Archive for the ‘web development’ Category

Just Call Us At 1-800-We’ve-Got-No-Phone

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

spokesguyI doubt if I’m the only one that finds irony in Google’s latest customer service problem.  They’re selling phones, but apparently they don’t have any of their own.

The new Nexus One cell phone was released earlier this month, but buyers, some whom have paid over $500.00 for the smartphones, find they are on their own if they have problems.

Not only does Google not provide a customer service phone number, they have announced that buyers should not expect to have emails answered for at least 48 hours.

This has the potential to give Google a real black eye before they even get started with their new hardware sales initiative.  A company with the profits and excess cash flow of Google would have had no problem in financing and developing a customer service operation to support the launch of the Nexus.

It’s hard to know if they were being arrogant, or just naive, but they would have had no difficulty in understanding what sort of customer support would be required to support a new cell phone.  Just visit a Verizon store.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tapeBay State wire tiesHosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

Think Twitter Doesn’t Matter? Dell Knows Better!

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

spokesguyDell’s recent failure to deliver Christmas computers before the big day has proven the power of Twitter in a big way.  Tweets about products and delivery times have caught the attention of no less than the New York Times.

Every desk in our office holds a Dell computer, but recent Twitter posts will certainly make me reconsider their computers the next time we need a new one.

The Times reports that thousands have posted to Twitter about their Dell experience and the conversation has even migrated to Dell’s own blog.  Complaints of delivery times delayed by as much as two months have forced Dell to go on the defensive, but they seem unable to counter the volume of complaints that continue to flow to Twitter.

Fair or not, the ability of a customer to post to Twitter about a consumer experience and immediately join a community of like minded buyers means its a new day for big players like Dell.

Do you have an insight into using Twitter or other social networks to take on a Goliath?  Share it with us.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tapeBay State wire tiesHosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Join our social networking community by subscribing to our newsletter.

2010-Ready or Not, Here We Come

Monday, January 4th, 2010

ted_headI’ve spent most of the morning reading blogs with predictions about what to expect from internet development in 2010.

The most consistent prediction, by far (shows up on every list), is that we should expect a true explosion in internet video.  The combination of an expansion in bandwidth, the ease in which new content can be developed and the ability to search online for videos based on their content all mean that the value of internet video has increased greatly.

Last year we rolled out our video “how to” animation series, designed as simple teaching tools for those who work in audio visual and entertainment production.  They have been well received and we look forward to producing more in the new year.

The use of the web as a teaching medium can quickly expand, due to the ability of cell phones to now stream video.

Need to know how the pros tape down a cable?  Our “how to” animation is as close as your smart phone.

Do you have a good idea for a “how to” animation for the audio visual production community.  Let us know.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tapeBay State wire tiesHosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

Google Eats Its Young

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
  1. Hot on the heels of the roll out of the Motorola Droid, a smart phone that uses the Google mobile operating system, there are now confirmed rumors that Google plans to release its own smart phone-Google designed and Google branded-after the first of the year, possible as early as January.
The New York Times has reported that Google employees have been give the phones to test, in anticipation of a product roll out after the first of the year, perhaps as early as January.
Motorola desperately needs a hit product, having its market share of cell phone sales continue to erode since it introduced the Razr in late 2005.  That’s a long time to go without making a serious impact on a fast changing industry.
Now it appears that Google intends to take on Apple directly, moving into the hardware business and forcing Motorola back to the sidelines.
No one sees this first version of the Droid as an IPhone killer, but those who have one like it, consider it a worth opponent to the Apple device, and love being able to cut their ties to AT&T.
I predicted that the next version of the Droid would be the smartphone that would match Apple toe-to-to, but I’m quickly backing off that prediction now that Google is throwing their hat into the ring.
You can be sure that Google had access to the Droid’s development months before it was released, and you can be equally sure that the Google phone will improve on every aspect of Motorola’s effort.
We hope you sell a lot of Droids for Christmas, Motorola.  Chances are that next Christmas will belong to Google.
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 andOnStage Stand mic stands.  Share your ideas about cell phone development with our readers.

spokesguyHot on the heels of the roll out of the Motorola Droid, a smart phone that uses the Google mobile operating system, there are now confirmed rumors that Google plans to release its own smart phone-Google designed and Google branded-after the first of the year, possible as early as January.

The New York Times has reported that Google employees have been give the phones to test, in anticipation of a product roll out after the first of the year, perhaps as early as January.

