Wisdump

Removing distractions in designing a web site

Wisdump — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 09:10:57 +0000

Have you noticed that there are many web sites that have started using different ways of animating text and images and even including background music that auto loads? If you think that these elements in a web page are cool and an effective way of attracting visitors, think again.

Animations and background music or sounds are not an attractive element in a web site, in fact, it is generally seen as an annoyance. If you’ve ever visited a web site in the middle of the night and then you practically jump out of your skin when loud music suddenly blares out of your computers then you’ll know how annoying it is. There is also the belief that moving ads or animations will entice visitors to stay longer. But the real fact is that visitors are more likely to leave immediately if they see blinking ads. They are also less likely to bookmark the site.

Aside from the annoyance it causes, these animations and audio files contribute to slower load times, which will not be appreciated by visitors who have slow internet connections. Scrolling text is also a move that shows you do not have your visitor in mind. The reason is simple, you’re going to make your visitor jump through hoops just to read the text. They have to wait for the text to start all over again if they miss anything.

Web site design means you should always have the visitor in mind. Giving them a good experience is paramount over a flashy web site.

Creating value in web sites

Wisdump — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:56:41 +0000

Designing a web site entails looking at various factors that will make up the totality of the finished product. Making sure that the web site is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate is a good draw and will help ensure the growth of visitors and return visits from them. But aside from the regular design elements, there is another factor that comes into play in effective web design. Creating value on web sites is of equal importance, if not more so.

Some people do agree that creating value may be more important than good web site design. The importance of this tip can be gleaned by actually considering what a web site is designed for – which is to provide something that visitors will find either useful or interesting. These are the two things that are at top priorities when developing a web site. Only after providing a good hook in terms of usage or interest should you then focus on the design aspects of creating the web site. You may have an absolutely gorgeous web site but if what it embellishes is a poorly crafted idea that doesn’t attract the interest of visitors then that design becomes useless, regardless of how beautiful it is. With a flawed idea your visitors will only visit your site once and will never come back again. Remember, that repeat visits are what drives success for web sites.

If one of your plans for adding value to your web site is through advertising, consider using a ratio of 75 percent editorial to 25 percent advertising. More content may be good but it may tax your writing staff (if you employ one) and ultimately your operational budget. Adding more ads, on the other hand, will push back the amount of content and visitors may feel that all you’re after is making money at the expense of creating value for the users.

Image source:

montparnas.com

The “Horrible Web Design Client:” An Infographic Look

Wisdump — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:35:37 +0000

Web design is a new frontier in creative designing. It takes a special set of design skills to make an effective web site. A good web site is not just pretty to look at, or filled with a lot of cool Flash animations, it is also easily navigable, with well laid out elements that are not confusing to a person who will visit the site for the first time.

There are so many things that come into play in effective web design that for an aspiring web designer, but if there’s one skill that a web designer must really develop, and fast, is how to deal with customers, especially those that are notoriously difficult to work with. In this infographic from the online publication Top Web Design Schools, the business of dealing with difficult customers is given a tongue-in-cheek, but very informative treatment. Reading through the infographic will give you the necessary information that will help you deal with clients more effectively in the future. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. You can now go to a client meeting with the necessary tools that will help make these meetings more fruitful and definitely a lot painless.

From: Top Web Design Schools

Social Media 101: How Not to Waste Time

Wayne Ernest — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:00:09 +0000

Social media is great for a variety of different purposes. For one thing, you can catch up to a lot of people you otherwise might never get to see or talk to again. For another, you can post all kinds of things about your own life, and let your hundreds of casual acquaintances marvel at how awesome life is for you. On top of that, you can while away thousands of hours pretending to run a farm, command an army, hold together a motley crew of mafioso types, and do a bunch of other things that will ultimately make no difference in your real life. The following are some ways you can avoid doing the time-wasters, so you can use your social media time for more useful things.

Ask yourself what you’ll get out of it

Sometimes the best way to understand how much time you’ve wasted is to assign a numerical value to your time’s value. Imagine you’re used to making $10 an hour. Is spending three hours on that carefully manicured farm of yours really worth $30 to you? While you aren’t actually spending this money or borrowing it from lenders, you also aren’t making it. Considering how many ways there are to make money online these days, that’s a crying shame.

Allow yourself some “wasted” time

If you want to spend an hour or two having some fun and blowing off a little steam, that’s okay. You should never beat yourself up about taking some fun time for yourself, or pretty soon your life will be neurotic and you’ll be a full-fledged workaholic. As long as your fun time doesn’t turn into an excessive amount of time that could be spent on things you need to do, it’s all good.

