We all want to know how many people are visiting our websites and we want to know that even if we are not on top of the search engines we have registered our websites properly. In this episode of the Web Strategies Podcast we take a look at installing Google Analytics and using Google’s Webmaster Tools.

I also talk about MindManager, software I use to keep my websites and workflow organized. The program is also a preview of my upcoming book “The Strategic Internet”. It does not have much content as of this posting, but if you would like to visit the companion website to the book click here.

The video posted below is optimized for delivery through iTunes and it’s not actually set up for streaming. Whether you watch online or through iTunes will probably take a couple of minutes to download.

As always I welcome your comments and questions.

Tom Anthony, Robin Segbers, and Chandler Turner

From this episode on we will present in video. Here is the first of eight programs in a series on “The Digital Brand Review” filmed in July 2011 – with more scheduled to arrive in late august. While the show is not as highly produced as some pod-casts it does take a little time to edit, mix, transcode, test, and upload. The plan is to release them all as completed – but there will probably be a few days to a week in between each.

We take you for a “behind the scenes” visit to the production day of a series presented in edited form on YouTube. For this first broadcast set I used three cameras – two of which which are used only for the podcast audience. I thought it would give you, the viewer, a better sense of being in the room during filming. The intention is to let you see how we use this medium as an Internet Marketing Strategy.

The video posted below is optimized for delivery through iTunes and it’s not actually set up for streaming. Whether you watch online or through iTunes will probably take a couple of minutes to download.

As always I welcome your comments and questions.

After considering it for a while I felt convinced I could deliver a value to the attendees even on that short notice… and well I guess I’ll let you be the judge of that … here is the unedited audio track from a video I recorded at the event. I intend to post an edited version with the slides I am referring to in the seminar in a few days here on the podcast companion website.

By the way if you would like to view my profile on linked in you may find it here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tomanthonydotcom

Smuckers Simply Fruit

Toward the end of the interview with Robin I mentioned a story about an awful experience I had at Olive Garden and how quickly an unfavorable review was found by a twitter user group. I mis-spoke in the interview and called the group “Hate Olive Garden” it is actually @olivegardenhate if you want to see the tweets there.

When I reviewed the interview for this podcast I realized there is room for tweaking on my own business websites. I think when you first get a web site to where you are O.K. with the content it tends to be intimidating to try and tweak it further out of fear of going backwards on the project.  While one must face their fears, I am as guilty as anyone in the case of my own business websites.

I hope you will take a moment to log into your iTunes account and review our program. Any comment – good OR bad – helps tell iTunes the Web Strategies Podcast is relevant.  Thanks for listening!

Anyway… we got to talking and I discovered that Rich has transcended the air waves and taken his radio chops directly to the folks over the internet. Seems media giant CBS decided it would be better to cut expenses by changing from a Hot Talk format to a Hot Music format. Sadly it actually makes sense as you will hear in this fascinating story of innovation which I hope you will enjoy as much as I did.

To listen to Rich Boerner online visit HotTalkLA.com or the 2 Guys and a Mic website.

Rich Boerner is featured on HotTalkLa.com

It was not just the Web Strategies Podcast site – but hundreds of sites housed the the vast Rack Space server farm – that’s the company I lease my server from. To be fair Rack Space has completed steps to fix the hole in the security flaw – and as I understand it, that flaw was inherent to earlier versions of WordPress. I just upgraded to the newest version of WordPress which came out earlier today (3.0) and changed the necessary passwords to keep this from happening again.

Brian Walker - Warp 10 Media

My Guest today is a former co-worker and current technology partner; Brian Walker of Warp 10 Media. Our relationship is a fun one – Brian is a regular wiz at PHP programming, an intellectual giant, and like me a huge fan of Science Fiction and fantasy films. So he is sometimes really serious and sometimes just a Star Trek geek like me… I think you will find this conversation fascinating – in a Mr. Spock kind of way
In a true case of irony this podcast about WordPress as a Content management System was delayed because the WordPress database on my server was compromised by a SQL injection trojan, a type of computer virus. WordPress is the software platform that makes up the back end – the area where you log-in and upload blog posts.

It was not just the Web Strategies Podcast site – but hundreds of sites housed the the vast Rack Space server farm – that’s the company I lease my server from.

To be fair Rack Space has completed steps to fix the hole in the security flaw – and as I understand it, that flaw was inherent to earlier versions of WordPress. I just upgraded to the newest version of WordPress which came out earlier today (3.0) and changed the necessary passwords to keep this from happening again.

