Webconsuls-client Archives

Where’s Joel H Google Employee?

Sunday May 20, 2012

Reading Time: 5 minutes

This week I have been researching reported problems with Google maps. I have read through many forums, blogs, and news articles; however, last night I came across a Google forum in “Maps help”. The topic was Incorrect information in Google Maps / local business center and the poster opens her post with this statement “To the poor already-beaten-up soul at Google who looks at and responds to these issues…” I implore you to read through this forum. It starts on April 1, 2009, and on April 6th Joel H Google Employee joins the forum to aid these Google users. Before you know it people are posting from all over the world and Joel H is being besieged with questions and he is responsive through April 22. Others keep posting but no word from Joel H. Where’s Joel H Google employee?

I googled this phrase {Joel H Google employee} and found mention of him in other blog posts and other Google maps forums. I will say this, Joel H seems to want to help and if you read these forums carefully you will see he even admits when he is wrong.

I am going to give you two examples of what I have witnessed in Google maps for two of our clients.

La Fuente Restaurant in Tucson, AZ: Their Google map listing under local results for Mexican Restaurants Tucson AZ suddenly displayed the wrong domain name (that of a locksmith) and the wrong phone number.
Kingsleigh Inn Southwest Harbor, ME: Suddenly their Google map listing under local results for lodging Southwest Harbor ME disappeared; however, the inn next door to them is listed – including 78 reviews of the Kingsleigh and a number of photos of the Kingsleigh Inn!

I can only assume that somewhere worlds have started to collide in Google maps. I don’t know why…some talk about duplicate listings, scrapings, mergings, suppressions, conflating listings…the bottom line is this is a “free” service offered by Google. I could offer the old adage “it is worth what you paid for it”…but really if your listing is wrong through no fault of your own how much is this costing your business?

My advice to every business owner is to check your listing. Take the time to review and learn about Google’s Local Business Center.

I hope Joel H Google Employee reappears in these forums and that Google can solve the “implosion” mystery. Let’s remember these listings are the lifelines for many businesses, this is not a game of “Where’s Waldo”.

Reading Time: 9 minutes

How old are you? Do you imagine that you will still be productive when you are 82? Or do you hope to retire before you reach 50 or 60 or 70? I want you to meet my friend Rose. Rose works for The Seaward Inn located in Rockport, MA.You might remember hearing of Rose when I wrote about the Seaward Inn in October 2008.

For the record, I have never met Rose in person. I have only talked to her by phone or by e-mail. It was this past May that Rose sent an e-mail concerning a news story about The Seaward Inn that had appeared in the Gloucester Times. She wanted to make sure that the story was used on their website. I wrote Rose and told her it was handled to which she responded:

“You know Judy, at age 82 I find all this Facebook and Twitter so fascinating. Such a wonderful challenge for me. I love it. Thanks, Rose”

I wrote back to Rose:

“Rose, You make me giggle. Why would I ever know or think you are 82! I love everything you send our way. We so much hope you have a great season. Judy”

The other day my friend Chris Brogan wrote a blog about “When Novelty Wears Off.” As usual, he posed some powerful questions about social media like: “What am I doing with XYZ technology? Is it pushing my business forward?” His questions reminded me of my friend Rose. Rose has lived through a lot, she is like Betty White. She is not afraid of new technology, but she knows her main business goal is to assist Nancy Cameron-Gilsey in running The Seaward Inn.

Ultimately, I think Chris is trying to caution everyone to keep their eye on the ball. To that end I would like for you to know more about Rose and how, over the years, she has kept her eye on the ball. Here, in her own words, is a little bit about Rose’s career:

“The only thing older than the Seaward Inn is the Atlantic Ocean and me, believe me I am no prize. I have always loved promoting events, etc. and have had a big appetite for music, all kinds. Love the musicals, Phantom of the Opera being my favorite, but I love the music of Barry White as well. Then there is all the music of the 50’s and 60’s, The Beatles, Peter Paul and Mary and before that the Andrew Sisters ..and of course Elvis. I could go on and on about music.

Perhaps you remember my coffee shop some 25 yrs. ago, Rosie’s Coffee Shop Plus in Brown’s Mall. That was put together on a whim, another one of my thinking outside the box ideas…I had fun with it for about three years and then sold it. Took it on when Main Street was dying and the businesses all left the Mall and it had become such a sad establishment. My shop became the heartbeat of the Mall and I tailored my shop to accommodate the clientele like Gloria Stevens …from special menu for dieters to the guys who pumped iron in the exercise club as well as the cops in the Police Station across the street. I’ve been a bookkeeper for years, having studied accounting through a Chrysler Dealership,.. worked at Boley’s back in the 50’s and then for Gloucester Dispatch and did bookkeeping on the side for various small businesses including the Outrigger at Rocky Neck. When the Cameron Sisters took back the Inn from leasing it, I came in to help Nancy start up the books and I’ve been at the Seaward Inn ever since.

I love the Inn, there is something very Special about it and when the economy tanked in Rockport I couldn’t bear to see our beautiful dining rooms empty, so I talked Nancy into bringing in the music …let locals enjoy the view and the Inn. She said we couldn’t afford it but I told her where there is a will there is a way and I asked her to give me a budget and let me give my ideas a try. Well, the rest is history.

Sunday Morning Live has been successful far beyond my expectations. We have had some really great performers at the Inn. I screen all, choose from the best and try to bring as much diversity as possible to the SML Series for the season. It has grown, and with the help of Judy at Webconsuls, our webmaster in Arizona, and other media we are getting the word out there and have quite a following already.

You wanted to know something about me, well there it is, not very interesting, and believe me, you are not missing anything by not meeting me.”

I don’t know about you, but I am glad I met Rose. She is an inspiration.

I’ll ask you again: “Do you imagine that you will still be productive when you are 82?”

Here you can enjoy a YouTube video of the Sunday Morning Live Series, 2009.

If you are having trouble viewing the video, you can see it here.

Related articles by Zemanta

Google Makes its Place Page More Engaging (searchenginejournal.com)
Google Places Allows Businesses to Respond to Reviews (stepforth.com)
Google takes aim at Get Satisfaction with new Google Places feature. (thenextweb.com)
Has Google Purged Places Of Yelp? All Signs Point To Yes. (techcrunch.com)
Taking Over a Business With Bad Google Maps Reviews? (seroundtable.com)

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Sometimes reporters will use the worn phrase “slow news month”. I think we used to associate “slow news month” with any summer month: school vacations, legislature vacations, summer holidays, etc. Let’s talk about July. It really is not a “slow news month” and historically it never has been. This July has been very busy…I will not count all the ways, but I did want to share with our readers some news stories about our Webconsuls’ clients. Some news is fun, some very serious, some inspiring…take a look for yourself.

On July 2, 2010, the AP reported “Teenager’s death puts focus on LA’s rave parties” and quoted John Lieberman of Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers.

Also on July 2, 2010, the Los Angeles Times presented “A plank slate for an oral surfing history” which reports about The Surfing Heritage Foundation’s latest project.

On July 4, 2010, the Hattiesburg American featured “Kids aim to help wildlife”. Here we get to meet Cade and Kathryn raising money for the wildlife affected by the Gulf oil spill. Their mom is Susan Slaughter of Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services.

On July 7, 2010, the Marco News offered “Power of suggestion: Local theaters find patrons’ suggestions- or a close substitution – serve them well”. This article featured Mark Danni, artistic director at TheatreZone in Naples, Florida.

On July 8, 2010, the Daily Fill reported “Top Rehab Experts Explain: How Could the Lindsay Lohan Debacle Have Been Avoided?” Again, Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers’ staff offered good advice for parents.

On July 15, 2010, the Arizona Daily Star detailed “Calling Mariachi Singers”. This is a fun article about La Fuente Restaurant hosting its second annual ‘idol’-like mariachi contest.

Finally, on July 22, 2010, the Orange County Register ran this story: “Olive Crest, churches team up to find homes for abused kids”. This article features Olive Crest’s involvement with the Safe Families program.

As they say, these are just a few stories, let me know if you have been in the NEWS.

P.S. For those of you wondering about my photo choice for this post, Los Angeles Times announcing the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics, here is the news flash: In July 1984, Dennis Helfand escorted a group of native Alaskans to these summer games. ARCO Alaska sponsored the trip and the Alaskan natives performed in the pre-games events and even appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson!!

Reading Time: 6 minutes

OLIVE CREST’S “SAFE FAMILIES FOR CHILDREN” PROGRAM TO BE FEATURED ON CBS NEWS
When: Tuesday May 4th, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: CBS Evening News with Katie Couric

The life-changing work of Olive Crest will be featured on National television on Tuesday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m., as CBS Evening News with Katie Couric reports on the impact of our work through our
Safe Families for Children program in Southern California.

The news report will showcase lives that have been touched these last few months by Olive Crest and its Safe Families program. And while we are not sure whether the reporters will mention Olive Crest’s name in their newscast, please know that they are reporting on their work. Chief Programs Officer, Dr. Karen Bergstrom, spent three days working with CBS to arrange the interviews and introduce the reporters to the Olive Crest team. Management guru Peter Drucker has said, “The product of a non-profit is a changed life.” You will see first hand the lives Olive Crest is changing in this eye-opening report.

