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.

    

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.

    

The web is progressing, it is learning.

Images, music, maps, are only a part of how we experience the web today. These elements are the start of Augmented Reality which uses maps and images to orient the web user to a virtual reality.

Location based social networks like FourSquare, are all the rage right now.  This makes sense in the order of things right?right?Geography is about everything that is (literally) close to us, and it’s a universally familiar method of organizing, finding and tracking relevant information on objects, events and people.

First we make friends, then we share.

The one-way-web turned into the Social Web and now Google Instant gives us the Instantly Social, Geographically Oriented, Personable, Smart Web.

The fundamentals are the same. It’s still the Google algorihtm- it’s just smarter- it knows YOU, displaying results in a different way. Relying on your personal search history as a key factor in Google’s quest to deliver a quality search experience which means: PERSONALIZED search results.

Moving forward, Google results will be a reflection of your involvement and patterns on the web- using more than the WORDS themselves to determine the context of your search, more or less- deciphering your intent in searching. i.e. Have you been to this website before? Have you researched other similar sites?

By providing this immediate feedback -Google is changing the WAY we search, and eventually our collective search behavior will change… SEO is now dependent on more than keywords, content must meet new factors related to user relevancy and intent…

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.

    

For the last year or so there was a lot of hype surrounding the use of social networks from a marketing and public relations perspective. Then came the question of ROI on Social Media.

Look at how far we’ve come…

I am happy to say that in the world of online interaction… we are moving on.

Over the last year we have figured out to engage, track and leverage social networks as a piece of our organizations marketing and PR efforts. Now that we’ve done that…What’s next, you say?

The Internet is leaving the computer at home. We are taking the internet with us everyday on our blackberry, iphones, droids etc.

We are able to access information on the web from virtually every place on earth, no pun intended…(it’s not virtual, it’s real…)

The Future is in the palm of your hand..in the form of a mobile phone/device…

One day soon, my blackberry will ping me when the dryer is done and my refrigerator will send me a message when it is time to buy more Dr. Pepper after sensing that the refrigerator is low on soda.

When thinking about the next use of mobile devices what do you imagine? I think appliances, cars and tv’s will the the first things to ‘communicate’ with my mobile phone… what do you think?

I believe we are also going to watch our mobile devices become our keys, phones & wallets combined…

Mobile is the pre-cursur to the Semantic Web..or the Personal Web…the cloud?, er  3.0….ohh no…here we go again…

The Future Internet – Web 3.0: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=off08As3siM

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.

    

For those who think facebook is the extent of your online persona – think again. We are entering a new era and those migrating into social networks are quickly learning how to communicate online.

I like the idea that we are collectively learning and brainstorming how to use social media. Do you think it is a learned skill…?

In Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, Clay Shirky discusses the mass amateurization that comes with social media and what “happens when people are given the tools to do things together, without needing traditional organizational structures.”

So, are you ready to dive in?

S is for Social

Social Media has given individuals an online platform to facilitate the sharing of information. We share ideas, songs, powerpoints- you name it, you can find opinions and ideas about that topic online and this information is now within your social network.

O is for Openness

The social web encourages transparency. There is no way to hide what you say online, everything is searchable and archived. The Freedom of Information age is upon us.

U is for Ubiquitos

Access will be mobile, allowing for constant interacting among individuals through virtual, online portals.

P is for Privacy

The internet and the information being gathered by google, facebook, linkedin, gist and twitter is a gold mine for marketers who want to anticipate our next move and find creative uses of GPS enabled location-tracking devices, like cell phones. When and where I’ll be hungry is a great place for a sidewalk lunch-special sign, isnt it?

What does all this lead to?

Well, it leads to the to optimization of the optimizer or a place where machines can analyze all the data on the Web, and computers behave like personal assistants and ultimately can respond to my questions and recommend my likes and dislikes based upon our prior behavior.

What is your next move online?

-Mike

www.MikeToner.com

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.

    

Yes, but maybe you started off with social media the way I did; quietly listening while learning the ropes, lurking and not really being social at all!

In fact, my first tweet was on October, 26th 2007. Great, except- I sent 15 tweets in the first month and not one was an @ message! I wasn’t talking to anyone… I wasn’t there yet.

Today, I am somewhere between participation and relationship building with regards to social media. I’ve made the mind shift from 1-way to 2-way, although I sometimes find myself reverting back to my old 1-way ways.

