Dream On: The Steven Tyler American Idol Experience

By: Frank Iacono

It’s time for optimistic contestants from around the country to “Come Together” and step onto the grandest stage and “Lay It Down” while new judges “Draw The Line” in hopes of finding the next great pop superstar. So, “Get A Grip” and “Walk This Way” as we embark on one “Crazy” journey which is sure to leave some “Jaded,” some “Crying” and others going “Round and Round.” “Just Push Play” and “Let The Music Do The Talking” as we “Dream On” alongside these wacky competitors. Welcome to Season 10. I’m Ryan Seacrest. And, this is American Idol.

What Does It All Mean, Ryan?

So, what do all the songs listed above have to do with Season 10 of American Idol (AI)? Well, on September 22, 2010, Fox confirmed that Steven Tyler, the legendary front man and lead singer of the prominent Boston-based rock band named Aerosmith who performs the aforementioned songs, would join AI as a member of the judging panel for the program’s tenth season. Tyler, replacing Simon Cowell, would sit alongside returning judge Randy Jackson and newly added actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, fashion designer and television producer Jennifer Lopez who was replacing Ellen Degeneres and Kara Dioguardi.

Tyler, the “Demon of Screamin’,” equally known for his on-stage acrobatics and wearing bright, colorful outfits with trademark scarves was selected as a judge for his flamboyant personality and outrageous behavior.  To say he has been nothing short of sensational so far would be an understatement. To illustrate, Seacrest recently announced on his radio show that Tyler has been a “homeroom.” In other words, Tyler has single-handedly saved the show since the departure of Cowell, the blunt and often controversial British judge who was filled with criticisms, insults and wisecracks.

Does Tyler Get Support from Fellow Aerosmith Band Members?

Aerosmith’s guitarist Joe Perry recently told the Calgary Herald during an interview, “it’s his business, but I don’t want Aerosmith’s name involved with [American Idol]. We have nothing to do with it. [Idol] is a reality show designed to get people to watch that station and sell advertising… It’s one step above Ninja Turtles.”

Aerosmith’s other guitarist Brad Whitford recently told the Boston Herald that he felt Tyler’s new AI gig can only be a good thing for the band by saying, “it’s going to expand our audience, for sure.” And, that “people who would never think about seeing Aerosmith might change their minds after seeing him on TV.”

What Are Other Rock Artists Saying?

Kid Rock commented against Tyler joining the judging trio by saying, “[Steven] is a sacred American institution of rock ‘n’ roll, and he just threw it all out the window, [He] just stomped on it and set it on fire. We should bring back the guillotine, or whatever they call that thing. And if [Steven made the decision] himself, he needs some serious counseling. I love him to death, but I gotta speak the truth.”

Gene Simmons of KISS, who performed two songs with runner-up Adam Lambert in Season 8’s finale, chimed in supporting Tyler’s decision to join AI by tweeting on his Twitter account: “To all naysayers out there, Steven Tyler will rock @AmericanIdol… and bring some real credibility to it.”

What Impact Has American Idol Had on Aerosmith’s Record Sales?

Prior to the premiere of AI’s Season 10 on January 19th, Aerosmith’s catalog sales were on the decline, selling fewer than 1,000 copies a week. That number has swelled to well over 2,000 per release. According to Nielsen SoundScan, sales of the band’s Greatest Hits collections have shot up more than 250%. Additionally, Aerosmith’s 1994 compilation Big Ones, saw increased sales of 260% after the show’s premiere. Likewise, 2004’s Devil’s Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith, saw a spike of 146% after week 2 of AI. Two more Greatest Hits collections registered surges of 137% and 147%.

The Verdict!

So, what have we learned? AI replaced Simon Cowell, Ellen Degeneres, and Kara Dioguardi after Season 9 with icons Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez and the future once again appears bright for FOX. Joe Perry and Kid Rock disagreed with Tyler’s decision to join the cast and they were dead wrong. Brad Whitford and Gene Simmons agreed with his choice and so far he has hit a “homerun.” With this amazing success, I would love to ask Joe Perry what he is thinking. Personally, I think this qualifies as a big-time pucker up moment.  Maybe we’ll call this magical experience Honkin’ On Bobo. Long Live Steven Tyler and Long Live Aerosmith!

Let’s Go Phishing – Play it Safe Now or Be Sorry Later

By: Frank Iacono

So, What is Phishing?

Phishing is a form of criminal activity where “phishers” attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an e-mail, instant message, or fraudulent Website.

Methods of Phishing

Most methods of phishing use some form of technical deception, such as making a link in an e-mail appear to belong to the spoofed organization or financial institution. For example, an attacker may send e-mail seemingly from a reputable credit card company that requests account information, often suggesting that there is a problem. When users respond with the requested information, attackers can use it to gain access to the accounts.

Damage Caused By Phishing

The damage caused by phishing ranges from loss of access to e-mail to substantial financial loss. This style of identity theft is becoming more popular, because of the ease with which unsuspecting people often divulge personal information to phishers, including credit card numbers, social security numbers, and mothers’ maiden names.

How Can You Prevent A Phishing Attack

The US Federal Trade Commission offers the following advice to help prevent you from becoming the victim of a phishing attack:

• Don’t reply to e-mail or pop-up messages that ask for personal or financial information, and don’t click on links in the message. Don’t cut and paste a link from the message into your Web browser — phishers can make links look like they go one place, but that actually send you to a different site.
• If you are concerned about your account, contact the organization using a phone number you know to be genuine, or open a new Internet browser session and type in the company’s correct Web address yourself.
• Don’t e-mail personal or financial information.
• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges.
• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from e-mails you receive, regardless of who sent them.
• Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing e-mail. You also may report phishing e-mail to reportphishing@antiphishing.org The Anti-Phishing Working Group, a consortium of ISPs, security vendors, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, uses these reports to fight phishing.

Phishing Examples and Anti-Phishing Resources

• How to Avoid Phishing Scams
• What To Do If You’ve Given Out Your Personal Financial Information
  
• Bank Safe Online
• The SiteJabber Blog

If you feel like you’ve fallen into a “Phishing” trap, please immediately contact your local authorities, your bank or credit card companies, and report it to the Federal Trade Commission’s at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.

20 Tips on Starting a Blog

By: Frank Iacono

In today’s marketplace, with the advent of corporate blogging strategies the fundamental principles of how businesses communicate have changed.  Blogging initiatives present companies with many new ways to engage with their target audiences. However, with these new opportunities come a variety of challenges around understanding and utilizing various platforms and formulating workable marketing strategies.

What are Blogs?

Short for weblog, blogs are frequently updated public journals.  Blogs serve as a low cost, easy way for companies to regularly communicate valuable news and information to their customers.  Blogs allow customers the opportunity to get to know companies and learn more about their products, services, achievements, and innovations. “Blogging” is the action of posting to a blog; the poster is called a "Blogger." Besides text-based blogs, there are also are audioblogs (a.k.a. podcasts), photoblogs, and videoblogs (a.k.a. vlogs).

Features and Benefits of Blog Marketing

• Low Cost
  • Blogging provides companies with an inexpensive method to get their company’s name and brand out in the marketplace.
• Build Brand
  • Blogging provides companies with another channel on which to promote their company and brand.
• Reputation Management
  • Blogging will help manage a company’s online reputation.
• Build Community
  • Blogging provides companies with an opportunity to speak directly, openly, and honestly with their customers and prospects. Companies can share their expertise and knowledge with a wider audience within a specific industry or vertical while building community.
• Position your company as an Expert
  • Blogging provides companies with the opportunity to articulate their viewpoints, knowledge, and expertise on matters pertaining to their industry and the verticals that serve.
• Enhance Search Engine Marketing
  • Blogging provides companies with an increased presence on major search engines (e.g., Google, Yahoo!, and Bing).
• Differentiate from Competion
  • Blogging provides companies wiith an opportunity to tell their story and help separate them from their competition.
• Build Customer Relationships
  • Blogging provides companies with the opportunity to build personal, more meaningful relationships with their customers and help establish trust and loyalty.
• Build Media & Public Relations
  • Blogging provides companies with an opportunity to establish good public relations ─ potentially leading to media opportunities.