Brian Walker – Warp 10 MediaMy Guest today is a former co-worker and current technology partner; Brian Walker of Warp 10 Media. Our relationship is a fun one – Brian is a regular wiz at PHP programming, an intellectual giant, and like me a huge fan of Science Fiction and fantasy films. So he is sometimes really serious and sometimes just a Star Trek geek like me… I think you will find this conversation fascinating – in a Mr. Spock kind of way.

Players at Bayside High School are glued to recruit757.com

In real estate that has one meaning, in business another… at least in this century. And for me it has still another – as in – “what!? Did you fall off the face of the earth??” My business – IMS Strategic Internet Marketing – has been really busy over the past year – and being a relatively small operation – well up till now a miniature operation – I was just running out of steam before getting around to updating my Facebook, LinkedIn, or Plaxo – never mind getting out my first tweet!

Andy Hilton - Owner recruit757.com

In the past few weeks I brought Amy Whitley into the business to help with project management and billing and it has taken a lot of pressure off of my schedule. Amy will be working her way through school helping me make sure IMS’s clients are happy. That’s a win-win-win – I love working with Amy, the clients all love her – and she actually gets around to doing the billing where I found it hard to make time to deal with it. Amy makes a cameo in this podcast.

Besides that, what have we been up to?  A few projects that you will not see because they are not for the public side of the Internet – and a few that you will.  One that you will is called Recruit 757 dot com, and is the brain child of a former radio colleague of mine, Andy Hilton.  You’ll hear an interesting – although kind of noisy – interview I did today in a Sushi Restaurant in Norfolk Virginia.  A shout out to Local TV LLC – the company that owns WTKR TV in Norfolk, and provider of Andy’s “real” job on the sales team there.  As always thanks for listening!

Chandler Turner

I am really excited to present this conversation with an old friend of mine and now president of his own consulting firm. Chandler Turner is President of Accurate Business Communications and a seasoned pro in sales and marketing. Originally Chan and I worked together as business consultants at Goodman and Company, a Virginia Accounting and (obviously) Consulting company. We trained together and worked together for a time and then drifted into different directions, although always in touch.

In this episode Chan and I discuss the real world of business strategy and truly talk in terms of What Business Owners Need and what they need to know. Hope you enjoy.

I had a great day today reconnecting with Constant Contact. That’s a major long-time vendor for email marketing services, and I was one of their very first dealers back in 2003. In fact it was not even called Constant Contact back then – it was called Roving Software.   It has been interesting to see this company steadily grow.  They make email marketing pretty easy for users on many levels.

If you can only do wizard driven templates with the art work built in – they do that. If you are a slick HTML person you can customize your campaigns to a very fine detail.  It is easy to manipulate your database into multiple categories. And since my company, IMS Strategic Internet Marketing Services is again an active dealer I can throw in a free trial…

Re-establishing my dealer account took some doing.

In about 2005  I was elected to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Wireless LLC, DBA Atrius.  At that time I converted my existing dealer agreement with Constant Contact  for use by Pinnacle/Atrius  which included an extensive personal contact database.  During my tenure, most Pinnacle/Atrius  Customers were added to this master database.  I have long since left Pinnacle/Atrius  and recently launched IMS Internet Marketing Services. So here is the problem – there is no practical way for me to distinguish between my original personal contact list, and names added later for use by Pinnacle/Atrius.

There were almost 5000 names in there that may or may not want to do business with me… and although most of them were probably dial up customers and have no need for an Internet Marketing company like IMS – if only 10% did hold some interest … well that would be more customers than I could handle at the current size of the company. Not a bad problem to have.

The other problem is that my company provides high level email marketing consulting and one of the cardinal rules is:

“It’s Not The Technology – It’s The Relationship”.

So yes technically, I could  send out 5000 emails tonight shamelessly asking former Atrius clients for business – but not only is that by definition “SPAM” – it would really tick off a lot of people – not the least of whom are the other owners of that company.

I solved it by changing the dealer account status into a  Confirmed Opt-in (a.k.a. double opt-in) which is the most rigorous method of obtaining permission to send email communications. It requires the contact (email address owner) to affirmatively respond to an email confirmation request in order to be added to an email list. If the contact does not affirmatively respond, he or she will not receive any further email communications from you.

I give a little more back ground and some pointers in this, the tenth episode of the Web Strategies Podcast.

I am also featuring our new theme song- Westward Leaning – enjoy!

In this first Video version of the Web Strategies Podcast  we are only talking about how this first video was produced. I used a sort of “poor man’s green screen” process to create the video for several reasons. First, and most obviously the video was produced in my home studio. In the video we discuss how problematic it would be to move my entire setup to my business offices.  In all likelihood this particular office will be temporary as my marketing company is starting to gain momentum. (IMS Strategic Internet Marketing)  I can see a time very soon when additional employees will require additional office space.

