Internet Marketing Toronto - Ignite!

oEMBED: A new standard for embedding content on to a page

oEMBED is a really interesting API making it easier to embed 3rd party content onto your website.

You can read more about it on their website http://www.oembed.com/. In a nutshell the API allows you to paste a URL to a resource such as a YouTube video into your WordPress page - and it will automatically add the embed code when the page is rendered. This saves you the trouble of having to grab the embed code yourself.

We’ll be thinking of some creative ways to use this over the next little while. If you have some ideas I’d love to hear them, so please post your comments!

Paired Programming and Test Driven Development

I recently came across two very interesting programming approaches which I wanted to share with you. First, Paired Programming puts two programmers together to develop a single solution. Second, Test Driven Development has a developer produce their Tests first and then program to ensure their software meets the tests. Both are very interesting approaches and I go into a little more depth on each of them for you.

Paired Programming

Paired Programming has been around for a long time now so it’s nothing new. However it is gaining popularity lately because of the benefits it has. Many project managers would overlook the opportunity because of the perceived added cost to a project of having two programmers do the job that one could easily accomplish. What they are overlooking though is the synergy that develops between the programmers as they work together to solve a particular problem - both working from the same workstation. They are not working in parallel - but rather working together to solve a problem.  The old adage of two heads are better than one applies here. While one developer can be writing code - the other can be writing tests and brainstorming solutions. They can the switch off giving each other a turn at each activity. Development can be done quicker and better.

Some resources about paired programming include:

• Wikipedia has a nice overview of the benefits and drawbacks of Pair Programming: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pair_programming
• Menlo Innovations: http://www.menloinnovations.com/freestuff/whitepapers/pairedprogramming_qanda.htm
• Computer Science Teachers Association: http://blog.acm.org/archives/csta/2009/10/the_benefits_of.html

Test Driven Development

Kent Beck is credited with reviving / adding new life to this style of Extreme Development where a developer first starts with producing a very basic test case which will fail because no code has been written. Then upon writing some code to pass the test case writes another test case and always refactoring the code to pass the test cases they are producing. Once all test cases are written - the code too amazingly passes the test cases! The tests themselves are always small and precisely defined and have true or false steps allowing the developer to easily write code to pass them.

This style of development is very productive and keeps the developer focused on producing only the code necessary to pass the tests. This ensures the program is very focused and does not go off in the weeds. It also reduces the number of “bugs” which has a tangible cost savings further along the software development cycle.

Some resources about Test Driven Development include:

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test-driven_development
• Wikipedia Kent Beck: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Beck
• AgileData.org: http://www.agiledata.org/essays/tdd.html
• Test Driven.com: http://www.testdriven.com/modules/news/
• MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa730844(VS.80).aspx

I hope you find these resources interesting and of value to you and your business. I know they’ll force you to think differently about programming - if that happens, I’ve done my job!

Three Alternatives To Basecamp

I recently had a chance to review three alternatives to Basecamp and I felt compelled to share with you the results. The three solutions are ProjectPier, OpenGoo and ActiveCollab.

Both ProjectPier and OpenGoo appear to be forks of ActiveCollab but the only hint at their common ancestry is the installation process. All three platforms have a somewhat different features and very differnt user interfaces.

ActiveCollab: Not Free - costs approximately $499

ActiveCollab does not offer a demo version to “download” but you can sign up for a free 30 day trial with their online demo platform. Having done that now I can’t speak about the installation process. However, the interface is every bit as good, if

Project Dashboard

not better than Basecamp. It also over comes to MAJOR shortcoming with Basecamp (at least from my perspective) which are the ability to create Project Templates, and the ability to process unsolicited inbound email turning it into notes and tasks automatically. This latter feature really increases client adoption rates.

While the product is not free, over the long term it is less expensive to operate than Basecamp. If I had to make a switch from Basecamp then I would move to this platform because of these two core features.

However, if price is an issue for you then have a look at the following two solutions based on ActiveCollab.

OpenGoo: Free

OpenGoo aims to be more of an Office Suite on the web allowing you to manage projects and all of the associated collateral such as phyiscal document storage and the ability to write “web based” documents. It is not a replacement for Google Docs though as it does not have presentation or spreadsheet capabilities.

