Kranz Communications

There comes a time in any movie that with a nautical theme for a an old salt with a pipe and a wayward beard to croak sagaciously about the double-sided nature of the sea, a force both generous and fearful in unpredictable turns.

So goeth the Web, it seems. This week, I approached two important milestones since relaunching my website at the end of July. On the plus side, The eBook eBook has received more than 1,000 downloads. On the downside, I’ve been plagued with spam; this morning, I deleted the 539th spurious post comment. (Note to spammers: No, I don’t want to see Kim Kardashian naked. Really.)

In short, I lift my stein of grog to the mixed blessings of the Internet. Cheers!

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I rarely get excited about a retail site; most are boring, self-absorbed and entirely devoid of either interesting or helpful content.

But the Saddleback Leather Company is an exception. Here’s why:

1. First and foremost, it’s the product: beautiful, hand-made leather bags and packs that look as if they could survive the apocalypse. When Armageddon comes, the surviving roaches will carry these bags. And they’ll look good doing it, too!

2. The product info is deep and explicit. Handy image tools let you see the craftsmanship up close. The copy describes each product precisely, without dreamy ambiguity.

3. The videos are both funny AND informative. Most product videos (IF they’re available at all), are either one or the other. These do both.

4. The design of the site matches the product: earth tones, rugged construction, simple elegance.

5. You gotta’ love the tagline: “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead.” Boom. That’s what makes these bags different from all others. Cheeky, but right on target.

6. The 100 year warranty. ‘Nuff said.

7. Great customer content. Their pictures and testimonials are all the evidence anyone would need that this is a product that lives up to its promises.

8. The company doesn’t apologize for its prices. This is a premium product designed to last more than a lifetime; expect to pay more for the privilege of owning one.

9. Even the stuff about the business owner, Dave, is good. Most of the time, this cutesy “we’re family” crap is a huge turn-off. But Dave’s adventures are actually interesting and worth reading; I was genuinely moved by the loss of his dog, Blue.

10. Dave has the stones to include a list of his rivals (no links, alas) for comparison shopping. Boy, does that send a message: Saddleback ain’t afraid of the competition.

11. See #1 again. If everything else were great, but the products were mediocre, none of it would matter. These bags are completely drool-worthy.

Message to all other B2C online retailers: THIS is the standard your website should aspire to. If your site isn’t this good, why should I shop with you?

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