Agency Overview

What is EnSky's main competitive advantage?

Our creativity, wisdom, and talent. Our vast, multi-industry experience. Our proven, process and methodology. Our broad creative and technical capabilites spanning from print to web and new media to broadcast mediums. Our dramatic success rate. Our leadership...and have GOD on our team.

Who owns the rights to the code and graphics?

These issues are covered in detail by our standard development contract. Speaking in broad terms, our clients own the HTML code and graphic files that make up their web sites.

Explain EnSky's Technological Infrastructure

EnSky runs very efficiently on a cross-platform environment network of computers (80% Mac, 10% Linux and 10% Windows). Creative and programming are done on Macintosh computers, testing is done on both Mac and Windows using myriad of browsers/OS versions. Secure Staging and content admininistration is on Linux.

What experience does your agency have with technology or business-to-business websites?

A majority (70%) of our work has been in B2B, the remaining 30% combined B2B and B2C and (wholesale and retail) and straight B2C. Our major strength is our vast multi-industry experience. Although we are experts (having developed more than 4 websites) in Banking-Finance (2002 International Best of Industry "Best Bank Website" WebAward), we have extensive experience in Manufacturing, E-Commerce and Non-Profits.

What is your approach to search engines?

We see search engines as a valuable marketing avenue for your website and our experience has shown that good search engine marketing can result in dramatic increases in traffic - up to 300% in some cases. Sites that rank highly on search engines are the same sites that rank highly with human beings. The first step is high-quality, compelling content that is meaningful to your target audience. The next step is optimization. Keywords, directory submission, link building, and pay-per-click advertising are the tools we use to improve the position of your site. You may notice how HIGH ranking the EnSky site is on Google for our own products and services...which shows you we back up our tout of experience with real results.

Do you use frames?

In general, we recommend against the use of frames, except in special circumstances. Frames have several severe usability problems: frames makes it impossible for users to bookmark a specific page in a site and they make it more difficult for users to print specific pages. In addition use of frames can inhibit a site's visibility to search engines. Occasionally, our clients contract with third-parties to provide Internet software of services, and those vendors use frames as part of their product. For example, most Internet banking products use frames. In those cases, we are familiar with the special requirements of developing with frames.

In what file formats are your graphics created?

Graphics are created using Adobe Photoshop, with web output of GIF, JPEG, or PNG depending on how the graphic will be used.

How much does it cost for your hosting services?

Hosting of the staged (not live) development version of your website or new media project is $7.50 per month. This fee also includes data transfer and data warehousing of your digital files in EnSky's Environment. EnSky does not provide live site hosting services. Instead, we consult with our clients to find the best hosting solution to fit their needs and budget. We feel this allows web hosting providers to concentrate on what they do best (provide high-speed 24x7 internet access) while EnSky concentrates on building and maintaining an effective web presence for our client.

What is the structure of your account service support?

Day-to-day account maintenance is handled by our group of webmasters as part of our Skymaster maintenance plans. All clients have direct access to David Flood who oversees operations and facilitates all our projects.

What are your standard billing policies?

For development projects we require an initial deposit followed by payment at project milestones, as mutually agreed upon in the development contract. Our Skymaster maintenance contracts are billed on the first day of each month.

What methods do you use to control the quality of your agency's service?

We employ a number of automated methods for ensuring the quality of our clients' sites. We write standards-compliant HTML, and we check the syntax before upload. We also run pages through a link checker before they go live. Apart from these automated methods we rely on manual browser testing on a wide variety of platforms.

What happens if we exceed the hours in our maintenance plan?

This wouldn't happen without your knowledge, and would only be a choice that was approved by a representative from your organization who has the authority to make such a decision. The reason for this is because of the advanced tracking and reporting sytem you access (code named Frisb:ee) which you can monitor your maintenance requests, the status and the time it takes to process them. You can easily track how much time you have used and have left to utilize in the month. There is a system in place that prevents a SkyMaster from exceeding your hourly plan, so that we can notify you, that you either need to go over to finish the job, (we would provide an estimate of time and cost) or you can hold off until the next month and the next maintenance cycle begins. If you choose to go over, the work is billed at the hourly rate of the job activity required to finish the job instead of the fixed hourly rate of your plan...for example $125.00 per hour for programming. Our Cirrus Plan does offer Roll-Over hours where unused hours are past onto the next month, but disapear if unused in the next successive month....the unused hours do not continue to collect and add up month after month.

What if I want to cancel or terminate my Maintenance contract?

