Monday, December 21, 2009

YPBCO Office is closed for the holidays!

Holiday Hours at Your Plan B Company!

Wishing you and yours a delightful holiday season!
YPBCo office will be closed Wednesday, December 23, 2008 - Friday, January 1, 2010

However we will be monitoring the voicemail and email once a day, so feel free to call 773-665-2552 and leave a message OR send an email to jameyb@yourplanb.com

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
See you in 2010 :)

(caption: great minds think alike - we all wore stripes!)


Monday, December 14, 2009

NEW SITE LAUNCH! LATEBARCHICAGO.COM

Late Bar is located at 3534 W Belmont in Chicago's Avondale neighborhood. Fine wine, beer, and spirits are served until 4am every Tuesday through Friday (5am Saturday). At Late Bar, you can dance to music drawn from a variety of genres while our gracious bartenders pay close attention to the art of the cocktail.

Your Plan B Company is proud to announce our latest project! latebarchicago.com A Joomla CMS, custom logo, design and print rounds out this launch. This has been a fun creative project with a great enthusiastic team - we look forward to working together more!

If you are in the Chicago area, stop by and see the bar - we will be there opening night for sure! Saturday, December 26, 2009 And be sure to sign up for the mailing list (we hear there will be some great specials for you!).

Monday, December 7, 2009

Can't open files? Stuck in an older version of Office?

Can't open files? Stuck in an older version of Office?
Can't open those files with an x on the end? For example: .xlsx or .docx

If you have old MS Office and cannot open them - now you can!

Just Google the Office 2007 Compatibility Pack and install it, since it has been available for a couple of years. I did, and things are much easier now.

NOTE: Users of the Microsoft Office XP and 2003 programs Word, Excel, or PowerPoint - please install all High-Priority updates from Microsoft Update before downloading the Compatibility Pack.

Send me your tips to share with us and our readers!

Monday, November 30, 2009

NEW SITE LAUNCH MWALLIANCE.ORG

Midwestern Imperative: Smart and Efficient Energy Usage

Midwestern businesses, consumers and governments are spending tens of billions of dollars each year on energy imported from other states and countries. As our supplies deplete, prices continue to rise. To make an impact, we must extend our dwindling carbon-based energy resources such as oil, coal and natural gas by adopting more efficient technologies. The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) is the leading source and champion for advancing sound energy efficiency policies, programs and priorities to stretch these essential resources. MEEA balances the interests of our diverse members, creating a common ground to affect positive change. Through MEEA, utilities, local and state governments, non-profits, manufacturers, retailers, consultants and others all work together toward a shared vision for energy efficiency in the Midwest.

We helped the team at MEEA create a new look and a new CMS using Drupal.
Now everything can be easily updated by different team members, the board has their own password area and soon members will too!

Check it out! We love it, hope you do too! mwalliance.org

Monday, November 23, 2009

Digital Cameras (Hints for Shopping!)

We are asked quite frequently from clients and friends about which camera is good or for shopping suggestions. So we put our most recent advice here for you because we know that shopping season is in full swing and you are probably hoping to purchase a new camera either for you or someone on your list!

Digital cameras have become a household item but choosing one can be overwhelming. They seem to come out with new models every month with new bells and whistles. Which one to choose depends greatly on what you want to use a camera for, and what is important to you.

Some people like to start by talking to a person by going into a store like Best Buy and telling them what you are looking for. In person you can get a feel for the weight and size you of the camera are interested in.

If you want to further compare cameras before making your purchase, hop online and start doing some more detailed research.

You may want to visit the manufacturer's web site first, to read the advertising of what they are offering in the latest and greatest in cameras. From there, you want to dig into less biased opinions and reviews.

Amazon.com is a very informative place to see what cameras cost, and to read reviews for a good idea of what actual users think of a particular model. Many reviewers will actually recommend a similar camera that they preferred more.

A fantastic resource for more in depth unbiased reviews is DP Review. Not only do they review every camera and lens on the market, as well as older models, they also give you sample photos and let you compare models. DP Review also allows you to search for cameras using a long list of Features (eg: compact or SLR? SLR, aperture priority? etc).

Keep in mind with any online review, there may be biased reviews, company employees posing as consumers, or people who just dislike a certain company for no particular reason. Some reviews may be about a feature that the camera offers but you are not interested in using. It is a good idea to keep a list of what features you find important in a camera (eg: fits in purse, has a long zoom lens, can shoot HD movies, uses XD not SD cards etc) Remember, what someone may find gimmicky, you may find invaluable (eg face detection, red-eye reduction etc)!

Once you have narrowed down your choices to 2-3 cameras, DavidB likes to return to the store in person to see which feels better in your hand. Remember, you may be carrying this camera around all day - is it too heavy? Is it too small or too big in your hand? Do you need to carry it in one hand? Do you need to capture fast action or are you going to just use it for snapshots?

Pocket point-and-shoot cameras have improved a great deal over the last few years, and have become very easy to use. And they offer more and more ways to share photos easily. Personally, I have always had the best luck with Fuji FinePix F-Series in the small pocket cameras, though I hear the Canon point-and-shoots are also very lightweight, versatile and easy to use. The Olympus has a line of durable cameras called the Stylus Tough.

Check out this Fugi!

Or how about this Stylus!

With an SLR, you usually trade the light weight and small size for a much faster reaction time (shutter lag). An SLR also allows you to change lenses if you get more advanced later down the line.

DavidB has used Nikon and Canon and would recommend them both. If you have some old Nikon lenses in the basement, I'd stick with a Nikon body as they will usually work with a new Nikon digital camera - same with Canon or Pentax etc.

For a fast, versatile yet lightweight SLR, DavidB recommends the Canon Rebel series.
They will allow you to control everything manually or choose the many automatic and preset modes.

He found them to have many benefits of the point-and-shoot within the faster and more versatile SLR body.

DavidB suggests taking a look at what's out there, and really taking the time to think about what do want the camera for, and what do you expect it to do. This will help you narrow down what camera is best for you. Choose "The right tool for the job"!

When you do decide, he likes to purchase from small local camera stores, though a larger chain, or even Amazon, can prove to be the best for you and your needs. And don't forget to get the extended warranty as you will hopefully be actually using this camera! Happy hunting!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Guess who will have artwork hanging in the Smithsonian? Catherine Larson!

Congrats to Cat! We are so proud of you and can't wait for the art show opening :)

Catherine Larson (better know as Cat in our office) has been accepted into the Revealing Culture exhibition that will take place June 8 through September 30, 2010, at the Smithsonian Institution's International Gallery.

There is an opening reception in the planning stages for Wednesday, June 9, 2010, during the 2010 International VSA Arts Festival.

View the list of exhibiting artists that is now posted online at: www.vsarts.org/revealingculture

Monday, November 9, 2009

Looking for a great conference call service.... check out freeconference.com

With the increasing popularity of portable notebooks and mobile broadband, your project team members that you need to conference with are as or more likely to be out of the office than in it. Welcome to the virtual team and now a great service to connect everyone on it!

Compare their features: freeconference.com/Services.aspx
Check out their FAQ: freeconference.com/FAQ.aspx

Your Plan B Company has been using this service for a few months now and clients seem to like it! Conference calls for businesses, organizations and individuals. Everyone can call in, be announced and if you want have the call recorded. An online admin area makes setting up the calls really easy and sends out the email announcements, instructions and reminders automatically for you to everyone on the team.

What more can you ask for?

Monday, November 2, 2009

Thank you to Atalee for FOUR great years!

Atalee Judy, our trusty office manager, has decided to move on.

She has accepted a position at Columbia College part time as an instructor for 'Concert Production' class and as a Technical/Teacher Assistant for a 'Media in the Arts' class. This opportunity will provide her work within her field, update her on new technology relevant to her field, and offer the chance to stay connected to the dance community more.

Atalee says "I wanted to truly thank you for all the opportunities & support you have generously offered to me during my part time employment. The past couple of years have been quite a learning experience and I've enjoyed working with YPBCo's successful team dedicated to an easy going atmosphere and friendly services delivered on time."

DavidB, Cat and I all wish Atalee the BEST!
We hope she stops by for lunch (the "Atalee Special" from Roon Petch) as well as keep us current online with her BreakBone.com events. And an additional CONGRATS! on completing the Chicago Marathon this year!
GO Atalee! GO!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Monday, October 19, 2009

Monday, October 12, 2009

ASP, JSP, PHP, COLD FUSION, RUBY ON RAILS etc

What do all these acronyms mean?
And does your site need them?

Here's a quick list to help you communicate with your web team:

ASP = Active Server Pages
Also known as Classic ASP or ASP Classic, was Microsoft's first server-side script engine for dynamically-generated web pages.

CFML = Cold Fusion Mark up Language
The pages in a ColdFusion application include the server-side CFML tags in addition to HTML (XHTML) tags. When a browser requests a page in a ColdFusion application, it is automatically pre-processed by the ColdFusion Application Server.

CSS = Cascading Style Sheets
A style sheet language used to describe the presentation semantics (that is, the look and formatting) of a document written in a markup language.

HTML = Hyper Text Markup Language
the predominant markup language for web pages. It provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists etc as well as for links, quotes, and other items. It allows images and objects to be embedded and can be used to create interactive forms. It is written in the form of HTML elements consisting of "tags" surrounded by angle brackets within the web page content.

JS or JScript = Javascript
An object-oriented scripting language used to enable programmatic access to objects within both the client application and other applications. It is primarily used in the form of client-side JavaScript, implemented as an integrated component of the web browser, allowing the development of enhanced user interfaces and dynamic websites.

JSP = JavaServer Pages
A server side Java technology that allows software developers to create dynamically generated web pages, with HTML, XML, or other document types, in response to a Web client request to a Java Web Application container (server).

PHP = Hypertext Preprocessor
Is a widely used, general-purpose scripting language that was originally designed for web development, to produce dynamic web pages. It can be embedded into HTML and generally runs on a web server, which needs to be configured to process PHP code and create web page content from it.

Rails or RoR = Ruby on Rails
An open source web application framework for the Ruby programming language. It is intended to be used with an Agile development methodology which is used by web developers for rapid development.

XML = Extensible Markup Language
As of 2009, hundreds of XML-based languages have been developed,[3] including RSS, Atom, SOAP, and XHTML. XML has become the default file format for most office-productivity tools, including Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org, and Apple's iWork.

There are many more! Google and Wikipedia are great resources for learning what the web terms mean. If you have any questions or want to discuss what might work on your website, please feel free to email me anytime!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Ways to manage all those passwords?

Looking for a non-electronic way to manage your passwords?
Try an address book and a pencil :) It works great!
Enter the website name alphabetically then include your username, address and date you set up the account. We suggest using a pencil to make your annual password updates easier. Keep the book at your desk and maybe you shouldn't put a label on it saying PASSWORDS ;)

There are many different electronic ways to do this too:
http://keepass.info
http://www.roboform.com
http://www.cp-lab.com
http://www.clipperz.com
http://www.passpack.com/en/home

As always, keep your passwords a good mix of letters and numbers.
Change them often! And DO NOT use your child's names, birthdays or pin numbers. Use different passwords for each online account you access. Keep those passwords difficult for others to guess! For a great resource for safe online activity, visit http://www.staysafeonline.info

Monday, September 28, 2009

Holiday Print pieces? Holiday enewsletters?

The holidays are sneaking up on us... and we want you to be prepared! Avoid the last minute rush of holiday cards or enewsletters by designing them now!

Need Custom Holiday Cards? DavidB can do almost anything from a standard corporate greeting to something a little offbeat.

Want to update your holiday enewsletter?
Give your Constant Contact or Virtual Response a fresh look now by using a custom layout. JameyB can set this up for you.

Interested in something completely different? Maybe an online Flash game or message that your mailing list can interact with? Let us dream up something for you! Just wait until you see what we are doing for Your Plan B Company :)

Now is the time to get the designs in motion. And to begin cleaning up your mailing lists whether they be online or snail mail.

Give DavidB a call to discuss your upcoming print piece.
Or JameyB a call to talk enewsletters!
Call 773-665-2552

Monday, September 21, 2009

Happy Woman Road Warrior Day!

The purpose of this day is to recognize and honor the nation's traveling businesswomen.

Woman Road Warriors are accountants and artists, techies and team builders, entrepreneurs and educators. They cover millions of miles each year to maintain that all-important in-person presence in the often impersonal and increasingly global business world.

Simultaneously, many are also moms, coaches, wives and homework advisors, keeping busy households nurtured and on schedule, even from the other side of the world.

To excel as a woman road warrior today is to be an expert on many levels: an expert at your business, an expert at traveling, a wizard of scheduling and enough of a technical expert to stay in communication with text messaging, laptopping, PDAing and cell phoning colleagues and family.

Doing business on the road means measuring the trade-offs of time, money, flexibility and comfort on an everyday, sometimes every hour basis. A successful Woman Road Warrior knows when to make a command decision and when to delay for further thought or options.

Woman Road Warriors are masters of time--changing schedules, meeting deadlines, accommodating a working dinner, getting up early for a breakfast meeting--all the while keeping track of time zones and time frames when family and other home-base requirements need attention.

This is a day to salute their persistence, flexibility, stamina and style.

Head over to WomanRoadWarrior.com to enter your travel miles, browse the "Heard it in the Exit Row" blog, and join the new online community!

Monday, September 14, 2009

YPBCo MEMBER PROFILE: David Birdwell, Vice President and Art Director

If you didn't know already, DavidB loves cameras (and photography and photoshop)!

From his Nikon N2000 to his Olympus SP570UZ. From his mini poloroid to his 4 lens 3d camera. To his Fugi F30 and his cell phone camera, he is never without one! His theory is "you never know what you will see", so he always has at least one camera on him. And clients are asking him to handle the photography for them. Everything from MicciMicci bags to Alumni marketing to special events with clients, DavidB can be seen with his camera in hand... and his photos wind up on the web.

"Creativity is a mental and social process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts. (thanks wikipedia)" And DavidB does just that and more! From winning a create-a-character with Warner Bros to having his pin designed for a special interest group to being chosen as the official alumni photographer for Beloit College's annual homecoming events, he is our go-to-guy for mock ups, designs and layouts....and photos!

Your Plan B Company is proud of our team, our artists. Each one of our team members exercises their creativity not only in the office but outside of it as well. We believe it is essential to problem solving, design and development. You can see more of DavidB's creativity through the YPBCo client portfolio, as well as his ongoing uploading of thousands of photos at his Flickr site!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Counting down to Woman Road Warrior Day on September 21st!

Celebrating the 4th Annual Woman Road Warrior Day and the legion of briefcase-toting, Blackberry texting women who fly, drive and go everywhere to get the job done.

Businesswomen, entrepreneurs, educators, accountants, artists and techies –
every year women hit the road to build their businesses and get the job done

Woman Road Warriors cover millions of miles each year
to show up in-person in an increasingly impersonal global business world

Whether you travel by car, train or plane – far and wide or near and often –
if travel is a crucial part of your life and your business –
you are a Woman Road Warrior and deserve to be honored!

Enter and Win! It’s Easy.

Enter by 11:00p.m. CDT on September 18, 2009

Just complete the survey and you will be entered in our Sweepstakes to win
a Spa Day, a Kindle or an Apple iPod.

Winners and survey results will be announced
throughout the day on September 21, 2009.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Are you blogging?

"A blog (a contraction of the term "weblog") is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Micro-blogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog)

Your Plan B Company blogs - you are reading it here now :)

We would like to know YOUR blog.
Email me your blog address so we can add it to our reading list in the office.

If you are not blogging, let us know if you would like help setting one up for your website. It is a proven online marketing tool and easy to use!
(You can even publish to a blog through your email.)
Check it out at https://www.blogger.com/start

See you online at the blogosphere!

Monday, August 24, 2009

periodic TEXT message table

sup
dust

here's a cute IM index of fmtyewtk txt msg


(click image for a larger version)

l8rg8r

Monday, August 17, 2009

NEW SITE! KRUZINUSA.COM

Your Plan B Company proudly presents KruzinUSA.com!
If you like cars, you will like this site! And if you are geeks like us, you will love the Drupal work we did to make a public and members only content rich website for this fun client.


KruzinUSA.com is a site designed to pull together into one location the various, often fragmented segments of the local hot rod community:


  • hot rod owners
  • professional builders
  • event organizers
  • local car clubs


KruzinUSA.com has been created by hot rodders for hot rodders. By intent it is aimed at the local grass roots of this community. Its mission is to provide a forum that will let local hot rodders from all across the country show their rides, their skills, their creativity to the entire hot rodding community.

Go ahead, I know you want to go look at the cool cars!
While you are there, login and join in the community.
See you online at KruzinUSA.com!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

SEO refresh

"Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. Typically, the earlier a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines. This gives a website web presence.

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A few hints for getting indexed:
- do you have a site map?
- are your meta tags in your site pages (code)?
- is your site following Google's webmaster guidelines?
- if you have a graphical nav, do you offer a text option?
- are your "title" elements and "ALT" attributes are descriptive and accurate?
- are you using clear keywords in your site content (text).
(note: think about the words users would type to find your pages, and make sure that your site actually includes those words within it!)

If you think it is time to refresh your site's SEO, give us a call today to set up a review meeting. Call 773-665-2552

Monday, August 3, 2009

SOCIAL NETWORK CHECK IN

Do you have a MySpace, Flickr, LinkdIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. account?
Have you been keeping them current? Are they linked on your home page for users to find them easily? Keeping them current with updates?

Some great resources for marketing and social networking:
The Social Etiquette Of Social Networking
Social Media and SEO -- Friends with Benefits?
Top Ten Secrets to Social Network Superstardom
What makes a Successful Marketing Campaign on Social Networks?
The top 10 hottest Social Networking Widgets
Get Started Building Widgets

If you need help getting yours started or keeping it going, feel free to call us.
We can set them up, add content and/or connect them to your site.

You can follow us at the following places:
Your Plan B Company Blog
Your Plan B Company Twitter
JameyB LinkdIn
DavidB LinkdIn
DavidB and JameyB's Flickr
You can search for us on Facebook and MySpace too!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Google Analytics!



"Google Analytics is the enterprise-class web analytics solution that gives you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness. Powerful, flexible and easy-to-use features now let you see and analyze your traffic data in an entirely new way. With Google Analytics, you're more prepared to write better-targeted ads, strengthen your marketing initiatives and create higher converting websites." googleanalytics.com

What this means for you and your website = A clearer understanding of visitor intent, find out what your customers are really looking for and speed up time to conversion using tools like:

Integrated with AdWords and AdSense
Track email campaigns, banner ads, offline ads and more.
Ecommerce reporting
Benchmarking
Internal Site Search
Flash, video and social network application tracking
Geo Targeting
Share Custom Reports
Score Cards

Since the beginning of working on the web, clear visitor tracking has been a common request until now with Google Analytics. We have tried a variety of tools and solutions and feel this is the best and easiest to use. Statistics can be intimidating, but Google Analytic's tools make it fascinating! Don't be surprised if you find yourself browsing your stats regularly :)

If you would like us to add Google Analytics to your website or offer assistance reading your stats and converting them into actions for your web marketing, give us a call or send us an email.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Someone recently asked me what we are currently reading in the office:

So here is a list of where we have some of our bookmarks and rss feeds set here at Your Plan B.

1. MentalFloss.com Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
2. FastCompany.com The magazine is great and so is their website for news
3. Salon.com Definitely a great start of the day for reading over a cup of coffee
4. theonion.com In case you need a dose of funny!
5. photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com Exactly what it says - photo disasters (another funny moment for your day)
6. webworkerdaily.com If you are a web designer or programmer, this is a good place to bookmark.
7. www.alistapart.com A great resource for designers.
8. www.useit.com Jacob Nielson, author of Designing Web Usability, newsletter.
9. htmlplayground.com For those moments when you need a quick HTML refresher.
10. trendwatching.com"...trend spotters scan the globe for emerging consumer trends..."

Monday, July 13, 2009

YPBCo MEMBER PROFILE: Atalee Judy, Office Manager



You have more than likely spoken with Atalee if you have called our office. She is the friendly voice and helpful person who keeps all of us in line. PLUS she handles many of the HTML maintenance requests for clients. Out of the office, Atalee is the Artistic Director for her dance company, BreakBone DanceCo. NewCity choose her as "Top 5 Dance Shows by Chicago Companies" in 2008.

"Creativity is a mental and social process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts. (thanks wikipedia)" And Atalee does just that and more! Check out her year in review for proof.

Your Plan B Company is proud of our team, our artists. Each one of our team members exercises their creativity not only in the office but outside of it as well. We believe it is essential to problem solving, design and development. You can see more of Atalee's creativity through the YPBCo client portfolio, as well as at her upcoming performances listed on her website, Breakbone.com. If you get a chance, we highly suggest buying your tickets now - her shows sell out!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

ADVERTISING ON YOUR SITE

The pros and cons of advertising on your website has been debated over and over by webmasters and designers since the beginning of the internet. Many feel the ads can be too distracting to your message while others feel it is a great way to help support costs for the site. We, to be honest, are on the fence - enjoying designing ads and great placement on sites AND working with affiliates to help subsidize web costs. If you are considering placing advertisements on your site you have a couple options:

1. Banner Ads
You can sell space on your site or you can join a free banner exchange.

Selling space = Many of our entertainment clients offer ad space and have an ad rates sheet on their site.
For an example check out holidayclubchicago.com/advertise

Banner exchange = A banner exchange is a service that let you exchange banners with other members, you show banners for other members and they show banners for you, this way you get free advertising for your web site.
An example would be 1800banners.com

2. Google AdSense
Google AdSense matches ads to your site's content and audience, and depending on the type of ad, you can earn money from clicks or impressions.

3. Affiliates
Affiliate marketing is an Internet-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate's marketing efforts. These are generally free to set up if the company offers them. For example we are part of HostGator.com, ConstantContact.com and GoDaddy.com affiliate programs.


If you are ready to offer advertising on your website, remember you need to track your visitor statistics using a tool like google analytics. Advertisers want to know more detailed demographics to ensure they're hitting their target market and getting a return on their advertising dollars. Be prepared to share your visitor statistics with potential advertisers and to share reports with current clients.

Another consideration is how to manage your advertising. Consider something like OpenX or Google AdManager. Creating your own spreadsheet or script can be a headache once you have more than 10 advertisers to answer to on a regular basis.

Resources:
http://adwords.google.com
http://www.startupnation.com/steps/76/marketing-website.html
http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/guerillamarketing/article193476.html
http://websitetips.com/articles/marketing/
http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/top-10-internet-advertising-websites-september-2008-6402/

Monday, June 29, 2009

Many people ask "What is CSS? And why does my site need this?"

First, CSS are Cascading Style Sheets. CSS is a style sheet language used to describe the presentation (that is, the look and formatting) of a document written in a markup language. Its most common application is to style web pages written in HTML and XHTML, but the language can be applied to any kind of XML document, including SVG and XUL.

Any why use them?

1. Styles Solve a Common Problem

HTML tags were originally designed to define the content of a document. They were supposed to say "This is a header", "This is a paragraph", "This is a table", by using tags like h1, p, table, and so on. The layout of the document was supposed to be taken care of by the browser, without using any formatting tags.

As the (then) two major browsers - Netscape and Internet Explorer - continued to add new HTML tags and attributes (like the font tag and the color attribute) to the original HTML specification, it became more and more difficult to create websites where the content of HTML documents was clearly separated from the document's presentation layout.

To solve this problem, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) - the non profit, standard setting consortium, responsible for standardizing HTML - created STYLES in addition to HTML 4.0.

All major browsers support Cascading Style Sheets.

2. Style Sheets Can Save a Lot of Work

Styles sheets define HOW HTML elements are to be displayed, just like the font tag and the color attribute in HTML 3.2. Styles are normally saved in external .css files. External style sheets enable you to change the appearance and layout of all the pages in your web, just by editing one single CSS document!

CSS is a breakthrough in Web design because it allows developers to control the style and layout of multiple Web pages all at once. As a Web developer you can define a style for each HTML element and apply it to as many web pages as you want. To make a global change, simply change the style, and all elements in the web are updated automatically.


Now you know! And now you can decide if your website needs to have a quick remodel to include CSS.

Give us a call at 773-665-2552 to discuss how to add CSS to your site
or feel free to read more online:
www.w3schools.com
wikipedia.org

Monday, June 22, 2009

Better Business Bureau grades Your Plan B Company an A+

As you may know the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois is introducing a new Rating System (a letter grade from A+ to F) for all Accredited Businesses and non-accredited companies that are in the BBB database. This new ratings system replaces the previous "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory" rating. The changeover was mandated by the Council of Better Business Bureaus (the parent BBB organization). The new ratings will be used by all BBBs across the United States and Canada.

Your Plan B Company received an "A+".

These letter grades are calculated by computer using a proprietary ratings formula that takes into account 17 weighed factors. The largest single factor in determining a letter grade is a company's overall complaint history with the BBB.

Your Plan B Company has enjoyed being a member of the BBB for many years now.
Thank you BBB for our high grade and for the work that you do!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Is that file too big for email?

Most email servers won't allow attachments over approx. 4MB
In today's world of 10 Megapixel cameras, file size has become an increasing problem.

If you can't email it, and you don't want to take the time and cost of burning a CD/DVD/flash drive and running down to the post Office to send 1 file, what can you do?

Enter your new friend - Dropbox - Secure online backup, sync and sharing made easy. Many file sharing tools and resources are very expensive, slow, and very often only for Windows - not DropBox. This valuable new tool allows you to have a free account, where you can store and even share folders full of files with other DropBox members.

It is easy to install on Mac and PC and Linux.

Just something to help get things done!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Online Security and YOU!

I am sure you have heard the news by now, the U.S. Army servers were hacked recently.
"The hackers used simple SQL Server injection techniques to gain access." Everyone and anyone can be hacked. Sometimes it is something simple and you don't even notice on your site or computer. Other times, like this one, a big the graphics change so everyone notices!

We thought it might be a good time to remind everyone about online security and some simple things you can do to avoid being hacked, have your computer get a virus or suffer identity theft:

- do not open email attachments from people you do not know
- do not use your birthday as your password
- do not use the same password for everything online
- try and use a combo of letters and numbers in your passwords
- keep an eye on your website, change the content regularly
- keep your software updated (both on your computer and your website CMS)
- be aware of 'free public Wi-Fi' connections
- back up your computer to avoid loosing anything IF you have problems

Remember to change your passwords a couple times a year. We suggest writing them in pencil in an address book. That way you can find the username/passwords easily and change them often. And if you see anything odd happening, contact your hosting provider right away!

If you are shopping, remember to look for the security lock or Verisign.
Always keep an eye on the credit card you use online. If you see something that shouldn't be there, contact your bank immediately!

Some other resources:
http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com
http://security.yahoo.com
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/resource-center/cyber-insecurity/cyber-insecurity-hub.htm
http://www.staysafeonline.info
http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity
http://www.geeksquad.com

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Start of Summer! (aka Summer Hours!)

Which means here at Your Plan B Company we switch into Summer Hours:
M-TH 10am-6pm (Closed on Fridays)

If you need something just let us know! We keep an eye on our email and vmail even when we aren't right at our desks. And you can always check your project site calendar for our availability.


Many people ask why we take Fridays off from Memorial Day - Labor Day...

Summer is less busy for our office, so it makes sense to use that time to refresh our creative selves! Contrary to popular belief, we don't sleep all day! Instead we pursue other creative avenues like; art, woodshop, music classes, museum tours, language lessons and/or web programming exercises. Sometimes we use the off-time to clean out the file cabinet, sort and update software and resources in the office. And to be honest, sometimes we just go to the zoo! It is a chance for us to walk away from our computers without missing deadlines or milestones.

What this means for YOU is continued creative problem solving, award winning design and happy webheads year round :)

Go outside and enjoy your summer!
Feel free to email us what you are up to (or Tweet!)

Monday, May 18, 2009

CONGRATULATIONS SPATULATTA!

We are happy to share that Spatulatta Cooking 4 Kids Online has been selected for inclusion in the American Library Association's Great Web Sites for Kids.

Great Web Sites for Kids are those considered the best web sites for ages birth to 14, outstanding in both content and conception. As applied to web sites for young people, great should be thought to include sites of especially commendable quality, sites that reflect and encourage young people's interests in exemplary ways. Read more about the selection criteria.

During the Great Web Sites selection process, our site was one of 21 sites selected as a 2009 Great Web Sites for Kids addition!

It is a pleasure working with the Spatulatta Team and we look forward to more fun and kudos in the future!
Job well done everyone!

Monday, May 11, 2009

OfficialDaveDay! May 14th



Everyone knows a Dave, right?
Even you Daves know another Dave!

The goal of this site is to collect enough names to have May 14th officially recognized as Official Dave Day!

Here's how you can help...
- Sign up to be counted
- Download the banner and add it to your site
- Add your photos to our ODD Flicker Group
- Subscribe to this blog to keep up to date
- Tell everyone you know about OfficialDaveDay.com

P.S. May 14th is DavidB's birthday, so be sure and wish him a happy one.
(This is a pet project of DavidB's.)

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

THANK YOU! Our 12th Anniversary was a BLAST!

A GIANT THANK YOU to our clients, network and friends who came out to play last week!

Cat, Atalee, DavidB and I would like to thank you again for supporting Your Plan B Company for over 12 years now with great projects, new friends and cool web designs. We love working on the web and look forward to the next cool project - whatever it may be :)

Photos from the party can be seen on our Flickr account!
And if you missed getting a lime green shopping tote, email me and I can pop one in the mail for you.

THANKS!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Twist of Lime! Our 12th Anniversary Party!


Your Plan B Company Party at Holiday Club Chicago!!
Come share a twist of lime with us to celebrate our 12th Anniversary :)

This is our chance to offer a GIANT THANK YOU to our clients, freelancers, network and friends (and family) in a swingin' atmosphere.

It's been 12 years and Your Plan B Company is busier than ever with great challenges, beautiful ideas and creative marketing projects. We want you to know how much we appreciate your continued support. AND how much we look forward to the upcoming web trends and how they might effect your online marketing and business!

6:30-9:30pm Open Bar with Green/Lime themed Snacks
(And hang around for TWIST AND SHOUT afterwards where DJ Dave Roberts and guests from Chicago's Mod/scooter scene spin 60's Mod/Soul/Ska! Kristine pours $4 (20 oz) Import Schooners all night!)

Please RSVP by emailing jameyb@yourplanb.com so we can add your name to the VIP list!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Counting down to Earth Day!

Ways that we are green, lime green:

- telecommute often using the internet or conference calls
- walk, bike or take public transportation to work more days than driving
- belong to zipcar.com
- electronic mailings for our client billing and announcements (vs. printing + snail mail)
- reuse paper (last year we only used one box of paper!)
- buy recycled supplies
- recycle our cell phones (donate to a good cause!)
- purchase electronics with auto power down (and remember to turn everything off at the end of the day!)
- shop with our own bags
- receive e-bills instead of mailed bills from our vendors and utilities
- turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth and take shorter showers
- support local farmers, by shopping at the farmers markets
- use ceramic cups - no one-time use cups here
- change incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs
- turn the thermostat down by three degrees during the winter/turn the thermostat up by five degrees in the summer
- sweep the carpet each week instead of using the vacuum cleaner
- combine all errands for one day each week
- unplug all charging devices when not in use

and hey, our corporate color is green, lime green (HEX CODE: LIME)!

Overall our goal is to reduce, reuse, recycle and buy smarter.
And we hope you will join us!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Not sure how to edit HTML? No clue what PHP is?

We've got you covered and can make website updates easy with a Content Management Solution (CMS)...

What is Joomla?
Joomla is an award-winning content management system (CMS), which enables you to build Web sites and powerful online applications. Many aspects, including its ease-of-use and extensibility, have made Joomla the most popular Web site software available. Best of all, Joomla is an open source solution that is freely available to everyone.

What's a content management system (CMS)?

A content management system is software that keeps track of every piece of content on your Web site, much like your local public library keeps track of books and stores them. Content can be simple text, photos, music, video, documents, or just about anything you can think of. A major advantage of using a CMS is that it requires almost no technical skill or knowledge to manage. Since the CMS manages all your content, you don't have to.

Check out some of our Joomla! sites:
trillfilm.com
holidayclubchicago.com
otrassn.org
spatulatta.com

Give us a call 773-665-2552 to convert your site over to a CMS.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Twitter, Flickr and more - Learn about online communities!

Myspace, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Tribe, Linkd in, LiveJournal, Classmates, Reunion, Bebo and and and...

What are these?
And how can you use it to market your company or organization?

"A virtual community, e-community or online community is a group of people that primarily interact via communication media such as newsletters, telephone, email, online social networks or instant messages rather than face to face, for social, professional, educational or other purposes. If the mechanism is a computer network, it is called an online community. Virtual and online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. Many means are used in social software separately or in combination, including text-based chatrooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars. Significant socio-technical change may have resulted from the proliferation of such Internet-based social networks." (thanks wikipedia)

What this means for you? Think of these virtual communities as a café or lounge of like-minded individuals all interested in what you have to say.

Get going then!
Join or create a new community today to help spread the word about YOU!

Give us a call if you would like to discuss how social networking can help your marketing plan - 773-665-2552

Monday, March 23, 2009

Your Plan B Company going lights out on March 28th for Earth Hour 2009



On March 28, at 8:30 pm local time, one billion people will go dark for Earth Hour. World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.

Already hundreds of icons and landmarks around the world have signed up to turn their lights off for Earth Hour 2009 including - the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Sydney Opera House, Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens and The London Eye, among many others.

To to be part of the global lights out visit http://www.earthhour.org/

Your Plan B Company will be joining in! And as a countdown to Earth Day will be posting some other Clean and Green themed information and tips.

Monday, March 16, 2009

NEW SITE for OTRASSN.ORG

Incorporated as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization in December 1974, the Over the Rainbow Association was originated by parents and concerned community leaders. DavidB and I began volunteering with OTR in 1995 building their first simple site to the new 3.0 CMS version of today!

Be sure to pencil in the upcoming CELEBRATION event in your calendars! You can read last year's event wrap up in their recent newsletter. And check out their other upcoming events too - get involved if you can!

For many years Your Plan B Company were the website editors, but now with open source options like Joomla! we were able to create a new version of the site where their team and residents can be the editors. Like the community that exists in their brick and mortar buildings, we will be maintaining the site as an online community with different levels of access based on task. And the Board Members can be more actively involved too with their special section. Be on the look-out for all sorts of new videos, blogs and photos from OTR!

If you would like to remodel your site into a Content Management Solution (CMS) or want to know more about CMS, feel free to give us a call at 773-665-2552

Monday, March 9, 2009

Cooking 4 kids online!


New website for Spatulatta, Evanston, IL
spatulatta.com

Cooking 4 kids online! After receiving multiple awards and many more active fans, it was time for the site to go from basic HTML/Quicktime to a database with Flash videos. This upgrade gave us a chance to do a little server housekeeping, making content updates faster and user searching easier through the 200+ video recipes.

Spatulatta.com's intent is to present a fun and compelling website that will help foster a whole new generation of young cooks, not only by introducing cooking skills, but also through modeling behavior for using healthy, fresh, basic ingredients with a minimum of pre-processing. And we think this version helps meet those goals far into the future. Keep your eyes on the home page for a bunch of cool new things like contests, more outtakes and some great remote reporter reports.

If you have a site that is experiencing growing pains, give us a call to see what we can do to help! Maybe a new hosting server, stronger back-end or a new look or content organization? Call 773-665-2552

Monday, March 2, 2009

Search Engine Friendly Site: wielgus.com

NEW version for Wielgus, Chicago, IL
wielgus.com

We love models. Not supermodels (well maybe a couple of them). But model makers.

Wielgus makes those great trade show items you know you love getting your photo by like a tube of giant toothpaste! Wielgus has helped turn the inspirations of industrial design and development professionals into some of the most exciting innovations the world has ever seen. And now Your Plan B Company is proud to be part of their online marketing team by converting their website to a better and smarter site.

While their original site was cool and all Flash, the search engines and newer browsers were having a hard time finding the site. So we rebuilt it to play nice with searches, make it easier for phones to surf and much faster to update.

We have a bunch of ideas on ways to make your website search engine friendly, phone browser friendly or just more friendly all around - give us a call today to brainstorm! Call 773-665-2552

Monday, February 23, 2009

Hey there swingers and hipsters!

Check out the NEW website for Holiday Club, Chicago, IL.
holidayclubchicago.com

Holiday Club is one of our favorite places to eat, brainstorm, hang out with friends or dance on Fridays. So when they asked us to help update their site and make it easy for them to keep current we said HECK YES! With a new layout and design supported by a CMS back-end (Joomla!), the Holiday crew can log in anytime and make updates to the site using their browser based editor. A few sparkling gold animations, some classic photo booth shots and daily updates keep their customers in the know and at the bar. And check out the site on your phone - I bet you can find your way over and check the specials or hours even faster now!

So now you know our secret, if we aren't in the office, we are at the Holiday Club where they've been serving comfort food and snazzy cocktails for over 15 years! Why not make like Sinatra and sip an ice-cold martini while you swing to the eclectic jukebox, snap a picture in the retro black and white photo booth, chill on the sidewalk patio (when it's warm out!), or enjoy some interactive nightly entertainment in the late night lounge! And if you see us there, feel free to come over say hi!

Give us a call about how we can help you keep your site fresh!
Call 773-665-2552 or visit yourplanb.com

Friday, February 6, 2009

YPBCo MEMBER PROFILE: Catherine Larson, Lead Designer


Cat is not only our superfantasticwonderful web designer here in our office, but an established artist outside of the office! She was awarded the Community Arts Assistance Program grant (offered through the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs) in 2008. And she studies woodworking as well. From tables to frames to boxes to birdfeeders, she can wield a saw. This weekend she is off to study chip carving at the Chicago School of Woodworking.

"Creativity is a mental and social process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts. (thanks wikipedia)"

And Cat does just that! Check out this cool table she made (on the left).

Your Plan B Company is proud of our team, our artists. Each one of our team members exercises their creativity not only in the office but outside of it as well. We believe it is essential to problem solving, design and development. You can see more of Cat's creativity through the YPBCo client portfolio, as well as on her artist site at catherinelarson.com

Friday, January 30, 2009

It's that time of year again - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMEYB!

On February 2nd, JameyB turns one year older.
And along with the groundhog - will she or won't she see her shadow?

(let's hope for an early spring in Chicago this year!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

(photo left to right: vintage 1970's JameyB and her mom playing Twister)

Friday, January 23, 2009

A dozen years making websites - Your Plan B Company turns 12!

Happy Anniversary! And thank you for your continued support!

We've definitely had some fun with the wide variety of client projects through the years - everything from rockbands to musuems from small starts ups to Fortune 5's. And now travel guides to gardening and cooking for kids to antiques! Learning new things is just part of what we feel makes our work great!

And then there is the technology... in the beginning there were only grey backgrounds and html, then animations and sound, flash and ecommerce and now CMS solutions and more interactivity! Keeping ahead of the curve is something both challenging and good for us to stay creative.

DavidB and I would like to thank everyone who has worked with us as a team since we started back in 1997. We couldn't have done this without you ;) Special thanks to Catherine and Atalee for rounding out the YPBCo crew for the past 8 years! You guys rock!

A big bash is in the planning stages to celebrate this year - watch your inbox for our party invitation!

Friday, January 16, 2009

2009 Cool Internet Conferences

Get your calendar ready for upcoming must-go events about the web!

Web Content 2009
Web Content 2008 brought together nationally recognized technology, content, and marketing authorities involved with creating, organizing, maintaining, and delivering web content, to share best practices, new approaches, lessons learned, and provide real-world examples.
Date: June 15-16, 2009
Location: Chicago, IL
Link: http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/

2009 Media Summit
The 2009, Media Summit New York is the Premier International Conference on Media, Broadband, Advertising, Television, Cable & Satellite, Mobile, Publishing, Radio, Magazines, News & Print Media and Marketing
Date: March 18-19, 2009
Location: McGraw-Hill Building, 49th St. & 6th Ave., New York City
Link: http://www.digitalhollywood.com/MediaSummit.html

Getting Started with Dreamweaver and CSS
Learn everything you need to know about building compelling websites using Adobe Dreamweaver CS4!
Date: March 26, 2009
Location: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL
Link: http://www.mogo-media.com/seminars/getting-started-with-dreamweaver-and-css/2009/chicago/

The Next Web Conference
The Next Web is about the vision of the future of the web. We've great speakers who'll share their vision with the audience. The conference is known as one of the best networking events of Europe
Date: April 16th & 17th, 2009
Location: Westergasfabriek terrain, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Link: http://2009.thenextweb.org/

UIE Web App Summit 2009
The must attend event for anyone building web applications!
At the UIE Web App Summit, you'll meet the innovators and world-class designers behind today's most successful web apps.
Date: April 19-22, 2009
Location: Coronado Island, California
Link: http://www.uie.com/events/web_app_summit/2009/

CONNECTIONS
The digital living conference + showcase
Date: June 2-4, 2009
Location: Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA
Link: http://www.parksassociates.com/events/connections/2009/index.html

An Event Apart
An Event Apart Chicago features 12 great speakers and 14 sessions—new material you haven't heard anywhere else! The schedule will be posted August 1, 2009.
Date: October 12-13, 2009
Location: Sheraton Towers, Chicago, IL
Link: http://www.aneventapart.com/2009/chicago/

Web 2.0 Summit
Only the Web 2.0 Summit (formerly named Web 2.0 Conference) brings the intelligence, innovation, and leadership of the Internet industry together in one place at one time. The Summit is known for its interactive format, encouraging audience interaction and participation.
Date: October 20-22, 2009
Location: San Francisco, CA
Link: http://en.oreilly.com/web2009/public/sv/q/102


We will update more cool web conferences throughout the year! All the details and dates have not been updated for some events coming up in the Summer and Fall...

Friday, January 9, 2009

Add some spice to your site or some fun to your enewsletters with Flash animations or games!

Adobe Flash Player is the standard for delivering high-impact, rich web content. Designs, animation, and application user interfaces are deployed immediately across all browsers and platforms, attracting and engaging users with a rich Web experience.


And here at Your Plan B Company we can integrate Flash to spice up your site!

Everything from animated banners to mini games to entire sites, we can design and build something to help attract new users, forward your site to a friend and have them bookmark the site for repeat visits!

See some of our Flash work:
BlackStarMines.com (flash map)
Chicago History Museum (greatchicagostories.com)
GreensbyWhite.com (process demos)
MarketEdgeGroup.com (entire site)
Motorbrains.com (entire site)
RonaldKnox.org (navigation)


Give us a call 773-665-2552
to brainstorm ways we can spice up your site today!

Monday, January 5, 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR! What is your new year's resolution for your online marketing?

When was the last time you updated your website?
What is the date of the copyright?
Are you using the current standards like CSS?
Are you making your site easy to use? Easy to find?
Tracking your visitor stats?
Have you tested it on all the browsers?

REMEMBER the fresher your site the more visitors you will attract!

Give us a call 773-665-2552 to schedule a review of your current website and how we can help meet your 2009 online marketing goals!