CHCS is committed to minimizing our contribution to the elements that cause climate change.

Of our three staff members, two of us don't own cars. We support public transit and have a membership in Zipcar. We work with a hosting company that features its "Green Web Program" and do everything we can to maximize our energy efficiency.

See my article at Web Worker Daily for some ideas for things all of us can do.

I became a newshound when, at the age of eleven or so, my family moved to a town where it was possible to watch the evening newscasts of all three American TV networks, one after the other. Each night, I was able to compare what each network considered news, how the stories were presented, and how much importance was attached to each story. The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite came last, and it was almost always the best.

At that time (the late 1960s), all of the network newscasts were presented by old white guys who had been newspaper and/or radio journalists before moving to the relatively new field of television news. The broadcast media tried to be "objective," which generally meant airing the opinions of opposing spokespeople, but not delving too deeply into details.

Cronkite made the best of a limited format, but he truly shone in formats other than the evening news: documentaries, series such as "The 21st Century," and of course, coverage of space missions. Like a lot of kids my age, I was fascinated by the Apollo program, and while I knew that I'd never be an astronaut, I figured that becoming a journalist who covered technology would be the next best thing. Today, I have the good fortune to be a web worker, and to write about it for WWD.

Cronkite was one of the first broadcast journalists who enhanced understanding of the world by mixing facts with opinion when appropriate -- and he did so without sacrificing quality. The best of today's online media have continued and refined that tradition. Thank you, Walter Cronkite, for leading the way.

nutx23jr5z

We spend a lot of time keeping up with trends. We publish articles that may be of interest to our customers. Check them out at:

• Google Reader
• FriendFeed

Also, check out Charlie's writing at WebWorkerDaily.com.

Finally, don't forget to follow us on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Yelp

Let us know if you find this information helpful!

I don't usually talk about our staff very much, but for this news I'll make an exception. On Saturday, CHCS programmer and co-owner Martin Potter will receive his bachelor's degree in computer science from Western Washington University in Bellingham.

Martin is already a superb programmer, and has been, since before he joined CHCS in 2000. He has created many tools that allow us to do what we do. Notably, Martin suggested that we produce a content management system at a time when the commercial alternatives were either limited in features, very hard to use, or beyond the budget of our customers. He developed the CMS we use today. In addition, Martin has developed a number of custom products for specific clients, including e-commerce, search, and membership applications.

In addition to his academics and his work for CHCS, Martin has often been the primary caregiver for his two-year-old son. (He seems to have a clock with about 28 hours in the day...)

Please congratulate Martin as he walks* across the stage at WWU to get his diploma!

*Hobbles, really. He broke his foot a few days ago while playing with his son. But Martin says he's going to try to walk the stage without crutches.

I am honored to be writing for WebWorkerDaily, a well-known blog that describes itself this way:

WebWorkerDaily was launched by GigaOM’s Om Malik in September 2006 and is written by a growing team of writers who cover the future of work in a post-broadband world. We offer practical tips and advice for anyone who uses the web for work, especially those who want to use the web to be more productive, more connected and more successful than they could otherwise.

Follow my posts here!

I don't know why this isn't better known, but Google has a service called Local Business Center, at which you can claim your business listing, and ensure that it is correct. You can even create online coupons!

I recently wrote about Google Profiles, a similar service for individuals. In another article, I included links to creating company pages on social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Yelp. (Note to LinkedIn: Please respond to my inquiry about getting rid of listing for an employee that isn't ours!)

Take a few minutes to check out these links. It's always worth making sure that your search results are correct.

It's hard to think about large issues in a tight econony. But I'd like to step back and consider the big picture of CHCS, and how, more than ever, we are well-positioned to help businesses and nonprofit organizations survive and grow.

I founded CHCS almost twenty-five years ago. Its focus has changed a lot over the years, but its fundamental mission remains the same: to bridge the gap between "the real world" and the increasingly-sophisticated technologies on which we all depend to tell our stories.

I have been lucky to be able to build on liberal-arts degrees, and learn technical skills informally. I hung out with electrical-engineering majors as an undergraduate (before computer-science degrees existed) and got to play with one of the two computers on campus. I learned word processing on my own after work, since only the secretaries got formal training. I learned audio production by being asked to teach the course -- and thanks to the younger brother of a friend who had taken it the previous year, I managed to stay one lesson ahead of the students (thanks, Joe!).

I learned customer service in my very first job at the age of fourteen, in a small-town bookstore. I learned to write clearly (I hope) from a professional who rid me of the bad habits picked up after years of being a student and a bureaucrat (thanks, Eleanor!). And I still use the skills I learned in the certificate program I took on how to train trainers -- although I laugh that we spent three days on how to create training materials with things like Prestype and overhead projectors.

Of course, technology changes ever more quickly, but communication skills -- telling stories, and presenting them attractively -- stay the same.

I am grateful to have worked with so many outstanding colleagues over the years, many of whom are much younger than I, and whose technical skills far surpass what I know. Long-time CHCS clients may remember Casey Haakenson, my first employee, who was responsible for getting us started with interactive websites and into web and email hosting; Ajit Jagdale, who refined our programming skills; and Christophe Bisciglia, who went on to fame and fortune.

Since 2000, I have had the great good fortune to work with Martin Potter, the programmer behind our very successful content management system, and Darren Coen, the graphic designer who makes creates the stunning visual appeal of our sites, and who has developed the tools that allow us to produce standards-compliant sites easily and quickly. We believe that our small team can produce sites that are every bit as effective as those developed by much larger (and more expensive) companies.

And I am also grateful to be able to partner with many people who have outstanding skillls and experience in related areas. People like Robert Smith, computer hardware, networking and backup; Scott Aitken, photography; Randall Cohen, logo design, animation and video production; Karen Anderson, writing and editing; Curt Harpold and Steve Lawson, voiceovers; and Josh Freeman, search engine optimization.

What do all of these folks have in common? They have proven skills, and their commitment to customer service is unsurpassed. They share with me an understanding that small companies such as ours can provide services and insights that are the equal of bigger competitors, and personal service that large companies can never match.

Despite our attention to individual service, CHCS spends a lot of time evaluating the latest tools and technologies, and implementing them when we see the benefit to our clients. This blog is where you can find out about the tools we like.

In fact, one of the advantages of being a small organization is the ability to deploy the latest technologies quickly. We can, and do, change our offerings to suit current conditions. But the mission of CHCS has not changed in nearly twenty-five years: we help organizations use the technologies needed to communicate effectively.

Thanks to you, our clients and friends, for trusting us to do our best work for you. We look forward to continuing that relationship for many years in the future.

We are offering a special deal on Premier email service and support to the first 25 accounts that sign up.

Premier accounts include:

• No advertising, including in the web interface.
• 25 GB of storage space for your message -- about four times more than with standard accounts.
• Store and search archived messages.
• Post and share up to 3 GB of video files with co-workers.
• More control over spam filtering, including the ability to block or allow specific addresses.
• Phone and email support directly from Google, in addition to service from CHCS.
• 99.9% uptime guarantee.

See more details on Premier accounts.

The first 25 accounts that sign up can receive these services at a special price:

• $119 for the first account in a domain (save $30)
• $59 for each additional account (save $10)
• Setup fee waived ($95 value)

Contact us now to sign up!