Safe Families is a new church-based movement designed to help families and children facing temporary crises and needing temporary care. The non-government program mobilizes local churches and their members to help reduce child abuse and returns the church to the forefront of caring for local children and families in need. Volunteer families (trained by Olive Crest) open their homes to at-risk children (newborn through 18 years old) whose parents are experiencing a short-term emergency such as hospitalization or a long-term crisis such as drug abuse. Thanks to Safe Families, struggling parents do not have to lose their children to the child welfare system, and the children remain safe, loved and well cared for during a difficult time.

Mariners Church – Irvine, Calvary Chapel – Santa Ana, Cornerstone Bible – Garden Grove, Terra Nova – Lake Forest, Long Beach Fellowship, Calvary Church Capistrano Beach, Yorba Linda Friends Church, and Shoreline Church – San Clemente are among the Southern California churches whose members are actively participating in our Safe Families program. Olive Crest has been able to place 32 children and have attracted more than 200 people who have expressed a willingness help. Olive Crest coordinates the program in Southern California, which continues to expand throughout the regions we serve, providing the training for the volunteer families and monitoring the placements on an ongoing basis.

To learn more, tune into CBS News on Tuesday, May 4.

For the Children,

Reading Time: 8 minutes

So here we are with another one of those 40th anniversary Saturdays. Were you at Woodstock 1969? I am going to save you a lot of reading time. I was not at Woodstock 1969, but you all know I am old enough to have been there. It so happens that Woodstock took place in Bethel, New York, and at that time I lived in San Diego, California. I couldn’t travel to New York; I had to go to work every day for Wells Fargo Bank. But all this aside I would like to take just a few minutes today to honor the memory of Woodstock and, yes, I do have a friend who was at Woodstock and indeed performed at Woodstock!

We all either knew about the music festival or soon learned about it when 500,000 people showed up and the media decided to pay attention, most of us could not really appreciate the magnitude of this festival until the Academy Award Winning documentary “Woodstock”* was released March 26, 1970 (this film has been remastered and re-released in June 2009 to celebrate the 40th anniversary). Keep in mind the average 20 year old could not easily travel to New York State for a three day festival. There was no way to purchase tickets on-line or even by phone, in fact according to Wikipedia, the “ticket sales were limited to record stores in the greater New York City area, or by mail via a Post Office Box at the Radio City Station Post Office located in Midtown Manhattan.”

Over the years I have often thought back to that weekend. I remember sitting in the clubhouse of my apartment complex in the Hollywood Hills. It was then 1977 and in walked Richie Havens and he sat down next to me and introduced himself. Wow! Who will forget Richie Havens singing “Freedom”? But much later, actually around 2002, I had the pleasure of meeting Dallas Taylor. You might remember Dallas. He was the drummer for Crosby, Stills and Nash (CSN) and yes, he played at Woodstock. Dallas authored a book Prisoner of Woodstock. As mentioned on Amazon, Taylor provided the backbeat for some of the brightest stars of the Sixties and Seventies, most notably Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, with whom he performed at Woodstock. For more than 25 years Dallas has spent his time helping others find recovery. Last summer, Dennis and I enjoyed seeing Crosby, Stills and Nash on their Summer 2008 tour. It was quite the evening sitting in an open air arena with our oldest son, Aaron, enjoying great music and memories.

Prisoner tells two tales: one of Taylor’s successes and failures in the rock music business, and the other of his struggle with drug addiction.” Dallas has been our friend and client for many years and now with almost 25 years of sobriety Dallas continues to work with the music industry with Music Cares.

I have one more anecdote about Woodstock. I opened this blog by telling you I was not there, but I actually knew someone who was there; however, I also know someone who lived in New York City at the time, was 20 years old, had tickets to Woodstock, started the drive to Bethel and when he got stuck in traffic he decided to turn around and go home! (Of course, this may be an urban legend, but this person is Dennis’ first cousin.)

Sit back, take a break, rent the movie or in the meantime I invite you to watch a YouTube video of CSN Woodstock 1969

If you are having trouble viewing the video, you can see it here.

*Roger Ebert once said: “Woodstock is a beautiful, moving, ultimately great film. It seemed to signal the beginning of something. Maybe it signaled the end. Somebody told me the other day that the 1960s has “failed.” Failed at what? They certainly didn’t fail at being the 1960s. Now that the period is described as a far-ago time like “the 1920s” or “the 1930s,” how touching it is in this film to see the full flower of its moment, of its youth and hope. The decade began with the election of John F. Kennedy and ended as the last bedraggled citizens of Woodstock Nation slogged off the muddy field and thumbed a ride into a future that would seem, to many of them, mostly downhill.”

