starting a new web application this week called ecofiling.
We plan to off set all carbon emissions for running our server and a storage center.

Now to the web app basically it’s going to be an online document management system for small to large business. So instead of printing hundreds of time sheets or contact sheets off just simply store them online then give all your employes some login details to access all the necessary company documents.

Ecofiling will also come with company branding … i.e. colour customisation and logo implementation so it can look like your companies web site so no one gets confused…..

Well it should be good, visit back soon more to come…..

When a fresh recruit first lands at Basic Training the camp staff seem to have nothing better to do than make the lives of recruits hell.  Aside from the yelling and abuse there’s also a raft of practical jokes going around every day.  The first time my platoon went to learn rifle shooting I remember all the rifles had little paper tags stuck to them with a message that read “point end towards enemy.” Suffering under the abuse of the instructors, I’m pretty sure the recruits would have to think pretty carefully before deciding who that enemy was.  But the point is this: your most potent weapon always needs to be pointed towards the enemy.

But this story can be related to the workplace.  Internal politics and sniping just isn’t productive; it’s kind of like shooting your own platoon.  Decided what your weapon is and get your team to create a protective harbor and then defend.  And attack when possible.  Of course internal squabbling isn’ the only thing reducing your company’s productivity.  Think about what you’re doing, what you’re selling, who the enemy is.  Most internet companies are selling something, and more often that not they have some competitor.  Sit down and set yourself some goals.  Are we taking chunks out of our competitors armor?  If not, why not?  Come up with a plan and then re-evaluate after a month.

If you have a good product or service there’s really no excuse for not beating your enemy.  Pointy end towards enemy, fire, check, adjust.

Just that. I found it hilarious - no flash, no music, no additional message. It’s like actually picking a humorous card at a card store and simply signing it off. Like the title on the top page of their website suggests, all you really need to do is care enough to hit send.

With its often crude humour and offensive remarks, Some cards http://www.someecards.com may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Design wise, however, I think there’s a lot any company can learn from. What makes Somee cards so special (AND successful!) is the minimalistic style, the clever one-liners, the often unrelated but comically retro pictures - and most importantly, its user-friendly interface. Anyone who receives an ecard receives a simple email with a link. Not 3, not 4, but ONE link. If you’re familiar with sending/receiving e-cards, you’ll know what a rare find that is.

I think that the same applies to file-sending or file-sharing companies. We want to send notification emails that are minimalistic but sufficient. This brings me back to my usual rant about simplicity - although this time in the form of notifications. After all, it’s something to work towards in all aspects of software design.

When I’m in the position to hire people, I don’t give a hoot about where they used to work, what their bosses said about how they worked, what happened to that job, whether they live with their parents or with their ex girlfriend and her cat. In fact, I’d be a lot more likely to hire someone who can sum up their motives and motivations in a paragraph or two. What they’ve got to offer, why they think they’re good enough, and how we can contact them.

Sharp, smart, and simple.

Thinking of it like that, cover letters and softwares have a lot in common. We don’t want to have to go through tediously long “how-to-use” guides just so we can decide whether or not we want to pay for it. We want to see it and intuitively know what goes where and how it works. Now that’s efficiency, and that’s what we want to strive towards.

Check out our review on Killer StartUps website. They review 15 new internet startups every working day.

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But what about the best cities in the world for business?  Well, the list is out - and at the top is dreary old London.  Then followed by New York, Tokyo, Singapore, Chicago, Hong Kong, Paris, Frankfurt, Seoul and Amsterdam.

I guess if you weight up the most livable cities and then cross-reference with the best places to do business, you’ll probably end up with the best of both worlds, or cities…

Yeah, whatever. I might not be have all the answers, but I know what has worked for us, and I figure there are enough people out there who are still looking for a proven way of improving their result in search engines.

Here are our eight previously-secret “herbs and spices.” Ben, the web marketing guru will be talking about these in the future so for now you only get the headlines:

* Header - make sure you include keywords, not just the name of your site

* Images - name the images with something relevant to your site, not “image_01″ for instance

* Keyword Links - um, use keyword links

* Content - keep your site updated regularly with unique and relevant content

* Code Quality - make sure your site is built according to appropriate standards

* Links In - have legitimate, relevant sites link legitimately to your site. Be careful here and don’t be tricky because it could backfire

* PPC - tie it all in with a good, solid Pay Per Click program to get better results

This is what we do. I’m not saying it will definitely put you on Google’s Page 1 but it certainly won’t hurt.

When we officially launch 2Large2Email next month we expect to be able to give our foundation subscribers a pretty respectful “thank you” package. It’s worth it for a long-term relationship. People who are good enough to buy from our Electronic Software Delivery stores (such as ZoneAlarmStore) have the option to go on our about-once-a-month special subscriber offers list which gives away free stuff and discounts each month. Even if these subscribers never give us another dollar, we’re happy to continue sending them the offers as a thank you. But hey, if they decide to buy something else from us then we won’t say no!

Developing an ongoing customer relationship is definitely worthwhile - for the customer and the vendor. It doesn’t have to be expensive but it does have to give the customer a reason to be part of the relationship. Simply receiving bulk emails with crappy offers will soon be considered spam, and the relationship will come to a speedy end.

If we have a spending budget of 100% and the price of gas goes from 20% to 30% of our total spend, the effect can be calamitous. This monetary pressure has a domino effect on people and organizations who are vying for the consumer dollar, pound and peso. Typically the first goods and services to suffer in a time of financial squeeze are luxury goods and travel. Like the airlines aren’t finding it tough enough, they’re hit with the double whammy - oil prices and a cutback in consumer spending.

But what happens when consumers have made those first two cuts? What’s next? First on the agenda might/should be expenses relating to oil. Public transport patronage increases, sales of 4 cylinder cars increase, large cars are used less often, etc.

**As an aside, we’re big into Vespas around here: we love the style, the sound and the “la dolce vita” lifestyle. They’re cool, and miserly on gas to boot.**

Companies targeting consumers directly should keep in mind that the product and service offering now, more than ever, has to add value to the customers’ life. That doesn’t necessarily mean lowering prices, but it does mean that discretionary spending is down and buying for need is up. There is of course emotional purchasing, but that’s different again. Value adding doesn’t equate to giving things away for free either - consider convenience, efficiency and other non-tangible assets that you can include in your sale that adds value but doesn’t necessarily cost you much.

When we release 2Large2Email (our file sharing web app) next month you’ll see it isn’t just a way of moving files. There’s a whole lot more being offered to the customer and that will make the user experience even better. You can check it out now, but remember it’s not live just yet!

You can still succeed in a tight economy but you have to give your customers a reason to stick with you.