Great discussion fellas. I owned a MAC a few years ago but found it difficult to access some websites with Safari and I have the same problem with Firefox. So I sold the MAC and bought a HP laptop. For example, Reynolds Contact Managment is inaccessible in an efficient fashion with anything other than Internet Explorer. Honda' Interactive Network and Hyundai's dealer portal are totally inaccessible with anything other than IE and its my understanding that you can't run Reynolds ERA on a MAC.

Computer's are definitely becoming necessary in virtually every department in the dealership. Buying the right systems and then putting together a plan to maintain them is critical. We began controlling access to certains sites on the net and that has contributed to healthier computer hardware (now that there isn't a big a exposure risk to viruses and malware on the net). We also don't allow outside computers on our primary business network which cuts down on the introduction of viruses to our system.

Stores without comprehensive technology procurement, management and maintenance plans will end up spending more on technology because their exposure to problems will be greater.

Funy you bring this up. I just got all new parts to build a new office computer at the agency.

I got (2) 22" LCD's - gonna be pretty sick. Building it on Monday.

Interesting post, and I have been a long time afficianado of building a P.C., but I must say, for the average customer to be able to build a computer that will suffice for our needs as ISMs, I don't think we can compete with Dell, Gateway, etc. Getting a fundamental system with an OS, HD, OD, 1/2 to 1 GB RAM for under $500.

You might very well build a gaming system for less than a hard-loaded manufactured piece, but for me, the solace in knowing I CAN upgrade it (manufactured ones often are not upgradeable) is worth any additional cost.

Anyone have a good website for purchasing? I use pricewatch.com to identify the parts and vendors. Anyone else?

Here are a few thoughts on solutions.

This is a Content Management System (CMS) that will help build great websites and robust online applications.
This is also an open source solution that is free, and is one of the most powerful Open Source Content Management Systems on the planet. It is used all over the world for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. Joomla! is easy to install, simple to manage, and reliable.

Joomla is very powerful, and is a little more difficult to get to grips with if you're a novice than some others you might have in your control panel. Certainly, for ease of use and a less steep learning curve, Wordpress is a good option too, and is a lot easier to customize visually as well (not to mention a wealth of plug-ins that will make it do almost anything you want it too, including galleries and forums that you can build into Wordpress).

One can use Wordpress as the basis of quite large and complicated sites, especially when I know the client wants to update their site themselves and has limited coding knowledge. This is a great tool for use in the smaller business model.
There are a number of inventory solutions that are available at an affordable price. I happened to like IOL as they are professional, priced right, month to month and passionate about what they do.

Knowing what you want to build is always a good first step.
Wrong or mismatched interfaces: a PCI-e video card will not work in an AGP slot and vice-versa. Similarly, a 939-pin motherboard (Athlon) can’t be expected to accommodate a Pentium IV processor (427 pins).

One component too fast or slow: why buy a memory designed for a 400MHz front- side bus if your motherboard can only go up to 333MHz?

Write down all the known requirements for the build, filling in as many details as possible. Then look for parts that will meet those requirements. Make sure that all the components will work with each other before making any purchases.

Now is a good time to learn more about computers in general and the new build specifically even if someone else is building it for you.

Additionally, knowing what is needed will help preclude the inevitable last-minute addition. Finding out that you need a more robust or different style of heat sink for the processor as you are trying to assemble not only delays the build, it can also break the budget.

Knowing the limit on spending for the system is smart look for the best deals, make realistic decisions on which components to buy and use, and knowing how much the custom build will be allows you to see if there’s a pre-built that meets your specifications that would be cheaper (yes, that does happen, occasionally, especially if you are buying software, too).

Keep the receipts everyone knows that you always get good parts from the dealer, especially online dealers, right? Hold on to the packaging and especially the receipts until you know all of the components are working properly. .

Think about protecting your computer. Do you have an adequate surge protector? Have you considered getting an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)? If your area is prone to brownouts, then a UPS is the way to go. Use a UPS that powers the computer from the batteries all the time and recharges them while power is on. If you do go with a UPS, be sure it isn’t underpowered, providing enough current to save your work and properly shut the computer down.

ESD be sure to use all reasonable Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) precautions when assembling your system. While today's electronics are better-armed against the ravages of ESD than their earlier counterparts, why take chances? Keep in mind that it is your money going into the system. Do you really want to risk damage and delays (awaiting replacement parts) by not using a cheap wrist strap?

