tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45137451003296352542024-03-13T10:01:29.440-07:00Kari & Co.Kari and Co. is a small team of interesting individuals specializing in website design and development, social media/SEO support and graphic/creative support in Dallas, Texas.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-55473258867585867652014-08-22T05:10:00.000-07:002014-08-22T05:10:00.289-07:00The Brain Performance Center - Neurofeedback In Southlake, Texas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFf1hfGy0Zrm0dCSx9Stc4u9socuydi3dzv3pDGolLBfYnRsCLe-ZrhSzWnZwV_fM3G87Kr-J2lhEH0yHE9g6oat-2Ukgq9LKT0_r9_DjnwS9GPQWPYbSYuPYBfE3GNEIRdVNwwhs1QF6/s1600/2012-07-11+13.03.16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCFf1hfGy0Zrm0dCSx9Stc4u9socuydi3dzv3pDGolLBfYnRsCLe-ZrhSzWnZwV_fM3G87Kr-J2lhEH0yHE9g6oat-2Ukgq9LKT0_r9_DjnwS9GPQWPYbSYuPYBfE3GNEIRdVNwwhs1QF6/s1600/2012-07-11+13.03.16.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Recently, we did a <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html" target="_blank">small business website</a> for Leigh, at the Brain Performance Center in Southlake, Texas. We built her website around the popular content management system with a <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/" target="_blank">custom Wordpress theme</a>. She is super hands-on with her business, and wants to be able to provide a wealth of information to the public, and educate her clients and others about what she does. <br />
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When Leigh contacted me needing help with a <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-services.html" target="_blank">website design</a>, I thought to myself, what in the world is 'Brain Performance'? And what I found out made me so glad that Leigh and I connected - because what she does is nothing short of amazing. Now that I have kids, and am under different stresses in my life - I am finding that what these folks do is something that needs to be broadcasted to the world - as so many people could benefit from what they offer.<br />
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The Brain Performance Center specializes in non-medicated treatments and alternative therapies for very common cognitive and emotional symptoms that are related - quite literally - to our brain performance. Symptoms such as <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/our-programs/insomnia-sleep-recovery-program/" target="_blank">insomnia</a>, <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/conditions-and-symptoms/addadhd/" target="_blank">ADHD</a>, <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/conditions-and-symptoms/ocd-obsessive-compulsive-disorder/" target="_blank">OCD</a>, <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/conditions-and-symptoms/depression/" target="_blank">depression</a>, <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/conditions-and-symptoms/anxiety/" target="_blank">anxiety</a> and <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/conditions-and-symptoms/autism-spectrum/" target="_blank">autism</a>. Or, perhaps you are looking to <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/our-programs/peak-performance/" target="_blank">improve athletic performance</a> receive <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/our-programs/what-is-wellness-coaching/" target="_blank">wellness coaching</a> or enhance your leadership skills - The Brain Performance Center focuses on training your brain, to enhance your life in a positive way. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMLTzzOMCQuiXNxmsfksdIZyJ7rPTKpVhPMQCDJirNgvRFEf5Cud9cM38UgDY9cQHUBExhmma9Nan4NLtION6wYVXdIgn7aEIcSkxIdYXud0CR0jqQMA4cg0xJGkD4QO80lTHUeOj3kAx/s1600/2012-07-11+13.05.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMLTzzOMCQuiXNxmsfksdIZyJ7rPTKpVhPMQCDJirNgvRFEf5Cud9cM38UgDY9cQHUBExhmma9Nan4NLtION6wYVXdIgn7aEIcSkxIdYXud0CR0jqQMA4cg0xJGkD4QO80lTHUeOj3kAx/s1600/2012-07-11+13.05.45.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
The first step is your 'Brain Evaluation'. Through an in-depth analysis and several tests, the staff at The Brain Performance Center can identify brain wave patterns and then over a series of <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/our-programs/neurofeedback/" target="_blank">neurofeedback</a> treatments, effectively <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/" target="_blank">train your brain</a> to keep itself in check.<br />
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The same can be done for more physical functions, such as breathing to regulate your heart rate - with <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/our-programs/biofeedback/" target="_blank">biofeedback</a>. <br />
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I am going through the program to help my issues with <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/conditions-and-symptoms/anxiety/" target="_blank">anxiety</a> and <a href="http://thebrainperformancecenter.com/our-programs/insomnia-sleep-recovery-program/" target="_blank">insomnia</a>. The top photo is just a picture of the computer showing my head, and the points to which the sensors are connected to read brain waves during my initial brain evaluation. This photo is showing that I am hooked up and ready to go.<br />
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The second picture is that of my brain waves, collecting data from all those points. You can see a heavy, thick set of peaks on the right side of the photo. These are called 'artifact' (or, "interference' in the brain wave world) and indicates that I chomped my teeth four times. You have to try and sit very still during this process, so they can get a good reading.<br />
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Once we have our results, we review these together and map out a plan to support recovery. We ALL have a bit of a brain wave imbalance one way or another. The goal, with everyone, is to keep a healthy balance of all brain activity - Delta (primarily sleep), Alpha, Beta (hi Beta and lo Beta) and Theta waves have a specific order and 'frequency' they should present.<br />
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Looks like I'm in for some neurofeedback. My alpha takes over when my eyes are closed, and everything goes bananas in other areas. Looking at my wave patterns, Leigh was able to tell me a ton about my current state of emotional well-being and mental health... <br />
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<i>To learn more about my journey with The Brain Performance Center - stay tuned for our next blog post, which will cover the results of my brain wave analysis and how neurofeedback is helping me, without medications to resolve my symptoms of imbalance.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0Dallas, TX, USA32.802955 -96.76992332.589413 -97.08578 33.016496999999994 -96.454066000000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-24765655191602292912014-08-06T05:58:00.001-07:002014-08-06T05:58:07.429-07:00Tackling E-Commerce Store Design <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCF1f4qe7c77vDc4PQwzAocm__jEmujOIbpxsneXi8ZZlxlheUJw1QRhFxCqBPXe-qWVe3oOAvMYgaIJrlskrDcvVc0Ak4OoFiCoS7je-dNkJn1WM1_as4cSgDQ03qm2HLRy_-ltDFF64D/s1600/VolusionDesigner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCF1f4qe7c77vDc4PQwzAocm__jEmujOIbpxsneXi8ZZlxlheUJw1QRhFxCqBPXe-qWVe3oOAvMYgaIJrlskrDcvVc0Ak4OoFiCoS7je-dNkJn1WM1_as4cSgDQ03qm2HLRy_-ltDFF64D/s1600/VolusionDesigner.jpg" /></a></div>
So you’re ready to launch your first online business. You’ve got a product that people are interested in and all you need a website that looks clean, concise and is ready to give you the virtual storefront you need. We can help you <a href="http://www.e-commerce.com/" target="_blank">design e-commerce</a> store with a custom website design. And with great e-commerce tools like Volusion and Core Commerce - (we love being <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/" target="_blank">Volusion designer</a>) - it does make managing the inventory and listing your products for sale MUCH EASIER. But that's not enough. Make sure you're ready to tackle the work ahead before you start.<br />
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<b>You’re ready to take on e-Commerce right? Think again. </b><br />
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<b>E-Commerce isn’t for the weak and weary. </b><br />
Most have had an experience with e-commerce from a TV or radio ad or by purchasing something on the web. It’s usually seamless, simple and easy to use. I bet you've thought before, "I could do this. How card could it be - the internet and computers do all the work!" But, maintaining an e-commerce presence is a mulch-faceted and often difficult task. And contrary to popular belief - It's also often times a full-time job.<br />
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<b>Here are two reasons that businesses fail when trying to take on E-Commerce. </b><br />
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<b>1. More Than a Store Front
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So you’ve got a website? Great, but it can’t stop there. In order to have a successful online business, you’ve got to realize that your website is more than just a store front - it’s a hub that you should be driving traffic to.
You need more than just a website to sell a product, you need an online marketing strategy. Countless businesses fail when taking on online business because they simply launch a website and fail to discern why traffic, clickthroughs aren’t high - that is, if they are even tracking those statistics at all.<br />
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Owning an e-commerce store is much like owning a physical store. You
have to give it attention every day to get the most out of it. Just like
a store, you have to arrange your products for visibility and market
your business with advertisements and social media. <br />
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You can't just have a 'website that sells' and expect it to make a lot of money.
The website can't do it without you. One must still have the human
element to promote and market the website. No time? You might need to
hire some help with your internet marketing - at a minimum.<br />
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<b> 2. Product First</b>
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Developing and implementing an online marketing plan is essential to online success, but after you’ve launched a strategy, what then?
It always goes back to the product. Will your product sell? Did you do market research at all prior to your E-Commerce adventure? <br />
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If what you are selling is worth the user’s money, time and resources, then encourage users to leave feedback or comments on popular review sites. Don’t skimp on the product in order to make a quick buck, it will end up costing you more in the end.<br />
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<b>3. Monitor Your Reputation
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One of the most important traits of successful businesses is their ability to listen to consumers instead of just sending messages. Use <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/" target="_blank">social media</a> as an extension of customer service to find consumers sharing information about your services or products and answer their questions. Investing in online relationships is a stepping stone for future successes.<br />
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Don’t be overwhelmed by e-commerce, be prepared instead! Tackle it head on by taking your reputation into your own hands and delivering something that is worth the time of your customers. Be helpful and proactive and, eventually, you’ll discover that e-commerce isn’t as scary as you thought!
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0Texas, USA31.9685988 -99.90181310000002718.1432428 -120.55611010000003 45.793954799999995 -79.247516100000027tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-87870206882882294062013-09-18T07:58:00.000-07:002013-09-18T07:58:00.481-07:00Practicing Caution With Pinterest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMW-I3BchyphenhyphenLpbMnizLwCobOPLgRxJi_qd64VPff6Ye161CFkaP0eGWvrZ_pZi0S7_SLKlgXw_BCp5ltLR6kpBcbdt0MS7X_29UqfpPyZuYcMFts8wR2PieRB9x6JIyO2qmkOVj9AnyfumV/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMW-I3BchyphenhyphenLpbMnizLwCobOPLgRxJi_qd64VPff6Ye161CFkaP0eGWvrZ_pZi0S7_SLKlgXw_BCp5ltLR6kpBcbdt0MS7X_29UqfpPyZuYcMFts8wR2PieRB9x6JIyO2qmkOVj9AnyfumV/s1600/images-2.jpeg" /></a></div>
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Few social media networks are as visually stimulating and appealing as Pinterest, which is why it's one of the fastest growing social platforms around with <a href="http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2013/07/10/semiocast-pinterest-now-has-70-million-users-and-is-steadily-gaining-momentum-outside-the-us/">over 70 million users</a>. There's photos of delicious "healthy" recipes for us to try at home, panoramas of backyard oases for us to long for, and workout tips and tricks to help tone and trim our body. But are they always accurate?<br />
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Word of advice, don't trust everything you read on Pinterest.<br />
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Pinterest, while popular, can also be dangerous. Have you ever tried a recipe and the results weren't what you expected? You're not alone. Just like common advertisements, Pinterest items can be optimized to sell products and for clickthroughs, all without the backdrop of a realistic expectation.</div>
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There are harmful fitness routines, dangerous diets, and even falsely attributed quotes that circulate Pinterest very regularly. For example, here's a <a href="http://mashable.com/2013/09/01/pinterest-hitler-taylor-swift/">Hitler quote that was attributed to Taylor Swift</a>, and 20 other Pinterest tips that, well, <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/popular-pinterest-tips-that-are-bold-faced-lies">are lies</a>.</div>
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So be cautious when diving into Pintest content, it isn't always as it appears.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-44966260151356674912013-08-14T12:08:00.000-07:002014-08-06T06:04:50.097-07:00Why PIN-teresting Content is Important in Social Media<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPq-5mJvm3rjQwkFs4oJr4bXAZwd6BLvGYjjf2zr_PFog1gdL8IwwkTo4f4_-KUehFqMoKE3jBRyFysuFcPMsLalgJLxBR-mccZIFYY7sfEPcdyWXizs9Jj0Cv0UdgflYKjk4nQ-Evf62H/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPq-5mJvm3rjQwkFs4oJr4bXAZwd6BLvGYjjf2zr_PFog1gdL8IwwkTo4f4_-KUehFqMoKE3jBRyFysuFcPMsLalgJLxBR-mccZIFYY7sfEPcdyWXizs9Jj0Cv0UdgflYKjk4nQ-Evf62H/s1600/images.jpg" height="80" width="320" /></a></div>
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Doesn’t it seem like a new <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/" target="_blank">social media</a> platform launches daily? Although that isn’t far from the truth, you can find stability in some mainstay social networks that are as solid as they come.<br />
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We’ve talked before on why you should be on social media in order to best reach your prospective customers – but another thing worth considering - is <b>focusing on the right social media for your business</b>.<br />
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<b>Still Fast Growing</b><br />
One of the fastest growing social platforms these days is Pinterest, a virtual “pinboard” of images and information that allows users to find information on the internet and save it to the appropriate online board.<br />
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<b>Who Uses Pinterest</b><br />
Depending upon your business, Pinterest might be the great arena for your online business presence. Around 95% of Pinterest users are women – which means that might be a strategic place for you to reach out to those you’re selling to if women include your market target.<br />
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<b>What To Pin</b><br />
Post images of your products, and inspirational messages to connect with your users and establish yourself as an online friend.<br />
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Remember - social media needs to stay SOCIAL - or it won't make the right connection with users. Your long-term goal with ANY social media platform is to make friends, and then turn those folks into brand advocates for your company or business. Get OTHERS talking about you and your business to really generate a great community of prospects.<br />
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Considering our clients are mostly small-medium size businesses with more modest marketing budgets, we try to do the things every website owner should be doing - and that's having a presence across multiple platforms - and optimizing that exposure for branding. If time and budget allow - certainly you can run some VERY grand and successful social media campaigns. However, in so many cases, a tight ship must be run - and it has to be made easy enough to do on a smaller budget or, even better - in house. <br />
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With social media - stick to the famous saying, “Keep it simple, stupid!" (KISS) Don’t beat yourself up about having to learn multiple platforms – find the one you need to focus on most.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-70161126385447132772013-08-07T06:16:00.001-07:002013-09-12T08:04:23.346-07:00Protecting Yourself On The Internet<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLF9c1BnxyxQCdCZjNLoDAMFVINGenoN6uNqXqda2jZw3-gP01w5c-WfMESoA6dRR0afJfDH4OxMVxYCad5rck4YFgCV78i5h-q4OSoOKYj5KRbpU9zPmNWD2vuqYALk3QIYA-_xJlSH7/s1600/confusedguy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLF9c1BnxyxQCdCZjNLoDAMFVINGenoN6uNqXqda2jZw3-gP01w5c-WfMESoA6dRR0afJfDH4OxMVxYCad5rck4YFgCV78i5h-q4OSoOKYj5KRbpU9zPmNWD2vuqYALk3QIYA-_xJlSH7/s320/confusedguy.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The internet can be a dangerous place and sharing personal information over social media and other internet facets can put you at risk!</span></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-7ed5ed04-513c-50d5-d56e-eb7381618cea" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So how can we stay protected in an age that feels like people already share too much? Is that Facebook status about being on vacation really going to make your home susceptible to unforeseen visitors? Maybe. Here’s a couple tips on how to protect yourself online.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>1. Passwords</b></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Use different passwords for all of your logins. While having one password can really be a breeze, it opens you up to having </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of your accounts compromised, rather than just one. One account is much easier to manage than a full-blown security breach!</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, make sure that your passwords are hard to guess and are strong. “Puppy1” isn’t cutting it anymore, so <b>use a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols to make your password like a cryptic vault!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>2. Social Media</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Revealing too much about yourself on <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/" target="_blank">social media</a> can be very dangerous. Reevaluate who you are friends with on these networks and be cautious sharing information that could be indicators of your password. It doesn’t take much for a hacker to get in, so stop them in their tracks and be wise in what you share. <br /><br />But it's more than just a hacker that you have to worry about - it's the folks that don't post, don't share, just sort of lurk around... Are you a Facebook user - ? Are you a parent? Have you seen this site? <br /><a href="http://www.takethislollipop.com/" target="_blank">Take This Lollipop</a></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enough said. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>3. Be aware</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The most neglected protection tip is simply to be aware. Computers can get viruses. Cell phones can be stolen. Online accounts can be compromised. Pay attention to your online surroundings and protect yourself by being extra cautious before clicking on links or to install an internet filter or protection service.</span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And another thing - your computer could go kaput. Make regular backups. If you can't afford an expensive online backup program - buy an external hard drive and backup your precious family photos and files regularly - or save those special things to the cloud. (Dropbox, Google Drive - both FREE!) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The internet can be scary but don’t let it be! Just be aware and cautious and you’ll be able to enjoy it all without the worries.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Dallas, TX, USA32.7801399 -96.80045109999997532.3531349 -97.44589809999998 33.2071449 -96.155004099999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-81223041359411703572013-07-06T12:02:00.001-07:002013-07-06T12:02:11.563-07:00Client Spotlight - Little Dog Fashion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jrEHWF3VhNt7nVg3UwldFMvSun8jjZ-xvRlXo4lcyuSKUDMLHqlXVmdbE7HOVPPvH8JvrcwQkcFI4l-Gp0_qaopBEgoK-ksvd8oKKV4gwRL3xYkIVpGNkCfFZcQdTu7Ll71j4nlUb04u/s1600/LDF_CONCEPT3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jrEHWF3VhNt7nVg3UwldFMvSun8jjZ-xvRlXo4lcyuSKUDMLHqlXVmdbE7HOVPPvH8JvrcwQkcFI4l-Gp0_qaopBEgoK-ksvd8oKKV4gwRL3xYkIVpGNkCfFZcQdTu7Ll71j4nlUb04u/s320/LDF_CONCEPT3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We are thrilled to have been able to redesign <a href="http://littledogfashion.com/">LittleDogFashion.com</a>, a <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/" target="_blank">Volusion website design</a> - and bring to life the little dog that inspired tons of handmade doggie duds.<br />
<br />
<b>From the owner of Little Dog Fashion:</b><br />
<br />
<i>The story of Little Dog Fashion Pet boutique begins well before 2008. My children were small at the time and wanted to do a special project with me. That special project was to start a small business, Stockings Galore – a Christmas store. </i><br />
<br />
<i>One year, somebody brought the tiniest Chihuahua into our store and asked if we had any clothes for his little fur baby. We did not at the time but agreed that we should check out if there was a market for dog clothes. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Well, there was! </i><br />
<br />
<i>And Little Dog Fashion Pet Boutique was born - as a woman owned business that provides an online location where pet owners from around the world come to shop for fun and functional dog fashion for their four legged family members. </i><br />
<br />
<i>All of my doggie clothes are designed and made by me in Phoenix, AZ. I specialize in teacup and toy breed size dogs like Chihuahuas, Yorkies and Maltese or any other dog or pet in that size range. My unique fashions are made with your baby’s comfort and your sense of style in mind. And if your fur baby is a little bigger or hard to fit, no problem! My creations can be customized to ensure a great and comfortable fit. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Every year my dog fashion line expands, resulting in me carrying a broad range of products including dog collars, dog grooming accents, doggie diapers and belly bands, hoodies for boys and girls, dog pajamas, dresses for little dog girls, shirts for little doggie boys, beds and bassinets. Items listed under the names of Little Dog Fashion or Darling Diapers are designed and made by me and inspired and modeled by my little Maltese dog, Sophie, right here in Phoenix. </i><br />
<br />
<i>This year little Dog Fashion will introduce two new brands. </i><br />
<br />
<i>One is called Eco Little Dog Fashion and will feature doggie clothes made from organic materials. The first collection will be launched in the fall and will consist of pjs and dresses. </i><br />
<br />
<i> The second new brand is Sari Beaux and it will feature high end fabrics and trims and OOAK creations. The first Sari Beaux collection will also arrive in fall or winter of 2013. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Giving back to the animals that give all of us so much joy and unconditional love is a big part of my personal ethics which I take very seriously. I am proud to support the Arizona Humane Society and Celebrity Catwalk and hope to become a regular contributor for both organizations to help support all the good work that they do. You can see the display and read about these events in the event section of the home page. </i><br />
<br />
Join us in celebrating the new design on Little Dog Fashion!<i> </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-41126076783932760132013-06-12T05:33:00.001-07:002013-06-12T05:33:44.671-07:00Learning LinkedIn - The Social Media King For Business Professionals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMFVtZFsECYeVU5yKZMCsHKtPJI8Npai05oM5_ax5t1Yx2Xp_drw1dWDbwZaBlOU0Y0PG_WD-WlslQgqvmkd5hHAPzFnsP238H4F_cY8ae6yYM3C33unNAtHKXT5_M2PvOHDZv_km4S3M/s1600/index.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMFVtZFsECYeVU5yKZMCsHKtPJI8Npai05oM5_ax5t1Yx2Xp_drw1dWDbwZaBlOU0Y0PG_WD-WlslQgqvmkd5hHAPzFnsP238H4F_cY8ae6yYM3C33unNAtHKXT5_M2PvOHDZv_km4S3M/s1600/index.jpg" height="90" width="320" /></a></div>
Sometimes Facebook can seem like the Wild West—full of baby pictures, engagements, vacation sunsets and political rants. It’s personal - and not exactly the most intentional platform for a professional to create their own personal identity or brand.<br />
<br />
LinkedIn is a social platform that fits that very niche - in a professional way. Although it’s been around since 2003, LinkedIn has now grown to become one of the top four platforms in terms of the amount of active users and is the number one <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html" target="_blank">business social media</a> platform.<br />
<br />
<b>So what exactly is LinkedIn and why should you, as an employee of a business or a business owner, be on it? </b><br />
<br />LinkedIn is a thriving online community of professionals looking to make connections, recommendations and network for professional purposes. LinkedIn has their own mail system called <i>InMail </i>that allows you to send 5 messages to others (more are available in premium membership packages) for a variety of purposes.<br />
<br />
You’re able to search for and find others at your company, in your field or in a profession that you are interested in learning more about.<br />
<br />
LinkedIn offers professional “Groups” that you can request to join that serve as discussion boards for job postings and for sharing information with others.<br />
<br />
<b>Interested in learning more? </b>Sign up for a LinkedIn profile today and stay tuned for ways you can utilize your profile to build a great business community online.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-42067185224726508862013-05-14T08:40:00.000-07:002013-05-14T08:40:04.602-07:00Why Twitter MattersHave you ever had an older relative or friend ask if you’re into “that 'tweeter' or Facebook stuff?” Or - better yet - and more relevant to our purpose - have you ever been asked - "Why should my business have to do all that stuff on social media?" <br />
<br />
We have.<br />
<br />
Social media can be a difficult thing to understand on a number of levels. Primarily - anyone who's not 40 or under - is probably wondering how it will help them sell, how it will help them increase business - or how it will help them do anything - <i>other than not waste time trying to figure it all out</i>.<br />
<br />
Social media is still sort of new, and it is rapidly changing; but there is enough data to prove that there is some stable ground: <i>your customers need to hear you and they need to hear you where they feel comfortable. </i><br />
<br />
We get this. <br />
<br />
But I can't lie.<br />
<br />
I often wonder - Twitter? Really? Why do I bother tweeting? We have a whopping two sentences to share, and it really seems like a celebrity venue, or vehicle for celebs to communicate to the world - and for their fans and followers to connect with them on some level. I see it all the time and Twitter is full of spam, too - so what's the point? Is that really a great fit for a local landscaping company? Is it a good fit for MY CLIENTS?<br />
<br />
The answer - in short - is yes, for the most part - Twitter is a good thing to be doing - for any company.<br />
<br />
Twitter early on established itself as a top platform on the social media landscape - many suggest it is only second to Facebook when it comes users. Although Twitter is not short of praise, it is often misunderstood and neglected.
There’s more to Twitter than Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. It allows you to communicate with your customers, new customers, potential customers, friends, and others - quickly and succinctly.<br />
<br />
How often do you sit and read an entire article? How often do you skim? Research suggests that we, customers and clients of businesses all across the globe, <i>want information quick and direct</i>. We don’t have time to sift through uninteresting commentary to find the small bit of information that we think we can use. Some of your potential prospects are on Twitter.<br />
<br />
As a matter-of-fact, software engineered to track Twitter users’ interests and activities might be one of the fastest growing software niches in the entire tech world.<br />
<br />
How do you reach them? Find a member of your target audience and engage with them. Share their content; develop relationships with those whom you see as prospective clients. Don’t be afraid to ask for RT (retweets) from your fan base. If your customers feel connected with you, they’ll do so without hesitation. Twitter is a great place to build not just brand awareness and exposure - it's a great place to create advocates for your business.<br />
<br />
A Twitter profile also shows up in search results. That's a perk. <br />
<br />
Simply put, there are folks on Twitter that are interested in what you do - and they’re asking questions. Get in there and find them. Answer their questions, provide your service—and chances are you won’t just have a purchase, you’ll have a brand advocate in your corner for years to come.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-46118429648941925032013-04-20T09:43:00.000-07:002013-04-20T09:43:37.173-07:00Return on Relationship (ROR) in Social Media<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyFJPCrILMpgYYWytF9rtZFz1V-xbRfb-1uk_JkToGA1-53kPtnjL4syxVFWK8c3gARr2f7DEGABgtZkYtxB8ruUCImtlkhw0IVxVLjb0t9ZbIxT5x8AADQIkY7LtL9k4Ehyphenhyphen1Kf0hjwUx/s1600/SocialSocial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyFJPCrILMpgYYWytF9rtZFz1V-xbRfb-1uk_JkToGA1-53kPtnjL4syxVFWK8c3gARr2f7DEGABgtZkYtxB8ruUCImtlkhw0IVxVLjb0t9ZbIxT5x8AADQIkY7LtL9k4Ehyphenhyphen1Kf0hjwUx/s1600/SocialSocial.jpg" height="173" width="320" /></a></div>
Social media. It’s the fresh buzzword heard from businesses all across the globe.<br /> <br />
<a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html" target="_blank">Social media</a> is the new kid on the block that few truly know much about, and everyone has an opinion on how to work it. <br /><br />
It bucks the traditional methods of customer relations and marketing, and introduces new concepts of engagement with consumers that can seem impractical or unnecessary.<br />
<br />
But at Kari & Co. - we think it's totally imperative - to keep your name in front of your potential client or target. We think it's beneficial to keep reminding folks that you're there, and to get your business name seen over and over - it's exposure. <br /><br />
It’s a competitive world on the web - and the edge is given to those companies that provide great products or services to communities that need them. The edge is given to businesses that have <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html" target="_blank">web sites</a> and <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/" target="_blank">eCommerce</a> options… the edge is given to businesses on social media. <br /><br />
With a variety of different <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html" target="_blank">social networking</a> platforms, users can share photos, information and memories with one another creating strong online relationships where advice is trusted and recommendations lead to purchase decisions. <br />
<br />
People like to show their opinion, have their say and share their thoughts. As long as your company <i><b>keeps social media social</b></i> - and does not only share business items and constantly try to sell the user - it'll be successful for your company - at whatever frequency and intensity you do it.<br />
<br />Simply put, social media isn’t just your teenage daughter checking her Facebook on her iPhone.<i> It’s where your consumers live</i>! Your consumer is online somewhere browsing search engines, websites and social media platforms for information.<br />
<br /><b>Don’t you want them to come to you?</b>
Social media provides <i>return on relationship</i> (ROR). Like the business term, return on investment (ROI), social media enables businesses to communicate freely and personally with their customers in order to build trustworthy and reliable relationships with them. And - as you know, building relationships is a huge part of any industry or business - and is at the core of your success - whatever you do.<br />
<br />If your business provides a great experience to a user, don’t you want them to tell their friends? That favorable experience at your business goes online, across a variety of platforms and becomes that golden “word of mouth” marketing that brings customers back into your doors.<br />
<br />Time and time again.<br />
<br />
So saddle up with social media, it isn’t going away.<br />
<br />
Embrace online engagement and allow your users to put a face or voice with your brand. It’ll help your business and your consumers in the years to come.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0Dallas, TX, USA32.7801399 -96.80045109999997532.3531259 -97.44589809999998 33.2071539 -96.155004099999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-8819431296369854132013-03-25T08:56:00.000-07:002013-03-25T08:56:14.527-07:00How Much Should You Pay For A Website?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidumBxdpXItFT77esWQOanVb_pEB4FdA7wXVXexltSB5gByiKSC2LAoSZ-VVFqIputITCWHYNAw6vloDKoXBTfjj2730jCJddCGdjDMASnscYeoADlNJKYL5eaHSClugxgnQP5t-zRDT99/s1600/business-hostage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidumBxdpXItFT77esWQOanVb_pEB4FdA7wXVXexltSB5gByiKSC2LAoSZ-VVFqIputITCWHYNAw6vloDKoXBTfjj2730jCJddCGdjDMASnscYeoADlNJKYL5eaHSClugxgnQP5t-zRDT99/s1600/business-hostage.jpg" /></a></div>
I call it 'business terrorism'.<br />
<br />
Businesses - holding others hostage, or using fear - to charge WAY more than they should for website design, web maintenance, hosting, social media and more. <br />
<br />
Lately - I've seen several local '<a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-services.html" target="_blank">web design</a>' and 'SEO' agencies and firms preying on small business (and doctor's offices mostly, that I have seen). I have been watching people pay hundreds of dollars for things that take less than an hour to perform (adding links to copy on a page for example, or a new link from the drop down menu on a <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-services.html" target="_blank">custom Wordpress site</a>).<br />
<br />
I've seen instances this year - where <b>doctors paid more for their website - than they would a luxury car</b>. <br />
<br />
I have seen cases - locally - and recently - where these webdesign and marketing companies 'host' and design the sites for the client, then do not give them access at all or full, free reign to manage their own site, AND then - they charge them unbelievable money to make small changes. (over $1000 to add a link to the navigation? really?)<br />
<br />
Now, I'm not talking about a website that provides an interactive, multi-programming platform experience that does something AHHHHH-MAZING.<br />
<br />
And if anyone needed that - it's not something we do - it's out of my league and skill set. I'm talking about a <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-services.html" target="_blank">Wordpress site design</a>. Or a standard HTML (page by page) <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-clients.html" target="_blank">small business website</a>.<br />
<br />
For this same type of website - which we do every day - our <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html" target="_blank">website design rates</a> start at $1500.00 and go up to around $2500 - and it all depends on time involved. We post these rates directly on our website - we try to be as up-front as possible - from the start and communicate the entire way through. Of course - it can cost more - sure - but it rarely is. We do small changes, updates for our hourly rate and a two-hour minimum. And - I can get a TON done in two hours. We work hard, one on one try to include as much as we can - to give added value to our clients and do quality work, efficiently. <br />
<br />
<b>Bottom line:</b> we're nowhere NEAR $20k, $30k and even over $50k. (all of which - I have seen here LATELY - as in the last 6 months on more than 5 different local clients) Makes me wonder if our prices are that far below the ballpark? <br />
<br />
And - we don't 'host' sites and mark up that cost with another fee. We charge money for a providing a service to you. We don't need to make more money by marking up hosting. We refer our clients to our favorite <a href="http://www.hostassured.com/" target="_blank">web hosting</a> company - <b>Host Assured</b>, and then let our client set up their own account - billing and management so that they can manage that fully moving forward. Why, you ask? We find this works best on a number of levels - 1/ they can get support directly from the host and 2/ if they choose to leave us, or go with another company - they have full freedom over their website, it's content - and who has access to it. These poor companies I've been working with lately seem to be in the dark on their access and what they are paying for. That's just wrong.<br />
<br />
Of course, Kari & Co. is just me, and Kim - and a couple of other quality folks. We have some help from time to time with blogging and content, but for the most part we do all of the design work, we have a WONDERFUL programmer friend in Bangkok who is a brilliant jQuery ninja - but beyond that - what you see is what you get with us. We stay busy, we work hard and we feel we provide a quality end result at a competitive price.<br />
<br />
But I see an opportunity here. As a consultant maybe - helping clients (especially medical companies needing <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html" target="_blank">medical practice websites</a>) save money from the business terrorists. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0Dallas, TX, USA32.7801399 -96.80045109999997532.3531259 -97.44589809999998 33.2071539 -96.155004099999971tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-42858822433213216792012-10-01T15:33:00.001-07:002012-10-01T15:33:29.835-07:00New Volusion Designs - E-Commerce WebsitesWe'd like to welcome some new Volusion Designs to the internet! Of course, we prefer to work as a <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html" target="_blank">Volusion Designer</a> - because it's the shopping cart we are most familiar with. But we've also had some recent experience with <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html" target="_blank">Big Commerce Design</a> (and it is very flexible, and has lots of potential. I would like to take a stab at another one soon!) as well as Pinnacle Cart - but of all the carts out there, for the price an support, Volusion stays on top in our opinion.<br />
<br />
No, we don't work for Volusion. They don't give us kick-backs. It's just a robust tool for the money. If you're looking to sell online - Volusion is a one-stop solution. It certainly doesn't look easy at first, and it's a HUGE learning curve - but it's packed with features from email campaign management to customization and flexibility - to the fact that it's very SEO friendly. (Speaking of which, did we mention that we are now partnered with Vestal Media to provide SEO services? Learn more on our web page about <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/search-engine-optimization.html" target="_blank">Search Engine Optimization services</a>.)<br />
<br />
So pay our new clients a visit, whether you're looking for some YUMMY smelling soap, a lift chair to help with a loved one's mobility, or skin-whitening/lightening products - we've launched some new designs in the last couple of weeks that we're thrilled to share. Pay them a visit! <br />
<br />
<b>WELCOME TO THE WEB:</b><br />
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Candace and Kids Soap Company - <a href="http://www.candaceandkidssoapcompany.com/" target="_blank">Hand Poured Organic Soap</a></div>
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Tonique<a href="http://www.toniqueskincare.com/Default.asp" target="_blank"> Skin Whitening </a>Products</div>
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<a href="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/tonique-skin-whitening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/tonique-skin-whitening.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.discountliftchair.com/" target="_blank">Discount Lift Chair</a> .com</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0Dallas, TX, USA32.802955 -96.76992332.589413 -97.08578 33.016496999999994 -96.454066000000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-77908321136977223492012-08-21T05:22:00.003-07:002012-08-21T20:18:11.110-07:00Competition Sabotage? Hacker? What You Need To Know About ROBOTS.TXT and SEO<div style="text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirpPBS-YogqUO32_rHZuCiYodjHwuVTWzvf7BBxbtmOMkjQBCeawcYR91ljz9nv3iMFyPkJrKxJcP9Qdj5kcThvY54zfJaUX3vFqFWaf7QHmFcHZrH3GBBm7vdMO_IFsfvaRIHhRwoSu2u/s1600/Robots_Lonely.jpg" width="320" /> </div>
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<b>Does your site have a robots.txt file?</b> Mine does. In fact, my website has had the same robots.txt file since 2008, barring adding or removing a non-relevant directory from the search bots.<br />
<br />
<b>But suddenly - this week - my rankings for ALL my keywords on ALL search engines disappeared.</b> The nice page breakout and descriptions in search results that I had earned for services, contact and other pages that had been stewing online for the last 7 years were gone too. <i>SHIZZ NITS!
</i><br />
<br />
So Karebear started freaking out. Went into my Google Webmaster Tools to see an alert, from this last week, to inform me that Google could no longer access my site. <i>Do what? </i>I had made no changes to this file.<br />
<br />
<b>I've either been a victim of a hack, or perhaps negative SEO. </b> So let's investigate this Robots.Txt Mystery.<br />
<br />
<b>Nutshell - What is a robots.txt file?</b> This is a text file in the root directory of your site that tells Google and other search engines whether they have permission to crawl your pages. It looks something like this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
User-agent: *<br />Disallow: /directory-you-do-not-want-to-be-crawled/<br />Disallow: /file-you-do-not-want-to-be-crawled.html<br />Sitemap: http://www.yoursite.com/sitemap.xml </blockquote>
<br />
It is a best practice to have a robots.txt file, even if you allow your entire directory to be crawled.
