I could not sleep last night! Some how the ongoing debate to cut down outsourcing is giving me all the jitters. And then when I finally caught a wink all I could see through the darkness was how web development industry would fare.
Thank my god, it ain’t that scary.
The year 2001 spelt near doom of web development when the dot-com bubble burst. But call it destiny or whatever… but it survived through that era. In 2008 however, even though the US economy’s doesn’t look that promising, there’s more hope for the web to follow the economy’s course rather than shatter and fall below it.
Business commentators have drafted out charts and graphs to document how revenues will remain steady even against a backdrop of stagflation, war, and other economic tensions.
The web will thrive, sure it will, but I guess it has more do with how the Web has become an ordinary part of our lives.
• In 2001, Internet was only making its way to the doors of many American homes. It was like the dish TV’s of today. Like people did know how to live with it. Cut to the present and I see kids who can’t even begin to think of a life without the internet. It’s like someone telling you to imagine your world minus water!!! Be it keeping in touch with friends and family or setting up an entire business, the World Wide Web has everyone in its net.
• The dot com boom and bust was all about get consumers to come somewhere and buy things. When the deals looked less exciting, customers simply stopped coming. The past few years have seen an explosion of sites built on sharing and communication between visitors, not just between buyers and sellers. Those communities have become a part of people’s daily lives, an important part of their social life. This doesn’t mean that people spend all day staring at Facebook or Orkut or blogs - but it does mean that people have integrated those sites into their daily lives.
• It would be an understatement to say that we have adapted to the web, rather we are addicted to it. Having a web site for a business is no longer a huge special event - it’s something normal. Lots of people now turn to the Web rather than the phone book when they want to find out what a store’s hours are. Actually don’t put yourself at risk by not having one!
• It was a different story back in the 90s. Putting up a web site was a big deal, like equal to constructing a mall or something. It was all about investing a lot of time, costly hosting and bandwidth, specialized developers, and a mindset that poured money into building audience size at any cost. Today, you can do even large-scale hosting at much lower cost, web skills are a more ordinary part of skill sets for administrative assistants, Java programmers, and database gurus alike.
• Gone is the era of snail mail. And with it, has gone that limitation of trade. The Web reaches well past local stores and local customers. If someone somewhere on the globe likes what you have, it’s much easier to conduct a transaction now than it used to be. This might be stabilizing - international customers may be responding to different economic stimuli than local ones. Of course, the value in that depends on other areas doing better than the local economy.
• There are still immense new projects coming on to the Web, but there’s also a tremendous amount that’s already up, developed, thought of as monthly maintenance costs rather than intense new expenditures. While this may not look like a bright new horizon for entrepreneurs, it does provide the Web with some much-needed ballast to keep it stable through whatever waves the economy throws at it.
I’m sure I’ve left out a lot of reasons for stability, and at the same time I doubt that the web world will shrug off the impact of broader economic busts or booms. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Amazon, and other big players have, after all, become a key part of our economy, tightly integrated with all kinds of businesses on their way up or down.
What I don’t see today, however, is the kind of industry collapse that happened in 2000 and 2001.
And with this optimism to count on, I can get now get a good nights sleep!
Good Night!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Website Designing Blunders!
Hi,
“When you are at it… BE at it!!” or so they say. And let me do the same. After telling you the way how to go about designing a perfect website, let me also enlighten you about some designing blunders that people tend to make.
A mistake is worth regret if you not learn anything from it. I learnt my lessons the same way.
Cornucopia of Graphics
A crisp title, I know would induce no glamour to this oft-repeated rule of the book. But repetition just reinstates the importance. I can possibly scream it out from rooftops, if only people cared to listen. Too many graphics only make the website heavy and difficult to load. And visitors might never return to your website if you disappoint them once with the download speed. But if you still swear by that glittering lump of mass that you think is the crown of the site, then for your own sake use GIF files rather instead of the normal JPEG. And reduce your graphic size without distorting the images.
Beefy Banners
Banners are what you call the necessary evils of the website. they sure do guarantee a steady stream of income but takes eternity to load and thus gives to annoyed visitors too! Play safe and make the best of both worlds and limit the use of banners on your site. For most visitors banners are just sister replicas of an advertisements, so they usually skip clicking it. Keep your banner either on top of the site or at the bottom. Be precise while using your banner. It should relate to your product or services.
Hit counters
Completely renounce that hit counter placed strategically on your website. For the record, hit counters show the number of hits of the site. Never make hit counters visible on the site unless of course you belong to the website kin, whose visitors amount to millions… and still counting types. Think about it… have you ever had dinner from someplace that says you are the first customer?? You value your taste buds and visitors their time. Spare them the agony of knowing that he/she is the ninth or tenth person on the planet to come visiting the space.
