It’s that time of year where we seem to always end up doing a number of exhibitions, seminars, presentations etc – and if anything – this year we’re doing even more than normal…

This week we’re down in Ayrshire – exhibiting at the North Ayrshire Council’s e-Biz Expo taking place on Wednesday at the Menzies Hotel in Irvine.  The seminars (aimed at small and growing businesses) at this event include ecommerce, SEO and social media, so we’re looking forward to chatting with the audience on all these matters!

Then on Friday and Saturday we’re once again doing the “New Start Scotland” exhibition at the SECC – Scotland’s biggest event aimed at new-start businesses (although it attracts many established businesses too!) with a wealth of exhibitors, seminars, workshops and business advice clinics.

I’m actually delivering our popular “Embrace the Space” seminar as part of the New-Start Program, so please drop by if you’re in the area and want to hear me on the subject of positive business use of Twitter etc.   More info on this, as well as times can be found at our Social Networking page.

Then next week, we’re in Edinburgh with a short pitch at the TTOM Innovation Partnering Event followed by a talk to the Students at Abertay in Dundee about starting a creative business (always good fun!)…

If you spot any of us as we take this show on the road, then please come and say hello!!

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We’ve been fortunate to have Sean Forsyth with us this week – on work experience from Gryffe High School.

I asked Sean to sum up his week with us, and am delighted he’s letting me share it on the Blog:

I have really enjoyed my week of work experience here at NSDesign even though at first I was not sure what to expect. I feel like now I have a greater knowledge of the web design business and would like to follow it as a career path, although I still have a lot of learning to do before I can do anything that all the staff here can. Also I am very interested in other parts of the business too like ‘Embrace the Space’ and never realised how Social Networking sites could be used for business purposes and so effectively. Everyone at the office has been very helpful in getting me started and making sure I get the most out of my week. I thank everyone here for making the effort to give me the chance to work here as I’ve had a great experience!

On behalf of the team, I’d like to offer a big thanks to Sean for all his efforts this week, and we hope to keep in close contact as he continues his career.

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The article below was featured in the January 8th Edition of the Drum Magazine. 
Please consider downloading the full PDF version (and admire the beautiful artwork from Paul which accompanied it) .

One of Glasgow’s original ‘digital’ agencies, NSDesign is predicting 300% growth in coming years

Now in its 11th year, NSDesign is one of Glasgow’s longest standing digital design agencies. 

Founded by Gary Ennis in 1999, the company has three distinct, but overlapping service divisions Design & Development, Domain Registration & Web Hosting, and Consultancy & Training – setting it aside from others in the industry.

Managing Director Ennis said:

“Each of the services we provide benefits the others. We know that if we exceed the expectations of a £25 hosting client, then we’ll be their first choice for the redesign of their website, or to provide their business with social media consultancy etc.”

With close to 10,000 web hosting clients – including some well respected industry figureheads like Bruce Lawson from Opera – and over 60 new design clients this year alone the company has proved it can last the distance.

NSDesign also benefit from partnering with many of their so called “competitiors” – providing the likes of web hosting to other web design companies, and bespoke design and development to other design agencies – particularly those without an in-house digital division.

Ennis said:

“We get to work on some really fun and challenging projects – we recently worked with the Guardian Media Group to design and build their dedicated web portal for the Download Music Festival, and for the past two years have built the bespoke booking system for Santa at Braehead!”

While their order book includes some big names such as Highland Spring, GMG, Greenock Morton and the Glasgow Rocks Pro Basketball team, it is with their smaller clients that NSDesign feel they make the biggest difference:

Ennis continued:

“There’s no better feeling than helping a new-start business take an idea and turn it into an online revenue-generating business, helping them grow, and providing the full range of services they need along the way.

“We’re proud to still have our very first ever customer, at the time a small one-man band but who has now grown to be a successful organisation – something we like to think we helped play a part in. He came to us originally based on a recommendation, and we’ve not once let him down 11 years later.”

