Journal : Category: General

User First and Pepsi

Pepsi are a clearly huge brand and have been for decades. They have been know for some very smart marketing campaign and up till recently spent millions if not more on advertising on your mainstream events such as the SuperBowl. In 2011 they tried something different.

Personalisation - constructing personalised content for users

We all know that companies target us gathering as much data as they can. Google and FaceBook for instance do this as every other marketing firm does to make more money. The more they have the more money they can make in their advertising. Why is that?

Flash still very useful

Flash is dieing, mainly because of Apples reluctance to use on on the ioS devices such as iPad and iPhone. Adobe have pulled their mobile player because of performance and have stated themselves they support the open source html5 framework.

Authentic

When a user visits your website you are unknown to them. You are just another business online. You need to stand out! How do you do it?

Mamp and Typekit – locally

There's also another application called MAMP that we cannot live without. Mamp stands for Mac, Apache, Mysql and PHP. Its a very easy to use Application that allows for a local server to be run on a Mac. It comes with virtual uses.

No data is available from the most recent 2 calendar days.

This message is from the new Google Analytics (GoAn). It seems it has taken a few steps forward and a few back.

Relationships : Its a 2 way thing

Be wary though, there will be some clients that are more trouble than they are worth, and setting expectations is one way of deciphering a potential good client from bad.

Conversion

Conversion in e-commerce is crucial. What is it? Its the percentage of people that complete a task on your site, generally relating to a sale or purchase of goods. We track a few things on a site but we track 2 things in particular on an e-commerce store. The sale and the add to cart feature.

USP

Many people think that businesses must have a USP and they are right in a way. But lets look into it. USP is unique selling selling point. Something different, something outstanding.

Correlation does not imply causation

In the Wikipedia entry it reads “ "Correlation does not imply causation" (related to "ignoring a common cause" and questionable cause) is a phrase used in science and statistics to emphasize that correlation between two variables does not automatically imply that one causes the other (though correlation is necessary for linear causation in the absence of any third and countervailing causative variable, and can indicate possible causes or areas for further investigation; in other words, correlation can be a hint) “

Javascript is not universal

Javascript is now a very common occurrence on just about every website going out the doors of an agency these days. JavaScript is said to have a penetration rate of 99%, thats incredibly high. So much relies on it now, from videos, news on BBC and even Google analytics. No javascript? No data from that visitor on GoAn. We do rely on javascript too much.

Time

Time is something that people don't have enough of in business. Off course you can hire time and that's how businesses expand, they hire people when their own times starts to get maxed out.

Ebay, greedy company which monopolizes!

Ebay as they has grown and are the most famous site for buying stuff so they started misusing their fame by increasing the rates for sellers and they adopted many other restricted policies that affected many users. These polices involved such as they had the only mode of payment is through PayPal which offer good deal to eBay but make users and customers to suffer.

Advantages of CMS

CMS stands for content management system. It is the collection of procedure to ensure that work flow in a cooperative and friendly environment.in order to help out non-technical contributors so that they can maintain and expand their website work and learn experience.

The Rise of Twitter - Worth Billions But Not Profitable Yet

Twitter is one of the most popular social networking websites today, that has earned great recognition among the internet users, after Facebook. But, the popularity and the profitability of Twitter have always been questioned.

Gary Vaynerchuck -how he made it - Wine TV etc

He started wine TV in h the approach seemed to be irreverent. He combined wine and a shrewd social media technique to prompt his family business which was selling discount liquors.

Top 10 chrome extensions

Here are ten top Google chrome extensions. These extensions are very important for the fast and better browsing.

Profit from iPhone apps

IPhone is the product of Apple. It has revolutionized the life of people and was first of its kind. They have many new features and Apple has offered developers to develop the applications for the iPhone which the can sell form the Apple’s iTunes App Store.

Google Instant and Effect on Adword CTR’s

Google has always been popular among the internet community for its smart options and optimized search. One of the key features offered by the Google is that of Google Instant.

The Benefits Of Talking At Design Conferences

Conference generally means a formal meeting between states, person, political groups, etc. for some exchange of information, to formulate policy, consultation, discussion etc.

Word Press vs Drupal vs Joomla

CMS is an essential tool required for web managing and developing. There are three CMS tools to assist you -Word Press, Drupal &Joomla, each one has different standards. Read on to find more.

Panic Coda vs Abobe Dreamweaver

Website designing is an important aspect for every website and you cannot create a good website without the help of good designing tools. These tools act as a medium that allows you to have a free hand on your creativity and ideas.

Mac’s are an expense - use Windows if on a budget!

Are your thoughts jumbling up? If you are in chaos of finding the right computer with all the desired features at an affordable price, here are a few tips to help you in choosing the right home computer that matches your needs.

