Looking Back: 30 Years of the World Wide Web

Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of the birth of the World Wide Web. 30 years ago, Tim Berners-Lee submitted his proposal titled “Information Management” to CERN, a European physics lab.

The proposal asks the reader how scientists would manage increasingly large projects in the future. The proposal outlines the answer to that question. Which is what, in just a couple of years, would become what we know as the World Wide Web: a connected system for sharing information that would lead us into a communication revolution.

Thirty years ago, computer network systems had already been running and growing for years. Emails, message boards, shared files, and emoticons were not a strange concept to many, but the internet as it is today didn’t begin to take shape until the World Wide Web was introduced.

Open source code made it possible for anyone to create websites or browsers, and these web pages, browsers, and hyperlinks made the information available easy to find and easy to navigate.

The internet has reshaped itself in the last 30 years, but there are some really great memories of the World Wide Web of the past that we still are amused at, influenced by and have learned from.

This is just a short list of some of the influential sites and tech that has put us where we are today.

LiveJournal

One of the first variances of a social network was LiveJournal, a blog site where users could debate in comments as well as post original content, from writing pieces like fiction and poetry to visual art. LiveJournal still exists but is now owned by a Russian media company, with most of its original users scattering to Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and other social platforms.

Flickr

Photo sharing site Flickr was one of the web’s first forays into photo sharing since platforms like Friendster and MySpace were not photo-focused. The simple online gallery was a great platform for both pros and amateurs without the noise of other platforms that was the typical fare for sites in the early 2000s.

Amazon

Originally an online bookstore, Amazon was not always the giant retail/tech/entertainment conglomerate that it is today. Though it did take down some major bookstore chains early on, it was hard to predict that Amazon would become the phenomenon it is today.

CSS

Cascading Style Sheets or CSS made it easy to learn how to create usable and attractive webpages, separating HTML from how a page looks. CSS also allows you to inspect a site’s code, and with that function, you’re able to change just about anything with a small edit to the code.

Yahoo

Yahoo is one of the longest surviving search engines, and even with a dwindling influence, to this day remains a top visited website. Search engines really built the web, and Yahoo was a major player, bringing users news, sports, market reports, and email all in the same space.

eBay

eBay lingers in the strange space between a free-for-all like Craigslist and the more organized Amazon storefront. eBay is the go-to place for buying just about anything you could want (most of the time used) online, and the mass of items in the site’s catalog is still as obscure, useful to just about anyone, but also just as downright weird as it was at its inception.

Internet Archive

Internet Archive is exactly what it sounds like, an archive of the internet itself. Take a trip back in time to see just what the web looked like in years past. In Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine you can check out the 349 billion web pages that the archive has stored, and reminisce about internet days-gone-by.

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Jaw-dropping Company Headquarters

Company benefits are reaching beyond insurance and vacation time and are moving into a revolution of the actual workspace. Everyone has the image of Google and Amazon’s headquarters in their mind; with dog parks, rainforests and nap pods galore, but that isn’t the only innovative space in the business world. From themed rooms to sustainability, these companies have some of the most exciting office spaces around.

Warby Parker

Glasses brand Warby Parker not only has a love for fashionable glasses but for books as well. Their Manhattan headquarters offers employees access to a library, a reading room, and of course, reading glasses. Read about the space and how employees like it here.

Dropbox

Cloud storage solution company Dropbox has worldwide offices, but their San Francisco headquarters, designed by Rapt Studio is an innovative space that allows for collaboration, quiet individual work, and a “neighborhood” set up to cater to the needs of each team. See a photo compilation of the office here.

Casper

New York City-based mattress company Casper was recently renovated and redesigned by FLOAT Studio, to create a workplace that fit in with the brand identity. The office includes sustainable construction, flexible meeting spaces and even nap pods. See the space here.

Sonos

Sonos’ Seattle headquarters bills itself as the “greenest commercial building in the world”, and based off of this GeekWire feature, it may be the most musical as well.  This modern and sleek office space make using the word headquarters the wrong descriptor though, as the company has a slew of conference rooms to meet with other Sonos “headquarters” around the world.

