What is .htaccess file??

Although .htaccess is only a file, it can change settings on the servers and allow you to do many different things, the most popular being able to have your own custom 404 error pages. .htaccess isn't difficult to use and is really just made up of a few simple instructions in a text file.

 

This is probably the hardest question to give a simple answer to. Many hosts support .htaccess but don't actually publicise it and many other hosts have the capability but do not allow their users to have a .htaccess file. As a general rule, if your server runs Unix or Linux, or any version of the Apache web server it will support .htaccess, although your host may not allow you to use it. A good sign of whether your host allows .htaccess files is if they support password protection of folders. To do this they will need to offer .htaccess (although in a few cases they will offer password protection but not let you use .htaccess). The best thing to do if you are unsure is to either upload your own .htaccess file and see if it works or e-mail your web host and ask them.

 

You may be wondering what .htaccess can do, or you may have read about some of its uses but don't realise how many things you can actually do with it.

There is a huge range of things .htaccess can do including:

• password protecting folders
• redirecting users automatically
• custom error pages
• changing your file extensions
• banning users with certain IP addresses
• only allowing users with certain IP addresses
• stopping directory listings
• using a different file as the index file.

Before beginning using .htaccess, I should give you one warning. Although using .htaccess on your server is extremely unlikely to cause you any problems (if something is wrong it simply won't work), you should be wary if you are using the Microsoft FrontPage Extensions. The FrontPage extensions use the .htaccess file so you should not really edit it to add your own information. If you do want to (this is not recommended, but possible) you should download the .htaccess file from your server first (if it exists) and then add your code to the beginning.

 

U can find more info about htaccess here : http://www.freewebmasterhelp.com/tutorials/htaccess/

Difference between a media release and an advertisement

If you have written many press releases and very little have been picked up by newspapers, it could be because your releases are seen by the media as a pure advertisement or plug for your business. Differences between media releases and advertisements are explained below:

Media Release:

• Uncontrolled form of communication. As you are not paying for an amount of space, you are not guaranteed it will get published. If it does get published it is at the mercy of the journalist as to what they include and what they don’t include about your organization.
  
  
• The aim of a media release is to be published by a news channel to obtain validation from a third party.
  
  
• Incorporates a strong news angle. It is used to generate third party credibility. For example if you are successful in getting a media release published in the Brisbane Courier Mail and readers see that Courier Mail’s Travel Editor, Mike O’Connor endorses this wine tour as a great experience, people may be more inclined to remember the name of that tour.

Advertisement:

• A controlled form of communication that you pay for and can therefore have full control over what is said in the advertisement.
  
  
• No news angle needed, as you are simply plugging your organization.
  
  
• May not be as effective in gaining readers’ attention, as it is not validated by a third party. People are exposed to hundreds of advertisements every day and therefore may not be remembered by your target market. There is a danger of people dismissing advertisements, as they know organizations can tell them how good their product or service is but how do they know the organization actually delivers on their promise. This is where a media release it appropriate; as it provides an endorsement from a third party telling readers the organization lives up to its promise not the organization simply giving itself another plug.

What is Content Management System (CMS)?

A content management system (CMS) is a program that lets you edit your website’s content without needing to know any programming language. It is a must-have for all tourism operators.

If you have built your website yourself, you might be familiar with Adobe Dreamweaver, Microsoft FrontPage or Microsoft Publisher. These programs are not content management systems but are used by (often novice) web developers to build the code of your website. In order for you to edit your content, your web developer will need to add a content management system.

Some small business owners may want to use programs like Dreamweaver to try and build their owner websites. However, they will require a solid knowledge of technical expertise in order for the result to meet the expectations of both their audience and search engines. Most times the results are disappointing and small business owners get very frustrated after having spent many hours trying to build their site. It is better to work with a professional to design and program your website and for you to focus on the content. The programmer will build a content management system into your site, which you will be able to access from any computer.

CMS are much easier to use than the likes of Dreamweaver because they are tailored to non-tech savvy users.

DO I NEED A CMS?

Yes. If you want to be competitive in today’s online space, you cannot do without updating your website content. A content management system is the easiest and safest way to do so. It also allows you to create new pages in one click, and inactivate old pages, without worrying about breaking the design.

Having a content management system will save you money as you won’t need to pay a web developer every time you want to modify the content of your website.

You will not be able to configure a CMS on your own and will need to ask your web developer to do so when they program your site.

WHICH CMS ARE THE MOST POPULAR AND RELIABLE?

There are many CMS on the market. Free open-source CMS are very popular because they allow programmer to adapt the code to suit your website requirements and benefit from the improvements other programmers have made to the system.

Open source CMS, even though they can be downloaded at no cost, will require to be installed on your website by your programmer. You will generally pay a set fee for them to install it. In many instances, it is also possible to install a CMS on an existing website.

Open source CMS that are highly recommended by the web developers and users community are:

CMS Made Simple (www.cmsmadesimple.org)
DotNetNuke (www.dotnetnuke.com) *
*DotNetNuke is a CMS that requires to be hosted on Microsoft Servers
Drupal (http://drupal.org)
e107 (http://e107.org)
Joomla! (www.joomla.org)
PHP-Fusion (http://php-fusion.co.uk)
SilverStripe (www.silverstripe.com)
WordPress (www.wordpress.org)

What is Blogs and Blogging?

