance - some themes look great - some are somewhat clumsy looking
• Requires a willingness to sometimes wrestle with it to get desired results
• Free plug-ins offer loads of options. However, many don't play well with each other and can unexpectedly break your blog for no obvious reason.
• No technical support - only a support forum of other users

Typepad (this blog is on Typepad)

TypePad Pros:

• Easy to set up, great support
• Visually elegant - Themes look great in any browser - easy to read
• Easy to add content and widgets that offer connectivity to other content
• Maintenance-free!
• Easy-easy-easy to use
• Terrific convenience features
• Upgrading to an enterprise-level blogging solution (Movable Type) easy.

Typepad Cons:

• Monthly fee based on selected service level.
• Flexibility comes at a price - access to advanced template and CSS customization options require higher-cost subscription levels.

Basically, any blogging choice boils down to flexibility vs. convenience. My previous blog is on self-hosted WordPress... and even I got tired of wrestling with it to get it to do something I wanted it to do (and I LOVE doing this sort of stuff). I ended up wondering if that was the most effective use of my time... so I switched to the TypePad format. Clean, easy & simple - for me, convenience won out.