This is a great question.  One that I am frequently asked.  Especially now that Facebook requires a secured  socket Layers – SSL  Also,  a client  who uses an affiliate system hosted on her own domain was a bit concerned about the requirement for affiliates to enter their social security numbers of Employee Identification Number. She wanted to make her potential affiliates feel safe about entering the information. She knew that sites that began with https:// are *usually* secured.  She wanted to know how to  get that.  Entering https:// on her own site gives an error.

When a web page is hosted on a server enabled with the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) protocol via a security certificate, content sent between a user’s browser and the server hosting the secure web page is encrypted, and no one can intercept confidential information such as credit card numbers, Social Security numbers or any other information you type into your browser.

All web hosting companies offer security certificates in most of their hosting plans, either a shared SLL certificate, where all sites on a single shared server are sharing a certificate, or a private SSL certificate, available to websites with a unique IP (web address). For Facebook page admins, the shared SSL is a low-cost and workable choice.

To get https:// on your server you will need:

1. A static, dedicated IP address (not the same as dedicated web host although dedicated hosting comes with an IP). You can usually purchase this as an add on from your web host. You’ll probably pay a few dollara more every month to have a special IP number just for you to use.  I use Hostgator for this
2. A Secure Sockets Layer certificate or better known as SSL certificate. You can purchase this from your web host – many do provide this service. It is a yearly fee and cost anything from $80 a year to thousands a year.

Once you have the two above, your web host can install it for you. I don’t recommend installing it yourself. I’ve done it and it can get confusing. The web host can and should get you set up and running within a day or two. I recommend HostGator who are fabulous in helping you out with this.

To use your brand new secure URL simply point the page you want to ‘secure’ to the https version. For example, if your regular URL is:

http://mydomain.com/order.html

Then just link to:

https://mydomain.com/order.html

If the certificate is installed properly you will see the lock on your browser. If you are using WordPress you might also want to ‘force’ those specific page URLs to https so that people don’t get on the unsecured URL unintentionally.  If you have anything on that page – Images, linked files etc remember to use https so the browser will not complain that some items on the page are not secure.

You have to keep in mind that the https does not mean this information, once on your server, is secure. The https only protects the transfer of the information from the user’s computer to your server. Once on your server it is your responsibility to take steps to keep that data safe.

I f you have any questions about HTTPS please contact me

Have you submitted your site yet to the many web directories online?
Well if you haven’t you should.  TC8266RCDP6E

Here’s why.

Inclusion in a web directory is a necessary step as web directories act as a referral system for businesses on the internet and the more referrals your website gets, the more traffic your site will receive.
This  increases y traffic to your site  which leads to more sales.

Directory submissions give you one-way links

Search engines give importance to the number of inbound links to your
site and from web directories you get one-way inbound links.

Directory submissions allow the anchor text of your choice

When you submit your links to web directories they allow you to enter
a site title (site title is different from the URL) that can contain
your keywords. This generates SEO anchor text for you and this helps
you improve your search engine rankings.

Assures Search Engine Indexing

It’s the search engines that discover your website by following the
backlinks from alternative sites. Once the search engines locates your
link on the directory sites, they’re going to follow these links which
will take them to your website, thereby hiking the probabilities of
your website being indexed in search engine information bases.

So you see there are overwhelming reasons to submit your links to
the various web directories.

TC8266RCDP6E

Polka dots are back

Polka Dots are back! The question is did they ever really go? Admittedly the words do conjure up specific pictures in the mind and are especially reminiscent of 1950’s fashion, and of course that memorable song ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polk Dot Bikini’ but Polka Dots have been around much longer than that, and although they drift in and out of the forefront of fashion to a greater or lesser extent they are always visible in one form or another.

it was not until the nineteenth century that they first started to be used on clothing and with the rise in popularity of polka music there would appear to be a strong connection between the two. The term “polka dot” first appeared in the New York Times on 21 Sep 1866.

At the peak of the polka craze, between 1840 and 1890, there were numerous manufacturers who were very quick to cash in on the public’s polka-passion by creating a multitude of polka inspired products. Polka hats, polka gauze, polka socks, polka curtain ties, and, of course, polka-dotted fabrics; these products had little or nothing to do with the dance, but still they were extremely popular and remained so for a number of years. The polka dot pattern itself however, had staying power, and over the years has been used in a multitude of ways across a wide range of products.

The 1950’s were without doubt the biggest decade of the twentieth century for the polka dot with everyone from movie stars to housewives dressed from head to foot in brightly colored polka dots. The polka dot really defined the 1950’s as a decade of color, fun and optimism after the austerity of the war years. They made a brief appearance again in the 1970’s when designers took their inspiration from previous decades and put them together to create some of the more wild and wacky fashions we associate with the seventies. The optimistic eighties saw the polka dot return again but this time primarily adorning the accessories that were associated with iconic singers Cyndi Lauper and Madonna.

What do you think,,,,do you have anything Polka Dotted?

What is Pinterest? It’s a virtual pinboard and a social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections. It’s also hands down the hottest new social network out there.

Unlike other flash-in-the-pan social networks, Pinterest is definitely worth paying attention to–and not just by visually-oriented business owners like retailers, but B2B and B2C businesses as well.

Before you groan that it’s just another way to waste time on the web, there are a few things you need to know about how this tool can work some incredible marketing magic for YOUR business in 3 main areas: branding, traffic and conversion.

If you’re stumped about how to begin benefiting, here are some ideas for you:

1) Use it to showcase visual elements from your business: info product graphics, striking images from your best blog posts, info-graphics related to your industry and testimonials.

2) Use it to give people a peek behind the scenes of your business: perhaps photos of yourself with clients, snapshots from live events, your workspace or team members.

3) Use it to grab traffic: include your business name in your username, add your URL to your profile, fill out the About section thoroughly, connect your account to Facebook and Twitter and link business-related visuals to your site or a landing page, particular blog posts or product pages. Also, don’t forget to include your business name or URL in your pin and/or board descriptions.

Just as with other social networks, build goodwill and engagement by commenting on, liking and re-pinnining others’ content and encouraging others to follow and connect with you on Pinterest.

Your to-do?  Create your profile and begin strategically creating boards using the tips I’ve just shared. Then, use the feature that allows you to follow your Facebook and Twitter friends automatically and begin having fun!

Share your Pinterest link .

Tip for creating links from your Pineterst site

I tell people to find me on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/suecollyer/.

I pin a screenshot of the Virtual Assistant’s website who follows me there. (-: I make that work by having a special bulletin board for Virtual Assistant Community.  It does help my fellow VAs create a buzz and gives them a link to their site.. I think it sets an example of how to cross promote and how to be a generous marketer.

What are your thoughts?

Today is Autism Awareness Day. Autism is dear to my heart as I worked with Autistic children for ten years. It is important that we  raise awareness for this disorder.

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person’s lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Please   be more tolerant in public of  parents of a child with autism.  What may seem to be a parent being unresponsive to a tantrum may be an important way to reinforce desired behaviors and ways to communicate.

Cnn news has an encouraging article – Victoria, British Columbia (CNN) — Joseph Sheppard.  Mr.Sheppard, 42, has high-functioning autism. He found out only about six years ago, but the diagnosis explained the odd patterns of behavior and speech that he’d struggled with throughout his life. And it gave him the impetus to reinvent himself as an autism advocate.

People with more severe forms of autism may not be able to live independently or hold complex, social jobs. But those considered high-functioning can have a wide range of careers; you may even have a classmate or coworker with high-functioning autism who isn’t as vocal about it as Mr. Sheppard, or who never got a diagnosis.

Being different is OK and having tolerance and love for those who handle life differently than we do makes us a better person and a more humane community.

What are your thoughts…

If you’re a small business owner, then the Pinterest statistics ought to grab your attention:      Just last week, Pinterest reached 11 Million monthly unique visits, 70% women, and 2 million Facebook users daily.. For many companies, it’s driving more referral traffic than Twitter and Google+. That growth is faster than any standalone site – ever.   Those are some impressive numbers if you’re looking to find a market for your goods.

Get the “Pin It” button for your blog AND bookmark bar. You want people to share your content, product photos and even book covers on Pinterest to drive incoming traffic. But you also want to have a “Pin It” button for yourself, so you can pin things you find interesting in a snap. Find them both here:  http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/

Here’s how it works: Users can set up “boards” to store all the images they find in their daily surfing. Cute puppies, home décor ideas, fun crafts for kids, and recipes are some favorites among the Pinterest devotees. When you pin an image, that image is linked to the original page you found it on, so others can check out that great new way to store wrapping paper, too. Those other users can also re-pin your image to their own boards, thus spreading the word far and wide.   I have a pinboard called “love Your boxer” sharing images of my favorite boxer dog and my images have been re-pinned.

This kind of viral sharing is – in large part – why companies are so interested in using Pinterest as a part of their marketing plan. And why you should be using it as well.

Share how can you  participate, and create value with your boards.

The Print Friendly & PDF button automatically creates printer friendly and PDF versions of your pages. There are other plugins that allow your visitor to print your content but they don’t allow you to brand that page with your domain name at the top and bottom of the printed document.With Print Friendly your document gets printed out as a super organized and branded PDF. How simple is that.

click on the image buttons and try it out.
When you click on the Print Friendly button a new window will open giving you 3 options:
1. Print(this blog post) as a PDF
2. Save to your computer as a PDF
3. Email the content to someone as a PDF
And that’s it. A simple way to make your content user-friendly and share-able.

To have the Printer Friendly plugin or any other plugins installed on your site, contact me today. I am waiting to help you.