Heathbits - Latest Blog Entries

Doodlekit New Release: New Feature Notes

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 11:04:00 -0600

Three years of development on our free website builder have finally come to a head. We are close to pushing out our beta version. Hopefully within a month or so after that, the new release will roll out. I appreciate everyone's patience as we never anticipated the burst of technology changes that happened in such a short time with HTML5, CSS3 & mobile phone/pad/tablet devices. Several times we had to roll back to accommodate new standards that people and industry were changing to. Not a problem, but it does push things back on the timeline. We made most of our decisions to slow down and upgrading the tool instead of pushing forward a less powerful & compliant tool.

The new release has many new features. So many, in fact, that it is almost a complete rewrite of the entire system. I will try and post information about the new features here to help inform our users of all the new and cool things they will be able to do with Doodlekit!

Just a quick overview of all the new features is as follows:

New Header Image & Slideshow Tools
Background Design Patterns & Tools
Major SEO Tool Improvements & Advances
Mutliple Layout Choices
Social Media Tools
Color Changing Tools
Huge Font Library
Icons And Tools To Manage Them
Template Libraries
Template Wizard To Help Create Your Own Templates
Template Building Tools

That is just a short quick list of some (not all) of the things we have in this release. I will give details to these in future posts.

SEO on Posterous - Why Is Google Not Ranking Posterous Sites?

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:15:00 -0500

A few days ago I had a friend contact me with a Posterous SEO question. For privacy concerns I will just call him 'Brad Smith'. Apparently about 6 months ago Brad had created a few Posterous blogs, Tumblr blogs, and Doodlekit blogs. He has blogged on all of them pretty regularly, and they each have about 12+ posts on them now.

The only problem is - none of his Posterous blogs are showing up in Google.

He asked if I knew why - I had no idea why. I told him I would look into it.

Searching For Brad's Posterous Blog

He was right - I did searches on his blogs and all of his Tumblr blogs came up and all of his Doodlekit blogs came up on the first page for some pretty specific keywords related to those specific blogs (example: 'Brad Smith' Posterous 'Name Of His Posterous Blog'). That should easily bring up your blog as #1 assuming your blog's name is pretty unique (which his are).

None of his Posterous blogs came up in the search results on Google - not even after going through 5 pages of search results. Ironically, links to his Posterous blog from other websites that used his blog's name in their link came up in the results, but his blog did not!

I did the same test using his Doodlekit and Tumblr blogs and they all came up #1 on Google. I ran those same searches again using Yahoo! search: His Posterous blogs came up #1!

Why Is Google Blocking Posterous Blogs In Searches?

Brad's blogs are very clean - he is doing absolutely nothing that would remotely cause Google to blacklist his sites. The content is unique and well written (he is a professional writer).

At first I thought maybe none of his blogs had been indexed by Google, but when I did a VERY specific search (example: 'Brad Smith' Posterous 'Name Of His Posterous Blog' 'Title Of One Of His Blog Posts') then his blog finally showed in the search results - but only because his blog was the only result showing!

The Posterous SEO Test On Google

So I decided to run some more tests. Maybe it wasn't just his blog on Posterous - maybe Google was doing this to all (or most) of the blogs on Posterous?

I did some pretty generic search tests on Google for Posterous websites and I was almost immediately stunned. Searches for very basic and simple subjects in combination with the word 'Posterous' did not bring up any Posterous blogs! Searches like: ( coupons posterous ), ( medicine posterous ), ( sports posterous ) brought up very few (if any) posterous blogs about those subjects! I did those same searches again on Google replacing 'Posterous' with 'Tumblr' and 'Doodlekit' and pretty much all of the search results brought up Tumblr and Doodlekit websites related to those subjects. What the heck ?????

A Specific Example: The Baby Posterous / Tumblr Search

To help prove my point, I did some search combinations based on the following words: ( baby posterous ) and ( baby tumblr ) using Google and Yahoo!. There are literally thousands of Tumblr & Posterous blogs created around babies so they should show up pretty easily for any search. Below are the results:

Baby Posterous on Google	Baby Tumblr on Google	Baby Posterous on Yahoo!	Baby Tumblr on Yahoo!

