Untangling the Web-- as a Student of Internet Technology

Practicing with Forms

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:42:00 +0000

Here's a rough draft for a form that takes payroll information for subcontractors on a large construction site. The look is pretty formal, but I'm not exactly happy with it. The form uses some CSS3 Features such as rgba() and border radius. The color scheme is pretty bland, but matches the logo of the company it was designed for. Maybe when I show this first draft to the team they will find it useful. See the form here.

Detail, Detail, Detail

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:56:00 +0000

If you are selling a product or service the details of that product or service is probably what make or break your business. For example one of my favorite fast food restaurants is Chipotle and if the burritos didn't taste exactly the same every time I wouldn't be such a loyal customer. Specific qualities about Chipotle's burritos are that 1) they have a distinctive delicious taste, 2) they are huge, and 3) they are sold at fast food prices. Any detail page about Chipotle's burritos would have to capture those points. In my opinion a detail page should paint a picture about experiencing or using that product or service. After writing this paragraph I visited Chipotle's website, went to the detail pages about the menu and found that their detail page on the burrito illustrate my previously mentioned views! A huge delicious burrito was pictured with an animated banner wrapped around it stating something about how delicious the food is along with a caption that gave a more detailed description of all the ingredients. They didn't mention price in terms of a monetary value, but elsewhere on the site they emphasize how it is not your "typical fast food."

Web Design for ROI by Loveday and Neihaus gives lots of tips on how to make detail pages sticky so that customers do not navigate away from the page. It is important to let customers make a connection while on the page, so descriptive images or text can really make the detail page more memorable. I really like to see multiple angles of shoe or clothing items because without being able to try something more detail about how it looks can make a reluctant online shopper like me more confident about his or her choice. This day and age we are accustomed to seeing customer rating and feedback. I know people who only stay at hotels and book vacation packages if there is good customer feedback. If a details page about a hotel does not have built in tools that allow for customer satisfaction then some of my friends won't stay there at all. Having an icon that someone can glance at to reflect that data is a huge plus in today's market where sales are driven by customer input.

For my midterm I created a website for a home-based catering business. I see now that images of food are great, but cannot overshadow the importance of rich media that can show the service in action. Video and images of the catering service being performed can be just as important if not more important that close-up shots of food on a pretty plate. This would be showing the image in context, another point emphasized in the book. For example when a prospective customer gets to the form and decides they want to be contacted in order find out more information, they should want the service just as much as the mouth-watering food. That indeed might be the point that makes a customer buy-in. The concepts taught in the book appear to be quite logical when you really think about them. I am sure that I will be more aware them as I continue in my studies of internet technology.

HTML5 Form for Student Info

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 23:30:00 +0000

I created a form to obtain student information. In a typical high school classroom teachers are known gather student information on the first day of school on a 3X5 notecard. Although schools have student databases information tends to be outdated or difficult to access. I was thinking it would be ideal if teachers could obtain this information from all their students through an HTML form that would automatically add the data to an excel spreadsheet where teachers could access it. It would be as simple as taking the class to the computer lab on the first day of school. Of course it would really be ideal if all the information was collected only once from each student in the school and retrieved in groups by class. My school system recently got a new student data management system to which I have limited access and stores limited information. The types of things a teacher may find interesting, such as a student's challenges in their subject would not be stored in that database. My form requests similar course-specific information, not just the demographic information. That information could then be appended into text file, then imported to a spreadsheet as opposed to a full-on database. This would make it easily accessible to a teacher in their classroom. Though google-docs has tools that can allow anyone to easily create a form for this type of thing, student information may be confidential, and it may be risky, for legal reasons, to have it on the world wide web. Here's the link to the Student Information Form.

I did have a few issues with the HTML5. The placeholder attribute did not show in any of the browsers. I also found that the built in validation for telephone did not work at all, although listed the type as tel. I guess as it becomes more mainstream all of the functionality will begin to work.

Special thanks to Inayaili de Leon's blog/ tutorial called "Have a Field Day with HTML5 Forms", I was able to successfully complete and style my form.

Who's Who on the Web

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:07:00 +0000

Last week, J Cornelius, of Coffe Cup software and president of Atlanta Web Design Group spoke to my Master of Internet Technology class. What struck me the most about the presentation, apart from his enthusiasm for web design, was how often he encouraged us to learn about other pioneers in the field. Some of the names he mentioned I was familiar with, but most I was not. Here are the people I remember him mentioning.

Patrick Haney

is a member of the Web Standards Group and co-founder of Hanerino a a design studio outside Boston. He enjoys speaking about design and web for browsers. You can find his webpage here.

Paul Irish

is a front-end web developer. He is known for his work with fonts and works on Devloper Relations for jQuery and Google Chrome. See his bio here.

Håkon Wium Li

is the creator of CSS and Cheif Technical Officer of Opera browser. Find his bio through Opera's website.

Eric Meyer

is a CSS and Web standards expert. He is the principal consultant for Complex Spiral Consulting. See his bio here.

Johnathan Snook

is a writer of web standards. He is known for his design and "impeccable mark-up and code." See his bio here.

Jeff Zeldman

is one of the first designers, bloggers, and independent publishers on the web, and one of the first web design teachers. He currently hosts the online show, "The Big Web Blog," which I have posted about in the past. He is a member of several organizations related to web development and design. See his bio here.

I am currently not a web design professional but hope to make some shifts in that direction by the time I graduate. I’m sure that knowing more about these people's contributions to the web and joining the Atlanta Web Design Group will be a step in the right direction.

Podcast Review: Innovations in Web Input

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:47:00 +0000

Luke Wroblewski, formerly of Yahoo is an expert on rich web interactions. As websites become more and more interactive, it's in every web-designers best interest to stay up to date on trends and tips. The three points Luke makes with regard to innovations in input are:

Rich Interaction
Multiple Sources for User Input
Taking Advantage of what has already been done.

The one that struck me most were 2 and 3.

With more technologies like Google Instant, users are expecting real-time feedback when they put input into a form. This type of rich interaction is essential on a modern website, but now that users are inundated with forms simply entering the same information over and over can be really frustrating. I personally can't stand filling out the same information repeatedly and almost never upload pictures to websites. Wroblewski emphasizes the importance of using other sources for input such as Twitter, Facebook, e-mail etc. Not only does the user have a less typing to do on his or her end, but the website now has access to all the additional information that comes along with that account. I tend to avoid social networking sites because I don't like to share too much personal information and don't like to feel tracked, but most people welcome the convenience of features that will help them bypass a form.

Another interesting conclusion is that most of the time people spend on the internet is NOT spent on the same site and and a web designer can gather information from interactions on those sites to use on his or her site. This is where browser extensions, Twitter, Facebook, calendars, etc. can be really useful. Mostly through the use of cookies, a user's interactions with other sites can be measured and analyzed to create more functional forms or to gather information to fill in the fields of forms. The more people interact with the web in general, the more rich the data extracted about them.

The web is an amazing tool for interaction, which has its roots in forms. Static web pages are rare these days and analysis and understanding of modern uses of forms will be a huge part of designing for savvy web users.

Search & Usability

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:01:00 +0000

When I am searching for information on websites with lots of content, the first thing I usually do is search for what I'm looking for! I tend not to waste any time at all with the navigation bar or reading of text on the page. On the other hand, when I'm just browsing, headings, photos, and aesthetics really draw my attention. A combination of findability on a website and great graphic and visual design is essential to a highly usable website.

Search has truly revolutionized usability. Searching a content filled website by only navigating through the main page can be really frustrating. Even a poorly organized website doesn't seem as annoying because search engines make the information accessible. I am not sure what the process is for powering the search on a website through Google or Yahoo, but I imagine that it is quite easy. In short- we've all been spoiled by search engines and cannot ignore the impact they've had on web usability.

Cool websites really improve user experience. I love visiting websites that are creative! Web Designer Wall is my favorite website for design. Before I even knew that I would pursue a studies in web design or computer science, I was inspired by that site. Everything just looks so creative and for a website on design the layout, color scheme, and graphics made it far more credible. For me the trendiness of a website has a direct correlation with how long I stay on a website.

Accessibility for All!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 09:07:00 +0000

I love the idea that making the web accessible for people with disabilities is really making the web accessible for everyone. It is true in education that the more the senses someone uses and engagement they have with what they are learning, the more likely they are to retain the information. For example, when learning a language it is best to read it, write it, hear it spoken, and speak it. Although using smell, taste, and touch may not seem applicable to learning a language, eating or preparing a meal of a new culture creates a meaningful experience that is associated with the language. This makes things like vocabulary more accessible in a student's memory because other vivid memories are triggered. In web design interactivity and accessibility translate to a stickier website that is more likely to be used by all types of people.

I also like the idea that accessibility is about people first. It is easy design for yourself and not the users, especially those with disabilities you do not have. In the beginning, it takes more time and patience to remember to always include "alt" attributes for photos, tags for forms, flexible text that can be re-sized, variations in color scheme for those with visual impairments, etc. But as Interact with Web Standards emphasizes, it is important to simply always design with accessibility in mind, every step along the way. Instead of viewing accessibility standards as a checklist to verify at the end of development it should infused into the original design. As a web design student, having a list of things to remember will help initially until it comes naturally.

Cognitive disorders, which involve processing capabilities, can be a challenge in design. I know that people process information differently and as a result have optimal ways for learning and retaining information. Since websites are tools for conveying information it makes sense that it must accommodate those with cognitive disorders. Making a website easy to navigate and scan is part of this process. "Easy" is all relative, but through appropriate testing it should be clear what improvements can be made.

I imagine that designing an accessible site can be challenging for a web designer, but there are laws requiring it and ultimately the benefits outweigh the challenges. A career that I once saw as the creative front-end aspect of web development can really be quite technical. It really requires lots of attention to detail and organization. But in the end an accessible website is worth the effort.

Typography... Details, Details, Details

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:49:00 +0000

While researching web typography I realized that I take a lot of things about text on the web for granted. I never realized how detailed displaying text can be. There are several factors that must be considered with online text that are not relevant with print media. On the web the shape of a window can change and text can be enlarged. This means text should be flexible. According to "A Practical Guide for Web Typography" browsers are advanced enough now to handle complex rendering of text. With the use of CSS font layout and design has become far more interesting. This site is based on the book Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst who is considered an expert on web typography. Most of the examples I will review come from that resource.

Points, Pixels, em's, or percentages?

I never really considered the benefits of using one way over another for sizing text until reading this tutorial. Points and pixels are absolute units of measurement for fonts, while em's and percentages are relative to the default size of a font. 1 em is equal to 100% or simply the default point or pixel size of a font. Being able to size using em's and percentages is beneficial because visitors to a webpage may choose to scale up or down the text and with CSS, a font size in em's can also scale up where points and pixels would remain fixed. Space between lines can also be defined using relative units.

White Space

The use of lots of white space has become trendy in the web design world but is also quite practical. From print media like newspapers white space is used to avoid clutter. Without white space it would be difficult to scan a web page to find headlines or identify paragraphs or different content. It is recommended that web designers format text using appropriate padding, relative to the emphasis of the default font. It is also recommended that between 45-75 characters occur on a line which limits the amount of text on a page, allowing for more white space, and easier reading.

I definitely plan to incorporate both these typography tips into my own web design.

Web Standards the Grammar of the Web

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:11:00 +0000

Web Standards are an important aspect of web development. A website that uses valid HTML, CSS, and JavaScript according to standards organizations such as the World Wide Web Consortium is considered standards compliant. I'd liken this to a written publication that complies with American grammar standards.

The difference between web standards and grammar is that web is evolving at faster rate, which brings unique challenges for developers and browsers. Because the web is open and free to use by all, anyone can publish a web page. As a result it is difficult to monitor standards compliance. As new technology comes out CSS3, HTML5, etc. to promote better user experiences both developers and browsers have to be savvy about adapting to the latest techniques. Publishing copy is far more static because there are editors in place who follow the rules of standard American grammar to approve, reject, or correct written copy. This limits the rate at which American grammar can be altered. Imagine reading books and newspaper articles where the grammar was implemented differently each time-- it would make for a horrible reading experience and poor ineffective writers all over the country. Responsible web developers should make an effort to stay up on new technology to not only further their careers by making cooler websites, but to ultimately to encourage the use of web standards in a field where there is no requirement for editing.

Browsers and development tools also limit the success of web standards. If a developer is using web standards and the latest technology it is critical that browsers comply. A progressive developer is easily frustrated when the time spent on his or her elaborate site is wasted because and outdated browser cannot interpret the source code. Web development tools that are not updated perpetuate the cycle of sub par websites when the produce outdated source code. As you can see, standards compliant browsers and development tools play an integral part in the promotion of web standards.

The world wide web is young and constantly growing, which makes it unique compared to various print publications. The propagation of web standards will have to start with communities of web developers and browsers who make it their personal goal to adhere to the standards. Standards organizations could provide incentives to developers for following standards. While browsers should be consistent across the board in rendering up to date features. Eventually this would weed out those who are slowing the web standards movement and enhance web usability all over the world.

Information Architecture (IA)

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:07:00 +0000

Information architecture is the science of management and organization of information. In a web setting this includes designing websites for usability and findability. I found some cool information about how the process of developing a web architecture work. Donna Spencer's blog post, How I Draft an Information Architecture was particularly interesting.

Spencer uses surprisingly simple methods for organizing information. She has written entire books on information architecture and the process of creating categories, but in this blog post she explains a very simple, intuitive process, which basically involves the following:

Information Gathering

Finding & Labeling Relationships

Explaining Relationships to Client

Revising

Information Gathering involves determining all the content that needs to be organized. In Spencer's example she literally "jotted the main content chunks onto sticky notes."

Finding and Labeling Relationships is just that. After all the information is gathered Spencer sorts it into related groups. Information "learned from user research [was jotted] onto a different colour note." She chooses groups and labels that make sense with the content. Labels were written with another color sticky note.

Explaining Relationships to the Client is a critical, but intuitive part of designing a usable and effective information architecture. Spencer "talk[s] [the client team] through it as [she] draws it on a whiteboard." This, I thought, was particularly creative because it allows the client to discover, understand, and appreciate the relationships for themselves as opposed to looking at a diagram which lays everything out completely. It allows for dialogue and discussion about the relationships, which ensures that they make sense.

Revising is a natural part of any creative process --and I consider designing an information architecture a creative process. After discussing with the client, new insights may arise which affect the architecture, but Spencer says if she's "done [her] job well it won’t change dramatically" which is comforting.

There are many visual methods for organizing information: bubble charts, tables, lists, etc. I like sticky notes because they are easy to manipulate and for most people very accessible. As a high school teacher I do a lot of brainstorming using webs/ bubble charts that may list all the things my students should know by the end of a unit. Then I organize the information by finding relationships in order to determine how best to teach the concepts. I can also definitely see myself using this method with my team in the initial planning stages of software development projects. I imagine that a team of people gathering information would be valuable for bringing out different perspectives on the same project. I look forward to this component of the MIT project.

Writing for the Web

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:42:00 +0000

Web Writing is Unique
Chapter 5 of Interact with Web Standards is written by Erin Anderson, Director of Creative Services at Brain Traffic, a "nationally renowned content strategy agency" (p. 59). This posting is a summary of chapter 5, "Writing for the Web." Throughout Anderson emphasizes the difference between print writing and writing for the web. Web writers have different concerns that stem from the unique characteristics of the internet. Anderson shows how web writing is a central factor in determining the overall quality of a user's experience.

