I’ve just about completed the coding for the one change I was making, which I mentioned the other day. Fortunately, it was just a short bit of code. I won’t be completely sure until I finish it up and test it, but so far it is just four lines of code that need to be replaced. They’ll be replaced with more than four lines of code, but at least it is only that section of the code that I need to contend with.

I haven’t completed the coding yet because I encountered a small stumbling block. It’s something I’m sure can be overcome, but I’m waiting to hear back on an inquiry I sent. Once I get that sorted out, I can finish the coding and be done with that part.

The other thing I need to do will be a more complex change. That’s the bit that I mentioned would require a fair amount of re-coding.

And then last night, or perhaps it was in the wee early hours this morning, I discovered another bug I need to fix. Basically, it limits logins to one user per computer. For a lot of people that probably isn’t even an issue. But, if anyone has a spouse or someone they share a computer with, and they both want an account, it becomes a problem.

Once I’ve sorted that stuff out, I will then start adding the starter stuff (stuff like “What’s this for?” and “Why is this here?”). And then there will probably be a few more things to do that I’m forgetting right now. After that, I can start bringing in the pioneers. So, if you’ve left a comment asking to be one, I’ll be contacting you then. So, don’t think I have forgotten about you if I don’t reply. It’s just that I haven’t sent out the stagecoach passes yet.

And, if you’re wondering what this project is, well, go here to refresh your memory.

I think I used this title recently…

Oh, yes, I did. Five days ago…

At any rate, it fits.

So, you know I just end up creating more work for myself.

I have one part of the forum system that I’m working on, whereby if I want to do what I want to do, I cannot change it later. And, yes, I am intentionally vague sometimes, and sometimes I’ll read my posts later and have no idea what I was talking about. At any rate, it would put a real hamper on my plans, because if I wanted to do everything I wanted to do, I’d have to do it now, so everything would be essentially on hold until I got that part finished.

The problem is that it’s not necessarily important in the scheme of things. It’s one of those things that would be nice to do but not every part of it is essential. So, I could just do the most important parts and move forward, but then I’d have to completely abandon the other stuff, which would be nice to have in there at some point in the future, as time permits.

However, I think I’ve come up with a solution that solves it. It would allow me to to the important stuff now and then return later at any point to finish off the rest. A win-win, as it wouldn’t cause a delay or cause me to lose things that I’d really like to have in at some point.

Of course, it requires some re-coding for what I’ve already done. Not sure how much yet (I’m thinking just a few lines of code), because it’s a tangled web that I won’t be able to unravel until I dig in, which I hope to start on later this evening, unless we have stormy weather, which is a possibility.

At the same time, I’m pondering another change that will require re-coding a larger bit of what I’ve already done. I thought I had done well by designing the forum structure the way that I had, but I’m now discovering some limitations. So, I’ve been thinking of a way to overcome those limitations and add more flexibility to the forums, but that’s going to require a fair amount of re-coding. On top of that, I’ll be forced to figure out why I put some things in there that I am no longer sure of what they do or were meant to do. Fun times.

So, anyway, that’s what’s been going on.

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I will soon need some pioneers to help tame (test) the wild, wild west (beta) of my new forum system.

So far, Teeni is the only one that has asked for her stagecoach ticket. (Teeni, may I eMail you the details?)

Here is where I am with it…

I still have coding to do. There are bugs that I know about that need to be taken care of. I want to have all the known problems taken care of before I let people loose in the forums. I have a “lite” version of this forum system working on another site. So, the issues are primarily in the more advanced features and things that work in the “lite” version aren’t quite working in the full version. So things I thought were ready to go, aren’t. That’s been something that’s delayed me more than expected, because I didn’t expect it!

There are also some advanced features that were planned for but not implemented in the lite version. So, I need to get those working for the full version.

At the same time, I’ve decided on some new features I want to add.

On top of that, I am recovering content from previous incarnations of the forum system so that I can integrate them into the current version.

So, there’s been a lot more working going into this than I had initially planned on.

But, still, I anticipate needing pioneers soon, so now’s the time to ask for your stagecoach pass so you can be a pioneer! Just leave a comment on this message, convince me your not a dirty rotten spammer, and I’ll consider your request.

And, since I failed to mention this on the last go-around, I will do so now: By asking for your stagecoach pass, you are giving me permission to eMail you the details using the eMail address you enter into the comment form.

Thanks!

As of about 10 minutes ago, I have one less WordPress blog.

Mind you, I haven’t updated it since February of 2009, but it is one less blog I have to worry about nonethless.

Thanks to Speedy and Teeni who were the only commenters on the blog.

So, that’s one down and at least one to go. Maybe two. Or maybe I might just go hog-wild and start deleting blogs like a maniac…

Because I actually have a radical plan for doing just that, though I’ve not decided yet if I will go that route.

Also, I might start a new blog. What? you say? Well, it won’t be a WordPress blog. And, if I do that, you might want to start reading that blog instead of this one. I’m sort of thinking this blog has gone so far down the tubes that there may not be any possible hope for it anymore. Might be better to start fresh.

