Many merchants looking into adding an ecommerce channel to their retail business are experiencing sticker shock.  Various changes in the online space contribute to higher than expected costs of doing business online. While it is still considerably less expensive to set up and operate an ecommerce store than a physical retail space, it is helpful to look at the whole picture to get a sense of what the costs of ecommerce consists of and why they are such.

The much anticipated follow up to last year's Drupal Camp Atlanta is right around the corner.  And the current line up of speakers looks to be a real winner.

We're excited to be attending and learning about hot topics like Drupal 8, Commerce and other cool tools.

If you are going to be in Atlanta Oct 19-20, you should attend.

For details: https://www.drupalcampatlanta.com

Sometimes we get a design that goes off without a hitch but often times something holds our project up. It can be on the client end, our end, or just a simple miscommunication. Neither party enjoys setbacks and of course the client and the designer want to have the website up and running as quickly as possible. Here are some great tips to get your site online and looking the way you want.  1. Have a clear idea of how you want your site to look OR Have 2-3 examples of sites that you like the look and feel of. Often times a project slows down when it comes to the design phase.

And a Few Great Suggestions

The most fundamental component in choosing the right content management system ( CMS ) for your project, is understanding your needs.  Choosing a CMS is a lot like picking a tool out of your toolbox, depending on what you are trying to build, different tools provide more value.  Are you trying to build a fast, inexpensive "Corporate Presence" or blog?  Do you have many different types of content with unique properties?  Do you need a shopping experience or ecommerce?  Are you building a social network?

Your Website is built using sophisticated software that, like any other software, must be maintained and updated to ensure security and optimal performance.

Every day, hackers and malicious software are exploiting security flaws in Websites.  Some of these attacks make the news, most do not.  

When new security threats are discovered, the maintainers of the software used to create your Website release updates to patch these vulnerabilities.

Not updating your site leaves it open to vandalism, data loss, or worse, attacks on visitors.  

Today's Websites are a complex symphony of different technologies that depend on vast ecosystem of services and systems working together in harmony.  Like every piece of complex technology, you must maintain your Website to ensure proper function and reduce exposure to security risks.  Technology and security are constantly evolving, without a proactive strategy, eventually the code that makes your Website work will soon leave you verlnerable.

When your Website doesn't work the way it is supposed to, your company looks bad and your visitors go elsewhere.  

Building an ecommerce site has become remarkably trivial over the last five years.  The proliference of open source shopping carts and turn-key merchant processing means that retailer can now run a powerful retail Website.   This combination is intoxicating as smaller merchants have rushed to compete with Internet Goliths like Amazon.  The idea of a 24 hour sales machine can make the average small business owner salivate.

Dear Stephen,

Thank you for donating to the Wikimedia Foundation. You are wonderful!

It's easy to ignore our fundraising banners, and I'm really glad you didn't. This is how Wikipedia pays its bills --- people like you giving us money, so we can keep the site freely available for everyone around the world.

Had a great time at Drupal Camp Atlanta 2012.  There were just too many great sessions to attend and it was challenging to narrow down.  After check-in, I settled in to the keynote from Josh Clark of Global Moxie, who you might recognize as the creator of Big Medium.  I did at least, and he was nice enough to trade hellos afterwards. Sessions Attended: