You cringe as you open the company website and are greeted by a number of rapidly flashing images. You click and the page explodes into kaleidoscopic text that pulsates with different colors. The phone rings and your e-mail dings, but you already know what they are going to say: The company site has been hacked. This is a corporate nightmare and to think…it all could have been avoided.

There is no question that a hackers’ post can easily ruin a perfectly good day. And it never fails to amaze my clients that their 24-7 billboard to the world is so widely visible. The smallest company can be inundated by phone calls when a security breach takes place. SQL Injection is one of the many web attack mechanisms used by hackers to gain access to the data held within your database.

SQL Injection allows a hacker to pass SQL commands (statements) through a web application for execution by the backend database. If not setup properly, SQL Injection attacks allow hackers to view information from the database and/or even wipe it out. Older sites that take advantage of dynamic scripting languages, such as ASP, PHP, JSP, and CGI are especially vulnerable. A hacker merely needs a web browser, knowledge of SQL queries and creative guesswork to wreak havoc.

Although it is fairly easy to protect against SQL Injection, there are a large number of web applications that remain vulnerable. According to the Web Application Security Consortium, 9% of the total hacking incidents reported up to July 2006 were due to SQL Injection. More recent data shows that about 50% of websites are susceptible to SQL Injection vulnerabilities.

Securing your website from SQL Injection is essential in the maintenance and upkeep of your website. While your website may appear to be functioning on the surface, a yearly audit of your website for SQL Injection and other hacking vulnerabilities can save you a world of trouble…and money in the long run.

Think of it this way, if your car didn’t get routinely inspected, how would you know if it was running properly? The same goes for your website. Dozens of new vulnerabilities surface on a daily basis and while no one likes paying for the what if’s, the preventative cost can far outweigh the nightmare that can be caused when a site falls prey to a malicious hack.

All the credit for my enjoyment of Senior Comp goes to my former teacher, Miss Heath. She gave me my first important lesson about writing: it’s all about the structure. Structure is the pre-determined organization of your content. It’s the flow or arrangement of ideas that takes your readers from Point A to Point Z. It’s the building blocks you use to tell your story or message. Here’s the one thing Miss Heath made sure we understood: Your writing will either rise or fall on its structure.

I still remember sitting in the front of the class, busily writing essay after essay. Word by word, line by line, paragraph by paragraph, I built stories, crafted persuasive articles, and wrote descriptive compositions – all with relative ease. Because I had the key – I knew about structure. High school may have been a long time ago, but the lessons Miss Heath taught us are still relevant today.

Miss Heath’s Lessons About Structure

Lesson 1: Develop a Hierarchy of Information
The message/story/information you have to deliver has some very important elements and some not-so-very-important elements. Prioritize your information. What’s the critical thing you want your reader to know up front? What can wait ‘til the second ‘graph? Third? What can you leave out? The best way to figure it out is to create an outline or treatment so you know what you want to say and in what order. This will help you organize your thoughts into a coherent message.

Lesson 2: Create Writing Flow
Good writing has a flow to it. It’s organic. Like a stream meandering through a meadow or a river rushing to the open bay or a waterfall tumbling to the pool below. That flow comes from the structure you impose. Every line, every paragraph should build on – or connect to – the content that came before. Working from an outline will ensure those connections are linked together so your words flow across the screen or page.

Lesson 3: Use Transitions
In Senior Comp, we used a lot of “Consequentlys,” “Moreovers,” and “Howevers.” All very stuffy and formal. Not many of these were helpful beyond 12th grade, but the point is transitions are enormously important to your writing. They help you move the reader along in your message. They can also: introduce a change in subject, re-locate the reader to another time period or place, compare and contrast, take the reader to a deeper level of understanding, and more. Some of my favorites are: But, In fact, In addition, Then, Next, As a result…”

Lesson 4: Get the Structure Down Before You Start Writing.
I promise – the white page won’t look quite as intimidating. Plus – your writing will go a lot more smoothly and easily. That’s what Miss Heath always told us…and she was usually right.

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.” Nathaniel Hawthorne

I posed the following question: “What is the key to good writing – in 1 word?” to fellow writers. After some grumbling about the request (“Only one word?”), they came up with some great suggestions. See if you agree.

• Structure
• Rhythm
• Ear
• Editing
• Re-writing
• Simplicity
• Economy
• Conviction
• Connect
• Compelling/Engaging
• Conviction
• Pencil

Except for “pencil,” the answers seemed to fall into one of two categories: Mechanics or Audience. The “how” and the “who.” Of course, good writing encompasses both: we have to write well to an audience we know well.

Mechanics
Structure is the logical arrangement of your ideas and thoughts. (See my accompanying blog) Create your structure first; then start writing. A solid structure will ensure you’re delivering a coherent message to your audience.

Rhythm and Ear are “kissing cousins” – you need rhythm so that your sentences (and phrases) have punch, interest and variety. Your Ear will tell you if they do.

Editing forces you to cut excess words, sharpen your word choices, adjust your tone, ensure you’re writing with a consistent voice, etc.

Writing is re-writing. Until you hit “Send” or “Print,” no words are carved in stone (or on the screen.) We write. We revise. We tweak. We tweak some more. That’s the writer’s life.

Simplicity and economy. Don’t clutter the message. Respect your audience’s time and intelligence. Don’t take three lines to say what can be said in one. Keep it simple – and get to the point!

Conviction. Believe in what you write. Whatever your goal – to inform, educate, persuade, train or motivate – communicate it clearly. Don’t leave readers confused about your intended message.

Audience
Your writing needs to connect with your audience. The only way to do this is to know who you want to reach and write directly to them. Discover your audience’s likes and dislikes. Their passions and their peeves. Write as if you’re one of them.

Certainly, your copy should be compelling and engaging. If it isn’t, Ms. Reader’s going to walk off your page and onto someone else’s. Use strong, visual words. Vary your sentence structure. Avoid passive voice. Tell a story.

Finally, have a pencil handy. If every modern communication device you use crashes, you could still turn to the simple graphite pencil to write down your message.

Do you have a response to the question, “What is the key to good writing in 1 word?” Send it in and we’ll share it!

Special thanks to these fellow writers for their contributions:
Terry H., Michael E., Bill K., Susan C., Modesty G., Renee A., Dani C., Josh H., Tom D., Charlie R., Paula B., and Jason B.

Often in a normal work week I get asked many questions regarding web development. These questions are on a wide range of topics including Flash, Accessibility, XHTML, CSS… you get the idea. With more and more companies becoming enlightened in the ways of existing content management frameworks, a question that comes up often is: “Which is the right solution for me, a pre-built content management system like Joomla!, Drupal, WordPress (for blogging), or Ektron…or a custom tool that JPL would code specific to my needs?”

The short answer to this is…well…there isn’t a short answer. The long answer to this involves several inquiries on the part of JPL and the client. Some of these questions are addressed in Dan Miles’ entry, Know Your Audience. I’ll try to reserve my tech speak to some degree, but the other variables usually include the following.

Hosting

Who is hosting the site? Is it JPL, your company, or a third party host? Many of the existing content management system frameworks require pretty specific hosting environments. For example, you can’t host the Ektron CMS in a PHP environment and the same goes for something like Joomla! and Drupal on a Win2003 Server. These solutions are to be run specifically on a PHP/Unix-based server or a Windows environment. They simply won’t work (or won’t work with any amount of stability) on the wrong environment.

The Process

What are your goals as a company with regards to your content? What kind of automation and administration are you are looking for in your content management system? Are you trying to automate a process or just allow users within your company to administer content on the site without involving a web developer for every single little mundane update?

Understanding what you want your CMS to do is the first part of picking the right solution. Often times understanding your process internally will help you figure out your needs. It’s better to not do any content management or automation on the site if you’re working with a process that is broken or already failing. The content manager is just the tool; it won’t work miracles for your company or client if you first don’t have a good game plan. It’s better to have a weak tool and a solid process than it is to have an awesome tool and a weak or failing process.

Budget & Support

Let’s be honest, client budgets for their new websites or projects vary wildly. Budget is something that will immediately eliminate certain contenders from your CMS options. Options like Ektron, while being incredibly feature-laden, can get a bit pricey after you’re done paying for licenses and support. However, they are worthwhile to companies that need that kind of professional support 24×7. Options like Word Press, Joomla! and Drupal are open source solutions that are free under the GNU GPL license.

Now, free doesn’t necessarily mean “free” here. You still have implementation, hosting and labor charges with regards to the software, as well as any custom design or custom tools that need to be developed or designed. Bottom line is you still need the hands-on guidance of a professional or consultant to implement and get the most out of your open source software solution.

Open source apps also have limited support. Every time you need something major updated, enhanced or upgraded you’ll be visiting your vendor again. Combine that with the fact that many of the components and modules made to work with Joomla!, Drupal and Word Press are contributed by the community or another company’s project. So not only are you limited to the original developer’s vision and scope of the module or component, but you are also locked in with their code. Support for these open source components is community-based (forums, blogs, email, etc.) so keep that in mind when choosing open source solutions. You have the help of the entire web-based community but you don’t have the assurance of a support contract behind you.

Is Custom Right?

Custom is a great option if everything lines up (see Budget & Support), but a custom content management tool can sometimes be limiting when compared to full-bodied frameworks. By limiting, I mean that a custom solution is often tailor-made to the specific needs and design of the person setting the vision. Custom is also an awesome solution when you don’t want the people administering the site to have full access to the page’s content and supporting images. If you want an admin to log in, add an article, PDF, product or entry into the database, etc. and KNOW that it will display on a page of the site in a certain format, no IF, AN’s or BUT’s…then custom might be a good solution for you.

The sword has two edges though. Where a custom solution usually won’t let the site admin have full reign over any given page’s content, solutions like Ektron, Joomla!, Word Press and Drupal usually do. This can be a good feature or a bad feature depending on your vantage point. It certainly allows for the less technical user to be able to mess up aspects of the page’s layout far more easily. But on the flip side, it does give site admins the ability to create additional pages of the site, edit menus, customize content modules and tell the site where they want certain pieces of content and functionality to show up.
Prebuilt CMS’s work well for the user that may want an admin to have free reign on the site. But a custom solution often fits the bill if you are looking for very specific usability and editing options for your site or a section of your site.

Search Engine Optimization and Accessibility

Another issue you’ll want to keep in the back of your mind with regards to many third party content management systems is search engine optimization. Often frameworks like Joomla! and Word Press are database-driven solutions that will not physically create a page for every piece of content (page) you are entering into the site. Instead, they create database ID’s which can sometimes result in icky URL addresses like this one: http://brothersbarkery.com/content/view/8/26/.

Now keep in mind, there are components and modules to clean up this type of “deep linking” and present a much cleaner URL to the user like this one: http://brothersbarkery.com/aboutus.html.

Imagine for just a second you’re an end user trying to remember or copy/paste that first ugly URL. Even worse, imagine you are a user looking through your web trends or Google analytics marketing metrics for the month of April and all the URLs look like the first URL. How would you tell which pages viewers are visiting if they ended in content/view/8/26/? Pretty ugly, eh? This is just something else to remember when working with CMS’s and picking the right one for your needs.

Finally…

You can see there is a lot of thought and discussion that revolves around picking the right application-based solution for your client or your company. There are many additional factors to consider during this process and the consultants that ask you the right questions are worth their weight in gold. If you have further questions about how JPL could help you pick the right CMS solution, email me directly at jbarlup@jplprod.com.

Thanks ~ Josh

At JPL, “Who’s the audience?” is one of our first questions we ask our customers. When the client says the target is “everybody” or “middle-aged men,” that’s not much to go on. We dig deeper. The more accurately we define who is receiving the message, the more effective we can be in shaping the message to their needs and interests.

Are we capturing the attention of GenY with an edgy web page and Flash animation or are we making an emotional connection with seniors with a video montage of flowing images, warm voice and easy listening music? We can’t assume. We will end up being disingenuous. Just because the audience is young African Americans, do we assume that they all want to hear hip hop music and street slang? And can we presume that just because they are seniors, they all like Lawrence Welk?

So, just how do we get into the heads and hearts of the people we are communicating with? It’s simple. Ask. We employ solid market research. There are a number of marketing resources on the Internet that can provide fee-based information about large target groups. We can also conduct focus groups. We conduct focus groups for our clients at JPL or partner with another provider. When the budget or time-frame is tight, we can implement informal surveys. For example, when developing a nurse recruitment message for a local hospital, we reached out to family and friends who are in the nursing profession.

We rarely communicate to the masses these days. Effective messaging, whether it’s about a product, brand, idea or organizational change, is about identifying the target audience and finding the best ways to talk directly to them. Many agencies and marketing firms have employed the use of a persona, a detailed representation of the target customer including gender, age, occupation, living situation, and even a name. If our persona is Fred, who is a 40 year old machinist with a wife and two teen age daughters, we can ask ourselves, “How would Fred react to this? Or would Fred buy this?”

The better we know our audience, what makes them tick or what ticks them off, the more effective we will be in educating, communicating, persuading, or selling our products, services and ideas to them. Our writers are able to create scripts with a “voice” that resonates with their readers. Our cinematographers and editors choose styles that are aligned with the message and audience. Our graphic artists make good decisions about whether fonts should be visually interesting or simple and easy to read. And, having a clearly defined audience can help prevent stakeholders from hijacking a project with their own personal biases. When the marketing director says, “I want detailed descriptions of our product line” and we respond by saying “your customers have told us they know your product line and are more concerned about service,” we speak with credibility.
So go forth and be “true to thy audience” and in so doing you will be helping your customers achieve the results they want.

Some of the companies have expanded into producing original programming for television, DVD and the Internet. Some have even started new divisions to focus on these types of opportunities. JPL has experience with original programming, producing Cars at Carlisle for Carlisle Productions and the Speed Channel, producing educational documentaries for the Pa Veterans Museum and recently completing a program on the Harris Cup, a renowned miniature golf tournament. Other companies in our group who have expanded into original programming include Mills - James in Columbus, OH, Interface Media Group in Washington, DC and AMS Production Group in Dallas, TX.

Beyond original programming, most of the companies have interactive departments to develop interactive DVDs, multimedia programs and web sites. These departments range in size from a few people to the more than 45 employees at JPL. Along with Premiere Studios in Kansas City, JPL has built on its expertise in interactive marketing and creative communications to provide clients with brand strategy, marketing planning and integrated communications campaigns. This direction fuses together strategic, creative, technology and production capabilities to help businesses gain a competitive advantage.

While the world has changed for most of us, there are companies that continue to succeed by primarily providing high-end post production services to advertising agencies. Technisonic in St. Louis, MO thrives producing national television spots and other programs with top-notch talent and the latest video technology. Interface Media Group in Washington, DC succeeds here as well serving many of the nation’s leading political consultants as well as independent producers, government agencies and national associations.

Corporate events are another logical extension of our businesses. Mills – James now has over 150 employees with substantial growth attributed to this division of their company. JPL’s meetings and events business continues to expand as well. Our recent production of Giant Food’s annual meeting at the Giant Center in Hershey included a custom set, 14 videos, and 7 large screen projections.

Twice a year e-CAMP sets up at one of our locations to discuss the challenges and progress of our companies. Each year our companies have grown by pushing away traditional boundaries and focusing on serving our clients in the most effective way. I wonder how we’ll all look when we arrive at our next destination.

Marketing Your Corporate Blog

So, you have defined your target audience. You know everything about your demo - what they like to read, watch, and eat. You have developed a strategy for your blog. Now it’s time to get your blog out to the masses. Remember that your blog is an extension of your brand and you should market this tool as you would your website. Some quick marketing tips:

• Email your customer base and inform them about the blog.
• Post a banner or link on your current site to the blog.
• Send a postcard or do an offline campaign promoting your blog.
• Submit your blog to the blog search engines and social networks such as Digg or Technorati.
• Plug your blog at presentation and trade shows.
• Encourage your employees to be enthusiasts and advocates of your blog.
• Add your blog link to your email signature.

There are some great articles on the web about marketing your blog. I recommend Googling the topic and reading some of these articles.

Important Things to Note Before Blogging

As discussed previously, most people visit blogs to get some type of information. According to a January 2007 Forrester Research survey, 31% of marketers used corporate blogs to increase their thought leadership; 19% used blogs as a bulletin board; 14% for internal development or communications; 12% to provide an executive point-of-view and 3% for HR. Before blogging you should understand your purpose for blogging and how it help you reach your company’s goals.

