JoeyKovar.com

Chicago’s Own Joey Kovar is getting a website

J to the O to the E’s Blurbs
The greatness of another man is not determined by being superior to another man, but by being superior to HIS former self!….

link

Coming Soon…

Guardianlike?
If staffers get their way, a redesigned Trib might end up with a European feel.

By Michael Miner July 10, 2008

By mid-September, a source at the Chicago Tribune tells me, that paper “will look and feel vastly different.” But however much the Trib changes, it won’t be presenting its reconfigured self as the newspaper of the future. The newspaper business has pretty well conceded that its future is online, which means the print Tribune is deciding how to dress smartly for its funeral.

Link

CHICAGO, IL — 07/08/08 — Hansa Marketing Services USA today introduced their Search Engine Optimization Services to help websites stand out in Internet searches by improving coding, structure and presentation.

Global companies such as Celstream Technologies, Trident Hotels, Edutech, and Concorde Housing are experiencing a high return on investment through an increase in the quality and quantity of website traffic and sales. Hansa Marketing Services’ Web experts and their scientific-approach to search engine optimization enhance searchability organically and enable search terms to be more effective.

“Our approach has been so successful and results so strong that we guarantee customers’ websites will be listed on the first page of search results,” said Jeff Stewart, president of Hansa Marketing Services USA. “We know that most people don’t read past the second page of search results, so being on that first page is a really important success factor.”
 

Link

By Craig Reardon

Web designers often reach for ready-made products to solve business problems rather than building customised solutions. But in doing so they may be servicing their own needs more than yours.

When it comes to technology, professionals working for larger firms are more than familiar with the notion of “build or buy” – a term that refers to the decision on the part of the organisation to either have a technology solution custom built by a developer or bought by an “off-the-shelf” solutions provider.

link

TECH MATTERS | After losing flagship store on Michigan Avenue, Garrett Popcorn turns to the Web

BY BRAD SPIRRISON brad@midwestbusiness.com
Garrett Popcorn CEO Scott Schroeder does not sugarcoat his words.

Six weeks after Garrett lost the lease to its flagship location at 670 N. Michigan, Schroeder recognizes that his company needs to plant new seeds to make up for the lost business.

“The loss could not have come at a worse time,” he said. “Imagine your number one client walking away just as the economy is tanking.”

Schroeder shared this kernel of truth during a recent panel discussion hosted by the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce that focused on how to “recession-proof” your business. In an economy more salty than sweet, Schroeder is investing heavily in the Internet.

link

The coolest character to use in your email signature
When you want to separate a bunch of information on one line, what do you use? Let us look at some options.

The pipe
Your Name | Fancypants Title | Acme Widgets
Classic, although it’s essential to use two spaces before and after the pipe, otherwise it looks like an l (that’s a lower case L)

The bullet
Your Name • Fancypants Title • Acme Widgets
Very institutional

The tilde
Your Name ~ Fancypants Title ~ Acme Widgets
So early 2000s. This is like putting an orbital shape by your logo. Don’t do it! oh noooo!

Monday, 7 July 2008 By Craig Reardon

Perhaps your website went down at a critical time, or worse, never got up at all. Maybe you can’t be found on Google at all, no matter what you try. Or your developer went belly up half way through your website development, leaving you with nothing but legal recovery bills.

In a still nascent industry like the web (still only 13 years since achieving “critical mass” in 1995), its common to find a lack of industry standards and compliance. And everyone from your nephew to the local computer store thinks they can provide you with a great website and often it’s only through painful experience you realize that there’s slightly more to it than being handy with DreamWeaver.

Of course smaller organizations are most exposed as they can’t always afford the time or money to do things as professionally as they would like – and suffer the myriad of consequences.

So just to assure you that you’re no Robinson Crusoe when it comes to website disasters, heres the top 10 website disasters I’ve come across in recent years.

Link

Blame yourself

RTFM!

Aman Goyal July 05, 2008

Business and website go hand in hand. Website is the focal point of your business, interacting with your customers and clients round the clock. People judge you by your covers and this is where a good looking website design steps in. A professional website layout puts your business where it matters the most- in front of your customers and set you apart from the noise and clatter of your competition. How many times have you walked in a store which appears shabby? I bet you avoid stepping in, leave alone doing business with them. The same rule applies to your website- it is your virtual storefront and by designing an eye catching website, you are bound to turn a few heads and keep visitors coming back.

Picture this- your website acts as your storefront, your web layout and design the first impression your customers get, your content acts as brochure and catalogs for your customers to browse through, would you be willing to take a chance with any of the pointers that directly affect your business? A professional looking website layout portrays that your website means business. A website should be designed like a car with the purpose it needs to serve in mind. What´s the use of creating a vehicle without passengers? Getting a good looking website does not necessarily cost you a fortune. A well thought out website design would not only add value to your website but open up host of revenue avenues for your website besides creating value to your business. Making your website easily accessible and providing relevant content with your business niche creates a winning combination.

Link

Easily gather, organize, and share your work with Acrobat 9.
Adobe® Acrobat® 9 Pro Extended software can enable faculty and students to reliably create, combine, and share media-rich PDF documents, resulting in more engaging communication and collaboration.
Check out the new enhancements:

•  Unify a wide range of content in a PDF Portfolio. Faculty and students
  can easily assemble documents, spreadsheets, presentations, e-mail, web pages, and video in a single, customized Adobe PDF Portfolio.
• Use Adobe Presenter software to leverage existing Microsoft PowerPoint content to develop self-paced courses and virtual classes that students can view online virtually anytime.
• With Acrobat 9 video integration, faculty and students can instantly play back content—right within the PDF file—no video player required.

David A. Utter | Staff Writer

If you spend much time online, there’s a good chance you have a greater affinity for technology than the average person.

Something new comes along, and you’re looking for a reason to give it a try. It’s fun, and it could be rewarding too.

Lisa Barone looked at the current state of search marketing and SEO, courtesy of Andrew Goodman’s assessment of SEO and recent trends. There’s a lot of curiosity and love for the latest and greatest ways to attract attention, she noted:

Link 

Chicago Search Engine Optimization