Comments for Longer Days http://www.longerdays.com/blog Productivity for Small Business Owners Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:58:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4959 Comment on Testing out Squidoo by Brian http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2008/11/testing-out-squidoo/#comment-581 Brian Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:58:40 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=14#comment-581 UPDATE: After more than a year the only clear benefit from the creation of that lens was a couple of "do follow" links (most sites like this, such as hubpages, use "nofollow" links). UPDATE: After more than a year the only clear benefit from the creation of that lens was a couple of “do follow” links (most sites like this, such as hubpages, use “nofollow” links).

]]> Comment on Is “Live Chat” for your website effective? by Brian http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2010/02/is-live-chat-for-your-website-effective/#comment-580 Brian Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:55:35 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=276#comment-580 Hi Peter — Thank you for the comment. Yes, we noticed the exact same thing about forcing a pop-up (people tend to leave when you do that). Are you aware of <a href="http://longerdays.com" rel="nofollow">our company</a>? Might solve the manpower problem you are having. Hi Peter —

Thank you for the comment. Yes, we noticed the exact same thing about forcing a pop-up (people tend to leave when you do that).

Are you aware of our company? Might solve the manpower problem you are having.

]]> Comment on Is “Live Chat” for your website effective? by Peter http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2010/02/is-live-chat-for-your-website-effective/#comment-578 Peter Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:03:19 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=276#comment-578 We've tested Live Chat on our site and intially it sounded and worked fine, BUT, it soon became apparant that to manage the live chat was a problem as we couldn't sit there waiting for people to chat with us - day in day out. Also we found that if we proactively approached people to chat, then they soon left the site, just like when you get a sales assistant pester you in a shop! We did get some good chats, that resulted in some actually sales enquiries and probably a sale or two, but we also got kids messing about and I even got chatted up twice by teenagers (at least I think they were). We then tried outsourcing the chat work to people across the world, but the quality of the chats was poor and inconsistant. language can be a problem. On the whole, unless you have a full time workforce that can manage chat in addition to say phones, it just doesn't work - not for us anyway. Peter We’ve tested Live Chat on our site and intially it sounded and worked fine, BUT, it soon became apparant that to manage the live chat was a problem as we couldn’t sit there waiting for people to chat with us – day in day out.

Also we found that if we proactively approached people to chat, then they soon left the site, just like when you get a sales assistant pester you in a shop!

We did get some good chats, that resulted in some actually sales enquiries and probably a sale or two, but we also got kids messing about and I even got chatted up twice by teenagers (at least I think they were).

We then tried outsourcing the chat work to people across the world, but the quality of the chats was poor and inconsistant. language can be a problem.

On the whole, unless you have a full time workforce that can manage chat in addition to say phones, it just doesn’t work – not for us anyway.

Peter

]]> Comment on StumbleUpon Ads Review by Peter http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2008/12/stumbleupon-ads-review/#comment-577 Peter Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:56:07 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=15#comment-577 We tested this a while ago and as you say you quickly run out of credits. We closely analysed our stats and frankly they were appauling to the point that this left us feeling that advertising on this site and their advertising model was a complete 'con'! It's clear that your site/page flashes up in front of people, virtually all navigate away and the bounce rate was virtually 100%. In fact it resembled someone 'pinging' our site. We had on our stats and influx of 500 visitors within a short space of time, but not one was of any quality whatsoever. Complete waste of time and money! Peter We tested this a while ago and as you say you quickly run out of credits. We closely analysed our stats and frankly they were appauling to the point that this left us feeling that advertising on this site and their advertising model was a complete ‘con’!

It’s clear that your site/page flashes up in front of people, virtually all navigate away and the bounce rate was virtually 100%. In fact it resembled someone ‘pinging’ our site. We had on our stats and influx of 500 visitors within a short space of time, but not one was of any quality whatsoever.

Complete waste of time and money!

Peter

]]> Comment on Justifying the iPad Tablet as a Business Expense by Aaron Eden http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2010/04/justifying-the-ipad-as-a-business-expense/#comment-552 Aaron Eden Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:26:22 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=385#comment-552 The iPad is great for someone who is not technically savvy as well. I personally can't really use one heavily, but my fiance is becoming addicted :) The iPad is great for someone who is not technically savvy as well. I personally can’t really use one heavily, but my fiance is becoming addicted :)

]]> Comment on ActiveCollab versus Basecamp: A web-based project management solution comparison by Anna http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2009/10/activecollab-versus-basecamp-a-web-based-project-management-solution-comparison/#comment-550 Anna Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:20:43 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=322#comment-550 My PRO is to activeCollab. Great advantage of activeCollab is that it is flexible and can easily be customized to meet needs of companies in almost all spheres. Our company works in sphere of IT, and as activeCollab is open source we have developed several modules for aC that helped us to make our work more productive: http://www.uswebstyle.com/ac_modules.html My PRO is to activeCollab.
Great advantage of activeCollab is that it is flexible and can easily be customized to meet needs of companies in almost all spheres.
Our company works in sphere of IT, and as activeCollab is open source we have developed several modules for aC that helped us to make our work more productive:
http://www.uswebstyle.com/ac_modules.html

]]> Comment on The Best Business Books You’ve Never Heard Of by The Best Business Books You've Never Heard Of | Longer Days « Business Books http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2010/06/the-best-business-books-youve-never-heard-of/#comment-548 The Best Business Books You've Never Heard Of | Longer Days « Business Books Wed, 30 Jun 2010 23:39:40 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=241#comment-548 [...] There are more great business books than you have time to read and I’m sure you’ve heard of them: The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge, The Goal by Eli. books about business – Google Blog Search [...] [...] There are more great business books than you have time to read and I’m sure you’ve heard of them: The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge, The Goal by Eli. books about business – Google Blog Search [...]

]]> Comment on ActiveCollab versus Basecamp: A web-based project management solution comparison by Fred http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2009/10/activecollab-versus-basecamp-a-web-based-project-management-solution-comparison/#comment-545 Fred Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:20:31 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=322#comment-545 I used BASECAMP...and it's a great software..but it is too rigid and lack of some really needed functionalities. Beyond price convenience, ActiveCollab give you more freedom and it brings you the possibility to add some real great modules, like planning and reports modules from appsmagnet.com (an indian developer that is great!). Conclusion for me: AC, definitively is great. I used BASECAMP…and it’s a great software..but it is too rigid and lack of some really needed functionalities. Beyond price convenience, ActiveCollab give you more freedom and it brings you the possibility to add some real great modules, like planning and reports modules from appsmagnet.com (an indian developer that is great!).

Conclusion for me: AC, definitively is great.

]]> Comment on Justifying the iPad Tablet as a Business Expense by Brian http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2010/04/justifying-the-ipad-as-a-business-expense/#comment-544 Brian Fri, 21 May 2010 22:00:47 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=385#comment-544 Hi Andy - I have an uneducated opinion on that but wouldn't want to mislead you if I was wrong... I'd ask your accountant to be safe. Any accountants out there have an official answer to that? Hi Andy –

I have an uneducated opinion on that but wouldn’t want to mislead you if I was wrong… I’d ask your accountant to be safe. Any accountants out there have an official answer to that?

]]> Comment on Justifying the iPad Tablet as a Business Expense by Andy http://www.longerdays.com/blog/2010/04/justifying-the-ipad-as-a-business-expense/#comment-543 Andy Fri, 21 May 2010 21:28:26 +0000 http://longerdays.com/blog/?p=385#comment-543 Do you know if it is fully tax deductible if you paid for the iPad using a gift card vs using cash or your own credit card? Do you know if it is fully tax deductible if you paid for the iPad using a gift card vs using cash or your own credit card?

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