Text Behind the Scenes
One aspect of web writing is the text you don't see. Alt tags and metadata are examples of this. A good web writer should always use alt tags to describe an image. Similary metadata stores keywords which describe the content of entire page. Not only does this improve the search engine ranking of the page but makes it more accessible to visually impaired web users who have tools that read the contents of web pages to them. This is also improves the experience for users who set their browsers to view text only.

Less is More
Anderson also says that less is usually more in web writing. It is important to write short concise statements beginning with meaningful verbs. For example, "Save more money. Shop SweetDealsNow.com." (p. 85) is a simple statement designed to catch the eyes of web users who are known to scan pages as opposed to reading in detail. It is also important to put text in shorter, readable, chunks instead of lengthy paragraphs. Readability is also enhanced by clear headings. Headings should be concise yet descriptive enough to link to exactly what the user is expecting. Because web users skim through copy to find what they want, they rely on headings to guide them to the correct information.

Plan for Change
Web writing is an evolving process. It is also important to plan for updates and to be fully aware of what is on the site. Web content, especially on large sites, should be divided into sections, each with a different owner. Anderson suggests creating a "content owner list" and a position called "executive web editor" to have the "final word on what goes on the website" (p. 88-89). This sets the tone for the website and promotes consistency and organization.

Tips of the Trade
Websites are usually created to add value to an organization and web writing is an essential component of a site's value. Anderson summarizes the keys to web writing in the "Top 10 Web Writing Tips" section of chapter 5 on page 83. Adhering to these tips, will surely increase the number positive experiences of users on an organization's website, thereby improving the overall image of that organization.

IT Infrastructure Library

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:45:00 +0000

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of references used to for managing IT related services and operations. ITIL was developed in the 80's in the UK to unify IT management practices there. By the 90's a collection of reference books eventually became the go-to source for process-model solutions in the world of IT. ITIL is known mostly for its Service Support component. Naturally this brings to mind images of a help desk or call center. We've all had experiences calling for assistance with software or internet related issues. ITIL provides process-models for handling queries or incidents that may be reported to a service desk agent. See the sample process model below from ITIL's website.

The start of this process model is marked by a "user call" event and ends with a "close& code incident" event. As depicted in the graphic below, service desk strategy applies to both delivery and support. Support is an essential function of the service desk in terms of solving problems and addressing user incidents or other concerns. But how the service desk functions is also important. The delivery portion of the tree shows that management of the service desk is central to the ITIL's description of a service support. One can really appreciate how a call center representative's ability to effectively follow a model to deliver support alerts a company to potential problems and directly correlates with customer satisfaction.

This is actually one of the primary goals of ITIL certified consulting companies. Many companies pitch that they will increase overall success of the company by increasing return on investment by ensuring IT goals complement business goals. Many firms also offer initial free consultations or services to prove their credibility. Although it also appears that being an ITIL consulting firm is itself a huge selling point. For example, Evergreen Systems in 2004 helped Key Bank, a large financial services in Cleveland, Ohio with IT asset management (ITAM). By evaluating assets that stem from internet technology, they "developed a Configuration Management program that.. defin[ed] the physical and logical relationships of the managed assets. They work[ed] to automate and improve processes through enabling technologies and ongoing process improvements to implement a Configuration Management Data Base (CMDB)." (Link to Key Bank Case Study) Management of internal IT processes is a critical factor to a company's success, which firms like Evergreen Systems emphasize to their clients.

As with most business practices today there are also software or online tools to aid professionals. Help desk tools seem particularly useful because they automate a role that is already pretty mechanical. The mundane task of obtaining user information and details about a problem are easily accomplished with software that interacts directly with the user. I see this all the time now with online chat software that pops up with a service representative on the other end. Just this week I was adjusting my cell phone service and lingered for a while on a webpage while browsing my options. Before I knew it a chat box popped up with a representative asking if I needed help making my choice. I can see how something like that can also be a useful marketing technique since it probably pushed me to get additional services. For the service representatives or technicians there are tools like Service Desk Plus which is an online software that users ITIL's Service Support module. Users around the world can create a ticket, through the use of the principles of the ITIL, be directed to the appropriate technician for the particular problem they have. (Service Desk Plus Website)

In the world of Information Technology ITIL represents standardization and a known approach to solving IT-related problems and incidents in order to keep a company running successfully. ITIL certification and services are expensive but is well-respected internationally. The return may well be worth the investment for aspiring IT professionals and businesses with IT challenges.

Design Patterns

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:51:00 +0000

Design patterns represent the structure of a software projects. The design pattern describes the way the software functions not the details of how it functions. Most design patterns can be described in simple terms that do not require knowledge of computer programming or any particular programming language. Design patterns can be implemented in several languages. The practice of using templates (design patterns) that can be applied to programming situations is the job of a software engineer.

Christopher Alexander is a world renowned building architect whose ideologies are largely responsible for the shift in computer science to the use of design patterns. He has advanced degrees in mathematics, architecture, and later was a professor of architecture at UC Berkley for 38 years. Alexander said of building design patterns that "each pattern describes a problem which occurs over and over again in our environment, and then describes the core of the solution to that problem, in such a way that you can use this solution a million times over, without ever doing it the same way twice." (http://www.patternlanguage.com/leveltwo/caframe.htm?/leveltwo/../bios/designpatterns.htm) This is central to the concept of design patterns in computer science. Patterns in computer science follow the same logic. They solve problems by implementing a general design pattern and modifying code in order to apply specific details to individual situations. Similarly an architect designs the blueprint for a building and an engineer uses the guidelines before implementing the details to specific building project.

One design patten is the Command Pattern. This pattern treats command as objects, which allows commands to contain basic attributes and methods applicable to all subclasses of the command class. Because this pattern treats commands as objects commands can be stored in arraylists and executed in a more organized fashion. Commands can be undone because they can be stored and tracked. For example a command design pattern could be used by a waiter to place an order to the chefs in the kitchen. The command object would store details for several orders (attributes) from several patrons at the restaurant and a method to prepare the order (execute method). The client invokes a command (patron/ waiter), the command (order) is executed, and the results of the command are produced by the receiver (cook). (http://sourcemaking.com/design_patterns/command) In this scenario each command for the order is based on a general template and variation is built in for specific situations.

Microsoft's "Oslo"

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:01:00 +0000

Oslo is the code name for Microsoft’s next generation modeling platform; SQL Server Modeling CTP is the official name. “M” is the name of the modeling language and Intellipad is the tool you use to edit. "M" can be used to create domain specific languages, making it highly customizable. This platform also has capabilities to display non-text (visual) models through a tool code-named “Quadrant.” The third part of Oslo is it's repository which stores data.

The modeling portion of quadrant is really similar to Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), a business process modeling tool for IT professionals. Because Quadrant is linked to the repository which stores information about computers and applications involved in the process you can conveniently locate, edit, then drag and information into a work pad, the canvas where models are edited. Models exist for web pages, databases, applications, etc. The process modeling portion allows linking of tasks, activities, with appropriate flows just like BPMN. The models appear to have everything BPMN has with additional IT-specific activities such as "User Task." Quadrant is a ideal for creating models to explain IT to business people who are already familiar with process diagrams and notation.

There has been a lot of buzz as to whether “M” is a competitor for (Extensible Markup Language) XML and (JavaScript Object Notation) JSON which are both used to store and transport data. Here is a list of pros and cons of Oslo & "M" below.

Pros:

Stores different data-types: “M” can store booleans, and integers as opposed to XML and JSON which are limited to strings.

Simple Code: The syntax which is different from that of XML and JSON seems just as easy to follow and learn.

Adds more Functionality: “M” uses SQL to further describe relationships between entities. For example it will generate “create table” statements and even populate a table based on the details of the “MGraph” file. It also uses logical values (true false) and operators (==, >=, <=, etc.).

Oslo is free: You can download Oslo online Microsoft is open to feedback as “M” is still being enhanced.

More customizable for specific domains: “M” has fewer modeling limitations when compared with XML or JSON and can potentially in be used for a broad range of IT projects with diverse domain specifications.

Cons:

Lack of Compatibility and Standardization: “M” is different from XML and JSON and is not yet widely used. Many developers adopted the former standards and acceptance of this new standard is not yet there.

Lack of understanding & documentation: “Oslo” is a new platform and there is not clear in-depth documentation on how to use it.

Too Complex: With so many features there may be too many functions which over complicate Oslo.

My View:

Competition drives innovation. If Microsoft is marketing Oslo as the next big thing in data management and modeling and “M” has capabilities that XML or JSON do not have, then good for Microsoft. The others will have to follow suit to compete. The demands of web development & data management continue to grow and new technology will inevitably emerge. The big question is, will developers transfer existing XML documents to “M” if the infrastructure is not there? And if not are the benefits of the added functions worth the time spent making the switch? Because it integrates so many aspects of the IT development process and is customizable, I think SQL Server Modeling CTP will catch on. In a year or two we will know for sure.

Blogs and other Websites Consulted:

http://www.nytimes.com/external/idg/2008/10/28/28idg-Exploring-Oslo.html
http://blog.jclark.com/2008/11/some-thoughts-on-oslo-modeling-language.html
http://startbigthinksmall.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/mgraph-the-next-xml/)
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1276355&seqNum=4
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd285282.aspx
http://www.biztalkgurus.com/media/p/21923.aspx
http://dotnetaddict.dotnetdevelopersjournal.com/oslo_distilled.htm
http://dvanderboom.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/image-thumb3.png?w=630&h=480
http://www.biztalkgurus.com/media/p/21921.aspx

Google AdWords-- the Customer's Process Model

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 05:11:00 +0000

Google AdWords is a service which displays advertisements in the form of sponsored links for businesses whenever relevant keywords are searched through Google's search engine. Customers pay for the service based on the quantity of clicks the ad receives.

From one perspective advertising this way can help a business expand its its audience via the internet, especially since Google is the most popular search engine. However you can also say that AdWords is targeting a particular audience since a customer's ad is only displayed if specific keywords are searched which already related to the ad. This indicates that the person searching on the internet is interested in the customer's product and is likely to be attracted to the ad then click on it.

AdWords is quite user-friendly which makes it ideal for small business owners or start-up companies. It is easy to use Google's keyword tester which generates potential keywords based on the content of a customer's website or their suggestions. The keyword estimator estimates the cost of each keyword. If a customer does not already have a website, Google can even create one for them. After the AdWords is set up customers can get Performance Reports which show the number of clicks, impressions, and conversions yielded by a particular ad. To further analyze their business's online performance a customer can use Google Analytics or other tools provided by Google. This certainly makes Google AdWords really convenient.

