Firefox vs. IE

Internet Explorer is still the browser used by the vast majority of website visitors, and if you’re a company with your own website, you should always make sure it displays okay in IE. But more and more people are learning about Firefox, and I’d like to talk a little about it.

I admit, I am very biased–I love Firefox. It’s more secure than IE, it’s often faster, and there’s a ton of useful add-ons that make my life easier. There are add-on tools to help with building websites, as well as my personal favorite, Forecastfox, which displays the current weather and tomorrow’s weather in your status bar without slowing down your browser. Foxmarks is another good one–it lets you access your bookmarks on any computer. You just sign in.

In any case, usage of Firefox is quickly growing. If you host a website, it would definitely be worth your while to check your website in Firefox and make sure it displays correctly. You might even find you like it better than IE.

Also, Firefox just released version 3. You can download it here.

That’s all for now. Have a great Friday, and a great weekend!

Driving traffic to websites using print

One of the blogs I enjoy reading is Taming the Beast, maintained by Michael Bloch. It has lots of great e-commerce and online marketing-related info.

Being a member of a print magazine staff, one post in particular that he wrote on using print and web marketing to work together really struck me as important and as applicable to our readers:

It’s true that much of today’s advertising is done online, but much is also done in the world of print. In my opinion, advertising works best when both of these mediums can work together to provide a combined effect. Especially considering how many people go online to check out businesses before they buy, and to get pricing information.

That being said, I’d like to go ahead with a shameless plug and re-encourage businesses around the area to consider advertising in Building Indiana News. Having your website address on your ad can make a huge difference in the number of people visiting your website and learning about your company.

And while writing a story about one single business is not something we focus on, if you think you have a story idea that involves your company, drop an email to editor@buildingindiananews.com. It can’t hurt, and that extra bit of PR has the potential to make a big difference in your online and offline traffic.

And that’s the end of the shameless plug. Any thoughts on print advertising vs. online, or on the combined effect? Share ‘em with me, I’d love to hear ‘em!

CAF/NWIBRT Awards photos and video are now online!

Hello all,

We’re proud to say that the photos and video from the 2007-2008 CAF/NWIBRT Awards are now online at the Building Indiana News website–click to visit!

You can also order the full video or parts of the video to display on your company’s website, which is a great way to appeal to new and returning customers. Answer me this–how many times have you gone online to a company’s website to check them out before you buy? All the time. I do it every single time I shop for something major, no matter what I’m shopping for. Adding the video and emphasizing your award will help increase the trust and assurance customers have in the quality of your work, which is, of course, always a positive reaction!

To order the video (or the portion that features your company), call Andrea at 219.226.0300 or send an email to andrea@3dms.com.

Subscribe using credit card

Hello all,

We recently implemented a new feature on the Building Indiana News website–the ability to subscribe online using credit or debit cards through PayPal. Previously, the only ways to subscribe were to print out the subscription form and fax it, or fill out a form online and get billed later. The subscription form is still available to print, for those who would rather not use credit/debit cards online, but we’re excited to be able to do this process electronically. PayPal is a good choice, since subscribers can pay with credit cards, debit cards, e-checks, or PayPal funds, and the financial information is secure–we don’t even see that information on our end.

So, if you get a minute, check it out. If you use it, let us know what you think!

–Maureen

Office Germs

This issue’s Being Productive article is about office germs. Researching and interviewing for the article was really interesting, though I do have to admit I became a little bit paranoid. ;) I had never considered a lot of places that germs can hide–like the bathroom door handle, my purse, my wallet. The thought of germs in the candy bowl really made me cringe. We’d like to believe that food is safe from germs, but unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Especially when a bowl of candy is shared among a whole group of employees!

The article references some statistics on office germs, and they are truly startling. That there are noticeable gender differences between the statistics is interesting too. I had NOT expected to find that women, on the whole, had germier offices than men. But considering how many millions of germs can hide in an office, no matter what your gender, you’re still at risk.

