My first impression when I heard about the iPad was that we have just completed the circle. Think about it. We’ve gone from cell phones that you had to carry around on a dolly (the bag phone) to sleek cell phones, like the iPhone. We’ve gone from mammoth video game systems to PSP’s. Then, Steve Jobs introduces the iPad, which is pretty much an overgrown iPod Touch. Don’t get me wrong. I think the iPad is cool but why have we gone big…what about the whole portability factor? Well, apparently I have been worried for no reason.

Scottvest, a company that specializes in gadget-friendly clothing, has come to my resuce. They have introduced a vest that has a pocket specifically for the iPad. My only issue right now is that the vest looks like a featured clothing item out of an Eddie Bauer magazine (see below).

I’m not too worried though. I’m pretty sure that one of my favorite clothing brands will come up with something like a pouch on the back of jeans, though that  may resemble a small tail. Or, maybe Flava Flav will replace his piece with the iPad. He could then use the iPad to rotate different clocks in and out to keep his look fresh.

At any rate, if you’re interested in clothing that is iPad compatible, check it out for yourself on Mashable. I would love to hear what you have to say about this…

Three Types of Clients

1. Those who want you to report to their home or office
2. Those who want you to report to their home or office once or twice per week
3. Those who don’t care where you’re located and don’t care if they ever meet you

I, of course, was most interested client #3…those who did not care about my location. Their only concern was cost, time-frame, and quality. As a developer this was the perfect fit. I could work from anywhere and according to my schedule. I found myself a little resentful towards client #1 and #2. I felt as if they were missing out on affordable and quality work because they were limiting themselves based on a developer’s location. Then, I sat back and tried to place myself in their shoes. Am I okay with working with someone that is located in a different city state? Different state? My answer to that question was yes and no.

There is a perception that if you work with someone that is not local you are more likely to be taken advantage of. For example, you may never get paid; you may pay someone, receive a junky product, and then never be able to reach them again. Unfortunately I have been on the losing end of both scenarios. As a matter of fact, let me vent for a second.

I had one guy who advertised the need for a Wordpress theme. I contacted the individual and was given a set of specs as to what the client wanted. That is an important key to remember. The client gave me the specs. So, I developed a Wordpress theme based solely on the specs I received.  Do you know what the client’s response was? Here it is…

That is trash. I could have done that myself. You didn’t build anything like what was in your portfolio. You didn’t do what you said you were going to do. I’m not paying you for this. Good bye!

- Client

Oh man was I upset! I quickly learned I was given a fake name, a bad website address, and of course received no payment. As you can see I have experienced first-hand the tragedy of long-distance relationships. However, don’t be discouraged, or skeptical. Long-distance relationships do work and will continue to work. In fact, working with people not local to you will become more and more prominent.

The world is getting smaller (not literally of course). The capability of communicating with people from all over the world has become an expectation rather than a privilege. We expect to be able to communicate with anyone we want at anytime we want. This goes for personal and business needs. Therefore, now is the time to embrace the thought of working with someone not local to you. You don’t have to experience the same misfortune I experienced. There are two very practical steps that will allow you to establish effective and successful long-distance business relationships.

#1 Review

You should always do your homework regardless of the size and budget of the project. You, the client, should review the potential developer’s online portfolio and references. This doesn’t mean take a quick peak and move on. Review their portfolio and contact their references. Pay attention to the details when you look at their portfolio. Ask about the technology and coding they have used and are familiar with. The goal is to try and weed out the developers who think they are God’s gift to web design and development. You know who I’m talking about…the developers that say “no problem” or “oh yeah, I can do that” to everything. You want to find a developer that understands your needs and knows how to apply their strengths to your project.

#2 Prevent

When conducting business there will be occasional friction. This is inevitable. In other words, someone is going to try and rip off someone else. It’s sad but its reality. You must have a plan in place to protect you in the event someone attempts to be deceptive.  Typically this is handled with a written agreement of some kind.

Make your developer sign-off on the work they will be performing as well as the payment schedule. For example, you (the client) will agree to pay 50% upfront and the remaining 50% after completion as long as the solution is delivered as agreed upon. As a developer, this is just as important to us as it is you. We want to be sure that if we do what you’ve asked for we will be compensated for it. Don’t take any chances. Prevent any possibility of problems.

So there you have it. Don’t be afraid to work with someone that is not local to you. Most of our clients are people we have never met in person and may never meet. There is nothing to fear as long as you implement these two practical steps. In fact, if you want to test this theory out, just use us for your next project!

In terms of “bad things”, selfishness ranks right up near the top. We hate people who are selfish, because, well, we are selfish. We don’t like when people talk about themselves, because deep down inside we want them to ask questions about us, so we can talk about…us. There is generally not a thought that crosses your mind that doesn’t have you as part of the equation, and once understood, the bad thing you call selfishness can be leveraged to your advantage to sell anything from your blog, your product, chocolate candy, yourself to that girl and to anything else that can realistically be sold.

Your homework over the next couple of days is to watch good and bad salesmen. A bad salesman will talk about himself or his product first; he will try to sell himself and his product to the customer. A good salesman talk about the customer first, all the while figuring out the needs of said customer and how those needs can be met with one of the his products.

(Back to the dating scenario) My brother used to tell me, “Always talk about the girl; don’t talk about yourself! Ask her questions, comment on her outfit, find out what she likes, find out what she doesn’t like, and when you have done all that, continue to remain focused on her.” Remember that guy in school who seemed to get all the girls? Well, he either had some magic mojo, or perhaps he knew this concept and used it to his advantage.

The point is, your customers don’t care that you won the community’s Golden Gopher award last year, or that you are certified in XYZ (leave that on your “About Us” page). Your customers care about themselves and what you can do for THEM. To some, the ability to involve or focus on others comes naturally, and we usually say, “They just have the gift of salesmanship”. But to most of us, we have to work at applying our focus to other people instead of ourselves. Remember, your brand isn’t just your logo and the colors on your website, it is also YOU wherever you go. What are people going to think about your brand if you talk about yourself non-stop? Start leveraging the power of selfishness to your advantage today; show interest in others!

Don’t believe me, yet? Go find someone (casually), and tell them they look nice, ask them questions and show interest (but don’t be creepy). You might be surprised at the results you get!

If the recession has done anything to the ad industry, it’s made ROI (among other metrics and analytics) a must from the perspective of brand managers.  Metrics were always important in the digital world, but with every dollar spent being challenged by corporate managers, ROI is almost more important than the creativity behind the campaign.

The original intention of viral videos was pure entertainment.  People uploaded idiots falling down stair cases; cats playing pianos; puppies rolling around — it was America’s Funniest Home Videos on the web.   The Alley McBeal dancing baby was one of the first I recall (comment on the ones you remember).

Within a few years, viral became so mainstream that even Time magazine had a ranking of the best videos of the year.  Every consumer packaged goods company wanted something viral — but the video could not be too offensive, too funny or too quirky.  Creative directors engaged in heated conversations with client legal teams were all the rage — “but Mr. Brand Manager, trust us…the product’s key benefit does become apparent to consumers when the guy in the video gets hit in the genitals.”

Anything new in this industry gets everyone pumped for a while.  Perhaps 100 million views on YouTube isn’t what it used to be (sidebar: how many of these are truly unique views!?).  Just like the clutter on television, viral videos are competing with boatloads of other content — more cats playing piano, more brands trying to pull off unique stunts.  Consumers are sharper now — if they see a brand/logo, the lame meter goes off.

What’s the bottom line? 1) Looks like advertisers will have to work even harder to make the sale, 2) rolling skating babies don’t sell over-priced water.

This may come in handy if you are a proud owner of an iPhone. You’ve probably heard about Google releasing their turn-by-turn GPS app free with the Droid (that is old news by the way). Well, what about us iPhone users? Where is our free toy? No worries my friend. MapQuest has obliged us with a FREE GPS turn-by-turn app for the iPhone. No, I’m not kidding…I’m 100% for real!

Just so you know, I’m an avid Google fan and supporter. That will probably never change. However, I have to give MapQuest some props for hooking me up with a free navigational app. I haven’t tested it so I’m not sure of the accuracy or ease-of-use…but it’s FREE. Therefore, I’m kind of okay if I end up at Burger King when I was trying to find Jack in the Box. Anyway, check it out, download it, test it out, and let us know what you think about it!

Download the  MapQuest App

That’s right, I love the whole lazy phenomenon that’s sweeping across our country. With FriendGiftr, you now don’t even have to get in your car and drive to a store to purchase that special gift card. You can do it from the comfort of your home while messing around on Facebook. Think about it. You’re sitting there playing Farm Town or whatever and remember “oh yeah, tomorrow is mom’s birthday…what am I going to do”. No worries my friend. With FriendGiftr you can pick out a gift card from over 125 popular retailers and send it to your mom without ever leaving Facebook. Why didn’t I think of this idea? People love lazy!

Check it out: FriendGiftr

1. You believe frames are useful

I shouldn’t have to mention this, but mainstream users aren’t used to seeing frames, they are used to seeing the web in an ever evolving design standard; frames are not a part of that standard.  Don’t use frames because you just learned them in chapter 12 of “How HTML Works”. Watch out for what the pros are doing and lean in that direction, or better yet, hire the pro.

2. You think animated gifs and scrolling text are cool

I worked as an educational technology coordinator in the mid to late 90’s, and I remember those teachers who had to have every galloping animal, spinning mailbox, dancing baby, and scrolling marquee on one page. This wasn’t only the trend in education, however, and it’s not the trend now. If you like cool, try researching a thing called jQuery. It’s way more professional, and it’s still in style.

3. Your font colors and styles vary by sentence

So, you like font, huh? Well, please stick with one that matches your theme or brand! One sign of an unprofessional website is unnecessary use of multiple font sizes and colors in different paragraphs or sentences. It’s okay to bold a phrase or use headers when needed, but please be sparing and use caution. You don’t need a cartoonish website, and unless your site is a blog called “font unleashed”, then find a standard and stick with it.

4. You love those crazy background tiles

I can see it now. You are sitting in your office and you tell your people, “I really like that purple background with stars in it”! If your employees graduated college anytime in the near past, they should drop an acme anvil on your head to wake you up. Never use a background that is going to contrast your brand, hide your font or take away from your message. Backgrounds should be like NBA referees; you should never know they are there.

5. You make gratuitous use of “the latest and greatest”

I have a client who loves all the latest bits of new technology, and it is the hardest thing in the world to convince this client to scale back. If you incorporate all the latest and greatest, you will attract nerds galore, but your message will get lost in the technology. You don’t need tons of flash, trailing mouse pointers or page peels, you need to sparingly use whatever will promote what you are trying to say. Do not detract from your purpose just because you want something cool, do that on your personal site at home.

Although this list of 5 points isn’t exhaustive, it should be a good measuring stick to see if you suck at web design. If you do, you have two options:

1. Pour yourself into what is good design
2. Hire a professional web shop to create a design and a plan

Comments and stories are always welcome!

Don’t expect earth shaking advice or never seen before social media marketing tips. This is simply a video that could potentially bring us all together.