The Short Story blog

Some online spaces provide fleeting exchanges like a chat with strangers in an elevator, while others are like a cozy library nook, inviting for extended narratives and repeat visitors, and encouraging readers to linger. On one side, you've got Facebook, and on the other, you've got blog posts. Or think of it a different way... Facebook is like an airplane skywriting your message across a clear blue sky— it grabs attention instantly (from those who happen to be looking up), but as soon as as a gust of wind blows, poof! It's gone.

At Short Story Marketing, we had the opportunity to let our inner child out, with a little imagination, a lot of creativity, the end result is pure magic in our clients' eyes. Designing the website for Play Favorites , a charming toy store in Front Royal, Virginia, was no exception. In fact, it might have been the most fun we’ve had in a while—because building a site for a toy store is almost as fun as playing with the toys themselves!

In today's fast-paced digital world, a website isn't just an online presence; it's a powerful tool that can drive growth, attract members, and showcase the unique value of an organization. This was the realization the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) came to as they found their once-functional website no longer met their evolving needs. They needed a change, and that's where we came in.

Crafting the brand of Ally Striping: A Journey in Design and Development

Behind the Scenes: Designing a local restaurants make over logo

Master the art of SEO-friendly blogging with our gourmet guide. Learn how to craft irresistible content that pleases both Google and your readers.

Let us tell you about a hidden gem in Tillamook County - Jandy Oyster. These folks have been dishing out some of the most delicious seafood you can imagine. But there was a little problem - their online vibe didn’t really scream “Come and get it!” to both the locals and visitors. That's where we came in, ready to give them a digital makeover and put them on the map as the go-to spot for seafood lovers. So, What's the Scoop with Jandy Oyster? Jandy Oyster is all about bringing the freshest oysters straight from the local waters to your plate, making it a seafood lover's paradise. But, let's be honest, their digital presence was kind of like finding a pearl in an oyster - tough to come by. They were practically swimming in the vast ocean of the internet without making much of a splash. The Mission: From Hidden Gem to Local Legend The goal was crystal clear - Jandy Oyster wanted to jazz up their online presence to catch the eye of both the town folks and tourists. They dreamed of becoming the place everyone talked about and where everyone wanted to be seen. How We Spiced Things Up We believe that Jandy Oyster's story is like a fine seafood platter - full of coastal charm and delicious tales waiting to be shared. So, we rolled up our sleeves to create a digital experience that would make you feel the sea breeze and taste the salt in the air. The Recipe for Success Imagine a website that's a visual feast, with stunning photos of Tillamook County's landscapes and drool-worthy shots of Jandy Oyster's dishes. We added a pinch of interactive features, like signing up for special events, joining local clubs for beekeepers, and even ordering garden baskets and veggies. It's all about making you want to dive right in. The Catch of the Day: A Story of Transformation Their online presence now mirrors the passion and excellence that have always been their hallmark, firmly establishing them as a culinary beacon in Tillamook County. Savoring the Victory This digital makeover story is a toast to the magic that happens when great storytelling meets design. At Short Story Marketing, we're over the moon to have been part of Jandy Oyster's voyage to becoming a digital darling. Thinking about taking your business online? Let’s join forces and craft your own tale of success. Cheers to that!

You know, one of the coolest parts of what we do is getting to work with a kaleidoscope of clients, each with their own stories, challenges, and dreams. Today, we're super excited to share the journey we embarked on with Astaria Global, a real powerhouse in the biotech scene, especially within the Equine Industry.