Any thoughts?

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Photosynthing is a great way for you to experience a remote location, in this case a museum display from anywhere on the internet. “The Surfing Heritage Foundation preserves the history of surfing for future generations. We collect, preserve, and document surf craft, print, photos, oral histories, art, cinematography, and surfing memorabilia. Through education and outreach we tell surfing’s story and bring its rich lore to life.”

Watch today as we roll out the new Surfing Heritage Website!!!

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Exactly one month ago I was on Facebook making a comment to a Webconsuls’ team member. Why I was commenting is not important; however, what I determined in the commenting process was that my team member did not have a US Passport. His exact words were: ‘Last time I left the country I didn’t need a passport, We don’t get out much…’ Don’t get out much? What if you have an emergency? What if you have an unexpected opportunity? The US Passport rules changed effective June 1, 2009. Who needs a US Passport?

The easiest answer to my rhetorical question is every US Citizen should have a US Passport. Effective June 1, 2009, US Citizens now need a Passport (or an enhanced Driver’s License issued by some states) to re-enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and 17 nations in the Caribbean region.

Perhaps you are wondering why I am discussing passports on a Saturday morning. Well, I learned a long time ago that having a passport just makes good sense. In 1981, Dennis had to travel on business to France. Before he left he insisted that Aaron and I get our passports, just in case there were an emergency and we had to travel to France. So 28 years ago this month Aaron and I were issued our first US Passports. (See the photos below).

Now let’s talk about today. Webconsuls has clients in foreign countries and while we have not yet traveled to visit our client in Cambodia or the Bruzzos in Italy, it could happen! Here in Tucson, the owner of La Fuente Restaurant recently asked us to travel to Mexico for an afternoon.

The up shot of my Facebook discussion with my team member is that this week our Tucson neighbor offered us the use of his condo in Rocky Point, Mexico(overlooking the Sea of Cortez). We called our team member and asked him if he wanted to go with us…but alas, no US Passport!

Who needs a US Passport? You tell me….

Reading Time: 4 minutes

About a week ago I sat in a wonderful Greek restaurant with my friend and client Will Bruzzo. Don’t worry…Dennis was there, as well. I have known Will for at least five years. He is a successful criminal defense attorney in Orange County, California. While having lunch we talked about Will’s parents, Aldo and Sarah. They own a villa and winery in Vicenza, Italy. Since 1985 Aldo and Sarah, with their son Alan, have been living the dream of owning an Italian vineyard.

As Will talked about their adventure he reminded me that Aldo and Sarah, whom I met a few years ago when they were visiting from Italy, have decided to retire and sell the villa and winery, Ca’ Bruzzo. The beautiful Ca’ Bruzzo Winery and Villa is for sale! Of course, my mind wandered back to 2003 when I first saw the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, and I recalled how Dennis and I were both so taken by the story that we rushed home to see how easy would it be to purchase an Italian villa. Such dreams…now instead of living under the Tuscan sun, I find myself living under the Tucson sun!

But I digress…seriously, did you ever dream of changing your lifestyle, learning a new trade? I think we all do this from time to time. But every once in a while people actually take the plunge and just do it! So, if you find yourself at a crossroads in your life and want to think about starting a new chapter, then I invite you to check out Ca’ Bruzzo. For all descriptive details and photos, you can visit Piedmont Properties.

Here is a YouTube video of Vicenza…enjoy.

Remember it is Saturday morning, the day for dreams. And when tonight comes, you might wish upon a star like a famous woodworker Geppetto and your dreams could come true.

Let me know if you decide to live your dream of owning an Italian vineyard.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

One area that had rising real estate prices in 2008 was Bangor Maine where the median price of a single family home actually rose by 7%.

The folks at eradawson.com have provided information on single family homes in the Bangor area and helpful information for first time home buyers.

A little history puts things in perspective.
Who can remember back to 1988? It was a good year. October 16th saw the highest weekly gain in the Dow Jones Industrial Average of 517 points and a year end close of 8416. The Federal Reserve Interest Rate was 8.25% and peace finally came to Northern Ireland. The US announced its first budget surplus in 30 years and Bill Clinton survived Impeachment.

In 1998 a gallon of gas averaged $1.03 a gallon, and the Median Single Family Home Price in the Greater Bangor Area was $69,450.00!

A lot has happen in ten years! During that time local realtors have sold 9,514 Single Family homes in the Greater Bangor Area and the CPI (Consumer Price Index) has grown about 50%.

