i love quicknav mode and want to see ads on the left hand of the interface swoop in.

i am frustrated that

• other wiki type sites, not us, are getting the bursting usage while we are better.
• the stickernation preview is just taking forever.
  • i guess it’s now the stickerspace preview.
• andrea is making so much money on my idea.
• i made zero money today.

i need to create incentives to get stickers created faster.

kyle is fast. i need to be fast if we’re going to charge rush.

it all depends on back to school this year.

we need to conserve our cash through that time.

we want to conserve our equity through that time as well.

we can deliver the core product that turbocharges the incoming classes this fall.

and if students adopt METANOTES, the enterprise is sure to follow… because all students will realize that

metanotes gives you a competitive advantage.

i make a customer a day.

if i can re-sell to that customer it becomes cumulative.

why didn’t anyone tell me that?

all the business books i have read and nobody tells me a customer relationship is cumulative.

jeesh.

kyle is offering me an efficient system.

it’s more expensive, but i can charge a rush fee.

the enterprise collaboration market after having been adopted, tested, and improved by millions of students.

i must turn this into $250,000 fast.

i will profit as soon as i convert that traffic and fulfill their expectations so that they buy more.

you should make stickerdesign like yoga.

you need to do it every day, all the time.

it is so much fun.

you need to convert those fonts.

• reference sales
• key hires
• product completions
• new market entries
• associated investment rounds

meeting milestones attracts investors.

i have valuable milestones to reach with STICKERNATION.

we want to mail out that sample kit.

trouble is, we’re broke.

so we need to test.

with any luck the qualified ones when they get their stickers will order.

if that happens, we are saved.

the iandiam functionality should email kyle or amanda a PDF.

this is worthy of investment – improving the sample kit because it’s only going to the truly tenacious.

i am very attracted to earning big SN money.

it is the bridge i need to get to back to school without funding.

here is the broad outline of the plan:

• create the landing page stickernation site.
• add and market the new RUSH service.
• create the book.
  • sell individual stickers to Hot Topic.
• attach the catalog thanks process to the stickernation site.
• create a line of one-off stickers to sell.
  • partner with stickergiant to do this?
• get catalog kit process going.
  • you need a “follow up the kit” process too.

The Spry 1.4 framework for Ajax is a JavaScript library that provides web designers with the ability to build web pages that offer richer experiences to their site visitors. With Spry, you can use HTML code, CSS code, and a minimal amount of JavaScript to incorporate XML data into your HTML documents, create widgets such as accordions and menu bars, and add different kinds of effects to various page elements. The Spry framework is designed so that the code is simple and easy to use for those who have basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

The Spry framework is meant primarily for users who are web design professionals or advanced nonprofessional web designers. It is not intended as a full web application framework for enterprise-level web development (though it can be used in conjunction with other enterprise-level pages).

The Spry 1.4 framework provides three large components that you can create dynamic pages with: widgets, XML data sets, and effects. Widgets are page elements, such as accordions and tabbed panels, that make your page more interesting and interactive; XML data sets let you display data from an XML data source on your web page, much as a traditional web application lets you display data from a database; and Spry effects, such as Fade and Squish, let you improve your user’s experience by adding motion to the page. You can display XML data inside a widget and add effects to widgets to create much richer pages than static HTML allows. The sections that follow provide more information on how to use widgets, data sets, and effects individually.

For examples of how to use the Spry framework, including examples that combine the use of widgets, data sets, and effects, visit the Spry framework home page on Adobe Labs at http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/spry/. This page also includes the latest updates for Spry.

Widgets are page elements, such as accordions and tabbed panels, that make your page more interesting and interactive.

XML data sets let you display data from an XML data source on your web page, much as a traditional web application lets you display data from a database.

You can display XML data inside a widget and add effects to widgets to create much richer pages than static HTML allows.

Spry effects, such as Fade and Squish, let you improve your user’s experience by adding motion to the page.

Spry uses namespaced attributes to specify how dynamic regions should be processed at run-time. The Spry team chose to promote the use of namespaced attributes for ease of use. Attributes enabled users to attach complicated Ajax functionality to mark-up using a familiar, declarative coding convention. Other declarative approaches were considered but discarded due to browser limitations.

Using namespaced attributes, however, leads to problems with page validation. Spry attributes are not in the standard DTD used on web pages and therefore, the W3C validator will throw warnings about these attributes. According to the rules of XHTML, these can be solved by writing and including a custom DTD. We note these custom attributes in the Spry DTD. But, there is some browser trouble with this technique. The validator validates, but the browser chokes on the DTD line and displays part of it in the window.