9-5 doesn’t cut it- if in a design job

Conventional 9-5 working hours seems like a dream of the past. It doesn’t seem to work out that way anymore. Complications, targets, technology and competition have combined together to wipe out those sweet memories gone by.

Google Circles - another Buzz?

Google Circles is soon announcing its new social media service and this news is being welcomed by all the Google users very eagerly.

The rise of Google Chrome

More and more internet surfers are now getting to know the beneficial aspects of Google’s newest offering- Google chrome. It’s an open source browser that was launched in the year 2008 and its popularity has been on an increase ever since.

Top 5 Web Apps

Any application that has a web browser which acts as a client is known as web application. The message can be very much straightforward like a message board or some what like a guest sign in book on any website.

Top 5 firefox plugins for better security

We need to surf the internet everyday for variety of purposes, work, entertainment, information, leisure, etc. For all this we require a browser that ensures the safety of a personal computer or mobile.

You need to put in the hours - hard work pays off

Hard work is the mother of all inventions. Be it Galileo or Archimedes or even Newton, its their persistence to a particular theory or thought that gave rise to some of the highly valued and important inventions of all times in the world.

Web apps- The New Internet Frontier

The development of innovative and unique web applications is the major focus of the world of internet today. There are several organizations that are striving towards the development of web applications that can introduce the exploration of limitless possibilities for the internet users.

The Internet is coming for your TV

Today, when there is progress prevailing in almost all industries of the world; the advancements in different areas of sciences and technology are no far behind. In fact, technology is the most impacting area that has brought changes to other fields of life either directly or indirectly, and it has become a part of every industry to work with a consistent pace and innovation.

Designing for the iPad

As mentioned by Steve Jobs during the launch of the iPad, it comes as a middle device lying somewhere between iPhone and Mac. The popularity of iPad is not hidden from any of the technology masses, and most of us are familiar with the innovation that it has brought for us with bigger display compared to the iPhone.

Apples rise from the ashes under Steve Jobs

The history of this man is different from the founders of other big companies. He founded Apple with the co-founders Steve Wozniak and Mike Markkula. While he was in Apple in 1980 introduced the idea of mouse driven graphical user interface which lead to the invention of Macintosh OS.

 Apple App store take 30% of commission and reoccurring commission - not acceptable

These new policies from Apple are being criticized by all the developer because now they have to sell their app or subscription with the same price within the apps to customers.

Winning That First Big Design Job

Getting a good job in today’s competitive market has become a tough task. Graphic designing is one of the fields in Information Technology that is adopted by people of diverse backgrounds, and hence it is little tricky to attract the attention of employers for a newbie.

Reputation is what counts, not that great looking website, if people haven’t heard of you - your cha

The reputation of any business is the key factor in defining its success rate. The customers of any company are the people who act majorly in making its’ repute.

Design vs. Art

Design vs. arts is a topic which has been under the discussion of many people belonging to both the fields.

Degree - Is it worth it?

Degree is a formal education from some recognized institute in some specific field of education such as engineering, medicine and design etc.

Business is about people - people do business with people not businesses

Many small companies that start business just wonder about, why their success rate is so slow.

Boost Up the Speed of Your Website

The clientele of a website largely depends upon its customers. A website that has slow speed and hangs up when the user tries to open a link on it, or so forth; then the user would obviously rate such site as the one of low degree, and might never opt for it again.

HTML5 Geolocation

Html 5 Geolocation is one of the extended APIs offered by html 5. It has become very famous just because of the feature it provides. It can approximate the location of the user of certain site with user’s permission. However this is new technology so it is not that accurate but it gives good results.

HTML 5 VIDEO

The reason behind the attraction and attention of Html 5 video is the feature offered that is it allows to play video in the web browser without installing any plug-in such as adobe flash player.

How to Get Clients on Side?

Most of the online companies and freelancers are always keen to discover new methods of attracting more and more clients. The basic rule for winning good clients is to make repute by delivering quality work.

The Development of Flash by Adobe - Certainly The Best To Adopt

The web development and designing has always been one of the keys to the success in the development of internet. Since the start, different tools have been developed for meeting up the industry web standards.

Why HTML5?

Some say HTML5 is in, Flash is out! Well, actually it’s not the fact. The usefulness and competitiveness of flash cannot be denied; but certainly we can claim that HTML5 is going to be a tough competitor for FLASH in year 2011 and upcoming future.

Mobile Apps - Where Are They Going?

Today, mobile application development is one of the most pursued projects by different companies. Where are we going with them?

Making money on your site from Ads

Websites cost money to produce, to host and to manage. Many people don't like doing something for nothing. Ad can help pay those bills.

Not focus groups – card sorting

Focus groups are a poor use of time for researching users, there are better options.