Maintenance contracts guard your site over a twelve month cycle and are billed on the first day of each month. The terms are Net 15. If you are not paying by credit card, the contract may be canceled by either party with written notice (email will do) after the next complete billing month cycle is complete. For example, if the contract is canceled in writing on September 10th the contract would officially end October 31st. There is a $7.50 monthly charge for data storage, accees to Frisbee, transfer and local hosting of the secure staged version of your website. The live site is served at the ISP of your choice or upon EnSky's recommendation at the client's request.

What is Frisb:ee?

Frisb:ee stands for Fast Redundant Internet Staging Box, EnSky Environment. All of our clients' development projects are hosted at EnSky during development. During the process, at certain milestones where we need to collaborate with a client or have a sign-off on completed work, the client accesses Frisb:ee (securely, of course) to view their project. Frisb:ee also is where EnSky SkyMaster customers access the "Skymaster" portion of the website via the client button. Here they make maintenance requests under their Skymaster plan, check the status or review completed work, view how many hours used, how long it took to do certain tasks, and much, much, more. Frisb:ee (pronounced like the Flying Plastic disc) is a collaborative environment for both the EnSky team and all of our clients and one of the great features enjoyed by our clients.

Where did the name EnSky come from?

EnSky is a very old word, which has faded from use in the English language, but Louise (Flood) found it in Funk and Wagnalls Practical Standard Dictionary published in 1945. Its definition is as follows;
en-sky', 1 en-skai; 2 en-sky', vt. [ENSKIED; ENSKY'ING.]
[poet] To fix or place in the sky or in heaven, exalt; idealize. We like to think of it as the end result of our services for our customers: business, revenue, et cetera, launched skyward.

You say you have a collaborative approach to website design and new media design on you website can you elaborate?

The whole process is collaborative. In the strategic planning phase we collaborate by the client explaining their needs, goals, requirements, special features, business and sales model etc., and using our creativity, together, and EnSky's vast multi-industry experience we come up with a great custom solution that ensures ultimate ROI. We continue to collaborate all throughout the design and develpment process, and on into the maintenance, and on going promotion of the finished product.

Design Philosophy

What makes a web site effective?

EnSky believes that a great Web site is simple and elegant. In order to create sites that meet this criteria, EnSky concentrates on effective branding, clear marketing communication, original design, intuitive and user friendly navigation, employing web design best practices with reliable technology. Our goal is simply to provide you with the best site possible, which we define as one that

• positions your company accurately and effectively;
• generates Web buzz and draws repeat visits; and
• helps you sell your services and/or products.

We accomplish our goals by:

• understanding the latest technology and knowing when to use it;
• training in emerging technologies and new software;
• establishing strategic partnerships with other cutting-edge firms;
• listening to our clients and valuing their expertise; and
• developing systems and processes to ensure exceptional quality and timely delivery.

What is your design criteria for developing web pages?

A good web site should:

• Effectively deliver the message of the company or organization
• Load quickly.
• Be graphically pleasing and integrate with the organization's branding strategies.
• Contain logical and functional navigation
• Have basic contact information on every page. In the event someone prints a page, a decision maker will be able to contact our client.

Do you use frames?

In general, we recommend against the use of frames, except in special circumstances. Frames have several severe usability problems: frames makes it impossible for users to bookmark a specific page in a site and they make it more difficult for users to print specific pages. In addition use of frames can inhibit a site's visibility to search engines. Occasionally, our clients contract with third-parties to provide Internet software of services, and those vendors use frames as part of their product. For example, most Internet banking products use frames. In those cases, we are familiar with the special requirements of developing with frames.

In what file formats are your graphics created?

Graphics are created using Adobe Photoshop, with web output of GIF, JPEG, or PNG depending on how the graphic will be used.

What is a text treatment?

A text treatment is a graphic design term to define the way text appears graphically or visually. This would include the font used, the weight of the font, the space between the letters the colors of the letters, the space between the words, the size of words in relation to each other... A good example of a text treatment is the words that appear to the right of the image circles on the St. Mary's Bank website on the front page and on the main pages of each section of the site.

Process and Methodology

What is a site map?

A site map is a hierarchical representation of static and dynamic pages that make up the information architecture of your website or other interactive media project.

What is a process map?

A process map is a hierarchical graphical representation of how the user interacts with the website or other interactive media project. For example, a log-in box and the results of a successful client log-in and unsuccessful client log-in.

What browsers do you target?

The answer to this question depends in part on the site's audience and demographics. For example, users in higher education tend to use the Macintosh platform at a higher rate than the general public, where a site aimed at programmers might be expected to have a higher proportion of Linux users. Today, our baseline browser testing consists of Internet Explorer 5 and above, and Netscape 6 and greater, on Windows and Macintosh. Pages should look identical on those platforms. For earlier browsers, our standard is "graceful degradation", which means that content should be accessible and usable, although some design elements may not work the same way. We also test pages in the AOL environment.

