WebWidgets August Newsletter 2007

In this issue of WebWidgets News, August 2007...

Important domain renewal information
Content writing tips 
New Regular Feature! Website of the month profile. 
How to use the FAQ area

Important changes to domain renewals
Web Widgets will no longer invoice for domain names 60-90 days prior to renewal.
Instead, you wil be emailed 3 renewal notices (at 60 days, 30 days and 15 days prior to domain renewal), during which time you will be expected to make payment for your domain renewal.  We will complete your renewal on receipt of payment.
We will then enter both the domain renewal invoice and receipt on your standard monthly web hosting invoice, which would leave a balance of 0.00.
 
Please make sure you pay for renewals at least 2 weeks before expiry, because the post and accounts processes can be slow. Failure to pay on time will cause your website and email services to fail, and may take up to 48 hours to restore. You will still have 90 days in which to complete your renewal before losing your domain completely. We encourage all registrants to renew their domains for several years, and to renew their domains at least 90 days before expiry.

We apologise if have received an invoice for a domain renewal as well as reminder notice asking for payment in this transition period. Please be assured we won't invoice you twice.  Your renewal will be completed on receipt of payment.
 
Later this month we will be introducing a more streamlined domain management system, providing you with real time direct integration with the NZ domain registry. You will be able to update your contact details, renew domains for periods of between 1 month and 10 years, and register domains in real time. You will be able to request UDAIs directly from our CMS and you will be able to transfer domains to us in real time. Later in the year we will extend this service for international domain names. Stay tuned!

Content Writing Tips
Did you know that reading from computer screens is 25% slower than reading printed material?

Content has to be 50% shorter than print because web users tend to scan rather than read website content.  Concise, scannable and objective text is the best way to engage readers on the web.

Here are some hard and fast facts to bear in mind when writing your website content:

You have just...

10 seconds to grab attention with your website content
55 seconds to develop an understanding of your company or product
Six content writing DON'Ts

1. DON'T make your content too long
2. DON'T make your content too complex
3. DON'T be vague and waffle on
4. DON'T be use over-the-top claims and language
5. DON'T forget to use headings and subheadings
6. DON'T bury key information

Does your written content need reviewing?  Please content support@webwidgets.co.nz for a free website content review.

Profile - Website of the Month
This month introduces the first of our new website profile feature.  Each month, we will select ONE website and tell you about their website and the people behind it.

Introducing www.kiwirafting.com and the entrepeneur behind the website, Phil Boorman.  Phil and the team at Kiwi Rafting provide rafting excursions for office groups on the Kaituna River in Rotorua.  "A rafting trip on the Kaituna is a great way to get away as an office, club or bunch of friends, and we can tailor a trip especially for your group." says Phil.  The website allows Phil to take bookings online and displays an action-packed gallery of images, allowing people to see this unique experience for themselves.

Phil has built KiwiRafting.com himself, using a WebWidgets DIY template.  He had some website building skills prior to using WebWidgets, but has found the content management system to be noticeably easier to use than other systems.  He likes how WebWidgets doesn't overwhelm with terminology, is easy to navigate and quick to upload all his images. He is currently in the process of launching Kiwi Rafting and has begun marketing online by optimising for search engines and linking to related websites.

Contact Phil at kiwirafting.com if you are considering a unique new team building experience for your office or club this summer.  

FAQs
Our FAQs area is growing fast.  The FAQs can be found by clicking the green Help button in your website editing area.  It's a great place to start if you are stuck with a query.  We cover all aspects of website building, eg: domain names, how to use the content management system, how to read your website stats.  We hope the FAQs are a useful, easy to use tool for you.  Please let us know if there is any way we can make it even better. 

Tips on how to use our FAQs can be found here

Kind regards
Emma, Reuben and Albie
The WebWidgets Team