A client wanted to meet recently to talk over a project, and I knew we'd need free wifi in order to cover the topics of interest. In an area of town that was convenient for both of us, I KNEW of one place where we could sit down, have a cup of coffee and a light breakfast and access their free wifi service.

There were other places where we might have been able to do it, and there's always Starbucks where you can get free wifi if you have a balance on a Starbucks card, but I chose the place where we met because I KNEW they had what I needed. I knew it because they have it posted on their store window.

How many of your products and services do you customers, and potential customers, KNOW you offer? And how many are they unaware of, or uncertain about?

Certainly, you can't put all of your services on your front window, but there are other ways to make sure they KNOW. Give me a call or send me an email if you need some suggestions on how to do that.

I got a new Alabama hat for Christmas. I've always been a fan of the University of Alabama football team, going back to my childhood. I was born in Alabama, and three of my older cousins played there under Coach Bear Bryant, so I always followed the Crimson Tide.

Well, with Alabama and the University of Texas set to face off in the BCS National Championship game, folks around here are a little on edge when they see Alabama fans.

I was running some errands, headed into the grocery store, and a couple of people looked at me kind of funny. I walked past them, not sure why they were giving me the eye, and then it struck me ... they were wearing Longhorn orange shirts and hats, and they didn't care for my choice in head wear.

I had forgotten that I even had my Alabama hat on, but they saw it as a challenge being broadcast throughout the store.

Then I thought for a minute. How many businesses aren't really sure what their website is telling people? How many times does a customer or client, or a potential customer or client, tell you about something they saw on your website?

And how many times are you surprised that information was out there? Even worse, how many times have you had to explain that you don't offer that service or product anymore?

The beauty of a website is that it can work for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The other side of that coin is that it can mislead and misinform on the same timeline.

By now, you know it's 2010. But what does your website say?

Are you still claiming a 2009 copyright at the bottom of your homepage? Even worse, are you showing 2008?

This brings up a couple of important questions.

First, do you even need the copyright claim? The answer is no, you don't actually need to publish a copyright claim to enjoy the legal protections for your website content. The Copyright Act of 1976 gives authors of original works exclusive rights to the works and the option to grant usage rights to others. Generally, the rights include:

Reproduction
Development of derivative works
Distribution
Public display

Original work is copyrighted from the moment of creation. A website — graphics, content, visual elements — is copyrighted at the time of development. Posting copyright notice on a site notifies others that the material displayed is not to be used without permission of the owner.

The second question ... Are you updating your site regularly and strategically? I can tell you right now, 2011 is going to be here in about 365 days. Someone in your organization should be planning to update your site so that you don't miss the changeover.

But how many events, specials, schedules and holiday closings do you have on your calendar right now? What is your plan for posting them to your website? Who is going to post a closed for MLK Day message? Who is going to remove that message on Jan. 19?

If you don't have a plan to update and maintain your website, you're giving away an opportunity to positively influence potential customers. It's tough enough to get their attention, so why risk turning them off when they finally do come to your site to learn more about your products or services.

Look at your website. Make sure you're in the right year. And make sure you're offering the latest and greatest information about your business.