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The Promotion World Informer 

Issue #64      April 5, 1999 

 

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This issue of the Informer is sponsored by: 

 

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              ANSWER THE "I'M ON THE INTERNET"  

                    BUSY PHONE LINE PROBLEM 

   and MAKE MONEY as an "Internet Call Manager" Affiliate 

                ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Internet Call Manager is the patented Internet Call Waiting/Caller ID  

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Millions of people NEED this service - YOU can share the profits. 

Find out at http://www.internetcallmanager.com/agents/advprowrld 

 

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Contents Of This Issue: 

 

        - Editor's Notes 

        - Cool Quotes 

        - Friendly Advice from the Editor 

        - Building An Internet Community 

        - Sponsor Message 

        - Bookmarkable Bookmarks 

        - The Discussion Board 

        - What's New At Promotion World 

        - Website Usability 

        - A Small Request 

        - Misc. Information 

 

=========================== Editor's Notes ====================== 

 

I hope you have all had a good Easter long weekend! 

 

Remember that contest that I mentioned last week? You can win 25,000 

impressions on the LinkBuddies Network at 

<http://www.linkbuddies.com/start.go?id=100041> just for linking to 

Promotion World! At any rate, I was quite surprised when I only received 

about a dozen entries. I had expected to be inundated!  

 

This means that there is more of a chance that you win the big prize. Enter 

today! <http://www.promotionworld.com/contest.html> 

 

On a more successful note for me, there have been several hundred downloads 

of the offline version of my tutorial. Have you read it yet? It is an 

excellent way for beginners (and even not so beginners) to learn the basics. 

 

To receive it in your e-mailbox, just send mail to: 

 

        mailto:part1@promotionworld.com  <-- Part I 

        mailto:part2@promotionworld.com  <-- Part II 

 

This issue has a bit of everything... especially featuring quite a few links to 

other resources. Should be ideas to keep you going for some time! 

 

As to the Building An Internet Community article, I know, I know, I have 

included several articles on this subject. But it is such an important subject  

that you can never read too much about it. It is also good to get another  

writers perspective. So... don't just skip over it! 

 

The Informer is sent only to those who have expressly requested it.  

If you no longer wish to receive it, simply follow the simple  

unsubscribe instructions at the end of this newsletter. 

 

============================ Cool Quotes ======================== 

 

        Morning breaks upon the tomb, 

        Jesus scatters all its gloom. 

        Day of triumph through the skies-- 

        See the glorious Saviour rise. 

 

        Christians! Dry your flowing tears, 

        Chase those unbelieving fears; 

        Look on his deserted grave, 

        Doubt no more his power to save. 

 

        Ye who are of death afraid, 

        Triumph in the scattered shade: 

        Drive your anxious cares away, 

        See the place where Jesus lay.  

                - Collyer 

 

Download all the past Cool Quotes by sending any email to 

<mailto:quotes@promotionworld.com&> Enjoy! 

 

================= Friendly Advice from the Editor ================= 

 

Today I am going to give you a number of "odds and ends" when it come to tips. 

 

Are you an Amazon associate? If so you only earn 5% commissions when your 

visitors visit Amazon, via a search link on your site. You may have some 

direct links to a number of titles, which will earn you 15% commission. 

However, I have found a very nifty program that will let you earn 15% on all 

sales, whatever kind of link they are.  

 

And no, Amazon isn't against the idea. It's free, as well. Have a look at  

<http://www.eboz.com/collator.html> 

 

Here's and interesting new service. It's called the Lord of the Links. Its a 

reciprocal linking program- with a twist. I recommend you at least have a 

look at it... it's free. Learn more about it at 

<http://www.promotionworld.com/reviews/lldemo.html> 

 

Speaking of the Lord of the Links, I was recently in bed sick and had a great  

time reading the classic Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I am sure you have 

already read it, but if not you really must. Its a classic. It is also only  

$19.17 at Amazon. Here is the affiliate link to it provided by one of my good 

friends: 

<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345340426/duncanjohnsondev> 

 

Be sure to check out Eboz's 101 Web Design Tips. I was just browsing through it  

the other day, and there are some things in there that I never would have  

thought of! <http://www.eboz.com/101_web_design_tips.html> 

 

That's about all for this weeks "Editor's Advice" section! I will try to have a  

proper article for you all next week. 