You will notice the first search ( Baby Posterous on Google ) doesn't show a single Posterous website in its search results (except for one video). The other 3 searches, however, list almost nothing but Posterous / Tumblr websites respectively (as it should).

Google - what the heck is going on with you and Posterous?

New Website Coming Soon: Site Ballot

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:47:00 -0500

Doodlebit has got a new tool rolling out soon - its called Site Ballot. Site Ballot will allow people to submit their websites for review by other users. Submitted websites will be processed by Doodlebit staff manually to verify they are real websites (not spam) and that the website are within our allowed guidelines.

If a site gets approval, it will then be posted along with user provided data: small website general description, its URL, a few tags, related social media links, etc. Each posted website will have a rating form associated with it that will allow visitors to vote on a variety of things about the website. Things like its content quality, how nice the design is, how easy it is to use, would they refer the site to other people, etc.

I will post another post once we figure out the release date and provide you with more information then. Stay tuned!

Get Your Small Business Profiled On The Web

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:59:00 -0600

Recently we asked one of our clients (Savvy B2B Marketing) to post some tips on how to generate traffic to Doodlekit small business websites. Since most of our revenue comes from small businesses it made sense to offer some advice on how to build thier website more effectively for SEO and online marketing. Today Heather Rubesch posted a new post on how blogging can increase traffic to your website on our Doodlekit blog. This post is the first of many more to come by Savvy B2B Marketing to help small business build up their websites. It will provide a step by step plan on how to do this over the next few months. If you follow this plan and your small business website's traffic increases significantly, you could be profiled on their B2B website (thus giving you even more exposure)! Check it out if you get the chance....

North American Van Lines Review: Bad Movers, Bad Moving Company

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:58:00 -0500

North American Van Lines Review - 3 weeks late plus they stole power tools, lawn equipment, DVDs & kitchen appliances. Horrible Company. I deeply regret using North American Van Lines as our moving company to move us from Kansas City to Seattle.

** START OF UPDATE **

Not only were they over 3 weeks late, but NAVL movers stole over $1000 worth of power tools, lawn equipment, DVDs and even our kitchen blender :(. We had insurance through them and they still refused to pay us back. Evidently, the burden of proving they stole something lies with you. As they packed all our stuff for us, there was no way we could prove anything was stolen. All our boxes were labeled pretty generic, like 'Garage'. Because our movers didn't label any boxes specifically 'Power Tools' they said we cannot prove we had any to begin with.

We have finally given up - its just not worth fighting anymore. I guess that is how they stay in business. They just wear you down.

** END OF UPDATE **

We signed a contract with North American Van Lines to have our belongings moved from Kansas City to Seattle 5 weeks before our actual move date of August 25^th 2011. Three days before our move was to begin, I received a call from their customer support explaining they were having trouble finding a driver to deliver our shipment by the 3^rd of September (our contracts deadline for delivery).

They asked me if I still wanted to proceed. It being only 3 days before I was supposed to be moved out of my home I didn’t feel like I had much of a choice. Who else was I going to find to deliver all our household belongings all the way to Seattle with only a 3 day notice? And at what extra cost if they could?

My wife, our three year old twin daughters, and I arrived at our new home in Seattle on August 31^st. I have called North American Van Lines every day since arriving to check on the status of our shipment. It is now almost two weeks late and still counting (even if they got a driver today, it would be another week for them to get here).

My biggest complaint is the robot/zombie customer service reps. I don’t blame them themselves – I am sure they are only repeating what they are told to say. I blame the lawyers and execs who I am sure are the ones who scripted their speeches and developed this wonderful, convoluted, run-around process. Every day my conversation goes like this:

Me: Can you tell me when our belongings will arrive?
northAmerican: We are sorry sir, but we do not have a driver at this time.
Me: Can you tell me when you might have one?
northAmerican: We cannot say.
Me: Can you tell me anything? Any idea when? A few days? A week? A month????
northAmerican: We cannot say how long. We do not have a driver at this time.

