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Friday, June 10, 2011
Domain Name Research Tools
Choosing a domain name for your business can be quite tough these days. Nearly every domain with any known combination of words is already taken. Note that I said ‘nearly every domain‘.
You’d be surprised what is still available if you’re creative in your search.
To help with your domain search, I’ve compiled a few domain name research tools that we’ve used with success.
BustAName
Our favorite, bustaname.com, where you can enter in many different word combinations and they’ll compile a list of available domain names. Or let Bustaname generate domain names for you with Domain Maker.
 BustaName Panabee
Enter two words into Panabee and it will give you variations and related terms on your search which can be very helpful. Just like in a keyword search, you may spot other words you never thought of.
 Panadee KnowEm
KnowEm goes one giant step further, by checking social network and trademark names.
 Knowem Check out these other domain name search resources.
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 2:08 pm
Comments: None | Filed under: Business, Web General
Friday, January 14, 2011
Year of the Smartphone and Mobile Web Design
 Many analysts are predicting 2011 to be the year of the smartphone. I would agree. I just purchased my first smartphone this month. If I’m adopting, I guarantee others will in masses.
Market research firm Asymco predicts that 50 percent of the US population will be using smartphones by the end of this year.
I predict the market will only increase.
So what does that mean for you, the website owner?
It means you’ll have to be thinking about the smartphone user and whether your customers will be visiting your site on one.
- The first step is to inspect your website statistics. Google Analytics will show you if users are on an iPhone or even an iPad.
- Take a survey or poll of your current client base and ask them if they are using or plan on purchasing a smartphone. Ask them will they browse the internet on one?
- Next, test. Check out your current website on a smartphone. How does it look? Is it difficult to navigate, read, etc. Most likely you’ll need to convert your website into a more compatible view.
What does that mean for us web development companies?
We’ll have to begin offering mobile website design services. Good thing MJS Web Solutions has already started. We can take your existing website and create a slimmed down version that will be compatible with all the popular smartphones.
Contact us to find out how we can help your website become a smartphone friendly tool.
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 3:47 pm
Comments: None | Filed under: Business, Web Design, Web General
Friday, July 9, 2010
Save Online Articles and Read Them Later Bookmarklet
 Happy Friday to you!
I recently found out about a great bookmarklet called Read it Later.
Ever since the explosion of Twitter and social networking updates, it has been hard for me to keep up with the many great blog posts and articles.
Save an Article, Read it Later
I do not have time to read all of them the instant they become public so I downloaded the Read it Later bookmarklet for Firefox. (Read it Later can also be used with Internet Explorer, Chrome, the iPhone or iPad too)
Now when I get an alert to a good article or blog post, I can simply click the arrow button in my menu bar and save the website to read later. And later can mean from any computer or mobile device too.
Mike Swartz, says “Check it out”.
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 3:07 pm
Comments: None | Filed under: Computer, Web General
Monday, June 7, 2010
Websites Are Tracking Your Every Move
While visiting All Things Digital, the homepage presents the following disclosure:
“A note about tracking cookies
Some of the advertisers and Web analytics firms used on this site may place “tracking cookies” only your computer. We are telling you about them right upfront, and we want you to know how to get rid of these tracking cookies if you like. Read more >”
 A note about tracking cookies Is this the new standard? I hope not. Did the lawyers get involved in this? Or our government?
Google just recently announced a Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Tracking is Okay
A lot of websites rely on good quality statistics and, yes, this involves tracking a user through a website. Why is this considered harmful? It’s not. You’re being tracked anonymously. No personal data is ever sent with web analytics software.
How are we, internet marketers, supposed to make the visitors experience better? Website tracking helps website owners present the most meaningful website data first. Tracking helps companies know what their visitors want and don’t want.
I personally think the disclosure is ridiculous. People should worry more about giving their credit card to their waiter than worry about being tracked anonymously.
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 3:29 pm
Comments: None | Filed under: Web General, Web Marketing
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
How to Retrieve Deleted Web Files Off the Internet
I accidentally deleted a file off a clients web server and thank goodness I had downloaded a copy to my local computer beforehand. I uploaded the copy and was back in business. But I thought, what if I hadn’t of downloaded a copy and I had no backup of the web file?
