From: "Nancy Coffey" <ncoffey@netrover.com>
To: "Balloon deco" <balloondeco@balloonhq.com>
Date: Sat, 16 Sep 00 11:15:28 -0500
Subject: Web sites for balloon decorators

Hi folks,

I asked for some feedback on our store's website and thought I would
post a summary of ideas and a couple of issues that came up. 

When designing your site you have to decide who your target is. Even
though it is the 'World Wide' web we are really only interested in
doing local jobs. However, there are a few situations where people from
far away might want to know what we offer--e.g. ordering deliveries or
planning local events from a distance.  More and more customers are
expecting businesses to have a 'web presence' but that is more suitable
for some businesses than others. 

We wanted to show some of our balloon work, give people an idea of our
stock--both rental decor items, dishes, chairs, etc., and party
supplies--and get them thinking more about how balloon decor is very
festive and within the reach of everyone.

One response I had didn't think that we should be providing links to
sites that list other balloon businesses, like BalloonHQ and Qualatex.
I'd be interested in hearing what others think about this. I thought it
was a good idea because going to these other sites raises balloon
awareness, and customers get ideas about what can be done, but it could
also be exposing your potential customers to your competition.

The main problem I see with a web site is enabling people to find you.
We are doing this by going with a host who is developing a site for
brides in the area to find all the information they need in one place.
Companies that they are hosting will get a link on their site, under
the appropriate category. They will be promoting their site through
bridal shows, advertising, and search engines. This is an added expense
but it might pay for itself, especially with a home-based business.
Because we do many more events beside weddings, we are also promoting
ourselves in other ways--putting our website address on all our printed
material e.g.
business cards, brochures, price lists, etc., and registering with
search engines. 

If anyone has comments about any of these issues I think it would be of
interest to other balloon decorating businesses, because I'm sure that
many of you will be facing these questions, if you have not thought
about them already.

Other things that were brought up:
--Download time. The Web, and especially the balloon business, is very
visual. We want to show off our work so that people can see what we can
do. That has to be balanced against people's patience in downloading
your pages, so number and size of graphics on each page is important.

--Browser compatibility. There are lots of bells and whistles that you
can add, like animations and photos that change every couple of
seconds. They can add 'pizzazz' but might not be viewable in older
browsers.

--Fonts. I changed from Times New Roman to Arial because of feedback I
got. I think it makes the site look cleaner. Thanks Helen.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to look and give me feedback. 

Nancy

Tim's Party Centre
Susan Coffey, CBA
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
www.timspartycentre.com