 

Joshua 

Editor/webmaster/ad sales guy/everything else at Promotion World. 

<http://www.promotionworld.com> 

 

================ Building An Internet Community ================= 

 

Building An Internet Community 

by Renee Kennedy 

 

What is an "Internet Community"? 

 

The definition of community is "a body of people living in the same place under  

the same laws; hence an assemblage of people living in a common home under  

similar conditions."  

 

Think about your community in the "real world". Do you live in a town or a city? 

Do you have a group of people within that town that you communicate and interact 

with? Why do you choose these particular people to interact with? On a general  

level, you are probably interacting with the same people because you share  

common interests.  

 

For example, if you are a college student studying engineering, you probably  

choose to interact with other students studying the same field. You need the  

support and understanding of other people which live in the same circumstances  

that you do. In other words, you share a set of "rules" which you must 

adhere to. Learning the rules is one of the reasons why we develop 

relationships. If  

we transfer the definition of community to the internet, we can think of an  

"internet community" as a body of people looking for similar information,  

dealing with similar conditions, and abiding by the same "general rules".  

 

What kinds of information do you look for when you surf the web? What kinds of 

sites do you frequent? Are the sites that you frequent giving out similar kinds  

of information? Do you find sites that you visit again and again? If a 

webmaster  

has done a good job at creating and maintaining their web site, you will find  

yourself "bookmarking" that site and returning to it again and again.  

 

If you visit a site frequently, you have become a member of that site's  

community. If you visit many sites which deal with the same type of 

information,  

you have become a member of a a larger community which deals with similar  

content. For instance, I frequently find myself at Promotion World. I have  

become a member of this site's community. I visit many sites which deal with 

web  

promotion; thus I have also become a member of the larger community of "web  

promoters".  

 

Joining a Community V. Building a Community 

 

Now you must ask yourself, "Do I want to be a resident of the community or do I 

want to actively participate in the building of that community?" If you are a 

webmaster, your answer should be, "I want to help build the community!"  

 

The very essence of establishing your "website presence" requires you to help  

build the community. You will be establishing your own community for your own  

website at the same time that you are helping to build the larger community of  

which your website is just one part.  

 

However, you need to take it one step at a time. You can't become the mayor of  

the city, until you've been a resident of the city.  

 

Join a Community 

 

1. First, find a community. Think about what you are offering on your site. What 

kind of people do you want to visit your site? Name them, call them something - 

"shoppers", "vendors", "collectors", "web designers", "graphic designers".  

 

2. Visit other sites which cater to these type of people. For instance, if you  

are trying to build a community of shoppers, then visit lots of sites which  

offer shopping.  

 

3. Start actively joining in other site's activities. For example, if they have  

a message board or a discussion board, start frequenting it. If they have a  

newsletter, subscribe to it. If they offer free articles, read them. If they  

have tutorials, go through them. In other words, become a member of the  

community.  

 

4. Keep a list of the resources which these sites offer. How are these sites  

getting you to return again and again? What do you like about these sites? What  

don't you like about these sites? Write it all down.  

 

Build a Community 

 

Once you become a member, you start learning the rules. Then you can start to  

help other people abide by the rules. You can start to help build your  

community. Your website can be its own little community, but always realize that 

you must also be a part of the larger community, and you can help to build the  

larger community in the following ways.  

 

1. Become an advisor and an expert: Offer advice and solutions which will help 

people solve their problems, which help people follow the rules. Have this  

information available on your site but also offer the information to other  

sites. Post your advice on discussion boards, submit your advice to newsletters. 

Show people that you are an expert.  

 

2. Provide a reference library: Build a directory of sites. These sites must  

contain useful information specific to the members of your community.  

 

3. Provide original information: Offer articles, tutorials, newsletters or other 

types of information which the people in your community would find valuable.  

 

4. Use interactive context: Provide tools which people can use to help them  

solve their problems.  

 

5. Develop relationships: Write to other webmasters that offer complimentary 

services. Show them that you've been to their site. Tell them you want a  

reciprocal link. Or offer them an article or a piece of useful information that  

they can include on their site. You are showing them you are an expert, you are  

developing a relationship, and you are getting them to put a link on their site  

to your site.  

