A local Landscaping company let their domain name expire and recently hired me to build their new website. It turns out that one of their competitors saw their name was available and quickly registered it. The Landscape company had no idea that the web address on their flyers, business cards, and other material has been sending people to a competitors website for the last year.

I should also note - that when I go to this competitors website and try to call them - the number rings directly to a so-called "marketing company" - the person on the other end is always at a grocery store or you hear screaming children in the background.

So we have an unscrupulous marketing company and an equally dishonest landscape company. I have called and emailed, and have not yet heard back from the owner of the company - although the "marketing" person (who will not tell me the name of her company) claims she will talk to the owner and see if they will let me client have his name back.

They claim they thought my client was out of business - but if they would have bothered to make a phone call they would have seen that it was not the case.

We will see if the owner of the company does the right thing and transfers the name back to my client. If not - it won't be the end of the world - I have already registered the .net version of his name, and I will still get my client to the top of the search engines - the right way! The competitor put very little effort into their own site - and it's nothing more than poor design and a bunch of keywords on every page - which makes it highly irrelevant anyway - so it will just fade away.

The wonderful thing about the internet - it is a self cleaning oven - and sooner or later it will get rid of the garbage and reward the good websites.

As for losing domain names - this happened to another local company a couple years ago. They let their domain name expire and a company from China quickly registered it and told them they could have it back for ,000.00.

If you use GoDaddy - they are very good about letting you know well in advance you have a domain coming up for renewal.

Unless you have a registered name, or can afford to pay a lawyer big bucks - there is not much you can do if someone takes your name. If you think there is even a chance you are going to use a certain name in the future - go ahead and register it. Also - make sure you get the .net and .org versions.

And one last thing - when hiring a wed designer, marketing person, or anyone - get references and ask to see their work - that will give you a good idea who you are dealing with!

Small businesses and non-profit groups can be targets for a billing fraud scam called web cramming.

Sometimes a "web Design" company will contact a business by phone and offer a free customized website. They tell the business owner that after 30 days or so a monthly fee of to dollars will be billed for hosting services.

Customers are automatically billed for this service even if they did not authorize it. The charges start appearing on their phone bill. One version of the scam involves companies that offer "rebate" checks, that when cashed, will transfer the customers internet service provider. this scheme generally binds you to a contract, such as a long-term agreement with severe penalties for withdrawing.

And of course the websites are terrible quickly produced template designs - full of mistakes, and cannot be edited.

No business can afford to have a poorly designed useless website. If will cost you much more than that low monthly charge. Be aware of the effect your site will have on potential clients - often times it is the first thing they see.

Concept Digital Media is pleased to announce it has launched a Local NuBarter Website that will focus on Sarasota and Manatee Counties. In the past Concept Digital Media has helped other Franchise owners increase their business, including Cartridge World of Sarasota.

Why have a web designer create an additional website when you already have a “free one” through corporate?

Many franchise owners have found that the “corporate website” does little to help them in their particular territory – especially when local people may not be aware that a certain type of franchise that offers services they need even exists.

Having a “local” website is a great way to attract potential clients and serves as a access point for individuals in the immediate territory. This type of site can be a valuable means of promotion for the local franchise area, and serve the purpose of being a more personal and locally targeted source of relevant information for members that pertains more to their community than the corporate site is able to.

The site can feature a blog, press releases, and informative articles that can be a means to show what is presently taking place with the local franchise and members. It could serve as a way to spotlight certain members. It can be connected to various social media as a means of cross promotion of the franchise and company.

A great idea is to have testimonials by local members, and a featured section reminding members all of the great ways they can use their membership.

Plainly visible and easily accessible will be buttons and/or links that will take the visitor to the corporate site where they will be able to log in.

The site will have the same look and feel as the corporate site. Careful consideration will be taken to respect the Corporate logo and various copyrighted materials.

This site will not take the place of the corporate site but simply serve as an easier way to attract potential new members, and a more user friendly and personal experience for existing members.

Having a separate site that can be Search Engine Optimized for a specific area will benefit members, the franchise, and the parent company.

Every business needs a website. The questions is – how do you find the right web designer to take care of your internet presence? Will the web designer you choose take the time to know your business inside out, and be able to help bring you customers?

Unlike other traditional marketing strategies, a website has a global reach and can attract potential clients 24-7. Sometimes it’s hard for business owners to grasp the internets potential, but those who invest the time and money into a professionally built website will see the positive results immediately.