The Spry Team has provided a document that gives you examples of how to use the various Spry components in a progressive enhancement scenario and introduces some techniques and utilities that make it easier to do so. The document covers using progressive enhancements with Spry widgets, effects, datasets and regions. It also provides information about progressive enhancement and the dynamic loading of content related to the following:

• Spry.Utils.updateContent()
• HTML Panel widget
• Data sets without regions
• spry:content attribute with regions
• HTML Data Set with region

“Separating behavior from structure” refers to the practice of maintaining clean semantic HTML markup that is free of any attributes or scripts that introduce custom behaviors. Any custom behaviors that are introduced into your HTML page should come from external files that unobtrusively attach/bind the behaviors to elements within your semantic markup. Like the practice of separating style from structure, this practice has several benefits which include:

The ability to make incremental modifications to the HTML markup structure or the behavior code independently without having to modify the other. The ability to share the behavior implementation across multiple HTML pages, due to the separation of the behaviors. A reduction in the bandwidth necessary to view your pages since the files related to the behaviors are downloaded and cached by the browser only once. An end-result of smaller HTML pages, since the behavior code is not duplicated within the actual markup itself. Clearer, easier to read HTML markup, which aids accessibility with screen readers, search engine web crawlers, and browsers or other user agents that don’t necessarily support the behaviors you’ve implemented. The Spry team has provided an extensive document that gives you a brief introduction of the “unobtrusive javascript” technique and some utilities within Spry that aid with separating behavior from structure.

For more information, see the Separating Behavior from Structure article on Adobe Labs.

Progressive Enhancement with Spry

Progressive enhancement is a technique used by web developers to ensure that their pages are accessible to as wide an audience as possible while at the same time trying to take advantage of the latest browser enhancements to provide the best user experience for their users. The basic idea behind progressive enhancement is to start off by creating a basic version of your page that contains your content and semantic markup that is supported by the lowest common denominator browser you intend to target. Once you are done, you can then alter the display and behavior of elements on the page with the use of technologies such as CSS, JavaScript, and Flash.

By designing your pages in this manner, the user and any assistive technologies they use, or search engine spiders, should be able to access your page content, even in the absence of CSS, JavaScript and Flash.

The Spry Element Selector is a utility that lets you use CSS selectors to select elements on a page and then apply functionality to those elements. The utility gives you the ability to build Spry pages with unobtrusive javascript. Using the utility, you can select a single element on the page or multiple elements. The utility supports most CSS 3 selectors.

The utility is actually a JavaScript function called Spry.$$(). When you call this function, you pass a string that is a CSS Selector as the first argument. The $$ function uses the selector string to find all elements in the document that match the selector, and then returns the matching elements in an array. If the function finds no matches, it returns an empty array. Whatever the case, the function always returns an array.

The CSS selectors you use in the Spry Element Selector are the same selectors you use in normal CSS rules. For example, if you have a div that has a product class assigned to it, and you wanted to style all of the spans inside that div to have a background color of blue, you might write the following CSS:

just discovered the orderform pdf again.

argh

the words are chemicals stickers showed up and they are totally great.

individually wrapped and everything.

we need to reprice and rebrand everything and totally go with kyle i suppose.

your milestones should boost the value of your stock.

• each stepping stone is a series of challenges.
• each one proves something to the investor: the prize is attainable.

design the right bundle of challenges to overcome.

amanda and matt should get on the STORES thing.

that would be a way to get back on track.

it simply has to do with providing them a catalog and monthly faxes.

this is worth investment… but do i have the time ?

so creative too

Should I start with keywords or placements?

Any new campaign or ad group can begin with keywords or with placements. The choice is always yours. And whichever you choose, remember that you’re not locking yourself into that choice only. If you begin with keywords, you can always add placements later, and vice-versa. If you begin with keywords, add placements later, and then decide to drop the keywords entirely, you can do that, too.

Typically, AdWords advertisers begin a campaign or ad group with placements if they’re most concerned about picking specific places for their ad to appear. Some advertisers want to promote their brand by having their ads appear on a certain website or a certain group of sites on the Google content network. Others just like to review all the possible placements themselves before selecting them.

Many advertisers begin with keywords when they’re most interested in having their ads appear alongside specific themes or concepts. If you simply want to have your ad appear whenever tennis is being discussed, for instance, it may be best to start with keywords.

Only keywords are used to determine where your ads appear on search results. Both placements and keywords can be used to determine where your ads appear on the content network.

Whether you start with keywords or placements, you have full flexibility to change your mind, and your ad group or campaign, later.

content

• photos
  • of me
  • of our stickers
  • of sticker customers
• a flash doohickey
• something they can embed on their blogs
• something controversial
• something free
• a testimonial
• a gallery
• a special offer
• a call to action
• videos
  • of me
  • of customers

SitePoint’s Selling Web Design Services Column How to Market Your Business on a Shoestring By Andrew Neitlich July 7th 2004 Reader Rating: 9.3 Many Web developers are small or one-person shops with limited resources for marketing campaigns. Large mailings, advertisements, and expensive marketing brochures may not be an option for you. At the same time, many have recently jumped into their own business, and have to preserve their savings for basic needs like food and rent.

This article will walk you through a step-by-step process to launch or grow a Web development business on a shoestring. In fact, let’s make it a real challenge. We’ll assume you have less than $100 to spend on marketing.

The good news is that limited resources can be an advantage for you. Many IT professionals hide behind expensive mailings, phonebook advertisements, and brochures. They also rely on fancy search engine optimization schemes, as well as Google and Overture advertising. Then they wait for prospects to call or email, and get no response.

You don’t have that luxury. You have to think about marketing wisely, and can’t afford to throw away your money. You have to be smarter, leaner, and meaner than the competition. While your competitors hide behind their marketing, you have no choice but to find creative, low-cost, high-impact ways to get visible and become attractive to your prospects.

Your marketing plan is simple and efficient:

Identify a target market.

Develop a strong marketing message and hook. Create one piece of marketing collateral that will attract prospects and set you apart. Get visible in your target market—the manual way. Keep following up to build relationships and credibility. Before You Begin Before you get going, there are a few assumptions that we’ll make about you:

You’re good at what you do, and can deliver results. If you don’t have the technical skills to delight your clients, you won’t last long in this market. You’re willing to take action to be successful, even if it means going outside your comfort zone. You don’t have money for marketing, so you need to invest time. You also need to approach potential clients and referral sources, and give them a reason to talk to you. For those who are new to marketing and sales, this may be uncomfortable. You’re willing to make marketing your top priority. Many IT Professionals think that technology is their top priority. That’s not true—there are lots of brilliant but starving IT Professionals out there. A mediocre IT Professional who’s an excellent marketer will make more money than a technical genius who can’t or won’t market. Ideally, you have both skill sets. But if you have to pick one priority, choose marketing. You’re committed to success. Whether you want to be a freelancer or build a company, you need to be totally committed to doing whatever it will take to succeed. Starting your own business is not for dabblers. When the going gets tough, and it will (especially at the beginning), only your commitment to success will keep you slogging forward. You have enough reserves to eat and pay rent/mortgage for at least a while. It is hard to sell anything when you’re desperate. Prospects sense the desperation and pull away. Also, there is a difference between having little or no money for marketing, and having little or no money to live. If you have no reserves to cover basic expenses for six months or more, consider getting a salaried job instead. Do you meet these five conditions? If so, read on…

Step 1: Identify a Target Market The SitePoint article World Domination for Small Web Businesses explains the importance of choosing a target market, preferably by industry. Many start-up enterprises resist this advice. They don’t want to focus, for fear of missing out on any opportunity to generate business and bring in money. They also like the comfortable illusion of having an unlimited number of prospects.

Of course, as the article notes, focusing your marketing efforts on a specific industry ends up being less expensive and more productive. You reach your market at a lower cost, because people in the same industry read similar publications and go to similar association meetings. People in the same industry talk, and word about you will spread more quickly. Also, you build credibility more easily than a generalist, because you can speak your prospect’s language and because you understand their specific industry issues. Finally, there’s an opportunity cost involved in chasing business outside a target market, because you could use that same time to build your name and reputation within your niche.

Having said all that, I understand the constraints and pressures of starting a business. Practically speaking, why would someone with no visible source of income and limited reserves turn down business?

Here’s a suggestion for those who are just starting out:

Spend 70% of your time pursuing business in a focused target market (using the criteria in the article mentioned above), and 30% of your time pursuing business based on your existing network and sphere of influence. That way, you build a competitive edge in a focused niche, without suffering the pain of missing out on too many “slam dunk” opportunities from people you know.

Cost of Step 1: $0. You can choose a target market without spending a dime, based on your own experience. One of the key criteria for choosing a target market is that you already have a good story to tell those prospects. Also, it costs nothing to research an industry on the Internet or by calling trade associations and people you know who are in it.

Step 2: Develop a Strong Marketing Message and Hook. Once you’ve identified your target market, you need a good story to tell. You can’t just tell prospects that you are a new Web developer or designer. They don’t care about that, and you’ll sound generic.

