VaultPress by WordPress is Here

Posted on March 31st, 2010 by John Sostak

VaultPress by WordPress

VaultPress is a new Automattic service which Matt Mullenweg is promoting as more then another WordPress backup plugin.  Arcade does WordPress development, so when we were told we could beta test VaultPress, everyone gets excited.

This is exactly what WordPress needs.  We use WP as a website CMS, and it is a wonderful website content management system.  While originally a blog publishing platform, it has grown.  It is a solid solution for most sites we build.  There are some holes in WP, such as the admin panel, the open source plugins permissions settings are also said to be vulnerable.

Arcade has had sites hacked, and we host our clients sites, and cannot stress security enough.  Akismet, Bad Behavior and WP Backup are not enough.  We also do independent backups, and it appears VaultPress will take over this task for us.

In the time being, we are going to continue our standard, lock down security, and wait for our VaultPress beta API.  When we receive it, we will give a solid review of all the features, and how we apply it to our sites.  Please visit the VaultPress blog to learn more about what Matt and Automattic have been building over the past 9 months, VaultPress.

Tags: security, wordpress

Can you work from home…effectively?

Posted on March 14th, 2010 by John Sostak

Toni Schneider is a partner at Automattic. Toni just put a great post up on his blog, 5 reasons why your company should be distributed.

In Silicon Valley, distributed means the employees are home based.  It is a new term for me, but not a new concept.  Wordpress has created such a passionate community, many members contribute for no financial gain whatsoever.  I am not surprised this works well for them.  The Wordpress community is a movement that I am a part of.  It is rewarding to contribute to making software that is improved by each member that touches it.  Matt Mullenweg and Toni and all the Wordpress community members have a reason to be proud.  WP is the anti Wall Street.

I asked Toni some pretty specific questions, like how do you keep people from freelancing, and how do you motivate them.  He gave me a very thoughtful response, and it has me thinking it is time to try it again.  My reluctance lies in the nature of Arcade Digital employees.  We are primarily a marketing company.  Our team is committed, but small.  If we grow, can we trust an entry level Internet marketing assistant to write articles, do submissions, and stay away from pirating music and laying on the beach?

Toni’s advice was to do projects first, before you commit to full time employment with benefits and stock.  I’ve thought about this, but haven’t tried it yet.  I will when we hire our next Internet marketer.  I can assign him-her to a couple clients, and ride it out for 90 days.  Month to month.  Internet marketing and social media lends itself to goofing off.  If we can determine that the marketer is not, we have a keeper.

Check out P2, by Wordpress.  It is a Wordpress theme that is real time blogging.  I am going to install it and see if it can help us manage the work being completed by each of us.  Arcade already uses Basecamp, this may compliment it, like Campfire was made for by 37Signals.

I need to wrap my arms around how to judge how much social media marketing should be done in a reasonable week.  The analytics are easy, but the intangibles of marketing are difficult to quantify.  Marketing is hard work, and it takes a lot of effort to manage an effective social media campaign.  It would be easier to manage SEO and SEM.

What has been your experience with distributed companies?  Have you been a home based employee, or do you employee home based Internet marketers, and public relations managers?

Tags: Home Based, social media, wordpress

There is so much noise, is anyone listening? Welcome to the 2.0 generation.

Posted on March 9th, 2010 by John Sostak

It's crowded and noisy out here.

It is really noise in here.  In my little box, that is connected to 2 billion other people.

Communication has never had so many different forms.  Web 2.0 is social media and social networking.  Everyone has a voice, and an audience.  Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and hundreds of other social networks have taken the Internet, and mobile web to another level, and it has happened quickly.

I am constantly responding to emails, text messages, blog comments, an occasional phone call.  Forget about mail, I will not answer it, email me the wedding invitation.  With all this communication, why do I feel like I’m disconnected from my friends, family and clients?

The 2.0 Generation.

Time has always been a non renewable commodity, and therefore, of the highest value.  Now when we get someone’s time, we do not necessarily get there attention.  I believe the 2.0 Generation is only going to become harder to reach, because we have to many ways to communicate.  As an Internet marketer, I need to get a hold this.  Now.

I won’t pretend to have an answer to an obvious question.  How can we communicate effectively?  To me, effectively means we get our message across, and we receive feedback or something that we can act on or think about.  How are you communicating?

Is your communication and channels effective?  Put some thought into that.  Effective today may have a lower bar then 20 years ago.  20 years ago we were using fax machines, beepers, we always had change in our pocket for the payphone at the airport or gas station.  We did talk more, and I feel like we had a longer attention span.  I’m not pining for the old days before the world wide web, just trying to get my arms around what is next.

There is so much noise, it is getting harder to actually reach the person.  That is the true marketers challenge.  Aggregating a million page views a day is only impressive if the viewer actually responds to the page.  So, favorite way to communicate leads to the second, and maybe more important question.  What have you found to be the most effective way to communicate?

How do you slice through the noise, like a samurai, and reach Generation 2.0?  I see people on Facebook, and I can tell they are on it for hours, that respond to a Farmville coin, but do not answer their phone.  The smart Internet marketing companies and businesses are creating an incentive in exchange for the members time.

Engagement and incentives may get them in, and make your site and product sticky.  This leads to many more questions.  It isn’t uncommon to go into production on a movie without knowing how it ends.  If you write, you also realize that every answer isn’t needed before the 1st chapter is completed, so we can save the questions related to how we use the people we collect.

The question that matters is what channels can we use to effectively reach Generation 2.0?

Tags: Facebook, Generation 2.0, Internet Marketing, LinkedIn, social media, Twitter, web 2.0

Flash Cab picked me up in a Scion…

Posted on March 7th, 2010 by John Sostak

Scion Taxi Cab in Chicago

I called a cab yesterday, Flash Cab, in Chicago.  I was a little surprised, they picked me up in a Scion.

The Scion looks like a car for kids into the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift.  The Fast and the Furious franchise is one hell of an indication that we are a different world.  It’s not Rocky, or Die Hard or Lethal Weapon.

This post isn’t about bashing Toyota.  I know the recall has people who own Toyota’s annoyed.  It also has people who don’t own Toyotas acting like they are smarter then people who do.  The American made gene in me gets weaker every year, and every year I become more practical.  Buy a Toyota if you like it.  Millions of people have owned them, and have liked them.

Surprisingly, the Scion seems to be a very practical, utilitarian automobile.  I was shocked at how much leg room was in the back.  I own a Mercedes ML350, and there in NO leg room in the rear seat if you slide the front seat all the way back.  I’m 6′3″ tall, so my seat is pretty close to maxed out.  The Scion was roomy for 4 full size adults.

This also made me think about fuel efficiency.  I consider myself to be pro environment, so fuel efficiency is very important to me.  I am certain the Scion gets great gas mileage compared to my Mercedes.

This practical approach to building and buying vehicles is refreshing.  This car is much more practical then an SUV.  I hope this continues as we develop as a culture.  In Europe cars that have smaller engines are coveted.  A big block muscle car would be laughed at in Ireland.

I’m impressed by the Scion XB, so maybe I’m pro Toyota.  I’m definitely not furios that they have done a major recall.  The reality of manufacturing complex equipment things go wrong.  I’ve owned enough Chevy’s to be able to one up anyone on a broken car story.

Toyota may have a marketing challenge in front of them.  They will have to change a public perception that becomes negative quickly.  The Internet has opinions shifting quickly.  One day Toyota is a solid car, the next day they are death traps.  To control the social media and perception of your brand is a challenge.  Toyota be working hard to win back it’s reputation. Toyota competitors, like GM, Ford, Honda and Hyundai will be using the Internet and public relations to try and gain market share in auto sales.

I think if Toyota keeps making practical cars that are environmentally friendly, like the Scion XB that Flash Cab picked me up in, Toyota will recover quickly.  They are ahead of most automakers when it comes to Hybrid engineering, and when the media shifts away from the recall, Toyota will use the Internet to market this message.

Tags: Internet Marketing, Media, PR, Public Relations, social media

Do most businesses really need “exclusive, custom” websites?

Posted on March 5th, 2010 by John Sostak

ReWork, the new book about business by 37Signals.

Do most businesses still need websites?  Would we be better served to operate our Internet hub from a business appropriate social media site?

Are we being fair to our clients when we sell them expensive websites?  In this day and age, with the big social media outlets, does EVERYONE need a website?

Think about being an online retailer, maybe you sell through Amazon?

Many of us on LinkedIn are consultants.

Facebook is a wonderful outlet for traditional retailers, clubs, celebrities and individuals.  You are able to interact in a place people spend a lot of time in.

You Tube may be one of the single most influential guerilla marketing resources ever made.  I can’t imagine Reuters or AP being able to push traffic online the way a viral video on You Tube does.

Can anyone deny that Blogger, and Wordpress are great?  Matt Mullenweg has taken a blogging platform and turned it into a sophisticated Internet marketing and software development vehicle, through the wordpress.org open source community.

The rules are changing again, and with a renaissance mentality, perhaps, as Internet marketers and consultants, we can do more for our clients.

My professional thoughts are that a website that acknowledges mobile, and has appropriate social media share functionality can be well built, on a very modest budget.  This approach should work for 90% of businesses.  These same businesses still need Internet budget.  It should be invested in social media, email marketing, mobile web strategy, image and branding, search and ppc.  In that order.

I think ALL companies need a thorough Internet business strategy, and it rarely requires a complex personal website.  Resources could be used more efficiently if you commit them to the sites that could yield a return based on carefully targeting your business goals and needs.

I would love feedback on this philosophy.  I have been applying it to two clients, and it is in it’s early stages.  I know there far savvier Internet marketers that could contribute to our new direction.  Guy Kawasaki, Seth Godin, Matt Mullenweg, Jason Fried, any thoughts you care to share?  And yes, I already bought Getting Real, and have ordered Rework (can’t wait to read it), thank you 37Signals.

Tags: 37Signals, email marketing, Internet Consulting, Internet Marketing, Jason Fried, LinkedIn, Matt Mullenweg, Seth Godin, social marketing, social media, website