7 Ways to Develop a Website

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As the Internet expands and the number of website setup increases so does the number of web designers and developers. I think that is a fair analogy as your local market increases so will the number of traders. Many IT based courses and degrees will include modules on developing websites, most will teach the industry standard web design solutions from the likes of Microsoft and Adobe but there are other options you can choose with some being better solutions for those wanting to do casual web design or don’t want to folk out hundreds. Here are some ways to develop a web site.

  • Hand Coded – While it is important for any web designer to have a basic understanding of the code that sits behind the what you see if you don’t know your HTML tags from your PHP functions you’re unlikely to be developing amazing websites by hand any time soon. Hand coding was the original and once only way of creating websites the problem is that it takes more time than most people want to spend building websites. This method is only for the most determined code monkey but it is worth knowing the basics when it comes to designing websites.
  • Dreamweaver – Probably the most well know WYSIWYG software for web design, if you’re going to do a course in web design there is a good chance you’ll be using it. Dreamweaver has a lot of advanced features and can do everything you would want a website to do but costs for training and the software aren’t cheap.
  • Flash – Like Dreamweaver Flash isn’t cheap and can take some time to master and use to it’s full potential. With Flash you can design fancy animated websites that look the part in many industries. Flash does have it’s downsides, search engines find it difficult to read the content of Flash websites so you’ll often have to create an additional version of the site in HTML so that the website will perform better in the search engine rankings.
  • Microsoft Expression Web – Part of the Expression Studio suite of software, Expression Web allows you to build and maintain websites the Microsoft way. The suite of software that comes with Expression Studio allows you to build beautifully designed website and also add coding to create dynamic and application based websites. You have a steep learning curve to get started with Expression Web and it will also put a dent in your wallet.
  • BlueGriffon – Is a relatively new open source project from the developer of NVU which is no longer being actively updated. BlueGriffon has already released a version to the public which can be downloaded from their website. This software will continue to grow and as it supports a lot of the WC3 standards like CSS3 and HTML5. I’m sure you will be hearing a lot more about BlueGriffon in the near future.
  • Joomla – Is a CMS that has a large following of loyal users and developers, the software is free but you must dedicated a significant amount of time to learning how to setup and use Joomla. Joomla is used as the CMS for many of the Internets biggest websites and is just as well suited to small business websites, just be prepared to put the time and effort in to learning our to use the software to its fullest.
  • WordPress – Originally designed as a blogging platform WordPress is often used as a general CMS by web designers to get sites up and running quickly saving time while still being able to offer an array of customisation. As WordPress is open source and has a vast community developing themes and plugins your website can utilise these to create a website that performs well and looks the way you want.

I use WordPress for nearly all my web projects as it means I can develop websites quickly and efficiently and provide my clients with everything they could possibly want from their online presence. If you want to talk to me about a web project contact me here.

Creating Screen Capture Training Videos

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Over the last few years video has become one of the biggest forms of media on the Internet. This trend is only going to become a more integral part of websites and providing visitors with good quality content and learning resources. Visitors often expect to see video on websites and if you can’t give your customers what they want they may not hand around long. So if your business is not already involved in producing web video then you should seriously consider getting some of your web content turned into video. With all the information that is available on the Internet it is difficult to keep visitors’ attention focused on your content and video gives you the upper hand by keeping their eyes fixated on your website’s content and what you have to say.

Screen Capture videos allow you to capture everything that is happening on your computer’s desktop, meaning they’re great for computer or software tutorials, explaining how to accomplish tasks on your computer, or providing presentation that can be shown to anyone over the Internet. Many software companies are starting to use video in their help files and in training tutorials for their products. These types of videos provide a lot of value to customers and creating these types of video and publishing them online is not as difficult as you might think.

There are several software applications that can be used to create screen capture videos, below are my recommendations.

Camtasia is the leading software application for screen capture and video presentation. Camtasia has loads of useful features that will help you create screen capture videos that are capture your audience and help them stay focused. If you’re going to be creating long videos that may need editing Camtasia is the software for you.

Jing is Techsmith’s cheaper version of Camtasia, it doesn’t have all the features of their leading product but it is free or they have a pro version priced at $14.95/year. If you’re interested in creating short videos or want to practice your screen capture skills before downloading the trial of Camtasia then get started with Jing. With Jing you can only create videos up to 5 minutes long and the software doesn’t have the editing features of Camtasia but is a great tool for beginners or casual users.

CamStudio is an open-source project released under GPL license and with a dedicated team CamStudio is developing into a great free tool for creating screen capture videos. The software gets the job done but doesn’t have any of the editing features you get with some of the other software mentioned here.

ScreenFlow featured at MacWorld 2011 a couple of weeks ago. The software does exactly what you expect it to do but is only for Mac users. The software has a number of on screen features as well as good editing facilities to allow you to finalise your production. Another great advantage of ScreenFlow is the price at $99 it is a fair bit cheaper than its rivals without compromising on features.

Captivate is Adobe answer to screen capture software, it has a lot of features but this doesn’t necessarily make it the best buy. Adobe programs tend to have a steep learning cruve and althrough their software may have some additional features you have to ask youself if you’re actually going to use them. If there answer is no then the extra cash you’ll spend might not be worth it, you can read more about Capitvate on Adobe website it is currently selling for $799.

These are my recommended applications to create screen capture videos, I’ll let you choose the software that suits you best. Camtasia, Screenflow and Captivate all have free trials so you could try them all before deciding which one is best for you. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments please post them below.

How To Create A Digital Information Product Fast

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Yesterday I wrote about how I hosted a training call with Lee McIntyre. I recorded the call, got the call transcribed and turned the MP3 and PDF transcript into a digital information product ready to use in my business. I’ve called this product Internet Business Ninja Training Call and you can download the whole thing for free at http://internetbusinessninja.com

While product creation can seem a little daunting there is very little work that needs to be done and it will cost you next to nothing to produce. Most experts will jump at the chance to do a training call like this as it doesn’t require much effort from them and there is good source of new leads for them to use. You should have a set of draft questions ready send them out with the the email that request the training call. You should also offer the expert shared ownership allowing both yourself and the expert the opportunity to use the call themselves and offer them an opportunity to plug their own website or business during the call.

I use Skype regularly in my business and find it extremely useful and cheap way of talking with people around the world. I’ve also discovered a great piece of software that among it’s features allows you to record all your Skype calls in MP3 format. This software cost around $20 depending on the version you choose but is well worth the investment. Check out all the features and download a trial at http://www.pamela.biz

You’ll also need a headset that will work with Skype, most headsets are compatible but it is worth buying one that will help produce higher quality sound. I brought a Creative headset for about $30 and the result sounds great, although I think my microphone level maybe a little too high in the training call.

The next thing you need to do is find an expert to host the training call with. You may already have someone in mind but if you haven’t there are several places you can look that will help you compile a list of potential candidates. Amazon is a good place to start, you can find a category that matches your niche and look for the best selling books and authors. The next thing to do is do a little research into the person, consider buying one of there books or search the Internet and try and find a blog or website they may have. You could also see if they are on Twitter, Facebook or another social network, this would be a great place to make first contact.

You shouldn’t be afraid to ask for to do the training call what’s the worst the person can say? And if they can’t do the call you’ll always find someone else who is willing to help you out. If you have any ideas or suggestions please do leave a comment below.

Check Out This Training Call With Lee McIntyre

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I recently hosted a training call with UK based Internet marketer Lee McIntyre. You may have heard his name mentioned online and he is quickly built himself a reputation as someone who knows how to make money online. When I did this training call with Lee he was already earning  6 figure a month from his online ventures and since then has double his monthly income and is now earning over $200,000 each and every month. I asked Lee if he would do this training call after attending his first Internet Marketing Workshop and he happily agreed to help me out.

I learnt so much doing the training call and have created a brand new information product I can use in my business I wanted to share my expereince. In the past I’ve spent weeks writing content for reports but creating a training call like this is so much faster and is a lot less effort than writing and I had a right laugh doing the call and putting everything together afterwards.

You can download the training call I did at Internet Business Ninja or by filling in the box on the left with your name and email. Watch out for my next post which will go into detail about how to approach expert for a training call and how to put the whole thing together ready to distribute as a digital information product.

Common Characteristics of an Entrepreneur

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Everyone is different and there is not a specific type of person that is capable of becoming an entrepreneur. On the other hand there are several characteristics that many self-made millionaires, entrepreneurs and leading business owners claim have helped them become successful.

  • Creativity and a big imagination; people that are creative and always coming up with new ideas will often consider starting their own business even if the ideas are a bit too far fetched. They have the imagination needed to come up with ideas that others cannot. One of these ideas might just be the next big thing.
  • Hard worker; being able to work extended hours is essential to making sure your business succeeds. This is essential in the beginning but you’ll often hear how millionaire business owners won’t leave their business alone and will work 15+ hours a day. Making sure they’re always available to make decisions that are in the company’s best interest.
  • Learn from mistakes and failures; if you’re not able to deal with failure you will fall at the first hurdle. No one is perfect and everybody makes mistakes and it is no different in the business world. If you can use the mistakes you make to your advantage and learn how to deal with problems, your business will grow stronger.
  • Unique and able to stand out in their marketplace; many business owners will talk about having a Unique Selling Point and say its essential to getting customers. Every business will have competitors and you need learn how they work and handle their customers. You’ll soon discover something that you could change and use to market your products or services better.
  • Opportunist; being able to see opportunities at every corner will help you develop a business in any kind of market or economy. You can make opportunities for yourself in any market and in any economic climate. Millionaires were made in the Great Depression and you will see companies do the same in the current economic downturn.
  • Risk takers; every business must take risks and those that let the risks faze them will not be able to focus their attention. If you spend time worrying about all the risks involved in running a business you will not be giving your business the attention and dedication it needs. Entrepreneurs and business owners are not stupid but are willing to take calculated risks to ensure they can progress in the business world.
  • One track mind; those who are able to focus all their attention on accomplishing the task at hand are going to get the job done faster and more efficiently. Anyone who cannot give their business the attention needed or find it hard to concentrate on any given task will not succeed.
  • Confidence; ensures that the individual will not let the views and speculation of others stop them reaching their goals. In many cases criticism will encourage the individual to focus even harder and make sure their project succeeds as they won’t let someone else tell them what is and is not possible.
  • Good communication skills; being able to express your views and ideas to others in a clear and concise way will help you win their trust in your project and determination. This is necessary if you’re going to need partners or employees to work with on your business ideas.
  • Leadership skills; those able to lead and take their workforce where they want will be able to get their projects completed faster than ever. Not all business need employees but business owners that outsource and automate common tasks will be able to spend more time taking their business forward. Placing these sorts of systems in your business allow you to take a back seat and project manage your business rather than doing everything yourself.

This is not a checklist for being an entrepreneur, you could be a success without all of these characteristics but these characteristics should give you a good idea about what it takes to be successful. A big part of being an entrepreneur is that you can learn from your experiences and develop your skills to help you succeed.

Have I missed something? Post your thoughts in the comments sections below or join me on Twitter for a chat.