The goal today was to run for 30 minutes. I don’t like to run for time, I prefer to run for distance. When you run for time, there is no incentive to go faster or at a higher incline. The goal is simply to run for 30 minutes. Now “running” for 30 minutes at a 4 mph pace is very different than running at a 7 mph pace. But if the goal is to just last 30 minutes, there is no incentive to go faster because it’s going to take 30 minutes regardless of how fast you are going.

I like to run for distance because it pushes me to get done sooner. You can run 3 miles in 30 minutes or you can take an hour to do it. I’d rather get it done and over with. I’d rather do it well than drag my heels all day about it.

Hourly billing is just like this. Some folks take an hour to do what another can do in 10 minutes. Should the person who can do it in 10 minutes be paid less than the person that takes an hour? Absolutely not. That’s why VALUE billing (or project billing) is far superior to hourly in most cases. While the amount of time something takes can sometimes indicate the value, that’s not always true. The experience and expertise of one person can allow the project to be completed in far less time which is actually of MORE VALUE than taking longer to do it.

If you’ve never run, you can’t just jump on the treadmill and run 3 miles at a 7mph pace though, it takes time and experience. The more you run, the better you get at it and the faster you can knock down the miles. This goes for all kinds of work too, the more experienced someone is and the more time they have invested in a skill, the better they are at it. As a result, they can often complete a task much more quickly than someone who is newer.

Value billing is more specific, you get X for Y, there is no guessing involved. Same thing goes for the treadmill, if someone says they’re going to run for an hour, that doesn’t mean much unless you know how fast they can run.

Now I know that value billing or project billing doesn’t always work. If the scope of the project is very loosely defined or it’s a long list of maintenance type updates, hourly billing may be the only way to manage it, but for most things, we prefer value billing because we’d rather get it done and get off the treadmill.

We’ve had the pleasure of launching OVER 100 websites this year and working with countless other projects from logos to brochures to banners and more.

When we started, we just did basic websites. Our range of services is much larger now, from graphic design to websites and online marketing. This year, we’re going to be improving our online marketing services and offering some comprehensive plans that are not only affordable, but trackable and effective. We want to help our clients take their businesses to the next level and believe we have the tolls to make that happen.

There is lots of turmoil in the world right now… Politically, socially, religiously jobs, etc. There’s a lot of crazy stuff going on, but we still believe in what made this country great. Individual exceptionalism, team work, community, faith, and family. We believe that 2012 will be the year of startups, where people decide to step out and make something happen.

We are ready to help be the partner others need to grow and expand online and off.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to our clients, partners, friends, and families who have made our continued success possible. We couldn’t do it without you and wish you all the happiest of new years.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I’m going to say something you won’t hear from many business owners, I don’t believe we’re the best at what we do. WHAT?! Who says that? I do.

Let’s be real though, there are better web designers than us, there are better graphic designers than us, there are better marketers than us. We live in a time with a lot of ridiculous talent in our industry. Don’t get me wrong, I care about quality design, clean code, and all the latest industry standards, but we don’t always deliver perfection on every project, there is always something that could be done better. That’s called reality. The truth is that there is almost always someone better at you or your business at what you do — and that’s OK!

But here’s something else, I don’t believe you have to be the best to be the best choice. Like many things, I believe it’s about balance. We provide a high level of experience (we’ve been doing websites since the internet started), we have a large portfolio (from plumbers to plastic surgeons), and we care about people (our clients, our staff, our families, and others) — those things matter.

We’re not the best and I’m ok admitting it. What matters to me is that we are able to provide what our customers need at a price that provides a high level of value for the services provided.

My advice? Stop trying to be or pretending to be the best. It’s ok to not be the best. Be what you need to be, what your clients need you to be, and not what meets someone else’s arbitrary standards.

We’re not the best, but for our clients and many others, we were the best choice for them. I’m thankful for that.

What’s a QR code? It’s those strange, square, barcode looking things that marketing agencies and “pr gurus” everywhere are telling their clients they must include on everything. I even saw a company with a GIANT QR code on a billboard this week, who’s idea was that?

There is no question QR codes are being used more and more by advertisers, but the big question is, are they being used by users?

There are all kinds of statistics out there, but here are some facts that drive me to believe QR codes are not actually being used by most mobile users currently.

1. iOS Devices (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, etc.) take up over 60% of mobile web traffic. (Net Applications Mobile/Tablet Top Operating System Share Trend Nov ’09 – Oct ’11)

2. No iOS device comes pre-installed with a QR code reader, meaning users need to download an app to scan and use QR codes.
3. The highest ranked, free, QR code reader in the app store is #35. There are only 2 QR code readers currently in the top 200 apps!

Based on this data, it seems pretty clear that the majority of mobile users are NOT using QR codes on a regular basis.

Maybe that will change in the future, but in most of the current examples I have seen, QR codes are not a huge time saver and seem like a clumsy solution to quick input of data and sharing information.

With that said, QR codes are very easy to setup. There are tons of web sites and tools that will let you create free QR codes and put them on anything you want. Don’t let anyone fool you into believing they are expensive or complex to create.

That’s just our opinion, what’s yours?

They were recently acquired by the also very popular EverNote app. It will be interesting to see what kind of integration happens with these two products in the coming months.

You can check it out at http://skitch.com/ You can thank us later (or in the comments).

You can still find the right designer, though, if you know where to look, and what to look for. Here are five things you definitely want to know about any web design team before you hire them:

1. 1. How past clients feel about their work. It’s one thing to look through a designer’s portfolio, but if you really want to get the story, you have to make a few phone calls. Talk to former clients and see what their impressions of the work, and the design process, were like. Whether you get good feedback or bad, these are things you want to know before you sign on the dotted line.
2. 2. If they will still be able to help you tomorrow. Your site might be basic right now, but there’s no guarantee it will stay that way. In fact, if your launch is a success, it’s probably not going to be long before your company needs help with online videos, secure site areas, databases, content management systems, and search engine optimization to name a few – services that smaller or newer firms might not be able to offer.
3. 3. Whether they have a bottom line vision. This is more important than most business owners realize. These days, when you hire a designer, you shouldn’t just be getting a layout and some HTML code – what you need is the first step towards a comprehensive online marketing plan. Be sure that any designer you work with can help you integrate your new website to search engines, social media, and more. You’ll need that exposure to gain new customers over the Internet.
4. 4. What their fees are… Obviously, the numbers are going to be an important part of the discussion. Be aware, however, that quality always costs more, and that more than one web design client has been burnt by falling for bid that was “too good to be true.”
5. 5. … and what those fees include. Web hosting, updates, content, and add-on features are just a few of the things you might want for your web design team, but might not be included in their rock-bottom bid. Find out exactly what you are paying for before you agree to any work. Or better yet, choose a vendor with a long reputation of quality work, no one that’s going to nickel and dime you at every step of the process.

There might be more web design companies to choose from than there were in the past, but that doesn’t mean that the right decision has to be any less clear. Take the time to do a little bit of research and get the answers to these five crucial questions – it’s not as easy as choosing the lowest bid, but it’s going to leave you a lot happier, and more profitable, in the long run.

(Republished from our recent article in Valacious Magazine in St. Augustine, Florida)

But that doesn’t change the fact that smaller companies have a big advantage on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

Why? The answer has everything to do with efficiency. Fortune 500 Companies, and even their medium-sized counterparts, have to cast a wide net. For them, a dozen extra sales – even really good ones – doesn’t make too much of a difference, and so they have to concentrate on the high-traffic, high-competition areas.

While there isn’t any reason smaller marketers can’t compete and win in those same keyword groups (that’s the beauty of online business), the truth is that the easiest sales (and the ones with the higher profit margins) are found elsewhere… in more specific, lower-volume keyword markets where a lot of the bigger retailers don’t bother showing up.

For an easy way to understand what I mean, imagine that you have a company that sells air conditioners. You could use “air conditioners” as your main keyphrase, or “Jacksonville energy efficient residential air conditioners.” Sure, the first one is likely to get more traffic, but which search term is more likely to find a buyer? And how much competition will there be?

Search engines give small businesses a huge advantage – if they compete in the right places.

(This is being republished from our original submission to Valacious Magazine in St. Augustine, Florida)

This is the first edition of this series and is focused on a product called Basecamp by 37signals

We have used Basecamp since February of 2005. Since that time, our gross sales have increased over 3 times what they were at that time. A big part of that is Basecamp.

Basecamp allows us to manage many more projects that we could have in our previous system. It allows us to not just manage them, but keep them running smoothly, keep communication flowing and most of all, keep it simple.

The best thing about Basecamp is not what it can do, but what it can’t. It can’t do complex time charting, it doesn’t integrate with salesforce.com, it can’t send out e-mail newsletters, and it can’t solve all of the world’s problems. But what it does do, it does very well.

It allows us to manage tasks, milestones, files, and messages between our staff and our clients. Our team is virtual, we work from wherever is convient each day and Basecamp allows us to have all of the information we need for each project at anytime, from anywhere.

If you are currently looking for a way to manage projects better, I would highly recommend checking out this great piece of online software. They even offer a free trial. It’s not just for those in the web design business, it’s for businesses of all types.

Leave a comment if you have suggestions for other online tools or software that you use a love for your business.

This past Friday, October 8th, we had the privelage of being a diamond sponsor at the BNI Florida 2010 Member Conference.

We had a booth on display to show off some of our website design work and even gave away an iPod Touch to Zeke from IT Promise in Jacksonville.

