Before starting this article, I’d like to share a quote.

“Imitation is the sincerest of flattery.” – Charles Caleb Colton

A few weeks ago I was informed by a client that parts of their website were ‘copied’ by one of their competitors. Sure enough, it was. And it made me feel great! We had done it!  We helped Midwest Fire set the bar for web innovation, and others were finally trying to reach it.

The goal of Midwest Fire’s website was simple. Let a fire chief 2,000 miles away experience a Midwest Fire truck from the convenience of his office chair. Show viewers every angle, every nook and cranny, every feature that makes a Midwest Fire truck better than the rest. And that goal was reached when the new MidwestFire.com was launched in early 2009. The website had several features including: interactive truck viewers, a truck locator, virtual tours of the shop, an archive of their past and recent deliveries, and several others. It was a major upgrade from their old site, and it made Midwest Fire look like the king of all fire tanker manufacturers.

That said, a few weeks ago I was informed that Fouts Bros Fire Equipment had launched a new website. A public relations article was released on Dec. 14, 2009 to publicize the launch. The following excerpt was my favorite part.

Sales Manager, Travis Rakestraw indicated the importance of a comprehensive website in today’s economy. “With the decreases in our customer’s budgets it is necessary for Fouts Bros to create a low cost or no cost evaluation process; the new website allows current and future Fouts Bros customers to view in detail, and with a high level of clarity, our standard product line and all of our features, without leaving the fire department.”

I can only imagine what the creative meeting was like when Fouts Bros decided to create a new website. I think it’s fair to assume that MidwestFire.com was pulled up on a projector, everyone awed, and someone said, “I want it to be like that.”  End of meeting.

Fouts Bros has a great website, and this post isn’t meant to be a slam against them in any way. It’s meant to challenge the rest of you. Being leaders is about being innovative; integrate new ideas in new places. Midwest Fire stepped outside of the norm and invested in a quality website that showcases their products in a way that no other fire tanker manufacturer had. The competition realized the effectiveness of our plan, and followed in the same direction. If you’re interested in doing the same thing for your business, connect with us and see how we can help.

Be sure to check out MidwestFire.com and FoutsFire.com to see what I’m rambling about. I’ve posted a screenshot of Midwest Fire’s interactive truck viewer below, along with the Fouts Bros interactive viewer. And, like Charles Colton said, imitation really is flattering.

Midwest Fire

Fouts Bros Fire Equipment

This is a continuation from my first post, Think Before You Browse, in which I introduced the importance of selecting the right browser.  Now while the browser in which you conduct your web surfing may not matter to you much, it is important to choose a web browser that fits your needs.  Many people that own a PC use Internet Explorer by default, while those who run Macs use Safari by default, meaning that is the browser that is already on your computer.  The browser in which you access the Internet can affect your Internet experience, in which case it is important to browse for your browser.  Here is a brief review of some different browsers.

Lets look at seven different browsers:

Safari 4.0.3 for Mac OS X, Windows
Flock 2.5 for Mac OS X, Linux, Windows
Arora 0.10.1 for Mac OS X, Linux, Windows
Firefox 3.5.3 for Mac OS X, Linux, Windows
Opera 10 for Mac OS X, Linux, Windows
Chrome for Windows
Internet Explorer (IE) 8 for Windows

Safari 4.0.3 for Mac OS X and Windows
If you purchase an Apple computer you will have Safari installed as your default browser.  Safari tops my list of best overall browser to run on Mac OS X.  It loads pages quickly and runs flash with no problem.  One of its best and new features is Top Sites.  This feature shows the 12 most visited sites all on one page so you can easily access your favorite page.  Cover flow has also come to Safari with its history viewing.  You are able to quickly flow through pages of your history just like flipping through album covers in iTunes, a great way to visually see your page history.  If you are doing some serious Web browsing, then Safari is the browser you need.