The attached image is a business process model for a Google AdWords customer. The model shows the internal sequence of events the customer might follow to implement an AdWords campaign. The diagram is divided into two pools. 1 is an abstract process which shows Google's role. The other is the internal process of the customer divided into 3 swim lanes for each department involved (Digital Marketing, Advertising, and Accounting). Some of the processes may repeat depending on how many times an ad is revised. The diagram begins with a request by the Digital Marketing department to Advertising to make an ad. It ends with decision to discontinue the ad because it never got approved or it is was run, but is no longer generating a profit.

Enterprise 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:53:00 +0000

Enterprise 2.0 refers to business practices that implement technology to further collaboration between employees by eliminating the hierarchical structure on which many companies are based. The purported results of incorporating Enterprise 2.0 in a business is increased efficiency through the use of more accessible information and better communication. When information is more transparent and not limited to employees at a certain level productivity is higher. For example an employee in one country can easily communicate with someone who has the same role in another country without going to his or her superior to get permission or the necessary contact information. This type of scenario is possible when information is available in a thorough but well-organized format through the internet.

Many social networking sites have made news, entertainment, music, etc. available to the masses at the click of a mouse. Now many businesses are taking advantage of this concept by blogging and tweeting about their product or business. The idea behind Enterprise 2.0 is that large businesses will now use these tools within their workplace to more effectively share and communicate among employees so that it information is no longer desseminated through passing down via a tier based management structure.

One concern is that the use of Enterprise 2.0 eliminates the need for middle managers and or supervisors. According to Andrew McAfee, of MIT who coined the term Enterprise 2.0, the need is still very much there as the information provided through enhanced collaboration and improved access to technology only helps the middle manager do their job better. (Andrew McAfee, Middle Management ) Interpersonal skills are a critical component of middle managing which involves organizing teams, resolving conflict, planning, and troubleshooting, on a day-to-day basis. As Enterprise 2.0 is more widely adopted in business practices the difference in effective middle managers will likely be their use and interpretation of information accessed via Enterprise 2.0. This will ultimately lead to increased profits which are undoubtedly the driving force behind all business.

At my job in the public school system, I recently received a video blog from the superintendent. I immediately thought it was a great idea. First of all the video was far more interpersonal than a letter and secondly, provided a means to receive important information directly from the source. I thought to myself this is "Enterprise 2.0." From a more practical perspective Enterprise 2.0 supports limited duplication of data; this means data will be stored/ or retrieved directly from one place. At my job there is far too much data in too many different places. One of the first steps in evolving would be aggregating lots of data. This presents a challenge, but the results, I believe, are well worth the effort. I do not see how the adapting the concept could be a bad thing. Anything that promotes unity and shared vision among employees is vital to a successful business. As camaraderie grows among coworkers and individual knowledge of the infrastructure becomes more clear people become empowered. The people do becomes more meaningful to them as they become more interested in it. Enterprise 2.0 is sure to become more prominent as companies reap its benefits both from a social and economical standpoint.

After spending over 2 hours attempting to embed a yahoo pipe into my webpage I decided to research on Enterprise 2.0. Now, I've had enough researching pondering for one night. :-)

Wordia.com Video!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:05:00 +0000

Check out my video below or at http://www.wordia.com/avatar/videos/1507. I give my definition of the word "avatar" and no it has nothing to do with movie. :-)

More Querying!

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:13:00 +0000

I really like querying. I find it really interesting how, databases are organized. This week we looked at how to use JAVA to edit a database through a graphical user interface. Although we didn’t make the interface ourselves, I’m excited to get to the point where I can.

We did some practice querying a database in order to compile data that had been stored in separate tables. The data needed to be aggregated and displayed in a single table. I attempted to approach this problem by using a union and a left join to pull the data together. The data listed a part number and the quantity for that particular part. The problem I ran into, but did not anticipate, was that parts not stored in one table but stored in the other were reported as having a quantity value of NULL. This was an issue because the function I wrote to sum the two quantities of each part reported x + “NULL” as “NULL” not x. If there was a way to change “NULL” to 0, my solution would have been a simple alternative for aggregating the data. The alternative which had no glitches was to create a union of three different sets, one with the intersection of parts in both tables, and 2 more with the non intersecting parts in each table.

Maybe I like querying because you instantly know whether queries are correct and there is a logic to it that reminds me of math, which is what I teach. I look forward to working more with data analysis and/ or management.

Energy Efficiency

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:33:00 +0000

Learning about UPS and how proficient they have become at managing their professionals was really enlightening. I had no idea that they monitored how often their drivers reverse. With that type of technology in vehicles insurers could track how fast their customers drove, how often they came to halting stops, etc. For customers this could be really beneficial if they lowered rates for safer drivers.

Collecting data constantly about traffic and or pressure points on bridges is such a worthy investment! As America’s building projects are aging it would be extremely helpful to be able to plan ahead and budget in advance for the necessary maintenance before a disaster. I am all for using technology in an effort to prevent calamity. In the METRO accident that occurred a few months ago in Washington DC the train was operating automatically. The software said that there was no train on the track when their actually was one up ahead. I wonder how METRO determines when their trains should be in automatic as opposed to manual mode. I assume that there must be some data analysis involved in their choice.

