As things stand today, when it comes to web hosting & web development, there are two major platforms when selecting a base for your corporate website – Windows or Linux. As a SMB (small-midsize business) owner, selecting the right platform may seem like a tough decision.
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Windows vs. Linux – The Right Fit for Your Business?","metadesc":"As things stand today, when it comes to web hosting & web development, there are two major platforms when selecting a base","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"As things stand today, when it comes to web hosting & web development, there are two major platforms when selecting a base for your corporate website – Windows or Linux. As a SMB (small-midsize business) owner, selecting the right platform may seem like a tough decision. The following should make your decision easier. Windows refers to Microsoft’s server which is currently on version 2008. Originally developed to support ASP and later .NET programming languages, support has grown to include PHP – a major break-through.
\nDesigned to work hand-in-hand with IIS and SQL Server, Microsoft’s operating system provides stability, maturity and the backing of a multi-billion dollar corporation continuously working on improving their products. While the association of Windows and .NET often seemed best suited for enterprise level computing and development, the recent release of PHP for Windows has leveled the playing field. Now SMBs can develop their website using a dynamic and easy-to-code language, while running on a fully backed OS along with a robust database. While hosting costs for Windows/SQL are higher than those of Linux (due to Microsoft licensing requirements) this option should be considered by SMBs that value having a major corporate behind their platform. Linux is an open-source operating system typically bundled with Apache, mySQL and PHP (LAMP) and has appealed to many startup companies seeking to save costs typically associated with Microsoft hosting and licensing fees.
\nIn addition Linux’s native support of PHP made it the natural choice for many SMBs due to the high availability, and lower costs, of PHP developers. As Linux is open-source, no one company owns the platform – thus several flavors of Linux are available. This fact should be included in your Windows vs Linux decision. Since the release of PHP for Windows, along with the ability to use popular content management systems such as Word Press, deciding between Windows and Linux is not as cut and dry. If you’re an SMB that values longevity and having a name-brand behind your products, yet still want the flexibility of a dynamic and affordable programming language – then Windows with IIS, SQL server and PHP is an excellent choice. However if you place a higher value on cost-savings and want the complete flexibility of the open-source community, then Linux might be the better fit for your SMB.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":115,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/the-next-phase-of-growth-for-hosting-university/","title":"The Next Phase of Growth for Hosting University","slug":"the-next-phase-of-growth-for-hosting-university","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Tue May 4th 2010","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"The much anticipated next iteration of Microsoft Hosting University is now live and being adopted by Microsoft resellers worldwide. Read on to learn more about how this simple and effective Windows Server hosting portal has evolved. Out with the old and in with the new.
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"The Next Phase of Growth for Hosting University","metadesc":"The much anticipated next iteration of Microsoft Hosting University is now live and being adopted by Microsoft resellers worldwide.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"The much anticipated next iteration of Microsoft Hosting University is now live and being adopted by Microsoft resellers worldwide. Read on to learn more about how this simple and effective Windows Server hosting portal has evolved. Out with the old and in with the new. Unveiled at Microsoft Hosting Summit 2010 last week in Bellevue, WA, in front of worlwide gathering or SPLA Resellers and Partners, this latest version of Microsoft Hosting University represents a thorough overhaul of content, functionality and architectural improvements.
\nToday, Hosting University includes:
\nThe poster-child for PHP on Windows, Hosting University continues to embrace developer-friendly technologies including PHP, Silverlight and Flash – all running on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, SQL Server 2008 and IIS 7. No turning back now. Look for additional languages, further enhanced funtionality, and even more of the latest and greatest learning tools dedicated to the Windows Server hosting platform coming soon. Visit Microsoft Hosting University today!
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":116,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/do-you-hear-voices/","title":"Do You Hear Voices?","slug":"do-you-hear-voices","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Apr 30th 2010","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"I once opined that there is no such thing as an Internet style of copywriting. There is only good and bad copywriting, and good copywriting is chiefly characterized by brevity and clarity, no matter what medium it appears in.
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Do You Hear Voices?","metadesc":"I once opined that there is no such thing as an Internet style of copywriting. There is only good and bad copywriting, and good copywriting","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"I once opined that there is no such thing as an Internet style of copywriting. There is only good and bad copywriting, and good copywriting is chiefly characterized by brevity and clarity, no matter what medium it appears in. This is not to say that all marketing messages should sound the same. In fact, they must not. How they should differ is not so much a matter of style but of voice. Just as each of us has a unique tone and timber to our voice, which those who hear it can immediately peg as belonging to us, good copywriting reflects the corporate voice it represents. It reinforces the corporate brand. At its best, copy for Allstate, for example, should have a different voice than copy for State Farm. Ditto for Dell and Gateway or Ford and Chevrolet. But establishing the client’s voice as uniquely theirs is only half the challenge. Good copy must ring true to the brand and it must resonate with the audience it is created for.
\nAll of the corporations mentioned above sell their products to people across the socio-economic and ethnic spectrum. These companies disseminate marketing messages through channels that reach the entire or near-entire spectrum, but they also use channels that reach only narrow segments. The corporate voice remains the same regardless of segment, but not only does the content of the message change to reflect the different priorities of various segments, the vocabulary must change as well. Easy example: You probably haven’t seen the term “townhouse” used in a real estate ad in decades; it’s been replaced by townhomes. But if you try to sell a townhome to the very wealthy, good luck. You will have signaled to your target audience that you don’t understand them and your product isn’t right for them, because lesser beings reside in townhomes. Really rich people still buy and live in townhouses. Along with choice of words, punctuation and sentence structure and whether or not to use incomplete sentences all factor into making the tone of the message authentic to a particular audience—and appropriate to the context of the message.
\nIn the course of this blog, I’ve begun a sentence with a conjunction and ended more than one with a preposition. Doing both is grammatically correct and in keeping with precedents set by the finest writers in the English language going back centuries. Were this an annual report, however, or were my client Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and I was trying to convince you to buy the new Ghost, I would surely recast those sentences to strike a more formal tone. Unless, perhaps, you were just taken in the first round of the NFL draft.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":117,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/marketing-cloud-computing-to-the-smb/","title":"Marketing Cloud Computing to the SMB","slug":"marketing-cloud-computing-to-the-smb","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Sat Feb 13th 2010","modified":"Tue Jul 9th 2019","excerpt":"The provisioning of dynamically scalable and often times virtualized resources as a service over the Internet – whoa – not exactly the most the consumable or actionable descriptor a cloud services provider should go to market with when targeting a SMB (small-to-medium sized business).
