Noogler

Station Tour: Harmony, Tranquility, Unity

2020-03-25T08:38:00.001-07:00

The Last Dragon ♣ The Last Dragon (Original Long Soundtrack Version)

2020-03-23T03:37:00.001-07:00

Elon Musk To Step Back From Tesla And SpaceX, Jumps on Quantum Computing...

2020-03-22T02:05:00.001-07:00

Einstein the bird

2016-09-12T15:19:00.001-07:00

Planet Earth

2016-06-01T08:51:00.002-07:00

Blossom - Komuthima Gwomeya (Namtunes Music Video) https://t.co/uT3jyCsfGD via @YouTube
— ♡ ßäÑÐ¡† ♥ ™ (@Hollywood3Love) September 2, 2016

Special Requests

2014-05-10T08:03:00.002-07:00

What is Google Apps?
Google Apps is a cloud-based productivity suite that helps teams communicate, collaborate and get things done from anywhere and on any device. It's simple to set up, use and manage, so your business can focus on what really matters.
Millions of organisations around the world count on Google Apps for professional email, file storage, video meetings, online calendars, document editing and more.
Watch a video or find out more here.
These are some highlights:
Business email for your domain
Looking professional matters, and that means communicating as you@yourcompany.com. Gmail’s simple, powerful features help you build your brand while getting more done.
Access from any location or device
Check emails, share files, edit documents, hold video meetings and more, whether you’re at work, at home or in transit. You can pick up where you left off from a computer, tablet or phone.
Enterprise-level management tools
Robust admin settings give you total command over users, devices, security and more. Your data always belongs to you, and it goes with you, if you switch solutions.
Start free trial

Fashion ♥ Divas

☁ ♋ ∞ ✔ ✌

✞ ☎ ➳

40 Cups of Coffee

2014-04-12T17:53:00.003-07:00

Series: 40 Cups of Coffee
Sub Series: The Smell of Coffee
Dimensions: 102mm x 186mm approximately
Series run: 40 paintings signed and numbered
Medium: Acrylic on raw canvas, mounted on board
Artist: Mitchell Foley
Date: 2006.

Comprising 40 individual paintings of a cup of Coffee, this sub-series deals with the
esoteric nature of Coffee and the time related issues that that engenders. Certainly,
the cups of coffee themselves have become esoteric, in that in many instances the
cup has been removed altogether and the coffee has become nothing more than a
foreground frame for distant abstract landscape conversations.

Coffee is arbitrary in this-series, as indeed it is in life. We often invite each other (or
take ourselves) to coffee when in reality it is time, spent in; conversation, company,
thought or sometimes incarceration, that is the object of the exercise. In this set of
paintings, it is the issues and their various complexities that are of interest; the
aspects (or perhaps the aroma) that are left when you remove the Cup of Coffee
from a Cup of Coffee.

Web Design Common Terminology

2014-03-17T22:48:00.002-07:00

Common Terminology

· Anti-aliasing: In digital signal processing, anti-aliasing is the technique of minimizing the distortion artifacts known as aliasing when representing a high-resolution signal at a lower resolution. Anti-aliasing is used in digital photography, computer graphics, digital audio, and many other applications

· ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange: (computer science) a code for information exchange between computers made by different companies; a string of 7 binary digits represents each character; used in most microcomputers

· Authoring Software: Refers to software that enables the creation of multimedia or hypertext documents and presentations.

· AVI: Audio Video Interleave, known by its acronym AVI, is a multimedia container format introduced by Microsoft in November 1992 as part of its Video for Windows technology. AVI files can contain both audio and video data in a file container that allows synchronous audio-with-video playback. An AVI is a sound and motion picture file that conforms to the Microsoft Windows Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF) specification. AVI files (which end with an .avi extension) require a special player that may be included with your Web browser.

· Bandwidth: a data transmission rate; the maximum amount of information (bits/second) that can be transmitted along a channel. In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, digital bandwidth, or network bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bit/s or multiples of it (kbit/s, Mbit/s etc).

· Batch Processing: the serial execution of computer programs, The authorization of transactions offline when immediate approval is not required. Transactions are collected in a batch and sent as one transmission for authorization and/or settlement. Batch processing is generally used with mail/telephone order transactions.

FTP: use the file transfer protocol to transfer data from one computer to another; "You can FTP these data"

file transfer protocol: protocol that allows users to copy files between their local system and any system they can reach on the network. The series of rules that govern "uploading" and "downloading" files from a server. These files can not usually be viewed by the browser software, but will be saved to your hard drive to open or translate later. Current browsers integrate FTP into their software, or you may use a stand alone program.

· Gamut: In colour reproduction, including computer graphics and photography, the gamut, or color gamut , is a certain complete subset of colors. This means every colour combination that is possible to produce with a given set of colourants on a given device or system.

· GIF: The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability.

Gradient: In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar field is a vector field which points in the direction of the greatest rate of increase of the scalar field, and whose magnitude is the greatest rate of change. a graded change in the magnitude of some physical quantity or dimension.

· GUI: graphical user interface: a user interface based on graphics (icons and pictures and menus) instead of text; uses a mouse as well as a keyboard as an input device

· HTML: HTML, which stands for HyperText Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for web pages. It provides a means to create structured documents by denoting structural semantics for text such as headings, paragraphs, lists etc as well as for links, quotes, and other items.

· Bitmap: In computer graphics, a bitmap or pixmap is a type of memory organization or image file format used to store digital images. The term bitmap comes from the computer programming terminology, meaning just a map of bits, a spatially mapped array of bits.

· BMP: The BMP file format, sometimes called bitmap or DIB file format (for device-independent bitmap), is an image file format used to store bitmap digital images, especially on Microsoft Windows and OS/2 operating systems.

Browser: A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content/a viewer who looks around casually without seeking anything in particular /a program used to view HTML documents.
Cache: In computer science, a cache ( ) is a component that improves performance by transparently storing data such that future requests for that data can be served faster.
Chroma: The aspect of a colour's hue that depends on the amount of white or black in it; saturation.
CGI: The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) is a standard protocol that defines how webserver software can delegate the generation of webpages to a console application. Such applications are known as CGI scripts; they can be written in any programming language, although scripting languages are often used.
CYMK: The CMYK color model (process color, four color) is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four inks used in some color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key black.
Hyperlink: a link from a hypertext file to another location or file; typically activated by clicking on a highlighted word or icon at a particular location on the screen. In computing, a hyperlink (or link) is a reference to a document that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. The reference points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text with hyperlinks.
Hypermedia: Hypermedia is used as a logical extension of the term hypertext in which graphics, audio, video, plain text and hyperlinks intertwine to create a generally non-linear medium of information. The use of text, data, graphics, audio and video as elements of an extended hypertext system in which all elements are linked so that the user can move between them at will.

Interface: a program that controls a display for the user (usually on a computer monitor) and that allows the user to interact with the system.

Java: Java refers to a number of proprietary computer software products and specifications from Sun Microsystems, a subsidiary of Oracle Corporation, that together provide a system for developing application software and deploying it in a cross-platform environment. a platform-independent object-oriented programming language.

Javascript: JavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language used to enable programmatic access to objects within both the client application and other applications.

JPEG: In computing, JPEG (, ) (named after the Joint Photographic Experts Group who created the standard) is a commonly used method of lossy compression for photographic images. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality.

Jquery: Jquery is a lightweight cross-browser JavaScript library that emphasizes interaction between JavaScript and HTML. It was released in January 2006 at BarCamp NYC by John Resig. Used by over 27% of the 10,000 most visited websites, jQuery is the most popular JavaScript library in use today. JQuery is a fast and concise JavaScript library which simplifies the creation of animations, communications to server requests, document transversing and event handling .

Codec: A codec is a device or computer program capable of encoding and/or decoding a digital data stream or signal. The word codec is a portmanteau (a blending of two or more words) of 'compressor-decompressor' or, more commonly, 'coder-decoder'.

CSS: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used to describe the presentation semantics (that is, the look and formatting) of a document written in a markup language.

Database: A database is a collection of data for one or more multiple uses. One way of classifying databases involves the type of content, for example: bibliographic, full-text, numeric, image. Other classification methods start from examining database models or database architectures.A collection of (usually) organized information in a regular structure, usually but not necessarily in a machine-readable format accessible by a computer; A software program for storing, retrieving and manipulating a database(1); A combination of (1) and (2) .

Data Compression: In computer science and information theory, data compression or source coding is the process of encoding information using fewer bits (or other information-bearing units) than an unencoded representation would use, through use of specific encoding schemes.

Dithering: the process of representing intermediate colors by patterns of tiny colored dots that simulate the desired color .Dither is an intentionally applied form of noise used to randomize quantization error, preventing large-scale patterns such as "banding" (stepwise rendering of smooth gradations in brightness or hue) in images, or noise at discrete frequencies in an audio recording, that are more objectionable.

DPI: dots per inch . Resolution that varies across media. For print, image files are optimized at 300 DPI. For the Web (GIF and JPEG file formats), files are optimized at 72 DPI, the number of pixels across one inch of most monitors .

Flatten (image): lower the pitch of (musical notes) .

LAN: A local area network (LAN) is a computer network covering a small physical area, like a home, office, or small group of buildings, such as a school, or an airport.

Leading: In typography, leading (, rhymes with heading) refers to the amount of added vertical spacing between lines of type.

Marquee: The marquee tag is a non-standard HTML element which causes text to scroll up, down, left or right automatically.

Metadata: Metadata (meta data, meta-data, or sometimes metainformation) is “data about data.” The use of metadata is an emerging practice with close ties to information management, information science, information technology, librarianship and GIS.

MPEG: A computer file (as of a movie) in an MPEG format; Moving Pictures Experts Group; Any of a group of computer file formats for the compression and storage of digital video and audio data .

Multimedia: transmission that combine media of communication (text and graphics and sound etc.)

MySQL: Pronounced “my ess cue el”, MySQL is an open source relational database management system. It is largely SQL-compliant and runs on a wide variety of operating systems. MySQL forms one of the bases for the popular LAMP server configuration, Linux Apache MySQL PHP/Perl/Python.

Peripheral: A peripheral is a device attached to a host computer but not part of it whose primary functionality is dependent upon the host, and can therefore be considered as expanding the host's capabilities, while not forming part of the system's core architecture.

PICT: PICT is a graphics file format introduced on the original Apple Macintosh computer as its standard metafile format. It allows the interchange of graphics (both bitmapped and vector), and some limited text support, between Mac applications, and was the native graphics format of QuickDraw.

Pixel: In digital imaging, a pixel (or picture element) is a single point in a raster image. The pixel is the smallest addressable screen element, it is the smallest unit of picture which can be controlled. Each pixel has its own address. The address of a pixel corresponds to its coordinates.

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (the name is a recursive acronym) is a widely used, general-purpose scripting language that was originally designed for web development to produce dynamic web pages.

PNG: Portable Network Graphics (PNG) is a bitmapped image format that employs lossless data compression. PNG was created to improve upon and replace GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) as an image-file format not requiring a patent license. It is or spelled out as P-N-G.

Opacity: Opacity is the measure of impenetrability to electromagnetic or other kinds of radiation, especially visible light. In radiative transfer, it describes the absorption and scattering of radiation in a medium, such as a plasma, dielectric, shielding material, glass, etc.

PDF: Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 for document exchange. PDF is used for representing two-dimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system.Adobe Systems Incorporated.

Resolution: the number of pixels per square inch on a computer-generated display; the greater the resolution, the better the picture.

RGB: The RGB color model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue.

Saturation: In colorimetry and color theory, colorfulness, chroma, and saturation are related but distinct concepts referring to the perceived intensity of a specific color. Colorfulness is the difference between a color against gray.

Thumbnail: Thumbnails are reduced-size versions of pictures, used to help in recognizing and organizing them, serving the same role for images as a normal text index does for words.

Transparency: In the field of optics, transparency (also called pellucidity or diaphaneity) is the physical property of allowing light to pass through a material; translucency (also called translucence or translucidity) only allows light to pass through diffusely. The opposite property is opacity.

PPI: Pixels per inch is part of how you would define the resolution of an object that is screen-based. Some use DPI and PPI interchangeably, though this is technically incorrect.

Primary Colours: In printing - yellow, magenta and cyan (subtractive primaries). In light - red, green and blue (additive primaries).

PSD: Adobe Photoshop, or simply Photoshop, is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems. It is the current market leader for commercial bitmap and image manipulation software, and is the flagship product of Adobe Systems.

Quality control: Quality control is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production.

Raster Image: In computer graphics, a raster graphics image or bitmap is a data structure representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color, viewable via a monitor, paper, or other display medium.

XHTML: (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) is a family of XML markup languages that mirror or extend versions of the widely used Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the language in which web pages are written.

UI: User Interface. It is the graphic design and appearance of a website, its function as seen and used by the person on the user end, at the website in a browser. The UI of a website is ultimately how it lets users know what it has to offer them.

URL: the address of a web page on the world wide web. n computing, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a subset of the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) that specifies where an identified resource is available and the mechanism for retrieving it.
Value (colour): fix or determine the value of; assign a value to, RGB and Hexadecimal Color Codes

Colors are made up of 3 sets of RGB numbers representing the amount of Red, Green and Blue contained within a color. These colors are represented as hexadecimal values.

For example, the hexadecimal numbers for black is #000000. The first two numbers (00) represent the amount of red the color contains. The second two numbers (00) represent the amount of green and the last two numbers (00) represent the amount of blue the color contains. When a color, such as black, contains 00 amount of red, green or blue, this means it contains no amount of that color or 0%.

However, colors containing RGB values of FF contain the most amount of a color or 100%. For example, the hexadecimal value for white is #FFFFFF, which means it contains the most amount of red, green and blue.

The hexadecimal numbers for red are FF0000. To help you to understand this a little bit better, if we break down the hexadecimal numbers, we will find that the color red contains FF amount of red, which is the highest amount. It contains 00 amount of green and 00 amount of blue, both of which are the lowest.

Vector: What is the difference between vector and bitmap images

A vector image uses geometrical formulas to represent images. The other way of representing graphical images is through bit-maps in which the image is made up of a pattern of dots (note that bit-maps are often referred to as raster graphics). Programs that allow you to create and manipulate vector graphics are called draw programs and programs that manipulate bit-map images are called paint programs.

Vector graphics are more flexible than bit-maps because they can be easily re-sized. In addition, images stored as vectors look better when displayed on high resolution printers and monitors. Bit-map images look the same, regardless of the resolution of the display. Another advantage of a vector graphic is that they often require less memory than bit-maps do.

Note that most output devices including dot matrix printers, laser printers and display monitors are raster devices (wide format printers being the exception). This means that all objects, even vector graphics, must be translated into bit-maps (or rasterised) before being output.

Vector graphics do not need to be translated in to bit-maps until the last possible minute, after all sizes and resolutions have been specified.

A vector in computing, specifically when talking about malicious code such as viruses or worms, is the method that this code uses to propagate itself or infect the computer and this sense is similar to, and derived from, its meaning in biology.
WYSIWYG: is an acronym for What You See Is What You Get. The term is used in computing to describe a system in which content displayed during editing appears very similar to the final output, which might be a printed document, web page, slide presentation or even the lighting for a theatrical.
XML: Extensible Markup Language; a flexible text format for creating structured computer documents.

Design Principles

2014-03-17T22:44:00.005-07:00

Commerce

An enterprise architecture (EA) is a rigorous description of the structure of an enterprise, which comprises enterprise components (business entities), the externally visible properties of those components, and the relationships (e.g. the behavior) between them. EA describes the terminology, the composition of enterprise components, and their relationships with the external environment, and the guiding principles for the requirement (analysis), design, and evolution of an enterprise. This description is comprehensive, including enterprise goals, business process, roles, organizational structures, organizational behaviors, business information, software applications and computer systems.

Practitioners of EA call themselves "enterprise architects." An enterprise architect is a person responsible for developing the enterprise architecture and is often called upon to draw conclusions from it. By producing an enterprise architecture, architects are providing a tool for identifying opportunities to improve the enterprise, in a manner that more effectively and efficiently pursues its purpose.

In business and engineering, new product development (NPD) is the term used to describe the complete process of bringing a new product or service to market. There are two parallel paths involved in the NPD process: one involves the idea generation, product design and detail engineering; the other involves market research and marketing analysis. Companies typically see new product development as the first stage in generating and commercializing new products within the overall strategic process of product life cycle management used to maintain or grow their market share.

Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, and end use. Packaging contains, protects, preserves, transports, informs, and sells.In many countries it is fully integrated into government, business, institutional, industrial, and personal use.

Package labelling (en-GB) or labeling (en-US) is any written, electronic, or graphic communications on the packaging or on a separate but associated label.

Product design is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.

Product Designers conceptualize and evaluate ideas, making them tangible through products in a more systematic approach. Their role is to combine art, science and technology to create tangible three-dimensional goods. This evolving role has been facilitated by digital tools that allow designers to communicate, visualize and analyze ideas in a way that would have taken greater manpower in the past.

Product design is sometimes confused with industrial design, industrial design is concerned with the aspect of that process that brings that sort of artistic form and usability usually associated with craft design to that of mass produced goods.

Service Design is the activity of planning and organizing people, infrastructure, communication and material components of a service, in order to improve its quality, the interaction between service provider and customers and the customer's experience. For example, a restaurant may choose to have a Service Design agency change the way its menu is set out, or change the layout of the restaurant to improve the customer's experience. Customers can mean paying patrons, but also can be within an organization, so long as they are the direct recipients of a service e.g. an organization implements a new payroll interface for its staff - therefore the staff are effectively 'customers' of the payroll interface. To do this, Service Design methodologies are used to plan and organize people, infrastructure, communication and material components used in a service. The increasing importance and size of the service sector, both in terms of people employed and economic importance, requires services to be accurately designed in order for service providers to remain competitive and to continue to attract customers.

The design (or redesign) of a service may involve re-organizing the activities performed by the service provider (Back office), e.g. how letters from customers are processed internally; and/or the redesign of interfaces and interactions that customers use to contact the service provider (Front office) e.g. website, in person, telephone, blog etc.

Service Design is increasingly used by blue-chip private and public sector organizations as a means of creating the step change their customers require in terms of service experience. Service Design agencies apply design tools, techniques and thinking to service challenges, either to improve existing services or to create new ones. Typically, the work is based upon deep insights gathered by shadowing service users. This technique produces more accurate insights into the usability of a service than traditional remote surveys because what people say they do is frequently different to what they actually do. Concepts and ideas generated are captured in sketches or in service prototypes. The strong visual element, combined with the opportunity to test and rapidly change services and interfaces, delivers real value in today's competitive markets.

Communications

Book design is the art of incorporating the content, style, format, design, and sequence of the various components of a book into a coherent whole.

In the words of Jan Tschichold, book design "[...] though largely forgotten today, methods and rules upon which it is impossible to improve have been developed over centuries. To produce perfect books these rules have to be brought back to life and applied." Richard Hendel describes book design as "an arcane subject" and refers to the need for a context to understand what that means.

Color psychology is the study of color as a factor in human behavior. This includes very diverse studies, ranging from quantifying individual color preference to investigating the relationship between shirt color and match outcome in English football.

hi i am a person

Communication design is a mixed discipline between design and information-development which is concerned with how media intermission such as printed, crafted, electronic media or presentations communicate with people. A communication design approach is not only concerned with developing the message aside from the aesthetics in media, but also with creating new media channels to ensure the message reaches the target audience.

Communication design can also refer to a systems-based approach, in which the totality of media and messages within a culture or organization are designed as a single integrated process rather than a series of discrete efforts.

Communication design seeks to attract, inspire, create desires and motivate the people to respond to messages, with a view to making a favorable impact to the bottom line of the commissioning body, which can be either to build a brand, move sales, or for humanitarian purposes. Its process involves strategic business thinking, using market research, creativity, and problem-solving.

The term communication design is often used interchangeably with visual communication, but has an alternate broader meaning that includes auditory, vocal, touch and smell. Examples of Communication Design include information architecture, editing, typography, illustration, web design, animation, advertising, ambient media, visual identity design, performing arts, copywriting and professional writing skills applied in the creative industries.
A content designer is a designer who designs content for media or software. The term is mainly used in web development. Depending on the content format, the content designer usually holds a more specific title such as graphic designer for graphical content, writer for textual content, instructional designer for educational content, or a programmer for automated program/data-driven content.

A senior content designer is a designer who leads a "content design" group in designing new content for a product. Depending on the purpose of the content, the role of a senior content designer may be similar or identical to a communication design, game development or educational role with a different title more associated with those professions. For example: a senior content designer in a communication design profession is better known as a creative director.

An Exhibition Designer is a professional who creates fixtures and display stands for events such as large public exhibitions, conferences, trade shows and temporary displays for business, museums, libraries and galleries.

Their work can include:

presenting their ideas as sketches, scale plans, computer-generated visuals and models
discussing their ideas with clients
producing final specifications
in smaller companies, overseeing the construction of the components (usually in workshops) and assembly and installation at the exhibition venue
handling orders for supplies
liaising with technical specialists such as lighting staff

An Exhibition Designer might be employed as part of a team by an independent studio. Other employers include national and local government, and large organisations such as museums with their own design departments. There is a steady demand for the services of talented and experienced professionals. The work is studio or office based, but will usually also involve visiting clients or exhibition sites and in some cases may also involve being outside (i.e. outdoor zoos, parades).

Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form (i.e., printers, programmers, signmakers, etc.) – undertaken in order to convey a specific message (or messages) to a targeted audience. The term "graphic design" can also refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation. The field as a whole is also often referred to as Visual Communication or Communication Design. Various methods are used to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce the final result. Graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.

Common uses of graphic design include identity (logos and branding), web sites, publications (magazines, newspapers, and books), advertisements and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as shapes and color which unify the piece. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing materials or diverse elements.

Information design is the skill and practice of preparing information so people can use it with efficiency and effectiveness. Where the data is complex or unstructured, a visual representation can express its meaning more clearly to the viewer.

nstructional Design (also called Instructional Systems Design (ISD)) is the practice of maximizing the effectiveness, efficiency and appeal of instruction and other learning experiences. The process consists broadly of determining the current state and needs of the learner, defining the end goal of instruction, and creating some "intervention" to assist in the transition. Ideally the process is informed by pedagogically (process of teaching) and andragogically (adult learning) tested theories of learning and may take place in student-only, teacher-led or community-based settings. The outcome of this instruction may be directly observable and scientifically measured or completely hidden and assumed. There are many instructional design models but many are based on the ADDIE model with the five phases: 1) analysis, 2) design, 3) development, 4) implementation, and 5) evaluation. As a field, instructional design is historically and traditionally rooted in cognitive and behavioral psychology.

Motion Design is a subset of graphic design in that it uses graphic design principles in a film or video context (or other temporally evolving visual medium) through the use of animation or filmic techniques. Examples include the typography and graphics you see as the titles for a film, or opening sequences for television or the spinning, web-based animations, three-dimensional logo for a television channel. About 12 minutes in every hour of broadcast television is the work of the motion graphics designer, yet it is known as the invisible art, as many viewers are unaware of this component of programming. Although this art form has been around for decades, it has taken quantum leaps forward in recent years, in terms of technical sophistication. If you watch much TV or see many films, you will have noticed that the graphics, the typography, and the visual effects within this medium have become much more elaborate and sophisticated.

News design is the process of arranging material on a newspaper page, according to editorial and graphical guidelines and goals. Main editorial goals include the ordering of news stories by order of importance, while graphical considerations include readability and balanced, unobtrusive incorporation of advertising.

News design incorporates principles of graphic design and is taught as part of journalism training in schools and colleges. Overlapping and related terms include layout, makeup (formerly paste up) and pagination.

The era of modern newspapers begins in the mid-nineteenth century, with the Industrial Revolution, and increased capacities for printing and distribution. Over time, improvements in printing technology, graphical design, and editorial standards have led to changes and improvements in the look and readability of newspapers. Nineteenth-century newspapers were often densely packed with type, often arranged vertically, with multiple headlines for each article. A number of the same technological limitations persisted until the advent of digital typesetting and pagination in late 20th century.

"USA Today" was a leader in design changes, and was largely responsible for adding tools such as color and infographics to newspapers' design vocabulary. These changes are partly intended to help readers "navigate", to scan and see priorities.

Some of these changes included:

Fewer articles per page.
Modules, or squaring off of articles and packages of related materials. Modules avoid what is known as "doglegs" or inverted-"L" shapes.
More standardized column widths.
More standardized fonts.
More "art" —nontext elements, usually photos, but often including advertising or outline (or shaded) boxes for featured stories.
More white space, known as "air". An area with too little white space is called "tight", and too much white space is called "loose".
Color.

Production designer is a term used in the film industry and television to refer to the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the director and producer, they must select the settings and style to visually tell the story. The term production designer was created in 1939 out of respect for the amount and level of design work single-handedly accomplished by William Cameron Menzies on the film Gone with the Wind. Previously (and often subsequently) the people with the same responsibilities were called "art directors"
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring and manipulating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including film, theatre, music recording, live music performance, and computer game software development. Sound design most commonly involves the manipulation of previously composed audio, such as previously recorded music and sound effects. In some instances it may also involve the composition or manipulation of audio to create a desired effect or mood. A sound designer is one who practices the art of sound design.

Stagecraft is a generic term referring to the technical aspects of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes, but is not limited to, constructing and rigging scenery, hanging and focusing of lighting, design and procurement of costumes, makeup, procurement of props, stage management, and recording and mixing of sound. Stagecraft is distinct from the wider umbrella term of scenography. Considered a technical rather than an artistic field, it relates primarily to the practical implementation of a designer's artistic vision.

In its most basic form, stagecraft is managed by a single person (often the stage manager of a smaller production) who arranges all scenery, costumes, lighting, and sound, and organizes the cast. At a more professional level, for example modern Broadway houses, stagecraft is managed by hundreds of skilled carpenters, painters, electricians, stagehands, stitchers, wigmakers, and the like. This modern form of stagecraft is highly technical and specialized: it comprises many sub-disciplines and a vast trove of history and tradition.
The majority of stagecraft lies between these two extremes. Regional theatres and larger community theatres will generally have a technical director and a complement of designers, each of whom has a direct hand in their respective designs.

Typography (from the Greek words τύπος(typos) = form and γραφή(graphy) = writing) is the art and technique of arranging type, type design, and modifying type glyphs. Type glyphs are created and modified using a variety of illustration techniques. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing), adjusting the spaces between groups of letters (tracking) and adjusting the space between pairs of letters (kerning).