For many of the websites that NSDesign build, their clients are given full control through their acclaimed “NSBuilder” CMS and Site Builder software which was a finalist in the Scottish Software awards in both 2007 and 2008. The fi rm was also named “Most Outstanding Small Business in Renfrewshire” in 2008.

Ennis said:

“The most important achievement and the one that ensures you continue to win new business is 100% client satisfaction. That is what we strive for, and we’re getting close!! Our last annual customer survey resulted in a confirmed 98% satisfaction rating – levels almost unheard of in this industry. Outstanding personal service and support is the one item above all others that we prioritise. Anybody can deliver a good product or outstanding design – but it’s the people behind it that ensure the long term relationship with the client, and the repeat business that comes as a result”.

NSDesign is showing no sign of a slow-down, and is predicting growth of 300% over the next few years. The company is confident the combination of a strong repeat-revenue customer base and new business development will ensure this continues in the months ahead.

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For the second year running, we were delighted with the results from our “Work for Free” day, which we carried out just before Christmas (December 21st 2009).

Following on from last year, the NSDesign team enjoyed a great day helping just over 20 small businesses, with free consultancy on the likes of SEO, Social Media, and web design.    Like last year, we weren’t without our detractors for the initiative, with the DBA again giving us a little “dig” on twitter… (although thankfully, nothing on the scale of last year!)… and a few industry players that like to moan about “de-valuing” design, without truly understanding what the day is actually about.

However, like last year, all we really care about is the feedback from clients, which has been 100% positive.

We were also lucky enough to get some great publicity on the day, mainly from a BBC Radio Scotland interview which went on to look at the value and benefit of providing free time and consultancy, and the history of working for free!  Listen to the full radio interview here.

Will we repeat the work for free initiative next year?  What do you think…

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They are like buses…  you wait for ever for some decent “geek” events to come to your hometown, and then 2 arrive at once… 

So, if you’re into your web design, twitter, technology, etc.. and live in the Glasgow area, then I’d strongly suggest the following 2 events coming up in the very near future.

Glasgow Twestival

Held at the Living Room on St Vincent Street, the Glasgow leg of the popular Twitter Festival (or Twestival – sorry..  but I don’t make us these terms!) looks to be a good one!  Hosted by our good friend and Radio Clyde DJ Colin Kelly, the night will involve a mix of fun, networking, tweeting, live music, charity raffle and auction. 

It’s all for a good cause, with a nominated charity (voted for by the “tweegies” themselves) benefiting from the entry fee (just £10 – although some early bird tickets still available) as well as all funds made on the night.  Get along and say hi… and make sure you also add us to twitter – www.twitter.com/nsdesign in the meantime!

More at: http://glasgow.twestival.com/

Future of Web Design – Glasgow

Run by Ryan Carson (he’ll be the American in the hat) and the carsonified team, the popular FOWD event comes to Glasgow (a welcome first!) for a days worth of hard-core web design seminars, featuring the likes of Drew McLellan and (NSDesign client) Patrick Lauke.

Held on the 14th September at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Rose Street, it’s a must for anyone involved in the web design industry with tickets still available at £67.85.  A few of the NSDesign team will be there, so make sure you say hello… 

More at: http://events.carsonified.com/fowd/2009/tour

Lets hope this is a sign of things to come, and we see more big name events for this industry in Scotland soon. 

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Back in the mid to late 1990’s I had the pleasure of working for a pretty cutting edge research group called ABACUS – part of the Architecture Department at the University of Strathclyde.

Much of the work we were involved in was focussed around the use of IT (and later the web) to Architecture and the Built Environment, and Abacus developed what was at the time one of the biggest 3D city models – 25 square kilometres of Glasgow City Centre.

In 1998, I was challenged with the task of making the model available online, and using new and exciting visualisation technologies such as VRML (Virtual Reality Modelling Language) and QTVR (Quick Time Virtual Reality) – carried out a prolonged R+D period which resulted in a system we called “The Glasgow Directory”.