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Marketing Cloud Computing to the SMB","metadesc":"The provisioning of dynamically scalable and often times virtualized resources as a service over the Internet – whoa – not exactly","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"The provisioning of dynamically scalable and often times virtualized resources as a service over the Internet – whoa – not exactly the most the consumable or actionable descriptor a cloud services provider should go to market with when targeting a SMB (small-to-medium sized business). Yet, many do. Before you decide on your cloud computing positioning, first take a step back from the specifics of your IT perch, put yourself in your prospects’ shoes, and focus on the core value of your offering.
\nCloud Computing for the SMB
\nThe term “cloud computing” generally describes a new consumption and delivery model for IT services relying on the Internet. Cloud computing providers deliver common business applications online which are accessed from a web browser, while the software and data are stored on servers. IT pro’s will largely agree that cloud computing, if implemented and adopted correctly, can truly simplify your computing needs while providing a strategy to accommodate future growth. However, for many consumers and businesses, cloud computing is invokes fear, uncertainty and doubt. The manner in which a cloud services provider communicates their value may determine the success of their cloud strategy on the whole. Our recommendation is to keep it simple, get back to the basics, and communicate the value of the cloud to the audience you seek. For example, if you’re targeting a SMB owner, stick to the basics and communicate financial value. SMB owners may see the term cloud computing as the latest buzz word in the tech community. The fact is that although the cloud computing model has been in place and in use for many years, you may need to first educate your audience before asking them adopt your solutions.
\nHere are questions and answers to most commonly asked questions about the cloud in the SMB category:
\n1. What is Cloud Computing?
\nClouds typically have five essential characteristics: on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, and measured service. Cloud computing customers typically do not own the physical infrastructure, instead they rent/lease usage from a third-party provider. Clouds operate in the same manor as a utility service (think of your local electricity provider), and only charge for computing power used during your billing cycle.
\n
\n2. Is Cloud Computing Cost Effective?
Clouds offer lower barriers to entry. Rather than paying ongoing fees for dedicated or colocated servers in a datacenter, cloud computing users can avoid capital expenditure on hardware, software, and services when they pay a provider only for what they use.
\n
\n3. Should I Move to the Cloud?
For companies requiring the power of dedicated servers while facing increasing costs to maintain and manage that environment, moving to the cloud might make perfect financial sense. An alternate platform to consider is VPS Hosting, which offers the power of dedicated hosting for roughly the cost of shared hosting.
\nSo, before you spend a lot of money on a new website, email or PPC campaign, remember that you may need to do some educating before your SMB prospects are qualified to make a buying decision. If they can rely on you for quality information, you will certainly be in the consideration set when it comes down to cloud computing investments.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":118,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/google-intelligence/","title":"Google Intelligence","slug":"google-intelligence","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Sat Dec 5th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"Google has recently released a new feature called “Intelligence” (currently in Beta). Enterprise analytics companies including Coremetrics, Omniture and WebTrends must be left scratching their heads as Google has yet released another tool – FREE of charge.
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Google Intelligence released a new feature","metadesc":"Google has recently released a new feature called “Intelligence” (currently in Beta). Enterprise analytics companies including","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Google has recently released a new feature called “Intelligence” (currently in Beta). Enterprise analytics companies including Coremetrics, Omniture and WebTrends must be left scratching their heads as Google has yet released another tool – FREE of charge. So, what is Google “Intelligence” you ask? Unless you are an enterprise level client, you will probably have little use for this tool. But for those of you whose sites draw large numbers of visitors, and more important, large numbers of transactions this tool may prove useful.
\nThe primary function of “Intelligence” is to alert you regarding changing or unusual conditions regarding your site’s traffic. Some of the highlights of Google Intelligence and the reports generated include: *Automatic Alerts* With this tool Google is “Alerting” you to unusual activity in your account. Several pre-built templates such as ‘total visits decreased by 50%’,’total page views decreased by 50%’, and numerous others are included. You may also create your own alert types per your reporting needs. Alerts can be further customized by specifying traffic patterns (landing page, exit page, region, referral, etc.). Alert periods can be set for day, week or month.
\nDaily alerts can be compared to the previous week or the previous day. *Time Frame* There are two types of time frames involved in this analysis. There is the time of the report you are looking at, at the top of the page, and there is the “Time Frame”, one day, that is in the middle of the page. You can shift this “Time Frame” back and forward (if you are not looking at today). This way you can see if the trend is common each day or just for this day. *Alert Sensitivity Bar* You can adjust the degree of sensitivity so you either receive more of fewer alerts depending on your preference. *Group By Metric | Dimension Function* There are two ways to Group the Information, by Metric & Dimension. Metric refers to the basic metrics listed on the right side.
\nDimension appears to be the deeper secondary level metrics like region, new vs. repeat visitor and other more detailed items. By setting up Google Intelligence for your website, you’ll be better informed of changes in traffic (good or bad) and thus better prepared to make any needed changes to content, product or SEO settings to remain competitive.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":119,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/women-executive-leadership-cms-case-study/","title":"Women Executive Leadership CMS Case Study","slug":"women-executive-leadership-cms-case-study","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Thu Nov 12th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"In today’s world of web development there is no lack of Content Management Systems (CMS) from which to choose when developing a web site – either for internal use or for clients. How do you go about selecting the right CMS for the job? As with many development decisions
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Women Executive Leadership CMS Case Study","metadesc":"In today’s world of web development there is no lack of Content Management Systems (CMS) from which to choose when developing","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"In today’s world of web development there is no lack of Content Management Systems (CMS) from which to choose when developing a web site – either for internal use or for clients. How do you go about selecting the right CMS for the job? As with many development decisions, it’s a matter of language preference, skill sets and budget. Merit Mile recently redesigned and launched a much improved web site for our NPO client, Womens Executive Leadership. Our clients were seeking an easy to use, reliable, scalable CMS to serve as the foundation for their new site.
\nWe also needed a CMS to accommodate YouTube video, PayPal commerce, and a sophisticated events calendar module. Based upon these requirements, we elected to use ExpressionEngine by EllisLab as it met these base requirements while still being secure, affordable, user friendly, and able to grow as the organization does. Some of its standout features include: * Ease of setup and configuration * No requirements for extensive development knowledge * The availability of 22 add-on modules and more than 100 plugins * Built on PHP4, it sits comfortably on virtually any server environment (in this case Windows Server… yep PHP on Windows) In additon, ExpressionEngine has the following added benefits:
\nIt’s Secure
ExpressionEngine’s built-in framework offers an audit trail, Captcha verifications, ease in content approval, email verification and granular privileges. Login history is also included and the system is SSL compatible. *It’s Fast* ExpressionEngine’s dynamic publishing templating model provides the instant gratification of seeing changes appear instantly on websites. Since overhauling WEL’s website to include ExpressionEngine, the client now has the ability to add and edit web content, add news articles to their site, as well as update and manage their calendar of events. This dynamic CMS tool allows WEL to quickly post updates at any time from any web browser.
