Some things are switching around in the technical support department, with new hires and new job roles in large doses. I'm moving from my role in Signature Support and technical services into the core support team as a trainer and call quality monitor. The official job title is still not exactly hashed out, but the role is one I'm excited about. I have more I can post about this later but for now, know that all manner of things are going to improve.
An interesting statistic regarding DataPort v5.x came into my inbox today. Since it's initial release, it has had more than 22 million API calls. Thankfully, the technical support team has not had even half as many phone calls about it.
This was announced recently. It's a webinar, which means it will be available from an internet connection.
Have you always wanted to be your own boss? Learn how to get an online business up and running. Experts at Network Solutions® and QuickBooks® will teach you how to build a successful e-commerce store and manage credit card transactions with QuickBooks® Merchant Services.
Sign up for Ecommerce 101: How to Build an Online Store.
I returned to work today after an unscheduled two weeks off because of the death of my son. I wanted to once again say publicly that I work for the best company in the world. The help and support offered to my family by current and former coworkers has been amazing.
Thank you.
An interesting fact I discovered today on our forums is that I am in the top 20 posters. In fact, I'm 11th in total number of posts. Also interesting is the fact that besides one client, I'm the only member of this top group that has been active in the last month. See the Member List for more details.
I can deliver a press release on my blog right?
Network Solutions makes conducting online business easier with the release of its latest E-Commerce Pro Website Creator package. A number of advancements have been integrated into the new version of the award-winning e-commerce solution to simplify the task of maintaining an online store.
(PRWEB) – Nearly 10,000 online stores are already powered by Network Solutions e-commerce products, which helped sell over $650 million in products and services during 2006. In order to help even more small businesses set up and run an online store, Network Solutions has just released a new version of its award-winning E-Commerce Pro Web Site Creator package. The new E-Commerce Pro v7.0 Web Site solution is an easy-to-use, one-stop tool that allows users to construct a customized online store, accept and process orders, drive traffic, and increase sales. New features and benefits in v7.0 give online entrepreneurs the power and flexibility to quickly meet their online business needs in a more straightforward and organized way via powerful yet easy to use tools right at their fingertips.
New features that are incorporated into the new E-Commerce Pro v7.0 product include a new set-up checklist that facilitates the process of a store set-up by guiding the user from start to finish. The redesigned control panel user interface makes everything easier to find and use, with a new look and feel to allow for faster, simplified design and launch time. The new point-and-click Web site design editor is easier and more flexible, incorporating click-and-drag options and potential customization of all pages. The Web site design editor gives users the ability to manage and make changes to the site design at any time. Newly integrated Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools can help the site get higher rankings on the major search engines, thanks to a built-in sitemap and search engine friendly URLs for product and category pages.
The release of the Network Solutions® E-Commerce Pro v7.0 software is designed to help small businesses succeed online,
says Jeff Zimmerman, Vice President of Product Management at Network Solutions. New features added to our already award-winning E-Commerce Web Site package make it as easy as possible for our customers to set up their online business and manage it from day one with ease.
This award-winning e-commerce solution is designed for small business owners who want a fully customizable site design, as well as the ability to boost sales with incentives such as promotions, coupons and discounts. Network Solutions new Pro E-Commerce Web Site package is available at $99.95 a month with a $99 one-time set-up fee. To speak to a customer service representative for more information, please call 1-888-252-3266.
Network Solutions® is a leading provider of e-commerce Web site hosting with an all-encompassing suite of products for small businesses, including domain, e-commerce, free hosting, name registration, Web promotion and other Internet solutions and strategies. With 28 years in the Web services industry, Network Solutions is committed to providing businesses simple and cost-effective web-based solutions. For more information on business to consumer and business to business e-commerce solutions, visit NetworkSolutions.com.
I was just informed earlier today that I am the only member of the company that is a Technical Support III. Job titles aren't really all that important to me. In my past years at this company I went through the ranks of technical support at about the same time they were actually adding ranks.