In short – An interactive Map/3D Model which accurately gave a true reflection of the real city with layers of data accessed on request. Our urban information system allowed web-based users to explore and “walk around” the virtual Glasgow model, highlighting areas of interest such as key city landmarks, tourist resources and more, with fancy 360 degree panoramic views of selected street-scapes… this sounding at all familiar yet?

When the Glasgow Directory was launched, it was very well received within the web research world, particularly those working in the field of VRML and city visualisation. As a result, I was fortunate enough to present a number of academic papers at various locations across Europe, highlighting our innovative system, and explaining our ideas to take it further in the future. Anyone know if Larry Page or Sergey Brin visited around that time?..

Ok – being serious – I don’t actually think that Google based their Google Maps (and more recently – Google Street View) on the VRML Glasgow Directory, but in retrospect, some of the similarities are astounding….

Above… George Square and the City Chambers… both systems have the ability to explore the “virtual space”, identify the street names, buildings of interest etc…

 Glasgow Catherdral from the roadside….  left is the VRML Glasgow Directory, right is Google StreetView

  Using the Map as an information system, searching for a good Bar in the Merchant City – in this case Bar 91

Unfortunately, much of the original source for the Glasgow Directory is now lost. Regrettably this includes a lot of the later research and development including embedding realtime audio, location specific navigation feedback (VERY similar in nature to Google Maps on the iPhone with GPS) and multi-user “avatar” based interactions.

Some links to material and examples that I did manage to dig up:

Working Glasgow Directory (kind of) – requires a VRML client such as the Cortona Plugin

Research Stuff:
Inside The Map – Academic Paper written by myself for a Cartography Conference
Visit VR Glasgow  – Academic Paper written by Myself and Prof. Tom Maver

So Google.. if you’re reading this… own up – was it me that invented Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Street View? I’ll assume that I did until I hear back from you. In the meantime, I’m off to dig out that primitive working example of an online video sharing site that I remember showing to some Paypal employees back in 2001…

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Last week I had the pleasure of giving a guest lecture to some students from the School of Computing and Creative Technologies (CCT) at the University of Abertay in Dundee.

The focus of the talk was on the highs and lows of setting up and running your own business, drawing on experiences and “lessons learned” since founding NSDesign over 10 years ago.

All in all – a really good afternoon, for me, and also (from the great feedback) for the students also..  always inspiring to see them asking some good questions, many of them tied to the current economic issues we’re all facing today.  And of course – always nice when a few of them ask for jobs!

So thanks to everyone who attended, and for the many that have since follwed me on twitter.

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On Sunday 15th February, NSDesign celebrated 10 years in business – a very proud achievement and the perfect excuse to have a party – with a difference!

Teaming up with the Scottish Rocks Basketball team, we invited over 100 customers to the game against Cheshire Jets, enjoyed a load of on-court shenanigans, before opening up the bar with free food and drink to all..  In summary – a seriously good night.

We started the night (before the game) with our 5 competition finalists taking the court to attempt a free throw.  From the five, one made it, so congrats to Robert Scott who won an iPod:

We then picked Martyn Robertson at random, who won the chance to shoot for a brand new car…  Something we’d been promoting for the past few months, and given us a lot of publicity…  So did he make it?..  Check out this Youtube video for a full summary of all the shots!!

The Game itself wasn’t the best, and the Rocks ended up losing, but as with any Basketball game at Kelvin Hall, the excitement, cheerleaders, and genral fun and games kept everyone enjoyed until it was time to hit the bar…

After the game it was up to the “Kelvin Suite” (a very posh name for the wee bar up the stairs from the court), and everyone enjoyed some free food, drink, and birthday cake (both of them!)…  It was also our opportunity to say a few thanks for clients, like Simon Howarth – our very first customer back in Feb 99, to staff, and to everybody connected to NSDesign over the 10 years…  You can view my “Thank You” speech on You Tube.

All in all… a seriously good night, and one that marks a very special decade of NSDesign.  Here’s to the next 10!!

Check out more of the party photos at Facebook

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“Homecoming Scotland” – a spectacular calendar of events throughout 2009 that Scots and those who “love Scotland” will flock to – but at who’s benefit?

