You Need A Web Strategy
A few people know I’ve been working on a book about web strategy for the last few months. The book has now morphed into a website, which is finally ready to go.
My new site is You Don’t Need A “Website”, You Need A Web Strategy. It highlights the need for a solid foundation strategy for activities online and will offer inspiration, information and case studies. I’ll also be looking to include some excerpts here on salience.com.au.
As a cherry on top, I’ll be releasing an e-book shortly that further expands on the site’s Manifesto. In fact, sign up for the newsletter by the end of June and you’ll receive a pre-release copy of the e-book FREE.
If you’re interested in coming along for the journey, follow along on Twitter, join the movement or catch the updates on Tuesdays and Fridays.
iPhone optimised
It’s remarkably easy to optimise content for the iPhone as it is based on the Safari found in Mac OS X.
I’ve had something online for the last few months, but recently decided to create a more sophisticated version. Let’s be original and call it a beta. Try it for yourself: grab an iPhone or iPod touch and go to: salience.com.au.
Tips to remember when developing for the iPhone:
- There’s two ways to develop: either create a site that replaces the regular HTML on an iPhone (which is what I’ve done), or create a site that mirrors the regular site with new CSS optimised for the iPhone. Note that either way you may need to alter the content you can deliver. Both are really easy.
- It’s a rare (and enjoyable) thing to only develop one version of something and know that by testing it on one device it will be good on all of them. How often do you get that on the web?
- Create a homepage icon to add a level of professionalism
- Since the Safari browser on the iPhone renders HTML really nicely, you could just leave your site the way it is. Except for one pesky problem: the user. Optimising your site is a little effort for a far better experience for the person that matters most.
If you would like help in creating mobile versions of your content, feel free to contact me for more information.
Standards
My family and I recently spent some time in country Victoria. During our trip, we decided to visit Sovereign Hill, a gold-rush period tourist attraction in Ballarat. While surrounded by calico tents and horse coaches, I was reminded of the standards and conventions we use online by the dresses women chose to buy in the 1850s. It was a practical convention in both form and function and a standard practice of the time.
Some women had dresses that had the buttons on the back, while others had them on the front. The difference? Single women needed the buttons on the front, but married women could have their husbands assist them, so wore their buttons on the back of the dress.
Not only was this a practical convention or standard, it communicated instantly to everyone if you were married or not.
These are the best type of standards. They have a benefit for you and others.
Are you using the conventions of the web to your advantage – both to yourself and your users?
Digital is the word
One of my esteemed colleagues, Charles Rallings (in fact, ‘colleague’ would give the impression that we were equals… He’s the Kung Fu master), appears in this month’s Marketing magazine. As I mention elsewhere, in my opinion, he should have been quoted more often.
It got me thinking – most marketing and advertising entities still think of digital as a channel that can be set to the side where it can complement the other stuff you do. Those who continue in this thinking will go the way of the dinosaur.
Unlike other media, the concept of ‘digital’ is more than a marketing channel. It’s more than a method of delivery. It is the opportunity to change the game is so many ways. Ideas can be communicated and delivered in ways that have never existed before.
But the challenge in an environment – where traditional businesses like newspapers are dying in the face of free online content, and where online development cannot be seriously considered as a profit-centre – is how to make money when the old-school ways are soon to stop working.
The long tail is the future.
The Perfect Time for Bad News
I’m tired of hearing about the “Global Economic Crisis”. I know it’s real. People are hurting, and this situation will probably get worse for a while to come.
But if you haven’t noticed, companies take the opportunity to announce losses and workforce rationalisations (or move the jobs overseas). Even if they are not truly necessary. Of course companies are suffering, but it’s naive to think most businesses will not take the opportunity to use the current economic climate to reduce costs.
The question is: at what cost to marketing?
Photoshop
Who needs a computer?
Question? Answer.
Should I answer my own question? I should answer my own question.
Wow.
This thought commenced existing on . PermalinkPropel Water
Through Tribal DDB, Salience developed the Australian version of Gatorade’s Propel Water microsite. It is based on the US version of the same site and includes video player functionality.
The site launched November 1, 2008 in conjunction with a TVC campaign.
Blogging from iPhone
Finally I have the WordPress app for iPhone working.
I can even post photos…