Typography is performed by typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic designers, art directors, comic book artists, graffiti artists, and clerical workers. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new genVisual communication as the name suggests is communication through visual aid and is described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon. Visual communication solely relies on vision, and is primarily presented or expressed with two dimensional images, it includes: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, colour and electronic resources. It also explores the idea that a visual message accompanying text has a greater power to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience.

The evaluation of a good visual communication design is mainly based on measuring comprehension by the audience, not on personal aesthetic and/or artistic preference as there are no universally agreed-upon principles of beauty and ugliness. Excluding two dimensional images, there are other ways to express information visually - gestures and body language, animation (digital or analogue), and film. Visual communication by e-mail, a textual medium, is commonly expressed with ASCII art, emoticons, and embedded digital images.

The term 'visual presentation' is used to refer to the actual presentation of information through a visible medium such as text or images. Recent research in the field has focused on web design and graphically-oriented usability. Graphic designers also use methods of visual communication in their professional practice. Visual communication on the World Wide Web is perhaps the most important form of communication that takes place while users are surfing the Internet. When experiencing the web, one uses the eyes as the primary sense, and therefore the visual presentation of a website is very important for users to understand the message or of the communication taking place.

The Eye of Horus

The Eye of Horus is often referred to as the symbol of visual communication. It is said to be a representation of an eclipse, as the corona around the pupil is like the corona around the sun during a solar eclipse.

erations of visual designers and lay users.

Physical

An architectural designer is an architect that is primarily involved in the design of buildings or urban landscapes, as opposed to the construction documents and management required to construct it. Architectural designers have good creative skills, imagination and artistic talent. Although most students of architecture are trained to be designers in school, not all become designers in practice. Non-registered designers are similar, but cannot legally refer to themselves as "architectural" designers in most parts of the world. Most are referred to as building designers, especially when not employed by an architectural firm.

Many large architectural firms have architectural designers that set what the general public views as the "style" of the firm's projects. These firms may actually have groups of designers (design studios), often divided into their own separate niche markets (education, healthcare, housing, etc.) In smaller architectural firms, the architectural designers tend to remain involved with the project right through completion, and actually take an active role in documentation and management, sometimes to the point of supervising construction. It is worth noting that most "star" architects, that have become household names, are known because of their skill as architectural designers.

Architectural engineering, also known as Building engineering, is the application of engineering principles and technology to building design and construction. Definitions of an architectural engineer may refer to:

An engineer in the structural, mechanical, electrical, construction or other engineering fields of building design and construction.
A licensed engineering professional in parts of the United States.
In informal contexts, and formally in some places, a professional synonymous with or similar to an architect. In some languages, "architect" is literally translated as "architectural engineer".

Automotive design is the profession involved in the development of the appearance, and to some extent the ergonomics, of motor vehicles or more specifically road vehicles. This most commonly refers to automobiles but also refers to motorcycles, trucks, buses, coaches, and vans. The functional design and development of a modern motor vehicle is typically done by a large team from many different disciplines included in automotive engineers. Automotive design in this context is primarily concerned with developing the visual appearance or aesthetics of the vehicle, though it is also involved in the creation of the product concept. Automotive design is practiced by designers who usually have an art background and a degree in industrial design or transportation design.

Cellular Manufacturing is a model for workplace design, and has become an integral part of lean manufacturing systems. Cellular Manufacturing is based upon the principals of Group Technology, which seeks to take full advantage of the similarity between parts, through standardisation and common processing. In Functional Manufacturing similar machines are placed close together (e.g. lathes, millers, drills etc). Functional layouts are more robust to machine breakdowns, have common jigs and fixtures in the same area and supports high levels of demarcation. In Cellular Manufacturing systems machines are grouped together according to the families of parts produced. The major advantage is that material flow is significantly improved, which reduces the distance travelled by materials, inventory and cumulative lead times. Cellular Manufacturing is most suitable for batch manufacturing.

The goal of lean manufacturing is the aggressive minimisation of waste, called muda, to achieve maximum efficiency of resources. Cellular manufacturing, sometimes called cellular or cell production, arranges factory floor labor into semi-autonomous and multi-skilled teams, or work cells, who manufacture complete products or complex components. Properly trained and implemented cells are more flexible and responsive than the traditional mass-production line, and can manage processes, defects, scheduling, equipment maintenance, and other manufacturing issues more efficiently.

In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as artifacts in archaeology. They may be made by one individual or in a factory where a group of people design, make and decorate the ware. Decorative ceramics are sometimes called "art pottery".

The word "ceramics" comes from the Greek keramikos (κεραμικος), meaning "pottery", which in turn comes from keramos (κεραμος), meaning "potter's clay." Most traditional ceramic products were made from clay (or clay mixed with other materials), shaped and subjected to heat, and tableware and decorative ceramics are generally still made this way. In modern ceramic engineering usage, ceramics is the art and science of making objects from inorganic, non-metallic materials by the action of heat. It excludes glass and mosaic made from glass tesserae.

There is a long history of ceramic art in almost all developed cultures, and often ceramic objects are all the artistic evidence left from vanished cultures, like that of the Nok in Africa over 2,000 years ago. Cultures especially noted for fine ceramics include the Chinese, Cretan, Greek, Persian, Mayan, Japanese, and Korean cultures, as well as the modern Western cultures.

Elements of ceramic art, upon which different degrees of emphasis have been placed at different times, are the shape of the object, its decoration by painting, carving and other methods, and the glazing found on most ceramics.

Design engineer is a general term that covers multiple engineering disciplines including electrical, mechanical and civil engineering, architectural engineers in the U.S. and building engineers in the U.K.

The design engineer is distinguished from the designer/drafter by virtue of the fact that a design engineer takes care of the inner workings/engineering of a design. While industrial designers may be responsible for the conceptual aesthetic and ergonomic aspects of a design, the design engineer usually works with a team of engineers and designers to develop the preliminary design and the most critical parts. He/she may work with industrial designers and marketing to develop the product concept and specifications, and he/she may direct the design effort from that point. Products are usually designed with input from a number of sources such as manufacturing, purchasing, tool making and packaging engineering.

In many engineering areas, a distinction is made between the design engineer and the planning engineer in design. Planning engineers are more concerned with designing on a more systems engineering level, and overlaps onto the operational side are often necessary. Design engineers, in contrast, are more concerned with designing a particular new product or system. However the design process and concepts will usually start with an ideation session from the industrial designer/s. Analysis is important for planning engineers, while synthesis is paramount for design engineers.

When the design involves public safety, the design engineer is usually required to be licensed, for example a Professional Engineer in the U.S. There is usually an 'industrial exemption' for design engineers working on project internal to companies.

Environmental design is the process of addressing surrounding environmental parameters when devising plans, programs, policies, buildings, or products. Classical prudent design may have always considered environmental factors; however, the environmental movement beginning in the 1940s has made the concept more explicit.

Environmental design can also refer to the applied arts and sciences dealing with creating the human-designed environment. These fields include architecture, geography,urban planning, landscape architecture, and interior design. Environmental design can also encompass interdisciplinary areas such as historical preservation and lighting design. In terms of a larger scope, environmental design has implications for the industrial design of products: innovative automobiles, wind-electricity generators, solar-electric equipment, and other kinds of equipment could serve as examples. Currently, the term has expanded to apply to ecological and sustainability issues.

Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social lattitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories. Some work alone or as part of a team. They attempt to satisfy consumer desire for aesthetically designed clothing; and, because of the time required to bring a garment onto the market, must at times anticipate changing consumer tastes. Some designers in fact have a reputation which enables them to set fashion trends.

Fashion designers attempt to design clothes which are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. They must consider who is likely to wear a garment and the situations in which it will be worn. They have a wide range and combinations of materials to work with and a wide range of colors, patterns and styles to choose from. Though most clothing worn for everyday wear fall within a narrow range of conventional styles, unusual garments are usually sought for special occasions, such as evening wear or party dresses.

Some clothes are made specifically for an individual, as in the case of haute couture. Today, most clothing is designed for the mass market, especially casual and every-day wear.
Floral design is the art of using plant materials and flowers to create a pleasing and balanced composition. Evidence of refined floristry is found as far back as the culture of Ancient Egypt. Professionally designed floral designs, arrangements or artwork incorporate the elements of floral design: Line, Form, Space, Texture and Color and the Principles of Floral Design:Balance, Proportion, Rhythm, Contrast, Harmony and Unity. Book of Floral Terminology, AIFD.

There are many styles of floral design. Eastern, Western and European styles have all influenced the commercial floral industry as it is today. Ikebana is a Japanese or eastern style of floral design and incorporates the three main line placements of heaven, man and earth. In contrast, European style emphasizes color and variety of botanical materials not limited to just blooming flowers, in mass gatherings of multiple flowers. Western design historically is characterized by symmetrical, asymmetrical, horizontal and vertical style of arrangements.

Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things. Storage furniture such as a nightstand often makes use of doors, drawers, shelves and locks to contain, organize or secure smaller objects such as clothes, tools, books, and household goods. (See List of furniture types.)

Furniture can be a product of design and is considered a form of decorative art. In addition to furniture's functional role, it can serve a symbolic or religious purpose. Domestic furniture works to create, in conjunction with furnishings such as clocks and lighting, comfortable and convenient interior spaces. Furniture can be made from many materials, including metal, plastic, and wood. Furniture can be made using a variety of woodworking joints which often reflect the local culture.

Garden design is the art and process of designing and creating plans for layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Garden design may be done by the garden owner themselves, or by professionals of varying levels of experience and expertise. Most professional garden designers are trained in principles of design and in horticulture, and have an expert knowledge and experience of using plants. Some professional garden designers are also landscape architects, a more formal level of training that usually requires an advanced degree and often a state license. Many amateur gardeners also attain a high level of experience from extensive hours working in their own gardens, through casual study, serious study in Master Gardener Programs, or by joining gardening clubs.

Garden owners have shown an increasing interest in garden design during the late twentieth century, both as enthusiasts of gardening as a hobby, as well as an expansion in the use of professional garden designers.

Industrial design is a combination of applied art and applied science, whereby the aesthetics, ergonomics and usability of products may be improved for marketability and production. The role of an industrial designer is to create and execute design solutions towards problems of form, usability, physical ergonomics, marketing, brand development and sales.

The term "industrial design" is often attributed to the designer Joseph Claude Sinel in 1919 (although he himself denied it in later interviews) but the discipline predates that by at least a decade. Its origins lay in the industrialization of consumer products. For instance the Deutscher Werkbund, founded in 1907 and a precursor to the Bauhaus, was a state-sponsored effort to integrate traditional crafts and industrial mass-production techniques, to put Germany on a competitive footing with England and the United States.

Interior design is a multi–faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment.
The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis, and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and resources of the client are satisfied to produce an interior space that fulfills the project goals.

Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, and/or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions that will produce the desired outcome. The scope of the profession includes: urban design; site planning; town or urban planning; environmental restoration; parks and recreation planning; visual resource management; green infrastructure planning and provision; and private estate and residence landscape master planning and design; all at varying scales of design, planning and management. A practitioner in the profession of landscape architecture is called a landscape architect.
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the design, production, and operation of machines and tools. It is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines.

The engineering field requires a vast understanding of core concepts including mechanics, kinematics, thermodynamics, materials science, and structural analysis. Mechanical engineers use these core principles along with tools like computer-aided engineering and product lifecycle management to design and analyze manufacturing plants, industrial equipment and machinery, heating and cooling systems, motorized vehicles, aircraft, watercraft, robotics, medical devices and more.

Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the industrial revolution in Europe in the 19th century; however, its development can be traced back several thousand years around the world. The field has continually evolved to incorporate advancements in technology, and mechanical engineers today are pursuing developments in such fields as composites, mechatronics, and nanotechnology. Mechanical engineering overlaps with aerospace engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, and petroleum engineering to varying amounts.

Sustainable design (also called environmental design, environmentally sustainable design, environmentally conscious design, etc.) is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.

Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has been linked to emergent disciplines such as landscape urbanism. However, with its increasing prominence in the activities of these disciplines, it is better conceptualised as a design practice that operates at the intersection of all three, and requires a good understanding of a range of others besides, such as real estate development, urban economics, political economy and social theory.

Urban design theory deals primarily with the design and management of public space (i.e. the 'public environment', 'public realm' or 'public domain'), and the way public places are experienced and used. Public space includes the totality of spaces used freely on a day-to-day basis by the general public, such as streets, plazas, parks and public infrastructure. Some aspects of privately owned spaces, such as building facades or domestic gardens, also contribute to public space and are therefore also considered by Urban design theory. Important writers on, and advocates for, urban design theory include Christopher Alexander, Michael E. Arth, Edmund Bacon, Ian Bentley,^[1]Peter Calthorpe, Alex Krieger, Gordon Cullen, Andres Duany, Jane Jacobs, Jan Gehl, Kevin Lynch, Roger Montgomery, Aldo Rossi, Colin Rowe, Robert Venturi, William H. Whyte, Bill Hillier, and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.

While the two fields are closely related, 'urban design' differs from 'urban planning' in its focus on physical improvement of the public environment, whereas the latter tends, in practice, to focus on the management of private development through established planning methods and programs, and other statutory development controls.

Applications

Experience design (XD) is the practice of designing products, processes, services, events, and environments with a focus placed on the quality of the user experience and culturally relevant solutions, with less emphasis placed on increasing and improving functionality of the design. An emerging discipline, experience design draws from many other disciplines including cognitive psychology and perceptual psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, architecture and environmental design, haptics, hazard analysis, product design, theatre, information design, information architecture, ethnography, brand strategy, interaction design, service design, storytelling, heuristics, and design thinking.

Game design, a subset of game development, is the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, and storyline, characters during production stage. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as well as documentation that describes such a design. Game design requires artistic and technical competence as well as writing skills.

Interaction design (abbreviated as IxD) defines the structure and behavior of interactive systems. Interaction Designers strive to create meaningful relationships between people and the products and services that they use, from computers to mobile devices to appliances and beyond. The practice typically centers on "embedding information technology into the ambient social complexities of the physical world."
Interactivity, however, is not limited to technological systems. It can also apply to other types of non-electronic products and services, and even organizations. Also, people have been interacting with each other as long as humans have been a species. Therefore, interaction design can be applied to the development of all solutions (or offerings), such as services and events. Those who design these offerings have, typically, performed interaction design inherently without naming it as such.

Software design is a process of problem-solving and planning for a software solution. After the purpose and specifications of software are determined, software developers will design or employ designers to develop a plan for a solution. It includes low-level component and algorithm implementation issues as well as the architectural view.

Software development (also known as application development, software design, designing software, software application development, enterprise application development, or platform development) is the development of a software product. The term "software development" may be used to refer to the activity of computer programming, which is the process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense of the term it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, ideally in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products.

Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product.

The need for better quality control of the software development process has given rise to the discipline of software engineering, which aims to apply the systematic approach exemplified in the engineering paradigm to the process of software development.

Software engineering (SE) is a profession dedicated to designing, implementing, and modifying software so that it is of higher quality, more affordable, maintainable, and faster to build. It is a "systematic approach to the analysis, design, assessment, implementation, test, maintenance and reengineering of software, that is, the application of engineering to software." The term software engineering first appeared in the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference, and was meant to provoke thought regarding the perceived "software crisis" at the time. The IEEE Computer Society's Software Engineering Body of Knowledge defines "software engineering" as the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software. It is the application of Engineering to software because it integrates significant mathematics, computer science and practices whose origins are in Engineering.

Software development, a much used and more generic term, does not necessarily subsume the engineering paradigm. Although it is questionable what impact it has had on actual software development over the last more than 40 years, the field's future looks bright according to Money Magazine and Salary.com, which rated "software engineer" as the best job in the United States in 2006.

Systems design is the process of defining the architecture, components, modules, interfaces, and data for a system to satisfy specified requirements. One could see it as the application of systems theory to product development. There is some overlap with the disciplines of systems analysis, systems architecture and systems engineering. If the broader topic of product development "blends the perspective of marketing, design, and manufacturing into a single approach to product development, then design is the act of taking the marketing information and creating the design of the product to be manufactured. Systems design is therefore the process of defining and developing systems to satisfy specified requirements of the user. Until the 1990s systems design had a crucial and respected role in the data processing industry. In the 1990s standardization of hardware and software resulted in the ability to build modular systems. The increasing importance of software running on generic platforms has enhanced the discipline of software engineering.
Object-oriented analysis and design methods are becoming the most widely used methods for computer systems design. The UML has become the standard language in object-oriented analysis and design. It is widely used for modeling software systems and is increasingly used for high designing non-software systems and organizations.

User eXperience Design (UXD) is a subset of the field of experience design that pertains to the creation of the architecture and interaction models that affect user experience of a device or system. As user experience is a subjective feeling, it cannot actually be "designed". Instead, you can design for a user experience, trying to enable certain kind of experiences. The scope of the field is directed at affecting "all aspects of the user’s interaction with the product: how it is perceived, learned, and used."

User interface design or user interface engineering is the design of computers, appliances, machines, mobile communication devices, software applications, and websites with the focus on the user's experience and interaction. The goal of user interface design is to make the user's interaction as simple and efficient as possible, in terms of accomplishing user goals—what is often called user-centered design. Good user interface design facilitates finishing the task at hand without drawing unnecessary attention to itself. Graphic design may be utilized to support its usability. The design process must balance technical functionality and visual elements (e.g., mental model) to create a system that is not only operational but also usable and adaptable to changing user needs.

Interface design is involved in a wide range of projects from computer systems, to cars, to commercial planes; all of these projects involve much of the same basic human interactions yet also require some unique skills and knowledge. As a result, designers tend to specialize in certain types of projects and have skills centered around their expertise, whether that be software design, user research, web design, or industrial design.

Web accessibility refers to the inclusive practice of making websites usable by people of all abilities and disabilities. When sites are correctly designed, developed and edited, all users can have equal access to information and functionality. For example, when a site is coded with semantically meaningful HTML, with textual equivalents provided for images and with links named meaningfully, this helps blind users using text-to-speech software and/or text-to-Braille hardware. When text and images are large and/or enlargable, it is easier for users with poor sight to read and understand the content. When links are underlined (or otherwise differentiated) as well as coloured, this ensures that color blind users will be able to notice them. When clickable links and areas are large, this helps users who cannot control a mouse with precision. When pages are coded so that users can navigate by means of the keyboard alone, or a single switch access device alone, this helps users who cannot use a mouse or even a standard keyboard. When videos are closed captioned or a sign language version is available, deaf and hard of hearing users can understand the video. When flashing effects are avoided or made optional, users prone to seizures caused by these effects are not put at risk. And when content is written in plain language and illustrated with instructional diagrams and animations, users with dyslexia and learning difficulties are better able to understand the content. When sites are correctly built and maintained, all of these users can be accommodated while not impacting on the usability of the site for non-disabled users.

The needs that Web accessibility aims to address include:

Visual: Visual impairments including blindness, various common types of low vision and poor eyesight, various types of color blindness;
Motor/Mobility: e.g. difficulty or inability to use the hands, including tremors, muscle slowness, loss of fine muscle control, etc., due to conditions such as Parkinson's Disease, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, stroke;
Auditory: Deafness or hearing impairments, including individuals who are hard of hearing;
Seizures: Photoepileptic seizures caused by visual strobe or flashing effects.
Cognitive/Intellectual: Developmental disabilities, learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia, etc.), and cognitive disabilities of various origins, affecting memory, attention, developmental "maturity," problem-solving and logic skills, etc.

Web design is a broad term used to encompass the way that content (usually hypertext or hypermedia) is delivered to an end-user through the World Wide Web, using a web browser or other web-enabled software is displayed. The intent of web design is to create a website—a collection of online content including documents and applications that reside on a web server/servers. A website may include text, images, sounds and other content, and may be interactive.
Scientific & mathematical

Combinatorial design theory is the part of combinatorial mathematics that deals with the existence and construction of systems of finite sets whose intersections have specified numerical properties.

For instance, a balanced incomplete block design (usually called for short a block design) is a collection B of b subsets (called blocks) of a finite set X of v elements, such that any element of X is contained in the same number r of blocks, every block has the same number k of elements, and any two blocks have the same number λ of common elements. For example, if λ = 1, we have a projective plane: X is the point set of the plane and the blocks are the lines.

A spherical design is a finite set X of points in a (d − 1)-dimensional sphere such that, for some integer t, the average value on X of every polynomial

of total degree at most t is equal to the average value of f on the whole sphere, i.e., the integral of f divided by the area of the sphere.

Combinatorial design theory is applied to the design of experiments. Some of the basic theory of combinatorial designs originated in Ronald Fisher's work on design of experiments.

In general usage, design of experiments (DOE) or experimental design is the design of any information-gathering exercises where variation is present, whether under the full control of the experimenter or not. However, in statistics, these terms are usually used for controlled experiments. Other types of study, and their design, are discussed in the articles on opinion polls and statistical surveys (which are types of observational study), natural experiments and quasi-experiments (for example, quasi-experimental design). See Experiment for the distinction between these types of experiments or studies.
In the design of experiments, the experimenter is often interested in the effect of some process or intervention (the "treatment") on some objects (the "experimental units"), which may be people, parts of people, groups of people, plants, animals, materials, etc. Design of experiments is thus a discipline that has very broad application across all the natural and social sciences.

Source: Design as a noun informally refers to a plan for the construction of an object (as in architectural blueprints, circuit diagrams and sewing patterns) while “to design” (verb) refers to making this plan. No generally-accepted definition of “design” exists, and the term has different connotations in different fields (see design disciplines below). However, one can also design by directly constructing an object (as in pottery, cowboy coding and graphic design).

More formally, design has been defined as follows:

(noun) a specification of an object, manifested by an agent, intended to accomplish goals, in a particular environment, using a set of primitive components, satisfying a set of requirements, subject to constraints;

(verb, transitive) to create a design, in an environment (where the designer operates)

Here, a "specification" can be manifested as either a plan or a finished product and "primitives" are the elements from which the design object is composed.

With such a broad denotation, there is no universal language or unifying institution for designers of all disciplines. This allows for many differing philosophies and approaches toward the subject (see Philosophies and studies of design, below).

The person designing is called a designer, which is also a term used for people who work professionally in one of the various design areas, usually also specifying which area is being dealt with (such as a fashion designer, concept designer or web designer). A designer’s sequence of activities is called a design process. The scientific study of design is called design science.

Designing often necessitates considering the aesthetic, functional, economic and sociopolitical dimensions of both the design object and design process. It may involve considerable research, thought, modeling, interactive adjustment, and re-design. Meanwhile, diverse kinds of objects may be designed, including clothing, graphical user interfaces, skyscrapers, corporate identities, business processes and even methods of designing.

Contents

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org

Moodle

2014-03-17T22:30:00.002-07:00

From MoodleDocs

Jump to: navigation, searchAbout Moodle

Background

Philosophy

License

Features

Release Notes

Usage

Future

Credits

Case for Moodle

Top 10 Moodle Myths

Moodle is a software package for producing Internet-based courses and web sites. It is a global development project designed to support a social constructionist framework of education.

Moodle is provided freely as Open Source software (under the GNU Public License). Basically this means Moodle is copyrighted, but that you have additional freedoms. You are allowed to copy, use and modify Moodle provided that you agree to: provide the source to others; not modify or remove the original license and copyrights, and apply this same license to any derivative work. Read the license for full details and please contact the copyright holder directly if you have any questions.

Moodle can be installed on any computer that can run PHP, and can support an SQL type database (for example MySQL). It can be run on Windows and Mac operating systems and many flavors of linux (for example Red Hat or Debian GNU). There are many knowledgeable Moodle Partners to assist you, even host your Moodle site.

The word Moodle was originally an acronym for Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, which is mostly useful to programmers and education theorists. It's also a verb that describes the process of lazily meandering through something, doing things as it occurs to you to do them, an enjoyable tinkering that often leads to insight and creativity. As such it applies both to the way Moodle was developed, and to the way a student or teacher might approach studying or teaching an online course. Anyone who uses Moodle is a Moodler.

http://docs.moodle.org/en/About_Moodle

http://docs.moodle.org/en/Theme_basics

What is inside a theme folder?

Each theme folder contains the following:

pix/

config.php

favicon.ico

footer.html

header.html

styles.php

styles_color.css

styles_fonts.css

styles_layout.css

styles_moz.css

The pix folder

This contains all pictures and icons used in the theme. Themes come with pictures for the tabs and eventually for the gradients.

The favicon.ico

This is the small icon shown in the browsers in front of the URL.

The standard Moodle favicon.ico looks like: .

The standard Cornflower theme favicon.ico looks like:

header.html and footer.html pages

These pages contain the logo, the login, the jumpto menu, the navigation bar, the moodle logo etc. Within these files you can give Moodle your individual look at the top and the bottom of all pages.

All images linked from header.html and footer.html should use $CFG->httpswwwroot instead of the usual $CFG->wwwroot. The reason is proper operation of login page (and other https protected pages) when loginhttps is enabled.

These are the main variables available for use in these files:

$CFG  (object with all system variables)

$THEME (object with all current theme variables from config.php)

$COURSE (current course object)

$meta (all the meta tags, including stylesheets)

$home (boolean)

$title (page title)

$heading (heading for the page)

$navigation (the raw navigation, not the "navigation bar")

$navmenulist  (xhtml)

$menu (the popup menu or button)

Header only:

$direction (ltr or rtl)

$bodytags (tags that need to be added to the body)

Footer only:

$homelink (link back to "home" - current course page or site page)

$loggedinas (string with name of user as link)

$performanceinfo (string with performance information)

Finally, the header and footer can contain any Moodle PHP code, so all sorts of other data can be extracted from the database or environment as necessary.

styles.php

The styles.php file is called from header.html and builds the bridge to the CSS files. You don't need to edit anything much in this file, use config.php instead. The one variable you may want to change during development, however is $lifetime. Set it to a very small value (like 1 second) to prevent the theme from caching too long when you are making changes. When you put theme on your production site and will not be changing themes, you may want to change it to several days (like $lifetime = 3*24*60*60) to improve load times and bandwidth use.

Every theme should contain a copy of this script. It lets Moodle set up variables and so on before Moodle includes the raw CSS files. The output of this script should be a completely standard CSS file.

config.php

In the Theme config file where the theme goes to find things. You can build your theme which does specific things but which will default back onto the standard or onto any parent theme when Moodle can not find the variable in your theme. A custom theme can include or exclude several CSS files.

