Otlay Interactive Web Design and Development Blog

Free Doc Type Sprite Icon Set!

Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Have you looked over and over for a free doc type sprite and icon set, but to no avail? Look no further!

One of our recent projects required a unique icon set with a variety of document type icons. In an effort to increase speed, these icons were integrated into a single CSS sprite and are available to you, free to download!

Below you may preview all 45 icons included in this sprite. Each icon has been assigned via an <a> tag, however this can be easily manipulated to fit your needs.

Download the DocType CSS Sprite & Icon Set

We would also like to credit BrandSpankingNew for creating a majority of the icons used in sprite.

The new ECS Jets website takes flight!

Mon, 16 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Otlay Interactive is proud to announce the recent launch of ECS Jets, a subsidiary of the Exclusive Charter Service.

ECS Jets is a leading provider of private jet charter flights across the world, with a focus on providing the largest selection of aircraft and the most luxurious conditons available.

Looking to fly in style on your next adventure?
Visit ECS Jets today!

What Does the Sale of Skype To Microsoft Mean For Your Windows Devices

Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Most of you have probably heard about Skype planning to have an app for your beautiful Windows Phone 7 devices when the Mango update comes around, but now that Microsoft owns Skype are we going to have to wait for Mango? I don't know about you but I certainly hope not. With Microsoft buying Skype I want my Samsung Focus to get an update in the next couple of months with Skype fully integrated. Granted we can't always get what we want. And even when we do get what we want we often can't get it when we want it.... Which is usually now.

Obvious Advantages For Microsoft Buying Skype

For me personally the biggest advantage I see is the integration with WP7. My Samsung Focus is always with me no matter what and having Skype integrated natively is way more exciting than even Skype coming out with an app for it. Imagine having your messaging hub on your WP7 with text messages, Skype messages, and hopefully your email accounts eventually.

Another obvious plus for Microsoft buying Skype is the integration with Windows 7 (and beyond) Desktop. Skype is one of the first things that I install and one of the few things that I have on startup. If Skype was completely integrated and built in with the operating system that could insure more rich features and compatibility. Perhaps they will even tie it in with some Active Directory or other server side services. If they did active directory then maybe there could automatically be a department chat for each department. And if you have Skype as a department chat then anything collaborated in the chat is automatically logged and easy to ctrl+f to go back and reference conversations.

Some Possible Downsides To Microsoft Buying Skype

Hopefully this is not the case but Microsoft could raise prices associated with Skype. One of the best parts of Skype is that it is free. Obviously, I have no clue whether or not it might change but you never know. Also, and other that I hope/doubt will happen, decrease in Skype's cross platform support. I use Skype on Windows and Linux alike so I hope that Microsoft owning Skype will not hinder it's development on any other platforms. I think that Microsoft is smart enough to make sure that this does not happen and I assume that Microsoft has even more resources at it's disposal than Skype alone did so maybe this sale will actually boost development. Only time will tell.

Conclusion to Microsoft Buying Skype

In short, I personally think that Microsoft's recent purchase of Skype will be a great thing. I hope to see full integration of Skype into WP7 and Windows 7 Desktop alike. As well as better development of Skype across all platforms. Microsoft obviously has plenty of resources to make this a great plus for Windows and Skype users alike (and especially for those that use both).

What Will Mango Do For Our WP7 Devices

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

I am sure most of you have already been hearing some of the rumors about out beloved Windows Phones being updated to the Mango update in the fall. Other than IE9 on WP7 getting HTML5, Silverlight support, and of course better multi-tasking/app switching, I have yet to hear much about any details. So I decided to just compile a little list of what I would like to see with the Mango update for my Samsung Focus.

Multitasking Improvement On WP7

Whether you like to call it multitasking or not I don't really care. It essentially is smart multitasking. They limit it for very good reason but I feel like they could limit it a bit less and it would be much better. On top of giving developers a little bit of a longer leash for the multi-tasking they also need to provide a nice app switching interface. Heaven forbid the follow iPhone because quite frankly that alone made me want to replace my iPhone 3gs. No company yet has topped Palm's epic card interface and it makes me sad that WebOS is not more popular than it is but what can you do. Regardless, WP7 please get an app switcher that is as user friendly as WebOS's card view.

Remote Desktop (RDP) Built In On WP7

This would be a great feature to add and every Windows full OS has had the capability there for a long time so why not us mobile users? I know there are apps out there that do it but I personally want to see Windows have it's own implementation for a couple of reasons. One if it is built into an update then it is (or at least should be) free. And secondly if Microsoft is taking care of it themselves then I am pretty sure they can come up with a better implementation than most developers. I am thinking instead of like most RDP's you see your desktop actually having a WP7 specific implementation of your desktop.

WP7 Needs New Ringtones

I don't actually even use custom ringtones all that much, but I am struggling with the fact that you can't add them to your current WP7 devices. This ability has been on a lot of phones for quite a while now. One thing I did like on my iPhone 3gs was going into iTunes and cropping out 30 seconds of one of my favorite songs and putting that as a ringtone.

SSH Terminal

I use putty on a daily basis for work and it would be nice to have the capability on my phone. SSH capability is pretty much all it needs and there might be apps for it I am not sure but I feel it is something that should be built in on every device. Doing web development there are many times where I might quickly need to ssh into the servers for a small change and if my WP7 Samsung Focus had a well polished built in app that would be awesome. On my iPhone I had an app, I can't recall what it was called but it was not well polished or very user friendly.

Free Developer (Homebrewer) Unlock Version

Actually, I would like to see this come long before Mango rolls out on my Focus but at the latest I want to see it on Mango. Having good terms with your homebrew community will set them far ahead of Apple and make the user experience awesome. I mean if you are limited to only your device (not getting apps in the app store) then you can't do much harm. Obviously there is the possiblity of being like the iPhone hacker community and pirating everything but if you are on good terms with your homebrew community this is much less likely to happen.

WP7 Mango Update Expectations Conclusion

In short I am very excited about this update and hope that at least some of what I am wanting is part of the Mango update. I know I wont get it all but hey, wishful thinking. Microsoft is doing a great job with Windows Phone 7 and I have confidence that they will keep it up. I mean they kind of have to to compete.

How To Update Your WP7 Samsung Focus With The NoDo Update On AT&T

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Check out this article and comment here for WP7 update Help and Tips

Since this is the first update out for our beautiful WP7 devices it is nice to have a little bit of insight to what you are getting into. It is certainly not a hard process but it is a bit more time consuming than you would think and slightly misleading at times. When you are done you will be copy and pasting on your Windows Phone 7 device like a pro. You will need your WP7 device, a micro USB cable, and a computer with an internet connection and Zune.

Updating Your WP7 Device With NoDo On AT&T

Plug your Samsung Focus into an open USB port on your computer
You might be prompted to update your Zune software, and if so the accept the update. (this should only take a couple of minutes or less)
Next, you should get a Zune window telling you there is an update for you WP7 device. Click "update". This will update your WP7 device to build 7004 and will happen very quickly. (My first reaction was that the NoDo update was unbelievably fast but this was just the first update)
Then, as soon as it was done you should be prompted again to update, if not then unplug the device and plug it back in.
Select "update". This update will bring your device to build 7008 and will take about 20 minutes so be patient.
When that one does finish you should unplug your phone and afterwards your phone should tell you you have update available so plug your WP7 device back in.
Third time is a charm! On the third update prompt for your Windows Phone 7 device you are going to be getting the NoDo build 7390 and it will take about 26 minutes.

Some things you will see along the way

In the image above you will see what your phone will look like while your NoDo update is taking place.

In this image you can see what the success windows will look like on your computer when you are done updating your WP7 device with the NoDo update.

Final Notes On NoDo WP7 Update Process

So far I am loving the NoDo update on my Samsung Focus. The process was longer than expected and like I said earlier a bit deceiving. After you think you have the 7390 build you only have the 7004 or the 7008. Considering this is the first update for our Windows Phones I think that the rest will be much smoother. NoDo did seem to bring the performance boost that it promised and of course the beloved copy and paste.

Blogging Business: Blog your website SEO to the top

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Increasing Page rank, user traffic, and SEO are arguably some of the hardest parts of operating a website. If your site is lacking in these areas, a weekly blog may be just the remedy to get you back on the right track.

Build an Audience

Every site needs visitors; after all, that’s how you define success in the web industry. What better way to create foot traffic to your site than some stimulating content? A blog creates the opportunity to attract new visitors to your site and provides a reason for people to return again.
Interesting content and an open discussion will also help to create a sense of community and identity surrounding your company.
If you’re having trouble coming up with captivating material for your blog, read through 50 Blog Post Ideas for Business Blogging.

Boosts organic search traffic

Because blogs are a constantly changing entity and cover a wide spectrum of topics, blog posts make your website more appealing to the Google and Yahoo search engines. Traffic flow will increase substantially with simple keyword density and linking strategies in your blog that will aid in earning a higher ranking in search engine results. A blog that is constantly kept up to date with interesting content has the opportunity to earn a higher ranking for among search engines, which means more traffic.
To learn more about page ranking and how its calculated check out Google’s page ranks explained.

SEO keyword density & Frequency

One major aspect that Google checks for when it ranks and catalogs for ranking is pages are keyword/key phrase frequency and density. The more often a keyword phrase appears within the blog, the better off you are. There are however a few important places that you must address to increase your blogs SEO. The page title, title of the content, and the first line of your body content should all contain specifically chosen key words or phrases that may be queried in search engines. It’s best to treat these like newspaper headlines. Keep them short and to the point, but be sure to include key words or phrases that might be searched. Beware of over saturation of keywords though. A good rule of thumb is to keep your title below 80 characters, and avoid using your keyword/phrase more than 3 times.

Links for SEO

Blogs are notorious for their linking power in Search Engine Optimization. They gain this power because of the variety of links featured on blogs. Each type of link provides a different boost in rank that in the end, adds up to your blog being ranked higher in the search engines.
The most powerful type of link is when a user links to one of your posts. Often times, they actually double link to the home page of your site as well. Links to your blog home page have some relevance, but not as much as you think. Lack of relevance of homepage links is due to the fact that the home page is divided among many different blogs, so the pieces must be divided up evenly. Lastly, links gain value from arriving from other blogs sharing similar topics. Interlinked blogs aid your SEO more than blogs that cover a wide range of topics.

Connecting With Your Visitors

More and more consumers are turning to the web for their research and purchase of products. A blog can be your company’s voice. A blog will also allow you to establish expertise and manage the reputation of your company. Blogging about new products, upcoming events, and even some issues your site is having can give visitors a more personal feeling with your site Educated visitors become loyal customers. Allowing comments on your blog will give your visitors and potential customers a voice in the process as well.

A Developer's First Impression Of Windows Phone 7

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

I recently switched from the iPhone 3gs over to a Samsung Focus with Windows Phone 7 (WP7). In this quick blog I will go through my first impressions, what I like, what I would like to see in updates, and just a few points of comparison with IOS.

WP7 First Impression

First turning the phone on WP7 instantly feels like it is a new concept and a great step up from the old Windows Mobile. Instead of just having a grid of application with a rather boring feel to it, you have crisp, bright tiles that pop out at you. The user interface looks extremely polished and is very user friendly. I did notice that out of the box plugging it into the wall or computer it started to lag. And since then it appears if the battery is low it will show slight lag at times while plugged in. At first I was pretty upset and thought that I had bought a crappy device but after the first couple of charges I don't notice it anymore.

What I Like About WP7

I love the live tiles and think that they have great potential. I feel like the live tiles is the biggest innovation in mobile operating systems for a long time. IPhone has not made any really outstanding leaps in my eyes. They have been using the same old layout with no upgrades to the lock screen or change in almost any other functionality that would streamline your productivity. More of a device specific point here but I LOVE the 4 inch AMOLED screen on the Samsung Focus. The screen blows the iPhone out of the water. It is also nice to be able to add up to 32GB of memory to the phone, although so far it has been quite the issue of finding a card that will work.

What I Want WP7 To Get In Updates

I want WP7 to get the ability to add ringtones to your device. I know this sounds like a small thing but not just for the ability to sport your favorite song but the current alarm is terrible. I don't see how any of the tones could ever wake anyone up.
Secondly, I want there to be copy and paste. In general I feel like I don't have any where near as much need for copy and paste as I did while using the iPhone 3gs but it would still be nice.
The third is a given... MORE APPS! I know this is not totally Windows responsibility, but there need to be more apps and I know there will be because WP7 is still a baby.
Also WP7 went the same route as iPhone as for the multitasking which personally I feel is good and bad. It causes developers to be more creative but it guarantees that a crappy developer won't drain your batter in 5 minutes. However, there is not really a task switcher other than the back button which obviously just goes back.

Windows Phone 7 Conclusion

WP7 is a huge step forward and I am extremely excited to see the first few updates roll out. In the next 6 months to a year I can see this being the best mobile operating system. I love Android and I especially love WebOS but WP7 is really raising the bar. In my opinion WP7 and IOS are very close to on par with each other as far as user friendly goes. I also feel that WP7 has much more potential until Apple decides to actually make a new operating system instead of just adding features. I love the concept of Android as I do appreciate open source, but I haven't actually owned one just yet so I can't speak much there. Although it is my understanding that they are for the more tech savvy of us, hence a reason many millions will choose IOS or WP7 instead.