In the bustling world of organizations that really make a mark, 2Fast has been a standout, powering through with some of the best motorcycle track days and instruction you can find in the Pacific Northwest. But, there was a bit of a snag - their online look didn’t quite match the awesome work they were doing in real life. That's when they teamed up with us, ready to give their digital presence a much-needed boost to match their real-world zest. The Starting Line with 2Fast.org 2Fast has always been all about that thrill of the ride and sharing the know-how on motorcycle safety. They’ve got this deep-rooted passion that's seriously contagious. But when it came to their website, it felt a bit like taking a ride on an old, dusty road – not the smooth ride they're known for providing. It was time for a change, to bring that online experience up to speed with the excitement of hitting the track. Facing the Digital Bend Getting their website to truly reflect what 2Fast.org is all about was our main mission. The site needed more than just a fresh coat of paint; it needed to become a hub that's as dynamic and welcoming as the community they've built around motorcycle racing and education. Shifting Gears with Our Approach Here’s the thing - we believe that a great website is like a great ride: it should be smooth, intuitive, and, most of all, memorable. That's exactly the vibe we aimed to bring to 2Fast.org’s online space. It wasn't just about making things look pretty; it was about creating a journey that visitors would enjoy, from start to finish. The Transformation Journey We dove deep, rethinking the whole 2Fast.org website experience. We wanted every visitor to feel the adrenaline, the community, and the passion behind track day experience and improving their skills on motorcycle riding. From streamlining navigation to punching up the content with more energy, we redesigned their site to be a virtual gateway to the thrill of the track. Crossing the Finish Line The results? A total game-changer. The new site really revved up engagement and brought the community closer. It’s like 2Fast.org got a brand-new set of wheels online, making it easier and more exciting for everyone to connect with their passion for motorcycles. Riding into the Sunset This adventure with 2Fast.org was a reminder of how powerful a stellar digital presence can be, especially when it mirrors the passion of the folks behind the organization. We’re stoked to have been part of this journey, and we’re geared up for the next challenge. If you’re thinking it’s time to kick your digital presence into a higher gear, you know who to call. Let’s make the online world a place where your passion shines bright.

Oceanside Gateway Signage Funding/Contest

Unveiling a Ripple of Change! We’ve got something super cool to share today! Oceanside's Water Department brought me in to help create their vision for their new brand/logo collaboration for all their trucks; jackets/hats and more! Yep, you heard that right! They voiced that they wanted to really focus on the 3 arches and the lighthouse. We teamed up and threw our ideas into the mix to create something that truly reflects Oceansides Water Districts vision.  So, what do you think? We are riding the wave of excitement to start seeing the newest look around town once we get things rolled out.

Celebrating the WIN for Short Story Marketing and Bay City Oregon!

It used to be special keywords and stuff - now it is AUTHENTICITY! Ever feel like Google is an elusive unicorn you're trying to ride? Well, saddle up, because there's a new game in town, and it's called Authenticity! (Yeah, you've heard us say this for years... now Google is pushing it to the top!)

Have you noticed those snazzy QR codes popping up everywhere? Thanks to the smartphone revolution, they're back in style, and they're a perfect fit for your business. Supercharge the Customer Experience First off, QR codes are rocking the customer service world. Imagine a restaurant where diners scan a code to see the menu on their phones. Or a shop where customers get extra product details with a quick scan. It’s all about giving your customers that ‘wow’ experience with minimal fuss. Marketing Made Fun (and Easy) Marketing with QR codes is like having a secret weapon. Stick them on your promotional materials, and watch as customers get zapped right to your online world – be it your website, a special video, or a surprise discount. It’s a digital treasure hunt that connects your offline and online spaces. Operation Simplification On the more practical side, QR codes are lifesavers for streamlining everyday tasks. Event check-ins, booking systems, contactless payments – you name it, QR codes make it smoother and quicker. Boosting Customer Engagement QR codes are also fantastic for customer relationships. They're your shortcut to getting feedback or enrolling folks in your loyalty program. It's all about making those connections stronger and simpler. Green and Keen Eco-friendly? Absolutely! QR codes mean less paper and more digital savvy. Think digital receipts and online info packs. Your QR Code Journey Starts Here Check out the free QR code generator below. 

If you're a client of ours, you have heard us say, frequently, that what you put on your website has to address your own clients' "pain points". (If you're not a client of ours, what the hey?!) Client or not, here's a fresh and light-hearted take on the same topic, to help you focus on what to say when you are writing that next blog post or web page.

You know how you always feel a little bit rejuvenated after updating your wardrobe? It's like a whole new you, ready to tackle the world. Well, updating your website is kind of like that too. Except instead of looking stylish for one season, your website will look great for, like, two whole years!

Last week we pointed out that relying solely on social media is like going to a party naked - it might get you some short term attention, but it's not useful for building long-term relationships. So, what should you do instead? Here are some fun analogies to help you remember:

Relying solely on social media for your online presence is like going to a party naked - it might get you some short term attention, but it's not useful for building long-term relationships. Here's why small businesses should diversify their online presence and not rely solely on social media, using some hopefully humorous relatable analogies.

Testimonials are a great way to let people know that you deliver on what you promise. If only people would read them! Just 1.3% That's about how many website visitors even open the "Testimonials" page of a website, and they rarely stay even 30 seconds. So why would you hide your endorsements, your most compelling information, on a page that no one looks at?

A Guest post by Shane Barker Content is king. One of the best ways to attract new clients and build relationships with your existing clients is to consistently publish high-quality content on your website, and share it on social media. ​​Content marketing isn't just about creating quality content. It's also about creating the right kind of content appropriate to your target market and frequently publishing it on your site. If you don't publish content frequently, existing customers may forget about you or lose trust in what you have to offer, and prospects may never discover you. After all, they have plenty of other options for finding information online. So give them a reason to visit your site, and keep coming back for more. This post will review the key reasons your website is better off by frequently publishing content. Let's get to it. Build trust and authority in your niche When trying to build trust and authority in your niche, keeping a consistent content publishing schedule is essential. For example, it's difficult to trust the website of an individual educational consultant that features a blog but hasn't published content in well over a year. Questions instantly start swirling through your head, like: Are they still in business? Why do they have a blog if they don't update it? Can I trust this website? A lack of fresh content is a red flag. On the flip side, when you find an educational consulting website that publishes multiple blog posts per week, you quickly gather that they are in business. Not only that, but they are investing time and resources into creating valuable content for their readers. Instantly, this website seems more credible than the last.

What to say on your home page You already know you want your home page optimized for SEO so it can be found online, and you need it to be mobile-friendly, so you don't lose out on the vast mobile audience. But when it comes to the actual content itself, the best way to attract prospects and have them convert to paying customers is to solve a problem affecting visitors to your site, or to address the "pain points" they face. This approach is altogether different from singing the praises of a product or service you might offer, and all the wonderful features that make it unique in its category. Some visitors may do the translation, and see how those features could benefit them directly, but a great many other readers will not make the connection, will be unimpressed, and will drop off your site.

The vast majority of your potential buyers aren't even aware they need what you sell In other words, most buyers are "out-of-market" when it comes to buying your products or services. They're not looking for them now; they may never look for them. But if you want their attention, you have to get it before they start looking.  This isn't just about making yourself known on social media. It means creating content that speaks directly to prospective customers' emotions. We don't mean writing emotional copy. Instead, this means crafting messages that resonate with prospects' feelings and motivations. With either or both of the following approaches, anyone can deliver emotionally compelling messaging: Use stories. Stories help us connect with others because we understand how our own lives relate to theirs. We empathize with characters who share similar experiences. In fact, research shows that readers remember 80% of information presented through story format versus only 20% of facts delivered via bullet points alone. So why not use storytelling to deliver your message? Create videos. Videos help you build trust and credibility with your target audience, and are an effective way to communicate complex ideas quickly and effectively.

Google's choice of businesses to show in the local search results amounts to a "recommended list" that will typically drive over half the website visits and calls. How does Google decide who should be contacted first?  The same way you and I do!  If " everyone knows " that Bob is the "go-to" plumber in the local area, well, Bob will get the majority of the calls. If many of your neighbors have never heard of Bob the plumber, some think he serves their area and others think he doesn't, some don't make the connection with the "Bob" that you are wondering about and the "Robert" they know, and a few think he is an electrician and not a plumber, obviously Bob is not going to get very many calls.  Instead of " everyone knows " it's just " a few people know ".  It's the same with Google... firms that " everyone knows " will get the best results.  How do you get from "a few people know" to "everyone knows"?   Over time, your business perhaps gets listed in sources such as local business license registrations, state LLC lists, the Chamber of Commerce, community directories, other local business associations, and so forth. If you get listed in those places, then that info gets picked up by companies that scour the Internet to find and list businesses, for online and automobile mapping services, online phone books, and for listings in business directories that most of us have never heard of, although Google sees them, and your entries there.   As long as all that data is consistent, Google starts seeing your business as more and more "connected" -- you become one of the firms that " everyone knows " is a go-to source of what you offer.  But with missing or inconsistent information, Google will lack trust in what they do find, and your details sink lower and lower towards "search oblivion" on their list.   Does " everyone know " about your business? Click below to use our search audit to find out - no cost, no obligation, and no spam.  

We've helped Dori Middlebrook for years with her website. She helps high school students and their families identify the best "fit" when they are deciding which college is right for them, and helps them navigate through the college preparation and application process. Her track record includes hundreds of successful admissions. 

