Twitter Hack Update

"There is a history between Iran and Twitter. It was well noted and covered in the media that Twitter was used as a tool during the Iranian election protests. The US government actually intervened to assure that Twitter was available to the protestors in Tehran and around the country. This attack may be an act of reprisal from groups who were not happy with the role that Twitter played during the protests.

Twitter’s DNS records were compromised but have now been corrected. Twitter.com was redirected for a while but API and platform applications were working. "

Sources ::

www.techcrunch.com
www.nytimes.com

Twitter.com Hacked December 2009

Twitter.com was hacked recently by the "Iranian Cyber Army". Fortunately, it wasn't long before the site was back up running as normal within very little time (not even enough time to write a decent article about it:))

Below is the image that appeared on the Twitter site:

For a translation & for more information please visit the Afridesign Facebook Page.

A Social Media Strategy for 2010

"It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million listeners. Terrestrial TV took 13 years to reach 50 million users. The internet took
four years to reach 50 million people... In less than nine months, Facebook added 100 million users." (Econsultancy Blog)

"Around 64% of marketers are using social media for 5 hours or more each week during campaigns, with 39% using it for 10 or more hours per week" (Econsultancy Blog)

In 2009, we saw many companies stepping into the field of social media marketing & finding that it is a favourable alternate to traditional marketing. Being powerful, influential, far-reaching & inexpensive.
2010 predicts a bigger move away from the traditional forms of marketing, with many more companies testing the waters of social media marketing.

As with anything web-related, social media marketing sites will soon become flooded with marketers, all using similar techniques & strategies. Therefore, an intentional & well thought out strategy will take your campaign where it needs to go.

5 tips for taking your company's marketing strategy to the next level:

1) Be Creative
Merely having a Facebook or Twitter account will not be enough. Standing out & staying relevant amongst your competition will require some innovation & creativity.

2) Have an in-house social media team
Having your own people to manage your social media campaign will ensure that your social "voice" remains authentic.
Outsourcing to agencies has it's benefits, especially in the start-up phase. However, due to the client's own disinterest & lack of involvement, many social marketing campaigns have brought much disappointment.
Get involved! You know your business better than anyone else does.

3) Measure the performance of your social media campaign
If you have been experimenting with social media, then it's best to start measuring the success of your work. Know how your efforts are converting into leads & sales, and know how to maximise your ROI.

4) Find your niche
Most companies try all sorts of social media avenues, not really knowing what works for them & what doesn't.
So, it's important to find out which medium will serve you the best & to find the niche which your company can accommodate better than anyone else.

5) Cultivate relationships
It's one thing getting people to show interest in you, it's quite another getting them to stay interested. Therefore, it's wise to start building relationships with with your potential clients. Afterall, that is what social media is all about.
Build your brand, build credibility & most importantly, build relationships & trust

And if you are not considering a social media campaign in the near future, you might want to re-consider! A social media campaign will you help to build brand awareness, demonstrate personality, gather feedback from your clients & provide them with better, faster service.

Logo Design :: Yebo Guava

Our design team just finished creating a logo design for Yebo Guava & we are now in the first stages of their website design. Stay tuned for more!

For more of our updates on webdesign, mobile marketing, SEO and more, please follow Afridesign on Twitter

Logo Design :: Hoblett - 100% Pure Wool

Check out the newly updated design for this logo!

More interested in following us on Facebook? Follow this link and become a fan of the Afridesign Facebook Page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/wwwafridesigncom/111655003278

What is SEO & Why Do You Need It?

Who needs SEO?

Anyone that owns a website & wants it's to appear within the first 10 search engine results pages (SERP's), needs SEO.

What is SEO?

SEO, Search Engine Optimisation, is the process whereby a website is optimized, by improving it's on-page, as well as off-page factors, in order to drive more traffic to the website from the search engines.

In other words, a website is optimized to improve it's performance on search engines.

Once a website is search engine optimized, it eventually begins to move up position in the SERP's.

On-page factors relate to the immediate changes that an SEO (someone who does SEO), will make to the website itself. SEO's do not have direct control over the off-page factors as these remain mostly in the hands of others.

An example of an off-page factor would be when someone places a link to your website, on their website.

Why do I need SEO?

Millions of people around the world, search the web every second of every day. If your website is buried somewhere on the 37th page of search results, no-one will ever find it. You will be missing out on a lot of potential business if your website is not optimized accordingly.

SEO is how we make sure that the search engines can find your website with relative ease.

SEO is not a quick fix, but rather an ongoing process. The tactics used by SEO's are constantly developing to keep up with the forever changing algorithms used by search engines. The mechanics of these algorithms are a closely guarded secret, however, good SEO's always keep a close watch for clues as to how they work & change.

Having a good SEO, will ensure that your website performs at it's very best, at all times, bringing you all potential business possible.

Logo Design :: Hoblett - 100% Pure Wool

View more of our logo designs by visiting our website at http://www.afridesign.com/website-design-07.php

Logo Design :: The Career Company

Check out more of our logos at http://www.afridesign.com/website-design-07.php

Logo Design :: High Five Financial Holdings

Check out our website for more of our logo designs at http://www.afridesign.com/website-design-07.php

Mobi Site Design :: http://www.pinkhappiness.mobi

The latest competition that Revlon is running is the "Pink Happiness" campaign for the ladies.

One of our guys here at Afridesign designed this mobile website - I think he did a pretty good job!

Remember that this one is a mobi site - so please check it our using your mobile phone:)

http://www.pinkhappiness.mobi

How to Choose a Website Developer

So you've finally decided to join the family we like to call the Wild Wild West, I mean, the World Wide Web.

You've realised that your company will go no further until you get your spot on the web, but where do you start?!
There are many design and development companies out there. Therefore, it is important to make an informed decision. You can't just go for the company that gave you the cheapest quote. Quantity & quality go hand in hand - you get what you pay for.

I've included some things to consider when choosing a website developer. These are not fail-proof, but they might help you to narrow the field down.

1. Check out your developer's own website
If you don't like the look or feel of it, or think that it lacks information, then perhaps they are not the way to go. However, just remember that your opinion may be based on taste & not on quality. Judge objectively.
Do some reading about their business. Who are they? What are their vision & values? How long have they been in business? Etc.

2. Ask to see your developer's portfolio
Seeing previous work that they have done, will help you to know whether they can provide the style & quality you are looking for.

3. Ask what kind of support your developer will provide
You will need to know whether they offer support before and after the job is done, if they are able to host your website, or, assist you in the hosting process.
Find out if they will charge for updates to the site after the project is complete, or if you will be able to implement changes yourself.

4. Know what the developer's terms & conditions are
Knowing these will help you to understand how your developer conducts business. A developer should be aware of the legalities involved in projects such as these.

5. Find out how much say you will have in the project
Afterall, you don't want to pay for something that you don't like.

Remember that you are going to pay them to give your business it's "online face", therefore you need to be completely happy with your choice of developer.
Keep invovled in the process & ask lots of questions. If your developer doesn't want to answer questions, avoids issues & keeps you in the dark, change your developer. A good developer will try to not only please you, but will also give you the confidence and knowledge required to run your business on the web.

Website & Logo Design :: Cybervets

We love interesting projects at Afridesign - and Cybervets is definitely interesting.

Cybervets are exactly that - vets who give online advice to animal lovers. Just log onto their site and ask any question about your dog or cat. They give comprehensive, informative replies to all queries, be they medical, surgical, behavioural or general health related queries.

Cybervets has also won 2 Bronze awards in the last year. We received the first award in November 2008 from the SA Web Awards, and we were then re-awarded this year in September. A very cool feather in the Afridesign hat! Check it out at http://www.webawards.co.za

We are currently adding 2 new "rooms" to the website - so watch this space for more!

http://www.cybervets.co.za

Website Design :: http://www.greenarrow.co.za

A construction company based in the Norwood/Sydenham area of Johannesburg.

You see their white branded bakkies driving around everywhere, their banners on numerous properties. They have projects on the go i...n all areas of Gauteng.

Green Arrow Construction just recently became The Green Arrow Group - a combination of Fantazia Ceilings, Green Arrow Coatings & Green Arrow Construction.

Please visit their website, which we went live with earlier this week - you can also follow them on Facebook, Blogger or Twitter!

http://www.greenarrow.co.za

Online Marketing :: Are you getting your slice of the pie?

10 to 15 years ago, very few businesses had websites. Nowadays, I would agree that most business owners understand the value of owning a website & being searchable online - even if it took a while for most to cotton on.

However, sometimes it feels as though it's taking just as long for people to understand the importance of online marketing.

We have seen that a lot of our clients think that a website is all they need to increase their client base. That a website on it's own, it will magically perform well on the search engines and bring them loads of instant business. This is simply not the case.

From my experience, and from research on this topic, I have learned that most business owners really don't see the value in online marketing. Most are not even aware that a website can be marketed online, or how.

Statistics show that 80% of business owners market their services using some form of print advertising, whereas only 20% market their businesses on the net. Not surprisingly, 80% of readers respond favourably to online marketing, but only 20% respond to print advertising.

In plain terms, 2 out of 10 businesses out there are swallowing 80% of the pie whole. The other 8 businesses share the crumbs between themselves.

Online marketing is a broad subject. There is a lot that you can do to market your website. Some of it you can even do yourself, at virtually no cost. However, for those who are really serious about doing well, professional help is advised.

Don't settle for the crumbs - there is plenty pie to go around.

http://www.afridesign.com

Website Design :: http://www.niknakssa.mobi

With the ever-evolving mobile industry, it's no surprise that the popularity of mobi sites is on the rise.

With this in mind, we at Afridesign are claiming our slice of the mobi pie - while it's still hot!

Please check out our latest project - a mobi site for NikNaks - specifically built for their latest campaign.

Tip :: This really works best if you visit the site using your cellphone;

Website & Logo Design :: Electrosonic SA

This year we completed a large project for a company named Electrosonic SA - a company which provides av solutions, as well as entertainment lighting.

In 2008, we designed the Electrosonic company logo, with which they were so impressed, that they asked us to design & build their website as well.

This website is a Joomla CMS site & includes Flash components.

http://www.electrosonic.co.za

Electrosonic SA Logo

Website Design :: Etchells & Young Property Brokers

This year we completed quite a big project for Etchells & Young Property Brokers - a successful, upmarket, real estate agency situated in Gauteng.

We designed & built a Joomla CMS site for E&Y, which affords the client the convenience of uploading fresh content & images to the site themselves. Although, we do regularly assist the client with web maintenance.

http://www.etchellsandyoung.co.za

http://www.afridesign.com

Logo Design :: Openbyte Technology & Safety Assist

Just recently our graphic designers finished another 2 logo designs, one for Openbyte Technology & the other for Safety Assist.

Check out the images below!

Logo Design :: Joburg Bride

Please see a logo design that we finished just recently for a South African wedding planner. It's fun, fresh & funky - definitely one that will appeal to the ladies!

To view more of our logo designs, please visit our website at http://www.afridesign.com/website-design-07.php. If you require a logo design for your business, please give us a call or complete our online logo design request form http://www.afridesign.com/order-logo-design.php, and we would be happy to assist.

The Afridesign Team

Logo Design :: Edge Data Technologies

We just recently finished a logo design for a company named EdgeData Technologies - check it out!

Don't forget to become a fan of our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/wwwafridesigncom/111655003278 to receive our updates!

Website Design :: www.revlon24seven.co.za

Exciting news! We have just gone live with 2 websites for "Revlon 24Seven" - one of Revlon's newest products which they start promoting tonight in clubs and on local varsity campuses.

Afridesign was approached to design & build a website & .mobi site specifically for this campaign where anyone could submit their entries either online or via the mobile web.

Check out the check below & don't forget to post your comments!

http://www.revlon24seven.co.za

http://revlon24seven.co.za/mobi

Logo Design :: Our Latest Logo Designs

Some of our latest logo designs.............another one of the services that we offer. Quality logo designs, custom made to our clients requirements, in no more than 5 working days.
To view more logo designs check out our website at http://www.afridesign.com/

Website Design :: www.aca2k.org.za

Today's post is about ACA2K, another of our long standing clients. As the website is a Joomla Content Management System the client is able to upload content, images & more to the website themselves. However, we do assist the client with website maintenance on a regular basis.


To see our website design profile, please visit our website at http://www.afridesign.com/portfolio-order-form.php. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/afridesign.

http://www.aca2k.org.za/

Website Design :: www.mygas.co.za

Some of our clients have been with us for many years, one such client being Mygas. Mygas comprises of 3 companies, each providing South Africa with industrial and consumer gases. The Afridesign team has built a website for each company from scratch & we currently handle the ongoing maintenance & design of each website. Below you'll find a few screenshots of our work for Mygas.

http://www.mygas.co.za/balloon/index.php

http://www.furbygas.co.za

http://www.mygas.co.za