Michael Brown

Chris you need to market on the internet, that is more than just putting up a page... add your link to TIJ's inspector locator, add your link to a few of your posts, add your links to a few websites. Add your link in TIJ's links manager it ends up on TIJ's front page for a few days. Add a meta description to your site make sure it's something that will draw someone to your link instead of your competitor when it shows up in the search results. Add some real content to your front page, a few lines of original text helps. Your only search term I could find you under was page 3 of Google for "Willamette home inspector". If there are other areas you inspect in make sure they are on your pages. I would also use your title tag for your area as well. If the only area you inspect in is Willamette make sure it's in there. If you want to come up for Oregon home inspector you will need to do even more work because your competitors are not asleep. The other reason it may not be working in your area is that there is no market there... not much you can do about that. But you can market and travel further to another area where the market is still strong. Hope that helps. Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

We have software that is made in Canada and has a CAHPI template. We have Ontario inspectors using it. Most software that meets the ASHI SOP will do the job as the CAHPI SOP was based on the ASHI SOP. You can download a demo from our website: inspectexpress.com Let us know if you have any questions. Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

We noticed Mike. Not only were you diplomatic but brief [:-angel] ! OP - OP !!! (That's One People - One Planet) The Sponsors

It's by design... if you see a dotted line around the image it will open in a new window because it's over a certain size and is resized for the screen. The images above are below that size and just display normally. Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

There is some truth in that, although linking is still important for many reasons. I think this could be done, but maybe better planned. The one thing I have noticed is the anchor of the text is very important also... for instance a link that reads Seattle Home Inspection is probably much better than a link that reads Joe's Inspection Company. The search engines are using the anchors to direct traffic from the keywords. I have stumbled across this problem already. One of the other things that seems to have changed from it not being used to being used is the keywords in the URL itself. I'm only talking about a client searching for: Seattle Home Inspection or Seattle Home Inspector nothing else really matters except maybe the state. Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

Duh... never noticed this was from way wayyyy back!

First Brad let me say that your worst enemies will let you link to them. If anyone asks you to remove the link their site do it... who cares it is their loss not yours. Sued for adding a link and reported to federal authorities I don't think so! Very few companies ask you to get permission before linking to them... I mean very few! I can only think of one off hand. They will ask you to remove it long before they can take any action and for what damages. Brad this site is built with style sheets and tables just like most sites and the code you see is generated by asp and an sql database and thousands of lines of code on the server and looks nothing like the code that is output on the site you see in its source. If you want to see the "output source" you need to right click the page you are on and select view source otherwise you may get the frame source if the site uses frames like TIJ does. Anyway that is apples and oranges really because it has nothing at all to do with what you’re talking about. Style sheets have no relevance at all to keywords and the table’s only relevance is how high on the page your keywords are located. Most sites if not all are built with tables and most with style sheets these days. Links on other sites are like votes to google, the more the better... you cannot be hurt by someone linking to your site... you can be hurt by linking to a bad site. Google has a page rank and it's better to have a link from a PR 4 site than a PR 1 and linking to a PR 0 site is probably not a great idea unless you have a high ranking site already. Add your links to the links manager and you end up on TIJ's front page for a few days and in our newest links list both of which are spidered by the search engines. Also make sure you’re on the locator, inspectors are getting work from it! We do see the odd email getting bounced back from it. We can certainly make up a sticky thread that can be used for link exchange... but you probably will only want to add links from other states or cities. That’s my 2 cents... Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

RE: AHI 301 is what you want. Otherwise the search engine sees duplicate content. Re: sepefrio you've already been spidered by Google! (Jan If you put a link on TIJ to your site you are going to get hit. (had to remove the dot to display the link below) http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:www familyhomeinspection.com Better template but I still think you need to lose the paper background... asking for head aches... maybe you noticed already? Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

Hi Steven, Upload it to the file library and post the link to that. You can't upload any pdf or doc that's bigger than 1.5 MB in a post or reply. Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

Ya... I heard Dick Cheney was going hunting again. Maybe this time he could take Bush with him? [:-cowboy] The Cunuks [:-tong2]

Microsoft Word already has tools for linking to your pictures. To do a basic one manually you would: 1. Insert a picture 2. Select the Picture 3. From the Insert Menu - Insert Caption 4. Next to your comment From the insert menu - Insert Cross-Reference Captions will match and so will the link that can be preserved even after conversion to pdf. If I click the Photo 1 next to the comment I will jump to that picture. Word will auto number them for you. Table of Contents should also do the same if you insert a Table of Contents in Word, it will create the Table with all of the Headings that you used to make up the document. So when someone opens the document they can quickly jump to the section they want to look at by clicking the Table of Content link. The footnotes and endnotes are the same, the links can still work after conversion to pdf. Also the headings can be converted to bookmarks and you will have a document map next to the document in the pdf viewer. This for those that don't know the tools are there already. Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

Bob, Your file didn't go up? Submit Reports Here Load them to the file manager (under the sample reports category). Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

Next Victim! Chris Bernhardt Sample Report

Deleted, we have to approve the files before they become visible. Just shoot me a PM or email when you have it up. Any other brave souls out there? Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

Upload them to the file manager. There is a directory called Reports/Sample Reports. As long as they are under 5.0 MB they should upload fine. You could always link to one on your own site as well. I think there are only a few brave enough! This an interesting yet touchy topic. [:-wiltel] Here are a couple of our samples. All three are the same report done in a different way. With Linked Photo Page With Inline Photos With Wrapped Photos All use colors (not a good idea if your printing $). Footnotes are also used for things like GFCI explanations. I can't claim I wrote the text... only formatted. Now this may take a long time to do manually but with good software it's very fast. Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

Upload to the file manager and then link to that: File Manager Upload It still has to be under 5 MB, how big is it? Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

I will see your Wow and raise you a... what the??? http://cgi.ebay.com/John-Hutchisons-Hut ... dZViewItem Okay that's a little big for the road... once all the bugs are out a smaller version for roof inspections should be out soon! Chad started it! [:-alien]

Thanks for the feedback! I hope this improves the site navigation. About the green... I'm sure it looks a little different on monitors and I can easily change it... really just was sick of the blue-gray-brown look... gak! Maybe I will put up a switch later and you can change it to your fav! Cleaner and easier to read on large screens was the plan... I'm not finished the topic pages yet... so I would love to remove the little icon buttons (PM,ICQ,HOMEPAGE ETC) from the topic pages also. If you click on the user profile link to the left you still have access to those buttons. Anyone going to be heart broken if the buttons disappear off the topic pages? Any suggestions and comments are welcome. Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc.

Hi Randy, Go here: http://www.inspect-ny.com/aircond/aircond14.htm I've been trying for an hour to upload a document about inspecting AC systems, but it won't load and I can't seem to reach Mike B. to find out why. Keep checking this thread out and I'll keep trying. OT - OF!!! M.

Anybody else having trouble uploading photos? Download Attachment: ixbooth.jpg 80.79 KB Seems Okay? How big are they and "()" characters are not allowed in the file name.

Hi All, I know many of you have bookmarked the All Forums page for TIJ and almost never see the home page. Well, if that's the case, you probably should check out the home page because, courtesy of DevWave, there's a new inspector search engine there. True, this is a forum for professionals, not consumers, but it is read by non-inspectors and comes up on search engines when consumers are searching the internet for information about home inspectors so adding your company to that engine might net you some jobs. What the heck, every little bit of exposure helps. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Hi All, I know many of you have bookmarked the All Forums page for TIJ and almost never see the home page. Well, if that's the case, you probably should check out the home page because, courtesy of DevWave, there's a new inspector search engine there. True, this is a forum for professionals, not consumers, but it is open to non-inspectors and comes up on search engines when consumers are searching the internet for information about home inspectors so adding your company to that engine might net you some jobs. What the heck, every little bit of exposure helps. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Update: WAPI has since been absorbed into the American Institute of Inspectors (A.I.I.) and Larry Stamp has just assumed the reins as President of A.I.I. Congratulations Larry!! ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Sure, If it's from Katrina, I'd guess that it floated off it's foundation and the wind pushed it around. When the water receded it came down on top of whatever was underneath it. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike

Sorry guys I don't say much up here, as you know... There is some junk out there. I was just having a little problem ignoring the size of your paintbrush. I really think your comments rolled off the cuff anyway, must of hit a nerve or something. Our software isn't perfect and neither are our competitors but most of us work very hard on it. I know a few of my competitors and like them and think they offer a good product for the money also. Kurt you probably won't like all of our boiler plate comments but you can change them along with just about everything else... Jeff: I will also point out that the price of the software is nothing compared to the hours that an inspector puts into customizing it and making it their own. Once an inspector has committed to a software product they usually stay there. Unless your software is an absolutely huge improvement from what they are using they will not switch. You are left looking for the few new inspectors getting into business and competing with all the other companies for those few sales. It will take much more than a better mousetrap to make a business of it! I’m not trying to hold you back just offering some reality before you have committed countless hours to a project and can’t turn back! No apologies needed... gave me a reason to do some advertising! Always looking for feedback! Michael Brown DevWave Software Inc. http://www.devwave.com Support: 1 250 743 1940 Sales: 1 888 739 4033