Don’t worry about time that’s long gone

Maybe you used to waste a lot of time on social media sites, but now you’ve moved on to being a more moderate user. If you beat yourself up over what you used to do, you’ll only make yourself feel bad over nothing. There is no getting back time that’s gone. So you just need to forgive yourself for what you did in the past, and then move on. Fretting over the past is also wasting time.

Social media is a great way to waste time. In moderation, there’s nothing wrong with playing a few silly games. Just be sure you’re doing the things you need to do, too.

Hook up with your favorite brands

Of course it’s no waste of time to follow your favorite individuals and companies, just like you would do in magazines and newspapers. One of the great things about social media is that you can track your favorite products as well- mine being ones like Coca Cola, Ajinomoto and Nike.

All in all..it’s never a waste of time to have fun!

5 Tips for Writing Awesome Blog Headlines

Wayne Ernest — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:42:08 +0000

Blogging has become so popular that large companies even use blogging as a way to share information with consumers. If you’re new to blogging, you may think that all you need to do is share your thoughts and earn page views. However, without the proper headline, people may never see your blog. That’s why a headline is quite possibly the most important part of any blog post. Here are just five tips for writing awesome blog headlines.

Research Keywords

Keywords matter not just in your post, but in your headline as well. More importantly, you need to know exactly which keywords to use. There are a number of websites that will allow you to compare keywords to see which words are searched for most often. By choosing the most searched for term, you can ensure that your information is easy for searchers to find.

Shoot for Short and Sweet

A blog headline does not have to be long and drawn out. In fact, long headlines can hurt how you rank on many popular search engines. For example, Google only allows 65 characters in the headline. This means you need for your title to be direct and to the point. A title such as, “The Long Billowing Winds of the Nightly Midnight Runs of Flemish Rabbits” is way too long and a bit too artsy. Instead, the title should read, “Flemish Rabbits’ Midnight Runs”.

Place Important Keywords First

Not only should your title be short and direct, but your most important keyword should be as close to the first word in the title as possible. In the example listed above there were ten words listed before the important key phrase, Flemish rabbits. The keyword/topic of your post should be easy to spot and take center stage.

Create Interest

The title, “About Rabbits” may be informative, but it lacks appeal. The reader may even ask, “What kind of rabbits?” The title may also be so vague that it’s hard to find in a search engine. Instead, you need to create interest. A much more appropriate title would be, “Flemish Rabbit Information Sheet”. Not only is the title easier for searchers to find, but they know this is the information they’ve been looking for.

Keep Your Headline Relevant

There are a lot of hot keywords at any given moment, but you should never use these words just to attract readers. For example, don’t put the name of a popular TV star in your title when the post is about rabbits, unless the star has something to do with rabbits. For example, do not use the title, “Lindsay Lohan and Flemish Rabbits” when your post had nothing to do with the star.

It may seem intimidating at first, or unimportant, but awesome blog headlines can attract readers to your blog. A great headline can also ensure that your post ranks well on search engines. Remember to research keywords, keep your headlines short, use important keywords first, create interest and to keep your headline relevant.

The Benefits of Joining a Blog Network

Wayne Ernest — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:08:02 +0000

If you run a blog, then you no doubt understand the importance of increasing your blog’s reach and expanding its exposure, so as to gain as many readers as possible. There are many methods for accomplishing this all-important task – some more complex than others. One fairly simple and easy thing you can do to grow your blog is to join a blog network. A blog network is a grouping of two or more blogs, which are basically partnering together to the benefit of all involved. If you have not yet joined a blog network, then you should consider finding one to join, pronto. Here are the benefits of joining a blog network:

Increased traffic. Joining a blog network exposes your blog to every reader of every other blogger in the network. This can exponentially increase the number of people made aware of your blog, and will inevitably result in a surge of traffic to your blog.

Work reduction. When you partner with others in a blog network, it is not unusual to find that there is one person responsible for the majority of the blog maintenance, comment moderation and spam-riddance. It doesn’t matter if the network is dedicated to one niche or evolves around everything from food to updates on other websites. This relieves you of much of the menial task work that plagues independent bloggers, and frees your time up so you can do more of what you like to do the most: blog

Networking. One of the most obvious benefits of joining a blog network is the chance you have to “meet” other, like-minded bloggers. This can be a great source of support, inspiration, and creative synergy, which can ultimately help better your blogging (and your emotional well-being).

Consistency. If you find it difficult to post regularly and consistently, then you will be pleased to find that your blog network will consistently grow and evolve, even if you only contribute sporadically. That is because your blog network will benefit from the contributions of all the other bloggers on the network.

Mentorship. No matter what your blogging experience or what type/size of blog network you join, you can bet that there will be a more experienced and successful blogger in your network that you can learn from. Becoming a member of a blog network makes you privy to insider information that only the best bloggers know, which can be an invaluable tool for fine-tuning your blogging skills.

