ZENAuctioneer

ZENAuctioneer 1.5 is now available!

Joshua Stengel — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:01:00 GMT

This new version has so many of the great features you have been looking for. Every year as new technologies and new techniques emerge, ZENAutioneer gives you the tools you need to keep your web site fresh and productive!

Take a look at some of the new features in ZENAuctioneer Pro 1.5:

You can upload and display videos on web pages or embed videos from YouTube
Add custom links and upload files directly to web pages
Add a blog or and RSS feed to web pages
Create groups of pictures for each auction
Create custom groups of auctions (real estate, antiques, equipment, etc)
There are many more great new features and don't forget about all the great features from version 1.0 that are still included!

Call (720) 394-7198 for a free demonstratration or go take a look at the online demo.

Musser Bros. Launches New Site Powered by ZENAuctioneer

Joshua Stengel — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:36:00 GMT

The new Musser Bros. web site was recently released and demonstrates the flexibility and potential of using the ZENAuctioneer engine. Using a customized version of ZENAuctioneerPRO, MBAuction.com offers site visitors a rich and informative experience. The behind-the-scenes content management system allows them to easily create and upate auctions, build and modify web pages, and add rich multimedia like videos, images, and RSS content to their web site.

The majority of the design work was done by Scott Musser. His ideas and vision fueled many of the great features you can see in the web site. Some of these feature highlights include:

Their blog is being automatically fed into their web site on the homepage.
They can automatically add multimedia like videos from YouTube, custom videos, and audio.
Each auction can be connected to a specific auctioneer so that when people have a question, their message is routed to the correct auctioneer.
Auctions are entered into the system only once but can be grouped and displayed on multiple pages in a variety of formats automatically.
Auctions can have multiple galleries and can be integrated with the auction catalog items.

How to display your web site in Spanish (and other languages) for free!

Joshua Stengel — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 03:32:00 GMT

Did you know that Goolge offers a free web site translation option? It's not perfect and it will mess with your formatting, but it's something worth considering for your web site. Here's how to add the option to your web site:

Go to Google's translation page
Type your web site's address into the "Translate a web page:" box.
Select your desired translation (e.g., English to Spanish) and press "Translate".
Presto! Your web site is now in Spanish!
Create a link on your web site to the URL that is in the Address Bar.

Something like this: See this page in spanish!

Please keep in mind that this is a rough translation and your pages may look a little funny, but still, it's free!

Questions? Post a comment below....

What does your web site cost you?

Joshua Stengel — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:03:00 GMT

From hosting fees, design costs and management time, the cost of owning a web site can really add up. Often times, web sites get created with the good intention of keeping them updated and current but, often the costs and time requirments of maintining such a site are too much and the site grows stale.

Sometimes, auctioneers try to manage their own web site in an effort to save money but, may in fact, be costing themselve money. How? Sites that are not professionally maintained tend to be full of errors which can keep them out of the search engines. This costs money though lost opportunity. An auctioneer's time is worth money. The time spent updating a web site is time that could have been spent preparing for an auction, preparing advertising, soliciting new business, etc. What is your time worth?

One way for auctioneers to successfully manage their web site is to use a pre-packaged or customized CMS (content management system). These are nice because you are still in control of your web site, but you don't have to be an expert web designer to manage your information. Packages like PHPAuction and ZENAuctioneer are designed to let auctioneers have a powerful and professional web presence without as much maintenance. The upfront cost is a bit more with this type of system but, long-term, your web site will likely be more successful and less expensive.

Here is a quick comparison between two content management system designed specifically for auctioneers:

PHPAuction XL (view details)

$886 + Installation
Requires database support: yes
Customizable: yes
Online demo: yes
Pros: Lots and lots of features. Good for managing complex auctions and if you are looking to sell items online.
Cons: Database requirement typically means a higher hosting cost. More features means more time will be required to manage auction and to learn the system.

ZENAuctioneerPRO (view details)

$499 (Installation is included)
Requires database support: no
Customizable: yes
Online demo: yes
Pros: Fast and simple. Simplified management system is quick to learn and use. Does not require database hosting option.
Cons: Does not support online purchasing.

If you would like to receive a free, honest analyis of how best to manage your auction web site, please contact me here. I can help make sure you are making the most of your web site at the best price.

To CAPITALIZE or not to Capitalize...

Joshua Stengel — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:11:00 GMT

...that is the question.

In advertising, it is important to capture the reader's attention. With print advertising, a common technique is to CAPITALIZE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT. This is not the case on the Internet. On the Internet, USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IS LIKE YELLING!!!! Yelling, is not selling--until the auction

Use bold for headings.
Keep your normal text "normal" so that people feel comfortable. On the Internet and in email, capitalized text is generally perceived as "yelling" and is not as effective.

Read some more "netiquette" suggestions that apply to web sites and to email.

3 Tips For Making Your Web Site Easier to Find

Joshua Stengel — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 03:39:00 GMT

How can I make items in my catalogs easier to find?

A common practice for auctioneers is to list the items for sale in a long paragraph of items separated by semi-colons. While this may be cost-effective for print advertising where the number of lines in an advertisement determines the cost, on the Internet, this is the WORST possible way to display your auction information. On the Internet people scan for information. Bulleted lists or a line-by-line display of information will make sure that your sale items are more readable.

What can I do to be added to search engines like Google?

The Internet is a very competive place, but there are some basic guidlines for being "search engine friendly". These guidlines and techniques can be complicated and technical and are best left to professionals. In fact, not following these standards can hurt your ability to be found in search engines--and could even get you banned! Consult with a professional web developer or use website products that have been designed to maximize your search engine presence.

How can I make SURE I am added to search engines like Google or Yahoo!?

Every wonder how some websites always show up at the top or on the featured sidebar? It's easy...they pay for it! But wait! It's probably not as expensive as you think. You pick keywords that people might be looking for, and you only pay when someone clicks on your link...usually only pennies per click! Rare and specialty terms are usually very inexpensive and a great fit for auctioneers who sell rare items. Contact us for a free consultation and service quote.

If you would like some help with making your web site more visible, contact your local web developer or use a company that specializes in Internet marketing for auctioneers like RowdyData.

New Product Makes Managing Your Web Site Easy & Affordable

Joshua Stengel — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 01:41:00 GMT

RowdyData (the creator of this web site) has recently updated its ZENAuctioneer web site product for auctioneers. ZENAuctioneer 1.0 is a next generation web site tool that uses the latest in web design and web site management. Its visual styling and layout is designed to engage web site visitors, maximize visibility in search engines and ulimately attract more people to your auctions. The user-friendly Control Panel makes it easy for you to manage your web site and auctions--even if you don't know anything about web site design. ZENAuctioneer is currently being offered with a 30-day unconditional guarantee, free installation, and free listings on the ZENAuctioneer Auction Calendar.

Take a look at the new features in ZENAuctioneer 1.0....

ZENAuctioneer 1.0 Released!

Joshua Stengel — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 18:33:00 GMT

While retaining the simplicity of the original version, ZENAuctioneer 1.0 includes many new and enhanced features that give you more control over your web site, make it easier to manage auctions and photo galleries, and that provide a better experience for visitors to your web site. Take a look at what's new!

>> Take a look at the full feature list

For Auctioneers (You)

Simple to use Control Panel. We created a navigation system that lets you perform specific tasks like creating a new auction quicly and easily. Larger tasks have tabbed menus to keep pages smaller and easier to use.
Instant editing. Edit your web site even if you are not in the administration area. Most of you see on your web site can be instantly edited by simply clicking on it. See a typo? Fix it instantly.
Create and edit web pages.
Admin panel. A floating panel appears on every page of you web site that only you can see. It has links to key administrative options to make it easy to get to the Control Panel and other functions.
Enhanced photo gallery manager. Automatically optimize and resize your photos as you add them so they are optimized for web viewing. Add up to 10 photos at a time--with captions! Organize existing photo galleries faster and easier.
Automated mailing list. Create a mailing list or let members add themselve your email-based mailing list. Send out mass announcements about new auctions instantly. Members can easily subscribe and unsubscribe themselves from your web site. You can enable or disable this featue.
Web site statistics. See how many people are visiting your web site and how many pages and auctions they are looking at.
10 new themes. Select from 10 different color themes for your web site. Change your theme instantly and as often as you like. Want to look patriotic for the 4th of July? Select the "Patriotic" theme for the holiday and then change it back after the holiday.
More choices. You can choose to display a logo, company name, company slogan, RSS availability, mailing list option, hide past auctions, and more. You can even override the theme settings with different colors, fonts and sizes.

For Visitors (Your Customers)

More visual elements. The auction list automatically displays a thumbnail image of the first photo in the photo gallery for each auction. Also, the dropdown box in the main menu display a photo, the auction title and even the summary for each auction.
Enhanced photo gallery display. The redesigned photo gallery displays images in an animated and visually interesting manner will providing the visitor with more options than a traditional popup window. Loading the larger images on the page keeps the visitor on the page and is friendlier to work with if the visitor is using a popup blocker.
Email an auction to a friend. Visitors can choose to email your auction information to a friend.
Join the mailing list. A simple online form lets your visitors sign up for your mailing list. It also complies with email spam regulations by providing unsubscribe options on the web site and in the emails that are sent to the mailing list.
View map of location. When you enter in an address for your auction site, the visitor is given the option to click on that address and a window will open that displays a map of that location. The visitor can then zoom in/out as well as create personalized driving instructions.
Search your web site. A built-in search engine allows your visitors to search your auctions, web pages and even your pictures.

>> Take a look at the full feature list

Remember, this is just what is new! ZENAuctioneer still has all the great features from the previous version. It still uses a fast XML-based system to store all of your information, is still optimized to be found and indexed by search engines, still provides simplified formatting for your auctions, still can be hosted for less than $5/month, and much much more!