What's in this issue of Web Sight News:
Web Sight News
Happy New Year! In this issue of Web Sight News from
Helen Schiller @ w3sights.com you can do some
sightseeing; consider sending out a special event announcement or a newsletter using HTML Email; and develop a web sight maintenance plan—because maintenance is what keeps a sight alive.
Featured Sight: Ben Wohlberg
w3sights recently helped Ben Wohlberg, an abstract painter, launch his website. The web sight contains an Artist's Statement, Galleries of Paintings, and a Contact Form.
"I am an abstract painter who experiments with organic forms and texture to capture
a quality of infinite space and time. Within each of my canvases, I am inspired by nature and I try to
translate the microcosmic light and colors and shapes of my natural environment into a more expansive
abstract macrocosm...more I experiment with the immediacy of gestural strokes, and viscose surfaces juxtaposed
with washes of subdued earthy colors to create paintings that embody my intutitive process. This is a
process of continual discovery about paint and its responses to various surfaces, and it is also a
discovery about my own response to color and gesture in its immediate environment.
I find that each
of my paintings has a powerful quality of suspension in space and time. Each painting becomes a unique
tableau of visual resonances, associations and emotions and the viewer is invited to have a personal
dialogue with all of these things, and to locate himself in his reflections on the infinite."
HTML Emails
This is another topic, like Google's Page Ranking, that requires an ongoing dialogue. Here and now, I'll attempt to introduce
HTML emails... The web is driven by HTML, it is the "code" that tells a browser what to display in the browser window. HTML can also be understood by Email programs,
so that opening an email, such as this newsletter, reveals what could be a web page. HTML Emails can be used to send newsletters, special event announcements, or sales flyers to your customers and clients. While HTML Emails can be visually striking and have other benefits, they are not always appreciated by the recipient.
In short, there are pros & cons of HTML Emails. Advantages of it are: images, colors and styled text can be used to deliver a
graphically rich document with live hyperlinks; the number of people opening the Email and clicking on links can be determined and tracked for
marketing purposes; and HTML Email has been shown to be more effective than plain text Email. The people who do not like getting HTML Email generally cite one of the following reasons: not all Email programs
are capable of handling HTML Email and those that don't will see the raw HTML; when the document contains images, the reader needs
to be connected to the Internet and
if not, the user's computer may attempt to connect, which can be annoying; HTML Email, as well as plain text Email, may carry viruses; and
HTML Email may not forward well.
w3sights is now offering a facility for sending HTML Emails which allows you to maintain an email list, update and send out HTML emails using templates I set up, and view reports
showing how many people opened the email and what links were clicked on. In upcoming newsletters, I'll describe and discuss HTML Emails in more detail. In the
meanwhile, please contact me for more information.
Maintaining A Sight
Launching a web sight is a big step, a cause for celebration, even. It is, also, only one step; a web sight is an evolving production. Unlike in print, a web sight is never trully finished. That's both the great thing about the World Wide Web and it is also can be the frustrating thing about the World Wide Web.
In a study done by Forrester Research Inc., 8,600 web-using households were interviewed to find out why people return to websites. High-quality content led the poll,
closely followed by ease of use, quick download time, and frequent updating. Considering that only regular updating keeps high-quality content fresh
and new, this means maintaining
a web site is the most effective way to have visitors return. And while people are understanding when
they see a brochure with outdated information in it, a web sight that needs updating creates the impression that something
is wrong.
Having only specific sections that require updating, such as the "News and Events" section on the City At Peace home page, is
an effective way of handling maintenance.
While maintenance needs do vary, I recommend developing a maintenance plan. A spreadsheet with
time on one axis (in hours/days/weeks/months) and the sight sections to be updated on the other is a good way to communicate what gets updated
and when. A 12- to 24- month timeline is adequate! As always, w3sights can assist you with planning and updating your web sight.
About This Newsletter
You have received this email because you are either a client or
contact of w3sights.com.
w3sights specializes in creating effective and appealing web presences at affordable rates. Thanks for
your Interest!
This email was sent to [email]. If you do not wish to receive future issues of this newsletter,
click here to send a reply to this message and
your name will be removed from the email list.
Privacy Statement
Very simply, I value my clients and contacts and I do not share information about them with any third party.
Questions?
Send me an email: Helen Schiller.
|
