Is WordPress “Too Complicated?”

I am writing this post because I attended a Social Networking seminar and the speaker claimed WordPress was “too complicated…”!  Its been sticking in my craw ever since as I deliver WP as a Content Mgmt System to my nonprofit clients as my preferred solution for most.

I agree that WP is sophisticated, but too complicated?  C’mon!  My opinion matters little, so I am going to pose the question to the blogosphere:  IS WordPress too complicated?  If so, WHY!?!?  If not, tell me that too!  Please don’t get distracted by version releases because I believe WP is getting better all of the time.  And you will be preaching to the choir if you take the stance that WP is getting more sophisticated and/or complex because thats what I love about it.  But complicated?  Compare the lay person’s user experience to Drupal or Joomla and I think WP stacks up nicely.  Tell me what you think, please!

Im Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack~!

Just a quick post here for the sake of doing it… I will be posting more soon and likely in video format. So stay tuned and thanks for your patience during this long hiatus

Happy New Year! or What Recession?!?!

Hope all of you find this new year as prosperous as it has been for me these last couple of weeks!  I have since taken a role as Quality Assurance Software Tester with ShastaQA and love the people and the work.

Also have had so much interest in my nonprofit consulting services that I can barely keep up.

For those of us out there who have been struggling with the economy, I offer my sincerest encouragement to you ~ hopefully a solution is right around the corner.  It happened to me despite all of the doom and gloom and maybe if we keep a positive mindset, this bad economy vibe will subside?!?!?!

Toward that end, I wish you all a prosperous new year!

Cheers

Consulting with North Valley Catholic Social Services of California

Friday, December 5, 2008, I had the distinct pleasure to work with North Valley Catholic Social Services of California.  Although, the experience certainly was an overwhelmingly positive one, as I replay it in my mind, I can’t help but focus on the IT specialist that attended and his concerns as the sole web-designer, programmer-developer and “computer” specialist in the organization.  He brought up many critical concerns about dynamic web content updates that would have challenged any good consultant.  Although it may have seemed mutually contentious, it really wasn’t; our dialogue was most certainly instructive as he brought up many great concerns:

1. How can one be sure that implementing a Content Management System will be secure?
2. How can an organization maintain a consistent layout and yet still allow for CMS updates by non-programmers?
3. Who is going to be in-charge of content editing?
4. Who is going to be granted access to the CMS and how will they know if what they are updating is aligned with organizational objectives?
5. Can an outsider hack the CMS and spam subscribers, thereby besmirching if not opening up the organization to legal liability?

There were other more minor concerns, but these were the most critical in my view.

All of these concerns are valid, IF your coming from a prospective of web programming where the “Company Computer Guy” (ala Jimmy Falon) who wears many hats in the org is unaware of the tremendous progress that CMSs like WordPress have made in the last few years.

Also, when the Company Computer Guy is so busy putting out little annoying fires with hardware and software, its easy to get cynical about the natural ability of the general public to handle content updates at a website with style and grace, let alone competence and efficacy.

So here is what I learned:

1. Even the more tech-savvy folks among us need to maintain a level of personal research and professional development in their trade.
2. Pointed questions ought not to be discounted and rather, embraced to arrive at the full fruit of what the proposed idea’s merit may contain
3. Good ideas ultimately cannot be discounted because if they are truly good, there is always a positive upsides that outweighs the negative

Web 2.0 Workshop for Nonprofits Monday, November 10th

Come to my Training November 10, 2008

Bringing IT All Together; Internet Tech Solutions for Nonprofits

Don Peterson

8:30AM – 12:30PM

Training Place (Room 107) at the

Chico Campus of Butte College

To register call 530.891.1150 ext 23 ($60) or register online

This half-day class provides volunteers, staff, directors and board members at any level of technological savvy to re-invigorate their charitable mission by improving communications, marketing and fundraising efforts with low-cost, easy-to-use Internet software.  Whether its techniques for research or tools for advocacy the modern state of the Internet provides a multitude of resources that improve nonprofit objectives:

• Learn to integrate your organization’s website with marketing efforts
• Gain confidence in using Web 2.0 web sites for fun and fundraising
• Expand your network ~ Using Social Networking sites including:  blogs, Facebook, Youtube and hundreds of other sites that (when used properly) will become a catalyst for collaboration, improved community outreach and expanded charitable service.

For only $60, this 4-hour class, you will learn to bring people together without the expense of massive ad campaigns, expensive events or annoying telemarketing strategies.  Through innovation and exploration, your nonprofit team will experience a renewed invigoration that comes with using these simple and mostly FREE Internet software tools.

