A government without limits is a tyranny.

Updates From Famous - Part Uno

Ok so here we are. A quick update to where the famousartguy site stands. I had no real intentions of taking this site down, nor do I. I have switched hosts a couple times in the last month or so and managed to find one I am happy about - My own hosting! I just got fed up with slow and unreliable service.

During that time I tried to keep everything moving forward, but I just took so many steps back setting everything up, moving clients over to new servers, and dealing with so many technical issues. On top of that still trying to get work for clients done with a full time job. So, I apologize for staying in the dark.I found my self moving to more social networking areas during this time to gain some sense of communication. Which I encourage everyone to join with me.

Now what? Well, I plan on revamping my Famousartguy site to just focus on logos/characters and design work from me. I've started a new web design business that I hope to gain speed in the coming months. I'll introduce it then.Until that time please email me and let me know any suggestions you would like me to write on or blog about. I plan on sharing other plans I have here for this  site and others, so stay tuned. Thanks again, I truly appreciate everyones comments/questions.

A New Begining

Well first I want to apologize for not posting like I had originally hoped. However with the new year I have some new plans. First, develop a user friendly content rich site. I feel I have a huge resource of ideas and material to share, but haven't been diligent enough to share it. I hope to change that this year. Secondly, refurbish this blog. Some options I may use are converting to a WordPress blog or redevelop this one?? Still debating that issue.

Anyway, I want the few of you keeping up with me to know 2009 will be a change for Famousartguy.com, as well! No pun towards the presidential campaign.

Peace.
Matt

Political or Not

I have always entertained the idea of using these online T-shirt shops to share my creativity. Seeing my work on a shirt or mug or some other clothing I'd rather not mention. I've gone ahead and made a few t-shirts for the upcoming election...however you might be surprised to see who the candidate is. View all of my famousartguy.com products for purchase here .

Ten Ways To Get Sticky

I wrote this back a few months ago and was published in my company's newsletter. Thought I would share and get comments on it.


In the realm of the online world, Search Engine Optimization, links, promotions, and pay-per-click advertising are well-known means to drive visitors to your Web site. But, it's not about how much traffic you get, it's about how much you keep! What does one do to keep visitors? You get sticky!
What is sticky? Sticky is a term given to Web sites that entice visitors to return to their Web sites over extended periods of time. Important reasons to be sticky include that stickiness helps keep traffic, introduce new visitors, improve site visibility and can potentially create sales. Here are ten easy ways to help your Web site get sticky and remain a visitor favorite.

Teach It, Preach It and Keep It Fresh

Help your visitors learn something related to your product focus. Educating the consumer about your products helps to explain why you make or sell items the way you do. One of the best ways to stay informative and fresh is to blog. Blogging involves putting relevant, helpful information up on your site, and then allowing your visitors to interact with each other and your brand. The information you get from your users can be invaluable, and getting them to participate in your brand while feeling like they are being heard will pay dividends. These can be fun to do, because the format is freeing. But you have to update regularly or risk losing visitors.
However you do it, by posting helpful articles, blogging, or just changing your products and descriptions, keep it fresh! Your buyer won't keep coming back if it's the same material month after month.

Simple Is As Simple Does

Design your site with simple navigation. Keep the labels easy to read, the navigation in order on each page, and consistent throughout the site. If the user can't find it, they won't use it.

Make It Fun

Include design elements or Web site themes that stand out to potential buyers. Write content that is conversational and, if possible, entertaining.

Opinions Count

How do you know what your customers want if you can't hear them? Offer a way for customers to give you feedback on your products, site usability and design. Display user ratings on your products and services, good and bad, to establish trust.

Instant Pudding

Today the online customer wants to know everything about your products instantly. By using RSS feeds & video, you can easily inform your customer about multiple products and update your customer's information in a short period of time.

Show Your Badge

Create customer comfort with purchases on your site. What better way to do that than getting a secure Web site and displaying all of those nice little secure banners for your visitors to see?

Be Social

Allow products or pages to be bookmarked or saved. Use social bookmarking clients that allow users to remember your site and share it with others.

Extra Extra

Offer a newsletter with special online deals or offers. This also helps remind them that your site is still there and to visit again. Place this feature on a prominent area of the page.

If You Love them, then…

Let them roam. Provide user interaction with your site. Let users create profiles, add personal images, join a forum, join groups, or create their own personal space.

The King Lives

Content is king on the Web front, so create entertaining content that connects you to your visitors to draw them back again and again.

Keeping Up With Google

They say there a few things you can always count on death and taxes. I believe in the online world there is one more...Google creating some new app or program that will revolutionize your personal world. To help myself keep up with everything I've started a new blog called "The big bad Google blog". It's main purpose is 1) to keep me up to date on the Googlized world and 2) to inform others so they don't have to dig through tons of internet info to find everything Google is doing (yes, I do care). and 3) to keep me building my blogging skills.

OK, so you may be asking yourself "How does this have to do with design"? I'll tell you. In this digital world we live in, there are more apps, more websites, more programs, and just more stuff in general that keep designers like myself on their toes. Learning how to adapt graphically to new UI designs, layouts and programs greatly increases your fore knowledge of where the web road is leading. You can try to stay ahead or keep trying to catch up. I know we all get behind in some areas, but overall you need to stay sharp and keep an edge, even if you're not comfortable with it.

If you get some time please read The Big Bad Google Blog, and let me know what you think and how it can improve.

Googles New Chrome Browser

This is a late post on the new browser by Google, nevertheless something I must blog about. Chrome is FAST! Did I mention it's fast! Yeah it's supposedly built from the ground up for the new age of users. Rather then just building upon the browsers of the past and not fixing critically components that have changed since 1995. 

It looks as if Google clipped and pasted some of every one's favorite things from each browser and threw their label on it. However, they did manage to add a few nice concepts into the browser.

• Use the address bar as your Google search field. That's right just search for a term in the address bar.
• Add online applications as quick links on your Desktop, Start Menu, and Quick links bar. Just click on the quick link and it opens in a separate window .
• Mini developer tools. They have a few on here, but I see this area growing rapidly within the browser tool set.
• Provides geeky info from the address bar. Plug-ins, Memory usage, and other stats by using the about: configuration.
• Google analytics tracks Chrome.
• most visited link blocks
• And sooo much more!!

Read more about Google Chrome.

DOWNLOAD GOOGLE CHROME