Be sure to keep the http:// prefix in the address!

Click “open link in new tab” if you are linking to an external website. If you are linking to a page within your site, leave the box unchecked. That’s all you have to do!

PS – If you want to eliminate the link, simply highlight it and click the broken link icon. All done! (Be sure to click “Publish” or “Update” to make sure your changes are saved.)

The post How to add a hyperlink appeared first on Watershed Online Media.

The story in The Boston Globe broke my heart. Seventy-seven years after its founding, Windsor Button Shop — an iconic destination for anyone who sews, knits, or needs a geegaw to attach to a piece of clothing — is closing its doors.

I was a steady customer of Windsor from my first days as a new Boston resident, after being told by my West Virginia mother who once lived in Beantown, “Go to Windsor Button Shop. They have everything.” Every Saturday morning of my life, I left whatever apartment I lived in to travel to the garment district: first to buy fabric and a pattern for a Saturday night date at one of a few special textile merchants, and then to Windsor to purchase my “findings” — a sparkly zipper, a frog closure, mother of pearl buttons with rhinestone centers, silk ribbon and rayon tape.

In the process, I became friendly with a variety of textile and fiber arts providers in the neighborhood. The one who grabbed my heart the most was Sandler, the buttonhole maker. Located one floor above Windsor, Sandler’s shop was equipped with heavy-duty equipment designed to chew, bite, and hammer out customized buttonholes: regular box shapes, fancy keyholes, and even fancier corded designs. He shared with me — in his rich German accent — stories of being a boy during the union strikes, when his uncles sent him with bundles of clothing to run the picket lines and under the horses of the mounted Boston police. Some of his steadiest customers were clergy whose floor-length cassocks provided plenty of opportunity — at 25 cents per hole — for income.

What does this have to do with websites? Bear with me.

The story in The Globe indicates that the owners (newbies who had been at it for a mere 15 years after buying out previous owners) are closing their doors. An outpouring of emotion made its way to the Globe’s website from customers filled with happy memories, positive memories, a desire to keep the flame alive.

What’s wrong with this picture? Think about it. This business is throwing in the towel because the cost of rent on Main Street is too high. And yet it has a base of happy, loyal customers with nowhere to go other than — you guessed it — online. But Windsor Button isn’t going online. It’s just going away.

I am compassionate. Retail is a tough, tough business, and bricks-and-mortar retail is the toughest of all. But before giving up the ghost completely, why not transition your business to an online profile? If you have maintained a mailing list of your loyal customers, you have a great place to start. Sure, it’s a pain to have to learn all about shipping regulations and to stockpile an inventory of puffy bags, boxes, labels, and so forth.

But if you have a legacy business, give it a shot online. And don’t cut the thread just yet.

The post Did Windsor Button Shop have to die? appeared first on Watershed Online Media.

• Technology Changes, and so do we! As Internet protocols, devices, and web languages change, websites must keep up, or risk becoming antiques. A good example of this is evolvement in the size and pixel density of today’s computer screens. When I began working on websites back in the Ice Age (about 1996! I just took a look at one of my first attempts using the fun and wonderful “Wayback Machine“), the typical computer screen was 640 X 480 pixels–less than a quarter of many screens today. Sites designed for such small screens would look laughable today (as my first attempts are). Since this change is ubiquitous, we want you to keep up!

• Browsers Change Too! When I first started building sites we were developing for “Mosaic” and “Netscape”. Today, Chrome appears to be leading the pack, but browsers change on a very rapid basis–providing new developments and opportunities. We try to keep up with these modifications so as to make sure that you have the most modern site we can provide!
• Security. WordPress, when initiated by us for your website, is quite safe from security exploits. We don’t install Plug-ins which could compromise security and we make sure everything is up-to-date, with the very newest stable WordPress installation available. However, as time goes on, any software installation becomes more vulnerable to security violations. It is important that WordPress be updated on a regular basis in order to maintain this high level of security that you expect. Generally, this should be done every year or two.
• SEO Optimization. We ensure that your site is constructed in an SEO-friendly manner and will be readily available to the most popular Search Engines. However, Search Engines change and  WordPress SEO techniques evolve, so we must evolve also.
• Business change, and your website needs to change with you. Sometimes, this may be as simple as creating a new page or post, or modifying existing content, but we have found that many clients’ business require more than just minor adjustments to reflect their rapidly changing business strategies. If your website doesn’t reflect these changes, then you are missing opportunities.

OK, so that’s my pitch for keeping up with your website maintenance! But there is one final reason…money. Websites which are kept up on a regular basis are fairly simple and inexpensive to update. If you wait too long, those minor maintenance upgrades become more difficult, sometimes requiring expensive repairs. (Sound familiar?) So look at keeping your website updated as similar to oil changes for your car. They’re a pain I know, but the consequences of ignoring them can become a much bigger pain.

Proper website maintenance can become your friend!

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If people are thinking and talking Oscar lingo, you need to find a way to capture the spirit and write relevant website content that taps in to these popular keywords. It may seem like a stretch for you to connect Beasts of the Southern Wild to your own business, but there’s a way.

For example, I just did it. I mentioned two Academy-award nominated films. And in fewer than three paragraphs, I mentioned five popular Oscar buzzwords. Make that six.

Naturally, your website content can’t be peppered with unnatural, gratuitous references. Search engines smell a rat a mile away. But let’s say you are an interior designer. You might find it natural and genuine to write, “Ever since the Stephen Spielberg movie ‘Lincoln’ was released, we have been getting a lot of requests for decor reflective of that period in history…”

…Or if you are a museum, historic home, or other institution whose collections or mission ties in with abolition, slavery, presidential history, etc., why not share your thoughts on how the Lincoln film is stirring up renewed interest or conversations among your patrons?

…Or if you are in the mental health or counseling professions, your reflections on the impact of Silver Linings Playook could help flag search engines that you are on top of an important dialogue within your own community.

The point is, you can’t fake it. But if you are connected to popular culture and trending news, you have an award-winning opportunity to connect YOUR world with that of the world at large, and to climb up the search engine ladder in the process.

The post What you and Oscar have in common appeared first on Watershed Online Media.

The term “browser” refers to the software application that makes it possible for you to see websites on the Internet. Browser software comes installed on your computer: the standard (or “default”) browser for PCs is Internet Explorer, made by Microsoft; the standard for Macs is Safari.

Browser software is updated on a fairly regular basis. If you are using the original browser that came with your computer when you purchased it, you should upgrade or switch on a regular basis to ensure that your pages load and display quickly and properly. If you don’t upgrade on a regular basis, you will encounter strange page layouts such as text running off the page, distorted images, broken links, and more.

There are many other browser applications available, most of which can be used on both PCs and Macs. There are three browsers which can be used on both Macs and PCs. Firefox is by far the best known and most popular. Other browsers that have found favor with regular internet users are Opera and Google Chrome. Safari works only with Macs; Internet Explorer works only with PCs.

To get a better understanding of how browsers work and which version is currently installed on your computer, check out What Browser?, a friendly little site developed by the folks at Google. Easy to understand and totally impartial, the site provides links to several popular browsers, and includes how-to videos that are both informative and entertaining.

The post Why and how to update your website browser appeared first on Watershed Online Media.

One of my favorite holiday treats is a festive Italian-style raisin bread studded with sultanas, pistachios, and citron. I add a unique “Amesbury” touch by slathering the dough with a helping of Cider Hill Farm Apple Butter before rolling it up and placing it on the baking sheet.

The recipe produces an extremely large, round loaf, and I have found that the best way to serve this size and shape is to cut the loaf in half, and to cut each of the halves in half (resulting in four quarters). This is how “Smiley” was born. I did my usual maneuvers with the knife, and when I turned one of the quarters right-side up, its sweet face looked up at me with an expression that begged, “Please don’t eat me!”

Sorry, no can do. We held off as long as we could, but eventually Smiley met his/her maker with a kiss of Kerrygold butter and a cup of tea. A yummy reminder that you should always try to look at things from more than one perspective. They might just look back at you!

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