NEWS+BLOG

On Saturday 24th March 2007 at 1.22pm I became a father for the first time!
My wife Melinda gave birth to a bouncing baby boy who we have called Sebastien, via c section at the St George Private Hospital.

Weighing in at 9 pounds 14 ounces in the old measurements or 4.490kg, and 53 cm in height he pretty much dwarfs all the other babies in the nursery.

We didn't know whether he was a boy or girl until he came out however we did have a good idea what he liked like.

How is this possible you ask?

Well until recently the only view that expecting parents and doctors had of an unborn child was via 2D ultrasounds, you know those grainy, black and white images with vague outlines of what kind of looks to be a head. Recent computer imaging technology has allowed doctors to create a 4D ultrasound which gives you a complete 3 dimensional view of the unborn baby.

Whats the 4th Dimension?

It took me awhile to figure out as well but the 4th dimension is time.

The 4D Ultrasound machine renders a 3D image in close to real time.

How accurate is it?

See for yourself!

 

One of my weekly (ok daily) routines is to have a look through all of the stats for the websites that we monitor via Google Analytics.

Having not looked at the stats for about a week I was surprised and excited to see that one of our latest clients has reached the first page of Google.

Whilst this is great in its own right, what is even better is that the website consists of a single page with just the companies contact details and simple list of services.

Thats it!

Who is the lucky client? Ozpave, an asphalt contractor and civil contractor.
Don't believe me? Here is the search page.

So if we can get Ozpave onto the first page of Google with a single and extremely simple "Coming Soon" page, and admittedly not even trying, I am extremely excited to see what will happen when we launch a highly optimised, content rich website in the next couple of months!

Numero Uno here we come!

 

Regular visitors may have noticed that we have undergone a quick freshen-up.
We have brightened our colours, tidied our portfolio and re-created our homepage flash.

Over the coming weeks we will be improving our portfolio to provide more interactive demonstrations of our animations and websites. The first example of this is our EasyWay Tea example. Check back soon for the latest updates.

 

Here are Cyber we are a mixed bunch. Half of our team prefer PC the others Mac. As with all PC and Mac users we are constantly having "chats" about the benefits of one platform over another and so on.

About 10 minutes ago this favourite topic of conversation arose again as our office suffered a minor power failure. The lights turned off, and a scream of "F*%$##@&%" arose from the design room.

Our PC designer Kyle just lost the last half hours worth of work. Our Mac designers Matt and Homaira however continued working throughout the powerfailure. Apparently Mac's have some tricky internals that allow them to function in the event of a minor power outage. How cool.

I guess that kind of goes towards redeeming the massive price difference! ;)

 

Which of these two products would you rather purchase?

Product #1

Great Top for Hot Summer Days

When it's hot outside, this top will help keep you cool. Made of cool nylon, you'll love how it stops moisture. Available in four pastel colors.

OR

Product #2

Perfect Tank Top for Hot Summer Days

When the temperatures are steamy outside, this tank will help keep you remarkably cool. Made of breathable 100% nylon, you'll love how it sheds moisture. Available in four spring-fresh colors.

I think i can safely say that you would be much more likely to hit the "buy now" button on product number two.

This quick little example as provided by isedb.com, demonstrates the importance of emotive copy writing when describing your products to your customers.

Karon Thackstons article also highlights the fact that 68% of consumers surveyed by Allurent, Inc in their Online Customer Experience Survey, wanted the ability to "feel" a product through the use of better imagery and more detailed and emotive product descriptions.

The key message from this is that users are more likely to make emotionally driven decisions when making an online purchase rather that fact driven ones.

To use another example provided by Karen @ isedb.com, I would much rather:

As your day begins, enjoy a gourmet breakfast prepared by your own private staff -- at your disposal 24 hours a day. A gorgeous view overlooking your own crystal-blue freshwater pool welcomes you to another exciting adventure in Hawaii. A morning stroll along your private, white-sand beach is the perfect way to welcome the day.
A fun-filled outing can consist of splashing in the surf, sunning on the beach or napping in an authentic hand-woven hammock that cuddles every curve of your body. At the end of the day, you'll have sun-kissed shoulders, a glowing bronze tan and a phenomenal appetite!
Unwind poolside at the gazebo as you prepare for a world-class dinner that rivals any five-star restaurant. Refreshing after-dinner cocktails are especially enjoyable when sipped on the terrace as nature provides an amazing display of sunsets and a soft, caressing breeze you won't soon forget.