I was pretty sure that I was the only tech support team member at level III that worked here in Belleville. But as it turns out, I'm a bit of an odd ball in that I'm the only level III in all of Network Solutions. That seems a bit weird. The reason that this happens is largely that there is a career path that most follow from Tech Support I to Tech Support II and then from there jump off to either a leadership position or to another department like Design, QA or Development.
Even though I started in this department the very first week there was in-house technical support department formed, I don't feel like I should get any sort of special treatment. And I am certainly very happy doing what I'm doing in my current role. It's just weird.
Job titles are weird. End of story.
Whenever there is an upgrade to a new version of any software program, inevitably there is some amount of confusion with the new system. It is up to the technical support department to help ferry clients to a new understanding of the new system. One of the most commonly asked questions we will hear regards features that were being used in the previous version but that aren't available or readily apparent (or as easy to use) in the new version.
Why would you remove a feature that our business depends on?! I used that every day!
I certainly understand the frustration here. This happens commonly to me with other software programs and I experienced it very strongly in the upgrade from Microsoft Office 2000 to Microsoft Office XP. There was a certain undocumented feature that I used quite often that was not in Office XP. It was several weeks or more of adjustment on my part to get used to the change.
Having seen this side of the software development cycle, I have a little more perspective on it, but I still find it annoying. The cause of these sorts of issues is that the development department is creating a new product from scratch. In most cases like this, the feature that is being referenced wasn't specifically left out on purpose. There wasn't a board meeting where some group decided which features to nix. Instead, there were several meetings where they reviewed usage and importance and functionality of each new feature to be added versus the time and resources that were available to release the product. The important point to take away is that there are always business-based decisions behind every step in the plan, and although that might hurt or inconvenience some clients in the short term it is not done personally. If the option is major critical to users it will be implemented in upgrades to the new system down the line.
This does beg the argument that perhaps it is better to fix current versions and not create a completely new version from scratch, but there are many other considerations to consider here that have to be taken into account. For instance, perhaps the current version of the software uses ASP, but the new version will be written with ASP.NET and gain all the benefits there. You can't simply take the code of the old version and update it as it wouldn't work on the new hardware. So instead you start with code line zero.
It sucks. But it's the nature of the beast.
Today was a milestone for the technical support department. We have been using one system for ticket support since about 2004 or so. The front end area that our clients see is located at MyMonsterCommerce. We reached the two-hundred and fifty-thousandth ticket today. This is a neat figure from my perspective as I was there for ticket number one in this system. In fact, I recall the system we used before that though it's name escapes me. Back then, we just called it "molasses" because that's how fast it went.
Our current system has served us well for many years, but what's most important about this milestone is that it is one quarter of a million phone calls and customer service problems solved by the best e-commerce support team in the industry.
Several great things have happened in the last 24 hours or so that I feel like celebrating.
Haven't seen our home page in a while? Stop by at MonsterCommerce.com. You can see screen shots as well as a graphical demo.
One quick notable thing I like about the new version of our software coming out soon (THIS WEEKEND!) is that it is much more W3C compliant. Just now, I did a form upload of my test site's home page HTML output and it only generated 3 errors! Visit the W3C Markup Validator.
There are a lot of other great things too, but this is something that appeals to the perfectionist in me.
Be wary of every bill that comes in the mail.
Domain name renewal scams have been going on for years. Typically, the scammer sends a fake invoice in the mail or an e-mail that says a domain renewal fee needs to be paid or the domain will be deleted. By paying the "invoice", you are actually agreeing to transfer your domain to the scammer's registrar.
This is a very bad practice that has been around for awhile, but it must still be effective because people are still doing it. Read more at Domain Name Wire » News » New Domain Name Renewal Scam Hits Inboxes - The Domain Industry's News Source
These remote scripting demonstrations can be viewed in more detail on this MonsterCommerce QuickGuide: Using Remote Scripting
This link opens in a new window (using target="_blank"):
Add a Mini RC Police Car from Mini-RC-Cars.net.
This link opens in the same window:
Add a Mini RC Police Car from Mini-RC-Cars.net.
This was posted internally today.
Network Solutions and Google will offer a Webinar entitled "Discover a New Audience with Pay Per Click."
