May 05, 2007
Irish Travel Website
I often use the web to research potential vacation spots. I usually can find some great photos of the area I plan on visiting along with some nice vacation packages. One thing I have noticed lately is that there are many bad vacation websites out there that are cluttering up the web. So when I find one that does a good job and helps me out, I am happy to point it out as a travel website done correctly.
Recently, I heard about how great staying in remote Irish Cottages can be if you want to get away from it all. Since I am planning way ahead on this one (next St. Patrick’s Day), I searched on Irish Holiday Cottages and stumbled on the website donegalthatchcottages.com that has some excellent options for my well deserved vacation.
The site is easy to use and is structured to pull you in to look around. They use some great photos to help the potential visitor visualize slipping back in time and staying in one of their remote cottages on Ireland’s Cruit Island. I haven’t booked it yet, but I have this one bookmarked for future use.
Posted by Idea Man at 12:20 PM | Comments (1)
May 02, 2007
Great Electric Motor Website
Great websites don’t have to be all bells and whistles to be best in class. Occasionally I come across a great eCommerce website that offers a nice simple interface for online shopping. I had an electric motor failure a few weeks ago and came across an easy to use website where I was able to purchase the Fasco Electric motor I needed. The whole process took only a few minutes because the site is so well designed. If you are looking to create a money making website to sell a tangible product, I suggest you look at EmotorPro as the perfect example of how to do things right.
Not only is their website great, their customer service is outstanding. EmotorPro is an online wholesale distributor of electric motors that offers the motor that you need, when you need it, at an excellent price. Not only will they match any legitimate competitor’s price, they offer something that is rare on-line now-a-days; personal customer service. I had a few questions as to the exact motor I needed and was able to pick up the phone and talk to them – what a concept!!
Sometimes the best website idea is creating a website like Emotorpro has done. Again, it’s nothing fancy but it does the job it has been created to do – sell electric motors.
Posted by Idea Man at 02:22 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2007
Email Fax Website
Lately, I have been trying to "single source" all of my data. Currently, my cell phone does email, calendar, web surfing and plays MP3s. So I figure why not try combining the functions of some of the things I do in my home office? I want my data all in one source - my computer. A website I use for my faxes, Metro Hi Speed, offers an inexpensive alternative to telephone based faxes in the form of their email fax services that allows me to send and receive faxes conveniently through my email program.
I found it to be a real easy service to set up. All that was required to use this service was an email account and, to send faxes, a scanner or digital camera. The image is converted and sent out to a fax machine and is properly rendered on that end. The email fax numbers they provide are from your own area code or, if for some reason that area code isn't available, you will be provided with a toll free number. The toll free email fax number is also available for people whose area codes are available for an additional fee.
For educators and students this service is a highly convenient way to bring all your communications needs into one convenient location (your PC). I recommended service for anyone who sends and/or receives faxes and wants to avoid the second phone line, bulky equipment and poor quality a traditional fax machine. The best part for me is that since I can get email on my cell phone I can even use my phone's fax-viewer to review faxes while on the road.
Posted by Idea Man at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2006
Website Idea Help
I have been involved with the web since I can remember, however, I have many friends that have attempted to create websites and failed. Just like me with home or auto repair, sometimes if you want a job done right, and have no idea how to do it yourself, it pays to go with a pro. I have referred some of my friends to W3 EDGE Web Design, they are truly a full service custom web design company.
One thing most people that are new to web design think is that if they build it visitors will come. Not true. The web is so huge, your shiny new site is likely to be lost among the millions of other great websites out there, so unless you want to put in the hours necessary learning SEO (search engine optimization), you really need to find a good SEO company that can handle the marketing side of your new website.
If you want to completely hands off, they do reseller web hosting. Meaning they can help you build your site, promote it, and even host it. But you still need to do the hardest part, come up with a great website idea.
Posted by Idea Man at 12:43 PM | Comments (2)
December 13, 2006
Donate Cell Phone
Donate cell phone? If you’re like me, you have at least 5 or 10 old cell phones lying around the apartment or house that have not yet made it to the garbage bin. Did you know that these electronics and their batteries are extremely bad for the environment? So why not do something good for the environment and your taxes and donate your old cell phone?
I just discovered a local non-profit company here in Michigan that runs a website called Recycling for Charities. Their website makes it easy to give away these old electronic devices and donate their value to the charity of your choice.
The best part is that all makes and models of cell phones are welcomed. Working condition is not an issue. Their primary goal is to keep your devices from ending up in landfills where they can harm the environment. That is why they accept all cell phones in all conditions. So do something good for you and the environment, give those old cell phones away.
Posted by Idea Man at 03:01 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2006
Concerts from daze past...
One of the coolest websites I have discovered of late is the Concert Vault. They have acquired an amazing collection of classic concerts from a variety of sources and are building out a Web 2.0 collaborative community site of classic concert recordings.
For copywrite reasons, you can't download the concerts to your MP3 player but you can stream hallowed music like Led Zeppelin’s first U.S. rock concert. Now that is a piece of history any Zep fan won't want to miss.
What is really cool is that they are constantly adding new recordings to their collection (this week a David Bowie 1983 concert is added you won’t want to miss) so if you are a music bootleg junkie, this site will surely be habit forming for you. You've been advised!
Posted by Idea Man at 05:39 PM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2006
Great places
So I've been spreading the word that there are some really great ideas out there for making life simpler. We need to include them here.
I really like flickr.com. It is easy to post your pictures and you can mark them with public or private access. And it's a great way to store, sort and keep track of your family photos.
Another great website is botw.org that's Best of the Web. Its one of the web’s oldest and most respected directory of websites. If you’re looking for a great website, the Best of the Web is a great place to start.
Stay tuned for more ideas!
Posted by Idea Man at 05:12 PM | Comments (2)