Today, we’re looking at three email campaign services — Campaign Monitor, MailChimp and Constant Contact.

Campaign Monitor

Campaign Monitor is a flexible tool, suitable for both novices and experienced developers. You can choose from a sizeable library of prebuilt and ready-to-use templates, or you can easily create custom templates of your own. You can preview your campaign in a variety email programs and on various mobile devices before you send it. Campaign Monitor also has a robust API, which lets developers and other programs use its data. For example, you can integrate your Campaign Monitor subscriber lists with your existing customer information databases.

Pricing

Campaign Monitor charges a small flat fee of $5 for each email campaign you send, but the service also bases pricing on your number of subscribers. Each recipient costs just pennies to send. This can be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on the size of your list. Emailing small lists with only a couple hundred people can be very affordable, while emailing tens of thousands of people can get expensive quickly.

MailChimp

MailChimp is another service that offers a robust API. The MailChimp API touts its ability to sync with e-commerce tools. Another cool feature allows you to fully automate newsletters based on your blog or another RSS news feed. A double opt-in process using MailChimp is in most cases required for new subscribers. Customers must sign up on your website then click a confirmation link sent to them via email. This process is terrific for ensuring that your subscribers are interested in your content and are less likely to mark your newsletter as spam. But it also decreases the number of successful conversions by making the signup process longer.

Pricing

Unlike the other services we’re looking at, MailChimp has a free plan for smaller lists. For more frequent or larger campaigns, there are various monthly and “pay-as-you-go” plans. Nonprofit organizations receive a 15% discount.

Constant Contact

Constant Contact also offers a large library of email templates, but they’re not as flexible and fewer elements can be edited. The Constant Contact API is not as useful as those of the other services we’ve discussed. For a small additional cost, Constant Contact offers “image management and hosting,” which includes access to several thousand stock images that you can use in your newsletters and email campaigns.

Pricing

Constant Contact’s pricing is monthly, based on how many subscribers you have. You can send as many campaigns as you want for a flat rate. Discounted rates of 10-15% off are available if you prepay for 6 or 12 months. The discount increases to as much as 30% if you’re a nonprofit organization.

So which email campaign service should you choose?

It depends on your unique needs. Constant Contact and MailChimp have nearly identical pricing, but Constant Contact offers better discounts for nonprofits while MailChimp is free for small subscriber lists. Campaign Monitor has the strongest API and the most flexible templates. MailChimp lets you automate newsletters if you have a news feed on your website. Constant Contact offers stock images.

All of these services offer useful metrics and can make reaching your audience easier. Check out these three email campaign services next time you want to spread the word and you don’t want that word to get silenced by a spam filter.

Dictionary.com defines cloud computing as:

A loosely defined term for any system providing access via the Internet to processing power, storage, software or other computing services, often via a web browser. Typically these services will be rented from an external company that hosts and manages them.

Cloud computing is the idea that, in the future, all applications will run on the Internet rather than on your computer. Let’s use email as an example. Think about the difference between Outlook, an email program that runs on your computer, versus Gmail, an email program that runs on the Internet. Gmail is an example of cloud computing. With cloud computing, there is no software to purchase, install or maintain. The entire application runs on the Internet via your Web browser.

One day, probably in the next 5 years, all computing will work this way. Every application you have running on your local computer will have an online counterpart that will run within your Web browser. It may seem farfetched, but there are countless examples of desktop applications that already have an online counterpart. The following is a table showing popular desktop applications and their online (“in the cloud”) alternatives.

The benefits of cloud computing

If you’ve used an application “in the cloud” you’ve probably already realized some of the benefits. I asked my friend Joe Gleinser of GCS Technologies for his definition of cloud computing and this was his reply:

“Cloud computing is how businesses will slash IT spending in the next two years. It will drive down technical support costs, reduce headcounts in IT departments, and minimize complexity in our networks. The Cloud will increase the rate of technical change. New technologies will be introduced much more quickly than before.”

Within Joe’s definition are several benefits of computing in the cloud.

Reduced Cost

Overall, cloud computing will cost less than traditional computing. Instead of investing serious dollars in servers, IT infrastructure and software licenses, companies will be able to leave all of that to service providers as they subscribe to all of their applications. In the future, computers will need to be less powerful as well. Since all the computing power will happen in the cloud there will be less physical drain on local resources. Once cloud computing really takes off, companies will be able to cut their IT costs big time.