Held on Thursday, July 26, 2007 at 2pm Eastern Daylight Time, this Webinar will be moderated by Lara Mehanna from the Online Marketing team at Network Solutions, and Lauren Frandsen of Google AdWords.
This Webinar is designed to introduce pay per click services (PPC) to business owners who may not understand how important use of a pay per click company can be in an online marketing campaign. The moderators of this Webinar will explain the differences between PPC and organic search marketing, how to spotlight a business online, and how to obtain targeted leads while improving click-to-close rates. Mehanna and Frandsen will also detail the advantages of PPC in measuring the methods of delivery from search engine to site, as well as the quick turnaround and return of investment given by a successful PPC campaign.
"Pay per click advertising is really a great way for companies to get out in the forefront of the market, utilizing a tool that their customers are already using—the Internet," said Jeff Zimmerman, Vice President of Product Marketing and Management with Network Solutions. About 80% of internet traffic begins at a search engine, and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) was an $8.73 billion industry in North America in 2006, with $7.94 billion of that going towards paid searches.
This Webinar will also explain the benefits of going with a pay per click company, rather than trying to manage it in-house, focusing on the expertise needed to properly manage a PPC account, from daily budgeting to keyword research.
To register for the Webinar, visit the the NetSol Event Center.
The gang at the office here are some sports nuts, and a lot of them play more sports than you can shake a trophy at. There are even times when they organize a decent team. Here is one of several pictures I took at a softball game in summer of 2003.
See more photos that I've tagged 'MonsterCommerce'.
Here's a press release from Network Solutions that was first distributed today.
Creating an online business requires a lot of research and planning. To aid small business owners in their pursuit for knowledge on how to sell online, Network Solutions' E-commerce experts have written a white paper, "8 Steps to Start Selling Online" available on the Network Solutions Storefront.
(PRWEB) – There has never been a better time to start an E-commerce business, which is why Network Solutions® has written a free white paper that offers business owners advice on how to sell their products and services online.
In 2006, according to comScore, consumers spent $102.1 billion online at U.S. based E-commerce sites, which does not include online auction sites, travel spending or corporate purchases,explains Jeff Zimmerman, Vice President of Product ManagementWith so many consumers shopping online, it's imperative that brick and mortar stores and potential new online businesses alike learn the steps involved in effectively selling online.The Network Solutions white paper, "8 Steps to Start Selling Online", is designed for use by people who are either just launching an online business for the first time, or already have a brick-and-mortar store and are venturing online for the first time. Thanks to the many insightful hints and tips presented in this white paper, selling online will be a more feasible prospect to business owners—especially those with little to no expertise managing online shopping cart software. Business owners can gain valuable insight into how to sell online ranging from choosing a relevant domain name to the importance of having a secure Web site.
The white paper points out that an ideal E-commerce Web site should be designed with the end-user (customer) in mind. Although this may seem like common sense, there are many E-commerce sites that let this focus get lost amongst the other considerations like design and navigation. This white paper also outlines how to drive more traffic to your online business via online marketing and search engine optimization. Network Solutions' white paper emphasizes and outlines imperative E-commerce tips like this— both common and obscure.
Creating a Web site for the purpose of selling products or services online entails a large amount of research and planning,says Zimmerman.When starting an online business, forgetting one simple step can make the difference between success and failure.Overall, Network Solutions' "8 Steps to Start Selling Online" white paper is a valuable resource that all business owners should read if they want to effectively learn how to sell online, and make money selling online. As a champion of small business online solutions, Network Solutions truly wants to help small businesses achieve financial success. This is why the white paper covers all E-commerce topics that Network Solutions' experts consider most important. After downloading the Network Solutions whitepaper, business owners should be able to effectively implement these tips. Selling online becomes less risky and more profitable when proper planning, research, and expert advice is applied.
To discover E-commerce tips, selling online strategies and search engine marketing ideas download the "8 Steps to Start Selling Online" off of the Network Solutions storefront, or call Network Solutions customer service at (866) 905-0477 for more assistance.
Find out more at Network Solutions Whitepapers.