Flock 2.5 for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows
If you are into social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter then Flock is for you.  This screenshot shows how you can browse the Internet while staying connected to Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and more.  Unlike other browsers, Flock allows you to visit other Web pages while keeping Facebook Chat up at all times.  On the left hand side you can see that I have Twitter and Facebook both open.  All I have to do is click the tab on the top and it will switch back and forth so I never miss a beat while I browse the Internet.  On the performance side, Flock struggles.  Flock becomes slow when multiple tabs are open and loading times are slower than other browsers.  If you are looking to get serious work done on the Internet then I suggest a different browser, but if you are looking for your social networking fix then this browser is great.

Arora 0.10.1 for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows
Now while this browser is still in beta and is very buggy, it shows some promise.  What separates this browser from others is it blocks ads on the sites that you visit.  This screenshot shows The Dallas Morning News homepage using Safari 4.  You will see banner ads on top and on the left side.  This screenshot shows how The Dallas Morning News homepage would show while using Arora.  As you can see the top and left side banner ads do not show.  In this screenshot I have Safari running while searching for ‘coffee makers’ using Google.  Sponsored Links show at the top of the search results as well on the right hand side.  A screenshot of the same search on Google but with Arora shows no Sponsored Links at the top and on the right hand side.  If advertisements are bugging you while you surf the Internet then you might want to keep tabs on Arora and its development.  I do not suggest using Arora at this time because of the stage of development it is in, but once it comes out in a full release keep Arora in the back of your mind.

Firefox 3.5.3 for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows
Firefox has become a major competitor to Internet Explorer with Windows users.  Firefox is the second most popular web browser with Windows users, behind Internet Explorer.  Firefox gives users a clean, safe, and fast browsing experience.  Some users have experienced problems with running video in Firefox 3.5, but I have yet to run into that problem.  Firefox is also a popular choice among Mac users who do not wish to use Safari.  Firefox has many add-ons in which the user can customize their browser their way.  Firefox does have its share of crashes and loading problems, but is still a step above Internet Explorer.

Opera 10 for Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows
Opera Turbo quickly loads Web pages even if you are battling a slow connection.  Opera also has a feature that allows users to preview tabs in a thumbnail view.  Many have complained about the layout and design, although I have no problem with it.  While Opera is not the fastest browser on the market, it is a useful under-the-radar browser that is a worthy rival to Firefox for use on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux.

Chrome for Windows
Chrome is a speedy browser that is very simple to use.  Chrome provides thumbnails of your most visited sites in which you can open a new tab to visit them…a feature becoming popular on many browsers.  The only knock on Chrome at the moment is the unavailability to run on Mac OS X and Linux, which fortunately is currently in the works.  Chrome is a great browser that provides users with fast loading speeds and ease of use.  I highly recommend this browser to Windows users.

Internet Explorer 8 for Windows
The biggest reason for consumers using Internet Explorer is because IE is the default browser loaded on Windows based computers.  Now while IE has improved since the terrible version 6, IE still is notorious for having that bogged down and slow feeling.  IE still proves to be unstable for many users, including myself, and at times does not load images and Web pages correctly.  It is a shame that many users are forced to use IE because of a policy at work or school.  I do not wish the IE experience upon anyone who wishes to have a positive browsing experience.  My personal advice to all PC users who use Internet Explorer is to open your eyes to the many better and up to date products out there, such as Firefox, Opera, and Chrome.

I hope this helped and opened some minds about the different browsers available.  While there are many other browsers out there than what I went over, I suggest to try some different browsers to find the one that feels right and performs to your standards.  Remember, personal preference is all that matters.  Below are my top picks:

Browser of choice for…
Mac OS X: Safari
Windows: Opera or Chrome
Social networking: Flock
Simplicity: Chrome

Over the past few weeks, Intuit, the same company that makes Quickbooks, has been advertising the heck out of their ‘website builder’ software. And because I’ve had several past, current, and prospective clients ask and heckle about the prices associated with setting up a website, I’d like to offer a little insight to this Intuit product.

The “For as little as $5 / month” tag they advertise on the radio might as well be “As little for $5 a month.” That Starter Package will only provide you with 5 pages, and barely enough storage space to showcase a few high quality photos and PDF downloads. That also doesn’t include a domain name or any email addresses.

The Platinum Package for $50 per month won’t be enough. Yes, they do give you 10 gigabytes of storage and unlimited pages, but they don’t give any functionality outside of words on a page. Remember, the purpose of advertising is to impress people, not to just slap words on a page and hope they care or are interested enough to read it.

Intuit’s “professionally designed templates” are garbage. A website should be built around a brand’s image and appeal to it’s viewers. If the site looks like a cheap template, your business will look like a cheap template.

Their claims to ‘get you to show up in search engines’ are bogus. I’ve looked at several sites created with Intuit’s site builder, and not one of them utilizes the latest SEO strategies. If you think your new Intuit website will show up in Google, you’re in for a surprise.

And I almost forgot to mention – how trustworthy is a company that sells you a piece of software through Amazon.com that arrives with no software in it? (click here to see -> http://bit.ly/2DMWS5)  There is no disc, no program, just a website address printed on a sheet of paper directing you to Intuit’s website.

So, if you sell trinkets, don’t pretend to build websites. We’ve spent years devoting our attention to the web and everything surrounding it. You should spend years learning everything there is to know about trinkets, and hire a web expert when you need a website. You’ll be much happier with the end result.

My introductory blog to the Fused Creative site is not coming to you from my office like you would think, but coming from a hotel room in Columbia, SC.  While most of this was typed while on Interstate 40 East of Knoxville, Tennessee on my way to South Carolina, I finally was able to hook to the internet at the hotel.  I am truly a road warrior.

Now when you fire up your computer to check out your favorite internet site  (hopefully teamfused.com), I hope you are not clicking on an icon with a little blue “e”,  regardless of the site you are visiting.  Times have changed and Internet Explorer has been left behind.  There are many browsers that users can choose, whether you are running Mac OS X, Linux, or Windows and you should take advantage of your options.  The browser you choose should fit your social networking, security, and ease-of-use needs.  Your browser should not constantly crash, freeze your computer, slow start-up time, slow load time, or have issues loading images and flash.  And for the record I am not just talking about Internet Explorer.  All browsers have their own strengths and weaknesses, and you should test and choose which browser is right for you instead of using which ever browser is pre-loaded on your computer when it was purchased.  In my next blog post I will review six different browsers to help you in your search process, pointing out their strengths and weaknesses.  Now exactly where in the United States I will be at that time, I am not sure, but continue to check back for a helpful browser review.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released new regulations on Monday that may limit the use of endorsements and testimonials by both blogs and celebrities.

According to the press release describing the new Guides, “Advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect.”  A weaker version of this disclosure regulation was present in the 1980 version of the Guides, where advertisers were required to display “Results Not Typical” whenever using a consumer testimonial that stretched the ability of their product’s actual performance.

The most notable part of the new Guides to any internet user is the regulation of the Blog medium. Bloggers or other word-of-mouth marketers are now required to be more transparent when endorsing a product.  According to the Guides, “Bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.” This means if a blogger like Philly D is given $500 and free Aerosmith concert tickets to endorse a new Axe body spray, they must disclose that information to the public.

The last segment of the revised guides states that both endorsers and advertisers will be liable for “false or unsubstantiated claims made in an endorsement – or for failure to disclose material connections between the advertiser and endorsers.” So if Chuck claims the Total Gym can get you ripped in 60 days, he better be telling the truth.

Overall the new guides are a good move by the FTC, to keep consumers more aware of bogus advertisements and to help consumers distinguish between advertisements and real, honest endorsements.  It’s a shame that these ‘honesty’ rules never apply to politicians who promise change.

Our new website is finally here!

After almost a year of giving every second of our time to our clients, we finally scavenged up some time to finish our own website. And we’re pleased with the result! The site may not be what you’re used to seeing of an agency, but that’s why we like it. Nothing flashy, nothing confusing, nothing overwhelming to look at. Just simple, honest, information sharing.

Read our thoughts on advertising goals and strategy, and feel free to connect with us if you have questions, or want to learn how we can help your business.

If you’re interested in seeing some of the work we’ve done, check out the featured project and project thumbnails on the homepage.

Also, be sure to check back to the blog often, or subscribe to our RSS feed by clicking the subscribe button above. The entire Fused team will be posting tips, reviews, news, project info, advertising and marketing thoughts, and much more.