Sony DCR-VX2100

The second reason for the inexpensive green-screen set up was to demonstrate that this type of video can be produced in-house.  I do an insert of video recorded simultaneously on a Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks Pro webcam on top of the video recorded with my Sony DCR-VX2100 Digital Handycam® Camcorder.  While you would definitely see a huge difference on a TV monitor, on a computer screen – even a good one – the difference is surprisingly hard to spot.

I have also included two versions of the video here, and an option to view the HD version on YouTube.  Since YouTube now limits videos to ten minutes this version was edited to conform to YouTube limitations. Most of the last few minutes features the song “Leaning Westward”, new original music I composed to be used as the theme of the program. You may download or listen to the full version on my music site – The Open Source Music Project.

The version below is  technically posted as the media of the podcast is configured for iTunes and is intended to be a continuation for subscribers of my previously produced audio-only podcasts.

As always I welcome your comments and will give my best effort to answering any questions.

What a great time as a guest on HearSay with Cathy Lewis yesterday!  The other guest – Ed Sykes of The Sykes Group, and Malcolm Venable of the Virginian-Pilot. Both great guys, and very well informed on various aspects of social media – or as Cathy likes to call it “The Facebook”

One of the topics we discussed was the public and private side of social networking – Cathy accepted my Friend Request – but instead of posting to her personal Facebook account I added a comment to the HearSay with Cathy Lewis fan area. If you listen to the show you’ll get the perspective – but essentially we were saying that sometimes the personal and the professional get unintentionally intermingled.

This podcast is a little odd in that it brings me full circle. Martin Joseph is our guest and it’s actually the second time we’ve recorded the same show. The last one was several months back – and well… the recording was just not up to my standards. I was experimenting with a sony digital audio recorder and thought the sound was going to be better. This is actually a much better interview.
This conversation is about two things – the Virtual Business Martin started and the strategy that took him from brick and mortar to the World Wide Web.  Some of the links we talked about in the podcast include It’s Off Site Dot Com – http://www.itsoffsite.com/index.php – Secure computer backup online for businesses.
As always thank you for listening and your comments are welcomed.

The content level here is about to improve – if nothing else by default… I have been asked to be a guest speaker on a radio talk program – and my recording of that interview will serve as the next new Web Strategies Podcast. See OMG

Hope you like the new look and feel of the site too – I use WordPress and just updated all the plug-ins too. Enjoy

In our Extra section I show you the inside numbers for traffic to this companion website. Click here if you don’t see the Tags and Tags Extra.

Podcast Extra:

Today’s Podcast Extra is about something called “Add-ons” for the Firefox web browser. Add-ons are mini programs that let you personalize your browsing experience – and if you are not using them, not only are you missing out – you may be drifting behind your competitors. There are all kinds of add-ons, the most popular are tools to help you block ads or download files.

The most useful (at least to me) are add-ons like web developer, which adds a menu and a toolbar with various web developer tools. Perhaps it is a little to geek side, but it has been downloaded over six and a half million times. Not just web developers, but us plain folks are using this tool bar to see how web pages are made.

Another Add-on category you should be aware of is SEO tools. There are probably a dozen good tools out of about a hundred or so available as of this posting. I use KGen (Keyword Generator) which is an add-on that allows you to see what keywords are strong on visited web page. For my own blog pages it lets me see which words will most likely be indexed, and it is useful in figuring out which words to use for social sharing. My hot list if Firefox add-ons can be found here: http://del.icio.us/tomanthonydotcom/addon

We will discuss social sharing and tags in an upcoming episode.

Next week we talk about the Big Catalog Project, and Marrying Integrators…Not that kind of wedding … tying together a line of business software to a website.

Joe Cipriano

The voice belongs to easily one of the most recognizable voices in America, Joe Cipriano. You may not know his name, but you hear Joe Cipriano every day on Radio, TV and in Movie Theaters. He is the signature voice of the Fox Television Network comedies, the CBS Network comedies and is the in-show announcer for Deal or No Deal.

Pretty darn cool. Joe and I have had a close association for over a decade, since my days as the Production Director of a local Norfolk Virginia radio station called the point. It is really too bad I cannot put my hands on some of the audio I produced with Joe, it was (if I say so myself) really, really good. Thanks Joe – in at least the first and last moments of the show, the Web Strategies Podcast sounds like a Million Bucks.

Our guest

for the main segment this time out is Tony Scarola, one of our Web Strategies Podcast subscribers, a friend to the program, and a person who we trust as an expert network engineer and security expert. This time we talk about the age-old confrontation between the technicians and your staff.