Here's a new product from Google that ought to of interest to webmasters looking to boost their paid advertising effectiveness.
Google announced the testing of a new pay-per-action, or PPA, advertising product today. It's important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Google controls so much of the online advertising market that just about anything they do in advertising has real consequences around the Internet.
Get started Digesting Google's New PPA Advertising Product.
Internally posted, but I thought it worth sharing!
From: Mitchell, Champ
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 8:29 AM
To: NSI All
Subject: 1st Quarter Product Release Celebration!
Importance: HighTeam-
Thank you so much for all of your hard work during the first quarter of this year. Your accomplishments will help us meet our 2007 bookings goal of $335 million, improve our competitive positioning and enhance our customers' experience. The new products and projects that we have launched this quarter include:
- Integrating SSL certificates into the Network Solutions storefront. In just under two years, we have become one of the Top 5 providers of SSL certificates in the world. Your work will help us soon move up to #4 on the list, as this integration has doubled our sales of SSL certificates from the Storefront, as well as ensured that our customers receive the best and most cohesive, user-friendly experience possible.
- Enhancing the Shopping Cart, Homepage, and other aspects of the Storefront. Recent changes to the storefront including a new homepage, enhanced shopping cart, and new secondary up-sell pages will improve our customer experience, conversion rate, bookings, and ability to showcase new products and services.
- Enhancing Image Café. Enhancements to Image Café, our Do-It-Myself Web site creator package, including the new 'Click and Drag' functionality, will make it even easier for Internet novices to quickly and easily publish professional looking Web sites. This is yet another important investment towards our future business growth in this critical segment of our customer and prospect bases.
- Launching Extended Validation (EV) Certificates. EV certificates provide the highest level of SSL security online, bringing our customer's customers an increased assurance that their transactions will be secure. Offering this product gives us not only a chance to enter a new market, but also makes our offerings more relevant to a wider range of perspective customers.
- Implementing the Singl.e View Upgrade. In addition to delivering a required upgrade of the billing system and saving the company money, this implementation significantly improved the user interface performance (by 1,500 percent!) for the Accounts Receivable team by reducing account look-up time from 30 to two minutes.
- Adding blogs to Web hosting. This addition has provided not only a value-add to existing hosting customers, but has also provided us with a critical competitive advantage in the Web hosting marketplace. Since launching blogs on February 24, more than 1100 blogs have been configured.
In addition to the token of my appreciation that was waiting for you on your desk this morning, you also have an opportunity to win prizes while you learn more about our products—both new and existing—through the Product Celebration Scavenger Hunt!
Simply go and click on the link for the scavenger hunt, which will take you on a journey through the Network Solutions storefront. We will randomly choose 10 winners out of all correct entrants—who will receive a $50 American Express gift card!
No celebration is complete without snacks, so be sure to check the break room nearest you this afternoon for refreshments.
Thank you again for all of your hard work. Here's to more successful releases!
Best-
Champ
The following was featured in an internal company wide announcement.
Several employees of the Network Solutions Belleville office have been donating their Saturday mornings to help Neighbors for Renewal in Belleville, a not-for-profit corporation that acquires homes that are in severe disrepair, rehabilitates them using (primarily) volunteer labor, and then makes those homes available for sale at a reduced price to low income qualified families.
The Belleville team of volunteers is currently working every Saturday morning from 9am to 11am rehabbing a home that was built in the early 1800's. The house, when complete, will be used as a community-wide food pantry for the Belleville community. Once this project is complete, the team of volunteers will begin work on another house which will be used by Belleville High School District 201 as a transition house to teach housekeeping skills to autistic and learning impaired students so that they may live independently.
In case I didn't mention it, I'm a big Star Wars fan. 
The result would be products listed in this category and that would load in searches but after viewing the details, the only choice to purchase the product would be to click a link to the other site. The outgoing link would have a referral ID that would be tracked with visitors or orders and our client would get the bonus.