Today, adjusted for inflation, gasoline is about the same price it was in 1998, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is off compared to its 1998 level – a lot, and the Median Single Family Home Price has RISEN by over 62% to $149,650!

Year end 2008 home price numbers for the Area that are even more compelling show that over the past 12 months, in what has been, nationally, a very serious housing slump, the Median Price for a Bangor Area home has RISEN BY 7%! Local home ownership has been a great investment over the decade showing a COMPOUND ANNUAL RATE OF RETURN OF over 6.2%!

We think that as the economy turns local real estate prices will continue to rise and urge those thinking about home ownership to get sound financial advice, meet with their lender to find out how much house they can afford, and find a REALTOR to represent them as a Buyer Agent.

Most first time home buyers in 2008 purchased homes in the $100,000 to$150,000 price range.

In Bangor and Brewer and surrounding towns (Glenburn, Hampden, Hermon, Holden, Old Town, Orono, Orrington and Veazie) 251 homes sold in this affordable price range.
In 2007 the average sale price of these homes was $126,500 and over the past year rose to $127,350.

This is a clear indication that, in the affordable price range, home values remain very stable, in spite of declines of home prices elsewhere. It is also an indication of the strength of the Bangor area market economy and should give home buyers confidence in real estate as a solid investment.

If you are considering buying real estate, take advantage of low interest rates and reasonable prices early in the year while demand is relatively low and position yourselves, with financing in place, to find the home of your dreams! Contact an agent today.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The next drum legend may be born on the drumkit in “Guitar Hero World Tour“, Ella got one and I think Lisa and I having more fun playing it than anyone. In this “game” from Electronic Arts you get a drum kit, a guitar hero guitar and a microphone, and you must all match the timing and the notes on screen as they scroll past. For those of you with your own budding Hanna Montana’s this is a great way to bring the whole family together for some rock and rolling good times! Not only can you play songs from Van Halen, Boston, Jimmy Hendrix and Steely Dan, you can also record your own tunes for later playback or even share them online with your friends. As for the McClure family drummer, Lisa is watching this clip from our friend, Crosby Stills and Nash drummer, Dallas Taylor showing us how to do a basic drum beat and paradiddles with drum lesson #1.

Did your family get Guitar Hero World Tour this holiday season? DO YOU ROCK?

Reading Time: 11 minutes

Borrowing from a Ray Barone quote in an episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond”: “I think I know one thing that can make this year all better…editing. When all is said and done we will only remember the good stuff. I think you’re gonna remember about 2008 what you want to remember.” And so today Webconsuls wants to wish all of our clients a healthy and joyous holiday season and take a few minutes to remind you about some of the “good stuff” that our clients and we have enjoyed this year. We hope you will enjoy the memories…

Client side…

UCLA Division of Interventional Neuroradilogy is featured on NBC Nightly News
On November 28, 2008, NBC Nightly News aired a segment that featured Dr. Gary Duckwiler as he discussed the new scan technology available to target aneurysms, allowing doctors to find the problems and fix them before they cause major problems. If you visit their site you can watch the NBC video.

Visions Adolescent Treatment Center featured on the Today Show
Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Chief Medical Editor for NBC News, talked with Matt Laurer on December 11, 2008, regarding “Teens Abusing Prescription Drugs”. This segment featured Visions Teen Adolescent Treatment Center, their Medical Director Dr. David Lewis and three Visions’ clients who are in recovery from prescription drug abuse. While the statistics on this problem are alarming, the segment offers valuable advice for parents and teens. You can view the video here.

Lodge at Moosehead Lake receives Four Star Diamond Award
In July 2008, Linda and Dennis Bortis, Lodge at Moosehead Lake innkeepers, were notified by the Automobile Club of America that once again their beautiful inn has been designated with the Four Star Diamond Award. According to AAA: “The 1,915 AAA Four Diamond Award winners include 1,159 lodgings and 756 restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Only 3.2 percent of the 60,000 AAA Diamond rated lodgings and restaurants received the prestigious designation.” This is the 14th year that the Lodge at Moosehead Lake has received this award and we offer our congratulations to Linda and Dennis.

Lou Ursone, Executive Director of Curtain Call, Inc, Awarded Fellowship
This past January “the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT) announced that Lou Ursone has been awarded the Elizabeth L. Mahaffey Arts Administration Fellowship for 2008, in recognition of his outstanding arts management abilities as executive director of Curtain Call, Inc., a community theater in Stamford. The annual Mahaffey Fellowship of $2,500 acknowledges the important role administrators play in Connecticut’s arts industry and is to be used for professional development activities. The fellowship is named in honor of Elizabeth Mahaffey, who contributed significantly to the development of arts administrators in the state during her 23-year career with the Commission.” Congratulations to Lou.

