Welcome New Members!

Inbal More Photography                                           Inbal More

Distinctively Yours Event Management                  Johari Barnes

Your Royal Affair                                                       Lisa Tinc

PNC Photography                                                     Nic Kennedy

Tierra Floral Design, LTD                                        Juan Costello

Sarino and Son                                                         Ted Paulos

J. Stuart Harris Photography                                   J. Stuart Harris

Membership Renewal Time is Here!

 Do you want to be able to reach 5,000 brides for FREE?

Then renew your membership by November 30 and you'll be included in our brochure which has the potential of reaching 5,000 brides!

There has been a small increase to your dues for 2007.  Please note that membership dues are now $125 per year.

To remain in the AWP brochure, dues MUST be received by November 30, 2006.  You may post-date your check for January 2007.

Your new membership cards will be available to you at the January meeting, along with your AWP certificate.

You may bring your check for dues to the November meeting or mail them directly to:

Kathy Azarcon  

AWP Membership Chair  

14625 Baltimore Avenue, #233

Laurel, MD  20707

Your continued support and cooperation are greatly appreciated!

Last Meeting of the Year

Please join us on

November 28, 2006

for

Web sites 102

"Protecting Your Business on the Web"

 with Cherise Rosemond

 Are you at risk for being sued because of something on your Web site? 
Have you properly protected your company's domain name?  If you're not
sure, then you need to attend Part Two of our Internet series at:

October Meeting

Photography provided by Ron Jones www.JonesPho.com

Our meeting was held at the beautiful Hyatt Fair Lakes in Fairfax, Virginia.  Conveniently located off Route 66, this AAA Three-Diamond Fairfax hotel places you within minutes of premier shopping malls, major corporate offices, both Dulles and Reagan National airports, and only 18 miles from the landmark sights of Washington DC. 

Those in attendance enjoyed passed as well as stationary Hors d'Oeuvres and cocktails in the Atrium Lobby followed by our meeting in the Shenandoah Room.

Cherise Rosemond of Liquid Web Designs, LLC had a great presentation on developing and improving your Web site and their presence on the Internet. 

Cherise began her presentation by stating the following facts:

 ~Currently there are 69.3% people who use the Internet in the United States.

~Online revenues were over $200 billion in 2005.

1.  Why update your Web site?

•  Your Web site is your first impression to potential clients. 
• Adds to your credibility
• Demonstrates your quality of work
• Justifies your prices
• Is the first source your potential clients use to research your business
   
   

  2.  Things to include in your Web site:

• Statistics/Tracking - Keep track of who and how many are visiting your Web site even down to the individual pages on your Web site.  Know where your hits are coming from.
• Graphics/Photos – Make your site “feel alive.”  Show examples of your work. 
• Mailing Lists/Newsletters – Collect accurate client information.  Start working toward a paperless process.  Encourage repeat visits.
• Music – Get your site visitors in the mood to view
• Virtual Tours and Video – Let clients virtually EXPERIENCE your products and services.

  3.  Think Outside the Box

•  Videos, separate pages, etc. 

 4.  How to Update

• HIRE A PROFESSIONAL!
• Do proper planning – Avoid “slow bleeding” over time.
• Involve your design team in your business planning.
• Collect your graphics and write your content early.

After Cherise's formal presentation, she opended the floor up for questions.  Here are a few of the questions with Cherise's answers in italics.

1.  With so many options, such as flash actions, when is it too much?  It's a matter of taste and culture.  In general, as a rule of thumb, you should have no more than two things “flying” around at the same time.  Do you assume people have high speed to download the flash?  It matters on your target audience.  Clients with $50,000 and above budget probably have the high speed access.  Weigh the odds on what you are doing.  Think about your demographics with your target audience.

2.  How do you get your Web site so it shows up on the search engines?  There is the expensive and free methods.  Expensive – you pay for the rankings through Google, Yahoo, etc.  Free way – you need to have a very good balance between meta data (invisible text).  Search engines look for the information.  On the background of your Web site – search engines look for keywords.  Linked to other Web sites – reciprocal links.  Paid gets listed first, then meta data and then reciprocal links.  All done by prioritization.

3.  Keyword – difference in html and flash?  Combination of different methods that search engines use.  Inscription, titles, content – flash usually does not show up well unless the keywords are in there.  Have flash elements in your html. 

If you missed this meeting, you won't want to miss Cherise's follow-up presentation this month at our meeting on November 28.  If you haven't done so already, sign up now online.