VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2
Shasta Industries Web Site Goes Live
- Leslie Jackson
Shasta Industries, the number one pool builder in Arizona, came to Sitewire in search of consulting on user interface and online customer attraction in order to enhance the experience of local pool customers and to attract more prospects to its Shasta Pools & Spas Web site .
"Shasta's marketing team, led in this venture by Advertising & Creative Development Manager John Neely, has been an exceptional partner to work with. They understand the importance of building a highly functional Web site that is optimized for search engine effectiveness. It has been a privilege to work with them and we look forward to a long, successful relationship." said Kimberly LaVasseur, Business Development Manager for Sitewire. Ensuring that their Web site was user-friendly was an obvious concern for Shasta. Sitewire enabled Shasta to achieve this goal by helping to create a site that was not only informative to Shasta Pools and Spas customers, but one that provided an enjoyable experience as well.
Sitewire provided Shasta with detailed user interface (UI) blueprints and consultation for the Shasta Pools & Spas Web site. These user interface blueprints are designed with the end user in mind, following human factors engineering principals that are proven to convert a high percentage of visitors into customers. Sitewire consulted on the content featured on the site, how to remove barriers that keep visitors from easily finding what they want, and how to create a pleasant, memorable experience that keeps visitors on the Web site.
Sitewire also compiled a Search Engine Marketing Plan to help heighten Shasta's online presence. Shasta's competitive online environment was analyzed to then provide them with actionable recommendations on the best online attraction methods to bring more targeted prospects to its Web site.
"The increase in lead generation during the first week after site launch exceeded all of our expectations," said Shasta's John Neely. Sitewire and Shasta are both thrilled with the end result of the Shasta Pools and Spas Web site and plan to continue to work with one another on additional future projects.
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Unfulfilled Promises
- Scott Kaufmann
Over the last few years, High Definition televisions have been rapidly making their way into our American households, to the tune of over 9 Million in circulation. In the next few years the government is transitioning all television broadcast signals from analog to digital, and there will be an increase in HDTVs produced. It seems we are embracing technology. However, currently it doesn't seem like everything we watch on TV is broadcasted in HD. Actually, very little is. It seems like most of the HD broadcasts are either focused on the ritualistic mating patterns of the graceful Gazelle on the Discovery HD channel or possibly a close up of a new faux cedar replacement panel for my gazebo (not that I have a gazebo) on Home and Garden TV. Occasionally, I am treated to an HD sporting event like this year's Superbowl or to a popular show making the switch to HD, but there is currently much to be desired.
Anyone who watched the Winter Olympic Games in Torino, Italy probably heard about this being the first Olympics to be broadcast on NBC in High Definition. After reading an article by Shelly Palmer discussing his disappointment in the HD coverage of the games, I realized he was right. While the display comes out in HD format, it is choppy and doesn't appear anything like the HD that the Superbowl was shown in. The reason for this is the technology. In Italy, they filmed the games on standard definition cameras, then converted to a European HD standard format then again converted to the American HD format. While the idea is good, anyone who has ever tinkered with electronics knows that it's rare to get a premium result by trying to force something to do something other than what it was intended for. Such is just the case with the HD coverage of the games.
This doesn't only happen with HDTV. Frequently, we encounter marketing ploys that seduce consumers into attractive situations only to be let down by the end result. The bait-and-switch tactic has been used effectively for years. Recently, my girlfriend and I were shopping for a new car. The dealer called us and said he had a model that was exactly what she was looking for, but was priced about six thousand less than we expected. I asked a series of questions to confirm that it was what she was looking for and upon confirmation we excitedly raced off to the dealership. Upon arrival, that car presented to us happened to be about $10,000 more than the one described to us over the phone. Confused, we said there was a mistake. The dealer went into his office for a while and came back admitting that he made a mistake and the car described over the phone actually wasn't at the dealership anymore. Disappointed, we gave one last look around the lot. She ended up falling in love with another vehicle, and after a few hours of negotiations, she was able to get her car for a great deal. We're still not sure if the bait-and-switch was accidental or not.
And does it happen on the web? Absolutely. Many sites promise one thing and deliver something very different. I know I haven't gotten my free iPod yet, have you? These empty promises might get more viewers, make the car sale or get you to fill out a form for a free ipod, but in the long run they only irritate the consumer and hurt the creditability of the online industry and of the legitimate counterpart to these fraudulent offers. The moral of this story is: Don't promise something you don't intend to deliver; it will hurt you in the long run.