Motorola desperately needs a hit product, having its market share of cell phone sales continue to erode since it introduced the Razr in 2004.  That’s a long time to go without making a serious impact on a fast changing industry.

Now it appears that Google intends to take on Apple directly, moving into the hardware business and forcing Motorola back to the sidelines.

No one sees this first version of the Droid as an IPhone killer, but those who have one like it, consider it a worth opponent to the Apple device, and love being able to cut their ties to AT&T.

I predicted that the next version of the Droid would be the smartphone that would match Apple toe-to-to, but I’m quickly backing off that prediction now that Google is throwing their hat into the ring.

You can be sure that Google had access to the Droid’s development months before it was released, and you can be equally sure that the Google phone will improve on every aspect of Motorola’s effort.

We hope you sell a lot of Droids for Christmas, Motorola.  Chances are that next Christmas will belong to Google.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteriesMagLite flashlightsNashua duct tapeBay State wire tiesHosa and Entertainment One extension cords andOnStage Stand mic stands Click here to sign up for our newsletter.  Here’s a link to our new “How To” animation series.

‘Tis The Season To Be ……….. Scammed!

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

spokesguy Even though our national economic woes continue to depress holiday retail sales, online sales are expected to grow 8% this year.  That’s great news if you, like we, count on internet sales to sustain and grow your business.

Still, there is a big bump in the road before online sales can really take off.  That problem is consumer concerns about security.

We get orders every day from customers who find us on the web, but then insist on calling us to place the order because they are uncomfortable with using their credit card at our web sites.

We’re happy to hear from them, of course, but  they never seem to realize that placing an order at a secure web site is much safer than giving your credit card info to a stranger over the phone.

We host and manage our own e-commerce web sites and can always assure you that you want be presented by any pop ups or phishing scams that originate from our server.

Unfortunately, if you don’t know what to look for, it is difficult to know when you are at a web site where you can make a secure purchase.

When you move from the catalog portion of one of the goodbuyguys web sites to begin an actual checkout, you will see that the “http:” part of the web address at the top of the page, changes to “https:”   That “s” means “secure“.  The “s” is an indicator that the details of your purchase will be encrypted before they are submitted over the web.

You’ll also see a tiny image of a padlock at the end of the address line.  Click on that padlock image if you want to know the details regarding who is certifying that the site is secure.

Here are some more tips to insure the security of your online purchase.

-Never provide your credit number in an email or instant message

-Use long, complicated passwords that use numbers, letters, upper case and lower case

-Purchase only from sites that have an “s” in the address line or show the padlock image

-If you have security concerns but still want to consider making a purchase, look for a phone number

-Check your credit card bill carefully every month.

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 andOnStage Stand mic stands Your security is our top concern.

Our (and your) security is certified by Usertrust.  You can read more about it here.

Droid No IPhone Killer. Prefers To Kill One App At A Time

Monday, December 7th, 2009

ted_head.jpg Lots has been written about whether the new Motorola/Verizon Droid cell phone will be an IPhone killer.  I’ve used both and think I can see the future.

No question, the IPhone is easier to use and has an elegant feel in your hand.  When it comes to building user-friendly computer and telcom hardware, Apple has no peer.

I you are willing to take the time to peel back a couple of layers of the onion, you find something quite different.

While the IPhone may offer more apps, the Droid uses an open source operating system that allows a developer to create an application and sell it on their own without Apple’s approval, since the sale doesn’t have to go through an ITunes transaction.  No more censoring gatekeeper that expects to be paid for every app sale!  There are already more than 10,000 apps for the Droid.

The turn-by-turn GPS navigation on the Droid is far superior to IPhone navigation.  Spoken word instructions mean there is no need to look at tiny maps on the screen while driving.  No subscription service required.

Perhaps best of all, the Droid works with the Verizon wireless network.  No more dealing with AT&T No Customer Service Department.

The future-A handheld device as intuitive and elegant as the IPhone, running the next generation of the Google Android operating system and able to access the Verizon network.  Put it on your 2010 Christmas list.

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 andOnStage Stand mic stands  Share your ideas about cell phone development with our readers.

Get The Hang of Social Media Before It Hangs You

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

ted_head.jpg We got to the web early-almost 15 years ago-and at least partly because of that we were able to claim consistent page one search results for relevant key words like gaffers tapeProcell batteries, and microphone stand.  In those early days, a reasonably well designed web site with good meta tags and some incoming links from other sites gave you a very good chance of scoring high search engine rankings.  It was a tremendous help in  growing our business.