A blog is a website designed in the format of an online journal. It features many posts or articles. Each article should be complemented by a title, graphics, photos, videos, and often followed by readers’ comments. Each blog article has its own web address. Blogs can be maintained by individuals, groups and businesses. Their authors are called “bloggers”.

Aim of blogging:
The main aim of a blog is to share thoughts with the rest of the world. Blogging has revolutionized the manner knowledge is shared amongst experts. Recent research revealed that 60% of people now turn to the Internet when they need to address problems and issues. Only 25% turn to traditional media and even less to libraries or other sources.

In an offline environment, one had to rely on encyclopedias and research articles published in magazines.

From a third-party perspective, blogs are perceived as an extraordinary market research tool as they provide an unlimited source of up-to-the-minute information which conveys what the world thinks, discusses, vets, encourages and bans. Blogs are the biggest resource of user-generated content. Just like websites or customer reviews on Web Designing Services, Search Engine Optimization Solutions or any other topic they are interested, they get indexed by search engines. They even have their own search engines!

Blogging is good for my business:
As a business owner, blogging will allow you to:

• Establish yourself as an authority in your niche
• Engage your customers
• Engage in dialogue with peers and increase your knowledge
• Discuss industry and business matters

Golden Rules of Email Marketing

EMAIL MARKETING GUIDELINES:

Who to email
-> Ask people who contact you on the phone if they would like to be added to your mailing list.

-> Look outside your own business and set up cluster email marketing campaigns with your region’s tourism partners.

-> You are by law only allowed to send broadcasted (as opposed to individual) emails to people who implicitly agreed to receive your newsletter or other form of email marketing. If you do not do so, people can mark your email address as spam and you risk not being able to send any future email campaigns to any recipient. This is because your email address could be blocked by Internet Service Providers (ISP) who thinks you are spamming. The Do's & Dont's below explains which email addresses are ok to use and which aren’t:

Do's

• Owner opted in from your site (newsletter subscription).
• Owner purchased from you within 2 years
• Owner handed you their business card knowing you would contact them.
• Owner completed an offline form and indicated they wanted to be emailed.

Dont's

• You obtained the email addresses from a third party (incl. purchased a list).
• You copied their address from the Internet.
• You haven’t been in contact over two years.

What to write
-> Put yourself in the shoes of your target client: only send relevant information that will teach them something new:

Do's

• Give your newsletter a personality and a unique voice.
• Let your reader feel there is a human behind the email.
• Provide educational content, testimonials, and stories. Research proved they are very successful in newsletters.
• Use colours, brand your newsletter with your logo.

Dont's

• Don’t write the newsletter like an ad for your business.
• Don’t write the newsletter just for the sake of sending something out.
• Don’t write a novel. 3 to 4 short paragraphs are a better option.

-> HTML format with photos and embedded hyperlinks is generally preferred to plain, email-like, text format. However, your target market might be more responsive to plain-text email. If you are unsure do a test over a few months and decide based on the opening and response rate (provided you are using a dedicated email marketing program).

-> Think of your newsletter as a webpage:

Title = subject line:
Favour creative subject lines (e.g. Latest Technologies in Web Designs) over dull and sedative titles (e.g. June newsletter – Affordable LOGO Designing ).

Headings:
Use headings to keep the reader focused.

Hyperlinks:
Use them to direct your readers to your website or another website where they will be able to learn something new.

Content:
Bold your keyphrases, use bullet points, and don’t forget the call-to-action and the deadline.

Images:
Use images showcasing your products, experiences and guests participating.

Keywords:
Use keyword-rich vocabulary.

-> Keep in mind that customers are bombarded with email marketing messages numerous times a day.

-> Your newsletter design should convey professionalism and be consistent.

-> Invite staff to participate and write the content of the newsletter.

-> Always include an “unsubscribe” or opt-out link.

-> Forwarding to friends is useful and encourages new subscribers.

What is E-Mail Marketing?

Email remains the most used tool of the Internet. It is therefore a very powerful medium to start or continue to develop a relationship with your target market and existing clients and to keep your brand top of mind. The illustration below explains in three steps how email marketing works:

Click this image to see larger preview

Since it is so cost efficient and accessible, it is not unusual for office workers to receive from 40 to 60 emails a day. Your newsletter will therefore need to stand out in their inboxes by being perceived as an unrivalled piece of information. Following the golden rules ensure successful email campaigns. Golden Rules of E-mail Marketing will be published in next post.

Stay away from Malicious Online Directories

When starting to build inbound links to your site, the first idea that generally springs to mind is directories. Most of the time you can submit your site to online directories there and then. Read below why you should consider this practice with caution. The purpose of directories is to group information in categories that a user can browse when searching for something specific. However, people have soon realised that having their website listed in a directory creates an inbound link to their site, thus possibly providing a positive “vote” for their website and improving their search engine rankings. This has given ideas to many web savvy entrepreneurs and directories started to flourish. There are now millions of directories on the web but the majority have a dubious intention. Their priority is not to help humans find relevant websites but to make money by selling links that may improve search engine rankings.

Google, Yahoo! and other search engines are well aware of these practices and have recently started removing malicious directories from their search engine rankings. This implies that there is absolutely no point in spending money to be listed in a directory whose purpose is to simply improve search engine rankings.

Stay away from directories that:

• Offer to increase your site’s rankings
• Offer you a premium membership with even more links
• Offer you the possibility to put hyperlinks in your keywords
• Talk to you using web jargon confirms their intention of helping search engines and not the end user