Documentation do you know exactly what is in your computer right now? Do you know the model number and firmware revision of your sound card? Do you know where the driver discs and manuals for all the components are?
Recording all the details of the system as you build it up, as well as placing all the documentation and software discs in a common binder will save you time and effort in the long run. Want to check for the latest drivers? Grab the binder and look up the part number. That beats having to crack the case open and pull the card, which may or may not have the part number openly stamped on it. Want to put Linux on the computer? You have the part numbers handy so you can determine if and how the components will work with the OS.

This goes for that software you have loaded, as well. You might need to put all those CDs into a case, but where are the registration keys and serial numbers? What are the settings you spent so much time perfecting?

Likewise any passwords you may have. If you are like me, you have A lot of passwords for stuff that I tend to forget, particularly if I don’t use them on a regular basis. So I’ve compromised and placed all my passwords into a secure PDA file. With one master password, I can access the whole lot of them.

Do you have the most up-to-date drivers and firmware? Back-ups? You'll need them, so be ready beforehand? Have you slipstreamed your Win XP with the latest Service Pack and hot fixes?
Plan the install

What OS are you going to use? Are you planning on installing another at some time in the future? What are you going to use the machine for? How many partitions will you need and in what sizes? How should the partitions be ordered? Have you planned a backup scheme and how can you simplify that process from the beginning?

Write down what software you need to install and at what point you need to install it. You can use that list to build an unattended installation disc.

Backups you need to think about archiving data when you began ordering all the components. If you have a backup plan set up ahead of time, then you are likely going to use it, and it won't hurt quite as badly when that unexpected crash comes.

RTFM
Read the manual beforehand so you know what particular board requires RAM in both slots 1 and 2, not 1 and 3 as is standard on many other boards. If you have all your documentation in one place, you will know where that manual is.

The software might sometimes show both the minimum and recommended system requirements. Best you use the recommended + requirements as your guide.
Get a fast enough processor (preferably Quad Core - Intel being best choice for the future upgrading of your system.
Get as much memory as you possibly can afford to enhance your computer's performance.

If you are purchasing a computer system or building your own, get more hard disk space than you have determined that you will need now. Buy as large a hard drive as you can possibly afford. This is to allow for future expansion.

Taking the time to evaluate your needs before making your final selection will save you both money and regrets in the long run.
Before buying, it is very important that you familiarize yourself with some basic knowledge of what a computer consists of and the function of each of the components.

You should try to buy as much as you can possibly afford.
Do not 'cut corners' on your main system unit such as your processor, memory and hard drive.
You would not want to be running out of memory or disk space shortly after purchasing a complete computer system or building your own!

Delay the buying of some of the software applications that are not critical for you to get now until at a later date. You might want to be using this computer for a few years; therefore, you should ensure that you now have enough memory, CPU, hard drive, etc.
Categories of Computers

Basic:
This computer would be used by someone who sends and receives email, surfs the Internet, uses word processing, prepares spreadsheets and plays simple games.
Minimum Requirements: 1.0+GHz AMD or Intel processor, 512MB DDR RAM (Memory), 120GB, 7200 RPM, 8MB cache hard drive, on-board video, audio and LAN, DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive.

Mid Range:
In addition to the basic needs, this range is suitable for someone who is involved in medium graphics, some video editing, downloading music and video and playing games, etc.
Minimum Requirements: 1.8+GHz AMD or Intel Pentium 4 Processor, 1GB DDR Memory, 250GB SATA 7200 RPM 8MB Cache Hard Drive, mid-range Video and Sound (Graphics) Card, 10/100 LAN, DVD Writer and a 21" Monitor.

High Range:
This computer is suitable for intensive graphics, video editing, game playing and other memory and CPU intensive programs.
Minimum Requirements: AMD Athlon 64 FX62 or Intel Pentium (best bet) Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB DDR Dual Channel Memory, 400GB SATA hard drive, RAID (0,1), High-End Video (nVidia GeForce 7950 GX2 Graphics Adapter) and Sound Card (Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic), Gigabit 10/100/1000 LAN, DVD ROM Drive and a Dual format, Dual Layer DVD Writer and a 24" Monitor.

Choosing Online Vendors to purchase your Best Cheap Computer System. Buying your computer system and parts online is recommended since this is where you will get excellent quality systems and computer parts at the best available prices. Here are some online vendors who are known to be reputable, have great deals, operate secure Web sites and will deliver a quality computer to your door. You can visit these Vendors' Web sites by clicking here.

I'm geeky too... just try not to get too consumed by it because the fundamentals is what is and will always work for me at least - follow up! But I myself have found a few killer deals on some Dual Xenon PC's with Mega RAM.. for like $1,250... and might get one for my home, but since much of my Tech Tools are Web-Based, a super fast connection to the WWW is more important to me.

I agree Chris, but it sounds like we're all a bunch of geeks at heart

oh and one more thing.....I think DGI is only measurable on dual core systems....but I could be wrong

MOST computers in the $1000 range nowadays have the essential stuff 98% of ISM's would ever need. The most important aspect in my opinion is to have at least 3 MEG of ram so you can actually run several programs at once. If you are a developer of Games for EA you might need a computer in the $3000- $8000 + range, but even with all this technology, you will only sell cars with continuous phone and email follow up.

Most Important Tools for ISM's:

Your Personality
Your Telephone
Good Grammar and typing skills
Good Follow up
Access to Email

I really like Dell monitor's too. Out of the box I've found them to have a pretty good color balance to them. And multiple monitors is key for efficiency, especially if you're doing any sort of dev, photo or video work.

If you're getting into video encoding/production, buy as many cores as you can afford! Adobe Premiere encodes blazingly fast with 8 cores, and when you're dealing with raw HD video, you want it to be fast. Especially when you've just finished a round of encoding and you realize you forgot to put the intro in and have to do the encoding all over again...not that we've ever forgotten too do that....

If you're running multi monitors, or any sort of digital monitor(LCD), use the DVI connection and not the VGA. You'll get much better colors and a much sharper image. For multi monitors, you'll end up paying more for a dual-DVI graphics card, but it's worth every penny.

I tend to do all my work with local files, but they are synced up to our server - definitely invest in some sort of back-up solution too. SyncBackSE is a great free program to use.

We just built a computer for our video editor, dual quad core intels, 8GB of ram, 3 raptor 150s, 4x500GB WDs, Lian Li case, supermicro mobo, nvidia 8800GT and an X-Fi card - grand total, $3200 shipped from newegg. My computer in college was $2800 and it was a P90 with 64MBs of ram and a 1.2GB hard drive =/.

Chip-

I would also suggest buying O.E.M. if you plan on purchasing a budget P.C. It is hard to compete with Dell's purchasing power when it comes to budget P.C. parts. If you plan on building a bleeding edge system with all the latest and greatest you will come out ahead building it yourself because the O.E.M.'s don't buy huge amounts of new tech because it is like used cars that melt away in value.
My name is Brian and I am addicted to bleeding edge graphics cards.....expensive habit my friends.

Thanks Brian, and thanks for pointing out that I forgot to say something about HD video.....my bad!

Definitely keep an eye on whether or not a video card can handle HD video if you plan to watch or record HD video on your computer. NVidia just launched their 9000 Series cards and they're excellent all around (including HD encoding). I just picked up an eVGA 9600GT for under $200 that does it all. Also, something of mention with eVGA, they have a trade-in policy. Within 90-days of purchasing an eVGA card, you can trade up for a higher model - very cool! They also don't void your warranty for overclocking, and that is the main reason I only buy eVGA graphics cards.

Alex...

Awesome post. Take the time (& make the investment) to get the right equipment to improve your efficiency.

The only thing I would add...be sure to add a kick-ass chair. Once you get all those goodies, you won't want to get up from your desk.

Eric

Alex nice article!
On the video card side you will also need to determine if you plan on using it for any media type applications such as "backing up" hd movies, if so you will want to check the specs on the graphics cards and make sure it can handle hd and other related tasks.
I am a benchmark addict and I found this link on benchmarks comparing built vs bought pc, thought it might be relevant.

I worked for Bz Results before they were bought out by ADP, its all a scam and it will continue to be a scam and Ralph, i dunno if you still work for bz, but you used too, so stop defending them, your as brain washed as the culture they sell you when you first start working there. Save your money peeps.

This company was made on the premise of ripping people off. After the owners sold BZ this is what there new hoax http://www.astonishresults.com/Default.aspx?tabid=187&EntryID=51

also, the brain child of BZ has his new project also Adam DeGraide - Wikipedia

Its all a huge scam, beware

Great post. I myself do not like using compete.com or alexa.com or google rank at all. None of these are very accurate, because they are all based on estimates. Although Google Rank could be informative, but the PR that the toolbar shows is not the actual PR that Google has on file (it is delayed). Read this http://searchengineland.com/what-is-google-pagerank-a-guide-for-searchers-webmasters-11068#internal

The only true way to compare website to website is to have the same analytics code on our websites and we openly discuss these numbers. Since most of us do not like to share this information, there will not be a tool that can give you data like we want.

I still prefer the old fashioned way of checking my rankings by using a Google rank checker tool for my site and compare it to my competitors. Problem with this is that Google does not allow too many queries.

To CHRIS K: Chris next time you post it would be nice to see a link to your site, so we can judge oursleves how great your website is. Right now since you decided to not post your URL, I put ZERO VALUE behind your comments (I like to check your site myself before admitting you do good or bad.) Maybe your site works great, but how is your SEO working for you?

Although I myself do believe that I can built a site that will work better for SEO then the current platforms, to say that a college kid can built one for $500 is insane. How much do you invest (time wise) in making your platform better and to keep up with new technologies for maximum user experience? Even if you do that, what happens when you leave the dealership? Why would a dealer take that risk.

Every site is different, because the market is different and/or the product is different. The only one you can truely compare to would be your direct competitors, but then again, would you open your doors to what you are doing? I don't but luckily there is something called reverse engineering that allows me to see what the big boys do right and copy what they do. I also listen to every SEO salesman that comes my way and check out sites they use to sell.

Most of these companies give me the mumbo jumbo deal that they have software analyzing the google algorithms and they are most often full of it. Our dealership is a single point Acura dealer, so we have a limited budget compared to some dealer groups and we do not have the time to customize our website too much like checkeredflag.com does (I wish!!!)

All I care about is how my traffic and conversion numbers are. I just altered and installed a little script myself that a company wanted to sell me for $1,200 a month to improve our SEO. My SEO results did improve for a lot of keyword combinations, but how will this actually affect my traffic is what I care about. So since recently installing this, I will keep a close eye on my traffic increase and my bounce ratio.

adp owned bz results are bucnh of crooks scam atists,they have the worlds best presentaion,do not fall for it.they stole all my leads from there crm buzz track,i lost over 10,000 my own leads.there seo sucks,you are better off building your own html site with related keywords,your site wil not be cut and paste job done by bz results,google will penalise you if you get bz results cut and paste copied site,they will over bil you and than make you promise they will correct it,instead you will be slapped with threatening letters to be sued in rhode island,stay away from such crooks,gene loop,rick freedman,bob labrizi,eric pearson are all bunch of thieves.

Ralph - why are you pointing that novel of a comment at me? Are you making an "ASS"umption of something?

Oh yeah, and one more thing.... to Mr. Umer Farooq who posted: "Hmm... not if you dealership name is like Clark Ford. Boy there are lot of Clark's that have ford dealerships... "

THAT is a classic situation begging for Paid Search Engine Advertising that is both geotargeted and bids on apropriate variations of Clark Ford, Clark Motors, Ford dealers in (hometown), etc.!

As much as I love SEO, there is a time and a place for eveything, including PAID SEARCH!

I can feel the flames acoming....

To Alex,

I do not know which BZ Results salesperson created the chart that originated this thread... And, if I did I would not be ashamed to say so! However, I had a situation last week that reminded me of this one. An ADP account manager who normally represents DMS related products and services was asked by one of her dealers about the new Ford Dealer Advertising Co-Op reimbursement program. He wanted to know the connection, if any, with the Ford Digital Advertising Program, which my team administers for Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers... She correctly explained to the dealer that the two programs were distinct and seperate from each other. The dealer went back to his Ford Zone Manager and wanted to know why Internet advertising was not covered by the new Co-Op advertising program (which is a false statement). The Zone Manager explained that Internet Advertising is eligible for FLM Dealer Advertising Co-Op reimbursement if it meets program guidelines (which is a true statement). The story got passed upstream to Ford executives and the next thing you know I am being asked why our ADP sales team is telling dealers that the Ford Digital Ad Program is not covered by the Dealer Advertising Co-Op program (which in fact it is!). By the time I was able to identify the ADP sales rep and then speak to both her and the dealer I came to realize that everything she told the dealer was actually true and that the dealer had made incorrect ASSUMPTIONS based on her correct statements! I see this type of confusion, misstatement of facts and false ASSumptions on a daily basis. As a result, I have learned over time to reach out and gather more information and either email or call the parties involved before I make any foolish ASS-umptions about what people say or present when I am not a first-hand witness.

Look, it is real easy to get all hyper-critical and slam suppliers on an open blog like DR, and for the most part none of us have to worry about being held accountable for what we write or statements we make that may or may not be accurate... Other than our own sense of maintaining a reputation for integrity in this business.

