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The purpose of this blog is to bring you some interesting, thought provoking information that you may not have known before.

Archive for the ‘The Web’ Category

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Twitter – Why do I hear birds chirping?

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

Recently, there has been a ruckus stirred up over the use of Twitter. Twitter is a micro blogging system that allows other twitter readers to follow your “tweets” (140 character max micro blog).

Internet personalities have been using the system for a while, but lately the additions of Ahston Kutcher, Jimmy Fallon, and most notably Levar Burton have really pushed the twitter name.

So do you need to use Twitter? It doesn’t hurt and you might just end up liking it. More importantly, if your tweets are streamed to your web page, you can always make sure there is some form of changing content on your web site. This along with providing possible Twitter followers about you and your business events is an added plus.

Posted in The Web, Twitter, Web 2.0 | No Comments »

Usability – The basis of all design… or at least it should be

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

When we discuss web site design, we should really be saying aesthetics, because that is what most people are really referring to in that aspect. Design really does encompass a few more things though, none anywhere near important as usability.

Usability is simply defined as the ease of use for something. Many people find the usability of Macs superior to PCs. This same function applies to web sites.

Take the example of the most usability friendly website in the world, Google.com. The purpose of that web site is to allow people to search for information and that functionality is prominently featured, very similarly to the way you should present your website.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that all your company’s information should be on your home page. It should however be easily accessible via the home page along with all the other primary functionality of your web site. What you are aiming for is a graphical interface that your potential and current customer can use with out saying “What does that do,” “Should I click that,” or “How does this work?” If you can do that, then you’ve nailed usability.

Posted in Google, The Web, Usability | No Comments »

Hosting – The worlds greatest scam.

Tuesday, December 16th, 2008

Web hosting and “maintenance” (I HATE the word maintenance in relation to hosting because it is a keyword to make you feel that you are getting more for what is happening) is the mysterious way in which your web site files are stored and made available to the world. Maintenance generally relates to programs that assist the server in dispensing and managing web site. It is also one of the largest way companies and developers make money. For instance, most developers won’t tell you that you can use your own home computer to host your web site (NOT RECOMMENDED – but possible).

When searching for a host, you’ll here lots of terms thrown at you: Space, Bandwidth, Server Side Technologies, POP, IMAP, SMTP and LMNOP. Ok, the last one comes from the alphabet song, but you get the idea. All this leads to one question.

How do you know what host to choose and how do I know if I’m walking into a scam?

Great question!

  1. Speak to other professionals you know and see how much they pay for their hosting and with who
  2. Ask you web professional(s) – Do be wary though. Some web professionals and companies make a business from hosting. They may resell or get referral income.
  3. Price shop – look at what is offered vs. price

Scams you should watch out for:

  1. Paying more that 15 dollars per month for hosting 1 website – That is the average for a medium grade web site, that should have about 100% the amount of storage that you will need
  2. Web Companies and Professionals that will only work on your web site if you host it with them on their servers.

Things to look out for:

  1. Hosting companies that aren’t in the US – They can be very hard to get in touch with if you need their technical services
  2. Having a site that is too much for conventional hosting – Most web sites don’t use a lot of the resources of a server. Hosting companies generally house multiple websites on the same server (I’ve worked for companies that placed up to 600 sites on a single server). If your site requires too much of their resources, you are at risk of your server shutting down based on resources.

How do you go on knowing all this? Carefully. A little caution is all that is needed for you not to be overcharged immensely on your hosting and keeping your website safe. If you have any questions though, feel free to contact me.

Posted in Hosting, Scam Stoppers, The Web | No Comments »

Launching a New Website – An exercise in patience?

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

It seems that everyone has a personal horror story when it comes down to launching a new web site – I know I do. There are several things you can do to mitigate problems before they start.

  1. Make sure the logo is done before you start your web site. This is VERY important because its elements will be represented in the web sites graphics throughout the site.
  2. Settle on a design and don’t change it – Your graphics base of a web site is extremely important. Make sure that it is finalized before going on to the web site’s actual development because what may seem like a small change might be huge.
  3. Understand the technicalities, or at least that the technicalities are going to be taken care of. You will need to know ahead of time where the site will be hosted (watch out for rip offs), if you will need and SSL certificate (for web based transaction security), and if there are any odd or rare technologies being used on a site. Along with this, if there is a feature of your web site that will require custom development, make sure that you have finitely hammered out its functionality.
  4. Test everything… Links, Functionality, Flash, and Forms. Leave no stone unturned before a launch. If you find an issue after the site is launched then a credible web designer will fix them, however, it is wiser to make sure they are taken care of pre-launch.
  5. Ask your developer what issues they foresee arising in your project… they should know best anyway.

There is a lot things that can cause a site launch to go awry. Patience and prior planning is key to a successful deployment. When all else fails, come to me.

Posted in The Web | No Comments »

SEO – Or how most people throw money down the toilet

Friday, October 31st, 2008

Before we begin, I’m going to describe what SEO is. These 3 little letters stand for Search Engine Optimization. Search Engine Optimization breaks down to how well your website is ranked in popular search engines in regards to keywords.

How is this done? Well, it is accomplished between a complex combination of web page code, introducing new web page content, keyword dropping, and pay-per-click advertisement in an attempt to increase the score a web site gets from a search engine. Sounds like fun right??? No, but it does sound expensive.

There are some firms that charge above $17,000 annually for these services without a guarantee that the services will net results.

As a designer and developer my role in SEO is simple. Create well coded web pages that allow my clients to introduce and author their own content. Along with that, I hand off future SEO efforts to trusted firms in an attempt to better manage it. My other role in this process is to explain to my clients the following: understand that your web site is passive marketing. It is what your potential clients will look at when they don’t want to contact you directly. Most potential customers will find you site based off of word of mouth, a link on a trusted website, or by some form of a localized search.

In conclusion, I must say the following: Your web site being SEO friendly is good, will it be necessary? Are you a web based business that will only be obtaining clientele online – then yes. Otherwise, understand its importance and be ready to make your own cost effective analysis for your company to see if it is right for you.

Posted in SEO, The Web | No Comments »

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