What methods do you use to control the quality of your agency's service?

We employ a number of automated methods for ensuring the quality of our clients' sites. We write standards-compliant HTML, and we check the syntax before upload. We also run pages through a link checker before they go live. Apart from these automated methods we rely on manual browser testing on a wide variety of platforms.

How do you track and measure the success of a web site?

The success of a site is dependent upon our client's goals. Standard measures include an increase in customers, an increase in web sales, customer retention, improved brand awareness and, of course, the overall growth of the company.

What is ROI?

ROI stands for Return On Investment. In this case it is your monetary investment in the services provided by EnSky.

What is ultimate ROI?

It is your initial investment or your ROI multiplied by a factor of 10.

What is usability testing?

Usability testing is an optional step in the testing phase of the development process. It entails a Usability Expert(s) to navigate the entire website and check for compliance against standards and best practices in website and multimedia, and UI (user interface) design.

What is Frisb:ee?

Frisb:ee stands for Fast Redundant Internet Staging Box, EnSky Environment. All of our clients' development projects are hosted at EnSky during development. During the process, at certain milestones where we need to collaborate with a client or have a sign-off on completed work, the client accesses Frisb:ee (securely, of course) to view their project. Frisb:ee also is where EnSky SkyMaster customers access the "Skymaster" portion of the website via the client button. Here they make maintenance requests under their Skymaster plan, check the status or review completed work, view how many hours used, how long it took to do certain tasks, and much, much, more. Frisb:ee (pronounced like the Flying Plastic disc) is a collaborative environment for both the EnSky team and all of our clients and one of the great features enjoyed by our clients.

What's a Sales Model?

Your sales model is the process from which your organization sells it's goods or services, including the timeline. For example if you are a realtor it's the time you get the listing to the time you close, and everything in between. For a manufacturer is from the raw material to the finished product (including supply chain information) to successfully shipping/delivery to the customer.

What is a Business Model?

Your business model is the concept behind how you make money. For example EnSky is a service based company that makes money from consulting, programming website maintenance, usability testing, etc.

Experience

What is EnSky's main competitive advantage?

Our creativity, wisdom, and talent. Our vast, multi-industry experience. Our proven, process and methodology. Our broad creative and technical capabilites spanning from print to web and new media to broadcast mediums. Our dramatic success rate. Our leadership...and have GOD on our team.

What is your experience with intranets?

EnSky has developed a number of intranet solutions for clients over the years. These projects span the gamut from designing templates for in-house IS staff to work with, so that the intranet design integrates with the GUI design EnSky deployed on the corporate website design. On the other end of the spectrum, we have built sophisticated intranet applications that integrate into an organization's sales and process model. For CASEwise we built a solution that every request for information coming from the web site was stored in Access database. This enabled Sales managers to log in securely to the system and create reports from the data. Another feature enabled managers to upload sample output of CASEwise software for potential customers to view. So the short answer is yes, we can accommodate even the most challenging needs. EnSky's own intranet includes a wiki and an LDAP server.

What experience does your agency have with technology or business-to-business websites?

A majority (70%) of our work has been in B2B, the remaining 30% combined B2B and B2C and (wholesale and retail) and straight B2C. Our major strength is our vast multi-industry experience. Although we are experts (having developed more than 4 websites) in Banking-Finance (2002 International Best of Industry "Best Bank Website" WebAward), we have extensive experience in Manufacturing, E-Commerce and Non-Profits.

What is your approach to search engines?

We see search engines as a valuable marketing avenue for your website and our experience has shown that good search engine marketing can result in dramatic increases in traffic - up to 300% in some cases. Sites that rank highly on search engines are the same sites that rank highly with human beings. The first step is high-quality, compelling content that is meaningful to your target audience. The next step is optimization. Keywords, directory submission, link building, and pay-per-click advertising are the tools we use to improve the position of your site. You may notice how HIGH ranking the EnSky site is on Google for our own products and services...which shows you we back up our tout of experience with real results.

Technology

What is the difference between static pages and dynamic pages?

Dynamic pages are pages that are created on the fly by the webserver using a specific software installed (ColdFusion, PHP, Active Server pages, Java Server Pages, WebObjects, LASSO, etc). The Server parses the code using a template html page, which can also contain content from a database or other place (XML or more). A static page is any html or other file (.pdf, .swf .php, .asp, .cfm) not served out of content from a database.

Explain EnSky's Technological Infrastructure

EnSky runs very efficiently on a cross-platform environment network of computers (80% Mac, 10% Linux and 10% Windows). Creative and programming are done on Macintosh computers, testing is done on both Mac and Windows using myriad of browsers/OS versions. Secure Staging and content admininistration is on Linux.