WSP04 Podcast Extra Technology Audits

As a business owner you have either have money to burn, or a handle on your business technology infrastructure. If it is not practical to have a full time network engineer on staff, your company really needs an annual technology audit. Find a reputable integrator and hire them to send an experienced network engineer to your office. Make sure they physically inspect the network hardware in place, and inventory all routers, hubs, firewalls, servers and workstations in your system. Ask the company to chart out every machine on your network, how they are connected, and identify what services each is offering. This document should be easy to read and easy to understand. Here is a graphic representing the sample Network Map in Microsoft Visio.

Network Chart

Most of the time shortcomings in outdated hardware or software carry hidden costs. Most business owners simply cannot guess how much lost productivity is the result of a staff asked to make do with old dull tools. What you do not know can indeed hurt you when it comes to network security. If security were not your area of expertise, you would have no way to know how serious a risk your business faces every day.

Has your company experienced data loss due to hardware malfunctions, viruses, or other unexpected circumstances? One of the most common threats to business is the unintentional access to sensitive files by well meaning employees. The other more obvious threat is the deliberate destruction of data by disenfranchised workers. Both are preventable if someone in the know warns you ahead of time. All that said, what happens to your business if before work one morning an electrical fire takes out the bookkeepers office. How long would that take to recover without a working plan based on your current real world network? Makes you want to reach for Alka-Seltzer right now doesn’t it?

Lanny holds a BA in Fine Arts and an MBA in Financial Management, which gives him grounding in the tools and mechanics of business. His book The End of Management is scheduled for release later this year.

Just one week passed between show one and two and the first show has been downloaded 72 times. I am just astounded and very, very grateful. Thank you for your interest! We had very positive feedback from the first podcast; with guest was Tom Walker, President of Web Teks. We brought Tom back for this show and hope to feature him often. Tom Walker is a very smart guy when it comes to understanding business and the role of technology.

This week Tom discusses how to begin a web initiative, or perhaps more importantly how not to.

WSP 02 Podcast Extra

In our Web Strategy Podcast Extra we talk about a Web 2.0 social bookmarking site called Delicious. Actually it’s a clever URL that spells the word Delicious – like this http://del.icio.us. Now I love it, but I have to admit it’s a web site I used for many weeks before I actually had the ahh-haa moment.

After tracking 186 bookmarked web pages I found myself giving a link out to a particular tag. Oh – a TAG is a single word description of what the content relates to. Sort of like a keyword. That tag happened be web 2.0 – when I looked at the whole list it allowed me to view the subject in a much more organized way. Please take a few minutes to visit my Delicious page, where you’ll see tags relating to Marketing, Technology, and Pod Casting among others. The particular link I refer to in WSP 02 is http://del.icio.us/tomanthonydotcom/web2.0.

If you have questions or comments they are welcomed and will be responded to. Thanks for your interest!

I believe we have an interesting first program, talking about the difference between performance and return on investment.

In Wikipedia KPI is defined this way: Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are financial and non-financial metrics used to help an organization define and measure progress toward organizational goals. KPIs are used in Business Intelligence to assess the present state of the business and to prescribe a course of action.

While ROI is defined as equivalent a core financial; rate of return. It is the ratio of money gained or lost on an investment relative to the amount of money invested. Big difference, but both related. In Podcast WSP 01 Tom Walker gives us his views on the difference.

WSP 01 Podcast Extra

This week I wanted to offer you directions to get to one of the most remarkable resources on the internet: iTunes U. Apple accurately describes it this way: iTunes U puts the power of the iTunes Store to work for colleges and universities, so users can easily search, download, and play course content just like they do music, movies, and TV shows

Head and shoulders above the pack for my taste are three files I found on iTunes U featuring Author Thomas L. Friedman. First if you have not purchased the book “The World Is Flat” you are really missing the picture of how and why the world is transforming into a global economy. Do a power search for Friedman and you’ll find those files and a great talk about his new book, Green is the new Red White and Blue. This is Very worthwhile material. To find it go to iTunes and search for Thomas L. Friedman.

How did we pick the name?  Well, first the program is a podcast, and it is specifically about web strategies.  That is where I live my professional life. In my day job I am the Vice President, Client Services for our program sponsor Web Teks, a Virginia based Consulting and eBusiness Solutions Firm.

Second – this is true so help me – while sitting in the waiting room at a routine doctor’s appointment I looked up this domain name on my Palm Treo phone. When I found it was available I actually purchased the domain through the browser on my cell phone. Seemed like a good sign.

Shortly we will post a series of programs with a focus on the strategic internet.  We welcome your feedback and hope you will review our podcast on iTunes.  Thanks for your interest.