Hi Everyone,

Recently, we have had numerous prospects ask about AS2 with regards to EDI communication with their trading partner(s).  This prompted me to go looking back through our Blog Archives – I was able to find this informative post by Nazma in Help Desk:

http://www.ebridgeconnections.com/blog/what-is-as2-edi/

Do you have questions, or comments regarding AS2 Communication – feel free to leave a comment below.

Best regards,

Dave Malda.

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People find EDI intimidating enough on its own and an SDQ (Store Destination Quantity) order adds another twist.  In a previous article, “SDQ Made Easy!“, Andrea Hunter provides a good introduction.  I would like to go into a little more detail in this post.

An SDQ order is an efficient way to order a product that needs to ship to multiple locations.  Since VANs (value-added-networks) charge per kilo-character, I suspect there was some financial basis for this structure since it drastically cuts down on the amount of EDI code needed to communicate the order details.

With non-SDQ orders, the ship-to location would be specified as part of the order header which means everything gets shipped to that location.

Let’s have look at some EDI code from an SDQ order. Read more…

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Read more…

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Some of our wonderful eBridge gals donned their loveliest of hats and watched the Royal Wedding during lunchtime today in order to celebrate with the rest of the world in the joining in matrimony of history in the making of the future King and Queen.

I’m sure the Queen herself would approve of such elegant attire!

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On April 7th – eBridge won the BEDC High Five Award for Business Export.  We graciously accept this award and congratulate the other High Five Award winners, TransUnion Canada and L-3 Wescam.  The Awards Gala was held at the Burlington Convention Center and attended by approx. 500 people.  Here’s a short video profiling eBridge:

Congratulations everyone – great job Team!

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Have you ever had something complex that required a much simpler explanation?  At eBridge, we had this very challenge.

The Challenge

With over 40 supported accounting packages and integration to thousands of business systems – there is a mountain of specific information tailored to each individual integration scenario.  First time visitors to our website are often overwhelmed by all the information and can lose sight of what it is we have to offer.  We needed a way to portray in a simple and concise manner how eBridge helps businesses.  Enter Greg Yaneff from http://www.yaneffdesign.com.  

The Solution – A Simple Understanding

Over the last month Kevin and I have had the pleasure of working with Greg at Yaneff Design.  The Goal = create a simple video that explains our eBridge business in less than 1 minute.  While we definately have achieved the “less than one minute” goal (54 seconds to be exact) let us know if we have achieved the overall goal. 

If you are new to eBridge, did this video provide you with a simple understanding of what eBridge has to offer? Let us know by leaving a comment with your thoughts below.

Uncategorized simple understanding, www.yaneffdesign.com, yaneff

…and I’m the lucky recipient of the masterpiece you see below. Yes, a group of fellow eBridgers thought it was fitting (no pun intended) to create a Christmas sweater for me to sport today and over the holidays. While Kathi may have won the cubicle decorating contest, this sweater is clearly going to net me the gold in any fashion show today.

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…Kathi Kirsch! Along with her helpful team of elves, she transformed her everyday office into the holiday masterpiece you see to the left. Note the relevant themed Visa, Mastercard, and Interac ornaments on the tree – care to take a guess what department she’s in?

There were many others in the running that did a fantastic job. One eBridger even went as far as hanging stockings (with care) for everyone here at eBridge! But, Kathi’s winning display clearly sets the bar for next year. Is it even possible to one-up this?

Congrats to Kathi and a very safe and happy holidays to everyone!
 
 
 
 

Uncategorized contest, holidays, Social Committee

I heard an ad on the radio last week during the morning drive to work that caught my attention. However, it didn’t stick with me the way in which the marketer likely would have hoped. It was the call to action and way that the company’s website was positioned that got me thinking.

The ad was for Sheridan College and at the tail end of the spot, the gentleman encouraged listeners to “Google Sheridan College”. Right away I started weighing the benefits and risks of this approach versus the traditional mention of a direct URL (which in this case would be www.sheridanc.on.ca).

There are indeed arguments for both methods. Here are some of my thoughts on the matter, both for and against:

The Pros

Easier to Remember: If your URL is not clear or short, urging listeners to Google your business name or keywords you know that you rank first on is a good idea. In the case of Sheridan, it makes sense. The  “c” added onto Sheridan to represent “college” would likely missed, as well as the somewhat uncommon use of  “*.on.ca”.

Familiar Territory: I can’t be the only one that has seen another person actually type a full web address such as www.ebridgeconnections.com into Google to find the site they are after. They are not doing this because they forget the URL – they’re doing this because its comfortable. It’s likely where the majority of the average user’s internet forays begin, so guiding your prospects from this starting point seems like a good idea.

The Cons Cautions

Check Your SERPs: If you’re going to use Google as the middleman, you need be aware of how they are representing your website. You can start by looking at what content Google has pulled from your site to generate the SERP (Search Engine Results Page). Is it displaying what you want it to, with correct formatting and dates? For a great article explaining how to control your SERPs with meta tags, click here.

Ranking: This is a bit of a no-brainer, but if you’re not ranking number one for the search term you provide, you are asking for trouble. Many users may still successfully reach your site, but there will be some that get confused or lost on the way. A quick check on this point can easily save you from these missed opportunities.

Bad Press : The internet is an open forum where anyone and everyone can speak their mind. If a prominent enough person or enough people are saying anything negative about your company or products, there is a good chance it might show up on page one of the search results. By actively monitoring the web for mentions of your company – good or bad – you can strive to make better decisions surrounding internet marketing.

In conclusion, it really depends on the unique circumstances surrounding your business and online reputation. Whatever method of communicating your website you decide on, just be sure to do your homework.

This is by no means a complete list, but it does provide some food-for-thought for business owners.  Can you think of anything else to be mindful of, or perhaps a benefit to this method that I may have overlooked? Let us know!

Kevin Martin
Assistant Marketing Professional

Technology Corner, Uncategorized advertising, marketing