Increased Reliability

Because cloud applications exist on redundant computers in professional data centers, cloud computing will be more reliable than traditional computing. Since businesses will be subscribing to a service, the service provider will be responsible for backing up data, providing security fixes and solving technical problems. The result will be a suite of applications that have greater uptime and better performance than traditional software.

Less Maintenance

IT managers will rejoice as their companies invest in cloud applications. Applications that run in the cloud will have virtually zero required maintenance versus traditional software. The responsibility of maintenance, from upgrading the software to fixing bugs, will fall on the service provider, relieving local IT staffs of the software maintenance burden. Overall, countless hours (and headaches) will be saved as companies no longer have to maintain local software applications.

With cloud computing on the horizon, it will soon be time to ditch your clunky desktop applications and move to running your business from the Web. Let’s hope life is even better in the cloud.

I asked my team members, “What were the most memorable moments of this year’s conference?” Here are the responses I received:

Nick Weynand (that’s me)

The most memorable moment for me was a session called “Pain Free Design Signoff” by Paul Boag, a Web designer from the UK. During the hour-long session, Paul touched on different aspects of the Web design process and how to improve each one, both for the designer and the client. The most profound thing he said was that roles should be defined clearly at the beginning stages of the project. In his words, “the client’s role is to find problems, the designer’s role is to find solutions.” We’ll use many of Paul’s ideas to improve our own process.

I also attended a memorable session called “Prototyping Web Apps” by Google designers Darren Delaye and Michael Leggett. During the session, the speakers presented several methods that they use to accurately demonstrate Web application interfaces at Google. I picked up some great tips that will help us be more successful demonstrating interface designs to our clients.

And finally, another memorable moment for me was eating Nuclear Tacos. They were a bit spicier this year and I was only able to stomach one of them.

Caroling Lee

My most memorable moment this year had to be the two-part session, “The Right Way to Wireframe”. It was one of the rare opportunities to get an inside look at how people work when it comes to wireframing. Led by Todd Zaki Warfel and Russ Unger, they put together some time-lapsed videos of their wireframing processes from start to finish using a pro-bono project they were doing with a non-profit. Each person approached the process differently, used different tools and had different (both successful) outcomes. In the end, I think the take-away was that there are many different answers to the same question, and that each Information Architect, Project Manager, or User Experience Designer brings something different to each project during this planning phase. Final thought: SKETCH before you do anything!

And I have to say that the second most memorable moment had to be the Mashable party, where Pete Cashmore arrived to a sea of adoring fans on the dance floor. Who knew?

Finally, I would have to say that Kyle’s dancing was the most memorable TradeMark moment. Can’t ever get enough of that…(I have a video if you want).

Kyle Greenan

My most memorable moment was Way Cool Map Scripting. It was really exciting to see different data being pulled in and used in combination with maps. You can create very useful and informative maps just by adding bits of data, from photos at specific locations, to even friends currently in a given area. As more and more companies share their data with APIs the future of map scripting can only get better and even more interactive.

Mike Wisian

I know that we attended an interactive conference, but my favorite panel featured the group, DEVO. The synthtastic band did a panel on how they are using the Web to better market their band, but I quickly discovered much of it was a satire of our field (especially toward social media types). Want a say in Devo’s new album? Take their song study at http://www.clubdevo.com/ and do your part in optimizing the fireball!

Manoj Thomas

My favorite session at the conference this year was one that I didn’t even have on my schedule – “Mapping and Geolocation: Turnkey Approaches You Need to Know”. Joe Stump from SimpleGeo (and formerly Digg) led a great conversation and shared some exciting ideas about location-based technologies. The ability to garner geodata opens up a slew of options for generating user-specific content, but the obvious issues involving the lack of privacy will continue to be a fuel for heated debates.

Have you ever been to a Web site, but instead of the website you were greeted with a warning message that said “Warning: Visiting this site may harm your computer”?

If you have, then you have experienced Google’s program first-hand. Maybe it was not your site, but what if it was? What are the steps you need to take to get your site back online?

