1) As a web developer looking to help clients solve their online needs, I’ve found one of the biggest requests I hear is, “How can I get a great looking website THAT’S EASY TO UPDATE for someone with no HTML skills.”   I’ve tried finding the perfect CMS solution for those kind of requests, but keep coming back to WordPress.

You may think of WordPress as a blogging application, but with it’s ability to do “Pages” — separate articles that live outside of your scrolling blog posts — it can be used a very effective CMS (Content Management System).   Pages can be those things that most static-HTML sites have; Contact Us, About Us, Resources, etc.   Those pages that don’t change all that often.   And, these “pages” can have sub-pages, just like static-HTML sites.  (In other words, About Us, could have subpages of; Mission Statement, and Organizational Structure, for example.)   Plus, the ability to use the “blogging” aspect of it as the company’s “News” section, helps balance the static with newer updates.

So, for a “blogging” application, WordPress works really well for clients needing a quick, easy-to-update website. And, WordPress’ user-friendly back-end makes even the most jaded clients WANT to try it.

2)  WordPress MU (Multi-User): I work for a large non-profit organization that is often called a “think tank on East-West issues” since we bring in researchers, educators, and leaders from around the world for discussions, lectures, and conferences.   I’ve found that WordPress MU allows me to quickly build a blog site for that conference group very quickly, where they can share their ideas before, during, and after the event.  And with MU’s privacy settings, I can have blogs that are only accessible to those involved in that conference.

These blogs might have the agenda for the conference, or readings for the educational program, or, photos of all the attendees enjoying themselves.   These things can be shared through email, though, having a common spot to post information and ideas which can be referred to later, is really beneficial to the participants.

In other words, WordPress MU provides a quick and easy way to build interaction within small groups of people as they get together, without the “fear” of having their comments and thoughts read by everyone in the world.  And, by having the posts come from the event organizer, the “thread chaos” that happens in forums (multiple conversations on the same topic within different threads) is eliminated.

—

For me then, WordPress has been a great solution to help build interaction for both small business owners and small-group participants.   Thanks WordPress! 

Related Posts

• BlueHost running special: $3.95/month hosting
• Podcamp Hawaii: Opening day
• Web Weavers Workshop with Lorelle VanFossen

What can you change right now that would build traffic to your website? A quick example is to make sure that the people you already know are aware of all the work and effort you do now on your website. You can promote the website.

Here are some quick, simple, free examples:

1) Add the URL into your email signature. By adding some very basic information about yourself: name, address, phone number, and web address (URL) — you help people very quickly get back in touch with you, or visit the website for more information. (If you use Outlook, here’s how to add in your signature.)

2) Submit your site to search engines. For Google, this isn’t as important as it used to be, but, if you revise your site, it’s a wise idea to submit your site to the major search engines to revisit. Google: www.google.com/addurl/, Yahoo: search.yahoo.com/info/submit.html , MSN: search.msn.com.sg/docs/submit.aspx.

3) If you about to have something published; newsletters, business cards, flyers, menus, etc., be sure to include your URL with “Visit Us Online”. That URL could be simply the address to your homepage, or it could be to a specific page within your site. (Note that if you are doing a publication that you plan to keep for years and years, website pages do change, so that URL you gave to a specific page might not work in the future.) By adding that URL to “more information”, you help the reader of that publication get more information and build interaction with your site quickly and easily.

4) Tell other websites about your site. If your website sells Hawaiian ukulele music, for example, and you find a site that sells custom ukulele’s, ask that site if they might link to you and you’ll link to them. This is called reciprocal linking. (Be careful not exchange links with a spam site — set up only to serve ads — but a real site.) Contact the owner of the site and let them know about your site. Or, if their site allows for comments, see if you can reply to something posted, to help others. Usually those sites allow you to input your site URL in the comments.

5) Collect email addresses of visitors and shoppers. If you already have a Brick & Mortar (physical) store, make sure to put out a “email signup” sheet for customers. If you don’t already collect email addresses on your website of people interested in “more information”, start now. You can add a simple “mailto:” link into your site for free, or, get professional and add them to a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) application.

6) Start an Email Newsletter. This one will take a little longer to set up and do right, but once you’ve collected lots of email addresses, make sure to send those folks an occasional email announcement. The more interesting you make it — including specials or sneak previews — the more chances that they will forward it to their friends.

These are just some simple ways to build interaction. They don’t cost anything, and can be done very quickly.

If you find this article interesting, comment below and I can go into some additional ways to build interaction, including blogging…

Related Posts

• Looking for great, local training for Apple and Web 2.0 products? Become an HMAUS member!
• How To “Hide” From Google
• Web Weavers Workshop with Lorelle VanFossen