ContentRobot

Just like plumbers with leaky kitchen faucets, developers’ websites often get neglected in favor of working on their clients websites instead.

A bunch of time has gone by since we last posted a case study, leading you to think we’ve not been busy.

Certainly that has not been the case, so today we point you to our updated Our Work page, which now contains 9 new case studies along with a listing of other projects we have been involved with in recent months.

We have been working hard at earning our WordPress Experts badge, having a lot of fun along the way.
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Purpose: GrokDotCom, published by the Conversion Rate Specialists, Future Now, is an award-winning newsletter that contains plain spoken and refreshingly irreverent content that helps their clients to develop and maintain websites that persuade their visitors to act.

Future Now wanted to convert its existing newsletter, which resided on a proprietary software that that they were outgrowing, and Movable type blog onto the more flexible WordPress blog platform. Now, GrokDotCom features articles and post written by Future Now authors, along with an extensive “blended” RSS feed of industry news.

Readers can learn more about how to increase online conversion rates, accountable multi-channel marketing, and web analytics by reading the blog, subscribing to it via RSS, or receiving daily, weekly, or monthly newsletter content into their email inboxes.

Features: ContentRobot customized the two-column WordPress theme to display the latest articles, blog posts, announcements, and events on the home page. At a glance, visitors can click to the “Persuasion Architect” posts and check out the GrokDotCom calendar. Readers can dig deeper to the posts and interact with the Future Now experts by adding their own comments and insights.

Behind the scenes, much attention was paid to search engine optimization to get the best search engine placement for the sheer volume of content that this blog steadily publishes. ContentRobot installed and configured Tag Warrior, SEO Title Tag, and Google Sitemaps, among other techniques.

ContentRobot also customized three newsletter templates for those readers who prefer to get the Grok content in their email boxes. Not only do they look like the site, each aggregates different content feeds for different timeframes (daily, weekly, and monthly).

Why It’s Successful: ContentRobot was able to flex our technical muscles to bring together several sources of content and pour them into a single content management system. The resulting converted site is easy to use and the content is accessible in many ways.

GrokDotCom appreciates the simplicity of adding, categorizing, and tagging content to their WordPress-driven site. Sending out the newsletters, which was a time-consuming and manual process, has now been mercifully automated - saving them both time and money to get their word out to the masses.

Go check out the site!

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Purpose: Debt Relief Companies connects people mired in debt with companies who can help them ease any money issues, and instructs them how to minimize their cash flow woes with a variety of resources.

To best educate its visitors, Debt Relief Companies wanted to develop a blog-powered website. Here readers can learn more about debt at their own pace, ask specific questions related to their situation, and contact companies who can help them to relieve their money problems.

The site focuses on topics such as credit card debt, credit counseling, debt solutions, and avoiding bankruptcy. Rounding out the content is the latest news and opinion, which is supplied from leading personal financial publications and blogs.

Features: ContentRobot designed and customized a slick three-column WordPress theme. By taking advantage of blogging software to manage their site, Debt Relief Companies can easily add additional blog categories, pages, and stories.

The home page center column provides a great starting point for debt-riddled visitors, as it walks them easily through their debt options and provides the proper level of guidance as delve deeper into the site. Once inside, the center column is where the main content sits.

The left column links to various pages that describe honest companies and debt education topics, and acts as effective subnavigation while traveling throughout the site.

The right column provides a Q&A area where the latest questions and answers are displayed. Readers are encouraged to and can easily add their own concern to the mix with a handy, unobtrusive form.

Why It’s Successful: Since launch, Debt Relief Companies has been steadily adding content to its blog-powered website. They are now working hard on marketing and promoting it to attract more visitors who may be in need of education and their services. While still in its early stages, we expect that by publishing a steady stream of helpful information, this new site will gain a strong following.

Check out the site!

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Purpose: Shop.org is an association that is comprised of interactive executives from more than 500 nationally-recognized retail brands (both big and small). They participate to share information, lessons-learned, new perspectives, insights and intelligence about online and multichannel retailing.

To extend their diverse community online, Shop.org wanted to develop a blog where their members could write about their expertise and experiences to spur lively conversation (perhaps even a bit of a debate) that helps others to uncover best practices and solutions that work.

The blog focuses on topics such as affiliate programs, analytics, IT, marketing & consumer trends, e-commerce, search engine marketing, web 2.0 and user generated content. All Shop.org members are encouraged to write as many stories as they wish and to comment freely on others’ posts.

Features: ContentRobot designed a clean and stylish two column WordPress theme to compliment the Shop.org logo. We also incorporated the association’s primary colors (red, grey, and white) and other visual cues from its main website for the overall look.

The Shop.org blog’s motto is “By the Member, For the Member” and this is best illustrated by prominently listing its contributors in the right column. Authors have their own RSS feeds so members can subscribe to any contributor or get the entire blog’s content RSS feed as well.