 

6. Maintain your website: Have something new on your site every week. Tell  

people on your home page where they can find this new information.  

 

Renee Kennedy 

 

For more great website development sites, including brief reviews, check out: 

http://www.thewritemarket.com/links.htm 

Free clip art: 

http://www.thewritemarket.com/Gallery/directory.html 

 

======================= Sponsor Message ======================= 

 

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To find out more about advertising on GoTo.com, click the link below.  From 

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http://www.goto.com/d/advertisers/p/generic/?o=22&Promo=promoworld_D 

 

==================== Bookmarkable Bookmarks ===================== 

 

eXTReMe Tracking 

My favorite free tracking program out there. It will provide you with  

all sorts of statistics, and you only have to include a tiny button on 

your site. 

<http://www.extreme-dm.com/tracking/> 

 

BestEzines 

An excellent selection of only the best marketing related newsletters 

out there. Unfortunately, The Informer isn't listed there yet. Why don't 

you email Scott and tell him how much you like it? 

<http://www.bestezines.com> 

 

NSTL's YMARK2000: Year 2000 System Compliance Test 

A free little program that will check your computer out for Y2K compliance. 

Mine system checks out. 

<http://www.nstl.com/html/nstl_ymark2000.html> 

 

Professional Web Design 

If you haven't been through Joe's excellent webdesign tutorials, you  

should. He has a number of tutorials on various subjects, such as forms, 

tables, frames and even an all round beginners tutorial. Recommended. 

<http://junior.apk.net/~jbarta/> 

 

A+B+C Graphics 

Quite a large selection of graphics... over 1000 pages of background 

images alone! 

<http://www.abcgiant.com/> 

 

===================== The Discussion Board ====================== 

 

This week's quote from the discussion board: 

 

"Anyway, I'm not sure which kind of pizza is my favorite. I've never  

tried anchovies. I like almost all forms of pizza, except for those  

ones where they put pesto sauce on the pizza instead of pizza sauce.  

I don't think normal pizza sauce was broken, so I don't see why they  

had to fix it.  

 

Duncan Johnson  

Visit DJDonline! -- Your source for FREE Flight Simulator add-ons!  

<http://djd.freeservers.com>" 

 

What does this quote have to do with website promotion, you ask? Is Duncan 

crazy? Well, in answer to the first question, NOTHING! That's why it's fun. 

I haven't figured out the answer to the second question yet, though... he 

has this thing about Flight Simulator!  

 

We are having a great time in the off topic forum of the discussion boards.  

Why don't you join us? Take a break from all that website promotion stuff for  

once. <http://www.promotionworld.com/discus/> 

 

================ What's New At Promotion World ================== 

 

~ Running a Newsletter 

  This is a guide to running and promoting your own newsletter... it  

  will help you with everything from finding a server to host your  

  newsletter to finding content for it! 

  <http://www.promotionworld.com/rnews/index.html> 

 

======================= Website Usability ======================= 

 

Say Goodbye to "Webmaster", Say Hello to "Internet Strategist"  

by John S. Rhodes 

 

Welcome to the new world of the Internet my friend. It is time to drop your  

title as Webmaster, and pick up something a bit more jazzy. How would you like  

to be an Internet Strategist or an Electronic Commerce Manager? The time is now  

to cast your new role. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the once  

ubiquitous "Webmaster" position is a memory. There is a need for teams of 

people  

with broad skills, diverse knowledge, and an eye for the Internet future. 

 

Why is this important to you, a reader of this Website Usability column? Does  

usability play a role in shaping the future of the 'Net? You can bet your life  

it does! 

 

Suppose we take the position of Internet Strategist and explore what this 

means.  

Let's start with a definition. According to Inter@active Week Online at  

<http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/supplements/salary/whathappened.html>, we can  

define an Internet Strategist in this way: 

 

        "[The Internet Strategist] Develops, executes and manages strategy  

        for use of emerging Internet technologies in support of division or  

        corporate initiatives. In other words, prepares the company for the  

        future." 

 

Internet Strategists also get paid quite well for their crystal balls. How does  

$115,000 sound to you? Don't just take my word for it, take a look at the 

salary  

survey I found at <http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/supplements/salary/king.html>. 

