Archive for 2009

Maryland-based JoS. A. Bank recently launched a redesign of their eCommerce website – JosBank.com. Given the fact that JoS. A. Bank is a Maryland company and the fact that I’m a big fan of their clothes (and sales), I decided to take a look at their recently redesigned website and offer my personal review.

I was watching Squawk Box this morning with guest host Ted Leonsis, Vice Chairman Emeritus of AOL, and he threw out a figure on worldwide internet users and its effect on the global economy.  While I wasn’t quick enough to write down the exact figures, the point was that North America represents only a small part of internet users.

While many businesses are still chomping at the bit to understand social media, one local Baltimore company has proved you can taste success through developing a social following.

Kooper’s Tavern out of Fells Point began its “Chowhound Burger Wagon” service this summer and slowly but surely has developed a loyal group of followers. With their Twitter account @BRGRWagon and their Facebook page, they continue to release updates on their location for the day and other promotional information through these different channels. By utilizing these tools to deliver specific calls to action Koopers is able to see a direct return and reaction from their fan base, thus delivering the element that currently eludes and frustrates most businesses trying to grapple with their social presence.

95% of all statistics are made up.

The saying above is a tongue and cheek reference to a very real phenomenon: people’s willingness to fudge the truth in order to prove their point. If I’m arguing for something and say, it’s proven that 32% of people don’t like xyz, it’s harder for my opponent to argue otherwise. Statistics are powerful because people think of them as facts, as undeniable, set in stone truths. But statistics can easily be miscalculated, misrepresented and manipulated to serve an agenda.

It’s a little overdue, but Groove Commerce would like to introduce P.J. Gill as our new Client Services Director!

Welcome P.J. Gill

A graduate of Lehigh University and a C.P.A., P.J. started his career with a Big 4 accounting firm in New York City before the sweet smell of Old Bay (and his now wife) convinced him to move to Baltimore. After several years of public accounting P.J. took on a consulting role focusing on business performance management, and budget and forecast development.

When not at Groove headquarters P.J. can be found spending time in Federal Hill with his wife, Dorothy, and their French Bulldog “Iggy Pup” or running in Baltimore.

Welcome P.J.!

I can’t say that I’m really surprised, but Google just announced that the meta keyword and meta description tags of websites have absolutely no bearing on search ranking via their Webmaster Blog. Google’s hand was forced on this announcement, as there are whispers that some lawsuits were arising as a result of companies using competitor’s brand names in meta keywords. So how should this news alter our daily routines?

Part of the reason Google has been able to remain on top of the search world for most of the decade is their relentless dedication to improving the quality of their search results. In the past, Google has kept quiet about updates, leaving most of the SEO/SEM folks to only guess that some system wide change had been made. Often, we search nerds are given confirmation of an algorithm change eventually, as was the case with some of the previous updates, but now for the first time, Google is opening the doors early to their next algorithm shift, called “Caffeine”.

Read on for a link to the sandbox version, and some early thoughts on how it might affect your rankings.

As retailers head into Baltimore for eTail East, we at Groove Commerce would like to extend our warmest welcome to the those that will be in attendance. Baltimore is the city that fostered our growth as a company, is home to many of our employees, and is a hotbed for many of the country’s forward thinking web companies. Yes, “The Wire” was filmed here, our Orioles are an annual disappointment, and the construction in downtown will drive you crazy, but Baltimore didn’t earn the nickname Charm City for nothing! Read on for some of the can’t miss spots in the city, and look for us in the “Got Groove?” shirts at the conference.

After getting a Groove Commerce eCommerce website consultation at the Internet Retailer conference in Miami back in January, the people at Jeep 4×4 decided they wanted us to make some of the changes we had suggested. Our job was to build a design template that increases conversion, while leaving the functionality of the site untouched.

Wanna work at Groove Commerce? We don’t blame you!

Groove Commerce is looking to add another developer to its team and would love to hear from you.

For more details, check out the description and requirements here:
Baltimore Web Developer