Leah Di Bernardo, chef and owner of Delyte’s Catering, featured in Press Enterprise Cooking Video Delyte’s Catering is located in the beautiful wine country of California’s Temecula Valley. Leah is an active member of “Slow Food” Nation and is the president of the Slow Food Temecula Valley. So it is not surprising that the Press Enterprise invited Leah to be featured on one of their cooking videos, “Chef Leah Di Bernardo cooks Chicken Cacciatore on Chinese black rice.”

And just in case you have not heard of the “Slow Food” movement, you can read Time Magazine’s Article, “Can Slow Food Feed the World?” to learn more.

Olive Crest, Homes and Services for Abused Children, Gets $1 Million Grant to Finish Coachella Center December 8, 2008, The Desert Sun reported that our client, Olive Crest, received long awaited funds to complete their Coachella Valley Children’s Center. This is good news for the children and for Olive Crest, an organization that has since 1973 provided loving care for over 40,000 children and families.

The good news stories continue: Seaward Inn will open for their 65th Season this coming spring; Susan Slaughter, FACHE, Director of Business Development at Pine Grove Behavioral Health Services, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare leaders and Pine Grove and Forrest General hosted a ceremony at the Pine Grove campus this past October to celebrate an inspiring project. Officials unveiled The Paul McMullan Circle of Healing Plaza and sculpture as a part of the Pine Grove Spiritual Grounds project, representing the organizations’ promise to positively affect lives; The Whalewalk Inn & Spa was featured in the August 2008 Travel and Leisure’s article about “The Best of Cape Cod”; and Cottonwood de Tucson received a mention in Showtime’s popular television series Weeds!

Webconsuls’ side…

Working with and for our clients over that past year has been both fulfilling and challenging for Webconsuls’ team. We strive to keep you abreast of new SEO and SMO ideas, teaching many of you about the efficacy of blogging about your business and even committing to post to our own blog on a daily basis. We hope you will take a few minutes to read our blog regularly, as we are sure you will find good tips and stories. We worked with many of you in redesigning your websites and we updated our website homepage to include a rotating “thumbnail” of new site designs. This rotation serves to give new exposure for many of you.

Some members of our team reached milestones in their own lives… Malik Moosa completed his BS Degree in Business Administration at California State University Long Beach in Spring 2008. His major course of study was Information Systems, E-Commerce Track. Malik began assisting Webconsuls in early 2006, by updating current web-sites and designing new sites for Webconsuls’ clients. Malik’s skill set includes, Macro-media Dreamweaver, Swish MAX, Advance HTML, DHTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Actionscript, MySQL Database, Adobe – Photoshop CS2, PageMaker 6, Illustrator 8, Premiere, and Acrobat. Malik also became engaged and plans an April 2009 wedding.

Keith Hansen our Pay Per Click specialist announced this month that he and his wife are expecting their first baby in April 2009. In the meantime, Keith continues to work closely with many of our clients guiding them through the every changing world of pay-per-click.

Looking ahead

2009 promises to be an interesting year for all of us. We look forward to working with you and we welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. We would love to hear from you when you have exciting and interesting news about your business. We will include this news in our Webconsuls’ blog.

Happy Holidays,
Dick, Dennis and Judy

Reading Time: 2 minutes

On Thursday November 11th, NBC’s Today Program featured Visions Teen. The program was about teens using prescription drugs and becoming addicted. Within minutes of the program airing our client Visions Teen Adolescent Treatment was able to post this video to their blog. Not only was this helpful information for the blog readers but the traffic to their website during the following week increased dramatically.

This is an example of how important it is for you to update your website or blog with videos and news articles about your business.

If you need assistance in adding videos to your blog or website please contact Webconsuls.

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How do you decide on what colors to use for your website?

This is the question you start with when designing a website and could determine how the website will look based on your decision. Webconsuls has recently designed Affirmations website which gives a soothing yet bright feeling. Located in Scottsdale, AZ the website’s colors catch the user’s eyes and yet still hold the peace of mind that it is a recovery center. The colors were easier to play with given that the company logo is a simple yellow logo which gives me room to play with a wide range of colors.

To give you an idea of how to relate a theme of the website with the company it belongs to, let’s take a look at some of the sites Webconsuls has designed. Hardhat Presentations has a blueprint in the background since it is a construction business. La Fuente Restaurant gives off a feeling of an authentic Mexican restaurant. Click here to see a partial listing of the sites designed by Webconsuls.

