Calling small business owners, start-ups, and entrepreneurs… What would YOU do with 250 free business cards? UPrinting.com has been so kind as to provide 250 free business cards to one of our readers!

It’s easy to enter. Simply leave a comment about how you would use your business cards if you were to win.

For additional entries, and more of a chance to win:

1. Blog about my giveaway and link to my post and to UPrinting.com.
2. Tweet about this giveaway @uprinting. Be sure to include the #giveaway trending topic.
3. Let me know so I can add in your additional entries!

UPrinting.com has many business card designs to choose from, or you could create your own striking design. Just post a comment and let us know what you would do with 250 free business cards!

A winner will be chosen on October 21, 2009. And a winner will be notified on October 23, 2009. So get your entries in ASAP!

Need an official looking sign for your business or office? Are your stick figure drawings eliciting laughter from the staff, or confusing visitors? Look no further. Official Signs & Icons 2 by Mies Hora is a great resource.

Here’s the Amazon description:

These symbols and icons are royalty free, vector drawn, and tried & true — so you can use them repeatedly, stretch them, edit them, whatever. It’s an inexpensive solution that makes your life easier as a small business owner.

Some more logo sets:

Okay, so anyone who’s posted on my blog has probably seen the little “CommentLuv” button. It’s not a new concept, but I just want to highlight it.

When you comment on my blog, just make sure to type in your blog URL. Then YOUR latest blog post will show up under your comment on MY page. It’s how I can give back a little and show some love to my commenters.

Download CommentLuv and incorporate it into your Wordpress blog. Other blogging applications have similar add-on mods. Enjoy that nice fuzzy feeling, and show love to your blog commenters.

Congratulations Ben! You’ve won a free 18″ x 24″ poster print from DigitalRoom.com! (By the way, this Random Chooser made picking our winner a snap. You must try it sometime.) So Ben — start rifling through your photos and decide which one you will blow up into a beautiful, glossy poster print…

Check out this note I received from one of my readers. Someone hijacked this business owner’s blog — someone created his own administrative user identity and took control of the blog. (The IP address and some names have been withheld.)

This reader handled the situation very well. No thanks to his web host. And as an avid reader of his blog, I noticed he never skipped a post.

Aside from security issues, there are a few things to take away here… If you are a non-technical person, don’t despair. Some “technical” people have no clue either. So make sure you are with a host that is knowledgeable and helpful. Don’t settle for mediocre service, and be persistent.

Another thing is — it does pay to educate yourself a bit. Just a few lines of code solved this issue.

Also, I believe it’s better to install and set up your own blog, don’t go through software applications offered through your web host. Ask your web designer to download and install Wordpress on your server. Then you will have more control, style and functionality with your blog. And if anything goes wrong, your designer will know exactly where your database is located, and who or what to delete!

As a business owner, you are in control. With knowledge, persistence, and good help, your blog will never skip a beat.

SPLASH!

While visiting web sites of companies in my local area today, I ran into several splash intro pages. You know, those intro pages with big Flash animations welcoming you to the web site. Completely unnecessary pre-home pages.

NOTE:

This practice of adding a splash page is outdated. It also fails to add informational or entertainment value as 100% of visitors will skip the intro.

TIPS:

1. Web site animations should serve a purpose, help users reach a goal, learn something.
2. Animations which are purely decorative are annoying and useless.
3. Animations should give users the option to stop, pause, play, skip, fast-forward, rewind.
4. Animations and/or videos should also give users some feedback — as in length of animation, download progression, etc.

EXAMPLE

After a recent downpour, my roof leaked and ruined the drywall in the ceiling. What to do? Here’s an animation that’s functional and understandable. It is easy to follow, clearly showing the steps for repairs. It includes the text in addition to audio. And, it has the options to stop, pause, play, fast forward, etc. Great job! (By the way, I’ve personally worked with Easy2 DIY programs and staff, and they are absolutely great. Maybe I’ll do a review on their software…)

Hurry hurry! There are only two more days until my contest ends!!

See my previous post on how to get a free 18″ x 24″ poster from Digital Print. You choose your own photo/artwork and get it blown up into a free poster if chosen….

DigitalRoom.com has kindly sponsored this giveaway.

I and one of my very fortunate blog readers will receive an 18″x24″ rolled poster print. I plan to blow up a big beautiful picture taken on my Hilton Head vacation. I’m not actually a photographer, but hopefully I will be able to do justice to the lush green marshes, the mossy live oaks, and the soft dunes lining the pristine beaches…

What will you do with your free poster if you win? Check out Digital Room’s poster printing here: Poster Printing | Digital Printing

Enter to Win Your Free Poster Print:

1. Leave a comment on my blog explaining how you will use your Poster Print if you win.
2. Get an additional entry if you… Blog about this giveaway with a link to my blog as well as a link to DigitalRoom.com
3. Get an additional entry if you… Tweet about the giveaway @uprinting with trending topic ‘#giveaway’.
4. A winner will be selected on September 25, 2009.

This offer is open to US residents only. FREE UPS Ground Shipping for US residents.

Check out my new Headline Animator from Google FeedBurner below!

Now with a little snippet of code, I can show everyone I email my latest blog post titles in my email signature! Now you don’t just say: Visit my Blog. You say: Read my latest post– Use a Web Style Guide for a Consistent Website!

With more specific and varied content in your email signature, you give people a reason to read your blog. Peak their interest, give ‘em a tiny hint at what they are missing. They they’ll wonder how they ever lived without your blog.

The steps are simple:

1. Sign up your blog with FeedBurner
2. Click on Publicize.
3. Click on Headline Animator and follow the instructions to set it up.
4. Then copy and paste your code wherever you need it…. email siggies, Yahoo! Mail, MySpace page, Wordpress blog, wherever.

Have fun and reap the rewards of increased blog readership.

Many websites receive input from varied sources within a company. For this reason it’s important to establish a style guide. A web style guide is a set of web standards that will be followed on your site. It should define the look of the site, typefaces, writing style & grammar, layout style, graphics usage, etc. A well-thought out web site style guide will encourage consistency and ease-of-use. Make sure when additions or changes are made to the style guide, that all designers or web authors are notified of the revised guide.

You may need to define and include:

What format online material should be submitted in (both text & graphics)

What writing style the company will use

Any specific company terminology

Logo style guide

Typefaces

Format & layout

Graphics styles (buttons, photos, etc)

Color usage

Link styles

Sharebrain offers a free Photoshop template for a Website Style Guide. Check it out for ideas, alter it and make it your own. Of course, you don’t need Photoshop to create a web style guide. Just take your time, discuss with colleagues, and take detailed notes. Let us know what is included in your style guide!