For example, the standard Moodle Chameleon theme config.php file directs Moodle to it's moodle/theme/chameleon/pix folders to get images. The standard Moodle Formal white theme uses the moodle/pix folders to get most of it's images and this is determined by its config.php file.

The stylesheets

The use of Cascading Style Sheets CSS goal is to separate content from presentation for better flexibility, accessibility and for more flexible page design. Changing an element's definition, will change it throught the site. The CSS files are separated by general function into three files:

styles_layout.css

styles_fonts.css

styles_color.css

In addition, CSS styles_moz.css contains Firefox and Mozilla specific formatting, especially the rounded corners.

Additional files

Lastly, theme designers may provide information about the theme, plus a picture preview. The picture preview is shown on the themes page, the info in the README file after the theme has been selected.

README.html

screenshot.jpg

Separating content from presentation

The content layer of the page is represented via XHTML, the presentation layer via CSS. To connect the belonging information in both layers XHTML tags and named hooks within page are used. You need quite a lot of them to style complex web applications like Moodle.

Cascading CSS

Moodle themes use style sheets to describe the Moodle "look" by controlling the layout, fonts and colors. These are constructed by a PHP script called "styles.php" in each theme directory, and controlled by a file called "config.php" in the same place.

Moodle has a "standard" theme which is very plain and provides a basic layout for other themes to build on. When a design element is not define in another theme, the default is the definition found in the standard theme. Each theme may also have a "parent" theme, which will be included before the current theme.

So, depending on your settings, you may have up to three stylesheets for a theme:

1. "standard" theme - theme/standard/styles.php

2. "parent" theme - theme/parenttheme/styles.php

3. "main" theme - theme/yourtheme/styles.php

Due to the cascading character of CSS the definitions in later files can overwrite the definitions in the earlier CSS files. Moodle makes extensive use of the cascading character of CSS and gives the theme designer many opportunities. They range from easy development of themes based on the existing ones with few changes up to the design of a completely individual Moodle appearance with new CSS files.

Theme designers can define and add any CSS stylesheets and name them any way as needed for this theme.

The standard theme

Figure 1: The theme "standard" with the CSS files "styles_layout.css", "styles_fonts.css", "styles_color.css" and "styles_moz.css".

Small changes

If you just want to make small changes to a theme like using different colors or adding a logo then your new theme will include the "standard" theme and you define a few extra CSS styles in a new CSS file.

As an example, see the "standardwhite" theme.

It uses the file "config.php" to set the appropriate options. The first entry $THEME->sheets = array('gradients'); defines the CSS file "gradients.css" as the file with additional CSS definitions. It also specifies $THEME->standardsheets = true; which says to include all the styles from the standard theme too.

Instead of basing the theme on "standard", you could base it on another theme by specifying $THEME->parent = 'cooltheme';

Figure 2: The theme "standardwhite" with all CSS files from the theme "standard" plus "gradients.css" from the selected theme.

Mixed CSS - standard layout plus your own fonts and colours

The theme "formal_white" mixes the page layout from the theme "standard" with its own layout, fonts and colours. This way all layout changes in the standard Moodle layout are kept. This is done by setting

$THEME->sheets =
array('fw_layout','fw_color','fw_fonts');

and

$THEME->standardsheets
= array('styles_layout');

in the config file.

Figure 3: The theme "formal_white" with the CSS file "styles_layout.css" from the theme "standard" and the individual files "fw_layout.css", "fw_fonts.css", "fw_color.css".

A theme using a parent theme (faked)

An advanced feature is to set any existing theme as the "parent" theme and offer variant themes to this. Two possible uses can be to design one "parent" theme with all CSS definitions. Then offer "child" themes with color variants to be chosen by the users according to their color preferences. These "child" themes need only one CSS file holding the different color definitions. Or create "child" themes which only vary in the logo/banner placed in the "header.html". These "child" themes do not need their own CSS files.

The configuration for the "child" themes could look like $THEME->sheets = array('my_layout');,

$THEME->parent
= 'formal_white'

; and

$THEME->parentsheets =
array('fw_layout','fw_color','fw_fonts');

Figure 4: The faked theme "formal_white_plus" with the additional CSS file "my_layout.css".

A theme without standard dependencies (faked)

This theme would use its own CSS. The settings

$THEME->sheets
= array('styles_layout', 'styles_fonts', 'styles_color');

and

$THEME->standardsheets
= false;

deactivate all other Moodle CSS and make a completely independent theme. All changes in the standard Moodle theme do not change this theme at all.

Figure 5: The theme with it's own CSS files "styles_layout.css", "styles_fonts.css" and "styles_color.css".

Some more basic CSS files

In addition to theme CSS files, Moodle features a basic CSS file for every module, block and for every language. Developers can provide basic CSS properties for their modules and blocks to get the page or block layout right, if they need formatting for special functionality. The look and feel of Moodle is not changed by these layout basics.

These files are only loaded when the "standard" CSS is activated. They are loaded first before all theme CSS files.

Figure 6: The CSS file loading order of all Moodle CSS and theme CSS files.

Free moodle themes

http://newschoollearning.com/theme/

Working with Moodle themes

Moodle 6200 views

Moodle is well known for a slight lack of design flair in the out-of-the-box theme packs. That's fine. They still work.

Often, though, we'll need to redesign the overall look and feel of a Moodle site. Perhaps you need to make it match an existing website, or you just need something that's more in keeping with your particular organisation.

Things to note before you start

Firstly, you don't need to start from scratch. In fact, I would recommend strongly that you don't! Moodle is a very complex application, with many different parts of the interface that need styling. So, I always start with an existing theme and build on that.

Secondly, remember that each upgrade to Moodle may add new interface elements. If you're not careful these will break your theme. Follow the guidelines below and you should be OK.

Thirdly, Moodle themes cascade. This means that you can build your theme pack so that Moodle starts by reading the standard theme, which will always be kept up-to-date with regard to new interface elements. Once the standard theme is read in, then you can add in your customised theme on top.

Step-by-step guidelines to creating a new theme

Get yourself a locally hosted version of Moodle. You'll find it a lot quicker to build your theme here. It's very easy to install Moodle on both Windows, MacOSX and Linux. Instructions are here.
Create a new folder in the /themes directory. Remember not to have spaces or non-alphanumeric characters in the folder name.
Copy all the files from /themes/standardwhite into your new theme folder. You will see that standardwhite is a custom theme built on top of the main standard theme.
Use Firefox as your browser, with the web-developer toolbar and ColorZilla colour picker add-ins. Without these, or something similar, your job becomes ten times harder.
Understand how to use the config.php file within the theme pack. Especially how it is used to pull in css files from the standard theme, and also from another theme which you would like to act as a parent. If you understand this, it makes building slightly-tweaked themes for specific courses or course categories a whole lot easier.
Create one css file in your theme folder, called overrides.css. Use this to contain any css commands that are specific to your theme.
Add overrides to the line in config.php that starts $THEME->sheets = ... so it reads $THEME->sheets = array('overrides');
NB. I normally remove the gradients.css file from the files I copied in from the standardwhite theme. It usually becomes redundant when I created the new theme.

8. Use the header.html and footer.html files to add in any extra styled divs that you might want to use to wrap the page or to add in horizontal menu bars. You can see both in the image below:

Remember that, if you open a div in the header, you will need to close it in the footer.

Also in header.html add in any logos or other images. Again, you might want to add extra styled divs here, remembering to add those styles to the overrides.css file.
As with all css, start with the big things you want to change: link colours, page backgrounds, overall font styles etc. Then, using the web-developer toolbar, find the specific page elements that need changing, eg. #left-column, #right-column and .sideblock and tweak those.
One thing I always do, in my overrides.css file, is add the lines:

/* needed to remove left & right bars */

#course-view .section .right a, #course-view .right {
display:none;
}

#course-view .section td.left {
display: none;
}

/* But display for editing */
.editing#course-view .section .right a, .editing#course-view .right {
display:inline;
}

.editing#course-view .section td.left {
display:inline;
}

These tidy up the course view for students, by hiding extraneous information such as topic numbers, and confusing functionality such as the hide topics button.

http://www.learningconversations.co.uk/main/index.php/2008/11/27/working-with-moodle-themes?blog=5

Some helpful resources:

Design a new custom Moodle theme for your school.  This will require

knowing or learning some CSS.  Make the colours and graphics match the

school's existing colours etc.  Make sure that you have copyright

permission to use any graphics that you get from the Internet or other sources.

Lots of info here:   http://docs.moodle.org/en/Themes

THEMES

A Moodle theme is a pre-designed user "view" (interface) that can be changed by the site administrator, teacher, or student. While robust, it does not affect how Moodle functions, just how it looks. Moodle comes with a standard set of themes and there is a large free library available to download.

Themes in Moodle 2.0 will be built in a new manner and they will not be upgradeable from earlier version.

Contents

[hide]

1 Moodle themes

2 Creating your own theme

3 Installing a theme

4 Theme system changes

5 Themes in standard install

6 See also

Moodle themes

Moodle has a powerful themes system that allows for a variety of effects through the use of XHTML and CSS.

Themes may be selected at site level, course level and/or user level as long as the Moodle site has been configured to allow changes at these levels.

Each page is individually-addressable via CSS, allowing you to pinpoint exact items.

Our CSS class naming system uses simple English, is consistent and easily understood.

New modules can tell Moodle what styles they need and automatically include these in the stylesheet.

Themes can be based on the standard theme, which is very plain but functional. You simply override styles you want to change by adding to the stylesheet in your own theme. This means that if you upgrade Moodle later and new styles are needed, your custom theme will still work without any changes, because the new classes will be defined in the standard theme.

Themes can also be based on any other theme. This allows you to easily create families of themes, or variations on a theme. For example you might create a spectrum of pastel shades for use in different courses, but with the same basic layout and logos. You may also want to create a family of differently-coloured themes for accessibility purposes.

Creating your own theme

If you plan to work on your own theme please create a new one (with its own named subfolder) and use Moodle's theme system to base your theme on an existing theme such as standard. If you just modify one of the delivered themes it will be overwritten by the next Moodle update.

See Creating a custom theme and/or Make your own theme and/or Development:Themes 2.0 creating your first theme for some tutorials.

To distribute your theme, zip the theme folder and submit to the Moodle.org Themes database.

Theme Design Limitations: The overall 3 column layout can be customized to some degree, but it needs to maintain the uniformity of the standard Moodle layout.

Installing a theme

To install a theme:

1. Unzip the .zip file to an empty local directory.

2. Upload folder to your web server to the /moodle/theme/[Theme Name]. (Replace [Theme Name] with the name of the theme you have downloaded.) Ensure the new theme folder and its contents are readable by the webserver. Change Read and Write permissions (CHMOD) for the files and folder to 755 - Owner read/write/execute, Group read/execute, Everyone read/execute. Incorrect permissions may prevent display of the newly installed theme.

3. Choose your new theme from within Moodle via Administration > Appearance > Themes > Theme selector (version 1.7+) or Administration > Configuration > Themes (older versions).

See Installing a new theme for more information.

Theme system changes

Themes have improved a great deal in recent versions of Moodle. If you are using your own theme and want to upgrade, please refer to one of the following:

1.6 theme upgrade

1.7 theme upgrade

1.8 theme upgrade

2.0 themes not upgradable :(

Themes in standard install

Themes included in Moodle 1.9 are chameleon, cornflower, custom corners, formal white, metal, oceanblue, orangewhite, orangewhitepda, standard (default), standardblue, standardgreen, standardlogo, standardred, standardwhite, wood. See Standard themes for screen shots of each.

http://docs.moodle.org/en/Web_developer_extension

OH&S ACT 2000 ii REGULATIONS

2014-03-17T22:28:00.001-07:00

OH&S

Assessment Task A

1Workplace procedures that should be in place to report workplace accidents are as follows:

· Immediately following an accident or injury that has occurred on your employers property, notify your direct supervisor and file an accident or injury report.

· List all the details on the accident report. Include, in writing, the names, first and last, of any witness who may have seen what happened.

· Do not allow anyone to tamper with the area until the safety department has come to do their safety investigation. Moving just one thing can destroy evidence of what caused the accident or injury to happen.

· Keep the original accident report for your records. Give your employer the copy. If you have to be off of work for any period of time for your injury, you will need the accident report to file a worker's compensation claim.

v Accident/Incident reports state:

· What occurred (e.g. a trip or a slip)

· Who was injured

· What type of injury was suffered

· Which part of the body was injured

· Where the accident occurred

· When it occurred (time, shift)

· How it occurred

Source: Participate in OHS processes – Stephen Harvey (handbook)

3. A OH&S Committee member should inspect the stairs and report on the condition and take photos and access all the risk factors involved.

4. Where the OH&S Representative found a slippery substance it may be: Dangerous where it may be chemical, biological or even radiological.

5. The OH&S Representative should follow the steps as to Identify, Assess, Eliminate or Control. Once the slippery substance is identified, try to assess what the substance is, then clean it up with appropriate tools and using (personal protective equipment- ppe).

6.

Cost of workplace injury

Workplace injuries affect not only the workplace; they have far reaching effects into personal life. The costs of workplace injury can be divided into 4 areas:

human
social
economic, and
organisational

The costs can directly or indirectly affect the organisation.

Direct costs

incapacity payments for lost earnings
medical costs
rehabilitation costs
property damage

Indirect costs

time lost from work by the injured employee = lost productivity
loss of skills, experience and knowledge
cost of recruitment, replacement and training
increased workload pressure and uncertainty for co-workers
higher risk of injuries to other staff and lowered morale
absenteeism, turnover, workplace conflict
the cost of replacement equipment
damage to the organisation’s reputation as an attractive workplace
cost of investigation reports

Source: http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/info_tech/compulsory/ohs/3403/cost.htm

7. Medical cost

– all treatment needs to be paid.

Rehabilitation

Loss of wages

8. Workplace safety is regulated by laws, legislation and WorkCover.

9. Correct lifting techniques are as follows:

Preparation:

· Identify the hazards of the task first – can it be carried out safely by one person/people?

· Visualise the route and assess the load – any slip or trip hazards? Handles or hand holds?

· Is the load wet or slippery? Might the load’s centre of gravity shift in lifting?

Handling:

· Ensure you can execute handling safely

· Step close to the load – straddle it if appropriate

· Use the semi – squat technique

· Face the load directly and use both hands equally to grip it

· Balance your weight equally over both feet

· Think about the best place to grip the load

· Test the load. If too heavy or difficult to handle, stop and get help.

Execution:

· Position the load to minimise forward – reaching and handling from below mid-thigh height or above chest height

· Avoid twisting, turning, bending the trunk

· Use smooth, slow movements throughout

· Hold or carry the load close to the body

· To alter direction while moving, step in the right direction rather than twisting your body

· Pace yourself – take micro-breaks.

Finishing:

· Be aware that lowering can be as hazardous as lifting – the above applies equally to setting down the load.

Source: Participate in OHS processes – Stephen Harvey (handbook)

10. The most common hazards in an office are:

Falls

Falls are the most common office accident, accounting for the greatest number of disabling injuries. The disabling injury rate of falls among office workers is 2 to 2.5 times higher than the rate for non-office employees. Once of the most common causes of office falls is tripping over an open desk or file drawer. Bending while seated in an unstable chair and tripping over electrical cords or wires are other common hazards. Office falls are frequently caused by using a chair or stack of boxes in place of a ladder and by slipping on wet floors. Loose carpeting, objects stored in halls or walkways, and inadequate lighting are other hazards that invite accidental falls. Fortunately, all of these fall hazards are preventable. The following checklist can help stop a fall before it happens.

Be sure the pathway is clear before you walk.
Close drawers completely after every use.
Avoid excessive bending, twisting, and leaning backward while seated.
Secure electrical cords and wires away from walkways.
Always use a stepladder for overhead reaching. Chairs should never be used as ladders.
Clean up spills immediately.
Pick up objects co-workers may have left on the floor.
Report loose carpeting or damaged flooring to the work control center (x2485)
Never carry anything that obscures your vision.
Wear stable shoes with non-slip soles.

Strains and Overexertion

Although a typical office job may not involve lifting large or especially heavy objects, it’s important to follow the principles of safe lifting. Small, light loads (i.e., stacks of files, boxes of computer paper, books) can wreak havoc on your back, neck, and shoulders if you use your body incorrectly when you lift them. Backs are especially vulnerable; most back injuries result from improper lifting. Before you pick up a carton or load, ask yourself these questions:

Is this too heavy for me to lift and carry alone?
How high do I have to lift it?
How far do I have to carry it?
Am I trying to impress anyone by lifting this?

If you feel that the lift is beyond your ability, contact your supervisor or ask another employee to assist you.

Safe Lifting Steps
Take a balanced stance, feet placed shoulder-width apart. When lifting something from the floor, squat close to the load.
Keep your back in its neutral or straight position. Tuck in you chin so your head and neck continue the straight back line.
Grip the object with your whole hand, rather than only with your fingers. Draw the object close to you, holding your elbows close to your body to keep the load and your body weight centered.
Lift by straightening your legs. Let your leg muscles, not your back muscles, do the work. Tighten your stomach muscles to help support your back. Maintain your neutral back position as you lift.
Never twist when lifting. When you must turn with a load, turn your whole body, feet first.
Never carry a load that blocks your vision.
To set something down, use the same body mechanics designed for lifting.

Lifting from A Seated Position

Bending from a seated position and coming back up places tremendous strain on your back. Also, your chair could be unstable and slip out from under you. Instead, stand and move your chair out of the way. Squat and stand whenever you have to retrieve something from the floor.

Ergonomic Solutions to Backbreaking Tasks
If you are doing a lot of twisting while lifting, try to rearrange the space to avoid this. People who have to twist under a load are more likely to suffer back injury.
Rotate through tasks so that periods of standing alternate with moving or sitting. Ask for stools or footrests for stationary jobs.
Store materials at knee level whenever possible instead of on the floor. Make shelves shallower (12-18") so one does not have to reach forward to lift the object. Break up loads so each weighs less.
If your must carry a heavy object some distance, consider storing it closer, request a table to rest it on, or try to use a hand truck or cart to transport it.

Struck By or Striking Objects

Striking against objects is another cause of office injuries. Incidents of this type include:

Bumping into doors, desks, file cabinets, and open drawers.
Bumping into other people while walking.
Striking open file drawers while bending down or straightening up.
Striking against sharp objects such as office machines, spindle files, staples, and pins.

Pay attention to where you are walking at all times, properly store materials in your work area and never carry objects that prevent you from seeing ahead of you.

Objects striking employees occur as a result of:

Office supplies sliding from shelves or cabinet tops.
Overbalanced file cabinets in which two or more drawers were opened at the same time or in which the file drawer was pulled out too far.
Machines, such as typewriters, that were dropped on feet.
Doors that were opened suddenly from the other side.

Proper material storage and use of storage devices can avoid these accidents.

Caught In or Between Objects

The last category of leading disabling incidents occurs as a result of office workers who get their fingers or articles of clothing caught in or between objects. Office workers may be injured as a result of:

Fingers caught in a drawer, door, or window.
Fingers, hair or articles of clothing and jewelry caught in office machines.
Fingers caught under the knife-edge of a paper cutter.

While working on office equipment, concentrate on what you are doing. If the equipment is out of date, missing safety devices such as guards and shields, place the equipment out of service until it can be repaired or replaced. Make sure equipment is tagged so others will not use it.

Material Storage

Office materials that are improperly stored can lead to objects falling on workers, poor visibility, and create a fire hazard. A good housekeeping program will reduce or eliminate hazards associated with improper storage of materials. Examples of improper storage include - disorderly piling, piling materials too high, and obstructing doors, aisles, fire exits and fire-fighting equipment. The following are good storage practices:

Boxes, papers, and other materials should not be stored on top of lockers or file cabinets because they can cause landslide problems. Boxes and cartons should all be of uniform size in any pile or stack. Always stack material in such a way that it will not fall over.
Store heavy objects on lower shelves.
Try to store materials inside cabinets, files, and lockers.
Office equipment such as typewriters, index files, lights or calculators should not be placed on the edges of a desk, filing cabinet, or table.
Aisles, corners, and passageways must remain unobstructed. There should be no stacking of materials in these areas.
Storage areas should be designated and used only for that purpose. Store heavy materials so you do not have to reach across something to retrieve them.
Fire equipment, extinguishers, fire door exits, and sprinkler heads should remain unobstructed. Materials should be at least 18 inches minimum away from sprinkler heads.
Electrical panels should remain unobstructed. Materials should be at least 36" away from all sides of panel.

Workstation Ergonomics

Ergonomics means fitting the workplace to the workers by modifying or redesigning the job, workstation, tool or environment. Workstation design can have a big impact on office workers health and well-being. There are a multitude of discomforts which can result from ergonomically incorrect computer workstation setups. The most common complaints relate to the neck, shoulders, and back. Others concern the arms and hands and occasionally the eyes. For example, poor chairs and/or bad postures can cause lower back strain; or a chair that is too high can cause circulation loss in legs and feet.

Certain common characteristics of computer workstation jobs have been identified and associated with increased risk of musculoskeletal problems. These include:

Design of the workstation
Nature of the task
Repetitiveness of the job
Degree of postural constraint
Work pace
Work/rest schedules
Personal attributes of individual workers
The key to comfort is in maintaining the body in a relaxed, neutral position. The ideal work position is to have the arms hanging relaxed from the shoulders. If a keyboard is used, arms should be bent at right angles at the elbow, with the hands held in a straight line with forearms and elbows close to the body. The head should be in lined with the body and slightly forward.

Arranging Your Workstation to Fit You
Adjust the height of the chair’s seat such that the thighs are horizontal while the feet are flat on the floor.
Adjust the seat pan depth such that your back is supported by the chair back rest while the back of the knee is comfortable relative to the front of the seat.
Adjust the back rest vertically so that is supports/fits the curvature of your lower back.
With the arms at your sides and the elbow joint approximately 90 degrees, adjust the height/position of the chair armrests to support the forearms.
Adjust the height of the keyboard such that the fingers rest on the keyboard home row when the arm is to the side, elbow at 90 degrees, and the wrist straight.
Place the mouse, trackball, or special keypads, next to the keyboard tray. Keep the wrist in a neutral position with the arm and hand close to the body.
Adjust the height of the monitor such that the top of the screen is at eye level. If bifocals/trifocals are used, place the monitor at a height that allows easy viewing without tipping the head back.
Place reference documents on a document holder close to the screen and at the same distance from the eye.
A footrest may be necessary if the operator cannot rest his/her feet comfortably on the floor.
Applying Good Work Practices

The way a task is performed and the workstation environment it is performed in can influence the risk of injury and general work productivity. Good technique can make a job easy and safe to accomplish.

*Adjusting the drapes or blinds
*Moving the monitor away from sources of glare or direct light.
*Tipping the monitor slightly downward
*Using diffusers on overhead lighting
*Placing an anti-glare filter on the screen
*Clean the monitor screen on a regular basis
*Avoid cradling the telephone between the head and shoulder. Hold the phone with your hand, use the speaker phone, or a headset.
*Keep frequently used items like the telephone, reference materials, and pens/pencils within easy reach.
*Position the monitor directly in front of the user.
*Move between different postures regularly
*Apply task lighting as to your needs.
*Use the minimum force necessary to strike the keyboard/ten-key keys.
*Use the minimum force necessary to activate the hole punch and stapler.
*Vary your tasks to avoid a long period of one activity.
*Take mini-breaks to rest the eyes and muscles. A break does not have to be a stop of work duties. However, it should be a different style of physical activity such as changing from keyboarding to using the telephone or filing.
*Neutralize distracting noise by using ear plugs, playing soft music, or turning on a fan.
*Maintain a comfortable workplace temperature by using layers of clothing or a fan.
EH&S personnel are available for consultation on setting up your workstation. Call x4444 to set up an appointment.

Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is an increasingly important issue in the work environment. The study of indoor air quality and pollutant levels within office environments is a complex problem. The complexity of studying and measuring the quality of office environments arises from various factors including:

1. Office building floor plans are frequently changing to accommodate increasingly more employees and reorganization.
2. Office buildings frequently undergo building renovations such as installation of new carpet, modular office partitions and free-standing offices, and painting.
3. Many of the health symptoms appearing are vague and common both to the office and home environment.
4. Guidelines or standards for permissible personal exposure limits to pollutants within office buildings are very limited.

Many times odors are associated with chemical contaminants from inside or outside the office space, or from the building fabric. This is particularly noticeable following building renovation or installation of new carpeting. Out-gassing from such things as paints, adhesives, sealants, office furniture, carpeting, and vinyl wall coverings is the source of a variety of irritant compounds, In most cases, these chemical contaminants can be measured at levels above ambient (normal background) but far below any existing occupational evaluation criteria.

NIOSH has conducted hundreds of building studies which indicate that the most likely sources of this problem are - poor ventilation, poor thermal conditions, too high or low humidity, emissions from office machines, copiers and other building contaminants and poor ergonomic layout of workstations.

If you suspect IAQ issues in your work area contact us at x4444.

Indoor Air Pollution

An inadequately ventilated office environment or a poorly designed ventilation system can lead to the build up of a variety of indoor air pollutants. Air pollutants can originate within the building or be drawn in from outdoors. Examples of sources that originate outside a building include: (1) pollen, dust and fungal spores; (2) general vehicle exhaust; (3) odors from dumpsters; and (4) re-entrained exhaust from the building itself or from neighboring buildings. Examples of sources that originate from within the building include: (1) building components and furnishings; (2) smoking; (3) maintenance or remodeling activities (painting, etc.); (4) housekeeping activities; (5) unsanitary conditions (standing water from clogged drains or dry traps) and water damage; and (6) emissions from office equipment or special use areas (print shops, laboratories, or food preparation areas).

Controls to Prevent Indoor Air Pollution

The following recommendations and guidelines are useful in preventing indoor air quality problems:

1. HVAC systems should receive periodic cleaning and filters should be changed on a regular basis on all ventilation systems.
2. The ventilation system should introduce an adequate supply of fresh outside air into the office and capture and vent point air pollutant sources to the outside.
3. Office machinery should be operated in well-ventilated areas. Most office machinery does not require local exhaust ventilation in areas that are already provided with 7-10 air changes per hour. Photocopiers should be place away from workers’ desks. Workers should vary work tasks to avoid using machines excessively.
4. Office equipment should be cleaned/maintained according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Properly maintained equipment will not generate unhealthy levels of pollutants.
5. Special attention should be given to special operations that may generate air contaminants (such as painting, pesticide spraying, and heavy cleaning). Provisions for adequate ventilation must be made during these operations or other procedures, such as performing work off-hours or removing employees from the immediate area, utilized.

