Maui Private Charters

Posted in: Blog, Maui by MauiHawaiiUpdates on April 23, 2012 | No Comments

When it comes to entertaining large groups, Luaus seem to be the most popular activity, but there are more options.  Chartering Maui private boat tours can allow you the freedom of taking a large group on a relaxing voyage or adventurous excursion on your own terms.

Go to Molokini Crater for some great snorkeling, take a whale watching trip off the south coast of Maui, and/or enjoy a delicious meal and cocktails during one of our famous sunsets.

For weddings, conventions, family reunions and pretty much anything you can imagine that would require more than a few people will make for a great excuse to take a cruise around Maui.

Call toll free 1-877-To-Pride and ask what your options are for a private boat tour in Maui.  Pride of Maui is a great boat for private trips.  2 decks offer plenty of room for you to enjoy friends, family and colleagues.

More Maui Memories

Posted in: Blog, Maui by MauiHawaiiUpdates on April 21, 2012 | No Comments

The following are some more Maui memories entered by subscribers of our Maui newsletter. They entered in order to win a free Hawaii iPhone case by 808 Shells. So many good entries, but we love the poetic nature of Becky’s story.  Congrats!

Having been a visitor to Maui for the last 23 years at Christmas time for 2 weeks, I was overwhelmed with joy this year when I was able to spend 6 months on Maui.  My fondest memory is the people on Maui.  From the lovely lady at the Maui Swap Meet in Kahului on Saturday mornings who hand weaves beautiful leis, to the ukelele players under the banyon tree at Lahaina, from the park ranger who speaks a Hawaiian chant to welcome the sunrise on Haleakala to the suntanned surfers at Hookipa, to the warm, friendly smiles from the locals where ever you are on Maui, The people of Maui restore my energy, creativity and aloha spirit.
Becky
WINNING ENTRY!

Several years ago my husband and I went to the top of Haleakala for sunset.  It was cold and we had our winter coats with us that we had brought from the Mainland.  As the sun came up, we had our cameras ready.  It was the most wonderful moment.  To see the sun rise through the layer of clouds like a Phoenix rising moved both of us to tears.  There was total silence among the crowd.  I looked around and we weren’t the only ones moved by seeing this amazing natural wonder of nature occur right before our eyes.
I am moving to Maui next year and look forward to more wonderful moments witnessing nature’s fireworks.
Conchita

My best memory of Maui is walking on front street and a Hawaiian man is playing “somewhere over the rainbow” with his ukulele On his balcony it was so amazing!
Karolin

Aloha! You have probably already received two replays but just in case……
It is hard to pick just one favorite so I’ll give you a. Couple-
Driving around West Maui – so beautiful and so remote.
Whale watch – a whale came and swam around with us for half an hour. I have some photos if you would like to see them.
We came to visit in 2011 and 2012 and we are already planning for next years trip can’t wait!
Rhonda

Visiting Maui with my two teenagers and learning to surf is one of the best times we’ve ever spent together!
Cindy

July 4th fireworks on the beach in Wailea.  Sunrise Haleakala.  Shaka Santa in Kaanapali.  Green flash in Kihei.
Karen

Best Maui Memories

Posted in: Blog, Maui by MauiHawaiiUpdates on April 18, 2012 | No Comments

Below are some fond memories of Maui by our subscribers of our Maui newsletter. The 1st entry was the winner and gets a free Island-Style iPhone case by 808 Shells. Congrats, Jennifer!

In 2009, my husband & I renewed our wedding vows in Maui on Makena Beach.  It was the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen, more than I could ever imagine.  The beach, the people, the smell in the air & the ocean were all in harmony to create the most spectacular moment in my life.  We had been married 3 years & had a bit of a rocky road at the beginning of our marriage.  We were so excited to visit Maui for the first time.  We planned on starting a family that year too so we were hopeful that after that trip we would be pregnant.  Unfortunately, we weren’t pregnant from that trip, but we did get pregnant 2 years later.  In honor of the majestic beauty of Maui, we named our daughter Makena Rose.  We cannot wait to bring her to that special place & show her where Mommy & Daddy fell in love all over again.
Jennifer
Winning ENTRY

My current fondest memory of Maui is getting re-Mauid near I’ao Valley on 12/23/2006 for our 10th anniversary. We had a great relaxing warm day (completely opposite from our wedding day on 12/21/96 in Richmond, VA) and renewed our wedding vows in a beautiful tropical garden near I’ao Valley. When we land at the airport, it’s like I’m back at home. I can’t wait to return!
Tracy

My favorite is the trip to Hana ….the waterfalls, the ocean, the curves and bridges, the freshly made banana bread….a truly magical day I can’t wait to repeat!
Debbi

There were so many wonderful memories of our trip to Maui it’s hard to choose just one.  My husband and I both loved watching the sea turtles come in at sundown and the road to Hana was so beautiful.
Mandy

Last summer my hubby and I went to Maui for the first time.  It was so amazing and we did everything we possible could in the 10 days we were there.  The waterfalls on the Road to Hana were magical and wish so much we could go back this year but a new home was in the plan for us.
Missy

We enjoyed it all but the road to Hana, Seeing the whales, Snorkeling , beautiful flowers & Macadamia nut cream pie!
I got to spend my 50th birthday there.
Betty

I just returned from my first trip to Maui last week.  I spent a week there, with most of the time spent on Charley Young Beach.  I’d been to Oahu several times but will never go back now that I know about Maui.
My best memory is a simple one.  It’s sitting in the quiet on the beach each morning as the sun rose.  There was no stress, no pressure, no feelling like I was wasting time or should be doing something productive.  There was peace!
Bettina

Humpback Whales giving birth

Posted in: Blog, Maui by MauiHawaiiUpdates on April 6, 2012 | No Comments

Conveniently, Humpback Whales have a 12 month gestation period. This means their annual migration to Hawaii fits nicely into their schedule of mating and giving birth. Though humpbacks don’t mate with the same partner for life, Humpback babies remain close to their mothers for 10-12 months before going on their own.

Maui County is the perfect place for this bond due to shallower areas between the many islands. Humpback calves feed for 6-8 months from their mother’s thick, yogurt-like milk close to shore. By the time baby Humpbacks celebrate thier birthdays abd make their trip back to Maui a year later, they will have come close to doubling in size and have had consumed around 100 gallons of their Mother’s milk per day.

Thanks to Natalie Brown for her beautiful Maui photography.

Maui Wedding Planner

Posted in: Blog, Maui by MauiHawaiiUpdates on March 4, 2012 | No Comments

Since a lot of our friends are getting married this summer, we thought we’d post a short list of things to have your Maui wedding planner take care of for you:

• Make a list of vendors they trust
• Walk you through the steps needed to get a wedding license
• Lock down the most appropriate wedding location
• Discuss timing of events (keep in mind that your photographer is a good person to consult too due to photo timing)
• Reception organization – food, venue, timing, alcohol, etc…
• Help organize the rehearsal if you plan on rehearsing.  Small weddings don’t need much prep, but it is nice to go through the motions so everyone is on the same page

Make sure your wedding planner has your best interests in mind (a recommendation is always a good idea.)  Some planners will steer you towards vendors that they get a commission from for their recommending them (for better or worse.)  This is not ideal for you.  A good wedding planner will point you in the direction of vendors that are experienced, professional, and punctual.  Talent, cost, and friendliness are also important factors in choosing people to do your wedding.  We recommend Maui Beach Weddings & Events for your Maui wedding planners.

Call 808-463-9288 or 808-298-7244.

MauiSMUG and some great food

Posted in: Blog, Maui, Social Media by MauiHawaiiUpdates on March 1, 2012 | No Comments

Hawaii Web Group was very proud to sponsor the catering for the last Maui SMUG meeting on February 23rd, 2012.  For those of you that don’t know, Maui SMUG stands for “Maui Social Media User’s Group”.  It’s every last Thursday of the month at the Malcolm Center off of Lipoa in the Maui Research and Technology Park.  This meeting is ran in conjunction with MEDB (Maui Economic Development Board), a non-profit whose goal is to promote economic growth other than tourism. This last meeting featured an excellent discussion on Pinterest.

This group of tech leaders has grown in participation each month (the last meeting held over 40 tech experts.)  The meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about social media as well as for those looking to meet interesting people.  Hawaii Web Group owes quite a bit to Maui SMUG for connecting us to Maui tech leaders and for teaching through discussion many elements of social media that were unknown to us.  We’re very grateful for the friendships built and growth we’ve experienced.  For more, follow us on our Maui Twitter Account.

About the Food:

The food was harvested, prepared and cooked by Chef Jeff Scheer of Maui Executive Catering.  Chef Jeff works very closely with Kupa’a Farms and is a rising star in the culinary world.  He pulled all the vegetables that morning from the farm, prepped, and cooked a delightful buffet for our guests.  Maui Executive Catering did all the work for free and provided all the food at cost in order to allow Maui SMUG members to have an amazing meal without having to pay.  Hawaii Web Group picked up the tab for the meat and veg.  We really appreciate what Chef Jeff did for us, and we hope that Maui SMUG does as well.  For those of you interested, here’s a break down of the food that was served.

• Fresh bakes focaccia bread w/balsamic and olive oil
• Italian braised short ribs
• brown rice and quinoa salad with toasted pine nuts, cambozola blue cheese and balsamic gillets
• lemon marinated eggplant
• chickpea, spinach, and sweet potato stew

Nearly immediately after serving the food, Chef Jeff left to do a stodge (work for a brief time at a famous restaurant) with michael Chiarello, runner up in The Next Iron Chef, at his world famous restaurant Bottega in the Napa Valley.  He will also be doing a stodge in San Franciso at another famous restaurant Flour and Water.  He is being pursued by the best chefs and restaurants in the world, and he has some pretty amazing plans in the near future for a project on Maui.  Stay tuned!

Finding a good webmaster

Posted in: Blog, Web Design, Wordpress by MauiHawaiiUpdates on February 11, 2012 | No Comments

We have people come to us regularly and ask us if they’re getting a good deal with their potential web designer. Since we take very few clients, we can give unbiased opinions about whether the proposal looks good or not. Here is a pretty classic proposal that we recently were asked to check out.

“I can definitely do a site like this, I can offer a custom professional 5 page website, hosting and the domain name paid for one year, Paypal and payment integration. I can complete it within 1 to 4 weeks depending on how smoothly everything goes. It would run around $800 I would need half upfront, If you didn’t want the payment integrated in the site then I would be able to do it for $600. Let me know if you’re still interested.”

1st off, that price is cheap. cheap is good and bad. Good cause you spend less, bad cause you don’t know what you’re gonna get. At the same time, an expensive web designer can do just as bad a job as a cheap one (yes, I’ve not helped you AT ALL.)

Ok, so if he pays for your domain and hosting for a year, MAKE SURE IT’S ALL IN YOUR NAME!! That means, have the domain registered in your name, and have the hosting account in your name. Why? I wrote an article on website hijacking to better explain it.
Honestly, I think most people can handle the task of registering a domain name and signing up for a hosting account themselves. If you’re not comfortable with this, have your webmaster do it with no uncertain terms about whose name is associated with the account. ALSO, make sure to get the user and pass codes to get into the account(s).

Make sure to see his previous examples of work. Also, it’s best to have a designer that you either know, or you know where they live/work (in case they disappear with your deposit. A very common thing. Webmasters can be slimy bastards.)

Before you pay a dime, I would make sure you have the following put together:

• A basic idea of what you want for your layout and navigation (see other sites you like.)
• All the written content you need for the 5 pages.
• All the images you want for the 5 pages.

The reason you need this upfront is because:

1. If you pay, and lag for 2 years on getting your designer the stuff he needs, he may not be around anymore.
2. If you can’t get that material together, then there’s no point in having a site. (I know you think this is easy, but the reason I don’t build sites for clients anymore is because this happened so many times. I’ve waited 3 years after beginning a project, put loads of work into it, and never had the site complete for my final payment. Waste of time for everyone.)

