Writings from Force 5 Basecamp

01/05/11

Almost every modern website has a “search my site” module of some sort added to it. In this How-To I’m going to explain how to set up Karamasoft UltimateSearch to automatically rebuild its index on a repeating scheduled basis in a Microsoft Windows hosted environment. First, you will need to obtain the UltimateSearch software from the Karamasoft site, found at:

01/03/11

Marketers are promise –makers.  They use their promises to set expectations high enough to move consumers to action: to buy their stuff, read their books, to come to their show, etc.  PT Barnum made big promises.  He promised, “The Greatest Show on Earth” – the ultimate claim – not a better show anywhere on the planet.  I imagine his customers

12/28/10

South Bend, IN , December 28, 2010– Force 5, a brand development and marketing communications firm located in South Bend, IN, today announced that its Privacy Policy has been certified for compliance for the third year with the Safe Harbor Principles of the U.S. Department of Commerce. In October 1998, the European Commission’s Directive on Data Protection went into effect.

12/28/10

Our Digital Crossroads Over the past few years, we’ve seen a shift from what we know as your typical computer. A few years ago (heck all the way back to the Apple II), computers, more or less, took the same form; A monitor, CPU, with a mouse and keyboard. Recently, with the onslaught of touch screen smartphones, we’ve seen a

12/20/10

I was at church this Sunday and received a good reminder. Let me take a step back, this was the weekend when the little people come up from little people church to big people church and sing a few Christmas songs. So here comes the first group, 4-7 years old, I believe. The girls have on their new tights and

12/09/10

Having duplicated content within search engines is a very common problem that is often overlooked. You would think having duplicated content will be good for your search rankings, although that is not the case as it may be not useful to the end-user. www-vs-non-www (Problem) Search engines recognize your www.your-domain.com and your-domain.com as two separate websites. You may not be

11/22/10

When I was a kid, I loved watching the The Road Runner Show cartoon on TV after school.  Yes, it was a little violent. Yes, it was a lot predictable. And no, it really wasn’t very funny.  But what I liked about the show was the Coyote’s creativity.  What imagination! I mean really, this dude had some creative chutzpah!  He came

10/26/10

Early this past September I read a post from one of my favorite marketing dudes, Chris Brogan. This message has stayed with me and continues to resonate. The post was written on a Sunday and talked about taking 20 minutes (on Sundays) to connect with friends and family. I remember my first thought being “20 minutes, really? Is that all

10/18/10

With the recent release of Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 beta you are now able to see the work that has gone into a browser that has not seen much forward development in meeting web standards or rendering speeds compared to its rivals (Opera, Firefox, & Google Chrome). Microsoft has even launched BeautyOfTheWeb.com website showcasing the new features and abilities. One

10/14/10

Earlier this year, the University of Maryland researched social media efforts being made by small businesses. In early 2010, about 25% of small businesses said they were using social media. The most recent survey from Network Solutions and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland points to a stall in the number of small businesses that

10/13/10

You’ve probably seen them. Tucked in the lower corner of a magazine ad, on the back of a business card, on a bus sign or even on the entire side of a building. It’s an increasing trend in advertising that some say is a fad, and some say the next great new way to promote. What are QR Codes? QR

10/11/10

The first movie I can recall seeing in a theatre was the 1971 James Bond 007 film, Diamonds Are Forever.  Yes, at the tender age of six, I became a fan of James Bond movies.   I was too young at the time to appreciate James for his prowess, his daring, his panache.  What I loved about Bond films were the