Reflections of 2010

It's a new year and for many businesses it is an opportunity to make the necessary changes to improve their image, expand their clientele and revamp their website. Creative Clicks Inc. does not advertise at all and relies solely on word-of-mouth advertising.  For over a decade, I have been fortunate to have clients who have recommended me to their friends, colleagues and family members.  In 2010, I was able to meet new clients and work along side them to either create or recreate their website to include the look and functionality they were hoping  to achieve.  All of the websites listed below were previous client recommendations and for that I am extremely  thankful!  

JDP Interior Design - Chappaqua, New York

http://www.jdpinteriordesign.com

At JDP Interior Design, integration of visionary design expertise and experience creates architecturally sound interiors that reflect the individual, the business or the activity. Designs consistently surpass requirements, and culminate in artistically arranged space that enhances life, energizes work and inspires customers.  I highly recommend contacting JDP Interior Design if you are in need of the following help:

  -- Residential Interior Design
  -- Project Coordination
  -- Space Planning
  -- Woodworking and Furniture Design
  -- Sustainable design
  -- Styling and Staging
  -- Designer on Call

JCC Supplies - College Point, New York

http://www.jccsupplies.com 

When we were contacted by Jennifer at JCC Supplies our knowledge of janitorial and maintenance supplies was not exactly extensive.  However, through continual communication and design strategies we were still able to come up with a website that brought Jennifer's vision to fruition.  This site will expand as Jennifer's business grows.  

* This website was designed completely via emails and telephone conversations.

DDR Public Relations, Inc. - Thornwood, New York

http://www.ddrpr.com/

Dawn contacted me to discuss whether her website needed a complete redesign, some tweaking to add new items or to simply update  the information on it.  We attempted a simple update because her foundation site design was good but once we started making the changes, we both agreed that her business had grown enough to require a bit more updating.  While staying within her color scheme, each page was recreated to fit the requirements Dawn was looking to achieve.  Dawn is now a blogger and she has expanded her social networking to include Twitter and Facebook.  

Look to DDR PR for their commitment to their clients with exceptional, personalized service, creativity, collaboration, connections and proven solutions. 

* This website was designed completely via emails and telephone conversations.

Mediterraneo Caffe` & Ristorante - Pleasantville, NY

http://www.mediterraneony.com

I've known Rino, the owner of Mediteranneo, for all 15 years that he has been in business but we never discussed his website until just recently when he asked me if I could help.  Rino is the type of client who left full design up to my discretion, but knew what he wanted to achieve.  I'm thrilled that he is receiving many compliments on his new website and hope to expand his business to include social networking in 2011.  If you haven't been to Mediterraneo in Pleasantville, NY you must try the spinach fettucini served in a crab sauce!

* This website was designed completely via emails and telephone conversations.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of my clients a prosperous and healthy 2011! 

Thank you =)
Nicole

Constant Contact = Easy Email Marketing

According to Constant Contact, email marketing is a must-have for building your business and I couldn't agree with them more! I was first introduced to Constant Contact in 2004, while completing a grad school assignment. The assignment was to create a Valentine's Day promotion for Bloomingdale's and Constant Contact was the tool we were given to use.

I remember laughing and thinking that I had to be doing the project wrong, because there was no way that it could be THIS EASY to create an email campaign - but I was wrong. It really was incredibly simple to edit, update and schedule email campaigns with Constant Contact. In no time I was creating my own design templates and tweaking their templates. For beginners, it is an incredibly intuitive, web based program that will have you up and running in no time.

Constant Contact offers over 400 email templates, helps you to grow your email list while building customer relationships and most importantly it affords you the ability to track your results. It's amazing to review what your clients/customers are interested in and to be able to follow up through a direct email or more traditional phone call.

I highly recommend Constant Contact, and promise that you (and your business) won't be sorry!

Best Smartphone for International Travelers: BlackBerry Tour 9630

This month I finally broke down and upgraded to the Blackberry Tour 9630. Actually, this upgrade is something that I have contemplated for a while now. So why the change of heart? Actually, the question became a sort of why not, rather than the previous why. Verizon Wireless offers these portable offices for free when you sign up for a new contract or upgrade your account to include a data package.