As you can see, there are many reasons for why you may want to consider joining a blog network. Take inventory of your blog’s strengths and weaknesses and ask if you (and your blog) might benefit from partnering with a network.

The Pros and Cons of Using Blog Translators

Wayne Ernest — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:15:21 +0000

If you put your heart and soul, blood, sweat and tears into a blog (and any dedicated blogger knows that, a lot of times, that is exactly what it feels like), then you know how important it is to amass a readership. You also know how impossible it is to master ten languages while juggling all of the responsibilities of being a blog owner (okay, even if you’re not a blogger, this part is nearly impossible). So how do you reach readers who don’t speak or read your native language? Many bloggers are turning to blog translators to tackle this conundrum. Just as with any other tool you might use to better a process, blog translator tools come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Before you dive in to the world of blog translation, read up on the pros and cons of using blog translators:

Pros:

Reach. Whichever way you cut it, incorporation a translating tool into your blog is a simple way to make it accessible to people who don’t speak English. It doesn’t matter if your site is about personal finance, insurance, or anything else. If you want to reach an international market, you simply must use a blog translator.

Cost. Hiring a person to translate your blog, and then creating a different web interface for each language, is a very time-consuming and expensive process. Many website translator tools, like Google Translate, for example, are inexpensive to use, making this a relatively simplistic process.

Ease of use. Translator tools are simple and easy to use. You won’t have to take an advanced course in computer programming to make your site multilingual.

Cons:

Errors. It doesn’t matter how great the software is, any time you use technology to do a human’s job, there are bound to be errors. If you want to see just how much translation software can mess up the meaning of your words, go to any foreign site that offers an automated translate option and check it out. Although some of the mistakes are pretty humorous, it’s likely that you’d prefer not to have your words twisted in those sometimes very awkward ways. This page, http://www.ackuna.com/badtranslator, gives you a chance to see exactly what your text might translate to using a technology-based translator. Check it out.

Page layout. Site translation tools can’t adjust your site’s layout for the extra/reduced space caused by translations. Therefore, your site might be a mess after it is translated.

As you can see, using blog translators comes with some clear advantages and disadvantages. Consider these issues before you decide to use a translator for your blog.

8 Points To Keep In Mind To Create A Great Web Design CV and Resume?

noemi — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 21:00:22 +0000

In today’s life, even if you have job you are not secure about the future due to recent recessions we are facing in recent times. There is literally no guarantee about your job, you can be sacked at any time without any reason even if you are doing good in your office. So everyone need to be prepared for these types of situations. In that case, everyone will have to prepare their CV and Resume. As it is the time of internet, so having a web design CV is very important. Making a web designed CV or Resume is very easy. If you can remember and follow some simple instructions, then you will be able to do it perfectly. There are 10 steps to creating a powerful CV and Resume. If you are a web designer and want to make your CV, then you will have to follow the instructions for making an awesome CV.

The instructions are given as follows. Don’t forget to share your interesting points while you make your CV in the comments section below :

1. Show the summary

In your Resume, you will have to show the employer that you have skills. You will have to make it such a way that he will be able to realize almost everything on the CV at a glance. When you are applying for the job of web designer, then your designing skills are more important than Qualifications. So show your skills in it.

2. Do not make it complicated

You will have to keep the Resume as simple as possible. If there is any type of complication, then the employer will not get any interest about it. The main theme of web designing is making things in simple ways, but it does not mean that you will make it like a white paper. Just do not over decorate it.

3. Do not give all the details

In the Resume, you do need to give all the information. You can skip things like your age, marital status and educational qualifications, etc. In case of web designing your portfolio is more important than your qualifications.

4. Do everything perfectly

As you are a professional, you will have to make everything perfect. Do not leave anything unchecked. You will have to pay attention in writing. There will be no grammatical and spelling mistakes.

5. Using grid

Making the proper use of a grid is very important for every web designer. It is one of those qualifications, which is very necessary for every web designer. If you do use grid, it will show your ignorance.

6. Must be printable:

The CV you are making has to be printable. For that you will have to be careful about the size of the paper and you will have to make it is such a way that it can be printed by black and white printer.

7. Linking up with online projects

Link up your portfolio with the projects you have worked. Through it, the employer will be able to check your quality by himself. It will create trust in him.

8. No use of temple:

There will be no use of any temple in the Resume. The temples are common in all the cases. If you use any temple, then it may get matched with someone’s CV. That will be very embracing.

Here I have shared some of the most useful points every web designer should keep in mind while making his/her Resume and I am sure this points will help you to make great impact on your employer. Some of these tips will also we helpful to create a great Resume if you finding jobs in finance recruitment companies.

