Business @ BrandonGreenlee.com

I’ve been jealous of Writeroom since the first time I laid eyes on it. Sadly, it is Mac only. Writeroom is a full-screen barebones word processor that allows you to do one thing: write without distractions. This application brings brainstorming back to the computer by keeping out all distractions and simply allowing you to focus. I can’t praise its usefulness enough, you simply need to try it.

There are several clones for Windows that attempt to accomplish the same thing. None are as polished as Writeroom, but are just as effective.

Dark Room is the most popular PC version. I used this for a long time and was pretty happy with it. However, it does require the installation of the .Net 2.0 Framework. This is a bit much to simply install a “basic” program such as this. I also had some funky behavior from time to time using Dark Room. (such as it leaving all of my Windows selection bars green after shutting the program down…)

Next up is JDarkRoom. This is a Java based app similar to the original Dark Room, but without the need to install the .Net framework. It is a little bit more clunky (as Java apps tend to be…), but I’ve found it expands upon the concept nicely with a few additions. This is the version I currently use and would recommend.

There are also a few other cloans that I have not tried:
http://codeboje.de/MatrixFSE/
http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Word-Processing/PyRoom.shtml
http://pyroom.org/
http://pomarancha.com/writemonkey/

I was on BucketRacingSeats.com and noticed their Trust-e & BBB Online certification pictures were not clickable. I contacted both of these companies regarding the certification.

Hi Brandon,
www.bucketracingseats.com is NOT a current nor former TRUSTe Web privacy seal holder. I will be forwarding their site to my compliance department for further investigation. Thanks a lot for the heads up. TRUSTe really appreciates your keeping an eye out, and for verifying the TRUSTe seals.

I contacted BucketRacingSeats concerning this and received no response. The certifications are still being displayed.

Let me iterate: I have not had a transaction with this company.
But if a company is going this far to deceive customers prior to purchase, I certainly wouldn’t risk dealing with them.

We’ve run both on our sites.

To make it simple, it is unlikely that you will see a significant conversion increase with either of these.  The best candidate for these services are sites that appear inherently suspicious. However, if this description fits your site, your time would be better spent elsewhere. After running on multiple sites, it is apparent that there is little to gain from having these seals. However, as there is little negative side effect of having them, it is could be worth it if the cost is minimal.

Hackersafe (now McAfee Secure) is ~$1690/year for 2 domains.
TrustGuard is $200/year for the first domain & $100/year for every subsequent.

TrustGuard simply verifies the existence of your business through an address check (post card with an activation code mailed) and a phone call. Hackersafe tests your site daily for different technical vulnerabilities. These tests can be helpful if you are planning on accepting credit cards directly and need PCI Compliance. However, if PCI Compliance is your main concern, this verification can be found elsewhere for much cheaper. Hackersafe is a marketing/hard sales company attempting to hide under the guise of a being on the forefront of internet security. The best thing we got for our money was their fridge magnet.

In conclusion, real world A/B testing for both of these services shows a minimal advantage. The only way to have a shot at any ROI using these would be to use Trust Guard. You get less with their service, but you get the only important thing: the badge.