What is your experience with intranets?

EnSky has developed a number of intranet solutions for clients over the years. These projects span the gamut from designing templates for in-house IS staff to work with, so that the intranet design integrates with the GUI design EnSky deployed on the corporate website design. On the other end of the spectrum, we have built sophisticated intranet applications that integrate into an organization's sales and process model. For CASEwise we built a solution that every request for information coming from the web site was stored in Access database. This enabled Sales managers to log in securely to the system and create reports from the data. Another feature enabled managers to upload sample output of CASEwise software for potential customers to view. So the short answer is yes, we can accommodate even the most challenging needs. EnSky's own intranet includes a wiki and an LDAP server.

What is your approach to search engines?

We see search engines as a valuable marketing avenue for your website and our experience has shown that good search engine marketing can result in dramatic increases in traffic - up to 300% in some cases. Sites that rank highly on search engines are the same sites that rank highly with human beings. The first step is high-quality, compelling content that is meaningful to your target audience. The next step is optimization. Keywords, directory submission, link building, and pay-per-click advertising are the tools we use to improve the position of your site. You may notice how HIGH ranking the EnSky site is on Google for our own products and services...which shows you we back up our tout of experience with real results.

What browsers do you target?

The answer to this question depends in part on the site's audience and demographics. For example, users in higher education tend to use the Macintosh platform at a higher rate than the general public, where a site aimed at programmers might be expected to have a higher proportion of Linux users. Today, our baseline browser testing consists of Internet Explorer 5 and above, and Netscape 6 and greater, on Windows and Macintosh. Pages should look identical on those platforms. For earlier browsers, our standard is "graceful degradation", which means that content should be accessible and usable, although some design elements may not work the same way. We also test pages in the AOL environment.

Do you use frames?

In general, we recommend against the use of frames, except in special circumstances. Frames have several severe usability problems: frames makes it impossible for users to bookmark a specific page in a site and they make it more difficult for users to print specific pages. In addition use of frames can inhibit a site's visibility to search engines. Occasionally, our clients contract with third-parties to provide Internet software of services, and those vendors use frames as part of their product. For example, most Internet banking products use frames. In those cases, we are familiar with the special requirements of developing with frames.

In what file formats are your graphics created?

Graphics are created using Adobe Photoshop, with web output of GIF, JPEG, or PNG depending on how the graphic will be used.

What middleware and backend database systems do you support?

We have experience programming with PHP, ColdFusion, Lasso, and Perl. For databases, we have experience using MySQL, Microsoft Access, and FileMaker Pro. We support additional middleware and databases through our partners. What tools we choose depend entirely on the particular needs of the client.

What web application security standards do you develop and support?

Internet security is a complex issue, and each project has its own unique security requirements. With that being said, we support the recommendations of the Open Web Application Security Project, specifically their "Guide to Building Secure Web Applications."

What application frameworks do you employ?

It depends on our client's current platform and the goals of the web site. We have experience developing with PHP, ColdFusion, Perl, and Lasso.

What web servers will the site run on? Are special extensions required?

Static HTML pages will work on any web server platform. Dynamic web applications may require specific server software or extensions to run, depending upon your specific circumstances. We prefer developing in PHP for unix platforms, because of the widespread availability of PHP hosts and software.

What monitoring and reporting tools do you use?

We are familiar with most popular site statistics packages such as Webalizer, AWStats, Analog, and Webtrends...and others.

What methods do you use to control the quality of your agency's service?

We employ a number of automated methods for ensuring the quality of our clients' sites. We write standards-compliant HTML, and we check the syntax before upload. We also run pages through a link checker before they go live. Apart from these automated methods we rely on manual browser testing on a wide variety of platforms.

What is Open Source?

Open source means Free. The source code is shared among the Open Source development community and built using open source software applications. The only limitiations are in licensing and distribution. This saves both EnSky and you time AND money! Learn more: open source definition

What is CMS? Why is EnSky a better choice?

CMS is an acronymn for Content Management Systems or Software. The big names in Content Management System Software solutions are very expensive...a recent quote was in the neighborhood of $85,000-$150,000...and by the way... whose creating the content? Can you trust your in-house capabilities? It's not brain surgery we're talking about, right? It's only your web presence.

Now we've got your attention.

The EnSky SkyMaster Website Maintenance program goes way beyond any CMS product, at a fraction of the cost. The last step and the first step in EnSky's web design process is the maintenance strategy. It's the last step, because once you deploy your new website, you'll inevitably want to make changes. On the other hand, it's also the first step in the ongoing process of measuring the results of your project. From here on out, you will Maintain > Evaluate > Measure ROI > Maintain and the circle repeats until your next redesign...the industry average is once every 3 years.

What is CRM?

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. There is a whole industry of CRM software providers who sell software that an organization uses to glean important customer data; powerful enough to dermine who your middle market is, as well as, a specific demographic (age, sex, race) group and identify their customer buying or spending habits. CRM software as part of a website (Amazon does this) enables the websites to be smart, remembering the visitors buying habits and suggesting similar products. CRM Data enables us to define the intended audience of a website.

What does cross-platform mean?

When we say Cross-platform software or cross-platform compatibility, platform refers to the Operating systems in use today. They are UNIX, (Lynx, Sun OS, OSX) and all the current flavors of Windows and Mac OS. So cross-platform compatibility is software that works on all the different operating systems. For example; Microsoft Word is cross-platfrom compatible software. Barebones BBEdit (which EnSky uses extensively hand code websites) is not, it is only available for Macintosh and OSX

What is Firewire?

Developed by Apple Computer, Firewire is an open industry standard also known as IEEE 1394. You can use the technology to connect (up to 16 different) and transfer at high-speed (about 400mbs) external devices, such as digital video (DV) cameras, hard disks, printers, scanners and the like to your computer, without having to set up a unique id number for each device on the chain (a limitation of SCSI).

What is ERP?

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP is an acronymn define a type of software (ERP software) which attempts to integrate all an organizations departments onto a single computer system that can serve all those departments particular needs.

Programming Services

What is the difference between static pages and dynamic pages?

Dynamic pages are pages that are created on the fly by the webserver using a specific software installed (ColdFusion, PHP, Active Server pages, Java Server Pages, WebObjects, LASSO, etc). The Server parses the code using a template html page, which can also contain content from a database or other place (XML or more). A static page is any html or other file (.pdf, .swf .php, .asp, .cfm) not served out of content from a database.

What is your experience with intranets?

EnSky has developed a number of intranet solutions for clients over the years. These projects span the gamut from designing templates for in-house IS staff to work with, so that the intranet design integrates with the GUI design EnSky deployed on the corporate website design. On the other end of the spectrum, we have built sophisticated intranet applications that integrate into an organization's sales and process model. For CASEwise we built a solution that every request for information coming from the web site was stored in Access database. This enabled Sales managers to log in securely to the system and create reports from the data. Another feature enabled managers to upload sample output of CASEwise software for potential customers to view. So the short answer is yes, we can accommodate even the most challenging needs. EnSky's own intranet includes a wiki and an LDAP server.

What browsers do you target?

The answer to this question depends in part on the site's audience and demographics. For example, users in higher education tend to use the Macintosh platform at a higher rate than the general public, where a site aimed at programmers might be expected to have a higher proportion of Linux users. Today, our baseline browser testing consists of Internet Explorer 5 and above, and Netscape 6 and greater, on Windows and Macintosh. Pages should look identical on those platforms. For earlier browsers, our standard is "graceful degradation", which means that content should be accessible and usable, although some design elements may not work the same way. We also test pages in the AOL environment.

What middleware and backend database systems do you support?

We have experience programming with PHP, ColdFusion, Lasso, and Perl. For databases, we have experience using MySQL, Microsoft Access, and FileMaker Pro. We support additional middleware and databases through our partners. What tools we choose depend entirely on the particular needs of the client.

What web application security standards do you develop and support?

Internet security is a complex issue, and each project has its own unique security requirements. With that being said, we support the recommendations of the Open Web Application Security Project, specifically their "Guide to Building Secure Web Applications."

What application frameworks do you employ?

It depends on our client's current platform and the goals of the web site. We have experience developing with PHP, ColdFusion, Perl, and Lasso.

What web servers will the site run on? Are special extensions required?

Static HTML pages will work on any web server platform. Dynamic web applications may require specific server software or extensions to run, depending upon your specific circumstances. We prefer developing in PHP for unix platforms, because of the widespread availability of PHP hosts and software.

What is CMS? Why is EnSky a better choice?

CMS is an acronymn for Content Management Systems or Software. The big names in Content Management System Software solutions are very expensive...a recent quote was in the neighborhood of $85,000-$150,000...and by the way... whose creating the content? Can you trust your in-house capabilities? It's not brain surgery we're talking about, right? It's only your web presence.

Now we've got your attention.

The EnSky SkyMaster Website Maintenance program goes way beyond any CMS product, at a fraction of the cost. The last step and the first step in EnSky's web design process is the maintenance strategy. It's the last step, because once you deploy your new website, you'll inevitably want to make changes. On the other hand, it's also the first step in the ongoing process of measuring the results of your project. From here on out, you will Maintain > Evaluate > Measure ROI > Maintain and the circle repeats until your next redesign...the industry average is once every 3 years.

