LES/APT Web Design

10 Silliest Tech Company Names Of 2011

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Tech companies have created some of the strangest and funniest company and product names in business. Here's the most recent evidence that this trend is only accelerating.

Blekko

When you hear the word "blekko" what comes to mind? Personally, it makes me think of the sound a little kid makes when confronted with vegetables on a dinner plate (broccoli! Blekko!!). But Blekko.com is actually an interesting new beta search engine that lets users define groups of sites in order to focus search results and cut down on unhelpful links.

Fluxx

Fluxx, from fluxxlabs, is a cloud-based business management platform designed to help businesses manage all of the data that is generated today, which sounds pretty useful. But flux is also what they used to call dysentery, and I'm not sure I'd like for my business to be associated with a terrible disease. Or perhaps it will make you think of the famous flux capacitor in the geek-favorite movie, Back To the Future.

Footfeed

Ever see those videos of people who can use their feet to eat dinner? It's simultaneously fascinating and disgusting and is, unfortunately, the image that pops up when I see the name Footfeed. Footfeed is a startup designed to consolidate all of the services like Foursquare and Facebook that encourage people to check into locations. For example, Footfeed makes it possible to let multiple services know that you've checked into that new cool restaurant. Just remember to keep your shoes on while eating.

Gimme

It used to be that characters who walked around saying "gimme" were portrayed as spoiled jerks, such as Veruka Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Today, someone who walks around saying "gimme, gimme" ends up getting his own reality TV show. Gimme! is a startup company that is offering a new twist on mobile coupons, making it possible to get cash-back discounts and bonuses on purchases and have them delivered to a personal PayPal account.

Gnip

I think I know where the name Gnip came from. It's Ping backwards, and it kind of makes sense for a company that provides data integration for real time social media feeds from services like Twitter and Facebook. I just can't wait until Gnip integrates with a company called Gnop. And then a friend of mine can use that. And while I'm gnipping, my friend will be gnopping.

Gwabbit

As a company name, gwabbit fits more in the straight silly but not that embarrassing category of names. The product is an award-winning app to ease contact management in Outlook and Blackberry. But I did witness an occasion where an executive was recommending it to a colleague, who laughed upon hearing the name.

Poosh

If you're a fan of Olympic gymnastics, you've probably seen clips of legendary coach Bela Karolyi exhorting his young charges on during training: "Work hard, poosh." Well, that is actually kind of the idea behind Poosh. This startup lets users signup to get regular motivational messages from athletes.

Unrabble

When I saw the product name "Unrabble," I assumed it was something cities would use to clear out Occupy Wall Street camps. "This will get rid of those pesky protesters. Activate Unrabble! Bwahahaha!" Actually, Unrabble is a human resources product designed to help businesses evaluate potential hires.

Winobot

This is my award winner for goofiest company/product name of the year. Isn't the WinoBot a character in Futurama? WinoBot is a mobile app, but it isn't designed to help find which stores have the lowest prices on Night Train. What the app does do is help you pick the best wine based on the wine list available at a given restaurant. Which actually sounds pretty useful, despite the name.

Zazu

In the Saturday Night Live skit Boston Teens, which featured Rachel Dratch and Jimmy Fallon, Dratch played Zazu, a partying, often drinking girl with a strong Boston accent. Zazu is a mobile personal information app that wakes you up with all of the information for your upcoming day. Not sure if it can be configured to wake you up by yelling "Nomahhh!!"

Source: Informationweek Jim Rapoza 11/30/2011

11 Tips for Safe Online Shopping

2011-12-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

Billions of dollars will be spent online over the course of this Holiday Season and unfortunately there are those that will be looking to steal some of it. Make sure you're not a victim.

There's every reason in the world to shop online. The bargains are there, the selection is mind-boggling, the shopping is secure, shipping is fast and even returns are pretty easy, with the right e-tailers. Shopping has never been easier or more convenient for consumers. But there are those bad guys who lay in wait? eCrime Reports for 2011 indicate that phishing attacks (where thieves attempt to swindle you out of your sign-in credentials and credit card info by pretending to be a real website, or even an online bank) is down, as much as 11 percent since the third quarter of last year. That's good news, but the same report says that sites with malware (malicious code aimed at compromising your privacy) has increased by 89 percent since the second quarter.

While somewhat alarming, these stats should not keep you from shopping online. You simply need some common sense and practical advice. Follow the following basic guidelines and you can shop online with confidence.

1. Use Familiar Websites
Start at a trusted site rather than shopping with a search engine. Search results can be rigged to lead you astray, especially when you drift past the first few pages of links. If you know the site, chances are it's less likely to be a rip off. We all know Amazon.com and that it carries everything under the sun; likewise, just about every major retail outlet has an online store, from Target to Best Buy to Home Depot. Beware of misspellings or sites using a different top-level domain (.net instead of .com, for example)—those are the oldest tricks in the book. Yes, the sales on these sites might look enticing, but that's how they trick you into giving up your info.

2. Look for the Lock
Never ever buy anything online using your credit card from a site that doesn't have SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption installed—at the very least. You'll know if the site has SSL because the URL for the site will start with HTTPS:// (instead of just HTTP://). An icon of a locked padlock will appear, typically in the status bar at the bottom of your web browser, or right next to the URL in the address bar. It depends on your browser. Never, ever give anyone your credit card over email. Ever.

3. Don't Tell All
No online shopping store needs your social security number or your birthday to do business. However, if crooks get them, combined with your credit card number for purchases, they can do a lot of damage. The more they know, the easier it is to steal your identity. When possible, default to giving up the least amount of information.

4. Check Statements
Don't wait for your bill to come at the end of the month. Go online regularly during the holiday season and look at electronic statements for your credit card, debit card, and checking accounts. Make sure you don't see any fraudulent charges, even originating from sites like PayPal. If you do see something wrong, pick up the phone to address the matter quickly. In the case of credit cards, pay the bill only once you know all your charges are accurate. You have 30 days to notify the bank or card issuer of problems, however; after that, you might be liable for the charges anyway.

5. Inoculate Your PC
Swindlers don't just sit around waiting for you to give them data; sometimes they give you a little something extra to help things along. You need to protect against malware with regular updates to your anti-virus program.

6. Use Strong Passwords
We like to beat this dead horse about making sure to utilize uncrackable passwords, but it's never more important than when banking and shopping online.

7. Think Mobile
You may be one of the 5.7 percent of adults who will use their mobile devices to do comparison shopping before making a purchase. There's no real need to be any more nervous about shopping on a mobile device than online. The trick is to use apps provided directly by the retailers, like Amazon, Target, etc. Use the apps to find what you want and then make the purchase directly, without going to the store or the website.

8. Avoid Public Terminals
Hopefully, we don't have to tell you it's a bad idea to use a public computer to make purchases, but we still will. If you do, just remember to log out every time you use a public terminal, even if you were just checking email.

What about using your own laptop to shop while you're out? It's one thing to hand over a credit card to get swiped at the checkout, but when you must enter the number and expiration date on a website while sitting in a public cafe, you're giving an over-the-shoulder snooper plenty of time to see the goods. At the very least, think like a gangster: Sit in the back, facing the door.

9. Privatize Your Wi-Fi
If you do decide to go out with the laptop to shop, you'll need a Wi-Fi connection. Only use the wireless if you access the Web over a virtual private network (VPN) connection. By the way, now is not a good time to try out a hotspot you're unfamiliar with. Stick to known networks, even if they're free, like those found at Starbucks or Barnes & Noble stores that is powered by AT&T. Look for the network named "attwifi," then open a browser to click into the "walled garden" to get final access. You can also find free Wi-Fi at McDonalds, Panera Bread, and FedEx Office locations, not to mention libraries and local cafes.

10. Count the Cards
Gift cards are the most requested holiday gift every year, and this year will be no exception. Stick to the source when you buy one; scammers like to auction off gift cards on sites like eBay with little or no funds on them.

11. Know What's Too Good to Be True
Beware of the "coupon scam" offers of a free product with purchase, in particular an iPad (a very coveted gadget at any holiday) or even holiday job offers. Many of these "offers" will come in via social media. Beware even of your friends, who might innocently forward such a thing. Be very wary even if you get a message from friend claiming he or she has been robbed, especially a friend overseas looking for money to be wire transferred, unless you absolutely can confirm it by talking to him or her personally. Skepticism in most cases can go a long way toward saving you from a stolen card number.

Adapted from an article in PC Magazine By Eric Griffith November 21, 2011

Steve Jobs – 1955-2011 – RIP

2011-12-01T15:22:00.001-05:00

This was to be my Nov.'11 Blog message, however some how it never got published. But here it is now...

I was never a fan of Apple, but I must say that the death of Steve Jobs on Oct. 5^th at the age of 56 gave me pause. There is no doubt that Steve Jobs was a visionary. It is amazing to look back on his life in the technology arena.

In 1974 Jobs worked for video game maker Atari and attended meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club with Steve Wozniak, a high school friend. Two years later they formed Apple Computer operating out of a Silicon Valley garage and the Apple I computer went on sale by the summer for $666.66.

In 1977 Apple was incorporated and they unveiled the Apple II, the first personal computer to generate color graphics. In 1980 Apple went public, raising $110 million and in 1982 annual revenue climbed to $1 billion.

In 1983, the Lisa computer (named after his daughter) went on sale with much fanfare, only to be pulled two years later. Jobs lured John Sculley away from Pepsico Inc. to serve as Apple's CEO. And in 1984 the Iconic "1984" Macintosh commercial directed by Ridley Scott airs during the Super Bowl. The Macintosh computer goes on sale.

In 1985 Jobs and Sculley clashed, leading to Jobs' resignation and Steve Wozniak also resigns from Apple that year.

In 1986 Jobs started Next Inc., a new computer company making high-end machines for universities. He also bought Pixar from "Star Wars" creator George Lucas for $10 million. In 1989 the first NeXT computer went on sale with a $6,500 price tag.

In 1991 Apple and IBM Corp. announce an alliance to develop new PC microprocessors and software amd Apple unveiled a portable Mac called PowerBook. In 1993 Apple introduced the Newton, a hand-held, pen-based computer. The company reported a quarterly loss of $188 million in July and Sculley was replaced as CEO.

In 1994 Apple introduced Power Macintosh computers based on the PowerPC chip it developed with IBM and Motorola. Apple decided to license its operating software and allow other companies to "clone" the Mac, adopting the model championed by Microsoft Corp and in 1995 the first Mac clones went on sale. Microsoft releases Windows 95, which is easier to use than previous versions and is more like the Mac system. Apple struggles with competition, parts shortages and mistakes predicting customer demand. Pixar's "Toy Story," the first commercial computer-animated feature, hits theaters. Pixar goes to Wall Street with an IPO that raises $140 million.

