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December 2005: End of Year Website and Efficiency Tips.

The MANOVERBOARD Telegraph, No. 20.

Y2005.

Happy Holidays. I hope that this finds you well.

It's been a very quick 12 months.

During this time, we launched many sites and prepared for a move to Western Canada. My detailed preparations for the transition proved advantageous but the move was not without its pitfalls—our moving company took weeks to finally deliver our goods. During the first week of real work at my new office, I sat on the floor and literally had my laptop in my lap; I used a couple of freshly used paint cans to prop up my materials. Needless to say, it's great to be settled in and the office is larger, better organized, and more efficient than ever.

In this light, I thought I'd end the year with a few website and productivity recommendations—and I'll keep them short, sweet, and to the point. (I myself certainly don't need many additions to my January to-do list.)

End of Year Recommendations.

Here goes:

  • Change Your Website Copyright Date. It's a very small thing but it can make a big impression on your clients and customers. If your site reads "© 2003," then it's possible your website visitors think you haven't done anything in noteworthy in three years
  • Update your Website, Even a Little. Your visitors want to be sure that your business, organization, or personal site reflects what you do currently. Search engines like updated content as well and search results for your site will benefit from updates. (Expect a redesign of MANOVERBOARD.com in the coming weeks.)
  • Read Your Site. Spent 15 minutes reading through your entire website. Just a few weeks ago, a kind stranger found a typo on MANOVERBOARD.com. I was very thankful. Also, check that all the email addresses on your site work, including those pointing to info@, mail@ and help@. Send an actual email directly from these links to make sure they get to the proper recipient.
  • Consider New Technologies. Would a weblog (or blog) help you get your point across more regularly on your site? Would an email newsletter sent out each week increase your marketing return on investment?
  • Do an Ad. Jupiter Research estimates that online advertising in the U.S. increases about 28 percent each year. Google has been growing at three times that rate. Two days ago, AOL and Google signed a $1 billion deal, raising the stakes in online advertising. Would an online ad help your sales targets?
  • Try a List Manager. I've been flirting with a number of list management tools for the past six months and, according to a recent article in The New York Times, I'm not the only one. Keeping track of emails, projects, goals, ideas, and general information can be a part-time job. Tools for the Mac like DevonThink and OmniOutliner for the Mac and Microsoft's OneNote (and even PowerPoint) can be powerfully used to organize information and simplify, maybe, your work life.

2006 Calendar.

For the past few years, we've printed an all-in-one 12-month calendar. Each year features a different kind of bird at the center; the birds represent different aspirations for the year. For Y2006, the new calendar can be downloaded as a PDF [file size: 1MB] but we won't be mailing them. This year, you can print them on any printer. In order to be sure they print nicely, I've kept the colors to a minimum, increased the font sizes and kept the format to fit neatly on a regular sheet of paper.

Y2006.

Wishing you and yours a very happy, healthy and peaceful year in 2006.

Best wishes,

Andrew Boardman, Principal