1. Go to Google’s Webmaster Tools, log in and get the information about what was detected. This will give you a clue on how to approach the removal of the malware. If you don’t have a Google account, you can also visit: www.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=example.com (but instead of  ’example.com’, type in your domain name). This will also give you some information on your site, such as the status of your site, if there has been malware detected, etc.
2. Next, change all of the passwords related to the Web site (anything related to the site, e.g. FTP). One of the most common ways for malware to invade your site is by taking advantage of a weak FTP password.
3. Once the passwords have been changed you need to make sure all of your site’s software is up to date and has the latest security fixes (contact your hosting provider for more help).
4. If you have scripts on your site that you no longer use, remove them.
5. Now you should go through your site files looking for any odd code such as “<script> function ZsTvTrDzZ()..” and remove it.
6. Once you have removed all of malware from your site, you can resubmit your site to Google through Webmaster Tools. Google will scan your site again to see if it still detects malware, but this will take some time. If Google does not detect any malware then it will remove the warning page and your site will be back to normal.

For more information see:

• http://stopbadware.org/
• http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/

• Web site has no consistency when you click from page to page.
• Photos take their sweet time to load.
• Headings are used as decorations instead of for structure.
• Site gives overall impression of jankiness.

Diagnosis

Frankensite (n.): A Web site made with a hodge-podge of graphics, fonts, and aesthetics. Risks include turned-off visitors and appearance of disorganization.

Causes

• The Web site has been around a while and no one has devoted much TLC to it lately.
• Half a dozen people with completely different aesthetic tastes have made changes.
• People who haven’t been trained properly have used the editor incorrectly.
• New types of content don’t quite fit the layout of your old site.

Prevention

Before you launch:

• Make sure anyone who will edit the site learns about writing for the Web and using your system.
• Think about basic layouts that might help your different types of content fit the best and create (or get help creating) a template.

After you launch:

• Review your content regularly to watch for the symptoms above.
• Get refresher trainings. If you only update the site twice a year, you may not remember how to do it.
• Don’t paste formatted content (like from Word or an email) into the editor.
• As you add new types of content, remember you can add templates (see above). A Web site is a living document, so you can add templates even after launch.
• Keep the overall goals of the site in mind as you add new things to it. Don’t add clutter for the sake of clutter.

Treatment of Common Symptoms

1. Convergence

With information overload at an all-time high, people are constantly looking for ways to simplify their lives. Convergence is one way to reduce the clutter, and you’ll see a major push toward consolidation of information in 2010. Why do people need an email account, Twitter account and a Facebook page? Answer is: they don’t. These applications have just evolved separately, but they all essentially do the same thing: communicate. In 2010, you’ll see more applications developed to converge communications.

2. Cloud Computing

Computing on the cloud has been on its way for a very long time and anyone who keeps up with this stuff knows that this is the direction we’re heading. But in 2010, cloud computing becomes a real reality. For real. In July of last year, Google released Chrome OS, an operating system meant to work exclusively with Web applications. This software product leaves desktop applications behind and does all of its computing on the cloud. In 2010, you’ll see more and more applications developed to work on the cloud and with operating systems such as Chrome OS.

3. Measurable Results

For a while, one thing people loved about Web marketing was the ability to measure the results. Click-throughs and conversion rates were easy to calculate. Then came social media. With the advent of Twitter, Facebook and the like, measuring your marketing dollars became very difficult. It wasn’t impossible; there were plenty of great Web applications that allowed you to measure your social marketing efforts. It just became way more difficult to do than pulling up your traditional analytics software.

In 2010, you’ll see marketers really start to get the hang of measuring online initiatives. New applications will arrive that will consolidate the data and make it easy to understand. As a result, you’ll see brands spend their marketing dollars more wisely. Some will realize that social media is not for them, and some will make an even greater push towards this new advertising market. 2010 is the year that we start to make sense of it all.

4. Location-Based Applications

We seem to spend more and more of our time “in the cloud”, yet no one can deny the importance that physical location has on our day-to-day lives. In 2010, it will still matter where you are and what’s around you.

This year, you’ll see more emphasis placed on this. GPS-based Web applications will emerge that will allow you to instantly connect with people in your immediate area. You’ll also be able to experience an “augmented reality” using your mobile device. See a restaurant you’d like to try? Point your cell-phone at it and get reviews, ratings and menu choices. See a home for sale? Use your handheld device to view price, square footage and days on market. With an abundance of GPS and Web-enabled mobile devices, 2010 is the year that location matters more than ever before.

5. The Real-Time Web

Last year, Facebook released its “Live News Feed” that allowed users to see activity from all their friends in real time. In 2010, we’ll be no more patient than we were last year and results in real time will be a priority. This year, more and more applications will emerge that will allow us to interact with the Web and the people on it instantaneously. No longer will you read a restaurant review from four months ago. Instead, you’ll interact with someone who just ate there through a real-time review site. Search will go real-time in 2010 as well. The results you pull up on Google or Bing may very well be sites that are publishing content as you search, rather than content that was indexed months ago. In 2010, the Web will get up to date.

As it did last year, the Web will grow up a little bit in 2010. It will become simpler, easier to use, more measureable, more instantaneous and an all-around better and more enjoyable medium.

What are HTML and CSS?

HTML and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) are your initial building blocks when creating a Web site. HTML is a language that is used to create the structure of your page; think about it like a well-structured outline or Word document. A set of HTML elements is available for displaying paragraphs, lists, images, forms, etc.

The Cascading Style Sheets comes into play by taking care of how those HTML elements and their content will be displayed, e.g. font styling. This is called the presentation layer and accomplished with the Cascading Style Sheet Language.

Who decides the standards and why does it take so long to implement them?

Generally speaking, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) decides and makes recommendations. It was founded in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web. The main focus of this international group of over 350 people is the development of standards for the Web.

Although it is the strongest force when it comes to Web standards, W3C didn’t keep a handful of individuals from forming the Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) in June of 2004. Their concerns and complaints were that the W3C’s main focus had shifted from HTML to another language, XML, with the future plan of dismissing the HTML language completely.

Then in 2007, the W3C started the HTML working group, which adapted the work of the WHATWG, and used it as a starting point for its work. The group then released the first working draft in early 2008.

The development of CSS 3 was much less dramatic, but by no means any faster. The CSS working group, which is part of the W3C, released its first CSS 3 working draft in February of 2008. This release came almost 10 years after the release of CSS 2.

With the official release date for HTML 5 set for 2022 and CSS 3 taking over a decade to become a recommendation, the question roars: why does it take so long to define those specifications? The short answer is conflicts of interest among the variety of members with different motives. The important thing to know is that the official date doesn’t matter as much as the release of updated or new browsers that support the recommended standards.

What do the new standard features mean to me as a user?

When the standards are part of and supported by all browsers, including the finally-catching-up-to-standards browser Internet Explorer, developers will be capable of creating richer interfaces that are custom-tailored based upon the user and its user agent (browser). You, the end user, will benefit from HTML 5 and CSS 3 when these standards are put into action to create Web sites that are more interactive and easier to use.

Examples of some upcoming features:

• HTML 5: http://html5demos.com/
• CSS 3: http://www.css3.info/preview/

But what are the other essential elements?

1. A Clear Starting Point 

This might be an image, a video, a message, animation, or even large text – basically anything to guide the user at first glance. It doesn’t matter what the element is, as long as it’s clear to the user that this is the place to start. For most of our clients, it’s an image that tells a story or encompasses the purpose of the Web site or reinforces their branding/image.

2. Call to Action

The key difference of a Web site (vs. other marketing tools like print, radio or tv) is its ability to give users a place to interact. There should be at least one element on the page that inspires a user to DO something. Whether it’s filling out a form, signing up for an e-newsletter, using a tool like a calculator or answering a poll, there needs to be an active option available to engage users further.

3. Search Field

It’s been said that a site-specific search should only be included on complex sites, but it’s also been said that a search option is a ‘user’s lifeline’. To be safe, most sites today require search visibility.

4. Fresh Content

Whether it’s a Twitter feed, recent news, upcoming events, or some other fresh content, the home page needs one content type that gets updated on a regular basis (hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly).

5. Keyword-Rich Content

For nearly all of our clients, search engine optimization is a huge priority and the home page is the best opportunity to feature relevant keywords. Use industry terms or keywords that you’re trying to get ranked on, but make sure they are familiar to your users.

6. Feedback Option

The day your site launches is the end of one process, but also the beginning of the rest of your Web site’s life. With that in mind, use the power of your users to get some feedback on what’s working and what needs improvement. Whether it’s a feedback form or a short survey, give users the ability to share their opinions.

