Boylen Media

Finding staff in the 'new world'

2012-01-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

Good staff are in short supply – and the way peoplelook for work is also changing.

As the labour pool shrinks, you need to find newways to attract staff … and you ignore online options at your peril.

The National Australia Bank advises: “With 70 percent of jobs advertised online and job ads in newspapers in absolute decline,employers can bet both Generation Y and X, and their parents, are searching forwork online. In any given month, over 200,000 job ads are posted on the SEEKwebsite while talent pools and candidate databases are increasing.”

Must Do
Employers are now advertising both in print andonline, using consultants and compiling databases of potential employees.

Having an Employment page on your website isincreasingly important. And it really does work.

People with skills that are in short supply (eg.chefs, tradespeople) can “shop around” around for a good job with a goodemployer. When they want to get a better understanding of your business, theywill invariably go to your website.

Save Money
All of your job ads should contain your websiteaddress. In fact, you can shorten your print ad – and the cost - by directingstaff to your site, where they can find full details of the position.

Save Time
You can include an employment form on your websitewhich people can fill out. It saves a phone conversation or the time taken tospeak to someone who walks through the front door of your hotel looking forwork.

Go one step further and include a screening questionnaire.Some companies get applicants to fill out a questionnaire, and to read andagree to a list of “accountabilities” and company values. The people who arescared off by this list are probably not the people you want in your business.

Employment Magnet
There are ways to make your website an “employmentmagnet”.

Include your website address in every ad youplace, whether it is an employment ad, a retail ad or a branding exercise.
Include a link to your employment page from yourFacebook Page.
Keep an ongoing ad on sites like Seek.
If you undertake search engine optimisation,include key employment terms, such as chef, job and employment as keywords andas internal links.

The Downside
Sometimes you can get swamped by applications,many of which are not suitable.

But let’s face it; having too many candidates is anice problem to have!

And if you ever need an Adelaide web design and development company to assist you, we would welcome the chance to discuss your needs!

Eight reasons businesses are updating their websites

2011-12-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

A large chunk of online budgets are spent on upgrading existing sites. Here are a range of common reasons.

Site looks old and tired.  It looked great a few years ago. But website technology has surged ahead and now your site makes your business look second-rate. Even worse, your direct competitors have upgraded and look great! (In retail, the general rule of thumb is that a major redesign will be necessary every two years, although some work on facelifts every six months.)
Technology issues. The most common is that a business chose a “static” site where they rely on a web development studio to make their changes … when they can get around to it. Now the business wants a content management system to be able to do it themselves. They need to add an delete pages, promote new products and services etc.
Adding new marketing features to your site. For example, email marketing direct from your
site.
The current site is broken (or riddled with problems). Error messages appear. Little boxes
with a red “X” inside where a photo is supposed to be. Text runs into graphics. Links don’t work.
No traffic.  No-one visits your site. Or worse, your website statistics show they leave after a few seconds! If this is your problem, don’t throw in the towel. Get active. Think SEO. Think online advertising. Build reputable links. Get help!
Potential customers get lost in the site. People finding you through a search engine do not always come in via your home page. Can they find what they need from any page? A periodic rethink of both the site structure and your navigation system is important.
Positioning. You’ve changed your positioning in the market. Maybe you have become more female-friendly … but your photos are “blokey” and your colours are dark and unappealing. Or perhaps your product mix has changed to stay up with latest trends. This needs to be reflected in your website.
Change in legislation. Laws affect so many Australian companies – whether it is new legislation governing financial planners, the end of solar rebates or changes to smoking laws in hotels. It is important to let clients know about the changes. The younger the customers, the more important that this is quickly reflected on your online presence.

Mobile friendly websites

2011-11-29T01:11:00.000-08:00

If you cater to young customers, it makes sense to modify your existing website so that it displays properly on mobile phones.

Check on your own phone and also get staff to show you how your site displays on their phones.

Here are some other tips:

If you are unsure what traffic comes to your site from mobile phones, just look in your traffic statistics. (Don’t have traffic stats? Get your developer to load Google Analytics into the back end of your website and you’re all set to know who is coming to your site, how they are getting there and what they are looking at.)

Make sure your site is configured for both iPhone and Android phones.

Is your home page constructed in Flash, which isn’t compatible with iPhones? Ask your developer to set up auto-detection and divert that traffic through to a non-Flash page.

Keep it simple. Some sites have pages set up specifically for mobile phones. They are stripped down to the bare essentials. For example, for a hotel that might be special promotions, menus and location.

How Much Should You Pay For A Website?

