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While using the Tweetie 2 Twitter client on my iPhone a couple of weeks ago, I realized the app developer saw fit to include the option of using any URL shortening service I might desire if the shortening service provided an appropriate API.

API stands for Application Programming Interface. An API allows software to interact with other software. Twitter clients use the Twitter API to implement features of Twitter and access tweets, Twitter uses the Bit.ly API to shorten links using the Bit.ly service, and we have made creative use of various APIs on sites like Columbus College of Art and Design (which uses the Google Calendar API to power its deep set of event and news listings).

Since dynamIt already has a URL shortener built into our site, all we needed was a suitable API. I was able to use the existing scripting to generate and store the shortened URL, and only needed to adjust how the shortened URL was returned for suitable API use.

TinyURL has set a precedent for the simplest response possible—just the new shortened URL. Try calling the following action in your browser where [URL] is the URL you would like to shorten:

http://dynamit.us/url/api.dT?url=[URL]

The response will be the resulting shortened dynamit.us URL in plain text. You can optionally include the title of the page whose URL you are shortening as well:

http://dynamit.us/url/api.dT?title=[TITLE]&url=[URL]

While this simple plain text response can be interpreted by most applications, some developers may prefer a Bit.ly / JSON style response that looks something like this:

{ "shortUrl": "http://dynamit.us/222" }

If so, just add the URL variable “json=true” to the API call (with or without the optional [TITLE] variable):

http://dynamit.us/url/api.dT?json=true&url=[URL]

The Tweetie 2 application I use on my iPhone will accept either format. In Tweetie 2, go to Settings > Services > URL Shortening > Custom and enter:

http://dynamit.us/url/api.dT?url=%@

Or if you want to use the Bit.ly / JSON format just for fun:

http://dynamit.us/url/api.dT?json=true&url=%@

Tweetie recognizes “%@” as where it should include the URL in the API call. Now whenever I am tweeting from my phone and want to include a URL, Tweetie will automatically use the dynamit.us URL shortener to shorten the link for me!

Are there other places where you might like to use our URL shortener?

We live in an economy where the currencies of attention and network often need to be spent before the currency of cold hard cash comes in. In other words, the marketplace has redefined value and realigned the engagement chain.

Whether you’re a Fortune 100 or a Fortune 100,000, your product, service and brand is competing in an attention economy where business executives and end-consumers alike are making decisions where to spend their attention.

So, the question for your website becomes “How does this thing help us engage the right attention?”.

Evolving a website into a tool that drives your Key Performance Indicators – namely  leads and sales — is not so much about technology as it is behaviors, initiative and tactics. Clients and consumers are seeking their own information. They have and demand access. They are doing their own research, getting smarter on industries, best practices, potential partners/vendors and creating shortlists based on what they find and hear. Their time is valuable - RFPs no longer go out to 50, but five.

Your website and the experience you create won’t replace your service/product/actual engagement. However, it can work to position your organization, integrate you into a client or partner’s consumption stream, allow them to get smart before either party spends time and money on a meeting or collateral, and in the end, puts you on the shortlist where digital choice meets the street.

Of particular utility:

• Blog - A current blog serves multiple purposes. The existence of one, used correctly, shows activity. It can humanize a company, allow for interactions (through comments) and indicates a position in the flat communication environment. Content here, while it should be voiced consistently, need not go through the rigors of brand-speak.
• White Papers - While budgets are contracting, value and competency still wins. Developing white papers and making them available indicates thought leadership, active contribution to industry, and the creation of competitive intelligence. They are a differentiator.
• Tailored Contact Forms - Ditch the “mailto:” link and get away from a generic ‘Contact Us’ forms. If someone is going to voluntarily reach out to you, seize the opportunity and gather some specific information from them. What is your situation? Why are you interested in working with us? This begins your contact with the lead on a personal level - it’s about them - and also creates a warmer lead for whoever follows up from your end.
• Industry News - You’re not the only one doing what you’re doing, and they know that. Help them with their research and be tagged as the facilitator of their education by providing news on your industry. This shows a commitment to your craft, an understanding of the engagement chain and an active organization.
• Company News - Canned content developed by your marketing or PR group is great, but what have you done for anyone lately? Are you growing? Working on cool projects? Participating in industry conferences? Contributing to the community? Innovating? Company news shows a commitment to progress and desire to keep stakeholders up-to-date on what you’re doing.
• Account System - An account system – an online collaborative space for your clients/prospects - takes things a step further. Create accounts and post unique information for potential clients and partners. Customize the interface with their logo and centralize information for a pitch, RFP or diligence process. An account is created after initial contact, but can make a sales process much more individual and targeted. It gives buyers their own access to you.

All of these only matter if you commit the time needed to create and sustain each piece. Once deployed, if any of the options become stale, they will negatively impact digital presence and translate to your core brand and offerings.

An educated buyer dictates engagement and has more access than ever before. A value transaction must begin immediately as your targets assemble profiles and self-educate – removing a portion of your previous contact with them. Unique and personalized contact, valuable information and active outreach are the new norm in web presence. Without them, clients quickly step over your digital print piece on the internet sidewalk and look for the next option to compete for their business.

Originally published in Volume 6 Issue 12 of The Pursuit Group’s Newsletter

Over the past few years we’ve worked with dozens of different content management systems with varying levels of usability and workability. In a current engagement with a client we find ourselves having to learn yet another. Although this new system is actually very usable from a content editor’s point of view, it suffers from many of the following pitfalls.

5. Invalid XHTML

Writing valid XHTML enhances accessibility and sets your site up for forward compatibility. It is also the only way to ensure that your site will render correctly in all of today’s browsers and non-traditional devices. All code your developers write should be valid XHTML, expect nothing less from your CMS.

4. Missing or incorrect DOCTYPE

The DOCTYPE part of a document informs the browser what type of code is following and, as a result, how to render the page on the screen. It is not uncommon that a CMS automatically places a seemingly innocent copyright notice on the top of every page. What they may not realize is that unless the DOCTYPE is the very first thing on the page it does not take effect. This means that you could write perfectly valid XHTML code but because the DOCTYPE has been killed by your CMS, your site will not appear correctly in all browsers.

3. No RSS/XML support

XML/RSS is a great way to provide content. It allows users and other applications to pull in the data and use your content elsewhere, all the while linking back to your site. Today’s web is made up of streams in the form of news, events, status updates, etc. Your CMS should be able to participate in this form of sharing information.

2. No Support

A CMS is designed to only cover about 60 to 70% of updates necessary for maintaining a quality website, and even then no CMS is perfect. You will need help, whether it is design or development support for the site as a whole or dealing with the imperfections of your CMS.

1. Messy URLs

Your choice www.dynamit.us/index.php?action=content.display&id=7478&category=1212 or www.dynamit.us/services/web-development. There are tons of good reasons to want clean URLs: more user-friendly when linking, keyword-rich and good for SEO, indicative of a user’s place within a site architecture. The technology is there to make it happen, but your CMS has to be able to handle it.

Want to see what we’re talking about for yourself? Shoot us a note at info@dynamit.us to schedule a walk-through of our dCMS 5.0.

Clients often ask me what technologies and platforms they should invest in when it comes to open information exchange, socialization of business functions and internal and external communication.

This question is a good thing.

1) It means they are thinking about it. It means that they are trying to understand what is important now, and what will be important in the future. They are thinking about the economics of purchase, implementation, training and meaningful use.

2) It means that they are aware of trends and modern web history.There are peaks and valleys when it comes to networks, platforms and technology. MySpace and Friendster were all the rage, and now Facebook and Twitter are top-of-mind (though keep a heads up for MySpace as they begin to evolve).

My advice is always simple: Invest in behavior. All generations (not just those entering the work force) have a thirst for information. Twitter and Facebook are where interaction is taking place right now, but we are seeing status updates, posts and information becoming more independent from these platforms. I can publish an update to Twitter, Facebook, my blog, my Tumblr and LinkedIn in one submission. The behaviors of status reporting, commenting, micro updates and content sharing are not going away. Can anyone really anticipate which network will be hot or what technology will be ‘in’ ? My answer is no. However, what most in the industry can and will agree on is behaviors of updating and expectations of access to real-time information and domain experts is only just beginning.