Dashboard

The installation was extremely simple having only the need for a database, user and password. No errors encountered during the install!

The default (and only theme) is very clean and simple - well thought out. What I really like about the interface is that along the left hand side you can create a “workspace” - which I’d setup as client projects. Each “workspace” has all of the features in the platform filtered for that project. As a result the UI is extremely nice and simple.

From a project management perspective though - I find that the added features cause the project management aspects of notes, tasks and milestones to become lost. As a result it may be more difficult to obtain client adoption using this platform. However, that remains to be seen!

Overall - I really like this solution. It’s feature rich and easy to use. But it is lacking inbound email handling and does not have project templates.

ProjectPier: Free

Installing Project Pier was also simple and did not produce any errors for me. Several themes are provided out of the box and you’ll want to change it from the default which is not very well designed. The single largest shortcoming of this platform is it’s lack of fullscreen mode - ie centered in the middle of the page. This causes the UI to be a bit cramped.

Dashboard

It has all of the project management related features such as notes, attachments, outbound email notification (no inbound), tasks and milestones.

Out of all of the platforms this one was my least favorite because of it’s inferiour UI and lack of inbound email handling (at least as replies).

However, it does a very good job with the features it does contain.

Conclusion
Of all of the platforms ActiveCollab is the clear alternative for my needs. It contains the two core features that Basecamp is missing (hint: basecamp - add these features) - inbound email handling and project templates. However, it’s not free and thus there is a cost for licensing it.

If cost is an issue for you then OpenGoo is the clear second choice. I recommend you test them all out see for yourself!

If you know of web based project management / collaboration platforms beyond these four that I’ve mentioned please post a comment here. I’d love to try them out and write a little review of them.

Adobe is purchasing Omniture

Hot off the wire!

Adobe to Acquire Omniture

Today is a very exciting day as we have announced that Omniture has signed an agreement to be acquired by Adobe Systems, one of the largest software companies in the world. I am very excited about this announcement and the opportunity it presents and want to provide you with some context around what this means for you.

Over the last 13 years, our core mission has been to help our customers measure and optimize every digital interaction to increase their revenue and competitive advantage. Along the way, we have achieved many key milestones: serving more than 5,000 customers, measuring more than one trillion customer interactions every quarter, launching the Online Marketing Suite and emerging as a leader in online business optimization. We are all extremely proud to be your partner in your online business success.

By joining forces with Adobe, we can accelerate our vision to optimize every digital interaction (across media types, devices and applications) because of the unique synergies that exist between our two companies:

Adobe’s products are a ubiquitous component of digital content creation and playback. By integrating our technology with Adobe’s, we will be able to more quickly deliver our solution and “complete the loop” of content creation, delivery and optimization–enabling our customers to provide more effective online content and experiences.

Adobe also has the global operational scale and reach that will enable us to more quickly penetrate new geographies and new markets. We will be joining forces with a company that generates over $3B in annual revenues that can get us to market faster, and at a time when the market is looking for a digital marketing platform it can make a bet on for years to come.

As is customary in these situations, this transaction is subject to government approvals and is expected to close before the end of the year. As we progress toward closing the transaction, we look forward to sharing more details with you about our integration plans and the many exciting synergies between our companies.

I realize this is a significant development in Omniture’s history; as such, I want to assure you that it is “business as usual” at Omniture and we believe this only adds to our ability to evolve with you and be your trusted partner for decades to come.

Sincerely,

Josh James
CEO and Co-founder
Omniture

Get Your Web Project Done Sooner By Hiring A Copy Writer

Copy Writers are worth their weight in gold when it comes to web projects!

Having managed many web design and development projects I know there are two phases in particular that can delay a  project. They are the design process itself which is stick  handled nicely to completion by exceptional web designers and competent project managers, and the second is copy writing which is another story altogether.

Many times clients feel the need to save money by writing their own content but for a small company this decision can often bring a project to a stand still for months while they try to squeeze this into their already busy routine of running their business. In a larger company there may be marketing teams who are responsible for such activities and it works out fine. But for those who don’t then hiring a competent copy writer is the single best investment they can make.

Why is this important?

