AMB technologies launched its beta test e-commerce site today Friday the 13th, June 2008.   The backbone of the web site uses the .NET 2 framework and a custom content management system.  AMB and it’s vendor’s collaborated over the past year about database structure,  product relations, and logistics.  AMBTI offers industry low prices on most products focusing on technology.

Original partial design concept

Home Page with grid view

Inline editing makes it easy to manage the web site from a live preview.
 

Search over 40,000 products in less then 0.156 seconds. 

Product grid view makes for superior usability allowing the consumer to interpret product information faster.

Product Detail – Webmaster’s can use XHTML compliant WYSIWYG editors to maintain product information along with support for media upload.

Check out system – you can register, be a guest, or use Open ID.

Took these photos with my HTC Shadow which I have been impressed with so far.  I’ve had this phone for about a year now. The camera is only 2.0 mega pixels, but what is cool is this little hack for the phone that enables you to take panoramic photos.   Its pretty sweet check it out.

Panoramic

4:3 Aspect

1. What industry sites and blogs do you read regularly? How have you applied new ways of doing things on the web to some of your recent work? I visit daily Favorite Web Site Awards (http://www.thefwa.com) along with a lot of other award web sites to see what is new and what is going on with the industry, I visit frequently sites like AdWeek (http://www.adweek.com) and regularly read forum sites like Ultra Shock (http://www.ultraschock.com). I apply new ways of doing things by reading about and following the current trends and techniques that I can use to apply to projects that I think would be appropriate.

2. Do you prefer to work alone or on a team? Team! You can achieve much better results working in a team. I do work alone sometimes, and sometimes I like it, but even then I still need to collaborate with my peers or co-workers about the project I’m working on.

3. What is W3C and how have you used it in the past? W3C is the World Wide Web consortium a group where members combine to make a better Internet. The W3C does a lot of things; most importantly it creates the standards that developers need to be aware of and comply too. I have used W3C in the past for research of new techs and for its validators, which now commonly are built into most WYSIWYG editors i.e. (Dreamweaver) or you can use stand alone validators or plug-ins.

4. Do you write table-less XHTML and do you use CSS? Describe the validation process. Yes, as of about 3-4 years ago most web sites I write are table-less XHTML with the combination of CSS. I do still use tables to display tabular data, forms, and sometimes I will use tables for work a rounds in layout issues but that’s rarely. My validation process starts with making sure the pages display properly in all the major browsers, Internet Explorer 6 & 7, FireFox, Safari, and Opera… (Because sometimes the older browsers themselves do not adhere to the W3C guidelines as much as they should). Sometimes I will need to write multiple css sheets depending on the audience of the current project and/or to display properly in across several mediums. I will then validate them against what ever I have declared the page i.e. (XHTML TRANSISTIONAL 1.0).

5. What are a few of your favorite development tools and why? I would have to say my most favorite tool is Adobe Fireworks which I insist is the best design software for initially creating mock ups of web applications and web sites. A lot of people in the industry would argue that Adobe Photoshop is better for initial design concept, but more now then ever since Adobe and Macromedia merged I feel that Fireworks has a clear advantage when it comes to designing layout. I would also have to say Adobe Flash is my #2, followed by Dreamweaver, Photoshop, or Illustrator. It’s always fun to use After Effects when I get a chance to in a project, and definitely Visual Studio or Eclipse is a must on the list when it comes to IDE. And a slew of 3D applications topped by Lightwave 3D or Maya.

6. What skills and technologies are you the most interested in improving upon or learning? Over the past couple years or so I have been researching MXML and ZAML, the xml based user interface that combines with JavaScript for a powerful interactive user experience. Microsoft is pushing SilverLight similar to the flash player plug-in to use with its WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation). I have personally taken over at least 200 hours of training on these subjects and have been experimenting with Flex and SilverLight (Microsoft Expression) http://www.microsoft.com/expression but yet to use these technologies in a real project.

7. What are a few personal web projects you've got going on? Hmm… well I have been trying to get a web page up for myself (http://www.worldpyramids.com) to display my portfolio but have not really had time to. If you check it out, it’s not really my version of complete at all. It needs some work to have better usability lower file size and better motion design. I also have a blog site and belong to a few creative communities like i.e. Coroflot (http://www.coroflot.com/bradford1). I have been working on a personal project creating a full screen live television or streamed video website using Flash Media Server 3 and the H.264 encoder taking traditional streaming feeds such as .asf .ra and converting them on the fly to a compressed format like flv and actually very quietly have made a lot of ground and hope to put something online late 2008.

8. How did you get into web design? I started a career that began in AutoCAD and quickly learned that my true passion was web site design. I have always been into computers and obviously had a background in design, a friend approached me to make a web site, everything came easy to me, the web site was successful and it really was just perhaps my calling in life or something. Around 1998-1999 I took various technical courses and spent countless hours and sleepless nights teaching myself the do's and don'ts of web site design.

9. Describe a time when you were not sure what a customer wanted. How did you handle the situation? It happens, first I would read over specs for the project, if I can’t find what I need I will contact the client directly, if for some unknown reason the client is not going to be available (which has never really happened to me) I would probably use my best judgment meanwhile till I could get feedback from the client and more times then not the client is satisfied. I use technology as much as I can to help make life easier, so a while ago I started recording audio in some meetings(if allowed) along with taking written notes, so these types of situations don’t occur as often.

