Not Just Pretty | Building An Effective Small Business Brand

Copying Text From Word Into Online Editors

Word creates funky formatting problems with many online editors (like newsletter editors, blog posts, website content management programs, etc.) That's because Word inserts its' own set of formatting codes into each document. Those would get copied into your post if you just copy and paste directly from Word.  

If you're having trouble importing direct from Word, try cutting and pasting to Notepad (which eliminates Word's funky formatting).

You can also copy your text and open a new Word document, and then select "Paste Special". Select "Unformatted Text" to get a version with the formatting removed.

The Wayback Machine

Need to know what your website looked like a few years ago? Maybe you had an offer up that you'd like to duplicate, but your copy of the page is long gone.

Try "The Wayback Machine" at the Internet Archive. They may just have a copy of your site on file.

http://www.archive.org/index.php

It's also a fun little game to play if you've redesigned your site a few times. Look it up and browse through all the versions!

Audio recording tips

I've been recording a lot of MP3 audio over the past year (for info-products, teleseminar recordings, etc.) and have a few tips that I've learned along the way:

• Make sure you have a foam cover on your microphone, which will limit popping of the "p" sound.
• Limit outside noise - don't record when traffic outside your office is heavy, or when your neighbor is mowing the lawn.
• Limit inside noise - send the dog out for a walk with someone, make sure your house is nice and quiet (or barricade yourself in the quietest room).
• Limit echoes - don't record in the bathroom. Even if it's the quietest room.
• Bookend with an introduction and conclusion that mention your website/brand if appropriate.
• Test the sound a few times before going for the whole recording - listen for background noises you've missed, make sure you're not breathing directly into the mic, etc.
• If you're doing a longer recording, consider breaking it up into sections and recording 1 at a time and then splicing together in software. You'll be less likely to get voice fatigue.
• Have water, Kleenex, all that sort of stuff nearby. Warm water helps me to recover my voice.
• Consider recording while standing up to keep up your energy levels.

Do you have any other tips that you'd like to share? Do so in the comments! I'd love to know.

Do I Use 1ShoppingCart?

I've gotten a couple of replies to my email newsletter with the 1ShoppingCart article in it that asks if I'm using 1ShoppingCart.

The answer is, yes! I do use 1ShoppingCart, both for my site and for clients who want to set up their own carts. I happen to use a rebranded version of 1ShoppingCart called "Marketer's Choice" - I signed up for it years ago, and don't remember exactly how I wound up with them instead of signing up directly with 1SC. 

But, the back end is all 1ShoppingCart. I log in to the 1shoppingcart.com page, and everything that I use is 1ShoppingCart - and it works and looks the same.

Also, I thought I would publicize my 1ShoppingCart link. If you liked the article and would like to give it a try, I certainly wouldn't mind getting a referral credit. Here that is:

http://www.marketerschoice.com/app/?pr=6&id=66197

How to keep the evil spambots from stealing your email address!

Today's post is a guest article from Kathy Mallary:

A spambot is a program that searches the web for email addresses in places like Web sites, newsgroups, online discussion forums and chat room conversations. The people who write the spambot programs then sell the harvested addresses to spammers.

Email addresses are easy targets because they have a distinctive format: name@yourdomain.com

Because it's easier to prevent spam than it is to stop it once you're already getting it, you should take proactive measures to protect your email address from being harvested. 

One thing you SHOULDN'T do is post your email address on the internet, especially in public discussion forums or chat rooms. Many forums allow you to post with a username instead of your real email address, which is great; just remember NOT to include your email address in your signature line -- instead, direct people to your web site or blog if they want to contact you.

At one time, you could fool the spambots by by spelling out your email address phonetically, as in "name AT yourdomain DOT com". Unfortunately, the humans who write the spambots were pretty quick to catch on and they adjusted their programs to look for obvious decoys. So this approach doesn't really work anymore.

A more effective solution is to create a small image file (i.e., using .gif, .bmp or .jpg format) which includes your email address -- basically, take a picture of your email address and then post the picture. A human visitor can easily read your email address from such an image, but it's virtually impossible to program a spambot to retrieve an email address from an image (yet).

Another method is to require people to use a contact form on your site if they want to reach you. Just give the URL to the contact form page instead of giving people your actual email address. The problem with this is that it creates an extra step for people who want to reach you--instead of just using their own email program which they're more familiar with, they have to use your form. It may seem like a small thing, but it does discourage some folks.

Unfortunately, another disadvantage to the contact form is that you may end up with a bunch of comment spam from yet another type of spambot that searches the web for places to dump links to try and get people to click on a site. The way around this is to include a CAPTCHA test (one of those fields where you have to retype certain characters or answer a logic question correctly, such as "3 plus 7 equals what?") to ensure that it's really a person filling out your contact form, and not a spambot.

If you'd like more high-tech ideas for keeping your email safe from spammers, be sure to read this article from WebSiteHelpers.com.

©SpiritSpring Coaching and Kathleen Mallary. All rights reserved.

Kathy Mallary, the Signature System Coach™, works with professional/business coaches who want to learn how to find clients and make money with their own signature coaching system. Get more free marketing tips and resources for coaches at www.spiritspring.com