Lighting

Lighting is one of the most important factors affecting personal comfort on the job. The best lighting system is one in which the light level is geared to the task, where brightness ratios are controlled (no intensely bright or dark areas in one field of vision) and where ceilings, walls, and floors are carefully chosen to minimize glare. Glare is defined as a harsh, uncomfortable bright light that shines directly in the eyes. Glare may be either direct, coming from lights or sunshine, or indirect, coming from a reflected surface.

Different tasks require different levels of lighting. Areas in which intricate work is performed, for example, require greater illumination than warehouses. Lighting needs vary from time to time and person to person as well. One approach is to use adjustable task lighting that can provide needed illumination without increasing general lighting.

Vision problems are one of the leading sources of complaints among office workers. Poor office lighting can cause eye strain and irritation, fatigue, double vision, watering and reddening of the eyelids, and a decrease in the power of focus and visual acuity. Headaches as well as neck and back pains may occur as a result of workers straining to see small or detailed items. Poor lighting in the workplace is also associated with an increase in accidents. Direct and reflected glare and shadows as well as delayed eye adaption when moving from bright surroundings into dark ones (or vice versa) may prevent an employee from seeing tripping and other similar hazards.

There are a number of measures that can be used to prevent and control poor lighting conditions in the work environment:

1. Regular maintenance of the lighting system should be carried out to clean or replace old bulbs and faulty lamp circuits.
2. A light-colored matte finish on walls, ceilings, and floors to reduce glare is recommended by the Illuminating Engineering Society.
3. Whenever possible, office workers should not face windows, unshielded lamps, or other sources of glare.
4. Adjustable shades should be used if workers face a window.
5. Diffuse light will help reduce shadows. Indirect lighting and task lighting are recommended, especially when work spaces are separated by dividers.
6. Task lamps are very effective in supplementing general office lighting for those who require or prefer additional lighting. Some task lamps permit several light levels.

Noise

Noise can be defined very simply as unwanted sound. Office workers are subjected to many noise sources including video display terminals, high-speed printers, telephones, fax machines, and human voices. Noise can produce tension and stress as well as damage to hearing at high noise levels. For noise levels in offices, the most common effects are interference with speech communication, annoyance, and distraction from mental activities. The annoying effect of noise can decrease performance or increase errors in some task situations. If the tasks require a great deal of mental concentration, noise can be detrimental to performance.

Government standards have set limits for exposure to noise to prevent hearing loss in employees. The level of noise one can safely be exposed to is dependent on the intensity of the noise as well as the duration of exposure. In an office setting OSHA noise standards are rarely approached or exceeded. However, problems could arise in areas with a high concentration of noisy machines, such as high-speed printers or copy machines.

When employees are subjected to sound levels exceeding OSHA standards, feasible administrative or engineering controls must be utilized. If such controls fail to reduce sound levels, personal protective equipment must be provided and used to reduce sound levels.

For many of the annoying sounds in the office environment, the following measures are useful for reducing the level of noise or its effects:

1. Select the quietest equipment if possible. When there is a choice between two or more products, sound levels should be included as a consideration for purchase and use.
2. Provide for proper maintenance of equipment, such as lubrication and tightening of loose parts that can cause noise.
3. Locate loud equipment in areas where its effects are less detrimental. For example, place impact printers away from areas where people must use the phone.
4. Use barrier walls or dividers to isolate noise sources. Use of buffers or acoustically-treated materials can absorb noise that might otherwise travel further. Rubber pads to insulate vibrating equipment can also help to reduce noise.
5. Enclose equipment, such as printers, with acoustical covers or housings.
6. Schedule noisy tasks at times when it will have less of an effect on the other tasks in the office.

Office Electrical Safety

Electricity is essential to the operations of a modern automated office as a source of power. Electrical equipment used in an office is potentially hazardous and can cause serious shock and burn injuries if improperly used or maintained.

Electricity travels through electrical conductors which may be in the form of wires or parts of the human body. Most metals and moist skin offer very little resistance to the flow of electrical current and can easily conduct electricity. Other substances such as dry wood, porcelain, or pottery offer a high resistance and can be used to prevent the flow of electrical current. If a part of the body comes in contact with the electrical circuit, a shock will occur. The electrical current will enter the body at one point and leave at another. The passage of electricity through the body can cause great pain, burns, destruction of tissue, nerves, and muscles and even death. Factors influencing the effects of electrical shock include the type of current, voltage, resistance, amperage, pathway through body, and the duration of contact. The longer the current flows through the body, the more serious the injury. Injuries are less severe when the current does not pass through or near nerve centers and vital organs. Electrical accidents usually occur as a result of faulty or defective equipment, unsafe installation, or misuse of equipment on the part of office workers.

Types of electrical hazards found in an office environment include the following:

Ungrounded Equipment

Grounding is a method of protecting employees from electric shock. By grounding an electrical system, a low-resistance path to earth through a ground connection is intentionally created. When properly done, this path offers sufficiently low resistance and has sufficient current-carrying capacity to prevent the build-up of hazardous voltages. Most fixed equipment such as large, stationary machines must be grounded. Cord and plug connected equipment must be grounded if it is located in hazardous or wet locations, if operated at more than 150 volts to ground, or if it is of a certain type of equipment (such as refrigerators and air conditioners). Smaller office equipment, such as typewriters and coffee pots, would generally not fall into these categories and therefore would not have to be grounded. However much of the newer office equipment is manufactured with grounded plugs as a precaution (three prong plugs). In such cases, the equipment should be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. In any case, never remove the third (grounding) prong from any three-prong piece of equipment.

Overloaded Outlets

Insufficient or overloading of electrical outlets should be avoided. A sufficient number of outlets will eliminate the need for extension cords. Overloading electrical circuits and extension cords can result in a fire. Floor mounted outlets should be carefully placed to prevent tripping hazards.

Unsafe/Non-Approved Equipment

The use of poorly maintained or unsafe, poor quality, non-approved (by national testing laboratory) coffee makers, radios, lamps, etc. (often provided by or used by employees) should be discarded. Such appliances can develop electrical shorts creating fire and/or shock hazards. Equipment and cords should be inspected regularly, and a qualified individual should make repairs.

Defective, frayed or improperly installed cords for electrically-operated office equipment

When the outer jacket of a cord is damaged, the cord may no longer be water-resistant. The insulation can absorb moisture, which may then result in a short circuit or excessive current leakage to ground. If wires are exposed, they may cause a shock to a worker who contacts them. These cords should be replaced. Electric cords should be examined on a routine basis for fraying and exposed wiring.

Improper Placement of Cords

A cord should not be pulled or dragged over nails, hooks, or other sharp objects that may cause cuts in the insulation. In addition, cords should never be placed on radiators, steam pipes, walls, and windows. Particular attention should be placed on connections behind furniture, since files and bookcases may be pushed tightly against electric outlets, severely bending the cord at the plug.

Electrical Cords across Walkways and Work Areas

An adequate number of outlet sockets should be provided. Extension cords should only be used in situations where fixed wiring is not feasible. However, if it is necessary to use an extension cord, never run it across walkways or aisles due to the potential tripping hazard. If you must run a cord across a walkway, either tape it down or purchase a cord runner.

Live Parts Unguarded

Wall receptacles should be designed and installed so that no current-carrying parts will be exposed, and outlet plates should be kept tight to eliminate the possibility of shock.

Pulling of Plugs to Shut Off Power

Switches to turn on and off equipment should be provided, either in the equipment or in the cords, so that it is not necessary to pull the plugs to shut off the power. To remove a plug from an outlet, take a firm grip on and pull the plug itself. Never pull a plug out by the cord.

Working on "Live Equipment"

Disconnect electrical machines before cleaning, adjusting, or applying flammable solutions. If a guard is removed to clean or repair parts, replace it before testing the equipment and returning the machine to service.

Blocking Electrical Panel Doors

If an electrical malfunction should occur, the panel door, and anything else in front of the door will become very hot. Electrical panel doors should always be kept closed, to prevent "electrical flashover" in the event of an electrical malfunction.

Office Fire Prevention

The best time to think about fire safety is before a fire starts. Learn the location of fire escape routes and how to activate the fire alarm. Participate in practice fire drills on a regular basis. Become familiar with stairway exits - elevators may not function during a fire, or may expose passengers to heat, gas and smoke.

1. Heat-producing equipment - copiers, work processors, coffee makers and hot plates - are often overlooked as a potential fire hazard. Keep them away from anything that might burn.
2. Electrical appliances can be fire hazards. Be sure to turn off all appliances at the end of the day. Use only grounded appliances plugged into grounded outlets (three prong plug).
3. If electrical equipment malfunctions or gives off a strange odor, disconnect it and call the appropriate maintenance personnel. Promptly disconnect and replace cracked, frayed, or broken electrical cords.
4. Keep extension cords clear of doorways and other areas where they can be stepped on or chafed and never plug one extension cord into another.
5. Do not allow combustible material (boxes, paper, etc.) to build up in inappropriate storage locations (near sources of ignition).
6. By City of Houston Fire Code: All live christmas trees must be treated with a fire retardant mixture. Fire resistive artificial trees are recommended.
7. Avoid the use of space heaters of any type in your office. Oftentimes, these heaters are placed under desks or in closed quarters. The heat from these units can catch paper on fire or melt the insulation around electrical appliances.
8. Good housekeeping is essential to fire safety.
9. Go here for more office fire safety tips.

Through a program of scheduled inspections, unsafe conditions can be recognized and corrected before they lead to serious injuries. Take a few moments each day to walk through your work area. Look for items previously pointed out, such as objects protruding into walkways, file cabinets that are weighted toward the top or frayed electrical cords. Advise personnel in the area of the hazards and set about correcting them.

Source: http://safety.rice.edu/office%20safety.htm

Answer11. Bumping into doors, desks, file cabinets, open drawers and other people.

Adjusting your chair to suit and anti-glare computer screens or glases.

12. Risk management is a five step process for controlling exposure to health and safety risks associated with hazards in the workplace.

In many cases risk management is nothing more than a careful examination of what could cause harm to people in your workplace and:

· weighing up whether you have taken enough precautions, or

· should do more to prevent harm, and

· controlling exposure to prevent harm.

The aim is to make sure that no one gets hurt or becomes ill – that a person returns home safely after work.

When undertaking risk management:

· involve workers in the process

· don't use it to justify a decision that has already been made

· consider good practice in your industry

· make records of any risk management activities undertaken.

Source: http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/subjects/riskman/what/index.htm

The five steps

Preparing for the five steps
Before approaching the five steps it is important to consider the context in which the risk management process takes place.

The five steps of the risk management process are:

Step 1 - Look for the hazards
How to look for hazards and what to look for

Step 2 - Decide who might be harmed and how
Assessing the risk - how might someone be harmed? What is the harm? How likely is this harm?

Step 3 - Decide on control measures
Is there a regulation or code of practice about any hazards you have identified? What are the existing controls? Are controls as high as possible in list of control priorities? Do controls protect everyone exposed to harm? What additional controls are required?

Step 4 - Put controls in place
Developing a plan for improving controls, improving controls

Step 5 - Review the controls
Are the controls working? Are there any new problems?

Source: http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/subjects/riskman/fivesteps/index.htm

Step 1 - Look for the hazards

Look for those things or processes at your workplace that could cause harm, asking the question ‘does this task/activity/situation/event have the potential to harm a person?’

Be aware that workplace hazards are not always obvious. Some are concealed or not readily visible, like electricity, gases or high frequency noise. Others may develop over time, like wear and tear on plant or equipment, and others may be intermittent or temporary.

Some examples of the types of workplace hazards to look for include:

· work environment (such as slippery floor surfaces, poor lighting, heat or cold)

· energy (such as electricity or heat)

· manual tasks

· noise

· substances (such as chemicals)

· plant, machinery and equipment

· workplace activities or arrangements such as purchasing policies, shiftwork rosters, performance expectations, maintenance and servicing programs and training programs that impact upon the safety of the workplace.

For more information on the types of hazards refer to Section 3 of Supplement 1 of the Risk Management Code of Practice 2007.

There are a number of ways of looking for hazards including:

· walking through your workplace and looking for hazards in a systematic way looking at physical things and workplace activities

· asking workers about hazards.

· consulting with workplace health and safety representatives and committees

· considering how people use equipment and materials and how they could be hurt directly and indirectly by workplace activities

· conducting a safety audit

· scientific or technical evaluation

· reviewing your workplace records such as sick leave and incident reports

· acquiring information from designers, manufacturers and suppliers

· talking to anyone who can help such as your industry association and suppliers of equipment and consumables.

For more information on identifying hazards refer to Supplement 1 of the Risk Management Code of Practice 2007.

Once hazards are identified it is good practice to record them in a hazard register.

Source: http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/subjects/riskman/fivesteps/hazards/index.htm

Step 2 - Decide who might be harmed and how

Look for the ways that people could be hurt or become ill and at the possible causes of injury or illness. This is also called a risk assessment.

For each hazard:

· estimate the likelihood of an incident occurring at your workplace, bearing in mind existing control measures

· estimate the consequences of an incident occurring at your workplace, bearing in mind existing control measures.

Consequences range from:

· extreme - death or permanent disablement

· major - serious bodily injury or serious work caused illness

· moderate - injury or illness requiring casualty treatment

· mild - requiring first aid only with no lost work time.

For more information about factors affecting consequences refer to Appendix B (PDF, 231 kB) of Supplement 2 of the Risk Management Code of Practice 2007.

Likelihood ranges from:

· very likely - could happen frequently

· likely - could happen occasionally

· unlikely - could happen, but rarely

· very unlikely - could happen, but probably never will.

For more information about the factors affecting likelihood refer to Appendix A (PDF, 231 kB) of Supplement 2 of the Risk Management Code of Practice 2007.

By combining your likelihood and consequence estimates you can rate the risk. There are many ways of rating risks of injury or illness, one of the most common ways is to use a:

· risk management form (PDF, 33 kB)

Using the ratings of each risk, develop a prioritised list of workplace risks requiring action.

You should involve workers in this assessment.

Don't forget:

· young workers, trainees, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding who may be at heightened risk

· cleaners, visitors, contractors, maintenance workers, contractors who may not be familiar with your workplace risks

· members of the public or people with whom you share your workplace who could be hurt by your workplace activities.

For more information on how to do a risk assessment refer to Supplement 2 (PDF, 231 kB) of the Risk Management Code of Practice 2007.

Source: http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/subjects/riskman/fivesteps/decide/index.htm

Step 3 - Decide on control measures

You need to answer the following questions:

· Are there legislated things that I must do in relation to the specific hazard?

· Is there a code of practice relating to the specific hazard?

· What are existing controls?

· Are controls as high as possible in hierarchy of control priorities?

· Do controls protect everyone exposed to harm?

· What additional controls are required?

If there is a provision within the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2008 about any hazards you have identified then you must control the risks associated with those hazards in the way specified.

If there is a code of practice about any of the hazards you have identified then you must do what the code of practice says or adopt and follow another way that gives the same level of protection against the risks.

If there is no direction within regulation, or you choose to follow another way to protect against risks, you must consider the hierarchy of control measures to decide on what are appropriate control measures.

Hierarchy of control measures

Control measures should be implemented in the following order:

1. get rid of the harm or prevent the risk

2. if this is not possible:

o replace with something less harmful

o separate people from the harm

o change work processes or the physical work environment, e.g. by redesigning work, plant, equipment, components or premises

o apply administrative arrangements, e.g limit entry or time spent in a hazardous area

o use personal protective equipment.

Source: http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/subjects/riskman/fivesteps/controls/index.htm

Step 4 - Put controls in place

You need to develop a plan for improving controls. This needs to include time frames and responsibilities. It may involve a staged approach to improving controls. Maintenance of controls also needs to be included at this stage.

It is important to ensure that work procedures are changed or developed and implemented to include new or changed controls. Plans for new or changed controls need to be communicated throughout your organisation. Training, instruction and supervision should be provided.

Then controls need to be put in place. It is important that supervision is effective particularly when any changes are being made. The degree of supervision needs to be in keeping with the seriousness of the risk that you have previously assessed.

Source: http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/subjects/riskman/fivesteps/put/index.htm

Step 5 - Review the controls

Finally the controls that you have put in place need to be reviewed and changed as necessary. This can be done by using processes already described in previous steps.

Source: http://www.deir.qld.gov.au/workplace/subjects/riskman/fivesteps/review/index.htm

Web Design Business

2014-03-17T22:22:00.001-07:00

Web Design Business in Australia

Checklist

Buying a domain name: https://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new

Hire a lawyer and accountant: http://www.foolkit.com.au/tas/public/affording-a-lawyer

yellowpages.com.au/Accountants

STARTING A BUSINESS: Why do you need to hire a commercial lawyer?

Aspiring entrepreneurs are often excited with hopeful anticipation of making profits. Many people who enter the business scene place the financial aspect on top of everything else because no one starts a business to lose money! Then again, considering legal formalities is the next best thing.

Commercial lawyers provide expert advice on wide range of legal matters guaranteeing smooth operation for businesses. Their knowledge of commercial law ensures smoothing over employment contract concerns, fraud business transactions, merging companies, expansion, legal paper works and many other legal tasks related to businesses.

Businesses will always need the help of a professional who spent years studying and mastering the judicial system. For any commercial establishment or business, a commercial lawyer will be the main defender when legal dilemmas come your way.

At Business Law Sydney, we can prepare you for a free one-hour consultation with our experienced commercial lawyers to tailor your needs.

Source: http://www.aussietycoon.com/showthread.php/1669-STARTING-A-BUSINESS-Why-do-you-need-to-hire-a-commercial-lawyer

When you need to prepare your financial statements, you may want to hire an accountant, a certified public accountant (CPA) or an accounting firm. Your financial professional can also advise you and your company on major financial matters and assist you when you can no longer handle all your accounting needs efficiently. As an added benefit, most accountants keep current with the latest tax laws and practices. They can provide clients with every possible tax break, resulting in greater tax deductions and less money owed to Uncle Sam. Rest easy; let your accountant prepare your personal or corporate tax returns

Decide on your business structure

You need to find out if a company structure best suits your business needs. We recommend that you seek legal or other professional advice about your particular circumstances. At this stage you should also make sure you understand what your legal obligations will be if you become a company officeholder.

When a company is registered under the Corporations Act 2001 ('Act') it is automatically registered as an Australian company. This means that it can conduct business throughout Australia without needing to register in individual State and Territory jurisdictions.

Businesses that are not companies (eg, sole traders and partnerships) are required to register their business name with the appropriate State/Territory authority (you can find a list on the Australian government's business.gov.au website ). However, this is not necessary if the business is conducted under the name of the person or persons involved; that is, first name and surname, or initials and surname.

Registration or use of a business name:

does not create a legal entity (only registering a company creates a legal entity) and

does not allow the use of privileges to which a company is entitled, such as a corporate tax rate or limited liability.

A business name has no legal status.

If a company carries on a business in a name that is different to its company name, it must register the business name with the appropriate State/Territory authority.

While the requirement to register business names is not under the Act, business names are still recorded by ASIC's National Names Index, and the register against which proposed new company names are checked includes business names.
source: http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/byheadline/starting%20a%20company%20or%20business

Web Design Businesses - Start with a Business Plan

1. A description of your business
Be as descriptive as you can be. Include who your customers are, what niche (if any) you'll be targeting, who your competition is, and how your business will compete. Include:

· Clients, both specific and general (ie. Sue's Flower shop and local businesses in my home town)

· Competition, again, specific and general (ie. Wow'em Web Design and other local designers)

· Competitive advantage (ie. I have built four local business Web designs and have an in with the chamber of commerce.)

2. Your business finances
This includes all the costs of your business as well as both how much you need to make to break even and how much you believe you can make. Include:

· Your target salary

· Taxes (30-40%, but consult your tax attorney)

· Business expenses (like rent, utilities, computers and furniture)

· Billable hours (will you work 40 hours a week, part-time, only on weekends, etc.)

If you divide your total expenses (first three bullets) by your billable hours, you have a baseline hourly rate you should charge. More on setting your rate.

Why You Need a Business Plan

Aside from the issue of people taking your business more seriously, business plans can also help you obtain financing and get additional customers. The plan helps you solidify exactly what you're reaching for with your business and should help show the weak spots and where you'll need help.

If you're using the business plan to obtain funding, you'll need to do a lot of research on your financials. Banks and venture capitalists don't fund "best guesses". But if you're going to start your business out of your living room, then you can be less rigorous. But the more research you spend in determining the financials the more likely your business will be a success.

Sit Down and Do It Now

If you really want to have a business in Web design, then writing a business plan won't hurt you. And it might focus your thoughts on the matter. I had one friend who had been designing Web pages for three years when he wrote up a business plan. He realized from that plan that the reason he wasn't doing as well has he had hoped was because he couldn't charge enough to cover all his expenses as a full-time designer. So, he scaled back his freelance hours to part-time and got a part-time maintenance designer job. He was able to raise his rates because he didn't need the work as badly and was able to go back to full-time freelancing at the new higher rate in only a few months. If he hadn't written out his business plan, he would have just continued to under bid and barely make ends meet. It can work for you too.

Source: http://webdesign.about.com/od/jobs/a/aa052404.htm

· Copyright:

Legal Advice

We offer a free legal advice service to individual creators (e.g. composers, writers, artists, film makers, and photographers) and people working in arts organisations. We also advise people working in educational institutions, galleries, libraries and museums. We DO NOT advise people in commercial organisations outside the arts.

Before contacting our Legal Advice Service, please browse for the Information Sheet or FAQ that might answer your questions by clicking here.

TO SAVE YOU TIME please note: IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE OUR GUIDELINES (see below), WE WILL BE UNABLE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH ADVICE. Click here to access our wide range of free information, or see the section below Where Else Can I Get Assistance.

There is no system of registration for copyright protection in Australia. Copyright protection does not depend on publication, a copyright notice, or any other procedure. Copyright protection is free and automatic from the moment your work is on paper, or disk, or otherwise put into “material form”.

Source: http://www.copyright.org.au/

Australian copyright law protects many different items, including:

Literary works – books, reports and website content
Artistic works – paintings, drawings, photos and logos
Music
Dramatic works – scripts, screenplays and choreography
Film; Sound recordings and Broadcast – TV & Radio
Published editions – layout & typography, cover design.

Items not protected by copyright include:

Ideas
Information – generally available
Names, titles and slogans

Who owns copyright?

The creator of the material is the first owner of copyright. Copyright lasts for the life of the creator, plus 70 years. The creator of the work may choose to assign or license copyright to someone else. Copyright can also be left in your will to someone else.
If you hire a freelance copywriter to write material for you, by default they own copyright as the creator of the material unless you have a written agreement with them that copyright is transferred to you upon payment at the completion of the project. If the copywriter is employed on a permanent basis (as an employee) then the employer owns copyright. If you hire a casual or contract employee a copyright clause should be included in the employment agreement.
So if you are hiring someone else to write copy for you, you should always have a written agreement as to who owns copyright of the finished work. If this agreement is then infringed you can take legal action.

When do you need permission of the copyright owner?

You need permission of the copyright owner if you wish to use all or any substantial part of work which is copyright. (With or without a copyright notice).
A substantial part is an important, essential or distinctive part of the work. Remember everybody’s view on what is important, essential or distinctive varies.
You need permission of the copyright owner to:

Reproduce or copy the work (some exceptions apply to research or personal use)
Communicate that work to the public – including fax, email or use on the internet
Perform the work in public
Adapt, publish, rent or re-broadcast

If you find that you need to use a piece of material and you can’t find the copyright owner there are a number of collecting societies that can help you. The most common society is Copyright Agency Ltd, www.copyright.com.au
You can purchase individual or blanket licenses. These collecting societies are non-profit and have copyright owners as their members.

What can you do if you think someone has infringed on your copyright?

Check if it really is an infringement – is it a substantial part of your work or just using the underlying ideas? Ideas are not copyright.
Check if there are any outstanding contractual issues between you and them.
Contact the person and ask them if they know they have infringed on your copyright. Try to commence informal negotiations where you may ask for a fee or retraction. If you are the creator and first owner of copyright of the work, then you may be able to receive some assistance in this area from the Australian Copyright Council.
Letter of demand – see a solicitor to have a letter of demand drafted, from here on in, is where you will begin to spend larger sums of money to fight your case.
Court Action – via the Federal Magistrates Court – is your last avenue.

If the shoe is on the other foot and you are contacted by a copyright owner, you need to check if you have infringed on their copyright and find out if they really are the copyright owner. If you receive a letter of demand, contact a solicitor immediately.
Basically to protect yourself from infringing on someone else’s copyright, use your own material or get permission to use material and purchase royalty free images from a reputable image library. Don’t steal someone else’s work… yes it’s a big wide world out there, but at times it can be remarkably small.
More information, fact sheets and books are available from The Australian Copyright Council: www.copyright.org.au

Source: http://www.flyingsolo.com.au/working-smarter/processes/australian-copyright-law-how-to-protect-your-work

Legislation:

http://www.thelaw.tas.gov.au/index.w3p

About occupational health and safety regulation in Australia

Source: http://www.business.gov.au/BusinessTopics/Occupationalhealthandsafety/Pages/default.aspx

Register your business or company

Register for taxation

Source: http://www.business.gov.au/BusinessTopics/Registrationandlicences/Pages/default.aspx

Infrastructure:

§ Rent, electricity and telecommunications.

Software Tools/Hardware Tools:

§ Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection

§ Autodesk

§ Computer, scanner, printer, digital camera, modem and furniture.

