There was buzz that Google was going to announce something über-wonderific at the I/O conference. Once again, they fail to disappoint. Meet Google Wave, what may be the epitome of collaborative mashability. Part instant messaging, web chat, file sharing and project management, Google Wave claims it will provide it all plus pretty pictures of the collaborative group to boot.<< MORE >>

When I first started hearing that Twitter was planning to ask users to pay for their product I thought:  Dream on.  Nothing kills an online product like giving it away for free then requiring paid subscriptions.  It seems Twitter knows that too, as they claim they will continue to provide the basic Tweeting abilities we all love free. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone announced yesterday that they do plan to release Twitter business tools by the end of 2009, which they will charge for.  They do not plan to sell advertising but enhanced services like light analytics and enhanced methods for ...<< MORE >>

What’s in a name?

How strong is your domain name? You’ve spent a lot of time branding your domain. It’s on letterhead, products, emails, and already indexed in search engines.

It is very important to have a domain that represents your company and ideally contain a keyword or two. I have several domains that we use for promoting services. Our parent domain (Totera.com) is what we brand on our letterhead and emails. But we also utilize keyword-rich domains (PortTownsendWebDesign.com, Seattle-Web-Design-Firms.com) to ...<< MORE >>

Links are crucial for sharing information, educating your readers about your blog topics and increasing your topic validity in the eyes of the almighty search engines (if done correctly...but that's a whole other blog topic). Not all links are short and pretty and most often it makes more sense to use a few descriptive words or an image to be clear about what you are linking to.<< MORE >>

The past year has been very exciting. By expanding our existing client relationships and forging new connections we experienced double-digit growth for the 4th year in a row. The best business strategy is built on a clear understanding of our expertise and where we stand in the marketplace. Totera's role in the market is to help our customers grow and prosper. As our customers prosper, we prosper. And that is the way we believe it should be. A proactive approach to 2009 As some businesses are cutting costs and waiting to see what happens next, ...<< MORE >>

No, I'm not singing with a Julie Andrews voice (unless your hills are alive with a howling dog named Julie Andrews). I'm sitting here watching the snow fall, amazed that 2008 is almost over, pondering the fun projects I've had this year. There has been concern over the current economic state and that, with the impending Hood Canal Bridge closure, business in our local area could decrease.<< MORE >>

Taking a screenshot involves capturing an image of a window or screen and then placing that screenshot into a graphics program for saving. These directions apply to PCs running on Windows ...<< MORE >>

TAGS: Google Site Search, Google Custom Search Blog

I recently attended a Google Webinar on Google's improved Site Search feature. 

Site Search is a tool which can be implemented on a Web site allowing site visitors to use a search field to access information and products specific to the site they're on.  This is great for potential customers, registrants, etc to find exactly what they're looking for on your Web site.  There is an even better bonus for the site owners, though:  all search information input is tracked and calculated ...<< MORE >>

As of July 1, 2008, Washington State retailers will need to collect sales tax based on the destination of the shipment or delivery - "destination-based." This only affects shipments and deliveries to locations within Washington State.

Basically, all WA businesses that ship products to WA state addresses are now required to charge the correct sales tax for the destination city. For example, if you are a Washington business and sell an item online that is to be shipped to Bothell, WA, then you will have to charge the same sales tax as any store operating in Bothell. So tax charged to Bothell orders will be different than Seattle orders.

According to the Washington Dept. of Revenue, the tax tables will be updated quarterly.

Totera is currently developing a software solution that will be integrated into an wide range of shopping carts. Our solution will automatically reference the state database to determine the current tax rate based on the shipping zip code and then add the correct sales tax to the shopping cart during checkout. << MORE >>

Google has turned itself into a verb synonymous with "search."  Just like we ask for a Q-tip or Band-aid in the United States instead of a cotton swab or bandage, we call our Internet searches "Googles."

Enter the Titanic, because that is only the tip of the iceberg...

Those of us with websites want to be ranked (indexed) high with Google when someone is searching for something we sell.  Luckily for us, Google gives us all the tools to figure out how to make this happen—and they give it to us for free!  They may change ...<< MORE >>