Here's what I found last night:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
User-agent: *<br />
Disallow: / </blockquote>
<br />
This file is telling Google, and ALL other search engines - NOT to crawl ANY of my site. Disallow from the root directory onward. <i>Not good.
</i><br />
<br />
So I went into panic mode, and made some edits and am now hoping, praying that this resolves itself quickly and will be watching closely over my analytics accounts. <i>I'd like you to say a prayer too, please. :)
</i><br />
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<b>So now, my next question is - why did this file change? </b>First thing in head - could file have been hacked? Short answer - yes.
Could a competitor hack your robots.txt file? Yes, by hacking your robots.txt file so it blocks the site and then submitting a removal request to Google - your competitor could theoretically block your site from search results. <i>Entirely. </i><br />
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First, there's this article on gaining 'competitive intelligence' by r<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_663611305" target="_blank">eviewing directories of competitor websites</a>. And even better - is this story from a few years back on how a hacker used <a href="http://www.seofaststart.com/google-proxy-hacking/" target="_blank">proxy hacking</a> to effect a site other than their own. But this one, takes the cake. It's about <a href="http://www.highervisibility.com/blog/the-truth-about-negative-seo/" target="_blank">negative SEO</a> and how it can dramatically reduce your rankings on the internet. Here's an excerpt written by Scott Langdon, contributor/author from www.HigherVisibility.com:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For those who are unfamiliar, negative SEO is when one website either hacks into your website and makes negative changes, reports your website to Google for no reason, or purchases spam links and then points them to the sites of competitors. The idea is that your competitor will be penalized by Google; thus allowing your site to rise above. This is seen as unethical and in most cases it is considered worse than any of the other black hat SEO tactics.</blockquote>
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<b>What can you do? </b><br />
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Your first step is to <b>understand that robots.txt is an important file -</b> and if not done correctly, or if there is a change - it can effect your SERPS in a HUGE way. That is, eventually dropping you completely if bots can't access your content.<br />
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Then - <b>DO NOT let your robots get lonely. Or your website reporting for that matter. CHECK Analytics and Webmaster Tools Site Health regularly. </b>If you see any changes, or decrease in traffic - as usual - take appropriate measures.<br />
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<b>Use your webmaster tools to check your back links and do searches on yourself and your company.</b> People are mean, try to stay on top of them. If people are wrongly linking your site, stealing your work (I just pasted in the first paragraph of my homepage in quotes to Google and found my copy stolen VERBATIM on another web designer's site. Nice.) or trying to sabotage your efforts in some way. A good side benefit of this is also checking reviews and for online reputation management.<br />
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<b>Bottom line:</b> I'm not sure yet what happened. I only have my guesses. I'll certainly report back and let you know everything I find out. If you find you've been a victim - it could be too late as it takes time to index and rank sites. You've been working hard for your positions - and especially if you depend on your rankings for income, this can be devastating to your business. So to me - the most important part of this is to stay on top of your positioning. If you notice a drop, investigate. Check your analytics and webmaster tools regularly, and if it's been several weeks - seek the help of a professional.<br />
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<i>**UPDATE** - some nice folks on the Google Webmaster Tools Forums advised me that it is VERY rare for someone to hack your site and only change a robots.txt file. They would be doing other things, and wreaking havoc elsewhere. Negative SEO and Google Proxy stuff wasn't mentioned - and it's too over my head anyway. They did mention that the google bots 'crawl' your site and it has nothing to do with indexing. I guess this means that they just can't access the information to display, and that hopefully the index / search results will not be effected since I caught it early. They pretty much chalked it up to user error. Whatever the case - I will from now on check my rankings and analytics VERY regularly - so I can stay on top of this. </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0Dallas, TX, USA32.802955 -96.76992332.589413 -97.08578 33.016496999999994 -96.454066000000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-25781557847611889262012-06-08T08:52:00.000-07:002012-06-08T08:52:00.404-07:00Tula Hats - New Volusion Website Design<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/TULA-HATS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/TULA-HATS.jpg" /></a></div>
Kim and I enjoyed helping Alice from TulaHats.com redesign her website to fit her brand. What a cool brand it is too. Beautiful <a href="http://www.tulahats.com/Default.asp" target="_blank">straw hats</a> hand made here in Texas. Perfect for the stylish gardener, or flitting around fashionably outdoors. These <a href="http://www.tulahats.com/Default.asp" target="_blank">SPF 50+ hats</a> to protect your head, scalp and face from the sun's harmful rays. As their website says - "Sun protection never looked so good". A hat from Tula Hats makes a <a href="http://www.tulahats.com/Default.asp" target="_blank">great gift </a>for someone you love (and don't forget <a href="http://www.tulahats.com/Default.asp" target="_blank">Father's Day gift</a> coming up) or something special for yourself.<br />
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Visit them online: <a href="http://www.tulahats.com/Default.asp" target="_blank">Tula Hats</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-63141033182298021922012-06-06T08:33:00.000-07:002012-06-06T08:33:22.222-07:00New Wordpress Website Deisgn - Diva G - Texas Party Band<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/DALLAS-WEDDING-BAND.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/DALLAS-WEDDING-BAND.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong> ♫<i> </i></strong><i>I gotta feeling.... that tonight's gonna be a good night.... that tonight's gonna be a good, good night....</i><br />
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Hit the homepage of <a href="http://www.divag.com/">texas party band</a> Diva G and High Maintenance, and you'll hear them performing this hit by the Black Eyed Peas - and now, of course - it's stuck in my head!<br />
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So glad to have done a custom <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/" target="_blank">WordPress design</a> for this group - Gloria (Diva G) is SO sweet, a local <a href="http://www.divag.com/gloria-darezzo-soloistdj/" target="_blank">Dallas Ft. Worth singer</a> and their band is so fun. This lady has so much energy!! They would rock the house as your event band or <a href="http://www.divag.com/diva-g-high-maintenance-party-band/" target="_blank">wedding reception entertainment</a>. They also have a <a href="http://www.divag.com/gloria-darezzo-and-friends-smooth-jazz/" target="_blank">smooth jazz band</a>.<br />
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Gloria D'Azerro and Friends, the Band High Maintenance - thank you for your business and letting us do your new website!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0Dallas, TX, USA32.802955 -96.76992332.589413 -97.08578 33.016496999999994 -96.454066000000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-5267423922297517562012-04-15T13:58:00.003-07:002012-04-15T13:58:57.788-07:00Three Reasons You Need To Be Blogging<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGQLJ-KlKFTuPzTvC_hTKYc2Tk3gMuWUXzbB_ld9mBnt9q5-pPTspwVZUmPmsWm3Iw3bE4cnGD4hrtt-NxaqydiK3aSg_E728G1ReOc6BLKQpw7dNkVAEzSR4j3MEz7H_VfzR4B1bqMX4/s1600/KeepCalmBlogOn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqGQLJ-KlKFTuPzTvC_hTKYc2Tk3gMuWUXzbB_ld9mBnt9q5-pPTspwVZUmPmsWm3Iw3bE4cnGD4hrtt-NxaqydiK3aSg_E728G1ReOc6BLKQpw7dNkVAEzSR4j3MEz7H_VfzR4B1bqMX4/s1600/KeepCalmBlogOn.jpg" /></a></div>
With our <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/">web design</a> clients, we hear it all the time - "Why would I need to be blogging? I'm not a blogger." But in our case (for our clients) you are either selling a product or service online, or have a business that needs exposure on the world wide web. Whatever your business is, your online presence could benefit from having a blog.<br />
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<b>Reason Number Three:</b> You could be taking advantage of the opportunity to blog about yourself, your company and your products. Certainly the idea is to eventually get OTHER bloggers to blog about you, and it can seem a little self-serving to write about yourself. But truly, if you do it in a way that is informative and educational to others - specifically your client or potential client - in the form of how-to's, product reviews and tips and tricks that pertain to your industry - you'd be generating useful and relevant content. In our opinion - content about your company, if it's done without a sales-y attitude, is a great option, even if you are writing it yourself.<br />
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<b>Reason Number Two:</b> Blogs are great for SEO, in many ways. First, you gain accidental traffic to the blog, that you might not get to your website. Second, you can take advantage of this traffic by optimizing each post with a great title and tags, as well as back links to your website (keep them deep, with great anchor text keywords, and they'll be more juicy.) Whether you have a Blogger blog (like this one) where the content lives externally from your website, or a WordPress blog where the content is on your server acting as bait for the search engines - you need a blog to boost your SEO effort.<br />
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<b>Reason Number Three: </b>Blogs are great for social media. It could be your 'hub' or 'headquarters' for socially sharable content. Or, maybe it's a way for you to easily update your website with news and events about your company. Whatever your blog is used for (news, events, or socially shareable content) it all works great for Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Linked In and other social sharing sites.<br />
