Staff - Old City Web Services

Domain Name Importance

September 18, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

When it comes to your domain name, there are a few things that you need to know:

Who is your domain registered with (Tucows, Network Solutions, GoDaddy, etc..)
Who, if anyone, is managing it for you or are you responsible for it yourself
When is it due to expire/renew

By making sure that your domain is renewed in time, you are ensuring that your website remains active and that you'll keep receiving email at your domain name. By not keeping information current on your domain and failing to renew it in a timely manner, you run the risk of paying more to renew and occasionally you may even lose ownership of it altogether. We'd hate to see that happen.

When we manage your domain for you, not only will you receive several email renewal notifications, you'll also receive a phone call/calls from us until we make sure we have your authorization to renew.

If you are interested in having our team manage your domain, contact us today!

Consistency is King

September 5, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Hi there! Steve coming at you from Old City Web Services; I lead the SEO efforts for our fine company.

In my first addition to the "Tips For Success" series, I'd like to share an important aspect of digital marketing that every business owner or operator can leverage - "NAP consistency." NAP is an SEO term that represents name, address and phone number. In order to show up effectively in search engines (especially the maps area), you will want to make sure that your name, address and phone number are listed EXACTLY the same, with the same details and format across the web. In other words, if the address you have listed on your website says "suite 4" and the address you on Google Business and Yelp says "ste 4" - this is bad, and it will keep you from reaching your full ranking potential.

Want to learn more about how our team can help improve your search engine rankings?

Need help updating your Google Business, Yelp, Yahoo and more?

OMG – What do they do?

September 5, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

That could be a common question for employers when an employee is out for a day, let alone even longer. It is essential that you or your employees know how to fulfill a position without a major interruption to your office or business.

Have your employees document processes and procedures they do each day, week, month, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually
Create a binder with procedures for each employee/position
Periodically check to make sure new procedures are added

Your employee will be missed, but they will also be able to return and have had things run smoothly and not to a pile of problems or mishandled business. You will be happy, they will be happy, and other employees will be happy. And, most importantly, your customers will be taken care of as usual.

Creating good step-by-step documentation takes some thought and effort, but the end result is priceless and can be used over and over again by you or anyone who needs it. A procedure manual is a great owner's manual for your company.

To learn more about topics that can benefit your business, check out our blog!

Choosing A Design Company

August 17, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

It's surprising how many times in our first-time client consultations we ask what brought the client to us and their answer is all too often "Google." Well Google is how you found us, but what made you consider us (or any company for that matter) for your project?

So, what is your criteria for choosing a design company? An important decision such as this should not be a game of Google-Eeny, meeny, miny, mo. It should be rooted in a company's skill set, and the best tool to analyze this is their portfolio. It shows their body of work and what they have done for other companies in a variety of industries and how they have helped them to succeed.

Design is not just drawing pretty pictures - it is about communication. The audience is the customer looking for what you and your competitors offer. So choose a company wisely that will help set you apart!

Stay tuned for more exclusive tips from our experts. Next up Natalie weighs in on social media!

Finding Meaning in Mission Work

July 25, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

It’s no doubt that we have a talented team here at Old City Web Services, but one of our favorite things about each person on staff is that they all have passions and talents that make them awesome individuals. We’re a family here, and when one of our family members achieves accomplishments, we want to tell the world how proud we are of them!

Cecile Mission Work

Cecile working with the youth.This blog features our President and CEO, Cecile Browning Nusbaum, the backbone of Old City Web Services, Inc. A St. Augustine native, Cecile is extremely passionate about St. Augustine and does everything she can to support our community. When she’s not in the office, Cecile enjoys spending time outside, taking part in community events, working with youth and traveling. Her latest travel adventure, this past June, was a mission trip with church youth to Whitewater Express, a camp in Copperhill, Tennessee.

We asked Cecile a few questions about her latest adventure:

Who went?

I went with the Trinity Episcopal Parish Youth Group. There was a total of 18 of us - 4 adult chaperones and 14 youth. The youth consisted of middle and high school students from various schools in the county.

What made you want to go?

I go on the mission trips for the fulfillment of watching the youth grow, of seeing them step out of their comfort zone to experience something new and realizing what they can achieve. To watch a young person use a power tool for the first time to build or construct something, then to hear them say, "I can do this when I get back home", is very rewarding. I believe I receive more from going on these trips than the youth do sometimes. Watching them interact with each other, you see how they have not developed their own opinions yet and are open to change.

What did you do while you were there?

The team works to remove the old benches.

Last year, the first time we stayed at this camp, we found an outdoor chapel area where we had some of our evening devotions. It is very rustic and peaceful with about twenty benches some of which had started to rot and fall over. There is a stream that wraps around this area underneath the trees with a bridge leading to the chapel area. It had been previously patched and was in need of repairs as well. We decided that rebuilding the benches and bridge would be a great project for us to do and something many others would be able to use for years to come.

I made a trip to the camp about a month prior and videoed the area, measured it, and talked with the camp administrator to come up with a list of materials that we would need.

