How To Create a Website Like

Facebook, Friendster, Google, [insert competitor website here]

In the website design industry, this is one of the common questions brought up by a Malaysia client. Yes, I say Malaysia client because out of all the international enquiries I’ve read which were sent to Simpleet, the ones who ask this question are normally, Malaysian.

What is most irritating about this scenario isn’t the fact they posed the question. Because, it’s not a stupid question – not really.

It’s the embarassment of not wanting to use our intellectual minds fully.

Normally, whenever a potential client ask us this question, we’d ask them in return, “what are the features/functions they’d like to see in this project?” This is the defining moment where you can tell if a client knows what they want or don’t have a clue. If they said…

I’d like to be able to connect to friends and colleagues as a group. And, there has to be personal messaging or group messaging. But the selling point of my social network is…

Ladies and gentlemen, if the client could describe this to you. They can still be saved and their project could be a success. However, if they were to say…

Like Facebook or Friendster-lor. What they have, I also want…

Stop! I’m sure you can see a difference already. One knows the vision and one is still blurry of their own vision.

Whenever this happens, it shows the client haven’t done their own research of their idea. However, all of this can be omitted with the right amount of funds – sometimes. If you’re a website designer or developer in Malaysia, you’d know what’s coming.

The client who has the vision will carefully weigh the providers budget, knowledge and experience – some, working relationship. The other would jump out of his seat, all bug-eyed and comment on the budget really required for such an idea.

This, my dear readers, is the classic case of “how to create a website like…” in Malaysia.

Not All Malaysia Website Design Companies Are Honest

Email spam is a continuous problem in Malaysia because we have no guidelines (yet), therefore no penalties towards these companies. Nonetheless, here’s a spam email of another Malaysia website design company who was promoting their Content Management System (CMS) solution.

If you don’t know what’s a Content Management System (CMS), here it is in short:

A content management system (CMS) is a computer application used to create, edit, manage, and publish content in a consistently organized fashion.

Source: Wikipedia

In the email spam, they compared the benefits of using a hosted CMS solution to a tailor made CMS and lastly, an open source (free of use) CMS solution. While I applaud their effort to increase awareness and education of a Content Management System, I personally found part of the truth was missing.

Can someone tell me what’s wrong with this image?

Here’s a little more information on the education of a Content Management System (CMS). Normally, CMS solutions have no restrictions to the number of webpages you may create for your website.

At least, that’s what my Malaysia website design company; Simpleet, believes in whenever we offer and recommend a CMS solution to our clients.

Now, I’d like to be very clear. Every Malaysia website design company may have their own marketing strategy. What I’m doing here is filling the space, about the benefit of having your own Content Management System (CMS) solution.

Which is, the authority to create as many webpages as you want when you are given a Content Management System (CMS) solution.

Or, do you think otherwise?

Tracking Twitter Marketing Performance

Twitter has slowly but confidently grown to be a massive online marketing tool for small-business owners to celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Guy Kawasaki, Britney Spears and etc. The entrepreneurial Twitter users are using the online marketing tool to promote their business and personally share knowledge they’ve stumbled online.

However, I’ve noticed Twitter is now missing a key tool for it be a real business enhancer. Which is to track the marketing performance done on it.

Here’s a quick example, imagine McDonalds Malaysia used Twitter as part of their online marketing campaign. I’ve advised them to use Twitter to share their McDonalds vouchers online and ask their friends with Twitter accounts to do the same. After all, who doesn’t like freebies?

I’ve posted on Twitter a catchy headline along with a call-to-action for people to get more information or download the vouchers right away.

But what’s lacking right now for me as the advisor to McDonalds is, I can’t track how many people viewed or activated the link.

Twitter is definitely not the only role to play here, even URL shortening services could think about implementing a performance tracker. A simple number of how many users activated the link is good enough.

Wouldn’t you want to track your twitter performance besides only generating the number of followers?

Simpleet on The Inside Matters

Besides the rumored economy crisis, many company directors I’ve recently met asks me if I know an ASP.Net developer, Flash designer, Project Manager and etc. I remember reading an article before a lot of undergraduates are unemployed because they’re being too picky with their job opportunities.

I guess the priority of company benefits has fallen down the scale for undergraduates or unemployed people to decide if the company is, the one. Thanks to Google, they’ve created a benchmark for all companies around the world to adopt a similar enjoyable working environment.

Where else can you find an office with a slide built-in for employees?

Or, free flow of jelly beans and M&Ms!

Though not all Malaysia companies are open to this change, some have begun to adopt as much as they can to keep their employees motivated and healthy. During the bloggers tour of the GreenPacket office, they’ve prepared a floor for employees to get on the massage chair, play fussball, play pool or even game on the PlayStation 3 (coming soon).

So why are companies doing (or, should do) this?

Well, many are beginning to realize their biggest asset of the company is the people in it. The people who sweat to fix your telephone line in the hot sun or even, the lady who brings you tea every morning. Everyone deserves respect and a fulfilling experience where they work.

This is why Simpleet won’t only be a company but a group of people who are specialized professionals. In Simpleet, it’s the inside which matters most to us. We want people who mean it when they say their passionate about website design or website development. Not someone merely looking for a job.

And one of the things Simpleet’s office must have later is a long white board for our brainstorm sessions. We want people who look to the future and not only the present. This size should do.

In the future, I want to teach and ask for all Malaysia companies, interactive agencies especially, to realize what matters most inside a company, is its people.

Don’t you think colleagues or employees inside your company matters?

Malaysia Internet Downtime Affects Productivity and Health

Malaysia employers of Internet technology companies who said the Internet (when it’s up) affects employee productivity I’d say are morons. From what I’m experiencing right now as an employer and employee, with TMNet Streamyx Internet service interruption is affecting my productivity more than when the Internet was up.

In the morning, my primary activity is to check my business emails and address all of them in a timely manner. And, I spend less than 10-minutes to reply them. Plus, there are occassions I only take less than 1-minute to reply a simple question posed by clients. Before the interruption, it takes me maximum 2-3 hours. Now, it takes me 4-5 hours to only address my emails.

After lunch is the time I research, design, do more research and prepare proposals for my clients. In between all of that, I still address emails from my business partners and clients. Now, thanks to the interruption of TMNet Streamyx, my productivity is affected exponentially.

I can’t complete proper designs for my clients and I can’t propose new ideas which I would normally observe based on the international online trend. The Malaysia Internet downtime which has been ongoing for more than 2 weeks now has all my work backlogged.

Besides work productivity, Internet downtime also has an affect to my health – not as an Internet addiction. Because I can’t complete my mentioned tasks in a proper timed schedule, I’ve no choice but to sacrifice sleep to meet deadlines. It’s not like all my clients will accept the excuse, “my Internet was down due to TMNet”.

Health and productivity aside, the government wants and wishes for all Malaysia companies to target the international market. I’ve once shared an example of what happens when we (Malaysians) don’t do enough research of the outside market when we propose a business plan.

Therefore, is it our fault the reason we can’t produce products or export services for the international market is due to our lack of knowledge or skillset?

Is the main Malaysia broadband provider themselves ready to provide the services and performance which doesn’t affect productivity and health of Internet companies here whom are targeting the international market?

Or, is the main Malaysia broadband provider only promoting and supporting the sales of our products and services within the country – while our government says look outside of Malaysia?