Still, while I anxiously waited for its arrival, I still wondered what the fascination is with having a blackberry! Ok, I must admit that three weeks into having my blackberry (or blueberry as my nephew calls it) I can honestly say that it was the best upgrade I've made in a while. The Tour is just about as intuitive as a phone can come. In less than two hours the phone was personalized to include everything that I wanted and needed in a phone. I literally felt as though my entire office was now in the palm of my hand. I was so impressed with the ease of use that I began to demonstrate all of the capabilities to my husband. It only took five days to convince my "I don't need a blackberry" husband to get one and he loves it as well! I never expected to ever hear him tell me how much he loves his phone but there he is professing his undying love on a daily basis.

Another satisfied customer =)

Computer Problem? Call Chong!

I often have friends, colleagues and family members call me in hysterics, explaining how their computer has stopped working just when they have something urgent that he or she is working on. Once they’ve calmed down enough to listen, I say one word – Chong!

I met Chong Lee, the owner of Nextech Systems several years ago when my desktop computer needed an increase in speed and memory. I was amazed at how quickly he updated the system, removed a virus or two and eliminated start-up items that were slowing my system down. Chong did all of this for a lot less than what I would have spent to purchase a new system and all in my own home. Since that day, Chong has helped me through secure network configurations, wireless printer configurations and virus removals. Whether I ask him to visit my brother, my sister, my friend or my colleague at their home – he is there.

Chong has a convenient storefront (in the Spaccarelli Shopping Center), but for so many people I know it is absolutely wonderful that he is willing to travel on-site to diagnose and repair a computer.

The next time you are in need of computer repairs or are looking to purchase computer peripherals, software or video games, make sure that you visit Chong.

NexTech Systems
238 Sam Mill River Rd.
Millwood, NY 10546
Tel: (914)762-2611
Cell: (585)230-3014
info@nextechsystems.net
www.nextechsystems.net

Oh No...My Router Got Zapped!

So it may not seem like a big deal to have your Internet connection down for a few days but for someone like myself, this was truly tragic. I think that the most tragic aspect was that the issue was incorrectly diagnosed; I blamed it on Cablevision. After waiting for the holiday to pass and the technician to survey the problem, I was told that it wasn't my cable connection but rather my router that had "died". My router died?!

In case you are asking yourself what a router is, a router is a simple LAN (local area network) that allows for multiple users to access the Internet with one connection. In other words, routers make it possible for multiple family members to access the Internet at the same time from their own computers. Fantastic.

So, I scanned the newspaper ads this morning to see what types of routers are available. Remember, my Internet is down so I have been reduced to looking at ads from Staples and Circuit City in the newspaper. It has been about six years since I bought a router and I remember researching them on various websites, comparing and contrasting based upon price and quality but since I didn't have the Internet to do my research today I had to rely on what I knew to be dependable. So, I ventured up to Staples and went through the router aisle (yes there is a whole aisle) wondering how a router can vary from $35 to $200. Why would the price vary so much? My old router was a LINKSYS and it had last six years (unlike my Dell laptop battery which died after two years this week - blog post #2 of the week...stay tuned) so I was definitely leaning toward another LINKSYS. I looked at the price tags, tried to do an in-store comparison and decided to rely upon what I knew and purchased the LINKSYS.

Fast forward about an hour later and I was back online! I can't even begin to explain how easy it was to replace my old router with my new router (securely). After inserting the CD it took all of ten minutes to go through the simple process and I was literally back online. I was waiting for some type of dilemma (the networked printer not working, laptop not able to find it, some type of disaster) but there wasn't one. My only issue was that I needed to restart my laptop and retype my Key Code and it was smooth running after that.

