Blogging for a life: Blog about my life….my opinions and experiences.
Business
A Nice Pat on the Back for the Blackbird e-Solutions SEO Team
From e-Life: Discussions about Blackbird e-Solutions and the Search, Tech and Localization Industries
If you remember in the past six months I’ve posted about a Search Engine Optimization client of ours, Superior Wash of PA (See links below). There was some buzz about the deal because the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce was excited that we made our connection at the new members welcome event. It was the first event I visited for Blackbird e-Solutions. The subsequently did an article about us in their monthly newsletter.
The project was finished several months ago, which has given enough time for an evaluation of the effectiveness of the campaign. It took about a month for the sites to climb into a good position in the search engines, but then as you can see in my previous posting: SEO Project a Success for Superior Wash of PA they, reached a top ranking. Today I received the following email from Jen at Superior Wash:
Bryan,
I just wanted to tell you that we have had an increase in Superior Wash’s website traffic. I am sending out 3 quotes to companies who found us on the web and completed the “contact us” form! Very exciting! I owe that all to you and I just wanted you to know it’s working!!Hope you are having a good summer and maybe I’ll see you at a Chamber event
soon.
Jen
This is great news! I’m excited that they are seeing results from our campaign. It’s always good to have satisfied customers. 😉
Other Superior Wash of PA posts:
SEO Project a Success for Superior Wash of PA
Blackbird e-Solutions Secures SEO Deal With Accubright Systems, LLC and Superior Wash
Blackbird e-Solutions Featured in Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce and Industry Newsletter!
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Net Neutrality — A Letter to US Senator Arlen Specter
From e-Life: Discussions about Blackbird e-Solutions and the Search, Tech and Localization Industries
After seeing the news article “FCC rules Comcast violated Internet access policy” I was reminded of the importance of net neutrality. So since I’m located in Pennsylvania, I decided to right US Senator Arlen Specter. You can read my letter below.
Dear Mr. Specter,
After seeing the news article this morning “FCC rules Comcast violated Internet access policy” this morning I was reminded of the importance of “net neutrality”. I commend the FCC for taking a stand with Comcast. Comcast is a huge business that in most areas operates almost as a monopoly, yet they continue to cry that their infrastructure is being unfairly used. They claim that companies and people are getting a free ride on their pipeline. I always get a kick out of how they try to justify the policy of slowing down different types of traffic just because that type is popular. One example is Google. They talked about implementing a way to slow traffic to companies such as Google and then charging them a higher fee so that the traffic will run at normal speeds. That sounds like a form of racketeering, which is not unlike what the mob does when they force people to pay for protection. “Protection from what?”, you ask. In actuality the money being paid is to protect the victims from the mob itself.
The idea of slowing different types of traffic could also be equated to Microsoft saying you can install any program on a Windows computer, but you will have to pay MS more money so the software will run correctly.
Companies like Comcast feel that they can’t support their networks with the fees they are charging, but their fees continue to go up and they continue to see profits and growth. Comcast Reports First Quarter 2008 Results Furthermore do they really think that Google and friends are not paying for their connection the internet? I would be interested in seeing the numbers on how much they pay to keep all their data centers connected… It’s not like they are running a billion dollar business on a dial up connection that costs them only a few dollars a month. Plus, all those people using Google, are they not paying for their connection as well?
As a business owner myself I support finding creative ways for new revenue, but it has to be done in an ethical manner. If the telcos are allowed to decide at what speed traffic travels over their networks it will stifle the economy. There are number of reasons this is true. For instance, the US has become a service economy and many of those services are performed via the internet. Many companies live or die by their ability to reach customers online. There is also a big conflict of interest for the telcos. For example a company such as the VOIP breakthrough Vonage could be squashed out of existence if Comcast decided they wanted to hinder Vonage’s VOIP traffic. Since Comcast also has a VOIP service this would give them an unfair advantage. Then where does it stop? The telcos could start picking off different markets by eliminating their competition in this manner.
Then fundamental idea of the internet is based on neutrality. This has creating a new economies, new markets and new jobs. Allowing the telcos to hold companies and individuals hostage would be disservice to the country and its people.
For further information about net neutrality please visit: savetheinternet.com
Best regards,
Bryan Coe
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Localization, Globalization and Internationlization
It has been some time since I posted anything. I guess I can blame it on the craziness of summer. No excuse though I know.
I recently came across an article on Export America “A federal source for global business needs.” The Article discusses the differences between Localization, Globalization and Internationalization. Which I definitely agree with. It is one thing to make a product accessible to international markets, but giving products a local look and feel will give companies a much greater chance for success. This also follows our mantra Go Global, Get Local!
However, effectively selling a product overseas requires more than just finding a local distributor or creating a Spanish-language “About Us” link on a Web site. What is less frequently understood is the importance of truly “localizing,” or adapting, content or a product to meet the linguistic, cultural, and other requirements of a target market. This is a process that differs from “internationalization,” which is generalizing a product so that it can handle multiple languages and cultural conventions without the need for redesign. Localization involves tailoring a product to a specific market, in a process that goes beyond mere translation. For instance, notational conventions and other standards must be addressed. It also means understanding and accommodating cultural nuance, such as differences in color association, symbols, and payment preferences. Businesses that incorporate a localization component early on in their global strategy will be positioned far more competitively than businesses that do not.
For the full article: Localize and Truly Go Global
For Blackbird e-Solutions Localization Services
I Was Featured in Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce and Industry Newsletter!
From e-Life Discussions about Blackbird e-Solutions and the Search, Tech and Localization Industries
Check this out last month I was featured in the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce Newsletter!
I joined the chamber last fall and then attended a new members welcome event in January. During the event everyone had to get up and give their 30 second speech about their business. One of the ambassadors for the chamber, Jen Strobel of Superior Wash of PA and Accubright Systems LLC, heard what I had to say and approached me after the meeting. She said she was looking for help with getting found on-line, or Search Engine Optimization. We talked some and she contacted me a few weeks later. As you may have seen in my earlier posts, they are now a client. Afterwards I sent a note to the chamber to thank them and they were so excited about the success of the chamber meeting they decided to do an article about us in the Chamber Newsletter! Check it out here:
Chamber Event Pays Dividends to Three Members
The project with Accubright Systems, LLC is still underway, but you can read about the success we have had with Superior Wash here: