What is your greatest accomplishment?
Finishing this questionnaire. (Thanks, Adam, you're quite the comedian!)

What are your resolutions/goals for 2010?
Live to see 2011.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
A bear. A bear's life just seems like it would be worry free.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Italy. For the art, wine and cheese.

Are you a morning or night person?
Morning person, I left the night life years ago.

What are your pet peeves or strange dislikes?
Way too many to list.

How would your friend describe you to someone you don't know?
Intimidating at first, but I grow on you.

Have you ever won a trophy? If so, for what?
I used to be a football player and a swimmer - I was better at the swimming, but won a fare number of awards in both. I also won an award for successfully delivering the Columbus Dispatch on the coldest day in record Columbus history.

If your house was on fire and you could only take three material things with you, what would they be?
Photo albums, my grandfather's tie pin and as many paintings as I could hold.

Do you have any phobias?
Spiders. I'm not truly afraid of them, I just have an irrational response to their presence.

If your business operates online, certain web design choices can make or break the overall success of your web site. Although a lot of people prefer a “pretty” or visually compelling web site, there is a lot to be said for simplicity in many cases. This is because there are a number of important factors which must work together in order to convert first-time site visitors into long-term customers of your business.

From a marketing perspective, there are three important factors you want to consider before beginning any web design project. These include:

1.    The Web Site’s Major Purpose. Before a site is designed, it is important to define what it is supposed to do. A lot of businesses seem to skip this step and instead forge ahead simply because they’ve been told they need an online presence. Although they most likely do, addressing this issue first could lead to a much more successful outcome for them. Developing a clear understanding of what the site is meant to do (i.e., sell products or capture visitor contact information) increases the likelihood that the site will perform as intended. At the end of the day, there is no point in having a great-looking web site if it doesn’t add directly to your bottom line.

2.    The Graphic Elements. These essential components of effective web design add visual appeal and interest to your site. They include images, font types, color selections and other style choices that determine how the site “looks.” What makes these features so important is that they are what first captures your visitors’ attention (or not) and pulls them into your site (or not). Without a pleasing graphic presentation, it is very difficult to get web surfers interested enough in your site to stick around for a while. Think about it. How many times have you landed on a blinking, flashing, or otherwise visually chaotic web page and scrambled for the back button as fast as possible?

3.    The Web Copy or Content. Of course, these are the words found on your web site. Keep in mind, web copy and content are two different things: web copy is created in order to get your prospect to actually do something through a clearly defined call-to-action. Well-written web copy is compelling and spells out exactly what you want your prospects to do next, whether it is to pick up the phone, subscribe to your mailing list or submit a contact form. On the other hand, web content is generally informative in nature and adds value to your site by entertaining or educating visitors to your site.

The key to achieving strong conversion rates with your web site is to make sure that these 3 factors work in harmony with one another. Of course, you’ll want to introduce web copy that is aligned with your site’s (or individual web page) primary purpose. You’ll also want to make sure that the graphic elements don’t compete with or conflict with either the overall objective behind the site or the copy conveying that message. For best results, you’ll need to get all three pulling together in the same direction.

What is your favorite…

Color: black
Movie: The Cutting Edge and Twilight
TV Show: Any stupid reality show such as The Real Housewives or The Biggest Loser
Season: Winter
Food: Chocolate
Drink: Wine
Book:  The Twilight Series
Music/Band/Artist/Song: Fave song of all time is Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Pizza Toppings: pepperoni and mushroom

What is your greatest accomplishment?
My kids, running the Boston Marathon and conquering cancer.

What are your resolutions/goals for 2010?
Too many to list!

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Llama, because I raised them growing up.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning. Not by choice, though. My children are allergic to sleeping.

What are your pet peeves or strange dislikes?
Coconuts are gross.

Do you have any hidden talents?
Not a talent, but I have freakishly small hands. I have to wear gloves from the kids’ department.

What are two things you are good/bad at?
Bad – I have a poor sense of smell. Sometimes it takes me weeks to put laundry away.
Good – I make a mean organic, low fat meatloaf. I am excellent at wasting time on Facebook.

Have you ever won a trophy? If so, for what?
Yes, for running. Of course that was 10 years and 2 babies ago, but who’s counting?

What is the best vacation you have ever had?
Skiing in Whistler with my husband. Fresh powder and Canadian beer – can’t beat it!

What do you think the secret to a good life is?
Never be satisfied.

What is your favorite…

Color: green
Movie: always fall asleep before the movie ends J
TV Show: The Today Show
Season: Summer
Food: fresh food
Drink: Chardonnay
Music/Band/Artist/Song: music that has a good beat and is fun to run to
Pizza Toppings: chicken, tomato slices and spinach

What is your greatest accomplishment?
My kids – they are good people.

What are your resolutions/goals for 2010?
Spend more time enjoying my family, lose 10 pounds.

If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
Turtle – slow and steady wins the race (although anyone that knows me knows I am NOT slow in anything I do.)

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
China, I think it would be so amazing and I love Chinese food.

Are you a morning or a night person?
Morning, totally.

What are your pet peeves or strange dislikes?
I like things in order – no messes. I cannot stand raisins or rollercoaster rides.

How would your friends describe you to someone you don’t know?
Intense, loyal, dependable and loud.

What are two things that you are good/bad at?
Good – multitasking and organizing. Bad – math and being patient.

Have you ever won a trophy? If so, for what?
I was the top runner in my age group in the 5K I ran this summer - first time I ever ran a 5K

What is the best vacation you have ever had?
Tampa, Florida- May 2006- Will and I spent the month in Florida experiencing the birth and adoption if our daughter Bryce.

If your house was on fire and you could only take 3 material things with you, what would they be?
Photo albums, jewelry box…

What do you think the secret to a good life is?
Clean living and treat people with respect.

Do you have any phobias?
Porches- I was on a porch that collapsed 3 stories due to fire and termite damage that was hidden by paint.