20 Blog Tips

Building a great blog requires strategy, planning, patience, and consistency in frequency.  Below, please find 20 tips for starting a blog:

1. Choose a blogging software that meets your specific goals and objectives (e.g., Blogger, Word Press, Joomla, and etc…).
2. Choose a domain name that can be turned into a brand that is easy to type and recognizable.
3. Research keywords for your niche market that you intend to reach with the blog.
4. Decide what your goals are for your blog (e.g., exposure, branding, leads, sales, or etc…).
5. Develop a strategy taking into consideration what types of articles you want to write and publish to your niche market.
6. Develop a strategy in how you’ll target your keywords.
7. Consider basic SEO and make your content social media optimized.
8. Search on social networks to see where they talk about your niche market today.
9. Consider opening a Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook account to drive more qualified traffic to the blog.
10. Consider video marketing and using TubeMogul to upload all at once on the Web’s top video sharing sites.
11. Start developing blog content with great titles and quality information.
12. Speak with conviction and act like a thought or industry leader in the blog.
13. Start marketing the blog content on social networks and article submission sites.
14. Start building an audience (a.k.a. a community)
15. When you start receiving comments from your community turn those questions into future articles.
16. When you start receiving comments it’s a sign that your audience is turning into a community.
17. Leverage the community and offer them something interesting so they will spread the word about you and your products and services.
18. Stick with your blog as it might take some time to develop some traction.  
19. Publish new content in a consistent fashion and frequency.
20. Analyze blog statistics against your goals and objectives and optimize accordingly.

The Best Blogging and Publishing Platforms

So, if you are really interested in creating blogs for the first time, here’s my guide to the 5 best blogging and publishing platforms on the Internet today.

1. WordPress
2. Blogger
3. Tumblr
4. Medium
5. Svbtle

Ask Questions Prior to Purchasing a Content Management System

By: Frank Iacono

A content management system (CMS) is a system that is used to manage the content of a website. Typically, a CMS consists of two primary elements: the content management application (CMA) and the content delivery application (CDA).

A CMS can be either reasonably simple or very complex. There are a wide range of CMS products available, developed by providers such as Oracle and Microsoft, the open source community such as Alfresco and Joomla, and other small development companies. Choosing the right CMS can be a very important decision for you and your organization. Below, please find some questions to ask yourself and the vendor prior to selecting a CMS solution.

Objectives:

• What is the content strategy?
• What goals are currently being met?
• What goals are not currently being met?
• Is licensed software or software-as-a-service (SaaS) best for you?
• How much integration is required with other systems (i.e., back office and ecommerce systems)?
• Which services should be provided through the CMS to interact with the website?
• What is “the vision” from a team-by-team perspective and ultimately the company?

Content Providers:

• Who is creating and/or editing the content?
• What is the frequency of the updates?
• Who plans the content?
• Who approves content?
• How is the content being used?
• How does the system handle authors working on content that may be published simultaneously to different parts of the site?

Content Inputs:

• What is your current content creation processes?
• What are the problems and/or frustrations that you face today in creating content?
• What features would you like to see in an authoring, CMS or publishing tool?
• What tools do you use in authoring today? How effective and ineffective are they?
• What is the format of the content you create? What source is the content dependent on?
• How can you add metadata in the CMS?
• Do you plan on re-using the content elsewhere on the website?
• How do you manage and/or demand content from internal customers?

Content Process Flow:

• How do you handle version control?
• How do you handle the approval process?
• What is the workflow process?
• Who is in charge of editing the content?
• How is the content classified so it can be searched by your external customers and optimized for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
• What relates content within the website?

Content Outputs:

• What format does the content that needs to be inputted need to be in?
• How much of the content should be reusable?
• What site templates are required?
• What are the search requirements?
• What other site functionality is required?

General CMS Questions:

1. Is the CMS intuitive (i.e., is it easy to learn and use from an administrative perspective)?
2. From a page content perspective is it possible to paste in text from MS Word or other similar content-based programs and retain all the formatting?
3. Does the CMS let you preview the page before you publish it?
4. How good is the search facility in the CMS (i.e., meaning does it generate proper URLS that can be searched for in the future)?
5. How easy is it to integrate the CMS into the site design you’ve selected?
6. Does the CMS have a WYSIWYG editor?
7. Does the CMS allow for you to define our own meta-data
8. Can you describe your CMS’ access control?
9. Can you configure the CMS to work with a sandbox from a testing perspective?
10. How does the CMS create and handle dynamic links versus static links?
11. Does the CMS apply performance best practices as related to the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, and Bing?
12. How easy is it to incorporate site redesigns into the CMS?
13. What is the subscription and/or upgrade policy (i.e., annual basis)? Do you have to pay for version upgrades?
14. Is it possible to have a copy of all the manuals and training materials regarding the CMS prior to purchase?
15. Will the CMS vendor provide you with references from at least 2-3 existing customers?

The theme of this article is pretty simple. If you are planning to purchase a CMS solution for your company, please make sure to complete your due diligence. This includes talking with existing content providers in your organization, creating your own checklist of necessary functionality and requirements, partaking in product demonstrations, and checking out vendor references.

Take your time, be thorough, and ask a lot of questions. Good luck!

Conducting Successful Website Redesign (Part 5 of 5)

Written by: Frank Iacono

In part four of Conducting Successful Website Redesign I talked about Step 4: Build and Integrate which included three key phases: The Planning, The Building and Integration, and The Testing. After completing Step 4, you should have designed, developed, and implemented the Website. This, the fifth part in the series, will focus on Step 5: Site Launch and Maintenance.

Step 5: Site Launch and Maintenance includes three key phases: The Delivery, The Launch and Integration, and The Maintenance.

• The Delivery
• Complete the Production Style Guide
• Create Handoff Packet (Instructions to Implement Site)
• Create Tracking Documentation
• Conduct Pre and Post Launch Meeting
• Establish Maintenance Schedule
• The Launch and Integration
• Develop Communication Plan
• Establish Communication Vehicles
• Ensure Site is Optimized for Search Engines
• Get Final Approval on Redesign
• Launch the Website into Production
• The Maintenance
• Develop Maintenance Plan
• Establish Internal Maintenance Teams
• Assess Maintenance Team Capabilities
• Confirm Site Security
• Plan for Interactive Initiatives to Market Website
• Benchmark Site Analytics for Empirical Data
• Measure Redesign Success
• Optimize Site Moving Forward

When you’ve completed Step 5, you will have launched the website and developed a maintenance plan. Measure the results and continuously optimize the website to reach your established business goals. Share with me your web-based projects.

Conducting Successful Website Redesign (Part 4 of 5)

Written by: Frank Iacono

In part three of Conducting Successful Website Redesign I talked about Step 3: Design Visual Interface which included three key phases: The Creation, The Confirmation, and The Design. After completing Step 3, you should have identified the website design and layout for your web-based project. This, the fourth part in the series, will focus on Step 4: Build and Integrate.

Step 4: Build and Integrate includes three key phases: The Planning, The Building and Integration, and The Testing.

• The Planning
• Assess Project Status
• Establish Guidelines
• Set File Structure
• The Building and Integration
• Slice and Optimize Pages into HTML
• Create HTML Template and Web Pages
• Implement Scripting
• Create and Populate Pages
• Integrate with Backend Development
• The Testing
• Create a QA Plan
• Conduct QA Testing
• Prioritize and Fix Defects
• Conduct a Final Check

When you’ve completed Step 4, you will have designed, developed, and Implemented the website.

Next Time:

In Part 5, we will focus on Step 5 within the website redesign process flow: Site Launch and Maintenance.

Conducting Successful Website Redesign (Part 3 of 5)

Written by: Frank Iacono

In part two of Conducting Successful Website Redesign I talked about Step 2: Develop Site Structure which included four key phases: The Content View, The Site View, The Page View, and The User View. After completing Step 2, you should be prepared to identify the website structure for your web-based project. This, the third part in the series, will focus on Step 3: Design Visual Interface.

Step 3: Design Visual Interface includes three key phases: The Creation, The Confirmation, and The Design.

• The Creation
  • Review Site Goals
  • Develop Concepts
  • Present Designs and Gather Feedback
  • Make Adjustments and Present Updated Designs
• The Confirmation
  • Confirm Flow and Functionality
  • Test Functionality
• The Design
  • Create Graphic Site Templates
  • Create a Design Style Guide

When you’ve completed Step 3, you will have identified the website design and layout.

Next Time:

In Part 4, we will focus on Step 4 within the website redesign process flow: Build and Integrate.

Conducting Successful Website Redesign (Part 2 of 5)

Written by: Frank Iacono

In part one of Conducting Successful Website Redesign I talked about Step 1: Define the Project which included three key phases: The Discovery, The Planning, and The Clarification. After completing Step 1, you should be prepared to officially kick off the web-based project.  This, the second part in the series, will focus on Step 2: Develop Site Structure.   

Step 2: Develop Site Structure includes four key phases: The Content View, The Site-View, The Page-View, and The User-View.

• Content View
  • Address and Organize Content
  • Audit Existing Content
  • Outline Content
  • Create a Content Delivery Plan
• Site-View
  • Address Current Site Organization
  • Map Out Proposed Site Structure
  • Set Naming Conventions
• Page-View
  • Wireframe Page View
  • Address Navigation
  • Address File Naming and Labeling
• User-View
  • Define Key User Paths
  • Develop HTML Prototype from Wireframe
  • Create User Scenarios

When you’ve completed Step 2, you will have identified the website structure. 

 Next Time:

In Part 3, we will focus on Step 3 within the website redesign process flow: Design Visual Interface.

Conducting Successful Website Redesign (Part 1 of 5)

Written by: Frank Iacono

Website design, whether starting from scratch or redesigning an existing site it is all about two essential things: planning and organization. During the process it is important to think about long-term objectives but remain focused on short-term gains while never losing sight of the end-user: Your Customers and Your Prospects.

The strategy you develop for the website redesign project should be simply defined as a path to bridge the gap between today’s current state and the future vision. To get there you need to clearly lay out an organized plan.

In this five-part series we will look at the following five-step core process flow for successful website redesign:

1. Define the Project
2. Develop the Site Structure
3. Design Visual Interface
4. Build and Integrate
5. Site Launch and Maintenance

In today’s blog, we will focus on Step 1: Define the Project.

Step 1: Define the Project includes three key phases: The Discovery Phase, The Planning Phase, and The Clarification Phase.

• Discovery Phase
  • Gather Site Information
  • Understand the Audience (through site user surveys)
  • Identify Audience’s Technical Capabilities
  • Identify Backend Programming Needs
  • Analyze the Industry
  • Develop Functional Requirements
• Planning Phase
  • Create Project Plan
  • Set Project Budget
  • Track Project Time
  • Create Project Schedules
  • Assign Project Team
  • Set-up Development and Staging Areas for Testing
  • Plan for User Testing
• Clarification Phase
  • Determining Overall Goals
  • Preparing a Communication Brief

When you’ve completed Step 1: Define the Project, you will be prepared to officially kick off the web-based project.

Next Time:

In Part 2, we will focus on Step 2: Develop the Site Structure within the website redesign process flow.