What is usability testing?

Usability testing is an optional step in the testing phase of the development process. It entails a Usability Expert(s) to navigate the entire website and check for compliance against standards and best practices in website and multimedia, and UI (user interface) design.

What does cross-platform mean?

When we say Cross-platform software or cross-platform compatibility, platform refers to the Operating systems in use today. They are UNIX, (Lynx, Sun OS, OSX) and all the current flavors of Windows and Mac OS. So cross-platform compatibility is software that works on all the different operating systems. For example; Microsoft Word is cross-platfrom compatible software. Barebones BBEdit (which EnSky uses extensively hand code websites) is not, it is only available for Macintosh and OSX

What is ERP?

ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP is an acronymn define a type of software (ERP software) which attempts to integrate all an organizations departments onto a single computer system that can serve all those departments particular needs.

Other Services

What are your copywriting capabilities?

Writing for the web or new media is much different that writing for print. EnSky employs the expertise of a number of professional copywriters who work with our creative directors, and you, to thoughtfully and effectively articulate your message. Visit NormanFurniture.com and StMarysBank.com for examples of our copywriting expertise.

What is your approach to search engines?

We see search engines as a valuable marketing avenue for your website and our experience has shown that good search engine marketing can result in dramatic increases in traffic - up to 300% in some cases. Sites that rank highly on search engines are the same sites that rank highly with human beings. The first step is high-quality, compelling content that is meaningful to your target audience. The next step is optimization. Keywords, directory submission, link building, and pay-per-click advertising are the tools we use to improve the position of your site. You may notice how HIGH ranking the EnSky site is on Google for our own products and services...which shows you we back up our tout of experience with real results.

How much does it cost for your hosting services?

Hosting of the staged (not live) development version of your website or new media project is $7.50 per month. This fee also includes data transfer and data warehousing of your digital files in EnSky's Environment. EnSky does not provide live site hosting services. Instead, we consult with our clients to find the best hosting solution to fit their needs and budget. We feel this allows web hosting providers to concentrate on what they do best (provide high-speed 24x7 internet access) while EnSky concentrates on building and maintaining an effective web presence for our client.

What is a Direct Response Campaign?

We build multimedia end products which have built into it them and tracking functionality (for ROI) for the user. This could be ordering capability, email, or opt-in email subscribing to a list server. End products could include, for example, Flash Postcards, Hybrid CD-ROM's or an opt-In email campaign. You end up with a campaign targeting a specific group, compel them to make a positve action, and track the effectivenes and results.

What is usability testing?

Usability testing is an optional step in the testing phase of the development process. It entails a Usability Expert(s) to navigate the entire website and check for compliance against standards and best practices in website and multimedia, and UI (user interface) design.

How can I use an EnSky Flash Card

Once your card (yourcard.swf + yourcard.html) are uploaded to your website, all you have to do to start sending your card to people is either email a link to someone (http://example.com/john/johncard.html) or even better, take a screen shot of your card, save it as a jpeg, and create an html email including the picture of your card, wrapping a hyperlink to the html page where your card lives on your website...like this

Internet Marketing

What are your copywriting capabilities?

Writing for the web or new media is much different that writing for print. EnSky employs the expertise of a number of professional copywriters who work with our creative directors, and you, to thoughtfully and effectively articulate your message. Visit NormanFurniture.com and StMarysBank.com for examples of our copywriting expertise.

How can a web design agency can act as marketing support for my company?

EnSky is an advertising agency, playing a key role orchestrating branding and marketing strategies as they extend to the web and other new media marketing strategies from your other marketing efforts like collateral, print advertising, direct mail, radio and broadcast campaigns. Our expertise is sought by companies, institutions and organizations for our proven and award-winning approach to marketing in new media and on the web.

What is your approach to search engines?

We see search engines as a valuable marketing avenue for your website and our experience has shown that good search engine marketing can result in dramatic increases in traffic - up to 300% in some cases. Sites that rank highly on search engines are the same sites that rank highly with human beings. The first step is high-quality, compelling content that is meaningful to your target audience. The next step is optimization. Keywords, directory submission, link building, and pay-per-click advertising are the tools we use to improve the position of your site. You may notice how HIGH ranking the EnSky site is on Google for our own products and services...which shows you we back up our tout of experience with real results.

What is your design criteria for developing web pages?

A good web site should:

• Effectively deliver the message of the company or organization
• Load quickly.
• Be graphically pleasing and integrate with the organization's branding strategies.
• Contain logical and functional navigation
• Have basic contact information on every page. In the event someone prints a page, a decision maker will be able to contact our client.