Before you get started with your new website or editing your current site, you need to consider which hardware and software tools you may need to support your efforts.
When it comes to hardware needed this can be very simple or reasonably complex depending on your particular needs. Of course, if you plan to create a new website (or even view your new website later) you need a computer. Simple enough, right? Not necessarily. We prefer to work with Apple Macintosh (OSX Leopard on MacBook Pro) as we do a lot of intensive graphics work and have previously invested in Adobe Creative Suite software (Photoshop, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver, etc.). It is just as easy to create your new website using your Windows PC but we would suggest you stay away from using Windows Vista (any version) and migrate to Windows 7 or stick with Windows XP. These operating systems are just much more stable and reliable.
Another consideration for hardware should be some sort of backup hard drive or removable USB memory stick(s). It is important that you back up all of your website data to a removable drive in the event your computer crashes, is broken or is stolen. When you create website files, most of your data will be stored on the website hosting servers but, in many cases, you will have many other "builder files" that usually never make it to the hosting servers. If you lose this data you will be forced to start from scratch in many cases. Another piece of hardware that many forget about is a HD Video Camcorder. If you plan to include video on your site, you should be investing in something half decent; you can normally pick up a good video camera that also captures "still photos" for under $500.00.
When it comes to software needed, this can be somewhat more complicated, again depending on what your website design goals are. At the very least, you will need some sort of text editing software, FTP (file transfer software), graphics creation software and then a variety of other tools as you progress.
Here are some of the most common subjects you should consider when planning the design of your website product.
COMPUTER
Do you currently have a computer that can process large files (i.e. - video files) quickly and efficiently?
WEBSITE SERVER
Are you planning to host your own website portal? If so, do you know what type of hardware and server software you will need?
BACKUP HARD DRIVE or USB STICK
Do you currently have some sort of backup hard drive equipment or plan?
VIDEO CAMERA
Will you be creating custom videos for your website and, if so, do you have a HD video camera ready to go?
MOBILE WEB DEVICES
Are you planning to make your website "mobile web friendly"? If so, do you have an iPhone and an iPad? Android phone? Blackberry device? These will be needed for testing purposes!
WEBSITE CREATION SOFTWARE
Do you have any website creation software (i.e. - Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft Front Page) installed, licensed and ready to use?
GRAPHICS EDITING SOFTWARE
Are you planning to create your own website graphics or edit pictures? Do you have the necessary software (i.e. - Adobe Photoshop or Photo Studio)?
DATABASES
Are you planning on creating a database for your website and, if so, do you know which software to use for this purpose?

Woody House
Online Graphics USA and Canada http://makingyourwebsitework.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=E._R._Woody_House

Outsourcing refers to a company that contracts with another company to provide services that might otherwise be performed by in-house employees. Many large companies now outsource jobs such as call center services, e-mail services, and payroll. These jobs are handled by separate companies that specialize in each service, and are often located overseas.

There are many reasons that companies outsource various jobs, but the most prominent advantage seems to be the fact that it often saves money. Many of the companies that provide outsourcing services are able to do the work for considerably less money, as they don't have to provide benefits to their workers and have fewer overhead expenses to worry about.

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-outsourcing.htm

Promoting the business website

· Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

· Social Media (SMO)

· Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

· Paid Inclusion (PI)

Search Engine Strategies

Perhaps the most important -- and inexpensive -- strategy is to rank high for your preferred keywords on the main search engines in "organic" or "natural" searches (as opposed to paid ads). Search engines send robot "spiders" to index the content of your webpage, so let's begin with steps to prepare your webpages for optimal indexing. The idea here is not to trick the search engines, but to leave them abundant clues as to what your webpage is about. This approach is called "search engine optimization," abbreviated as SEO.

1. Write a Keyword-Rich Page Title. Write a descriptive title for each page -- rich in keywords you want people to find you with -- using 5 to 8 words. Remove as many "filler" words from the title (such as "the," "and," etc.) as possible, while still making it readable. This page title will appear hyperlinked on the search engines when your page is found. Entice searchers to click on the title by making it a bit provocative. Place this at the top of the webpage between the <HEAD></HEAD> tags, in this format: <TITLE>Web Marketing Checklist -- 37 Ways to Promote Your Website</TITLE>. (It also shows on the blue bar at the top of your web browser.)

Plan to use some descriptive keywords along with your business name on your home page. If you specialize in silver bullets and that's what people will be searching for, don't just use your company name "Acme Ammunition, Inc.," use "Silver and Platinum Bullets -- Acme Ammunition, Inc." The words people are most likely to search on should appear first in the title (called "keyword prominence"). Remember, this title is your identity on the search engines. The more people see that interests them in the blue hyperlinked words on the search engine, the more likely they are to click on the link.

2. Write a Description META Tag. Some search engines include this description below your hyperlinked title in the search results. The description should be a sentence or two describing the content of the webpage, using the main keywords and key phrases on this page. Don't include keywords that don't appear on the webpage. Place the Description META Tag at the top of the webpage, between the <HEAD></HEAD> tags, in this format:

<META NAME="DESCRIPTION" CONTENT="Increase visitor hits, attract traffic through submitting URLs, META tags, news releases, banner ads, and reciprocal links.">

The maximum number of characters should be about 255; just be aware that only the first 60 or so are visible on Google, though more may be indexed.

When I prepare a webpage, I write the article first, then develop a keyword-rich title (#1 above). Then I write a description of the content in that article in a sentence or two, using each of the important keywords and keyphrases included in the article. This goes into the description META tag.

Next, I strip out the common words, leaving just the meaty keywords and phrases and insert those into the keywords META tag. It's no longer used much for ranking, but I'm leaving it in anyway. I think it may have some minor value. So to summarize so far, every webpage in your site should have a distinct title and META description tag. If you implement these two points, you're well on your way to better search engine ranking. But there's more that will help your ranking....

3. Include Your Keywords in Headers (H1, H2, H3). Search engines consider keywords that appear in the page headline and sub heads to be important to the page, so make sure your desired keywords and phrases appear in one or two header tags. Don't expect the search engine to parse your Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) to figure out which are the headlines -- it won't. Instead, use keywords in the H1, H2, and H3 tags to provide clues to the search engine. (Note: Some designers no longer use the H1, H2 tags. That's a big mistake. Make sure your designer defines these tags in the CSS rather than creating headline tags with other names.)

4. Position Your Keywords in the First Paragraph of Your Body Text. Search engines expect that your first paragraph will contain the important keywords for the document -- where most people write an introduction to the content of the page. You don't want to just artificially stuff keywords here, however. More is not better. Google might expect a keyword density in the entire body text area of maybe 1.5% to 2% for a word that should rank high, so don't overdo it.

5. Include Descriptive Keywords in the ALT Attribute of Image Tags. This helps your site be more accessible to site-impaired visitors (www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/glance/) and gives additional clues to the search engines. The ALT attributes do help get your images ranked higher for image search (see #12 below).

6. Use Keywords in Hyperlinks. Search engines are looking for clues to the focus of your webpage. When they see words hyperlinked in your body text, they consider these potentially important, so hyperlink your important keywords and keyphrases. To emphasize it even more, the webpage you are linking to could have a page name with the keyword or keyphrase, such as blue-widget.htm -- another clue for the search engine.

7. Make Your Navigation System Search Engine Friendly. You want search engine robots to find all the pages in your site. JavaScript and Flash navigation menus that appear when you hover are great for humans, but search engines don't read JavaScript and Flash very well. Therefore, supplement JavaScript and Flash menus with regular HTML links at the bottom of the page, ensuring that a chain of hyperlinks exists that take a search engine spider from your home page to every page in your site. Don't set up your navigation system using HTML frames (an old, out-dated approach); they can cause severe indexing problems.

Some content management systems and e-commerce catalogs produce dynamic, made-on-the-fly webpages, often recognizable by question marks in the URLs followed by long strings of numbers or letters. Overworked search engines sometimes have trouble parsing long URLs and may stop at the question mark, refusing to go farther. If you find the search engines aren't indexing your interior pages, you might consider URL rewriting, a site map, or commercial solutions.

8. Create a Site Map. A site map page with links to all your pages can help search engines (and visitors) find all your pages, particularly if you have a larger site. You can use a free tools, XML-Sitemaps.com (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/xml-sitemaps.htm) to create XML sitemaps that are used by the major search engines to index your webpages accurately. Upload your sitemap to your website. Then submit your XML sitemap to Google, Yahoo!, and Bing (formerly MSN), following instructions on their sites. By the way, Google Webmaster Central (www.google.com/webmasters/) has lots of tools to help you get ranked higher. Be sure to set up a free account and explore what they have to offer.

9. Develop Webpages Focused on Each Your Target Keywords. SEO specialists no longer recommend using external doorway or gateway pages, since nearly duplicate webpages might get you penalized. Rather, develop several webpages on your site, each of which is focused on a target keyword or keyphrase for which you would like a high ranking. Let's say you sell teddy bears. Use Google Insights for Search (www.google.com/insights/search/) or the free keyword suggestion tool on Wordtracker (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/wordtracker.htm) to find the related keywords people search on. In this case: write a separate webpage featuring the keyword "teddy bear," "teddy bears," "vermont teddy bears," "vermont bears," "the teddy bears," teddy bears picnic," "teddy bears pictures," etc. You'll write a completely different article on each topic. You can't fully optimize all the webpages in your site, but for each of these focused-content webpages, spend lots of time tweaking to improve its ranking, as described in point #10.

10. Fine-tune with Careful Search Engine Optimization. Now fine-tune your focused-content pages and perhaps your home page, by making a series of minor adjustments to help them rank higher. Software such as WebPosition (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/webposition.htm) allows you to check your current ranking and compare your webpages against your top keyword competitors. I use it regularly. WebPosition's Page Critic tool provides analysis of a search engine's preferred statistics for each part of your webpage, with specific recommendations of what minor changes to make. The best set of SEO tools is Bruce Clay's SEOToolSet (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/clay_seotoolset.htm). If you want more detailed information, consider purchasing my inexpensive book Guide to Search Engine Optimization (www.wilsonweb.com/ebooks/seo.htm). You can find links to many SEO articles (www.wilsonweb.com/seo/) on my site and even more in our Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=mp_Search).

Frankly, this kind of SEO fine-tuning is time-consuming, painstaking work that takes a lot of specialized knowledge. For this reason, many small and large businesses outsource search engine optimization. If you'll explain your needs to me on my online form, I can refer you to appropriate SEO firms that I know and trust (www.wilsonweb.com/recommendations/seo-services.htm).

11. Promote Your Local Business on the Internet. These days many people search for local businesses on the Internet. To make sure they find you, include on every page of your website the street address, zip code, phone number, and the five or 10 other local community place names your business serves. If you can, include place names in the title tag, too. When you seek links to your site (see #15 below), you should request links from local businesses with place names in the communities you serve and complementary businesses in your industry nationwide.

Also create a free listing for your local business on Google Maps Local Business Center (www.google.com/local/add) and Yahoo! Local (listings.local.yahoo.com). That way your business can show up on a map when people do a local search. For more information, see my book How to Promote Your Local Business on the Internet (www.wilsonweb.com/ebooks/local.htm) as well as articles on local marketing (www.wilsonweb.com/local/) on my site and on local business promotion in the Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=mm_Local).

12. Promote Your Video, Images, and Audio Content. Google's "universal search" displays not only webpage content, but also often displays near the top of the page relevant listings for images, videos, local businesses (see #11 above), and audio clips. Therefore, consider creating such content appropriate to your business and then optimizing it so it can be ranked high enough to help you. For example, if you were to get a top-ranking, informative video on YouTube (www.youtube.com) that mentions your site, it could drive a lot of traffic to your site. For more information, search on "optimizing images" or "optimizing videos."

Linking Strategies

Links to your site from other sites drive additional traffic. But since Google and other major search engines consider the number of incoming links to your website ("link popularity") as an important indicator of relevance, more links will help you rank higher in the search engines. Google has a measure called PageRank that reflects the quantity and quality of incoming links. All links aren't all equal. Links from trusted, popular sites help your site rank higher than links from lower traffic sites. You'll find articles on linking strategies (www.wilsonweb.com/linking/) on our site and in our Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=mp_Linking).

13. Submit Your Site to Key Directories, since a link from a directory will help your ranking -- and get you traffic. A directory is not a search engine. Rather, it is a hierarchical listing of sites sorted according to category and subcategory. Be sure to list your site in the free Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.com), overseen by overworked volunteer editors. But if you don't get listed right away, don't be impatient and resubmit, or you'll go to the end of the queue. A link in this directory will help you a lot.

Yahoo! Directory (dir.yahoo.com) is another important directory. Real humans read submission, so be careful to follow the instruction given. Hint: Use somewhat less than the maximum number of characters allowable, so you don't have wordy text that will tempt the Yahoo! editor to begin chopping. Yahoo! Directory Submit (ecom.yahoo.com/dir/submit/intro/) requires a $299 annual recurring fee to have your site considered for inclusion within seven business days. Other paid business directories that might help are About.com and Business.com.

14. Submit Your Site to Trade Organization Sites and Specialized Directories. Some directories focused on particular industries, such as education or finance. You probably belong to various trade associations that feature member directories. Ask for a link. Even if you have to pay something for a link from the organization, it may help boost your PageRank.

Marginal directories, however, come and go very quickly, making it hard to keep up, so don't try to be exhaustive here. Beware of directories that solicit you for "upgraded listings." Unless a directory is widely used in your field, a premium ad is a waste of money -- but the (free) link itself will help boost your PageRank and hence your search engine ranking.

SubmitWolf (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/submitwolf.htm) is a directory submission tool I've used with good success . You complete a listing form in the software interface. Then they submit your listing to all the appropriate directories they know of, plus links to sites that require manual submission. It's a timesaver and works well. Just be careful to submit only to actual directories, not "linking sites."

15. Request Reciprocal Links. Find websites in your general niche and request a reciprocal link to your site (especially to your free service, if you offer one, see #24 below). Develop an out-of-the way page where you put links to other sites -- so you don't send people out the back door as fast as you bring them in the front door. Your best results will be from sites that generate a similar amount of traffic as your own site. High-traffic site webmasters are too busy to answer your requests for a link and don't have anything to gain. Look for smaller sites that may have linking pages.

Check out Ken Evoy's free SiteSell Value Exchange (sales.sitesell.com/value-exchange/). It (1) registers your site as willing to exchange links with other sites that have a similar theme/topic content and (2) searches for sites with similar topical content. Additionally, two automated link building software programs stand out -- Zeus (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/zeus.htm) and IBP Link Builder (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/arelis.htm). Both of these search the web for complementary sites, help you maintain a link directory, and manage reciprocal links. However, use these programs to identify the complementary sites, not to send impersonal automated e-mail spam to site owners.

When you locate sites, send a personal e-mail using the contact e-mail on the site or to the administrative contact listed in a Whois Directory (www.networksolutions.com/whois/). If e-mail doesn't get a response, try a phone call. Warning: Only link to complementary sites, no matter how often you are bombarded with requests to exchange links with a mortgage site that has nothing to do with your teddy bear store. One way Google determines what your site is about is who you link to and who links to you. It's not just links, but quality links you seek. Reciprocal linking as hard, tedious work, but it doesn't cost you a dime out of pocket! Keep working at this continuously, a little bit at a time. Patience and persistence will get you some good links, so keep at it.

16. Write Articles for Others to Use in Websites and Newsletters. You can dramatically increase your visibility when you write articles in your area of expertise and distribute them to editors as free content for their e-mail newsletters or their websites. Just ask that a link to your website and a one-line description of what you offer be included with the article. This is an effective "viral" approach that can produce hundreds of links to your site over time. You'll find lots of information on how to do this from the most popular article marketing site, EzineArticles.com. When you create a free membership account, they begin sending you instructions and ideas each week.

17. Issue News Releases. Find newsworthy events and send news releases to print and Web periodicals in your industry. The links to your site in online news databases may remain for several months and will temporarily improve traffic to your site and increase link popularity. Use a online news release service such as PR Web (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/prweb.htm). Placing your website URL in online copies of your press release may increase link popularity temporarily. More information on public relations strategies is available in our Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=mp_PR).

Two additional linking strategies, discussed below, are to ask visitors to bookmark your webpage (#20) and to develop a free service (#23), which will greatly stimulate links to your site.

Social Media

Our next type of website promotion comes from the mushrooming field of social media, in which people are encouraged to interact with each other, and respond to each other's blog postings and comments. You should be aware of four types of social media: (1) blogs, (2) social networking sites, (3) social bookmarking sites, and (4) forums. Don't be upset if the distinctions between types of social media tend to blur. Social media help promote your site by sending direct traffic, producing links to your site, and generating awareness. The subject is too diverse to go into detail here. You can learn more in our social media articles (www.wilsonweb.com/newmedia/) and in the Social Networking section of the Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=mm_SocialNetwork).

18. Begin a Business Blog. Want links to your site? Begin a business blog on your website, hosted on your own domain. If you offer excellent content and regular industry comment, people are likely to link to it, increasing your site's PageRank. Consistency and having something to say are key. Learn more in the business blogs section of our Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=ms_Blogs). If you have a blog on a third-party blog site, occasionally find reasons to talk about and link to your own domain.

19. Become Part of a Social Media Community. Some of the best online communities for business include Facebook (www.facebook.com), LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com), and Twitter (www.twitter.com). In addition, you may want to participate in a social bookmarking community in which members share with each other information about websites, articles, or news items that they like (or don't like). These include Digg (www.digg.com), Delicious (www.delicious.com), StumbleUpon (www.stumbleupon.com), and Google Bookmarks (www.google.com/bookmarks/). Search engine spiders troll these sites looking for links to something new and relevant. You can usually place a link to your website in your profile, but the biggest gain comes when other people mention you (which generates traffic to your site), link to you (which increases your PageRank and brings traffic), or bookmark you (which increases your PageRank and brings traffic, see #21 below).

One important reminder, don't join a community to spam them or talk incessantly about your business. Like any community you must listen, comment, and make a genuine contribution for the good of others. Don't hog the conversation. Otherwise, your self-serving links and comments will hurt your reputation. By the way, to get started, why don't you visit my social media pages and become a Facebook fan (www.facebook.com/pages/Web-Marketing-Today/85187746383) or a Twitter follower (www.twitter.com/ralphwilson) -- please! Thank you!

20. Promote Your Site in Online Forums and Discussion Lists -- "old school" social media. The Internet offers thousands of very targeted e-mail based discussion lists, online forums, and groups made up of people with very specialized interests. Use Google Groups (groups.google.com) to find appropriate groups. Search online for blogs or other forums.

Don't bother with groups consisting of pure spam. Instead, find groups where a serious dialog is taking place. Don't use aggressive marketing and overtly plug your product or service. Rather, add to the discussion in a helpful way and let the "signature" at the end of your e-mail message do your marketing for you. People will gradually get to know and trust you, visit your site, and do business with you.

21. Ask Visitors to Bookmark Your Site. It seems simple, but ask visitors to bookmark your site or save it in their Favorites list. I use a widget called AddThis (www.addthis.com). When you put the AddThis JavaScript on your webpage, it automatically determines the title and URL of that page. When visitors click the button on your page, they are automatically taken to a page that allows them to choose which bookmarking service they prefer, and then pre-populates the appropriate form with the title and URL of your webpage. I use AddThis throughout my website, as well as in my newsletters. If you have good content that people want to bookmark, this can generate hundreds of links to your site and significantly raise your rankings.

While you're at it, would you be so kind as to bookmark this page using the button below? Thank you!

Traditional Strategies

Just because "old media" strategies aren't on the Internet doesn't mean they aren't effective. A mixed media approach can be very effective.

22. Include Your URL on Stationery, Cards, and Literature. Make sure that all business cards, stationery, brochures, and literature contain your company's URL. And see that your printer gets the URL syntax correct. In print, I recommend leaving off the http:// part and including only the www.domain.com portion.

23. Promote using traditional media. Don't discontinue print advertising that you've found effective. But be sure to include your URL in any display or classified ads you purchase in trade journals, newspapers, yellow pages, etc. View your website as an information adjunct to the ad. Use a two-step approach: (1) capture readers' attention with the ad, (2) then refer them to a URL where they can obtain more information and perhaps place an order. Look carefully at small display or classified ads in the back of narrowly-targeted magazines or trade periodicals. Sometimes these ads are more targeted, more effective, and less expensive than online advertising. Consider other traditional media to drive people to your site, such as direct mail, classifieds, post cards, etc. TV can be used to promote websites, especially in a local market.

24. Develop a Free Service. It's boring to invite people, "Come to our site and learn about our business." It's quite another to say "Use the free kitchen remodeling calculator available exclusively on our site." Make no mistake, it's expensive in time and energy to develop free resources, such as our Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/research/), but it is very rewarding in increased traffic to your site -- and a motivation to link to the site! Make sure that your free service is closely related to what you are selling so the visitors you attract will be good prospects for your business. Give visitors multiple opportunities and links to cross over to the sales portion of your site.

E-Mail Strategies

Don't neglect e-mail as an important way to bring people to your website. Just don't spam, that is, don't send bulk unsolicited e-mails without permission to people with whom you have no relationship. Many countries have anti-spam laws.

You can find lots of details and tips on e-mail marketing in my book The E-Mail Marketing Handbook (www.wilsonweb.com/ebooks/handbook.htm). I'll mention just a few important elements here. You can learn more from our articles on e-mail marketing (www.wilsonweb.com/email/) as well as the e-mail section of the Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=me_Email-Gen).

25. Install a "Signature" in your E-Mail Program to help potential customers get in touch with you. Most e-mail programs allow you to designate a "signature" to appear at the end of each message you send. Limit it to 6 to 8 lines: Company name, address, phone number, URL, e-mail address, and a one-phrase description of your unique business offering. Look for examples on e-mail messages sent to you.

26. Publish an E-Mail Newsletter. While it requires a commitment of time, creating a monthly e-mail publication is one of the most important promotion techniques. It could be a newsletter ("ezine"), list of tips, industry updates, or new product information -- whatever you believe your customers will appreciate. This is a great way to keep in touch with your prospects, generate trust, develop brand awareness, and build future business. It also helps you collect e-mail addresses from those who visit your site, but aren't yet ready to make a purchase. You distribute your newsletter inexpensively using e-mail marketing services such as: iContact (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/icontact.htm), Constant Contact (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/constantcontact.htm), and AWeber (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/aweber.htm). If you have a very small list, some of these services let you use their services free until you grow larger. Blogs are very popular, but don't really replace e-mail newsletters. You have to go to a blog to read it, while an e-mail newsletter appears in your inbox asking to be read.

If you haven't already, would you please sign up for my free newsletter, Web Marketing Today (www.wilsonweb.com). It is published weekly and will keep you up-to-date in the fields of Internet marketing and e-commerce. Thank you!

27. Aggressively Ask for E-Mail Sign-ups. If you want to get subscribers to your e-mail newsletter, you'll need to work hard at it. Include a subscription form on every page of your website. Promote sign-ups through free whitepapers, e-books, or other products. If you have a local business, ask customers to sign up for your e-mail list to get "special Internet only offers." Also ask other businesspeople when they give you a business card if you can send them your e-mail newsletter. While only the e-mail address itself is necessary, I always ask for a first name also, so I can personalize the newsletter and the e-mail subject line with the recipient's name.

28. Send Transactional and Reminder E-Mails. A transactional e-mail is sent to an existing customer to initiate, remind, confirm, or thank the person. Be creative. If you keep careful records, you can send e-mails to customers on their birthday to remind them to return to your site. Subscription confirmation e-mails can also mention several popular products. You might remind customers that it has been three months since their last order and ask if it's time for a refill. Thank you for your purchase e-mails can offer a coupon to bring your customer back for a future sale. Use your imagination, but don't pester your customers. You're there to serve them, not the other way around.

29. Send Offers to Your Visitors and Customers. Your own list of customers and site visitors who have given you permission to contact them will be your most productive list. Send special offers, coupon specials, product updates, etc. They often initiate another visit to your site. If you have a regular newsletter, you can include many of these in your regular e-mailing.

30. Exchange E-Mail Mentions with Complementary Businesses. You might consider exchanging e-mail newsletter mentions with complementary businesses to reach new audiences. Just be sure that your partners are careful where they get their mailing list so you don't get in trouble with the anti-spam laws in your country.

I'll mention renting e-mail lists in #37 below under Paid Advertising approaches.

Miscellaneous Strategies

Here are a couple of strategies that don't fit elsewhere.

31. Announce a Contest. People like getting something free. If you publicize a contest or drawing available on your site, you'll generate more traffic than normal. Make sure your sweepstakes rules are legal in all states and countries you are targeting. Prizes should be designed to attract individuals who fit a demographic profile describing your best customers. See articles on contests and incentives in our Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=ma_Incentives).

32. Devise Viral Marketing Promotion Techniques. So-called viral marketing uses existing communication networks to spread the word exponentially. Word-of-mouth, PR, creating "buzz," and network marketing are offline models. Promotion strategy #16 above, "Write Articles for Others to Use for Website and Newsletter Content," is a kind of viral approach.

The key to the best viral marketing, however, is create something that generates buzz and is so cute / fascinating / fun / bizarre that it gets passed by viewers to their friends via e-mail and social networks -- thousands of times -- so that it propels more and more people to your website, and, hopefully, helps enhance your brand, produce sales, and ultimately boost profits. Internet marketers often seek to launch viral campaigns on Digg (www.digg.com) or YouTube (www.youtube.com). Digg is a social bookmarking site with such power, that if enough people "Digg" you, you appear on the Digg front page and receive a huge number of visitors in a few hours. If your video goes viral on YouTube, you could get tens of thousands of visits to the site you promote in the video. However, viral marketing is difficult to do well. If you want to pursue this, I suggest you read MarketingSherpa's How to Viral Market toolkit (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/sherpa_viral.htm). You can find articles on viral marketing in the Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=mm_Viral).

Paid Advertising Strategies

None of the approaches described above is "free," since each takes time and energy. But if you want to grow your business more rapidly, there comes a point when you need to pay for increased traffic. Advertising is sold in one of three ways: (1) traditional CPM (cost per thousand views), (2) pay per click (PPC), and (3) pay per action (PPA) or cost per action (CPA) approaches. Examples of the latter are affiliate program and lead generation programs. Banner ads get such a low click-through rate (0.2%) that I don't recommend paying much for them. Banner ads typically cost about 50¢ to $1 per thousand page views, except on targeted sites. Do some small tests first to determine response. Then calculate your return on investment (ROI) before spending large amounts. Here are some methods to explore:

33. Advertise in an E-Mail Newsletter. Some of the best buys are small text ads in e-mail newsletters targeted at audiences likely to be interested in your products or services. Many small publishers aren't sophisticated about advertising and offer very attractive rates.

More effective (and more expensive) is to send out an appropriate solo e-mail to the targeted list's subscribers. These often get a good response.

34. Begin an Affiliate Program. Essentially, a retailer's affiliate program is a CPA program that pays a commission to other site owners whose links to the retailer's products result in an actual sale. The goal is to build a network of affiliates who have a financial stake in promoting your site. If you're a merchant, you need to (1) determine the commission you are willing to pay (consider it your advertising cost), (2) select a company to set up the technical details of your program, and (3) promote your program to get the right kind of affiliates who will link to your site. Software and service companies are available to facilitate the process. The problem is getting enough affiliates who will actually work hard to promote your products or services. These "super affiliates" will probably consist of only 1% to 3% of your total number of affiliates. You can learn more by reading articles about affiliate program marketing in the Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=em_Associate).

