I’m just getting back into the swing of things here in Hendersonville. Last week was a big week — CampMinder Camp 2012.

Dan & Co. have put up a few photos and Bill is probably writing a blog post as well.

Download This

How to Get More Out of Your Website (15.7 MB PDF)

I had a great time giving this presentation. From what I heard, it went over fairly well. If anyone would like to comment, share a note on our Facebook wall.

A client recently asked me to look into link building for them so I reached out to a colleague who suggested a professional link builder. The link builder offers seminars, paid consultation, and long term contracts. Search in Google and you’ll find an endless stream of blog posts, articles, etc. about how to build links. It’s big business, but…

Link Building Isn’t Rocket Science

1. You want people to link to your website
2. You can pay them (which might be risky)
3. You can ask politely, or
4. You can build a relationship

I’m not a fan of paid links. If you have to pay someone to link to your website, your website might not be worth linking to (yikes!). Asking politely does work once in a while, but motivation is low so you won’t get a lot of links this way.

The Process of Adding A Link

Let’s suppose someone asks you to add a link…

…if you have a content management system, you should be able to add a link on your own. It will take a few minutes to think up what you want to say, then you have to log in, and add your link.
Total Time: 5 minutes

…if you have a blog, you might want to write up a quick post. You’ll probably spend more time composing your thoughts, and you should consider an image as well (shame on me for posting this with no photo!).
Total Time: 15 minutes

…if your webmaster manages your website for you, you’ll probably still need to think about what you want to say and where, and then you’ll need to contact your webmaster to request the change.
Total Time: 5 minutes + Cost: $25

Adding a link requires effort; people need a reason to link to you.

Be Link-worthy

If your website is a disaster, link building is not your pressing problem. If your website isn’t worth coming back to a second time, you’ve got some work to do as well. If you don’t have anything to offer…well, you don’t have anything to offer.

You need an amazing website, and it should be useful – not just pretty.

Let’s Be Friends!

Barring the New York Times, the best links come from people you know – people who think well of you and want to help you succeed. These people are your friends. They may live in different states or countries, but you have something in common – a love of children, a passion for cooking, common theology, or something else – it doesn’t really matter.

You may not be used to making friends online, but it’s never been easier. The challenge is reaching out and making contact that first time. You might start with a comment on someone’s Facebook page, a retweet, email, or phone call. Pay a compliment, ask a question – be engaging.

Choosing Your Friends

You can limit your circle of friends if you want, but why not get to know people from all walks of life? Make friends with a politician, a reporter, the owner of the restaurant you love, the person behind the counter at the coffee shop, or the local librarian.

There are all kinds of interesting people out there, and a lot of them are blogging, posting to Facebook and Twitter – generating the buzz you want.

This is my long term strategy, and it pays dividends!

Last Friday we all went out for a night of celebrating and winding down the year. We had a blast! I picked The Corner Kitchen (one of my local favorites) and they were kind enough to give us a private room upstairs. Looking down at one of our tables we saw two brass plaques bearing the names of our President and First Lady (they know where to eat)!

After dinner we sat around and talked until I noticed a waiter carrying a vacuum. “Are we the last people here?”

So we took the fun out to the street where we did our best to recreate the Beatles “Abbey Road” cover.

For Unto Us A Child Is Born…

“…unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Is. 9:6)

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, and there are so many reasons to celebrate. We are very thankful for God’s Son, Jesus Christ, for God’s many blessings, for our much-loved families who have supported us through a busy year, and YOU!

We consider it an honor and a privilege to serve. It’s an extra blessing that we enjoy our work as much as we do.

God is good, very good, and we have much to be thankful for.

I’ve been reading up on mobile usage lately, looking at the statistics, and thinking about what’s to come.

“Providing a great mobile experience is now expected, or you will lose customers.” – Google Analytics Blog

Mobile has been the on-coming storm for a few years now.

The iPhone Changed Everything

Mobile usage was a dumbed down experience until the iPhone came out; the iPhone had a real browser and that was very exciting. Most websites looked pretty decent right out of the gate, thanks to the work Apple had done.

Apple released the iPod Touch, and then another iPhone, and then the iPad…and camp parents were buying at a rapid rate.

Google Analytics

Mobile traffic is strongest during the summer months. Camps were averaging about 6% mobile traffic in 2010. In 2011 it jumped to 12-16%. I expect it will top 20% in 2012.

What will your parents find when they visit your website?

Two Mobile Experiences

Safari on the iPhone/iPad/iPod does a great job, as do most browsers on Android phones (note: parents are big Apple users, Android is a very distant 2nd for most camps). The default experience will be your website, only smaller.

There’s another option, and it isn’t a mobile app.

Take a look at Camp Skyline on your phone and see what I mean.

• the navigation has been completely reworked to make it easy to use with one hand
• the navigation shows the links you are most likely to want on a phone
• the website layout has changed to accomodate the smaller screen
• the video has been optimized for mobile users
• even their secure system “Camp Stuff” has been optimized so parents can see photos, send emails, read the news – all from their phone

This is a mobile friendly website. This is a better experience.

Kate Spade is always fun – fabulous design, cute dresses (love my wife in polka dots!), and other goodies.

Each month they feature a color and December is navy. To celebrate the color, the month, and to get a few more shares on Facebook, they put out the above video on their blog.

Oh, and for you folks who like polka dots, who can resist?