Little did I know, I was also learning how to build effective and usable websites for all types of people, not just musicians.

Over the last few years the web has become an everyday extension of brand marketing and everything that makes up the digital ecosystem that we have all come to experience on a daily basis.

Naturally, from web designs for musicians came businesses and non-profits and eventually I realized that I needed to branch out and build websites for all types of people

Recently, I launched my freelance portfolio and I have been shocked at the response I’ve received. My inbox is full of requests for web designs.

This is really an exciting time for me. I’m trying something new and I can’t thank my friends and family enough for your encouragement and support.

So what is all this stuff?

What is a domain? What is hosting?

DOMAIN

Dub. Dub. Dub. (aka. WWW dot.) www.example.com. Double-U, dOUBLE-u, Double-u DOT.

Your domain name is your web address. Think of it just like your home address. When you buy a domain name, you are buying a plot of land on the World Wide Web. Once you’ve got the plot of land of the web, you can start building the house.

HOSTING

This is the house. This is the architectural structure, the behind-the-wall framing. All of your website pictures and videos and text will need walls to hang on, won’t they?

A web hosting service is a type of Internet  service that allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web.

DESIGN

This is paint, the colors, the decoration. When most people think about building a new website this is the first thing they think about. In reality, the design is a culmination of the creative elements and the architectural elements coming together.

My Design Process

To kick things off, I work on the overall layout/ architecture of pages, content, photographs, links etc. I develop a prototype/ wireframe which helps illustrate a few page layout options.

Then we focus on the creative elements.  Things like:

• colors
• photography
• imagery
• branding elements.

Once I have the architecture mapped out AND and the creative elements agreed upon, it’s time to Build the Website.

On the SEO front,  I help determine what you need to write about, what keywords to use and how to link it all together so that Google will find and index your website.

If you are in need of a website, a blog, heck- even an app, that’s right, I can even help with building iPhone apps. Let me know- And thanks again!

Hire Me

photo credit: twm1340 via photopin cc

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Don’t worry, I haven’t moved far.I am still living in Arlington, although my commute has gotten slightly longer as I am working from the Corporate Headquarters in Falls Church, Va.

As the Web Content Manager  for this industry-leading IT integrator and service provider I have an opportunity to showcase my talent for creating and overseeing digital marketing content in a dynamic and fast paced work environment.

I am creating SEO best practices for on-page content generation, particularly with regards to keyword optimization and content generation, title/meta tag creation, and internal linking strategy. All fun stuff.

When I was interviewing for this job I remember taking a few days to write out the pros and cons- both of leaving my previous job at Business Wire as well as the risks associated with taking a new job.

After taking a highlighter to the job description, I was blown away how well everything lined up for me. It was a perfect fit:

It fit. After 1 month in it’s safe to say that I’m having fun, learning a lot and really excited for the challenges ahead. In the end, we are building a world class marketing model for a $16 billion company. Who wouldn’t be excited?

You Can’t Move Forward Without Looking Back

I spent 5 great years with Business Wire and I learned a lot from my first job after college.

Business Wire allowed me to explore my interest in all things ‘digital’, from SEO and social media, to marketing and online strategy. In 2009, for a period of 6-8 months, I was even conducting national webinars for Business Wire’s Award Winning webinar series.

This access and transparency on what Business Wire was building and how we were building it allowed me to feel a part of the process.

My relationship with with my boss, Josh Rehrer was the hardest factor to overcome mentally when deciding to accept a new job- knowing that I was walking away from a great mentor and partnership. Josh and I developed a very close and unique professional/personal relationship- he was the best manager and friend I could have ever asked for.

This new challenge will undoubtedly broaden my skill set in all things digital. From SEO and Social Media, to Demand Generation and Content Creation; I am truly at the intersection of content, design & delivery  of news & information on the web.

Wish me luck!

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Last year, whispers and gossip of industry influence filled every room.

Ideas and opinions of the web and Investors Relations spread like wildfire, while social media and twitter filtered into a quiet back-channel of web savvy individuals interested in the use of Social Media for IR.

The National Investor Relations Institute Annual Conference is a melting pot of information and ideas for the Investor Relations community to think on over the next year or so.

Well- here we are a year later and we’re still talking about Social media and IR.

I consider the use of social media and the web for investor relations a likely avenue for future Investor Relations efforts- however social media is a relatively new communication channel which will continue to evolve.

As part of this learning curve, PR pros and IR pros alike will continue learning the skills necessary to effectively communicate online in partnership with all of the existing communication channels.

The most effective communicators are experts at ALL methods of interaction- phone, email, online, they are able to use all forms of communications be it oral & written; online & in-person.

You don’t stop calling someone- just because you can text them. You don’t stop calling someone- just because you can email them.You spread the communication methods to broadly reach the maximum audience.

