June 2011 News

In this issue of Website Builder News, June 2011. A special edition focusing on IT issues

  • Training Options
  • Free Seminar - Xero Accounting, Shopping Cart, HR, and other Cloud Services
  • Quick Professional Touchup
  • Background Images and Positions
  • Which Web Browser to use?
  • Time to upgrade your computer?
  • Installing new software easier
  • Cool Links
  • Virus/Malware Checking
  • Need for Speed - IT Tips from Need a Nerd
  • Some HR Tips 
  • Free phone numbers USA/Australia
  • Social Media Tip - Social Media Club
  • SEO Tip of the Month - About Me
  • Free website design for charities
  • Start your own website builder business
  • How to help us promote Website Builder and get a 20% rebate
  • Websites of the Month 

 

Training Options

Free training is available via our YouTube channel.

Our group training sessions are perfect for learning more and asking questions. Introduction course covers all the basics including design, content management, galleries, enquiry forms, shopping carts, domain names, and how to go live. Our Search Engine Optimisation course is great for learning how to get your website higher on Google.

  • Auckland - Website Builder Introduction 2 hours  - 28th July at 1pm 
  • Auckland - Search Engine Optimisation 2 hours - 12th July at 3pm 
  • Wellington - Website Builder Introduction 2 hours - 13th July at 1pm
  • Wellington - Search Engine Optimisation 2 hours - 13th July at 3pm
  • Christchurch- Website Builder Introduction 2 hours - 20th July at 12:30pm
  • Christchurch - Search Engine Optimisation 2 hours - 20th July at 3pm
  • More Locations and Times - Book Your Training Here

New Prices:

  • Now only $50 for early bird discount, book and pay for a training event 3 weeks before an event for discount. 
  • $75 Anytime booking (subject to seat availability)
  • Bring a friend and you both only pay $50. (Subject to seat availability) 

One on One Training is available at our offices in Auckland on an appointment basis, at $90 per hour. Other times may be considered in other regions for group or half day training.

 

Free Seminar - July 25th - Xero Accounting, Shopping Cart, HR, and other Cloud Services

We are taking part in a free 2 hour seminar to be hosted at Xero offices on 25th July. Seats are strictly limited, so please book early to secure your place, and please attend.

http://www.cloudoffice.co.nz/

 

Quick Professional Touch Up

Do you want one of our professional web designers to give your website a quick once over and clean up the rough edges. Contact us for a quote, our professional designers can do plenty of magic in just 2 hours (2 hours=$180+gst), however if you specify your budget, they will do their best in the time given. 

 

Background Images and Positions

It is now even easier to change your background image, and select from a range of position/stretch options. The stretched background option is great for a photo style jpeg. The fixed positions are great when you match a large watermark/logo to a background colour. To upload a background image or change the background settings, please go to the "Colours and Background Images" option under "Design Settings".

An example of this is a new $540 design package website completed by Albie. http://www.normgrayson.co.nz 

 

Which new Web Browser Version should i use?

If you are using IE6, it is definitely time to upgrade. For everyone else, it doesn't really matter which browser you use. IE and Firefox have all new versions, aiming for a faster startup and faster download and rendering of pages. It doesn't really matter which you use, but it is a noticeable trend that Firefox users love it and won't try anything else. Everyone else is rappidly shifting to Chrome, which is coming at a cost to Internet Explorer, who appears to be quickly copying Chrome style with IE9. We note IE still has the majority share. In house we mainly use Chrome.  

All the above browsers are compatible with our website builder service, with any subtle differences being noted only within the TinyMCE WYSIWYG editor area (the word style editor). We have a new TinyMCE 3.4.2 version available to test, and you can select this new editor from the drop down while editing any page content.

Please note that only part of our CMS continues to be incompatible with iPad and iPhone, specifically the WYSIWYG content editing component. All other aspects of our CMS function normally. We are not aware of any competing CMS offering iPad support, due to the fact that iPads don't support DHTML features, nor flash..

 

Time to update your computer?

Well it's been 3 years since I upgraded my computer, and decided it was time. I kept the "3 old screens" and graphics card that drives them. And i bought all new gear for the main box. My new box almost gets a perfect score from the Microsoft performance test. I am very happy with the new box. Specifically I used a new solid state drive technology.

Learn more about my new computer and tips for your upgrades

 

Installing New Software / Utilities 

Once i had turned on my new computer, i needed to install all my favourite applications. This used to be aweful task. Now it is so much easier because of a great website called www.ninite.com, where you can quickly select all the common applications you want on your computer, plus several that you didn't know about, but really you should check them out. 

The most fantastic thing about ninite, is that it downloads a very small executable file, which you can run, and then it slowely and quietly installs all your chosen applications in the background without any dialogue boxes! That's right, no more installation wizards and system restarts... Well depending on what you install, you might need to do one restart at the end.

Reubens must have software/utilities list

 

Cool Links

 

Virus/Malware Checking

The internet is a dangerous place. Every few seconds your computers and our servers are being attacked by unscrupulous people on the internet (attempted attacks that is). If you have good firewalls and virus checkers, then you/we will likely be free from attack. But with always new software versions released, and dedicated evil minds, eventually someone might get through.