Join Donald Ross Peterson on a journey outside the confines of your office where a fantastic landscape of solutions and inspiration awaits in the world of Web 2.0 Internet software technologies.  The course will offer anyone of any experience level a chance to solve the real issues their organizations face; you don’t have to be a tech-geek to enjoy this class.  All are welcome to attend in any area of philanthropic service.  It should be fun and informative ~ Join us!

The Era of Nebulous Advertising Metrics is DEAD

With this I am on a mission. Given the ubiquitous notion that some how, advertising results can not be scientifically quantified, I believe, in this era of website analytical tools that we have (in practical terms) eclipsed that construct.  NO MORE will purchasers of advertising throw money down the toilet for non-results.  Instead, with a little bit of savvy and a properly prepared website, small businesses (including nonprofits and other budget strapped biz) will find a way to quantize advertising outreach efforts in such a way that nourishes results.

Here is what to do if you are a small business with a limited advertising budget:

1. Install Google Analytics; or capture website traffic data in your choice of metric tool (C-Panel or Webalizer)
2. Everytime an advertising purchase is made, match that up to a conversion action at your site (Outcomes are best:  Paid for products, or, Sales Leads)
3. For the given time period of your advertising program equate your website viewer’s behavior to “conversions;” i.e., if you spend $1000 on TV ads for a given period and you receive 10 purchasing clients (purchasing $100 of products and/or services each), the ad purchaser can safely quantify the transaction as break even

There may be more to the story.  You might experience a 1:1 dollar for dollar trade-off (ROI) but the awareness of the public to your good or service may be worth the expenditure now that there are potential customers ready to buy.

Also, you may find that website visitations are way up but “conversion” is slow to follow in a difficult economic period.  By quantifying “interested” consumers, you might consider this a benefit to potential for sales; a key indicator that your advertising was successful.  You reached the audience, they were engaged enough to visit your site looking for more information, but they didn’t purchase (“convert”) due to circumstances beyond your control.  Admittedly, this last example is more “quality” than “quantity” but such a result has merit.  It means that an adjustment needs to be made to the advertising ROI calculation–where intent to buy is less than a confirmed purchase…

Such results might mean that you can adjust content at your site to be more persuasive or more user friendly allowing viewers to execute a transaction in the near future.

Here is my formula for improved advertising results:

• Begin looking at your website analytics with a shrewd eye for opportunities
• Match ad dollars spent to actual consumer behavior (quantity and quality)
• Compare and contrast different ad campaigns to evaluate cost effectiveness in any media platform (print, radio, TV, PPC or SEO)

With this approach, most advertising dollars can be assigned a fairly conservative ROI number.  Holding your ad sales person to account for and demonstrate results will allow the market for advertising to “correct” in such a way that allows greater emphasis on results rather than “pie in the sky” promises (for all of us!).  The jig is up!  Advertising sales is no longer a hit or miss proposition!

Michelle Obama Reminds Me of Minnie Mouse

I realize this is way off topic for this blog, but its been awhile since I posted and I wanted to share with all of you this really weird observation I have had:  Michelle Obama bares a resemblance to Minnie Mouse.  Am I nutz?

Unfortunately I was unable to find the exact rendering of Minnie I wanted and the photo I selected of Michelle doesn’t quite conjure up the resemblance I have noticed, but here is the two of them side by side… Judge for yourself and tell me if you think someone spiked my punch:

Nonprofit Video Marketing Strategy

After a break, I am back with my latest call for a technological solution to low cost, high ROI marketing approach for nonprofits: video marketing. For those close to me, you have likely heard my incessant nagging for nonprofits to bring short, concise videos to their website audience.

The reasons are many:

1. People don’t read ~ they scan text ~ but they will sit through a 2-5 minute video with a latte and danish if the content is relevant. On average, that’s about 400-1000 words of content ( @200 words per page) you probably didn’t want to type anyway, so efforts to reach your audience in the video medium are greatly enhanced.
2. Video is persuasive, visceral and when well crafted, a timeless snapshot of your organizational values, service to the community and mission in general. People relate better to other people (on screen) than they do to text.
3. The cost to produce video is low and the general population has the technological infrastructure to view, send and receive these types of files now. Simply buy a miniDV camera for less than $300, and if you are not lucky enough to have a newer Mac, pick up some simple video editing software (which I found for free at wikipedia’s open source software list ) and BAM you can create video for your website in no time. That means for less than a dollar a day, you can create video! Ads in your local newspaper can’t compete on a cost effectiveness basis!
4. Capturing an organizational event like a fundraiser on video and using that to analyze and evaluate it is a great benefit for planning future events as well as archiving previous ones. In the event of staff turnover, your new event planner will no doubt be grateful to see the evolution of your community events to inspire new growth in the program. PLUS, if your production quality is good enough, put the whole thing on a DVD and you have a low cost give-away OR, you can create a new revenue stream by soliciting sponsors to advertise. For orgs like the Special Olympics or March of Dimes, this is a brilliant way for the community to remain involved long after the event and likely a fantastic resource for further event development. (My brain is just bursting with ideas at the possibilities here!)
5. Posting video content on social sites like YouTube, Google Video, MySpace, Facebook and (if it is super short) Flickr, can help bring traffic to your regular website, thus creating inbound links which are a major component of findability in search engines like Google. Wouldn’t it be great if the introduction to your org by a searching citizen was a short and sweet 2 minute video that asked him or her to join your cause? Chances are they are more motivated by a happy smiling person, than they are to a bunch of dense, if not rambling, text.

So, I know what you are thinking: IF I am such a big advocate of video, why am I not shooting this and posting it in a video podcast? The truth is my camera quality and computer are not quite up to speed with the technology yet. Hopefully, one day soon, I will convert to a hybrid version of video AND text where I draft my content in written form, shoot the video and post them both. That’s coming soon, so stay tuned…

In the meantime, if your organization can afford it, give it a try. Its fun, but more importantly, its really the next level of for your organizational message, and as I said, the benefits are too many to foresake.

The Icky Wiki; A Moment of Reflection on the Use of Jargon and Parlance

Wiki = Glossary.

Blog = (The contraction of) Web + Log

RSS = Really Simple Syndication (some of you might disagree but hey I am being concise here)

Governmental institutions love Acronyms like the Alphabet Agencies set up by FDR under the New Deal

The disciplines of science, from Anthropology to Zoology developed their own taxonomies to better clarify and classify what the heck they are talking about to one another.

So is it at all surprising that here is another domain, the Internet, that involves more new words? Moreover, is it surprising that those inside the technology realm tend to use these new jargon terms to sound smart and exclude others outside our lil-iverse?

My point is we should try to use jargon appropriately and inclusively. For those of us hoping everyone gets across the bridge (over the Gap of Understanding) we are compelled to make it easy for everyone. So I am gonna “borrow” someone’s Internet Wiki and post it here…  The Winner is Wikipedia and the entry “Web 2.0″

Any offerings are warmly invited.

Sustainable Marketing: is Web 2.0 the Solution?

After this quarter’s NVCF Council meeting today, I found myself in a strangely optimistic yet frustrated state. One of the attending directors asked desperately: “How can we reach out to the community with a more effective return and yet without all of the direct mail that often is mistaken for junk mail?!?!?!”

My heart leaped out of my chest! This is what I have been talking about for months to this community and yet the message has not penetrated. What is the problem, people?!??! I have been trying to demonstrate how to get your mission, message and success standout among the constant barrage of other competing messages for months now! From pizza coupons to credit card campaigns, the direct mail thang is really not sustainable and arguably not viable if a 1-3% return is all one can expect. We all know we need something more, but what?!?!?!?

DUH! Its Social Networking with the Internet, right? Or is this a pipe dream that will never be implemented?

Without the present state of Internet technology that is so cost effective and easy to use, it would be blood, sweat, tears and elbow grease that throttles an effective, exhaustive and exhausting outreach campaign. BUT NOW, given the many opportunities to maximize and archive your efforts with Web 2.0 applications like Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter, you can do it with style and grace (your brand and logo) without the need for much more brochures, postage or bill posting. Collaborate with similar nonprofits to share ad space in traditional media and you effectively increase your outreach at a portion of the cost.

But what really frustrated me was the fact that here is this executive director, (who probably didn’t attend my previous speech because it wasn’t about “money” as in Annie B’s Fundraising campaign) and here she is crying out for tools and solutions. Damn! What a crazy mixed up world! I have been giving the cow away for free at this blog for 4 months now and she is still oblivious. Not to mention anyone of the nonprofit blogs I link to in my blog roll have ooooooooooooooooooooooooooodles of resources that are begging for attention. If you are a nonprofit executive director and you have a question on how to handle something, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Ask the blogging community, and I bet you a Billiondy Gazilliondy Dollars there is an answer out there for you. No need to get rhetorical in public, get the solution at a blog and share it!

That is why we also need to research (at least 15 minutes a day) other nonprofit blogs to find out what works and share your findings at your own blog. Research, Learn, Share, Rinse, Repeat ~ I believe this is the way; so, why aren’t more people adopting these often free tools for their outreach strategy? I am mystified!

Therefore, I pose the question: are Web2.0 tools a sustainable outreach solution? or am I missing something here? RSVP in my comment space!