Customer Paradigm's Blog

Home Depot Overtime Lawsuit - Resource

2010-02-05T15:41:00.002-07:00

If you haven't heard, there is a lawsuit by assistant managers of Home Depot that weren't paid overtime.

According to this new website, www.HomeDepotOvertime.com, if you are a current or former Home Depot Assistant Manager you may be entitled to back wages and additional compensation.

The site continues: "Home Depot Assistant Managers are required to work at least 55 hours a week without overtime pay. Home Depot Assistant Managers are not given the discretion to make executive decisions by Home Depot while being forced to perform non-management duties."

More info: www.HomeDepotOvertime.com

Many thanks to this website for helping me fix the heater!

2010-01-28T19:49:00.001-07:00

On what is always one of the coldest, snowy days of the year, our heat stopped working.

Thanks to this site: http://www.arnoldservice.com/amana_parts.htm for showing me I needed to clean the flame sensor!

Assurant Health Care Dropping Health Care Coverage

2010-01-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

Articles Discussing Assurant Allegedly Health Care Dropping Health Care Coverage:

Health insurer drops Colo. woman, leaving her with $1 million in bill
DENVER - She was victim of a horrific car accident four years ago in Longmont when a man fleeing police ran a stop sign and collided with her and her husband's car. (more)

Terminations of Individual Health Policies by Insurance Companies
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing entitled "Terminations of Individual Health Policies by Insurance Companies" on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. (more)

Terminations of Health Policies by Insurance Companies: State Perspectives and Legislative Solutions
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a field hearing entitled "Terminations of Health Policies by Insurance Companies: State Perspectives and Legislative Solutions" on Monday, July 27, 2009 in New Albany, Indiana. (more)

Here's a site for more information as well -- click here >>

RDFa - A Markup That Could Have Big Implications for SEO

2010-01-24T16:34:00.003-07:00

A great summary article about RDFa Microtagging, and how it can have big implications for SEO:
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/01/22/a-markup-that-could-have-big-implications-for-seo

For our services for RDFa, please visit here:

http://www.customerparadigm.com/index/503/RDFa-Tagging-Services.php

Customer Feedback from a recent project

2010-01-21T13:40:00.001-07:00

Just had a customer fill out a survey with us, and gave us the following comments:

LOVE customer paradigm and this project has been completed to perfection - it will help my business strive VERY well. John was excellent to work with and walked me through the template he built very clearly. thanks!! - Jen

Email Newsletter Archive For Past Messages

2010-01-20T09:34:00.001-07:00

We've added a new newsletter archive for many of our past email newsletter campaigns:

http://www.customerparadigm.com/email-newsletter-archive.php

Enjoy!
-- Jeff

Comparing Different Ways to Give to Haiti Relief Effort

2010-01-15T12:51:00.002-07:00

In the wake of unspeakable tragedy in Haiti, today's eCommerce tip focuses on secure online donations - and the pros and cons of the different mediums. I encourage you to give if you're able. Read more here >>

Three Boulder Jewish Websites Defaced in Cyber Attack On Saturday

2010-01-02T19:23:00.005-07:00

January 2, 2009 (Boulder, Colorado): Two of the largest synagogues in Boulder, Colorado - Congregations Bonai Shalom and Har HaShem were defaced on Saturday, January 2, 2009, in an anti-Semitic attack by a hacker claiming to be Waja (Adi Noor). The Boulder Rabbinic Council's website was also attacked.

A note left by the hacker on Congregation Bonai Shalom's website claimed, "Bonai Shalom is affiliated with the Jews are terrorists Organization."

All of the affected websites were quickly restored by Jeff Finkelstein, founder of Boulder-based Customer Paradigm.

Finkelstein, who is also the husband of Rabbi Jamie Korngold, was searching through server logs to try to identify the attacker, and has since put additional security measures in place for the site. Law enforcement officials are in the process of being notified. Rabbi Korngold's website, www.AdventureRabbi.org, was not defaced in the attack.

I'm teaching a new interactive marketing course for the RMDMA in January 2009

2009-12-31T10:33:00.001-07:00

I am teaching an 8-week course on Interactive Marketing starting in January - visit here >>
(For 10% off for the class - use code 0102-1D)

In this eight part course, you’ll learn the fundamentals of online marketing. You’ll learn how to engage with customers using design, direct marketing fundamentals, and learn the key mistakes to avoid. From website design to ecommerce, to email campaigns, search engine optimization and social media, this course will give you an in-depth understanding of best-practice strategies and tactics.

The course is designed for marketing and business professionals who may be in the position of leading a web development team. It’s not designed to give technical HTML development skills to design and create a website from scratch (i.e. we’re not teaching Dreamweaver or Photoshop skills). However, you’ll be able to create email campaigns, search advertising campaigns, and viral videos by the conclusion of the course.

The course is fast-paced and loaded with real content. This is not an academic, theoretical course – we dive into live examples of what real companies are doing right now to be successful on the Web.

More Details & Sign up - Visit here >>

(For 10% off for the class - use code 0102-1D)

Course Schedule

Date	Topic	Time
1/12/10	Web Design Fundamentals: A website is the foundation upon which all other Web marketing rests. It’s the content hub where users can find out more information about a company’s products and services. All other Web marketing essentially points back to the content hub, with the goal to have prospects convert into paying customers. During the course’s first session, we will learn the fundamentals of how Websites work, and learn how different customer types interact with sites on the Web. We’ll cover how to engage both sides of a customer’s brain: the logical left side (text, facts, logic), as well as the creative right side (graphics, shapes, colors, images). We’ll discuss what elements make a website successful, and what elements to avoid that cause confusion and abandonment. We’ll discuss why a mobile version of a website is critical for many site visitors, and what mobile visitors to a site are usually looking for. We’ll talk about the all-important contact form, and how to build trust and confidence with site visitors at each step of a guided, sequenced process. Part of the section will be spent reviewing live websites in an interactive format.	6pm - 9pm
1/19/10	eCommerce: During this section, we’ll explore what makes an ecommerce site successful, including home page layout, product information, persistent shopping carts and the checkout process. We’ll look at the how to prevent visitors from abandoning their carts and a site, and discuss how to build trust and confidence each step of the way.	6pm - 9pm
1/26/10	Email Marketing: Email remains the most cost-effective way to reach out to past customers. As a retention tool, the return on investment (ROI) metrics for outbound email campaigns remains top. In this three hour block, we’ll learn the tips and tricks to make sure that your email campaigns are as compelling as possible. We’ll study past campaigns, how to balance images, text and calls to action, and the five key strategies for making sure your messages are opened and acted upon. Examples will include email campaigns done for Shell, Xcel Energy, BP Solar, 3M, Adventure Rabbi and the Howard Dean for President Campaign. You’ll come away from this section with a solid grasp on email marketing metrics – including deliverability, message open tracking, clickthroughs and conversion tracking.	6pm - 9pm
2/2/10	Web Applications: During this section, we’ll discuss how to leverage web applications to better interact with prospects and customers. We’ll review Web applications including online Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Appointment Scheduling, Event Registration, Project Management / Trouble Ticketing, and Personalized URL systems. We’ll learn how web applications, including Website personalization, can enhance the customer experience.	6pm - 9pm
2/9/10	Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Research shows that 70% of business and consumer purchases begin with a search on Google, Yahoo or other search engines. 42% of people click on the top search result. When a business doesn’t appear at the top of a search engine result, customers can’t find them and they are perceived as less relevant. In this section, we’ll delve into the fundamentals of how search engines work, what they look for, and what you can do both on your website and external to your site to enhance your search engine optimization efforts. You’ll learn key strategies for selecting keywords for your site, as well as why meta keywords are usually ignored. We’ll discuss page rank, keyword density analysis, inbound links and much, much more.	6pm - 9pm
2/16/10	Search Engine Advertising: In this section, we’ll discuss how to use Google Adword’s Cost-Per-Click (CPC) system, as well as Yahoo, Bing and Facebook to drive targeted traffic to your website. We’ll explore why you shouldn’t pay for top position, and how not to waste money using CPC advertising. We’ll discuss everything from local search to broad match, phrase match, exact match and negative match keyword selection.	6pm - 9pm
2/23/10	Social Media: Nearly all businesses have found traditional ways of reaching prospects, including print, radio, TV and newspaper advertising are increasingly less effective. That’s why social media can be a powerful way to create a buzz and attract new people to a product, service or brand. We’ll explore how to best leverage Blogging, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and others. You’ll learn who’s using social media effectively, and who’s been able to figure out how to make money with social media. We’ll break up into small groups during this section to develop social media strategies for sample customers.	6pm - 9pm
3/2/10	Review + Emerging Trends & Technologies: In the final section, we’ll synthesize the seven previous classes, and discuss emerging trends and technologies that will change the landscape. We’ll dive into Web 3.0 – known as the Semantic Web – and how structured data about information on Websites is likely to fundamentally change how people will interact with websites.	6pm - 9pm

More Details & Sign up - Visit here >>

(For 10% off for the class - use code 0102-1D)

This course can be applied to the Certificate in Direct and Interactive Marketing.This course will also be offered again from June 1st - July 20th, 2010.

Textbooks & Materials

Online Articles & Resources

More information

Mary Shaw
303-914-8407
Email Mary

Instructor
Jeff Finkelstien
303-945-8282
Email Jeff

Background for Jeff Finkelstein:
Jeff Finkelstein is the founder of Boulder-based, Customer Paradigm, an interactive marketing firm that has helped clients including Xcel Energy, 3M, Level 3, BP achieve top rankings through search engine optimization and web marketing. Finkelstein is an adjunct professor for Colorado State University, and has lead workshops around the country teaching companies how to better optimize their websites and get found. Finkelstein has written syndicated columns on web marketing, and reaches tens of thousands of people each week through Customer Paradigm's eLearning Series newsletter.

Finkelstein also helps his wife, Rabbi Jamie Korngold, run the Adventure Rabbi program. Through search engine optimization, reporters from Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CBS News and Ski Magazine found out about the organization and ran articles and TV segments. This intense media interest sparked a book offer from Doubleday Religion, who published Rabbi Korngold's best-selling book, God in the Wilderness, in April 2008.

Finkelstein has been featured in The New York Times as a Web Guru, and his company has received numerous awards, including the prestigious 2008 Rocky Mountain Direct Marketing Association Supplier of the Year Award. His images have been published in hundreds of publications throughout the US, Canada and Japan, and has received paid contracts for his images by the National Geographic organization. Two of his images were recently placed on permanent display in a Daniel Libeskind-designed art museum in San Francisco.

Finkelstein lives in Boulder, Colorado with his wife and two daughters.

More Details & Sign up - Visit here >>

(For 10% off for the class - use code 0102-1D)

I'm quoted in an article about Windows 7 on Shutterbug

2009-12-28T20:51:00.002-07:00

Thanks to Google Alerts, an article that I was interviewed for a couple of months ago was just posted to the Shutterbug website, talking about digital photography and the Windows 7 operating system.

My verdict: Windows 7 is soooooo much better, faster and more stable than Windows XP. And worlds better than Vista.

Here's a link to the article:
http://www.shutterbug.com/equipmentreviews/software_computers/0110windows7/

Bonaire Island Real Estate Site Launches

2009-12-21T19:02:00.004-07:00

Bonaire caters to an easy-going lifestyle, while offering the best of ocean recreation and some of the best diving in the world. It's a magical place that will capture your heart and beg you to stay.

We just completed a site for Art and Anna Kleimer for their new real estate company on Bonaire Island. Check out the site: http://www.bonaireislandrealestate.com/

Search Engine Market Share - Yahoo Loses 1/2 Percent

2009-12-20T14:47:00.002-07:00

Sort of a misleading title by CNN: "Yahoo gets kicked to curb by Google, Bing":

Once the world's online search leader, Yahoo's share has sharply declined, putting it in danger of losing its relevance in a market increasingly dominated by Google.

Yahoo's search market share in November fell to 17.5% from 18% in October, according to a monthly comScore report released late Wednesday. Bing's search site gained 0.4 points of the search market to 10.3% in November.

(Is a 0.5% markethsare loss really getting kicked to the curb?)

Twitter Hacked Over the Weekend

2009-12-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

According to CNN, the Twitter hackers appear to be Shiite group.

Read more here >>

New Site Launched: An Athiest Defends Religion

2009-12-18T11:58:00.002-07:00

We just launched a site for "An Athiest Defends Religion"

Background on the book:
For centuries, “The God Debate” has been dominated by two positions: devout believers fervently committed to their faith in a living God; and adamant atheists vehemently driven to repudiate the Divine.

But I submit that they all miss the point. Instead of “The Great God Debate,” I prefer to call it The Great Debate Stalemate.

The time has come to admit that the debate about the existence of God can be argued ad infinitum and never be resolved to either side’s satisfaction.

Read more here about An Athiest Defends Religion >>

Photo from this morning... used by 9News TV station for their top story

2009-12-09T15:55:00.003-07:00

FYI, an image I took this morning is the image their using for the #1 top story
on the 9news site! (I did submit it)

www.9news.com

Photos of Boulder, Colorado After the Snowstorm

2009-12-09T09:32:00.002-07:00

Enjoy these photos of the Flatirons this frigid -3 below zero morning. I took these about 2 miles away from the office, just up the road near NCAR:

photos by Jeff Finkelstein

New Design for the Adventure Rabbi website

2009-12-07T11:50:00.002-07:00

Over the weekend, I rebuilt this website for my wife's organization:
http://www.AdventureRabbi.org/

It's fairly graphically-heavy (but most of the target audience tends to be on a high speed connection).

The goal: create an emotional connection with the images on the site, to connect people to the left-brained content.

SFSoupCo.com Site Launches!

2009-12-01T16:26:00.002-07:00

We're thrilled to report that after many, many moons, we've helped the San Francisco Soup Company launch a new Website:
http://www.SFSoupCo.com/

The site features a content management system that allows them to update each location's soups each day, including nutritional and other information.

Check it out!
-- Jeff

Customer Paradigm in the news on the D&B website

2009-11-23T15:48:00.002-07:00

I was interviewed a while back for an article about small business owners collecting in a tight economy... and they just released the article:
http://smallbusiness.dnb.com/marketing-advertising/marketing-advertising-agencies/12375521-1.html

As I mention in the article, it's not enough to get new clients in a tight economy... it's also important to get paid!

Enjoy...
-- Jeff

New Website Launch: MyObjectiflune.com

2009-11-18T15:54:00.001-07:00

New Site LaunchWe have just launched a new site today in conjunction with an Google Adwords campaign:

http://www.myobjectiflune.com/

Objectif Lune creates Variable Data Printing software that you can purchase to create Personalized postcards, letters...etc. We built this landing page to help increase traffic/sales for this particular product.

We have a couple cool functions on this site:

Sample Personalized Calendar:
We set up the contact submit form to act as two functions:

Capture customer information for sales leads
Provide a customer with a personalized calendar to show them how VDP works.

This is a pretty cool system. You submit your info, and then we run it through they’re server to generate the calendar. The calendar will produce your name in the clouds on the fly and then you can print it out or whatever...

Online Chat Function
We have implemented an online Live Chat function for their Sales Reps. If a rep is unavailable, the image will read “Leave a Message”. This will prompt an email to be sent to the sales agents. If a rep is available to chat, the button reads “Chat Now” . The user can then launch a live chat session with a sales rep from Objectif Lune.

We have three methods of tracking conversions from the site:
1. Download Link
2. Form Submission
3. Chat button

We did everything on this site

Design of landing page - Jesse
Production - Jesse
Adwords Campaign - Clarke
Set up Chat Function (PHP Live Support is the chat module – www.phplivesupport.com) Jesse with Programmers

The client is really excited to have this live and we’ll hopefully see some conversion results soon from the Adwords campaign.

-- Jesse

SEO Success... above the W3C's site in search results

2009-11-10T07:50:00.001-07:00

I created a new page on our site about our RDFa tagging service, and launched it about a week ago.

I just checked this morning, and the page is above the W3C.org's website -- that's the World Wide Consortium that puts standards like this into place.

Fun, fun!

Happy Customer Statement

2009-11-05T16:05:00.002-07:00

Always great to hear from a happy customer!

Says Professional Organizer, Liz Canavan of AlchemyofOrder.com:

"I can absolutely already tell a difference, I have NEVER had ONE inquiry from my website directly until your work.

Cheers!

Liz"

We're happy we could help!

www.TheGitionary.com now live

2009-11-04T09:03:00.001-07:00

After a few hundred hours of work, we're happy to say that the www.TheGiftionary.com website is now live!

The Giftionary is an A to Z directory and listing of gifts galore, products, gift related services and more! Designed to make gift giving a cinch, The Giftionary’s mission is to offer an easy to search, free to consumers, go-to-gift guide listing detailed descriptions of gifts by categories, occasions, recipients and city. Like a dictionary is to words, The Giftionary is to gifts!

Enjoy!

Does Design Matter? Does it Increase Sales? It did for DiscountDecorating.com

2009-11-03T12:09:00.003-07:00

Last month, we re-launched a new and improved website for the www.DiscountDecorating.com organization.

A new design, an easier-to-use navigation, and a one-page checkout process resulted in a four times sales increase (we can't give actual sales figures here).

Here's the summary of the increase in traffic to the site:

August 2009 saw 2,129 visitors per day and 63,948 pages served each day (total of 1.98 million pages for August 2009)
September 2009 saw 3,151 visitors per day and 137,275 pages search each day (total of 4.1 million pages served in Sep 2009). We re-launched the site mid-September.
October 2009 saw 8,072 visitors per day, serving 476,000 pages per day for a total of 14.78 million pages during October 2009. That's 10 million additional pages per month...

ImageMixer 3 SE by Pixela - Windows 7 Compatibility Issues

2009-11-02T11:52:00.003-07:00

I've been trying to use the Pixela software for digital video (ImageMixer 3 SE) on my Windows 7 desktop. After having it crash several times, I found the trick is to set the process priority to 'high' and make sure to enable Windows XP compatibility mode for the program.

I think the issue is that it tends to use a lot of memory and processor power, and Windows 7 doesn't like it when the program doesn't respond for a few seconds... it thinks it's crashed and disables the program.

Hope this helps...
-- Jeff