Websites should give the feeling of the company when entering a site. Two things that always help a designer is the logo which is initially the first thing we look at when designing a website and the pictures provided. What you write about your company and the pictures you chose to present your company are what the people see. Therefore, having a professional photographer take photos of your business/facility and your staff is a great investment.

The simple the logo, the more flexibility a designer has to work with. The more complex the logo, the less options you may have depending on the color scheme you are going for.

Websites such as Colors on the Web and ColorScheme are great tools to help you decide on color contrasts that are appealing and catch your eye.

How does your site look?

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Have you ever been to Rockport, MA? I have not, even though I lived in New England for 12 years. Amazing, isn’t it? For 12 years I lived in New Hampshire, but my life as an innkeeper didn’t allow for much leisure time to visit all of the beautiful spots that New England has to offer. But this summer I was able to get to know Rockport, MA and more particularly The Seaward Inn because innkeeper, Nancy Cameron-Gilsey (a Certified Social Worker!), requested that I help her update her website. You see Nancy has been a Webconsuls’ client since November 2000; in fact The Seaward Inn is one of our oldest clients, both literally and figuratively. On May 7, 2009, The Seaward Inn will open for their 65th Season! This being Saturday morning I invite you to learn a little more about The Seaward and Rockport, MA.

It was 1945, well before Nancy’s birth, when Nancy’s parents first purchased the large home situated on five acres in Rockport, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. World War II had ended and Roger and Anne Cameron opened their home to summer guests. Rockport is a small town about 25 miles north of Boston and it sits on the tip of the Cape Ann Peninsula. Rockport is picturesque; in fact, Walt Disney Productions has listed Rockport Harbor as one of the ten most scenic places in the United States. Rockport is just a short drive from Gloucester, MA, which you will remember from the movie and book, The Perfect Storm (2000). And, yes, the cast and crew stayed at The Seaward during the filming of this fabulous movie. But I digress…back to the website update.

Nancy’s site is not large, about 15 pages. It was designed many years ago, prior to Webconsuls being retained to do the search engine optimization(SEO) for the site. The site update started with a simple inquiry from Nancy about how to incorporate new photos and how to upgrade the information found on her “Area Attractions” page. I told Nancy I would review the site and then my research began in earnest. Since I love history, I found myself reading everything I could find about Rockport, Dogtown, Motif #1, and then I had long conversations with Nancy about all the famous guests that she and her family have welcomed to the inn. It was all so interesting.
As the weeks progressed, Nancy and I stayed in touch. She sent me the new photos, shared the history of the inn, and introduced me to her long time employee…Rose Marie Leal. Then one day Nancy and Rose told me about their latest adventure at The Seaward…their “Sunday Morning Live” series. Their Sunday Buffet by the Sea features live musical entertainment and it is open to the public. With this bit of information Rose and I went into high gear and a video was born, with the help of our Support Technician, Dan. You can enjoy the video here featuring images of The Seaward and the music of The Barbara & Al Boudreau Jazz Trio.

I look forward to visiting The Seaward Inn, touring Rockport, meeting Nancy and Rose in person. I am glad I had the chance to work on this project with them; it was a labor of love for them and became one for me. Having been an innkeeper and knowing what this life is like, I know that every decision you make is for your guests and Nancy and Rose work very hard to make every visitor feel welcomed. So, if you have never been to Rockport, why not put it on your short list? Remember, The Seaward is only open from May through October every year.
Tomorrow The Seaward Inn will close out their 2008 season, winter will come and go, and just as sure as the daffodils and crocus will bloom next spring, Nancy will be ready to welcome guests for their 65th season. I am sure her parents would be very proud.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Music is a universal language, it has no boundaries – no limits. When we find ourself in trouble or heartache the only thing that can make us happy is music. I live for music and my music lives through me, it is how I communicate with myself and others.

In the past the only way people could experience their music is with their ears, the only bands with music videos were big and commercialized. Digital Video Cameras and YouTube have allowed musicians to share their music across the spectrum. Everyone with a computer or an IPhone have the ability to watch and listen to your art. Flip cameras are a dream come true when it comes to sharing the experience of music. You can record a video and instantly upload it from your camera to a computer and spread it across the universe via YouTube and Google Video. The band that I am in has taken full advantage of Flip Cameras to help us share our music with the world. The image quality, as well as sound, is amazing!