For the most control of your content, and the most design control, I suggest looking into WordPress. You can look around online for free or paid themes that you like (which can be implemented VERY easily without changes).

With WordPress, you can make changes to the content yourself. The only problem with WordPress is that it’s not as secure as hand-coded sites. I’ve been hacked and lost some material I didn’t back up. Not fun. It may require maintenance by your webmaster to keep the site updated/upgraded and secure at all times. See my article on WordPress Security.

Hope that helps. If you find the right webmaster, life can be very good and easy. The hard part is find a webmaster you can trust, a webmaster that works hard and in a timely manner, a webmaster that is good (at coding, SEO, and graphic design), and a webmaster that doesn’t charge you unnecessarily.

HWG State of the Group

Posted in: Blog, Graphic Design, Hawaii Videos, Maui, SEO, Social Media, Testimonials, Twitter, Web Design by MauiHawaiiUpdates on February 4, 2012 | No Comments

Here at Hawaii Web Group, we believe in being transparent.  This is why we’ve decided to issue a yearly “State of the Group” to let our clients and our ohana know where we stand.  See Previous State of the Group.

2011 HWG Traffic

After reviewing our analytics in 2011, we’ve found that our small network of Maui/Hawaii websites (owned and operated by HWG) brought in the following traffic relative to previous years.  All of the numbers below come from Google Analytics.  (If anyone shows you numbers for their sites that are derived from some other analytic program, be wary!  We only trust Google for this.)

Increase in traffic

In the last 31 days, our websites have increased in traffic by over 47% across the board.

In February of 2013, you can expect a similar report.  On this new report, you’ll find that the numbers above will have increased substantially.  Our goal is to grow by around 50% every year for the next 5 years.  Our goal is to market our islands while maintaining an educational emphasis.  We want our visitors to leave with more than just a tan.  We want them to leave with a better understanding of the unique culture and environment that we love on the islands.

New websites built in 2011

MauiWebCameras.com – This site shares the webcameras of Maui by area of the island.

In 2011, we concentrated on building up our social profiles and growing our blogging community.  We also did a few side projects for clients: Haleakala Bike Company and Auntie Snorkel.  We also began building a website about Molokini, which is still in progress.

The Social Web

In 2011, we’ve been extra busy socially on the web.  We’ve built 2 new social blogs and we’ve been diligent with Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Foursquare, and more.  Below are some of our growing numbers.

Outsourcing

We still have yet to hire anyone not on the island of Maui.  All of our independent contractors reside and work on the island of Maui, Hawaii.  We believe its important to keep jobs within our own State.

Overview

All in all, we’re very happy with what our efforts have produced in 2011.  It’s been more work than we’d ever imagined, but the feedback from our clients and our increased numbers above make us feel like it’s all worth it.  How do we do it? The old fashioned way with a lot of HARD WORK. We believe that nothing worthwhile comes from shortcuts. We build the best content possible and focus on our visitors. If they’re not happy with what we give them, the page (or site) will come down. Overall, we want our impact on the web to be positive in a way where our visitors appreciate the work we’ve done and share it with friends.

We’re looking forward to sharing our numbers again in 2013!

Mortgages Experts on Maui

Posted in: Blog, Maui by MauiHawaiiUpdates on November 2, 2011 | No Comments

Tricia Morris at Hawaii’s Premiere Mortgage Company

Facebook: Premiere Morgage Hawaii
Twitter: @TriciaMaui
Web: Mortgage Maui

Tricia Morris and her team have been working on mortgages for 20 years in Hawaii.  Their dedication is Read more…

Social Media for Business

Posted in: Blog, SEO, Social Media, Twitter by MauiHawaiiUpdates on October 22, 2011 | No Comments

For most people, social media for business is a waste of time.  In order to utilize it successfully, it requires:

• TIME
• More TIME
• And an increasingly complex knowledge of how to convert, which only comes from an obnoxious amount of testing and research. Read more…