In this interesting article on Six Revisions, they discuss ways in which current open platforms can meet the business objectives of your clients and allow their project to stand on the shoulders of these giants.

We use open source for our rich media like video and photos. Also Wordpress and Magento ecommerce which are both widely adopted open source platforms. Read more about our web development services.

We are finding that a wide range of clients are asking for Wordpress as they have heard about the flexibility and scalability of the platform. Something which has never happened with any other web software or products we use for our client projects.

It is certainly easier to support the quality of a product with the vast number of online tutorials and showcases for an open source product.

The main reason why we use open source applications are that they are generally more robust and scalable, than licenced ‘closed’ source software. Open source allows an active community of web designers, developers, thinkers, etc to contribute their own code for others to use for their own projects. Take a look at the library of extensions at Wordpress.

Recent examples of the pro-active open source communities include suggesting features for future updates to Magento’s roadmap, beta testing for new features to Wordpress 3.0, and pin-pointing security holes in desktop application that an in-house team may have missed.

A Short Recommended List of Open Platforms

Video

• Youtube
• Vimeo

Pictures

• Flickr
• Picasa

Audio

• Houndbite

Open Website platforms

• Drupal
• Wordpress.com, and Wordpress.org
• Django – a web framework in Python
• Ruby on Rails – a web framework in Ruby
• CakePHP – PHP framework

The company’s reasoning for endless beta cycles has never been clearly explained, and Google always insisted the tag would be removed once the product was ready. I suspect Google’s motivation for beta tagging is a combination of:

• It reminded users that the web application was experimental and undergoing development.
• It lowered user expectations of early web systems and gave us a pleasant surprise to find fully-functional online products.
• Version numbers rarely have much meaning when applied to web applications and services. Unlike shrink-wrapped disk-distributed software, web solutions can be incrementally improved on a daily basis. Few people, other than the developers, will care if it’s version 7 or 57.

However, Google has finally recognised that the “beta” label has different connotations in the business world and it could be damaging their prospects. Many business users are put off because they associate the term with incomplete or untested software.

It is possible that other Google products will follow the example set by Chrome. The web browser had a beta period of just 100 days and is already at version 2, even though it was only released in September 2008. Could Google’s beta habit be over?

Has Google’s use of beta labels ever confused, or put off any of your clients?

That is where our company can help, as well as complete rebranding with a web site redesign we have improved the message we are giving our new and existing clients. Making it easy for you to do business on the web, with our experience in web design and development often utilising new and emerging web technologies.

Our old site and logo was ‘oh so web 1.0′ which was created back in 2004 when the business was first launched. Often is the case with any online business, the content on the web site was too overwhelming to encourage a simple understanding of our services and background. We found this turned prospective customers off.

Today, it is our strategic aim to be transparent, open and clear about what how we can solve your customers tasks online, and create a memorable and satisfying experience at the same time. This is often something we can help you with even before the practical work begins.

The aims for our new web site

1. Clearer Company message
2. Improved branding
3. Increase effectiveness of the web site as a marketing channel
4. Users to spend more time on sites pages
5. Improved usability and signposting

How will we measure success? By consistently reviewing our web analytics data. The launch of any web site is the first step and sometimes the simplest. It’s the continual reviewing of the site content, architecture and ease of use that requires finetuning throughout a websites lifecycle.

In the case of our web site, we have removed much of the old content from the previous site to show our talent as a agency that listens, and then carefully crafts usable online applications that clients and customers love.

Being based here in Brighton, the community aspect with this redesign was encouraged from the start, with critique on logo and web layout. Such as the comments that feature on these flickr images. We found this very helpful giving insight into what our peers, colleagues and friends thought. All very positive I’m pleased to say.

Since going live two weeks ago, our daily traffic has tripled as a result of the redesign and recent coverage over at the following CSS Galleries:

1. csszone
2. cssmoon
3. cssstar
4. css-lounge
5. commandshift3
6. cssdrive
7. cssremix
8. csselite.com
9. webdesign-is-art.com
10. cssflash.com
11. cssclip.com

Please tell us what you think. We look forward to hearing from you.

There is only one web, the principle of making the same information and services to users regardless of the way they access it. No doubt about it, the number of mobile devices we choose to interact with websites and online applications is increasing, comared to just desktop computers. Mobile will revolutionise they way we gather and intereact with information in the next 2 years, and this is using the mobile in your pocket, not just the iPhone.

Compare the number of global mobile owners, more than 3 billion, to the number of computer owners, 850 million. The mobile is something you don’t leave home without, why leave the web at home or at work? It is predicted that the in the next decade the mobile will be the first point of contact with the internet, and the desktop computer the second.

