Website Customization: What can we do?
07 Apr
Posted by ProCOM 
on April 7, 2008 – 9:25 pm - 218 views
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. So that you can read the latest updates about Web2.0 tools, Making Money Online, Tips in SEO, Ajax and many more. Thanks for visiting ProgramimiCOM!
Nowadays, in this trendy world, people get very uptight when they do not look entirely presentable. This would also be the case in web designing.
Every individual would definitely want their website to look good, if not, to the best they can. Here are a few things we could look out for when wanting to create a professional looking webpage.
Color Schemes and Themes.
When designing, always choose matching colors. An example of a matching color would be to have a dark background, with visible words and designs. With the dark theme, try not to mix too many bright colors into the design. What we should NEVER do, is to mix two very different colors, such as purple and yellow. Now, of course, it would depend on the purpose of the website, but those two colors are too striking for one who wants it to look more professional.
Themes must always suit the company or rather, the organization / etc. If the website was made to cater for a food company, it would be wise to stick to that particular category, rather than to revert to a different theme, such as machinery.
Fonts should be used in regard to the formality of the website. A simple sans-serif font would suffice in most cases. Exceptional cases such as design and art groups might want to use fanciful designs and fonts. Of course, that’s only if you know what you’re doing.
Finally, we must always try to think of our visitors, see the way they see. The resolutions and file sizes of the pictures must not be too large in terms of size. This is to allow maximum compatibility and cater our visitor’s needs.
So, planning is something we should always do, before attempting something.
How To Create Various Redirects
07 Apr
Posted by ProCOM on April 7, 2008 – 12:33 am - 452 views
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...There are many reasons for redirecting a user to another page. Perhaps the page has moved or perhaps they are trying to access a page they shouldn’t have access to. Or maybe you want to put in an interstitial ad (those full page ads displayed before taking you to the actual page you want to go to).
There are also many ways of implementing a redirect, each with advantages and disadvantages appropriate for different scenarios.
HTML Redirect/META refresh
This is probably one of the most widely used since it is easy to implement. Using a <meta> tag, once a page is loaded, users can be redirected to another page after a certain amount of time. All those “you will be redirected in 5 seconds” pages use a <meta> refresh tag to accomplish this.
The code goes in the <head></head> section of your HTML and looks like the following:
<meta type=”http-equiv” content=”7;url=http://www.programimi.com” />
The number before the semi-colon indicates how many seconds the browser should wait until redirecting the user to the page specified. If an URI is not specified, the page will refresh itself after the set amount of seconds — useful for continuously updating a page without having to use JavaScript.
The PHP Redirect (and other languages)
Using a server-side language, you can invisibly redirect the user to another page. For example, this can be useful if they try to access a secure page without proper authorization and you wish to redirect them to a login page.
The syntax varies with language but here is the PHP code:
<?php
header(”Location: http://www.programimi.com/”);
?>
This modifies the header to send the user to a desired page. Note that headers can only be modified if no output has been sent yet.
.htaccess Redirect
Using .htaccess to redirect has several purposes. Similar to forcing www, you can use mod_rewrite to send users to a different destination. The code is simple — redirect all page requests to a new domain.
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
The advantage to this method is that it will maintain the page URI the user was trying to access. For example, if they navigate to http://www.olddomain.com/contact.php, they will be redirected to http://www.newdomain.com/contact.php instead of just the domain root.
Moved Permanently - 301 Redirect
Also, note the R=301 option at the end of the .htaccess code above. This 301 code is to let search engines know that the domain has been moved permanently and all old links should be updated to the new domain.
A 301 Redirect can also be achieved in PHP by adding this line prior to the redirection line:
header( “HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently” );
If you’re into SEO (search engine optimization), listing the old domain as 301 is very important.
JavaScript?
There’s actually another method I left out and that is redirecting with JavaScript. I left it out because I can’t think of a situation where it would be better suited than the other methods described above. That, and there are more compatibility issues with JavaScript.
Know of any other ways of redirecting?
5 Important Rules in Website Design
06 Apr
Posted by ProCOM on April 6, 2008 – 9:33 pm - 243 views
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose. Here are seven important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your website performs well.
