This company wanted to take a different approach to utilizing the web. If you can implement a system like this for buses, imagine the possiblities with other types of industry.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) May 9, 2008 — Plaudit Design, a Minneapolis web design company, and TDS Enterprises are pleased to announce the launch of the Bus Rescue website. Bus Rescue saves the day when a bus is broken down and needs service away from its home area. No matter where a breakdown may occur in the United States, Bus Rescue will use its innovative technology to notify the closest service provider, whether an alternate bus company, a towing company, or a tire and repair shop - all with the most important goal in mind of keeping a chartered trip’s passengers rolling to their destination.

In the past, the bus operator/owner would spend hours on the phone trying to find help for a bus that had broken down in an unfamiliar area. With Bus Rescue’s system, a bus operator can reduce the time to seconds. With a few clicks of the mouse, Bus Rescue will send simultaneous rescue requests to multiple service providers.

When a breakdown occurs, Bus Rescue uses three different technologies to contact the closest companies that can help, selecting them from a database containing more than 35,000 companies. And rather than just call a phone number, Bus Rescue uses multiple forms of communication to improve the chances of getting help immediately.  Read More

I found this article extremely interesting, minus a few spelling errors. Virtual Desktop Applications can be really tough to manage with a third party company. Time spent on maintenance can be a killer along with the financial  burdens involved. Your best bet is to do it yourself and save monthly payments and  all of the stupid little service charges from over priced VDI companies. To access programs on a remote computer can cost you roughly 70 dollars a month. Instead, use tight VNC or other open source applications or set up your own VPN.

The buck stops here! If you have software and server experience you should be able to work through configuring your VDI. If not go to this conference and save yourself time and money.

With a remote workforce, either through offshoring business processes or remote home workers, it is essential to keep the data safe while providing the most flexible computing experience. This session will discuss the strategies and pitfalls when building a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). It will discuss cost issues and help customers build a compelling Retrun On Investment through determining the Total Cost of Ownership of a VDI implementation. This session will also cover the strategic architecture and how to build a VDI Solution that will allow an Organization to reap the benefits of a remote workforce. Read More

Will my website rank in the major Search Engines?

If you website was built by a “professional web designer” you will notice that you have routine search engine traffic. Visitors are the reason you wanted a site in the first place, right? If you are unsure about receiving routine search engine traffic, you should ask your designer to add a statistical program that can monitor each and every visitor and where they exactly came from. AJS recommends Statcounter.com because it is very thorough and ultimately free.

Will my visitors be able to navigate smoothly?

Ok, so you do have routine traffic, so does every road in America. What percentage of those visitors hang around to actually read your content? Smooth navigation is required to keep a reader or a future customer’s attention. Loading times and visibility must be taken into great consideration. If your web navigation is not organized by content and design, the red “X” in the upper-right hand of the browser may be more pleasing.

Will your website portray the message you are trying to send?

Be Simple. Many designers over do it and miss the point of the entire message you want to send. Persuasion and relevancy is key to a well-designed business partner can work for you 24/7. Have your designer create a more direct approach to the important services, or messages you would like to persuade to your visitors. Remember too much content is never bad. When the content is just gibberish; your website equals a “Microsoft red X”. Strive to expose your company’s main features and customer care benifits.

What sets you apart from the “mom and pop store” down the street?

Will your designer use color effectively for organization?

Never be afraid of white space. Too much color can kill a websites professionalism. Always stick to a few colors, no more than 5, that relatively match. Too many images and long wait periods between page loads with demolish your online business approach dramatically. Your website should use color to highlight important areas not “scatter-brain” your visitors. The concept is very simple. If it takes too much effort for a visitor to find what they are looking for, they will go somewhere else. DON’T MAKE USERS THINK!
Will it work the way I anticipate?

Always make sure your site is accurate and fresh with content. If a website is not helping your business, why did you implement one in the first place? Treat your website like your business. Research on breaking web technology and features that could help you socially engineer your website to its full potential! Construct a maintenance plan with your designer. Make sure the design company is willing to keep your website maintained.