35. Purchase Pay Per Click (PPC) ads with Google AdWords (adwords.google.com/select/), Yahoo! Search Marketing (www.wilsonweb.com/afd/overture.htm), or Microsoft AdCenter (adcenter.microsoft.com). This strategy is way down the list, but it is vitally important. Most Internet businesses will want to explore using Google AdWords to drive targeted traffic to their websites.

These PPC ads appear on the search engine results page, typically both above and to the right of the organic or natural search engine results. Since they are keyword-driven, they can be quite relevant to what a searcher is trying to find. Your ranking in this list of paid text ads is determined by (1) how much you have bid for a particular search word compared to other businesses, (2) the click-through rate on your ad, and (3) your Quality Score, which reflects the relevancy and quality of your ad and the landing page it points to.

PPC ads can be a cost-effective way to get targeted traffic, since you only pay when someone actually clicks on the link. But I strongly recommend that you study this carefully and expect a learning curve before you invest large sums of money in PPC advertising. Read Andrew Goodman's book Winning Results with Google AdWords (Second Edition, McGraw-Hill, Dec 2008, ISBN 0071496564). You can find articles on Paid Search on our site (www.wilsonweb.com/paid-search/) and in the PPC advertising section of the Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/search/cat.php?querytype=category&subcat=mp_PPC).

36. List Your Products with Shopping Comparison Bots and Auction Sites. If you're an online merchant, you'll want to consider this. Shopping bots compare your products and prices to others. Some work on a PPC (Pay Per Click) basis, others on a CPA (Cost Per Action) basis, perhaps with a listing fee. Bots to consider include mySimon (www.mysimon.com), BizRate (www.bizrate.com/), PriceGrabber (www.pricegrabber.com/), and Shopping.com (www.shopping.com). Shopping sites that include comparison features include: eBay (www.ebay.com), Yahoo! Shopping (shopping.yahoo.com), and Amazon Marketplace (www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=1161232). You pay to acquire first-time customers, but hopefully you can sell to them a second, third, and fourth time, later on.

37. Rent targeted, commercial e-mail lists. The last website promotion technique I'll mention is renting targeted e-mail lists. We abhor "spam," bulk untargeted, unsolicited e-mail, and you'll pay a very stiff price in a ruined reputation and cancelled services if you yield to temptation here. But the direct marketing industry has developed targeted e-mail lists you can rent -- lists consisting of people who have agreed to receive commercial e-mail messages. These lists cost $40 to $400 per thousand or 4¢ to 40¢ per name. Do a smaller test first to determine the quality of the list. Your best bet is to find an e-mail list broker (www.google.com/search?&q=e-mail+list+broker) to help you with this project. You'll save money and get experienced help for no additional cost. Realize, however, that due to the high cost of renting lists, many businesses won't generate enough businesses to justify the cost. Run the numbers before you invest.

Whew! That's it. We certainly haven't exhausted ways to promote your site, but these will get you started. To effectively market your site, you need to spend time adapting these strategies to your own market and capacity. Right now, why don't you make an appointment to go over this checklist with someone in your organization? Make this Checklist jump-start for your new Internet marketing strategy.

If you've read through this entire article without subscribing to my free Web Marketing Today e-mail newsletter (www.wilsonweb.com), here's your last chance. It's your best source to keep up with ways to enhance your Internet marketing. Subscribe today.

Source: http://www.wilsonweb.com/

Handling Clients:

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a widely-implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing, customer service, and technical support. The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and client service.^[1] Customer relationship management describes a company-wide business strategy including customer-interface departments as well as other departments

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management

Client Tactics: Maintaining Existing Clients

· Keep the Lines of Communication Open.

· Newsletters

· Email Campaigns

· Phone Calls

· Commenting on Blogs

· Social Networks

· Direct Contact

Source: http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/client-tactics-maintaining-existing-clients/

Techniques for managing multiple projects
Here are some of the techniques to try when managing multiple projects:

Time management: Many times project managers who are overloaded seem to be constantly fighting one crisis after the other. It just doesn’t seem to stop. You need to quickly determine what to do when and how much time you have. You cannot micromanage every single task as a program manager, and you’ll have to start focusing on managing your time among all your projects.
Checklist for managing multiple projects: You should create a portfolio checklist for managing multiple projects. You could use a life-cycle checklist to help (e.g., Have I received all the specs? Have I involved QA on each project team?).
Prioritization of projects: You need to determine which projects are more important than the others. When faced with multiple projects, it’s important to decide what to do and in which order it gets done. It’s no use simply selecting any project you like and paying attention to that project alone. Careful analysis is needed to ensure that each project meets your company’s strategic objectives and that you are aware of target dates.
Categorize your work: This strategy reduces complexity. You have to make progress on all fronts when managing multiple projects. Don’t leave one until next week and expect results. Check the progress of each project on a daily basis.
Sequence work tasks: Ensure that for every project the tasks have been properly sequenced and that they make sense. I have seen managers run from project to project, grabbing at straws. It’s imperative that each project be clearly broken down into manageable tasks and that they be correctly sequenced.
Create a dashboard: Use a digital dashboard to effectively capture and report on all the projects within your portfolio.

Source: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-manage-multiple-it-projects/1061892

“How Much Money Do You Need To Get Your Business Going?”

This depends on the type of business you're going to get into. All things being equal, it is possible to get a rough idea of how much funds you'll need in order to get your business off the ground. To get an estimate of how much money you'll need for your business, you'll have to consider a few key factors.

What kind of product do you have?

Are you going to produce a product or offer a service. Generally, a service business will require less cash because it will require less capital costs such as material and equipment costs. High capital businesses such as manufacturing will generally require more cash because it will need to factor in costs of goods such as raw materials, equipment needed and expenses incurred.

A service business will require less cash than a capital intensive operation and therefore a lower small business start up loan.

Equity

Do you have the necessary personal equity to put into the business. I'm not going to lie to you. Know one is going to put up a dime unless you have a certain amount of personal equity into the business, generally cash equity . This figure is around 25 to 50 percent of the total estimated cost of the project, possibly higher.

The amount of equity required is also influenced by other credit factors, such as management experience and adequacy of collateral. Remember, your equity is going to be very important in terms of how much financing you can leverage as a small business start up loan.

If you don't have a dime to your name and your looking to start up a business, you might want to put your idea on hold until you can save enough money to leverage enough debt to get your business going.

Labor

Who's going to be working? Do you intend to do most of the work or are you going to hire outside help. Generally, you will want to contribute your own time to the business as the main source of labor. This is one way to control labor costs. Later, when your business starts to take off, you can hire additional help in order to meet demand.

Can you sustain a living?

I'd say 90 to 95% of all businesses don't see a dime of profit for the first six months of operation (sometimes even longer). It is necessary to estimate how much personal expenses you are going to incur for the first six months of operation and plan how much you need to meet these expenses.

“Estimating Expenses”

The following list is a general list that most businesses will incur. Beside each one, take an estimate of how much each will cost. Remember that your business might have more or less expenses.

• Lease/rent
• Leasehold improvements
• Maintenance
• Office equipment
• Office supplies
• Utilities (phone, electricity, heat, water)
• Business licenses
• Book Keeping
• Labor
• Advertising/marketing
• Warehouse or factory space rental
• Machinery and equipment rental
• Raw materials

Total

Once you have estimated the amount expenses for your business, you will need to break down the figure into financing portions. For example, if you have a total estimated project cost of $50,000, how are you going to break this figure down into financing.

Let's say you have 25% of the $50,000 in equity ($12,500), that leaves $37,500 that still needs to be financed. Almost all businesses will need some form of outside financing.

I strongly suggest you do a month by month cash flow for the first year. If you don't know how to do a cash flow statement, try working with your banker, accountant or click here . By doing a cash flow statement, you will realistically estimate the amount of cash you need to sustain your business.

Types of financing

There are basically two types of financing, debt and equity. Deciding on which route to take will depend on the following components:

-How much control of the business do you want to give up

-How much of a small business start up loan are you comfortable with as compared to equity (called leverage)

What is debt financing?

Debt is basically a legal promise to pay someone back a certain amount of dollars plus interest. In exchange for having lent you the money, an investor will want to be paid interest. The main advantage of debt is that you still have control of your business. The downside is the obligation to make the monthly payments to the lender no matter what.

What is equity financing

An equity investor will add capital into your business for a percentage of ownership. Equity financing involves no direct obligation to repay any funds. It does, however, involve selling a partial interest in your company.

The main advantage of equity financing is that you don't have the monthly payment obligations. The downside is that you lose a certain amount of ownership of your company.

"Sources Of Financing"

The following list are examples of possible sources of financing.

Personal savings

Personal savings are probably the number one financing source that most businesses take when starting a new business. The great thing about personal equity is that you don't have to pay anyone back and you still maintain 100% control of the business.

Most lenders for small business start up loans require that a reasonable percentage of your own funds be invested in your business, as an indication that you will work hard to make the business a success. As stated earlier, know one is going to lend you a dime unless you have some personal equity in the business.

Friends and family

Friends and family can be an important source of financing for your business. The number one advantage to this type of financing is that your friends and family will be a lot more understanding of you than someone who doesn't know you.

The greatest disadvantage is that it can put your relationship at risk if things get shaky or if there is a misunderstanding. It's important to keep the arrangement formal. This way it's more professional and it will help keep the misunderstandings down to a minimum.

The investment can take the form of a direct loan or an equity investment. It will depend on how well they know you.

“Places to look”

Banks

Banks can be a little tricky when you are trying to attain a small business loan. Each bank operates differently and policies will differ. Banks may be one of the first sources that come to mind when you begin searching for a small business start up loan. The great thing about banks is that they have money available to lend.

However, it may be difficult for a new business to get a loan from a bank since lenders usually prefer to lend to established businesses. Of course, not all banks look at it this way.

I suggest you approach your bank and get to know the commercial banker. From a banking stand point, it gives them more confidence when they are dealing with someone they know.

Remember, you need equity to leverage a small business loan. The equity can be in the form of cash, investments, and tangible collateral such as vehicles, land and buildings. If you don't have a dime to your name and you don't own anything, it's going to be very difficult to get a loan.

Also remember you need a good credit rating. If you don't have a clean record, banks simply won't take you seriously. I'll describe the credit process in more detail below.

Insurance Companies

Certain insurance companies will invest a portion of their unused income into small business start up loans. If you borrow from an insurance company, you can expect terms and interest rates similar to those available from a commercial bank.

Try talking to your insurance officer about the companies policy on a small business loans. You can also request information booklets from your insurance company.

Leasing Companies

These types of companies will lease or rent businesses various types of equipment. By renting rather than buying the equipment your business will need, you will be able to avoid many capital expenditures associated with the purchase of equipment. Sort of like a small business loan but the company will actually loan you the equipment.

Capital Venture Companies

Capital venture companies are companies that will invest in your company for a percentage of ownership. These companies will invest in your company if they see the possibility of high and quick returns.

In other words, they want to make the highest return in the shortest amount of time possible. These investments are not really loans.

In general, venture capital firms are most interested in investing in new technology and can typically supply large sums of money. It's important to note that venture capitalists are not passive investors. They will want to play a major role in the direction of your company. Can be a quick source of funds in terms of a small business start up loan.

These companies can be found on the internet. Simply type in venture capitalist.com and you will come to a huge database of venture capitalists who might be willing to give you a business plan.

“Types Of Small Business Loans”

Banks and other financial institutions can assist you by providing funds through personal or commercial credit. Examples of personal credit include automobile loans, credit cards, and home mortgages. Commercial credit includes small business start up loans;

Here are some options for a start up loan:

Short-term business loans are one of the most common types of small business start up loans and are usually for less than one year. They can provide interim working capital for a business temporarily in need of cash, and are typically repaid in a lump sum when inventory or accounts receivable are converted into cash.

Intermediate-term small business loans are often used for a business start-up, the purchase of new equipment, expansion, or an increase in working capital. The maturity dates range from one to three years.

Long-term business loans generally are made for major capital improvements, acquiring fixed assets, or business start-ups. The term of the loan runs for periods of three to five years and is usually based in part on the life of the asset financed. Repayment is usually made in monthly or quarterly installments.

A line of credit offers you the ability to borrow money repeatedly, up to your credit limit, without having to reapply. A line of credit is particularly important to businesses that experience seasonal fluctuations. The great thing about this type of credit loan is that you only pay interest on what you take out and not on the whole prinicple like term loans.

The lender generally will perform a review once a year, at which time the borrower is asked to provide updated financial statements.

You might also want to check out the internet. The following company provides small business start up loans and their approval process is super fast:

SmallBusinessLoans.com

SmallBusinessLoans.com has been facilitating small business start up loans on the internet since 1997. During the past 4 years they have handled over $50 billion in loan requests from small business owners across the country who have taken advantage of their premier funding sources and the internet to get the money they need in a quick, efficient and secure manner.

Small Business Loans.com will review your application and will respond to you in 48 hours.

America One Funding

America One Funding provides small business start up loans and personal loans. Their specialty product is an Unsecured Signature Loan that can be used for any purpose, business or personal with no collateral required. Please note that this is only for the residence of the United States.

The Credit Application Process

Applying for credit can be tedious. It calls for more documentation than you might initially have expected and certainly a lot more than when you apply for consumer credit.

For lenders, extending credit to an entrepreneur usually means customizing the small business start up loan to suit the credit needs of that business. So don' be disheartened by the amount of paperwork needed to accompany the application. Instead, be prepared!

If you are looking for a business loan but have bad credit, click here

Among the best assets you can bring to the lender is a well thought-out and documented business plan. You need to clearly state the purpose of the small business start up loan (will the money be used for temporary working capital, buying equipment, or expanding facilities); the amount of funds needed and for how long; and a repayment schedule. Your business plan should include the following information:

1) business description that tells the nature of the business, describes the product and its market, identifies its customers and competition.

2) personal profile that outlines the background and experience of each of the principals in a resume.

3) proposal that states the type of loan requested and its purpose.

4) business plan that outlines your corporate strategy for the next three to five years; it will aid you and the lender in determining whether the business will generate the cash flow needed to repay the loan.

5) repayment plan that tells how you propose to repay the small business start up loan or outlines a repayment schedule. The lender will be expecting you to repay the borrowed funds from the profits produced by the business. As a contingency, you might need to develop a plan on how you would repay the small business start up loan if the profits alone turned out to be inadequate.

6) supporting documentation will include copies of pertinent papers that support the information contained in your loan proposal-for example, a lease, certificate of incorporation, partnership agreement, letters of reference, contracts, invoices or vendor quotes.

7) collateral that you will use to secure the payment of the small business start up loan. Collateral can include business and personal assets such as inventory, equipment, and accounts receivable or real estate, stocks, bonds, and automobiles.

8) financial statements, both personal and for the business. The business financial statement should be provided for the last three to five years of operation including a year-to-date interim report. It should contain a balance sheet showing business assets and liabilities, and a profit-and-loss statement showing revenues and expenses.

The lender uses this information to calculate a debt-to-worth ratio for the business. Be prepared to provide copies of tax returns for the business for this same period.

The personal financial statement should list your assets and your liabilities. Identify the names in which title to each asset is held and its fair market value. You should be prepared to provide copies of your personal tax returns. You may be asked for a list of credit references. Lenders will check your personal as well as your business credit rating.

Lenders will carefully examine your financial statements and business projections. As a borrower, you must be fully prepared to answer questions about them.

9) personal guarantees of the owners or other principals usually are required, even from an established business.

The lender also may request another party's guarantee such as a cosigner or a surety, or may request a government guarantee from the U.S. Small Business Administration or other government agency.

In addition to the personal guarantee that you give, under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act the lender is allowed to require another person's guarantee should your application fail to meet the lender's standards of creditworthiness.

If all or most of the assets listed on your personal financial statement are owned jointly with your spouse, or with someone else, the lender is likely to require such a guarantee. But the lender may not require that your spouse be the guarantor.

In the case of secured credit, the lender is allowed to obtain a spouse's or other co-owner's signature on certain documents when the applicant offers, as security for the loan, property that the two own jointly.

In this case, the spouse or other co-owner may be asked to sign documents---such as a mortgage or other security agreement that would be necessary under applicable state law to make the property available to satisfy the debt.

Before you approach a lender for a start up loan, you might want to seek the advice of another, more experienced "set of eyes" to review your business plan, particularly if you are a first-time borrower.

By doing so, you'd be getting the loan package in shape to make it easier for the lender to reach a favourable credit decision.

There are some business support groups whose members could counsel you on how your package looks. A qualified counsellor might even discover that you really don't need more money, and instead suggest better inventory control, improved marketing techniques, or other changes that could actually solve your growth problems.

What if I'm not approved for a small business start up loan?

Most lenders, banks especially, are conservative in granting small business start up loans. Given the obligation to their stockholders and depositors, they need to be sure there's a good chance that the loan will be repaid.

If your application for credit is not approved, find out the reasons why. Some of the reasons that lenders often give for denying a small business loan include, for example, insufficient owner's equity in the business; lack of an established earnings record; a history of slow or past-due trade or loan payments; or insufficient collateral.

Finding out the reasons may help you qualify the next time you apply for a business start up loan. The lender will keep you informed about the status of your application.

If you are considered a "small business" (when your business revenues are $1 million or less, or when you are applying to start up a business), a lender has 30 days to let you know, either orally or in writing, whether or not you get the small business start up loan.

The 30-day period begins after the lender has received all of the information needed to evaluate your credit request. If your application is denied, the lender must give you either:

-a written statement of the reasons for denial, or

-a written notice telling you of your right to obtain the reasons in writing. This notice may be given to you during the application process or at the time of the denial.

The lender also will keep for one year the records relating to your application.

Different rules apply for larger businesses (those with more than $1 million in revenues). Within a reasonable period of time after getting all the necessary information on which to base a decision, the lender must decide and let you know whether or not you get the credit.

Then you'll have 60 days in which to ask for a written statement of the reasons why you were denied credit; this is important to remember because the lender need not notify you of this right. The creditor will keep records of your application for a small business start up loan for at least 60 days after telling you of the credit decision.

Source: http://www.business-plans-guide.com/small-business-start-up-loan.html

Professional development:

Summary

Planning is the process of choosing among competing opportunities for communication so that you can set overall goals for a web. You'll need to define your web's intended audience, formulate a statement of your web's purpose, and objective, and gather and maintain domain information to support your web.

As a web planner, you need to anticipate the skills and resources needed for developing, constructing, deploying, and operating the web. For example, if a web's design includes a specification for forms (a feature supported by HTML), you should note that web implementors should have skills in HTML forms as well as CGI (Common Gateway Interface) programming.

Key Planning Practices

· Spend time to think about a web before implementing one.

· Plan for and obtain the resources and skills needed for developing your web.

· Formulate policies about information development, deployment, and presentation to guide developers and users.

Key Planning Resources

· The Internet Service Providers List: a list of providers for access or Web space leasing.

· Web Software: a description of products related to deploying a web, including clients, servers, tools, and others.

· Top 10 Ways to Make Your WWW Service a Flop: good discussions of common errors in web planning and development.

Discussion

Good webs don't always happen by accident. If you are a web developer, spend some time thinking about why you will build it and who will come.
Planning is a crucial aspect of web development because it is when many decisions are made that affect the design, implementation, and later promotion of a web. This chapter surveys issues of web planning, starting from principles based on the Web's media characteristics and user experience. You can plan a web at many phases of web development, including strategic, policy, and systems planning. Specific techniques and instructions for individual web planning are described in this chapter, including strategies to define the web's purpose and objectives, domain and audience information, and web specification and presentation.

Principles of Web Planning

You can apply the Web's media characteristics and qualities to define a focus for web planning. The Web's dynamic characteristic tends to make planning an ongoing, continuous process in which issues of multiple authorship and rapidly changing information relationships come into play.

The Limits of Web Planning: What a Developer Can't Control

When developing a web and making it available to the public to freely browse, you have no control over a range of factors. The first step of the planning process is to recognize these factors and consider how they might limit planning for a particular web. The factors over which a developer has no control include user behavior, browser display, links to the web, and the resources outside the web.

User Behavior

Because the Web is a dynamic, competitive system based on user choices and selectivity, a web developer can't control how users are going to access and use a web's information. The Web's porous quality, in particular, means that users do not need to enter a web from a designated home page; instead, they can enter from any arbitrary page. Although a developer's intent might be to guide users down a series of pages (the wine bottle model), actual use might differ. Access to a web follows more the pincushion model, where users might enter at any given point, and thus a web has no true "top." Users might enter a web at any arbitrary link.
On a larger scale, the entire Web itself, composed of millions of individual webs, resembles a cloud of hypertext (the cloud model shown). Users in the cloud model don't even necessarily experience a single web, but instead move from page to page in Web space, through navigation techniques such as subject, keyword, or space-oriented searching. In particular, when a user enters a web as a result of a spider keyword search, the web pages that match the search pattern might lead a user deep inside what the web developer might consider the introductory or welcome pages of a web.
The Web's porous quality is a consideration during planning as well as in the other processes of development: analysis, design, implementation, and promotion (as described in detail in later chapters). During the planning stage, it is possible to intend to build a web with a different entry pattern than the pincushion model. In fact, it often is possible to shape general user behavior toward a wine bottle model by using navigational cues, web publicity, and other design strategies. During the planning stage, however, the best web developers can do is to identify the general model of user behavior for which they are aiming. Although user behavior can't be controlled, a statement of the planned general user access model can serve as a guide for later processes of web development-particularly design.
Possible planning models for user behavior follow:
Guided. This model guides the user through a sequence of pages, much like the wine bottle model. The designation of a home page tends to support this model, which often starts the user from the "top" of the web. This is a common model for planning the default page of a Web server (the page that comes up when the user requests the URL consisting of the server name only). A guided model for user behavior requires a design of the links of individual pages to support a guided (but not necessarily linear) path. This model also is common for webs that tell a sequential story or explain a series of concepts.
Cued. This model provides the user with many cues for choices of links to follow, with the expectation that the user should be prepared to choose from them with minimal guidance. This model is more common for webs containing complex information that a user might access often, such as reference or database information, or for webs that support users with advanced or prior knowledge of the web's domain information.
Floating. In this model, the user might be presented with only selected cues on each page that relate only to that page's information, as opposed to the navigational cues present in the cued model or the narrative cues of the guided model. A floating model might be most appropriate for entertainment or play webs, where the user is encouraged to explore links in a web from a context not necessarily related to gaining a comprehensive understanding of a topic or looking up information.
Although a developer can't control a user's entry point into a web, an explicit statement of a general user model (guided, cued, or floating) might help designers create a design to support a user's likely path through a web.
It's important to note that being unable to control a user's entry point or path through a web is not necessarily an undesirable feature. In fact, many would say that this porousness is precisely the power of hypertext itself; it allows users to follow links based on their interests or thought processes.

The User's Browser and Display

The client/server organization of the Web allows for a wide variety of browsers to be available to users. A web planner can't know what kind of browsers users will have. Moreover, new browsers are in development, and future browsers are certain to provide more and different features than the ones presently available. Therefore, different users, based on their browser's operation, will experience a web differently but share common navigational needs.

Some users might perceive a web using a text-only browser, whereas others might use the most current graphical browser that supports extensions to HTML. Therefore, in planning a web, developers need to consider what information will be essential so that it's not lost to users who have text-only browsers or browsers that don't support HTML extensions. If developers place important or essential information in a graphics file, for example, some users might never see it, because not all Web browsers support graphics. The choices for planners in addressing user browser display include a series of choices that might limit information available to some users. Planners choose where essential information can be placed:
Text. Places all essential information in text (or in the ALT fields of images in a document) so that a user with any browser can access it.
Graphics. Allows for graphics to play a major role in transmitting important information. In particular, imagemaps might be used extensively for information selection. This choice would make this information unavailable to users with nongraphical browsers.
Forms. Places some important communications functions within forms.
Hypermedia. Places some information in multimedia information, perhaps including movies, sounds, and images.
Virtual Reality (VR). Places some information in VRML constructs.
By explicitly making choices about which level of browser display to support, the web planner sets many decisions for the web specification that guides web designers and implementers. Setting these limits is crucial, particularly when the web's intended audience is known to have only a certain level of capability for accessing the web, or the purpose of the web is to reach a large audience (perhaps to the non-Internet regions of the Matrix through e-mail access).
Because of the diversity of Web browsers, web planners also have to take into consideration how little control over information display they will have. This is a change from traditional desktop publishing, in which every aspect of font style and size, alignment, and other layout features are controlled carefully. HTML, working on a different philosophy for presenting information, is intended as a semantic markup language rather than a page layout language.
Web planners must recognize that the tags in an HTML document define the structures of a document-not necessarily how these structures are displayed. Many browsers render the unordered list differently, however; some use graphical dots, and text browsers may use an * or an o. Indentation and alignment of lists may vary from browser to browser. Even the font size and style of a displayed document often are under a user's control. This issue of rendering relates to the levels of HTML (and extensions to HTML, some of which are browser-specific) a web developer chooses to employ. Part III, "Web Implementation and Tools," covers these levels in detail.
The bottom line is that web planners should avoid trying to micromanage or specify page layout. Although such page layout might be optimized for a particular brand of browser during implementation, users with other browsers might be disappointed with their brand of browser's rendering of the same page.

