Archive for the ‘Programming’ category
Knee Deep in Code
Jerry here. Man, I have been knee-deep in code for weeks now. Sometimes I curse having a background in programming. But the fact is, my having that experience is invaluable. One thing Work Media prides itself on is our flexibility in being able to help someone with their problems, no matter what they are.
Need a new web site? We’ll build it.
Ecommerce not working? We’ll fix it.
Need a custom program? We’ll create it.
None of which is really our core business, which is marketing! But we can’t do much in the way of marketing a bad or broken web site, so the behind-the-scenes stuff is pretty important.
We have been customizing the hell out of a Zen Cart installation for one of our clients. We are WAY beyond the default features and functionality. But when the new site is live, I fully expect it to greatly improve our client’s conversion rates. And the great thing is…we’ll even know it if he does since we’ll actually be able to track that stuff now. His old site, which was…well…not very good…could not be properly plugged into our analytics package. So we had a CLUE as to what was working, but not as much detailed information as we would have liked. The new site fixes all that.
It’s also wearing me out. I worked ’til past 5:00 in the morning the night before last. But it’s what I have to do to get the dang thing done.
I have also begun development of our own proprietary Twitter management tool, which we will make available to the public once it is live and stable. Speaking of Twitter, if you haven’t already, I invite you to check out our Twitter marketing blog, www.TheTwitterMarketingBlog.com. I do a MUCH better job updating it than I do this one.
Mashups – the Future of Online Application Development
Jerry here. For those of you who had inquired about the status of my daughter, she is doing just fine. The surgery was a success. She is waking up in the middle of the night in quite a bit of pain, but for the most part she is still a happy, healthy baby. I was at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital most of the week, so little real work was done. But now that that is over with, we can get back to the business of Internet marketing!
The future of online application development will involve heavily around “mashups“, which are applications that combine functionality from different APIs (“Application Programming Interfaces”). Many companies, such as Google, make data available via Web Services. A Web Service is a way of retrieving data in XML format for use in an application. For example, Google has Web Services which provide search data and that allow you to manage AdWords accounts. By accessing these Web Services (which, in turn, provide access to APIs), you can create your own custom applications that let you manage AdWords accounts and perform various other functions.
In general, when accessing data via a Web Service, you create a “class” that uses the functions provided by the Web Service. Web Services are written in a language called WSDL (“Web Services Description Language”), which can be used to generate a class. The class, in turn, provides methods and properties that can be used in the application code.
So what is the point? It’s that if there is an online marketing application you need that doesn’t exist, chances are pretty good there are Web Services that can be accessed that will make the development of the application much easier. Sure, you still need to be able to program, but programmers can be hired for cheap (try elance.com) if you can clearly define what the application needs to do and there are Web Services that provide the necessary access to data.
Work Media is working on a proprietary AdWords management system that works by using Google’s Web Services. What features would you like to see in your ideal paid search management program? We would love to hear from you on this matter. What other kind of application could you use that would improve your online marketing? Chances are pretty good that there are some Web Services that could make it possible.
If you have an idea for a new online marketing application and need some help, contact Work Media at 888-299-4837 or email Info@WorkMedia.net.