By Al Morel

I can’t remember the last time I used the Yellow Pages.  How about you?

The 3W initiative is a series of templates that we’ve designed to be used with the blogging software WordPress.

This program was created to give web designers and others in the internet field an offering that they can re-brand and offer to their customers at an affordable entry level price.

When completed, the websites can be easily updated and expanded using a standard web browser and basic computer skills.

This offering is perfect for a client that:
• Wants to update their own site
• Needs a blog
• Wants to market via social networking
• Looking for a very affordable price

For more information, please take a look at the 3W website: www.webswithwordpress.com

By Al Morel

Do you remember the scene in the movie “The Christmas Story” when Ralphie finally receives his Little Orphan Annie Decoder in the mail? He bolts into the house, goes to the bathroom to decode the secret message:

“Be sure to drink your Ovaltine. Ovaltine? A crummy commercial? Son of a bitch!”

Obviously all types of media are undergoing radical transformations. Shutdowns and downsizing at traditional media companies is a daily occurrence. Is advertising on the internet susceptible to the same forces? I think so.

Recently I read an article: “Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet” by Eric Clemons, Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

“The problem is not the medium, the problem is the message, and the fact that it is not trusted, not wanted, and not needed,” Eric states.

The bottom line is that nobody wants to be pitched, and the web is no different. If the internet does not find a way to develop more authentic means of interaction rather than obtrusive pop ups and rotating Flash ads, internet advertising will engender the same negative emotional connection that Ralphie had.

PS: My favorite line from the movie is the voiceover as Ralphie strokes the leg lamp…”Only one thing in the world could’ve dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window.”

by Al Morel

Recently, Dan and I, along with a group of fellow collaborators, launched a group called the New England Web Developers Association or NEWDA.

As many know that have followed the formation of CommAREus, we have run several edu/networking events over these past two years. It’s a great way to meet others in the web world and to share ideas and jobs. There are a few that think that they can do it all themselves, but it’s apparent to most of us that you really need a team of people to create a great website.

I would like to thank my fellow collaborators and state coordinators in this exiting endeavor:
Connecticut: Marjorie Clark of Little Fish Studios
Maine: Ken Pooley of Customer Ergonomics
New Hampshire: Kevin Skarritt of Acorn Creative
Maine: Paul Fleming of Fleming + Co.
Vermont: Tim Nitz of Panther Internet

In addition, I’d like to give a special thanks to Hans Riemer of Market-Vantage who gave a great presentation on Google’s Adwords program.

For more information on NEWDA, go to our website: www.newda.org
And, of course, come to one of our events!

In the most recent Roundtable, there were some general questions about the capabilities of Flash sites and content to be optimized for search engines. Our Art Director and resident Flash expert, Dan Rouse, did some research, that can be found on our Articles page. In summary, it can be done, but the content and the Flash have to be crafted properly.

Creating Flash is one of those things that can be easily done badly. The investement in the application to create it, and the ability to make simple slideshows and animation has a low threshold. The learning curve rises dramatically as you transition to tasteful, well crafted Flash. In other words, something like Dan might create.