• Trust Is Everything Issue, July 2001

• Editor: don@arkvalwebworks.com
• Publisher: Arkansas Valley Web Works
• http://www.arkvalwebworks.com/ 

1. What’s Up?: Trust Is Everything

2. Web Page Help: Nothing Up My Sleeve.

3. Promotional/Advertising: Hosting Deals

4. Web Issues and Stuff: Content Is King

5. Web Humor and Entertainment: Top Ten Lawyer Jokes

6. Ark Announcements: Graphics Station Cd

7. Both Sides Of The Coin, (Words of Wit and Wisdom)

Trust is everything. It has to be for me by gosh.

A client was watching a demonstration at a conference on using the Internet for business. The man doing the demonstration did a search for realtors in the Arkansas Valley and was impressed to find the client’s web site listed number one with the engine he was using. Another client was listed number two.

The particular client is not web savvy, hey if everyone were no one would need me, and everyone wants to feel needed. After a long association the client has learned that she must trust me to make those kinds of decisions for her. That trust is predicated on me always keeping her best interests in mind.

She was impressed that they were impressed and I’m impressed that they were impressed, whatever that means. All she knows is that she’s getting more business than ever. She figures that’s all she needs to know, and she’s right.

Still, that trust has to be earned and re-earned with each and every update. No problem, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Trust is everything..., trust me!

Look Rocky, nothing up my sleeve. But Bullwinkle, that trick never works. Well..., this time it does.

If you’re using Internet Explorer here are a couple of related tricks. You can open a new window by right clicking over a link and then choosing "Open In New Window". You can also do the same thing by holding down on the Shift key and left clicking the link.

Of course, if a new window opens by merely left clicking it, then it is a trick, a coding trick. But I’ll just keep that up my sleeve for now. And here I said there was nothing up my sleeve. Hum..., maybe I put it in my hat.

Holy hosting deals, On A Budget Man. How about paying only $15.00 a month for 15 megabytes of storage. My pal Booj has great hosting deals at http://www.boogiejack.com/hosting.html through his association with Sunset Creations, Design and Hosting at http://www.sunsetcreations.com/.

I recently purchased a hosting plan for a new client. On that occasion I happened to make the online acquaintance of Shannon Taylor of Sunset Creations who was very knowledgeable, capable, and courteous with our account set-up. We exchanged several emails and I found her comments insightful and fun.

Even gigantic sites, like mine is turning out to be, can get spectacular deals. The Premier Plan for $24.99 includes 100 megabytes of storage, unlimited transfer, and loads of other options including e-commerce. It’s hard to beat those kinds of prices with a stick.

When you couple that with working with congenial, knowledgeable folks, well heck, you don’t even need the stick.

Perhaps you’ve heard it said before, maybe even in this newsletter. Content is King.

Some web sites are a lot of glitz; but very little substance. All show and no go, so to speak. Those sites are suffering from a common malady, what I refer to as content deficiency syndrome.

There are lots of methods employed to hide the problem, java applets, lots of banner advertisements and the like, but the problem persists. Guests are forced to wade through a sea of useless information to find the content they desire; or even worse have to refresh the page to make the applets function correctly before doing so. If visitors have to wait too long for a page to load they will go elsewhere to find that precious content.

So the question begs to be answered, how do we get rid of the sickness? I’m glad I asked that question.

Compile all the content that you have, and then organize it into categories. Then go through all that content and put it into outline form, with more important items higher in rank on the outline.

Then as you’re organizing and editing your content on each page, make sure to give your visitors something relevant to read as the page loads. Your guests will thank you for it by returning to your site instead of others.

So if your ideas for a web site are over-laden with java applications and banner advertisements, add more content. If you’re still having problems with content deficiency, just get all the content you have, take two headache pills, and call me in the morning. I’ll organize it for you.

Say ah! See..., that didn’t hurt did it?

Gotta love lawyer jokes. When I wake up in a particularly foul mood, I like to surf for sites with lawyer jokes, and there are a bunch of them. Hum, someone else must like jokes about lawyers.

The following URLs have a bunch more lawyer jokes. Yes I mean a bunch. 

• http://www.zelo.com/lawyer.htm

• http://www-personal.usyd.edu.au/~atan/jokes/canonical_lawyer.html

• http://www.lawyerhumor.com/

• http://home.att.net/~klearned/humor.htm

• http://www.exlawyer.com/.

Drum roll please. And now the Top Ten Lawyer Jokes found on the web, (there are many hundreds by the way).

10. What is the ideal weight of a lawyer?  About three pounds, including the urn.

9. The post office had to recall its series of stamps depicting famous lawyers?  People couldn't decide which side to spit on.

8. What is the difference between pigs and lawyers.  You can learn to respect a pig.

7. How do you know if a lawyer is well hung?  You can't fit a finger between the rope and his neck.

6. Why are lawyers buried in holes 24 feet deep?  Because deep down, they're nice folks!

5. Why are lawyers like enemas?  You hate them until you need one, then you still hate them.

4. Why does California have so many lawyers and New Jersey have so many toxic waste dumps?  New Jersey got to pick first.

3. What does a lawyer and a sperm have in common?  Both have about a one in 3 million chance of becoming a human being.

2. How do you get a lawyer out of a tree?  Cut the rope.

And the number one lawyer joke on the web.

1. Do you know how to save a drowning lawyer?  Take your foot off his head.

Hum, for some reason I don’t get a lot of clients who are lawyers. I wonder why that is?

The Graphics Station Cd is almost ready. Yes, I know I said that a couple of months ago; but it is much closer by golly.

I’ve placed 42 graphics sets on my site. The pages may take awhile to load because of being so heavily laden with graphics; but your wait will be rewarded.

Feel free to use any of those graphics on personal sites. Custom matching buttons with your choice of words are also available for $2.00 per button. I plan to make custom buttons available for $1.00 each with purchase of the Cd.

All I ask is for a link from your site to mine. It’s that easy!

So much I offer for free, and so little time. How nice I am, are, was, were..., whatever.

"Tell the truth and run."