Nintendo takes 3D to the next level with 3DS

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Nintendo has revolutionized the 3-D and Gaming industry with the release of its new hand held consol, the 3DS. This 3-D gaming consol offers a glasses-free viewing experience at a price the average consumer can afford. Though the technology that makes it possible has been around a while, it is just now being adapted to be brought to the masses

What Makes it Possible?

The 3.5 inch upper screen that features the 3-D option, boasts a resolution of 800x240 pixels. Due to the way the technology works, it actually splits the resolution between each of the user’s eyes, essentially making it 400x240 pixels for each. Then each scene is rendered twice; once for each eye. By separating both the resolution pixels and the rendered pictures for each eye, the 3DS creates a stereoscopic effect, giving the appearance of image depth.
3-D viewing is also made possible because of a holofoil-like film with precisely cut slits laid over the top of the LCD display. The slits cause your brain to differentiate images between the left and right eye, giving the effect of depth perception. The only downfall to this technology is the fact it has to be held directly in front of your face, usually at reading level, for the 3-D effect to be present. Some users have also reported not being able to see the images at all, and others report headaches after prolonged usage.

Other 3-D Features

Along with gaming, Nintendo has thrown several other 3-D features into the 3DS. They have included three total camera lenses, one on the inside and two on the front, capable of capturing 3-D images. There is also an array of special effects offered, including Merge. Merge takes two photos, one from the inside camera of the person holding the 3DS, and one from the outward facing cameras of the person across from them. It then combines the two images to create a single 3-D image of what you would look like combined into one person.
The 3DS will also offer an array of other multimedia content including 3-D movies, TV shows, augmented reality applications, and digital music. Nintendo has hashed out deals with DreamWorks, Warner Bros, and Disney to deliver stereoscopic content to the 3DS via Wi-Fi connection.

Just the Tip of the Iceberg?

Though Nintendo has made a name for its self as a gaming consol, the ability to play 3-D games may be the least notable feature of the 3DS. With its ability to connect to the internet using a Wi-Fi connection, the possibilities are endless. Its affordability and glasses free technology make it far superior to a $1500 TV that chains you to the couch.
Though the 3DS has the ability to connect to the web to access movies and updates, no current web browser exists for the system. Don’t you worry, one is in the works as we speak that’s based off of the Access Netfront platform. The ability to surf the web may very well open Pandora’s Box. How long until web sites are being viewed in 3-D? If Nintendo can get the new consol to be used and trusted as much as the smart phone, the possibilities are endless. We very well could be receiving all of our digital content in 3-D very soon.

Apple iOS 4.3 Update Leaves iPhone 3G Out of Commission

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

It's official, if you have an iPhone 3G, you're probably asking yourself "why isn't my iPhone 3G updating to iOS 4.3?!". It's because you're no longer in the hardware group that gets Apple software updates. They cut it out, you're stuck, and to date, Apple hasn't made any notion that they're intending to let you get security patches or continue much into the future with your phone. Funny timing with the launch of the iPad2, but far enough before the release date of iPhone 5 that you can't plan on upgrading your 3G to a 5 anytime soon.

Since iOS 4.0, the 3G model has mostly been short the ability to multi task. With the big speed improvements in iOS 4.3, is it really a question of the hardware not being able to support enough of the software, or is it an easy opportunity to shorten their development requirements and push some users to make those valuable upgrades?

iPhone 3GS Upgrades

AT&T has been making a big marketing push to get 3GS phones out the door for as little as $50. Assuming you (re)sign a 2 year agreement of course and are eligible for an upgrade. If you're not eligible, market price of a 3GS: $399. This means if you want to have the latest, secure software, and be able to run and update all of your apps, you're going to have to upgrade, or be stuck with a lack of features.

iPhone Upgrade Options?

Maybe now is the time to look at making a switch to Android, perhaps the stunning new Motorola Atrix? Or if your heart is really stuck on an iPhone, check out AT&T vs Verizon iPhone Comparison Chart and make sure you're with the company you want to be before ponying up for that new phone.