Oh, I’ll still get my 1000 days in a row here (fingers crossed!) but I may just save the good stuff for the new blog.

Plus, I’ll be able to post pictures. And there won’t be any pressure (probably) to post daily.

So, what have you learned today? Not much. But you love it when I’m cryptic.

And, if not, well, that’s further evidence why I might need to start over with a new blog, right?

About a month or so ago, I received an eMail from one of the lists I am on about a video that promised some information that sounded interesting. To view the video, I had to join another marketer’s list. So, I did.

The video was a long meandering video that failed to deliver what was promised. It was a complete waste of my time.

Still, I stayed on the list, hoping at some point I might learn something useful.

Well, this particular marketer largely uses video marketing, so the vast majority of the eMails are nothing more than links to a video I can’t or mustn’t miss and so on.

So, a little over a week ago, after receiving the umpteenth link to a pointless video, I decided to unsubscribe from the list. I realized I am not learning anything from the guy’s marketing techniques nor am I likely to buy from him and, seeing that he is using a list service that he has to pay for, my being on the list is costing him money, while wasting my time, so neither one of us was benefiting from it.

I unsubscribed.

In what I hope is a coincidence, within about 1-2 days of unsubscribing, the amount of spam I’ve been getting has increased dramatically. I’d estimate I am getting at least 50 (and perhaps closer to 100) more spam messages per day than I usually get. Many of them are duplicates of one another.

And, this new plethora of spam is only coming in on that one eMail that I used to subscribe to the list.

In Internet marketing circles, we’re often taught here to stay on lists and learn from how others handle their lists. But, just because a marketer has a list doesn’t necessarily mean that they are making any money. You could fall into the trap of trying to learn from someone who isn’t making money selling the products he is promoting. This is much more so the case when dealing with someone you’ve never heard of before versus someone who is well-known.

If the guy’s not making money selling products to his list, maybe he makes money selling the eMail addresses of unsubscribers to spammers. Maybe that’s where he’s making his money.

Of course, it is probably coincidence. It would be a lot of work to put together videos and such in order to get people to subscribe to your list with the intent of driving them off your list and then selling their eMail address to spammers when they unsubscribe. It just wouldn’t make a lot of sense (or cents). It could be a “revenge” thing too, as in “I’ll show you for unsubscribing to my list!” But, who really has time for that sort of thing? Better to focus on the subscribers you do have and on getting new ones and generating sales rather than fooling around with trying to take “revenge” out on unsubscribers.

So, I am going to tend to believe it was coincidence, albeit a biggie.

Here, however, are the keypoints.

• First, the initial video, which required an opt-in, failed to deliver on what was promised.
• Subsequent videos and messages also failed to deliver on what was promised.
• The bottom line is that subscribing to the list offered me nothing of value.
• As such, I leave with not the best view of that marketer.
• Shortly after leaving the list, I start getting hammered with spam.

In other words, something coincidental happened after unsubscribing from a “bad” marketer’s list. And, because of that negative view of the marketer, one adds one and one together and has to wonder…

Now, as I’ve said, probably just a coincidence, but that’s only because we know that it just doesn’t make a lot of business sense to do something like this to a former subscriber.

But, how many of your former subscribers would think that through?

Imagine that someone unsubscribes from your list and then something coincidental happens. They get hit with a phishing eMail. They get hammered with spam. Their Facebook account gets hacked. Whatever.

The key thing here is that the marketer was not delivering what they were promising. If you say your video will reveal some great tip or secret, it better reveal that great tip or secret and just not be a sales pitch to buy the product that will reveal the secret. Reveal the secret and then promote the product because it has more secrets, or whatever. Just make sure that you deliver what you promise. After all, if your video doesn’t deliver what you promised it would, how can I trust that the product will deliver what you promise it would?

If I had left the list with a more positive view of the marketer, it is less likely that I would have linked him in my mind to the sudden spike in spam. Remember, I left the list because it wasn’t offering me anything of value. It wasn’t because the information the list offered were things I already knew or things that weren’t applicable to me or anything along those lines. It was because the list wasn’t offering me what it promised.

And that leaves a bad taste in your virtual mouth.

If it were a case of, hey, there’s nothing wrong with this guy but he’s just not teaching me anything I don’t already know, then the idea that he might sell my eMail address may never have popped into my mind.

As it was, the marketer left me with a bad impression and when something bad happened shortly thereafter, it wasn’t a stretch for my mind to form a connection.

As I’ve said, it is probably entirely coincidental. The problem is that a lot of people don’t think things through like this. They see a simple cause and effect. Thus, it is important to leave everyone—at least to the extent that you can—with a positive impression of you and your business. You can start by delivering what you promise.

Otherwise, what is coincidental may be viewed as causative.

The past couple days, I’ve mentioned that I designed 48 logos and then a total of 102 logos.

From that initial batch, I narrowed it down to a couple dozen or so options, with the help of a couple people.

Then, I made refinements on some of those, based on feedback. I also added a few more new ones to the mix.

Finally selected one yesterday. The one we picked was one of the last couple new ones I had created.

The logo came off a little less retro than I originally wanted, but it looked better than some of the retro versions. There was a retro-ized version of the final logo, but it just wasn’t as strong as the final logo.

I did use all three of the colors I wanted to use. The triangle did find its way into the logo, but in an abstract way. I had taken the triangle and given it a more retro design. And then I took that and morphed it into something not immediately recognizable as a triangle but that perfectly ties into the slogan that’s incorporated into the logo. Plus, it also allowed me to work in something from an existing logo, so it maintains a sense of continuity.

So, it works.

And now I am working on the brochure. Actually, two brochures… And then I’ll need to work on the website…

As I mentioned yesterday, I designed 48 logos, trying to develop one that I liked and met my criteria.

Well, as I also mentioned, I was going to design some more.

I don’t know how many more I did last night, but I am now up to 102 different logo possibilities.

Mind you, those are not 102 completely different logos. Many are slight variations of one another and others are simply changes in color. So, the actual number of distinct logos is far smaller than 102.

There is also a fair amount of mixing and matching. I am sticking with three basic colors that have been the company colors from the get-go. I did try some different colors, using a complementary palette, but that didn’t work out at all. Didn’t even save that monstrosity—it was that bad.

I could have kept trying different colors, but I want to stick to the ones I’ve already chosen, so that bad logo design just made it easier for me to stay away from changing colors.

If you’re interested in the colors, one of them is black. The other two can be seen in my Wordless Wednesday Whirly post.

Kind of retro…

Bummer that you can’t see any of them.

Actually, to be fair, many of them are variations on the same basic logo. Plus, I did some recycling from previous logo work I’ve done for the same company (which is one of mine).

I printed out 37 that I did before I came home from work, intending to review them and pick one out.

Instead, I came up with 11 more variations. And, the night is young, so there may be more later.

I am trying for a 1950s look with the logo. The basic logo type will be the same as I have used since day one, but it will be incorporated into a fuller design. My original logo for this company also had a triangle in it. I’ve used the triangle off and on as I’ve created new logos over time, but I’d like to find a way to work it into the design so that I still have a touch of my original logo, plus a retro look.

One of the ones I am liking at the moment has a fifties look and the triangle, but it looks a bit busy.

Oh, and I just came up with a couple more ideas… Off to go do those!

The first thing here is that you need to be able to distinguish between two specific types of customers.

The first is the one that is specific about what he (or she) wants because he has envisioned something and that’s what he wants. He doesn’t want to listen to other ideas. He doesn’t want variation. He doesn’t want input. It doesn’t matter if his idea is bad, he wants what he wants and will be upset if you stray from that, even if it is presented as an alternative.

The second is the type that is specific what he (or she) wants because he couldn’t think of anything better or was selecting an option that was “good enough” as opposed to spending time or money trying to come up with something better.

Mind you, these are not the only types of customers, but these are the two that are applicable to this method.

With the first type of customer, there is really nothing you can do except to do things exactly as he wishes. The second type of customer is the one where you have an opportunity.

Here’s an example…

A recent customer wanted a certain product. He had sketched out what he wanted and it was a very basic thing. It was something that was good enough to do what he wanted to do.

So, I set it up that way. It looked fine. It looked professional. Still, it was very basic. But, I had another idea. So, I also set up my idea. In my opinion, I thought what I came up with looked better. But, it would cost 39% more to produce than the customer’s original request.

After both were set up, the customer was given a side by side comparison. The price for both options was also displayed. His eyes gravitated to my idea.

And, that’s what he went with. For him, the extra 39% was well worth it.

Note that both the customer’s request and my idea were implemented and shown to him. It was not a situation where the customer’s request was ignored and I went ahead and did what I thought would be best. No, here the customer received exactly what he requested plus an alternative, giving him the option to decide for himself which was the better of the two.

The thing is that sometimes people will ask for things, and ask for them to be done a certain way, but only because that was the only idea they had. Sometimes, they will ask for your creative input; other times they won’t, simply because they think their concept is “good enough” or because they think something else would be too expensive or take too long.

But, by giving them options, and not necessarily pushing them towards one but rather letting them see its value for itself, you can increase the value of the sale. They get something better than they original had in mind, and you earn more money than you would have if you had strictly implemented the customer’s original request.

So, it’s a win-win for both and that’s the best type of business deal.

Okay, time to get your opinions ready…

Need some help picking out a domain name to use for a site that hopefully some of you will be using.

Here are the choices:

A) mysitename.com

B) sitename.net

No, I’m not giving you the sitename just yet. I already have that picked out. And, since it is the same in both options, it’s not highly relevant to the poll.

Anyway, which would you find easier to remember and use? Mind you, you may bookmark it, but what happens when you need to type in the domain name? Are you more likely to remember A or B?

Thanks!