As our usability guru, Roxanne O'Connell is fond of saying, the cardinal rule when deciding on which words to use to describe the various departments, sections and categories on your
I'm writing from my hotel suite in Bonn, Germany where I'm preparing to present 3 Mequoda Bootcamps to German publisher Verlag Norman Rentrop with Don this week.
This is the second
Citizen or participatory journalism, according to the experts, is the act of citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information."
So say
Someone has just signed up for free access to your site, or they've just purchased a product from you. How do you reinforce the positive experience they've had on your
The Writer's Store is an extremely competent site serving a tightly-focused niche market.
Although competent in most areas, a few, relatively easily-implemented changes—described in the Recommendations section at the end of
I turned 50 this past December. We were about halfway thru the process of designing, testing, writing and coding Johns Hopkins Health Alerts and the 29 marketing websites that surround
The major differentiation between the Internet marketing strategy of the Mequoda System and that of traditional publishing models is the use of free content to drive online traffic. By offering
We were first introduced to InvestmentU.com when we interviewed John Phillips, who heads up search marketing for the website. He and his team have done a very impressive job of
The "Content Freshness" guideline asks the question, "Is there a reason for the user to return frequently to the site?" The Internet is a 24/7 medium, and visitor attention and
Usability and design are two key factors in publishing great websites. You can have a clear strategy and great content, but if your site is unusable and unattractive, it will
The first rule of the Mequoda Internet Marketing System is to make it as easy as possible to start a customer relationship—and give something away. Don't ask for the money
Evaluating Risks and Embracing Change: How the Forward-Looking Management of Mother Earth News is Transforming a Traditional Print Magazine Publisher Into a Cutting-Edge, Online Information Provider
If your magazine and the
Agora Financial Network: Understanding the Seven Strategies that Drive the World’s Most Successful Special-Interest Website Network
The Mequoda Group estimates that the Agora Financial Network will post top-line revenues for 2006
Following the Passion
When you’re passionate about something, you want to know everything there is to know about it, according to Carol Fitzgerald, president of The Book Report Network. She explains,
Every part of the page—particularly the homepage—must be utilized to facilitate the strategic objectives of the site. Using marketing quadrants to build relationships and communities among users, or to generate
Customer-driven content management will be common in the very near future, allowing a diverse community of online users to engage, and be engaged, in many different ways compared to simply
The key to persistent navigation is to help the user find anything on the site, fast. No clicking about, desperately hitting the back button. Make it clear where they are,
Internet Movie Database: The screen’s big scene
By its own declaration, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is a HUGE collection of movie information. Its database catalogs every pertinent detail about a
Pepsi.com, a Very Successful Brand Site, Chose a Target Audience, Explored the Audience's Needs, Determined Their Own Business Goals, and Designed a Smash Hit of a Site
The first question everyone
How They Created the World's Number One Business Website
We've been taught that successful website publishing in 2005 means creating happy users and healthy profits. With 10.3 million worldwide unique visitors
The ultimate goals of website readability are to make the site inviting, the format clean and well balanced and the experience pleasant. Here are five graphic tips for improved website
The biggest flaws are the lack of a unique selling proposition in the headline and lead and failure to establish the qualifications and credentials of the course creator or publisher.
My
With Advertisers Footing the Bill, Forbes.com has Built a Website Offering a Superior—and Free—Online Content Experience for Users.
Forbes.com is part of (do I really need to say this?) the Forbes
Some publishers are mistakenly content with creating a single corporate website that integrates all of its various business units, resulting in an incredibly complicated "uber-site."
Consider building a Mequoda Website Network,
The strategy of the ConsumerReports.org homepage is very clear in differentiating Paid Content from Free Content. Here are some tips to adopt from their successful membership website:
The Site that Earned a Top Score in 2004 Hasn't Lost Too Much Ground. The Lesson Here is Simply a Wake-Up Call—for Online Publishers, Continuous Improvement is a Requirement Just
Mequoda has previously covered the Boston Common Press's media network in America's Test Kitchen Media Network Case Study by Jane E. Zarem. The membership website (and print magazine) Cook's Illustrated
The primary requirement for a site owner is to understand the site's overall goal, the important tasks the user expects to complete on the site, and the ease and urgency
Creating the World’s Most Popular Website for Entrepreneurial Capitalists
With 2006 revenues estimated at more than $510 million, up from an estimated $460 million for 2005, the newly formed Forbes Media
Online Publishing Tips from SiPA
Early this week, more than 570 publishers gathered at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, for the Specialized Information Publishers Association's (SIPA) 30th Annual International Newsletter
Mequoda Media Pyramid is the core of Mequoda System
Building a Mequoda Media Pyramid is the core of the seven Mequoda System habits—an exercise through which you dig down and determine
Selling Goal-Setting and Motivational Information to a Niche Market of Nascent Planners and High Achievers: The Goals Guy Thrives with Laser-like Focus on Creating Quality Digital Products, Superior Search Engine
With A's in Strategic Intent, Relationship Building and Brand Preference, it's Hardly Surprising that this Non-Profit is an Online Leader in the Paid Membership Website Category.
Consumer Reports' successful membership website
Website Design Tips From MarthaStewart.com
You almost can't have a dinner party without someone making a "Martha Stewart" comment at some point during the evening. Beyond being a mere household name,
CooksIllustrated.com has Earned High Marks in Relationship Building and Readability. Other Areas Such as Community Building Display a Good Infrastructure that Could Really be Impressive with a Little More Promotion.
Mequoda
Landing Page Scorecard: Rose-Growing-Secrets.com
Internet Explorer, the pundits tell us, accounts for up to 95 percent of all Web browser traffic. So why should we care about that small minority of
Persistent navigation is the simple concept of ensuring that the navigation to complete an online activity is the same experience each time that the user returns to the site to
Clayton Makepeace is a legend in the direct response advertising business. He has the respect of both his clients and peers—the hallmark of a real professional.
He has a huge portfolio
Knitter's Review is a six-year-old site run by a small group of enthusiasts. Their story in the About pages tells of publishing veteran Clara Parkes, who left the rat race
MarthaStewart.com Stands Out for Integration of TV and Magazine Content Online, but Otherwise the Site is Doing Poorly on Some Key Usability Guidelines.
You almost can't have a dinner party without
The Mequoda criteria for community building expect visitors to feel enthusiastic and loyal to the site. Are they inspired with feelings of belonging and encouraged to contribute?
Websites that encourage a
In our NicheADay.com Landing Page Review we examined an information product designed for opportunity-seekers. That's a large and ever-changing market niche comprised of would-be business owners.
These are people who are
Knitters Review is a Great Web-product for the Target Audience of Knitters. It's Easy to Use, Easy to Read, Easy to Interact With and the Brand has Integrity.
Knitter's Review is
Setting up a strategic management system simply means determining your core values, defining your vision, stating your mission and then clearly and effectively communicating those basics to everyone inside and
Reader's Digest is so well known and widely read that almost everybody has picked up a copy at some point in their lives. Founded in 1922, the family friendly, feel-good
Website success depends largely on providing an incentive-i.e., a free email newsletter-to encourage visitor registration and an email address. Acquiring those email addresses is the first step toward creating lasting
The Mequoda System is a collection of media management behaviors
When operated as a repeating cycle, creates an audience-driven, continuous-improvement media management system. To discover and document the Mequoda System, the
Tim Carter started as a building contractor and decided one day to tell homeowners about remodeling and residential construction by writing a newspaper column. The column started in 1993 and
The Hub for Internal Communicators is a membership website with research, information and tools for communication professionals. The product and the audience are identified in the tagline: The most comprehensive