Lets just say we have both an AT&T and a Verizon contract in our office, and the Verizon staff does an awful lot of crap talking... I'll stick with my Blackberry Torch... for now... but if you're looking for a good time to upgrade, 2011 is going to be a good year to get some nice hardware. Multicore processors in phones are the future, and with powerful phones coming out that rival PCs less than 10 years ago, it's looking up to be a bright future for our handheld devices.

Apple 4.3 iOS Update, iPhone 4 back on top with HotSpot?

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The much anticipated 4.3 iOS from Apple has finally arrived. Like every other update, Apple enthusiast were as excited as always to see what toys Apple had provided this time around. The new update scheduled for a March 11th launch, was released a day early. This update will allow iPhone 4 users to use their phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot as seen on the new Verizon iPhone and other mobile devices. Along with the new hotspot capabilities the iPhone 4 has increased the performance of Safari and in-home sharing through iTunes.

Hot spot

After the update to the iPhone 4 I was ready to become the neighborhood hotspot, or so I thought. In order to get my 4.3 iOS upgrade working to its full potential I had to spend eighteen minutes on the phone with an AT&T specialist to upgrade my data package. My current data package was grandfathered in allowing me to maintain an unlimited data plan for $30/month over the past couple of years.The once unlimited data plan was now ‘upgraded’ to a limited data plan with only 4 GBs of connection and tethering for an additional $15/month. The AT&T specialist informed me that once I have changed data plans I am not permitted to revert back to my previous data package. I hope it's worth the change!

2+2 vs. 4

Along with losing my current data package, which was without question better than the upgrade, the new data package is somewhat lacking. The new data plan will not include the 4 GB as advertised, but give users 2 GB of data for your phone and 2 GB for tethering purposes, a total of 4 GB. This may not sound like a big deal, but what this does is allocates your data usage for you. Instead of being able to use 4 GB of data at your discretion, you are forced to use 2 GB on your phone and 2 GB when tethering through your computer. However, if you over use your data on either of your 2 GB connections you will be forced to pay the additional $10 per GB. If the data plan enabled you to use the 4 GB how you desired, you would be able to use 3 GB on your phone and not have to worry about getting stuck with an overage charge every month as well as an unused GB of data.

Internet Connection

Although the data packages are a bit questionable and it made me second guess rather or not the updates were worth it, I was pleasantly surprised when it came to the internet connection speed. I ran a multitude of speed test through SpeedTest.net and the Speed Test Mobile Application. When using computer tethering, the internet connection maintained an impressive average of 3.96 Mb download speed, and an average of 3.25 Mb when using the Speed Test Mobile Application through a 3G data connection. I was very happy with the overall quality of the connection and will be a definite bonus to anyone that travels and has a hard time finding reliable internet. To top off the above average connection, I tested the phone using the Skype Application to place video calls through 3G data connection. The Facetime was much better than I had anticipated with no lag or down time and the quality is equivalent to Facetime via Wi-Fi. I don’t recommend this as a replacement to everyday hardwire and wireless internet but it is decent second option. When connecting an iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4 hotspot, the 3GS was able to double its download connection speed vs. using its own 3G network.

Web Browsing

Like most phones the iPhone isn’t perfect and does have a few flaws. One of the most notable flaws was that of the Safari web browser. The previous Safari would cut out, lag, and bog down when being used at a fast pace. The new Safari is equipped with upgraded JavaScript that allows the browser to function up to three times as fast. This smoother operating browser gives the user a cleaner, much ‘prettier’ web browsing experience. The new, more responsive Safari has also been equipped to let slideshows and other animations run without the typical interruption or downtime.

Other Notables

The hotspot and new connection capabilities were the ‘meat and potatoes’ of the 4.3 iOS but not the entirety of the update. The iPhone has also been outfitted with new notification abilities which allow the user to select the number of times an alert will repeat, up to ten times. Apple also enabled the 4.3 to include iTunes home sharing. The home sharing will let users view their media on their mobile device through their PC or Mac through a Wi-Fi connection.

All in All

The overall update of 4.3 iOS was done with the end user in mind and has raised the bar once again when it comes to mobile devices and mobile user ability. Although the new "back door" data plan changes may be a bit questionable, the hotspot is no doubt a feature that every iPhone 4 owner will want to take part in. The new functionality added to the iPhone through the 4.3 iOS upgrade seem to outweight the miniscule price hike to use the If you can afford the few extra dollars a month on your bill, the upgrade to 4.3 will be worth the money.