1) Do not use splash pages
Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like “welcome” or “click here to enter”. In fact, they are just that — pretty vases with no real purpose. Do not let your visitors have a reason to click on the “back” button! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.
2) Do not use excessive banner advertisements
Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valueable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy.
3) Have a simple and clear navigation
You have to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even a young child will know how to use it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don’t know how to navigate, they will leave your site.
4) Have a clear indication of where the user is
When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don’t confuse your visitors because confusion means “abandon ship”!
5) Avoid using audio on your site
If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they’re not annoyed by some audio looping on and on on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it — volume or muting controls would work fine.
5 Ways to Keep Visitors Coming Back
05 Apr
Posted by ProCOM on April 5, 2008 – 9:33 pm - 296 views
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...A lot of successful websites depend on returning visitors to account for a major part of their traffic. Returning visitors are easier to convert into paying customers because the more often they return to a site, the more trust they have in that site. The credibility issue just melts away. Hence, keep your visitors coming back to your site with the following methods:
1) Start a forum, chatroom or shoutbox
When you start a forum, chatroom or shoutbox, you are providing your visitors a place to voice their opinions and interact with their peers — all of them are visitors of your site. As conversations build up, a sense of community will also follow and your visitors will come back to your site almost religiously every day.
2) Start a web log (blog)
Keep an online journal, or more commonly known as a blog, on your site and keep it updated with latest news about yourself. Human beings are curious creatures and they will keep their eyes glued to the monitor if you post fresh news frequently. You will also build up your credibility as you are proving to them that there is also a real life person behind the website.
3) Carry out polls or surveys
Polls and surveys are other forms of interaction that you should definitely consider adding to your site. They provide a quick way for visitors to voice their opinions and to get involved in your website. Be sure to publish polls or surveys that are strongly relevant to the target market of your website to keep them interested to find out about the results.
4) Hold puzzles, quizzes and games
Just imagine how many office workers procrastinate at work every day, and you will be able to gauge how many people will keep visiting your site if you provide a very interesting or addicting way of entertainment. You can also hold competitions to award the high score winner to keep people trying continuously to earn the prize.
5) Update frequently with fresh content
Update your site frequently with fresh content so that every time your visitors come back, they will have something to read on your site. This is the most widely known and most effective method of attracting returning visitors, but this is also the least carried out one because of the laziness of webmasters. No one will want to browse a site that looks the same over ten years, so keep your site updated with fresh bites!
Blogging for Money
05 Apr
Posted by ProCOM on April 5, 2008 – 7:21 am - 239 views
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...If you can write, you can blog. And if you can blog, you can make money. It is really that simple.
Blogging is nothing more than keeping a web log, or a series of posts on absolutely any topic you like. The majority of bloggers are just personal blogger, writing about their daily life and experiences. These people tend to have a large following among family and friends, but not necessarily anyone else, unless they happen to have a fascinating life.
In order to earn money blogging, you need a topic that interests someone besides your mother. That doesn’t mean choosing a technical or difficult subject, just one that will draw a crowd when you write something interesting about it. This could be anything from natural cosmetics to horror movies and anything in between.
Although some recommend choosing your niche based on things like high quality keywords, I personally believe that you are far better off selecting a subject that interests you. After all, you will have to write about it day in and day out for the next several years if all goes well! You ought to feel some passion for the topic.
Starting a blog is easy enough. Most people have plenty of ideas at the beginning. You can start off with a handful of articles on the basics of your topic and then post every day or every week, as you please, from then on. Keep your blogging posts on topic and full of interesting information to bring people back.
Now, just because you start blogging does not mean people will come flocking to read what you write. In fact, you will probably be dismally disappointed when you see the hits counter hasn’t budged in a week. Once you have a few posts up, it is time to start promoting your blog. That means talking it up to friends and family, MSN contacts and adding your blogging URL to your signature line anywhere you can . . . in your email, forums and assorted message boards. These also count as backlinks which will eventually help you out in the search engines.
Earning with blogging can be done in several ways. For example, you can add ads to your blog. Adsense is a good one to start with, but there are plenty of alternatives. You can also take on a paid review ad from a website like Pay per Post or something similar, where you write a review of a product and post it on your blog and the site will pay you.