Making your site more accessible

Web accessibility is like having wheelchair access to buildings, it thinks about all the people that use, well maybe not all, that would be impossible, but tries to give as many people as possible access to websites.

Why do agencies double the predicted time for a project?

Things go wrong, its that simple. What can go wrong? In our experience a lot of the time things are out with the designers and developers hands.

Assumptions and arrogance

Web designers and developers build websites. Nothing ground breaking here then. Web designers and developers don't use websites.

Ownership of websites - the legal and the process

A client recently ran into problems with claimed ownership of their website. It was a community based local site which people had their say on local matters specific to that area. Some had claimed to own it outright.

Speeding up your web design process and best practices

4 tips on how to make better and more efficient practices in designing websites.

Getting your users and customers to trust you on an online store

There are scams all over the internet, fraud is on the increase, its highly likely than you or someone you know well has had their credit card details stolen and money withdrawn from your account.

Why paying premium just makes sense in the web design world

You get what you pay for is still a very valid notion in everyday life and it certainly remains true in the web design and development world.

Writing for the web and especially E-Commerce stores

Lets face it writing boring product descriptions for hundreds of items is well tedius and just not fun. If you are serious about your business however you better get writing or outsource this to someone experienced now.

The power of Social Media

Social media such as Twitter and FaceBook isn't going away anytime soon, it should be utilised rather than dismissed.

Designing, inspiration and clients

Designing is a funny old game, sometimes as a designer you think you have created something fantastic yet it has to be scrapped.

5 top tips for easier to consume content which help accessibility

Content is the glue that makes websites work and be a success. Don't ignore it or leave to the very end. 5 tips to for better and more accessible content.

Merry Xmas when it comes

Merry Xmas when its comes and a few lessons we learned in 2010

HTML5 and where are we now?

HTML5 has received substantial coverage in the web community and as we near the end of 2010 where are we now? What can we use and implement right now?

Search engine optimisation and moving the needle

Seo or search engine optimisation is either a very complicated and very easy game to play. By building great content you succeed. Well.....

Small business lesson for us all - urgency and clients

Clients demand yesterday and not tomorrow for most things, but how do you decide when to act when overloaded with work

Why multiple designs should be a thing of the past

Presenting multiple designs to a client is still common place in the web design world. It shouldn't be.

Podcasts -  Advantages over radio shows and the best web design ones

Podcasts are very alike radio shows but why are they better? Listed top 5 podcasts

Empowering Google Analytics and Goals

Google Analytics is great free tool that's worth a lot of money. By using goals and url tracking you can empower and help your business and website push onwards.

Spreading the risk in web design

People on people, things and markets but sometimes things can wrong and spreading the risk is just general good advice.

The benefits of virtual servers - VPS’s / VDS’s

Virtual private servers or virtual dedicated servers came on the scene a few years ago and are now a fantastic alternative to a dedicated server.

Marketing a web design business

I had a meeting yesterday with a young local web designer and he asked how to market the business. There's no secret sauce but here was a few things that were discussed.

Bad comments and no comments is not what you want

The web is a funny old place and people now have a serious voice that people can listen too. Comments are good.

Search engine optimisation was a very easy game to play in a few years ago

Search engine optimisation (SEO) was a very easy game to play in a few years ago, now however its need hard work and a clear strategy.

5 invaluable and completely free tools for web design

A lot of people say you get get nothing for nothing but these tools break that notion.

When a user gets on your site they ask these 4 questions

When a web user visits your site they ask these 4 questions, your site therefore better answer them quickly

Why WordPress isnt the holy grail -  namely security and scalability

WordPress is open source and free to use blogging software. It has swept the web to be used into something which covers many bases. Sounds fantastic! but there are downsides

7 top tips for Twitter

Twitter is huge and whilst some organisations, individuals and businesses have ignored it so far it does make some people a lot of money.

The average day date for a Web designer in the UK is ?

Don't undervalue your services, you work hard and are good at what you do.

The benefits of User Experience design

What are the benefits of User Experience (UX) design on a business?

Distractions are the bain of productivity

A few tips on how to remove distractions from every day life and business. Distractions eat into productivity and minimizing them can enhance your productivity.

Tracking conversions offline - hard to be accurate but not impossible

Successful websites are based around goals and conversions of all types. When someone for instance contacts that business offline how do you track them? Impossible its not.

£500 is a lot of money but you need more for a website if your running a full time business

Today we will look at pricing a web design project and whilst £500 is a lot of money it doesn't go far when you are running a full time business.

Is Twitter really for twats?

Are there any benefits of using twitter or is it just hot air?

Beware of the content network on Adwords

After taking on a clients existing Adwords campaign it became clear that theres a lot to consider when activating it.

More enquires from job candidates than potential clients

At the moment we receive a lot more enquiries from people looking for work in the industry than potential clients. What does this say? It says that this is a hugely competitive field.