ToddGaber.com

Professional Social Identity

Social Media has created a revolutionary method of generating relationships with consumers from around the globe. As a business or professional it is imperative that you present an identity that reflects your level of stature. Here are a few quick tips to ensure your identity is reflective of your products/services.

• Separate your social life from your professional social networking accounts. Your followers do not need to accidentally be exposed to embarrassing text, photos or videos.
• Keep your content relevant; pick a subject and stick to it.
• Engage your followers; let them challenge your professional knowledge by asking them questions. Position your identity as a credible one.
• Choose your followers wisely; those who provide negative social interactions should be blocked. 
• Remember; the Internet is Forever. What you post now will be accessible forever. This could have a negative impact later on; make sure to think before you post.

Secure Online Shopping

I just recently watched a buyer beware story on CNN; it was about how not to get scammed during the holidays. I think that it’s a good idea for me to focus on a few things that you should do when making purchases online.

• When entering credit card information make sure to check if the website is secure; an easy way to do this is look at the URL of the current page. Look for “https://” this will ensure you are on a secure website. Browsers usually display a lock to confirm this.
• Do your research about the seller; make sure you have looked for customer reviews via Google to determine wether or not the online store is credible.
• Make sure to watch your credit card statements after an online purchase. If there are any strange charges appearing you should contact your credit card immediately before your credit is compromised.
• Read the websites Terms of Service. Often you will be able to pick out scams by reading the fine print.
• Participate within review sections of the website; consumer feedback can help everyone in the future.

The Power of CSS3

Just wanted to share some links to demonstrate the abilities of CSS3. Click on the images to view demos.

3D Cube That Rotates Using Keyboard Arrow Keys

Analogue Clock

Multiple 3D Cubes (Slide on Hover)

CSS3 Animation - (No JS or Flash)

Minimalistic Design

I just wanted to demonstrate some versions of minimalistic web design; keeping clean organized page structure can really help your content. Less is more! Content should not get lost in the design; your products/services need to be visible in order for you to make sales.

HTML5 or Mobile App?

Do you want to attract a higher traffic rate of mobile customers? Without spending thousands on device specific application development? In this post I want to look at the advantages of HTML5 over mobile application development.

Disadvantages of Mobile Applications

• Device specific, this means you have to create multiple applications to reach your entire audience. eg. You would need an app for Android, OS5, Blackberry and Windows.
• Extremely expensive as each application can cost thousands of dollars

Advantages of HTML5

• One set of code can function across all devices
• Cost effective
• With Javascript we can create the illusion of a mobile application —> DEMO HERE

Is your site mobile ready?

Open Source eCommerce

Today I want to talk about an open source ecommerce solution I came across when implementing a store for one of my clients. I spent alot of time searching for a free and efficient software that could speed up processing transactions. Thankfully I found Open Cart; its an open source PHP store management system which is fully customizable and very fast.

The store is not live yet but here are some of the features that Open Cart offers.

• Unlimited Categories
• Unlimited Products
• Unlimited Manufacturers
• Multi Currency
• Multi Language
• Product Reviews
• Product Ratings
• Open Source
• Free Documentation
• Templatable
• Automatic Image Resize
• 20+ Payment Gateways
• 8+ Shipping Methods

Does your cart offer a CMS that provides product SEO, organizes orders, automatically contacts customers about purchase information, keeps client information, tracks analytical purchase data, differentiates popular products, provides easily printable invoice orders and is an overall online POS terminal. 

Contact an accredited web designer today to boost your online sales efficiency and sales capability.

Why Use Twitter?

Here are a few reasons Twitter is an essential tool for your business; You can use it for the following reasons:

• Instant News Feed
• Communication Tool
• Advertising
• Promotion
• Branding
• Client Relations
• Business Development
• Finding Future Employees
• Information Sharing
• Search Engine Optimization