Dressed up in Tartan, Haggis and Whiskey (no stereotypes here then), the Homecoming campaign is being heavily advertised on TV, through it’s dedicated website , and via the many events carrying the campaign logo.  Interestingly the TV advert was originally planned to only screen in Scotland, but after widespread astonishment has also just recently been released on an American audience.

The message is fairly straightforward – “come to Scotland, attend our events, and spend money”.  On the face of it, the concept is a good one, and one that Golf loving, whiskey drinking Americans might actually fall for.  Start looking a little deeper however, and you could be excused for seeing this as a very clever push from Mr Salmond and some popular celebrity Nationalists to promote all things Scottishness ahead of next years Independence referendum. 

Whatever your political view, Alex Salmond recently promised the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce that the Homecoming will be critical to helping businesses survive  through the economic recession,  claiming returns of over £40 million from the 100,000 increase of expected tourists.  But will the average Scottish small business actually see any of this, or will it simply increase the profits of the likes of Turnberry Golf Course (owned by an American company)  and other “stereotypically Scottish” attractions. 

More importantly – what about the massive £1.25 million budget (already thought to be overspent) agreed by the Scottish Government to market the Homecoming or the £200,000 spent in producing the TV advert (most of which I assume went to Sean Connery and singing lessons)?  Would this have been better spent elsewhere?  I’m sure if you ask any small business owner the answer will be a resounding yes – on issues such as employment, redundancies, lending, grants, simplified public sector tendering, shorter payment terms,  tax breaks, VAT changes (the move to a 15% rate actually cost us money), and many more ‘immediate’ concerns that are directly impacting the small business sector. 

I’d argue against spending the large sums mentioned in promoting a false “shiny happy Scotland” and all things Scottishness,  when in fact things are far from rosy for small businesses (the FSB have just confirmed a 214% increase to the FSB small business help-line) – often the heart of local economies and communities, and crucial to the country as a whole.  The general idea of Homecoming is not a bad one, but to quote The Bard – “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an ‘men  Gang aft agley”.

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2009 is upon us, and while most of us are making personal resolutions that we’ll never keep (there’s simply too much chocolate kicking about from the kid’s selection boxes), owners of business websites should really be making a few of their own that WILL make a difference to the success of their site this year.

We therefore present to you, our Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions for your Business Website, a few of which you may already have signed up to personally!

Lose Weight

Like maybe yourself after some over indulgence on the turkey and Christmas pudding, your website has probably become a bit “bloated” over the past year or more…  Often put together in a piece-meal fashion, it’s not unusual to find bolt-on javascript examples, unnecessary inline css, html hacks, cool (but now very dated!) dynamic effects (you can lose the animated snow now).  Make a start by clearing out your code and get it back to a lean mean selling machine!  And if you really feel up for a challenge, get rid of the html tables and deprecated code, and ensure your site code validates to xhtml/css standards.  You’ll end up with a site that’s faster for your end-user, easier for you to update, and produces better results in Google.  There’s no such thing as a tummy tuck here, but you can still be ruthless with the scalpel!

Kick those Bad Habits

While your site probably doesn’t smoke or drink, it most likely will have a few bad habits that you’ll want to address this year.  Like the spelling mistakes you know are in there, or those 2MB images you uploaded straight from the digital camera that you always meant to go back and reduce, or the “honest, it’s not spamming” approach you still take to mass-mailing potential new contacts instead of ensuring only a 100% clean “opt-in” list.  Running a website on a day to day basis is bound to result in a few cut corners and quick-fixes, but left alone, such bad-habits can seriously impact your site, or worse – your company’s reputation.  Cut them out now!

Get out of Debt

OK – so you may not actually be in debt, but in these unstable economic times it’s vital that your website focuses on making your business PROFIT, not just generating turnover or page-views.  With that in mind, take a look at all the products and services you offer on the site.  Identify which aren’t actually generating profit, and get rid of them.  Focus your efforts on selling the services that generate the most profit and even start to look at existing services currently given away for free, and turn them into revenue generating assets.  Even if you don’t actually sell anything – does your website generate enough page views that you could make profit from external advertising?  The internet is full of sites offering “free stuff” – your business website does not need to be one of them!

