Surplus Store Website Pt. 2

     While I had effectively caught the viewer's attention with the home page and overall design of the website, I decided to appeal the audience's sense of ethos and logos in my following pages in order to establish credibility as a legitimate business. Focusing first on logos, I created the "About Us" section. In order to show our physical location to potential customers, I added a google map of our address. This map shows where on a map we are located and expands to show the streets and landmarks around us. Also, I added in a brief description, accompanied by our logo, that tells a little about our new Surplus Store. This page helps the viewer to gain a better understanding of where are company is and where we came from originally. Though not completely necessary to the overall purpose of the website, this page allows us to provide further information about our company, while at the same time appealing to the customer's sense of logos.

      The next thing that I wanted to create for this website was an area for communication and feedback. Labeled "Contact" on the task bar, the page features a message box that gives the viewer an opportunity to ask questions or make comments directly. The box requires a name and contact information to be given, in order to better understand where the feedback is coming from, and is linked directly to my email. This tool helps not only to create a direct, formal line of communication between buyer and seller, but also gives the website a professional look, thus further establishing ethos. (more)

     Lastly, I wanted to create a page that links directly to our eBay business. Labeling the page "Online Store," I created a link at the top of the page that sends the viewer to our main store where all of our items are listed. This link to our official page helps to establish our credibility and further appeal to ethos. Below this, I decided to put a list of our store policies for things such as: shipping, returns, and payments. These written, established guidelines further appeal to the viewer's sense of ethos, as well as logos. This added section helps buyers to understand our rules and regulations upfront in order to avoid confusion later on.

     Overall I was very satisfied with the way the website turned out. My boss and coworkers also really liked the finished product and are going to feature a link to it from our eBay store and include a link in each of our product listings within the description. The website is simple, but gets the job done. I successfully remained professional and direct throughout the process and stayed focused on my main objective. I feel that I was creative where acceptable and believe that my added pages make for a more thorough and useful resource for future viewers. In terms of our Surplus Store, the website appeals visually to potential buyers' sense of pathos, gives us more credibility (ethos) as a name business, and establishes our reasoning (logos) through the given descriptions and policies of our company. In the future, I hope that this site can be continued and used as a primary resource for gaining information about our company. My plan, after continued updates and viewer traffic, is to begin accepting offers on products before they reach an actual online bid. Also, after a new shipment of equipment is brought in, I wish to move the previous "Coming Soon" items to a "Newly Listed" section that would include our current online pricing in the product description of each item. This would effectively show our price ranges on items without forcing the buyer to ever leave the page. Again, I am very happy with how the website turned out and look forward to actually see it used to help my company. 

Surplus Store Website Pt. 1

     My biggest project for my summer internship was to create a website for the new, growing TLC Surplus Store. While TLC has a basic website that is rarely used and while we base our operations off of our store on eBay, my boss felt it was time for the Surplus Store to have its own unique site. Because we purchase our items at warehouse closeout sales, we receive new items in bulk and all at one time. While more cost effective, it is often weeks before everything can be unloaded, sorted, cleaned, and listed online. By then, a new shipment of items usually arrives and the process repeats itself. In order to eliminate the down time between the products' arrival and when they are all finally listed, my boss assigned me the task of creating a website that would alert potential buyers of items "Coming Soon" to our eBay store. That way, with a quick photograph and brief item description, buyers can view upcoming items and make comments or ask question about them. This system will help to gauge interest on certain items, so that we know what to list first based on buyer demand.
     While my boss had big visions for this new website, he had no real plans for implementation. Because he wanted the site to be strictly informational, he did not want to spend any money building the site with so many free page building programs available. Under these guidelines, I was given the freedom of creativity to design and launch a new TLC Surplus Store website. Using a free online program, I created this website for our online store (found also in my blog links): http://tlcsurplusstore.weebly.com
     My main focus when I began creating this site was the overall layout and design. While my task was to keep the website simple, I wanted to create a better looking, higher quality page than the original site that goes more or less unused. I wanted a basic, clean look that was both simple and appealing to viewers. The layout that I chose features a small, black task bar at the top of the page, a solid title bar (in the company's blue color), and a clean, white base with a centered page body. To balance the color scheme I chose to only use blue, black, and white throughout the website. For the website title, I used a faded, warehouse-like font in white to go with our store's theme. For the rest of the site, I used a standard, black font throughout with page headers bolded to show emphasis. The minimalist style that I used in creating this page is appealing to the viewer as well as professional and simple (as my boss had requested).
     After designing the layout, I had to decide what all to include within the site. For user convenience and navigation purposes, I included the different page titles as links across the task bar. Beginning with the "Home" page, I decided to start off by tackling my primary goal: to add photos and descriptions of newly acquired items. Underneath the task bar and company name, I included "New Arrivals!" for the header and used a page break line to separate the title from the rest of the page. Underneath this I simply uploaded photographs from our most current auction using an uploading/ viewing tool and included the product name and model in the description. The page has 100+ photographed items and item descriptions that can all be enlarged with a single click.
     I was extremely satisfied with the overall look and layout of the website and was excited about what I had already accomplished. I liked the basic, informational feel of the site. I also liked that our main objective was already completed and was displayed on the home page. Rather than have to navigate to the desired page, my layout presents our most important information directly and efficiently. The home page, though appealing to ethos through our company name and to logos through our concise product descriptions, appeals primarily to the viewer's sense of pathos. The site's minimalist layout and color scheme, along with the bolded fonts and numerous colorful photos, make for an appealing, eye-catching home page that immediately draws interest from the viewer.
     Although I had fulfilled my requirements and had technically completed my assigned task, I was not willing to just stop there. While a single page would effectively show buyers upcoming items, I wanted to create a better, more thorough site in order to further establish credibility as a professional, working company. I wanted this site to be as useful a resource as possible for our developing store.