Learning about energy efficiency was really interesting. I am sure that we would all waste less energy if we were aware of exactly how much we used and in what ways it was used. One application that I thought of immediately was how much energy we waste at school. Rooms that are unused or used irregularly are often left with lights and fans on. Lights in public places should be built to automatically detect vacancies since most people view power in public places as expendable. People are definitely more inclined to turn off a light switch at someone’s home.

Another interesting factor was that peer pressure is one of the most significant factors in determining whether to “go green.” Contrary to the belief that it is an intrinsic desire to preserve the environment that motivates people. It is the desire to be cool or do what is trendy that will drive major advancements in implementing environmentally friendly business practices. I thought the psychology of this movement was worth noting. I have always cared about the environment and would love to have a garden, solar panels on my roof, and a hybrid automobile. But until these options become more affordable or I earn more money, I am limited in my support for the cause. Perhaps popularity and widespread usage will drive prices down as energy efficient devices become the norm.

iPhone Development

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Today on the news I heard about one of the latest iPhone applications which is supposed to detect the meaning of your baby's cry. I guess you can make an iPhone app for just about anything. I'm interested in hearing how popular it becomes and if it's actually reliable. If it is I guess it might be worth the $10. Now I’ll move on to some technological insight on developing for the iPhone.

General iPhone Web page best practices
The number one practice seems to be to test your app as much as possible, which is true when completing any application. With an iPhone's unique features and touch screen, user experiences may not be predictable and testing is invaluable. Also with an application for a mobile device means there is added significance to displaying appropriate content and not cluttering the small screen with too much information.

Working with the viewport
Effective use of the viewport makes a webpage look professional when rendered on the iPhone. The standard width in portrait for a page on an iPhone is 320 pixels. It is recommended that developers use that standard. Pages that are too small will be rendered with extra white space and those that are too large will require scrolling left or right. I think its best to design pages that require as little scrolling as possible, because it is easy to lose your space while reading on a page like that. The Bank of America website utilizes the viewport really well, in both landscape and portrait mode.

CSS for good iPhone Web pages
CSS is highly recommended for iPhone web development just as is in general. It is noted that a page renders poorly on a computer will be just as bad if not worse on the iPhone. Specific stylesheets for the iPhone allow content to be customized for iPhone users. CSS is the primary tool to control this.

The WebKit and using it's features for iPhone Web apps
I really like the canvas feature which can be used in iPhone apps. The look and feel is really professional and it seems like it's not too difficult to learn. Many of the widgets in apple's dashboard were created using the canvas. Also since iPhone's do not show flash content using the canvas for animation is another option.

The iUI: iPhone User Interface
The iUI is used to (1) "create navigational menus and iPhone interfaces from standard HTML"(2)"handle phone orientation changes (3)provide a more "iPhone-like" experience to Web apps (on or off the iPhone) (http://code.google.com/p/iui/). Joe Hewitt who created this interface has since upgraded it so that there are fewer bugs. This interface makes for a polished iPhone web app where the back button is easily implemented and pages load faster. Ajax is often used to keep transitions smooth. I will definitely experiment with iUI.>

Findability

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:31:00 +0000

Findability is a concept that can be applied to information on and off the web. It refers to the ease or difficulty of finding information. This is particularly important to web designers who need to the content on their websites to be searchable and easily accessed. Findability goes hand-in-hand with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) because the search spiders have to find a user’s requests in order to return information in a search.

The architecture of a website can help or hurt findability of content on that websites. Architecture refers to how organized information is on a page. Related content should be easy to find and the site should be easy to navigate. Navigation should be intuitive not confusing. An information architect specializes in organizing the information so that is user friendly from a findability standpoint. To test this several users might be asked to perform a task while under observation. Information architects use these experiments to collect data on performance, accuracy, recall, and emotional response.

Although testing on actual people is critical to accessing how "findable" content is, in the age of the internet it is just as important to test how easy it is for a search engine to locate information. High ranking in organic search is certainly one of the most reliable indicators of findability. Since most people use search engines to find information on the internet, effective search engine optimization is ultimately improving usability. All web developers should make search engine optimization a number one priority, by creating well-architected sites with relevant information.

XML & Net Neutrality

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:45:00 +0000

This week has been interesting working with xml. I have found that xml has an intuitive structure. Most of what I learned was through w3schools.org which I have found to be a really useful site for learning the basics of many different web-based languages. I can certainly see how xml is useful for formatting the information on webpage so that it is easier to follow and transport from one source to another. Once I made the xml template the xsd part was easy to create especially with the Oxygen editor. I have not yet made the stylesheet, but I think it will be fairly straightforward. I can see why this web standard is recommended.

I also began to realize how stylesheets used with xml can make a site more searchable. For example, you can place keywords in a specific xml tags then reference those tags in an xsl stylesheet in order to bold or italicize these words to attract that content to a search spider.

The other part of what I learned this week concerns the controversial issue of net neutrality. I realize more that the arguement more about whether government interests are in the best interest of people not whether the internet should be available to the public. If we assume that the government is not acting selfishly to track individual's internet usage or censor certain websites, but is seeking to ensure large corportations do not abuse their power as providers, then I am definitely for net neutrality regulation. I believe, particularly as an educator that the entire internet at all bandwiths should be available at a flat rate for everyone, especially students and the underpriveleged. The internet is now, more than ever, the number one source for information. It would do the country a disservice to limit its citizens in such a way, especially its young people. Americas young people are constantly critized for underacheiving. Limited access to the internet for customers that cannot afford "the whole internet" will only exacerbate the problem.

SEO and Optimizing my Life :-)

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:18:00 +0000

Tonight's speaker, David Felfoldi, on search engine optimization was by far the most interesting learning experience in class this week. After completing the midterm assignment my interest was already piqued. But Mr. Fenfoldi's presentation put everything into perspective. I always knew that having a highly relevant site was most important to achieving a high rank in organic search. I was not as aware of how the details of keyword phrasing could really affect relevancy. For example, a plural key word versus singular could have dramatically different search numbers. Organic search strategies seem to work best for niche markets because the more broad a site the less likely it is that the keywords represent the site as a whole. I guess that's when it becomes important to track visitors to individual pages. I found the criteria for conversion rates to also be interesting. I can see that this field will continue to grow as search engines get better and more businesses advertise and do business over the web.

I am eager to try some of Mr. Felfoldi's strategies on websites I create. I have all this ambition, but I'm not sure where I will find the time to practice. I will work on my teacher website to make it more dynamic but also more searchable. Because the domain of my school website is limited by the fultonschools.org domain I can't optimize that way but I intend to change tags and update my site with study tips or math problems of the week or something that may attract the attention of students other than my own. I am anxious to apply what I am learning in graduate school to my job as a high school teacher. This way I can hone in on my education without losing focus on my student's education. Hopefully doing this will optimize my life by minimizing my stress while maximizing what I learn!

Best Practices for Producing and Distributing Video

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:26:00 +0000

Even though the capability to embed videos in web pages has been around since the inception of Macromedia Flash (now Adobe Flash) in 1996, the widespread use of video online has only become truly mainstream during the past few years. Therefore, the guidelines and best practices for Internet videos have still not been completely codified yet. However, in 2005, Adobe posted some HYPERLINK "http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashcom/articles/flv_bestpractices.html" best practices for delivering video content:

Stream. There are three ways to deliver video content: downloading, progressive downloading, and streaming. If a user has to download a video file to play, he or she has to wait until the entire file downloads in order to watch it. In the case of large files (TV shows or movies, for example), this can take over an hour. Progressive downloading stores the meta information necessary for playback at the front of the file instead of the back, allowing the user to start playing the file before it finishes downloading. Streaming does not download the file to the user's computer at all. Not only does this let users view live events, it also protects the creator's copyright, since the data is never stored anywhere but the server.
Pause. If the video loads with the first frame displayed and the video paused, the user can a) get a cursory idea of the video's content and b) decide if and when they want the video to start. HYPERLINK "http://www.youtube.com" YouTube is a high-profile offender: if you search for a video, then open multiple videos in new windows or tabs in your browser, all of them start playing at once and you have to manually pause each one.
Preview. This does not seem to be widely implemented, but Adobe suggests playing a five-second clip on mouseover. This would give a better impression of the video's content than just showing the first frame.
Detect. Some users simply do not have Internet connections that can handle large downloads. If at all possible, a lower-quality version of the video should be available. If working with HYPERLINK "http://www.adobe.com/products/flashmediainteractive/" Flash Media Interactive Server, the Server auto-detects the user's connection speed and serve up the video with the optimal quality for that connection.
Standardize. There are common naming conventions to be observed. If a movie called "filename" is encoded at 600 Kbps, the Flash movie file should be named "filename_600". This allows the Flash Media Interactive Server to more easily deliver the proper file according to the connection speed it detected.
Trace. Pay attention to the processes during development. Debug before the page even reaches the user.
Optimize. The most annoying facet of streaming video is HYPERLINK "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgJxGKBad3M" rebuffering. Make sure that you calculate the buffer time accurately. Adobe provides a HYPERLINK "http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flashcom/articles/dyn_buffering.html" tutorial on how to calculate this.
Define. Who are you trying to reach? What are their connection limitations? Is the majority of your audience on dial-up? Answering these questions will help you determine what video content you can provide.
Encode. The only way to distribute high-quality video is if it is encoded properly.

Other sites add a few more things to think about:
HYPERLINK "http://www.netsquared.org/blog/jedsundwall/online-video-production-best-practices-discussion-arun-chaudhary-obama-america" Arun Chaudhary suggests that when shooting video initially, you should find a location that will enable you to get good sound. Visuals are not nearly as informative if there are no discernible sounds to accompany them. Also, choose descriptive video titles to aid in searching.
HYPERLINK "http://rismedia.com/2009-07-19/video-best-practices-avoid-the-pitfall-of-user-generated-content/" Eric Carlsen suggests that companies should invest in hiring a video professional instead of displaying "user-generated" content. This avoids the amateur feel that pervades many YouTube videos.

In short, the basic underpinnings of video distribution best practices are similar to those of search engine optimization: Create good-quality content that is relevant and easy to find and view, and the visitors will come.

An actual LINK this time to my Midterm :-)

noreply@blogger.com (Patrice) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:25:00 +0000