According to a new report from the telecom research firm Berg Insight, more than 100 million mobile subscribers in Europe will use location-based services by 2012. Mapping, navigation and search are believed to become the top applications, followed by social networking and tracking.
GPS is about to become a standard feature in mass-market handsets which are highly advanced and support third party applications. Many will try and a few players will most likely succeed in creating location-enabled mobile applications that will have the same impact on the mobile industry as MySpace and Facebook had on the Internet.

Now we have mobile versions of the BBC (bbc.co.uk/mobile), Facebook (m.facebook.com) and ebay. These are stripped down versions of the main sites. As when on the move you only want to know the headlines, get to pages quickly without having to wait for long downloads, this is possible as image use is limited and page widths are flexible so it will fit to deliver main content and basic navigation to whatever size screen you are using.

Mobile applications have real value for people on the move, for example, in the last few weeks I’ve used the internet on my mobile using Google Maps (google.com/m/products) to direct me to a hotel in Edinburgh from the Railway station, or if i have forgotten to send an important email I just visit webmail on my mobile to forward it to a colleague or client.

To improve your mobile experience I recommend you download OperaMini (operamini.com), it’s free, easy to install, packed with great features.

These are exciting time for how we interact with the internet. it’s early days, the mobile operators have the networks in place, its down to individual web companies and web innovators to create projects that capture the possibilities of the mobile internet. First there must be a critical mass of active users to work with, come and experience what the mobile web can do for you!

The theme for the event focused on creative approaches for design:
The main ways for the speakers we by ‘changing your perspectives’ and ‘asking and collaborating with other people for ideas’.

Inspiration vs duplication – Often leads to designs being directly copied as its easier, but leads to abuse. How do we go about doing the right thing? By looking for elements that solve problems in intersting ways.

Inspiration. Takes practice and is never ending process. Lead to wealth of ideas that you can apply to web design

Future design trends:

• Softer colours – wordpress org
• Use of video – Ms Dewey
• Horizontal vs Vertical Scrolling – ie. Personal portfolio site site where you can push creativity

User experience vs brand identity – ‘The iceberg experience’

User Experience and successful websites are built upon the following values: Visual 10%, Interaction 90%.

• Top part of iceberg is amazing but underneath is terrible.
• Like code on some web pages. The main and rewarding part of experience is when they start interacting with the site.
• Looks do count but if not thought well the user can be left with shallow experience.
• Create good cohesive experiences, by paying more attention to whats underneath.

A great designer creates the tools to help a user achieve a task they need to accomplish. A user will validate the success of the designers work or design.

Inspired design: a usable design need not be a Safe design (back to horizontal scrolling? , as this is the way the limits of design can be pushed further online.

Hot Design Tips – from various speakers

• Make connections. Show your name, your company. Develop relationships. Build trust. – join communities
• Trust, passionate users, ambassadors, Enthisiasm – Be human
• Desire paths, don’t try to predict things – get the site out the door and see how people use it.
• Adapt to scale – its a great problem to have. Solve problems that you didn’t worry about before
• Subtraction is iteration too.
• Realign don’t redesign – users will lose their pathways if you remove/change important functions.
• Don’t panic – listen and learn carefully before reacting to latest release.

References to sites and books mentioned by the speakers:

• Society of Digital Agencies – Created best practices for our service industry.
• Ideas that spread are more likely to suceed. These are idea viruses. Best ones are by friends and recommendations. Purple Cow
• Designing for Interaction – New Riders
• Ways of saying hello – Business card book
• Juxtapoz.com
• Seedconference
• Revyyer.com
• Abriefmessage.com
• Shauninman.com
• Creativebits.org

Since then we have been getting great feedback from the charity based in Portslade.

Programme Manager, Fiona Taylor says:

The number of bookings has far exceeded out targets for this year, and it’s all thanks to the site review Callender Creates carried out, they executed the findings in the design and structure of the new site. Very Exciting.. We are just watching the traffic grow each month!

Site redesigns that are done well, are often regarded as switching a switch and letting all the visitors who could not understand the way to navigate around a site, and get the information they require.

In this instance, this has led to:

• Increase in number of bookings
• Increase in seo and accessibility
• With database work planned soon, to make searching and booking even easier online

We have used Google analytics and Crazy Egg to demonstrate to the client the actions and visitor journey on the site. We have explained also the way the pages are written can determine which pages the visitor clicks onto.

Check out the site at www.concordia-iye.org.uk

We are really excited as it looks like a lot of thought has gone into the line up this year. Browsing the events calendar and you will see friends and colleagues running some excellent events.

We have a Brighton Farm Hack day, lead by one of the founders Paul Silver. Good for honing those API skills you were too shy to ask about before perhaps.

We have a whole week of Brighton Skillswap, which involves people volunteering to train a small group of their peers in a subject that interests them. Recent talks have been computer development based, but this week should see the boundaries being pushed into the rest of Brighton’s community.