Here’s a few other considerations before you start blogging:

• There are different blogging software packages (Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad). Find the product right for your IT team.
• Design your blog to match your corporate brand.
• Integrate the blog and the posts into your brand and marketing strategy.
• Messaging, timing, etc.
• Use posts to complement offline initiatives
• Post often, but have something to say.
• Establish an objective tone.
• Don’t make it a hard sell or a re-package of marketing propaganda.
• Cite your sources.
• Read other blogs.
• Blog onto others…
• Establish an internal editorial process.
• Follow best blog practices.
• Include RSS, categories, privacy policy, contact info
• Be natural, enthusiastic, insightful, knowledgeable & creative.
• Measure your results.

Conclusion

Remember, a corporate blog is an extension of your brand. A blog, like other marketing tactics, should match your other online and offline initiatives. You should define your audience, develop your strategy, define your subject matter and market the site. Follow these helpful tips and you’ll be on your way to a successful corporate blog.

There are many different types of blogs. We can group blogs by media delivery, such as a text blog, a video blog (vlog), a mobile blog, or a photo blog. We can group blogs by subject matter or genre, such as industry, political, travel, etc. And we can group blogs as “personal” or “corporate.” In this post, I’d like to discuss the different types of corporate blogs.

Corporate Blogs

According to Wikipedia, 40 (or 8%) of the Fortune 500 companies are blogging today. JupiterResearch estimates that nearly 70% of all large companies use blogs in some way. There are three main types of corporate blogs: internal communication, external company insight and external subject matter experts.

Internal Communication Blogs

Internal communication blogs are generally accessed through a corporation’s intranet. These blogs are a great tool to share ideas and discuss issues across an organization. Internal blogs have shown to build a sense of community and they encourage employee participation within the organization. For example, here at JPL we have blogs for our creative team, our web development team and our production team. These blogs provide information about new processes and tips about using software and can be accessed by anyone within the organization.

External Company Insight Blogs

A great example of an insight blog is the Google Blog or the Direct2Dell Blog. This type of blog provides new product or service release information. It explains corporate polices and addresses public criticism. Company insight blogs provide a unique transparency or a window into an organization. This type of blog should advance the company’s brand and overarching brand positioning. It should also showcase content that explains how the company wants to be known in the marketplace.

External Subject-Matter Expert Blogs

These blogs provide an “expert” view on a current subject and adds a unique credibility to the corporation. Subject-matter blogs are meant for external discussion of a particular topic that affects the organization and acts as a channel for audience interaction. This type of blog should reinforce the company as a thought-leader in the marketplace. The Southwest Blog provides a single view on the airline industry while the Westin Hotels Blog offers tips on relaxation and rejuvenation.

Choosing the Right Blog for Your Company

Does it matter what type of blog you choose for your company? YES! The blog you choose should align with your marketing goals and other marketing initiatives. As I mentioned in my previous post, you should develop a strategy for your blog like you would any other marketing initiative and measure the results to improve its future performance. The blog should be targeted to your audience’s needs and should be an extension to your corporate brand and brand messaging online.

In the final post in this series, I will discuss marketing your corporate blog and some important notes before you begin blogging.

I’m going to make an assumption that if you are reading this post you are familiar with blogs. If not, Wikipedia offers a great definition. I like to define “blogging” as:

• An e-Marketing tactic that should be used as a part of your overall e-Marketing and web site strategy in conjunction with other tactics such as SEO, PPC, e-mail, etc.
• A tactic that should be aligned to complement your traditional media program in timing and in content.
• A PR tool that serves as a voice for a subject-matter expert.
• A form of CGM (consumer-generated media) and Web 2.0.
• A viral marketing technique.
• Finally and most importantly, an extension of your corporate brand.

Developing a Corporate Blog Strategy

Before you get out there and start writing about the latest and greatest news regarding your organization, my first recommendation, similar to any marketing tactic, is to define your target audience and develop a strategy for the blog. Ask yourself a few simple questions:

• Will a blog benefit my target audience?
• How does my audience receive information?
• Will they be receptive to a corporate blog?
• What kind of information would they expect from a blog?
• How will blogging affect my corporate brand?
• Does blogging line up with my business and marketing objectives and goals?
• Who will be blogging in my organization?
• Do I have time to blog?
• Are my competitors blogging? What are they saying?

Once you have answered these questions and defined your audience, you can start developing your corporate blog strategy. In my next blog post, I will be discussing the different types of corporate blogs to help you define which type is most suitable for your company.