What is a Direct Response Campaign?

We build multimedia end products which have built into it them and tracking functionality (for ROI) for the user. This could be ordering capability, email, or opt-in email subscribing to a list server. End products could include, for example, Flash Postcards, Hybrid CD-ROM's or an opt-In email campaign. You end up with a campaign targeting a specific group, compel them to make a positve action, and track the effectivenes and results.

Business-Related

How can a web design agency can act as marketing support for my company?

EnSky is an advertising agency, playing a key role orchestrating branding and marketing strategies as they extend to the web and other new media marketing strategies from your other marketing efforts like collateral, print advertising, direct mail, radio and broadcast campaigns. Our expertise is sought by companies, institutions and organizations for our proven and award-winning approach to marketing in new media and on the web.

Who owns the rights to the code and graphics?

These issues are covered in detail by our standard development contract. Speaking in broad terms, our clients own the HTML code and graphic files that make up their web sites.

What experience does your agency have with technology or business-to-business websites?

A majority (70%) of our work has been in B2B, the remaining 30% combined B2B and B2C and (wholesale and retail) and straight B2C. Our major strength is our vast multi-industry experience. Although we are experts (having developed more than 4 websites) in Banking-Finance (2002 International Best of Industry "Best Bank Website" WebAward), we have extensive experience in Manufacturing, E-Commerce and Non-Profits.

How much does it cost for your hosting services?

Hosting of the staged (not live) development version of your website or new media project is $7.50 per month. This fee also includes data transfer and data warehousing of your digital files in EnSky's Environment. EnSky does not provide live site hosting services. Instead, we consult with our clients to find the best hosting solution to fit their needs and budget. We feel this allows web hosting providers to concentrate on what they do best (provide high-speed 24x7 internet access) while EnSky concentrates on building and maintaining an effective web presence for our client.

How long has your company been in business?

This year EnSky is celebrating over 10 years of creativity and innovation, having been operating in our present form since 1995. Our business origins go back to 1991 when Louise Flood owned and operated ACCUCOMP, Inc, a bookkeeping and desktop publishing consultancy in St. Thomas, VI.

What is the structure of your account service support?

Day-to-day account maintenance is handled by our group of webmasters as part of our Skymaster maintenance plans. All clients have direct access to David Flood who oversees operations and facilitates all our projects.

What are your standard billing policies?

For development projects we require an initial deposit followed by payment at project milestones, as mutually agreed upon in the development contract. Our Skymaster maintenance contracts are billed on the first day of each month.

What methods do you use to control the quality of your agency's service?

We employ a number of automated methods for ensuring the quality of our clients' sites. We write standards-compliant HTML, and we check the syntax before upload. We also run pages through a link checker before they go live. Apart from these automated methods we rely on manual browser testing on a wide variety of platforms.

How do you track and measure the success of a web site?

The success of a site is dependent upon our client's goals. Standard measures include an increase in customers, an increase in web sales, customer retention, improved brand awareness and, of course, the overall growth of the company.

When you say 100% satisfaction and try it for risk free...what do you really mean?

We want your business, and we know that you're going to be happy with the services we provide to you. We are that confident. Confident enough to say that if you try it for a month, and you decide the relationship and the work that we provided for you is not what you're looking for, we will part friends, and fully return the deposit (your first month payment) back to you. Note: This special offer is for the first month only, after that time, the regular EnSky maintenance contractual obligation by both parties are enforced.

What happens if we exceed the hours in our maintenance plan?

This wouldn't happen without your knowledge, and would only be a choice that was approved by a representative from your organization who has the authority to make such a decision. The reason for this is because of the advanced tracking and reporting sytem you access (code named Frisb:ee) which you can monitor your maintenance requests, the status and the time it takes to process them. You can easily track how much time you have used and have left to utilize in the month. There is a system in place that prevents a SkyMaster from exceeding your hourly plan, so that we can notify you, that you either need to go over to finish the job, (we would provide an estimate of time and cost) or you can hold off until the next month and the next maintenance cycle begins. If you choose to go over, the work is billed at the hourly rate of the job activity required to finish the job instead of the fixed hourly rate of your plan...for example $125.00 per hour for programming. Our Cirrus Plan does offer Roll-Over hours where unused hours are past onto the next month, but disapear if unused in the next successive month....the unused hours do not continue to collect and add up month after month.

What if I want to cancel or terminate my Maintenance contract?

