HTML5 – Pros, Cons and Some Lesser Known Points

Posted on April 12, 2011 by josh

While a lot of non web designers probably don.t know about HTML5 or why it’s important, web designers have been excited about it for some time. There are plenty of positives that this “new” and revamped language gives us for web design and web development.

Augmented Reality and Geo Location at Work

Offline Support ? There are certain features that come along with HTML5 that allow you to store more offline information (more so than cookies / cache) which is a huge plus for mobile application developers. This will allow useful applications to continue to function even when there is no available internet connection.

Canvas and Video ? These features make it easier than ever before to add images (not really too big of an issue before) and video (big issue before) to a web page and make it cross browser and mobile compatible.

GeoLocation API ? It isn’t really part of HTML5 but since HTML5 is associated mainly with mobile device use, GeoLocation goes along with this discussion quite nicely. Developers can now more easily integrate user-specific location based information into an app and do things like that “cool” augmented reality stuff people have been talking about. That’s how it’s possible to point your iPhone or Android device at a street and have it tell you where the closest coffee shop is (ever wondered why your iPhone asks to use your “Current Location”?).

Advanced Forms ? Now your mobile browser can handle some of the background stuff that is required to make sure information that you enter in an online form is accurate (form validators) instead of having to run additional scripts to do it. This really will speed up load times and increase that user experience stuff.

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Google April Fools But Their Spam Was Real

Posted on April 1, 2011 by

The Google Gmail Motion April Fools’ Day joke was pretty good. Just imagine grabbing your ear and replying to an email by mistake. With the video and printable guide to get the hand gestures down, Gmail Motion created history in email services. Here is a shot at what you got if you believed it (or couldn’t believe it) and clicked “Try Gmail Motion.” Not bad for a company full of smart tech types. The “close this silly box” was a nice touch too.

Google-Gmail-joke

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Mobile Web Design and User Experience

Posted on March 17, 2011 by josh

Mobile phones have gained widespread popularity since the iPhone came out and since then, other devices running on various different platforms have also sprouted. As more people get phones that are capable of web browsing, more web sites and site owners are adding some emphasis on mobile web design versions of their site.

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CSS Layouts vs. Tables?

Posted on February 21, 2011 by

I recently came across this article that was posted about a year and a half ago and it brought up the issue of web designs built using “div” tags and CSS vs. using tables as if there was still a question. The fact of the matter is that “divs” and CSS are more than just a new way of doing things, it is a more forward compatible (and better) way of putting content on the web for a couple of reasons. Not only do “divs” and CSS promote using semantic markup and proper content structure, but the code used is faster loading in addition to more cross browser compatible which to me ends the discussion of tables right there.

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7 Things You Needed To Know About SEO Six Months Ago But Were Afraid To Ask

Posted on February 7, 2011 by

Just Start It…

They say there is no better place to start than at the start. Search Engine Optimization is daunting and requires the passage of time. So get out your notepad, sketch out a plan, and start at the start. Time slipping by is the enemy of your SEO plan.

Here are my 7 Things You Needed To Know About SEO Six Months Ago But Were Afraid To Ask to help kick start your efforts and lay your fears of the unknown aside:

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5 Ways To Implement Social Media Into Your Web Design

Posted on January 25, 2011 by

Ready, Set, Go…

So you finally are ready to take the plunge into Social Media. Or you’re neck deep with a Facebook account (and maybe even Facebook Page), Twitter account, and who knows, maybe LinkedIn, Youtube, Flickr and on and on.

To help decide which ones you want to focus on, consider that implementing Social Media into your web design will help increase customer engagement with your website. That’s a good thing. Decide on which apps and widgets make sense for the Social Media you use.

Here are 5 great ways to make your Social Media part of your website now:

1. Twitter Profile Updates: Put your Twitter updates right on your website. This is a good way to get fresh content on your website since you are Tweeting anyway. Take a look at the Twitter Profile Widget. Twitter does a good job letting you test it out before you even “Grab the Code” to implement it.

2. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter Buttons or Icons: Put them on your site so people can connect with you. I come accross interesting businesses all the time. A simple click on the Twitter button would work great for following them. But for those businesses who don’t have it, I have to search for their account. If it’s not their business name I may never find them. Make it easy with buttons. You can find them anywhere. Just search Social Media Buttons or Icons.

3. Twitter Lists: Here’s one that I can’t wait to integrate into our own web design at TG Web Media. To much fan fare, Twitter announced its new list functionality and the people rejoiced. With Twitter Lists, you can now organize all your employees tweets into one list and put that on your website. Or just put industry thought leaders or news gatherers in separate lists and populate your website that way. Content is King and with Twitter lists you can add more of your content to your site — it’s real time and constantly updated to boot.

4. Facebook Fans: There are plenty of Facebook Badges for your web design considerations. Facebook Pages do have analytics for those measuring ROI, or trying to (see below). Of course, Facebook is huge and you have the ability to tap into hundreds of millions of users, get real feedback on your business and build a community and hopefully, a referral source. Read more here about the Facebook Like Box widget.

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Advantages of Web Designers’ Use of Sprites

Posted on January 12, 2011 by

This article stems from a conversation on web site efficiency and the different ways to approach building image buttons. Sprites are combinations of images integrated into one file displayed on your website. New techniques sprout up all the time, but sprites have been around in one fashion or another for a while now and they are proving their usefulness more and more. The use of sprites in web site design gives the same effect we are used to seeing when we mouse over a button on a website. Test it out below. Here are the imanes used in the file for this example.

css sprites example

In the web design world, there are always a handful (if not more) ways that you can accomplish any given task. In terms of web design and using images for buttons, there are even different ways of using multiple images for that mouse rollover effect. It started with having to use extra code and Javascript, a coding language that reacts to users’ mouse movements. Another more browser-friendly way is using separate images that get displayed though a stylesheet that does pretty much the same thing without the extra code — sprites.

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eBay Auctions Decline: Lessons for Ecommerce Web Sites

Posted on December 24, 2010 by

If anything is in sharp focus on Christmas Eve it’s that I need to find that last minute gift and I need to “Buy It Now.” It’s a good lesson for all Ecommerce Web Sites. Keep it simple. Simple means, ?Here is how much this is? and, ?Here is how you get it.? And maybe, ?Here is what else you may want that others looked at.?

We know who the master of this process is – Amazon. And they are a favorite for easy user experience and Web Design friendly Interactive Marketing. If you want another great example, go to Netflix and you’ll just feel the difference. Now go back to eBay.

Let’s face it. The online auction was a fad and eBay?s monstrous earnings decline seems to suggest as much. The writing was on the wall when they introduced “Buy It Now” way back and under their new CEO in 2008 saw revenue increase only in Buy It Now items. That’s not good when you’re an auction site.

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Web Sites vs. Web Applications

Posted on December 22, 2010 by

This isn’t a brawl to find out which is better. This article is a result of a conversation the other day about the obvious shift in trends over the past decade or so in web design and development. Our company is in the business of helping people create, enhance and profit from their online presence so we are very interested in the difference between the two phrases, “web site” and “web application.”

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Six Ways To Get Your Website to Move as Fast as Your Business

Posted on December 17, 2010 by

Business owners and entrepreneurs work harder every day. They think about their business 24/7. Most however don’t have websites anywhere near as flexible as they are and fewer have sites that can jump into new opportunities as fast as they can. This hurts you in the fast paced business world we’re in today.

And just as businesses are trying to integrate their piece of the social media explosion into their business plan (or even trying to understand how it can help them), the mobile web has exploded between iPhone and Android Google phones. Suddenly, we all realize that a dynamic, constantly updated website should be as second nature as getting your business cards updated with your new email address.

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