Did you know that January is National Hobby Month?  Do you have a hobby?  My hobby is photography and videography.  My hobby actually turned into a service that we offer via my company. 

Many people don't realize that a hobby can transfer into a marketable skill that can be monetized.

Of course, not all hobbies need to become money makers, but in today's world, it never hurts to have additional skills that you can use to earn income.

​I've included some of my favorite shots I've taken over the years in the post.

If you have a hobby share it in the comments and let the world know your passion.

Stephen

We are proud to help Country Lake HOA use their website to keep their residents informed and connected during Georgia's shelter in place order for COVID-19.  Today we created a video for one of their latest initiatives.  

​The Country Lake Social Distancing Front Yard Social is an event created by the HOA's board.  During the event, they are asking that residents come out on their front lawns and set up tables, chairs, grills, music, and more.  Their goals was to have a community event while still practicing social distancing as a neighborhood.

In addition to creating a video commercial for the event, we updated sections of their website that we designed and maintain for them.  The commercial airs on "Country Lake TV."  This is an online TV channel that we created for their community.  The channel keeps their residents informed about different news and events concerning their neighborhood.

It's forward thinking like this that will keep our society moving forward in spite of the challenges that present themselves.

We are proud to call them clients.  

Congrats Country Lake!

Stephen
​Stephen Wicks Internet Development Company

Here is the online channel that we created for Country Lake HOA.

Learn more about Country Lake:
www.countrylakehoa.com

We were proud to be selected as the official photographer / videographer for the YALI 2019 experience at the Allen Entrepreneurial Institute.  The weekend of events were held July 19-21, 2019. 

The program brings in the top young business leaders from the continent of Africa to learn from American business leaders.  We loved covering the weekend and have tons of content for the Institute.  Here are a few photos.

We are very proud to announce that our client, The Brian Jordan Foundation, has announced it's 2019 scholarship awardees.

The announcement was made by Mr. Jordan himself at a recent Atlanta Braves baseball game.

We are super proud to have them as a client.

Learn more by visiting their website at :  https://www.brianjordanfoundation.com

Blog Post: Stephen Wicks

Have you ever heard of someone who lost control of their website?  Maybe you have or maybe it was even you who had this happen.  It is a very common phenomenon that happens to business owners every day.   Even though it happens a lot, this tragedy can actually be avoided if you know a few things upfront before getting your website designed.  In this blog post, we will give you 3 tips to prevent this from happening to you.

Usually, a person who decides to get a website designed does one of two things.  1. Try to design it themselves or 2. Hire someone else to design it for them. 

There is nothing wrong with either option however; many people don't know the difference between having a "domain name" and a "website."  You can have a website and not have a domain name and you can have a domain name and not have a website.  It sounds confusing but let me break down the differences.

What Is A Domain?
A domain name is the set of letters or numbers that come after http://www  in your browser... such as www.StephenWicks.com . It is the address that directs people to where your website is being hosted. 

In actuality, the website StephenWicks.com is located on the internet at an address that consists of a set of numbers that's recognized by your computer. 

Most people will not be able to remember all of those numbers that represent our website's address.
​
So instead of having to remember and type in many numbers, you can simply type StephenWicks.com and you'll find my website.  That's why domain names are so important.

What Is A Website?
A website is everything that you see when you go to a domain name.  This can be pictures, text, video, audio, documents, or whatever digital files the site's owner wants you to see.

The "website" is what people will "see" when they go to the "domain name address."

Do You See The Difference?
A domain name is seperate from the website.  I could own StephenWicks.com and NOT have a website.  StephenWicks.com is only the address of the website.

You Need Both A Domain Name AND A Website
So I hope you now understand that you need both a domain name AND a website in order to have a website that can hold the information that you may want clients or customers to see.

Most people don't understand the difference and when they let someone develop a website for them, they don't make sure that they "own" or have control of the domain or the hosted website files.

This means that the designer can theoretically register the domain in their own name and leave you out of the registration process.  You will not actually have control of the domain address at all.  This means that you can not truly make any changes with your website without your designer's permission.

The bottom line is that it's a common problem that people fall out of love with their designers and often lose control of their domain names and their websites.  This is terrible because if you lose control, many times you will have to start all over with a different domain name and / or website.  This may confuse your customers and be costly for you.

If you have any questions about this process you can contact us at Stephen Wicks Internet Development Company and we can give you a free initial consultation.

Building a website is a great experience when you know what common pitfalls to avoid.  So don't fret, get busy building your dream project!

Stephen Wicks
Email: stephen@stephenwicks.com 
Phone: ​(678) 999-7945

Blog Post - Stephen Wicks

We are proud to announce that we will be putting on a coding and technology Bootcamp for kids in January 2019.  The event will be held at the AEI Startup Factory in Stonecrest, Georgia.  Other specific details will be released soon.

It's very important that we expose our kids to the technologies of the future so that they can be competitive.  

If you're interested in learning more, email Stephen at stephen@stephenwicks.com

Blog Post - Stephen Wicks

Okay.  So I know that many of you believe that having an android or ios app available for download is "cool."  Many of you think that it would raise the profile of your business if you had a way to communicate with your customers via their cell phones.  It would be nice if they could just click on the icon located on their phone's screen and get directly to your app.

If you're one of those people, I have some shocking news for you.  There is practically no reason for any of you to ever have to create a native app for your business.  It's the end of 2018 and as you know things change rapidly in the tech world.  There used to be just two options: build a mobile website, or build an app.  Both of those had it's pros and cons.  It really depended on the needs of your business.