Our software is not exactly set up for this specifically, but we came up with a good workaround by using the Call for Price feature. This allows for the ADD TO CART image to be hidden along with the price and replaced by the message in the product editor. Well, as it turns out this message field is not just a text-input box, but can accept limited HTML. We set up each of the products with Call for Price enabled and the message had an HTML link to the product page at the affiliate site with the proper referral ID. The result was simple and could be accomplished quickly.
To check it out, go to TVLegacy.com - Collectibles and Toys - Star Wars.
Update (2008-05-07): It appears that this client's domain name no longer points at the site. Oh well, that's the way the internet cookie crumbles.
Although it had already "leaked," the news was made officially public today.
Network Solutions Ownership Change Closes on Schedule
Network Solutions, the leading provider of online solutions for small businesses, announced today that General Atlantic, a leading global private equity firm, has completed its transaction to acquire Network Solutions from Najafi Companies (formerly Pivotal Private Equity). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Joining the Network Solutions Board of Directors are General Atlantic Managing Directors Mark Dzialga and Anton Levy. Additional directors will be added to the Board in the coming months. Champ Mitchell, chairman and CEO of Network Solutions, and the current Network Solutions management team will continue to lead the company.
Around the office, this was treated with the same manner as generally interesting but not overly important news. If you read the details a bit, you'll notice that General Atlantic purchased Network Solutions from another company whom I'd only heard of in passing. Both are private equity firms.
But there were several clients that posted publically and reacted as if this were more alarming and life-changing news than the purchase of 
Read the full press release at Network Solutions Ownership Change Closes on Schedule and read other important news on the Network Solutions Newsroom.
Here is an independent blog and forum site with reviews and information about e-commerce software like ours. I've linked to the blog category referencing MonsterCommerce | eCartReviews.
A news blog named RSS Feed Trends has a category of posts about creating RSS feeds for your e-commerce storefront, including
The idea of the company that has created this blog is for users who can't publish or host an RSS feed on their own e-commerce site, or don't want to publish it manually. You pay them a small monthly fee to host and maintain your feed. You set up a sub-domain to point to their servers which will load your feed. You are in control of what goes into the feed, of course.
Update: FeedBurner now allows you to use a sub-domain on your feed for free! They were also purchased by Google, so if that's not an endorsement...
Here is a very useful article on how to get started with Google Adwords for the first time. An effective web marketing plan will include Pay-Per-Click advertising from the very beginning and Google's system is one of the best to get started with.
Small Biz Resource - How to Attract New Customers With Google AdWords - Small Business Business Analysis
The AdWords program allows you to target your advertising to customers seeking your services by specifying key words with which you'd like to associate your product or service.
The best part is that Google's fee for the service is structured so that you only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad -- and you set a cap on how much you're willing to pay. Assuming that your goods and/or services are satisfying to customers and that they will become repeat consumers, the ability to use Google advertising to draw in new customers has tremendous value for small businesses.
The four-page article walks you through all the necessary steps with some well done screen shots to highlight the features and benefits.
Don't have the time to learn PPC advertising yourself? Have Network Solutions Online Marketing take care of it for you.
As of today, I'm starting back at my old job at MonsterCommerce. It's a long story about where I've been the last few months and I won't be detailing that here.
What I did want to say was that it was very interesting and enlightening to go through new employee training now, after I used to do the new tech support training only a year or so ago. It's actually so much more of an effectivelly formalized process now that it was refreshing and fun.
There has been a few changes internally since I left, too, so it was good to get all of that information in one big chunk rather than anything surprise me later.
Anyway, it's time to get back to work.
. However, this blog is not an official property of MC nor our parent company Network Solutions. I'm simply testing out a few things. My goal is to distribute information that should be helpful to small business owners and ecommerce web developers and to share new ideas I learn on a daily basis.
encourages its team members to maintain personal websites and respects their right to self-expression via blogs and other forms of online communication. Of course, employees are still bound by certain terms (including confidentiality and avoiding conflicts of interest) whenever anyone discusses Company-related issues such as our product and service offerings, sales campaigns, current and former personnel, corporate strategies, etc. The views expressed on this site are this employee's alone, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of Network Solutions, its management or its staff.