Unfortunately, sometimes it seems everybody and their brother claims to be a web developer. This is not a carefully regulated industry, you do not have to have a license to practice, and so many business owners just do not take the time to fully understand the potential effect a website can have on their business. There are even some business owners who make the important decision to hire a designer based on price alone.

There is no consistency or base line when it comes to web development companies – one company may charge ,000 for a basic site while someone working out of their home with no overhead may claim to be able to do create a comparable site for a fraction of that amount. One day I passed a home with a sign in the yard that read :”Websites 0.00”.

With thousands of Web developers out there, ranging from individual freelancers to larger marketing and web design agencies, how can you make sure you choose the right one?

You need to decide what you want the website to do. Do you want a site that is nothing more than a glorified brochure? Maybe you are a small pizza restaurant and want to simply have a menu up on the internet. Of course, a properly designed and search engine optimized site will bring you more customers and more business, so you should always try to take advantage of all the internet has to offer. It is understandable that many businesses in this economy have limited budgets, so there is nothing wrong with starting small and having a plan to expand the site over a period of time until it is most effective. I would rather see a business do this than have no site at all.

So ask yourself what kind of information will you have on the site – what do you want to share with your visitors.

Remember – your website can be your single most important salesman – and he never sleeps. Many times your website will be the first thing a potential customer will see – so it is important to make a good first impression.

Those of us who are Web designers can spot another good web designer easily. But for the average person - choosing a professional can seem an overwhelming task.

Testimonials and referrals help greatly. If you are part of a Chamber of Commerce, or other networking group – ask around and talk to people who have worked with the designer you are considering hiring. If you use referrals and do your homework, you will have a much better chance of finding a designer who's right for you.

There are many designers who claim to be qualified but have no real experience. Some designers are great at creating beautiful graphics but do not have a clue when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. I actually know a business owner who asked his web designer to perform some SEO on his site – The designer refused to do the work and claimed he was only concerned with creating beautiful sites, and did not have time to waster on working with SEO.

Obviously you should ask to see examples of previous work. But also spend time talking with the web designer and make sure they are going to be the best person for your site, If you are a air conditioning contractor you probably don’t want someone who has only built restaurant websites.

Be clear about who owns the site once it is created. Some designers like to retain copyright, and can hold you hostage by not allowing you to edit or transfer your site. In my opinion - the site should belong to you no with conditions at all.

#1 Use great passwords

A good password uses a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, symbols. A password should have at least eight characters. An example of a great password: Ke4%rdSs

#2 Nobody’s home…

Never mention that you will be away from home. Always be very vague about the date of any trip, or better yet – wait until you get back to tell everyone all about it.

#3 Don’t post your full birthday

The exact year month and day of your birthday could be a target for identity thieves. It is possible they could use it to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to your bank or credit card account. If you must post your birthday – Use only the month and day.

#4 Privacy controls

Use privacy controls to limit access to only your friends, friends of friends, or yourself. Restrict access to photos, birth date, religious views, and family information. Of course it’s always a good idea to leave political and religious views off your Facebook page anyway – especially if your employer or potential clients may see it.

Be careful what contact info you post – and never use your address. If you have small children – never use their names in photo tags or captions!

#5 Everything you do and say, is on the internet to stay!

It is always best to not put anything on Facebook (or the internet for that matter) that you wouldn’t want your mother, employer, or a client see. In our “reality T.V.” world too many people feel the need to tell everybody all about themselves. Just remember – anything you put on the web is there forever! No matter how careful you are – sooner or later someone is going to see those embarrassing photos of you, and it’s always the last person you would ever want to see them!

A little bit of common sense goes a long way.

Stephen LeBlanc, owner of LeBlanc Studios here in Sarasota, needs our support. He is going to die without a liver transplant.

Although I do not have the pleasure of knowing him well personally, I am associated with several friends and colleagues of his, and have nothing but respect for the man.

But this weekend I found out he has been living with a pacemaker for twenty years, and dealing with Hepatitis C - which he got from a blood transfusion many years ago.

Late last year Stephen became ill. In just a few months, the hepatitis virus attacked his liver and in January he began being hospitalized for cirrhosis of the liver and has now suffered liver failure.

In a letter that was forwarded to me originating from Ginya Carnahan:

“Our mutual friend Stephen LeBlanc, owner of LeBlanc Studios (photography) and a longtime independent businessman in Sarasota has recently been accepted on Tampa General Hospital’s transplant list to receive lifesaving liver transplant.

