The Scoop from Famous Davis

Willmar Chamber Connection

Thu, 08 May 2008 14:56:21 GMT

Calling all Willmar Lakes Area Chamber Members! The Chamber Connection tomorrow morning will be hosted by Life Science Innovations at the MinnWest Technology Campus. Please consider taking the time tomorrow morning to come out to Minnwest and meet Life Science Innovations as well as some of the other businesses that are located on this beautiful campus.

This event starts at 7:30am and will be held in the MinnWest Commons Cafeteria (There will be signs directing to you the correct building). A 30 minute campus tour will be available at the conclusion of the Chamber Connection. We hope to see you there!

Tags: Willmar Lakes Area Chamber, Connection, MinnWest, Life Science Innovations

Microsoft Product Launch Recap

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:20:37 GMT

Nick here. I'm going to just have to go ahead and say that the Microsoft product launch I attended was great! I came home with a few new tips and tricks as well as some new and improved tools to create your websites with. I could go into detail on these, but It's really stuff that the geeks out there like to know (If you classify yourself as that, then by all means shoot me an e-mail!)

Perhaps two topics that MS touched on will be relevant to you, the reader. These are probably not too unfamiliar to you either: Security & Reliability. Microsoft proudly spoke about their current security status in their products. I have to admit that they have quite an impressive track record for the last five years. They have had zero security threats in their database solution, SQL Server, since 2004. They have really outdone their competitors in this field. This means your website and eCommerce data is safe and secure on a Microsoft SQL Database.

How about reliability of your website? With the new functionality Visual Studio 2008 (what I use to make your websites) has to offer, it makes it easier for me to double-check that I am coding your website correctly. Proper, reliable code ensures a few things. It speeds up your web site's performance, it ensures that the design is cross-browser compatible and it boosts your SEO potential. Needless to say, I'm very excited!

In a nutshell, the event was awesome. I had a great time and took a lot of information home with me that I will be sure to apply.

Tags: Microsoft, Convention, Visual Studio, SQL, Windows Server, Minneapolis

Microsoft - Heroes Happen Here

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:27:08 GMT

Nick here. I am very excited to tell you that I will be attending the Microsoft "Heroes happen {here}" product launch event held in the Minneapolis, Mn Convention Center. This is their release event for three new products that just hit the floor: Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and Microsoft SQL Server 2008. This is very exciting to me and any other Microsoft fanatic out there, to be able to participate in a hands-on environment with the new products available. With the information I will collect and the experience I will come home with at this event, I believe it will provide Famous Davis with uncharted advancements in the technology we provide you as well as boost performance in our website development.

Famous Davis utilises these products heavily in our web development, video streaming and eCommerce websites. I personally have used the Visual Studio Suite for the last few versions now. It's solid and gets the job done effectively and efficiently which means a solid and compliant website for you. SQL Server is the database platform we use behind our websites. It is fast, safe and secure. From what I've read, to date, Windows Server 2008 is the most solid and secure Windows server platform yet, which gets me really excited to take it on a test run.

I'll keep you posted on what information I receive at the event! Have a great weekend.

Tags: Microsoft, Convention, Visual Studio, SQL, Windows Server, Minneapolis

Internet Explorer 8

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 09:22:39 GMT

Hi folks, Nick here. I am currently writing to you in the brand new Internet Explorer 8 beta web browser that Microsoft released last week. They have added all sorts of interesting features that will enhance your web browsing experience. A couple of their recent additions are Webslices and Activities. These will allow you to do actions like highlighting an address or a name of a business and then within a couple clicks, being able to pull up additional information about the subject. You can receive information such as a map of the businesses location, reviews of the business or perhaps search results from Google. From here, IE 8 gives you the options of sharing it with people around you, by e-mail, posting it directly to a blog, or sharing it on Facebook. Looking at reviews of a new digital camera? Highlight the camera's name and then check the eBay Webslice to view current prices. So far I've really been enjoying the extra functionality the new browser has to offer. However, would I reccomend for you to install it? Probably not as it is still in beta and definitely has a few bugs to be fixed. Once the official version released, however, I would say it will be a very powerful browser.

Get current auction information for the Digital Rebel XT simply by highlighting text on the Canon website.

While the new bells and whistles are really cool, perhaps the most important change is that Microsoft promises that Internet Explorer 8 will be more compliant with the existing web standards out there. What does this mean for you? It means (hopefully) less bugs and issues with the sites you visit every day and less issues with your current website. The sites we create for our clients already adhere to the web standards, which means they will work on the popular browsers out there and we are currently checking to make sure they will be compliant with Internet Explorer 8. If you have a website, make sure that your web site designer is up to date with these standards and is up to par with the upcoming web browsers and technology.

If you would like more information about Internet Explorer 8, please visit Microsoft's website.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/ie8/default.mspx

Tags: Microsoft, Internet Explorer, Web Browsers

Famous Davis Version 2

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:29:24 GMT

Hi folks, Nick here! I am very excited to announce that we are on Version 2 of FamousDavisPro.com! "Why the change?" you may ask. Well, in the past two years we have sort of, "Grown out," of our previous design. The scope of our business has narrowed and our services have been fine-tuned. Because of this, the previous design was beginning to feel a little constricting. We wanted something new to get our message across in a light and fun fashion, yet still maintaining a business appeal and getting our message across clearly. Sort of a heavy checklist but I think we can say that we achieved it. Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

If you have similar feelings about your website, whether you have outgrown it or if you feel it's time for a change, take time to pursue that instinct. It is important that your website correctly portrays your business. If you are going through some exciting changes, make sure that your website can reflect these and grow along with your business. So whether you could use a redesign, a quick tune-up or maybe you just want a second opinion, feel free to give us a call, we'll be glad to share our information with you!

Tags: Website, Famous Davis, Projects

Video is not Voodoo

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:43:48 GMT

You know, the high-rolling days for video producers are over. In past days, video was big money. Producers commanded top dollar for all sorts of projects, including business video. Now, the internet and more powerful desktop computers have changed all that.

The high-rollin' days of video stopped when your next-door neighbor's kindergartner picked up a video camera and started playing with it. Those days were over when the pre-teen down the street started a video blog on YouTube.

Video tools are available everywhere - cameras that yield quality unheard of 10 years ago are sold for $250. The software required to assemble a decent video presentation was included pre-installed on your new computer.

The only missing is the time, know-how and talent. That's where we come in. Of course, our cameras cost much more than $250, and we don't use free video editing software. We've got great tools and a passion for making great business video.

Video is not voodoo anymore. It's not something only the "big boys" use. Video is within reach of you - in your price range, and in your home town. Give me a call today and we'll talk about how video can work for you.

Tags: video

Local eConnected Recap

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:17:33 GMT

Hello everyone! This is Nick writing to you. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that took time out of their day to attend the Local eConnected event on Tuesday, February 5th, presented by EDC of Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar. I was very excited to be able to participate in this event along with other local web designers and share information with you about our profession. I hope that you were able to learn a lot and take a lot of useful knowledge back to your business. I am hoping to expand what I talked about at the website seminar from last Tuesday in my blog over the next week, so please feel free to check back for any further information that will be useful to your web endeavors.

Hi, Chris here. I'd like to thank everyone who attended the e-Commerce seminar on Tuesday, February 12th. During that morning of dizzying information, one important point I made at the conference is that you do not need to be an expert on e-commerce to make your website business-enabled. You simply need to get together with a trusted partner who can bring together the resources you need. We hope you'll make us that trusted partner.

Please call us today with your questions and to talk about your goals.

For more information on the "Local e-Connected" initiative, please visit http://www.kandiyohi.com.

Tags: local eConnected, Kandiyohi, MinnWest, Web Design, e-Commerce

Coming soon!

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:38:35 GMT

What I am about to tell you is very important so read carefully. There is usually no reason for any website to have the words, "Coming Soon," "Please check back soon!" or "Under Construction," on their website. I can think of one exception. If you are adding an online store to your website then you could probably get away with it, but you better be able to back up your promise.

I'm a dork and I like to actually check back with websites that have, "Please check back soon," on their websites. A year or so later I still check back and there is nothing new there! It makes me upset. It's much like being a store that has a sign in the window telling customers to check back in a day, week, or month. You decide to stop back later only to find the same sign in the window with the same locked doors. Do you really think that visitors, your customers, are going to keep coming back day after day only to find that you're not being of any assistance?

Not only are those words rude when not backed up with their promise, they're worthless. By telling someone to come back later it isn't helping them at that exact moment in time. A website is supposed to be a 24/7 service to those who are visiting.