For investor relations, the main takeaway is: how do you communicate with investors?

There is such a fine balance between the hard and soft skills required for an IRO to effectively communicate. It is important to understand the PR side of how to tell a story and impart information to listeners. It is also important to maintain an understanding  and use the financial data to tell that story from the IR point of view.

Widely distributing and effectively telling a story is the name of the Investor relations game. Social Media and the web are simply a new piece to that story-telling puzzle.

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Organizations are learning what is most important in managing social media- namely, being agile enough to take an opportunity and use it to respond and engage with customers online and make social media valuable.

[box]Social media is rapidly transforming the way organizations communicate with customers. As a cost-effective way to engage online, social media gives companies broader reach beyond traditional communication methods like email. With a simple post or tweet, businesses can promote products and services, provide instant feedback or support, creating an online community of brand enthusiasts. Staying competitive in today’s fast moving business landscape requires a solid social media strategy.[/box]

The online landscape is more transactional than ever before. As communicators, we have to focus on engagement and what customers do with our products or services. This emerging conversation is facilitated through social media tools- however the tools themselves don’t do your job for you.

“Hitting send on a tweet, or posting a status update on Facebook isn’t the same as doing your job.”- Mike Toner

Nielsen says “people visit 2.9 sites a day, and one of them is Facebook.” In making the case for social media as a business/ communication tool- you will not hear anything more significant than that statement.

If you’re not on social media then you’re ignoring where your best customers spend one-third of the day.

Below is an great infographic which illustrates the WHY, the HOW  and the WHO of social media.

• WHY should we interact with potential customers on social media?
• HOW does social media integrate with your businesses communication strategy?
• WHO is already integrating social media as part of their overall business objectives?

Source:  #E2sday, Social Cast Blog

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

SEO is Measureable:

Tracking the effectiveness of marketing dollars has always been the hard job of advertising and marketing departments.

It’s difficult to track how billboards, print ads and TV commercials bring in customers, and if sales are a direct result of traditional marketing campaigns- “what’s the ROI?”

It makes sense that marketers would move towards SEO and search volume/analytics on keywords. Whether it’s PPC, SEO, Social Media, or Conversion Optimization, through analytics, you can track how a particular campaign directly influences website traffic, leads, and sales. Everyone involved can see the statistics and can change plans to
improve performance.

SEO is Targeted:

Every month, there are 14 billion online searches.Many of those searches are for products and services.

Each industry has keywords that are searched on thousands of times.

Top rankings in the search engine results has the potential to capture a massive demographic that is looking to buy specific products.

As reported in Cornell University’s Eye Tracking study- 56% of searchers click on the 1st search result.

A big difference between traditional marketing/advertising and digital, is search marketing directly hones in on a demographic of customers who are looking to buy a specific product.
While traditional reaches a vast, ambiguous audience, search marketing reaches the right customers at the exact moment they want to buy. Traditional marketing is like blindly casting a wide net.

SEO as Strategy

Good search marketing campaigns achieve a balance between SEO, Paid Advertising, Social Media, and conversion strategies that drive website traffic and turn that traffic into sales. When each of those strategies blend together perfectly, website revenue increases dramatically.

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

From Jan 6- Jan 9, 2011 I will be attending the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow.

The International Consumer Electronic Show draws more than 120,000 attendees with the exhibit space covering more than 1.5 million square feet of the Las Vegas Convention center.

When I first attended CES in 2009 Netbooks were just making their big splash and the big debate was LCD vs Plasma. Their were no Droids, no Tablets and most certainly no 3-D tv’s.

Here’s a quick look at the products that have debuted at CES over the past 20 years:

I am not overly excited about the possibility of tablet computers being the highlight of CES 2011. I already know that Apple will not be exhibiting at the show- (Apple never goes to CES) and the ipad will most likely continue to dominate the market for some time, especially with the prospect of an iPad 2 in the coming months.

It’s hard to tell what will catch my attention this year. I hope to see some amazing 3-D TV’s although I think the manufacturers still need to find a reason to make me WANT a 3-D TV…as I already know that I don’t need it! I also don’t want to wear those stupid glasses.

Here’s a little video from my time out at the 2009 Consumer Electronic Show:

And here are few thoughts on what to expect at CES 2011:

http://mobilelocalsocial.com/2010/what-to-expect-at-ces-2011/

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electronics/2010/12/ces-2011-preview-what-we-expect-to-see.html

Let me know if you are going to be at the show- @miketoner on Twitter

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

As American Education Week comes to to an end I believe we are entering an era that requires drastic measures to ensure the success of America’s school system.

The results of the National Assessment of Education Progress released Thursday display the sames issues that emerge time and time again on other standardized tests. There is a substantial difference between the performance of whites and minorities, between middle class and poor. There are so many external factors affecting a students success.

