CASE STUDIES 
Jedi Magento Developer
We had to set up a black background today for another photo shoot, and Alan decided to pick up a lightsaber and pose. Magento sites... beware 🙂 When we're not working hard providing our clientele one of the best Magento development experiences available in...
Not an Out of the Box Experience: What to Expect with Magento eCommerce
The Magento Enterprise edition is part of a wave of high-end ecommerce solutions for sites with a budget. Magento 1.5 (the FREE community edition) delivers a Magento website for the cost of a Magento developer to get the pieces in place for you. A good Magento...
R U Reppin Increased Magento Site Speed by 3 Seconds
Gillian's been working with RUReppin.com since they came to us. First and foremost, we helped them increase the site speed of their Magento store by 3 seconds! She achieved this result by switching their hosting to Nexcess. The previous hosting was not very compatible...
'sFoxs Clothing Moves to Magento Community Edition, delayed launch due to hurricane
The Foxs Clothing site was slated to go live today, but they got delayed because of the hurricane. Sigh. We're so excited to show you because we did the design and the magento work, that we might just give you a sneak peak of what's on the way... Jesse and Ryan...
2010 Brooklyn Autism Center Microsite + Email Campaign Raised over $100k for School
Last Summer, the Brooklyn Autism Center needed a new site designed for their annual donation drive in which the students would walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to celebrate the reaching of their goal. An email template was also designed directing the recipients to this...
Cheers on Twitter: Celebrating Client Magento Sites
Are you on Twitter? If yes, follow us @custparadigm. We're tweeting about the latest sites we've launched, re-tweeting Magento news and tips worth an RT, and sharing notes from our own knowledge base of Magento eCommerce platfrom, WordPress, email marketing and 9...
Moose Mountain Trading Co. upgrades to Magento eCommerce
Moose Mountain Trading Company calls Steamboat Springs, CO home-sweet-home, but their retail reach online is global. (The retail shop is the most fun store in Steamboat’s in the busiest block of downtown.) They offer a carefully choosen collection of quality sweaters...
Hung On U goes to Magento eCommerce, needed Custom Magento Development
In July, we launched the new Hung On U Magento eCommerce site with a full load of special features and customizations. Here are the details of the project and the Magento customizations we did for them. About the Company: Founded by supermodel Patti Hansen, Molly...
Up With People goes live with new WordPress site
After a long journey of getting this site together, we have finally launched the new Up With People site (we had worked on their other site, full of customizations, before this one). The new site uses a modified Boldy theme and is loaded with the goodness of WordPress...
Boulder Flatirons Photo – Sunrise
I took this image this morning, as I was waiting for a family to arrive for a photoshoot. This is a view of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado -- shot at Chautauqua Park. Enjoy! This was taken was a Canon 50D, 37 mm, f/9.0, ISO 1250, 1/100 second...
Re-Tweetable: David and Goliath sent us love-tweets
We've been tweeting up a storm at the office, and after posting about working with David and Goliath, they let us know how much they dig our work: @dng_tees David & Goliath Tees tweeted: @custparadigm For reals! You guys are our fave new digital code...
Website for AAMCO Colorado is live!
Colorado AAMCO dealers have teamed up (with the help Customer Paradigm's custom web-design services) to launch a new website, www.aamcocolorado.com. With 20 locations along the Front Range, AAMCO Colorado strives to provide the best auto repair and transmission repair...
Detailed Error Exceptions in Magento Commerce
Detailed Error Exceptions in Magento Ecommerce By default the Magento exception printing leaves out a significant part of every exception. Alan Barber on our team repurposed some code to make error handling work more easily in Magento: By modifying app/Mage.php , you...
Magento and WordPress Make Change Easy
“Once you’ve launched a site, the most important thing to do is be ready and poised to completely change it. Reacting very quickly to real-world feedback can turn unseen problem areas into strengths.” ~ Ryan Carson Your site is an ever evolving technical organism that...
How to Identify a Magento Site
How to Identify a Magento Site Magento is the biggest buzzword in our office lately, as more and more of our clients and future clients want this amazing ecommerce solution for their online businesses. (We're even finding ways to use Magento in other ways, as over...
Photographic Psychology: looking at photographic techniques and how they are perceived from a psychological perspective
I stumbled across this series of online articles about Photographic Psychology: looking at photographic techniques and how they are perceived from a psychological perspective. Perfect for someone like me, who loves photography, studied a lot of psychology and...
Macro Photos from Today: Flowers
Enjoy a few of these photos that I took earlier today; these were taken using a Canon 50D, 150 mm f/2.8 macro lens, polarizing filter, and a lightweight LED video light. I wanted to travel light today!
Customer Paradigm is hiring: PHP Programmer with Magento Experience Needed (Boulder, Colorado)
Customer Paradigm, a Boulder-based web development company firm is looking for a contract-to-possibly-hire php developer. Magento or eCommerce experience a big, big plus. You must be able to work at our Boulder, Colorado office (No offshore / out of state inquires,...
I burned out my Canon 580 EXII Flash (High Speed Synch, Rechargeable Batteries). Ughhhh.
Last weekend, I was shooting with my Canon 50D in extremely bright, harsh Colorado sunlight. I was using my Canon 580 EXII Flash, with a Gary Fong diffuser to cut the harsh light down to a softer level. As I wanted to be semi-stealth, I was at the back of...
RAW File support for Windows 7
If you shoot RAW and use a Windows 7 system, a great new update was released that allows you to view the RAW Files (.CR2) right in Windows Explorer (instead of having to import into Lightroom, Photoshop, etc). This is great for having to go back and quickly flip...
Fun Macro Flower Photos + A Deer Eating Poison Ivy
I took these on Monday of a few macro flower images, plus one of a deer eating poison ivy. Enjoy! All these were shot on a Canon 50D with a 150 mm f/2.8 lens using natural light (I was hiking and didn't want to carry a flash) and a circular polarizing filter.
Email Marketing Basics – Presentation by Gillian Owen
For those of you who are attending the Startup Junkie Underground presentation tonight: http://www.davinciinstitute.com/events/540/startup-junkie-underground--monday-july-25-2011, Gillian Owen, Customer Paradigm's Email Marketing Specialist will be presenting, "7...
Butterfly Photos (Macro)
Macro Butterfly Photos by Jeff Finkelstein. Enjoy!
Protect Yourself With a Strong Password! Video by our top expert
Protect Yourself With a Strong Password! Video by our top expert
How to schedule emails in Outlook to be sent out later
Ever need a way to send that very important email, but make sure it's not sent until later in the day? I didn't realize that Outlook had this feature, but here's a way to schedule a way to send a very important email later: Here's a very important email that I might...
A few photos from the zoo… Gorillas and Cheetahs
A few photos from the zoo… Gorillas and Cheetahs
Migrating from Magento Enterprise to Free Community Version of Magento.
Migrating from Magento Enterprise to Free Community Version:
You can save a lot of money by downgrading from Magento Enterprise ($12,000 per year) or Magento Professional ($4,000 per year) by moving to the community version. But there are many steps (detailed above) that can help prevent your site from shutting down.
The 10 Cities That Shop Most Online
The 10 Cities That Shop Most Online
New Research: Website Spelling misssstakes 'cost millions' in lost online sales
A new research study shows that typoooos and missstakes cost millions of dollars in lost online sales. According to Charles Duncombe, an analysis of website figures shows a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half. When they measured the revenue per...
The recession that struck the U.S. in 2007 has cost consumers about $7,300 each in lost spending, according to a San Francisco Federal Reserve economist.
According to a new article today, the recession that struck the U.S. in 2007 has cost consumers about $7,300 each in lost spending, according to a San Francisco Federal Reserve economist. Taken over a period of 42 months, that’s about $175 in lost spending per...
New SEO Client: Motel.com
Customer Paradigm is proud to announce that we are working with the hotel & motel site Motel.com! We are excited about the opportunity to flex our SEO/SEM muscles and work with a client that has plenty of traffic already. Here, we will focus on link building, to...
Magento Sites and Development by Customer Paradigm
Here are a few Magento Sites we've recently worked on for clients: Fresh Produce Clothes - http://www.freshproduceclothes.com - Custom Magento Programming (design, product imports, API integrations etc.) Moose Mountain Clothing New Site http://moosemtn.nexcess.net/ -...
Cupcake Casualty of A Dartgun
Lori brought in cupcakes today into the office. Unfortunately, one got caught in the cross fire of a nerf dart:
Google Takes Down Over 11 Million CO.CC Sites
Google decided to take down over 11 million websites that ran on the shady domain extension, co.cc; this was run out of South Korea and was used for malicious code attacks. More information >>
Facebook Profile Page Error: The Page You Requested was not found.
Facebook Profile Page Error: The Page You Requested was not found. The page you requested was not found. You may have clicked an expired link or mistyped the address. Some web addresses are case sensitive.
Photos from Boulder, Colorado's July 4 Fireworks
Photos from Boulder, Colorado’s July 4 Fireworks
Photos of Bees, Flowers and the Flatirons
Photos of Bees, Flowers and the Flatirons
Meta Refresh to the Rescue!
If you need to have a short URL (i.e. www.customerparadigm.com/email) there are two basic ways to handle this: 1. .Htaccess file This is the preferred way, and you can do a 301 redirect. Search engines prefer this. However, you may not have access to the .htaccess...
Table Rate Shipping for Magento Store – Flat Rate Shipping Variable Options
Need a way to charge shipping based on items in Magento vs. Weight? Read more below: Need help with Magento? We're only a phone call away: 303.473.4400. One of our clients wanted to set up his Magento Store for flat rate shipping, based on the following layout: $5.99...
Photos of Boulder's Flatirons from This Morning
Enjoy these images from this morning, showcasing the Flatirons with a nice blue sky, green grass and red rocks.
Magento Quick Tips – Managing Products and Customers
Gillian on our team put together a few quick tips for managing a Magento store. Need help with Magento? We're only a phone call away: 303.473.4400. Managing Products: Go to Catalog – Manage Products and click on the product you would like to update. You can also...
Photo being used for a Magazine Cover Shot
I was thrilled to see that Hadassah Magazine is using one of my images for the cover of their next issue: Here's a link to their site >>
Magento Development: Happy Customer Success Story
Our Magento Development Team is here to help! Here's a quick success story from a happy client: Last week, Sean from Research Chemical Suppliers called our office. His Magento eCommerce site was down - and unable to take orders. Within 45 minutes, our Magento...
Customer Feedback: Thank you for the fantastic work you do.
The following is from one of our clients, who posted this in an email late last night. Great work, James! James - I just looked at it again. It looks fantastic. I also tested the calculation... and it’s perfect. Thank you for the fantastic work you do. -- Jay B., San...
SEO or SEM For Women?!?
For the SEO/SEM Professionals out there, I have a very special announcement to make: We cannot lose sight of what our job description is! No matter the color of your hat, whether you choose to try and game Google or draw and build natural traffic, the goal is the...
Google's Author Markup Support Makes It Easier To Find A Writer's Works
In an RDFa tagging scheme, Google is making it easier to find information about information... in this case making it easier to find a writer's works. Here's a link to the article >>
Digital Archaeology: 12 Forgotten Designs That Changed The Web
A great article on the 12 Forgotten Designs That Changed The Web -- read it here >>
2011 SEO Strategy
Too many people still use old techniques when trying to increase their page rank. For those of you who are still stuck in the past here is the new basic tenant for successful SEO: Social Media is a big deal! That’s overly simplified. However for those of you still...
Magento: Adding a New Product – Part 1
To start log into your Magento Admin Panel and go to Catalog, Manage Products (See Below). If you already have some products on your website you will now see a list of 20 most recent products. To add a new product you'll want to click the "Add Product"...
eBay buys remainder of Magento eCommerce Shares
FYI, a recent news article about eBay buying the remainder of Magento eCommerce Shares: According to InfoWorld, the deal is expected to close in this year's third quarter. The plan is for Magento to remain in Los Angeles and continue supporting its partners and...
Glamour Photography & Headshots in Boulder, Colorado
Friend of Customer Paradigm, Stephanie, changed her hair color (she went platinum blonde) and needed new professional headshots for her blog and business. We were going for a look at that was a bit more racy than the professional corporate headshot shot on a black...
Magento: Adding a New Product
eLearning Series by Jeff Finkelstein Magento: Adding a New Product – Part 1 To start log into your Magento Admin Panel and go to Catalog, Manage Products (See Below). If you already have some products on your website you will now see a list of 20 most...
Google Disabling Checkout Badge for Google Checkout
FYI, I just received a message that states that Google Checkout badges have been removed from Adwords ads. Now, there's even less of a reason to sign up with Google Checkout. Having the badge was the #1 reason to add it in. Here's what Google just emailed: Overview:...
Search Marketing Case Study: Liquor Mart
What does it take to get the number one page rank on Google? For the Online Liquor Store Liquor Mart it took a combination of knowing our clients’ needs, understanding Google’s algorithm for determining page rank, and keeping our practices sustainable. To begin, we...
Magento | Configurable Products Import & Ad-Hoc Simple Product Creation
Hey there magento developers/store owners! After a couple days of frantic coding, I'm happy to present my first addition to the Magento Community: Configurable Products import. We are currently working on an updated version of this extension which will also handle...
Top 10 Reasons To Choose Magento
Magento is one of the most popular online eCommerce platforms available and is rapidly becoming the industry standard. What makes Magento such a popular choice? Free! The Magento Community edition is completely free for anyone to use! Plus this free version is the...
Study Sees Way to Win Spam Fight (NY Times)
From The New York Times... a great article about a new way to fight spam: "If a handful of companies refused to authorize online credit card payments for spam-advertised products, the money supporting the system would be cut off", a researcher said. Read more:...
Photographing with high ISO / using noise reduction to enhance skin tones
I'm curious if other people have tried shooting at a high ISO range (i.e. 2,500) and then using noise reduction processing to smooth out skin tones? I shot in a RAW format using a 70-200 mm lens, and found great results. The noise processing smoothed out skin tones...
Great Read: 10 Awful IE Bugs and Fixes
Great read for resources on how to fix IE Bugs, especially that pesky IE6.0: http://www.queness.com/post/683/10-awful-ie-bugs-and-fixes
Customer Paradigm re-launches RuMe Bags magento eCommerce Website
We're thrilled that RuMe Bag's new Magento eCommerce Website is now live! http://www.rumebags.com/
Customer Paradigm employee sighting…
FYI, a couple of the team made it up to the top of Bear Peak this evening in Boulder, CO: Update: All three later seen hanging out at Southern Sun in South Boulder...
Google Images With 'Sorting' Lets You Browse Pictures By Subject
Google is turning on a new feature aimed at making image searches simpler and more visual. When performing a Google Images search, users will soon be able to sort photos and pictures "by subject," which groups image results into categories rather than presenting them...
New iPhone / iPad App: "Einstein's Pedometer" App Measures How Special Relativity Affects Your Daily Activity
"Einstein's Pedometer" App Measures How Special Relativity Affects Your Daily Activity. Read more about this app
The God Upgrade, by Rabbi Jamie Korngold launches
The God Upgrade, by Rabbi Jamie Korngold Our client, Rabbi Jamie Korngold, has a new book that was released yesterday, The God Upgrade.We built a site dedicated for the book at www.GodUpgrade.com.
Response to NY Times Article, Don’t Call Me, I Won’t Call You (March 20, 2011)
As a frequent reader of the New York Times, I receive the print edition, and also love to read it on the iPad. Today's story, Don’t Call Me, I Won’t Call You, (by Pamela Paul) resonates in both a good and bad way. All too often, people "hide" behind email and text...
Full Moon over Boulder, Colorado – Super Moon
Enjoy these photos of the full moon over Boulder, Colorado on March 19, 2011
This weekend, I backed up 103,000 files using a new unlimited cloud backup service
This weekend, I backed up 103,000 files using a new unlimited cloud backup service
Great customer feedback on SEO work: WOW!!!! Thank you!!!!
We just started SEO with Customer Paradigm 6 weeks ago and our key terms have already moved from Siberian wasteland search positions on page 2 and 3 … to page one… and even to position 6 for our most important term
When is the first night of Passover Seder in 2011?
When is the first night of Passover Seder in 2011?
SEO Blackhat Techniques get JC Penny in trouble (NY Times article)
SEO Blackhat Techniques get JC Penny in trouble
SEO Test: Sadie lives in colorado with her sister Ori and her parents
sadie lives in colorado with her sister Ori and her parents
Another (Very) Happy Magento customer…
Magento Programming Testimonial: I would love to be a reference for your company! John & Clifton have been such a pleasure to work with! You guys rock! The job was so great and they were so easy to work with. I absolutely LOVE your company.
Changing URL's and the imperfectness of 301's
Changing URL’s and the imperfectness of 301’s
Client Feedback: Jesse is a Rock Star!