My advice to you, never let a website designer put those words on your website. You either have the content ready or your site isn't ready to launch. It's as simple as that. If you don't have photos for your photo gallery yet, then don't have a gallery page until you have some photos. If you don't have a price list for your products, hold out until you do.

If you really want visitors to "check back soon," make sure there's something worth coming back to.

Tags: please check back soon, coming soon, under construction, web design, web content

Open house Wrap-Up

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:00:10 GMT

Thanks to everyone who attended our open house!

Our open house was a tremendous success, with many, many people coming out, dispite the extremely cold weather. We held the open house in conjunction with five other businesses located in the Multi-Tech building - Anez Consulting, Bollig Inc, Becker and Fifth, Becker Business Center and MTM Performance Solutions.

We also received some press coverage about the open house. Below, you can listen to a news story from JP Cola (KWLM, K100, Q102 & 106.5 The Train):

Download Flash This site makes use of Macromedia Flash software.

You do not have Macromedia Flash installed.

You can also read JP's news story on the KWLM website by clicking here. A reporter and photographer from the West Central Tribune were also on hand to cover the event. When that story is available, we will have it here.

If you weren't able to attend the open house, but would still like to see our offices, please feel wel come to stop by anytime during normal business hours.

Our address can be located on our Contact page. We hope to see you here!

SEO Fact 2

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 10:23:34 GMT

Fact: The Internet is huge.

Think about it a bit, the Internet is really, really big. We are talking millions of websites out there. It is quite frightening to think about and you may ask yourself, "How in the world can I compete?" Don't be alarmed! Though the Internet is huge, so is the world.

With that in mind, just like our planet Earth, you can break down a search on the Internet geographically, for instance, by Country, State and/or City. You can ask yourself, "How far does my business reach geographically?" and, "What services do I provide?" These questions may be similar to someone Else's who is searching for you: "What service am I looking for?", "Where is the service I am looking for?" Say you had a hankering for some Oranges. Not just any Orange, no, you are a person that is partial to Florida Oranges. You could then search Google to see where you can have Oranges directly from Florida shipped to your front door. Give it a shot, you will see that you have plenty of options to fulfill your craving.

Here's another quick tip about Google: Google is smart enough to handle the geographic side of searches within adwords (those are the sponsored links you will sometimes see on top and to the right of your search results). If you were to search for, "Web Design" from somewhere in Minnesota, Google will pick up on that, displaying the sponsored links of Minnesota web design businesses. Interesting! Think about that a while, if someone searches for a common product (such as web design) without any geographic detail, the normal results will come up with just about anything. With Google Adwords, you will be able to be seen on the front page and Google will help the user find a closer geographic counterpart.

So before you feel too overwhelmed by the competition, just take a deep breath and know that you are unique, and that someone is out there searching for what you offer.

Tags: SEO, Regions, Adwords, Google

SEO 101

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:09:04 GMT

I'm always interested to hear what people's view on Search Engine Optimisation really is. Some people are a little sceptical due to the fact that appealing to search engines can be quite tricky. Other folks who may have had encounters with an SEO based company might find it useful, but the price tag is less than desirable. Then there are those who love the idea of SEO for the fact that it can greatly increase the likelihood of your website being seen by someone who is searching exactly.... well... for you.

Here's where I'm going to be honest with you. It can be a very lengthily and trying process. The period of trial and error to find that ranking in a keyword you are looking for can be quite frustrating. You may start questioning, "When is my website going to be recognized by Google," or "I was promised a first page position.... but where am I?" and maybe even, "What's the point in SEO, anyway?" Before you grab that stress-ball, lets cover some common facts, stresses and misconceptions of what SEO is and as a website owner, how you can use it to your advantage.

The acronym, "SEO", is pretty straight-forward. It stands for "Search Engine Optimisation", rather, You are preparing and packaging your your website to be picked to the bone by the likes of Yahoo, MSN, and the search engine I wish I invested money in back in 2004, Google. You are optimising your website to be easily read and understood by these search engine's spiders. Initially, you may think (and a lot of SEO companies would like you to believe) that this can only really be accomplished by your web site's designer through crazy experimental coding and other nerd talk. This sounds, quite frankly, like an expensive gamble.

Here is where I let you in on a little secret, however. While optimising your web site's code is necessary, it is not what search engines are looking for! "Content is king", is what Google tells us. I am very excited to tell you that you, yes, even you can optimise your very own site, without even a glimpse of code! The fact is, search engines are very interested to know what your company does. Having a properly designed website will assist the search engines in understanding the content of your website, this is important, but not what they are after. The content is what they want. By having clear, concise messages about your business, what services you offer, where you are located and how someone interested in your service can contact you, this will make your website crawling with search engine spiders, which in turn, will help the audience find your site effectively.

With that in mind, it can be a battle to get that number one rank in a search. There is always plenty more to learn about the likes of Google and SEO. However, with the knowledge that you can make a difference in rank simply by optimising your content, it will make a dramatic difference in your websites SEO performance. If you would like to know more, tune into my blog as I will keep you updated with other great practices to help you achieve a higher ranking. Also, please feel free to give me a call to discuss what Famous Davis can do for your website.

Tags: SEO, Content, Website

Famous Davis Open House

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:56:01 GMT

Update! The date has changed to the 29th! Hope to see you there!

We are very excited to announce that you are invited to the Famous Davis Open House! The event will be held on January 29th at our new location in the Minnwest Technology Campus from 3:00-6:00pm. Please feel welcome to stop by and see our new office. You will also be able to view our latest websites, video productions and graphics which will be on display. Nick's home roasted coffee and other refreshments will be available at the open house.

Our address can be located on our Contact page. We hope to see you here!

Tags: Open House, MinnWest

Happy New Year!

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:07:28 GMT

This past year has been a great one for Famous Davis. Our staff grew to include both Nick and Jacinda Davis. Famous Davis created Europa, a content management system that allows clients to make updates to their websites if they choose to do so. We also moved to MinnWest Technology Campus, not to make room for our staff and equipment, but rather to accommodate for all of our big ideas. This has definitely been a happy year for us.

Here's wishing you and your business a happy new year!

See you at the Gala!

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:38:47 GMT

Famous Davis will be attending the Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce Gala tonight at the Willmar Conference Center. We are very excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this event and we hope to see you there!

Tags: Chamber of Commerce, Gala, Willmar

Website Annoyances

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:45:37 GMT

My job as a designer isn't to go crazy and design whatever my heart desires. Chris and Nick's jobs as developers are not to program as many functions and widgets as possible. If you're a client, even if it's your website, it's not all about you. I believe that the single most important thing that someone can do when creating a website is to have the end-user in mind.

It's all about the people who will be accessing the site!

With that said, there's an article that I enjoy that talks about a few of the things that users find annoying about websites. I definitely agree with them. I can't stand Flash intros. They're so easy to click through. Why wait for it to load before accessing the actual website? Flash can be done tastefully in moderation. I also get frustrated with flashing banners, icons, and ads. I most definitely like to design in a manner that will hold users' interests and not scare them away.

What are your website annoyances? Feel free to vent to me.

Tags: website annoyances, web site annoyances, Flash, website design

Video Means Business!

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:27:29 GMT

Sometimes I think I'm an odd bird. Why? Because I generally read my junk mail. Now, I don't devote a lot of time to that (after all, I've got a lot of work to do!) However, I like to see what kinds of products and services are available, even if I have no intention of buying.

That makes me different than a lot of people. Junk mail has been around almost since the days of the Pony Express. People are used to it, and more importantly, they're used to ignoring it. Yeah, they just pitch it in the trash. That amazing direct mail campaign you just finished? 90% will can it without so much as a moment of appreciation for your hard work and planning.

But... what if they received a DVD? Well, that's different. That's special. A DVD says "We mean business!" A video presentation can impart a lot of information in a short amount of time. It can convey and emotion or a sense of urgency. It's second best only to being there in person.

The next time you're considering a direct mail campaign, think about including a video. Either on DVD, or a small attention-grabbing Business Card Video CD. Please give me a call and we'll kick around a few ideas...

Tags: Video, direct mail, advertising

Website Interaction

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:59:23 GMT

Good Afternoon to you on this delightfully chilly day! Waking up with a temperature just scraping the surface of zero degrees, it's definitely a good day to stay inside by a heater with a cup of coffee (which to no surprise is what I'm doing now).

Today I'd like to go over a few reasons why it is a great idea to have interactive content on your website. Interactive content can be described as content on your website that viewers can not only read, but can also add their own input to. Your audience may read a news article that you wrote on your website; in turn, they can reply to the article publicly, giving their opinion on the matter.