ContentRobot worked closely with the Shop.org team to create Blogging Guidelines and specific Corporate Policies that detailed who can post, how comments would be handled, and how members join the blog.

Why It’s Successful: Since its launch, the Shop.org members have busy getting trained on how to blog effectively. Early feedback says that they are excited to take advantage of the blogging platform to bring their ideas together. No longer hindered by location and time, they expect a bunch of content and discussion to be generated in 2007 and beyond.

Note: The Shop.org blog is an intrablog that is currently available only to its members. UPDATE: On January 8, 2007, the Shop.org blog was opened up to the public.

Check out the site!

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Purpose: Education Insider is a blog-powered website whose goal is to connect public school stakeholders with state education policy in an entirely new way. Its mission is to inform busy parents, trustees, and professional educators about vital issues—before decisions are formulated and announced from Austin, Texas.

Focusing on a specific issue per month (or sometimes more often), Education Insider reports about their subject matter within the following categories: “On The Table (news and developments),” “Backstory” (background and perspective), “Commentary” (editorial observations) and “What You Can Do” (action items). They also discuss a variety of other stories and information in their blog.

Features: Education Insider wanted to develop a website that would package certain topic much like a printed edition. ContentRobot customized the WordPress blog software to indicate where to publish and display these related articles. When Education Insider writes stories chooses the appropriate categories (among the four listed above), they are published together on the front page to comprise a “publication.” When they choose other categories, the posts will be displayed in the blog and not as part of the publication.

Also, when visitors land on the Education Insider site, they’ll notice that they can initially see only article teasers. With another technical modification, ContentRobot assisted Education Insider to show only excerpts to non-members and to grant entire article access to its registered members. While a technical challenge on the backend, the interface remained intuitive and elegant.

Other features include the ability for readers to get latest information with tracking with an RSS feed or receiving an emailed newsletter. The toolbox provides resources and education on how to contact your representatives and offers ways you can help further the cause of public education. And there is an informative video on the home page, with podcasts yet to come.

Why It’s Successful: The Education Insider blog-powered website has become indispensable to all who are interested in keeping informed on the vital issues surrounding public schools.

By using the blog software, it has allowed Education Insider to easily chronicle the issues facing Austin, TX public education with packaged publications and blog posts alike. ContentRobot implemented a clean-looking, professional site, designed to focus mainly on its content.

Go check out the Education Insider Blog-Powered Website!

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Purpose: Farmington Valley Goldens (FVG) wanted to develop a web site that showcased their dogs and their breeding business, which was born from the love of their first golden retriever almost 20 years ago.

FVG focuses their breeding efforts on nurturing dogs that are meant to be with (and around) sociable people and families. Their mission is to create wonderful memories for your family with your own golden retriever.

While an all-purpose web site would have suited FVG’s basic needs, ContentRobot stepped in and offered to launch it as a blog-powered website using the WordPress platform. Readers can keep up on the latest news about the dogs, litters, and everyone’s development along the way via the blog and/or newsletter.

Features: Visitors can find out all about Farmington Valley Goldens’ dogs, litters, and breeding on the website. Pet lovers will discover heartwarming stories and irresistible pictures of the dogs that have inspired their work and the pups that are yet-to-come.

Subscribers can keep track of entire blog via an RSS newsreader. Readers not familiar with RSS, or prefer to receive information via email, can get the latest posts in their inbox by signing up for the newsletter.

ContentRobot implemented a clean-looking site (designed by Rockel Design) that allows the large (simply cute!) dog pictures to become the spotlight for the website’s overall look.

Why It’s Successful: ContentRobot was able to encourage Farmington Valley Goldens to communicate on the internet in a whole new way. By chronicling their breeding efforts through its blog, it’s a win-win situation – the easy-to-use blog interface allows easy posting for FVG, while their visitors can get updated and detailed information about what’s going on at their household.

Go check out the Farmington Valley Goldens Blog-Powered Website!

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Purpose: New School Selling sought a new web site because it was moving away from its “Sales Warrior” model toward a new branding effort, along with recently expanded products and services. To build a cost-effective, feature-laden site, ContentRobot developed the NSS web presence using blogging software as its platform – or created what we call a blog-powered web site.

By implementing WordPress and a variety of plug-ins, the redesigned NSS website not only offers detailed information about their training courses and products, but it includes a blog and a newsletter – so that NSS’s readers can stay informed about New School Selling and its offerings.

Features: Visitors can learn all New School Selling’s sales philosophy, and why the old methods of selling either don’t work or are increasingly becoming less effective.

Readers can discover (and purchase) the variety of training that NSS offers, from in-house seminars to weekly telecourses. Don’t have time to learn that way? Check out NSS’s books and CDs that allow students to study at their own pace. Updated content drives visitors to explore the entire site.

The event calendar allows readers to see at a glance where owner, Steve Clark, is teaching or when the telecourses are being held. Behind the scenes, maintaining the schedule is as easy as writing a post.

Subscribers can keep track of entire blog via an RSS newsreader. Readers not familiar with RSS, or prefer to receive information via email, can get the latest posts in their inbox by signing up for the newsletter. Existing newsletter readers were simply converted to the new blog-driven newsletter technology without disruption of their subscription.

Taking inspiration from the contemporary New School Selling logo, ContentRobot created a sleek and sophisticated look. By using a three-column customized template, we were able to prominently feature the offerings, events, and blog entries, complementing its main navigation.

Why It’s Successful: The former flat, one-way website has been transformed into an interactive one, where visitors can learn about NSS and get more involved in the company. At a glance, the event calendar keeps readers up-to-date and aware of NSS happenings. The blog is where readers can get information about sales and the selling process, are encouraged to exchange ideas. Early response to this redesign has been nothing short of positive!

Go check out the New School Selling Blog-Powered Website!

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Purpose: The Team Timex Blog was developed to provide a comprehensive forum for 45 blogging athletes.

Follow the athletes as they train and compete all over the world in triathlons, and other events that feature biking, swimming, and running. With their wide variety of expertise, the bloggers will educate and entertain their readers about life as a Timex athlete on the 2006 tour.

Features: Each Timex-sponsored athlete authors their own blog and has their own news feed. This way, blog subscribers can keep track of entire blog or any one of their favorite athletes. Readers not familiar with RSS can sign up for a newsletter and get the latest posts in their inbox.

Visitors can learn all about diet and nutrition, family life, training regimines, and even injuries from the athlete’s perspective. They’ll be able to get inside the blood, sweat, and tears.

Readers can also easily see where they are racing with the calendar of events - and come back to see how the Timex racers performed with overall race results and personal race reports.

ContentRobot created a clean, classy design that complements the new Timex branding effort. By using a three-column template, it allows the athletes and major events to be prominently featured.

The blog uses the WordPress platform and has several supporting plugins to extend the functionality.

Timex will track it all with Feedburner and Performancing metrics. They expect that with the great content they have planned, there will be plenty of interest.

Why It’s Successful: With a minimum of training, several athletes are already publishing some great posts - even with some great supporting imagery.

ContentRobot was able to work with Timex to develop a blog that is appropriate for their communication style. From developing a corporate blogging policy to determining the editorial / taxonomy considerations, to configuring the software to creating a branded design to training, this project was both a challenge and a triumph.

Go check out The Team Timex Blog!

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This is the final post in our series about building the Timex athlete blog. Today we want to focus on the blog’s design.

Business blogs should strive to have their own look-and-feel, yet they should be obviously branded (with the company logo, colors, etc.) and integrated into the rest of the company’s marketing materials.

For the Timex athlete blog, the goals were this:

• Sport the new company logo.
• To match the corporate web site’s color scheme: red, black, and grey.
• Take cues (for fonts, buttons, and other widgets) from the new marketing online and print campaigns.
• Show off the triathlon lifestyle using lots of pictures.
• Create a texture and splash that exhibits the sport and its particular attitude.

While there are several ready-made templates out there, it will become apparent that your company’s blog design should be created from scratch to ensure that it meets all your goals. Check out more design ideas here.

In this series, ContentRobot revealed the strategies and best practices we used when developing the Timex athlete blog and how we’d approach your business blog project.

Tags: ContentRobot, Timex, blog, blog design, business blogging

Today we step back from the actual blog building and concentrate on developing a Blogging Policy Document for Timex’s athlete blog. ContentRobot discusssed the importance of developing such policies in a previous post. While, we won’t reveal its actual contents here, we’ll share some of the thought behind creating the policies.

Open Communication
Company management must clearly state that they are behind the project and indicate how open they will allow the bloggers to communicate. Companies should get comfortable with people outside the public relations team writing about them. For those companies who are still squeamish, they can consider implementing a moderation plan where posts get approved before getting published live.

Legal Implications
Bloggers should be aware that certain posts can get them (and the company) in hot water. The policies should define what is not acceptable blogging. This can including posting content that could embarrass or otherwise harm the company and its executives, employees, clients, and suppliers.

Going beyond harm, bloggers need to be aware of the the rules and laws that govern defamation and obscenities, copyrights, logos and trademarks, and financial rules, for example.

Blogging Creed
By signing such a document, bloggers should do their utmost to be respectful to the company, its employees, partners, customers, and competitors. Bloggers should think about the consquences while blogging and should be encouraged to not hit that publish button if their is something the least bit offensive.

Writing Rules
This part of the document should encourage great writing. For the Timex bloggers, it offered guidelines so they will write what they know, write often, add value, get their facts straight, and that quality matters.

The Blogging Policy document can be as formal or informal as the company culture dictates. Strike a comfortable balance that appreciates the creative aspect of blogging along with the need for defining the rules that can keep your bloggers out of trouble.

Follow ContentRobot as we reveal the strategies and best practices we used when developing the Timex athlete blog and how we’d approach your business blog project.

Tags: ContentRobot, Timex, blog, blogging policies, business blogging