Archive for May 2005

The main purpose of the book is to help businesses increase their conversion rates. Conversion, and there isn’t a better word to describe it, means action that leads to the results you want. It could be increased product sales, more newsletter subscriptions, contacting the business, or more registered users. Call for Action is about improving the rates of what you want users to do.

Many books covering Web design address usability and making it easier for the user. But no book that I know of shows how to get your users to take the action you want. A usable site doesn’t guarantee action. Call for Action moves beyond helping users find things easily and focuses on persuasion so your business can see an increase in its bottom line. Overstock.com experienced a five percent conversion increase by fixing one thing based on the authors’ advice.

The categories that make up persuasion design include planning, structure, momentum, communication and value. The book begins with an overview of the entire process and then digs in to each category along with its perspectives, strategies, examples, and conversion tips from experts in search engine optimization, online marketing, and usability.

Researching and understanding the customers plays a vital role in this process. An example of this: you create a profile of three customers who have similar demographics, but come to the site for different reasons. After arriving on the Web site, these three customers go to a different part of the site. The challenge is to address the needs of all three on the landing page and then help them along to the next step through “scent of information” (leading the user to where he wants to go based on his persona).

You won’t find theories in the book. Instead, expect practical advice on online marketing so you can make the most of your users’ time on your site. While most of the concepts are practical, it has heavy-duty stuff, too. Those more experienced with e-commerce will appreciate it. If you skip the more challenging concepts, the book quickly pays for itself with the implementation of an idea or two. I like the case studies, especially the before and after examples for both design and content. People who learn from examples will appreciate the diversity of examples covered in the book.

Call for Action thoroughly covers many concepts proving a challenge to provide you with an overview of what it’s about. Anything you can think of having to do with online marketing and Web design is likely included. Rather than treating Web design and marketing as two entities, the two work together as one and it leads to better results. Marketers, designers, search engine experts and information architects will definitely benefit from this book. The Eisenbergs are among the few who focus on what the business needs to do to reach its goals with its customers in mind.

The price of the book is a great deal considering it’s a hardcover.

Title: Call to Action
Author: Bryan Eisenberg and Jeffrey Eisenberg
Publisher: Wizard Academy Pr
ISBN: 1932226397
Date: May 2005
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 326
Price: Cover: USD$13.95 Amazon:$11.16
CDN$: 14.04
UK£: not in stock

It’s holiday weekend in the U.S. and many go to the movies. I’m sure most are seeing Star Wars: ROTS (Paul saw it last week), but those of us with kids are taking them to see Madagascar or Kicking and Screaming. My kids saw the former and said it was funny especially the penguins. I reviewed the meryl.net articles: Kicking & Screaming Children’s Books, and I think the movie is better without having seen it. Reminds me of a quote I read recently…

“Never judge a book by its movie.”

—J.W. Eagan

Colleagues and I were talking about Star Wars. If someone who has not seen any of the movies (you know… like my two-year-old), should he start with #4 (Star Wars) or #1 (Phantom Menace)?

After discussing with many good points thrown in, we agreed starting with #4 was best. Not knowing some of the “secrets” while watching #4 and #5 evokes a greater reaction than if someone begins with #1. I’d rather react to Luke and Laura’s scene without knowing the real story. Think about it. It’d be a different response than if you had known beforehand. I’m not providing details on purpose in case someone reading this hasn’t seen them … though I would think that would be highly unlikely.

This review covers two children’s books based on the movie of the same name: Kicking & Screaming: The Comeback Kids and Kicking & Screaming: My Dad, the Coach. The books target kids ages four through eight, use color photos from the movie and readable text for emerging readers.

In Kicking & Screaming: The Comeback Kids, the Tigers soccer team loses every game and have few skills to help them win. To make things worse, the dad who becomes coach knows little about the sport. Dad gets lucky because famous football coach, Mike Ditka, lives next door and agrees to help coach the team. After giving motivational speeches and putting the team through drills, the Tigers still lose games.

Ditka has an idea. He introduces the coach Dad to two kids who work in their uncle’s butcher shop. Soon enough, the team learns the new kids play well and begins winning games. The coaches tell the boys to get the ball to the two kids and let them take care of the rest.

Kicking & Screaming: My Dad, the Coach begins with Sam’s grandfather trading him from the first place Gladiators soccer team to the worst team in the league, the Tigers. Team doesn’t have a coach. So Sam’s dad steps into the coaching role and recruits two talented players who lead the team to its first win. Soon, Dad becomes all about winning just like his father, Sam’s grandfather.

The story is similar to The Comeback Kids except it focuses on Dad’s coaching and his growing desire to win while sacrificing teamwork. The Comeback Kids highlights the team and the road they take to start winning games.

The books, like the movie, won’t be classic. They’re somewhat awkward as the author has the challenge of translating the movie into books for easy readers. They teach about competition, good sportsmanship and teamwork. The two books are much alike, so one or the other would be enough if you want to invest in an average children’s book.

Though Meryl was a competitive athlete while growing up, as a parent, she’s appalled by what’s happening in kids’ sports and how parents have become obsessed with their children excelling. Hey, remember, “Fun?”

Title: Kicking and Screaming: My Dad the Coach
Title: Kicking and Screaming: The Comeback Kids
Author: Catherine Hapka
Publisher: Harper Kids Entertainmnet
ISBN: 0060772557 (My Dad, the Coach)
ISBN: 0060772549 (The Comeback Kids)
Date: April 2005
Format: Paperback
Pages: 32
Recommended ages: 4 – 8
Price: Cover: USD$3.99 Amazon: $3.99 (Dad)
Price: Cover: USD$3.99 Amazon: $3.99 (Comeback Kids)

Write short reviews (>50 words) of local businesses and earn Starbucks
cards, then $100 for 40 short reviews. Contact me for information. It didn’t take long to get up and running. You must live in the US.

I enjoy it and it takes only a few minutes to do the first five (do five
reviews and you earn a $5 Starbucks card. Do 20, and you can get four, the max). Send an email and I’ll get back to you with full details.

As a writer and tech writer, I find SnagIt is one of the more valuable resources. Before I bought it, I was skeptical about it because I had no problems using PrintScreen and then modifying the shot in Photoshop. Then I started using the software at work and saw how much time it saved me. I bought it for my use and Ctrl+Shift+P to take a snapshot almost daily.

One creative person discovered a inventive way to use SnagIt… as a
teleprompter. Kewl, eh? (I’m on a “kewl” instead of “cool” kick.) Not longer after I became a SnagIt’er, TechSmith released v7.0, a great improvement. The interface is easy on the eyes and friendly. It also has more editing tools for modifying the snapshot.

SnagIt helped me create a gift for my youngest child’s teacher. She treats him as one of her own and her place is a second home to him. I consider her a friend, too. Those who know me are aware of my lack of talent for design or creating things. Odd considering I’m a lefty, but I s’pose the creativity all went into writing.

Since using software is a breeze, I used SnagIt and Photoshop to make the gift. I flipped through digital pictures and when I saw a possibility, I snagged it with SnagIt and saved it. Once done, I used Photoshop to review the selected photos and placed them around the page leaving space in the middle for a poem I wrote. After printing the page on a photo printer, I put it in an 8×10 picture frame. She loved it.

Tip: If you prefer to save your file to the “last saved” folder, the following steps make it possible:

1. Right-click on the SnagIt icon and select Output, then Properties.
2. Under Output folder, make it blank.
3. Click OK.

Update: I should’ve waited a day! Carla Wardin, editor behind the SnagIt newsletter, interviewed me asking about my experience with the app. The interview is here.

Update #2: Techsmith has lots of great tips and tools in its community center. OK, I’ll be quiet now.

Seriously! All right, it’s not the same stuff you find at Krispy Kreme or Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s a fun game to promote IT security. Have you donutted your co-worker today? Get the details on Donuts!