Links Into and Out of a Web

In a web, many links might be made to resources on the network that are beyond a web developer's control. These resources may move, making the link no longer valid (the link then is said to be stale). Users following a stale link from a document will encounter an error message and not get the information the developer originally had intended for them to access, thus degrading the experience of the users of the web. At the planning stage, a web developer can make some policy statements that address this "links out" issue:
No links out. This is the most stringent option. It states that no links will be made from the web to resources that are not under the direct control of the web developers. The benefit of this policy is that the developers have absolute control over the resources that are the destination points of the links in a web. The problem with this strategy is that the benefit and value of external resources are lost to the users. This policy might work best for webs that contain only information pertaining to a single organization.
Buffer layer. In this option, web planners designate a core group of web pages that are separated from outside links by a layer of local web pages of a minimum depth. The web planners might designate that there will be no outside links closer than three links away from the home page of the web, for example. In this case, the home page constitutes the core set of pages, and there are at least three links between a page within this core set and a link outside the web. Note that a user still can enter the web in the pincushion or cloud model of access to a page that has external links on it. If this web uses a guided model for user access, however, these outside links are placed beyond the user's immediate attention while in the core set of pages. This buffer layer might be the best strategy for web developers who don't want to lose their users too soon to the outside Web.
Centralized out. In this option, the web planners may choose to designate a single page or set of pages to contain all the links outside the web. A common practice for webs is to include a page containing interesting external links of this type, listing Web links to external resources on a single page. The benefit of this strategy is that users can have a good idea when they will be leaving the local web. This helps users who arrived at the web for a specific purpose to avoid getting "thrown out" of the web before finding the information they want.
Free exit. In this option, no restrictions are placed on making links outside the web. This approach allows the particular page developer to determine when outside links should be made. This is the most flexible option, but it might send users out of a web quickly.
When links are made outside a web, other issues come into play: link connections and content reliability. A stale link is one that will not technically resolve to a resource because of a permanent change in that resource's availability. A broken link is a temporary problem with a link, such as when a remote computer host is down for maintenance. Web users realize that stale and broken links are unavoidable aspects of Web navigation. For projects that require flawless access, planners may choose a policy of no external links in a web to avoid these problems.
Not only can a link to an external resource become stale or broken, but the content to which it refers can change in unexpected ways. This can be particularly troubling when a developer links to resources created by people for very informal reasons (for example, a school project or a hobbyist's project). A web developer might have linked to a photograph of a train at a remote site, for example, and perhaps this photograph is key to the web's information content. The hobbyist who made that photograph available is under no obligation to forever offer a picture of a train through that link, unless by an agreement with the web developer. The hobbyist might change the image at that link every month. Next month, the users might retrieve an image of a tree. Thus, link planning and maintenance is an important part of web development, and the planning process involves taking into account which resources always must be stable or readily accessible.
Just as developers can't control which resources exist through the links out of a web, they cannot control the links that are made to their webs. When a web is made publicly available, any link in a web (any URL that refers to an HTML page) can be used in any other work on the Web. (Developers might make statements explicitly forbidding these links, but this kind of restriction rarely is implemented on the Web and might even be considered a breach of Web community tradition.)
Someone linking to a web could misrepresent its purpose or content, perhaps unintentionally. Although a web might be a description of "The XYZ Company's Modem Products," someone at a remote site might identify this web as "instructions for hooking up to a computer bulletin board." Developers can track down references to a web by using a Web spider and often will be able to correspond with anyone who might have misinterpreted the meaning or purpose of their web. Although a benign case of a misunderstanding easily may be fixed, it's not clear whether developers will be able to suppress or stop malicious references or links to their webs. The legal issues involved are not resolved.
A developer might run across someone who describes his or her modem products web as "the lamest modems made" or even maliciously spreads the web's URL among large groups of people, with instructions to "click on this link until the server crashes." The latter case is a bit more clear cut because there are explicit rules of conduct that most users, at least at most sites, must follow, and these usually include rules against intentionally damaging any equipment.
Moreover, the commonly held set of traditions on the Net itself definitely prohibits maliciously crashing a server. Another view, however, is that the user who makes the comment "the lamest modems made," about a web might simply be exercising his or her freedom of speech, and a developer might be able to do nothing about it. In actual practice, a developer will find that links into a web are made in good faith and that any misinterpretations or misunderstandings of a web's purpose can be resolved.

The Opportunities of Web Planning: What a Developer Can Control

Despite the long list of issues outlined in the preceding section over which a web developer has little or no control, there are many issues a web developer can control. In particular, the Web's media qualities give the web planner many opportunities for planning at the strategic (long term), systems (multiple webs), and single-web level. The following list surveys planning issues related to the qualities of the Web. Specific planning techniques to address these issues follow this list.
Multiple user roles. (user as consumer or as consumer/producer) These possibilities open up the potential for interaction among web information providers and users, as well as a participatory form of information dissemination instead of just a one-way broadcast of information. Involving users actively in information creation and dissemination is not done often, and planning for it involves a careful definition of the policy for and purpose of user-provided information.
Porous quality. This quality of the Web works in favor of a web developer who plans information structures that are modular and self-contained, and that contain a sufficient number of navigation and context cues for the user. These kinds of information structures, whether they are individual pages or groups of related pages (a package), can have multiple uses for different places in the same web or for different webs of the same organization. These multiple-use information components reduce production and maintenance costs, because information creation and updates can take place in a single location within a web, and the updates can benefit all the links where this information is referenced. This efficiency is analogous to computer-software modules that can be referenced in different parts of a computer program or even in other computer programs.
Dynamic quality. This quality of the Web works in favor of a web developer who uses key parts of a web to meet the users' time-dependent needs. A news organization creating a web for mass communications can have a page that contains the current headlines, which are updated throughout the day, for example. A user accessing this page can expect to see different contents from day to day and even throughout a single day, or over several hours or minutes. This dynamism works in favor of meeting the needs of the users for current information. In contrast, poor planning for information updates results in out-of-date information on a web, and the dynamic possibilities are lost. The level of dynamism on a web depends on what kind of information a web offers. Stable information might require no updating. Other information might be valid for periods of time-perhaps years or months-and might require only periodic updating. The key is for web planners to identify the updating needs of a web's information (this is covered in more detail later in the section "Domain Information").
Interactive quality. This quality of the Web can engage users and provides a way for web developers to customize information to meet users' needs. Planning for interactivity involves a careful process of audience identification and analysis in which these needs and the mechanisms by which they can be met are defined.
Competitive quality. This quality of the Web requires that planners take a long-term view of any investment in web-delivered information. Planning is essential for information maintenance as much as the technical maintenance of a web. Planning for web promotion must be done so that a web gains the attention of users. Planning must include provisions for surveillance of competitor webs, new presentation technologies, techniques, or styles.

Web-Planning Techniques

Web planning is a dynamic, continuous process that involves a constant balancing of opportunities and resources. Web planning often takes place within a context that is more general than just the concerns about the technical composition of a set of HTML pages. Often, particularly for larger organizations, communication on the Web is part of a strategic effort to reach users, involving many media outlines beside the Web. The following sections outline techniques for planning at different levels, starting from a strategic level (in which the focus is on an organization's needs for communication), a systems level (in which the focus is on the web-delivered portion of an organization's on-line communication techniques), and the web level (in which the focus is on an individual web's audience and purpose).

People Planning

Without a doubt, people are the key to the success of a web site. Because developing a web involves such a diverse range of skills, a talented team of people working together is crucial to success. Although just a few years ago it was not uncommon for a single generalist (a Web master) to be the sole developer of a web, today the trend is for a team approach, in which people with a variety of specializations work together to produce a web. Whereas the attention in web development years ago was on the people with technical talent (the Web server administrators and implementers of HTML), the attention now has shifted to content developers and producers. This isn't too surprising; nearly anyone can learn how to write HTML, but it takes great ability to develop web information well. Eventually, the focus may shift more toward creative information producers-just as in movies and television, talented performers often are at the apex of recognition and reward.
When planning a web, look for people who can perform the roles outlined in the processes:
Planners. Make many choices about a web's elements and strategic growth. The planner is often the administrator or initiator of the web project itself and in many cases may be considered the leader of a web team. Planners should have strong management and people skills as well as a good understand of the Web's technical makeup and possibilities.
Analysts. Perform the critical task of constantly monitoring your web's content and its use by its audience. An analyst needs to play devil's advocate to determine what parts of a web are working to meet the audience's needs and which are not. To do this, an analyst needs to be both confident and diplomatic, with the ability to communicate bad news to other members of the web team. A close match for analysts to be on your team may be people in quality assurance, copy editors of magazines or newspapers, teachers, or researchers in human-computer interaction or computer-mediated communication.
Designers. Create a pleasing look and feel for the Web, going beyond just the appearance of a web in terms of graphical appearance, but including hypertext and hypermedia organization and design. A web designer should have all the technical skill of an implementer, a strong sense of the web's objectives and audience, and a through feel for the World Wide Web and the Internet as a new medium.
Implementers. Create HTML, CGI scripts, or Java applets based on the design and specification of a web. CGI scripts and Java require computer programming and good skills not only in coding but in software engineering techniques. Implementers need to create software that is dependable and maintainable. Look for people who are computer programmers to fill these roles. Many universities teach these skills (unfortunately, many schools teach only web implementation skills), so the pool of potential implementers is great.
Promoters. Work on the public relations, advertising, and marketing issues of a web. To staff your web team, look for people involved in these fields in other media, with the cautionary note that the potential candidates must have a good understanding of the social and some of the technical aspects of Web communication. You don't get this understanding from participating in a proprietary service like America Online. The Web has a unique set of social characteristics that play an important part in promotion.
Innovators. Like web analysts, the web team should never become stagnant or self-satisfied with its work. Instead, it should continue to integrate new techniques and technologies that meet the needs of the web's audience. An innovator also should be concerned about the quality of the web's interface and content and seek to continuously improve it. Good candidates for web innovators include quality-assurance people and technologists who work with cutting-edge innovations.

Administrative Planning

An important part of developing a web involves considering how you want to create your presence on-line. For professional or serious web developers, a dependable, professional presence and a skilled web-development team are crucial for success. In addition to the people, policy, and process planning this chapter outlines, administrative planning should be made for the following:

A stable Web technical presence. This presence should include a domain name (to permit switching of Internet service providers when necessary as well as for identity reasons) and adequate Web server performance.
Improving Web content. When developing a web, you're not just making a home page. Your goal should be to develop sustainable, reliable processes that continuously improve the content of your site. The Web, like life, is always under construction. Your goal is to take steps to the excellence of the content of your construction. Your audience then will begin to rely on you to always do better in the flux of Web communication.

A Capability Maturity Model for the Web

An organization adopting a technology often passes through several stages of interest and involvement. Awareness of a promising technology might cross over to curiosity and testing. This testing then might develop into growing expertise. A wealth of expertise in a technology then might lead to its widespread use in an organization. A model for proceeding through these steps can help an organization understand the key issues and tasks to move from one level to the next.
The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has developed an organizational life-cycle model for the acquisition of software engineering technology for an organization. Called the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for software, its purpose is to define the characteristics of a mature, capable process for creating software. The framework describes five levels that an organization may traverse in software-engineering practices. These stages proceed from immature, unrepeatable processes to mature, repeatable ones. The five stages follow:

1. The Initial level. An organization's ineffective planning hobbles good software-engineering practices. Projects typically are planned poorly and their success is unpredictable. Very few stable software processes exist in the organization, and these are attributable to individual rather than organizational capability.

2. The Repeatable level. An organization establishes policies for software project management and procedures to implement those policies. The key to achieving this level is for the management processes to make successful practices repeatable. A process that is effective is "practiced, documented, enforced, trained, measured, and able to improve" (ftp://ftp.sei.cmu.edu/pub/cmm/ASCII/tr25-overview.ascii).

3. The Defined level. An organization documents a standard process for developing and maintaining software across the organization. This standard includes an integration of both the management and technical-engineering processes involved. An organization-wide group coordinates software-engineering process activities, and there is organization-wide training so that individuals can fulfill their assigned roles. For each project, the organization's standard software process is tailored to a "coherent, integrated set of well-defined software engineering and management processes" to best meet the needs for that project. Software quality can be tracked because processes are stable and repeatable.

4. The Managed level. An organization sets quality goals for products and processes, and productivity and quality are measured. The risks for moving into new application domains are predictable. The resulting software products produced are of high quality.

5. The Optimizing level. The entire organization focuses on continuous process improvement. Innovations are identified and transferred to the whole organization. Defects can be analyzed and processes adjusted to reduce them. Organizations at the optimizing level continuously improve through incremental improvements in existing processes and innovation in technologies and methods.

Mapped to the activities of web development, the CMM described in this list provides a good framework for approaching the Web. Web development shares some characteristics of software engineering (it is created and deployed on computers, for example). Web development, however, involves more skills in information shaping and communication. The preceding CMM is, overall, a good framework for approaching the Web. Web planners can use this CMM for software as a basis for a CMM for web development. This model then can help as a framework for strategic planning in using Web communication:

1. The Initial level. An organization uses Web communication haphazardly, with no defined processes or standards. Individuals with knowledge of HTML are assigned to develop webs without much thought for communication strategies or process issues. Success is unpredictable or is not evaluated or measured at all. Any beneficial results are attributable to individual effort and talent rather than organizational capability. This is the amateur stage of web development, when knowing HTML is the sole criterion for developing a web.

2. The Repeatable level. An organization establishes and defines policies and processes for web development. These processes focus on information shaping so that success can be repeated. This involves evaluation of results, documentation of processes, and some training of developers.

3. The Defined level. An organization documents a standard process for developing and maintaining webs across the organization. This standard includes an integration of both the management and technical processes involved. An organization-wide group coordinates the development process and activities. There is organization-wide training so that individuals can fulfill their roles. For each project, the organization's standard development process is tailored to include a set of web development and management processes to best meet the needs for that project. Web quality can be tracked because processes are stable and repeatable.

5. The Optimizing level. The entire organization focuses on continuous process improvement. Innovations are identified and transferred to the whole organization. Defects can be analyzed and processes adjusted to reduce them. Organizations at the optimizing level continuously improve through incremental work on existing processes and innovation in technologies and methods.

A web planner can use this framework to set strategic goals. An organization already might be developing webs at the initial level, where creative individuals drive success. Without strategic plans for moving to the higher levels, however, this organization generally will not be able to predictably repeat successes or continuously improve quality. Although software engineering differs very much from web development, there is a correspondence in the complexity of product, culture of skills, and technical practices and development environments between both disciplines. The CMM for software therefore can guide web developers in attempting to move to higher levels of maturity.

Web Policy Planning

As part of defining policies for web development, planners should begin to address policy and administrative issues that are bound to arise during the course of developing, deploying, and using information on a web or set of organizational webs:

· Developing information. Policies must be set out to identify the processes, products, and responsibilities for web development. This is an essential framework for ensuring that everything gets done, there is no duplication, and the important definition and standardization take place. Issues outlined previously for user access, information display, and link policy should be identified. A decision about technological change rates for the web should be made-how much and how fast new technology should be introduced to the web.

· Providing information. Policies must be developed to state the mission or purpose of the web (or larger system of webs) in an organization. This mission statement then can define content and serve as a guideline to determine appropriate content and appropriate allocation of resources. Policies for information providers should be created.

· When developing a collection of Web-based information on a particular topic area, information provider maintainers should

o Keep aware of current developments in Internet resources on that topic.

o Become knowledgeable in the domain area represented by the field of study of the collection. The maintainer also should rely on domain experts to help advise on the significance and value of information sources.

o Be available and accessible for comments from users and domain experts and for timely maintenance of the collection based on these comments.

o Provide leadership and vision toward making the collection serve the interests of the users by seeking out user opinions and frequently testing the usability of the information.

o Ask for and acknowledge the assistance and collaboration of others in shaping the information in the collection.

o Actively seek and install new resources, links, or information-presentation methods in the collection. Provide periodic publicity and announcements about the collection to appropriate on-line discussion forums and indexes. Seek a replacement when they no longer are able to develop the information in the collection or when they are absent for an extended period.

· Using information Policies must state how the training needs for web developers as well as local and client users will be addressed. Information policies must state who should be accessing the web(s) of an organization, and how and why they should be doing it, including statements about appropriate use for intended and unintended audiences. Intellectual property, information-dissemination, and copyright policies must be set so that users and developers know the boundaries of information use.

System Planning

Strategic and policy planning can guide web planners in creating a framework for increasing quality on a web. The next step is to plan organization-wide strategies for on-line (and off-line) communication. This work involves media definition, integration, and differentiation at the level of several webs or communication channels (the systems level).
Communication on the Web involves mediated communication, and the Web has particular characteristics and qualities as a medium. Therefore, the first step in web systems planning is to explore how the Web can play a role in an organization's communications needs. This process of definition can start with an inventory of the arsenal of communications methods that an organization already may be using. An organization already might advertise its products in print, television, radio, and structures (such as billboards), for example. The organization also might sponsor events or make donations to worthy causes for the good will and publicity that may result (for example, sponsorship of public television broadcasting). The Web does not need to replicate or replace all of these existing communications methods; instead, it should enhance, supplement, or replace only some of them. Sponsoring worthy events or resource lists on the Web is possible, for example, as well as many forms of advertising in Web-based magazines.
Another example of communication replacement is in-house communication. Local webs might be constructed to supplement or replace existing forms of intra-organizational communication. Organizational webs might facilitate extra-organizational communication. The Web offers international or global organizations an effective way to communicate worldwide.
After a role is defined for what communication tasks an organizational web or set of webs might fill, the next step in web systems design is integrating the web or webs into the existing organizational communication infrastructure. An organization already might have an Internet domain name with an e-mail address, or it might have on-line communication systems in place, such as Gopher or an FTP site. An organization web can be integrated with these existing Internet information systems. Users accessing the FTP or Gopher sites might be referred to the organizational webs as sources of further information. The organizational webs may draw on the Gopher or FTP sites for content. If no existing on-line communications system exists, a set of webs must integrate with lines of communication in place. A paper-based catalog can be translated to a web, for example. Customer service representatives might attend to Internet e-mail questions as well as phone-in questions. The key is that a plan for web systems integration links the elements in web development to existing organizational communication flows.
After definition and integration, the next step is differentiation. A system of webs might, at first, simply replicate or supplement other activities. These webs must provide value over these other forms, however, or an organization should discontinue the web activity. This is a process of differentiation, in which communication tasks are best left to the media that most satisfactorily serve those tasks. Instead of promoting a system of webs as the solution to all of an organization's needs, only those communication tasks that seem best suited to the web should be planned or continued.

Web Element Planning

After strategic and systems planning, a developer comes down to the very specific task of planning a web. The planning techniques described here address particular aspects of each of the web-development elements: audience information, purpose statement, objective statement, domain information, web specification, and web presentation.

Audience Information

Creating effective communications, particularly mediated communications, requires that developers plan what they want to communicate to whom. Information about the target audience for information is crucial for creating successful communication. In fact, many would consider information about an audience to be a valuable resource. Knowing the audience is key because audience information, like the purpose statement, helps shape the whole information content of a web as well as its look and feel. If developers do not have a specific audience in mind for the web, a specific audience will use the web, and that audience's experience of it might be positive or negative as a direct result of the choices the developers make about the web's presentation. A web influenced by accurate information about its intended and actual audience should have a higher probability of successfully communicating its intended message and information.

Excellent planning for audience information involves two steps: defining the audience and then defining the information that it is important to know about that audience:

· Define the target audience. A developer should write a statement describing the target audience for the web. A developer might want to reach "scholars who are interested in botany," for example. Although this statement is simple, it serves as a valuable guide for developing many of the other elements in web development. A plan to reach the audience defined as "everyone interested in science" is a very broad one. Although a web might be created successfully that reaches such an audience, it might be an unrealistic audience planned for a new web or for developers without the expertise or resources to support it. One technique for helping to define an audience is to generate a cluster diagram.

A web developer might be interested in reaching just professors at universities who are professional botanists, for example, or any professional botanist or teacher of botany at any level. After making the cluster diagram, the planner can shade in the sets of people in the intended audience. Ovals in the cluster diagram represent the audiences and their relationships (such as overlapping or inclusion). The cluster diagram also shows related audiences as a way of explicitly identifying audiences that the developer might not want to reach.

The developer might not plan to reach grade school and high school students, but might include them in the diagram in order to show their relationship to members of the target audience. Many scholars might teach younger students, for example. As such, some of the target audience (botany scholars) might have an interest in gathering and developing material for younger audiences or in issues involved in teaching. This clustering process can continue until the planner zeroes in on what the specific audience wants. The diagram might prompt considerations about exactly what audiences should be reached. Perhaps only professional botanists who also are botany professors are the target audience, for example. Note that a web may target multiple and overlapping audiences rather than just a single group.

· Define critical information about the audience. The definition of critical information depends largely on the purpose statement for the web. If the web intends to reach scientists interested in botany, what characteristics of these scientists are important? Educational level? Area of specialization? Personal characteristics such as age, height, and weight? For some purposes and some audiences, different information is important. Weight and height information might be important only if the web attempts to sell the scientists clothing or equipment for their research that depends on their body characteristics, for example. Otherwise, such information might be totally irrelevant.

The key is to identify the relevant information about the audience in the planning stage based on an initial statement of purpose. In later stages, this list of key characteristics can be refined and then can serve as a basis for gathering audience information and analysis.

Because the planning process itself is incremental and continuous, the developer might not yet know exactly what information about the audience is important. The cluster diagram can generate possible characteristics of that audience as a starting point for later refinement. Based on the audience defined in the cluster diagram, a developer can generate lists of that audience's characteristics, concerns, and activities.

Botany scholars-characteristics:

o highly educated, interested in biological, environmental processes

o skilled in critical thinking

o Botany scholars-concerns:

o funding for projects

o publishing findings

o getting the right equipment

o teaching

o valid research methodologies

o reading related publications

o Botany scholars-activities:

o attending conventions

o conducting research

o communicating with the public

o teaching

o gathering samples

o serving in industry roles

Some items listed might fall into several categories; notice that "teaching" showed up both as a concern and an activity in this list. The next section shows how planning for the purpose statement helps trim down this list of possible audience information to the most relevant items, which then can serve as the database of audience information a developer will be concerned about collecting and maintaining.

Purpose Statement

The statement of purpose serves as the driving theme throughout web development. The purpose helps a developer choose what information about the audience to gather and maintain, and it influences the form of the web's presentation. Not having a succinct purpose statement for why a web is operating makes it very hard for web designers to choose among techniques to present information. Without a statement of purpose, web analysts have no basis for evaluating whether the web is operating effectively. Moreover, a web without a clear purpose often conveys a cloudy message to the user; the user will wonder, "What is this for?" and have no clue as to an answer.

To define a web's purpose, a developer needs to make a statement about what the web should do with regard to the following elements:

· The subject area. What area of knowledge serves as the context for what the web conveys? This area of knowledge does not have to be a traditional Library of Congress subject classification (such as Botany or Biology). It might be "information about the odd-bearing division of XYZ Industries."

· The audience. The purpose statement contains the audience identification within it. This audience identification is a part of the purpose statement because so much of the "What is this supposed to do?" question about a web revolves around the specific audience mentioned in the purpose statement of the web.

· The level of detail at which information is presented. The purpose might be, "To provide a comprehensive overview of botany for botany scholars," or it might be more specific, such as "To present basic reference material about botany for botany scholars." This level of detail influences how much domain information needs to be gathered and maintained.

· The user's expected benefit or response. What will users of the web gain from it? The purpose statement might include the phrase "in order to keep current in the field of botany," "in order to keep up with current developments," or some combination of these kinds of statements.

Planning the purpose statement forces the web planner to make many decisions about the message the web will convey. A well-formed purpose statement serves as a touchstone for all the other web-development processes and elements. Indeed, the purpose statement itself might play a very important role as one of the first pieces of information about the web presented to users.
Here are some sample purpose statements that contain many of the points outlined in the preceding list. Notice that the more complete the statement of purpose, the easier it is for a user to answer the question, "What is this for?" when encountering the web.
"This information server (ftp.arpa.mil) provides selected information about the activities and programs of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). It initially contains information provided by the Computing Systems Technology Office (CSTO) and associated information about the High Performance Computing and Communications Program. Additional capabilities will be added incrementally to provide additional information." -from the ARPA home page (http://ftp.arpa.mil/)
"The purpose of this center is to serve the needs of researchers, students, teachers, and practitioners interested in computer-mediated communication (CMC). This center helps people share resources, make contacts, collaborate, and learn about developments and events." -from the Computer-Mediated Communication Studies Center (http://www.december.com/cmc/study/center.html)
"The purpose of this server is to provide access to a wide range of information from and about Japan, with the goal of creating deeper understanding about Japanese society, politics, industry, and, most importantly, the Japanese people." -from the Center for Global Communications home page (http://www.glocom.ac.jp/index.html)

Objective Statement

After a web developer plans for the purpose of the web, who the audience is, and what the developers need to know about the audience, the next step is to combine all this information to arrive at a specific statement of web objectives. As such, an objective statement is much more specific and lengthy than a purpose statement. An objective statement makes clear the specific outcomes and information that will implement the stated purpose of the web. The objective statement therefore expands on the general descriptions given in the purpose statement. An important difference exists, however: Although the purpose statement might stay the same, the objective statement might change as new information about the domain or audience becomes available.
A phrase in the purpose statement such as "to provide access to a wide range of information from and about Japan" (Center for Global Communications home page, http://www.glocom.ac.jp/index.html) could be implemented with a variety of specific objectives. The objectives could include showing Japanese cultural information, geographical and climate information, and selections of on-line Japanese publications. Whereas the purpose statement says, "here is what we are going to do," the objective statement says, "here is the information that will do it."
Unlike the purpose statement, the objective statement does not necessarily need to be written on the web's home page. Instead, an objective statement is behind-the-scenes information that guides the development of other elements in web development. From the statement of purpose given for the Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) Studies Center, for example, the statement "help people share resources" can be used to generate a set of specific objectives:

· Purpose: Help people share resources

· Objective: Provide a list of resources with links to the following: major on-line collections of CMC-related material, bibliographies, academic and research centers related to CMC, and on-line journals

Over time, this objective statement might change by expanding to include links to other kinds of forums for subjects related to CMC. Also, changes in the objective statement might require that features are removed from the web. Planning the objective statements gives a developer a head start on another web-development element: domain information.

Domain Information

Domain information refers to information and knowledge about the subject area of the web, including both on-line and off-line sources of information. Domain information includes not only information that will be presented to users of the web, but also all information and knowledge the developers of the web need to know in order to do a good job. Therefore, the collection of domain information serves as an "information store" from which both the developers and users of the web will draw. The purpose of the web itself might be to provide an interface to this information store, or it might be that this information store is only incidental to the purpose of the web, playing a supporting role as background information for the developers. In either case, planning for domain information is essential. Steps for planning for domain information follow:

The planner should define what domain information is necessary for the developers to know and what information will be provided to users. Are there specialized databases to which developers or users must gain access? Is there an existing store of on-line material that will serve as a basis for user information? What kind of background in the discipline do developers of the web have to appreciate and understand in order to effectively make choices about information content and organization? What other material might be needed, either by the users of the web or by the developers?
Plan for the acquisition of domain information. After the information store is defined, how can it be obtained? Is a large collection of information files easily accessible? Or is there a paper-based information source that the web developers should read or a course they should take before trying to build the web? Developers working on creating a web about botany should have some appreciation for the topics and subdivisions of the field in order to make judgments about how information should be presented, for example.
Plan for updating and maintaining the information. It's not enough to define and acquire a database. If it is time-dependent information, when will it lose its usefulness? How will it be updated? Who will update the information? What will be the costs of this updating and maintenance? The degree of attention paid to domain information acquisition and maintenance varies a great deal according to the purpose of the web itself. A web that purports to be an interface to current satellite imagery of the Earth's clouds, for example, must necessarily have constantly updated domain information. In contrast, a web for information about British literature might require updates as new knowledge is formed, but not on an hourly or minute-by-minute basis.