A great scenario to look at is found on http://www.wctrib.com/. Viewers of this website are able to make comments on the latest news stories in the area, sometimes creating great discussions on the matter. This is a great strategy as it can usually ensure the viewer's return and it generates a whole new aspect of content for viewers to read that would not be available otherwise. West Central Tribune also has a great deal of user-submitted Classified Ads and other user interaction.

Viewer Participation is Key

The bottom line is, who doesn't like to participate? Many popular websites right now are built exclusively off user-submitted content, meaning 99% of their content is made from their users. One of these sites would be Flickr.com. Flickr is a photo sharing community, has an impressive user-base and is known for user-submitted photography. Other user-content driven websites you might be aware of are Facebook and MySpace. These are social networks who's function is to connect people. You may also be familiar with sites similar to Ebay or Craigslist.

Before I get down this road too far, I want to say that it is not the purpose for every website to be 100% user-submitted content, but I do think we can learn from the big guys and integrate a few of their ideas. Some nice examples of interactive content on a small to mid-sized website would be a client submitting pictures of their newly landscaped yard along with a testimonial on the landscaping service's website for others to read. A business could hand out brochures with a link to their online contest to generate interest in their work. A Tour Coordinator could have discussion boards on each of their tours. With a little imagination, their is an unlimited amount of ideas for interactive content.

Search Engine Benefits

What will all this newly acquired, interactive content get you? Returning website viewers, of course, but it will also get your business higher on popular search engines such as Yahoo, Google and Live. How does this magic happen? Well, it's a combination few different things. First, it lets the Search Engine know you aren't missing in action. By sporting content on your website that changes frequently, Search Engines will remember to check your site more often, which will give you priority over a less updated website. Secondly, it will potentially increase your web site's demand for keywords pertaining to you.

So there you have it! This is but a few ways a business can optimise their website with interactive content. Now please excuse me while I search for a blanket and wish for weather that is at least above twenty degrees.

Tags: SEO, Viewers, Website

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:19:37 GMT

Can you believe it? It's already the week of Thanksgiving. Personally, this is one of my favourite holidays. From the friends to the family, right down to the cranberry sauce from the can, I love it all. I often feel that it gets lost between Halloween and Christmas (at least by department store standards). I personally have a lot to be thankful for, my list easily includes having a window by my desk, a car that runs, a good cup of coffee in the morning, a warm house and a wonderful wife.

To everyone out there, have a safe trip to your destinations, enjoy your time with loved ones and don't forget the blessings you have been given. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tags: Thanksgiving

The New Office

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:38:53 GMT

It's amazing how much the simple act of moving can energize you.

Did someone say "simple"??!

Ok, so moving is not so simple and sometimes I think I was wrong to volunteer to move twice in one year (I moved my family to a new home in July, and moved the business to a new office in November!) However, now that it's done (or mostly done) I feel great to be in a new office.

Sometimes a little change is needed to force you to refocus and redirect your energy. This move came at the perfect time, as it coincided with the addition of Nick to the staff. We are so full of great ideas here at Famous Davis that I feel like we're about to burst... If you'd like to hear some of these new ideas, or find out how they can help your business, please give me a call anytime!

Moved and Settled

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:38:03 GMT

As of November 2nd, it is official that Famous Davis is now located at the MinnWest Technology Campus. I probably should have blogged about this earlier, but it seems I've been keeping busy. How is the campus? It's great. I love absolutely everything about the new setup. The architecture is really cool, I now have a window, I work with people I am closest to and the actual work is great. So far, within the building we are located in, it's only us and two other businesses since it's only been open for rent not even a year. It's a huge building, to say the least. I'm unsure of the actual count of rooms, but it has to be up around a hundred. It'll be exciting to see it filled in the near future.

Work? I suppose that's why I'm here, huh? So far I've been plugging away at Europa Content Manager. It is a system that allows the client to update and edit their website without the need to have to know any code or other web nitty gritty behind the website. You simply log in and update your website using tools that are easy and reliable. This will be supported as an option for our clients. We use this system to update the content on our very own website.

Without a doubt, I am really excited about the work we are doing and the move to MinnWest! If you want to check it out, feel free to swing by!

Tags: MinnWest, Work, Europa