It’s Simple
ExpressionEngine integrates beautifully with your existing HTML, CSS, and Javascript sites. Also, it doesn’t require learning much more than the very user-friendly Control Panel and a few proprietary pieces of code to interface with your content. In today’s dynamic and fast-paced world of business, a strong, flexible, scalable Content Management System is a must! When faced with CMS decisions for a non-profit or any other enterprise, consider ExpressionEngine.
When approaching a web development project, whether it be for a public facing site or an intranet, one of the most important and often difficult decisions is selecting the right dynamic web development language. In today’s web development world, three major languages stand out – PHP, .NET, and ColdFusion. Each is suitable as a web […]
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Selecting the Right Web Programming Language","metadesc":"When approaching a web development project, whether it be for a public facing site or an intranet, one of the most important and often","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"When approaching a web development project, whether it be for a public facing site or an intranet, one of the most important and often difficult decisions is selecting the right dynamic web development language. In today’s web development world, three major languages stand out – PHP, .NET, and ColdFusion. Each is suitable as a web platform to develop robust database-driven dynamic websites demanded by today’s consumers and business alike. Each is capable of storing and retrieving data from a database. Each has its pros and cons in terms of learning curves, maintenance costs, hosting costs, scalability, etc.
\nSo which one is right for you?
\nDevelopers tend to fall into one camp and fiercely defend their language as “the best”.
\nThere’s widespread debate among developers about the advantages and disadvantages of .NET when compared to PHP and ColdFusion. .NET is Microsoft’s commercial web development technology that runs only on Windows servers. PHP is an open source web development language which is best known when used with Linux, Apache and MySQL – although PHP now also runs on Windows. And finally there’s ColdFusion, the ‘old man’ of the three. Developed long before .NET or PHP, ColdFusion (CF) is a stable, mature language that runs on Linux, Windows and Mac OS. Unlike PHP, ColdFusion is not open source and requires the purchase and installation of the ColdFusion server in order to deliver CF applications over the web.
\nThere are many technical differences between .NET, PHP and ColdFusion. It’s important that when making your decision take into consideration the following: # What skill sets does your development team (internal or outsourced) already have?
\nThe answer to the above questions will steer you to the development language that’s best suited for your budget, environment and team skills. While neither language is wrong, there’s certainly one that’s a best fit for your suitation.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":121,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/master-new-tools-for-effective-presentations/","title":"Master New Tools for Effective Presentations","slug":"master-new-tools-for-effective-presentations","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Sep 4th 2009","modified":"Tue Mar 23rd 2021","excerpt":"Business communications continue to evolve, and your ability to adapt may not only make for an effective presentation, but may also separate you from the pack in a volatile job climate. Most executives learned early on that a key to their success within their organization
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Master New Tools for Effective Presentations","metadesc":"Business communications continue to evolve, and your ability to adapt may not only make for an effective presentation, but may also","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Business communications continue to evolve, and your ability to adapt may not only make for an effective presentation but may also separate you from the pack in a volatile job climate. Most executives learned early on that a key to their success within their organization was to teach themselves how to communicate succinctly and give effective presentations. Before the internet, executives only had to worry about communicating and presenting in person or occasionally on the phone. Today, however, the medium, the software, and the platforms have evolved due in large part to budget cuts and the integration of internet, voice, video, and data communications infrastructure. The Medium Forward-thinking middle managers and executives alike realize the importance of the medium: face-to-face, telephone, and online video presentations. The reach of even small business is now global, and the idea of flying across the country for a handshake meeting is often cost-prohibitive.
\nIn short, being comfortable and communicating clearly and effectively in an online demonstration is, arguably, more important than one-on-one telephone calls. The Presentation In terms of the software presentations are created in PowerPoint continues to be the ingrained killer app, by a wide margin. However, in “presentationville,” Keynote by Apple, Google Docs Presentations, OpenOffice Impress/Sun StarOffice, ThinkFree Show, and Zoho Show are also in the mix. The Platform Similarly, do not overlook the importance of familiarizing yourself with web presentation platforms such as Webex, LiveMeeting, GoToMeeting, and ConnectNow. These platforms have high adoption rates and your familiarity and level of presentation comfort with at least one of them will soon be as important as your ability to manage your Inbox efficiently.
\nLastly, video conferencing is here and much closer to the standard operating procedure than exclusively reserved for the Fortune 500. You can expect the proliferation of video conferencing, in particular, to continue at a swift pace as more companies embrace unified communications models and integrate video with VoIP, instant messaging, email, document collaboration, and even CRM. Preparation and repetition will always be the recipe for effective presentations. The more you embrace new technologies in this pursuit, the better off you and your teams will be. Ultimately, successful presenters recognize the importance of presentations, value listeners’ time, and work hard to communicate effectively no matter the medium, the software, or the platform.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":122,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/merit-mile-and-microsoft-hosting-university/","title":"Merit Mile and Microsoft Hosting University","slug":"merit-mile-and-microsoft-hosting-university","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Tue Aug 25th 2009","modified":"Mon Aug 14th 2023","excerpt":"Satisfying one’s thirst for quality of work is typically compartmentalized into one or two categories. Our latest creation, Microsoft Hosting University, represents the perfect web-marketing trifecta for Merit Mile: highly strategic, uniquely creative, and an in partnership
\n","author":{"name":"Sarah Gibson"},"yoast":{"title":"Merit Mile and Microsoft Hosting University","metadesc":"Satisfying one’s thirst for quality of work is typically compartmentalized into one or two categories. Our latest creation","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Satisfying one’s thirst for quality of work is typically compartmentalized into one or two categories. Our latest creation, Microsoft Hosting University, represents the perfect web-marketing trifecta for Merit Mile: highly strategic, uniquely creative, and an in partnership with a world-class client. If you strip all web marketing business pitches to their essence and remove all industry buzz-words, you arrive at the core of the task. In the case of Hosting-U, we recognized that we needed equal parts creativity, database functionality, and intuitive navigation. In other words, we needed a best-of-breed business-to-business web presence that any company, even the world’s largest software producer, would be proud of.
