I've been incredibly busy so just a short and fun post for this week.

On February 13th 2009, this past friday, the time was 123456790 in seconds according to Unix Time in a large amount of computers. To calculate the current date all unix based computers have been counting seconds since January 1st, 1970. The 1234567890 milestone was unimportant except that it gave nerdy people an excuse to be nerdy and drink beer. Parties were organized across the world and all of the geeks came out of the woodwork.

Happy 1234567890!

Trying to write something new every week is not a challenge. In fact its very easy to fill your website up with inane and pointless content. The elusive thing we are all looking for is good content. Its hard to find and even harder to write.

Every page on your website is important, and should stand on its own. At the same time your pages do not exist in a vacuum. Each page should build up the other pages. Since each page is very similar in a well built website, the main distinction between them is the content, the copy, and your photos, videos, etc. I think we spend way to much time focusing on how the site looks when we should be focusing on what it says.

I know that I would rather spend my time on a site that isn’t to interesting looking but delivers great content than on a site filled with dazzle that is ultimately one pixel deep.

The challenge for all of us, whether we are website developers or website owners is to make our content engaging. I’m not discounting good design but I know that it can only take us so far.

So what makes good content?

The best place to start is by finding out who your audience is, and what is your niche. The idea that you will ever make everyone happy with your website is absurd. Instead you need to focus on your core audience and make them happy. It can take a while to find out who you are talking to, and who you want to talk to. Often they are not the same thing.

If you love what you are writing about then it makes everything easier. I often struggle finding a topic to write about myself but once I land on one I can write it up in no time. Don’t try to write about things that are boring to you or you hate. You will only end up discouraged and ultimately won’t continue. I always tell my clients to stay on topic but also to take it easy with their blogging. If you want to talk about something besides what the main focus of your blog is then do it. Make it professional of course, but talking about how you went skiing or fishing one week is also great.

Being authentic, by showing how you have fun, and are not just some corporate man in the office means a lot. Don’t get yourself caught in the trap of writing something because you have to. If you don’t like what you just wrote, then why would anyone else?

So remember to focus on your main audience and give them what they want. You can’t please everyone, so don’t try to. Be authentic, in your business, your life, and online.

Also be sure to use at least a spell-checker before posting. Just saying.

In another sign of economic depression, even the Super Bowl, the biggest advertising event of the year is feeling the the pinch.

With a record high cost of three million dollars for a 30 second spot, or $100,000 per second, the television ads were a sign of the times. Gone were the usual bevy of “manly” truck commercials from the big 3 automakers, all of which are in financial trouble. Instead there were ads for smaller cars from Hyundai and Toyota.

Everywhere you looked there was a surprising lack of traditional advertisers. The only one that came to mind was Anheuser-Busch. They are continuing their campaign to convince everyone that they are still “American” after being bought out by the Belgian brewer InBev last summer.

What struck me however was the amount of online businesses that were buying ad time. Gold4cash.com, Teleflora.com and Godaddy.com all had spots directing people to their websites. Increasingly, advertising on the television is just a way to direct people to the real product, which is the website.

A website is the ultimate in interaction between companies and consumers besides an actual storefront. Three million dollars spent on a website is enough to keep it online and active for a long time. Looking at the return on investment, its no wonder that companies are spending less on momentary ads and more on making their websites effective. In a down economy, the urge is to slash costs anywhere you can. I don’t know why some companies think advertising should be cut in a down economy, but they do.

It doesn’t cost much to make your website an effective piece of your marketing. Websites are available 24 hours a day, every day, and there is a negligible cost for keeping them online if it is a small to medium sized site. It is important now for businesses to reorganize their marketing efforts during this down period. Don’t make the mistake your competitors are by pulling back. Businesses should be pushing forward with the eventual goal of capturing market share when everyone else is weak. I know I plan on coming out of this downturn in a better position than when it began.

One of the busy businesses during the super bowl were local strip clubs. They had to hire additional staff and lap dancers. At least sex remains profitable.