7 Qualities To Make An Impressive User Interface

noemi — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:02:02 +0000

User interface is that thing, which makes the interaction between the user and the application or a website. So making it perfectly is very important for every software designer. There are some important facts in this regard. You will have to remember that creating a perfect user interface does not depend on how the interface looks. The main thing about the user interface is it should be friendly with the user. There will be no complication. More over the look should also have a good look. There are seven simple ways to make a user interface perfect. You will have to follow the instructions to create a perfect interface.

These instructions are given below that will help you to create an awesome user interface :

1. Make it simple:

The user interface you are making should have to be simple. You will have to make the interface clear. There will be no unnecessary button in the interface. You will have to make sure that the user will not need any manual to use it. The interface should have visual clarity and simplicity.

2. No unnecessary data

There will be no unnecessary data in the interface. You will have to make the interface user friendly, but that do not mean that you will keep everything open on the interface. In that case, it will be disgusting for the user. So simplify it, but do not make it simplest.

3. Proper communication with the user

Communication with the user is very necessary. Those who will be using the interface for the first time will not know everything about it. So the buttons you will use in the interface will have to be familiar. You will have to those kinds of buttons, which make the user feel that this button is only for navigation or menu.

4. Make it speedy

Another very important thing about the interface that ot should have proper processing speed. If it takes, too much time for processing the commands, then it will not be welcomed by the users. So the user interface should have to be the speed to make everything in time. If the speed is not good enough, then the users will be boarded at the time of using it.

5. Easy to understand

There will be no complication in the interface. It should be created in such a way that the user will be able to understand everything, if he use only a few minutes for it. You will have to use the same type of interface in every part of the same application. If the interface is different in different places, then it will make the users angry. So try to avoid these types of problems.

6. Make the interface enjoyable

Making the interface good looking is not so important. You will have to make it is such way, which will make the user excited about the application as well as the interface.

7. Data recovery system

There is one saying that “to err is human”. So it is very common making mistakes at the time of using the interface. So you will have to keep systems for recovering data. The deleting system of the interface should have the system of restoring that data. So you will have to create something like the recycle bin in your application. Otherwise recovering data will not be possible for the users.

If you follow all of these, then you will be able to create a great interface. This will make all the users happy and your product famous. The glory will be all yours. Among these instructions, some of those can make clash with the others. You will have to solve those problems and make it perfect and that is the one and only requirements to be a software designer.

Johnny is an expert in bakken formation and has worked with many Bakken Oil Companies. Since 1997 he has been doing research in area of Marcellus and other natural gas resources.

Update Your IT Operations

Guest Blogger — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:46:36 +0000

If your IT support consists of your secretary’s teenage son and a system tech who visits the office once a month, then it may be time to update your IT operations. If your business has IT staffers who do manual software updates and think a service level agreement means a paycheck every Friday, then it’s definitely time to update your IT operations.

Life moves fast in a web 2.0 world. You can’t wait to respond to technical issues. You plan for them. Ideally, when one of your servers fails, your business would experience little to no downtime. Your staff would have a spare system and a ghosted image of the failed machine ready to go live before you even knew it was down. In reality, servers and software are expensive and your staff might spend hours, if not days figuring out the failure and making repairs.

Keeping up with software updates across a variety of operating systems and applications is time consuming if the process isn’t automated. One missed software patch can allow hackers to gain entry and expose sensitive data. These potential fiascos mean serious downtime, lost productivity and fewer sales. They’re also easily avoidable.

Whether you have 10 employees or 10,000, you need intelligent IT solutions that scale quickly, are robust and provide performance and reliability. You need people who keep up with the latest technological advances and have the skills to support you now and the vision to chart your future. Thanks to the era of virtualization, you have those people.

Dell is here to support you. Service areas include:

• Desktop Configuration

• Security

• Storage Solutions

• Content Management

• Network Monitoring

Consulting with Dell Enterprise it management means working with IT professionals who are experts in cloud computing, database support, application integration and enterprise solutions. Enterprise software solutions simply refer to business or organizational software and systems as opposed to retail or personal software.

We can evaluate the software your office currently uses and observe how your operations work. Moving into the cloud means you’ll be able to access applications via the Web, so no more worries about keeping on top of updates or having the latest versions. If you have public computers, or employees who share computers, your machines can boot up with clean software installs every morning, fresh from the cloud. You’ll gain instant access to petabytes of off-site data storage.

Dell may advise that you outsource some or all aspects of your IT operations, even user support. Migrating your entire office to a new IT system may seem like a monumental task, but they will guide you and your staff through it and help streamline the entire process.