His tips:

• Follow your audience

• Make your video sharable

• Get the audience involved

Watch, learn and enjoy…

Fran Jacoberger is a NY based web design & marketing agency.  To learn more visit franjacoberger.com

So I set out to find some and while I did find some funny website sites:  and funny website names,  I must say it was pretty tough finding funny web designs.

Here are a list of funny domain names:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080729144332AA0A7Yv

Here are a few more

stocktwits.com  real investors, real ideas, real time

http://www.oddtodd.com/

http://goingtorain.com/

http://www.newseum.org/

http://www.damninteresting.com/

I’ll add to this list as I come across new stuff.

-laugh on

Fran Jacoberger is a NY web design & marketing agency.  To learn more visit franjacoberger.com

“I can’t get my logo from my designer.”

“This jpeg’s all he gave me”

“I don’t have the information for the back end of my site.”

“My designers has stopped taking my phone calls.”

And the the worst… “Can you call my designer for me, explain what I need and ask them to send it over.” Hmmm, no.

Situations like this should should never relly happen but do and often. I chalk it up to clients not knowing their rights from the onset of the designer client relationship.

Here are some common designer hostage situations and how they can be avoided.

Hostage Crisis #1

“I can’t get my logo from my designer.”

“This jpg is all he gave me.”

The Scenario:

Client and designer split and client has a crummy copy of the logo that the new designer can’t work with.

The Tactic:

When you hire a designer to create a logo for you always make sure the design will be done in vector form. Vector will allow you to scale the logo up and down, change color and have a transparent background. This files (the raw files) typically end in .ai or .eps. Ask your designer up front if they will be designed your logo in vector. It’s OK if you designer uses a jpg for working purposes as long as the original is in vector.  That’s step one.

Once your logo is complete and you signed off on it and paid for it in full ask your designer to send you those .ai and/ or .eps files so you have a copy for safe keeping (so important). You’ll want to keep those in folder on your computer called “logos”. You might even want to burn them on a CD. Don’t loose them. As long as you are in business you will need them.

If you don’t have these files and only have jpegs or gifs you will most likely run into problems later with background issues, scaling issues and or color issues.

Hostage Crisis #2.

“I can’t get the information for the back end of my site.”

“I don’t have my domain name information.”

The Scenario:

Client would like to have work done on their website but can’t find their domain information and has no information for the back end of the site.

Tactic:

First: When you purchase a domain name it is important that you purchase it in your name. Your designer can help you with the process but a good designer should insist that your domain and hosting be purchased in your name. Even great relationships sometimes end and it costs money to transfer these rights if needed.

Next: Make sure you keep copies of all the paper work , user names and password that come from these transactions. I tell clients to keep a folder on their computer with this info as well as print a hard copy and have those in a folder. Here is another trick I use to keep track of account information, since I always keep a copy for my clients as well. I put an entry in my email program address book. So let’s say the domain in franjacoberger.com. My address book will have an entry for it and in there will have all my godaddy information (account number and such) as well as all my host info. It makes it super easy to find.

If going triplicate seems a bit excessive to you – trust me, it’s not compared to the nightmare you will face when you loose this information.

Hostage Crisis #3.

“My designer is holding my site hostage.”

If your bill is satisfied there is just no excuse for this. Having your account information is a great safeguard. Establishing the account your name, with your credit card and your email is another. In the event that you can’t access the site you should be able to call your host and have them reset the username and password and email you a new one.

The worst case scenario, you call a lawyer or if the site is a dud just walk away from it.

Finally, never ask a new designer to do your dirty work and call your old designer to resolve your problems. It’s a sure way to quickly sour your relationship with your new designer.

Working with a designer shouldn’t be dreadful if you know what you’re entitled to and responsible for.

Fran Jacoberger is a full service marketing, advertising and web design firm based in Long Island, NY.

Here’s the off season…

Keep it clean. Keep it simple.

Keep your ecommerce site design clean and simple. Many ecommerce website are so overpopulated with lengthy menues and flashing calls to action that it distracts the customer from the actual products. Keep your ecommerce website design clean and uncluttered.· Focus on the products.

Do write navigation systems that are meaningful to the customer.

Don’t write long, complex menu descriptions that are aimed at search engines. Focus on short, simple, meaningful navigation systems that the customer can easily navigate. Use intuitive sub navigation systems that customers can easily follow.

Design

Design your site with your customer in mind. Make the site market appropriate. An online store is similar to a brick and mortar in that it needs to appeal to the customer visually and emotionally (in a good way).

Do: Research the best ecommerce sites with similar product offering and get ideas on layout, colors and navigation.

Don’t: Purchase just any old template that is not compatible with your target audience. As with most aspects of design, less is more. That goes for colors too. Follow a 3 color combination (white, pop color, low light color).

Up sell and Cross Sell

If you’re not taking the opportunity to up sell and cross sell your products then you are missing out.· This is the oldest retail trick and it works online just as nicely.

Do use Related items, Customers who bought, wish lists, features products and items you might also like.

Don’t use Heavy and confusing menu systems, too much copy, black hat tactics aimed to increase search engine optimization.

Go easy on the copy.

Unless you’re selling books, go easy on the copy. Long winded copy, lengthy product descriptions kill the customer experience. Online shopping is highly visual.

Do Give clients an easy to scan, short, bulleted list of features. Go for photos over text as a selling feature.

Don’t Write lengthy product descriptions aimed at attracting search engines. Limit the amount of text show on the website main page and category pages.

Make It Easy

Make check out a breeze.

Do: Highlight the shopping cart, make registration and checkout quick and painless. Have a remember me feature.

Don’t: Skip lengthy registration process that requires email verification prior to login.

Try these simple tricks to boost your ecommerce sales in 2011.

Fran Jacoberger is a full service web design and consulting studio based in NY.

On Monday, Indiana’s Hacienda Mexican Restaurant Group decided to pull advertising billboards that read “We’re like a cult with better Kool-aid. To die for.” Local residents failed to see the humor and instead were shocked and disgusted at the reference to the 1978 Jonestown cult massacre in which more than 900 people died after drinking cyanide-laced Kool-aid.

How did they come up with the catchy headline?  Well, according to their marketing division they brainstormed about how clubs and teams have cult like followings of like minded people and, well, they just got carried away in the wrong direction.  Sounds like they need to lay off the kool-aid.

Meanwhile in NY….

An anti abortion billboard by Life Always in Soho came under scrutiny for being racial and offensive.  The advertisement that read “The most dangerous place for an African Americans is in the womb.”  was meant raise public awareness of Planned Parenthood’s “targeting of minority neighborhoods.”

Life Always Soho abortion billboard.

Tiger Woods Nike Ad

Nike recently launched a new Tiger Woods commercial. The ad features a pensive looking Tiger looking square at the camera with a narration by Tigers father, the late Earl Woods.  As the camera slowly zooms in we hear Earl say ‘Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive. To promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. Did you learn anything?”

Naturally, it’s a great, thought provoking Nike ad. I say bravo to Nike for not dropping Tiger. Regardless of his marital indiscretions, he’s an amazing athlete and that is why we follow him.  And…while I don’t support cheating on your spouse, I do believe that what happens in Tigers bedroom or hotel room should stay there.

On a lighter note, I’m going to take a wild guess and say that he most likely learned a thing or two about a thing or two.   Tiger, Tiger, Roar!

Fran Jacoberger is a NY web design & marketing agency.  To learn more visit franjacoberger.com