Talk More

If you haven’t already got a company Blog up and running, then start one.  If you already have a blog, then blog more.  Blogs are a great way for you to (informally) communicate to your audience on a regular basis, and the more you post, the more successful the blog will be.  Think of it as your “unofficial company news”, with posts on anything and everything related to your company and industry.  What’s more, a regularly updated blog will help you get a better listing in Google and other Search Engines.

Talk Less

With the exception of your new Blog, consider reducing the text and content on your website to only say what it actually needs to.  The quicker you can make your point to a website visitor, the more likely they’ll go on to make a sale, or complete the contact form etc.  Remember that the majority of your visitors do NOT read every single word on the page – they scan it to get a quick overview, before deciding whether to take further action.  Make it easy for them, and say only what you need to.

Don’t Break the Law

You’re probably not even aware of it, but chances are – your website is breaking the law.  Data protection laws, intellectual property laws, disability discrimination laws, distance selling laws and more – they ALL impact on your website, and you as the owner of the site need to ensure that you comply as best you can with them.  From simple things like ensuring your limited company name, number and address is clearly shown on the site and on emails, to a privacy policy, fit for use terms and conditions, and website accessibility compliance.  Don’t be a law breaker and take advice from the professionals where you need to – it’s not worth the consequences.

Make New Friends

The more people who know about your site the better, so make a point of making new friends on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter or any other social networking platform of your choice.  The chances are many of your existing business contacts, colleagues and co-workers are already signed up, so you’ll be able to build up a “friends list” in no time at all.

Get out More

Not directly related to your company website itself, rather general good business advice.  Network!!  Don’t rely on twitter to grow your social and business circles, get out there and actually meet people.  Face to face really helps your business (especially any online business) promote a “real” presence beyond the website.  People like to do business with other People, and so getting in front of these potential customers is vital to grow sales as well as company image.  Don’t be frightened of “Networking” and view it as a crucial part of your marketing strategy for 2009 (you often get free wine and cakes too – just don’t break the first resolution!!).

Face-Lift?

Could your site do with a slight make-over or a complete face-lift?  The overall design of your site is probably the key factor in forming a new visitor’s first impression, and it’s got just 50 milliseconds to do it.  No pressure then.  Now’s the time to appraise your site (or better yet – get some 3rd party “testers” to do it for you) from not only a design point of view, but also usability, as the two go hand in hand.  You may have launched your site a decade ago, but does it still look 10 years old?  What about clear, consistent navigation – is it easy to move around and quickly arrive at your “profit” pages?  Web design has come a long way in a short space of time, and web users are quick to understand what’s hot, and what’s not.  If you’re in need of some facial reconstruction to improve your visitor’s perceptions of you then get it done sooner rather than later.

Be Excellent to one another!

As a wise man called Bill S Preston once declared to the masses – “be excellent to one another”.  Not just for the purposes of making the world a better place, but because it actually makes solid business sense.  Excellence in customer service and support is what will stand a company out from it’s competitors over the next few years – as economical troubles mean that customers look for good, reliable and trustworthy companies to do business with – ie: ensuring that their money is well spent.  Nowhere is this more true than the internet – with customer support emails and phone calls all expected to be dealt with instantly.  Provide an excellent customer service and offer true value – and your business should endure the rocky road ahead.

We hope that you enjoy our Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for your business website, but more importantly, we hope that you’ll actually employ even just one of the resolutions and improve your site in 2009.  For your benefit (and amusement) we’ve created a nicely formatted PDF that you can download and pin to your wall summarising all 10, and of course if you’d like any further help or advice on improving your website, we welcome your communication.  We promise to be excellent in our response.

NSDesign Business Internet Solutions
Web Design | Web Hosting | Web Consultancy
www.nsdesign.co.uk
info@nsdesign.net

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