For 10 years we have claimed to have been free from intrusion. Unfortunately that came to an end with one of our servers getting compromised, and this effected about 2% of our customers with either a MalWare warning message, or a forbidden message when accessing their website. We resolved the issue, removed the threats, and closed the hole. However, we must all be on guard at all times. We have a very impressive system architecture, with multiple web servers, redundant hardware, back up servers, offsite backup servers, custom firewalls, and all sorts of intrusion monitoring software. In the event of a major catastrophe, we would be able to fail over to redundant servers while we rebuild. Even if there was a fire at the main data center, we would have your website back online within a very short period at another physical location. There are not many of our competitors who can say that. 

We would really encourage you to check that your home and office computers have upto date virus checkers and firewalls installed, and paying for a licensed version is a good idea. New threats are happening every day. Your biggest threat is a virus gaining access to your website via your own computer. Your password should be kept safe, and you should limit logins from untrusted 3rd party computers. We can encourage use of ESET NOD32 or KASPERSKY. If you need help with this, then please call www.needanerd.co.nz or www.geeksonwheels.co.nz or your favourite IT guru.

One issue that concerns us is the number of users who select very easy to guess passwords for the CMS and/or email accounts. Please do not use your name or any text from your email address for your email password. Do not use your company name or personal name for your password. A good password should have letters, numbers, uppercase, lowercase, and special characters in it. We will be reviewing several security issues in the comming months.

 

Need for Speed

Computers are a bit like people – they tend to slow down with age. Most of us have found ourselves cursing in frustration as our once-fast PC grinds agonisingly slowly through what should be a simple computing task. Over time, computers do tend to get slower as files become disorganised and crammed, and as the impact of resource hungry software – some installed by us, and some which sneaks onto our machines – begins to take its toll. The good news is there are simple steps you can take to make your machine run faster again. But if those don’t satisfy your need for speed, you may need to consider a hardware upgrade, or calling in expert assistance.

http://www.needanerd.co.nz/techie-tips/the-need-for-speed/

 

HR Tips - DIY Human Resources

With the recent budget there are a few changes that employers need to be aware of such as increase in the employer contributions to kiwi saver, and an increase in the IRD Mileage rate. HRtoolkit provides practical advice and guidance to small businesses.

http://www.hrtoolkit.co.nz/webapps/i/82401/178367/359448

 

Australian and USA free phone numbers

We now have Austrailan and USA free phone numbers, thanks to 2talk. e.g.  1800 816 063

Learn more about 2talk.

 

Social Media - Social Media Club

If you want to find out more about social media, then your really need to attend some of the seminars put on by Social Media Club Auckland. 

https://www.facebook.com/SMCAKL

 

Search Engine Optimisation Tip of the Month 

A quick and elegant way to gain 1 more incoming link is www.about.me 

Here's mine:http://about.me/reubenjackson 

Tip to create your custom SEO links, type your SEO phrase in your bio, then highlight text, then click the chain link icon

More SEO tips and keyword tools here

 

Free website design for charity

Winner this month: GenerationWhy - A voice for youth

 Charities can enter our monthly draw for a free website design. The offer is a "free transfer" or "free 1 day professional setup", approximately 6 hours of our staff time, worth $540, plus 1st years free web hosting on business plan worth $410. Total value $950

Go to our facebook page and make a nomination by posting your charity and reason they should win on our facebook wall.

We then add the nominations to our voting page. The winner is the one who receives the most votes each month will win. So it's pretty easy to win within a few months if you make an effort to communicate with your members.

We will run this competition every month until further notice. Your club will automatically go into every months draw, so get nominated early, and round up all your members and their friends to come and vote for you. Votes do not expire.

Submit Nominations on our: Facebook Page

Voting Page: - Vote here

 

Start your Own Website Builder Business - Discounts of 30%+

Our reseller program enables you to setup and sell websites under your own brand. Web Widgets provides you with all the tools and services you need to do this. Web Widgets remain at arms length. Only your contact details and brand are shown to your customer. They won't know anything about web widgets nor free website builder. This program is perfect for website designers, or sales people looking for new opportunities. The reseller program does have a $1000 setup fee, but you immediately get 30% discount on our hosting fees and can purchase domains for only $22/year. We also give you full administrative access to our system, and special training. Alternatively consider our affiliate scheme below.

Learn more about reseller program

 

Help us promote our Website Builder (earn 20% commission ongoing)

Anyone who refers friends to our service, or sets up a 2nd or subsequent website gets a 20% discount off their web hosting fees. Refer 5 friends, and you pay nothing for your website hosting. Refer more than 5 friends, and we will start paying you.  

Terms - live websites only, based on equivalent hosting plans, payouts subject to minimums.

How to promote

  • Ask your friends to include your login email address on the form when they signup
  • Create a trial for your friends, using their email address, but put your login email in the referred by area.
  • Contact us to tell us who you have referred (after they have created their trial)
  • Create an affiliate link, refer top right within the CMS, then copy and paste into your page
  • Add a page, on the right under tooltips, see "Website Creation Affiliate Link"

More information about affiliates and reselling here

 

 

Websites of the Month

Here's a selection of some of our recent Go Lives.  

 

And a few of our professionally designed / upgraded websites.

Do you want a more professional look and feel for your website? A more professional look will instill greater trust in your customers, and encourage them to stay longer on your website or make a purchase. Please use our online quote or contact us.

Do you have any feedback on our newsletter or CMS products? Please let us know.

Best regards,
Reuben Jackson (CEO)
Web Widgets - Free Website Builder

www.websitebuilder.co.nz

Posted: Wed 15 Jun 2011

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