Anybody who has a message, musical or not, has the ability to share it now. Flip cameras help musicians as well as businesses spread their word online like never before. Here are a couple examples of Flip videos:

Whiskey Change’s “West Love Blues”

La Fuente Restaurant Tucson Arizona

Reading Time: 6 minutes

For years I was a fan of the television show “Everybody Loves Raymond”. Even today if I just want to take a break I might tune in to watch a rerun of this show. One of my favorite episodes was #171 which first aired in 2003. If you are a fan, you might remember “Robert’s Wedding” as a day when Marie Barone (Robert’s mother)interrupts the wedding ceremony as the minister asks if anyone knows of a reason why Robert and Amy should not be married. Later at the reception Raymond is asked to give a toast which was probably one of the most touching scenes of the entire series. Referring to his mother’s interruption of the wedding ceremony, Raymond opens his toast by saying: “I think I know one thing that can make this day all better…editing. When all is said and done we will only remember the good stuff. I think you’re gonna remember about today what you want to remember.”

Editing as defined by Websters means:1 a: to prepare (as literary material) for publication or public presentation b: to assemble (as a moving picture or tape recording) by cutting and rearranging c: to alter, adapt, or refine especially to bring about conformity to a standard or to suit a particular purpose .

Editing as it applies to your website can be critical. Your text, photos, videos, and documents should all be carefully reviewed. This process takes time and almost always requires the efforts of more than one person, as we all know after you look at text long enough your eye doesn’t catch all of the misspellings, grammatical mistakes, etc. The same applies to photo and video editing. Photos and videos are powerful. Original unedited photos or videos can make us laugh out loud or cry. Perhaps that is why Google videos and YouTube are so successful. We can see people at their best and worst, for the most part unedited.

Recently Webconsuls was asked to make some videos of the mariachi performers at La Fuente Restaurant in Tucson, AZ. The stage area is almost completely surrounded by dining tables and walking paths for the waitstaff and guests. Try as I might, everytime I would try to shoot a video people, other than the musicians, would come into the field of view. But I videoed about eight songs and sent them to our SMO specialist to “edit.” Much to my surprise he decided to put up all of the videos on Google videos and one in particular is very comical. The song being performed is Guadalajara. As you watch this “unedited” version you will see patrons and staff cross in front of the stage, then suddenly the parking lot security guard comes into view and stops in front of the performers to “check out” the tip basket. It gets better. Within a few seconds, Dennis, my husband, gets up from his table and proceeds to walk to the tip basket to make a donation! By now I just keep shooting only to see the security guard come back through camera’s angle of view “dancing” to the music.

To appreciate the art of editing, I invite you to preview both videos. Here is a link to the unedited version and here is a link to the edited version of this performance. Editing…only remembering the good stuff. This weekend we will update La Fuente Restaurant’s website to include the “edited” version of Guadalajara. I hope you will visit their site. La Fuente has been in business since 1959 and has a colorful history.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

You can write great text for your website and the search engines will crawl your site. Hopefully the search engines will like your text, consider it new and unique, but the bottom line is when the human being clicks on your site they usually look at the photos or videos first. Why is this? To my way of thinking it is human nature. We are looking for a connection and our brains focus first on photos and videos. It is a quicker connection. Viewing a photo about a product or service is sometimes easier than taking the time to read. The photo to the left was taken on 9/5/08 at 7:00AM. By 10:00AM the flower had closed, never to reopen again. I could write an essay about this cactus, but the image tells you all you need to know. One moment in time!

Let’s face it, we use photos and videos throughout our daily life. When tragedy strikes some of the first items that people will try to save are their photos and videos. The photos and videos help to validate one’s heritage and existence. This phenomenon might explain why those of us who grew up being filmed by our parents using a Bell & Howell 8mm now spend an excessive amount of time and money to have these old films converted to DVDs. And so it is when you use photos and videos on your website. The site and the services/products become tangible.

For almost ten years Webconsuls has worked with their clients to provide original photos that can tell the story. Furthermore, we sometimes were given videos or slide shows to work with; however, this medium was in its infancy stage on the internet. Enter Google videos and YouTube.

In a recent article from Site Pro News, Randy Zlobec states, “On YouTube alone (which accounts for more than ninety-eight percent of the videos viewed via Google), more than eighty-two million people watched over four billion videos last year. That makes YouTube both the top video sharing site and the top video search engine. YouTube receives as much as thirteen hours of new user-submitted video every minute, and more than fifty percent of the people watching videos online share links with other people. So, getting a good YouTube ranking could be an important way to bring people to your site.”

If you are interested in having Webconsuls create a video for your site, remember this can be accomplished by using still photos. We invite you to look at two samples: Saco River Canoe & Kayak’s Fall Color on the Saco River (this video also provides closed captions) or Cottonwood de Tucson’s Equine Therapy for Addiction Recovery (this video includes original music specifically written for the video).

Check back next week for a short discussion on editing!

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