Following one of the biggest days in democracy, it seems like a good day to talk about another manifestation of democracy, via the Internet: Blogs.

The ability to blog is arguably one of the coolest, most valuable features the Internet has brought. Blogging itself has completely changed the production of written texts, allowing virtually anyone to speak their mind, and share experiences good or bad, sans censorship.

A new study by Jupiter Research found that not only has blog readership gone up–by 300 percent!–but that blogs influence the purchase decisions of readers. And this influence is far more than that of social networks. None of us here would say it’s much of a surprise. Consider what blogs offer:

1. A real voice for the people. When I was a growing up I always imagined writing a letter to the editor, or if a business gave bad service, reporting them to the Better Business Bureau.  Now I don’t have to; even if I don’t have my own blog, there are countless out there ready and willing to accept comments.

2. Personal and original content. Who wants to read the same old dry perspectives, the corporate pitch, the product specifications, when you can check out blogs and learn about real experiences and opinions?

3. Word-of-mouth builds trust.  Who doesn’t believe what a friend or colleague says about a product or issue? Most of us at least give this more credit than a biased spiel from an organization, corporate or otherwise. Blogs mimic the power of word-of-mouth because they offer a platform to collectively share and exchange experiences and insights.

Do you use blogs in your life, professional or personal? How do you find them the most valuable?  Take a moment to share with us below!

Shaneli Ramratan, Director of Marketing, mobileStorm

The homepage (also known as the main page or the index page) is the face of your website. It is usually the most visited page of any site. It is highly important to make it as user-friendly as possible so that visitors will start navigating your website—instead of leaving it.

The homepage should say it all: Who you are, what you offer, why you are here. But since it’s just one page, and you don’t want it to be too distracting, all this should be stated concisely. The homepage should show that you do care about your visitors, and the general look should be appealing. The right homepage is 90 percent of your website’s success. Never forget it!

Besides what I have already talked about in my previous articles, there are two major elements of your homepage: Layout and navigation. We will talk about these separately in future posts. Today, I’ll just touch on some “must-haves” for your homepage.

A homepage should always include your website’s title, logo, and slogan, if any. It should include links to the major sections of the site (the navigation menu). These include links to your “about us” page; “contact us” page; sitemap; terms and conditions; privacy policy; and other key pages. For example, if you are running a newsletter and it is vital for your online business, you might want to include a subscription link or form on your homepage.

If you have a commercial website, make sure your major calls-to-action are placed visibly on the homepage. In case your site contains lots of pages, it makes sense to add a search box to make it easier for visitors to find certain information. Also include the elements that will add credibility or authority to your site, such as award logos or security seals.

And finally, your homepage should be “branded.” A branded site is one that is easily recognized, even when you see a small screenshot of it. Think of how branded the homepages of well-known sites are, and you’ll understand what I mean.

In the next post we will talk about a website’s layout. Until then,

Shavkat Karimov
Internet Marketing Manager
mobileStorm, Inc.
Every problem comes with a solution
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I’m a maaan, baby!

At least, in my writing I am.

The other day I came across an application called Gender Genie, which allegedy can suss out if a writer is male or female by studying a piece of writing . I tested several of my own samples, from this blog and others, ranging in topic from text messaging to acoustic music. And every time, the software declared, “The Gender Genie thinks the author of this passage is: Male!” Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. And wrong again.

Luckily it’s OK to be gender-neutral when writing about marketing technology or underground music. In these cases, knowledge about the subject, and the ability to make it easy to understand, are more important than whether the “voice” is male or female.

But I got to thinking that the Gender Genie could be a useful tool for other copywriters. It could help them make sure content is tailored to the intended audience. That’s something that marketers, especially, must worry about when creating copy–even for websites and SMS/email marketing messages. Recipients sign up to receive the latter; if they don’t feel like these notices speak to them, they will cancel their subcriptions.

My experience with the writing algorithm reminded me of jobs I’d applied for long ago. Gigs for which I was more than qualified, and which were in the city where I lived, meaning it would cost the company nothing to bring me in for an interview. I never got my foot in the door. These positions were at places like gossip websites and mid-scale cosmetic vendors–that is, businesses that catered almost exclusively to women. The person writing lipgloss ad copy or catty celebrity news would likely need to have a certain type of female voice. And according to Gender Genie, that is not me!

Certain marketing experts, especially those selling a product that only appeals to a certain demographic, should see how they can tweak their marketing copy to really speak to that audience. Now, I don’t think Gender Genie is all that. I mean, it categorizes the very common word “a” as male! But since it’s fun to use, copywriters might as well make it one more tool to help craft the tone of their content.

I ran this post through the Gender Genie one more time–and once again, I scored far more male than female. In that vein, I’ll just say: D’oh!

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm

“I’d rather you text me”

First, you had to answer the website usability questions I posed in a previous post. Then, I had you look at the major WU elements of content, design, and development. Now, it’s time to look into your website’s hosting platform and its domain name.

Hosting and Servers

How fast does your site load? It’s not just code or graphics that cause delays; your hosting solution or servers might be at fault. Make sure you use a good hosting provider with 99.99 percent uptime and strong servers. In extreme cases you might want to get your own servers, which is a more expensive option, but still a relatively small expense in your online monthly budget.

Monitor your website’s life through one of the different monitoring services. A good one is http://www.internetseer.com, which will send you reports if your site goes down. Your website is your office and it should be open 24/7.

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