July, 2008

My young son (under a year) decided he wanted to be like his Dad and type on the computer. Somehow he ended up locking the FN key, so when I typed, the letter J, I got a 1. When I typed a u, I got a 4. You get the idea. I realized the FN key was locked, but I had no idea how to fix it. I tried and tried and I'm sure you have too.

The solution is hold the shift key and the Num Lk key at the same time. I hope that works for you. For other machines, you may want to try the ctrl or alt key with the Num Lk key.

Did that fix your FN Key lock problem?

We are not the first, nor will we be the last to write about this topic. Yet, no matter how basic this information may seem for the initiated, it is still new for more than three quarters of the people out there, especially individuals looking to start their own business and small business owners trying to figure out how to get online effectively.

This article is intended for those that are still figuring out how to get started with an online business, and if it is even the right choice for them. We have other articles about running an online business for those that have already made the choice and are now looking for detailed insights.

Why Online Business Works

Two of the biggest benefits of using the internet to do business are that it can reach a much wider geographic audience than a brick and mortar store, and there is in-depth and timely feedback on every decision that is implemented. Neither of these two factors guarantees success, but they open up new opportunities that wouldn’t exist offline.

Getting started with an online business is appealing to most people for two reasons; it can be managed at any time from almost anywhere and it can achieve success without the need for a lot of capital.

While these facts are true about running an online business, there is a mistaken assumption by some – propagated by many get rich quick schemers – that owning an online business is an easy path to riches without any hard work.

Monetizing an existing website can produce significant benefits. Often, with just a little extra code added to the website or in emails, a company can monetize it’s website content and/or it’s offline customer base.

Tailored Website Monetization Strategy ($400)
Digital Media Stream creates customized strategies for monetizing websites based on the needs of individual clients. There are a number of tools and techniques, from affiliate marketing program to contextual advertising like Google's Adsense that can be used without sacrificing the company’s brand or reputation. In addition, we can work with companies that have offline resources to effectively create revenue by monetizing these untapped opportunities.

Get Started Now

Offers for website marketing services, search engine optimization (SEO), and guaranteed traffic are easy to find on the internet. What is harder to find is a reliable partner that can help develop an integrated approach to online marketing to achieve specific goals.

Targeted goals vary for each company, as will the solution that needs to be designed. Sometimes paying for SEO work is the right choice, other times paid search advertising will be more effective, and in other situations a social media campaign is what would work best. Understanding the pros and cons of each of these methods is often more important than just moving forward with the easiest option.

We work with clients to understand what they want to achieve first, then we move on to finding the right marketing strategies.

Internet Marketing Services

Overview
Digital Media Stream provides customized online marketing solutions that focus on achieving targeted goals. Our services begin with a free overview process, in which we evaluate a client’s existing online marketing, discuss the specific company or project goals that are to be achieved, and develop initial recommendations for enhancing or complementing a client’s internet marketing strategies.

Customized Marketing Strategies ($400)

The web is filled with tantalizing offers of quick riches. While it is true that terrific success can be achieved with an online business, it is also true that it takes longer and demands more work than most people expect. One lesson that most aspiring internet businesspeople learn quickly is that finding success with an online business requires the right set of tools and skills.

We have spent years learning about the power of the internet for doing business, while at the same time developing a deeper understanding of the complexity involved in establishing and maintaining a successful online business.

Our experience in developing a portfolio of websites, and in consulting with clients to achieve their online business goals, has provided us with solid insight into the different elements of e-commerce, online marketing, search engine placement, product fulfillment, and website development.

Online Business Strategy Consulting Services

Overview
Digital Media Stream provides customized internet business strategy consulting that focuses on achieving targeted goals. Our services begin with a free overview process, in which we evaluate a client’s existing online presence, discuss the specific company or project goals that are to be achieved, and develop initial recommendations for enhancing or complementing a client’s existing internet strategies.

Tailored Internet Strategy ($600)

Paid search advertising provides the best bang per advertising dollar, in particular when determining the effectiveness of a new marketing campaign. Sponsored search placement provides instant feedback, but leveraging the information provided by this feedback is an opportunity that is too often overlooked.

We help by managing the various online advertising programs, from placing paid text ads next to search results to targeting individual advertisements by geographic region or particular website content, and by providing the necessary insight into the specific opportunities the feedback data is uncovering.

Online Advertising Services

Overview
Digital Media Stream provides customized online advertising services that focus on leveraging each dollar spent to gain insight into the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Our services begin with a free overview process, in which we evaluate a client’s existing web advertising and develop initial recommendations for enhancing or complementing those advertising strategies.

Advertising Campaign Management ($200-$500 per month)
Digital Media Stream can manage and/or monitor a client’s online advertising campaigns. Our goal is to work with clients to achieve their goals in the most cost effective manner possible. In some cases paid search advertising on major search networks such as Google and Yahoo may be most effective, while in other cases, more direct forms of online advertising may be more efficient.

So you've come up with a new concept for a website or your trying to marketing your existing business online, and you need to come up with a domain name. Should I be a .com, .net, .biz? What should I name site? You think of the perfect domain, only to find out it's taken. You get the idea. It's the foundation of your e-business model, so you need to get it right, (or at least close). Here's some tips to get you started in the right direction:

Domain Tips For New Website

Dot Com, Dot Net, Dot Biz -- What Suffix should I get?

The correct use for each domain suffix has been blurred by the lack of available domains. The "dot com" is still a preferable suffix if you're involved any aspect of e-commerce. Outside of e-commerce, the other domains are acceptable and work well. You're on a "dot net" right now. The "dot net" suffix was initially set up for internet service providers, but many are now using the "dot net" for social networks. For the most part, the root of the domain is more important than the suffix. If you can get a "dot com" with the preferred root, then go with that. The "dot biz" and "dot net" with the preferred root are excellent fall backs.

The name of your site/product and your domain don't have to match -- Get a domain with keywords that are being search for.