GoodBuyGuys Blog

  I have battled for a couple of years with a notebook computer I bought before going on vacation.  My notebook had died, and I knew I would need a computer to keep in touch with my office.

I could find nothing available that ran Windows XP, so I took the plunge and bought a computer that ran Windows Vista.  I have regretted it every day of the last two years.  What an awful operating system!

I was delighted to learn that Acer’s new line of netbook computers used Windows XP, so I gave their Aspire line a try.  I love it.

Having a tiny computer that is designed primarily for internet based work makes a lot of sense and the Aspire One speaks directly to this new approach to personal computing.

The cost of a fully featured netbook (1 gig of ram/160 gig hard drive) has fallen below $300.00 and this segment of computing is ready to blast off.  Using a browser like Firefox to access online applications like Google Apps for word processing and database managment minimizes the compromises created by this Netbook’s lack of an optical drive for loading software. Minimizing the number of applications actually residing on the computer means faster startups and less time in changing your activities.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has already announced their plans to offer a version of upcoming Windows 7 specifically for netbooks.  XP works great for this type of computing.  Why not leave well enough alone?

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment ONe extension cords, OnStage Stand mic stands.

Anybody who has tried to us a web service called RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to subscribe to online news, podcasts, blogs, etc. knows that the first “S” in RSS stands for anything but “simple“.

In theory, by subscribing to a RSS “feed”, updated information is pushed at you by the website hosting the new information so that you don’t have to go looking for it.  Setting up this service has been really confusing and a lot of people don’t take advantage of it.

A version of Google called iGoogle has finally made the “simple” part of RSS really simple.

If you haven’t tried iGoogle, you ought to take a look.  iGoogle lets you set up a personalized version of Google which can is customized for each user.

In addition to things like local weather and links to favorite web sites, you can also use iGoogle to subscribe to as many RSS feeds as you want.  When information is updated in the feeds you have subscribed to, this information shows up on your iGoogle page.

We have RSS feeds generated by GoodBuyGuys.com which sends out new product information, and a feed from this blog that is distributed to anyone who wants to subscribe to it.

I include these RSS feeds in those I can see on my iGoogle page, and when we update something, it shows up on iGoogle within minutes.

Already got an iGoogle page?  Here’s a link to very easy instructions for adding RSS feeds.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and “value added” customer service.

I enjoy designing and posting web pages for our sites, and try to make sure I put something new online almost every day.  It is really easy to consider a web page to be “finished” when it is posted and move onto another idea.  Big mistake!

I wrote about Craig Newmark of Craig’s List occupying the position of “customer service rep” even though he owns a company worth many millions of dollars.  I enjoy working in customer service, as well, as it affords me the opportunity to speak directly with customers.  That’s where the ideas for improvements to our existing web pages almost always come from.

A simple question from a customer asking for more (or more specific) information about something they have seen on the web can quickly lead to improvement in a page.  The best part is, quite often we quickly see an increase in sales of the product they asked about after the page update is made.

Having your customers serve in the role of unpaid editors not only adds value to your web sites, but taking the time to find out what additional information the customer needs is always appreciated by the caller.

Don’t forget-the best web page is one that is never finished.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and “value added” customer service.

An article in last Sunday’s New York Times made me aware of a new web surfing habit I have developed without even thinking about it.

The basis for the Times article was how web users, particularly young peope, were using YouTube as much for education as for entertainment.

It seems that YouTube is evolving into a search engine, one that is much more appealing to young users than the static search returns that Google provides.

I got over my infatuation with expoloding Coke bottles full of Mentos and kittens playing the piano pretty quickly, and chalked YouTube off to yet another brilliant invention of a time wasting machine.

I now find myself going back to YouTube almost every day to learn how to do something valuable.  In the last week, I have used it to finish a water heater installation under my house, sharpen kitchen knives using a new tool my wife got for Christmas, and to get some help with a particularly challenging part of a piano lesson.  Time saved, not time wasted!

Perhaps the most important piece of information in this article was buried near the bottom of the page (in parentheses no less). Google owns YouTube!

While Microsoft continues their never ending courtship with Yahoo in an attempt to develop an advertising revenue stream based on a model that Google perfected years ago,  Google is now ready to take their $1.65 million dollar purchase of YouTube to the bank.

In fact, as of November, the number of monthly searches on YouTube now exceeds Yahoo searches.  Either way (text or video), when someone clicks on an ad served up with their search results, it’s money in Google’s pocket.

We are beginning work on some simple videos that we hope will help our customers make better use of the products they buy from us.