However, once your site is up and running and figures out in the millions registry, then use these counters to promote your site or attract advertisers.
Hodgepodge Website
Organization is the key! And that is it. Feng shui advices de-cluttering and the same goes for your website to. If you want your website to be loved by customers make sure you present them with a clean and well organized website. your visitors are not mystery customers who will wait to evaluate and analyze each and every component of your site. If you can afford to have a website then have on it well placed links leading the visitor to other pages and a sound navigation.
Generalization
Don't make your website a universal template. You could have done better with a newsletter in case! Rather, be interactive in your approach. Personalize your approach and treat them special. There is no glue like emotion. Play on that and develop and emotional bond with the visitors so that they return, be it owing to that attachment. Decide on your target audience and make your website focus on them make your content more communicative and let your visitors feel that you are talking directly to them.
The bible proclaimed seven deadly sins. I tell you about five. But believe you me, going by the bible of website designing, abstinence is the rule to play them by!
wii get you more next week...
Maneet
“When you are at it… BE at it!!” or so they say. And let me do the same. After telling you the way how to go about designing a perfect website, let me also enlighten you about some designing blunders that people tend to make.
A mistake is worth regret if you not learn anything from it. I learnt my lessons the same way.
Cornucopia of Graphics
A crisp title, I know would induce no glamour to this oft-repeated rule of the book. But repetition just reinstates the importance. I can possibly scream it out from rooftops, if only people cared to listen. Too many graphics only make the website heavy and difficult to load. And visitors might never return to your website if you disappoint them once with the download speed. But if you still swear by that glittering lump of mass that you think is the crown of the site, then for your own sake use GIF files rather instead of the normal JPEG. And reduce your graphic size without distorting the images.
Beefy Banners
Banners are what you call the necessary evils of the website. they sure do guarantee a steady stream of income but takes eternity to load and thus gives to annoyed visitors too! Play safe and make the best of both worlds and limit the use of banners on your site. For most visitors banners are just sister replicas of an advertisements, so they usually skip clicking it. Keep your banner either on top of the site or at the bottom. Be precise while using your banner. It should relate to your product or services.
Hit counters
Completely renounce that hit counter placed strategically on your website. For the record, hit counters show the number of hits of the site. Never make hit counters visible on the site unless of course you belong to the website kin, whose visitors amount to millions… and still counting types. Think about it… have you ever had dinner from someplace that says you are the first customer?? You value your taste buds and visitors their time. Spare them the agony of knowing that he/she is the ninth or tenth person on the planet to come visiting the space.
However, once your site is up and running and figures out in the millions registry, then use these counters to promote your site or attract advertisers.
Hodgepodge Website
Organization is the key! And that is it. Feng shui advices de-cluttering and the same goes for your website to. If you want your website to be loved by customers make sure you present them with a clean and well organized website. your visitors are not mystery customers who will wait to evaluate and analyze each and every component of your site. If you can afford to have a website then have on it well placed links leading the visitor to other pages and a sound navigation.
Generalization
Don't make your website a universal template. You could have done better with a newsletter in case! Rather, be interactive in your approach. Personalize your approach and treat them special. There is no glue like emotion. Play on that and develop and emotional bond with the visitors so that they return, be it owing to that attachment. Decide on your target audience and make your website focus on them make your content more communicative and let your visitors feel that you are talking directly to them.
The bible proclaimed seven deadly sins. I tell you about five. But believe you me, going by the bible of website designing, abstinence is the rule to play them by!
wii get you more next week...
Maneet
Friday, March 14, 2008
Freedom of AIR!!!
Hi,
I just got back from an outstation wedding. But for workaholics like me, there seldom is pleasure without work. And so was the case this time. Though my laptop is my constant companion, what frustrates me is I have no access to my PC data when I am traveling. And again, when I am offline, I am cut off from the web data.
And I can see you nod in affirmation!
As I sulked, thinking about how I will endure this dilemma, I almost rubbed my eyes when I stumbled upon a piece about AIR, short for Adobe Integrated Runtime, a software development system by Adobe that will power potentially tens of thousands of applications that merge the Internet and the PC, as well as blur the distinctions between PCs and new computing devices like smart phones.
AIR is the brainchild of Kevin Lynch, a San Francisco based software developer, who I guess would have been bugged enough by the ordeal of living in the catch 22 situation that worked his brains to get something like this out.
AIR is a value addition and builds on the Flash multimedia software that engines the Web animations, e-commerce sites and many streaming videos. The company claims that it is the most ubiquitous software on earth, residing on almost all Internet-connected personal computers.