During the lunch portion of the conference, Design Extensions owner, Jay Owen, presented to the crowd of over 200 BNI members with various information regarding web design, graphic design, and internet marketing in today’s economy. We should have samples online soon of that presentation.

If you didn’t make the event this year, we would love to see you next year.

Also, don’t forget about the upcoming NetWorth Technology Summiton October 20th. It’s only $20 for the event. The event will include lunch and 3 guest speakers including Design Extensions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Networth Jacksonville will soon be hosting the 2010 Technology Summit at Deercreek Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida.

The event will feature Design Extensions owner Jay Owen, discussing three key areas of Mobile Apps in Business, Branding Integration, and Marketing of the Future. Other speakers include Joe Lemire from Elyk Innovation and Roy Buncome from Buncome Technologies.

The event is only $20 and includes lunch. Starts at 11:30 and ends at 2PM. Be one of the first people to register and be entered to win a $50 gas card!

Register today at NetworthJax.com

Today, the internet is not only fast, but it is mobile. With the inception of the iPhone several years ago and the many phones that followed, the internet is now easy to access from everywhere.

The problem is that not all web sites look great on mobile phones (even iPhones). As a result, many companies are moving to select one or both of the following options.

1) A mobile version of their website.

2) An iPhone App for their website content and business/organization information.

This is especially important for organizations or businesses that have a events, news updates, or want users to be able to find them from their phone and on the go.

We provide solutions for iPhone development and mobile website design and development for clients of all shapes and sizes.

Contact us today for more information on iPhone app design or mobile website design.

Check it out at http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-06-27/story/more-ipad-users-doing-business-not-entertainment-device

This event is open to the public and free of charge. The event opens at 9AM and concludes at 3PM. There will be free samples, raffles, & fun surprises in store for all ages.

We will have a special prize to raffle at the event and also have examples of our work on display. I will be on site all day to answer questions or field ideas about web design, graphic design, internet marketing, or social media.

Some of the free things happening at the event include:

• FREE shoulder massages from Island Massage
• FREE spinal analysis scans by The Village Chiropractic
• FREE face painting at the Brightway Insurance booth
• FREE samples of individual mini portrait sessions by     Jennifer Jordan Photography

A gold buyer will be on hand to give cash for unwanted gold so attendees can leave with more money than they had when they came. Many vendors will be offering coupons or discounts on their goods or services including specials on IMAX and Hall of Fame tickets.

Bring the family for a day!  Visit the Expo, have lunch at the Renaissance, catch an IMAX movie, visit the World Golf Hall of Fame, try your luck on the putting green or just enjoy the view.  For more information contact Kelly DeVivo at 904-342-0670.

Come by our booth and see us, we love visitors!

View a link to the flyer on our Facebook fan page.

Complete Vendor List:

It turns out that there is a company, that appears to be from Russia, that is using our business identity along with a fake web site to pretend to offer people jobs and then have them commit all types of money fraud.

We have reported this company to their host, had them shutdown several times and they keep coming back up. We also reported them to the http://www.ic3.gov/

Details about the scam can be found here: http://www.bobbear.com/design-extensions-llc.html

From what we can tell, these folks have been doing this for years to companies and people all over the place. If you have ideas or contacts on how to shutdown companies like this, feel free to drop us a line.

Thanks and be careful who you accept an online job offer from!

If you don’t know about 37signals and their products, you should. They were founded in 1999 (same year as us) as a Web design firm by Jason Fried, Carlos Segura, and Ernest Kim in Chicago. They focused on powerful usability strategies and their original web site was a source of inspiration for our work and many others around the world. After several years as a very successful design firm, their focus shifted to several web apps.

Today, they produce four great web apps and have published two books (with one more on the way in March called REWORK). We have used their longest running app, Basecamp, to manage our business for almost 5 years. It is an online project management system that is so easy to use it’s crazy. We love it and as we said in the case study, don’t know how we would operate without it.

Other products they offer include Highrise (a great way to track contacts, set follow-ups and assign tasks), Backpack (organize your business and share calendar with a team), and Campfire (a great group chat app).

We have been long time fans of the folks at 37signals and it’s an honor to be featured on their product blog.

If you are a looking for a better way to keep track of your business — look no further than the products from 37signals.

UPDATE: 37signals just launched a new site (today) called Haystack.com. We have been featured on their front page all afternoon and you can check out our detailed listing page here.

Youtube and similar public options can be a great way to share video in a social and “viral” way. But what if you want to post something exclusively to your web site, with your companies branding, and without links to other youtube videos?

We now offer an incredible video solution for sites that want to host one video or multiple videos. It can event be customized to include your logo and is customizable in many ways.

Check out the new video from the Jacksonville Symphony that we have integrated into their web site here: http://www.jaxsymphony.org/channel4.php

Here is an example of how it appears embedded in a page. We would love to answer any questions you have about video on your web site and how it can help connect to current and new customers. Contact us today with any questions.