Maximizing HTTP Load Speed for Your Website with Parallel Hostnames

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Web sites are all about the experience, and nothing says bad experience quite like a slow loading website. Studies have shown time and time again, page load speed can be the #1 factor in deciding if your users are absorbing your content or just eating up some bandwidth.

Speed Matters

Google and Bing's staff collaborated on a study of Performance Related Changes and their user Impact, which focuses on looking at experiments performed on specific aspects of load speed and user bounce and conversation rates.

One of the most important things to take from this report: "Active users are more sensitive". This means that your everyday loyal visitors and customers are the ones most likely to lose interest from poor page performance and cause you to suffer as a result!

Thanks to Google and Bing's high-volume split testing, we can definitively see that adding (or shaving) milliseconds to load speed can have drastic extremes on your business. On a high volume site, a small percentage of lost revenue adds up quickly, and on a smaller scale site, losing an important 1 or 2 clients can tip the scales.

Why Parallel Hostnames?

Your browser can typically make 2-4 connections to a single hostname at any given time. This means that if you have 30 images to load, you'll spend most of your time waiting on the first batch of connections to finish before it can even start loading the rest, which can kill your performance. Most sites load all of their content from a single hostname (usually the same one their website is hosted on).

How to break up your hostnames

Depending on the type of your content your site is hosting, you may only need to add 1 or 2 hostnames for simple sites (we recommend content., design., etc), up to a much larger number on sites with heavy media usage. The important thing to note is that for every hostname you add, it requires +1 DNS lookup to find out where it's pointing.

The best tactic is to split up your css, thumbnails, fonts and any other large classes of media (i.e. slideshow images or video files) into their own unique subdomains. Without parallel hostnames, the images loading within your stylesheets will stall the loading of all non-text based data on your site. With parallel hostnames, your browser can simultaneously lookup www.domain.com, content.domain.com, thumbs.domain.com and media.domain.com, allowing for your pages to render in record times. Google can tell you more on parallelizing downloads.

Server Setup

Setting up your server or hosting environment to use your new hostnames is extremely simple. The idea is to have all of your subdomains loading from your MAIN web area, so that making an HTTP request to content.domain.com is identical to making that same request to www.domain.com in every way except to your browser. The browser has no way of knowing (and doesn't care) that it's serving from the same location, it will happily retreive the files in parallel and display them in the quickest times possible.

For even better performance, we recommend using NGINX to serve your content subdomains. If you've never used or heard of NGINX, you're missing out on a great alternative HTTPD to Apache that can decrease your system overhead and serve files at a much faster rate (especially under heavy traffic). More on NGINX to come soon, in the meantime you can checkout Joe's Blog to see some pretty graphs and understand how NGINX can kick some ass!

Five Tools to Organize your Small Business

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

As a small business owner, organization can be the difference between success and putting you in the nut house. If you are properly organized, running your small business can be a breeze -- and will ultimately be shown in your profits. Organization starts at the top and will trickle down to benefit everyone from employees to customers. Your organization lets you better track your business from your initial client meeting to the sale of a product. These five tools are guaranteed to make you and your business more efficient and successful.

#1 Pen and Paper

It sounds simple and at first keeping pens and paper seems like a mess. However, in reality it will help you keep your mind organized. Like most small business owners, the wheels are constantly spinning and you are always trying to think of ways to improve and streamline your business. Keeping pens and paper around will allow you to write down anything you think of, so you don’t waste that million dollar idea. The best way to go about this is to have pen and paper available anywhere you spend any substantial amount of time (desk, nightstand, etc.). During the week, consolidate your notes into one permanent storage place. The placement of pen and paper in your car, desk, and coffee table may be what keep the good ideas flowing and keep you ahead of your competition.

#2 Business Card Holder

Since not all contacts come in an electronic form it’s good to have a place to put your hard copies of business and information cards you receive. To do this a leather business card holder from your local office supply store is perfect. These holders start at $10 and can be a life saver when you’re trying to track down an old client or associate. Most people have stacks of business cards lying around their house from years of networking. The business card holder is the perfect solution for organizing your contacts.

#3 PDA

With thousands of cell phones on the market it’s important to get one that fits your personality. Phones are normally the one thing we try not to leave home without. Each PDA offers a few unique features that will help keep your schedule inline. The great thing about PDA’s is they combine your whole life and allow you to keep it in the palm of your hand -- a phone that fits you is crucial. The ability to combine multiple email accounts, notes, and calendars in addition to the thousands of applications built for business are sure to make life easy.

