A very wise man once said, "Keep it simple stupid!"  Or if you prefer the same four letter acronym, KISS can be said to stand for "Keep it simple sweetheart."  Which ever definition of the phrase sits best with you, it doesn't really matter.  My basic point here is when designing web interfaces and how they flow to accomplish a given task, you have to keep your primary end user in mind.  When I was a twenty-something software engineer fresh out of college and ready to take on the world, this fact was brought to my attention in a VERY clear and unforgettable way.  Here's how the story goes as I remember it.

A couple weekends ago, the Arizona Court Reporter's Association (ACRA) invited C2C Consulting, LLC to speak at their annual state-wide convention in Prescott, Arizona.  Randy went prepared to speak about the benefits of a website for those individuals in the court reporting profession, but because of a topic covered at a meeting over lunch, he ended up expounding upon the topic of websites to the value of social media and technology as a whole to their profession.

Everybody's dream is to own a business of their own.  So why then, do some small business owners resist what being "online" means and stick with the former marketing mediums of yesteryear?  The answer, I believe, is lack of understanding coupled with fear, a combination that may be lethal to some businesses.  Read on to understand how today's hippest small businesses are creating boom businesses by using the digital world as their storefront. 

The Internet has become one huge game of follow the leader.  Companies are spending huge dollars to find out all about your browsing habits.  For example let's say, you are in the market for some new sneakers.  In your quest for the perfect pair of shoes at the right price, you fire up your trusty Internet browser and begin the process of sniffing out your quarry and sizing it up for the kill; with free shipping too!  At this moment unless you take steps to ensure the sneaker manufacturers, distributors, and retail outlets are looking over your shoulder at every dark alley you browse down.  So you say, "How widespread is this?"  Or, perhaps you are thinking, "I didn't even know this was happening."  Now, keep in mind there is nothing even close to scientific about this data, but about two weeks ago I started conducting a survey on the websites I visit regularly (and no I won't name them.)  I found there are between 6 and 12 tracking tools showing up on every site.  Actually, the counts didn't surprise me at all, but the next valid question is just what kinds of tracking are they sites doing.

Having been born and raised in the midwest, I've done my fair share of chores around the barn, some fun, some not so much.  My family raised a small herd of dairy cows when I was a kid, and as most of you from that upbringing know, some of the cows would allow themselves to be milked by machine (the preferred method), and some would not.  Not wanting the milk from those "rebels" to escape the production cycle, we milked those individuals by hand.  One necessary item to complete this feat was the ol' milking stool.  Now to be honest with you it was a complex contraption made by nailing two boards together in the shape of a T, but that tried and true design does not do anything to further the real point of this article, so you'll see my stool has three legs.  Yes; now you can say you actually know a programmer / web-developer that can milk a cow and ride a horse, just in case the internet ever goes away!   One of the most common questions we receive from our small business customers is, "Do I need a Facebook account?"  As with just about everything in the technical world, the true answer is, "That depends."  I do believe there are some common sense steps to follow regarding a company's desire to incorporate social media into their marketing and sales efforts.

Recently, one of our large multi-site customers went live with a totally updated and revamped site.  The thought occurred to me that this is a topic that "anyone" responsible for the regular care and feeding of a website needs to have at top of mind.  To the point of sounding like a broken record I'm sure, I remind my clients regularly that websites are very much like real-estate.  The main difference is instead of the mantra being, "Location, location, location.  It is content, content, content."  To be honest, content is only part of a successful formula for creating a site that continually draws traffic and continues to grow your business.  A website is made up of three primary parts:  content, technology, and visual (look and feel), at its simplest level.  All of these foundation bits and pieces needs to be kept current and not looking stale.  Why else do you occasionally put a fresh coat of paint on the old homestead?

A long desk made with cedar planks and recycled wood. A sun-filled window. And plenty of plants. Today's featured workspace is warm, rustic, and unique.Donna at Funky Junk Interiors takes salvage items and turns them into inspiring items. That's certainly the case with this 12-foot long, 3-foot deep desk. Besides the loose cedar planks for the...

When life gets hectic or crazy (and we've all been there), take some of the stress off by finding comfort in the mundane—even in routine chores like shining your kitchen sink."When life gets messy, shine your sink" comes from a blog post by Courtney Carver on Be More With Less. It reminds us that no matter how scrambled you might feel,...

I lose count of my “jobs” these days: my literary writing (that theoretically pays, or had better one day or else), a nonprofit board on which I serve as president, and the magazine I started last summer. While I certainly put the same intensity into everything, I can definitely say that I work more hours for free than I do for pay.So when I got...

The stage lights had barely dimmed at the Xbox One event before the internet started tripping over itself with questions about how the second-hand market was expected to operate -- or if there was going to be one at all. Microsoft assured us there would be, but aside from whispers of a used game "activation fee" the finer details were kept under...

In case you hadn't heard, Microsoft pulled the wraps off of its next-gen gaming console earlier this week at an event on its Redmond campus. A brand new issue of our slate magazine steps inside the lab where the Xbox One was built for a behind the scenes look at how the new "all-in-one" box came to be. We also offer up our initial impressions of...

Sony's FS700 has plenty going for it regardless of its 4K potential, not least in terms of its super slow motion shooting up to 240fps at 1080p. Nevertheless, if 4K it has to be, then a new NEX-IFR5 interface unit will be out in June to make full use of the camera's big sensor and 3G-SDI output. A couple of things to bear in mind: in addition to...

JBL is known for its love of exoticspeakerdesigns, but a new FCC approval suggests it's about to turn back the clock for its next look. An unannounced Spark Bluetooth speaker appearing at the US agency wouldn't look out of place at the top of a gramophone -- albeit one draped in red plastic. It could also be part of the decor, as a manual in the...

It's fairly minor as far as operating system upgrades go, but Chrome OS users can expect to receive a new update in the stable release channel sometime in the next few days (if they haven't already). It brings with it some added panel windows for things like chat, along with a new positioning mode for the launcher, autocomplete in Drive search, a...

Are the images in your Pinterest feed not quite manly enough for you? If you think the virtual pinboard site is a little too feminine, you’re not aloneIn a recent Pew study of social media users, 25% of women said they used Pinterest, compared to a meager 5% of men.Since Pinterest’s creation, a number of similar websites have popped up...

Around the world, the seasons are changing. In some parts of the world it's getting colder, while for many of us, summer has officially arrived. With the change of the seasons comes a host of other changes: a move to a new place, a vacation away from home or perhaps a landmark life event like a graduationTo celebrate the changes that accompany...

Chicken and waffles for breakfast, Seth Rogan and Katherine Heigl as a couple in Knocked Up, Snoop Lion and Miley Cyrus teaming up for a reggae song: some things shouldn't work — yet, they totally do. For our vine challenge, we want you to create a vine that captures an unexpected pair.Vine users are really pushing the creative envelope with...

The directions were simple: Illustrate your "best day ever." Sabrina Brady of Wisconsin's Sparta High School combined Google's logo with a memorable and moving six-frame story.This is Google's fourth year running the Doodle 4 Google competition. K-12 students from across the United States submitted artwork between January 14 and March 22. Google...

How long has it been since you’ve reviewed your Facebook Page? Are you taking advantage of the latest Facebook features? It’s critical that Facebook Page managers take time to regularly audit their Page and ensure that they are not missing out on new features. This Facebook Page audit guide outlines 11 key items to review to [...]...

Facebook is a lot like crystal meth — it's highly addictive and will probably cause your teeth to fall out.* Android users are always one tap away from a snarky status update or a friend's vacation pics.SEE ALSO: 20 Things Your Most Annoying Friends Do on FacebookFacebook's Android app has come a long way from its humble beginnings. The most...

Foursquare has refined its search capabilities to make it easier for users to look for particular venues.The location-based social network unveiled what it's calling "super-specific searches" for iOS and Android on Wednesday"With today's update ... Foursquare helps you find exactly what you want, whatever that may be," it announced in a blog postUs...

Though Facebook is still the most popular social network among teens, their enthusiasm for Mark Zuckerberg's network is decreasing, according to new findings from the Pew Research Center.Pew reports that 77% of online teens (ages 12-17) surveyed use Facebook. But while Pew's findings show that teens view Facebook participation as important for...