Squarespace

If you’ve built a website using Squarespace you know that the platform is simple but modern, and the company’s New York City offices follow the same formula. Built to be the most functional space for both collaborative and individual work, all without sacrificing design and comfort. See the office here and here.

Epic Systems Corporation

Medical software company Epic is aptly named, and the word epic can be used to describe almost everything about the company, especially when it comes to their headquarters. The Verona, Wisconsin campus is a grand adventure, with themed rooms, individual offices for every employee, a gorgeous view of the surrounding farmland, and an Indiana Jones styled hallway. See the campus here, and check out this video tour for a more in-depth look.

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5 Rebranding Fails

Rebranding any company can be tricky business, and there is no guarantee you will always get it right. These five companies are proof of that. Check out some of the most hated, most ridiculously expensive, and most cringe-worthy rebranded and redesigned looks in recent branding history.

Tropicana Orange Juice- Underestimating brand loyalists

In 2009, Tropicana decided to change their look by offering what they thought was a sleek and sophisticated design ready for the modern market. After two months of the redesigned packaging being on shelves, sales had dropped 20%, meaning a loss of 30 million dollars. The design and campaign and the loss in sales cost the company more than 50 million dollars.  But why did it fail? Customers reported a deep emotional bond with the original packaging, and when the rebranding occurred, they found what they called the “ugly” design to be too close to generic brands or store brands and also worried that the product itself had changed, not just to look of the packaging. Read more about the Tropicana branding failure here.

Pepsi- $1 million for a complicated process

Pepsi Logo

Pepsi Logo (2009)

The logo itself released in 2009 wasn’t unsightly in the least, but the cost to end up with the final product seemed unjustifiable, especially if you look at the overly complicated design document for the project which talks about “Pepsi’s gravitational pull”, balanced energy fields and “numerical harmony”.  Pepsi’s logo has been changed about once every ten years, but their competitor Coca-Cola has hardly ever changed their logo.

Gap- the Gap in the gradient

Gap Logo

Gap Logo (failed redesign, 2010)

During the holiday season of 2010, a silent and disastrous event took place. Gap had launched a new, crowd-sourced logo (estimated to cost about $100 million)  to replace the original 20-plus year old one. The logo (bold black font to spell Gap with a blue gradient square) began to generate negative buzz in the design community and after only six days, Gap was back to using the tried and true original logo.

MasterCard- the color blob

Mastercard Logo (1996)

Mastercard Logo (2006)

MasterCard’s logo is one that is instantly recognizable, from the overlapping circles to their brand’s color scheme. There was, however, a time when the logo was not so attractive. In 2006, the two circles were marred with an off-center and out of focus third circle in between, with the name of the corporation “Mastercard Worldwide” (formerly Mastercard International) underneath it. From a design perspective, this short-lived logo looked rushed and sloppy, a far cry from the current iteration.  

BP- from green to black

BP logo prior to 2000 redesign

BP logo (2000)

In 2000, BP’s mission was to project their appearance of “green growth” which led the petroleum company to set forth and redesign their logo to reflect that. The green Helios sunburst which became the new face of the company had a rumored rollout cost of $211,000,000. When the logo was first released it was not well responded to, and it took time for the uproar and negative reviews to die down. Things stayed quiet for a while, but in 2010, the “green” company was responsible for what is considered the largest marine oil spill in industry history: Deepwater Horizon. For a company trying to promote themselves as “green” in an inherently not industry, this incident only furthered the outrage.

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TED Talks: The Best of TED for Business, Tech, Marketing and More

Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. If you talk about what you believe, you will attract those who believe what you believe.”

Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius

“I think it’s better if we encourage our great creative minds to live.”

Richard St. John: 8 Secrets of Success

“TEDsters do have fun working. And they work hard. I figured, they’re not workaholics. They’re workafrolics.”

Elon Musk: The Mind Behind Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity …

“Through most of our life, we get through life by reasoning by analogy, which essentially means copying what other people do with slight variations. And you have to do that. Otherwise, mentally, you wouldn’t be able to get through the day. But when you want to do something new, you have to apply the physics approach. Physics is really figuring out how to discover new things that are counterintuitive, like quantum mechanics. It’s really counterintuitive. So I think that’s an important thing to do, and then also to really pay attention to negative feedback, and solicit it, particularly from friends. This may sound like simple advice, but hardly anyone does that, and it’s incredibly helpful.”

Tony Robbins: Why We Do What We Do

“My invitation to you is: explore your web, the web in here — the needs, the beliefs, the emotions that are controlling you, for two reasons: so there’s more of you to give, and achieve, too, but I mean give,because that’s what’s going to fill you up. And secondly, so you can appreciate — not just understand, that’s intellectual, that’s the mind, but appreciate what’s driving other people. It’s the only way our world’s going to change.”

David Carson: Design and Discovery

” ‘Don’t mistake legibility for communication.’ Just because something’s legible doesn’t means it communicates. More importantly, it doesn’t mean it communicates the right thing. So, what is the message sent before somebody actually gets into the material?”

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7 Hacks To Becoming Instagram Famous

Instagram is undeniably one of the largest social media platforms in the world. With some of the highest returns on engagement and reach,  having a strong Instagram page can be a game changer for brands and businesses. Here are a few hacks on how to get an influential account.

Develop A Unique Instagram Style

One of the biggest difficulties is being to find your specific niche. Standing out on in a sea of Starbucks unicorn frappuccinos and scenic sunsets isn’t the easiest, but try. Be fresh, be fun, be you!

Descriptive Captions

Long detailed and well written captions highly increase engagement. Storytelling is an art, and coupled with great photos it has given brands like @NatGeo and @HumansOfNY a cutting edge. This won’t work for all brands but for those with a strong and definitive voice this could be the added boost.

Creative Hashtagging

Twitter might have popularized hashtags but Instagram has taken it to the next level. Each picture should have a mix of both broad and specific hashtags to generate the most reach. Take those specific hashtags created for you or your business and promote them as you would your tagline. Have hashtags on your website, social media bio etc, make them a part of your brand.

Bio URL

Instagram has only ONE coveted direct link on its entire page and it can be found in the bio. Where do you want your followers and potential customers to go? What do you want them to do? Feel free to change the link often to see what works best and to add variety.

Participate in Relevant Conversations

You don’t have to keep up with all the new dance moves and new unicorn trends, but keeping up with industry specific news is important. Keeping up with trends can get a bit exhausting, but a little extra snooping can lead to free PR by riding the coattails of a viral new trend!

Get Local

Making a big splash is easiest in small ponds. Reach out to local businesses, creatives, and markets. Networking with local industry professionals is great for marketing, making connections and gaining clout!

Influencer Marketing

Last but not least let’s not forget the latest and biggest marketing trend, influencer marketing. It’s one of the easiest and most targeted ways to reach your audience. Find Instagramers that have influence in specific demographics you’re looking to reach and let them do the work for you!

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Steve Renner Talks Rebranding

Join Steve Renner as he discusses trends in marketing, technology and  business. This episode focuses on creating an effective brand through rebranding. Watch it below.

Steve Renner has been involved in Internet Marketing since the ‘first days’ of the Internet. Technology has changed a great deal since he started, but Steve continues to be at the technological forefront. He continues to bring products to help your business.

Apart from being an Internet marketing pioneer, Steve is also passionate about writing. He has contributed chapters to books by Brian Tracy, Jack Canfield and Richard Branson, so that he can share his insights into a successful life with you.

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Best Marketing Apps for Small Business

Larger enterprises have the luxury of having several hands on deck helping with different aspects like marketing or sales. However, we all know that small business owners wear different hats, sometimes all of the hats. In order to streamline processes for busy entrepreneurs and small business owners here is a list of free easy to use apps to help with online marketing.

Asana

Asana is a platform designed to help businesses track work from projects, to conversations, to diversified notification types. The app is a dream for all the multitasking entrepreneurs that delegate or need to delegate work with their team. Streamlined processes and transparent work flow are some favorite features.

Google (Docs/Messenger)

Google Docs is a one of the most efficient ways for teams to share content. From slides, spreadsheets, documents, email and messenger Google is the one stop shop. Business partners and employees can collaborate and chat all in real time.

Facebook Pages Manager

Facebook is currently one of the biggest and cheapest ways to market your business online. Having a business page that is active and engaged is imperative for your business. The Facebook app is a simple and convenient way for keeping on top of scheduled posts, and answering direct messages from customers in a timely manner.

Twitter

Twitter has been having a pretty tumultuous time in the social media realm but don’t let that deter you. One of the fastest ways to go viral, easiest ways to be engaged with your audience, and staying in touch with current events is still Twitter. The app is one of the easiest to use with great UI/UX and a small learning curve.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the place to be especially if you run a B2B business. Although it can be difficult to reach an outside market, and despite ads being a bit pricey, LinkedIn is one of the most reputable social media platforms. It brings a large sense of legitimacy, and can help you find targeted leads. The app can have a bit of a learning curve but is manageable after a few uses.

Instagram

Instagram is one of the fastest growing social media platforms right now. In the past few years they have added features that include business pages, live video sharing, and simple searchability. It’s a great place to showcase company branding and culture all in a sleek and clean app that’s extremely user friendly.

Fiverr

Fiverr is for all the entrepreneurs that sometimes need to outsource some duties. It’s an amazing marketplace to find nearly every kind of serve for your business for literally any price range. The website and app can be a little confusing to maneuver at first, as there are quite a few moving parts, but it’s well worth it.

Canva

Canva is made to help all the design challenged entrepreneurs create practical, aesthetically pleasing and professional looking images for social content, print material or email blasts. Canva has created templates for beginners and opened up a platform with enough artistic freedoms to those with a better understanding of design, or those who want to to learn.

MailChimp

MailChimp is one of the world’s largest email marketing services. Email marketing is still considered one of the top tools in the marketing world, and MailChimp makes the process of sending out those campaigns easier than ever. With an easy to navigate website and app, Email marketing is made accessible even for beginners.

Mashable

Mashable is one of my favorite websites for keeping your ear to the ground as it relates to all things business, tech, social media, popular culture and where they all collide. Keeping up with the times is a great way to stay ahead of popular trends, find curated content and stay engaged with your customers.

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6 Free Tools To Improve Your Marketing

Marketing tools can be expensive, so when you find a good one that works and it’s free you’ve really hit the jackpot. These are some favorite tools that will help you to improve your marketing without breaking the bank!

Buffer

If you use social media as part of your marketing strategy, take control of all of your pages in one place. Schedule posts, post to all of your pages from one central dashboard, and use all of Buffer’s other tools to create and share beautiful and effective content.

Hootsuite

If Buffer isn’t for you, Hootsuite is a great alternative. Free for your first three profiles, you can schedule, share, create ad campaigns and find insights and analytics all together on the Hootsuite control panel.

Canva

Without design experience it can be difficult to create imagery that really shines. With Canva’s features you can edit, add text, and add fun elements to your photos, as well as create framework for websites, create badges or nametags, and handle tons of other design needs.

Google Analytics

The internet giant does just about everything, and when it comes to analytics, Google is the standard. See the whole picture of how your brand is doing. Gain an overall understanding of your audience and how they access what you do. APIs, data importing and new data collection,  complete with many more customizable features give you the tools you need to understand the results you are getting.