For our "spotlight" this week, we asked Kathryn Miller, of Miller Educational Consulting , some questions about her practice: What do you offer? (Give us your “elevator pitch”) Miller Educational Consulting assists families with high school students with all aspects of college planning. I help families through the college selection, admissions and financial aid processes to find the best fit schools for your student - academically, socially and financially. Good planning, preparation and organization of the college search and application process results in reduced anxiety for everyone involved. Access to extensive knowledge about colleges, financial aid and the admissions process will increase your ability to make informed decisions with your student. Describe your ideal client/customer. Ideally, meeting with a student no later than the fall of junior year allows enough time to discuss course choices, grades and activities. My fee and elements that students need to complete for selection and application are the same, no matter when they get started. Starting earlier with a clear understanding of the process and the timeline can make it more thoughtful and less stressful. Students should be willing to be open to finding colleges that are the best fit for them and work hard on their applications and essays. Why should they come to you (instead of a competitor, or doing it themselves, or doing without)? An Independent Educational Consultant works one-on-one with each student, helping to identify colleges and universities that offer the best matches for the student's unique needs, and keeping the student on track through every phase of the college search and application process. We are not employed by any school and are thus “independent”. If your student needs additional advice and support during the college search and application process, an educational consultant can be an excellent resource. It is my belief that young people need to take responsibility for the choices in their lives, because those choices make them into the adults they want to become. I also believe in being very professional, a good listener and in making the college search enjoyable. I approach each student with an open mind and heart. I am excited to work with each one towards an experience that contributes to a happy and successful transition to college as well as adulthood. I also limit the number of students per class to provide personalized attention and maintain client relationships and responsiveness. How do they usually find out about you? Most of my business comes from referrals, family members and from finding my website . What tip or advice would be really useful for someone you would like as a customer? If you are just deciding you do need some professional help, please do not hesitate to call, as I am happy to assist your student anywhere in the process. You can reach Kathryn by phone at 303-759-2391, by email , through her website , or via LinkedIn .

If you have a website, you probably get emails at least weekly, usually from a free email address like hotmail, about getting better placement on Google. These usually start with something like "...I was just looking at your website and see that..." Sometimes they will even include some sort of automated details about your website, purporting to illustrate problems. (Since we manage lots of sites, we frequently receive many copies of the exact same message, each referring to a different site, and, inexplicably, each from a different hotmail or gmail address. They are otherwise identical.) Google itself has by far the best advice that we have seen regarding such pitches: Be wary of SEO firms and web consultants or agencies that send you email out of the blue. Amazingly, we get these spam emails too: "Dear google.com, I visited your website and noticed that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..." Reserve the same skepticism for unsolicited email about search engines as you do for "burn fat at night" diet pills or requests to help transfer funds from deposed dictators. If you follow the tips in our blog, you will be far ahead of anything that you might get from one of those "out of the blue" contacts. (Next week: the domain renewal scam.)

You always need to communicate in a way that your audience understands. When your audience speaks a different language, you need the translation services of one of our clients, AAA Translation , to get your message across! As an example of their work, here is the story of Susanne Evens, the founder, in English, French, Spanish, and Chinese:

Getting well-placed on Google has gotten easier than ever – despite what you might think after reading all those spam emails you get from strangers purporting to know the secret tricks… Trying to "game" Google is a wild goose chase. They refine their search engine algorithms constantly – dozens of times per week – to try and suggest websites that are current and are what a Google user is looking for. The trick is, there's no trick. Sure, you will want to use titles and headlines to say what your website is all about, but the best thing you can do is to frequently update your site with information that the people you'd most like to reach will find useful. Make it a New Year's Resolution -- a new article or page every other week! Use the blog that is (or ought to be) a part of your website. This makes it simple to add new, relevant information, making your website an increasingly rich source of information for those looking for what you offer. That's what Google - and visitors - want to see. This can be a struggle for some, who spend months trying to get every word just right. Big mistake. A web page or blog post that is pretty good, and online today, is infinitely better than perfectly crafted text that never gets published! In the words of those masters of search engine optimization, "Striving to better, oft we mar what's well." Shakespeare (or maybe Francis Bacon), King Lear, ~1603 "The better is the enemy of the good." Voltaire, La Bégueule, 1772 "Just do it." Nike, 1988 Our clients who follow this advice generally have found themselves with excellent positioning in Google, often with multiple first page entries. Don't have time? Let us help! We can take your material and publish it for you, or even have our ghostwriters write text that helps tell your story!