Than:

Rent our two-bedroom condo right on the beach! You'll have a private staff to meet all your needs. Pool, hammock and gazebo are on site. Gourmet chef will cook all your meals to order. This is the best vacation house you've ever seen!

Make your users feel like they are there, let them touch, taste, smell and want your product most importantly and the conversions will follow.

 

Whilst trying to re-configure my PC after a complete hardware replacement I tried to download itunes for Vista when I encountered this error.


This certinally makes me feel better to know that even the big guns experiance website errors every once in awhile.

 

Cyberdesign Works is happy to welcome Australia’s leading broadband VoIP phone service provider, MyNetFone to the Cyber family.

My Net Fone Limited, (ASX:MNF), provides customers with the ability to make and receive inexpensive phone calls to landline and mobile phones anywhere via their broadband Internet connection.

The company delivers a comprehensive range of VoIP and data convergent solutions to residential and SOHO users; small & medium enterprises (SME’s) and corporate accounts.

The MyNetFone service is renowned for its excellent voice quality, reliability and low call rates. It has been rated highly by leading PC magazines and newspapers throughout Australia.

The MyNetFone service won the 2007 Money Magazine Gold Award for Best VoIP Plans – Business User, and Silver Award for Best VoIP Plans – Home User. Certainly an impressive feat.

It also won the Australian PC User Magazine 2005 Product of the Year and 2005 Communications Product of the Year awards.

As Australia's leading VoIP service provider and winner of this string of awards, MyNetFone requires the design and development of a more appealing and feature-rich website. That, is where we come in.

Penciled for launch in Q2 2007, the new MyNetFone website, built using our sanscode CMS, will provide new and existing customers with rapid and intuitive access to service plans and faq's as well as a complete self service portal. All while giving MyNetFone un-restricted access to update and modify the website with new products, services and promotions - as and when required.

Stay tuned for more updates as they come to hand.

 

I am pleased to announce that Cyberdesign Works has been appointed to the task of designing and developing a website for the Platinum Buyers Agent.
Platinum Buyers Agent is a boutique property buyer operating exclusively in the Sydney North Shore suburbs of Mosman, Kirribilli and surrounding areas.

In a relatively new concept here in Australia, Platinum Buyers Agent acts as property buyer and negotiator between the purchaser and real estate agent or property seller. This service is especially useful for expats and interstate purchasers who require property in Sydney however have no way of researching their options themselves.

Built using our sanscode CMS, the Platinum Buyers Agent web design will enable the website administrators to rapidly maintain the websites content and enable the ongoing development of an information rich, property buying resource.

Cyberdesign will also be undertaking the graphic design of the Platinum Buyers Agent stationary including, business cards, letterhead, with compliments slips and customised envelopes.

Stay tuned for launch details.

 

I am please to announce the appointment of Cyberdesign Works to the task of designing and developing the OzPave website.

OzPave (Aust) Pty Ltd, owned and operated since 1988 specialise in civil construction works throughout metro Sydney, Wollongong, Central Coast and the Blue Mountains.

Having never had a website before the OzPave website will be built on our CMS, sanscode, which will allow OzPave to rapidly maintain their new website without the need for any HTML knowledge at all.

Watch this space for launch details.

 

Sometimes you have to laugh. Meg over at dlook.com.au has found an enterprising yet somewhat deluded request for the development of a dlook.com.au clone.

This would normally be quite flattering except for the fact that the published budget for this mammoth project is between $300 and $1500!!

Now I am not exactly sure what this person expects to get for their $300 to $1500 budget especially as dlook.com.au would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop let alone maintain.

Website Cloning is certinally nothing new to us here at Cyberdesign Works. As previously reported one of our clients JD Security has had their site duplicated by an Indian Security company. Flattering for us but potentially devistating for the customer. Frustrating for all as it too was done on the cheap!