\nIn the worldwide IT community, it’s no secret that the reseller channel moves all the product and drives bottom line revenue. Similarly, within Microsoft, their Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA) Resellers and Partners “make the market” for web serving, database management, and hosting on the Windows platform. However, as much as SPLA is critical to their success, Microsoft did not have a dedicated, intuitive online portal focused on SPLA. Enter Merit Mile. bq. “As an agency, we always enjoy the thrills of bringing ideas to life. Hosting-U was a 35-day courtship from concept to completion, and demonstrates the marriage of intuitive presentation layers atop a sophisticated database driven web experience – a compelling testament for Silverlight and PHP on Windows.” ??-Mark Reino, President, Merit Mile Communications?? Simplicity of communication and ease of use: The first thing a visitor to Hosting-U realizes is that the content is organized in a fashion that makes sense to the SPLA community. In virtually any context, a site visitor will be drawn to one of three “spheres” of learning: Build, Manage or Scale. Unlike other sites in the B-to-B industry, Hosting-U does not attempt to force-feed an engineer’s vernacular downstream to the partner channel.
\nIn essense, everything a SPLA partner wants to learn about is housed in one of these three “spheres” of knowledge. Version Control with XML Scripting: Catering to the needs of SPLA business partners remains the goal of Hosting-U. Sharing updated marketing and product collaterals with the user base was a no-brainer. But doing so while communicating with Micosoft datacenters in dynamic fashion allows Hosting-U to serve up regularly updated assets without version-management concerns. PHP on Windows, What?! Perhaps the boldest step taken within Hosting-U is that it was built in PHP (and hosted on Windows web and database servers, of course). Some may call this a giant leap, others may simply not care, but the fact still remains that Microsoft is well aware of the pervasiveness of PHP and is proactively developing solutions for this large and growing marketspace. For those with browser or platform constraints, Hosting-U’s Silverlight default site also redirects to a Flash-based iteration in one-click. Whoever says Microsoft does not support open community architectures hasn’t yet experienced Hosting-U. Better yet, as our client states, “Microsoft is the next Microsoft”. Stay tuned for more on Microsoft Hosting University.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":123,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/mobile-marketing/","title":"Mobile Marketing","slug":"mobile-marketing","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Wed Jun 24th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"With the incredibly increasing popularity of Twitter, more and more people are becoming aware of the power of what can be said in only 160 characters. In addition, business owners are realizing that SMS is a cost effective way of communicating with potential
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Mobile Marketing With the incredibly increasing popularity of Twitter","metadesc":"With the incredibly increasing popularity of Twitter, more and more people are becoming aware of the power of what can be said in only 160 characters.","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"With the incredibly increasing popularity of Twitter, more and more people are becoming aware of the power of what can be said in only 160 characters. In addition, business owners are realizing that SMS is a cost effective way of communicating with potential customers especially due to the broad coverage it offers.
\nEssential to today’s economy is noticing instant, cost-effective results. The immediacy of a text message over an email or phone call is the essence of mobile marketing. Alluring viewers to reply instantly allows the company to track participation and measure interest from various publics. What sets mobile marketing apart from other advertising is that rather than trying to gain as much publicity as possible, mobile marketing is meant for one particular person at a time. Text message marketing aims to investigate the lives of each receiver to figure out what they look at, what they are interested in and how they respond.
\nThis can be utilized by any industry as an extremely successful new age marketing tool. Text messaging today yields a similar response as email when it was first introduced, only the percentage of the population with access to a mobile phone is much greater than that with access to email in its beginnings. Mobile marketing isn’t just about brand awareness, it’s about accessibility. Mobile campaigns are considered a waste of time if they don’t prompt an instant call or text response; the point of mobile marketing is a successful call for action. Unlike web marketing, a mobile marketing “click” isn’t just an impression—it’s the first step to developing a relationship with a potential customer.
\nThat one sign of interest on the part of the customer, no matter how small, gives the marketer a green light for future interaction. Rather than the traditional one-way conversation style of most advertising, mobile marketing stimulates networking. You don’t need to be a communications expert to know that two-way communication will almost always be more successful than one.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":124,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/the-twitter-phenomenon/","title":"The Twitter Phenomenon","slug":"the-twitter-phenomenon","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Sun May 31st 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"How Tweet it is! Has Twitter become an essential part of life as we know it or is it simply the latest Chia Pet of the Internet? Twitter, a quirky online social networking community, is the hottest thing on the Internet right now. Essentially
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"The Twitter Phenomenon","metadesc":"How Tweet it is! Has Twitter become an essential part of life as we know it or is it simply the latest Chia Pet of the Internet?","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"How Tweet it is! Has Twitter become an essential part of life as we know it or is it simply the latest Chia Pet of the Internet? Twitter, a quirky online social networking community, is the hottest thing on the Internet right now. Essentially, it allows people to publish and read microblogs from PDAs, cell phones and other mobile devices, as well as computers. According to the Twitter website, these microblogs, called Tweets, are supposed to provide the world with an answer to the burning question: “What are you doing right now?”
\nHowever, we’ve come to realize that it’s also a useful medium for obtaining and sharing industry best practices, new approaches to overcoming business challenges, and in general, having your mouse on the pulse of opinions by true (and sometimes would-be) thought leaders. After being around for several years with relatively few subscribers and little notice paid to it, Twitter has become a phenomenon largely thanks, initially, to a few of the glitterati (or twitterati as they’re now inevitably referred to) signing on and being followed by their adoring fans and, secondarily, to the development of third-party applications that allow individual members to customize how they use their Twitter accounts.
\nYes, the jury is very much still out on whether Twitter will be a permanent part of online life or just a flash in the pan. Fully 60 percent of users abandon their Twitter accounts within 30 days of signing up. That’s not a good sign for the longevity of Twitter mania, but true believers say the quitters just don’t get it. Regardless, of whether Twitter stays or goes, it’s here now, it’s big now—in April, Twitter surpassed both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in unique visitors—so marketers ignore it at their peril. Therefore, here are a few thoughts on whether and what you should be tweeting if you use Twitter as a business tool. First of all, unless you’re rich, powerful and famous, no one with any semblance of a life, with the possible exception of your mother, cares what you’re doing right now. If you’re going to use Twitter for business development or customer service or relationship marketing, the question you need to answer for your audience is, “What are you doing for me right now?” (To find out our own answer, start following us: http://twitter.com/meritmile) In other words, Twitter may be a new communications channel, but apply the same sound messaging principles that you do for your other marketing communications. Or at least to the degree you can with Twitter’s 140-character limit on the length of each tweet.
\nA branding medium it’s not – at least in its current form. Being limited to only very small messages is a double-edged sword. In theory, it should help you stay on message—after all, there’s no room to digress. However, this forced brevity, combined with the spontaneity inherent in being able to send messages at any time from virtually anywhere can also work against message discipline. When sending messages is so quick and easy, it’s tempting to send too many about things that really don’t further your cause. Another danger of the anytime, anywhere, quick-and-easy nature of Twitter is falling into the trap of sending juicy info you just heard about without verifying its authenticity. Viral dissemination of urban myths and just plain inaccurate information on the Internet has become one of the banes of our lives, and Twitter has already earned a bad reputation in this regard. Want proof? If you have a Twitter account, search “swine flu.” By the same token, the swine-flu outbreak illustrates the positive power of Twitter.
\nProbably the best example so far of Twitter done right is the Centers for Disease Control’s campaign to inform the public about swine flu. The CDC has been using Twitter to disseminate timely, accurate information (in half a dozen languages no less) as it becomes available—and only when it becomes available. The takeaway here is that if you want to be followed, be the authoritative source for important information about your company and industry – and share relevant and useful information. Most importantly, don’t fritter away people’s Twitter time with information that’s neither important nor time-critical. (In other words, PR 101.) Another PR best practice that applies to Twitter in spades is never let your stakeholders first learn about your next big thing in the newspaper . Twitter is unsurpassed in its ability to give your stakeholders a heads-up before your news is available to the general public. Recently, Florida Governor Charlie Crist held a press conference to announce that he would run for the U.S. Senate rather than for a second gubernatorial term. Before he did so, however, he Tweeted the news. You’d better believe that any political reporter who didn’t already have a Twitter account or didn’t already follow Crist on Twitter does now.
\nFor more on leveraging social media with PR, click here. These are a couple of examples for using Twitter proactively. It also can be a great reactive communications tool. You can search the Twitter universe for Tweets that mention your company and its products, personnel and events—and those of your competitors—regardless of who is sending and receiving the tweets. There’s no faster way than Twitter to find out how you’re doing, squelch rumors, manage unpleasant truths or identify opportunities. A final thought: Many companies have rightly concluded that they can benefit from a social networking strategy. By their very nature, however, these programs, if sufficiently comprehensive, are time-intensive. To work to full potential, they need regular attention — and they need to be but one aspect of your integrated marketing plan. Before you jump on the Twitter bandwagon, think through what you expect to accomplish and establish some benchmarks for measuring ROI. Otherwise, all that tweeting could be coming from a wild goose chase rather than the bluebird of happiness. Happy Tweeting – @MeritMile !
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":125,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/introducing-florida-denture-institute/","title":"Introducing, Florida Denture Institute","slug":"introducing-florida-denture-institute","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Thu May 21st 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"When a prominent Fort Lauderdale DMD arrived at Merit Mile to discuss her vision for a highly specialized “Turbyfill” dentures practice, first on the order of business was a name, tagline and brandmark. We hope you like them!
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Introducing, Florida Denture Institute","metadesc":"When a prominent Fort Lauderdale DMD arrived at Merit Mile to discuss her vision for a highly specialized “Turbyfill” dentures practice","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"When a prominent Fort Lauderdale DMD arrived at Merit Mile to discuss her vision for a highly specialized “Turbyfill” dentures practice, first on the order of business was a name, tagline and brandmark. We hope you like them! Read on to learn more about what’s in store for the Florida Denture Institute.
\nDo you know that feeling when you stumble upon an infomercial pitching the greatest and latest inventions for cooking, cleaning, personal productivity, spiritual awakenings or healthcare? Yeah, you know, that “icky” feeling that makes you want to immediately change the channel? Suffice to say, we strove for and attained in our humble opinion, the polar opposite of that while developing the online and offline brand architecture for the Florida Denture Institute. From the beginning, Merit Mile integrated marketing pursuits over a very short period of time started with a naming exploration, followed by a brand identity and tagline initiative. With the launch of www.FloridaDentureInstitute.com (running atop ExpressionEngine 1.6.6) we can now officially embrace our ground cover marketing strategies throughout the balance of 2009. On the product marketing side, across industries, features and benefits typically need to be communicated in hierarchical or checklist fashion as potential buyers are competition and cost critical. However, there are a few products in the mainstream that scale beyond technical features and embrace more visceral benefits.
\nUndoubtedly, Turbyfill dentures by the Florida Denture Institute fit this mold – pardon the pun! Communicating, eating, smiling and overall oral hygiene and comfort is immensely important to each of us regardless of our station in life. The Turbyfill approach (a unique methodology perfected over a half-century of clinical experience) by the Florida Denture Institute offers a denture solution with superior fit, function and aesthetics and, therefore, the good health, comfort and confidence that improves patients’ quality of life. Certainly, business building pursuits of this variety are less about product marketing and more about lifestyle and peace-of-mind. In the coming months, look for integrated public relations, direct mail and email marketing programs to keep the media and the targeted masses aware of the Florida Denture Institute.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":126,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/email-headers-in-the-right-direction/","title":"Email Headers In The Right Direction","slug":"email-headers-in-the-right-direction","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Apr 10th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"Email may have supplanted snail mail for direct marketing, but the challenge remains the same: how to keep recipients from trashing your message before they read it. Here are a few best practices that may help your next campaign. We’ve all received plenty
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Email Headers In The Right Direction","metadesc":"Email may have supplanted snail mail for direct marketing, but the challenge remains the same: how to keep recipients from trashing your message","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Email may have supplanted snail mail for direct marketing, but the challenge remains the same: how to keep recipients from trashing your message before they read it. Here are a few best practices that may help your next campaign. We’ve all received plenty of direct-mail letters that we’ve tossed without bothering to open the envelope. Then there are the envelopes that interest us enough to at least open. Well, the email equivalent of the envelope is the header—the From, To and Subject lines.
\nHere are some tips for optimizing your headers. From: Someone they’re hoping to hear from Send your email from someone who will mean something to your recipients: Joe Dokes has zero credibility. Joe Dokes is better. Productivity Solutions not only has credibility, it has promise! To: Someone that shows you know who you’re talking to As with any advertising, don’t talk at the masses; have a one-to-one dialog with each member of your target audience. Direct-marketing emails should go to persons, not lists:
\nSubject: About something the reader wants to be subject to Make it short. Shoot for 50 well-chosen characters if you can. And don’t waste any of them on the name of your company. That’s in your From line, remember? Make it clear. Your recipients shouldn’t have to guess what your email is about. “Cut your IT capital costs in half with hosted solutions.” Make it intriguing. The subject line is the equivalent of the teaser on a direct-mail envelope. Here’s an email version of a tease that was effective on a direct mailer to prospective lessees for an office building: “Caution: Message contents can expand to 4,000 square feet.”
\nArguably, this contradicts the previous tip. However, the return address on the envelope made it clear the mail came from a commercial real estate property. The From line of the header can offer a similar clarification. Make it compelling. If at all possible, your subject line should answer the most important question in advertising: What’s in it for me? “This 7-minute read can save you $700 today.” Make it qualify. Who do you most want to respond? In all likelihood, you’ll happily trade a high message-opening rate for a high response rate by those most likely to respond to your offer. If you have an ultra-highly targeted list, this tip may not apply. Otherwise, you may want to let recipients know whom your message really applies to: “Feeling pressure to cut IT costs yet boost productivity?” Make it urgent. Nothing drives action like urgency. “Last chance to register for …,” “The first 100 responders will receive a bonus …,” “Respond within 24 hours for a free …” Uh-oh! I hear alarm bells going off all over Web 2.0 World because I used that most taboo four-letter word, “free.” But hey, we’re talking about throwing away the most powerful word in advertising, so let’s dispel this urban legend here and now: Putting “free” in the subject line will not automatically consign your email to every recipient’s junk-mail box. Some maybe, but, depending on what you’re selling, the increase in reads will almost always be worth losing any messages that are filtered out, especially when you minimize them by following these rules: * Never put an exclamation point after “free”! (In fact, never use a slammer in a subject line.) * Don’t begin or end your subject line with “free” (which takes care of the exclamation point). * Don’t put FREE in all capital letters Finally, no subject line can accommodate all these tips of course. Use the ones that work best for what you’re doing.
\nAre you distributing an e-newsletter to customers? Soliciting participants for a webinar? Holding an inventory clearance sale? Recruiting resellers? Let the situation (and your testing results) guide your strategy.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":127,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/integrated-pr-and-marketing-a-grand-slam/","title":"Integrated PR and Marketing; a Grand Slam","slug":"integrated-pr-and-marketing-a-grand-slam","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Wed Mar 11th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"As with anything in marketing, it’s always the best idea to have a very integrated approach that combines a multi-disciplinary focus to reach different levels of your target audience. This is especially true with your public relations efforts
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Integrated PR and Marketing a Grand Slam","metadesc":"As with anything in marketing, it’s always the best idea to have a very integrated approach that combines a multi-disciplinary","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"As with anything in marketing, it’s always the best idea to have a very integrated approach that combines a multi-disciplinary focus to reach different levels of your target audience. This is especially true with your public relations efforts, in spite of the fact that many companies believe PR is synonymous with “press release”. PR should be strategically timed with any and all marketing efforts, including social networking.
\nFor example, if a new branding campaign is being launched, your PR campaign should focus on the “news” behind the new brand and all interviews/story placements should be timed in concert with the arrival of any marketing materials, advertisements and national or local events. It’s this integrated approach that delivers the best results each and every time. Denny’s wanted to re-introduce itself and its brand to America. It felt that a good majority of its long-standing customer base had forgotten about the convenience, good prices, and of course delicious breakfast it offers people each day. As such, they embarked on a national awareness marketing campaign timed around the Super Bowl in early February.
\nThe “fast-casual” restaurant spent millions on an advertisement during the Super Bowl announcing a free “Grand Slam Breakfast” to every single person in America the day after the football game. Since the Super Bowl is by far the most watched television event in the world, with an estimated 90 million-plus viewers, the restaurant chain felt they would get lots of attention for the kickoff of it’s promotion. Naturally, the integrated marketing and PR didn’t stop there.
\nThe next day Denny’s served up millions of free Grand Slam breakfasts and most locations around the country reported waiting lines out the door. In addition to sending out press kits and information about the company, restaurant executives did interviews with the media that day, as well as throughout the week, to discuss the promotion and its success. Inside the store, Denny’s had new signage to help reinforce its new message to customers, along with employees serving delicious breakfast with a smile. The integrated approach to marketing and PR will go a long way towards Denny’s securing a sunny-side-up image.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":128,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/a-few-words-about-keywords/","title":"A Few Words About Keywords","slug":"a-few-words-about-keywords","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Tue Mar 3rd 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"In my last blog I contended that there’s no such thing as an internet writing style. In response, a reader wondered if I “had purposely neglected to discuss the importance of taking effective print media copywriting and optimizing it for the search engines
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"A Few Words About Keywords","metadesc":"In my last blog I contended that there’s no such thing as an internet writing style. In response, a reader wondered","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"In my last blog I contended that there’s no such thing as an internet writing style. In response, a reader wondered if I “had purposely neglected to discuss the importance of taking effective print media copywriting and optimizing it for the search engines [with keywords] … an immensely important step …” I didn’t address using keywords for search-engine optimization (SEO) because I feel they are matter of content, so talking about them wouldn’t belong in a blog about style. However, I absolutely agree that including keywords is immensely important in web copy.
\nAs a writer I hate to say it, but including the most effective keywords in your website copy is a much greater success factor than superb style—and unlike style, there’s little if any art involved. It’s a highly scientific endeavor. Everything you need to know about keywords can’t be covered in a single blog entry. Heck, there are entire websites devoted to the theory and practice of identifying, classifying and quantifying the SEO impact of keywords. What I’ll talk about here is where to put them on your website for greatest effect.
\nFirst, keywords should be ranked as primary and secondary. The absolutely most important key word or phrase should always appear in the main headline on the homepage and preferably in each page’s main headline. If your market is a limited geographic area, remember that identifying your market area may be almost as an important keyword as your product or service. For example, only fools will look for help with their next party by searching ”gourmet catering.” The rest of us will search, for instance, “gourmet catering boca raton.” If you can work other keywords into the headline without doing grammatical contortions, so much the better. (But not at the expense of brevity—keep the length of your headlines below 75 characters and spaces.) You can always chunk a few more keywords into a subhead that describes your offering or value proposition.
\nSection headers and subheads within the body copy—always a good idea for promotional copy in any medium—also should contain important keywords. Another target is photo or illustration captions. (Never miss the opportunity to caption visuals; captions receive 30 percent higher readership than body copy in print media, and there’s no reason to suspect the same isn’t true for websites.) Body copy is the place for your secondary keywords, but don’t overdo a good thing. Think smattering rather than infestation. The law of diminishing returns applies, especially because some of the propeller-heads I know believe that search-engine algorithms have become quite sophisticated at detecting gratuitous keyword excess and downgrading offending websites.