The “£5 app” meet-up for programmers, web developers and designers to discuss and showcase their “£5 apps”. This has been interesting in the past with entrepreneurs sharing their experiences and lessons from their projects. A good way to get feedback on any startup ideas you may have too!

There looks like there will be a record number of nominations for the Brighton and Hove Web awards 2007, good luck to all entrants!

The dSCAPE/07 annual Portfolio Clinic is an invaluable opportunity for digital media hopefuls to get advice from the region’s most successful companies, if you are starting out after graduating or need to know how to cut it as a designer, artist or developer come along.

The Girl Geeks are combining forces with Guy Geeks to bring one big Charity Christmas Dinner. ‘Full details will be announced ’soon it says, perhaps a good way to recap on what you have seen at the Digital Festival over a mince pie?

These events are always great to network at, put names to faces and share ideas.. finally, to come away with some new skill or technique you wouldn’t have thought of gaining.. Priceless!

Brighton is blessed by having such a grass roots, real-world community, there’s no excuse for staying indoors this winter, get involved!

Examples of recently hacked sites:

www.cssremix.com
www.designerstalk.com

Also a client had his site hacked by an employee who held the site to ransom.
The host, 123reg and the police were involved and both parties took the situation very seriously.

Most importantly, make sure your domain is LOCKED!

Domain locking allows you to lock a domain against transfers and nameserver changes. This prevents accidental changes to the important details of your domain name, as it will need to be unlocked (an easy process) before modifications will be accepted.

This is a registry lock. This means it won’t prevent transfers to another registrar, e.g Network Solutions.

Is your domain locked? Ask your support about this, if it isn’t they can lock your sites immediately and without little fuss. However, the embarassment when pitching to a new client and your web site has offensive ransom messages on it from a hacker team isn’t worth thinking about!

I also have had my site security breached with a hacker leaving a spoof ebay site on my servers. I use dreamhost and unfortunately a number of sites were hit by attacks due to insecure server firewalls, the hacker gaining access via FTP and static IP.

This is the message I received from ebay who found the files and tracked them to my server:

We believe that your website has been compromised.

We recommend that you change your password for your web hosting accounts as soon as possible, and then remove the offending material.

If you have any logs or data files that could help us track down the perpetrator of this crime, we would appreciate it if you could forward that on to us.

Of course, it goes without saying, change your FTP passwords regularly, make a note to do housekeeping on your live servers, make sure you know what files are there and remove/back up locally any files or directories that you don’t need.

If in any doubt check out your log files, and this will show the activity of who has been visiting your site. Valuable evidence for the Police and towards legal proceedings.

This is a friendly reminder that it does happen, make sure you are covered and have a system in place for when it ‘does’ happen to you..

Google Blog Search has been gaining fans, just as its web search did years ago, thanks to sophisticate ranking technology. Have you moved your blog searching to Google, or do Technorati or other blog searches work for you instead?

SEO by the Sea blogger Bill Slawski has made a recent blog post about a filing by Google for ranking blog search turned up several points that could help a blog show up in a search, or keep it from being a factor.

Slawski found that Google considers blogs to contain three content types:

1/ The content of recent posts,
2/ A blogroll, and;
3/ Blog metadata (author profile information and/or other information about the blog or its author).

While it’s likely Google is going to look at other factors in ranking blogs, the positives and negatives observed by Slawski show how the process resembles the fabled PageRank Google has used as part of its website rankings.

Positive factors for a blog include its popularity, inclusion in blogrolls (especially high-quality ones), and tagging of the blog. News aggregator subscriptions could imply high popularity. Google said that it could validate those against “subscriptions spam” by checking for unique subscriber IP addresses.

For example, if a certain blog document is clicked more than other blog documents when the blog document appears in result sets, this may be an indication that the blog document is popular and, thus, a positive indicator of the quality of the blog document.

Some negative factors could impact a blog. New posting frequency, especially at set intervals, could be a tipoff of a low quality, i.e. spam, blog. Post content and size might raise alarms in Google’s algorithm, and push the blog to a lower ranking.

Slawski offered a couple of points where such negative ranking could affect a blog that actually contains valid content. A blog about Nigerian spam emails, he noted, may not rank well by Google’s criteria.

Google could also divine some unsavory intent by the way links get sprinkled throughout a blog, by Slawski’s reckoning:

Link distribution of the blog document It appears that under this quality scoring system, whom you are linking to is considered, too:

As disclosed above, some posts are created to increase the pagerank of a particular blog document. In some cases, a high percentage of all links from the posts or from the blog document all point to ether a single web page, or to a single external site. If the number of links to any single external site exceeds a threshold, this can be a negative indication of quality of the blog document.

Some interesting points made in the SEO world as we continuously try to establish the tactics of Google and its algorithms.