Susan Finch Solutions

Michael Stevens, Mid Century Italian Art Glass Expert

Mike Stevens and I are what I call "forever friends."  We don't see each other regularly, we went for decades without talking, yet when I do see him or visit with him, I'm immediately comfortable.  We've reconnected on Facebook, and have known each other since we were five and six.  We grew up in the same neighborhood in La Palma, California.  Something I have always been able to say about Mike, he's NICE - just plain nice.  I don't recall he was ever mean to anyone, didn't cheat anyone - although he has a wicked sense of humor.  I trust him.

Careful not to "over-widget" in WordPress

We are all embracing how easy WordPress is to use, set up and enhance through plugins.  A word of caution, actually a few words, "Don't over-widget."  By adding many plugins to the same WP installation, you not only slow your site down substantially, you risk conflict with overlapping calls to JavaScript, such as mootools.js. 

If you've recently "enhanced" your site with goodies and some older items no longer work, go back into the admin, and one by one turn the recent additional to "deactivate."  Then, go back to you site and test.  Be sure to test your site in ALL major browsers:  Chrome, IE, Firefox and Safari - especially Safari on mobile devices.  Check with and without the www - that can make a difference when there is a conflict.  I spent hours with a tried and true slideshow script.  It worked in IE, Chrome with and without the www. but in FF, it only displayed WITH the www. Paths were perfect, code was updated.  The script author tried to help. We were baffled.  Then I remembered reading about conflicts in overlapping calls to scripts.

THAT WAS IT!  One by one I turned them off.  The culprit - WPMobile Pack plugin.  Once I deactivated all was well with the slideshow.  Sometimes we work too hard to fix something. Many times we just need to step backwards and retrace our steps as to the last time it worked properly.

Be picky before you "invite" plugins to reside on your site. Do you really need it or is it just cool?  If you find you never use it, deactivate and remove them because your headers may still call to them.

World Book Night April 23, 2012 - Prepping the goodies

I realize the fact that we are giving away 20 copies of "Because of Winn-Dixie" and I'm also giving away 20 copies of my own book, "Dino Manners" to 20 first grade and kindergartners, but I want a treat to mark the event to give away along with a bookmark.  I'm inspired:

Source: flickr.com via Lisa on Pinterest

 

Have you not heard about World Book Night? Learn about it here on Facebook.  It's not too late to get involved. I'm excited to be picking my books up from Annie Bloom's in Multnomah Village.  You can also visit them on Facebook.  Annie Bloom's always gives so much to the community and does everything they can to inspire readers of all ages. They are an independant bookstore with a huge heart and fabulous selection of books. They have a full calendar of events each month.They are worth the visit!

Site Relaunch: Wade Perry Properties

Wade Perry is a Real Estate Broker in the Denver, Littleton area of Colorado. He's been enjoying a lot of growth.  With this site re-launch, we started a new video series highighlighting business owners in the Littleton area through interviews.

Wade wanted an easier way to bring in current listings without duplicate effort.  He has incorporated an IDX solution to bring in more listings to make it easier for his clients and neighbors to find properties through a broker they trust and rely on for current market information.

We also merged his blog with this new site, which is in a WordPress format to allow adding new features with little effort and maximizing the effectiveness of each post. The conversion and switchover of the site took a few weeks and we continue to catch up with the old content.  Frankly, Wade is so busy helping neighbors find new homes, we haven't had the time to spend on old items because we are so busy adding new items.

Wade Perry had been my client for a few years and we enjoy collaborating together on print ads for local sports programs and magazines, as well as creating new interest through features like the "Working with Neighbors" interview series.  This is further enhanced by exposure on his YouTube channel.

 

Web Developers: Be up front with your clients if there are limitations to access

Each week I run across at least three clients or potential clients who are frustrated because they want to make changes to their websites, templates and other areas of their online presence; but their current web solutions provider will not give them the access to make the changes. They retain control and thus deem themselves necessary and irreplaceable. This is a falacy. This is paranoia.

There's a Bugs Bunny cartoon that comes to mind. A hound dog is trying to catch the rabbit. He reaches through a tree trunk and Bugs tricks him by putting a tomato in his hand. The dog pulls it out and holds on so tightly to his prize he crushes it, and tomato seeps through his hand. The dog can only wail, "I Cruuushed him!...

Forcing your control over your clients by withholding access or information is a fast path to losing a client or killing an account. You will lose their trust. No amount of "flowers" brought to the grave of a killed account can bring back the trust.