\nDon’t overlook links either. Be sure to use primary keywords in all your links. (By the way, the more links in your website, even internal links from one section to another, the higher your website will rank with search engines. And links to higher-scoring or more popular websites will pull up your own score, so try to link up, not down.) The last point I’ll make is that keyword identification and inclusion isn’t a one-time proposition. Just as you frequently should refresh copy and design to avoid becoming a “cobweb site,” refining your keyword lists is a never-ending process.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":129,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/pick-your-cloud-computing-dance-partner-yet/","title":"Pick Your Cloud Computing Dance Partner Yet?","slug":"pick-your-cloud-computing-dance-partner-yet","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Thu Feb 19th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"Nearly 90% of all current web servers on the internet are dedicated to low-to-mid traffic websites. The players arranging their cloud computing product catalogs are drooling to capture their share of this ripe opportunity. Did you get your party
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Pick Your Cloud Computing Dance Partner Yet?","metadesc":"Nearly 90% of all current web servers on the internet are dedicated to low-to-mid traffic websites. The players arranging","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Nearly 90% of all current web servers on the internet are dedicated to low-to-mid traffic websites. The players arranging their cloud computing product catalogs are drooling to capture their share of this ripe opportunity. Did you get your party invite and have you picked your dance partner yet?
\nYou don’t have to be a technophile to see the flurry of activity taking place currently. Microsoft and Google are leading the charge, but a whole host of smaller providers are packaging their cloud ‘wares as well. As a marketer, I’m excited to see this shake out, and with any luck we will have an opportunity to play in this sandbox and have some fun too. In general, IT as a utility has long been discussed but not until now has it truly been tangible. Virtualization, software as a service, web apps, smart devices, and the general IT mandate to do more with less has given cloud computing the thrust it needed to be relevant.
\nAll things being equal, what you’ll clearly see is everyone commit to the cloud and share their ideas on how they have the best mousetrap. How they articulate their cloud strategy as an OEM, Distributor or Reseller will also unfold before too long if it hasn’t happened already. Specifically, as you begin to read the articles, see the ads and grasp the value propositions, be mindful of how the message across the enterprise and the SMB sector will be different, but the same. Productivity and savings will be the key message regardless of the audience. And if you’re at the beginning (or end) of the IT supply chain as a user, hopefully they will differentiate themselves and strike the right chords for your specific needs.
\nLastly, what I am particularly excited about is how the SMB sector, with a bulk of the web server market share, will finally shape and mold the direction of this industry within an industry. IT products and services (yes, products not just services will also be a part of the cloud toolbox) will drive not just ride along this time. What that means is competition, and hopefully smarter, better, faster and cheaper solutions for today’s SMBs. So, if you haven’t gotten it yet, hang on, plenty of cloud computing party invites will be in your Mailbox or Inbox shortly. Surely there will be more on this subject to follow.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":130,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/leverage-social-media-with-pr/","title":"Leverage Social Media with PR","slug":"leverage-social-media-with-pr","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Sat Feb 14th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"One big discussion today in marketing and communication circles continues to be on how to effectively embrace social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.) and merge it with your company’s PR campaigns, projects or initiatives? The positive view is that companies are even having
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"Leverage Social Media with PR","metadesc":"One big discussion today in marketing and communication circles continues to be on how to effectively embrace social media","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"One big discussion today in marketing and communication circles continues to be on how to effectively embrace social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.) and merge it with your company’s PR campaigns, projects or initiatives? The positive view is that companies are even having the discussion in the first place. The downside is that many of them see it as an “either/or” answer to their marketing communications strategy.
\nThe biggest mistake companies make is by using social media as the only component in a PR campaign. This won’t work for a simple reason – this isn’t what the format’s all about. Social media, at least for now, can’t completely replace many other traditional forms of communication. Take social media press releases, for example. While there’s no doubting that this type of press release can go out via online distribution newswires, it’s at its most effective as a visually stimulating and interactive information hub instead.
\nRather than the somewhat stale static text of a “traditional” press release, one that’s enhanced for social media can include everything from video, audio and embedded links to RSS feeds, multimedia and even sections for comment and feedback. The main point is to use your social media PR strategy as another highly effective communication tool in your marketing toolbox. If you wish to get instant feedback on your news or product, open up the release to allow comments on it; have links to your About Us page on your website; make it particularly easy for people to contact you through a variety of methods (email, social media, business network sites, etc).
\nThe whole point of social media is about the conversation. By realizing this, businesses will connect with far more potential customers than they might have previously. And if they (and their PR teams) use a social media press release as part of a strategy as opposed to being the strategy, these results will only be solidified.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":131,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/2009-wel-corporate-salute/","title":"2009 WEL Corporate Salute","slug":"2009-wel-corporate-salute","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Fri Feb 13th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Women Executive Leadership (WEL) Corporate Salute at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. If you think corporate boardrooms are only served by the good ol’ boys club, think again. WEL, a Merit Mile client
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"2009 WEL Corporate Salute","metadesc":"Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Women Executive Leadership (WEL) Corporate Salute at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Women Executive Leadership (WEL) Corporate Salute at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. If you think corporate boardrooms are only served by the good ol’ boys club, think again. WEL, a Merit Mile client, recognized the 16 Florida companies that have two or more female directors on their Boards. The event played host to some of the most influential female executives across the state.
\nIn addition to an awards ceremony, WEL shared the detailed findings of their 2008 Florida Census. In collaboration with the University of Miami School of Business, WEL conducts this research every two years. The number of women in executive positions, such as chief executive officer, president or chief financial officer, increased from 39 in 2006 to 49 in 2008. But on corporate boards, only 7.4 percent or 1,276 seats in 2008 were held by women. That’s the same level as a year earlier, but down from 8.7 percent in 2006.
\nAttendees also had the opportunity to network among their peers and listen-in on insightful commentary from an assortment of guest speakers. In addition to hosting the event and conducting the research, WEL, a non-profit organization, also has a charter that is aimed at delivering qualified women to the corporate executive suite and boardrooms across America. Amidst the omnipresent theme of economic and political change, WEL fits right in — advocating, educating and connecting women with appropriate corporate suitors. It comes as no surprise to this business owner that their pursuits are well organized, timely and very relevant. For more, please visit www.womenexecutiveleadership.com
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":132,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/wel-honors-16-florida-companies-for-gender-diversity-in-the-boardroom/","title":"WEL Honors 16 Florida Companies For Gender Diversity In The Boardroom","slug":"wel-honors-16-florida-companies-for-gender-diversity-in-the-boardroom","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Wed Feb 11th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"WEL (Women Executive Leadership), a Florida-based organization that advocates, educates, and connects accomplished women, today saluted the 16 Florida companies with two or more female Directors on their Boards.
