When Mcbidz went offline for reprogramming several months ago we were hovering around 3,600+ members. Since we had corrupted files in the auction script we decided to start the the process from scratch. So user files were dumped as well to make sure we had a clean functional program for you when we re-launch. Please be advised our members will have to go through the signup process again as all information was purged from our system. The signup process only takes a few minutes. Also note our scripts run from separate databases so when you signup you will have to run through this process for each section of McBidz you plan to use. The new McBidz mega site is a HUGE business script and we wanted to keep membership separated for each section to make it easier to manage.

The good news is each section has its own unique design; we just didn’t simply carry over the design to each script as we did the first launching of McBidz. Our loyal members will notice this right off while new members will appreciate the functional layout/design when looking at them for the first time.

The question I get asked the most about our company is how did I come up with the name McBidz? When I decided to launch McBidz I wanted to come up with a catchy name, but also related to the product we were selling “auctions” at the time that’s what the sites main focus was. So I took the first part of my last name “McCracken” and what our customers do when they use our auctions “Bid”, thus the name McBidz. While we have expanded a great deal outside the auction format with the new McBidz mega site soon to launch we still have our auction platform intact so the original name will continue on.

Most of the evening our McBidz team leader and I have been working on redesign of our auction script. It seems the updated version was totally recoded and our old layout we backed up was completely useless. In essence we have to start from square one, having to go back and redesign this script from scratch. This just delays us a little bit in moving forward with our timetable, but we still plan to have the site back up for testing within a month or so.

On a good note professional football is about to kick off within a week for pre-season so this will give us all something to do while waiting for the new McBidz mega-site to launch. As a diehard Panthers fan maybe they will make me proud this season (?)

The McBidz programmers have been hard at work throughout the day updating design and programming in preparation for testing the final draft for the McBidz “mega-site”. The new splash page is up http://mcbidz.com , but even this may change a little before the final launch. I get peppered daily from hardcore McBidzers asking me exactly when the new site will be operational (?) The only answer I can give you at this time is soon, but not very soon. Sounds like a loaded answer because it is. While the site will be done soon the small, but important items (adding categories, security seal, testing Paypal confirmation, tweaking code, and getting advertising setup) is going to delay the launch by at least a month.

I have recently received a number of requests wondering why we have expanded outside our core. With the popularity of of Dating sites, Classmates, Photo sharing, and others we decided it would be best for the McBidz platform to include these in our business model for our members to make “McBidz” truly an internet destination.

In the past going to all these different sites was at the very least time consuming. Since we have such a close-knit community we wanted to make it easy for you to use your favorite programs in one place instead of tracking all over the internet.  Our programmers are working hard getting McBidz ready for re-launch so you shouldn’t have to wait much longer.

The McBidz CEO blog has now moved to its own domain at http://charlesfmccracken.com . It was until recently located as a sub address for our main site, www.McBidz.com , but we had decided to move the blog to its own domain to keep it as a separate entity from the McBidz platform.

Since the idea of the President/CEO blog is not only to touch upon new ideas for the McBidz site, but other subjects including providing background and thoughts of the founder the blogs new address was more appropriate.

You will find on the “About” page of this blog pictures and background of the founder/owner Charles F. McCracken II. The intent is to bring a face to the McBidz platform as we have found all too often with most businesses operating on the internet, it seems like there isn’t a real person running the show. 

Since the first launching of McBidz, WOMM (Word of Mouth Marketing) has been a very important part of the fast growth of the platform. When we first launched McBidz it went from ”0″ to over 3,000 members in just several months. This was mostly due to effective WOMM among our members and the internet.

While we did have an advertising campaign going (radio, online banners, and several TV spots) our marketing paled in comparison to the fast paced movement of the spoken word “Buzz” our members were generating. We did a rather informal testing of how our members heard of the McBidz platform through e-mail and 7 out of 10 it mentioned “Buzz”. Buzz referring to word of mouth from family, friends, etc…

So what was the major draw? Where did most of this Buzz come from? They loved “Chuckster” the McBidz mascot; this was the first item that drew their interest to the McBidz site. What led most of our members to continue to use the site of course was other “service” related issue such as ease of use, features, and fast customer service. The re-launch of the new McBidz Mega-site will have a more dynamic “Live” Chuckster mascot to continue this fast paced growth. While traditional radio, TV, and other methods will be employed we plan on taking “Buzz” to a new level.

Our team of programmers have been working hard this past week dropping in design and features on our new scripts. While we want to get McBidz back online for you as quickly as possible we want to be sure we have it right the first time before we re-launch.

You will notice a new look, better features, and quicker loading times for McBidz. While we have expanded a great deal outside of auctions you will find we will still have our community forums which made the McBidz auction site a great place to interact with fellow “McBidzer’s”.

 Our mascot “Chuckster” McBidz

For those of you visiting McBidz for the first time I would like to welcome you. As well as our long standing loyal members who have followed us through the years we welcome you back home. A great amount of time and effort was put into designing and building our new McBidz ”mega-site” for our members. I will try to keep the blog updated as often as possible with insight on the McBidz platform and try to interject other information as well to make the blog worthy of your interest. I know how dull business blogs can be sometimes and we definitely want to stay away from that !