In 1996 Apple announced plans to buy Next for $430 million for the operating system Jobs' team developed. Jobs is appointed an adviser to Apple and the next year Jobs becomes "interim" CEO. He foreshadows the marketing hook for a new product line by calling himself "iCEO." Jobs puts an end to Mac clones.

1998 saw Apple return to profitability and shakes up personal computer industry with the candy-colored, all-in-one iMac desktop, the original models shaped like a futuristic TV. In 2000, Apple removes "interim" label from Jobs' CEO title.

Apple then went on a tear: 2001saw the first iPod goes on sale, as do computers with OS X, the modern Mac operating system based on Next software. Apple also releases iTunes software. And in 2003 Apple launched the iTunes Music Store with 200,000 songs at 99 cents each, giving people a convenient way to buy music legally online. It sells 1 million songs in the first week.

In 2004 Jobs underwnets surgery for a rare but curable form of pancreatic cancer; Apple discloses his illness after the fact.

In 2005 Apple expands the iPod line with the tiny Nano and an iPod that can play video. The company also announces that future Macs will use Intel chips. In 2006 Disney bought Pixar for $7.4 billion making Jobs Disney's largest individual shareholder.

In 2007 Apple released its first smartphone, the iPhone. Crowds camp overnight at stores to be one of the first to own the new device.

2008: Speculation mounts that Jobs is ill, given weight loss and in September he kicked off an Apple event and says, "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," making a play off a famous Mark Twain quote after Bloomberg News accidentally publishes, then retracts, an obituary that it had prepared in advance.

In 2009 Jobs explained his severe weight loss by saying he had a treatable hormone imbalance and that he will continue to run Apple. Days later he backtracks and announces he will be on medical leave. He returned to work in June and later it is learned that he had received a liver transplant.

In 2010 Apple sold 15 million of its newest gadget, the iPad, in nine months, giving rise to a new category of modern touch-screen tablet computers.

On Jan. 17, 2011 in a memo to Apple employees, Jobs announced a second medical leave with no set duration but Jobs retained his CEO title and remains involved in major decisions.

On Aug. 24 Apple announces that Jobs is resigning as CEO and named Jobs chairman.

On Oct. 5, 2011 Steve Jobs died at the age of 56; Apple announced his death without giving a specific cause.

Looking back, I am in awe of the technological accomplishments made at Apple under Steve Jobs leadership.

It's E-Publish or E-Perish

2011-10-04T11:45:00.001-04:00

From paper to Web to e-readers, the publishing industry embraces a digital revolution. In the wake of the Kindle Fire, it’s e-publish or die. Amazon is chiefly responsible for the largest shift in consumption of the written word since Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. Just this week it’s announced not just the trailblazing tablet the Kindle Fire, but three new versions of the Kindle ereader. We’ve grown accustomed to flipping through pages on our Kindles (and Nooks, iPads, and the like). Now, authors, publishing houses, and agents must explore this brave new world, too.

Mapping this uncharted land has been a rocky road for writers and retailers alike. Borders emptied its shelves just this month, Barnes & Noble has reported losses each quarter so far this year, and much of the industry is still struggling against Google’s plan to create a virtual library by scanning in millions of book titles. Add to that the accessibility of self-publishing and self-marketing, which has led to many writers bypassing the traditional publishing process altogether, and you have a horror story for some.

For others, there’s a happy ending. In the stead of the old guard are indie publishers that use new media tools to print books faster and cheaper than ever before. Authors can market themselves through social media. Self-published writers cross the one-million mark in sales.
While e-publishing might span many genres, its story is nevertheless a gripping read.

Adapted from a Sept. 29, 2011 article by Chandra Steel

Let us never forget 9-11

2011-09-02T15:39:00.003-04:00

Let us never forget!

Ten years ago the United States was attacked by a band of radical Islamists. Thousands of innocent people died as a result of this viscous attack. To this day, the world has not been the same. Over the past ten years, these animals have threatened and attacked people in many other countries. People all over the world will continue to live in fear until these radical, so-called religious fanatics are eliminated.

World Wide Web Turned 20

2011-09-02T13:58:00.002-04:00

Twenty years ago, on August 6, 1991, a technological revolution took place at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) facility, when Tim Berners-Lee published the first Website and forever changed how we access and share information.

An independent contractor at the time, Berners-Lee developed a basic browser that could handle hypertext, and he started the WWW (World Wide Web) project, which was intended to help users learn more about Website creation and how to browse and search for information on the new Web. The WWW has changed our society. It has helped create new business models; it has helped to bring different people and cultures together; and, above all, it has brought many changes to the relationship between the people and their governments.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) , founded in 1994, has helped to create standards to ensure that different Websites work the same way. Despite some deviations in site and browser specs, this has ensured the success and the widespread adoption of the Web. Back in 1991, Berners-Lee may have expected little more than this basic setup.

As the Web has evolved, however, Berners-Lee has focused on how Web content could be better organized; he sees the need to associate meaning to the ever-increasing amount of Web data. The "Semantic Web," as he envisions it, would enable Web servers to understand and respond to complex human requests based on their meaning.
But the concept has not been fully implemented due to many challenges, such as the vastness of the information on the Web, the ambiguity of the meaning associated with some content, the inconsistency of some information, and possible deceit from content providers, as there is always the possibility that some might try to attach wrong "semantic" information to their content in order to lure users.

Also, Berners-Lee has been denouncing how social media and other telecommunications companies are "treating" content on the Web today. In a Scientific American journal essay published last year, he described how some of the Web's "most successful inhabitants," such as Facebook and large ISPs, have begun to "chip away" at the Web's founding principles, and he warned that Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites represent "one of several threats" to the future of the World Wide Web.

Overall, though, Berners-Lee seems content with what emerged from his work. Nearly three years ago, in an article in The New York Times, Steve Lohr asked Berners-Lee what he would have changed about the Web if he was to do it again. Berners-Lee answered that he might make a small change. He would get rid of the double "//" after the "http:" in Web addresses. "Look at all the paper and trees that could have been saved if people had not had to write or type out those slashes on paper over the years -- not to mention the human labor and time spent typing those two keystrokes countless millions of times in browser address boxes." Surely, this isn't a significant regret.

Happy 20th Birthday, World Wide Web!

Based on an article by Hospice Houngbo, a former Fulbright scholar/researcher, currently a PhD student in computer science at the University of Western Ontario.

Beware of Posting Pics Online via Your Phone

2011-08-09T14:44:00.002-04:00

Watch this video --- it's potentially that important. You have no idea how vulnerable you or your family and friends can be by posting photos taken by a cell phone and posted on social media websites. Can you say G-P-S!

[Video Link]

compliments of
Boogie Jack's Newsletters

Browser Wars: Chrome vs. IE9 vs. Firefox

2011-08-02T12:53:00.002-04:00

Web browsers are converging. Since the arrival of Google Chrome nearly three years ago, all browsers have come under its influence, and they've all moved in the same three-pronged directions—speedier page loading, cleaner user interfaces, and greater support for new Web standards. All of the major browsers—Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera—have made significant strides in each of these three dimensions. The first two qualities are pretty much universally desirable, but the "standards" support piece, while also desirable, gets sticky: Each browser seems to support a different subset of the many features that fall under the label HTML5. All you have to do is check out each browser's HTML5 demo site. Apple's HTML5 demos, for example, flat out won't function unless you're browsing with Safari. So much for "standards."

The Speed of the Web
Along with new standard support, all browsers have posted massive improvements in page-rendering and script execution speed. You just have to look at the often-cited SunSpider JavaScript benchmarks to see this. Even Chrome, already described as "lightning fast" in December of 2008, has sped up on the test from a time of 881ms to 267ms in version 12 on my 2.6GHz dual-core laptop—that's less than a third of the time! The rest of the browsers have followed suit, clustering around the same level of performance. Mozilla and Google have built their own Javascript speed tests, Kraken and V8, respectively. When these first came out,
the maker's own browsers widely outpaced competitors, but results on these tests are also evening out.

A summary of the latest speed test results are:

Google V8 (v.6) Test: #1=Chrome 12, #2 = FireFox 5, #3 = Opera 11.50
Mozilla Krakan 1.7 Test: #1=Chrome 12, #2 = FireFox 5, #3 = Opera 11.50
SunSpider 0.9.1 Test: #1=Internet Explorer 9, #2 = Chrome 12, #3 = FireFox 5

The next frontier in browser performance is about graphics hardware acceleration. In this area, Internet Explorer and Firefox are ahead of Google Chrome, Opera, and Safari. Microsoft was the first browser maker to make an issue of hardware acceleration in the buildup to its releasing IE9. The company's site for its browser, called IETestdrive.com, sports a slew of demonstrations that show off hardware acceleration, which you can try running in any browser. On these, you can clearly see IE and Firefox's lead in hardware acceleration.

On the FishIE demo, which uses Canvas and Javascript to display swimming tropical fish, Chrome delivered 40 frames per second with 20 fish and 5 FPS with 500 fish. Since both Firefox 4 and IE9 use hardware acceleration for more than just future 3D content, they score the maximum 60 FPS with 20 fish, but IE still beats Firefox with 500 fish. Chrome was, however, better than Opera, which only mustered 20FPS and 3FPS.

Another IE9 demo, Psychedelic Browsing, spins a color wheel and plays spacy sounds, reporting RPM as a result. Surprisingly, Firefox beats Microsoft at its own game here by a tad, though it doesn't play the required sound. Chrome, however, plays the test's required sound, but fares far worse in the revolutions per minute result.

One final test of hardware acceleration comes from Mozilla, its Hardware Acceleration Stress test, which spins a spiral of photos in the browser window and reports a score in frames per second.

A summary of the latest hardware acceleration test results are:

FishIE (w/20 fish) Test: #1 = Internet Explorer 9, #2 = FireFox 4, #3 = Chrome 12
Psychedelic Browser Test: #1 = FireFox 4, #2 = Internet Explorer 9, #3 = Chrome 12
Mozilla HW Accel Stress Test: #1 = FireFox 4, #2 = Internet Explorer 9, #3 = Chrome 12

Additional information about browser HTML 5 Standards support, Privacy and Security, and Extras and Goodies (extensions) are discussed in the PC magazine article by Michael Muchmore upon which this blog content is based and that can be found @ http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2389249,00.asp

In the end, I will continue to develop websites that firstly conform to Internet Explorer (IE) standards. This is because IE continues to be the browser used buy the majority of people accessing the Internet. The increasing popularity and growth in usage of Chrome and FireFox can not be ignored and I will make every effort to insure the best possible compatibility with these browsers as well.

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ICANN Approves New Top-Level Domains --- Prepare For .Whatever

2011-07-05T11:32:00.000-04:00

A number of not very descriptive top-level domains (TLDs): .com, .net, .org, as well as country-specific TLDs are what the web is currently made of, but this is about to change drastically.

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the international authority over top-level domain names, has approved the expansion of generic TLDs which will allow companies and organizations to create domains for their brands (such as .coke) or simply create generic names (such as .car or .green).