2011-11-13T17:26:00.000-08:00

Website prices are continuing to fall. A site that cost $5000 five years ago can now be delivered for up to 50% less.
This article gives you a guide to prices in the current market. But two notes of caution before we start looking at what you can get for your investment:
1. Rock bottom prices that seem too good to be true are just that. Be wary of penny dreadful websites (charging a few hundred dollars), which are often terrible despite the lovely sites displayed on screen. In many instances, the customer is charged for “extras” that most companies include as “standard”. You can be locked into monthly fees or be forced to use their hosting service at an inflated price. And many companies charging unrealistic prices quickly go out of business, leaving you in the lurch! Ongoing support is not front-of-mind as often. The cheaper provider has the attitude of churning through clients to support their operating costs.
2. At the top end of the market, beware of “techno-babble”. Yes, you get a great site, but if you are paying more than $10,000, be very careful that your layman’s knowledge of technology isn’t being used against you.
FOUR BASIC COSTS
1. Domain name (eg. www.boylen.com.au). Don’t pay more than $140 for two years - but less if you just want “.com”. If you go direct and manage it yourself, you can get it cheaper. If you engage a company to do it for you, expect to pay for the service.)
2. Hosting of your site. Think of this as rental of space on the internet. Expect to pay upwards of $250 per annum for a reliable host that won’t crash every second week. (It is worth checking to see if your email set-up includes free hosting.
3. Design. This price guide hinges on complexity. For example, how much does it cost to buy a pub? A basic hotel may sell for under $1 million, but as you start adding features, such as sports bars with full TAB facilities, room reservation systems etc, the price increases. It’s the same principle for a website.
So as a guide, here is what you will find in the marketplace. Naturally every web design company has its own pricing structure:
• One page, template design, no meeting with designers, everything provided perfectly and ready to go … under $750.
• Three to five pages, customised but basic … $900- plus (and more as you add features such as movement, forms, search facilities etc).
• Ten pages, professional, user-friendly and with increased complexity and search engine
optimisation … $1500-plus.
• Content management system site (CMS).This means you can make changes to your site, add pages, alter text and photos etc. Basic … average
of $2500.
• Bells and whistles site. This is not just a website - it is a business management tool, as well as a website for the public. It will be driven by a sophisticated database, allowing you to use the power of e-commerce, restricted access areas, automated email newsletters and offers etc … upwards of $5000.A major “online solution” can easily cost $30,000, with high end solutions costing well over $100,000.
4. Ongoing maintenance. Agree to an up-front hourly rate and get indications of how long it will take for certain tasks to be accomplished, for example, adding a new page, loading a media release or altering a price. Expect to pay anywhere between $60 an hour from budget providers to $180 an hour for high-end programming.
If you have a question about websites, e-commerce or any aspect of the online world, I would love to hear from you.

Internet Policy in Australia

2010-07-26T22:59:00.001-07:00

What is the future of the internet in Australia?

The IIA is taking a front seat role and has launched its "manifesto on internet policy and regulation, with principles and recommendations to guide decision making".

"We'll be requesting political parties to respond to its recommendations over the coming weeks," IIA chief executive, Peter Coroneos, said.

"It asks the question, under what circumstances can the Internet in Australia be advanced or hobbled by politicians today."

The report argues that the speed of technological change outstrips the ability of legislation and legislators to keep up.

"Should or can they, regulate the internet to tackle social policy challenges arising in the wake of rapid technological change without damaging our capacity to innovate and compete?

If laws are passed, can they be enforced?

Is technology to blame or are we really dealing with age old human problems that neither laws nor technology can regulate?

These are questions implicit in this document," Coroneos said.

The document offers a reality check to the internet policy debate by urging a return to first principles such as where Australia stands against our western counterparts. It argues we tend to over-regulated in content matters for often symbolic political reasons.

"We lack a local research base to support proposals notably in areas of cyber crime and cyber safety," he said.

The document is the work of the Internet Industry Association.

Given the diversity of IIA's broad based membership there are necessarily a range of opinions within the member base.

Consequently, the perspectives, principles and recommendations contained within do not necessarily imply the endorsement of any individual member organisation.

About the IIA: promoting a faster, safer, fairer, more trusted internet for Australia. The IIA (www.iia.net.au) provides policy input to government and advocacy on a range of business and regulatory issues, to promote laws and initiatives that enhance access, equity, reliability and growth of the Net within Australia.

A PDF copy of the guide is available at

http://iia.net.au/images/resources/pdf/manifesto-2010.pdf

Website launch for a wonderful company

2010-06-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

We have just received the most delightful feedback from a client. Our web designers and all the team were truly thankful for Jeanette's praise (especially when she popped in with bubbly and chocolate!)

