Waxcreative Design Blog » Working on the web

Social Media Explained

Emily Cotler — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:15:12 +0000

“How do I manage my social media accounts?” is a question we regularly get. “What do I say? How do I keep it businesslike and not ramble?” These are all really good questions, because reality says that when one didn’t grow up/come of age within social media, and/or doesn’t spend all one’s time on social media, and when one’s job falls outside social media (meaning you don’t actually work for LinkedIn or Twitter), the tendency to ramble or blither or mix-up formats and misuse hashtags or @ symbols, or just go conspicuously quiet — these are all very real outcomes.

Humor aside, this helpful image below concisely explains — at least on the surface, how to use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc, etc., and does it through the universal language of donuts.

Image courtesy of @ThreeShipsMedia

Sites in Tables. What could be the reason?

Emily Cotler — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:10:04 +0000

I have been looking at a lot of sites lately. I am happy to say that no one is building in tables anymore… or so I thought until a few minutes ago.

I will back up here a moment and admit that a significant portion of the sites in our portfolio are in tables, including a few of our busiest. WhyEVER would we do that? I have an easy answer:

They are not new — 2007 or older. Still functional, still serving the client, but older.

Outside of newsletters, which can be a different beast, we employ a table so rarely it’s hard to even come up with an occasion. So imagine my surprise when I stumbled across the site for a new film: The Pursuit of Loneliness. I was stunned at so many things about it: all the text is graphical, the title tags are “menu1024″ and such, and it’s all in tables.

I pulled myself back from the edge of passing judgment, though. Why would they do this? I genuinely wondered. There must be a reason. The design is not bad. It’s minimalist, and it matches the feel of the movie.

I guess that it’s in tables for a few reasons: 1) low budget, 2) quick turnaround, and 3) it’s not going to change. There is no reason to build in CSS if there is not compelling reason to need that flexibility. No changing content… ever.

There are drawbacks, of course. There is no SEO, and it’s in tables. But sometimes the budget and future use simply does not call for elegant code. Sometimes it is valid to just get ‘er up.

Wax to black

Emily Cotler — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:45:37 +0000

Fighting online piracy is important. PIPA and SOPA are not the way to do it. Tell Congress: Please don’t censor the web!

December Wrap-Up

Emily Cotler — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 00:05:55 +0000

NEW BOOKS:

ELOISA JAMES released two books in December! Today The Duke is Mine, the third installment in her Fairy Tales set, arrived an bookshelves and in all those new xmas kindles. Eloisa also released a new ebook novella back at the beginning of the month, Winning the Wallflower. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: This whole site is chock full of bonuses. But for the newest bonus: Chapters 1-3 of The Duke is Mine are available to be read as free excerpts.

Also today: LAURA LEE GUHRKE released Trouble at the Wedding, the third installment in the Abandoned at the Altar series. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Laura’s giving away the first two books in this series in her contest. And in case you missed the news back in late summer, four of her old favorites that had been out of print for over a decade are back. Check out Laura’s bookshelf for more details.

JANE PORTER released Not Fit for a King?, the first book in her royalty duo in the United Kingdom. It will be available in North America early next summer. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: This new release doesn’t have any extras of its own (yet!), but why not check out some of Jane’s oldies, but goodies, like the Flirting with Forty extras.

JACI BURTON released A Rare Gift, book two in the Kent Brothers series, available as a single novella or in the anthology Holiday Kisses. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Check out Jaci’s new Connected Books section for The Kent Brothers series.

CJ CARMICHAEL released The Gift, part of the Bandit Creek series project. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Be sure to check out CJ’s Bandit Creek Scavenger Hunt contest and read her Dear Reader letter, where you can learn more about the Bandit Creek books.

LORI FOSTER rereleased Tails of Love, an anthology of which all Author and Agent proceeds from sales of the book will benefit the AAF – Animal Adoption Foundation. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Be sure to check out a video trailer about this anthology.

JENNIE LUCAS released The Girl that Love Forgot. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Be sure to read more about the story and check out character profiles at the I (heart) Presents blog.

NEW EXCERPTS:

MAYA BANKS posted an excerpt from Whispers in the Dark, the fourth installment in the KGI series, due out on January 3.

JENNIE LUCAS posted an excerpt from A Night of Living Dangerously due out in the United Kingdom on January 20 and in North America on April 17.

STEPHANIE TYLER posted excerpts from her brand new series, The Clan of the Eternal Wolf, starting with an eSpecial prequel novella Dire Warning, releasing February 7. Book One, Dire Needs, releases March 6.

JACI BURTON posted a special sneak peek from Taking a Shot, book three of the Play-by-Play series, due out on March 6.

KATE NOBLE posted a special sneak peek excerpt from If I Fall, due out on April 3.

PAMELA PALMER posted an special sneak peek excerpt from A Warrior’s Desire, book three in the Esri series, due out on April 3.

COMING VERY, VERY SOON:

January will bring releases from Maya Banks, Nicola Cornick, Red Garnier, Lori Foster, Mia Marlowe. Stay tuned!

November Wrap-up

Emily Cotler — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:02:19 +0000

NEW BOOKS:

MAYA BANKS released Wanted by Her Lost Love, the second installment in the Pregnancy and Passion series. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Be sure to check Maya’s growing bonus page to see the downloadable goodies for this series and more.

GRACE BURROWES released The Virtuoso, the fourth installment in the Windham Series. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Be sure to check out Graces’s new Windham Family Tree!

NICOLA CORNICK released Desired, the fifth book in the Scandalous Women of the Ton Series. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Learn more about Desired with Nicola’s updated behind the book material!

STEPHANIE TYLER released SEAL of My Dreams, a charity anthology featuring the novella “Holding On,” set in the Hard to Hold world. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Stay tuned in December for an all new StephanieTyler.com!

NEW EXCERPTS:

JANE PORTER posted an excerpt from Not Fit for a King?, the first book in her upcoming royalty duo, due out in the United Kingdom on December 2 (as in tomorrow, yay!). It will be available in North America early next summer.

JACI BURTON posted an excerpt from A Rare Gift, the second book in the Kent Brothers series, to be released December 5. The novella will also be included in Holiday Kisses, an anthology will also be available on the same day and includes stories from three other authors.

ELOISA JAMES posted Chapter Two from The Duke is Mine, the third installment in her Fairy Tales series, due out on December 27. Eloisa also has a new excerpt for a ebook novella, Winning the Wallflower, due out December 6. And one more for Eloisa: a whole new site up for her upcoming memoir, Paris in Love, (due out April 17), along with a special excerpt.

LAURA LEE GUHRKE posted an excerpt from Trouble at the Wedding, the third installment in the Abandoned at the Altar, due out on December 27.

MAYA BANKS posted an excerpt from Whispers in the Dark, the fourth installment in the KGI series, due out on January 3, 2012.

RED GARNIER posted a special sneak peek excerpt from Legally Hot, an anthology with Lora Leigh and Cheyenne McCray, due out on January 3.

KATE NOBLE posted a special sneak peek excerpt from If I Fall, due out on April 3.

COMING VERY, VERY SOON:

Early December will bring releases from Eloisa James, Laura Lee Guhrke, Jaci Burton, Jennie Lucas, and Lori Foster– and more excerpts from Grace Burrowes, Pamela Palmer, Maya Banks, and Red Garnier. ‘Tis the season, indeed.

We love a sense of humor in web copy

Emily Cotler — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:57:23 +0000

Life is too short to be businesslike ALL the time. And the web offers all kinds of opportunities to break molds. Copywise, we love this apology for the site being under construction. Of course, one wonders why the old site wouldn’t suffice while the new one was being built, but there are always extenuating circumstances.

We particularly like the bit about Frank and lunch. It’s memorable in addition to being entertaining and different.

We categorically do NOT, however, like the light grey text on the white background. It’s hard to read, rendering this clever copy annoying to spend time with. Big win, canceled out by unfortunate Fail.

So much for Flash

Emily Cotler — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 06:45:44 +0000

I have always believed Flash should be used sparingly in websites. It’s okay for occasional animation — you know, a bit of flash. But as a whole site? I never saw how it was worth it. Its lack of search engine indexing notwithstanding, it is cumbersome to update, and expensive to produce. There always seemed too much was sacrificed for it’s, er, flashiness.

And of course the iPhone wouldn’t play the swf files. Steve Jobs blamed Flash for not running well on mobile iOS. People predicted with each upgrade that this iPhone would be Flash-enabled, and when it never happened people were ticked off. I don’t mean to sound hindsightly and sage, but I never thought it was coming.

And now it never will. Adobe just killed development of Flash for all mobile browsers. I can’t say that I am sad about it. I never missed it.

October Wrap-up

Emily Cotler — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:44:34 +0000

ROCKTOBER’s NEW BOOKS:

MICHAEL P. SPRADLIN released Jack & Jill Went Up to Kill: A Book of Zombie Nursery Rhymes, the latest zombie book from the makers of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies and Every Zombie Eats Somebody Sometime. Also from Michael this month is Spy Goddess Book Three: The Spy Who Totally Had A Crush On Me, available for the first time in any format, and the paperback edition of The Youngest Templar: Orphan of Destiny, the third book in the Youngest Templar series. Phew. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Zombie Christmas cards. Yes, seriously.

MAYA BANKS and SYLVIA DAY released Men Out of Uniform.

MAYA BANKS also released Never Love a Highlander, the third and final installment in the McCabe Trilogy. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: New fun stuff on Maya’s site!

SYLVIA DAY also released A Touch of Crimson, the first installment of the Renegade Angels series, along with the anthology Steamlust. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Watch the Touch of Crimson trailer and check out all the book extras.

JACI BURTON released The Heart of a Killer, the first book in her new Killer series. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Check out Jaci’s reading recommendations (thru Good Reads!).

PAMELA PALMER released Ecstasy Untamed, the sixth book in the Feral Warriors series. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Pamela has a new Blog. Check it out!

DIANE GASTON released The Liberation of Miss Finch, a Harlequin Undone eStory. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Catch some Behind the Book info about why the change of setting from England to Tennessee.

MIA MARLOWE released My Lady Below Stairs. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Collectible Trading cards. Fun!

GRACE BURROWES released Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish, Book 4 of The Windhams, AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: The whole of GraceBurrowes.com is BRAND NEW. We’re rather proud of it. Check it out!

MONICA MCCARTY released The Viper, the fourth installment in the Highland Guard series. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Watch the trailer from The Viper.

STEPHANIE TYLER and released Night Moves, Book 4 in her Shadow Force series. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Shadow Force specials. Yum.

LOIS FAYE DYER released A Coulter’s Christmas Proposal, the latest installment of the Big Sky Brothers series.

NEW AGAIN BOOKS:

SUSAN ANDERSEN released Present Danger, an Avon books reissue. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Updated Between the Covers Material.

LORI FOSTER released Buckhorn Beginnings, a reissue of Sawyer and Morgan’s stories in the Buckhorn Brothers Series.

NEW EXCERPTS:

KATHRYN CASKIE posted an expanded excerpt from A Sin in White, part of the Seven Deadly Sins series, due out any day now!

GRACE BURROWES posted a new excerpt from The Virtuoso, Book 3 of The Windhams, due out November 1.

MAYA BANKS posted a new excerpt from Wanted by Her Lost Love due out on November 8.

ELOISA JAMES posted Chapter One from The Duke is Mine, the third installment in the Eloisa’s Fairy Tales series, due out on December 27.

MIA MARLOWE posted an excerpt from Sins of a Highlander, due out on January 1, 2012

JACI BURTON posted a sneak peek excerpt from Taking A Shot, the third book in her Play-by-Play series, due in stores March 2012.

COMING VERY, VERY SOON:

Early November will bring more excerpts from Eloisa James, Maya Banks, Laura Lee Guhrke, Red Garnier, and more.

September Wrap-Up

Emily Cotler — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:14:39 +0000

This month’s NEW BOOKS:

It’s a Maya one-two month! MAYA BANKS released not one but two books: a first and a second. Enticed by His Forgotten Lover, Book One in Maya’s Pregnancy and Passion series. She also released Book Two of the McCabe Trilogy, Seduction of a Highland Lass. AUTHOR WEBSITE BONUS: Trailers, ecards, and more! Be sure to check Maya’s new Fun Stuff page for series-related goodies.

NEW AGAIN BOOKS:

LAURA LEE GUHRKE rereleased Conor’s Way, Prelude to Heaven, To Dream Again, and The Seduction.

Originally released in print from 1994 through 1997, Laura has brought back her first four novels in digital format (for the first time) with gorgeous new covers — and lovely low download prices.

JENNIE LUCAS’s classic Italian Prince, Wedlocked Wife, originally published in 2009, locked in a second life in the UK anthology Revenge, Secrets & Seduction.

NEW EXCERPTS:

MAYA BANKS and SYLVIA DAY each posted excerpts from their novellas in the anthology Men Out of Uniform, due out on October 4. Read the excerpt from Maya’s story on Maya Banks’ site, and check out Sylvia’s excerpt on Sylvia Day’s site for more steamy action!

SYLVIA DAY also posted a new excerpt from A Touch of Crimson, the first installment in the Renegade Angels series, due out on October 4.

MAYA BANKS also posted a new excerpt from Never Love a Highlander, the third installment in the McCabe Trilogy, due out on October 25.

NICOLA CORNICK puts up a new excerpt for Desired, part of the Scandalous Women of the Ton series, due in stores November 29.

LAURA LEE GUHRKE posted a sneak peek excerpt from Trouble at the Wedding, the third installment in the Abandoned at the Altar series, due out on December 27.

ELOISA JAMES posted a sneak peek excerpt from The Duke is Mine, the third installment in the Eloisa’s Fairy Tales series, due out on December 27.

COMING VERY, VERY SOON:

Early October will bring releases from Kathryn Caskie, Diane Gaston, Susan Andersen, Stephanie Tyler — and more excerpts from Eloisa James, Maya Banks, and more.

So you want a “very basic website”

Emily Cotler — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:30:49 +0000

“What is the cost of a basic website?”

“I really need something very basic.”

“I don’t want a big website — just something basic.”

I hear this a lot. Specifically, the “really basic” part.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing anymore as a “basic website”. Any web presence should be — must be customized to fit your needs, otherwise, what’s the point? Even if you envision a small website, it’s not likely to be “basic”. If your business/product is like everyone else’s, then your specific site goal should be to set you apart. If your product is different, highlight that. And your content delivery method must figure into determination of what’s “basic” — are you planning to update yourself or have your designer update, or some of both, and if so, what specifically, and how much/often? Do you intend to blog, sell things, display adspace, etc.? Do you need a site up in three weeks or have you allocated more time for development? Would you need dynamically-generated content, feeds, or would it all be hard-coded?

These scenarios require vastly different processes and it would be wholly irresponsible for me to even indicate a cost without knowing your plans and druthers. And factoring in all these various factors, how can your website be considered basic? I know a lot about author sites. But even with those, I ask a lot of questions. It’s even more critical to ask questions about unique small businesses.

I don’t mean to be argumentative, and I respect wanting to know a cost, but no designer should advertise a “basic cost” unless they are merely churning out templated, cookie-cutter, clip art stuff. There is certainly a market for that type of product, and kudos to those who can make a living at it. I pass no judgment on those who feel that that is all they need for their web presence. But it is not what we create here, even though the majority of our clients are all in the same industry. Not even our Waxcreative Express site, which is based on a base price, is a “basic” site.

We have built websites that took 25 hours and we have built some that required over 300 and hundreds of hours have gone into building them up over the years. It’s all relative. There is no such thing anymore as a “basic website”. Plus, what a lot of clients think is “basic” is really quite complex code — it’s merely that they have seen it in a bunch of places and therefore think it must be as easy as 1-2-3.

So how do you get a sense of cost? Have a ready Scope Document, or be prepared and available to answer a lot of questions. But I bet your needs are more complex than “basic” — because your company idea is pretty cool, isn’t it? And you are an individual, with individual content management needs and workflows. Don’t sell yourself so short.