But I wonder if it will be that useful for all the users. Like most people may not even know about AIR. Applications will look and run the same… it would not really be any different whether the user is at his desk or his portable computer, and soon when using a mobile device or at an Internet kiosk. In the near future, applications will increasingly be built with routine access to all the Web’s information and a user’s files will be accessible whether at home or traveling.
Yeah, AIR sure will come as a boon to the software developers and help them create applications that exist in part on a user’s PC and in part on servers reachable through the Internet. The AIR applications are capable of mimicking the functions of a Web browser but do not require a Web browser to run.
From what I hear, this so called revolution to step beyond PC-based applications is slated to raise the mercury in the coming times. Intel is all set to introduce its low-cost “Netbook” computer strategy that aims to unleash a new wave of inexpensive wireless connected mobile computers. The new machines will come with relatively small amount of solid state disk storage capacity and will increasingly rely on data stored on Internet servers.
To ad to the buzz, many small developers like OpenLazlo and Xcerion are creating web operating systems intended to move applications and data off the PC desktop and into the Internet through the Web browser.
Mozilla, the developer of the Firefox Web browser, has created a system known as Prism in addition to its XUL and XULRunner. Sun Microsystems introduced JavaFX this year, which is also aimed at blurring the Web-desktop line. Google is testing a system called Gears that intends to allow some Web services to work on computers that are not connected to the Internet.
Finally, there is Microsoft. It is pushing its competitor to Flash, called Silverlight. But then, Silverlight is a browser plug-in where as AIR is a desktop runtime. So a direct collision is avoided there.
Well with all these superpowers ready to take on the battlefield, there is but one winner! And that is you and me, the consumer!! With a range of applications to choose from without compromising on any data, I am getting ready for a vacation. What are you up to?
Byeee
I just got back from an outstation wedding. But for workaholics like me, there seldom is pleasure without work. And so was the case this time. Though my laptop is my constant companion, what frustrates me is I have no access to my PC data when I am traveling. And again, when I am offline, I am cut off from the web data.
And I can see you nod in affirmation!
As I sulked, thinking about how I will endure this dilemma, I almost rubbed my eyes when I stumbled upon a piece about AIR, short for Adobe Integrated Runtime, a software development system by Adobe that will power potentially tens of thousands of applications that merge the Internet and the PC, as well as blur the distinctions between PCs and new computing devices like smart phones.
AIR is the brainchild of Kevin Lynch, a San Francisco based software developer, who I guess would have been bugged enough by the ordeal of living in the catch 22 situation that worked his brains to get something like this out.
AIR is a value addition and builds on the Flash multimedia software that engines the Web animations, e-commerce sites and many streaming videos. The company claims that it is the most ubiquitous software on earth, residing on almost all Internet-connected personal computers.
But I wonder if it will be that useful for all the users. Like most people may not even know about AIR. Applications will look and run the same… it would not really be any different whether the user is at his desk or his portable computer, and soon when using a mobile device or at an Internet kiosk. In the near future, applications will increasingly be built with routine access to all the Web’s information and a user’s files will be accessible whether at home or traveling.
Yeah, AIR sure will come as a boon to the software developers and help them create applications that exist in part on a user’s PC and in part on servers reachable through the Internet. The AIR applications are capable of mimicking the functions of a Web browser but do not require a Web browser to run.
From what I hear, this so called revolution to step beyond PC-based applications is slated to raise the mercury in the coming times. Intel is all set to introduce its low-cost “Netbook” computer strategy that aims to unleash a new wave of inexpensive wireless connected mobile computers. The new machines will come with relatively small amount of solid state disk storage capacity and will increasingly rely on data stored on Internet servers.
To ad to the buzz, many small developers like OpenLazlo and Xcerion are creating web operating systems intended to move applications and data off the PC desktop and into the Internet through the Web browser.
Mozilla, the developer of the Firefox Web browser, has created a system known as Prism in addition to its XUL and XULRunner. Sun Microsystems introduced JavaFX this year, which is also aimed at blurring the Web-desktop line. Google is testing a system called Gears that intends to allow some Web services to work on computers that are not connected to the Internet.
Finally, there is Microsoft. It is pushing its competitor to Flash, called Silverlight. But then, Silverlight is a browser plug-in where as AIR is a desktop runtime. So a direct collision is avoided there.
Well with all these superpowers ready to take on the battlefield, there is but one winner! And that is you and me, the consumer!! With a range of applications to choose from without compromising on any data, I am getting ready for a vacation. What are you up to?
Byeee
Monday, March 10, 2008
Web Designers Alert!!!
Hi,
While you are still glossing over what I told you about in my last post, let me just stack you up with some more info about web designing. And yeah I owe it all the web designers straight out of designing schools.