Medium

If you are looking for a place to publish blogs and don’t want to build out an entire website, head over to Medium. With tons of writers and topics, it’s not only a great place to read and learn, but an excellent way to get more attention on your posts and start gathering up an even bigger audience. The interface is easy to use, which means that your pieces don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Piktochart

Infographics are one of the best ways to boost your engagement is to make infographics that your audience cares about. In fact, infographics are liked and shared three times more than any other content. But if you aren’t a designer, it can be difficult to create an infographic that looks great and holds all of your information. Piktochart’s user friendly interface helps you organize, design and make your infographics look as professional as possible.

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Things To Consider Before Rebranding

Don’t let shiny new logos distract you, rebranding can be a long and tedious journey. Rebranding is a process that recreates a business or organization’s identity from the inside out. It changes who you are to the world, so foresight and creativity have to go hand in hand. If your business or organization is thinking of or in the process of rebranding, here are some things to consider in no particular order.

Why Rebrand

There is no one size fits all rebranding. There are many reasons that organizations decide to rebrand, and those diverse reasons will dictate approach. Whether you are changing customer landscape, adding competitive edge, or cleaning up bad PR, it’s important to choose a plan of action that fits the reasoning. Get specific, make tangible plans and consider recruiting the help of a branding agency if need be.

What Is Success  

No one can get to where they need to be if they don’t have a clear definition of what and where that is. Success can have many different faces and facets. What is your organizations looking to achieve with rebranding? What are you willing to invest in terms of time, money and resources? What kind of return is the organization expecting from that investment? Once you have a clear and defined end goal, try to set a few benchmarks along the way ensuring you stay on track.

Present

Do an inventory and find out where the current brand stands. There’s no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater! Find out what is working and how to extract the value and protect it. Make explicit lists of what’s staying, what’s going, as well as what’s changing and how. This will give the rebranding team clarity and guide strategy.

Strategy

Communication is the key of execution, great execution will excite your base and entice your new audience. Execution of new branding is a total balancing act. While promoting the shiny new brand it’s important to take time to re-educate the existing customer base about the new changes and ensure they aren’t being left behind, while still garnering excitement from those who are new to the brand.

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Useful Insights about How People View Websites and Mobile

Do you know what the first thing a user is drawn to on any given website? How about what the first thing a user will click on or skip over? Who doesn’t love a good eye-tracking study? With the ability to take a lot of guesswork out of conversion rate optimization, eye-tracking software and heat maps reveal startling insights into increasing conversions (and avoiding sales killers) that can benefit every business.

It may surprise you, but most people read websites and web content in a very specific pattern. Understanding this pattern may help you easily improve the usability and popularity of your website.

So, let’s go over 15 important eye-tracking studies that will give you a sneak peek into common browsing patterns and elements of human behavior that all marketers need to know.

Let’s take a look!

1. Text attracts more attention than pictures.

2. People start viewing your website from the top left corner.

3. Readers ignore banners.

4. Fancy fonts are ignored.

5. People only scan the lower parts of your website.

6. Short paragraphs work better than long ones.

7. Ads, that are placed on the top or left part of your website, get the most views.

8. Ads, that are placed inside or below an awesome piece of content, get more views.

9. Big pictures attract more attention than small ones.

10. Also headlines draw attention.

11. Visitors spend more time looking at menus and buttons than other parts of your website.

12. Lists are better at keeping your reader focused than large paragraphs.

13. Some people even completely ignore large chunks of text.

14. White space is good!

15. Menu works best when placed in the top part of your website. 

5 Facts on How People View Mobile Web:

1. The reader’s attention is focused more on the top left corner of a screen.

2. Keep your content short & simple. Reading long paragraphs needs concentration, which is something that mobile users don’t have.

3. Users pay most attention on the top 2/3 of the screen.

4. Mobile phone users absorb visuals more than text or content. (But if an image doesn’t supplement your content, you can do away with it).

5. Short, but hard-hitting headlines draw more attention. Make your headlines count.

Read more about how to make user-friendly mobile website here.

There you go. Some points from this list are pretty basic and elementary (perhaps obvious), but a good reminder never hurts. So the next time when you’re writing an awesome piece of content, or building your new website, keep these points in mind.

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