I realized there was good reason to keep site security in mind. As mentioned in an earlier security post, WordPress powers almost 15% of all websites and presents a large target for hackers and malicious scripts. Relying on the default installation without keeping it updated and protected is akin to running a PC without virus software. You may be asking for it.

Customizing your site’s .htaccess files is an excellent way to bar your site against malevolent activity. Jeff Starr, site security expert from Perishable Press, released a new version of his “G” firewall last week. Dubbed the 5G Blacklist/Firewall, this code is a strong and useful security aid for websites running on Apache. (Apache is the most popular server software; check with your host to confirm its use.)

Adding the 5G Blacklist to your .htaccess file can help your site deliver resources more efficiently.  The editing process need not be intimidating to those without a technical background. Simply connect to your host with your favorite FTP program, and browse to your site’s root directory. If you do not see an .htaccess file in the list, you may need to alter your program’s view options to “View Hidden Files,” or you may need to start and upload a new blank .htaccess file (You can use a simple text editor, such as Notepad or TextEdit).

Once you’ve opened the .htaccess file on your server, paste Jeff Starr’s firewall code after any other text. Save and close.

You’re almost done! Open your site, and check that all the pages are loading and functionality is working as expected. If anything is awry, remove the 5G code from the .htaccess file. As described in Starr’s post, try removing sections of the code to determine which portion conflicts with your site. You can comment out the problem lines with # signs. The ammended .htaccess file will continue to protect your site.

With little effort you can safeguard your site against unauthorized access. As the weeks pass without incident, you’ll feel grateful you took the few extra security-minded moves.

What are some of your favorite mailings, given or received? The creation process this year helped me forge one resolution at least. Schedule time for mailings as actual projects; doing so will help prevent any stressful nights. Treat yourself at least as well as your clients.

Happy 2012 everyone!

By implementing the strategies outlined below, WordPress site owners can empower themselves and protect their sites beyond the default settings. Owners can successfully minimize their security risks and continue to enjoy the many benefits of the platform.

1. Select or Move to a Reliable Host

Setting up a well-protected site starts with choosing a high quality host. Reliable hosts will constantly monitor their servers for attacks or issues, update their software on a regular basis, and assign your files the most secure permission settings possible. Ask your colleagues about their host experiences. (My host of choice is currently HostGator. I’ve also heard positive reviews of Bluehost, Media Temple, and Laughing Squid.)

Once you’ve compiled a list of recommended hosts, check for must-have features such as: 24-hour phone support (without long hold times), weekly offsite backups, site restoration service, and recent versions of Apache, PHP, and MySQL. Grill your possible hosts about their features, and choose the one you feel most comfortable with.

2. Ask for Theme Security Add-Ons

If buying a custom theme, request that the authoring company complete some extra security-minded steps. Beyond setting up your security keys, developers can: customize the admin username, remove the WordPress version number from public files, define a unique database prefix, and add restrictions to your .htaccess files.

When browsing for a free WordPress theme on the web, be careful in your selection. Ensure your theme is malware-free by choosing one from the WordPress Themes Directory.

3. Choose Safe Plugins

When searching for a plugin, select one from the WordPress Plugin Directory. The plugin detail page should thoroughly describe the functionality. In the sidebar, you’ll find WordPress version compatibility information, when the plugin was last updated (hopefully in the past year), a community star rating (ideally 4 or more), and recent support posts. This information should help you contrast plugins and decide which is the most sound.

In his screencast “WordPress 3: Developing Secure Sites,” Web Designer and Developer Jeff Starr suggests installing several plugins for stronger WordPress site security. These include: Akismet, Login Lock, WordPress File Monitor, WordPress Firewall 2, Exploit Scanner, and WP Security Scan. By adding these plugins, you can increase your site security with little effort.

4. Update All Your WordPress Files

Every few weeks, you will notice an alert in the admin interface urging you to update your WordPress version. This alert is generated when WordPress.org releases a new version of its software. Keeping WordPress updated ensures your site takes advantage of the latest core security enhancements. Plugins similarly will alert you when new versions are available. You should regularly update your WordPress version, plugins, and theme.

If you’ve purchased a custom theme, check back with the development company every six months or so for security enhancements.

Before performing any updates, remember to backup your site. Also make sure your theme and plugins work with the new WordPress version. You may need to check with your development company to confirm theme compatibility. The plugin compatibility information is displayed when you click on Updates in left nav under Dashboard.

5. Use Strong Passwords

Creating long, varied, and complex passwords seems a hassle, but they add an extra layer of protection to your admin interface. Passwords should be unique to users and programs, and they should be changed frequently. Strong passwords include a combination of numbers, characters, and upper and lowercase letters.

Once you’ve completed the steps outlined above, you’ll feel confident knowing you’ve armed your site against potential threats. You can return to creating valuable content for the people you truly care about – your target audience and legitimate site visitors.

1. Uses Previously-Dominant Development Techniques

The majority of websites built within the last few years are developed with HTML, CSS, and a content management system (CMS). Flash, while a popular choice for entertainment and automobile sites, has lost favor due to conflicts with search engine optimization (SEO), iPhones/iPads display, and overall site load time. A CMS is an extremely valuable modern feature, allowing site owners who lack coding knowledge to update content and regularly communicate with customers.

Most contemporary websites target a 1024×768 pixel screen resolution or contract/expand depending on the browser’s width. If your site was formatted for a 800×600 screen resolution (or less) and set at a fixed width, it appears instantly older to your audience.

2. Doesn’t Reflect Your Business

Has your business evolved, yet your site remains stagnant? If your website hasn’t been updated in over a year, it probably does not accurately portray your company. Perhaps you are able to update the text via a CMS, but the overall design suggests an old version of your business. Design appeal and the timeliness of your content directly impact visitors’ perception of your company.

Opting for a site template instead of an original design can negatively affect your company’s branding. Instead of presenting the unique aspects of your business within a custom design, your site becomes one of many with a duplicate look & feel.

3. Suffers from Low Traffic

Assuming you have analytics software installed on your site, you can check stats such as traffic, bounce rate, and return visitors. Low traffic is an important alarm because it suggests poor content, stale design, and/or improper SEO. Does your site content give visitors a reason to share it? Are the pages search-engine friendly? A thorough audit of your site and a survey of your customers should reveal the specific factors contributing to low traffic and corresponding remedies.

Conclusion

Remaining cognizant of these three indicators and your site’s condition will empower your online marketing efforts. By optimizing your website for the future and completing an overhaul when necessary, you site will serve as an ongoing vital asset to your company.

Digital technology supports communication with varied response times, which promotes an “always-on” mentality. Constantly pinged by email, social networks, and texts, many people habitually check their computers and mobile devices for updates. Rushkoff challenged us: “Do not be always on.”

He suggested: “Live in person.” Online communication is beneficial for people geographically distant but not for people in the same building. If you are texting someone in the same room, you are missing non-verbal cues which add depth to your exchange and enable you to better relate.

“You are never completely right.” The internet encourages oversimplification. People share opinions without much knowledge or research of their topic. Users often post Facebook and Twitter updates, for example, with strong conviction but without real expertise.

Rushkoff stressed his most important principle: “Program or be programmed.” Every digital tool we use has a purpose that may not align with our goals. Some people assume the purpose of Facebook, for example, is to help users make friends. In reality, Facebook’s agenda is to profit from our social activity by selling our data to marketers and weaving ads into the interface. The Facebook user is the product.

Without awareness of digital technology’s biases, we are not using the medium most advantageously and may be enjoying a lesser quality of life. The best defense, Rushkoff asserted, is to actively construct the tools we use in our daily online activities. Programming should be a basic literacy skill of the 21st century, so we can provide alternatives to the tools created by for-profit corporations. Rushkoff argued, “If you are not making the program, then you are living the program. If you are not using the technology, then the technology is using you.”

At the very least, we should understand the inherent characteristics of the online environment. We can then consciously decide when to use the technology and how our goals can best be served.

