Good is good enough.

First, what does that mean?  To me, it means perfection isn’t possible so why try.  I can’t control everything and I don’t have the time or money to even try to pursue it. So good is good enough.

In the web world, I hear this a lot. It could be the design, the copy, the functionality, anything…

Is it good?  Yes!  Is it good enough?  Well….

10 years ago (maybe even 5 years ago), having a web site was enough.

Today?  Not a chance.   In my business, the number of amazing designers/developers is staggering.  The quality of the sites produced now makes sites just a couple years old look out-dated and hard to use.  With the ability to out-source to overseas firms that charge less than half the going rate, your product / service can not longer be ‘good enough’.

It better be outstanding.

The ease of getting a web site combined with the power of search engines has made your competitors just a search and click away.  Whether you’re selling artwork, consulting services, web applications, anything…your site better stand above your competitors.

Good IS NOT enough when it comes to web sites (unless your Craigslist…).

It starts with appearance.  We can all say we are not that superficial, but we’re lying to ourselves. Say you’re looking for a consultant to help you with your storage and backup needs.  You find a couple in your area through a web search and are now looking at their sites.  Assuming you don’t have prior knowledge about any of the consultants, I would bet a lot of money that your initial choice will be the site that  is easy to navigate, answers your most common questions quickly and most importantly, has a well-organized and professional design.

Does the quality of the site mean the Consultant will be the best?  Not at all.  But it does suggest a few things.

• They care about their image
• They spent the money to have a site that was professional and easy to use
• They took the time to research their target audience
• They care about the people they serve

They decided good was not good enough.

Now I know most of us (me included) don’t always have the time or money go beyond ‘good enough’.  So the question is…

Is it better to put something out there (there being the internet) that is just good or is it better to wait until you have the time and money to do it right?

I think it comes down to a few things.

• What your competitors are doing
• What your price point is
• What your customers need and expect

If the site isn’t meeting the needs and expectations of your customers, they aren’t coming back or giving you a second look.  If your price point suggest Ferrari but your site looks Yugo, well….  If your competitors have sites that make yours look like it was done by a 15 year old using FrontPage, then you have problems.

It’s better to have a web site with one great page then 10 crappy ones.  It’s better to send one quality email a month than 6 crappy ones.  It’s better to sell one great product than a bunch of useless junk.

Perfection is impossible, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive for it.

Good is not good enough.

I launched a new client site today for Interstate Commercial.  First, thanks to InterState Commercial for the opportunity.  It was a fun and challenging project.  I also need to thank Dennis Good for his design skills and Matt Dariano, Jr for managing the email migration from their old service. I’m looking forward to the next project where I can work others.

The sites utilizes ASP and MS SQL server for the database.  There is also a fair amount of  jQuery handling various interactions on the main site as well as the Control Panel for managing Properties and News.  The Google Map API is used as well.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

The site is a custom CMS with an MS SQL database on the back-end to store all site data.  It has a blog (called “Recent News”) and Photo Gallery that utilizes jQuery and Thickbox.

Starting in 2010, they plan on sending a quarterly Newsletter.

Thanks go to Yvonne, Shannon, Lincoln and Rodney for the opportunity!!

Thanks Anthony.

One of the primary features of Basecamp is the Messaging functionality.  When used correctly, this feature is a replacement for project related email communications.  Rather than CC’ing everyone and then dealing with all the responses (that may or may not have been copied to everyone), you send the message from Basecamp.  All replies are saved in Basecamp as well as sent to everyone included in the original Message.

To help you use Basecamp and the Messaging functionality more effiiciently, here are 5 things to remember.

1. It is not a replacement for all email. If you want to ask your buddy down the hall for last night’s scores, send an IM or a personal email. Your project manager and your client may not care.
2. One topic per message. If you include 3 questions in one message that goes to 10 people, you have the potential for 30 different answers. It will be difficult and time consuming to follow the message thread if everyone responds and/or comments.
3. It is about content, not presentation. This is a text-based tool.  Special formatting will not be preserved, so focus on the words, not the layout.  If you need to convey something where layout and presentation are important, attach a Word doc or PDF.
4. Nothing is private or confidential. Just because you unchecked Suzy from email notifications when you created the message, doesn’t mean Suzy can’t read the message.  If you have an issue with someone on the project or the project itself, figure it out off-line.
5. Use the tool as it was intended. You can only create a new messages while logged into the tool.  Accept it, it is what it is.  You can reply directly from your email client to a message, but I would suggest you log into the tool for replies as well.  Here’s why.  You’ll be able to catch up on the entire thread before you reply.  You may find that someone else already did and you just missed that email.  Reading everything again may spark something new you hadn’t thought about.  Finally, Basecamp can’t accurately convert the formatting from the various email clients, so replies you send from Outlook 2007 may loose their returns, bullets, fancy backgrounds, etc (see number 3 above).  When you reply directing from Basecamp, you message will look exactly as you typed it.

Basecamp is a great tool with many useful features.  As with any tool, it is only as good as those using it.  It will take some time to learn and use correctly, but when you do, it will save you, your team and your clients a lot of time and money.

In the last month or so, I upgraded my package on both apps to include new features (more projects and time tracking for Basecamp and for the “Deals” feature in Highrise).  2009 will be the year I become “religious” about using both these tools because I truly believe they can make my life easier and more productive.

As I started to use the time tracking feature in Basecamp, I had a question about what the clients could and could not see.  I first looked up the FAQ, which answered my question, as well as logged in as a client to “see what they see”.  From there, I took a quick detour to the Forums just to see what others might be asking (you can learn a lot by reading how others are using something).

One of the first posts I read was a rant about what the time tracking feature didn’t do.  My first thought was, “You idiot, did you bother reading about the feature before you upgraded.”  It clearly doesn’t do what they thought it should.

Beyond that, I wonder how many people buy something thinking it will do what they want without actually reading about the features before the purchase.  I wonder how many people use the wrong “tool” for a job.  I wonder if it is the tool’s fault, the user’s fault or maybe the marketer’s fault.

I my opinion, it is rarely the tool’s fault.  It does what it does.

If you’re using a hammer to drive a screw…  Having all-wheel drive doesn’t mean you can go off-roading (Porsche Turbo).  The picture on your new 46 inch LCD TV isn’t going to be better if you’re still using an analog antenna on your roof.

Sometimes the “marketing” of a product or service isn’t entirely accurate.  Just because an app can send email messages doesn’t mean you can use it as an email marketing tool. Just because your phone has internet access doesn’t mean you’re going to be able visit YouTube and watch videos.

Back to Highrise and Basecamp, more often then not, I find myself and  my clients using them incorrectly and/or with unrealistic expectations.

I need to stop trying to make the tool do something it wasn’t designed to do.  Or, maybe I need to find a different tool.

In the end, if you use the right tool, at the right time, in the correct way, you just might be able accomplish something you never thought possible.