Get ready for the GoodBuyGuys to make their Hollywood debut!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables. Count on us when you need specialty tape items and sound advice.

My last several blog posts have centered on issues related to search engine optimization, and the more I read about this important area of web development, the more I come to realize that not nearly enough time is spent on the simple things-optimzation strategies that almost any web site owner can use to their advantage.

On my way to work, I usually listen to Morning Edition on National Public Radio.  It has been a long time since NPR has been advertising-free, even if they choose to not call what you hear “advertising”.  Almost all their programs are underwritten by corporate sponsors, and this underwriting is just another name for advertising.

I was struck this morning by how differently two of these underwriters try to take advantage of their broadcasting budgets to drive traffic to their web sites, using the broadcast version of “word of mouth” marketing to leverage their brands.

One, a national home builder,  K. Hovnanian Homes, uses their complete (unpronounceable, unmemorable and unspellable) name in their underwriting, directing a listener to the web for more information, but in a way that makes it almost impossible for the listener to remember, spell or even “Google” the underwriter’s name.  The chance that this underwriting will actually bring NPR listeners to their web site is unlikely at best.

The second is for a public relations firm,  Rella-Cowan, an equally difficult company name to remember, spell, or “Google”.

Realizing the difficulty of using word of mouth for site traffic building, Rella-Cowan instead uses the cleaver and easy to remember web URL iffytimes.com prominently in their NPR underwriting. Iffytimes.com drives web traffic to their site designed to help businesses with marketing problems in difficult economic times.  “Iffytimes.com” is clever, easy to remember and intriguing to the reader.  Its easy to remember this URL on your walk from the parking lot to the office and it allows Rella-Cowan to build a web presence by planting an idea where they really want it, in your memory.

We are blessed to have a number of web sites that are both easy to remember and which are a subliminal “call to action“, something that any marketing pro will tell you is critical to successful marketing and advertising.  Buytape.com, buybattery.com, buyextensioncord.com, buymicstand.com and all the other members of the goodbuyguys.com family all lend themselves to building web traffic by word of mouth.

Remember, just because you have a web site that is considered your primary company web address, nothing prevents you from having additional web sites that are more relevant to building the kind of word of mouth traffic that can put your web site to work.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables. Check back here for ideas on web development.

I’ve been actively involved in web development for more than ten years now, and that’s where I spend most of my day.  Having had lots of success with getting our web sites found by Google and other search engines, I am regularly asked about to get better search results for web sites by both our customers and suppliers.  I try to help when I can.

For years, I have used a number of log analysis programs to help me see how our many web sites were performing.  A web log (we’re not talking about “blogs” here) is a record of all the traffic that comes to your web sites, how it gets there, and what the visitor does while he or she is at your site.  It’s fascinating information.Until recently, being able to analyze web logs has required using expensive and complicated software and has called for someone with a pretty high skill level. Not anymore!

Google Analytics has simplified the process, made it intuitive for someone with just a little web site building skill and, best of all, it’s free.

It does, however, require that you have a little experience with managing web pages at the code level.  If this is an area you are unfamiliar (or uncomfortable) with, Google Analytics really makes it worth your while to do a little work on the code level.  The returns for your efforts are incredibly valuable.

Most web users may not realize that if you open a web page in your browser (I use Firefox) and look at the page source, you will see something like this (source code for hooptape.com):

<html>
<head>
<title>hoop tape for hula hoops</title>

<style type=“text/css”>
<!–
.style1 {
	font-size: x-large;
	font-weight: bold;
	color: #FF0066;
Th
.style2 {font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold; color: #FF0066; font-style: italic; }

This underlying code tells your web browser how to present the information you are seeking in a format that makes sense to you rather than the information that actually resides on a web server.

By adding a few simple lines of web code that Google Analytics will provide (a simple cut-and-paste) process, you can make use of a service that will allow you to see things like  what key word was used to find your site, when someone visited, what source they used to find you, how long they stayed, etc. etc.  Just knowing the keyword that led them to your site is incredibly powerful.

If you don’t manage your own web sites, ask your web master to add Google Analytics to some of your pages.  Make sure they give you  log in privileges.  

Happy analyzing!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables.

If you think that those who work in the arts field or in businesses that provide support for the arts will be exempt from the economic downturn?  Think again!

I recently came across this article in the The Daily Tar Heel, the newspaper of my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill. The article quotes Emil Kang, UNC’s Executive Director for the Arts.  UNC arts programs have been valued customers of ours for many years.

Here’s what Mr. Kang had to say:

“If you talk to anyone who manages a budget they’ll tell you that they’re worried.  The arts sector, like most sectors that are not financial markets, are always lagging behind. I’m included; we’re worried.”