For the full inspiring keynote and complete list of biases, watch the below video.

Level 5 Leadership and the Hedgehog Concept intrigued me the most.

Level 5 Leadership

Level 5 Leadership proved to be the most important factor and a prerequisite before the others could take maximum effect. You might expect the leader of a long-successful business to possess an outgoing personality and to take full ownership of his company’s successes; however, Collins discovered these leaders are more likely to be extremely humble, often shy, and to attribute their professional successes to the efforts of those around them. One indicator of Level 5 Leadership is whether the CEO sets the company up for long-term success. Is the company mission greater than the leader’s ego? Does he/she instill a system which breeds success and choose an appropriate successor? A non-Level 5 Leader might view the company’s decline after his/her departure as the ultimate testament to his/her importance.

Steve Jobs immediately came to my mind while reading the Level 5 chapter. I wonder whether Apple will continue to be successful after Jobs ultimately resigns. I ponder the leadership style of Tim Cook, currently in charge of day-to-day operations. How humble is Jobs, and has he set Apple up to be successful with Cook?

The Hedgehog Concept

In addition to displaying Level 5 Leadership, all 11 companies saw through the clutter of everyday business details, recognized simple patterns, and clarified an uncomplicated but powerful truth. This truth, or Hedgehog Concept, guided and informed all their professional decisions. The formation of the Hedgehog Concept, according to Collins, stems from three areas of understanding: 1) what you can be the best in the world at 2) which activities will generate great profits, and 3) what you are passionate about. If your business meets two of these criteria, you may be able to produce good results, but probably not great and sustained results.

Collins describes Walgreens’ Hedgehog Concept as an example. Walgreens strives to operate “the best, most convenient drugstores with high profit per customer visit.” The proliferation of Walgreens on corner lots illustrates this quest for convenience. The company would not hesitate to close a profitable store in order to open another situated half a block down on a corner lot. The new store is easier for customers to access and so aligns with Walgreen’s guiding concept.

Business decisions are easier for Good to Great companies. If a “strategic” move does not fit within its Hedgehog Concept, the company knows to refuse and focus on its simple mission. Without a Hedgehog Concept for reference, a business can make poor, costly decisions. Collins illustrates the ramifications of a missing Hedgehog concept with Walgreen’s competitor, Eckerd. When Eckerd purchased American Home Video Corporation in the early 1980s, the drugstore moved into the home video market. The company hoped the new line of business, still in its infancy, would generate great profits. Eckerd ultimately regretted their decision, however, and sold the company at a 31 million dollar loss. In 2007, Rite Aid acquired Eckerd.

Conclusion

This book has provided me with a new way of looking at companies and evaluating their chances of long-term success. The theories, all of which are worth reading about, can be applied at the small business level and guide one’s own business decisions. Before making a decision, you may ask yourself — is this simply serving my ego, or is it for the betterment of the company? Am I lunging at new ways of generating revenue for revenue’s sake?

If you are a Level 5 Leader with a Hedgehog Concept, you may not need to ask these questions. But it’s a good place to start.

1. Define Your Site Goals

Why do you have a site? Is it to sell merchandise, promote your services, or distribute information? Your answer will help you articulate your site goals if you haven’t already, and then you can enter them into Google Analytics. If you have an e-commerce site, your goal will probably be to sell products. If you are marketing your services, you may want visitors to submit a contact form. Site owners who are distributing information may wish that users spend a minimum amount of time on their site or visit a certain number of pages. Google Analytics can track all these objectives.

2. Enter the Goals into Your Site Profile

Log into Google Analytics, and select your account name. On the far right of the next screen, click “Edit” next to the profile which lacks goals. Select the first “+ Add goal” link under “Goals.”

On the next page, decide on your “Goal Name” and “Type.” If you’d like visitors to buy a product or submit a form, the type will be “URL Destination.” You can choose “Time on Site” to set a minimum visit time frame for a visit or “Pages/Visit” to set a minimum number of pages viewed. The “Goal Details” beneath the latter two are self-explanatory.

If you’ve chosen URL Destination as your Goal Type, make sure it is a unique address. If the destination shares the URL with another page on your site, you’ll need to work with your web designer/developer to create a unique URL or to send a virtual page view request. Assuming it is unique, select the “Match Type.” Use “Exact Match” if your target URL does not change from visitor to visitor. If the first part of your URL remains the same, but the end may vary, choose “Head Match.” “Regular Expression Match” is useful if the middle part of your URL is constant, but the first or last part can change.

Next enter the Goal URL (minus the domain name), and decide if it is case sensitive (unlikely). The following field, “Goal Value,” may be difficult to determine if your objective is non-tangible (eg. lead generation); however, you may wish to try. How much is each lead worth to your business? Determining a value, even approximate, will allow your to generate Goal Value reports within Google Analytics.

Beneath the details, you can enter a “Goal Funnel” if there are specific URLs a user must visit before landing on your Goal URL. Entering this information will help you analyze these steps and determine if there are any deterrents to completion.

With your Goal Details entered, you can save your goal. If you’d like, add more goals to the same set or to a new set. You can configure up to 20 goals per profile.

3. Enjoy More Informative Reports

With goals integrated into your profile, Google Analytics offers more rich data. You’ll find the Goal tab within your reports is now populated with information. To determine which search engine has been sending your most valuable traffic, click “Traffic Sources” and “Search Engines” in the left sidebar, then select the “Goal Set 1″ tab. You can also check out your most profitable Keywords. Or under “Visitors” and “Map Overlay,” observe which country and/or state have been sending you the most leads.

Instead of merely tracking hits, Google Analytics goals allow you to evaluate the quality of traffic and how it relates to different report criteria. Site owners will find the resulting insights and action items invaluable.

1. BridgePort Brewing

The BridgePort Brewing site entices viewers with a 3D panorama of Portland landmarks. Move your cursor to the left or right to see the background animate via parallax scrolling. Navigate the site by finding the links positioned within the cityscape, or if you don’t feel like messing around, use the top navigation bar.

Flash sites sometimes punish you with a cumbersome load time, but bridgeportbrew.com loaded in a matter of seconds for me. I was worried at first to see “radio” controls in the bottom left. Discovering the music plays only on user interaction, I breathed a sigh of relief.

BridgePort has surrendered some SEO-benefits by choosing to develop their site in Flash; however, the site delivers a great design and interactive experience.

2. Widmer Brothers Brewing

Widmer also chose to develop their site on the Flash platform. My favorite part is the home page carousel animation. Select the left or right arrow to move your beer of choice to the forefront. Choose among Widmer Hefeweizen, Drifter Pale Ale, Drop Top Amber Ale, and Broken Halo IPA. The visual treatment of the labels and the background illustrates how well Widmer has branded each of their beers.

The site has some room for improvement. It is optimized for an 800 x 600 screen resolution and could be redesigned to take full advantage of modern screen sizes. The overlapping background shapes on the text-heavy pages also feel a bit odd and could be readdressed with an update.

Overall, Widmer effectively promotes their top beers with front-and-center positioning and inviting user interaction.

3. Laurelwood Public House & Brewery

Laurelwood’s site immediately attracts attention with the excellent beer macro shot as the background. The prominently displayed tagline, “The place where friends and family meet” appears on every page. Click the arrows in jQuery-enabled main feature to access other news items.

Based upon the WordPress platform, Laurelwoodbrewpub.com features a regularly-updated blog and videos. This content suggests the owners are invested in keeping their site fresh and interesting. The only element that might need a revision is the paper background texture, which doesn’t feel quite polished.

Laurewood delivers an above-average brewery site with compelling background imagery and consistent blog posts.

4. Lompoc Brewing

Lompoc’s sites break the typical web design mold and are reminiscent of print work. No animation distracts from the images and text.

On each page, the images and headline type are very large, establishing a clear hierarchy. The subject featured in the photo demands your attention. The two columns of text below, separated by a wide margin, feel almost boring compared to the richness of the photo above. The Brewers page includes some lovely illustrations of the brewers.