His story is one of great challenge, strength and faith. Stephen was born a “blue baby” 50 some years ago in Texas. A congenitally malformed heart caused his blood to not be sufficiently oxygenated, giving him a blue cast. He was fortunate to be in Texas and received his first life-saving open heart surgery at the hands of Dr. Denton Cooley, who later became the “Grandfather” of cardiac surgery. But in the process of correcting his valve malformation, the muscles that power the heart were damaged and weakened over time. By the time he was 30, Stephen needed a cardiac pacemaker, and he has depended on one ever since.

Over the years, he had many surgeries and received blood transfusion many times. Unbeknownst to him or others, one of those blood transfusions was tainted with Hepatitis C virus. This was way before the blood transfusion industry had the ability to test for and destroy units of donated blood infected by Hepatitis C. He has been aware of his “Hep C positive” status for many years. The virus usually remains dormant in the body for years – but when it becomes active it attacks the body with a vengeance.

Although this knowledge was a weight upon his conscience, he didn’t let it stop him from living a full, active, giving life. For years he has worked out with weights and accomplished advanced competitive water skiing, including “barefooting.” In those days to see him you would think him a model of healthy living.

Late last year Stephen became aware that his normally healthy body was becoming ill. In just a few months, the hepatitis virus attacked his liver and in January he began being hospitalized for cirrhosis of the liver and has now suffering liver failure. He is going to die without a liver transplant.

Stephen has been very private about his condition and struggle up until now. He is a proud, brave, Christian man. Today, not only does he stand to succumb to this disease, even if he receives and survives a transplant he may lose his business. This is a man who was always gracious with his time and talents, donating portraits to many non-for-profits, supporting the Boys and Girls Club, holding seminars for young photographers at his studio and actively participating in his church. He is an exemplary husband and father to two wonderful children.

On top of two rough years because of economic forces, now he has been unable to work for months and has pared down his staff to a bare minimum. He is frightened for them and his family and is facing the unknown strengthen by his faith.

I have known Stephen for 15 years and like many of his friends I am asking what can I do for him? There is not much that one person can do – but there are things we can do as a community. We are holding an honorary blood drive in Stephen’s name on Saturday, May 22 at the Leblanc Studio (3103 Fruitville Road) from 10 am until 2 pm. The blood collected will not help Stephen directly but it will help replace the volume of blood he has received, at a particularly trying time for community blood supplies (Memorial Day weekend). We will also have representatives from LifeLink (the organ donation foundation) onsite to encourage people to sign up to be organ donors. This will not likely benefit Stephen directly either, but it will help someone unknown down the road who may be in Stephen’s situation.

And – we are in the process of opening a special bank account to receive monetary donations. I feel that if this story is told, our community will rally around Stephen and his family and help make this transition (however it unfolds) easier on them.”

So please join me and donate some blood – we may not be able to help Stephen directly – but we can help others like him.

Are you talking very loud because the other person is hard of hearing or are you just trying to get attention by letting the world know that you will be home in 15 minutes? Listen pal, this is 2010 – and cell phones now do a pretty good job of getting your voice across – unless you bought it at Wal-Mart….

I always believed one of the greatest inventions was the answering machine – but what is it about cell phones that will make people stop in mid sentence and answer a call? And why do people think that just because you have a cell phone – they have the right to call you anytime they want? And why do people get so upset when you do not answer your cell phone?

You’ve heard of EMP (electromagnetic pulse) that will knock out electronics. I want a smaller version that just fries cell phones. I will use it the next time I am in a restaurant.

Ever notice when you are walking down the street – sometimes people will pull out a cell phone and pretend they are talking just so they don’t have to make eye contact?

Have cell phones become the new cigarette? Just something for people to do with their hands when they are bored – i.e. text, check email, etc….

Social media is about connecting us to other people, and allowing us to access topics, information, and entertainment. It can also be just another distraction that decreases what little productivity there is to begin with. Never before in the history of man (or woman) have so many people had so much access to so much technology – but no idea how to utilize even the smallest fraction of it.
Word of advice: Like my grandfather always said “Don’t ever get a tattoo where the judge can see it” If you do end up diving into social media – just remember that everything you say and do will be on the internet forever!

Never before in the history of man has so much technology been available to so many people who have absolutely no idea what to do with it.

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." - John Lennon