The wood was delivered to the camp the day before our arrival. We had brought all the necessary tools for the project with us, so we hit the ground running. We removed and replaced most of the benches. And, we built a completely new bridge and walked it into place.

before-after-work

The benches before and after they were replaced.While we were there, the camp had paintball, rock climbing walls, and high ropes and we took part in those. We ziplined, went whitewater rafting, and walked trails outside of the camp. One of our youth had a fear of heights and decided they were going to conquer their fear there. All of the students knew what we were going to do ahead of time, and I thought it was so interesting to hear and see how this one student overcame their fear.

What are your favorite memories?

Everyone gathers around the campfire for a daily devotion.

Our devotions around the campfire at night was one of my favorite times of the day – listening to the youth talk about what they had done during the day and how we can relate to what God’s plan for us is.

Getting up very early in the morning, breathing in cool mountain morning air, listening to the birds, watching the sun rise over the mountain tops as the fog clears, absorbing everything around me was incredible.

One of the best things was seeing the youth unplug from their devices. They played Frisbee golf, taught each other card games, or if one of them had something that would benefit the group, they would share it. This year, one of the youth shared how he uses martial arts and how you don’t have to use it physically to take yourself out of situations that may arise.

What is your favorite part of going on mission trips?

I’ve been going on mission trips with our church since 2007. I love being able to take time off and connect with tools other than a computer. To teach a student how to use a power tool for the first time. To watch a group of young adults build something and when they are done to be able to give it to the person, persons, or group they built it for. To listen to them while we are building and having them come up with a better way to do it. To have the youth suggest that we add things to our projects and let them lead their project. To see them interact with the people they are helping and between each other. The encouragement they give each other when someone might be afraid to do something. To watch our youth grow physically and spiritually over the years.

What would you tell anyone thinking of going on a mission trip?

I would say that going on a mission trip with youth is the most incredible thing that you can do. To see how they grow and overcome obstacles and getting to know them in a totally different setting from home is so uplifting. I know not all mission trips have devotions in the evenings, but it’s great to listen to each one of them tell about their day and how things are provided for them.

For me, it is a time I can detach from my everyday life and reflect. Sometimes you have an impact on a student and you don’t even know it. I had a student that was watching when I didn’t know it. I had no idea she knew that I got up before everyone else to do my devotions. It keeps me young at heart and on my toes. And most of all don’t forget to take air freshener; those cabins get pretty stinky after a week!

Designer by Day – Spartan by Night

May 2, 2017 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

It's no doubt that we have a talented team here at Old City Web Services, but one of our favorite things about each person on staff is that they all have passions and talents that make them awesome individuals. We're a family here, and when one of our family members achieves accomplishments, we want to tell the world how proud we are of them!

We're here to talk about our Art & Design Director, Bobby Jones. If you've ever come to our office or worked with us, you've probably met Bobby and seen his amazing work. He has the talent to take an idea and turn it into something better than you could imagine. But what you might not know about this skilled artist is that in his spare time, he's super passionate about fitness.

Bobby has been weight training since college and has continued to push himself since. His most recent accomplishment: Competing in a Spartan Race in Miami this past weekend. Yes, you read that correctly.

In between art projects, we caught up with Bobby to ask him about his love of fitness and his race experience:

What is your motivation to stay fit?

I like challenging myself. It's a feeling of accomplishment when you do something you haven't done before. It challenges you. It pushes you. Being pushed is a good thing - it spills into other parts of your life.

What motivated you to enter the Spartan Race?

Bobby and his sister Azizi pose with their medals after finishing the Spartan Race in Miami.

This was my first competition. I saw it on TV, and it was right up my alley. I was drawn to it because it's similar to Crossfit games - a combination of strength and endurance. I felt like I could do it, so 6 months ago, my sister, Azizi, and I committed to competing in the race.

How did you and your sister prepare for the race?

We came up with a plan to compete and finish the race. She took boot camp classes. I took boot camp classes once a week, weight trained 3 or 4 times a week, and ran. Leading up to the race, we felt pretty comfortable. We took the last couple of days off from any gym training to rest, avoid injury, and spend time with family.

Tell us about the race

My sister and I decided that we wanted to pace ourselves since it was our first race. The first part was more running than obstacles. Once we found our rhythm, we got comfortable and ran the distance. We knew the key to obstacles was to attack them instead of being timid. And any obstacles you failed, you got a 30 burpee penalty.

What were some of the obstacles?

Atlas ball carry (90 lb for men/70 lb for women)
Sand bag carry (90 lb for men/70 lb for women)
Hercules hoist
Rope climb
Rock climb wall with no feet support
Spear throw
Cargo nets
Rings
Rotating monkey bars

What was your favorite part of the race?

Competing with my sister. We're both into athletics and sports. We were able to encourage each other. It was a fun challenge together. It's a good feeling when you finish something like that. The medals we got when we finished are a symbol of accomplishment.

What would you tell someone thinking of competing?

Absolutely do it. I would suggest doing some training, especially upper body and weight training. But we saw people of all fitness levels out there. It's fun to do with someone. If you get groups of people, you can encourage each other.

We're so proud when our team members follow their passions and accomplish their goals. So, the next time you're in the office, ask Bobby about his race. Congratulations, Bobby!