Archive for the ‘Research’ Category

My mama never hosted parties like these

Thanks for coming back! If you haven’t subscribed to my RSS feed , please do. If you’ve ever wondered about your hosting company, or are considering beginning a relationship with one, here is some must-have information before you get into a new relationship (or exit out of a bad one). Just like you ought to [...]

The Cloud – Computational Waterworld

I make my living through technology. Everything I do is digital and virtual:  web sites, writing, publishing, photography, art. I often feel severed from the food on my table, the dirt under my feet, the weather outside the big windows of my office. This ‘weltschmerzen’ is problematic. I love the Internet. The innovation; the power [...]

Top 10 Plugins for WordPress Sites for 2010

If you’re bewildered by the thousands of plugins for WordPress, you’re not alone.  The official WordPress site for the self-hosted variety, WordPress.org, lists over 12,000 in their directory alone. So what’s a site owner to do? Well, here’s my top 10 for 2010, based on actual usage. REMEMBER: Always back up your site before adding [...]

Are you wasting money on SEO? Time for a Remix.

If the majority of your online marketing dollars (or sweat equity)  is going to SEO, you’re likely fighting a losing battle due to increased competition as the last of the small businesses finally migrate online. It’s time to make a change and consider social media for your business. The field is getting crowded, knowledge of [...]

The dream mobile phone

I’ve only had the iPhone 4 for about a month and already I’m wanting to hop over the fence to check out that hyper-green grass, and this baby’s still only in idea mode: the Seabird concept phone. What I like most: the dongle-as-mouse the full surface window the dual pico projectors for overhead display and [...]

The Argument for Templates vs. Designed from Scratch

by Laurie McConnell Just like you or I can make biscuits that fail to rise, or attempt to use quinoa flour instead of regular to universal disgust, so too can we catastrophically screw up the design and functionality of a specialized web site. I’m talking today specifically about designing web sites for the Real Estate [...]

Quality Management in Solo Canadian Businesses

I call it E-Quality in my business – employing quality management planning and processes in an internet-based business. What do you call it?

SM and the weird small business bondage

by Laurie McConnell, BigpacificMedia.com Social Media: Is It For You? Social media/social networking (SM) has moved from being a fun way to keep up with friends that most could ignore to a business tool that seems as ubiquitous as the proverbial blade of grass. I can’t look at a publication, business directory or advertisements without seeing numerous [...]

Canadian Businesses Slow to Move Online

If you are already online as a small business in Canada, congratulations. You are in the minority! According to Statistics Canada, only 41% of businesses had a web site by 2007 (the latest available data). This accounts for only a 5% jump in Internet adoption for businesses since 2003. Thus, despite Canada’s strong statistical showing [...]