With that said, I've got to go check my mailbox - I should have a couple dozen iPod's, some free arthritis pills, a huge check directly from Bill Gates, a Playstation, a flat-screen TV, a free Disney World vacation and my new free laptop waiting for me.
See you next time...
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Can Emotion be Translated Online?
- Katie McNally
As the interactivity of the internet grows, it is becoming increasingly human like in nature. This is exemplified with consumer generated media avenues such as blogs, which are continuing their popularity climb and accounting for an increasing percentage share of online activity. With this shift, traditional online advertising and messaging is becoming less relevant to the consumer. It is no surprise that messaging created by other consumers are more relevant to the end consumer as it is more humanlike in nature, thus better resonating with core human emotions.
While the internet once seemed stark, cold and lacking of personal interaction, this is no longer the case. The internet is now a Web of human interaction representing communication amongst friends and strangers alike in their opinions, product recommendations, experiences, feelings, etc. An environment once void of human emotions is now dominated by the human experience. In five minutes anyone can go set up a blog, post entries about their day, their business, their boss, their interests or really anything, making that information internationally available to anyone with internet access.
Lycos Europe has recognized this environment rampant with the human experience, deciding to measure and summarize the mood of a country via their new MoodBlogging. In November 2005 LYCOS.co.uk launched Jubiiblog, a new community-based webblogging package http://www.jubiiblog.co.uk/. JubiiBlog enables internet users to express - and judge - the mood of a nation with every online diary entry being given an emotion rating. Community members can then search the network based on strength of emotion. This is truly revolutionary. A medium that is built of nothing humanlike in nature is now an extension of what makes us human - our emotions. John van Vroenhoven, managing director for LYCOS UK comments, "The internet is about communities of users communicating with each other and JubiiBlog is another form of this 'social networking.'" Lycos with their Mood-O-meter measurement tool has thus taken the internet one step closer to total humanization. What's next, the internet as an extension of our consciousness? Let's hope that's a few years off!
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Sitewire Announces Huge Success in Seventh Annual Baby Diaper Drive
- Lacey French
Sitewire Marketspace Solutions announced that an unprecedented amount of diaper and emergency fund donations were raised for the Seventh Annual Baby Diaper Drive. The drive benefits families served by Homeward Bound, Arizona's largest transitional housing provider serving homeless and domestic violence families with children throughout Maricopa County.
The Seventh Annual Baby Diaper Drive was launched with the initial goal of collecting 55,000 diapers and $55,000 in Emergency Funds. Actual collections for this year's Baby Diaper Drive equaled 90,319 diapers and $60,155 in emergency funds. Of the total diapers and funds that were collected, Sitewire alone contributed 11,442 diapers and nearly $800 in emergency funds.
The drive was held from November 15, 2005 through January 15, 2006, in an effort to raise enough supplies for an entire year's worth of baby needs for the beneficiaries of the donations. Those who will benefit from the Baby Diaper Drive are Homeward Bound families, including displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina. Aside from diapers and funds, the Baby Diaper Drive also collected donations of formula, wipes and playpens. The emergency funds collected will go towards other special needs such as hearing aids, speech therapy, glasses and prescriptions for the children and babies of Homeward Bound.
This is the second consecutive year that Sitewire has helped donate its time, resources and online marketing expertise to the cause. Sitewire helped contribute to the cause by setting up Homeward Bound's Web site last year, which allowed people to make contributions online. Sitewire collected diapers this year through an internal incentive program, hoping to encourage employees to get personally involved with the drive. Employees were divided into three teams, who then created their own strategy in order to collect the most diapers. Team "Sweet Babies" came out on top by holding a rummage sale where they donated clothes, electronics, books and other items, and then used the dollars they made to purchase diapers. Teams also collected diapers by asking their holiday party guests to open their hearts to the cause and get in the holiday spirit by bringing along donated contributions. Sitewire was not only successful at donating thousands of diapers and hundreds in emergency funds, but the drive further enforced an already strong internal camaraderie and exemplified how much could be accomplished with teamwork. "After having the opportunity to visit Homeward Bound first-hand to witness how our donations would benefit the women and children in need, we all felt such a powerful drive to help in any way we could. What a great opportunity it was for us to connect as a team and work towards this great goal," said Sitewire employee Leslie Jackson.
Homeward Bound is a 12 to 24 month program that provides comprehensive services to assist families achieve economic independence, secure long-term, safe housing and break multi-generational cycles of homelessness, welfare dependence and domestic violence. There is a 95% success rate for those families completing the program.
For more information on the success of the 2005 Baby Diaper Drive and how you can make your donation, please visit
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