You might say it was a marriage of her vision and our talent. (yes, it's a wedding site).

Isn't it great to see such a nice person doing so well in business.

See her comments here: www.boylen.com.au/web-services

Eco Friendly Fonts

2010-04-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

There have been some excellent news recently about the wise choice of fonts.

The focus has been on choosing fonts that require less toner, which not only saves resourced for the environment – but also for design studios and their clients.

A report out of Europe says the “ink-friendly” fonts are Century-Gothic and Times New Roman, with Calibri, Verdana and Arial also ranking high.

The thickness of lines affects the amount of toner that is required. Obviously the fonts that are both thin and have short horizontal lines (typically serif fonts) and the fonts that use less ink than sans serif.

The promise of savings in the thousands of dollars is enough to make anyone sit up and take notice.

Another interesting idea is to shoot holes in your fonts.

Huh?

During printing, Ecofont promises that it will shoot holes into the letters that you have typed.

“That is fascinating in itself, and all the more so when you realise that this has no effect on legibility,” the company claims.

“But it only really becomes interesting when we tell you that it generally enables you to save up to 25% of ink or toner. Both your wallet and the environment will be grateful to you, because ink and toner are a particularly heavy burden on both.

“You work with your customary font and print using its ink-saving Eco variant with a single press of the button.”

The site is located at http://www.ecofont.com/en/products/green/printing/sustainable-printing-using-ecofont-software.html

The State of Design in Adelaide

2010-03-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

Adelaide has a world reputation for its arts community, with the Festival and the Fringe headlining that claim to fame.

The depth of talent in South Australia extends through to the graphic design and website design community, with award-winning examples of branding, identity systems, point of sales, advertising, online solutions etc.

Having seen examples of the work of our emerging designers, it looks like our future is in good hands.

And while graphic design is not an export market at this point in time, with technology smashing down geographical barriers, how long will it be before our talents do in fact become an export ‘commodity’? Thirty years? That’s a safe bet? Five years? Now that would be something!

Speech recognition accelerating into the future

2009-11-04T19:18:00.000-08:00

Keyboards and mice still are the dominant methods for working with a PC or laptop. But big leaps in speech-recognition technology mean that talking to a computer may soon be as natural as using a mouse.

Leading Microsoft’s charge to that audible future is Zig Serafin, general manager of the Speech at Microsoft group. Serafin says his team’s goal is simply to create the world’s most advanced speech platform, one that spans cloud-based voice services, mobile phones and world-class servers for enterprise customers. “Voice is the new touch,” says Serafin. “It’s the natural evolution from keyboards and touch screens. Today, speech is rapidly becoming an expected part of our everyday experience across a variety of devices. Bill Gates articulated this vision a decade ago, and we’re seeing it happen today.”

One of the most eagerly awaited features in Exchange Server 2010 is the new Voice Mail Preview, a capability that is poised to transform the way people retrieve and navigate voice mail. Using speech-to-text technology, Exchange 2010 automatically sends a text preview of voice mail right to the user’s inbox.

Instead of wondering whether the little red light on their phones is signaling an important call, people can scan text previews, right in Outlook, to determine message content and priority.

According to analysts, the growing demand across industries for speech technology indicates that voice is poised to transform the user experience on a variety of fronts.

“Speech-recognition technology has matured to a level where it’s a primary catalyst for the next wave of innovation in the unified communications space,” said Nancy Jamison, principal analyst with Jamison Consulting. “

Tweet, Tweet … Bing and Google all a twitter!

2009-10-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

Google and Microsoft are continuing to accelerate the pace of change in the online world, with both signing up with Twitter to put tweets into the Bing (Microsoft) and Google search results.

It was reported that both “will take a feed of all public Twitter streams to make them searchable almost as soon as they are sent.”

Google wrote: “At Google, our goal is to create the most comprehensive, relevant and fast search in the world. In the past few years, an entirely new type of data has emerged — real-time updates like those on Twitter have appeared not only as a way for people to communicate their thoughts and feelings, but also as an interesting source of data about what is happening right now in regard to a particular topic.  “Given this new type of information and its value to search, we are very excited to announce that we have reached an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results. We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, and we look forward to having a product that showcases how tweets can make search better in the coming months. That way, the next time you search for something that can be aided by a real-time observation, say, snow conditions at your favorite ski resort, you'll find tweets from other users who are there and sharing the latest and greatest information.”

Twitter’s take on it was: “Our friends down in Mountain View want to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. A fast growing amount of information is coursing through Twitter very quickly, and we want there to be many ways to access that information. As part of that effort, we've partnered with Google to index the entire world of public tweets as fast as possible and present them to their users in an organized and relevant fashion.  “We've always taken an open approach to how people experience Twitter, particularly in how and where tweets are read. Users have benefited greatly from the abundance of choice provided by our ecosystem partners. We're honored to take this next step with Google and tap into their expertise to support the rapid, open exchange of information.”

Top tip for password creation

2009-09-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

Following up from our last blog, here is some more sound advice on internet security.

To make a password easy to remember, think of a pass phrase and then change some of the characters to make it a strong password. For example:

§ June School Holidays can be modified to: 7un3Schoo1Ho!idays

§ I like Australian red wine can be modified to: Ilike0zzieR3dwine*

§ Be good, be wise can be modified to: B3g00db3wi5e$

Please don't use these examples.

I’m from the Government – I’m here to help!

2009-09-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, it’s easy to find fault with governments of any persuasion but they do a lot of good.

In recent weeks a lot has been written and televised about Australians’ general lack of security in the digital world and the need to ramp up security.

In fact it’s scary how many people working in the online space – designers and developers included – who don’t take sufficient precautions with their private and company details online.

We recently received information from the Federal Government on password protection, some of which is worth sharing (below)

Passwords aren’t absolutely unbreakable, but they can strongly deter unauthorised people from using your computer.

§ Choose a ‘strong’ password. Using strong passwords can help protect them from being 'cracked' or guessed. A strong password consists of:

§ a minimum eight characters

§ a mix of upper and lower case letters

§ at least one numeral, and

§ at least one non-alpha numeric character—for example, a symbol.

§ With the computing power and resources available today, it is estimated that a password with these features would take several years to crack. Passwords with fewer characters that have all letters or all numbers can be cracked within a few minutes.
§ Strong passwords can still be captured by some types of malware designed to capture key strokes and stored passwords on the computer, so a strong password is not a substitute for implementing good security practices more generally.
§ Avoid using dictionary or foreign words. Hackers have many tools, such as dictionary programs, to assist them.

Avoid passwords that would be readily identifiable or easy for anyone to guess, such as your name or business name.

§ Never share your password with anyone. Passwords are often used to protect personal or financial information, so they need to stay private.

§ Memorise your password if you can. If you need to write it down in order to remember it, hide it somewhere safe.

§ Change your password at least twice a year—consider making a diary entry to remind yourself.

§ Never send your password via email or store your passwords in plain text on your computer. Listing your passwords and accounts in a spreadsheet on your computer could lead to someone compromising all your accounts.

§ Never reuse old passwords. Use a completely new password every time you change your password.

§ Use different passwords for different systems—otherwise if one is compromised it may give an attacker access to a range of online accounts. For example, use a password for online banking that is different to the ones you would use for email or social networking.

§ Be careful using your password on a public internet terminal (such as an airport or internet cafe). Read more about how to protect yourself when using Public computers.

E-commerce winner

2009-09-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

E-commerce continues to grow and grow. Some companies do it well, others fail terribly.

If you want to analyse one site doing it well, take a look at JimmyJazz.com, which was Awarded “Best In Class” eCommerce Site by Interactive Media Awards.

Jimmy Jazz is a urban fashion retailer in the eastern United States.

“When we approached building a “world class” specialty apparel site and lifestyle section, we went right to the customer to find out how they wanted to shop. This award confirms we listened to the consumer’s wish list,” said David Wachter, Vice President of eCommerce for Jimmy Jazz.

The award-winning site was critiqued in 5 specific web areas: design, content, feature functionality, usability, and standards compliance & cross-browser compatibility.

AAMI Stadium Superscreen

2009-08-30T19:27:00.000-07:00

It’s been a great weekend for one of our clients - AAMI Stadium.

The Crows (AFL football team) won their last minor round match, which gives them a home final at AAMI Stadium this Friday night.

Why is that good news for our business?

Our sales team sells the advertising on the giant Superscreens and the design studio designs the static ads. If you have a TV commercial and you want to get involved with a great success story, check out our website at http://www.boylen.com.au/supers_as.php

More from the Sensis Report in my previous blog:

2009-08-27T00:40:00.000-07:00

Overall, 61 per cent of Australians had made purchases online in the past

year.

And one in four Australians has used their mobile phone to access the internet.

“Those in their 20s were most likely to access the internet on their mobile phone, with almost half of this age demographic reporting usage. This compares with only four per cent of Australians aged 65 and over who reported using their mobile phone to access the internet,” the report found.