7. Site Index

Every Web site needs a road map. It’s just another line of defense to help users find what they need ASAP. This way, you’ll have the search, the main navigation, sub-navigation and a site map. There’s no way to predict exactly how every user will browse your site, so giving them the right options is key.

8. The Fine Print

Many of our clients have Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policies and/or disclaimers. The necessity of these depends on your industry, the kind of Web site and the kind of info that users are providing. If they’re entering Social Security Numbers, then you’ll want to make sure that there’s some kind of privacy policy content. This also goes for including security seals like McAfee, etc.

The home page is your last chance to make a first impression, so balance these home page elements with your overall site goals. The essential elements of a particular home page can certainly vary on a case-by-case basis, but use this checklist as an overall guide.

As we approach a new year, here are some reasons you should make some resolutions to strengthen your network:

One day, your network might need you.

Keep in touch, send cookies, write thank you notes, send a positive tweet and remember to connect often. Why? Because one day your network will need you.

In good times and bad, remember to keep in contact with those individuals that you respect and match your company’s values. Contact them when you don’t need anything just to say hello or check in. Keep your eyes open for opportunities, tips and tricks that you can pass along to them when it may help. A strong network is always working to uplift and help others in that network succeed.

One day, you might need your network.

A strong network is incredibly important when you reach a point where you need something. Once you’re at that point, it is WAY too late to start cultivating the network.

No matter how successful you are or how great your business is doing, you never know what turn of events may have you depending on your connections. Perhaps a new prospect wants a reference before working with you or you yourself have to find a new job.

Don’t forget that people will remember the good deeds you’ve done for them, and they will be more than happy to help you in return one day if you have maintained a strong relationship built on trust and mutual understanding.

Better doesn’t mean bigger.

I am a firm believer that one strong relationship is far more valuable than twenty weaker ones. This means that you don’t have to run around trying to meet everyone at your networking event and force a relationship on all of them if it’s not a good fit.

It means finding the people you naturally connect with and that make sense to get to know better. Trust your gut. Follow up with that person with whom you had a great conversation or invite that interesting luncheon speaker out for coffee to learn more about his or her business. Be good to the people that you respect and trust and they will be good to you.

So, go ahead, start early and resolve to make your network stronger in 2010! Your business will thank you!

Jean’s Top 5 Networking Resolutions: for 2010

1. Make a VIP list and check in with those VIPs on a monthly basis.
2. Always try to offer something to your network that may help them, too.
3. Follow up via email with every new contact you meet to foster the relationship.
4. Pick up the phone and connect with those contacts that you’ve lost touch with.
5. Consistently let people know what good things are happening in your world (e.g. post a tweet about a new client or a company award.)

1. Create a holiday special or promotion

Your Web site is one among many, many online retailers. Make your products stand out by creating an unbeatable holiday special or promotion. If you’re not offering free shipping, now may be the time. Promote the sale of gift cards or offer them as a freebie for making a purchase. In this economic climate, shoppers are searching for deals. Make sure your Web site catches their attention.

2. Create special gift categories

During the holiday season, your Web site should promote gift ideas. Creating special categories for gift buyers is a great place to start. Here are some examples of special gift categories you can create:

• Gifts under $100
• Romantic gifts
• Gifts for the outdoorsman
• Gifts for boys
• Gifts for the chef
• Artistic gifts

Feel free to get creative with your categories, but make sure they are truly useful. If done right, your shoppers will appreciate the suggestions you’ve made.

3. Promote to the last-minute shopper

Let’s face it: many of us wait until the last minute to get our shopping done. Take advantage of this by reaching out to customers when the holiday shopping season is drawing to a close. Consider sending out an email promotion and offering a last-minute deal. Or offer free rush shipping so that your customer’s order arrives just in time.

4. Increase your online advertising

More people are online looking for products during the holidays than any other time of year. There’s no better time than now to increase your online advertising. You may want to increase your pay-per-click budget or offer a special commission rate to affiliates during this busy time.

5. Offer gift wrapping

Offering a gift-wrapping service is a great way to increase your average order amount. You can also throw gift wrapping in for free as part of a holiday promotion. Of course, you have to find someone who is good at wrapping gifts. Sorry, I can’t help with that one.

Is your Web site in gear for the 2009 holiday shopping season? If not, use these tips to take advantage of holiday shopping and increase your sales.

¹Forrester Research: http://www.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,55548,00.html