How to Retrieve Deleted Web Files From the Internet
Well, there would be two locations I could go to on the web to retrieve a copy.
- Google – Google indexes the internet, so they have copies of your recently crawled web files, called cached links. To find out if Google has a copy of your web file, type cache:www.yourdomainname.com/pathtoyourwebfile/ into Google.
- Wayback Machine – The Wayback Machine is an internet archive that has been archiving websites since 1996. (It’s fun to poke around and see what Yahoo looked like back in the day). To retrieve a copy of your web file, just type in your URL into the search box and click on the Month, Day and Year you need. Whala.
So, if you either overwrite or accidentally delete one of your web files, know that all is not lost.
PS: Here’s a complete resource for finding old websites.
Mike Swartz says, “Check it out”.
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 5:06 pm
Comments: 1 Comment | Filed under: Web Design, Web General
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8 Which Equals More Testing
 Microsoft has just released it’s latest browser, Internet Explorer 8 (IE8).
Apparently IE8 is a slimmed down version of IE7, faster and doesn’t crash. I’ll believe when I see it.
Many Web Browsers
Internet Explorer still commands 72.2% of the web browser market, up from 69.7% a year ago. The open-source Firefox browser is No. 2 with 17.2%. Google’s Chrome is third with just under 3% of the market.*
Notice only 3 browsers mentioned. Another browser, Safari for the Mac (and PC) was not listed.
MJS Web Solutions Tests In All Popular Browsers
I’m announcing the release to let everyone know that MJS tests and programs for the most popular web browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox & Safari). And not just each web browser, but each web browser version (IE6, IE7, and now IE8) and on each computer platform (i.e. Windows & Mac).
Don’t be fooled. Some web designers/developers may not test on all of the browsers mentioned, but only one. If you want ALL of your customers to view your website without errors, make sure they test on the most popular web browsers.
My personal web browser preference is Firefox. Why? Because it is fast, user friendly and has the capability to add on applications, very similar to the popularity of Apple’s iPhone add-on apps.
*Source: Janco Associates (e-janco.com)
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 2:02 pm
Comments: None | Filed under: Web Design, Web General
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Keeping Up With Google
 Google seems to be in the news each day…or many times a day. It can be daunting to keep up.
The latest is “Google preparing to steer more telephone traffic”
Yesterday: “Google software bug shared private online documents”
Here are few ways to keep up with Google:
- Google Blog
- Google Alerts
- Google News
To learn about how they’re helping the SEO community, check out Google’s blog specifically for webmasters.
Mike Swartz says, “Check it out”.
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 9:57 am
Comments: None | Filed under: Web General
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Skittles New Website. Who Cares?
Is this the corporate website of the future?
The new Skittles website.
Really…the website is just direct links to social networking sites talking about Skittles. I understand the popularity of sharing, but this seems way over the top.
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 10:30 pm
Comments: None | Filed under: Web Design, Web General, Web Marketing
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Google is Still The Leader in Search
Google continues to dominate the web search environment.
According to the Internet metric company Hitwise, “more than 72 percent of American searches were conducted with Google; meanwhile, a little under 18 percent used Yahoo, and just more than 5 percent used Windows Live Search”.
View Report (.pdf)
Back in 2006, Google controlled around 43% of the search market.
The reason why more people go to Google to search is because Google delivers. How many times has Google NOT found what you’re looking for? For me? Very few.
I’ve continued to say and will as long as Google dominates the market, “Optimize for Google First“.
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 5:40 pm
Comments: None | Filed under: SEO, Web General, Web Marketing
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Firefox 3: Set a World Record
 Firefox, the greatest browser ever, is officially ready to download!
Spread the word. Download today and make history.
People are reporting that the majority of download sites are timing out due to too much traffic. If you’re having trouble, download from here.
- Download Firefox 3
- After your download, read all about the latest features.
So far, I like it a lot. Much faster and the new address or awesome bar is fantastic.
Mike Swartz says, “Check it out”!
Posted by: Michael Swartz at 2:16 pm
Comments: None | Filed under: Web General
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