This almost implies tuning out a little, doesn’t it?

In order to concentrate on providing value, I may need to block out some of the noise. Perhaps stepping out of the echo chamber will allow me to focus on the task at hand. A Tim Ferriss’esque idea -no doubt.

During my own adoption of social media, I focused heavily on reading and listening, so much so- that this has become a comfort zone for me to run back to. Recently, I have stopped reading my google reader everyday. Instead, I am going to do some thinking of my own and stop relying on old meme’s to create new content.

I hope that by eliminating distractions I will be able to provide quality information and value to my network.

Where are you on the social media curve?

-MikeToner

www.MikeToner.com

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.

    

I had a great time out in Vegas. It was my first trip to SinCity and to be honest, it was an easy test of my self-control. I played craps for about an hour and stayed clear of the slot machines. In old Vegas, I did play $5 blackjack, but all in all, I’ve still got my dignity AND my money.

In the video, the little netbook is from iRiver. The e-cigarette doesn’t have any nicotine nor a flame. It runs on a battery and is more or less a heated concoction of flavored steam. The Segway-table is an interesting use of an existing technology.

Pleo, the robotic baby dinosaur was a little too life like, but would make some kid really happy.

The coolest thing I saw didn’t make the video, mostly ’cause I met the guy on the monarail. This guy was wearing a flashlight looking thing on his belt and his T-shirt said something like, “As I walk, I’m charging my cell phone.” Essentially, the flashlight holster was a battery charger, called nPower PEG. It relies on the frequency movement you generate while walking to store the energy and charge whatever you want via a USB port.

Imagine harnessing wave energy with buoys placed out in the ocean. It can work to store and re-purpose the extra energy being produced just about anywhere. Very cool.

-Mike Toner

www.MikeToner.com

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.

    

Welcome to the totally redesigned MikeToner.com! This is the third redesign I’ve been through. The first website I created back in June 2002 was a static iWeb site hosted via godaddy with a blog that was really hard to update. I was having to manually update blog posts to my site via FTP. This made things way too difficult!

I made the decision after graduating college to move my blog to a blogger site that was much easier to update. The link to my blog was sort of cheesy though. It was hosted on the static site (as shown above) but linked to the blogger website- http://mike-toner.blogspot.com/

It made my life easy, but I felt like I was sacrificing design for convenience. I wanted the ability to really customize it.

So, here we are… Welcome to MikeToner.com version 3.0. I have upgraded to wordpress, designed a logo and created a custom theme with the help of Tony at Razolution. Bascially, I wanted a design that demonstrates my unpredictable style but kept the business of the blog in the forefront. What do ya think? Did we accomplish that?

With the redesign comes a re-focus. I have “re-thought” my use of this site and made a conscious decision to be more involved with my friends, colleagues and clients via the internet. I have begun to realize a fusion of my work life and personal life and hope that I can help facilitate the integrations of work and play via my website.

I know that my positive outlook on life is something I want to share. I know that my relationship is something I want to be open about; I know that that I love my job and want to talk about the lessons I learn and share my knowledge of marketing and social media with you.

This is going to be a hard balance to achieve- so stick with me here. Perhaps think about signing up for the email subscription at the top?

On Thursday I’ve got a video which I think you’ll enjoy.

-Mike Toner

www.MikeToner.com

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.

    

Truth is what we make it out to be. If social networks wish to be truly social, then we should stop talking about them and make them what, [I mean really create and make out-of social networks] what we want them to be; make our own reality. Most folks know what a real conversation looks like. I say, why don’t we start making online networks focused on the people, the conversation and the knowledge that can be shared among those with similar interests? There are many social networks, each with their own personality and each with a level of community involvement that mimics the real world and just as in the real world, the relationships rely on the community involvement.

Twitter may be the easiest case study: Twitter has undoubtedly brought like-minded individuals together. Folks who “get” twitter “get twitter.” Period. The microblogging network has and will continue to grow, but its users will peak. And Yes, I agree that twitter’s cool but anyone who thinks twitter will reach the same number of users as Facebook is mistaken. Twitter represents a deeper involvement in the online world, it is often referred to as ultra-connected, the same way people view Blackberry’s and refuse to get one.

I hope to honestly engage with all communities I’m involved in, in real life and online.

Social Networking: It happens to be- what you make of it.