Customized Marketing » General

Microsoft: Take a Lesson From Apple

admin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:11:19 +0000

So, when Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 was released, I purchased the Home and Student version which comes with 3 product keys from Amazon. Only one problem: there is no Outlook. If you wanted Outlook, you had to buy the Business version. When you load the home and student software, they suggest you try the Trial version of Outlook, which I did. It expired, so I decided to upgrade. Sounds simple enough, right?

Well you can upgrade for $99 and get only 1 product key. I was upset that I couldn’t do the upgrade on the 3 products keys, but it took me 45 minutes on the phone with several Microsoft employees and supervisors to decide that I would finally upgrade with 1 key. I then tried to purchase online for 4 hours. In between, I called Microsoft and asked for help since their website would just spin and spin and could not complete the transaction. I got put on hold after being shuffled to 4 people. Each took my phone number “in case we get disconnected” and I had to reiterate my story each time. The last person put me on permanent hold, and disconnected me completely, but never called me back.

You may wonder at this point why I wanted Outlook. I had already imported and customized my email(several issues, but all ultimately resolved). I finally decided that perhaps the browser was the probelm, so tried Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. Finally got connected and purchased, but this experience has made me even more of a hater.

After talking to 9 different Microsoft customer service people, I finally had to resolve the problem myself. In all my years of using Apple customer service, I have never had any issues even remotely resembling this. So Microsoft, perhaps you need to take a lesson from a company that provides excellent customer service and keeps their customers coming back to buy more.

Losing the Weight – Part II

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:15:47 +0000

This is an update to Part I of this topic…

As mentioned, I got the Macbook Air despite my qualms. Now, after 2 months of using this sexy featherweight, I am even happier with the purchase. I have been traveling a great deal, and I can stick it inside the carry on bag in a neoprene sleeve. Pops in and out at security.

I thought I would still continue to bring the MB Pro 15″ to the office so I had a little more juice and the larger screen, but lo and behold, that Air goes everywhere with me. In fact, the MacBook Pro 15 has essentially become my desktop computer and I never even unplug it from the Dell 24″ Ultrasharp monitor (still waiting for the Apple 27″ LCD). If I am computing around the house, the featherlight Air is the computer of choice. It is speedy with the solid state drive (don’t consider not getting that!) and performance is great for such a little dynamo.

Here is how I travel with the air:

Air in neoprenene sleeve by inCase this is great since super thin and light. You can get through airport security without removing from the sleeve as mentioned above. If you do pack cables or accessories with the computer, you will have to remove it from the case.
Mouse – Apple Magic Mouse – nice bluetooth slim companion.
USB flash drive, portable SD card reader
Charging cable for phone, iPad, iPod Touch
A/C adapter (don’t forget this!)

To summarize, I was infatuated with the Air when I first got it, but now it is True Love!

No More iPad Envy

admin — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:07:37 +0000

Sad, but true – I finally succumbed to the iPad. This is not your normal iPad lovefest review, but it may help you make a decision about purchasing an iPad.

I resisted for a LONG time (at least for me). This started by convincing myself that I really didn’t need an iPad since I like to travel light and was happy with my iPod Touch and MacBook Air. For those who can travel without a computer, the iPad is great, but I need to be able to access corporate VPN, do website work and unfortunately, I need a computer for that.

Once I finally decided to purchase, I found out that it was almost impossible to get one quickly, and had both a good and bad experience, but that is the topic of another blog post ( – my first bad experience in my “happy place”).

What I love:

Video is spectacular
Words With Friends is so much better than on the iPod Touch
Photos
Web Surfing

What is suprising:

It is turning out to be a good “at home gadget”
Really enjoy using when on the ellipical
The lack of good apps (not using an iPod app at 2x size with lousy resolution).
iBooks is a very elegant app

What needs improvement:

Availability of decent cases – supposedly the Apple one is good, but mine has been on order for a couple of weeks, and haven’t received yet.
Not that much easier to transport than the Macbook Air, with a lot of sacrifice of applications
Multitasking
Need books at a reasonable price and more selection

What are your thoughts on the iPad?

Apple Customer Service

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 03:15:19 +0000

Once I finally decided to purchase an iPad, I found out that it was almost impossible to get one quickly. I ordered on line (said 7-10 days before it shipped with no expedited options). I also went into the Apple store and ordered one. That is a great system. When it comes in, they email you and you have 24 hours to claim it. It only took 48 hours to get my email – ” Congratulations your 64GB Wifi iPad is here”. Wow – that was fast. Canceled the online order and headed to the Apple Store. Good customer service, but then, I had my first truly awful experience at the Apple Store. It started out when I mentioned that the sync cord looked the same as the iPod. She said, “no, it is different”. I said “it looks the same”. She said, “it is different inside”. Huh?