So, invest in it. Figure out how to foster a culture of information exchange coupled with productivity. Find out how your people work best and how the behaviors described above can positively impact their workflow. Utilize current technologies and platforms, but concentrate on how information and publication/consumption behaviors can be analyzed and perpetuated for the good of your people and your clients.

The technologies will live and die, but the behavior will only become more core to how we all interact with the information economy that is the undercurrent of society.

It’s time to upgrade, folks.

We’re not talking about signing up for Facebook or downloading the latest version of Tweetdeck for your iPhone. We’re not talking about pushing all of your data to the cloud (the city of Los Angeles only did for 30,000+ employees) or replacing your networked tower computer with an iPad.

When we say upgrade, we’re talking about moving into the current decade with the latest and greatest version of your browser.

You know how some people say eyes are the window to the soul? Well your browser is the window to the internet [read: world].

We [dynamIt] and our industry brethren who work days (and nights) to create and deliver efficient, usable, beautiful work to our clients and their clients politely ask [demand] that you upgrade. Now.

Your browser - be it Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari or Chrome (current usage statistics) - is a tool. Its job is to interpret the code and design that we create and express them to you. In contemporary web, the expression of images and text is coupled with functionality and usability. When you mouse over something, it may move or change color. When you click, things happen. In progressive web applications you may see things happening without the entire page refreshing. Movement, images, video, data collection and distribution - all through cool and attractive interfaces. The capabilities of contemporary web truly are amazing. We [the people who think about and make things for the interwebz] very much want to continue delivering these tools and experiences to you.

However, WE NEED YOUR HELP. You see, the older versions of your browsers weren’t built to help us deliver the experiences we are capable of and that you expect. And, when we can finagle our code to make things work, it greatly increases development time (I’m talking hours and hours and hours to ensure compatibility across all of the different versions and types).

The biggest perp is Internet Explorer 6. Honestly, Microsoft will discontinue support for IE6 (commonly run in corporate and educational environments) in July. It was an Internet Explorer security hole that led to the most recent Google attacks. Google is no longer supporting IE 6 for some of it’s most important applications and websites. We all know and respect Google. Please, follow their lead.

So, please, help us out!

• Beg your IT department to upgrade the browsers on your network.
• Plead with your schools to give you the tools you need to experience and consume information the way it’s intended.
• Insist that your spouse concede to learning a slightly new position for the refresh and home buttons when you jump versions.
• And, contribute to the cause yourself. Fire up your laptop or desktop and (generally) click ‘Help’ in your top menu. Look for updates and download them.

The internet is a great place to interact with information and accomplish both professional and personal tasks. As more tools move to web, we’ll continue to to be sure they are working properly and are easily accessed. All you need to do is be sure you’re ready and able to put them to good use!

Tell us - what’s the reason you (or your company) haven’t upgraded yet?

We work with some fantastic partners and clients. Their opportunities allow us to engage in some fascinating and meaningful work. Any time we have the opportunity to set the stage for even better results, we try to do that - whether it’s pre-project workshops, information sharing or this great blog post from Seth (a portion is below).

We like Seth’s blog, a lot. As always, everything should be taken in context. Give it a quick read!

How to be a great client

As a client, your job isn’t to be innovative. Your job is to foster innovation. Big difference.

Fostering innovation is a discipline, a profession in fact. It involves making difficult choices and causing important things to get shipped out the door. Here are a few thoughts to get you started.

• Before engaging with the innovator, foster discipline among yourself and your team. Be honest about what success looks like and what your resources actually are.
• If you can’t write down clear ground rules about which rules are firm and which can be broken on the path to a creative solution, how can you expect the innovator to figure it out?
• Simplify the problem relentlessly, and be prepared to accept an elegant solution that satisfies the simplest problem you can describe.
• After you write down the ground rules, revise them to eliminate constraints that are only on the list because they’ve always been on the list.
• Hire the right person. Don’t ask a mason to paint your house. Part of your job is to find someone who is already in the sweet spot you’re looking for, or someone who is eager and able to get there.

…. hop over to Seth’s blog and be sure to read the rest of his post. Great stuff: Original Source: Seth’s Blog