Well optimized web sites may have gotten us to page one, but it certainly won’t keep us there.   That’s because search engines are looking in a lot more places in order to determine the rankings that web sites are given.

A search engine is as likely to return a posting from this blog about one of our products as it is to provide a link to one of our primary websites.

You’re almost as likely to be led to a video on our youtube channel as you are to be shown the same animation on our own site.

We try to present lots of good practical tips regarding how to get the best use out of our products, but search engines may now provide a link to the tips on twitter as well as on our own web pages.

It means a lot more work to keep your name in front of your customers, but it also gives us lots of new ways to be found.  Even though our newsletter is distributed to thousands of readers every month, you’re just as likely to encounter it in a Myspace search as you are at the newsletter’s own site.

The best part about developing a social networking initiative has been the opportunity to build a community and have a real dialogue with customers and prospects.  Answering questions, locating difficult-to-find products and solving problems dramatically change how the web works for us now.

What’s your social networking plan?  Please share it with us.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands We enjoy sharing ideas about web development with you.  Want to know more?  Please subscribe to our newsletter.

When A Mailbox Full of Spam Is Worth The Irritation

Friday, October 30th, 2009

ted_head.jpg I’ve been doing business on the internet for almost 15 years and have my email address on hundreds of web pages.  Needless to say, I get a lot of pointless email.

Still, the thousands upon thousands of spam messages I have to wade through (even after applying spam filters) are just one of the costs of doing business.  I know that there are other ways to have people get in touch with you, but I don’t regret having my email address so widely available.  Nothing works as well for one-on-one communication.

The idea that the inconvenience of dealing with spam would force me to give up the most direct way for someone interested in our products to get in touch is just too high a price to pay.  It just doesn’t make sense to create barriers that stand in the way of a real dialogue with anyone who takes time to look at our web offerings.

We do use contact forms and our toll free phone and fax numbers are prominently displayed on all our web sites.

In case your interested, the address is jeff@harrisonbros.com.

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 and OnStage Stand mic stands I enjoy sharing good business ideas with our readers and customers. 

I’ve Seen The Future-It’s Called “Roku”

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

ted_head.jpg I occasionally have lunch at a Chinese restaurant near my office. Next door, there is an empty storefront that used to be a video rental store.  It’s long gone, and the mall owner has had no luck in finding a new tenant.  I wish them well in filling this space, but you can be sure that whoever eventually takes it won’t be in the video rental business.

The days of going to the video store are over forever.

About a week ago I purchased a gadget called a Roku box and signed up for the basic $9.00 a month Netflix account.  I don’t watch a lot of television, but this little gadget may change my habits. Roku allows you to stream Netflix content through your wi-fi connection to your digital television directly-no computer needed.

With the set top box and the Netflix subscription, you can watch thousands of Netflix movies and television shows instantly-no need to mail DVD’s back and forth anymore. The price stays at $9.00 a month regardless of how much content you watch. It works incredibly well and doesn’t seem to significantly impact our overall internet speed and capacity.

Unlike watching streaming video on computer services like Hulu, the Roku box almost never stops for “buffering” issues even when streaming full screen images on a 37″ display.  You can watch directly on you computer as well, so you have access to Netflix content anywhere wi-fi is available.

Unless Blockbuster has plans to roll out something similar soon, they should be very afraid.  Roku is the future of streaming media.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands I enjoy sharing gadget reviews with our readers and customers. Let me know what you think.

Placing Orders Over The Phone

Monday, October 5th, 2009

spokesguy We get phone calls every day from customers who find us online but decide to place their orders over the phone.  The standard response is that they don’t trust the internet with sensitive credit card information.  We’re happy to take the order on the phone, but I’m afraid that I have some bad news for them.  As soon as we complete the phone call, we validate their credit card information on the internet.  

It’s not just us either. Almost all call centers that take orders process the transaction over a secure internet connection. The alternative (a phone validation) is slower, less efficient, and a whole lot more expensive for everyone involved.

I’m willing to bet that these customers wouldn’t hesitate to hand their credit card over to a waiter, who immediately leaves their sight for as  much as ten minutes, and they don’t think twice about giving our order takers the information over the phone.

If your search for a product begins online and your order taking process includes internet research relating to features or price, then why would you think that online purchasing is not a good idea as well?  Even with all the warnings we get relating to online fraud and identity theft, your information is much safer posted to a secure web site than it is in a face-to-face or telephone based  transaction.

The information will end up on the internet either way.

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 and OnStage Stand mic stands  Click here to sign up for our newsletter.  Here’s a link to our new “How To” animation series.