I hope that the national debate on education reform will allow for a real dialogue about the challenges facing our education system and focus on the hard work and collaboration necessary to address these issues.

For the fourth and final segment in the What Makes a Great Teacher? series, I interviewed a literacy specialist and remedial reading teacher at a middle school in Northern Virginia.  When asked about whether or not schools work well he refers to teaching as an “industry” that needs to continually change and innovate- this answer resonated with me as I think it will with many of you.

When a business stops creating, it dies. Business models go through their life cycles and without change there cannot be growth. Our education system is no different. It is time for a change.

An effective student is one who takes accountability and responsibility for their own learning.  They have to want it for themselves or it will never really happen.  When I think back on my own education, it was not until I felt that the work was for me and not my parents or my friends, was when I really began to learn. It felt good to get good grades, but I wasn’t really building something that meant anything.

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Earlier today the Department of Education issued the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Grade 12 Reading and Mathematics National and Pilot State Results.

Today’s report suggests that high school seniors’ achievement in reading and math isn’t rising fast enough to prepare them to succeed in college and careers. Reading results have improved since 2005, but are still below the level of 1992. Math scores also show only incremental gains over four years ago.

In my third interview as part of the What Makes a Great Teacher series I asked a fourth year high school social studies teacher about measuring student success. During the conversation, he explores the discrepancies in grades from teacher to teacher, an interesting reality in today’s education system.

What is the single most important factor in determining a student’s success?

How can students do their best in school?

How do you measure an effective student?

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Next Monday marks, the 89th annual

American Education Week, November 14–20.

I am not a professional educator, nor do I have kids in the education system- yet I have this strange connection and understanding of the importance of schools and teachers and the process of educating the masses.

Thousands of teachers around the world spend each day in the classroom with children, teenagers and adults alike. These teachers are a grounding force for the new generations to come. Each day they are helping to impart some piece of knowledge or skill necessary to become a better person and a valuable member of our community.

Imagine for a second – everyday you are ON. In the classroom. In front of 30-40, perhaps a 100 students, all at varying levels of intellect,  resources and family backgrounds. Being a teacher is a hard job- one we should all respect and take a genuine interest in.

In 2006, I completed my undergraduate research project on the effects of No Child Left Behind Act. I looked at socio economic factors such as parental education levels, race, family income and the effect these factors have on standardized test scores. My goal was to statistically prove that there are too many variables for standardized tests to be an effective measurement tool of student success.

Improving public education is a complex challenge.

We cannot move forward without acknowledging the real challenges facing our public schools. One out of every five children in our nation today lives in poverty. Poor nutrition, health care and illiteracy in the home, among other things, have a real impact on learning. Helping all students succeed requires addressing this whole spectrum of needs.

The National Education Association’s 89th annual American Education Week—November 14-20, 2010—presents all Americans with an opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring every child receives a quality education.

Over the next week I will share some updated data as well as  interviews with teachers and friends of mine at varying stages of their education careers. I asked questions such as:

• How can students do their best in school?
• Do schools work well? Or are their changes necessary?
• How do you measure an effective teacher?
• How do you measure an effective student?
• What makes a great teacher?

Check back on Monday to see their answers. Or sign up below to receive it in your email in-box:

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.

    

Tonight, I am speaking to a group of business students at Howard University who are dedicated users of web 2.0 but are looking to be the next ‘gatejumper’ in the world wide web. I plan to talk about Reputation Management online AND the human aspect of becoming a web aficionado. The first point will detail ways you can build online influence using the internet.

“The Internet has leveled the playing field for media, merchandise, communication, location and many other areas.” – Trust Agents

My second point will talk about how involvement in social media will inevitably lead to the risk of “one-way intimacy”- when you are simply pushing your message out to an audience. The important point here is that brands earn our attention through personal intimacy, we must maintain that human touch. We all recognize that companies need to change and begin participating- your job is to find out how to make twitter valuable for your employer or for your own business.

Here is the secret, tie in social media to the overall business goals, not just web-related goals. Track leads and sales from social networking to understands the true impact.

Listen Listen Listen

Lastly and most importantly, don’t focus so much on you and your message.  Figure out how you can help FIRST then speak up.

Website Resources:

Mixergy – Online Business Tips from Successful Entrepreneurs

FastCompany.com – Where ideas and people meet | Fast Company

Books:

Here’s a book I read recently and one that should be in any entrepreneurs bookcase:

Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

Mike Toner

Mike Toner is a freelance web designer from Arlington, Virginia. During the day he works as a Web Content Manager for CSC. By evening, he’s a husband, dog owner and runner. Toner writes about Social Media, SEO and overall online visibility as well as digital marketing trends.