Maintenance contracts guard your site over a twelve month cycle and are billed on the first day of each month. The terms are Net 15. If you are not paying by credit card, the contract may be canceled by either party with written notice (email will do) after the next complete billing month cycle is complete. For example, if the contract is canceled in writing on September 10th the contract would officially end October 31st. There is a $7.50 monthly charge for data storage, accees to Frisbee, transfer and local hosting of the secure staged version of your website. The live site is served at the ISP of your choice or upon EnSky's recommendation at the client's request.

Affordable? How much does it cost to hire the EnSky team?

Maintenance plans start at $347.50 per month. We can do small projects related to website design or multimedia, like banner ad design (for example of a flash project) for as little as a few hundred dollars.

If you don't need a whole site planned and developed - i.e. you're adding new features (CMS, Flash, Video, Audio) to an existing site which wouldn't require evaluation, internet consulting or ROI measurement - we can usually help you out, depending on EnSky's (and your) project schedule. If it's an area of expertise, we are happy to do the work.

To engage the EnSky team for a complete website design (or redesign) project for new customers requires an investment of at least $5,000. One quarter to one third of that investment is spent on (internet strategy consulting), need assessment and strategic planning, which is one of the factors we attribute to our extraordinary success and the additional value we add to our work product.

For a bank, how do you determine a budget for website design project?

(...from our experience a good rule of determining budget is to multiply your institutions current total assets by .0001, this number fluctuates depending on an institutions Marketing budget, some are aggressive, some are conservative.

What's a Sales Model?

Your sales model is the process from which your organization sells it's goods or services, including the timeline. For example if you are a realtor it's the time you get the listing to the time you close, and everything in between. For a manufacturer is from the raw material to the finished product (including supply chain information) to successfully shipping/delivery to the customer.

What is a Business Model?

Your business model is the concept behind how you make money. For example EnSky is a service based company that makes money from consulting, programming website maintenance, usability testing, etc.

You say you have a collaborative approach to website design and new media design on you website can you elaborate?

The whole process is collaborative. In the strategic planning phase we collaborate by the client explaining their needs, goals, requirements, special features, business and sales model etc., and using our creativity, together, and EnSky's vast multi-industry experience we come up with a great custom solution that ensures ultimate ROI. We continue to collaborate all throughout the design and develpment process, and on into the maintenance, and on going promotion of the finished product.

Miscellaneous

How much does it cost for your hosting services?

Hosting of the staged (not live) development version of your website or new media project is $7.50 per month. This fee also includes data transfer and data warehousing of your digital files in EnSky's Environment. EnSky does not provide live site hosting services. Instead, we consult with our clients to find the best hosting solution to fit their needs and budget. We feel this allows web hosting providers to concentrate on what they do best (provide high-speed 24x7 internet access) while EnSky concentrates on building and maintaining an effective web presence for our client.

What is ROI?

ROI stands for Return On Investment. In this case it is your monetary investment in the services provided by EnSky.

What is ultimate ROI?

It is your initial investment or your ROI multiplied by a factor of 10.

When you say 100% satisfaction and try it for risk free...what do you really mean?

We want your business, and we know that you're going to be happy with the services we provide to you. We are that confident. Confident enough to say that if you try it for a month, and you decide the relationship and the work that we provided for you is not what you're looking for, we will part friends, and fully return the deposit (your first month payment) back to you. Note: This special offer is for the first month only, after that time, the regular EnSky maintenance contractual obligation by both parties are enforced.

What is Frisb:ee?

Frisb:ee stands for Fast Redundant Internet Staging Box, EnSky Environment. All of our clients' development projects are hosted at EnSky during development. During the process, at certain milestones where we need to collaborate with a client or have a sign-off on completed work, the client accesses Frisb:ee (securely, of course) to view their project. Frisb:ee also is where EnSky SkyMaster customers access the "Skymaster" portion of the website via the client button. Here they make maintenance requests under their Skymaster plan, check the status or review completed work, view how many hours used, how long it took to do certain tasks, and much, much, more. Frisb:ee (pronounced like the Flying Plastic disc) is a collaborative environment for both the EnSky team and all of our clients and one of the great features enjoyed by our clients.

What is a SkyMaster?

SkyMasters are EnSky Webmasters. They are the people who are involved in the day to day maintenance of our clients websites and ongoing interent strategy.

For a bank, how do you determine a budget for website design project?

(...from our experience a good rule of determining budget is to multiply your institutions current total assets by .0001, this number fluctuates depending on an institutions Marketing budget, some are aggressive, some are conservative.

What is Gorilla Marketing?

Gorilla marketing is best explained as an onslought of advertising and marketing. It is the most agressive form of advertisng and marketing. A good example of what Gorilla marketing might be like is: if the maytag man came to your house and sold you a maytag appliance at gun point after spamming your computer for a month, telemarketing you every night, and sending direct mail to your house for a year.