Just one revision suggestion — the main nav could be altered to match the sophistication of the rest of the site.

Compared to other brewing sites, Lompoc’s online identity provides a refreshing visual break and effectively promotes their business.

5. Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom

Double Mountain incorporates a simple layout and places high prominence on their logo. No animation is used on the site; instead, the text and images are the focus.

The home page photo of the tap room crowd makes one wonder — am I missing out on some brews that these throngs of people are keen to?

The site is very text-heavy, and the light orange color against black hinders readability. Breaking up the text and altering the color would make the content more digestible.

Double Mountain’s no-frills layout and logo emphasis help create a strong branding experience for site visitors.

Conclusion

Oregon’s best brewery sites illustrate an array of design and development executions. Whether the companies have invested in captivating animations, regular news releases, or beautiful imagery, each site possesses its own strengths. Together, they reflect the diversity of the Oregon brewing community.

Cheers!

Don’t tell me. It wasn’t your fault anyway. I’ll wager that the presenter had not engaged you, and his or her slides were at least partly to blame.

You’ve probably given a few presentations in your lifetime, and to prevent this slide-induced slumber in your future audiences, check out the below deck. Created by Jesse Desjardins, “Steal This Presentation” shares 8 key ideas for creating more effective slides.

Presenters who execute these concepts will more likely enjoy a captivated audience and increased reciprocation for sharing their expertise.

To your next successful, enchanting presentation.

View more presentations from @JESSEDEE.

Oh, the Migraines…

The web development community has long loathed Internet Explorer 6. Released on August 27, 2001, the browser does not support modern web standards and so requires time-consuming attention. Sites that render perfectly in Firefox, Safari, or more recent versions of Internet Explorer will appear broken in IE6. Some of its weaknesses include lack of support for: PNG alpha transparency, min-width and min-height CSS attributes, and hover states. To address these glitches, developers must write hacks and/or conditional comments specifically for this browser. IE6 also has multiple security weaknesses, and Microsoft continually releases patches that users must download in order to protect themselves. Thankfully, the pool of IE6 users is shrinking, and the value of supporting the browser is decreasing also.

Should You Care About the Users of this Antiquated Browser?

If you’re planning a site launch, you will need to decide whether or not to support IE6. Given the declining number of users and the additional coding time it requires, many developers charge extra to support it. Is the added cost worth it to you? IE6′s latest usage statistics can help you answer this question. The Wikipedia article, “Usage Share of Web Browsers,” suggests the following sources for usage information: Net Applications, W3Counter, Stat Counter, StatOwl, and Clicky.

If your launch involves a redesign and you have Google Analytics installed on your current site, you can easily obtain the number of IE6 users. This data will likely differ from the general analytics sites and may provide a better indication of your target audience breakdown. Last month on my site, Internet Explorer visitors accounted for 7% of traffic, and IE6 visitors accounted for only 0.64% of traffic. When optimizing my site for different browsers, this data helps me prioritize my list and concentrate on the majority of visitors. In other words, IE6 is not a priority.

Not everyone can refer to a current site, so you may wish to include some technical information in your target audience research. In addition to demographics, you can gather: common internet connection speeds, operating systems, and browser versions. This data will inform your project planning phase and help you decide on a supported browser list.

Big Names Are Dropping IE6

Large companies have eliminated IE6 from its roster of supported browsers. On January 29, 2010, Google announced that it was phasing out support for Internet Explorer 6. Google-owned YouTube and the web app company 37signals have ceased to support the browser. Whether these companies judged IE6 support to detract from their profits or if they wished to promote modern web standards, their actions will certainly nudge 2001 time-warp victims to upgrade. I tend to think the companies have the mental health of their development staff in mind as well.

Conclusion

When deciding whether or not to support IE6, you can refer to the general usage numbers, your site’s specific usage numbers, and your collected data on your target audience. Or, if you prefer to model Google, you can send IE6 users to a page that asks them to please, for the love of heaven, download a better browser.