Instead, you need a solid marketing message. The article Why Small Web Design Firms Should Think Big describes the standard elements of a good marketing message that will attract prospects (see Step Three in that article):

a problem statement your solution the business and emotional benefits your solution provides how you get results (e.g. your methodology) why you are unique proof (in the form of testimonials and case studies) Of the above elements, new business owners often have the hardest time explaining why they are unique and then offering proof.

The way to explain why you are unique is by completing the following statement: “Unlike other Web companies, we…”

Examples include:

We offer a money-back satisfaction guarantee that no one else can match. We won’t charge for quality assurance for two months after we finish the project, so that you can improve your Web presence with live customer data. We will host your Web presence at cost, and can guarantee 99.9% uptime. We have a 5-part methodology that ensures a faster, more reliable application. We have a unique technology that we developed to rapidly implement ecommerce solutions. We have worked with the largest firm in your industry. The way to get proof, in the form of testimonials, is to go to classmates, former employers, former colleagues, and former professors, and ask them to write a couple of sentences attesting to your knowledge, skills, results, and credibility. At the same time, you should have a number of examples of your work ready to go (or create them on spec).

You will use your marketing message to tell people about what you do. To do that, you need an opening line, or hook, that gets them interested. This hook should tell the listener about the problem you solve and the benefits you provide. That way, you set yourself apart from the usual IT professional who gives the generic answer, “I’m a Web designer.”

For instance:

“I help lawyers who struggle to attract clients build a Web presence that makes them look more professional than the competition, and gets clients to call.” “I develop ecommerce solutions for retailers who want to double sales online and attract new customers.” “I help insurance agents stand out from the crowd.” With a strong hook, people will be interested in learning more. Then you can tell them more about your solution, the additional benefits you provide, and why you are unique. You can also tell them about relevant projects you may have done.

Cost of Step 2: $0.

Step 3: Create One Piece of Marketing Collateral that will Attract Prospects and Set You Apart. A solid marketing message and hook will take you far, but may not be enough. It is also a great idea to develop one piece of marketing collateral to set yourself apart from your many competitors. This collateral goes beyond your Web presence and online portfolio (which I take for granted as required).

Prospects don’t want a pitch. They want value. So your marketing piece should educate them, give them important information, and leave them wanting more. Here are some examples that have worked for other IT professionals starting out:

A focused, 3-page executive brief about the elements of an effective Web presence. These days, a general piece about Web sites will come across as generic. It’s important that you focus your content on a specific target market. “Five Things Every Business Website Needs to Have” is not nearly as effective as, “What Every Lawyer Needs to Have On Their Website – That Most of Your Competitors Don’t Even Know About.” A benchmarking study of Web presences in your target market. Identify a set of criteria that make a Web presence effective. Then compare a sample of Websites along those criteria, and make recommendations for improvement. Show that you are a visionary who understands how the industry needs to evolve. A report of best practices from other industries that you can apply to your target market. I recently sold a $20,000 engagement by showing a client how I could apply lessons learned from the online publishing industry to their IT services business. I did that by identifying the elements and navigation scheme that represented best practices in one field, and showed how the prospect could apply it to their field. Create a report of Websites you have designed, and explain the “secret sauce” about the elements you created, why they work, and how they apply to your target market. That way, you show your portfolio in terms that non-technical prospects will understand and value. Cost of Step 3: $25 in printing costs, and a decent amount of time.

Step 4: Get Visible in Your Target Market – the Manual Way. You have no money, and yet have to get visible in your target market, fast. That means you have to roll up your sleeves and take massive action.

The primary way to do this is by working your network. Write down the name of every person you know, and contact him or her. If you jog your memory the right way, you should be able to identify 100-250 people you know. If you doubt this, go through your local phone book and identify everyone you know in each of the categories they list. Then think of your friends, classmates, neighbors, family, members of your religious organization, fellow volunteers, people who like dogs, and so on.

Contact each of these people and explain that you are starting a business. Tell them your hook. Suggest ways you can help them succeed or grow their business, and make sure you understand what kinds of referrals they seek.

At the same time, ask them who they know that might benefit from your services. Help them jog their memory by asking specific questions (e.g. “Who else do you play tennis with that might be interested?”). Ask for advice about your marketing piece.

Your goal is to get at least two leads for each person you know, so that you always have an action step. Never let the chain end. Keep building your sphere of influence.

As you meet with leads, don’t make a hard sell. Tell them who told you to contact them, tell them why the person thought it might make sense to talk, show them your marketing piece, and ask about their Web presence. If it seems like they have a need, ask them if they would like to talk more.

Thank the people who give you referrals, and keep them informed.

Meanwhile, there are other ways to get visible in your market:

Speak about Web development and how it can help businesses. There are plenty of trade associations looking for good, informative speakers. Participate in community service. Join the board of a non-profit organization. Become active at your Chamber of Commerce (as an Ambassador or committee member). Take a leadership role in planning a fundraiser or visible community event. Volunteer your skills. All these activities will get you in front of influential people, improve your reputation, and get you more work. For instance, I can trace $100,000 of revenues from people I met while volunteering my consulting services to non-profit organizations. Write articles. Many trade publications accept articles from outsiders—but only if they don’t make a blatant sales pitch. Develop an article that shows how your target market can solve a problem that is in your domain of expertise. Contact business leaders and ask for advice. Successful people like giving advice (mostly), especially to people just starting out. I’ve had excellent luck contacting local business leaders, politicians, and other prominent people in my community and asking for advice. Tell them you are starting a business and wanted to learn more about how they got started. You might end up with a mentor who helps you more than you can imagine right now. Offer to conduct a free research study for a local trade association. Trade associations want to keep their members happy. One way you can help them do that is by offering to complete a benchmarking study of members’ Web presences. When I have used this tactic in the past, the association has made appointments for me, invited me to present my findings in front of members, published an abstract of my findings in their newsletter, and even asked me to present my findings to their board. Develop an enewsletter about online marketing and send it to people you meet – with their permission. That way, you stay in touch and they continue to remember you. There are other creative techniques you can use to get visible in low- or no-cost ways. The key is to take action and be visible.

Cost of Step 4: From $0 to the cost of a few lunches.

Step 5: Keep Following up to Build Relationships and Credibility. Once you begin the process, don’t stop. Starting and growing a business initially feels like pushing a rock up a hill. It takes ten units of energy to get one unit of result. At times you will want to give up (don’t!). Other times, you will imagine that there is some sort of magic formula that you are missing (there isn’t and you aren’t!).

Over time, if you keep following up and building relationships, people will begin to remember you. They will know that you are not another one of those contractors who is in between jobs, but a serious businessperson. They will benefit from your articles, research, advice, referrals, and speeches.

But you have to follow up. Research shows that it takes 4 or 5 positive interactions before a prospect is willing to consider you for a project and hire you. So stay in touch with the people you meet. Find out their interests and professional aspirations, and support those, for instance by sending them articles or inviting them to seminars of interest. Keep up your newsletter. Stick with your community service efforts. Send referrals to people in your network.

If you keep following up, you will jump ahead of your competitors, most of whom tend to meet with a prospect once and then give up on them forever.

Cost of Step 5: From $0 to the cost of a few lunches.

Conclusion: Money is No Object The above plan takes hard work and hustle. Essentially, you’re using your time and creativity in place of money. There’s no way around this if you don’t have a budget and want to grow your business.

At the same time, many firms with huge marketing budgets might be better served using this same strategy. The professionals in these firms have a tendency to hide behind expensive mail and telephone campaigns, or expensive salespeople. They wait for the phones to ring, instead of actively chasing business.

If you start your business with the plan described above, you will become more connected, more disciplined, and more successful than the employees at any of those larger firms. Good luck!

what actions must others take because of my marketing?

• visit the site
  • bookmark it
  • digg it
  • add it to delicious
  • click on ads
  • spend hours there
  • download orderforms and idea-tools
• sign up for my autoresponder
• give me some data about you
  • data should be stored
  • data should be merged into marketing responses
• think “wow, they are ON IT!”
• start a relationship
• meet other happy customers
• place an order
• place a reorder
• up their order
  • size
  • quantity
• write me soulfully
• enter a contest
  • truly think about something clever having to do with stickers
• call me or my company
• think we are #1
  • top of mind awareness

• carolina made
• RK advertising
• one inch round

all marketing is a call to action.

what results do I want?

• my marketing makes their decisions easy and fast.
• my marketing is PERSISTENT – it stays with them over time.
• crystal clear vision is conveyed that makes them visualize purchase or other action.
  • detailed
  • realistic
• all activity should relate holistically
• must be measurable
  • and obsessively measured
• accomplishments
• event tying

you have to regroup yet again.

• the situation is pitiful.
• vulnerabilities unaddressed for years may pop up.
• i realize that product vision is not enough.
  • in fact, it simply doesn’t matter quite as much anymore.
  • people don’t really have