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"WEL Honors 16 Florida Companies For Gender Diversity In The Boardroom","metadesc":"WEL (Women Executive Leadership), a Florida-based organization that advocates, educates, and connects accomplished women","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"WEL (Women Executive Leadership), a Florida-based organization that advocates, educates, and connects accomplished women, today saluted the 16 Florida companies with two or more female Directors on their Boards.
\nThe announcement was made during the 2008 Corporate Salute event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Sherry Barrat, Executive Vice President for Northern Trust Corporation and member of the Board of Directors for FPL Group, Inc. served as keynote speaker before WEL honored the following 16 companies:
\nWEL also released the results of its 2008 Census of Women Directors and Executive Officers, compiled in conjunction with The University of Miami School of Business Administration.
\nConducted since 2004, the report studies gender diversity in the executive suite and in the Boardroom of Florida’s top public companies. The study shows that 7.4 percent of Board seats in the top 150 Florida companies were held by women in 2008, the same level as 2007 but down from 2006 (8.7%). However, the number of female executive officers rose from 5.4 percent in 2006 to 7.0 percent in 2008. Visit www.womenexecutiveleadership.com to download a copy of the study.
\n“We believe that 2009 represents a year in which women leaders can begin to rewrite the direction of America’s corporate environment,” said Cindy Kushner, President and Founder of WEL. “Companies that embrace gender diversity, both in the executive suite and in the Boardroom will be more likely to succeed in today’s challenging economic period. One very promising sign is that the number of women serving in the executive suite is growing, which paves the way for increased presence in the Boardroom. WEL’s objective is to ensure that our continued voice will encourage companies to tap the pool of qualified talent and support all women to pursue the attainable goal of leadership.”
\nAbout Women Executive Leadership WEL advocates, educates and connects accomplished executive women.
\nThrough extensive networking opportunities and educational workshops, the organization helps prepare female leaders for corporate Board and executive suite positions. WEL enables women to raise their profile and move to the forefront of executive search opportunities. Its signature event, Corporate Salute, provides an important advocacy platform that brings necessary attention to the landscape of gender diversity in the corporate world. WEL will salute the award winning companies and release its 2008 Census Study that details and benchmarks the status and number of women in the Boardroom and in executive positions of Florida’s Top 150 public companies. All qualified members from the corporate sector, private enterprises and not-for-profit organizations are encouraged to join WEL. For membership information For membership information and to attend the Corporate Salute, please visit www.womenexecutiveleadership.com.
\n"}},{"node":{"wordpress_id":133,"link":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/post/wel-to-unveil-winners-of-its-corporate-salute-awards/","title":"WEL to Unveil Winners of its Corporate Salute Awards","slug":"wel-to-unveil-winners-of-its-corporate-salute-awards","status":"publish","format":"standard","date":"Sun Jan 25th 2009","modified":"Wed Jul 10th 2019","excerpt":"Sixteen Florida companies with Women in their Boardrooms will be honored. WEL (Women Executive Leadership), a Florida based organization that advocates, educates, and connects accomplished women, will announce the winners of its 2008 Corporate Salute on February 11
\n","author":{"name":"John Sternal"},"yoast":{"title":"WEL to Unveil Winners of its Corporate Salute Awards","metadesc":"Sixteen Florida companies with Women in their Boardrooms will be honored. WEL (Women Executive Leadership)","focuskw":"","linkdex":"","metakeywords":"","canonical":"","redirect":"","meta_robots_adv":"","meta_robots_nofollow":"","meta_robots_noindex":"","opengraph_title":"","opengraph_description":"","opengraph_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"},"twitter_title":"","twitter_description":"","twitter_image":{"source_url":"https://apiold.meritmile.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3.jpg"}},"content":"Sixteen Florida companies with Women in their Boardrooms will be honored. WEL (Women Executive Leadership), a Florida based organization that advocates, educates, and connects accomplished women, will announce the winners of its 2008 Corporate Salute on February 11, 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla. Over the last few years, women executives have brought a great deal of change to the corporate landscape.
\nsuccessfully bringing some change of its own by enabling greater gender diversity to the corporate world here in Florida. At its Corporate Salute, WEL will honor 16 Florida companies that have two or more female Directors on their Boards. Sherry S. Barrat, Executive Vice President for Northern Trust Corporation and President of Personal Financial Services, will be the keynote speaker. Ms. Barrat also serves on the Board of Directors for FPL Group, one of the 2008 Florida award winning companies. Eleanor Bloxham, Founder and President of The Value Alliance, an esteemed author and recognized expert on corporate governance, will also speak at the event.
\n“To not only survive but thrive in the current economy, Florida companies are embracing the widest and best talent pool available. WEL plays a key role in helping them identify accomplished women who are ready to bring innovative thinking and leadership,” said Cindy Kushner, President and Founder of WEL. “We help introduce highly talented women to the selection process of Corporate Board and Executive-level positions. Through our efforts, leading companies are able to enlarge their pool of highly qualified candidates and help them expand beyond the same recycled executive talent that is often used for such important positions. In addition to our local network, WEL can tap into a database of over 10,000 potential candidates as a result of our membership with ION (Inter Organization Network).
\nION is a consortium comprised of 12 regional organizations, representing Florida, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Nashville, Detroit, and Baltimore, all of which work to advance women to positions in the Boardroom and in the Executive suite. These executive women’s groups join together as ION to combine their energies, to leverage their strengths, and to maximize their individual and aggregate influence in order to increase the number and percentage of women who comprise the leadership of Corporate America.” .h3 About Women Executive Leadership WEL advocates, educates and connects accomplished executive women. Through extensive networking opportunities and educational workshops, the organization helps prepare female leaders for corporate Board and executive suite positions.
\nWEL enables women to raise their profile and move to the forefront of executive search opportunities. Its signature event, Corporate Salute, provides an important advocacy platform that brings necessary attention to the landscape of gender diversity in the corporate world. WEL will salute the award winning companies and release its 2008 Census Study that details and benchmarks the status and number of women in the Boardroom and in executive positions of Florida’s Top 150 public companies. All qualified members from the corporate sector, private enterprises and not-for-profit organizations are encouraged to join WEL. For membership information and to attend the Corporate Salute, please visit “www.womenexecutiveleadership.com”.
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