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Of course, your content is best suited for your clients when it comes from you. And - it's best suited when it comes regularly. Just don't have time? If you're super busy and don't have a clone to channel your thoughts to a blog post, and want someone to do it for you - Kari and Company does offer <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html">blogging service</a>s. Just sayin'.<br />
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And, since <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html">social media</a> is great exposure across the internet and certainly boosts SEO, you start falling into a never ending useful funnel of goodness that leads potential clients and new clients RIGHT to your website. That's the idea, right? Happy Blogging!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-801617748422711392012-04-06T04:09:00.004-07:002014-07-10T07:47:23.821-07:00Web Design Company Clients Support MacArthur High School After Prom Party<span style="font-weight: bold;">I am wowed by our clients! </span>Of course, without clients - we'd have no business. I am so lucky to get to be the one to design <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/">small business websites</a> for them, or even do a <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html">custom Volusion design</a> or <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html">Core Commerce design</a>, or maybe do a some <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html">social media services </a>for them. Kim and I work really hard to provide a great service, with a great end result, at a fair price - with some added value of good communication and the desire to go above and beyond. For our clients - I already knew they were amazing, but it's now confirmed - that they support us in s many ways!<br />
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As many of you know, my niece is graduating this year from the same high school Kim and I graduate<a href="http://www.nativejuicer.com/v/vspfiles/photos/PRCJ500-1.jpg"></a>d from many moons ago. Like most kids, they are getting ready for Prom, and the parties to follow. Kim took a role to support an effort to host a huge after-Prom party - sort of a lock-in - where kids can have a drug-free, alcohol-free good time at SpeedZone in Dallas. Kids attending the <a href="http://www.mhsafterprom2012.com/">MacArthur High School</a> after prom party will be able to race through the night, drinks, snacks, games and giveaways - until the sun comes up the next morning. The idea is to keep them off the streets, and off drugs and alcohol - for what should be one of the most memorable nights of their life. The alternative is often tragic, and parents decided a few years ago that after-Prom parties were a great way to protect their kids.<br />
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So - we reached out to our<a href="http://www.kariandco.com/"> web design</a> clients, because we needed financial support to pay for the venue, as well as donations and giveaways to encourage kids and volunteers to participate in this special event. We were nothing short of AMAZED at the return from our clients. <br />
<br />There are more too - coming in every day - supporting this effort in various ways. We will post more as we receive. <span style="font-weight: bold;">WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH. </span> Our most sincere thanks and appreciation go out to all of these businesses. Please take a moment to visit their websites, share their info on your social networks.<br />
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If you are interested in donating a product or service to the MHS After Prom, or making a donation, visit <a href="http://www.mhsafterprom2012.com/">www.MHSAFTERPROM2012.com</a> or contact Kim - <a href="mailto:kim@kariandco.com">kim@kariandco.com</a>.<br />
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Again - WOWED by our clients. You guys are the best in the world and we thank you!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-87455889053498716462012-03-26T07:30:00.005-07:002012-03-31T09:03:01.806-07:00Pinterest's New Terms Of Service<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMmte_qyMFqp3bNOdnmQ92kyOoo0eV2htrGBPpWu3WpXxl-OZTk983zyj_BwioxaRb6nJHgzowwcxSwHUAfJbbvvxAmjo3fKycGFK_8X0yR4UgdzASXmR0SQoQVz56bERAKb-Rk0RDfOR/s1600/pinterest.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMmte_qyMFqp3bNOdnmQ92kyOoo0eV2htrGBPpWu3WpXxl-OZTk983zyj_BwioxaRb6nJHgzowwcxSwHUAfJbbvvxAmjo3fKycGFK_8X0yR4UgdzASXmR0SQoQVz56bERAKb-Rk0RDfOR/s320/pinterest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724214062933576658" border="0" /></a>If you haven't seen Pinterest's new terms of service - <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">and</span> you're trying to use <a href="http://www.kariandco.blogspot.com/2012/02/pinterest-holding-interest.html">Pinterest business</a> - <a href="http://pinterest.com/about/use/">click here</a> to read the latest changes to the terms, privacy and use.<br /><br />If you are still unclear on what it all means, there's really nowhere to click, just yet.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why?</span> Because it's a gray area at best, when copyright is considered - since Pinterest is really not meant to be used to 'sell' images, or even process orders for sales in a commerce situation at all - but more use pinned and posted images as inspiration and shared interests. I think it was always intended to be a 'virtual vision board' if you will. And of course - in that concept, it's taken off in a grand way, and is all the buzz.<br /><br />However, image use and sharing on the internet has been a muddy situation for a long time. And I think that's what the issues really boils down to - but there's a plethora of other issues that live under this surface.<br /><br />One COULD be in violation of copyright laws for posting pics they don't own the rights to. But, most businesses and individuals would typically agree - that viral sharing on Pinterest (as long as there is not an attempt to make money off of the sharing) is mostly harmless, considering Pinterest's main audience and use, and a great way to gain exposure.<br /><br />But there are brand standards to be protected, corporate identities and marketing efforts and messages to be maintained - so while sharing and exposure is win-win (both for the images being shared and those gaining inspiration from them) the lines of marketing and branding that companies put so much money into could easily be blurred. Blurred - because posters on Pinterest have the ability to add their own comments and copy to pins. Whether it be positive or negative, and whether it be good or bad, it could definitely differ from the source's main intent of the image or message. And we don't want to mix blurry branding with viral exposure.<br /><br />For example, photographers own the rights to their images. They also want exposure. This is why they watermark their images then push out across the social media horizon. This gains them visibility for both their work and their brand (if watermarked with logo, or company name). Since they own the rights, they are allowed to push out wherever they want.<br /><br />If an image is not watermarked, and it gets pinned by someone else claiming it's their work, then that's a violation of copyright - and nobody would know the difference except the photographer who was violated.<br /><br />It'll be interesting to watch, the evolution of this new thing called Pinterest. Especially for businesses. I know this blog post is all over the map - sort of like my brain is now, after these new rules have been applied. What's even more interesting, is that Pinterest promises to develop an API, and new features - which allude to commercial or at least mass-data use of it's service. I think it's safe to say that my crazy disorganized blog post, and general confusion on the subject - is not all alone with me.<br /><br />For now, I would say keep using it for business if you are a relevant business such as beauty, fashion, crafting, artist or designer, e-commerce to the audience - <a href="http://www.kariandco.blogspot.com/2012/02/pinterest-holding-interest.html">refer to my prior article here</a> - because as long as it's inspirational, social, not for profit or commercial use, for now - I think we'll all be safe pinning.<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> 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name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-ansi-language: EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">NDKKZGRV4Y8W</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-68185558383216530122012-02-26T13:41:00.004-08:002012-02-26T13:48:57.590-08:00Logo Design For 1313 Images Photography<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUbDeoSa0AMblgWCUXQw4z4tH3gJ4WcAV2iDz5t5Eaqf3P5ZbZXM-tK5M5AP5uf6LxJVLZ2MdT-_PZE89vBnThAIUotTPoKlP8NfWY0AaSWizqrFlqHLaNoeFi-3cu1KTj62McECYicux/s1600/1313_Final.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 84px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUbDeoSa0AMblgWCUXQw4z4tH3gJ4WcAV2iDz5t5Eaqf3P5ZbZXM-tK5M5AP5uf6LxJVLZ2MdT-_PZE89vBnThAIUotTPoKlP8NfWY0AaSWizqrFlqHLaNoeFi-3cu1KTj62McECYicux/s320/1313_Final.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713563850576989314" border="0" /></a>Kara Ridgeway Janni is a local <a href="http://www.1313images.com/">photographer in Dallas/Fort Worth</a> area - and a long-time friend of mine. I was pleased to assist her with her new <a href="http://www.kariandco.com">logo design</a> - for 1313 Images Photography. Kara wanted something a bit different - a little less 'curly' and 'swirly' than you see with photographer branding these days. She has been working hard to use different color schemes, themes and styles - and brand her company a bit more modern and sleek to set herself apart.<br /><br />She specializes in family, children and senior <a href="http://www.1313images.com">portraits</a>. Kim loved spending some time with her - taking MacArthur High School Senior Gretchen Goldston’s<a href="http://www.1313images.com"> senior pictures</a> – and you can see Kara’s passion for beautiful photography and love of what she does. One of Kara’s goals for 1313 Images Photography is to help with spirited and personality exploding pictures and portraits.<br /><br />1313 Images Photography has great photography sessions and photography products that can be seen on her website – 1313images.com. You can also visit 1313 Images Photography’s Blog that has the latest and most recent photography sessions. Join 1313 Images Photography’s<br />Facebook or pin her on Pinterest! She is also offering Senior discounts –take advantage of it before it’s too late!<br /><br />To book your photography session or ask any questions, please visit -www.1313images.com or call Kara Janni at 972.754.1519.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-76179626798504247402012-02-12T09:09:00.001-08:002012-02-12T09:34:09.329-08:00Social 121 In Frisco Delicious On All Fronts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ7dFHPhSY4_z7z8ljQMmJjcUQmktID2XTsH3sW0nuuuGwPaU3QRBDw8XvpiYBDwNnLD5EZz5Bujq8ltpeOcKDQl4jciaHomrwcs66oQjen7ZcLghL2wKuFsci9VamuW2iC9BPW5IwLht/s1600/Landing_1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZ7dFHPhSY4_z7z8ljQMmJjcUQmktID2XTsH3sW0nuuuGwPaU3QRBDw8XvpiYBDwNnLD5EZz5Bujq8ltpeOcKDQl4jciaHomrwcs66oQjen7ZcLghL2wKuFsci9VamuW2iC9BPW5IwLht/s320/Landing_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708299989251538914" border="0" /></a>I've been waiting for the opportunity to visit <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/">web design</a> client <a href="http://social121.net/">Social 121</a> in Frisco, Texas. I got to go last night, for their special <a href="http://social121.net/">Valentine's Day</a> four-course dining event - and was thrilled on all fronts. The food was fantastic, the service was awesome - and what's more - is that the whole place just oozed cool, hip modernity and style.<br /><br />It's an upscale, and super-hip <a href="http://social121.net/">Frisco Texas restaurant</a> and lounge/bar/club located very conveniently right off of the intersected Highway 121 and North Dallas Tollway in the Southeast quadrant. I might have missed it if I wasn't looking for it, as it's tucked back a bit off of the service roads (if you're on the Tollway's service road, it'll be on the right, but it's easier to see, in my opinion - from the access road from 121). But once you're there - you'll never forget where it is - <span style="font-style: italic;">because it's awesome</span>.<br /><br />We enjoyed the four-course Valentine's Day special menu. Social 121 does this on certain holidays, and you can learn more about these and other events (like sports-watching events, and special dinner seatings) on their <a href="http://www.social121.net/">website</a> - or on their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/social121.plano">Facebook Fan page</a>. The sleek atmospher<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_W7mJvU2guQfPGzSiQzq06Qu3F0iqBRvrTN5k5jAayqydRwM0O_kBy4DJcy_8CWrPSIQ1uS5IL8LqxhjC2HWLOXPqd6dj3Pe-b6HUsxrkAP6QTsE_2HjL6IFRfWm4YkHqYHydPQkdViv/s1600/landing3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK_W7mJvU2guQfPGzSiQzq06Qu3F0iqBRvrTN5k5jAayqydRwM0O_kBy4DJcy_8CWrPSIQ1uS5IL8LqxhjC2HWLOXPqd6dj3Pe-b6HUsxrkAP6QTsE_2HjL6IFRfWm4YkHqYHydPQkdViv/s320/landing3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708303681701009138" border="0" /></a>e was warmed up with candles, and made even more relevant to the theme of the weekend by the Valentine's Red coloring behind the wall-length bottle storage area and on the screens all around the area.<br /><br />We got there a few minutes early and checked out the bar area, had a drink and then were seated in a cozy table where we started our meal with a salad. I had a 'Classic Caesar" - that was fantastic. Every single leaf of lettuce had just the right amount of dressing, as though the whole thing had been done piece by piece.<br /><br />We had a second course of appetizers. We all chose separate things, the mom's had Southwestern Crab Cakes, Grilled Lamb Lollipops for my husband, and I chose the Braised Short Rib Potstickers - we swapped tastes a bit, and ALL were just wonderful. I am partial to the potstickers of course, and I loved the Asian flair with the beefy twist.<br /><br />Two of us enjoyed the steak as our main course, and both of us particularly loved the Mixed-Herb Potato Pave. The other two enjoyed the bone-in pork chop - which I did get to try a taste of, and they agreed - was the most tender we'd had as far as pork chops go.<br /><br />Finally, we stuck with the program of sharability with our deserts - each ordering with intent to share a taste for experience's sake. We had bread pudding, 'love cake' and creme brulee, all of which were great. The bread pudding was moist, laced with cinnamon and the love cake had a scoop of mocha ice cream to give it an extra kick, along with a side of some awesome toffee-ish candy.<br /><br />As I said - been waiting a long time to check out Social 121. I don't live very close, although I'm not too far either. It was worth the drive and wait, and I'll be going back very soon! Thanks to owner Scott Siers and staff, for making a fun Valentine's Day event for us to treat our mom's to!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-65508090347283442342012-02-06T09:27:00.000-08:002012-02-06T09:54:44.703-08:00Pinterest Holding Interest<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPq-5mJvm3rjQwkFs4oJr4bXAZwd6BLvGYjjf2zr_PFog1gdL8IwwkTo4f4_-KUehFqMoKE3jBRyFysuFcPMsLalgJLxBR-mccZIFYY7sfEPcdyWXizs9Jj0Cv0UdgflYKjk4nQ-Evf62H/s1600/images.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPq-5mJvm3rjQwkFs4oJr4bXAZwd6BLvGYjjf2zr_PFog1gdL8IwwkTo4f4_-KUehFqMoKE3jBRyFysuFcPMsLalgJLxBR-mccZIFYY7sfEPcdyWXizs9Jj0Cv0UdgflYKjk4nQ-Evf62H/s320/images.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706082550634929986" border="0" /></a>It's the newest hottest thing on the internet - it's <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>. An online 'pin board' or, as I like to call it - a 'vision board' - where you can identify pictures, and in some cases, 'do' - things, <span style="font-style: italic;">visually</span> - as well as share and interact with others.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who uses it? </span>It appears that women, in their 30's-50's - in general, are highly addicted to Pinterest. And - with good reason. It's a gold mine for interior design ideas, recipes (here's where the DO comes into play), crafting, hobbies, hairstyles, beauty and fashion and more.<br /><br />What's great about Pinterest, is that it's not so much 'personal' - i.e. - pictures of the family dog and family outings - but things you can share freely and comment on without worry that you've barged in on someone's privacy. If it's on Pinterest, it's free for the pinning.<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Any business value? </span>For most businesses - I think that trying to incorporate Pinterest into your <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/">social media</a> strategy would depend 100% on what you do. Also - it MUST be kept friendly, light, family-friendly and social. Certain businesses just do not fall into this category, and are not a good fit for Pinterest. For example - here are some industries/businesses that would do well to consider utilizing Pinterest as a vehicle for viral exposure:<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">1/ Hair salons/independent stylists: </span>Showcase your work! Get permission from your clients to present your newest creations on Pinterest. Much inspiration for that next great hair-do comes from here.<br /><br style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">2/ Interior Designers/Artists/Designers:</span> Here's where you show off your brands, design ideas, colors, palettes, layouts and also offer great ideas to those who are crafty like to do-it-yourself. Even though they do-it-themselves - they remember where they got help and support - and if/when the time comes, maybe your name will pop back into mind. "How-tos" for art/craft projects and interior decor are a hugely searched - so participate with helpful content and gain some (real) fans.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3/ Chefs, Restaurants, Cooks:</span> Share recipes on Pinterest - it's a great source of people who cook EVERY SINGLE DAY - and like above, they'll remember where they got the recipe. What's great about Pinterest - is the viral shareability of this content. Your recipe has the potential to get shared to hundreds of people, <span style="font-style: italic;">within minutes</span>. Talk about free exposure!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4/ Photographers/Scrapbookers:</span> Pinterest is a place for the crafty!! You can not only showcase your work, but also provide those handy-well searched-how-to's to get even more exposure. Play up the holidays and special occasions - Valentine's Day, Birthdays, Weddings - as people are continually searching for ideas and maybe - vendors - for these special occasions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5/ E-Commerce: </span>If you're selling something in the world of beauty, fashion or style via an online store (of course you know we specialize in <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/">e-commerce website</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.kariandco.com/"> design</a> </span> - close shameless plug) - then Pinterest will allow you to 'pin' individual items. Do this when you get something particularly relevant to these industries, or new items - or even if you have something on sale.<br /><br />6/ <span style="font-weight: bold;">Food, Fashion Writers/Mom Bloggers</span> - ladies, unite. 'Nuff said.<br /><br />And that's not to say men aren't using Pinterest. They are. Just not like the ladies. Plus, for the most part, I know better how ladies think than I do men; and I know this is a smorgasboard of home, beauty and family inspiration. It is what it is, and right now, it's more about the women on Pinterest.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tips for using Pinterest:</span> Pin Often, pin relevant, take special care to categorize and beef up your specific boards - and add your own description to reach image. Then, share it on Facebook and Twitter, Linked In and anywhere else you can.<br /><br />There's not a lot of SEO value for Pinterest pins, because each pic pinned has an id number, and nt a real 'title' per-se - which makes sense, because there's just so much content. It's the loyal followers, share-ability and genuine inspiration that exists on Pinterest that make it so valuable.<br /><br />If you know your market, and pin for them, (and yourself) it'll be a fun and interesting way to increase exposure for your business or your name.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-3876075963107836812012-01-13T09:56:00.000-08:002012-01-13T09:56:00.272-08:00Welcome Generation Flirt - Flirty Intimates and Apparel For Women<a href="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/generation-flirt.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/generation-flirt.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Got curves, ladies?</span> Show them off with Generation Flirt intimates and tees!<br /><br />We have had a wonderful experience with Sibelle - and are so glad they hired us to be their <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/">Volusion Designer</a> – Welcome to the internet... Generation Flirt clothing! For <a href="http://www.generationflirt.com/">ladies t-shirts</a>, tanks, and super-cute undergarments for ladies - this is the place to go. <span style="font-style: italic;">Look out, Victoria's Secret!</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.generationflirt.com">Visit The Website</a> - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Generation-Flirt/211561172246046?sk=wall">Find Them On Facebook</a><br /><br />Sibelle and Josue started in their garage researching the perfect 'feeling' fabrics and even taking sewing classes – they learned all about what makes good quality clothing and what it takes in the clothing industry to be successful. <br /><br />Generation Flirt has come a long way! For GF, hard work and a labor of love has taken them to a large warehouse where all the products are now made - and we're pleased to announce - a brand new online store. (one of the PRETTIEST <a href="http://www.kariandco.com">website design</a>s we've done to date!)<br /><br />Generation Flirt clothing is for the flirty, fun and free spirit. Not only does Generation Flirt have great <a href="http://www.generationflirt.com/Swoop_Low_Tee_Shirt_s/1816.htm">form-fitting sexy tees</a> that show off your curves but there are three types you can choose from – <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.generationflirt.com/Baby_T_Flirt_Tee_Shirt_s/1815.htm">Baby T-shirts</a>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Cami</span>’s and the<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <a href="http://www.generationflirt.com/Swoop_Low_Tee_Shirt_s/1816.htm"><span style="font-style: italic;">S</span></a></span><a href="http://www.generationflirt.com/Swoop_Low_Tee_Shirt_s/1816.htm"></a><a><span style="font-style: italic;">woop low neck t-shir</span></a>t. The tees appear to be cut longer than typical - which is an asset that many women LOVE in a soft-sexy-tee!<br /><br />The Generation Flirt panties come is Sassy Chic, Playful Chic and Flirty Comfort.<br /><br />Visit Generation Flirt for some great clothes for the curves you have and want to show off! Thanks to Sibelle and Josue for their business, and Good Luck!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-55739002506065197062012-01-09T11:58:00.000-08:002012-01-09T12:06:08.632-08:00LipoGarments - Clothes To Help You Heal From Surgery<a href="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/lipogarments.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.kariandco.com/images/sitefiles/lipogarments.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>What exactly is a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lipo Garmen</span>t? We found out as we began the journey of doing a new <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-services.html">e-commerce design</a> for Lipo Garment’s <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-rates.html">new website</a> with owner, Wendy - and we got to do their new<a href="http://www.kariandco.com/web-design-services.html"> logo design</a>, too.<br /><br />Lipo Garments products are designed to physically compress a specific area of the body, to resolve pain and keep things 'in place', if you will - during recovery from cosmetic or <a href="http://www.lipogarments.com/">reconstructive surgery garments</a> such as – c-sections, <a href="http://www.lipogarments.com/Breast-Augmentation-Wrap-s/1824.htm">breast augmentation</a>s, breast reductions or <a href="http://www.lipogarments.com/Compression-Garments-s/1820.htm">liposuction</a>.<br /><br />These innovative <a href="http://www.lipogarments.com">compression garments</a> are made from light weight, stretchy and latex free fabric to assist in effective compression.<br /><br />The facial compression garment provides compression and support to surgical areas after procedures such as<a href="http://www.lipogarments.com/Facial-Compression-Wrap-s/1825.htm"> face lift</a>, chin lift, neck lift or any surgeries involving the chin or neck area. <br /><br />If you have had a recent c-section or having one, we would recommend the Abdominal Binder. Believe us when we say this, you must have this! This abdominal compression binder is a 3 panel, 9” high abdominal binder that is flannel lined. No panel rolling and is available in white. This abdominal compression binder can assist in supporting after tummy tucks, post hernia surgery, c-sections, abdominal strains and so much more!<br /><br />LipoGarments.com sells their products on the popular Volusion platform. We are pleased to have assisted in the <a href="http://www.kariandco.com">Volusion store design</a> of such a useful and helpful product. Good luck LipoGarments!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-65282227082969342212011-12-14T04:50:00.000-08:002011-12-14T04:58:51.425-08:00New E-Commerce Store Design - ModStraps.com<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpPLW2uNzUFKebpIG3_M173uUmOIDuvmhdqPDvGq8Fqb_8jUOFDUU4s8fUWh0JrGeQFLroYK_O993q99z5a2upFDQSOMHzS9Dhs7NP_In4eFZVoACzXneQB_ljTIBRiv9ArAz92koNAwj/s1600/DSLR_Sq.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpPLW2uNzUFKebpIG3_M173uUmOIDuvmhdqPDvGq8Fqb_8jUOFDUU4s8fUWh0JrGeQFLroYK_O993q99z5a2upFDQSOMHzS9Dhs7NP_In4eFZVoACzXneQB_ljTIBRiv9ArAz92koNAwj/s320/DSLR_Sq.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685966087697035474" border="0" /></a>We're excited to have helped mod. (a very modern <a href="http://www.modstraps.com">designer camera accessory</a> store) move their website to an e-commerce platform by integrating their look into a <a href="http://www.kariandco.com">Volusion store design</a>.<br /><br />mod. sells hip <a href="http://www.modstraps.com/Camera-Straps-s/1477.htm">camera straps</a>, drop-in <a href="http://www.modstraps.com/Designer-Camera-Bags-s/1814.htm">camera bags</a>, and the best accessory ever for a camera owner - a <a href="http://www.modstraps.com/product-p/cs-1.htm">camera lens cover cap saver</a> - and I must say - these straps are the best made, and the bags and especially the cap savers - are the handiest things ever made for anyone using a SLR camera or digital SLR or SLR style camera. And now, they have fun and fresh camera accessories for compact cameras as well.<br /><br />All of the mod. products make a <a href="http://www.modstraps.com">great gift for photographer</a> this holiday!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-86004158878701741362011-11-22T05:32:00.001-08:002011-11-22T05:37:49.696-08:00Park Place Dealerships Launches Company Blog<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8B5No9huqNPszLFHTDv2YwY5Seu0ZVranjBI5D0OlSxmCCip9w3zyDMCzcoNDoNpztsMssA7BR_h1PE5Mmal4ZeWKYoe80Et4dpBWDLlmbnx75bjuLkJwizmFzjWmEoG0jKPq0BUak0K/s1600/PP_BLOG.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8B5No9huqNPszLFHTDv2YwY5Seu0ZVranjBI5D0OlSxmCCip9w3zyDMCzcoNDoNpztsMssA7BR_h1PE5Mmal4ZeWKYoe80Et4dpBWDLlmbnx75bjuLkJwizmFzjWmEoG0jKPq0BUak0K/s320/PP_BLOG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677813883973310482" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.parkplace.com/">Park Place Dealerships</a> announced the launch of its automotive blog, referred to as "The Expert Blog" following the lead of the company tagline, “Experts in Excellence”.<br /><br />The blog is designed to provide weekly tips, photos, videos and news/articles on Park Place luxury automotive brands, location news, new and used car sales and service research, as well as local community and event stories. Content will be developed from Park Place members who are truly experts in their respective positions within the dealership. The Expert Blog will provide a platform where members and clients can share and interact with the contributed content.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/">blog design</a> makes efficient use of advanced drop down navigation, and interactive and social media widgets designed and developed by a partnership between us, and Lee Chestnutt of Design Chemical. Developed on the popular <a href="http://www.kariandco.com/">WordPress blog</a> platform - social media widgets will help make the content more interactive and shareable. We had a vision for a ultra-beautiful and highly-usable blog, and the dynamic <a href="http://www.designchemical.com/">WordPress mega menu</a>s conceptualized by us, and brought to fruition by Lee - are a huge part of what takes this blog 'over the top'. Thank you Lee!!<br /><br />Over the last several months, Park Place has made a large effort in increasing exposure across social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, and Pinterest. The addition of the blog will make relevant and interesting company and brand news easily accessible to readers. This social media initiative is expected to continue as the company realizes the increasing need for social media interactions and exposure for clients and members. To view the Park Place “Expert Blog” please visit <a href="http://blog.parkplace.com/">http://blog.parkplace.com</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513745100329635254.post-2308341101955382492011-09-09T07:48:00.000-07:002011-09-09T07:57:52.938-07:00Saving Taxpayer Money - Lightening The Load On Jail Cells<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.e-cell.com/images/courts.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 205px; height: 188px;" src="http://www.e-cell.com/images/courts.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Pretty cool concept - new site launch this last week - <a href="http://www.e-cell.com/index.shtml">E-Cell</a> - is an <a href="http://www.e-cell.com/index.shtml">offender home monitoring</a> system. What's great about E-Cell - is that they charge the offender for the convenience of being monitored at home. So the costs to Taxpayers and court systems are extremely minimal - if any - and suffering from <a href="http://www.e-cell.com/">jail overcrowding</a> declines.<br /><br />These guys have a state-of-the art call center and the best equipment available (as far as technology) - they provide <a href="http://www.e-cell.com/index.shtml">24 hour GPS monitoring</a> for non-violent offenders who meet eligibility requirements - and complete documentation for the court system.<br /><br />And - what's more - is that E-Cell needs sales representatives interested in having their own business. They're offering a <a href="http://www.e-cell.com/index.shtml">business opportunity</a> for great sales people to have their own, protected area to service court, attorneys and offenders nationwide to sell and service the E-Cell system (both the devices and monitoring services).<br /><br />For more information on the system itself, or the business opportunity in your area, visit their website at www.e-cell.com for more information.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00499070789617212233noreply@blogger.com0