#4 Messenger: Skype

Sitting behind your computer has likely become a second home to you, as it has too many of us. One of the great things about the world of technology is that it allows you the freedom to work whenever and where ever. Skype is a must have messaging service that allows you stay in touch without being on site. Skype is a great way to keep in touch with clients and employees alike, as well as family when you’re on the road. There are a variety of features that allow users to: instant messaging, video conference, call cell phones and land lines, all from a Wi-Fi connection. One of the great hidden treasures of Skype is the ability to log your conversations. Conversation logging will allow you to refer to previous conversations and conferences with clients so nothing is lost in translation. Further, ,Skype has recently gone, mobile allowing users to log in from their mobile devices and applications to chat and conference on the go.

#5 Ecommerce Website

An ecommerce website for your small business is the biggest key to keeping yourself and your business in working order. One of the great features of an ecommerce site is that most of them all are all inclusive; they give you the ability to organize orders, send invoices, collect payments, and more. Watching your customer’s orders from the warehouse to their front door all with the click of a mouse is sure to free up some time and allow you to focus on other aspects of your business. In addition to the great back end features ecommerce sites can provide, some ecommerce sites also include a vast amount of front end user intuition. Amazon.com and Dell are frequently ranked as some of the best ecommerce sites on the web because of their unique user features like coupons, shopping or buying suggestions, and spur of the moment sales and discounts.

In the small business world a lot of our sanity relies on us staying focused and on track. These five tools are sure to make life a little easier in the future. From your brainstorming process to selling products, there is always a way to modernize and simplify your business. Staying organized will help you stay more consistent throughout your business and be reflected in the number of satisfied repeat customers.

How to select a domain name for your company

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Just as the name of your business directs your presence in the ‘physical world,’ your domain name guides your presence on the web. Internet-based businesses particularly rely on the right domain name to differentiate their site and business from competitors. With your site design, marketing campaigns and SEO value (online visibility) hanging in the balance, selecting a domain name can be a daunting task. But fear not, following these general guidelines can help you select a unique and memorable domain name.

Less is more.

Although domain names can be up to a whopping 67 characters, no one wants to type that. Besides being a pain on the keyboard, long names are more difficult for customers to remember and leave more chances for typos. Aim for five to fifteen characters (not including the extension; .com, .net, etc) for maximum effectiveness.

It’s a concrete victory

Concrete nouns that is. One of the most important things your domain name can be is memorable. Concrete nouns, that is, things you can physically connect with using one of the five senses, are easy for people to remember because they are simple to visualize and associate with. By combining a lively adjective with a noun the options are nearly limitless.

Which witch is which?

Steer away from words that have multiple spellings and avoid using text message lingo. More spelling options means more chances for potential customers to get lost or snagged by an easier to find competitor. Other things to avoid include hyphens, random initials or letters and technical jargon or phrases most people would not understand.

Say what??

Make sure your domain is only saying what you want it to say. Write it out without spaces (as it will be in the address bar) and make sure there are no ‘hidden’ phrases or alternate meanings; such as ILoveBigAls.com = ILoveBiGals.com or LumbermansExchange=LumbermanSexChange. See more ill-planned domain names here.

Cover all your bases.

Once you’ve selected your domain name, purchase domains grammatically close to it. Companies exist whose sole function is to purchase and sell advertising space on open domains that are similar to existing websites. It’s a cheap way to get page views without trying. By owning both the plural and singular version (facebook.com and facebooks.com) as well as alternate and misspellings of your domain (fasebook.com, facbook.com) you can catch those customers you may otherwise have lost.

Create a beautiful & inexpensive mural for your office!

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

As any true entrepreneur knows, first impressions are everything! Often people will critique their website, their attire, or perhaps their handshake. But have you considered your office? As you look around, do you see nothing but plain white walls? Then continue reading!

In this article we will walk you through an inexpensive method of decorating your office with a custom mural that will surely turn heads and strike up conversations. Best of all, this project allows you to indulge your inner creativity and customize the artwork to your office environment.

Approximate cost: $100

Necessary Tools & Items

3/8” foam board (quantity/size depends on size of mural)
Double sided Velcro tape (quantity depends on size of mural)
Ruler and/or spirit level
3M or Elmers spray adhesive
X-Acto knife

Step 1: Selecting your artwork

The first step is selecting a proper photograph or artwork for your mural. In this tutorial we are creating a mural that is roughly 8’ x 4’ wide. Because you will be enlarging your image, it is crucial that you select an image that is large enough for your purposes. Failing to do so will result in a distorted, blurry and completely unrecognizable mural!