Therefore, if you are in the market for a router and aren't sure which one to purchase, my suggestion is a LINKSYS G Wireless Router. I purchased mine at a Staples store for $59.99 (you can probably shop around for the same one online for less money if you have the time and can get online). Trust me, if you've never needed a router before and don't think that you'd be able to connect it on your own - YES YOU DO AND YOU CAN DO IT! :)

April 2008

It's been a busy time for Creative Clicks Inc. I am glad to see so many of my clients moving forward with their websites, and existing clients looking to make updates. It certainly takes time to update a website, but it is extremely important that it gets done. When a website appears outdated, with old information, visitors will quickly become bored and move on. All of the time, effort and money that went into creating the website is lost because the visitor will probably assume that they can't rely upon the site for current information.

So, April's message is to keep your website current!
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Creative Clicks Inc. proudly introduces our most recent website creations:

Music by Mommies Inc., a company formed by caring mothers, produces music designed to guide children through their daily activities like brushing their teeth, getting dressed and cleaning up. By creating motivating songs for everyday living, Music by Mommies hopes to brighten the lives of parents and children.

If you have young children, this is a great cd to get for them! This is also a great gift for someone with young children or someone expecting a child (perfect baby shower gift). You can purchase their music from CD Baby or contact them directly to purchase one or more cds. Click the image to learn more about Music by Mommies!

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Lisa Jane Lipkin has responded to the unassailable call to write and sing and the undeniable tug of her heritage with A Prayer for Peace. On this newest CD, Lisa spreads her spiritual euphoria with a collection of traditional and original Jewish prayers & chants set to her exquisite contemporary melodies. It is a unique soundscape that evokes the cherished memories of her Ashkenazi-influenced childhood mingled with the sounds that inform her own modern life.


Lisa has a beautiful voice and performs in various locations throughout Westchester County, NY. Her most recent music can be downloaded from iTunes, as well as her music from her last CD, Raise the Honey. Click her image to learn more!

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Sorrel Hays is proof that the Internet is a wonderful thing! We managed to create Sorrel's website entirely through email, without ever having met in person or even placing a telephone call! That was a first for Creative Clicks but it proves the point that a website can be built from anywhere!

Having "met" Sorrel through a friend, Charles Flowers, I was very pleased with her excitement about her website creation and the attention to detail she was looking for (those are actually her hands and scores on the header). Sorrel's website turned out lovely and you can root for Sorrel and Charles's new opera, Our Giraffe:

VOX Showcase of New American Opera
New York City Opera

Performance at 2 pm, May 10
Skirball Center, NYU

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Subolo Contracting, based out of Pleasantville NY, was established in 1973 to construct commercial and institutional buildings, doing both new and alteration work. Having met the owner and several workers several years ago during a school construction expansion project, I was thrilled when I was contacted about creating their website!

I knew that Subolo Contracting was looking for a clean design and I am happy with the end result that we achieved together. Taking a company's brochure and bringing it to life on the Internet is always an exciting task! Congratulations to Subolo Contracting for taking the necessary steps to create a true reflection of their company online.

Welcome!

My First Blog
Figuring that it was probably time to create an interactive section to my website, I sat down today and started this blog. What else is there to do on a rainy Saturday in March?! In just a few minutes, I realized that this is definitely something that I want to incorporate on my own website, and encourage customers to include as well. I am not foolish enough to believe that I am going to have a huge following, but for the clients and friends who are looking for new areas of interests on the internet, new options for their websites or just cool stuff – they’ll know to check out my blog!

Why blog?
Well, up until today I would have agreed with you in your disinterest. However, I took the time to learn more about the process and my answer quickly changed to why NOT blog? It is free, it is a great communication tool and it is a way for people/visitors to get to know you. For my clients that would like to have the ability to add information to their website but either don't know how or don't have the expensive software - and don’t want to link to a MySpace page, this is a great way to do it! So... my suggestion is to give your visitors a chance to get to know you by reading your blog!

The Process:
It is really simple to create your own blog. Simply go to www.blogger.com and click on create your blog now. The questions are basic and before you know it, you’ll be a blogger!

I was surprised with the interesting design choices that are available to pick from and how easy it is to incorporate pictures, slide shows and much more!!

So, welcome to the Creative Clicks Blog and watch out for puddles! :)