Friday

I haven’t been writing much in my blog.  First, we had the holidays and then I caught the flu.  Now that i am feeling back to my old self it was time to post again.

Things are going well at I-Tul, I have started my new weekly newsletter “The I-Tul Link”.  If you are not currently receiving it, let me know and I will add you to the mailing list.

What are your internet/marketing plans for the new year?  We are planning on releasing our new web site, expanding our internet marketing and continue to improve our online portal.  If you are in the planning/budgeting stages, now is a great time to get together.  We can help you plan your technology and internet marketing projects for 2009.

Have a good weekend and I will write more next week.

.Tel Coming Soon

.Tel domains are coming soon and I-Tul is an official reseller.

.Tel is a new top level domain (like .com) that will act as an internet directory.  This way, you an publish your phone, email, web site, address and much more in an international standard format.

Open registrations will begin first quarter 2009 and I will post more information as it is ready.  Meanwhile, if you are interested, let me know.

Web Hosting Q & A

What is web hosting?
Web hosting is renting space on a web server where your web site lives.  Web hosting often includes hosting of email accounts, databases and software applications, like blogs.

Are my web host and my ISP the same thing?
No, your ISP is your internet service provider and they connect your home or office to the internet.  Your web host is a spate service.

How much does web hosting cost?
The cost depends on the type of service.  For most people a shard hosting account will be the best choice for hosting web site and email. Shared hosting can be based on Windows or Linux.  Both options are 17.95 a month.

I-Tul also hosts Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and Dedicated servers.  These are the best choices for high-traffic site, line of business applications and other zero down time and load balanced needs.

Does it matter who hosts my site?
Yes, your host matters because this relates to the services provide, how fast your site loads, and the kind of customer service you receive.  Also, on occasion I hear horror stories of hosts that hold sites captive.  Be sure to choose a host, like I-Tul, that is professional and ethical.

How can I set up a new account?
You can easily set up a new account through our online portal at http://my.i-tul.com.

End of year

What are your end of year plans?

So many of our clients are starting to make their business end of year plans and to start making goals for 2009.  If your plans involve your site or online marketing, come in and talk to I-Tul.  Let us know your business goals and wwe cna help form the technology plan to get there.

Internet Marketing: From site updates to complete managed plans, we have the experience you need to get your site the traffic you want. Traffic that will mean sales.

Hosting & Email: Have a new site, new domain name, more email, an email newsletter? We have the tools that integrate together to make managing your hosting and email easy.

Development: Ready to  automate, integrate and otherwise hit the gas pedal on your operations?  I-Tul can build a system to manage your operations from online sale, internal tracking  and billing (even QB integration).  All you need to know is the goal, we will help you make the plan.

Ready to Start? Call Amanda Hart at 916-749-1500 ext: 105 nd we will work with you to make your goals for 2009 come true.

Monday

Monday – The start of another week, another marathon.  This is going to a be a good week.  We have some new staff joining the development team, new projects starting and new releases.  All in All, a lot to look forward to.

I started Bikram Yoga and choose the place because they were easily found on the Internet.  I had heard about another, close place. But, after several searches I could not locate them.  So, I went to the place I found easily, with good content so that I felt comfortable, directions and an online class schedule.  The class was full.  One more example of how a solid internet presence can help bring in the customers you need.

What did you do this weekend? Did you use the web? Get directions on Google?

I-Tul’s New Portal

Our new portal has been up for about a month now.  Although there were a few bumps, the roll out has been great.  Now, clients can manage their accounts online.  No more faxing!

We have been getting some very good feedback but as the portal becomes less “new” and more standard, please don’t stop the feedback.  Let me know what you like and what you don’t.  That way, we can constantly improve and make sure we are providing the best service possible.

I-Tul Customer Portal: http://my.i-tul.com

How you want things…

I have been working in the tech field since 1993, 15 years.  One of the things that has been a constant is the varying tastes, styles, preferences and mores of people.  Some people want lots of detail, others high level only.  Some people want to learn, others just want it done.  Some want highly detailed sites, others minimalist.

With all the variations, there are definitely some camps.  IE: for most options, people fall into 2-3 major categories.  One of the main categories is uniqueness: Some people think their needs are utterly unique, others think their needs are representative of everybody else.  Both are wrong.

The important thing is to know what you want.  When it comes to web sites and custom software, our job is to take our client’s vision and turn it into reality.  We do this by translating needs, vision and dreams into business requirements and then defining a programming spec to those requirements.

My job is translation.  And, on good days, I think I am very good at it. 

Clients don’t need to worry about saying the wrong things or controlling the process.  I can work through either very vague or quite detailed information and define the requirements in a logical, methodical way.  Frankly, the only time it is hard is when a client tries to control the process too much.  By that I mean that they won’t let the translation happen.  They insist on their words, their work-flow.  Often, the results are not very effective from an application stand-point.  Luckily, that is very rare.

People want what they want.  I know, I am the same way.  When working with a web developer or application programmer, just tell them your needs and let them translate it into their own world.  If someone says “I need to be able to step in, at any point, to an issue with my customers”, I will start designing a process that includes communication history, change auditing, and alert triggers.

No matter what camp you are in, finding a development team you can communicate with effectively will be the most important part of a successful project.  As long as you know your business, we know how to build the infrastructure to support it.

Portal – Buy domain names

Now, using the I-Tul Client Portal you can buy new domain names and add them to your account.  I love this feature.  If you have a new initiative, marketing campaign or business, it is easier than ever to manage your names with I-Tul.

Also, for the entrepreneurs, sign up for our Power User account.  For $32.95 a month, you can host up to 5 accounts.  Each with full CPanel access, robust web statistics, unlimited email accounts and mySQL databases.  Grow your empire with I-Tul. 

Busy week

This is shaping up to be a busy week.  If all goes as planned, we will have 3 new releases: A new dynamic membership site; a mobile device enabled home page; and an easy to use online application and a work flow management application which will manage a client’s business for all employees and all projects.

These are all exciting projects and each has some interesting and innovative features.   I will write more about each project as they go live.

March of Dimes

I want to thank everyone who helped my fund raising campaign for the March of Dimes.  Together, we raised $1,200!