I wish I had looked at some North American Van Lines Reviews before picking them. The last few days I have asked to speak to a manager or a supervisor, only to be transferred to voicemail (4 times now). It is very apparent to me they do not care the slightest about our situation. There appears to be neither a sense of urgency nor any attempt of extra effort to remedy our situation. Their philosophy appears to be:

“You’ll get a driver when you get one. Until then, it sucks to be you.”

I have racked up almost $2000 on my credit card buying pots, pans, air mattresses, clothes, computers, etc. trying to just get by the last two weeks. I run my business from home. My entire home office is still in their truck somewhere in storage. There is a max, one-time reimbursement of $900 that North American Van Lines will pay back, but as you can see, that will hardly put a dent into what I will be paying out for this fiasco. Its only two weeks into it and I have already doubled it.

Here is what really upsets me: I know they can get a driver to drive our shipment – if they really wanted to. I don’t buy this whole helpless thing their customer reps are spinning. I am almost certain that if a friend of North American Van Line's General Manager was in this situation, it would be taken care of immediately.

But I am just a lowly customer who paid out almost $10K from my own pocket for this. This wonderful service and treatment. What do I know?

North American Van Lines Reviews

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Another Reason Not To Use Flash Websites

Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:30:00 -0600

Google announced its new Instant Previews today that provides a visual snapshot of your search results, so it's easier to choose the right one. In the fast paced world of search engine competition Google has latched onto the concept of: An image is worth a thousand search results.

Web design is now more important than ever. Soon users will browse through search results making decisions on which links to visit based off mere thumbnails of a site's homepage.

That being said, watch out if you have a Flash website or if you are thinking about getting one. Below is a picture of Google’s Instant Preview displaying my website in its search results:

Pretty cool, eh? Now look at the search results showing a ‘Flash Based’ website built with a popular Flash website builder:

Not so cool. Yet again, another reason not to build websites with Flash.

One might argue that this is only in ‘Beta’ testing and that this may not be a popular feature used by many users. I disagree. With high speed internet access becoming more and more available across the world, thumb shot previews of websites is the way of the future. Home page web design is now more important than ever. If you’re building websites using flash, you may lose the effectiveness of your search engine ranking because you have no thumb image for preview.

Doodlekit Promotes Free Teacher Websites

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:35:00 -0500

Doodlekit rolled out a new ad website today promoting itself as a free teacher websites tool. After having several teachers use Doodlekit as a resource for their students and their parents, we thought we would let others know how it is being used this way.

Doodlekit Now On Sortfolio

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:28:00 -0600

I've always been a big fan of 37Signals. They just recently came out with a new website: HayStack - A place where web designers and customers can meet up and work with each other. Check out Doodlekit's Listing.

Never seen anything like this before....

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:26:00 -0600

I don't think I have ever seen the USA map so cold as today. Wow...

Edamame: The Perfect Healthy Snack

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:51:00 -0600

I was just going to shoot my buddies an email about this, but then I thought, “Hey… why not just share it with everyone? I’m sure we aren’t the only health conscious people out there!” So I did.

Edamame is nothing more than dry roasted soy beans. Soy beans have always been a great source of protein and are used as meat replacements for many things. When I stumbled upon Edamame as a healthy snack I was shocked!

First it tastes great! How did I not know about this food? Everyone knows that fruits and vegetables are great snacks, but I hate vegetables, and fruits are high in sugar (yes, even natural sugars are not that great for you). Finding healthy snack foods that taste good is hard for me.

Second, it has good longevity. They are dry roasted and can last for months. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a pain to keep around because they go bad so quick. I can stock up on these in my office or car and they are always around for when I am working or traveling.

Third, they are high in protein (with low carbs and fat). For building muscles and staying lean, high protein foods have always been the preferred choice for athletes (or those just trying to stay in shape).

I used to snack on dry roasted almonds a lot (raw almonds are better for you, but I can’t stomach too many of them). But now, I only eat Edamame. Here are the Nutrition Facts for both so you can compare them. You will see that the Edamame is much better for you:

Edamame (1/4 cup):
Calories: 130
Protein: 13g
Total Fat: 4g
Carbs: 9g
(Sugars 1g)

Almonds (1/4 cup):
Calories: 180
Protein: 6g
Total Fat: 15g
Carbs: 5g
(Sugars 1g)

Anyway, there are two companies that I know of that make them: Seapoint Farms & Roland Feng Shui. You can usually find them in the ‘Asian’ section of any grocery store.

Enjoy!

Why I Don't Miss Corporate America

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:27:00 -0600

*complements of 37signals

Doodlekit Gets A New Design!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:20:00 -0600

Having bent over backwards for Doodlekit's new re-design I thought I would show it off :). It's valid XHTML and CSS as well as I focused on semantics. The code is super clean for the landing page. We use our own website builder & CMS for our website. Coding to a 'dynamic' CMS system is a lot more difficult than just making a static website. Hope everyone likes the new design.

Posterous announcement is posted here.

My Office Setup

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:16:00 -0500

Thought I would post a pic of where I work. I fixed up the office with:

New Shutter Windows
New Herman Miller Office Chair
New Ceiling Fans & Lights
New Floor Mat
New Foot Rest
New Wireless Mouse
New Speakear/Audio System
Custom Designed Doodlekit Poster
Custom Designed Desk I Made

Basically, the desk is nothing more than a small folding table with two heavy duty computer arms attached to each corner. The arm on the right holds my main laptop that has duel screens: The main monitor in the middle and the laptops screen itself. The other arm holds an older laptop that’s sole purpose is to display IE6. This laptop will soon be replaced with a mac notebook. Bolted to the back, out of sight, is a wood cubby I made to hold all cables and wires so they don’t layout on the floor.

Might not be the ‘Dream Office’ I want, but it works great and I am more than happy with it!

Fulfilling A Need Can Lead To A Great Idea

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:46:00 -0500

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Man, there’s got to be a better way to do this!” when you’re stuck working on something ‘you need’ to get done? Sometimes a little research reveals there is something available that will help you. Other times not. Those times when your needs are not being met are possible opportunities. The Best Ideas Come From Necessity explains why you might want to take a second look at some of your innovative thoughts.

Increase Sales By Giving Away Your Products For Free???

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:11:00 -0500

Yep, “free” is the new gateway to paying customers. Want to Sell Your Product? Give it Away for Free explains how allowing potential customers to “dip their toe in the pool” for free can lead to future sales and word-of-mouth marketing.

Building Personal Customer Relations

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:07:00 -0500

In a world ran by large corporations with excessively large advertising budgets, how is a small business supposed to survive. Growing Your Business by Getting Personal explains the power of effective personal relations with your clients.

Greyhound Adoptions of Florida

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Featured Doodlekit Website:

Greyhound Adoptions of Florida

Website Editor's Name:

Dave McGurgan

Date Website Went Live:

June 2008

Start Now To Turn Your Idea Into Reality

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:25:00 -0500

Have an Idea? Get it out there now! is a good blog post by Ben that explains how most people with good ideas for a startup or small business hold out to long on building their network. As soon as the idea pops in your head and you’re sold on the concept, you need to start building your network ASAP. The very first thing you should do is start working on gathering emails and other info so that you have a community to announce your new product whenever it is you finally do launch it.

New Doodlekit Billings System Allows Mutliptle Websites For One Account

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:24:00 -0500

Doodlekit pushed out a new billing system yesterday that now allows users to create multiple websites under one account. This means that accounts can be a mix of personal websites and business websites if desired, each having their own credit card if need be. Of course all websites can be charged to a single card if desired, but the option is now available to split those costs between multiple cards.

Posterous link to New Doodlekit Billing System Released.

Don't Let a Little Competition Stop You

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:46:00 -0500

Ben posted a new blog post today: Don't Let a Little Competition Stop You. It's a little bit of advice one might consider before freaking out over your competitors. Ignore them. Sometimes it's better to let your customers define your product and service instead of duplicating what your competitor does.