There are several outlets for finding suitable artwork for our project. Flickr is a great source for finding unique and beautiful photographs. We also suggest doing a Google Image Search. When searching for a photo, be sure to find one that is at least 2,000 x 2,000 pixels. You can do this in the Google image search by clicking the “At Least” filter on the left hand side, and selecting 4MP+.

Otherwise, if you have a 4 Megapixel + camera, we suggest taking your own photos. After all, this project is about expressing your inner creativity!

Note: If you are searching on the above mentioned websites, be sure to contact the photographer and ask for permission!

Step 2: Processing your artwork

Once you have found a suitable photo, the next step is to process the photo in a program called The Rasterbator. In short, this program will allow you to specify the size of the mural and will essentially split your large image in to several smaller images so they may be easily printed.

The Rasterbator has an online application as well as a program you can download to your computer. However due to popular demand, their website is frequently offline, so we recommend downloading the local program from here.

Once you have downloaded the application, complete the following steps:

Select the image – Click browse to find the image file you saved to your computer
Select the paper size – This step is critical. You must consider how you wish your mural to appear, either with larger and fewer pieces, or smaller and more pieces. In our mural, we selected an 11x17” paper size with landscape formatting.
Define the output size – This is where you determine how large you want your mural to be. You can do this by selecting a specific dimension, or by specifying the number of pieces you want vertically and horizontally.
Rasterbation options – For the purpose of this tutorial, we want the clearest possible image. The larger your image is, the more precise it will be printed. With this being said, we selected a dot size of 1 and a full color mode. Increasing the dot size will give you a mosaic effect, which is why we chose the smallest option.
Processing & Exporting - Once you are satisfied with your presets, export your file as a PDF. When outputting the PDF it will provide printing instructions. Be sure to write these down to later communicate with your printer.

Step 3: Printing your artwork

Printing a mural of this size will take a considerable amount of resources and most definitely more than the average person can accommodate for. Therefore, we suggest taking your artwork on a USB drive to your local Kinko’s.

When you arrive, tell them about your project as well as the instructions from the software. We also suggest printing your mural on a flat, thicker stock paper. We suggest flat paper because a glossy finish can cause quite a glare in the sunlight. Be sure to mention your page layout (portrait or landscape) as well as the scaling. We suggest asking for a preview of just one page of your PDF. Doing this will ensure that you have properly setup the file and printing options.

We also suggest you have Kinko’s cut the white margins off your images. Having Kinko’s do this will provide a consistent cut and save you a decent amount of time and an even bigger headache!

Once you have received your artwork, take it home and line it up on your floor! If everything looks right, move on to the next step!

Step 4: Preparing for mounting

This step is optional, however it really goes a long way to increase the professionalism of your mural. Simply taping individual sheets of paper to your wall will look tacky. We suggest taking an exact measurement of an individual piece of paper. (This will have changed from the original if you had the margins removed)

Once you have your measurement, call around your local community and inquire about foam board pricing. We found our local Dick Blick had the best pricing for 4’x8’ sheets of 3/8” foam board. Once you located your source, inform them you want X pieces of foam board cut at your specified measurements.

Note: Since foam board cutting can be a bit messy, we suggest using a fine grain sandpaper to quickly remove any nasty edges.

Step 5: Mounting your mural

In a well ventilated room, setup a workspace and cover any furniture with a drop cloth. Take one sheet of paper and spray an appropriate amount of adhesive to the back of your photo. Quickly, but carefully, apply this photo to a piece of your pre-cut foam board, making sure it is evenly placed. Repeat this step for all pieces of your mural.

Once you have mounted your mural on the foam board and it is drying you may begin preparing for the actual wall mounting. Since you have put your hard work into this project, you must consider that you will someday be moving to another office. With this in mind, we suggest using Velcro tape to apply the foam board to the wall. This provides an easy removal option and won’t distress your stacked mural pieces when moving. We suggest applying one inch pieces of Velcro strip to each corner of each mural piece.

Once you have the Velcro tape applied to the first top corner piece, mount it to your wall using a spirit level, also known as bubble level. Continue doing this for each piece of your mural. We suggest using a ruler and spacing each piece a half inch apart to add some character. Be sure to take your time doing this, however if you slip up, carefully pull the piece off and re-align it on the matching Velcro strips.

Step 6: Step back and enjoy!

Take a step back, breath and appreciate all your hard work – you’re done! You can see how our examples look below: