I just posted a video about WolframAlpha. It’s a new kind of engine. It’s not a search engine like Google, Yahoo, or MSN which displays lots of different results. Ideally, it displays the exact answer you are looking. So, what does it mean for me…and why should it matter? Those are good questions and again I don’t know the answer. However, I think you should at least be aware of some of these really incredible technologies out there.

Check it out below.

Also, no making fun of me because this is my first screen cast.
Being in the video mood, here’s a great video about Google Local Business Center. I think it’s very well put together.

So you have a great website, you update it frequently, and you are clever and targeted in your content choices. That’s great, but what is it doing for you? You can have the most useful or sought after business information posted up there, but unless people know about it, it isn’t doing you any good.  You need to make your web presence work for you, and reap the rewards of all your electronic efforts.

Increasing people’s knowledge of your web presence can either be dramatically involved, or relatively simple. On the simple side, don’t send out an e-mail that doesn’t have your website address within the body at some point. It sounds like a no-brainer, but many businesspeople forget to put their web address in their missives.  Keeping it in your signature at the end ensures that everyone is aware of you.  Along the same lines, consistently direct people to your website for answers to questions or more information, (of course this requires that you have useful and up-to-date information available). Getting people in the habit of going to your website, and having your address burned into their brains are the easiest way to build up traffic.  Make sure all your marketing material and media (business cards, letterhead, corporate vehicles, stationary, toilet paper, etc) has your website prominently featured.  I’d have my website be my license plate if I could….Wait..hmmmm, can I?

Don’t be afraid of jumping into the big social media stew too. Friendster, Linked In, My Space, Facebook, Twitter and their ilk all are basically free opportunities for you to supplement your website’s features. Mirror the information, and constantly direct people to your address.  Now remember, for all this to work, you’ve got to have the website up-to-date. There is no bigger turn-off than website with incorrect info. Take the time every week to make sure all your essentials are current. What good is a snazzy website if your phone number is wrong?

Include interesting content and features, which make web visitors want to return. It can be anything, from images of your latest project to your own musings on New England versus Manhattan Clam Chowder (I vote, New England!).  Newsflash: Most web use happens during work hours, when visitors are tired of working on their latest spreadsheet or drudgery report. Visitors appreciate personal touches, humor, and good old quality information. Websites can be impersonal, but they don’t necessarily have to be. You can capture the attention and interest of the skillions of web surfers with some simple, clever, witty commentary. And if “witty” is not your style, or doesn’t fit your product or service, provide detail, industry news, product specs, or other information that will be a value-added service to your visitors.

Finally, open up your mind (and this sometimes means cracking your wallet just a bit…) to expanding your features. Video components, integrated social media tools, and animation all might sound tricky and expensive – but you will increase your attention and your hits with some small and minor fabu features. Have your best customers talk about your company, or show clips of random acts of brilliant creativity around the office. Blogs? Obviously, we love blogs…Make all the components easily out-linked, so your visitors can pass them to others – making you a viral hit!

I can’t remember if it was a college professor, or the guy with the “THE END IS NEAR” sandwich board who stands outside of my drycleaner that said, “Content is king!”  It’s true, even if the crazy guy said it. It’s not necessarily how much you say, when you say it, or where you say it – but HOW you say it that matters.  The right content can take a sweet site into the stars, while the wrong content can have your users scurrying away like rats.

Any, and all, content on your website should mirror your organization or businesses personality. I don’t recommend being too edgy if you’re a physical therapist or banker. Those might be occupations that would benefit from plain, simple, in-english-please bits of information about services and opportunities that you offer. Remember, your audience may not have, (or want) the degrees or knowledge you do.  People are going to click off your site if  they find your site too preachy, uppity, or uber-educated.

Now, if your company likes to think of itself as a cutting-edge, or sophisticated, or avante guard operation – then your website better express that as well. Content is again, key.  Witty writing and clever banter between employees or top clients, artsy pictures, and links to topical and fascinating news items will help you express yourself and your corporate image. If you can’t find the write people in-house to generate the “right write”, then ask around and find a writer who scrawls the way you speak.  Humor is perfect in just the right dose, and accessible style and snap always makes people remember you.

Don’t overload people with too much extraneous information.  One to three blogs on your site or topic are smart, and give people choices and different voices. But beware of saturating your portal with way to much noise.  Even with different contributors or writers, make sure there is a common thread that empowers your business and doesn’t distract from your core values. Daily updates on your toy train collection just aren’t cute on your CPA site… making your site fun is one thing, but business is business!

Fresh content should be added regularly, don’t be stale. The first couple times you attempt to update, you might find yourself suffering from writers block or a lack of imagination. It’s totally common, so sit back and let your mind wander. Or ask the intern to do it!  Your family, friends, and coworkers all might have interesting insights and ideas that can bring some zing to your site. Don’t be shy about hiring outside help. Our fine colleges kick out plenty of gifted writers every year, and many will work for peanuts! (Sometimes even real peanuts…or cheese)!

Think about the websites that you read regularly, and use their format and style as inspiration. Read other people’s sites for ideas, but make yours as original as possible. If you find something on another site that is interesting, link to it – as long as they aren’t a competitor! If you’re running a gym, talking about nutritional tips and linking to sites that talk about food makes sense. It’s not your content, and you might be sending people “out to eat”, but your still providing your loyal readers with news. Keep your content, and your linked items fresh and hip, and people will quickly make you their one-stop shop. They’ll thank you by coming back for more.

Unless you have been living under a rock…in a cave…on Mars…You have probably heard of the social media storm engulfing our modern world. Sites like Facebook and Myspace and Twitter are dominating people’s free time, (and often their work-time) and have created new opportunities for the way you can promote your business. While it is okay to be scared of this flurry of information, don’t be an old fuddy-duddy, adapt to the times and hop onboard.

Myspace.com is a social media site that allows for the easy set up of webpages to promote just about anything. Yourself, your business, your hobby, your child-like obsession – it’s all out there. Myspace is graphic heavy, and allows for the easy import of video, music, and all kinds of promotional tools. Especially popular with bands, movies, and entertainment endeavors, Myspace is an easy way to get the word out about your organization to a gazillion groupies. Cutting edge and funky, MySpace isn’t the most professional place in the world to advertise your chiropractic services, but if you have a killer dance party it’s perfect.

Facebook, which along with MySpace have been collectively dubbed “MyFace,” is a leaner, meaner and cleaner site with plenty of features to keep you busy. Facebook offers users to create EVENT listings, which can be sent to a bevy of international friends. Whether you are planning an art opening, a charity auction, a retail sale, or just about any special moment. It’s also an easy and carefree way of staying in instant touch with your friends and clients. Many people update and monitor Facebook like it is their REAL job, so having a subtle presence there can give you an edge on your competitors.

Twitter is a relatively new site that allows for small 140 character updates to be disseminated to a group of followers. “Tweets” can be personal (“I left my cell phone at home.”) or business-y (Citigroup to lower some mortgage payments) or even esoteric (Why is that dog barking at me?) Add links to your “tweets” that help build buzz about you and your business, or direct visitors to your website. On the flipside, many local and national media outlets, PR groups, and civic organizations use Twitter as a ‘information mine” – and on a slow news day, will actually ask if anyone has anything interesting! Fox News and CNN have been known to pick up stories they discovered on Twitter, and Comcast has significantly changed customer views by interacting with people and answering questions. TLA Entertainment Group has increased web traffic by 34% thru their “tweets”. The Sundance Film Festival publicized last minute changes in their program thru Twitter, allowing for people to literally get instant gratification. Who doesn’t want that?

Much of this might sound daunting or a bit overwhelming, and you are right – it can be. But young and old early adapters who are available to help have conquered much of the social media juggernaut. You can hire experts, or probably turn to the closest 16 year-old you know. As the internet generation gets older, savvy businesses need to communicate with them in the realm they feel most comfortable. Don’t be left out in the e-cold, work social media to get the message out about your great endeavors.