You have to go back to the original purpose of producing a new website. It’s usually to attract new business by presenting your current product offerings in a current professional design. Any delay in the website is a delay in reaching this goal. A such,  a modest investment in a competent copy writer is a sure way to ensure you reach this goal much sooner!

At Spark Internet Marketing we specialize in producing outsanding web design projects that are on time, on budget and result in happy clients. We have many years of eperience in all the complex aspects of a design & development project and bring this experience to bear each and every time.

For your next web project I encourage you to do the same and seriously consider engaging a copy writer to work with you. If you need a referral - please post a comment here and we’ll be more than happy to connect you with our fabulous team of freelance writers.

PPC Review - Low Keyword Competition Does Not Equal Cheap Clicks

I was reading through some Google AdWords quality score guidelines and posts on the AdWords blog and thought I would dispel a rather common misconception in PPC marketing.

Part of a good PPC managers job is to continually look for “long tail” terms - or key phrases that generate cheaper clicks, but high conversion rates. Often, these terms don’t have a lot of advertiser competition and thus, one would conclude that the average cost per click is also very low. Unfortunately, in Google’s AdWords system, it isn’t that simple and the average CPC is not only determined by how many advertisers are on the page.

From the Google AdWords support site:

Remember that competition is only one of the variables that determines your actual CPC. The price you pay for a click is also determined by your relative keyword Quality Score for that query. If your keyword has a low Quality Score relative to the other ads on that page, you may find that your actual CPC is close to your maximum CPC, even though there is low competition for that keyword. Keep in mind, though, that you’ll never be charged more than your maximum CPC for a click, no matter how low your Quality Score.

For some excellent tips on quality score management and a really great comprehensive guide, read through this excellent compliation of PPC quality score info.

Also, take the time to watch Google’s excellent video explaining their auction model and how the various factors affect ad position.

David Heinemeier Hansson Talks About Basecamp, 37Signals and Ruby on Rails

David Heinemeier Hansson Talks About Basecamp, 37Signals and Ruby on Rails on FLOSS!

If you’re at all interested in application development, you have to listen / watch to the FLOSS interview with David Heinemeier Hansson as he speaks passionately about learning to program, developing basecamp, working with 37Signals and also producing the Ruby On Rails framework.

One word of caution is that this episode unlike others has a bit of Adult language as David speaks out passionately about his craft.

Google Strengthens It’s Video Offerings With the Purchase of On2

Google has announced it’s acquisition of On2 Technologies - a leading developer of video compression technology.

Google is always on the march to improve it’s position in all areas of content. Video is one of those areas that continues to grow in popularity. Recently Google added HD content to YouTube and they can certainly benefit from stronger video compression. The On2 acquisition will help them obtain that technology and bring even better video services to the general public.

I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of this new $106 million dollar deal!

Read More: Google to Acquire On2 Technologies

Web Design 101 - Don’t Post Your New Site with Placeholder Text

I’m a hockey fan… in fact, I enjoy watching a Maple Leafs game from time to time with my friends. I also happened to have married a girl from British Columbia and am faced with the on going battle of dealing with her in-laws on the constant “Vancouver Canucks are better than the Toronto Maple Leafs” debate.

Well… I concede the point that the Leafs have had their struggles for quite some time… and that Vancouver is a very fast, talented team with a lot of potential.

BUT

When it comes to web design - at least the Leafs have their collective Web Design and internet marketing heads screwed on straight. I bet if they were running a PPC campaign, they would most likely use the dreaded “Test, test, test - www.test.com” placeholder text too!

Just have a look at the latest Canucks website launch - chock full of Latin placeholder text. Nice one!

If Brian Burke were still there some heads would be rolling!

http://canucks.nhl.com/club/index.htm

Coming Soon to an OS near you - Google Chrome

It finally happened - Google decided to cross over and start playing in Microsoft’s back yard, well perhaps that isn’t an accurate analogy - Google will be playing in Microsoft’s living room, with its toys and eating its chips (better :)). Google announced it will be releasing a Chrome OS, due for shipping in 2010. Here it is, directly from the horses mouth:

Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we’re already talking to partners about the project, and we’ll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.

I wonder if Chrome the browser will come pre-installed and defaulted to Google’s search page… and I wonder if they will make it difficult to run Microsoft Explorer… inquiring minds want to know.