This option won’t come cheap, though: The application fee alone is $185,000, and the annual fee is $25,000. Still, you can imagine large corporations spending millions on these very soon. If you’re in the business of making phones, owning a “.phone” TLD sounds like a great idea — if you can afford outbidding other phone manufacturers.

“ICANN has opened the Internet’s addressing system to the limitless possibilities of the human imagination,” said Rod Beckstrom, president and CEO of ICANN. “No one can predict where this historic decision will take us.” We can safely predict one thing: Expect lots of legal disputes over company trademarks with regard to new TLDs.

Applications for new generic TLDs will be accepted from January 12, 2012, to April 12, 2012. New domains should appear within a year.

This will become a game changer for sure. The cost is high for a individual or small business, but for a major corporation it is chump change. The ability to set up a social network, community with your own TLD is priceless! Marketing directors around the WORLD are salivating right now.

Once you own a TLD, can you sell URLs to third parties? I imagine the person who swoops in and buys “.beer” or “.fashion” will have a lot of offers…

Based on a 6/20/11 article by Stan Schroeder

Factors Contributing to Poor Websites

2011-06-02T14:43:00.002-04:00

Here are a number of factors that will contribute to poor websites, most especially if any of these factors appear on ones home page. Remember you can’t undo first impressions.

1. Image maps/icons unfamiliar to viewers
2. Drop-down menus that obscure important information
3. Inconsistent use of Caps and lower case
4. Using too many colors
5. Distracting images with barely legible text overlaid on them
6. Poor formatting and vertically scrolling links
7. Tiny screen-shots
8. Unclear/vague link/menu titles
9. Bad use of or too much white space
10. Using a long sentence/paragraph as a link
11. Too much text distracting from images/links
12. Too many varied fonts
13. Too many blue links
14. Too busy/distracting background images
15. Text heavy and shadow-boxed graphics (dated…)

If your website suffers from any of these conditions, APT Web Design can help apply remedial action in order to improve the quality and perception of your website.

Basic Search Engine Optimization Tips

2011-05-05T15:14:00.000-04:00

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the key to gaining more traffic to your website. When people search for information today, they don’t open up the phonebook, the dictionary or the newspaper. Whatever they are trying to find out, they head straight to the search engines. Therefore, if you want to improve your business’s presence it’s all about getting found in the results of the search engines.

That’s what SEO is designed to do. Basically, search engine optimization incorporates everything related to getting your site’s positioning improved within the search engines. If you can make it to the first page of Google, and eventually the number 1 spot on the page, you will see a whirlwind of traffic to your site. You’ll have more prospects and new customers than you know what to do with.

So how do you go about using SEO for your site in order to see better results? While the concept itself seems simple, there are actually many individual components that you have to consider. In addition, the world of search engine optimization is fluid, dynamic and constantly evolving. That means you have to stay on top of all of the latest changes and trends if you want to experience and maintain success.

The first step to the SEO process is researching your market. You need to find the keywords and key phrases that people use to search for information related to the products you sell, the industry that you’re in or the general market that you serve. These keywords are the foundation of what you will be doing with SEO, and you have to find the ones that are popular and widely used without being overly competitive.

Another step of research pertains to looking into your competition. You have to see how much competition there is in your market and for specific terms and phrases, and you have to see how strong that competition is. In addition, you should browse your competitors’ websites to see what you like about them and don’t like about them. Don’t be afraid to borrow from their strengths and learn from their mistakes when creating or optimizing your own site.

Now that you have performed the research itself, you actually have to go about the search engine optimization process. There are many different tactics and strategies here. The most basic of which is incorporating those keywords you found into the content of your page. Be careful not to stuff them in there excessively because you’ll end up looking like spam both to the search engines and to your visitors. Instead work your keywords in naturally so that you can become associated with those specific phrases.

There are also many offsite optimization steps you need to take to really maximize your results. These include establishing your presence in online communities related to your business and also link building. The more links you have, and the better they are in terms of where they come from, the more credibility your website will gain. This will raise your site’s ranking dramatically in the search engines.

This is just a basic overview of some of what’s involved in SEO. The foundation of good SEO work is really research, researching both your market and your competition. From there you’ll have many different factors to consider, including keyword inclusion and link building. Ultimately, proper SEO holds the key to your business succeeding in the online environment.

Reports of Windows' Death Greatly Exaggerated

2011-04-05T15:14:00.003-04:00

Much of the talk about the immenent death of Microsoft Windows is mostly based on sales figures for all end-user devices and relative numbers of page reads by different browsers and operating systems. If Information Technology's responsibilities were based on the number of end-user devices sold and on browser page reads, this would be interesting information.

IT's responsibilities, though, have a lot more to do with applications business users rely on to get work done. When you look in this direction, you get a very different bead on things. Let's check out infrastructure first -- in particular, the server OS, DBMS, app server, Web server, development kit, email, and content/document management solution. While IT has choices for all of these, Microsoft doesn't just continue to matter here; rather, it's probably the most innovative force in the industry in this space right now -- except in its ability to explain itself. The infrastructure story for Microsoft is excellent products coupled with incoherent storytelling.

Then there's the end-user computing environment (what's usually mislabeled the "client"). What a lot of analysts miss is quite simple and basic: Microsoft Office file formats are the industry de facto standard, and no amount of de jure standards setting will change that any time soon. Thus, any business that has to exchange documents with other companies has to use Microsoft Office, because the best any competitor can say is that its product can read and write Microsoft Office files.

That isn't the same thing as rendering them properly, and the fact of the matter is, no matter which Office competitor you use, it will scramble Word documents that do any serious formatting at all. As for PowerPoint, you have no idea just how bizarre the results can be until you try running a PowerPoint animation in a competitor's piece of software.

Every version of Windows Mobile so far has been at least one step behind the industry, and there's no hint yet that Microsoft has the ability to leapfrog its competition in the mobile arena. It's natural to figure Microsoft's presence in mobile computing is and will be limited to laptops, which will remain the portable devices of choice for those who plan to do serious work that requires a keyboard for quite a while.

Bottom-line: The increased importance of other platforms represents an expansion of what IT will be responsible for, not a substitution. Windows and Microsoft will be important for a number of years yet -- but so will other platforms and players..

Adapted from Bob Lewis’s story, originally published at InfoWorld.com 3/11/11

Most Browsers Have Known Vulnerabilities

2011-03-01T10:36:00.000-05:00

Roughly 80% of browsers today are insecure, owing to their having a known vulnerability either in the browser itself, or due to a vulnerable plug-in, such as an outdated version of Shockwave, Flash, the Java runtime environment, or QuickTime.

That finding comes from research conducted by vulnerability management and security policy compliance vendor Qualys. The results are based on the 200,000 people who, over the past 6 months, used the company's free BrowserCheck tool, which looks for known vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera browsers, running on Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux machines.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, more than half of browser vulnerabilities stem from plug-ins. "The number was very high for the plug-ins, higher than I had expected," said Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of Qualys, in an email interview.

The most common insecure browser plug-ins in use are (in order): Java, Adobe Reader, QuickTime, Flash, Shockwave, and Windows Media Player. Many of these plug-ins are widespread -- 97% of computers have the Adobe Flash plug-in installed, and 95% have one for Windows Media Player.

Meanwhile, only about 20% of browsers are insecure due to the native browser application (not counting plug-ins). Kandek said that's testament to browser makers' structured approach to updates, which includes alerting users or simply updating browsers automatically when a new version becomes available.

Unfortunately, few plug-ins auto-update. Accordingly, it's up to IT departments to secure them. "Focus attention on the plug-ins of the browsers, determine if plug-ins are actually necessary, [and] look for plug-ins that have an update program," said Kandek.

Some good news from this study, while 80% of consumers today are using insecure browsers, that's down from a high of nearly 90% in June 2010. What accounts for the improvement? "A number of factors play a role for the small decline, but we have seen good acceptance of the new Adobe Reader X, which has reduced the exposure for PDF users in general," said Kandek.

Adapted from Mathew J. Schwartz article, InformationWeek Feb. 23, 2011

Key Factors 4 a Good Website

2011-02-04T14:29:00.002-05:00

Making a website is easy. But making the “perfect” website takes more work than a simple use of html. Therefore we see a lot of poor websites that have bad design, wrong text, boring content etc. So here are the key factors that make the difference between a bad website and the perfect website.
• Name of the website:
Your page title should speak for you. Page title should not be too long and should be content based. The title should go with the content and the topic of the page. The title should be descriptive enough so that the users are not misled.
• The Content:
The content must be interesting and useful to the user. The content should engage visitors and keep on making them come back for more. Nice graphics and icons cannot hold back visitors if the content is bad. They might get offended and never visit the website again, so the matter must be good enough for the users to visit again and again.
• Proper Spelling and Grammar:
Incorrect spelling and grammatical mistake can ruin a web site completely. So it is better check it before somebody else catches you mistakes.
• Proper Layout:
Now comes the layout part. The layout must be simple and clear. As all the browsers are not same so before launching the web site it must be tested. Proper use of font size is another thing you should keep in your mind. Always try to use the standards/popular font, over using of images can make the website look very messy and cheap. Website must look simple; the simpler it will be the more it will be soothing to the eyes.
• Quantity of the Page:
It is not an essay or article which should be lengthy or boring; it is web content so it must be short yet full of information and interesting. Articles and web content are two different things. You can write a very long article but writing for web content is completely different. Web content should be brief and short. The normal index page should be the ideal length of the page; the page should carry proper information which the users need.
• Using Appropriate Keywords for “links”:
Use proper keywords for links; use innovative, catchy words rather than words such as “click here”, only then will it attract the users. Link should not go beyond the content of your site, so the link must be a part of your content. So choose a standard link for your page.
• Helping the users:
Getting the proper feedback from the users is a very important and crucial part for every web site developer. Sometimes users can encounter a problem while surfing your site, so you must be ready to help your users to rectify their problem and clear the doubts. This can be done by another link, the “contact us” link, which aims to serve the users helping them to enjoy surfing the site in a better way.

These factors can go a long way in making your website perfect!

High Quality Web Design is Important

2011-01-10T13:01:00.001-05:00

There once was a time on the Internet when web design wasn’t very important. Maybe a decade ago or so, the main thing you had to do was just have a website. That factor alone would give you a strong advantage in the marketplace, and you’d have a leg up on your competition who didn’t yet make the move to the online realm. However, those times have long since passed. Now merely having a website isn’t enough. You need to make use of high quality web design to help your business stand out, attract new customers and ultimately be successful on the Internet.

One factor playing into this is that the Internet has expanded greatly over the years. Now nearly every business has a website or multiple online presences, and millions of individuals do as well. That means that there is a huge supply of competition, and it also means that the bar has been raised in terms of what quality web design actually is. Today, if you have an unattractive website or one that doesn’t operate easily you are going to scare away all of your visitors and you’ll lose out on all of that extra money.

Your web design needs to be setup in such a way that the most important information is easily found, and all of the pages can be quickly navigated between. Put yourself in the shoes of a visitor who comes to your site. What are they really seeking out, and how can you provide that for them? It’s about meeting their needs by implementing specific solutions.

Web design will help you take any website visitor and draw that person into the path you want them to take. If you’re trying to sell a product, it should be simple and intuitive to continue to make an order. If you want people to send you an email for a quote, getting to that online form has to be as easy as possible. Whatever your goals are, you need to use your web design to bring people to that.

Of course, being attractive and visually pleasing is important in and of itself. A site that has contrasting colors or a poor layout or scheme isn’t going to draw much attention or interest. More often than not people will see a bad looking website and they will just click immediately on the back button. That’s because the site sends off vibes that it is unprofessional, it doesn’t care or perhaps it doesn’t know any better.

None of that is any good to try to establish your brand and your image, or to find new customers and prospects. Therefore an aesthetically pleasing website is extremely important. It will add value to your image and it will make you seem professional and trustworthy.

As you can see, high quality web design plays a huge role in your online success. A poorly designed website will send your visitors running off as they have difficulty finding what they are looking for, as they don’t appreciate the quality or appearance of your website and as you fail to successfully convert them in the ways that you’d like to. Therefore, take all steps necessary to ensure that your website has a unique, top notch web design.

Adapted from a Sept.’10 article found in Reblog

ATTORNEY ADVICE Re. Credit Card Theft

2010-12-03T15:10:00.001-05:00

This is Not A Joke!! Even If you dislike attorneys --- You will love them for these tips.

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice! A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company:

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards . Instead, put ' PHOTO ID REQUIRED .'

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For' line. Instead, just put the last four numbers . The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have It printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine . Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel... Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a Name, address, Social Security number, credit cards..

Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have first hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Dell computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more. But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know.

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation
(if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all (I never even thought to do this.)

7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name.

The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 1-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union: 1-800-680 7289 1-800-680 7289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271 1-800-269-0271

We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about everything.

If you are willing to pass this information along, it could really help someone that you care about.

PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT

2010-11-04T14:54:00.002-04:00

Tips to protect yourself from ID thieves.

Fight Back -- 8 Simple Ways
Karen Lodrick's website, fightingbacknow.com, offers these tips to protect yourself from ID thieves: 01. Opt out of unsolicited credit card offers by calling 888-567-8688 (supported by the consumer credit reporting industry). 02. Get spyware protection for your computer, such as Ad-Aware (free at lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware). 03. Don't return warranty cards for purchased items. Save your receipt -- that's all you need to make a claim. 04. Have all your mail sent to a post office box rather than to your home address. 05. Never open e-mail from people you don't know. 06. Use different passwords for your online accounts. 07. Mix numbers and letters, upper and lowercase, in passwords. 08. Shred all documents, especially from credit card companies, before discarding.

More Ways to Protect Yourself
Here are 10 additional tips from fightingbacknow.com that will help you protect your identity online and in mail:
1. Monitor your credit report regularly. You can request one free report a year, and you can also sign up with the three major credit bureaus to be alerted of any unusual activity.
2. Stop giving out your Social Security number. Only a few places have the authority to ask for your Social Security number—your employer, the Department of Motor Vehicles, welfare services, the IRS, and institutions that deal with your taxes, like your bank or a brokerage house.
3. Make sure you’re getting all of your bills each month. If one goes missing, contact the company right away. Have a lot of bills? Keep a list of them so you don’t lose track.
4. Review your credit card statements diligently. 5. Make sure each purchase is yours and if not, notify the company immediately.
5. Check your bank statement each month. This is time consuming, but worth it! Bank policy is that you only have one month to put in a claim of fraud if you want the bank to recover your money.
6. Strip your computer before donating it. Make sure all of your information is removed from your personal computer before donating it by wiping the hard drive or taking it out and destroying them.
7. Get a second (or third) e-mail-account.8. Establish a separate e-mail account and use it specifically and exclusively for online purchases. That should make your private accounts less vulnerable.
8.. Consider a different browser. The most popular browser is Internet Explorer, which is pre-installed on most personal computers. Most viruses and spyware programs target this browser as a result, so try using alternative browsers such as Firefox or Opera, which can be downloaded free of charge.
9. Just say no. Sign up for the Do Not Call list (donotcall.gov); stop pre-approved credit card and insurance offers from reaching you by mail or phone (optoutprescreen.com).
10. Box junk mail. Use the Direct Marketing Association to help you stop receiving mailings (https://www.dmachoice.org/MPS/).

Source: Readers Digest 8/10

10 Characteristics To Look For When Choosing A Web Designer

2010-10-02T09:08:00.002-04:00

Hiring a web designer is a crucial decision and there are a number of factors that should be considered while choosing a web designer for your website design projects. Here are 10 characteristics to look for when choosing someone to design your website.

Experience

Find out how long their website developer has been in business and what type of projects they have worked on. There are many models for websites, and often someone whose past experience with a similar client type will be an advantage to you. Past experiences with similar business types should lead to quicker discovery because that website designer knows what options there are and what questions to ask.
Also, make sure that your developer is working with modern technologies and best industry practices, no matter if they know your business model or not. Modern practices lead to better search engine results and good usability across multiple browser types and operating systems.

Development Skillset

Ask your website developer about their skill set and attention to best and industry standards. Ask if they are using most modern HTML coding, high quality CSS for best cross browser compatibility, smart basic search engine optimization practices, and a site that is foundational in that you can add more pages or content down the line. You may want to ask how far their technical strengths are in custom programming, ecommerce, content management system development, or other skills if you know you may need them.

Website Portfolio

A website company's work will most often speak for itself. Decide if you like their website design portfolio. A design portfolio will show you what styles a website company can deliver and what type of features to expect in their page designs. When you look at a website design portfolio, you can form questions about those designs that may lead to a better design for you. If you see something you really like, you can point out what you like about it, what you want, and what you do not want.

Client References

Ask for your website designer's client references. Who better to talk to than current and past clients? One should not feel strange about asking for this. A website is often not a small investment and one should be sure he or she knows what the website developer's customers are saying.

Strategy

A website project requires proper preparation, attention to detail, collaboration, and more. Organization becomes as important as any of these items. You will want a website designer who can effectively communicate with you and your personnel, from project start to project completion. If you need a hand holder, hire a hand holder. If you want someone who will come in for planning meetings once a week as part of the project, hire someone who can commit to that.

A website developer needs to have organizational tools in place to keep the project on time and can get all involved to meet deadlines in order to meet time goals. Ask your website developer how a project process will go and see that you can agree to meeting times and other requirements for good outcome.

Availability

If you know when you need your website to go live, make sure your website developer will be able to make him or herself available to meet your deadline. If they have many projects at once, make sure they will make your project as important and will meet your time requirements.

Flexibility

On the other hand, if you require a designer who can be more flexible and accommodate you when you can make time, see that this can be done. If you know you want many designs or may change your mind in the middle of the project as to what direction you want to go, make sure you developer knows this and can work with you.

Developers may require more or less money depending on the flexibility you need. If you need the flexibility, however, the change in price may be an easier decision that if you did not.
Location

Website designers have the luxury and flexibility to work wherever they have a computer with their website design software tools and utilities. A website client must determine what type of communication is required, especially when considering websites will need updates. Your website designer will probably be someone you will work with for quite a while if all goes well.

If your business is in Los Angeles, California for example, and you require someone to visit your office once a month, you should probably hire a website designer who lives in Los Angeles or nearby.

Education

Many website designers teach themselves or take specific courses in school to be able to do what they can do. A degree is not a requirement, as nothing speaks for itself like a good website design portfolio, but a degree in a related field does add credibility. Degrees in Marketing, Graphic Design, Business (with emphasis in e-business), Communication, Programming, Sociology, and Psychology are additional assets.

Personality

Make sure you feel comfortable with the website designer you choose because you will most likely work with this person for a long time. Websites need updates and website trends change. You will want a website developer who will communicate with you about all of the things you can or should be doing with your website. Again, do you like the people you are about to hire?

Source: based on work by David Ephraim from a Los Angeles Web Design.

Remembering 9-11

2010-09-10T18:02:00.003-04:00

This, the 9th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, offers a time to remember, to reflect about this unforgettable moment in history, and to reconsider the effect that September 11 has had on our country and the world.

Are You Using One of these Passwords?

2010-09-03T10:57:00.002-04:00

Identity theft is on the rise and it's no wonder. Security firm, Imperva, says that even though theft of personal information and hacking are more technologically advanced than ever, computer users are not. Internet security studies by Unix in 1990 and studies by Imperva in 2009 show that users have the same, simple, and easily hacked passwords as they did 20 years ago.

Understanding How Passwords are Stolen
Passwords are usually stolen one of two ways. First, you may have a real person trying to hack your accounts. If this is the case, they will start with the most common, and worst, passwords.
If the person knows you, they'll start with obvious information like your birth date, anniversary dates, names of your kids, or street address. If the person doesn't know you, most likely, they've skimmed this information off your social networking sites.
The second and probably most dangerous way thieves steal your passwords is through automation. Bots troll sites and automatically use the most common passwords first. The 20 worst passwords listed below are the most easily cracked passwords.

20 Worst Passwords
In 2010, RockYou.com had a security breach that leaked 32 million passwords. Imperva used this opportunity to analyze the passwords and came up with the 20 most common and worst passwords possible.
Password -- Number of Users with Password
1. 123456 -- 290,731
2. 12345 -- 79,078
3. 123456789 -- 76,790
4. Password -- 61,958
5. iloveyou -- 51,622
6. princess -- 35,231
7. rockyou, facebook, or twitter -- 22,588
8. 1234567 -- 21,756
9. 12345678 -- 20,533
10. abc123 -- 17,542 11. Nicole -- 17,168
12. Daniel -- 16,409
13. babygirl -- 16,094
14. monkey -- 15,294
15. Jessica -- 15,162
16. Lovely -- 14,950
17. Michael -- 14,898
18. Ashley -- 14,329
19. 654321 -- 13,984
20. Qwerty -- 13,856

Tips for Creating Safe Passwords
To keep your identity safe, follow these tips for creating safe passwords:
Do's:Keep your passwords random
Mix up numbers, letters, and capitalization
Change your passwords several times each year
Use a different password for every site
Make a password from a sentence - ex: I love my dog and 4 kids = ilmda4k
Don'ts:Don't use letter or number sequences - ex: 123abc
Don't use the same password on all of your sites
Don't use actual words for passwords
Don't use the name of the service in your password ex: Twitter123

Let's Learn from Our Mistakes
You have a choice. You can keep using the same passwords, make thieves happy, and risk identity theft. Or, you can learn from past mistakes others have made, follow these tips, and create safe passwords. Avoiding identity theft isn't that difficult. Follow safe practices online, install anti-virus software, keep security patches updated, and be aware of the latest identity theft information by visiting this site.

Source: scambusters.org #394

Seven Deadly Sins of Social Networking Security

2010-08-03T14:19:00.002-04:00

To users of LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter or all of the above: Are you guilty of one of these security oversights? Some of you are using all of the above, and using them hard, even IT security practitioners who know better. While it's impossible to escape every social networking threat out there, there are steps one can take to significantly reduce the risks. CSO, a provider of news, analysis and research on a broad range of security and risk management topics (CSOonline.com) recently* checked in with dozens of IT security professionals (ironically, using more than one social networking platform to do so) to pinpoint seven typical security mistakes people make; and how to avoid them.

1. Over-sharing company activities
This is a sin of pride, when someone gets excited about something their company is working on and simply must tell everyone about it. Maybe you work for a drug company that is on the verge of developing the cure for cancer. Maybe the company is developing a new car that runs on curbside trash -- in other words, something everyone will want.

By sharing too much about you or your employer's intellectual property, you threaten to put it out of business by tipping off a competitor who could then find a way to duplicate the effort or find a way to spoil what they can't have by hiring a hacker to penetrate the network or by sneaking a spy into the building. To reign in the urge to share too much, it might be useful to repeat this saying, which has started to appear in the public domain: "Loose Tweets Sink Fleets."

2. Mixing personal with professional
This sin is closely related to the first, but extends beyond the mere disclosure of proprietary data. This is the case where someone uses a social network for both business and pleasure, most commonly on Facebook, where one's friends include business associates, family members and friends.
The problem is that the language and images one shares with friends and family may be entirely inappropriate on the professional side. A prospective employer may choose to skip to the next candidate after seeing pictures of you drunk or showing off a little too much leg at someone's birthday party. In sharing such things, you also stand a good chance of making the company you represent look bad. You have to understand what the objective of your presence on any given social network is. If it is for work, keep it for work only. If it is for personal/fun use, keep it for personal use only.

3. Engaging in Tweet (or Facebook/LinkedIn/Myspace) rage
For the person who has just been laid off or had their professional integrity called into question online, the urge to fire back with a stream of vitriol can be irresistible. Call this a sin of wrath.

Be mindful of what you say; any and all parties are listening, including your boss, spouse or future employer. Posting any content when angry is about as dangerous as sending flaming emails, if not more so. Think twice about clicking 'submit' because the world may be looking at your angry, immature rant for years.

4. Believing he/she who dies with the most connections wins
For some social networkers, it's all about accumulating as many connections as possible. Folks on LinkedIn are notorious for doing this, especially those in such LinkedIn groups as TopLinked and LION. This may seem harmless enough or, at the worst, just annoying. But when the name of the game is quantity over quality, it's easy to link or "friend" a scam artist, terrorist or identity thief.

Always verify the person who wants to get in contact with you. If you do not know the person, why are they trying to connect with you? Check if the profile of the other person is secured. If you can't retrieve a list of that person's connections, you have to ask yourself if you really want to go down that road. It is far better and safer to have 50 relevant contacts than 500 unknowns.

5. Password sloth
Another common sin is one of laziness, in this case picking passwords for your social networks that you're least likely to forget. In many cases, that means using the same password for LinkedIn and Facebook that you're using for your online bank account or work machine. If someone with malicious intent figures out the password for one social network, that person can now go and access everything else.

Using the same password on several sites is like trusting the weakest link in a chain to carry the same weight. Every site has vulnerabilities, plan for them to be exploited.

6. Trigger finger (clicking everything, especially on Facebook)
Facebook in particular is notorious as a place where inboxes are stuffed with everything from drink requests to cause requests. For some social networkers, clicking on such requests is as natural as breathing. Unfortunately, the bad guys know this and will send you links that appear to be from legitimate friends. Open the link and you're inviting a piece of malware to infect your machine. You should not click any link unless you're ready to deal with drive-by downloads and zero-day attacks.

7. Endangering yourself and others
All of the above tie into the seventh and perhaps most serious sin, which is that reckless social networking can literally put someone's life in danger. It could be a relative or co-worker. Or it could be yourself. Security experts advise extreme caution when posting birthday information, too much detail on your spouse and children, etc. Otherwise, they could become the target of an identity thief or even a kidnapper.

At the CSO Executive Seminar on Data Loss Prevention in Chicago, last month, Motorola CSO Bill Boni expressed his reservations about using Twitter, calling it a great way to get one's self kidnapped. "Don't be a twit," Boni said to those who might feel the need to divulge every detail about their location and what they're doing.

* adapted from an article by Bill Brenner, Senior Editor, CSO June 30, 2009

And lest we forget…

2010-07-04T15:43:00.001-04:00

On this day, 234 years ago, yes July 4th, 1776 this great nation, the United States of America, struggling for what was right and free, was proudly born.
May we celebrate that precious freedom for which our forbears fought and young men and women today continue to fight so bravely for...
the freedom that is inherent in the Stars and Stripes, our revered flag...

Celebrate Freedom this Fourth of July!

and remember

Freedom Is Never Free!

5 STEPS TO EFFECTIVELY REDESIGN YOUR WEBSITE

2010-07-02T13:47:00.001-04:00

If it has been a while since you designed your website, or the site doesn’t seem to be attracting the same level of interest among customers and prospects, it may be time to refresh it. The following 5-step plan may help.

1. Determine who will lead the redesign effort. Look beyond your in-house Internet/Web technicians and/or consultants to advise you about your next redesign. For a redesign you may want to consider some more independent ideas from others in the field to get different and fresh ideas, not burdened with the ties to the past.

2. Consult Stakeholders. Your redesign should start by asking questions of others, especially customers, about how they would change the website if they could. By gathering ideas of others up front, you will have better insight in to what changes will benefit current as well as future stakeholders.

3. Set measurable and realistic goal. Because a single website can not be all things to all people, it is important to first determine what the primary purpose of the website is. Knowing this will help in setting appropriate goals for your redesigns.

Determine what you want the redesign of your website to accomplish. For example, do you want to improve the site’s stickiness (how long viewers stay on the site before clicking off)? Improve the site’s searchability (ranking with major search engines)? Add functionality (map and directions, printable coupons, contact forms, etc.)?

Once you have goals in mind, write them down. Undocumented, ill-defined goals provide no focus or direction for the redesign effort. You need enough detail for the effort to get started, allowing your web developers to bring their creativity and expertise to the task.

4. Get the talent from either in-house or an outside vendor. Graphics, web development, quality assurance, end-user interface, search optimization, and other factors should be considered. You need to ensure that the web development team has the skills necessary to accomplish your redesign goals.

5. Understand the latest technologies and how they can help. Technology is constantly changing. The current rage seems to be social networking, flash, audio, and video. None of these technologies were in the forefront two years ago and you can bet there will be other technologies on the back-burner that will be the buzz a year or two from now. Remember that there is accost to employing the latest technologies; costs involving money, time and performance. While your website may not need to employ expensive, top-of-the-line technologies, be sure it doesn’t appear to customers that your website is stagnant or outdated while your competitors’ sites are zooming past.

Know when not to redesign. If your stakeholders say your website is fine the way it is, you have had few if any complaints, and it is cost-effective and functional as is, then a redesign probably isn’t needed at this time. You should however, periodically check with key clients to determine the effectiveness of your website.

Usual Costs. As noted in a recent Info-Tech Research Group (an IT research and consulting company) report, an effective website redesign can cost upwards of $5,000 or more. Costs however vary widely depending on the type of redesign and technologies used. The report also noted to be wary of redesign bids that sound completely unreasonable for your requirements.

For many companies, their websites are their store windows and it is important that their websites convey the brand image desired. If it doesn’t, consider a well defined and expertly developed redesign, and reap the rewards.

Based on an 6/14/10 Phila. Inquirer article

PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH

2010-06-03T15:51:00.001-04:00

Back in April of 2009, I posted an article entitled “Spring Cleaning Your Website” on this Blog. Well, I am here to say that I am finally practicing what I preach. When I started APT Web Design (AWD), one of the first websites that I produced was one for my own business (apt-webdesign.com); the site was launched in September of 2006. Well, that was three and a half years ago and only now have I finally gotten around to updating that website.

Since APT Web Design has been in business, about 50% of our clients had existing websites and for various reasons wanted a do-over. Interestingly, two clients actually wanted to drop eCommerce from their sites because they said it was more hassle than it was worth. Of the clients desiring a facelift for their websites, the look-and-feel of their sites had not been updated for an average of three to four years. That puts me right on average for a do-over.

It was not that I was unhappy with the look and feel of the AWD website, I just knew it was time to make some changes and in doing so, provide, as minimal as it is, a somewhat different look and feel. I retained the same basic color scheme, but went from a rounded-corner layout to a bordered-box format. Since I started thinking about a website refresh, other changes came to mind. I also broke out my blog-link and affiliate links from being buried on the About Us page to a link in the main menu on every page. And, I added an FAQ page to hopefully make more information about websites and how AWD operates to both current and prospective clients.

So now, having completed my modest website make, I have both a sense of accomplishment as well as the satisfaction that I indeed have practices what I’ve preached.

Take a look: apt-webdesign.com

:~) Les..

It’s a scary world out in the World Wide Web

2010-05-10T19:43:00.002-04:00

Here Are the Top 20 Shocking Scam Tricks:

Email scams: One in 304 emails that are sent to us contains a virus and one in 404 is a phishing message.

A scan of 22 million PCs by security firm Panda Labs in the second quarter of 2009 showed that just short of 12 million of them were infected. There's no way of knowing, but if the same proportion applies elsewhere, that means over half of PCs worldwide could be infected with viruses, Trojans, spyware and other malware. The biggest single category of infection is by banking Trojans and password stealers.

The most phished organizations (that is, those who were targeted or used in phishing scams) are, not surprisingly, banks and credit unions. But this year, according to a spam/scam study called Project Honeypot, the social networking site Facebook, currently in second slot behind J P Morgan Chase, is predicted to become the biggest single vehicle for phishing.

According to the Consumer Federation of America, one third of all adults have at some time been approached with scams (as distinct from, say, having their identity stolen). Lottery cons are the most common, followed by bogus grants and work-at-home schemes.

The typical victim of a lottery money scam loses around $3,000, usually for supposed tax, administration or Customs fees, while those who fall for advance fee scams lose, on average, up to $4,000. The average identity theft victim gets taken for $5,000.

Scammers profile their victims -- they know who makes the best target. For instance, a woman aged 70-plus is the most common target for a lottery scam, while a man in the 55-61 age range is the most common investment fraud victim. However, the age group that attracts the most scams is the 30-39 year olds.

Almost two-thirds of people incorrectly believe a check is valid if a bank pays out funds on it. (It's not, and if the check subsequently bounces, the account holder is responsible for repaying any money they withdrew.)

On average, 3,500 new sites harboring malware are set up every day. Online security experts McAfee reckon there are now more than 1.2 million different types of Internet malware.

Up to 45,000 people contact the Federal Trade Commission -- the US agency responsible for preventing and halting consumer fraud -- with complaints every week.

In 2008 -- the last year for which full records are available -- 275,000 Americans told the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center they had been scammed out of a total of $265 million. Non-delivery of merchandise and auction fraud accounted for 60% of this.

However, this is only the tip of an iceberg. 10 million people were said to be victims of identity theft, losing more than $48 billion -- yes, that's "billion" -- a year. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a total of 30 million Americans ages 18 and older, or 13.5% of the U.S. adult population, were victims of consumer fraud of one type or another during a one-year period.

Half of all identity thieves in a recent study came from a middleclass background, had a college education and an otherwise conventional lifestyle. Most of them had jobs and their main motivation was to buy luxuries. In other words, they're not all serial crooks or drug addicts.

More than 3,000 fraudulent IRS tax agency websites were taken offline by law enforcement action last year. And, in 2005, before Hurricane Katrina even made landfall, there were 200 phony Katrina aid websites. In a recent intervention, the Nigerian Government shut down 800 fraudulent sites.

79% of all email in the US is spam. But the nation is only Number 7 in the spam league. Britain comes top with 94%, then China (90%), Hong Kong (89%), Australia (88%), Japan (86%), and Germany (83%). The Netherlands is 8th (78%) followed by Canada (77%).

China is the world's biggest spammer, accounting for more than 11% of messages, followed by Brazil, the US and Turkey. Most spams are sent out by compromised "zombie" PCs whose owners are unaware they are being used -- up to 400,000 zombie machines are activated every day. In the US, California is the most prolific state as a source of spam.

An estimated total of 125 trillion spam messages have been sent out in the past five years, says Project Honeypot. Monday is the busiest day for spam, and Saturday the least busy. 8am EST sees the highest volume during any day.

In a survey by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group, one third of North American Internet users admitted they've replied to spam. The most common excuse is that they did it in error but some confessed either interest in the product or just wanting to see what happened.

An estimated 40% of Internet users enter the same password for every protected site they visit.

The scam ratio for work-at-home jobs posted online is 59:1. In other words, out of every 60 advertised jobs, only one is genuine.

Almost 200 million phone numbers are listed on the "do not call" register but last year alone more than 7 million people complained that telemarketers called them anyway. Arizona has, proportionate to the population, the highest level of complaints and Colorado has the highest proportion of registrations.
To register or for more information, visit the Do Not Call site.

Not a pretty picture is it? But it's not all gloom and doom. Thousands of organizations, including Scambusters, official government agencies and crime fighting groups have joined the battle against online fraud.

Taken from ScamBusters,org Report Issue #375, 02-17-10

Some Tips to Get Repeat Visitors to your Website

2010-04-08T20:50:00.002-04:00

Getting traffic to your website is hard work and can be expensive. So it's cost-effective to get repeat visitors not only first time visitors. Getting repeat visitors is all about giving value to your visitors. You need to give them what they ask for, what they are searching for, and then dazzle them when they get to you. That way, they will come back for more time and again.

So how can you please your visitors so they return to your site?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Keep your site fresh; update the content on your frequently. Dormant sites are dropped by some search engines as well, which will reduce all your traffic anyhow.

2. Offer extra value to your visitors; you can identify related complementary sites and put links to these additional products and services. Ask those sites to do the same for you. You can also advertise books and videos that relate to your business and are not in competition with your own offers. And, you can offer printable discount or special offer coupons that your website visitors can use.

3. Encourage your visitors to bookmark your site; provide a button that will pre-fill an “Add to Favorites” on your visitors’ PC.

4. Add a link to your blog or other social networking site. Blogs or other social networking sites can draw visitors if you are willing to provide content to these.

5. Brand your website with a friendly, attractive scheme, so that visitors always recognize when they are on your site's pages. Use a clear logo and consistent 'look and feel'. Always include a 'Contact Us' link in your navigation bar.

6. Create a 'Terms and Conditions' page that clearly defines your business principles. Have a privacy policy too, so visitors know what happens to their data on your site and that they are secure from spam when they opt-in.

7. Create a Frequently Asked Questions page which answers most of the concerns about your business, product or services that people generally ask. This helps to allay the main doubts people have when they first visit your website.

8. Use clear titles and keywords and a clear navigation so that your visitors can find their way back to your site if they lose their bookmark.

Visitors will come back if they like your products and see that your site is fresh and even more so if there's a different offer from time to time.

Based on info from Jay Allyson - Pro Marketing Consultant

PROVERBS /For some levity after a tough winter/

2010-03-07T15:48:00.001-05:00

Half of those reading this will probably believe only a third of what they read)

1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of Politicians give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture most people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13.. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.

14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

20. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the hell happened?

22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.

23. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

24. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

--= Source: Unknown =--

SOME TIPS FOR CREATING A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE

2010-02-04T16:20:00.002-05:00

STEP 1: Start by creating a basic road map that will set the tone for what you’re doing. Keep in mind that this is an evolutionary process. In the beginning, don’t try to be Amazon.com. (It took them years to become a powerhouse on the Internet.) Grandiose visions are fine, but you need to build up to realizing them. Walk before you run; start small and grow big.

STEP 2: Determine what tools you need to help drive the right traffic to your site. The web is a very competitive space—today there are over 11 billion web pages, so you need to be strategic in deciding what works best for you and your website objectives. Some of these tools include search engine marketing, e-mail marketing and search engine optimization. Also, now’s the time to decide how and where you’re going to spend your (limited) marketing budget.

STEP 3: How will you determine what’s working on your site and what isn’t? Some industry best practices will work for you; others may need some tinkering. Deciding how to measure your ROI (return on investment) and other crucial metrics is key to the success of your business. The best way to find this out is through website traffic reports, but you should listen to your customers as well. They will let you know what market tactics are working for you, what ones aren’t, and how to improve your results.

STEP 4: Apply what you learn from your metrics. These include page views, length of visits, site traffic volume and trends, and you should study them to improve your site’s content, navigation and performance. This enables you to offer a better experience to your visitors.

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10 THINGS YOUR SITE MUST HAVE

2010-01-04T12:49:00.002-05:00

Getting these ten things right will help you impress customers and compete more effectively with larger businesses. When customers visit your website, they want information instantly. If they can’t find what they are looking for, they can get frustrated pretty quickly and leave, or worse they could go looking for one of your competitors to find what they need. It is important to keep the user experience in mind, meaning you need to find a balance between your need to promote your business and your customer’s need to get the information they want.

So just what are customers looking for when they come to your site? Here, in no particular order, are the top 10 things customers are trying to find on your website:

Contact Information, such as phone numbers, email addresses, and physical location.

Product Information, which means in-depth information on the products or services you provide, including prices.

Samples of your products or previous work.

Support, including product information, troubleshooting help, FAQs, etc.

Shopping, it is important for your customers to quickly find out how to purchase products, be it online or at a physical location where your products are being sold.

Company Information, such as background information on the business and the management team.

News and announcements, including press releases and updated product or service enhancements.

Employment opportunities.

Back Home, an easy way to get back to your home page where all paths begin in the customer’s mind.

Simple Navigation that makes all these other items easy to find.

And AS A BONUS, don’t ever forget that a picture is worth 1,000 words. Use them liberally throughout your website, especially to break up large amounts of text.

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9 Tips For Effective Website Content

2009-12-03T12:06:00.001-05:00

Writing for the Internet is a different skill to writing for paper print or paper publications. Website readers digest smaller amounts of information in less time when compared to reading from paper.

Web readers may be a difficult bunch, they may take a while to digest information and they may need convincing of every single point you deliver but they are essential. They can become long term, loyal customers, as long as you give them what they want.
This means that website content needs to be very well organized, concise, well formatted, and appealing. Throw in the proper use of search engine keywords, a powerful Call To Action (CTA), your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), and the natural skepticism of web users and it's easy to see why many website owners use professional content writers.

1 - Use An Inverted Pyramid Style Of Writing; this means getting your point across early in the text. Web readers are an impatient bunch and they need to know that the page they're reading is relevant. Include a summary or conclusion of the page's main points at the beginning of the text and then elaborate on this as you progress.

2 - Make It Concise; as well as being impatient, web readers aren't able to digest and process information as well on a computer screen as they are on paper. There are masses of studies and numerous sets of data giving statistics on this, but the general point is that basic pages need to be between a third and a half of the length they would be on paper. Try to aim for 300-500 words for web pages, with longer pages for technical articles, newsletters, and other web based publications.

3 - Use Headers and Sub-Headers not only enable you, as the writer, to properly structure the page; they also enable the reader to scan through and find the information that is most pertinent to them. Don't try anything too clever with your headers and do ensure that they are relevant and informational.

4 - Use Bullets and Lists; these are another method of enabling readers to quickly navigate around a page and grab the most important information. Many readers will simply scroll down a page and if no information jumps out at them then they won't read anything. Prevent these readers from clicking away from your website by offering bite sized chunks of information.

5 - Use Simple Language; another area where statistics and figures differ is in the comprehension level of website readers. No matter which figures you listen to, though, one point is clear - we simply can't process information as well when reading from a computer. Use simple language, avoid jargon that isn't necessary or clearly defined, and engage your readers using language that everybody can understand.

6 - Use Short Paragraphs And Shorter Sentences; a paragraph should contain text relating to a single, simple idea. When you reach the conclusion of that idea, you should also reach the end of that paragraph. Paragraphs should contain no more than 70-80 words where possible. If a paragraph requires fewer words then make it shorter. The same goes for sentences.

7 - Make It Easy to Scan; shorter paragraphs, more concise pages, and good headers make a page easy to scan. So too do bullets and lists. Add formatting such as bold and italicized text, quotes, and even hyperlinked text to make the page easier to scan. Remember to use a degree of caution, however, because a page that consists of different formatting techniques will be very difficult to read and understand. Many readers will simply close your page and move on.

8 - Write Objectively; we've already discussed how Internet users are impatient and find it difficult to digest information; they're also a highly skeptical bunch that will take convincing of virtually anything you have to say. Use objective language and avoid the use of too much marketing fluff. Avoid exaggerated claims such telling readers that yours is the best product in the world and instead show them why - convince them to come to that conclusion on their own and you will enjoy better results for your effort.

9 - One Idea per Paragraph, One Subject per Page

A single paragraph should contain a single idea and a single page should cover one topic. If a page is becoming too wordy because it includes information on other subjects, then break it down and hyperlink to those other pages. For longer pages remember the bookmark function and use it wisely to help readers navigate their way around your site and take in all of the information that you have to offer.

Giving Visitors What They Want

As stated at the beginning, Web readers may be a difficult bunch, they may take a while to digest information and they may need convincing of every single point you deliver but they are essential. They can become long term, loyal customers, as long as you give them what they want and that's why we love them so much. If you don't have the time or the resource to write your own compelling and effective website content then consider using professional copywriters.

Source: Entireweb Newsletter #581, 10/13/09

HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE

2009-11-04T17:15:00.001-05:00

■STEP 1: Start by creating a basic road map. This will set the tone for what you’re doing. Keep in mind that this is an evolutionary process. In the beginning, don’t try to be Amazon.com. (It took them years to become a web powerhouse.) Grandiose visions are fine, but you need to build up to realizing them. Start small and grow big.

■STEP 2: Determine what tools you need to help drive the right traffic to your site. The web is a very competitive space—today there are over 11 billion web pages, so you need to be strategic in deciding what works best for you. Some of these tools include search engine marketing, e-mail marketing and search engine optimization. This then is the time to decide how and where you’re going to spend your (limited) marketing budget.

■STEP 3: How will you determine what’s working on your site and what isn’t? Some industry best practices will work for you; others may need some tinkering. Deciding how to measure your ROI (return on investment) and other crucial metrics is key to the success of your business. The best way to find this out is through website traffic reports, but you should listen to your customers as well. They will let you know what market tactics are working for you, what ones aren’t, and how to improve your results. You’ll need to go further than that—but don’t worry, there’s a lot of help out there to make these tasks easier.

■STEP 4: Apply what you learn from your metrics. These include page views, length of visits, site traffic volume and trends, and you should study them to improve your site’s content, navigation and performance. This enables you to offer a better experience to your visitors.

Sounds simple, but like any successful venture, it will take hard work and refinements to ensure the success that you desire from your Internet presence.

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT FOR WEB

2009-10-04T10:21:00.000-04:00

Internet users make up their minds about the quality of a website in the blink of an eye, a study shows. Researchers found that the brain makes decisions in just a 20th of a second of viewing a webpage. They were surprised as they believed it would take at least 10 times longer to form an opinion.

Speedy conclusions
The study, published in the journal Behavior and Information Technology, also suggests that first impressions have a lasting impact. The Canadian team showed volunteers glimpses of websites, lasting for only 50 milliseconds. The volunteers then had to rate the websites in terms of their aesthetic appeal. The researchers found that the speedily formed conclusions closely tallied with opinions of the websites that had been made after much longer periods of examination.

Gitte Lindgaard, of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, the lead researcher of the paper expressed her surprise at the results. "My colleagues believed it would be impossible to really see anything in less than 500 milliseconds," she told the website of the Nature journal, which reported the research. The judgments were being formed almost as quickly as the eye can take in information.

Lasting impressions
The researchers also believe that these quickly formed first impressions last because of what is known to psychologists as the "halo effect". If people believe a website looks good, then this positive quality will spread to other areas, such as the website's content. Since people like to be right, they will continue to use the website that made a good first impression, as this will further confirm that their initial decision was a good one.

As websites increasingly jostle for business, Dr Lindgaard added that companies should take note. "Unless the first impression is favorable, visitors will be out of your site before they even know that you might be offering more than your competitors," she warned.

Story from BBC NEWS, Published 01/16/2006

10 WORDS NO LONGER IN VOGUE

2009-09-01T16:28:00.000-04:00

Here are a few terms that have faded from everyday use over the past 10 to 20 years and this info should be helpful for 20-somethings; when the more senior people in your life use one of these terms, you'll know what they're talking about. [1]

1. Intranet

Popular in the mid-90s, the term "intranet" usually referred to a private business network running the Internet Protocol and other Internet standards such as HTTP. It was also used to describe an internal Web site that was hosted behind a firewall and was accessible only to employees. Today, every private network runs IP, so you can just use the term virtual private network or VPN to describe a private IP-based network.

2. Extranet

An "extranet" referred to private network connections based on Internet standards such as IP and HTTP that extended outside an organization, such as between business partners. Extranets often replaced point-to-point electronic data interchange (EDI) connections that used standards such as X12. Today, companies provide suppliers, resellers and other members of their supply chain with access to their VPNs.

3. Web Surfing

When is the last time you heard someone talk about surfing the Web? You know the term is out of date when your kids don't know what it means. To teens and tweens, the Internet and the World Wide Web are one and the same thing. So it's better to use the term "browsing" the Web if you want to be understood.

4. Push Technology

The debate over the merits of "push" versus "pull" technology came to a head in 1996 with the release of the PointCast Network, a Web service that sent a steady stream of news to subscribers. However, PointCast and other push technology services required too much network bandwidth. Eventually, push technology evolved into RSS feeds, which remain the preferred method for publishing information to subscribers of the Internet. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.

5. Application Service Provider (ASP)

During this decade, the term "Application Service Provider" evolved into "Software-as-a-Service." Both terms refer to a vendor hosting a software application and providing access to it over the Web. Customers buy the software on a subscription basis, rather than having to own and operate it themselves. ASP was a hot term prior to the dot-com bust. Then it was replaced by "SaaS." Now, the latest buzz is to talk about "cloud computing."

6. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Coined by former Apple CEO John Sculley back in 1992 when he unveiled the Apple Newton, the term "personal digital assistant" referred to a handheld computer. PDA was still in use in 1996, when the Palm Pilot was the hottest handheld in corporate America. Today, the preferred generic term for a handheld like a Blackberry or an iPhone is a "smartphone".

7. Internet Telephony

You need to purge the term "Internet telephony" from your vocabulary and switch to VoIP, for Voice over IP. Even the term VoIP is getting old-fashioned because pretty soon all telephone calls will be routed over the Internet rather than the Public Switched Telephone Network. It's probably time to stop referring to the PSTN, too, because it is headed for the history books as all voice, data and video traffic is carried on the Internet.

8. Weblog

A blog is a shortened version of "Weblog," a term that emerged in the late 1990s to describe commentary that an individual publishes online. It spawned many words still in use such as "blogger" and "blogosphere." Nowadays, few people have time to blog so they are "microblogging," which is another word that's heading out the door as people turn Twitter into a generic term for blasting out 140-character observations or opinions.

9. Thin Client

You have to give Larry Ellison credit for seeing many of the flaws in the client/server computing architecture and for popularizing the term "thin client" to refer to Oracle's alternative terminal-like approach. In 1993, Ellison was touting thin clients as a way for large organizations to improve network security and manageability. Although thin clients never replaced PCs, the concept is similar to "virtual desktops" that are gaining popularity today as a way of supporting mobile workers.

10. World Wide Web

Nobody talks about the "World Wide Web" anymore, or the "Information Superhighway," for that matter. It's just the Internet. It's a distinction that Steve Czaban, the popular Fox Sports Radio talk show host, likes to mock when he refers to the "Worldwide Interweb." Nothing dates you more than pulling out one of those old-fashioned ways of referring to the Internet such as "infobahn" or "electronic highway."

[1] Source: Carol Duffy Marsan, 8/09

10 USABILITY PRINCIPLES FOR WEB DESIGN

2009-08-12T17:17:00.000-04:00

1. Motivate – Design your website to meet specific user goals.

2. User Taskflow – What are your users tasks and online environment? For a site to be usable, page flow must match workflow.

3. Architecture – Build an efficient navigational structure. Remember if it can’t be found in 3 clicks; they’re gone.

4. Affordance makes obvious – Make controls understandable, avoiding confusion between emblems, banners, and buttons.

5. Replicate – and use consistent color, themes, and navigation throughout your web site.

6. Usability – Test users with prototypes early in the design. Don’t wait until the end when it’s too late.

7. Know technological limits – identify and optimize for target browsers and user hardware; test HTML, JavaScripts, etc. for compatibility.

8. Know user tolerances – they tend to be impatient. Design for a 2-10 second maximum download. Reuse graphics so they can be loaded from cache. Avoid excessive scrolling.

9. Multimedia – good animation attracts attention to specific information, then stops. Too much movement distracts reading and slows comprehension.

10. Use Stats – Monitor traffic through your site. Which pages pique user interest? Which pages make users leave? Adjust the site accordingly.

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What Makes a Website Effective?

2009-07-16T11:25:00.001-04:00

3 things that make a website effective:

1. Keep it Simple

Use easy to understand English, instead of the nerd-jargon or inside lingo that is often seen and only understood by those most close to the subject. Provide a message that kids as young as 10 and retired persons in their 80's can understand and really know what you are trying to say and sell.

2. And Practical

Leverage your many years of experience to help filter out all but most essential parts of your message. Use graphics that are understandable and are on-point with respect to the products or services that you are promoting. Don’t overwhelm your audience and the internet with volumes of information that take time to be displayed.

3. And Concise

The shortest distance between to points is a straight line - draw that straight line for your website! By steering clear of long-winded discussions and useless nerd-theory and yammering, you have a much better chance of getting your message across.

People’s attention span is relatively short. If you don’t follow these basic steps, you will not get your message to your website viewers and thus your website will be mostly ineffective.

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A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS

2009-06-03T17:57:00.001-04:00

This statement refers to the idea that complex stories can be described with just a single still image, or that an image may be more influential than a substantial amount of text. It also aptly characterizes the goals of visualization where large amounts of data must be absorbed quickly.
I completely agree with this principle and encourage clients to utilize graphics and photos in their websites. They are both visually eye-catching as well as informative.

However, one has to be careful that the beneficial use of graphics and photos do not pose the detrimental side effect of slowing down page rendering. Slow page rendering can be very frustrating and will surely drive Internet visitors away from a website.

Thus, care must be taken to ensure that images used on a website load quickly. To do this a number of considerations must be made. Image files should be as small as possible without dostorting/loosing resolution and clarity. There are a number of tools available that can be used to adjust images to provide very reasonable clarity and color and at the same time maintain a reasonable small size. Other tricks, where many images on a page are available are to pre-load the most importatnt images, e.g. headers, logos, etc., so that a viewer knows very quickly what he/will be looking at.

The truth remains that “a picture is worth 1,000 words” and even more so on the Internet where viewers are looking for as much information as possible in the shortest amount of time. When designing a website, one just has to apply a few techniques to ensure that the pictures show up on the screen in a timely manner.

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Build It and They Will Come... Almost!

2009-05-01T11:35:00.000-04:00

If you are in business in this day and age, you must have a website to describe your products and services. You can be sure that your major competition is already using the Internet to promote their business.

The cost of developing websites is continuingly rising. Businesses are paying from $3,000 to $5000, to $10,000 to have their websites build today, depending on complexity and functionality.

However, even with a website, you still have to market your website. You have to have mechanisms that draw or send people to your website.

One such method is Search Engine Optimization, more commonly referred to as SEO. SEO is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via “natural” (“organic” or “algorithmic”) search results. Typically, the earlier a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.

Search engine optimizers may offer SEO as a stand-alone service or as a part of a broader marketing campaign. Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design. SEO will be the subject of future bolgs.

Another, surprisingly often overlooked method is done by including ones website address in their advertising, brochures and signage, stationary; any where that their business name is displayed. People then will know where to go to find out more about you, your business, and examples and testimonials of your work. It is amazing how people will spend time and money for the development of their website and completely forget that they have to let other people know that it exists and how to get to it.

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SPRING CLEANING YOUR WEBSITE

2009-04-03T11:54:00.002-04:00

Here are some things to consider relative to spring cleaning a website:

Give your website, especially your home page, a facelift. Redo your banner/header, replace old graphics with new ones, change colors if and where appropriate, and write a new introduction.
Update your content: messages, keywords, products, services, pricing, locations, contacts, etc. Remember, like cash, “Content is King.”
Clean-up dead links, outdated information, etc. People get annoyed and frustrated when encountering out-of-date information and more especially, broken links.
Consider adding new features/content to your website; such as:
- What’s New page
- Resources Page
- FAQ and/or Tips Page
Also, if you are in the business of selling products or services, consider offering a printable discount coupon as an incentive for your website viewers.

Remember, Spring is a time of renewal and it is a good time to clean up your website as well as your house. A stale and outdated website turns off views. So take this opportunity to refresh and renew your site. This will send the message to viewers that you are very much alive and well!

Happy cleaning…

Picking A Good Domain Name Is Important!

2009-03-02T16:20:00.002-05:00

You can't underestimate how important choosing a good domain name is. Let’s take a look at what makes a good domain name:

1. It is short – Until people bookmark your site name, the fewer keystrokes, the more likely it will be that a potential visitor will land on your site the first and every time.

2. It is easy to remember – People will not waste time trying to think of what your website name is.

3. It is easy to spell – Watch out for the spelling impaired and fat-fingered typists (like me).

4. It is descriptive or brandable – A name that goes without saying!

5. If possible avoid hyphens and numbers. Though there may be instances where these may be appropriate; e.g. Flight93memorialproject.org or chick-fil-a.com.

6. It has a .com extension if at all possible for a commercial business. However, organizations should consider the .org extension and with the continuous growth of the number of sites in the world wide web, in some cases commercial operations may have to consider either the .net or .biz extensions.

6-Step Website Development Process

2009-02-06T11:17:00.001-05:00

6-Step Website Development Process

There are a number of steps in the website design and development process. The number will vary slightly from designer to designer, but basically the process can be summarized by the following six steps:
1. Information Gathering
2. Planning
3. Design
4. Development
5. Testing and Delivery
6. Maintenance

Phase 1: Information GatheringThe first step in designing a successful website is to gather information. Many things need to be taken into consideration when the look and feel of a website is created. This first step is actually the most important in that involves a solid understanding of the company or organization that the website is being created for. It is important that a web designer start off by asking lots of questions to help them understand the target business and needs in a website.

Things to consider in this step include:
• Purpose - What is the purpose of the site? Should the site provide information, promote a service, sell a product… ?
• Goals - What is expected to be accomplished by building the website? Two of the more common goals are either to make money or share information.
• Target Audience – Who are the specific people that will help you reach your goals? It is helpful to picture the “ideal” person trageted to visit the website. Consider the demographics: age, sex or interests - this will later help determine the best design style for the website.
• Content - What kind of information will the target audience be looking for? Are they looking for specific information, a particular product or service, online ordering…?

Phase 2: Planning
Using the information collected from the first phase, the next step is to put together a plan for the website. At this point a site map is developed. The site map is a list of all main topic areas of the site, as well as sub-topics, where applicable. This serves as a guide as to what content and structure will be on the site, and is essential to developing a consistent, easy to understand navigational system. The end-user of the website - aka your customer - must be kept in mind when designing the site, after all, these people who will be buying your products or learning about your services. A good user interface creates an easy to navigate website

Phase 3: Design
With the information gathered up to this point, it’s time to determine the look and feel of the site. A web designer may create one or more prototype designs for the website. This can be accomplished using graphic (bmp or jpg) images of what the final design will look like or developing prototype pages that can be viewed by access to a non-public area of the website. This latter approach also facilitates review of work in progress.

Either way, the designer should allow previewing of the website project throughout the design and development stages. The most important reason for this is that it gives you the opportunity to express your likes and dislikes on the site design. In this phase, communication between both you and your designer is crucial to ensure that the final website will match your needs and taste. It is important to work closely together, exchanging ideas, until you arrive at the final design for your website.

Phase 4: Development
The developmental stage is the point where the website itself is created. At this time, a web designer will take all of the individual graphic elements from the prototype and use them to create the actual, functional site. This is typically done by first developing the home page, followed by a “shell” for the interior pages. The shell serves as a template for the content pages of your site, as it contains the main navigational structure for the web site. Once the shell has been created, the designer will take your content and distribute it throughout the site, in the appropriate areas.

This entire time, a designer should continue to make your in-progress website available to you for previewing, so that you can suggest any additional changes or corrections you would like to have done.

Phase 5: Testing & Delivery
At this point, web designers will attend to the final details and test the website. They will test things such as the complete functionality of forms or other scripts, as well last testing for last minute compatibility issues (viewing differences between different web browsers), ensuring that your website is optimized to be viewed properly in the most recent browser versions.

Once you give your web designer final approval, it is time to ‘Launch’ the site where the website is either uploaded to the hosting server, or the website is moved from a non-public area to the public area on the hosting server. Most web designers offer domain name registration and web hosting services as well. Once these accounts have been setup, and your website uploaded to the server, the site should be put through one last run-through. This is just precautionary, to confirm that all files have been uploaded correctly, and that the site continues to be fully functional.
This marks the official launch of your site, as it is now viewable to the public.

Phase 6: Maintenance
The development of a website is not necessarily over, though. One way to bring repeat visitors to your site is to offer new content or products on a regular basis. Most web designers will be more than happy to continue working together with you, to update the information on your website. Many designers offer maintenance packages at reduced rates, based on how often you anticipate making changes or additions to your website.

Other maintenance type items include SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SES (Search Engine Submission). This is the optimization of you web site with elements such as title, description and keyword tags which help your web site achieve higher rankings in the search engines. The previously mentioned code validation is something that plays a vital role in SEO, as well.
There are a lot of details involved in optimizing and submitting your website to the search engines - enough to warrant it’s own post. This is a very important step, because even though you now have a web site, you need to make sure that people can find it!

The Bottom Line
All in all, your web designer should work closely with you on a very similar process to this one. A good working relationship with your designer, including an open line of communication, is important to ensure they are creating a successful web site that will help your business grow.

Food for Thought

2009-01-24T14:19:00.003-05:00

Here are some things to consider when designing a website:
• Keep in mind the purpose of your site is to provide current information about your business or organization. This information should be presented in a concise, consistent and tasteful manner.
• Site continuity is very important. Keep organized and avoid “dead end” pages; those that have no internal links.
• Avoid poor navigation; people will get lost, especially with recursive linking. Having been lost once they will likely remember the feeling and be reluctant to return.
• Keep the website layout fairly simple; too much clutter creates confusion and mental congestion.
• Page backgrounds should be kept relatively simple. It can be very difficult to read words on a busy background.
• Avoid poor color combinations. You may have some favorite colors, but using one for a font and the other for a background may be REAL hard to read, e.g. red on blue or vice-versa.
• Also, colors that look good on your display or monitor may not on look good on others. Photos and graphic images on your monitor may look darker or brighter than other people’s monitors due to differences from manufacturers and/or the brightness and contrast settings people use on their monitor.
• Don't have different fonts on all your pages. It's better to stick to one theme, using only one or two fonts throughout your website.
• Don't use high density photos and graphic images as this can lead to viewer frustration due to slow loading times. A JPEG of about 75kb is should be quite sufficient for a good rendition.
• Also, don't have too many photos or graphics images per page. Again, this will lead to excessive long page loading times resulting in people going elsewhere!
• Use pop-ups or pop-unders only where necessary as they are annoying to most people.
• In this day and age, don't say: “This site is best viewed with [browser]”. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is still the dominant browser in the Industry. However, FireFox, currently used by about 20%+ of viewers continues to grow and one can not forget Safari used by most MAC owners.

A Philosophy

2009-01-12T11:40:00.001-05:00

As part of establishing APT Web Design, I had to think about a philosophy regarding my approach to developing websites. I was aware of my somewhat limited skills and knew I was not interested in developing a large staff to tackle monster websites for major corporations. My target market was, as myself, small businesses and organizations, be it in any industry. With a target market established, I then studied what were the major obstacles and pitfalls that frustrate people from using the Internet. Surely, if a small business did not present a clear, concise message on the Internet, they would loose the interest and business from their online visitors.

So, based on my own experiences visiting numerous websites and hearing from others on the same subject, I decided the following three areas would be those that I focus on while developing websites for my clients. These areas include:

» STYLE: As a proponent of the “KISS” principle, I believe that being too fancy with exotic background images or elaborate Flash introductions, though artistic and/or technologically impressive, can be a major distraction or turn-off. I believe a clean, aesthetic appearance (structure and design), consistently applied across the entire website is the most effective approach.
» CONTENT: In the financial world, there is a saying that “Cash is King.” Well, in the Internet world the saying is that “Content is King.” It is important that ones website contains a meaningful, well presented message supported by clear, concise, consistent content.
» NAVIGATION: One of the worst offences encountered in a website is not finding what you were looking for and then getting lost. A successful website will make it clear how to navigate throughout the site and how to get back to where you started from.

There is another old saying: “If you build it, they will come.” Many website developers/owners really believe this. But by ignoring these basic principles: Style, Content, and Navigation, I believe a website will quickly loose any visitors who have come. I believe that my approach of focusing on these three basic principles, a website can be effective ands successful.

The Beginning

2009-01-06T13:06:00.000-05:00

After almost 40 years in the computer industry, first as a programmer (now they are called software engineers) and advancing to various management positions (in hardware, software and systems development), I was faced with the decision of what to do with the rest of my life. Or, stated differently, what do I want to do when I grow up?

In 1996, I was assigned as a Department Manager in a product development group where I had responsibility for people (skills development and assignments) and as technical interface to our marketing group. It became obvious that the use of the company Intranet could be a valuable assist for me to execute all of my responsibilities. I started to learn how to develop web pages that I then used to provide current organizational and technical information easily accessible by everyone throughout the company. After the closing of that project, I became a Resource Manager in a hardware engineering organization. Again I continued to learn and leverage the Intranet to assist in providing easily accessible organizational information as well as an online New Hire Orientation program.

During the last ten years with the company, my work of Intranet development to support my primary job assignments gave me a much satisfaction and a great sense of accomplishment. Additionally, many in the company, at all levels, acknowledged the quality and usefulness of the work I was doing using the Intranet. Other groups would request linking to my work and even a couple used me as a consultant to help them develop their own Intranet websites.

So, given the satisfaction I derived from developing web pages and websites, I decided that perhaps I could leverage my somewhat limited skills and resources to help others, that is small business and organizations, to capitalize on the Internet to foster their products and services. Thus, APT Web Design was born.