Native apps offered the best experience and offline interactivity, but due to development costs and terrible engagement rates (especially for small business apps), they weren’t always worth the investment. Apps were also subjected to the rules, regulations, and whims of fickle, temperamental app stores. 

​The mobile internet needed a breakthrough, and in 2015, it arrived with the birth of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). Progressive Web Apps are already making their mark as the fastest, easiest, and best way to have a winning mobile experience. And they’re on track to become not just an option, but the top option for mobile internet engagement.

 PWAs can best be described as websites that behave like apps. If you imagine that an app and a website had a lovechild that inherited its parents’ best characteristics (and none of the worst), that would be exactly what a PWA is. From one parent (the website), the PWA inherits its easy discoverability (without having to be downloaded) and low maintenance upkeep; and from the other parent (the app), the PWA inherits its rich functionality, offline user interactivity, and engaging experience.

Like a website, a PWA is accessed directly from your web browser; and like an app, it can be installed on your mobile device’s home screen and send you notifications. Though PWAs have been around for a few years, they’re really starting to hit their stride now, so there’s no better time than now to take advantage of this new technology.

Our company has already used this technology to develop PWAs and they work very well.  They're fast.  Icons can be downloaded to the cell phone home screen just like a native app, they can be created in less time and for less money.  It's a win/win for businesses and the development team.

Have you ever heard of PWAs?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Stephen Wicks
Lead Designer / CEO
Stephen Wicks Internet Development Company
​stephen@stephenwicks.com

Blog Post - Stephen Wicks

According to the company's Wikipedia entry, at the height of it's popularity in 2004, Blockbuster Video employed 84,300 people worldwide, including about 58,500 in the United States and about 25,800 in other countries, and had 9,094 stores in total, with more than 4,500 of these in the US.  They were a giant in the home video rental industry. 

Fast forward to today in 2018, they now only have one retail store in the United States.  That's right... only one.

How could BlockBuster Video's huge fall from grace have happened in only 14 short  years?  How can a company this large, with this many resources have fallen in such a huge and  epic way?

Well, I think I know the basic answer.  The one that should be painfully obvious to most true entrepreneurs.  Yes, I'm sure there are complexities to the answer that we won't get into here, but it really boils down to one major issue.  The  company was made obsolete by a few new players in the home video market. 

The two most notable thorns in BlockBuster Video's side were 1.) Netflix and 2.) Redbox.  These two companies had business models where their customers did not have to go into a physical retail store in order to watch and consume home videos. 

Netflix gave the consumer the opportunity to easily go online and order videos to be delivered to their home by US mail on DVD or they could stream the rented movies through the internet.  In the case of Redbox, the company employed a fleet of rental kiosks at local grocery stores, pharmacies, and other convenient retail locations.  These two companies totally got rid of the need to physically go into a retail store and browse the selection of movies.  The consumers loved these new business models.   The consumers clearly wanted more convenience and more options when renting movies.

The tragic flaw of the leaders in BlockBuster Video was that they did not constantly keep their eyes open for what would come in the future.  They did not adequately analyze the competition from the two new players in their industry.  They also didn't keep up with the wants, needs and desires of their customers.

As business owners, you MUST and I repeat... MUST stay on the lookout for changes in your industry.  You MUST know what your customers want and expect.  No matter how large you are as a company, you CAN fail.  You cannot afford to get "caught slippin" when it comes to satisfying the needs of your customers and staying on top of industry trends.  If you don't ,you just may find yourself in the same shoes as BlockBuster Video... a Wikipedia entry of what used to be.

Stephen Wicks
Lead Designer / CEO
Stephen Wicks Internet Development Company 
​stephen@stephenwicks.com

Blog Post - Stephen Wicks

So, I was perusing the internet this morning and saw a news story about how a Waffle House restaurant in Travelers Rest, SC. closed down due to snowy conditions.  Some of you may not know why that's significant while others may know exactly why that's important.  It turns out that there is such a thing called the "Waffle House Index."  The federal emergency management authorities determine how bad a storm is based on if a Waffle House location will be opened or closed.

Waffle House, which has over 1500 locations across the Southeastern United States, is so consistent with being opened 24 hours a day / 365 days per year that the feds actually use their closings in their assessments.  Wow!  How incredible is that!???

Waffle House has built such a reputation as being "always open" that people have come to think of them when you ask "Where's a place open that we can go to?"  It doesn't matter what time of day it is or if it's a holiday or not... they will be open.

That level of consistency should be a business goal that we all share as entrepreneurs.  Waffle House has a loyal customer base because they have a non written contract with their customers.  Not only are they a restaurant, but they have become a consistent and steadfast institution in the communities that they serve.

It's my goal to develop that level of trust with my customers here at Stephen Wicks Internet Development Company.  We have not always been that or even had that aspiration as a focus, but we do now.  Our company wants  to have a similar "unwritten contract" with our customers.  We want them to know that we will always be committed to being consistent with a high level of customer service, professionalism, and skill.

I've learned a lot from the "Waffle House Index."  Do you also think that what Waffle House has accompished is a great example for us all?  Let me know in the comments.

As the great John Noird, would say.. "Go be great!"

Stephen Wicks
Lead Designer / CEO
Stephen Wicks Internet Development Company
stephen@stephenwicks.com

We had a great time attending the Facebook Community Boost event in Atlanta on Monday September 24, 2018.  The event was put on by Facebook to showcase the many ways that businesses can use Facebook and Instagram in growing their business.

We were delighted to see several of our friends and acquaintances from the Atlanta area in attendance.

Are we going to use some of the new techniques we learned at the conference to further our reach and our clients' reach in social media?  You bet!

Here are a few images from the day.