(Screen Shot of Home Page)

Facebook Page

     In an attempt to expand the company and to increase clientele, my boss charged me with the task of creating other internet resources to enhance our online store. By creating web pages through other venues, I will be able to make the company known, draw new interest, and potentially gain future customers. I decided to begin my networking quest on the number one social networking site, facebook. Because of how many users facebook has and because of its tremendous popularity amongst users of all ages, I figured it would be a good platform for which to start. Facebook now allows companies to create individual, stand-alone pages for personal users to view and to "like" if they are accompanied with or interested in the business.
     In creating this page, I was most concerned with establishing our credibility as a legitimate company. Because anyone with a facebook can create and administer a page, it is important to remain professional and to appeal to ethos first and foremost. In order to establish this appeal, I decided to use the company logo as the page's profile picture. If used enough times, a logo can be an effective tool in drawing attention to a company. Accompanying the logo, I completed the given information section with the company's location, founding date, phone number, email, and even alternate websites. By doing so, I am not only creating another outlet for people to gain useful information about our company, I am also working to further establish the TLC Surplus Store as a legitimate, working business. Next, in order to establish pathos and further appeal to ethos, I uploaded pictures of the warehouse. By providing photo evidence of the physical company warehouse, I am able to draw interest and show potential new buyers where their purchased items are coming from. In going along with this, I uploaded a map to show exactly where our warehouse is and how to get there. To establish pathos for those not aware of our site or company, I created an advertisement that shows up on various user profiles. The ad features our company name and logo, along with a short description of the company. To appeal to the audience's logos, I wrote out a detailed company description  on the page's information section. This gives a written, thorough account of the store's history, location, and what it has to offer.
     While I am satisfied with the overall page, it takes some time to establish a page on facebook and to successfully gain real interest. Ultimately, I would like to increase awareness and credibility by gaining more and more fans of the page. With more fans comes a higher level of use, through wall posts and user status'. Also, I would like to have a better connection to our main websites and online stores to make it easier for buyers to locate products. I do believe, however, that with the amount of people invited and through the use of my advertisements, the page will soon gain interest and act as a useful source for providing company information. I believe there is room for improvement, but feel good about the jumping off point that a platform such as facebook can provide.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/TLC-Surplus-Store/168706016532381

eBay Product Listings

     The majority of my internship this summer has been spent at the TLC Surplus Store selling products on eBay. As new shipments are purchased and brought to the warehouse, it is my job to organize, inventory, and clean the products before I photograph and list them each on eBay. Listings, though they follow a strict template, allow for product titles, photographs, detailed descriptions, pricing, shipping details, and seller information. Here are a few examples of products that I have posted this summer:

Example 1: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140513598498

Example 2: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130533199574

Example 3: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140576446521

     Listings are first divided into subcategories based on the product type. This allows the search engine to narrow down products for the defined audience. eBay then allows for two lines of text, the title and subtitle, that will serve as the key words and header for your listing. It is important to remain brief and to present only the necessary information with the limited characters alotted. This section is where we can work to establish pathos. In order to draw in our audience's attention, we try to use different wording than our competitors, incorporate the product model or serial number, and use exclamation points to show emphasis. Another way we try to set our product apart is through our pictures. While most competitors simply photograph their product once and list it, our products are thoroughly cleaned and photographed from multiple angles. This process allows us to show our product in its best condition and to give the buyer a more accurate idea of what is actually being purchased. After this, in order to establish logos, we give our product description. Although they give you an unlimited space to write up descriptions for products, we have found it to be most efficient and straighforward to keep our writing brief and to the point. Through this, we can list numerous items quickly, while still conveynig ample amount of information about the product. Our logos is established at the bottom of this box as well. Along with our username and rating that is shown at the top of each product page, we provide our company logo and information about our surplus store in every post. This helps to show our credibility and to further promote our company's name. In this section we provide our company name and logo, our buying and returning policies, and a link to our online stores.
     Although limited by the template structure given, it is important to use all available space customizing your listing, therefore setting yourself apart from other sellers. While we are not an extremely large company, we have great product turnover and have continued to build upon our success. Because the writing style is more informative, it works to quickly and efficiently get the point across to our target buyers.

Benefit Ride Flyer

     Just before I returned home for the summer, I received a call from a coworker at TLC about one of the plant managers at the company's chemical warehouse. A good buddy of mine, Barry was visiting his dying father in the hospital when he suffered a major heart attack. Barry was forced to undergo emergency heart surgery and ended up having a quadruple bypass. Without health insurance and facing extremely expensive medical bills, Barry and his family were in serious financial trouble. A group of workers, including myself, got together and planned a benefit for Barry and his family in order to increase awareness of their situation and to raise money to help pay their many medical bills. Because Barry is an avid motorcyclist, we decided to have a "Benefit Ride" in his honor.

     With everyone working to set up this event, I was again charged with the task of creating flyers to be distributed throughout the area. I was not given any guidelines other than to keep the design basic and cheap. Because my previously created flyer had been such a success, I decided to use that as a template for creating Barry's Benefit Ride flyer. This is my finished design:

     The purpose of this flyer was to create interest in motorcylcists from around the area to participate in this charitable event for a friend and coworker. In order to draw in people's attention and appeal to pathos, I decided to design a new logo based off of the well-known Harley Davidson orange and black logo. Because these flyers would be posted throughout the town (in bars, bike shops, etc.), I wanted to use a noticeable symbol that would attract motorcylists from around the area. Along with this, I added clip art pictures of motorcylists, so as to even further catch the attention of my two-wheeled target audience. In staying with this theme, the final flyers were printed in black and white and on a neon orange paper to emulate the Harley Davidson colors. In order to show credibility and establish ethos, I placed the two sponsoring companies (TLC and Street Chrome USA) along with the company phone number. To show logos, I gave a thorough description of what all was included at the event and, in contrasting, bold print, listed off all important information at the center of the flyer.
     This event, unfortunately, was rained out this weekend has been rescheduled for July 30th. So far, a lot of interest has been sparked for this event, both through my flyers and through word of mouth. We are expecting over 50 riders at the event and even more just there for support. My boss, the event crew involved, and Barry were very impressed with my design. The coordinating company, Street Chrome USA, has also decided to use my remade Harley Davidson logo as the t-shirt design for the event (I will include pictures later). While the overall flyer is not my greatest work of writing or graphic design, I am satisfied with the overall product and am pleased at how well they have worked so far to generate interest.

Warehouse Walkthrough Flyer

     Starting at TLC this summer, I was asked to create a flyer for an upcoming event at the surplus store. This "Warehouse Walkthrough" was to showcase all of the new products that we had recently purchased to buyers from around the area. Because the event was to take place a week after my first day, I was only given a few hours to design and print these flyers for distribution. I was told that the flyers needed to be basic, while at the same time remaining informative and somewhat appealing. Given these vague guidelines and using what I had learned from previous writing courses, I came up with this flyer:

(altered somewhat in conversion)

     The purpose of this flyer was to generate interest in potential buyers from around the area and to present them with all necessary information. In order to remain informative first and to appeal to the reader's ethos, I wanted to center justify and bold the most important information (time, date, location), give the company's main telephone number for usable reference, and to include the company name at the top of the flyer. In order to draw attention and appeal to the reader's sense of pathos, I used a shadowing graphic on the header and arched the text to look like a warehouse. Also, I included a few clip art images to break up the text and to catch the reader's eye. By recoloring these images in black and white, I was able to keep a uniform color scheme that incorporates the company's official royal blue logo color. At the bottom of the flyer, I included a brief description of the event to appeal to the logos. This description helps to add detail and further inform the reader of what all the event has to offer.
     My flyer was basic, cheap, and followed the few guidelines given to me. While I was not overly excited by my finished project, it was a good introduction to what I would be doing from time to time over the course of the summer. My boss was very pleased with my design and jokingly named me his "flyer guy," giving me the responsibility of creating flyers for a few more upcoming events this summer.