I cannot count how many times I have been required to work with irate customers buying a car to take the hair out of a kinked deal because of innacurate statements made by a car salesman trying to close his or her sale... Heck, on the way home today from Sonoma, CA wine country I listened to a woman tell me about how she was considering a 60 month lease on a new vehicle... I found myself explaining the pros and cons of leasing in general and how most experts recommend a 24 or 36 month lease rather than a longer term and that a 36 month lease is comparable to a 72 month car loan and a 24 month lease is comparable to a 60 month car loan, etc., etc.

Plenty of people would argue those points with me as well, but i know in my heart I am making true statements and have been both a consumer of and a merchant of new vehicle leasing for over 20 years! I know what the hell I am talking about!

I wonder if the BZ Results salesperson who produced the chart that started this thread feels the same way? And, what if for some bizarre reason unbeknownst to any of us he or she had a reason for using the furntiure store URL? What if he or she was trying to illustrate the importance of acquiring and managing a domain name portfolio? Has anyone ever bothered to get this individual's response to this post or to send him or her a link to it by email?

OK, maybe I am the eternal optimist and I tend to believe in the inherent good within most people until they prove otherwise, but for crying out loud it sures seems to be easy to post a whole bunch of trash talk about someone when they are not around to defend themselves or provide a response to accusations!

Most, not all, but a majority of the Digital Marketing professionals and suppliers I meet in this business tend to be fairly honest and ethical in their business practices. If a dealer buys technology, turns down both consulting and training that is offered to show the dealership's employee's how to use the technology that was purchased... How can that dealer then complain that his employees do not know how to use that very same technology and as a result the store gets no benefit from it? I have seen this happen for many, many years... And, it stoill happens today! If the person assigned by a supplier to serve a dealer knows that dealer on a first name basis and speaks to that dealer on a weekly basis... Who is responsioble for that same supplier point of contact not knowing who the Internet Sales Manager is? I do not pretend to know all the answers, but sometimes asking a few of the right questions is a gtreat place to start.

I have watched this post for a while and question... What is the real purpose of most of the Compete.com and BZ bashers? Some identify themselves clearly as competors... others? Compete.com, though not authorized by ADP, does offer a snap shot to a dealership in a quick decisive manner that in my experience mirrors Google and our more advanced Omniture statistics. Not perfect, but a decent guide for people (dealers) that are not Digital experts and have next to no interest in becoming one. I am not making excuses for the posted screen shot (and added BZ logo) but if it was real, is it possible that the rep. just did not delete the last sample url preloaded on Compete.com start up? I take great pride in the proven results of our products and company... I would only ask that anyone considering a Digital Marketing Total Solution look deeper than this thread... (Auto Dealer Monthly, May 2008 pages 37 and 41) to see that there is a very good reason for our product(s) being utillized by the majority of the progressive Digital Marketing automotive dealers. Thank you for the opportunity to express my (personal) opinions.

Hmm... not if you dealership name is like Clark Ford. Boy there are lot of Clark's that have ford dealerships...

Smallfry,
Where your CSS and Javascript files are hosted won't have any negative impact on your SEO efforts. They could help you increase your SEO efforts if your pages start loading faster. One of the things Google is really starting to press is not only page quality, but also load time. This is especially true if you are running Adwords campaigns as your page load times will directly affect your Quality Score(a determining factor in the minimum amount you will pay per click).

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If your inventory photos are currently being hosted by a third party, this will help your pages load faster, but at the same time you're receiving no search engine value for having those photos on your site. I know it's now rarely the case, but ideally you want to host those photos (inventory.yourdomain.com) as there's some good value in having your site come up when some one is doing image searches on the SE's.

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-- Name -->> "My Car Dealership Rocks"
-- google search
-- "My Car Dealership Rocks"
-- google result
-- #1"mycardealershiprocks.com"
-- Yippy I'm Number 1 !

Regarding BZ... its just a simple mistake... mistakes happen... BZ is a good company... they do somethings great... anytime I have to deal with them it's been pleasurable... but my dealing have only been technical... (we compete so I have no love for them )

LOL.. Rick Rolled...

smallfry... do you have any other stats package on the site...
numbers vary between most...

If I was working on getting users to stick... I would look at each page... see where the users are just dropping... look at what search term has the most bounce rate... see if that is even relevant to my site... remove the term or work at it... sign up with Adwords so I can use the website optimizer... change things around on the page and test different things... bet you are already doing most of this.

"Joe
a proud member of IGURL"

Some of us would prefer no identity to an identity crisis
I don't think I GURL is going to catch on amongst this crowd.

Cheers!