 

I'd consider myself an Internet Strategist. In fact, I have added the title to  

my e-mail signature file. I'm completely serious. A powerful title can mean a  

lot. If you can tell people that you have a vision, and if you can back it up  

with words, an education, some experience, and some great references, you might  

be on your way. Do not underestimate the power of your job title and your Web  

experiences.   

 

Now, back to usability. If you do seek to understand and control the future,  

then usability is your key to success. Don't let these words fall on deaf ears:  

users drive the Internet economy. Don't think for a minute that you can hide  

from this. If you want to be a future oriented Internet Strategist, then it is  

time for you to wake up to usability. Easy to use, easy to learn Web sites will  

drive to the core of all businesses.  

 

The future of Internet commerce is not as much about exchanges of money as 

it is  

about trading information and focusing on the needs of your clients. Take the  

time to envision how your business partners will use the Web too. Act on that  

knowledge, and act on it now. The future is rushing at you, but you can control  

it effectively by focusing on Internet and Intranet usability.  

 

Webmasters no longer exist. Sure, the name will hang around for awhile, it is  

all too catchy. But there will not be a single Webmaster pulling the strings of  

a Web site. They are becoming too large, and too important. Find your niche 

now,  

and embrace usability. You'll be glad you did. 

 

And with a new title, if you can get one, you might also get a hefty raise. 

 

UPDATE: I found an article today about the "New Web Order" on InfoWorld at  

<The article provides further evidence that the 'Webmaster' is an old, dying  

concept. Teams of developers are becoming the rule, and single developers with  

all the right skills are becoming scarce. If you are currently a Webmaster, your 

task is to find the right skills that will be useful in the future. One such  

tool is usability. Any company, at any level of Web development can benefit. 

The  

article also points out an important fact: Departments are no longer willing to  

turn over control to the Webmaster. They want a say in what is being developed.  

Also, the tools are becoming available to take control away from single  

Webmasters. Distributed content control is likely to become the norm. Again, if  

you are a Webmaster, it is advised that you reconsider your title and your 

exact  

role. Know how usability can aid in your ever-changing and complex position. 

 

========================================================================= 

John S. Rhodes  --  mailto:john@WebWord.com 

Human Factors Engineer and Usability Professional 

Internet Usability and Web Site Development:  http://www.WebWord.com/ 

 

========================= A Small Request ======================= 

 

If you enjoy reading this newsletter each week, why not tell a friend  

about it? Even better, why don't you recommend The Informer on a  

discussion list? After all, you wouldn't want to keep all this free  

information to yourself. 

 

Just tell 'em all to subscribe by sending a message to 

<mailto:informer@oaknetpub.com> with SUBSCRIBE in the BODY of their message. 

 

======================== Misc. Information ======================= 

 

To comment on the issues covered in this week's newsletter, use the 

appropriate forum on our Discussion Boards. 

<http://www.promotionworld.com/discus/> 

 

Browse the archives at <http://www.promotionworld.com/informer/archives.html> 

 

If you are looking for some good advertising deals, you might like to 

consider Promotion World and the Informer as places to advertise. 

<http://www.promotionworld.com/sponsor.html> 

 

To subscribe put SUBSCRIBE in the BODY of an email to 

<mailto:informer@oaknetpub.com> 

 

To unsubscribe put REMOVE in the BODY of an email to  

<mailto:informer@oaknetpub.com> 

 

I appreciate all your mail with your comments and suggestions! 

<mailto:webmaster@promotionworld.com> 

 

Newsletter Credits: 

 

Joshua Reimer, Editor 

<mailto:webmaster@promotionworld.com> 

<http://www.promotionworld.com> 

 

Jennifer Johnson, Feature Writer 

<mailto:jenny@promotingyoursite.com> 

<http://www.PromotingYourSite.com> 

 

John S. Rhodes, Usability Specialist 

<mailto:john@WebWord.com> 

<http://www.WebWord.com/> 

 

Hayden Mitchell, Search Engine Specialist 

<mailto:hayden@webthemes.com> 

<http://www.webthemes.com> 

 

David Handlos, What Not To Do Specialist 

<mailto:webmaster@crosslinkz.com> 

<http://www.crosslinkz.com> 

 

And now for the mandatory legal stuff: 

 

This newsletter is copyright 1997, 1998, 1999 Joshua Reimer. No part may be 

reproduced in any way without prior permission.