So let me unveil some designer tricks that may take you a step ahead of your competitors.
Go low on Images
An image is poetry without words, or so they say. But let’s just reserve the poetry for later. Visitors on your site neither intend nor have the luxury of time to sit and wait till eternity for the images to load. And trust me, a chunk of relevant information is way better than a truckload of flashy images!
And yeah, one more thing each file on the page requires a separate HTTP request to the server. So a lot of small images-even if they do not add up to a lot in terms of bytes - will slow down the loading a lot.
Navigation Woes
So, you have made the website a beauty of own kinds. But a great site without good navigation is no better than a dumb blonde ;)
With al due respect to your artistic excellence, I suggest you pay more attention to the navigability and functionality of the website. Users won’t stay and admire the beauty of the website unless they find it easier to browse through.
Hide-and –Seek
If you don’t already know Mystery Meat Navigation is the scenario where unless your mouse moves over an image, you have no idea where that link might take you. Only when the mouse hovers on top of it, do you see the actual link. Please don play hide-and-seek with the visitor. Keep the link titles clear and visible. You’ll be doing a huge favor.
Browser Battles
The competition in the telecom sector may just come second. The varied species of browsers have just victimized the user! Keep off from browser specific functions. Because if that particular feature is supported by one browser, chances are it won’t even work on others. Check out the cross-platform compatibility that I mentioned earlier. That should come handy.
Pop Up- Traffic Down
Literally, with each new window that you open out for a link, the user traffic will go down in the same ratio. Creating a new browser window should be the sole authority of the user. You doing that honor will just mess up the user’s screen. And no likes other’s mess! Make all links open in the same window by default.
Yeah, in cases where you have to present a list of links or something like that, use that pop up. But make sure to intimidate the user before.
Font preference
Have you ever wondered why does a printed copy look better than a handwritten note? (Unless of course, if its mine :P) It’s all about fonts. And bear in mind that what sits pretty on MSWord, doesn’t go that well with online web page. Stick to the standard plain fonts like Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, and Courier.
Let me repeat yet again, whatever you create and put on your website, test and make sure the run on all the browsers, with all resolutions and all color. Make your guest feel at home and serve them the best!
Will get you more in my next post. Signing off..
Maneet Puri
While you are still glossing over what I told you about in my last post, let me just stack you up with some more info about web designing. And yeah I owe it all the web designers straight out of designing schools.
So let me unveil some designer tricks that may take you a step ahead of your competitors.
Go low on Images
An image is poetry without words, or so they say. But let’s just reserve the poetry for later. Visitors on your site neither intend nor have the luxury of time to sit and wait till eternity for the images to load. And trust me, a chunk of relevant information is way better than a truckload of flashy images!
And yeah, one more thing each file on the page requires a separate HTTP request to the server. So a lot of small images-even if they do not add up to a lot in terms of bytes - will slow down the loading a lot.
Navigation Woes
So, you have made the website a beauty of own kinds. But a great site without good navigation is no better than a dumb blonde ;)
With al due respect to your artistic excellence, I suggest you pay more attention to the navigability and functionality of the website. Users won’t stay and admire the beauty of the website unless they find it easier to browse through.
Hide-and –Seek
If you don’t already know Mystery Meat Navigation is the scenario where unless your mouse moves over an image, you have no idea where that link might take you. Only when the mouse hovers on top of it, do you see the actual link. Please don play hide-and-seek with the visitor. Keep the link titles clear and visible. You’ll be doing a huge favor.
Browser Battles
The competition in the telecom sector may just come second. The varied species of browsers have just victimized the user! Keep off from browser specific functions. Because if that particular feature is supported by one browser, chances are it won’t even work on others. Check out the cross-platform compatibility that I mentioned earlier. That should come handy.
Pop Up- Traffic Down
Literally, with each new window that you open out for a link, the user traffic will go down in the same ratio. Creating a new browser window should be the sole authority of the user. You doing that honor will just mess up the user’s screen. And no likes other’s mess! Make all links open in the same window by default.
Yeah, in cases where you have to present a list of links or something like that, use that pop up. But make sure to intimidate the user before.
Font preference
Have you ever wondered why does a printed copy look better than a handwritten note? (Unless of course, if its mine :P) It’s all about fonts. And bear in mind that what sits pretty on MSWord, doesn’t go that well with online web page. Stick to the standard plain fonts like Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, and Courier.
Let me repeat yet again, whatever you create and put on your website, test and make sure the run on all the browsers, with all resolutions and all color. Make your guest feel at home and serve them the best!
Will get you more in my next post. Signing off..
Maneet Puri
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