We get asked on occasion to build a website using the whiz-bang do-it-yourself website builder that a client just learned about, or perhaps one they started with, and got stuck. We build websites, after all. Can't we just use any of the 1,001 different website builders that pop up in online ads all the time? In the digital world, navigating without understanding the intricacies can feel like steering a ship through a storm without a compass or a rudder. Letting your web design company, armed with their expertise and carefully-selected and preferred tools, steer the ship is crucial. Dictating their tools is like telling a seasoned captain and crew to abandon whatever technical experience they have -- it might not end well. Consider this: A seasoned power boat crew knows their power boat inside out—the engine's power, the controls, how it behaves in reverse, etc. Similarly, a web design company masters a specific platform, CMS, or CRM, through countless hours of practice and hundreds of website projects (thousands, for us). Insisting they use unfamiliar tools is like asking a veteran power boat crew to operate and navigate a sailboat—they probably don't know which ropes do what, how to adjust the sails to head into the wind, or why it always seems to lean over. (Sailors will understand.) Each website platform is like a different type of vessel, with unique strengths and features. A company skilled in their chosen platform can optimize your website for performance, security, and scalability, much like a master crew navigating their familiar yacht through treacherous waters with ease. Specialized knowledge also translates to reliable support. A company proficient in their preferred platform can troubleshoot issues, implement updates, and offer training, ensuring smooth website management. Insisting on unfamiliar tools could lead to choppy waters, with potential delays and issues. Think of your web company as a long-term partner on your business journey. Trusting their expertise fosters a committed partnership, with a shared goal of your success. Telling them which tools to use is like putting them in the wrong type of vessel—it hinders their ability to get you effectively to your destination. Our goal is to create a website that exceeds your expectations, and using the right tools is key. Trust our expertise, and you'll sail smoothly through the digital seas.

If you rely on word of mouth to attract new business, you already know what the well-known Nielsen market research firm found… 92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over traditional advertising. Even better, social media can spread those recommendations faster than the juiciest gossip, so word of mouth is more effective in this day and age than ever before! But that isn't the whole story. Their research, published in December 2018, confirmed the continuation of a trend we have been watching for years... with a stark conclusion: w ord of mouth isn't enough.

Make a great first impression, and you'll get the benefit of the doubt next time. Make a poor first impression, and it takes an awful lot of positive experiences to turn it around. (Now there's a blinding flash of the obvious!) Not surprisingly, this works with websites as well. What is quite surprising is just how quickly people get these first impressions when it's a website. Psychology researchers at Carleton University (Ottawa) followed the standard approach in researching such things. Show a large number of people a handful of websites, and ask the people to rate the websites; Show a separate large group of people the same websites for a shorter period, and get ratings on each; Repeat #2 with an ever-shorter viewing period, as long as the ratings don't change. Through this process, the researchers can determine the minimum duration of a viewing that will create such a lasting impression that the ratings don't vary significantly with much longer exposure. 1/20th of a second. To the astonishment of almost everyone, the impression gained in a mere 50 milliseconds, 1/20th of a second, was sufficient to remain "in control" of the viewers' overall evaluation of each of the websites for an extended period. Our websites need to create a favorable impression in the first blink of an eye. Otherwise, even if our visitors hang around long enough to look further, they will be doing so with a predetermined impression of what we have to offer. (Read the BBC account.)

If you are being offered a cheap website with cheap hosting, it will almost certainly be using software the web developer can get for free, supplemented with "plug-ins" built by hobbyists, and installed on cheap rented hard disk space with little if any service included by the "landlord". You probably can't afford "free" Around a half dozen times a year, those "free" software programs require "emergency recalls" -- replacing vulnerable portions with revised code. You can't not do the updates. If not updated promptly, those sites built on "free" software get hacked. In May 2020, the IT security journal Security Week reported that over a million websites using a popular plug-in for one of those "free" website systems were being targeted, sayin g that the hackers "can install a backdoor or webshell to maintain access, gain full administrative access to WordPress, or even delete your site entirely”. This isn't new. Check out this BBC news account of the ~12 million sites using "free" software that were hacked a few years back, when the recall was not applied within 7 hours of being issued . Your hosting provider is not going to update the software for you, and your website developer won't do it for free, if you aren't paying for support for that "free" software. What does such support cost? Google makes it easy to find costs of applying the "recalls" for the most common "free" systems. Service plans averaged around $100 - $150 a month, on top of that "cheap" hosting . That's just for the updates, not site changes. Not included in those service plans : Once the new "free" software has been installed, it's not uncommon for the "plug-in" to no longer work, so some part of the website will be disabled until that hobbyist-developed component is updated, or a replacement found. Believe us -- if we thought those "cheap" options were the best solution, we'd still be doing it, not shelling out tens of thousands of dollars a year on the advanced commercial system we use. A view from Down Under A while back, SmartCompany , an Australian online magazine for small business owners, published an article on why you might choose a commercial hosted platform such as our Online Business Partner ® for your site, rather than having your web people download one of those "free" programs and host it on one of those super-cheap services. Here is a summary, used with permission of the author, ruthlessly edited for length and to "Americanize" it:

Speak up if you understand the 5 costs of a website. Anyone? It's unusual for us to meet a business owner who has a good understanding of the various costs of a website. So let's use an analogy of a home - something most of us can understand fairly well - to review those costs.