If nothing else, consider this: the germier your desk is, the more likely you are to get sick. :( Allergies are bad enough during the summer–you don’t need anything else!

For the statistics and good tips to keep the germs away, check out this month’s issue of Building Indiana News. And here’s a great link to the CDC that has printable posters that can be hung around the office to remind employees to fight germs.

–Maureen

Sticky: Respond: CAF/NWIBRT Awards

Note: This post is a sticky so it’s easy to find–newer posts will still appear below!

This month, Building Indiana News features a story on the CAF Awards and another on the NWIBRT Awards. Many great companies were recognized at the event–it was a great celebration of excellence in the Indiana area that might otherwise be overlooked.

My question to you, though, is–what did you think of the awards? Did you attend? What did you like? How did you enjoy the combined CAF/NWIBRT format?

Let me know! :)

–Maureen

UPDATED:You can now see all the pictures AND the video of the awards at the Building Indiana News website! Click here to go!

UPDATED: We wanted to use all of the pictures from the conference in the magazine, but there just wasn’t room. Want to see a few extra pictures that we didn’t have space for? Continue reading

The new BIN is out!

The May/June issue of Building Indiana News is now available! Click here to check it out online, and keep on eye on the mail–it should be arriving at your home any day now!

This issue has a lot of great stuff–articles on the Build Indiana Conference, the CAF and NWIBRT Awards, and some really interesting stuff on food production in Indiana and on foreign trade zones and how they affect you. Also great info on Hammond in Lifelong Learning, and the Commmunity Spotlight is on Dyer.

If you can, take a minute to check it out and let us know what you think!

–Maureen

First Ever Build Indiana Conference

Though it’s been a few weeks by now, the Building Indiana Conference is something I’ve definitely wanted to discuss. It brought together more than 200 brokers and developers from northern Indiana, Chicago, and Indianapolis to discuss transportation development in the area as a plan to expand the area and draw new business.

The conference involved a regional strategy to increase economic development, centering on advanced logistics, advanced manufacturing, and transit-oriented development. This aspect really blazed a new path in terms of economic expansion, since a regional approach would not have been considered in the past. But economic leaders came together for presentations and discussion, which will help us plan a better future for expansion in Indiana. According to the presentations at the conference, it’s likely that expansion will begin to move eastward, since the population limits to the west and east will likely be reached in the near future. Clearly this is a time when planning is critical.

And not only this, but the conference drew the eyes of businesses to northern Indiana, which will hopefully lead to new expansion and revenue.

A quote from the conference: “There’s a new energy in northwest Indiana, and we are in the process of redefining it. Transportation will be the key to that,” said State Representative Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville.

Also, here are some pictures:





More pictures and info are available in the May/June issue of Building Indiana News, available June 1st.

Anyone who attended the conference, we’d love to hear your comments–feel free to leave feedback to this post. Any other thoughts from anyone on the idea of the conference, as well–let me know!

–Maureen

Hermes Award

Many important things have been happening in northern Indiana in the last month or two, including the NWIBRT Awards and Build Indiana Conference (more on those later!). Aside from those happenings, the biggest news around the Building Indiana News office right now is that we’ve won a 2008 Hermes Award. This marks the eighth award that Diversified Marketing has won since Building Indiana News began three years ago. We’ve never won a Hermes award before, and we were excited. We plan to keep doing whatever we can to publish a creative, useful business tool for northern Indiana readers.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Hermes award, feel free to check out the awards page on our newly-renovated website. And thanks for your continued support of Building Indiana News!

–Maureen

Welcome to Building Indiana Blog!

Welcome to the brand-new Building Indiana News blog–BuildingIndianaBlog.com. This blog isn’t just for sharing our thoughts about cutting-edge news, workplace tips, and more. It’s also our way to connect with our readers. We want to know what you think about the goings-ons in northern Indiana. So take a look around, and share your thoughts with us.

–Maureen