We love when we get great feedback from our clients! Here's a note last night that we're putting here (with permission): From: Jean Imbler-Jansen Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 4:09 PM To: Jesse Schultz - Customer Paradigm Cc: Jeff Finkelstein - Customer Paradigm...
The most difficult contact form to fill out… ever!
The most difficult contact form to fill out… ever!
In case you were trying to reach Clyde Getty at Customer Paradigm over the weekend…
Just in case you were trying to reach one of the the Customer Paradigm team members over the weekend, Clyde Getty was doing triple-flips on skis, and qualified for the 2011 World Championship Freestyle competition in Deer Valley, Utah. (Clyde is a two-time Olympic...
Friend of Customer Paradigm, Dean Dormady: Success Story of Product Placed at CostCo
Friend of Customer Paradigm, Dean Dormady: Success Story of Product Placed at CostCo
New York-based company needing Magento Programmer?
Are you a New York company that needs a Magento Programmer?
We're excited to begin working with the Boulder Hotel Motel Association
We're thrilled to begin helping the Boulder Hotel Motel Association with their website! http://www.BoulderLodging.com/
Need A Magento eCommerce Programmer?
Magento eCommerce programmer
New recommended book: Brilliant Skiing, Every Day by Weems Westfeldt
New recommended book: Brilliant Skiing, Every Day by Weems Westfeldt
My Review of Domke F-2 Original Camera Bag, Canvas, Olive.
Originally submitted at Adorama Domke F-2 Original Camera Bag, Canvas, Olive. Domke F-2 Original Camera Bag, Canvas, Olive. Great bag! I love it. Travels well By Jeff in Boulder, Colorado from Boulder, Colorado on 1/13/2011 5out of 5 Pros: Easily Accessible Equipment,...
E-Commerce Copywriting: The Guide to Selling More
E-Commerce Copywriting article
Sunset Photos from the Airplane
Photos from airplane of Sunset over California – Dec 2010
New: Google Chrome Apps change the website browsing experience
Google Chrome Apps change the website browsing experience
Annoying, non-customer-centric customer experience
So I'm set up on auto pay with milk delivery service for our home. My credit card expired, but they never let me know (except for a weekly receipt that I assumed was paid, so I paid no attention). Instead of calling, emailing or mailing, we got a note that our...
Total Lunar Eclipse – Red Moon Images
Total Lunar Eclipse – Red Moon Images – Dec 21, 2010
Great WordPress Plugin – PS Disable Auto-Formatting
If you are unhappy with the way WordPress formats html in the content editor, you will LOVE this plugin. it takes the editor and sets it to display your html code in html view. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ps-disable-auto-formatting/
New site for CLE.com launches today
We are thrilled to re-launch the Website for www.CLE.com today, with an updated look and design. Some new elements: A quick registration drop-down menu at the top, that allows someone to register anywhere on the site. Also, an improved home page layout that uses...
Quick Headshot from Today
Today was windy and the sun wasn't cooperating, so a photoshoot that we were going to do outside, we brought inside instead. This is my favorite so far of the bunch: Shot on: Canon 50D, 50 mm, f/1.4, 1/250 second.
What *not* to do with your email marketing database. Oops!
What *not* to do with your email marketing database.
A browser bug that reveals all the places people go online
A browser bug that reveals all the places people go online
Due to a Google search, our client, Adventure Rabbi, featured on the front page of New York Times Style magazine
Due to a Google search, our client, Adventure Rabbi, featured on the front page of New York Times Style magazine
Sunrise photos of Boulder, Colorado
I took these photos through the front window of the car, while driving Jamie to the airport this morning.
What your e-mail address says about you
This is a great article about the branding impressions that come with an email address
Free Headshot Friday – A Few Photos from Today
Free Headshot Friday – A Few Photos from Today
10 Tips for Nonprofit Social Media
10 Tips for Nonprofit Social Media
Slides from Video Sitemap Presentation from Video Expo now posted
Slides from Video Sitemap Presentation from Video Expo now posted
Red leaves on a fall day – photo from Boulder, Colorado
image of Red leaves on a fall day
Among US citizens, about 25% own a smartphone, 8% have netbooks, 6% have e-readers and 4% have tablets.
A great BBC article: Among US citizens in October 2010, about 25% own a smartphone, 8% have netbooks, 6% have e-readers and 4% have tablets. And one third of iPad users shun apps / have never downloaded them. Read more >>