They said in the email that they could help you set up your email, etc. I decided to take advantage of this since I have never had trouble getting my email on my Touch, but have had terrible problems with sending email. She proceeded to try to help me, and could not get it working.. I asked if she could get someone else to help, and she returned from the back saying that Road Runner email won’t work in the store – just at my house. I said that I had problems with my email on the Touch even at home, and didn’t plan to spend $700 for an iPad where I couldn’t send email. We then proceeded to try a pop email account from my website. That didn’t work either. She seemed reluctant to get any help, suggested that I call Apple from home??? I said fine, but I want something in writing that says that if I can’t get the email to send, I could return the iPad without a restocking charge. She said – “Okay, Mike (store manager) knows about this”. I said I needed it in writing. She went to the back and returned with his business card with nothing written on it. Wow – I am sure that would have really helped me. At this point, I asked to speak with Mike. After a short wait, Mike arrived and did not appear to know anything about the situation. He was nice and got a Genius to help me. The store had closed at this point (I was there 45 minutes thus far), so the Genius (who was knowledgeable) was able to give me some quick help so that I could finish at home. I asked him about the sync cord, which he confirmed WAS the same as the iPod Touch. So, in the end, I was okay, but it ruined my previously unmarred impression of my “happy place”. iPad review is up next.

Why Go to BlogWorld?

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 01:22:19 +0000

All About BlogWorld

BlogWorld & New Media Expo will be hosting the 4th annual Conference October 14-16, 2010 in Vegas. Having attended 2 previous BlogWorlds, I can give you the inside skinny on why you must be there and some helpful advice for attending.

Why Go?

Simply put, you can’t get this much value for the investment any other way. In the past, I have had a chance to attend sessions with industry leaders like Jeremy Schoemaker (Shoemoney), Darren Rowse, Brian Clark, Chris Brogan, and Stephan Spencer. Add in keynotes from Gary Vaynerchuk and Tim Ferris, and I got enough inspiration to get my blogging and social media skills kicked into high gear for some time. It is not the same as sitting in front of your computer reading blogs and tweeting! The networking opportunities are terrific. Everyone is approachable and friendly.

Don’t Skip Thursday

The Thursday sessions are focused on corporate blogging, podcasting, social media and use of new media technology in business environments. There is a much smaller attendance for this day which requires a full access pass. Do not miss this day’s events. The setting is more intimate for networking before the masses arrive, and you won’t be disappointed. In 2008, Guy Kawasaki and Steve Rubel spoke during the luncheon (which is included in the price).

Twitter During the Event

Every room is equipped with a huge screen in the front that shows the latest twitter feed with the #BWE hashtag. It is non-stop tweeting including to the speakers during the sessions!

The Trade Show

The trade show portion is an added bonus. You get to meet a diverse group of vendors and check out new products. Of course, be sure to have room in your suitcase for all the SWAG you will get.

Other Advice

Wear comfortable shoes. Lots of walking on concrete. Consider not carrying your computer around unless you have a lightweight machine. Bring your camera, digital recorder and/or flip camera. You won’t want to miss opportunities to record the important moments.

If you want to attend parties, tweetups, and more, be sure to sign up for all facebook groups and follow other attendees on twitter right before the event.

The hotel prices are very aggressive this year. I prefer to stay at the Renaissance because it is so close to the South Hall, but the Hilton and Courtyard have really low pricing.

Be Sure To Sign Up Early for Price Breaks

Click here and use coupon code TWEET20 for 20% off sale. Hope to see your there! Tweet to @custommarketing or comment below to let us know if your are attending!

Special thanks to Rick, Libby, Dave, et al for a great event.

Losing the Weight Part I

admin — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:26:55 +0000

Yes, we have to be connected at all times. We must be available when our client has a website issue, or just needs a quick fix, but it really can be a drag to lug around that 15″ MacBook Pro and related accessories when traveling. Not saying that I don’t love the Beast, but it can weigh you down.

Recently, I finally succumbed to a MacBook Air. I resisted for a long time because I thought the slower processor and lack of a CD/DVD drive as well as only 2 GB of RAM would cramp my style. I had no idea how I would cram my files and programs onto such a small hard drive.

Well, I am pleased to report that the experience is beyond my expectations. My Air has the following specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 1066MHz frontside bus
2GB Memory
128GB solid-state drive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics

The Pros

The solid state drive is so speedy that programs open and close in an instant.
It is tiny, and can fit into other bags when traveling.
It is a sexy computer that is fun to use.

The Cons

The small size of the hard drive was troubling. No way to fit the iTunes Library. I had to use VMWare Fusion with Windows so I could use my VPN and exchange email, and the smallest I could get the virtual machine down to was 38GB.
No way to watch a DVD while traveling.
No built in ethernet (there is an adapter) or SD card reader, and only one usb port.

I figured out a way to utilize this beauty and be extremely happy with my purchase. In my next post, I will tell you how I solved some of the dilemmas mentioned in the Cons, and what accessories and apps I use to stay connected.

Quickie Post Housekeeping

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:38:05 +0000

Don’t Post So Quickly That You Forget to….

What is the biggest problem with the “quickie post”? It is the few little things that the author might forget to do from a housekeeping standpoint that hinder the SEO of a site or embarrass you later. So you decided to do a really quick post on the run (or by mobile). You enter the text and add an image perhaps, and think you are good to go.

Wrong!