10. What process do you use in solving problems/troubleshooting issues? Give an example of how you recently used this process to solve a problem. GOOGLE! Ha-ha... joking... But not really. The last time I can recall I had to trouble shoot an issue was with the project that I am currently working on now. The video quality of our live chat platform was very poor, and I had to use a check mark system to eliminate all the possible problems that could be causing it. After I finally tested all the possible scenarios on my list, there was one possibility left. The problem actually was not the software at all... it was a hardware issue!

11. Describe the biggest work-related problem you have faced in the past six months. How did you handle it? Well the biggest work-related issue not really a problem was that a colleague was leaving the company. The thought of it was overwhelming at first, but I have used the situation in a way to greater my strengths and overall self-management, to name of a few of the personal traits I have improved for myself.

12. What have you done to make your department/group/team more efficient or organized? Give me an example. I introduced software to my team that streamlines our work flow process, and makes communications between project contacts easier. Also very simply my experience has benefited my team. I have experienced a lot over the past 7 years, so more times then not I when an issue arises I have seen it before and have a solution, and sometimes multiple solutions.

13. How do you handle conflicting priorities? I hope to not have any conflicting priorities, but If and when conflicting priorities come about, I would definitely have to ask the question what is really a priority and what isn’t. In my current team environment we use work flow management software a queue system, which arranges tasks, projects into a high, low priority system.

14. If you were coming up on a deadline and unsure you were going to meet it, what would you do? I would sleep under my desk until I was sure that I could meet it. In a more real world situation I would approach the project manager or the client contact and let them know that I was unsure if I would be able to meet my deadline.

15. Give me an example of a time when you had to make an unpopular decision that was for the good of the team. How did you deal with that? This is a really good question, I have made a lot of decisions for our team, and I am trying to remember the last time when I had to make a decision like this… The last situation that arose was a project priority issue. We have favorite projects to work on, and projects that aren’t as intriguing if you know what I mean. Well for the sake of hours, deadlines, or milestones I had to take the team off their current project which we all loved and were heavily into it. I knew that taking us off the current project would not jeopardize the moral of the team, and that we could accomplish a huge milestone for the client on the other project in the matter of only hours.

16. How do you manage multiple projects or tasks? I use software of course... I prioritize myself and my projects. I am a very organized person, technology is my secret… The web based software I use to organize my contacts, schedule, tasks, and projects is synced with my Outlook, and then my smart phone/pda is synced with my Outlook... It makes it easier to stay organized.

I have worked with many individuals, companies or associations either starting or growing their current online business. I have myself started a few online businesses. I have found that many people don't realize or understand what it takes to do so. This individual may have a great idea, but neither the know-how or understanding of what is involved in making there idea become a reality. I am not going to get into all the needless information, I will take for granted that you are a highly motivated, ambitious, and determined person. I also would assume you are a hard worker or that you surround your self with hard working people.

Research
First you need to find a great consultant. You don't want to venture to the online world without the knowledge of what happens in it. Take notes and write down as much as you can. Use social engineering to research your industry. Example call your competition (if you have any) and learn... Learn about your market and learn about the Internet in general. Much of the stuff I will be talking about is determined by your consultant. The real backbone to your research should be your consultant. That's what consultants do. Consult you!

Budget
If your serious about your online business it will cost you money. Its the same off line as online. You would not expect to open a restaurant with 5000 dollars. It will cost you big money. Get a loan, find investors, or just raise your own money. Keep in mind that it will not be cheap. Nothing ever is. Make sure you have a budget!

The Core
Just because your business is online doesn't make anything different really. Your service or product is your recipe to success. Much how it works in any successful business. If you have a business based on service then your service must be flawless. If you service is based on speedy delivery, every time you must deliver speedy results. Selling products? The products must fully satisfy. Never forget the core of your business, it will be the deciding factor of your online success.

Web Site / Software Design
Find an established company that can build your online business. Keep in mind that your budget for developing or designing your web site or business should be nearly 1/3 of what you should spend on marketing. *Very important* So if you have a budget of 100,000 do not spend 95,000 on the web site! I am not saying go with the cheapest bid you find either. Its important to find a great company, and the best company usually isn't cheap! Also don't forget thinking about the core of your business. You don't need to have pages that fly away when you click a button (I have had clients ask for this) all you really need is fundamentals to make your online business function. You can add stuff later.

Hosting
There are thousands of host companies, but only a handful that you should be looking at when it comes to hosting your online business. Your hosting solution should be partly decided by your developers. If you choose a top tier level host company most of the standard security measures will be taken care of. There are a few things that you should know besides the fact. Make sure that you choose a hardware firewall solution to protect your server or servers. You wouldn't leave the doors to your business unlocked, would you?? If you will be managing your own platform, find someone that has the skill to manage your server(s). Also pay extra money for a good back-up system, and if possible every so often do a back-up yourself!

Online Marketing
Find a company that can market your online business. Importantly again refer to your consultant, but you should find a company that is more of a full solution Internet marketing company. Don't go looking for SEO specialists in particular. Look for an Internet marketing company that does everything. A company that can build your organic search results along with a way to supplement this. I will tell right now, that these companies are not cheap. You have to understand that you are partnering with this company, and if the company is successful with your marketing campaign you will be able to spend more money with them!!!

Management
Web sites, web based software, frameworks need daily attention. Hire individuals full-time to work in-house. Just because you have an online business does not mean that your online business is powered by magic little elves that crawl around the Internet. You will need human power. Depending on how large scale your business is will factor the amount of "man-power" you need. They will have to be trained, and familiar with your system. Content, Content, Content is saying that goes for online businesses. So hire full time copywriters, web site designers , full time programmers, etc.,.