Page 47 - AVN August 2013

well and my training buddy writes some of the articles for this site which are always a
great read.”
The idea that the site isn’t business related “yet” was also a very common concept
raised by the insiders interviewed here. It was very clear right from the start that any
site a webmaster visits is one they are already thinking about in potential business
terms as the lines between even the most personal hobbies and the potential for
growing online businesses routinely become blurred.
Some diligent webmasters have reached the point where business-related websites
are becoming as enjoyable as any other personal passion. “I’m on Asana.com pretty
much every day because it handles project management among our team members
from several locations across numerous tasks,” said Kristin of NubileFilms.com
“What’s good about Asana is that it’s free and it works! The information is cloud based
so the tool is extremely helpful with managing projects and tasks within our organiza-
tion. Because the tasks are easily assigned to specific people and always online, you
can follow any task and receive email updates automatically. There are a lot of
business sites I visit often, but the reason I’m mentioning Asana is that it is so easy to
use and should be helpful for pretty much any organization in the industry. Also,
while many business applications feel like work, Asana manages to maintain a much
more enjoyable social networking feel to it by simplifying the interface and keeping
things looking fresh.”
Echoing that sentiment, Mo of Dating Factory was quick to mention Basecamp.
“More than a website, it’s an online productivity tool. I am on there daily. It’s great to
keep notes, set tasks and reminders or create custom calendars for work on projects
with other members of our team. Basecamp is so simple, sleek and powerful that I
found myself importing some of my personal tasks and outside hobbies into the
software to manage them all more effectively as well. Now they have even launched an
iPhone app, which is well designed and allows me to manage projects on the go. I
think Basecamp is the best productivity tool out there, for business or personal use.”
Embracing Big Data
If timeliness, simplicity and efficiency were characteristics that drew the attention of
many webmasters, going local was an idea that also came up a lot. “One of the web-
sites I visit most frequently is MetroLand.net,” said Colin, business development
specialist at TranslationsXXX.com. “It’s a great resource for what is going on in the
alternative scene in the Capital Region of upstate New York. The website features
articles on everything from restaurant reviews and openings to concerts, art showings
and festivals. I feel that there is not another media outlet in the area that is so in tune
with what is happening off the beaten path in New York’s Capital Region. From my
point of view it also goes to show how powerful ‘going local’ can be for quality content
providers who make the effort to provide information or other updates on a level that
more generic content can’t match.”
Cutting through clutter and getting to the heart of the matter quickly was also a
common cause for sites earning webmaster interest. “I check out SEOmoz.org daily,”
said Erwin of ManicaMedia.com. “Search engine optimization techniques change so
often and there is so much misinformation out there, and having a community driven
site that publishes different articles from different backgrounds for so many needs is an
excellent way to find trends or stay away from things likely to be penalized in the
future. It isn’t everything you need to know, but it is an excellent resource worth going
to often.”
Even among tech sites there is a clearly defined pecking order because some are
consistently ahead of the others in spotting trends. “I make sure to go to
TechCrunch.com daily because it keeps me in the know as to which sites, companies
or products are hot and upcoming,” said Luke Hazlewood, CEO of
GrandSlamMedia.com “They do an exceptional job of keeping readers informed about
what the valley is up to in terms of digital VC money and I find that very helpful in
plotting out my own investment strategies. There are a lot of other tech investment
sites, but Tech Crunch always seems to have more depth to their coverage. And when
money is involved I always want to have as much data as possible to make winning
decisions.”
So while webmasters preach the importance of simplicity, efficiency, timeliness and
going local for their business endeavors, it should come as little surprise that those
tenets of successful online business are constantly being reinforced by the sites most of
us visit for productivity or pleasure when we aren
’t hard at work on our own digital
properties. ||
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