Web site design basics

Business owners are always asking me, "What should I have in my web site?" I always say, "Keep it simple." Stay away from Flash animations and fancy menus. Do not confuse your visitors. The best bet is a professional design that achieves a goal. This goal might be selling products. Usually, a web site is simply there to make your phone ring and your inbox fill up, as well as to spread the word about your business. Your web site should make a visitor feel comfortable enough to purchase from you or at least contact you. With this is mind, design your web site. Make it easy for visitors to find your phone number, email address, contact form, etc. When in doubt, find web sites for other successful businesses and model your site after theirs.

Tough loss for Iowa

Spent the weekend in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City attending the Iowa football game. What a tough loss for the Hawks. I called the game a toss-up prior to the game. Iowa has been shaky most of the season but had the advantage of playing at home, while the Wolverines were on a bit of a roll but playing in one of the toughest venues in college football, Kinnick Stadium. The contest was a 60 minute nail-biter to say the least, with Iowa losing the game in overtime due to missed opportunities. Michigan was given every chance to win the game and they finally found a way. Looks like Iowa will need to claw its way into a low-tier bowl this year. Go Hawks.

Sampled the nightlife of Cedar Rapids Friday night. I must say there is not much to choose from. There are a few popular little bars in the downtown area and they are very crowded (and smoky). Not big on the whole smoking thing. We had a few drinks and called it a night and headed for Perkins! We stayed in the Excel Inn of Cedar Rapids on 33rd Ave. SW. Nice little hotel with a friendly staff and extremely cheap. Booked the room a day earlier using Orbitz. $55 bucks...you can't beat that. We didn't have much choice, as everything in Iowa City/Coralville was booked. If you plan on attending an Iowa football game, a word of advice...plan it early. Use web sites like Orbitz to find the cheapest prices on hotels and airfare.

Hurricane Relief Tailgating Event

The North Iowa Outlaws are hosting a Hurricane Relief Tailgating Event on October 30th, 2005 from 11:30 am to 1:30am when the game starts. Food and beverages will be served for a Minimum $5 donation to the RED CROSS. Harry-O from KLSS 106.1 will be onhand for entertainment. Many activites will be going on as well. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross. Please plan on attending the event, or even if you could just send a donation. Donations can be mailed to North Iowa Outlaws PO BOX 953 Mason City, IA 50401 I encourage anyone in the North Iowa area to take part! Thanks for your support!

Weekend in Des Moines

Spent a relaxing weekend in the fine city of Des Moines, sampling some great restaurants and lounges with friends. First of all I have to comment on the new MLK Parkway. Finally you can get to the south side of Des Moines without following a confusing maze of twists, turns and stop signs! The MLK is a brand new, wide and smooth thoroughfare taking you from I-235 on the north side straight south to near the Des Moines airport. You can really see some cool new sites along the way. I was surprised at all the freshly painted bridges and extra work that seems to have been put into this project. This will go along wonderfully with the revitalization of the downtown river district. I could really sense a pulse to the downtown area. It is quite a nightlife scene there. Many, many neat restaurants and clubs for every taste and mood. Speaking of 'taste' there was a busy 'taste festival' being held Saturday night downtown. Lots of families there. As the night went on, the crowd seemed to get younger, lots of 20-somethings and 30-somethings. We started out eating at a restaurant called Judge Roy Beans. They serve mostly pasta dishes. I highly recommend their menu. Reasonably priced with a homey atmosphere. From there we ventured to the High Life Lounge. What a trip back in time that was! I was totally impressed with the decor in this lounge. It is 70's all the way: wallpaper, light fixtures, stools, carpet, everything. And the beers they serve: Ham's, Old Style, Old Milwaukee, the kind of beer my dad would have drank in 1978. They played great music in there. Lots of 70's and 80's, very little contemporary music, which suited me just fine. The bar is situated in a very old area of downtown Des Moines that is being renovated. They are turning old warehouses into loft condos. We ended the night at a couple of other hotspots that I cannot name...a martini bar among them. Don't worry, I drank responsibly...but I think I ate too much!

Buying/selling real estate: Earnest Money

I am always in the market for real estate. Usually buying but I have sold a house too. When I sold my last house, I didn't require the buyer to put any 'earnest money' down on the agreement. After reading this blog, I think I made a big mistake that could have cost me dearly. I should have required earnest money so that the buyer would be more likely to stick to our agreement.

Google launches new BLOG search

Google is the Internet's most-used search. They have many tools in addition to the regular 'web search'. They have launched a new search tool that only searches blogs. It is really neat. You can find just about any topic on the web to blog! Click here to try it out. Search for IOWA BUSINESS BLOG ... this blog is right at the top!!

Several states begin collecting Internet sales tax

Although not required by law, Iowa and several other states have streamlined the process for Internet retailers to collect sales tax from their customers. Many big businesses like Wal-Mart already are doing so. I think this is probably in the best interests of everyone. You make a purchase, you pay a tax. That's the way it's supposed to work I guess! Read about the new tax collection rules in this story.