As a writer and tech writer, I find SnagIt is one of the more valuable resources. Before I bought it, I was skeptical about it because I had no problems using PrintScreen and then modifying the shot in Photoshop. Then I started using the software at work and saw how much time it saved me. I bought it for my use and Ctrl+Shift+P to take a snapshot almost daily.

One creative person discovered a inventive way to use SnagIt… as a
teleprompter. Kewl, eh? (I’m on a “kewl” instead of “cool” kick.) Not longer after I became a SnagIt’er, TechSmith released v7.0, a great improvement. The interface is easy on the eyes and friendly. It also has more editing tools for modifying the snapshot.

SnagIt helped me create a gift for my youngest child’s teacher. She treats him as one of her own and her place is a second home to him. I consider her a friend, too. Those who know me are aware of my lack of talent for design or creating things. Odd considering I’m a lefty, but I s’pose the creativity all went into writing.

Since using software is a breeze, I used SnagIt and Photoshop to make the gift. I flipped through digital pictures and when I saw a possibility, I snagged it with SnagIt and saved it. Once done, I used Photoshop to review the selected photos and placed them around the page leaving space in the middle for a poem I wrote. After printing the page on a photo printer, I put it in an 8×10 picture frame. She loved it.

Tip: If you prefer to save your file to the “last saved” folder, the following steps make it possible:

1. Right-click on the SnagIt icon and select Output, then Properties.
2. Under Output folder, make it blank.
3. Click OK.

Update: I should’ve waited a day! Carla Wardin, editor behind the SnagIt newsletter, interviewed me asking about my experience with the app. The interview is here.

Update #2: Techsmith has lots of great tips and tools in its community center. OK, I’ll be quiet now.

Edward Tufte’s ASK E.T. section, which resembles forums, has a delightful conversation about children’s books. Because of this, I bought The Water Hole and received it today. We read it to my youngest and I don’t know about him, but we loved it. Might have to get Graeme Base’s Animalia.

This discussion is dangerous to my pocketbook. If you scroll down about three-quarters of the way to the bottom, you’ll see a shot from the book along with notations. It isn’t a simple book you read aloud. It has things you might not notice the first time. I didn’t notice the silhouettes and of course, I couldn’t go look at them since the book is in the room where the sleeping boy is located.

I enjoy the works of Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, and Chris Van Allsburg. Scieszka has a Web site listing books for little guys, middle guys and older guys.

Got a favorite? Comment away.

I’m currently writing a white paper and came across WhitePaperSource thanks to Tara. The site obviously from its name covers white papers and has articles, a newsletter and forums.

I am beginning to wonder whether or not to bother with the CSS site. Several other sites do a better job of showcasing what can be done with CSS. I should put my energies back into getting the backlog of Gotchas posted in the new design, but those take more time than adding a CSS site.

It’s unbelievable how some submit their sites without understanding the purpose of the site. I’ve gotten many submissions for sites full of tables and and without a dash of CSS. The site is called CSS Tableless Web Sites. Isn’t that a good clue? It’s like submitting an article about cats to a magazine about dogs.

I apologize for griping. Is the site worth it anymore or has it become a place where people hope to get a link so they can grow their link reach? Sure I understand the desire of wanting your Web site linked to on other sites, but not without a reason. I get emails asking to add their sites to my blogroll or they say, “We added your site to our blogroll…” with a hard-to-miss hint they want on mine.

I’ve read and admired many blogs that aren’t in my blogroll. But they’re in my feedreader. If every site I liked joined the ‘roll, the list would be ridiculously long. No politics involved with my list. I include a few buddies who have quality blogs and don’t attempt to add hotshots in hopes they return the favor.

I admit getting linked by an A-lister or a popular Web site puts a smile on my face. I’m just a person who loves sharing content and things I discover in my travels that started before blogging was a word in the dictionary. In fact, on June 1, this blog turns five. I could go on, but I’m rambling without a point in sight and no one likes a whiner.