Web Specification

The web specification is a refinement of the objective statement in more specific terms, adding a layer of constraints or other requirements. These requirements might restrict or further describe in detail what the web will offer and how it will be presented. The web specification, for example, takes the objective statement "to provide links to bibliographies in the field" and makes it specific with a list of the URLs that will be provided. The specification statement also can characterize limitations on the information and its presentation, such as "no more than 10 bibliographies will be listed on the resources page; if more are required, a separate bibliographies page will be made."

The specification acts as a guidebook for the designers and implementers who will create the actual files of the web itself. The specification should completely identify all resources (for example, links; web components such as forms or graphical imagemaps; or other resources, such as sound, image, movie, or text files) that should (or can) be used on the web. The web specification also should identify any restrictions based on choices or policies discussed previously, such as for an intended model for user traversal, link policy, and the presentation of essential information.
Similar to how the objective statement can change while accomplishing the same purpose, the specification statement might change while accomplishing the same objective. (The URL to a resource required by an objective statement might change, for example.)
The major issue when planning for the specification is for the web planner to make sure that the people developing the web have the tools, training, and time necessary to develop the web according to specifications. One part of the specification could state that a customer can order a product by using the forms feature of HTML, for example. In such a case, the planning process must identify the capability to build these forms as a skill web implementers must have.
The web specification also can exclude specific items based on information policy decisions. The specification might state that the forms feature of HTML is not to be used (because some Web browsers do not support forms), for example, or that no graphics are to be used. The specification therefore acts as a list of building blocks and tolerance limits that can satisfy the objective statement for the web.

Web Presentation

Although the audience definition, purpose and objective statements, and domain information are most closely associated with the planning process of developing a web, the development of a web's presentation also must be planned. The web's presentation is the whole look and feel of the web, along with its actual implementation. Web designers planning for the web's presentation rely heavily on the web-specification statement as a basis for making choices. Planning for web presentation involves verifying that resources that comprise the Web are and will be available to support the files on the server. Therefore, the person planning for the web's presentation must work closely with the web server administrator (sometimes called the Web master), whose duties include allocating space or setting any special file or directory permissions so that the web presentation can be implemented.

Web planners also anticipate needs for the web's presentation by doing the following:

· Generating a set of possibilities for web presentation based on current or possible specifications. These possibilities might include sample HTML pages or, if the specifications allow, graphical imagemaps or forms to help the user interact with the information.

· Planning the work schedule necessary to implement the web according to specifications, including how much time it will take to implement and test web pages, verify links, and implement changes based on new specifications.

· Creating and maintaining a pool of generic web components (for example, common web page layouts or forms to serve as templates for web implementation).

· Creating a mock-up of the web based on an initial specification. This mock-up could be created quickly from generic web components and offer a rapid prototype to be used in the other web-development processes.

Although the implementers working on the web's presentation are the ones to actually write HTML files, the implementers aren't the "authors" of the web itself. As demonstrated in this chapter and the rest of the chapters in this part, many processes are involved in developing a web. Whether one individual is involved or a whole team, all developers take part in creating an effective web.

Wrap-up

Web development planning depends on your understanding of the characteristics and qualities of the Web as a medium for communication and your ability to make choices among the many possibilities for expressing information on the Web.
There are limits to what you can and cannot control in web planning and development. You can't control user behavior, browser type, or links in and out of your web. You can plan for people; administrative issues; and a model for increasing your information's quality, policy, and web elements.

Source: http://www.december.com/web/develop/plan.html

How Social Media Networking Has Changed the Way We Communicate Forever

Just a few short decades ago, the Internet was just a budding idea that the general public didn't really understand. Today, that's certainly no longer the case. Everyone and everything seems to have a website, and web designers are in high demand across the country. The Internet is almost a necessity if you want to stay up to date on the world around you; it has truly changed the way we think, eat, and sleep.
The Internet changed the world simply because it was the first method of instant communication globally. Today, two of the websites that reign supreme are Google and Yahoo!, which are both search engine services that expanded to include other services (such as email, video sharing, and so forth) as well. It makes sense that these search engine services are the most popular websites" without them, users can't find the information they need online.
There are trillions upon trillions of documents, pictures, videos, and other files uploaded from around the world to help people connect to one another. Google and Yahoo! are gateways to the Internet so to speak, and without them, your user experience would be highly limited. A website designer today has to not only make a pretty site, but also one that attracts search engines.
As the Internet has evolved, users began to realize that this was an interactive experience. Web 2.0, as it has been coined, is the idea that users contribute to information on the Internet to create an ever-changing forum for both learning and entertainment. Some websites, such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Friendster give users a specific place to meet new people by uploading profiles. Other sites, like YouTube and Flickr, give users a way to share media with one another.
Still other sites, like Twitter, Digg, Del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon, give users a way to quickly recommend and promote things they've found user online. In the past, when you read a magazine or newspaper article, you could discuss it with your friends at best, but today, you can actually participate when you read an Internet article by leaving a comment, allowing you to join into the conversation with others who have read it, add to the article with further information, and even interact with the author of the piece. A good web designer makes a website very Web 2.0 accessible, so that users can promote it, driving even more traffic to certain pages.
The Internet has even changed how we can do business. Along with being a wealth of information about products in the form of user-posted reviews, you can buy things online, which is an even faster version of purchasing than using catalog and telephone order. As the Internet's technology improved, companies began to look to hire a website designer that could integrate a shopping cart system. There are few items you can't buy online today.
People buy everything from movies to cars on the Internet. You can even sell things online, using sites like eBay or Amazon. One thing is very clear" the Internet isn't done evolving. Businesses, organizations and individuals can all benefit from having websites, and the right web designer can ensure that your website is ready to take on all the World Wide Web has to offer.

Jermaine Lindsey is a Lead Programmer for a Houston web design firm. With over 10 years experience as a website designer he provides support to all of our clients. If you need a website design or just looking for tips visit our website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jermaine_Lindsey

Our mission is to provide above average Internet services at a below average cost to small businesses around Australia. We will work closely with all our clients, to ensure a positive result is achieved that will benefit them for years to come. We will go out of our way to ensure that every aspect of our services is running perfectly, and we can guarantee you will not be dissatisfied.

Source: http://www.focuswebdesign.com.au/about%20us/mission.php

committed to providing the greatest value possible while providing website packages which cover all of your needs.

Source: http://www.amdwebdesign.com/mission_statement.php

DNA TYPOGRAPHY

2014-02-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

WANTED

fingerprint collection

DOMAIN DOLLARS

2012-02-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

Earn Money With Your Parked Domain$!

SEDO
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BRIEF WEB-DESIGNS

2011-11-23T02:21:00.000-08:00

body

GREETINGS

Website Design Brief for Jesuslifeline.com DisneyWebdesigns Call me on 0+ Australia wide Document Control Author: WILL(CEO-DisneyWebdesigns) Date: 24/11/11 Version: 4.0 Company name Jesus Lifeline Incorporated. Domain name Jesuslifeline.com Web host Optional: *http://as29017.net/ Deliverables required Content Outline, Site Map, Graphic Design, Development Site/Prototype. Target audience Any age that seeks spiritual guidance or seeks support. Goals of the website Primary goals include: Communities where anyone can share inspirational thoughts, increasing Jesus awareness, generating faith and help support those in need. Secondary goals include: Building credibility, supporting existing members and community workshops. Search Engine Strategy Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools and Newsletters. Project budget The project has a budget of $100,000.00 Project completion date The website has a completion timeframe of 21 days from the date of this document. Visuals Colour Schemes / Blues, whites and grey 16-bit RGB palette Type / Google Webfonts Size : 1024x768 Grid: 940px, centred layout, 5 column grid. Animation: Flash Animation, Motion Control and Scripts, CGI Compositing and Motion Capture. Gallery : Picasa Slideshow, photobucket.com, Flickr, Photoshow and Youtube.com Comments: Check operating systems. Maintenance Strategy Email setup Update Monthly Yes – (admin@jesuslifeline.com). Any additional items not covered by this costing of website *Website Page Design Includes: 1 GB Disk Space 25GB Monthly Transfer Dedicated IP Address 24 x 7 Support Weekly Full Backups 25 POP E-mail Accounts with... Any-Name@YourSiteName.com Virus & Spam Protection - CatchGuard Site set up and registration Free minor updates and revisions Other updates are $60.00/hr. Host Services Starting at: $16.95/month E-commerce is extra. Hosting & Maintenance Fees Monthly Price: $9.95 12-Month Price: $8.95 24-Month Price: $7.95 Setup Fee (one time only): $29.95 Client Acceptance I, Donald Trumpet of ____________________, accept and approve the Design Brief. Signed: Date:

Website design brief from Webmaster

Website Project

2011-11-22T07:43:00.001-08:00

Project-Website

Create Your Own Website

Demonstrate your understanding of the web design process by designing, coding and publishing your own website.

Your site can be on anything you like, however don't get too ambitious (maybe do a sub-set of a bigger site), restrict it to around 5 pages (or 1 page with Spry tabbed panels). Stick to the layout used for the Learning Activity but change images/ typesetting, use your own copy, add your own images/ backgrounds. Feel free to use the Dreamweaver CSS templates and modify them to suit.

You will be assessed on the following:

2B.C

Your final website successfully published to our server using FTP (use Dreamweaver or other FTP software)

Working links both internal and external

Adhere to design fundamentals (color/ typesetting/ hierarchy/ layout)

Use original images/ Flash & text content

Use metadata for images

Utilize any 3rd-party applications such as Picasa / YouTube / Photobucket etc.

Use CSS to control the style of your site

WEBDESIGN CLIENT SURVEY

2011-11-11T19:16:00.000-08:00

CLIENT SURVEY SITEMAP

CLIENT SITEMAP

Follow a simple sitemap above to generate web pages and guide users efficiently with the navigation of websites.

Google Web Fonts

2011-11-07T05:25:00.000-08:00

Use a Google Web Font in Flood Control Site

SAFETY FIRST

2011-11-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/

Multimedia Studio Occupational Health and Safety

Role Play / Publish to Slideshare

Multimedia Studio OH&S

HEALTH FIRST SAFETY FOLLOWS

OFFICE GUIDELINES

RISKY MANAGEMENTS

IDENTIFY HAZARDS

TEAM SPIRIT

INTEGRATED OH&S

SYSEMATICALLY

HAZARD MIND MAP

CONSULTATION FORUM

IDENTIFY HAZARDS AND RISKS

IF IN DOUBT CHECK IT OUT

"BE ON THE BALL, AT ALL TIMES"

COLLABORATE WITH OTHERS

OH&S ACTS

IDENTIFY DANGER

STAY SAFE BE SMART

OH&S REPORTING

SPOT HAZARDS

INJURY RISK ASSESSMENTS

HAZARD EXPOSURES

ELIMINATE

SUBSTITUTE AND ISOLATE

ENGINEER AND ADMINISTRATE

ELIMINATE RISKS

COMFY POSITIONS

ANALYSE REFLECTIONS

SMART ANGLES

SIT STRAIGHT UP

BE CONSIDERATE

CHECK HEIGHTS OF FURNITURE

SPACE MATTERS

FLOWERS OR PLANTS ARE A GREAT SOURCE OF OXYGEN FOR ANY ENVIRONMENT

WHO LIKES CLUTTER? LESS IS BEST

i USE THE BEST ERGONOMIC CHAIR - IT IS THE Bambach Saddle Seat

EACH TO THEIR OWN

USE A TAPE MEASURE OR A BROOM

UPDATE THE OLD AND IN WITH THE SMART NEW

WHAT'S THE HURRY, THINK FIRST STAND SMART

OFFICE DESK AID

EVERYBODY DIFFERENT THINK LOGICALLY FOR YOURSELF

SET UP YOUR KEYBOARD ERGONOMICALLY

SEE WHAT SUITS

HANDS POSITIONS

GET ORGANIZED

LOCATION LOCATION

BE SMART AND DON'T BE LAZY

USE SAFETY AIDS AND EQUIPMENT

IF IN DOUBT THROW IT OUT

THINK SUSTAINABLY

MATERIAL DATA SAFETY SHEETS

I WOULD DUCT TAPE LEADS AND CORDS TO GO ALONG WALLS AND CEILINGS

SIGNAGE AND BARRIERS SHOULD BE ENFORCED

Feng shui MAKES A DIFFERENCE

GET AN EXPERT TO EXPLAIN THE USE OF THE CHAIR IF TOO LAZY TO READ OR UNDERSTAND

SAFE SEAT TIPS

IMPLEMENT BACKRESTS AND ARMREST ERGONOMICS


ARE YOU AFRAID OF HEIGHTS?		WELL, YOU ARE WELCÖME

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE, REMEMBER!!! NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR SAFETY!

THINK BEFORE YOU SIT

SPACE COLLABORATION

PAY ATTENTION

LA POSITION

KEYBOARD TIPS

MOUSE TIPS

COMPUTER SCREEN ERGONOMICS

SCREEN PLACEMENT TIPS

DOCUMENT HOLDER TIPS

TELEPHONE TIPS

ANGLED READING AND WRITING SURFACE TIPS

REDUCE REFLECTIONS TIPS

SCREEN POSITION TIPS

OFFICE ERGONOMICS

OFFICIAL SEXERCISE

DO AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE

TAKE A BREAK FROM THE COMPUTER EVERY 15-20 MINUTES

VERY IMPORTANT! A MUST FOR ALL!!

HAND & WRIST TIPS

REPEAT THROUGHOUT THE DAY MANY TIMES

BACK STRETCH TIPS

CHEST STRETCH TIPS

LEG WORK

EYES OF THE BEHOLDERS

ANTI-GLARE FOR EYES

PLAN PRACTICE REPEAT

FOLLOW PROTOCOL

CHECK AND RECHECK ALWAYS

LOVE ONE ANOTHER OR AT LEAST KEEP TO EACH THEIR OWN

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE

INDUCTION PROCESS FOR MULTIMEDIA STUDIOS

INDUCTION PROCESS CHECKLISTS

COMPULSORY EQUIPMENT SAFETY CHECKS

COURTESY TO WORKSAFE VICTORIA + AS ABOVE TO ALL

COMPUTER WORKSTATION

2011-11-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

A Custom Workstation

For those of us that work with computers it is essential for the mind, body and soul to make life around these technological machines comfortable and safe.

A few tips:

Position your computer workstation near a window for light and oxygen.
Move around and do some stretching and light exercises every 15-20 minutes.
Take a break every now and then as being glued to the computer constantly is disturbing, sad and may cause depression.
Keep your eyes safe by looking away from the computer screen/monitor as this may cause eye problems - look outside if possible or just go outside for a walk.

Online Form

2011-10-31T05:28:00.000-07:00

Client Needs Survey

Since 2011, Jesuslifeline.com has helped thousands of companies in over 60 countries make better decisions by applying science to the planning process. Our methods go beyond data analysis to include tools and techniques for enterprise knowledge-capture, Web-based collaborative modeling, and strategic decision-making.Web design creation from our team of webmaster specialists.

The Safety Dance (Extended Version) from Men Without Hats on Myspace.

WHAT iS Love ♥?

2011-10-20T01:05:00.000-07:00

Fear of love and knowing if love is real

You sit and hold my gaze; looking into me rather than at me. You speak quietly, deliberately choosing words which keep you safe and free of obligation or misunderstanding. You use words other than the one you really want to express. The true meaning hides behind those eyes and in the tone of your voice - it is a different interpretation. You are not saying what you are saying and you leave me with no doubt that this is not to be challenged or even questioned.

I feel you move towards me. Are you reaching out or pulling me forward? I do not know; as I sense this but I do not see it - you did not move.

I am hearing your words and understanding what you think I should receive. I respond in the way that addresses your issues; reassuring you without defining what I am really hearing. Yes, there is an elephant sitting on the table but we all pretend not to notice.

I am looking at a photograph of myself on the back wall of your heart. I wander through the secret room in your mind; where you have long and honest conversations with me. Not like now, when everything is guarded and monitored. No, in your secret room which you think is yours alone - I do come. In the still of night you summon me there and you speak with naked thoughts.

Your voice is hypnotic and my mind is wandering. I am circling above you and looking down into a labyrinth. You are a child hiding in the center. You are calling me and laughing that I will never find you. From above I know you are not laughing and this is not a childish game that you play. I see you crouched and afraid and begging me to reach you. You are alone and lost there - but calling it safe. Do the walls keep your fears out or do they simply imprison you? I run through dead end corridors frantically calling to you. I am afraid and panicked and scratch myself through hedges trying to shortcut the confusion. I hear you laugh - I sense you cry.

I have entered the labyrinth a hundred times but I have never managed to find you. I am left devastated and you are disappointed. You tell yourself if I really cared I would not give up. I wonder why you won't just walk out or meet me half way.

It's the daemons you say. Did you say that or did I just know that? The daemons within the child are still trapped within the man. Like footsteps outside the bedroom door as you hold yourself in a foetal position and pray that the door is locked. If the past should revisit, will it bring with it all of its carnage and destitution? Well that's a little strong perhaps, but that's how you really remember it; the isolation, betrayals and abandonment. What is this I ask and you reply, 'This is Love'.

And yes, I long for love. To feel it, give and receive it - to trust in it. It is an endless and relentless hunger; a quiet demand and a delirious obsession. I have been seduced by its magic and been thrilled by its promise. I have been touched and nurtured and cradled like a baby. I have danced with a translucent body and sung songs without words. I have been illuminated and energized. I even thought I saw the face of God once or twice.

They say that love is not for the feint-hearted. What an understatement. I have crawled on my knees and been kicked like a dog. I have had my heart chewed out and spat away. I have been diminished by loves humiliation and fickle games. Abandoned - like ash inside skin and silently screaming. I have been left impotent and castrated in more ways than one.

Don't say the word, I won't respond. It's a taboo subject; I won't be seduced by your interpretation or promises. Let's talk about sex and how your body can thrill me. I will speak of friendship, affection and caring. I'll play mental mathematics with you; pragmatic, cynical or ponderous. Hypothetically, we might talk about 'The Others'.

I watch as you fall backwards and then down deep into yourself. You ask your heart to explain itself. The emotional aspects of love are a kaleidoscope, smoke and mirrors, ocean waves and fragments of glass; unpredictable, indefinable and ever changing. There is nothing solid here and nothing sustainable or of any real substance.

The mind unpacks boxes with labels and history reveals itself. Love is a prison and a man is held in bondage. A woman's agenda is always about control and possession. Love is a weapon no less than a sword. Don't tear out my vulnerabilities just to blackmail me later with what you thought I promised. Protector, provider and puppet are only your projections. I am afraid that you will own me as much as I am afraid that you will reject me.

No, love can not be measured by emotion or intellect; of this I am sure. Let's talk of sex and lust. I understand my hunger and predict my satisfaction. There is a banquet on offer and with some careful consideration and appropriate manners I can take my fill and then take my leave. Call me greedy or send me the bill but it's an honest transaction at least. A man must do what a man must do and you may well afford me a little flexibility or discretion. If I pleasure you and thrill you then surely you can call it love, but not hold me to any debit. Let me remind you once again, "I did not say I loved you".

If it isn't named then it isn't claimed!

We have witnessed fields of broken dreams and you wondered aloud if love could last forever. Is there really a special 'One' for all of us? Are you testing me with casual and cryptic clues? Am I on trial before your trust? Don't speak to me of things long past. I too have traveled your roads, but all roads led to here. Don't make me be your whipping boy for the sins of all the others.

Do I need to die before you concede that I was the one?

I am certain of this: I have seen it written across the sky. This is the real deal - the day that destiny came to now.

Will we accept it? Can we step up and into it? I watch your face and your hesitation; I hear you think to yourself, I do love you. It's foreign and uncomfortable. You say it again and listen; uncomfortable and threatening. You feel the fear come to surface and swallow it down again. I love you - you regurgitate. The daemons rise but you command them back; they cower in the corner. Do I love you? I want to love you, can I love you - do you love me?

But, what about..? Can you promise me..? What if..?

You slump in your chair and draw a breath as you search for your words. Your eyes penetrate me and your words bounce around the room before I am able to grasp them. "What is your definition of love? If we take away our history, eliminate the intellectual, emotional and sexual - then tell me what, 'I love you,' really means?"

If I am not my body, have no thought or emotion, do I even exist? Yes, I am sure I do. If I exist, do I still feel love and am I capable of giving or receiving love? I sense my answer from knowing this more than any truth I have ever known, "Love is who and what I am".

Then how can you say you love me?

In this pure and uncontaminated state, I stand before you, more naked than air. Perhaps for the very first time you will see me as I see you. You are my reflection.

Sonya Green (West Australian) Author of Reinventing Myself. Meditation CD productions and webmaster

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sonya_Green

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/341916
DOOR OF HOPE

Alexandrine Parrot

2011-10-12T18:59:00.001-07:00

How Not To Fall In Love With Your Best Friend

Is it possible to have a best friend of the opposite sex and not be romantically involved with them? The answer is yes. Stereotypically, we may think if a guy and a girl spend time together more than they do with their other friends, then something more than just the usual friendship is going on between them. But in a world of so much open-mindedness and equitableness, that is our world, this no longer needs a powwow.

Here are some tips that I find useful since my best friend is also a guy. He gives me all the reasons to fall in love with him, since he is so the ideal type, but I try my best to always have my counter strikes. I choose not to; I want not to.

1. START YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH THE END IN MIND. It is important that you, on the very onset of your friendship, set your mind that your best friend will always be your best friend, nothing more, nothing less. The 'mind over matter' rule could still apply. Make a personal rule that it is forbidden to entertain any thoughts regarding your best friend being your ideal partner, or else, you will always hold on to that mental note and eventually, label him as an ideal partner not as a best friend. Whenever your mind accidentally crosses that line, shake it off as soon as you can.

2. CHOOSE NOT BE ATTRACTED. It is normal and sometimes inevitable to be attracted to your best friend. But of course, you have become the best of friends because you have seen qualities in each other that you find fascinating or plainly, attractive. So, don't feel so bad or sheepish whenever you feel attracted but learn to go back to reality. Whenever you see his best side, humorously divert your attention to his worst side. It helps. From being the good looking, almost perfect best friend to his eccentricity of burping like a frog, or farting like a pro, if there is such.

3. VERBALIZE HOW YOU SEE HIM AS YOUR BROTHER (OR A SISTER IF YOU'RE A GUY!). This is again for your own sake. It is to season your mind that there is a red line between liking him and loving him like your sibling. Call him brother all the time. Associate him with your real brother, if you have one. Having a male best friend is so special and gratifying, because you could always ask him a male's point of view regarding anything, for free. It is expedient to run to him for an advice regarding your personal issues, whether this is regarding your relationship with other people, or sometimes, economic issues, to draw the line that he is, indeed, your brother who could help you, even in the most non-romantic ways.

4. BE EMBARRASSED WITH THE POSSIBILITY. I suggest that you keep the cattiness, at least, just to not fall for your best friend. Just imagine how he could totally turn away from you, 360 degrees, if he finds out you are engrossing yourself with imaginations of things friends are not supposed to do. Well, technically, I would not know how on earth will he find out that he is involved in your phantasm, but just imagine how awkward would that make him feel that at some point, you have envisioned him being idealistically linked to you, in not so wholesome manner. Imagine how that would make you feel, too!

5. FINALLY, CHOOSE TO LOVE HIM AS YOUR BEST FRIEND. Personally, I could give my life for my best friend. I could give anything for him. There were moments when I would actually ponder if I was attracted to him in some other ways or if it was more of being overwhelmed that I actually have a man in my life who cares and loves me like his own blood sister, even if I am not his family. That is just way too much of a deluge sometimes. A man who is so good to you and so believes in you like no other men do. Minus all the sexual thoughts and intentions. That is, let me say it again, overwhelming, nowadays.

I was inspired to write this because honestly, I have been bothered by my having a guy best friend. Not really bothered by the relationship itself but how people around us see it. He would tell me how his brother asked him if he ever courted me, or how his father would sometimes throw wisecracks at him regarding me as his just friend, or how my sisters would tease me every time I mention his name. I chose to be his best friend and that's what forever I will be. Again, it is a decision, not merely an emotion. The fact is, he is everything that I would like my eternal companion to be- brainy, expressive, outspoken, artistic, hilarious and pompous, in a good way...but he is my best friend. For once in my life, I was able to find a very solid friendship founded on trust, confidence and love and I do not want to, even if this is just speaking theoretically, to ruin this one precious, oh-so-good-thing that I have with him, just because of my dopey and mindless self-professed feelings. Never. I know in my heart that both our intentions towards each other are always, chaste and objective. I will never ever fall in love with my best friend.

I have always been taught to keep a journal. Having and keeping one will always give us the freedom to write all our emotions, both pleasant and not. These real-life experiences that we go through everyday are the best teacher, far better than any other self-help books or the most acclaimed movies. The learning does not just stop when you write them, it continues when you share it with other people. We are our own authors. Let's all write our stories well.

Anna Lorraine Miranda-Baysa is a 30-year-old mother of two and currently lives in Makati City, Philippines. She has been a constant journal-keeper for more than a decade, thus, enhancing her love for writing feature articles. She had served as a Features Editor in high school, a Contributor in their college schoolpaper as well as in their Church Institute Newspaper. Other than this, she worked as a disc jockey/ newscaster in a local radio station for five years. As a fledgling writer, she would like to concentrate on topics of Photography, Motherhood, Friendship and Love. She is currently working on her very first novel,too.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anna_Lorraine_Salvador_Miranda-Baysa

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1082680

Paulie

MY BEST FRIEND

Flash Ship

2011-09-26T05:19:00.000-07:00

Draw a ship or boat at a mooring

This is an opportunity to practice using the drawing tools in Flash.

Set your stage to 800x600, 20fps.

Draw a ship or boat; freighter, dinghy, speedboat, yacht, coracle etc. Refer to screenshot (shown right) for an example of what to aim for.

Computer History Timeline

2011-07-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

TIMELINE OF COMPUTER HISTORY

The history of computers is the history of our modern world. A visit to the Museum onsite or online will reveal the fascinating and often surprising connections between past innovations, people, and stories, and the technologies that pervade our lives today.

PAST-NOW FUTURE