“When looking at what Australians were using the internet on their mobile phones for, there were three key applications which stood out ahead of the rest: looking for information on products and services, using social networking sites and looking for suppliers of products and services.”

Boylen Media joins Twitter!

2009-08-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

That's right, Boylen Media has joined the Twitter Community. Follow us at www.twitter.com/boylenmedia to keep up-to-date with what is happening.

Australian business continue to embrace the power of their websites

2009-08-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

The majority of small businesses believe their website has increased the effectiveness of their business.

And more than half of these businesses are now taking orders online.

These are two of the key findings of the most recent Sensis e-Business Report.

This special report examines a selection of small and medium sized enterprises and their attitudes towards, and

experiences with, e-business. Research with 1,800 SMEs was undertaken across a range of online technologies, including the internet and email.

Here are a few snapshots:

“ ... a majority of businesses (71 per cent) have indicated their website increased their business effectiveness. The reason most SMEs provided was the website had made it easier for people to be more informed about their business,” the report found.

“Online selling remained a popular trend continuing to grow during the past year. The percentage of SMEs taking orders online has increased from 54 per cent in 2008 to 56 per cent in 2009.”

“The number of SMEs receiving payments online for sales made over the internet also grew, with the proportion of SMEs receiving payments for sales over the internet increasing from 63 per cent to 67 per cent in the past year.”

“More than two-thirds of e-commerce SMEs (67 per cent) indicated they had already recovered their investment in e-commerce.”

You can find the full report here: http://www.about.sensis.com.au/media/pdf/SBA-Archive/sba/tae/2009_Sensis_e-Business_Report.pdf

Enzo's Auto Service

2009-07-26T19:18:00.001-07:00

Enzo’s Auto Service, a well respected prestige vehicle service and repairs centre specialising in Porsche, Audi, VW, Mercedes Benz and Ferrari,located in Adelaide’s CBD.

At Enzo’s Auto Service you will receive exceptional service and attention to detail in a clean, modern workshop fitted with the latest equipment. Enzo’s Auto Service is accredited to service, validate and protect your logbook and new car warranty. We use genuine or recommended parts and products.

We provide a professional, courteous, convenient and cost effective alternative to dealer servicing.

Visit us at - http://www.enzosauto.com.au

Clayton Church Homes

2009-07-03T00:32:00.001-07:00

New Site Launch

Clayton Church Homes Inc. is a not-for-profit aged care provider originating from the Vision of two men working together. Reverend Syd. M. Munn and Mr. Jack Sinclair worked tirelessly to bring their vision to reality and along with many willing helpers saw their efforts come to fruition on April 28th 1968. The official opening of stage one of Clayton Church Homes Hostel at 148 Beulah Road, Norwood occurred and from this time Clayton Church Homes Inc. has continued to grow both in physical size and in the provision of quality care for our residents. Residential accommodation is located in four sites within metropolitan Adelaide.

Clayton Church Homes - http://www.claytonhomes.com.au

Three Tips for your Hotel Website

2009-06-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

Many businesses are getting back to basics with their marketing in tough times – but these days that also means nailing the basics of marketing in a digital world.

And you only need to look at the number of people using their mobiles phones in your hotel to realisde that we all operate in a digital world, whether we like it or not.

Tip One: Set a goal of reaching page one in a search result term that best suits your hotel. For example, it could be “Adelaide hotel accommodation” or “Whyalla pub”. (Once you reach that goal, aim for top spot.).

Reason Why: There is no arguing that ranking at the top of Google will increase business. According to a recent international survey of hotels of the world, an average of more than 70% said they would do further work to optimise their website to increase business.

Tip Two: Answer your emails. You can set up your website so that copies of all email enquiries also get sent to your email address, as well as the email address of the designated member of staff, so thatyou can run quality checks.

Reason Why: Nothing turns people away more than not having their phone call returned – and it’s the same with a web enquiry. Customers see it as an indication of the level of service you provide. So don’t put “contact us” on your site unless you intend to answer.

Tip Three: If you plan on being in business in five years from now, here’s something to think about. More and more people are turning to their mobile phones for access to the Internet. This has grown incredibly since the release of the iPhone.

Reason Why: People use their mobile phones to get information when they are on the move (eg. footy scores, stock market news). They might be in Rundle Mall, at Glenelg or in Port Lincoln, and wonder where is a good place for lunch. This is very true of the younger generation.

2009 Hospitality and Foodservice SA Expo

2009-06-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

If you would like any advice on websites, signage or marketing, visit
Stand 64 and the team from Boylen Media will be happy to help.

If you would like to organise a specific time, click here and Mike Vasey
will be in touch.