“We are at the mercy of people’s disposable income. Unfortunately the arts are about six months behind,” he said. “I think we are going to see a lot of worse news over the next couple of years.”

Those arts organizations that count on private donations and government appropriated funds for their core support are already planning fewer shows for upcoming seasons.  Donations from patrons and foundations are falling off and their return will trail the recovery of the economy as a whole.

Most arts funding not directly related to ticket sales is usually appropriated a least a year in advance, giving a false sense that the arts are not facing the same sort of downturn as General Motors and DHL.

Recent closing of Broadway hits like Hairspray and Legally Blonde reflect the current softness in ticket sales, sales that come almost exclusively from people’s discretionary income. Poor  sales for this year’s touring productions of shows like The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Backyardigans will slowly and surely filter down to those who are employed in the arts and to the businesses that count on the arts for much of their sales.

If you make your living in the arts or derive a significant portion of your income from arts organizations, get ready.  Rough seas are on the horizon.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords  & OnStage Stand mic stands . We are a proud supporter of the arts community in Chatham County, NC.

American Express announced today of their intention to reduce their work force by 10%, shedding 7000 jobs over the next year.  It’s rarely good to hear about job cuts, and the current downturn in our economy is impacting everybody.

Still, a company as unresponsive and unconcerned about their merchant members as Amex probably needs to trim way back. After all, their 2007 profits were only $3.7 billion!

Maybe those whose jobs survive will show a little more interest in providing good customer service.

You may not be aware that when you place an order at goodbuyguys.com and pay with your American Express card, Amex takes almost 3% of the transaction off the top before they pay the merchant you made the purchase from.  This is a fee they earn in addition to any interest you may pay in carrying a balance from month to month.

While the merchant does get fairly quick payment (4-5 days), the impact of losing a 3% fee has a serious effect on what you pay.  It has to be reflected in the price.

If you have a rewards card that gives you a cash rebate, that rebate comes from the merchant, not from Amex.  Again, if the credit card company is going to give you money back, the merchant you made  your purchase from must factor that rebate into the price of what you purchase.

In exchange for these fees (American Express merchant fees are higher than both Mastercard and Visa) AMEX consistently makes things as complicated as they possibly can for the merchant, making their fee structure almost impossible to interpret.

If you challenge a charge on your card (even if it is valid) AMEX can charge the merchant as much as $20.00 in something called a “chargeback” fee for the merchant to prove the charge is valid, even if they have done nothing wrong.

American Express’s new initiative to cut employee jobs is intended to save the company $1.8 billion dollars in costs in 2009.

Think any of that savings will be passed on to the merchants that keep the company alive?  Don’t count on it!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables.

This blog seems to continually find its way back customer service issues, and I guess that it really is a passion of mine.  Unfortunately, most of my postings address negative customer service issues, but I really enjoy having such a positive experience that it demands to be acknowledged.

I recently had to return my daughter’s digital camera, an Olympus FE230, for service.  She has  become quite a good photographer and was concerned that her camera suddenly seemed to only take”out of focus” photos.

She located Olympus’s online site for customer service and repairs and we shipped the camera off to an Olympus service center.  I’ve been through this sort of thing before, and I was prepared for the usual fist fight-slow or no service, warranty claim denied, six week wait, etc.

I shipped the camera on Monday.  Today is Thursday and she has the camera back in her hands.  That’s right!  In less than 72  the camera had gotten to the service center, been repaired, and returned to us.  They had even made sure that the memory card she mistakenly left in the camera was returned.

In an age when consumer electronics have become disposable items, its great to find a company that stands behind its products and understands how to build customer loyalty.

I’m guessing that there will be something from Olympus under our Christmas tree.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables.  Need customer service?  Ask for Jeff Harrison by name! (that’s me)

I watch way too much video on the internet.  Between catching up on The Daily Show reruns and watching my daughters short films on Facebook, it seems like I’ve got something streaming all the time.

A new site which hosts documentary films is making this web video addiction a lot more of a problem.

The site is SnagFilms.com, which hosts hundreds of documentaries and does it in a way that allows you to embed them in a blog, attach them to an email, or use them as content in your own web site.  The site is free, and you are only shown a few very short advertisments during the film.

SnagFilms is free and you are only shown a few short ads during the screening of the film.  You can even view it a full screen mode.

This is a great way for a documentary maker to get lots of exposure and even make a little money, since you can buy a DVD of the film right from the site.

I just finished watching a film about life in the New York City Fire Department called “Brotherhood”.  Here’s a link: