Found the following terrific post from Seth Godin’s blog:

Form design

Use WebSketch forms accordingly.

There was a time when having a business, and making sales, was a simple matter. You set up shop, advertised in the Yellow Pages, and in local print media, and you found clients.

These days however, it’s been proven over and over again that when people are looking for something, they don’t go to the Yellow Pages – they go to Google. This means that without a website, your business is dead in the water. This also means that if you want your business to succeed, you need to have an online presence. The only question is how?

• If you have a big budget, you could hire a professional web designer or team. This is generally costly though, and even the professionals will take time to get a great looking site up and running. Sometimes quite a bit of time, particularly if they are good designers, and therefore in demand.
• Another option is to self design, but that means expensive software, learning html and other coding languages, and a whole lot of trial and error. It’s cheaper, in theory, but all of that could add up to a lot of money, and a lot of time.
• Your third option is a site builder, but many of these only work on templates, meaning that your site will be a generic one, in terms of design at least, and that’s not always ideal for a business website – you want to put your own stamp on it, don’t you?
• Your final option, and by far the most cost effective, in terms of time and money, is to use a service like Websketch, which offers all the ease and convenience of a site builder, with the added benefit of the ability to customize your site. This means that it’s quick and easy to do, and you will be able to create a unique site, in minutes, without any real technical knowledge of how the internet works.
• If you only need a very basic, no frills, no bells and whistles site, you could opt for a standard blog or self design on a platform like FrontPage, but bear in mind that even basic business websites need to look slick – and these sometimes don’t fit the bill.

As you can see, there are many ways to get your business online, all with varying pros and cons. So why not take a look at your budget, and your skill level, and choose one that meets your needs?

The great thing about online presence is that it is an ever evolving thing, and with a site builder, like Websketch, you have the freedom to update, add to and manage your own site, on your own time, without having to refer to books, or take any special courses. If you can use a computer, you can use the drag and drop interface.

So, if your business is still not online, and you’re losing business because of it, you have to ask yourself why, don’t you? There are always options, and the internet is becoming more and more accessible to non technical people.

Politics and sex have always been bedfellows, despite plenty of assurances to the contrary.  Russia is getting a dose of this recently, when a group on a Russian social networking site invites girls to “tear their clothes off” in support of the former president, Vladimir Putin.  They call themselves “Putin’s Army”, and one of our users use WebSketch for the website design and site building of their (unofficial) website.

www.putinsarmy.com

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We have been working on and just officially released some cool design functions. The objects in your Editor now have backgrounds, borders, and margin offsets. Combinations of these can provide hours of creative fun for some of you (well, all right …. some of us).  Click here to see some examples.

That means the toolkit you have regarding color, size, width, thickness, etc., for one object just got a whole lot bigger. Of course, now you have the responsibility to build a professional site that’s also great looking.  No more excuses.  Go forth and create.

Discerning eyes have already noticed.  We recently introduced 2 new objects into the Editor under the “Objects” tab.  One is a file upload object, “File”, and the other is a music upload object, “Music”.

The File object allows the following file types to be uploaded: .doc/.docx, .ppt/.pptx, .xls/.xlsx, .pdf, .txt/.rtf, .mp3, .jpg/.jpeg, .gif, .png, .bmp.  The appropriate file type icon will show up automatically and will be linked to the actual file for your site visitors to download the file.

The music object allows you to upload a .mp3 file, and a music player will automatically show up for your site visitors to play the music.   Of course, you will agree that, by using this Object, you have permission from the owner of the music to post it on your webpage.  Due to the climate created by MPAA, the last point is rather sensitive, and we will delete any music that’s uploaded in violation of copy rights as soon as practical when we learn about it.

Part of the many current and to-be-released soon website building features we are bringing to your plate.  Have fun with them.

If you’re an online marketer, you’ve probably realized that having a different site for every product youmarket is an expensive and time consuming exercise. It makes much more sense to have one site, where you host all your products and offers, and linking to them from wherever it is on the web that you advertise. However, having a separate landing page, that leads your visitors into your site, rather than have them suddenly arrive on that page, can make the search transition a little easier. Here’s how you can achieve just that using Websketch – the most customizable site builder on the market:

• Create your main website using the fully customizable drag and drop interface on Websketch. List your products, add information and your store and so on.
• Now create separate, standalone landing pages for each of the products or services that you plan to market online. These can be kept out of the navigation, so they won’t clutter up your websites navigation bars either!
• If you plan to use those pages to build your email list, why not add a signup form, and use them as squeeze pages?
• Alternatively, if you want to use them as sales tools, you could write or commission long sales letters for each of the pages you plan to use.
• When you market a single product or service, simply use the link to the relevant page, rather than to your home page, in your marketing materials. Add a link on each of those pages to your home page, or elsewhere on your main site, as needed. Adding links in Websketch is simple, and you can also remove them at any time.
• To make your landing, sales and squeeze pages, use the advanced technology of Websketch to add graphics, logos, text, and even video. Because Websketch uses simple, drag and drop site building, even the most technical tasks are simple to achieve, if you can use ordinary software.
• Make sure that you use keywords and metatags in your squeeze, landing and sales pages, which relate to the products you are selling – that way, even regular web searches should bring traffic to your website, and sales of your products!

As you can see, it’s simple to use Websketch to truly customize a marketer’s website, and you can build one site, that links for various parts of the web, to host a variety of products and services. Of course, since they are also so simple to create and update, adding and removing pages and products as your online business activities change.

So if you want to have  a slick, professional, and high converting website, that puts your online business activities in one place, and that’s quick and easy to update and change, without spending a fortune on web designers and other professionals, why not give a site builder like Websketch a chance? You might just be pleasantly surprised!

Whenever we think of forms, we think of government bureaucrats.  Think of how many forms you have to fill out to get your license, or…egads…to file your tax return.  It seems forms are all bureaucrats ever think of.  Maybe they sleep dreaming about them.

Now you can have a taste of a bureaucrat’s nirvana - with our just-launched Simple Form object (Look for it in your Editor under Objects tab).  Use this to create your own input forms for your site visitors.  Just drop it onto your site page - size it, shape it, set margins, color it, however you like.  The input field can be number, text, paragraph text, choice box, check box, and even file upload.  Whenever someone fills out your form, the data is sent right away to the email address on your account.  For the paranoid-minded, we don’t store any of the data, lest you are worried about who’s reading your input data.

Go crazy with it.  If you manage to beat the IRS in breadth, depth, complexity, and general loopiness of your forms, you will win a price from us.

There was a time when the only thing you or your family would see of your wedding after the big day was over were rapidly yellowing photographs in an album. All the special memories you made on the day would be lost forever, except for those snaps.

These days however, with the internet being more and more accessible, it’s becoming more and more common for brides and grooms to set up a website devoted to their wedding day.

Not only can these pages be used before the big day to let guests know of important information, and give them a look into your preparations, but, after the big event, it’s a great way to let family and friends in faraway places see how your big day went. Here are a few other ideas you might like to consider:

• Instead of going the impersonal (and expensive) route of a web designer, why not use a customizable and easy to use site builder, like Websketch, to create and update your wedding page? Its fun, and something you, and your wedding party, can all get involved in!
• Start early – why not launch your site with your engagement announcement, and photos of the party, and then continue to update your wedding site throughout your engagement period?
• If they’re up for it, it’s a nice idea to give key members of your wedding party a blog page on your site, where they can share their insights on your big day. Consider giving your mother, your maid of honor, the best man and a few others a chance to share their view of the preparations!
• Add a page where you can have announcements, and one for your respective bachelor and hen parties – it’s even easy to upload photos when you use software like Websketch!
• Dress fittings, cake and flower choosing and other wedding planning events are also great content for your wedding site. Since you can even add videos to a site built on Websketch, you could have someone tape them, and upload them to your site.
• Keep guests posted on arrangements by including a calendar or announcements page, and you could even have a downloadable copy of your invitation – either for guests to print and keep as a memento, or for those who will inevitably lose theirs!
• The big day itself is another special addition to a wedding site – upload photos from the day, videos of the speeches and more. Whatever you like really – since Websketch is completely customizable, and limited only by your imagination!
• For an added interest, why not include photos of your honey moon destination, and when the time comes, link it to another site, where you chart the pregnancy and birth of your kids!

Thanks to the internet, no one in your family need ever feel left out of your big day, no matter where they are. It’s a fun, cost effective, and very personal way of keeping them all in the loop, so if you’re planning a wedding, why not set up your wedding site today?

When it comes to professions and art forms, it’s the visual ones, like photography, that need a web presence more than any other. Try explaining to a client or potential client how great your skills are, without the aid of visuals, and you will soon see that it’s not only hard, it’s well nigh impossible. Here, are a few tips that should help

• When creating your photography page with Websketch, add your very best snaps to your home page – with the drag and drop interface, it’s easy to add them, and because this site builder is completely customizable, you can be sure that your artistic expression can be carried out!
• Upload your pictures in a variety of common picture formats, and use the editing functions to get the positioning and style exactly right!
• An about us and contact us page is a must, and since you can link email addresses and even your Skype account directly, using the hyperlink feature, your visitors will be able to contact you at the click of a button.
• Why not make it even simpler to contact you, by creating a custom form that your visitors can send to you? This also helps to eliminate spam, since your email address does not have to appear on your site.
• Add a gallery of your pictures to your site, and allow visitors to see your work. Divide it into categories, if you do a variety of photographic work, but make sure that you edit your pictures before hand to add a water mark – remember, anything that is online is downloadable, and if you don’t want it used outside of your copyright, this is an essential step!
• Of course, a gallery is nice, but to keep the size down, and the load speed of the page up, they are usually quite small. Why not link thumbnails to larger images on separate pages, which you leave out of the navigation, for visitors to click through to if they want to see more?
• Another great idea for a photography site is to have an area devoted to articles. Pictures are great for your visitors, but when it comes to search engines, it’s the text content that matters. With Websketch, it’s easy to set up a blog or forum too, so you can give your visitors and interactive experience – and that’s what web 2.0 is all about!
• Make sure to market your Websketch photography site by linking it to facebook and MySpace pages and groups, and you should find that your brand new photography site becomes one of your very best tools!

As you can see, there are many ways that a website can help your photography business. So if you want to have, or keep that competitive edge, why not sign up for a Websketch account today, and start building? The great thing is that you can start simple, and build as you go along – after all, there are no expensive designers to pay when you build it yourself!

So, you’ve been of the opinion that the only people that benefit from the internet are business owners, and online marketers, then read on! There are several ways that having a family website can be a fun experience, which allows you to share with your family and friends around the world.

Here are a few ideas on a great family website, and how Websketch can help you to get one:

• These days, families are spread a lot further than they used to be. In fact, there’s a good chance that your family could be all over the globe. The internet is a great way to reconnect with them.
• Of course, there are social networking sites, but sometimes, there are private, family related things that you only want them to see, and you cannot upload to social networking platforms. Concerns with security, in any case, are driving more and more people from social networking.
• When you set up a family website, you can assign a password and user name, which will allow your friends and family who have that information to log in, but no one else. This is great for preserving privacy!
• A family website is a fabulous place to upload photos, family announcements and more, for grandmothers, aunts and uncles and other interested parties to see, but why not do something a little more interesting, like scan and upload your kids’ paintings, their letters to Santa and other items, or add videos to your site?
• Since Websketch is such a powerful site builder, but one with such a simple interface, it’s easy to allow several different families, in different states or even countries, to each have their own page, to which they can add their news and information. This makes it an interactive and fun activity for the whole family.

If you’re going to create a family site, Websketch is certainly the way to go. Here’s why:

• It’s quick and easy to set up, with a super simple drag and drop interface that you can use to quickly and easily design and update pages.
• Because its username and password protected, only people you authorize to edit and view pages will have access to them – which will protect your family’s privacy.
• You don’t need any in depth computer or technical knowledge – if you can use office software, you can use Websketch. That means even older, or less technologically minded people can access and use your family site.
• Link your family site to any other sites you or your family members may have – that way, you can all stay abreast of everything that is going on in your family, all the time, no matter what the time zone, and without the expense of long distance calls.

As you can see, there are a variety of ways you can use a site builder like Websketch to set up a fabulous, interesting and fun family website, where you can share news, achievements, and other fun information with your family, friends and extended family around the globe. Everyone can be involved, and you’ll always be in contact.