http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/Bennaco A listing of works published by Bennaco in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Bennaco http://tc.eserver.org/25942.html http://tc.eserver.org/25942.html Whether you're spending a few hundred dollars, or thousands of dollars, on your website, you should have a written agreement with your web designer. Here's what to include. http://tc.eserver.org/25937.html http://tc.eserver.org/25937.html What this all means is that when web users can't find what they want in Google, they should not automatically assume that they're at fault. At present, Google is heavily weighted. http://tc.eserver.org/25931.html http://tc.eserver.org/25931.html Well-designed customer surveys can yield valuable information for your business. Unfortunately, though, a poorly worded survey can set you marching off in exactly the wrong direction. Below are some tips on designing surveys to get reliable, useful data. http://tc.eserver.org/25933.html http://tc.eserver.org/25933.html Brochures are good for some things but not others. The key to not wasting your money is to understand what brochures do well, and what they don't do well. http://tc.eserver.org/25935.html http://tc.eserver.org/25935.html A common observation of clients who're reading first drafts of the work they've ordered is that, 'You said that once already, so we can take this sentence out.' In fact, a certain amount of redundancy helps to get the point across. http://tc.eserver.org/25949.html http://tc.eserver.org/25949.html In business circles, the value of brochures is a topic of endless debate. Are they effective marketing tools, or a waste of time and resources? The answer is that it depends very much on how they're designed. http://tc.eserver.org/25951.html http://tc.eserver.org/25951.html Some web designers will try to convince you that your website has to have the latest multimedia technology to be successful. Is it true? http://tc.eserver.org/25941.html http://tc.eserver.org/25941.html If you're thinking about getting, or updating, a website, chances are that you'll run into a web designer who will try to sell you on the idea of a 'dynamic site.' Here's what you need to know in order to decide if such an approach is for you. http://tc.eserver.org/25950.html http://tc.eserver.org/25950.html Does your job involve writing? Here's a surefire recipe for bringing on writer's block and making the whole process seem so onerous that you'll vow never to put pen to paper again. http://tc.eserver.org/25952.html http://tc.eserver.org/25952.html For a business website to grab the attention of prospective customers, the prospective customers have to see it. Simplistic as this sounds, it's a principle that some businesses overlook. They have a website built, but never check to see how visible that site is to their target market. This article helps you to assess how visible your site is in searches, and explains a simple way to improve site visibility. http://tc.eserver.org/25946.html http://tc.eserver.org/25946.html Do you sell over the Internet? If you do, and if your goal is to develop a long-lasting, trusting relationship with your customers, here are some things to avoid doing. And if you're buying over the Internet, here are some things to watch out for. http://tc.eserver.org/25956.html http://tc.eserver.org/25956.html Knowing what to ask for is half the battle. Use this short quiz to test your knowledge of some basic issues involved in getting an effective website. http://tc.eserver.org/25953.html http://tc.eserver.org/25953.html Ever had an e-mail message go missing in cyberspace? With about half the e-mail messages sent daily being spam, it's no wonder that Internet Service Providers are installing spam blocking software. But are your legitimate messages being blocked too? Find out how to avoid triggering spam alerts with your everyday mail. http://tc.eserver.org/25936.html http://tc.eserver.org/25936.html It is still a good idea to increase the number of links to and from sites that are relevant to your own. http://tc.eserver.org/25948.html http://tc.eserver.org/25948.html On a website, certain areas carry more value than the rest of the site, just by virtue of their location. To have an effective site, it's crucial to know where these areas are and what belongs in them. http://tc.eserver.org/25934.html http://tc.eserver.org/25934.html We're on the verge of a similar revolution in the area of website maintenance. http://tc.eserver.org/25945.html http://tc.eserver.org/25945.html If you're selling on the web, you want marketing copy that will entice potential customers to buy. There are currently two schools of thought on effective marketing copy: one group advocates 'long, detailed, and chatty' copy, while the other favors copy that's 'short, objective, and to the point.' Which approach is right for you? http://tc.eserver.org/25957.html http://tc.eserver.org/25957.html Practical advice for anyone trying to find a good web designer. A few semi-technical topics, but mostly plain English pointers. http://tc.eserver.org/25940.html http://tc.eserver.org/25940.html Not only should your website be clear on what your company delivers, it should also indicate what you do not deliver. Below are some tips for achieving this clarity. http://tc.eserver.org/25932.html http://tc.eserver.org/25932.html As an information source, the Internet is amazing. No matter what the topic, chances are you can find out all about it on the 'net. However, as the information haystack gets bigger, finding that crucial needle of data can become a frustrating challenge. Here are some simple tips for finding what you want. http://tc.eserver.org/25947.html http://tc.eserver.org/25947.html As businesses search for ways to minimize web development costs, some will consider the use of predesigned web templates. Are these templates a true value or a false economy? It depends. Here's what you should know if you're considering buying a template package. http://tc.eserver.org/25955.html http://tc.eserver.org/25955.html A substantial number of people use search engines to find goods and services that interest them. Incredibly, though, many web designers don't pay much attention to designing sites to rank well in searches. This means that in order to protect your investment in your website, you need to know what has to be done to get good rankings, and how to make sure that your designer has done it. http://tc.eserver.org/25954.html http://tc.eserver.org/25954.html A substantial number of people use search engines to find goods and services that interest them. This second half of a two-part article explains how to make sure that your web designer has set up your site so search engines will like what they see and rank you high. http://tc.eserver.org/25944.html http://tc.eserver.org/25944.html If a brochure is ineffective, it's rarely the fault of an awkward phrase or unexciting adjective. Most paper-based brochures that fail, fail right in the planning stages. This article presents one method of organizing information for a three-panel (2-fold) 8  by 11 brochure. http://tc.eserver.org/25943.html http://tc.eserver.org/25943.html If a brochure is ineffective, it's rarely the fault of an awkward phrase or unexciting adjective. Most paper-based brochures that fail, fail right in the planning stages. The second half of this article discusses some common brochure design problems and how to fix them. http://tc.eserver.org/25939.html http://tc.eserver.org/25939.html Your website serves as an opportunity to give your new contacts a deeper understanding of what your business can do for them. http://tc.eserver.org/25938.html http://tc.eserver.org/25938.html When it comes to the look and feel of a web site, it can be hard to communicate to your web designer what you want. This brief quiz/guided tour will help you to identify your basic preferences.