Thursday, December 11, 2008

Social Media Etiquette

So with my recent interest in Social Media I been reading everything and anything I can get my hands on in an effort to reach a broader audience for our Web site.

Many folks in these Web media sites speak of abuse, spam, and other methods marketers use to get the masses to buy their products. I don't blame them, in this economic times only those who are able to adapt and change their habits will survive.

What I fault many on, however, is the lack of class or how they go about spreading their message. Lets face it, if someone is interested in your product they will reach it and not classified any message about it as spam.

In my search for knowledge I came across this guide and thought I share with all my readers. It is the "The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook" by Tamar Weinberg.

The bottom line is that social networking is a contract between you and a community of individuals like you. It is not cool for you to assume that you are part of a group just because you click on a join link. You need to earn the right to have your opinion validated. It is also not cool to mass email folks who have not welcome you to do so. Lastly, it is not cool to ask me to take a movie test, race your car, or waste my time asking me to click on your clover leaf.

Labels: content management, RSS, Social Bookmarking, Web Design, Web Searches

Monday, October 06, 2008

Bank Implossion and failed economy

For three years now I have become very financially conscious to the point where I'm tuning more and more to CNBC. I'm becoming older and wiser following politics, the world around me and taking the time to hear some expert opinions before I do anything with the few pennies I have assigned to my name.

With the bank mergers and scares, three weeks ago I started googling for a new bank providing a similar high-yield for my account as Washington Mutual had been providing, but with less trouble and more peace of mind that it wouldn't go under. I once again looked at HSBC and ING. Both scare me as I have no quick way to access my money when I need it as branches are nill in my area. I then looked at money markets, once that stood out was Discover Bank, but once again, no local branch.

In my searches I found this site, the bank implode meter. Not much to look at from a Web design standpoint, but full of wonderful news and information on today's economy.

The bottom line is that at a time of turmoil and an unstable economy is best to keep an eye on your money, whether you have millions or ten bucks, you want access to your money when you need it. I delayed the transfer, but luckily WAMU was picked up by Chase preventing any FDIC situation, but I sweat it for a day or two. Now things are looking brighter and I'm still getting my 4% APY. Word of advice trust your instincts, it got you what you have and if you're happy then don't sweat the small stuff.

Labels: Google, Web Design, Web Searches

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Print, Web, who cares, just be informed

Recently I had a friendly discussion with a colleague on the topic of print versus digital publishing. The mediums are very similar in that they provide information.

That is were the similarities end.

When an individual sits down to read a newspaper or magazine, they do so as a leisure activity, a way to pass time, which yields knowledge. At the same time they are limited to the information provided by the author/writer. If the user has questions, they cannot interact or find a quick answer within the same media vehicle. The reader is left to ponder and resolve their own thoughts and ideas on the piece. Readers usually find themselves reading the piece two or three times looking for clues that will help them come to a conclusion.

When a reader opens a browser, it is done with the purpose to satisfy a hunger for knowledge. They seat at this dinner table and start with a search, one or two key terms. They dive into the topic at hand and quickly find themselves jumping from one topic to the next, all trigger by the information they are receiving. Like in print, one topic leads to questions, the difference, the reader has a quick satisfaction. The need to think is drastically diminished. A reader simply needs to turn back to the search box and be ready to face a multitude of choices and options for an answer.

This medium is able to provide a great deal of information to be consumed. The hunger never seizes, but merely a level of satisfaction is achieved that allows the reader to walk away from the table empower with applicable knowledge.

The bottom line is that there is a need and room for both mediums. Writing for the Web is a whole different art form than that of print. The Web is a medium of collaboration where a reader is provided a multitude of opinions and ideas that lead to a conclusion. Where as Print is a medium for those seeking one experts opinion allowing the reader to either accept the conclusion or form their own with at their own capacity.

Labels: Blogger, brand, Freedom of Speech, Google, Politics, reuters, Search Engine, SEO, Web Searches

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

iGoogle Themes

Last year Google introduced iGoogle, an addition to the Google Web site that allows customization, thereby creating an individual homepage for each user. You can login to your personalized page via the iGoogle top right menu on the Google homepage.

Not only do you get to use the predefined gadgets, but you can add your customized RSS feeds or create your own gadgets via the Web developer tools.

Today I noticed that Google was featuring theme images for the iGoogle homepage. It got me intrigued and I starting browsing the many themes available. Thus far I had been using the beach theme which changes it looks depending on the weather and time of the day. However, there are many other themes available. You can even give it a world and create your own themes. I haven't experimented yet, but hopefully I will be giving it a whirl soon.

The bottom line is that Google chooses to keep improving every product, first came iGoogle, then came Google Tabs, followed by Google Themes, now iGoogle social networking via design your own themes, user rating, user comments and FAQ. This company knows how to get things going and keep going. Google guys, forget American Idol, you are my new idols.

Labels: Alexa, CSS, Design, Google, RSS, Search Engine, Social Bookmarking, software, techniques, Web Design, Web Searches

Monday, April 14, 2008

IE6 PNG Transparency Problem

I been working on redisigning a couple of Web site and have come across a very serious problem. I created an image to be place as the background of a div. I then went ahead and included the company logo as a transparant PNG file. Everything was going great. I normally develop in Internet Explorer 7, but make sure to test on all other browsers, Firefox, Netscape, AOL, and Safari.

Turns out during my testing I forgot one, Internet Explorer 6. Well it came to bite me in the butt. When I pulled up the site, the logo was there, but to my surprise it had a grey background instead of the expected transparent background.

After many javascript and conditional comments trials, I decided to incorporate the logo onto the background image. The problem came in that I needed that logo to serve as a hot link to the Web site homepage.

The answer was simple, I created a div inside the div containing the background image and gave it absolute positioning with an onclick command. Here is the code:

The bottom line is that when problems seem complex, the main key is not to panic but to walk away from it for a few minutes and come up with a solution. At first glance, I became quite frustrated, but I turned to work on something else, an hour later, the solution hit me. Hope this helps you as well.

Labels: cms, CSS, Web Design, Web Searches

Monday, March 24, 2008

New Google AJAX Language API

Google is one of those great companies who takes time to make great programs and tools to then turn around and give it away for free. That was the case for the Google version of Microsoft Office, Email platform, just to name a few. I read today the introduction of yet another tool, Google AJAX Language API.

The Google AJAX Language API provide developers with the tools needed to automatically translate content in their applications. I tested the English to Spanish version of the API on the Google Blog and noticed a 90% accuracy, granted I only tried a few phrases.

This is not only a great tool, but also a nice addition to the Google Family of Tools. In addition, it is an API so you're not limited to just using this on the Google site, but you are welcome to take full advantage of the API and create your own tools on your Web site.

The bottom line is that things at Google just keep getting and better each and every day. Although too many people have managed to game the search engine, and some have cause a great scandal in the fraud department of Google Adwords and Adsense, Google is yet to be stopped. How do you stop a 6 billion dollar powerhouse anyways? For more of Google Business Tools, visit http://bizsolutions.google.com/services/. For their consumer line, visit http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

Labels: Google, Web Design, Web Searches

Monday, January 22, 2007

And the fight goes on

It's hard to believe that with so much war between the major SEs (Search Engines), Google, Yahoo, and MSN, one company would try to enter the Search Engine Market expecting to make an impact. But such is the mission of Snap.

Snap was started by Bill Gross, the same man who started Overture and sold it to Yahoo for $1.63 billion, seems set to continue a long line of profitable start-ups with this one. Snap has quickly become one of the top five alternative to the three major search engines. Though Google, Yahoo, and MSN combined hold over 90 percent of the search engine market, with Google dominationg over 60% of the users, Snap has shown its colors and that it may have a prayer in the Search Engine Market.

The bottom line is that while the big three are fighting for control, this small startup has shown that with some talent success can be achieve. Snap is not out to organize the world's information, they are not out to be the most use search engine, but simply to provide another way to search the Web. Right now the site provides a clean, easy to use interface and seems that it has not been gamed, I'm sure for SEOs will find a way to break it soon enough.

Labels: Search Engine, Web Design, Web Searches

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