Imagine you see an ad on TV, and call to place an order... and you then get a recording about the history of the company, how great the team is, that they are members of the association of blah blah blah blah blah blah Are you doing the same thing with the most promising visitors to your website? Someone looking for exactly what you offer sees a link to your site. Maybe it is on Facebook, a professional association website, a Google ad, or the website of a related business. They click on the link, go to the home page on your website... and get blah blah blah blah blah blah. Result: They go away. Instead, use Landing Pages Set every external link to your website to point to a custom page that specifically addresses the topic of the link , and perhaps its source. If the link is on the site talking about a product, the page should talk about that specific product, and why and how to buy. If the link is about a consulting service you provide, have it go to a page about the specific service, how it will benefit the reader, and how to get started. If it is a link from the Chamber of Commerce, let the page talk about how to get specials you provide for Chamber members. You get the idea. When someone clicks on a link and goes to your website, their first reaction should be, "This is exactly what I was looking for!" And it's really easy... If you are using our Online Business Partner® service , just log in and find a page on your site that somewhat matches the interests of those prospects who would likely click to get more information, then select "Copy This Web Page". On the copy, revise the content to focus precisely on the topic. Use the link to this new page for your Google ad, Facebook post, or association directory. Repeat as necessary for other topics and link sources. If you can't update your site easily , then a "standalone" landing page might be best. Or get a better website platform! (Hint: contact us !)

Boats roll and bob around in the water, even on calm lakes, and move around a lot more on the ocean - making it tough to point a satellite dish precisely enough to get a signal. Our client Track It TV manufactures economical systems that keep the satellite antenna pointed just right, allowing boat owners to watch satellite TV in all sorts of conditions. Learn more about their system . One of their customers wrote, "We just got back from two months in the Bahamas using the Follow Me TV. The system exceeded all of my expectations. It worked wonderfully everywhere I went, which was all of the way down the Exuma chain to George Town."

Snowball Express is dedicated to helping the children of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces since 9/11. On December 16th through December 20th of this year, Snowball Express will host 2000 children and surviving spouses in Southern California, from all across America, for an all-expense paid holiday gathering none of them will ever forget. The Snowball Express website not only needs to tell their story and communicate with those involved. It also provides the mechanism for families to register, for donors to donate, and for the non-profit organization to thank its sponsors. We were glad to donate our efforts for this project.

If well cared for, that hamster you gave your kid will be a great pet for about 3 years. Then it will be time to wish her goodbye, console your kid, and arrange for a replacement. The same with your website!

Well... no. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. In fact, it's the opposite. If someone publishes material on their website, it is automatically protected by copyright law. You can read more than you ever wanted to know about this stuff at Wikipedia or the US Copyright Office, but the bottom line is that if you didn't develop the text, draw the image, or take the photo yourself, then you must have the OK from whoever owns that material. Just as the English teacher could always tell somehow when a report was taken mostly from some reference source, it isn't necessary for someone to stumble across a site using "borrowed" text or images. There are free tools for anyone to try and find if someone has copied their material. CopyScape takes Google searches a step further to find sites using your text. Tineye does the same for images. In addition to these and many other similar free services, most such sites offer a paid service which will keep constant watch for anyone using their clients' content without permission. The Bounty Hunter is Hungry! In addition, there are companies that make their money by finding those using text or images without permission, then going after the violator for payment. These "bounty hunters" keep a percentage of whatever they can get.

The unofficial results are in, with our client Patrick Fallon winning 57% of the vote for Frisco City Council. As with most local elections, especially in "off years", the election depends on a very few voters, and yet the opportunity for a candidate to spread a message is limited, since broadcast and print media typically give little attention to elections outside the "big city". So "getting the word out" was especially important, and a website, together with email marketing, supplemented Patrick's many other efforts to do so. As with all the sites we set up for clients, this one allowed Patrick and his team to go in and make updates, add campaign news, and monitor effectiveness on a daily basis.