Did you check your permlink (especially if you fiddled with your title)? Add a category? Add your tags? Check your spelling (come on – that one is easy, and we all make typos, so don’t skip this)? Modify anything necessary in All in One SEO?

Just for laughs and giggles, look at your Edit Posts list and see how many post are missing tags or categories. Can you all raise your hands and say that you have nothing missing?

Housekeeping aside, a clean blog is a good blog.

Favorite Tools for Web Design

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:25:50 +0000

I am frequently asked what tools I use for web design. Many of the add-ons and plugins that I use are free and you might want to investigate for your own use if you don’t already use them.

Hardware, etc.:

Macbook Pro 3.06 8GB RAM(upgrading the RAM to 8GB makes all the difference in the world!), Dell 24″ LCD, Apple wireless keyboard and magic mouse
Rain Design M stand – raises the MB Pro to right height to use as 2nd monitor with the Dell, cools the Mac, and gives me a little space underneath for stuff
Harmon Kardon Speakers – you gotta have good sounds when coding!
Nikon Coolpix P6000 Camera – you can see some photo samples here

Apps, Tools, and Misc.:

Evernote (use the free version for internet version, desktop app and iPod Touch app)
Filezilla (free FTP client)
Skype (I use the $30 annual version so I can make outgoing calls to clients that don’t use Skype)
Bluehost – my favorite hosting. Really cheap, but reliable, and you get to talk to someone knowledgeable 24-7 for support. The more I use other services that my clients have, the more I love Bluehost.

Software:

WordPress
Operating System – Snow Leopard
Adobe Design Premium CS4
Microsoft Office for Mac

Free Browser Add-ons for Firefox (I use lots of others, but these are more specific to web design):

Premium Themes to modify:

Woo Themes addict (also a Woo Affiliated Worker and Beta tester)
Thesis

What do you use? Pls comment with your setup and any suggestions!

Free Income Blogging Guide

admin — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:32:15 +0000

Well, my pal Joel, is at it again. He has recently unveiled his new income blogging guide and you can get it for free here.

If you want to discover:

- The 2-step process you need to choose a proven money-making niche…get it wrong and you’ll never make any money

- The 3 golden rules of keyword analysis…get one rule wrong and ALL your future efforts are wasted.

- The exact step-by-step methods to find the best domain name for your blog …99% of bloggers miss this crucial “Search Engine Optimization” step

- How to install WordPress in under 1 minute (as long as you choose the right hosting company)

- Step-by-step guides and images of each ‘must-have’ plugin you must install on your blog (plus all the tweaks necessary – it is not just a matter of installing)

- The 2 steps you need to take to get Google to index your blog…and don’t believe all the hype…they take no more than 10 minutes to complete

- Don’t be one of those blog owners whose blog is ‘hacked…follow these 6 tasks that keep 99% of hackers at bay

- How to add pages, posts and images the right way, to pick up Google “link-juice” and without being penalised for duplicate content

- To launch your blog, what’s the optimum number of blog posts you should have? The answer may surprise you.

- How to write blogs posts so that your visitors think “I like this person, they know what they are talking about. I wonder what else they have to say” …and return time and time again

- How to write a good title for a blog post and why “Here are the top 20 tips for XXXX” is a no-no.

- The 5 quickest and easiest ways to start making a blog income…including the step-by-step approach

- How to split your working day into the 3 crucial elements of making money via blogging

- The 3 traits of a successful blogger…do you have them?

Then grab the free guide by clicking here: Free Guide Free

Massive Collection of Over 1,300 Free Icon Sets

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:20:30 +0000

Okay, I admit it. I am a compulsive collector of free icons (and some paid ones). Just always have to have one more set for the arsenal, and I have been known to stockpile. What you have here is a list of some beautiful icon sets and many posts that have collections of icons for social media, web functions and applications. All told there are over 1300 sets of free icons for you to bookmark or download. Some of the compilations repeat sets, but I didn’t eliminate them if they had some unique sets that were worth noting.

Think of these sets as a good excuse to download a few and spice up a website or blog for free. Don’t look like everyone else! Hope you will retweet and share this post and please leave comments of sets I missed. Always looking for more. Thanks to those of you that put together some of these ensembles.

Royalty Free Icons & Clipart Stock Images ~ Icons Etc.

33 Free HD Icon Sets designed for Web

100+ Free Twitter Icon Sets

200+ Free Exclusive RSS Icons: “Supra” | Webdesigner Depot

21 Best Icon Sets for Designing Web Apps | Web Design Ledger

29 Free Stunning Web Icons Sets To Enhance Your Web Design | Onextrapixel – Showcasing Web Treats Without Hitch

33 Killer Web Icon Sets for Free – Web.AppStorm

365+ Free Best Twitter Icons And Buttons | Freebies | PelFusion.com

40 (NEW) High-quality and Free Icon Sets | Noupe

40 Extremely Beautiful Icon Sets Hand-picked from deviantART – Noupe

40 Free and Useful GUI Icon Sets for Web Designers | Icons

50 of the Best Ever Web Development, Design and Application Icon Sets : Speckyboy Design Magazine