Affiliate marketing is another way to earn through blogging. Recommending a product and then offering your own affiliate link for buying it or signing up for a service is a good way to monetize your blog.
You could also try selling your own products. These could be real life products that need to be shipped, print on demand products like from CafePress or Printfection, or information products like e-books. The idea is to turn blogging into a profitable venture.
Even after you start selling on your blogging site, remember to continue offering good solid information on your topic.
Audio-Video Streaming for Online Business
04 Apr
Posted by ProCOM on April 4, 2008 – 1:23 am - 257 views
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Audio-video streaming is basically video with sound that you can watch online. The video is transmitted over the internet for various reasons, but you can take advantage of it for your own online business.
The first way to use audio-video streaming is to create a video that promotes your business or product. Think of it as an internet ad. Depending on how you do it, this video could be uploaded onto site like YouTube where millions of potential viewers can see it. You can also pay to have your ad placed on third-party websites.
Audio-video streaming can also be used to show how to use your product, right on your own site. This is very important if you have a product that benefits from more explanation than simply a photo or two with accompanying copywriting. For example, George Foreman has videos on his site that both promote and show how to use his famous grill. There, you can learn right along with him, how to use his grill to prepare a fabulous meal. He isn’t just telling you how to do it in text, but actually showing you through the wonder of audio-video streaming!
At times audio-video streaming can be used to create the actual product. You can sell videos on just about anything and if you make a video on something that many people are interested in, you can sell it on your website. The best way to do this is to create the video, then charge a fee to be able to enter the website. Alternatively, you could offer audio-video streaming downloads that people can pay for individually. This is best if you plan to offer multiple videos for sale on your site.
If you decide to use audio-video streaming to create and deliver your products, you need to have a very good and very interesting topic. Something that is easy to promote and that will draw people to your website. For example, fitness videos are very popular with all ages, but particularly with middle-aged women who are worried about their weight. If you offer a website that uploads a new audio-video streaming fitness program every day or every other day, you can charge a monthly fee for access.
The same goes for just about any popular topic. You can also use audio-video streaming to add more products to an existing website that sells information and/or physical products. For example, you might want to try creating some audio-video streaming videos on do it yourself projects for a home improvement site. Use your products in the video to gain extra promotion.
Audio-video streaming can be a very useful tool if you know what to do with it. There is plenty of information on the internet and it is worth your while to take a little time and learn how it works. Then you can start applying it to your business, creating your own products to sell or using it for promotional purposes. One thing remains clear; audio-video streaming is a valuable addition to the internet business.
How To Automate Your SSH Login With PuTTY
04 Apr
Posted by ProCOM on April 4, 2008 – 12:20 am - 502 views
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...As many web developers can attest to, logging into your server through SSH (Secure Shell) is one of the more common day-to-day tasks (you can even use it as a secure tunnel for your traffic). It only makes sense to automate this process which in turn can save many many keystrokes.
This how-to is written with PuTTY and Windows in mind and requires several other tools that are available from PuTTY’s website. So from their download page, make sure you have these files:
- PuTTY (putty.exe)
- PuTTYgen (puttygen.exe)
Then to automate SSH login, do the following:
- Run PuTTYgen.
- Select SSH-2 DSA as the Type of Key to generate.
- Click generate and move your mouse around to generate randomness.
- Click “Save Private Key” and save it somewhere on your computer.
- Copy the entire content inside the box to your clipboard (this is your generated public key).
- Login to your SSH server.
- Create the file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys containing the generated public key (from step 3) on a single line.
- Make this file readable (chmod 755).
- Then open up PuTTY and navigate to Connection->Data and fill in the auto-login username.
- Navigate to Connection->SSH->Auth and under Private-key, browse to the file you had saved earlier on your computer.
That’s it! Now you can try logging in to your SSH server and it should login automatically. If it works, make sure you save your session so you don’t have to repeat these steps every time!
Hopefully these steps work for everyone! Let me know if there are any problems.
How To Setup Your Own Dns (Domain Name Server)
03 Apr
Posted by ProCOM on April 3, 2008 – 6:11 pm - 852 views
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...This is only a quick tutorial, there are literally hundreds of little tricks you can do with a DNS, but this will get your basics up and running. I’m assuming you want to setup a windows DNS server, but the principals will work for most servers.
You will need..
- 1) A domain name over which you have full control
- 2) DNS server software(Windows server always comes with one of these)
- 3) At least one fixed IP address, allthough two is highly desirable
- 4) An idea of what services you want on your server
The first thing you need to do is create your new domain entry. In windows this is called a “Zone” and you will have one for every domain name you have. Add your main domain in the forward lookup zone as a Primary zone, which will be in the format “Domainname.com”, or .co.uk, or whatever, you shouldn’t need any more details for this bit. Do *not* allow dynamic updates unless this is a local network DNS. Once it is created you will have 2 entry’s under your new domain, “SOA”(Or Start of Authority) and “NS”(Or Name server). If you want a 100% compliant DNS then you should now follow the same process but adding a domain as a reverse lookup zone. Any changes you make to the forward lookup should have the “Update Reverse Lookup” option ticked if its available, if not you must update the reverse zone manually(This is very important).
Now edit the “NS” entry in your forward zone to “NS0.DomainName.Com”, and set it to the relevant IP address. Add another (NS) record and set it to “NS1.DomainName.Com”. If using 2 IP address, try to make NS0 the first IP. Now you need to configure the SOA entry in the forward lookup zone. The serial number should be changed to a date followed by a number in this format “YYYYMMDDnn”, this is not required, but is advised by RIPE. The primary server will be the “NS0.domainname.com” entry you just made and the responsible person should be left for now. The refresh interval should be set somewhere between 1200 to 43200 seconds, the retry should be between 120-7200 seconds and the expires after should be around 2-4 weeks(I’ll let you work out the seconds for that). The minimum TTL is quite important, and depending on what you are going to do with the domain, you might need to tweak this a bit. Typically a value between 1-3 hours should be used. Now go to your “Name server” settings in your SOA record(In windows this is a tab in the same window) remove the defaults, and add your two Name servers that you just setup. We will come back to the SOA record later, but for now we need to do some more stuff.
If you want a website, then your going to want the WWW. setting up. We will set it up as an “A” record, which means it is a separate top level record and will be populated separately from other entries. So add an “A” to your forward lookup zone and put the entry as “WWW”, and set the IP address to wherever you want the website to be. This will be where the domain always goes, and it could be anywhere. Just make sure there is a web server waiting there for it. If you want FTP, then setup the same thing but with “FTP” in the entry. You will now also have to setup “A” records for the NS0 and NS1 name servers that you added previously, just make them the same as WWW and FTP, but make sure the IP addresses match the ones used for setting up the “NS” records. Also add a blank “A” record, this will make sure that “domainname.com” works as well as “www.domainname.com”.
Now you should decide whether or not you want to have mail on this domain. It is Hegel advisable that you set one up, even if it just to catch domain mail about abuse or potential problems that might occur. You can find plenty of high quality free mail servers out there, but I would recommend “Mail Enable”, its free and provides everything you would want, but if you want webmail you do have to pay something extra for it. We will now configure the MX records. Add an “A” name for your mail server, you can add 2 if you want, but for simplicity I would advise staying with 1. We will call ours “Mail.domainname.com”, and point it to one of our IP addresses. Now add an “MX” record in the Forward Lookup zone, giving it the full “A” record you just entered “Mail.domainname.com”, and do not setup a host or child domain, just leave it blank.
This next step isn’t needed, but is again highly recommended.
Now to finish the SOA you need to add two more records. A “RP” entry, which is a Responsible Person, and they will be the contact point for domain complaints and a “MB” entry, which is a mailbox entry. The “MB” should just be pointed to the mail server domain name “Mail.domainname.com”, and the “RP” should have the host or domain set to the name of your mail box. So for this server it will be “Tony.Domainname.com”, and the mailbox will be set to the “MB” record you just made. Don’t worry about the RP address having no “@” in it, this is the expected format for an “RP” entry. You will now have to go back into the SOA and change the responsible person to the new “RP” record you just made.
And thats it, your done! You can add as many “A” records as you like to point to other web servers, or a multitude of FTP sites. And you can add “CNAME” records to basically point to another name, usually an “A” record, like an alias.
Now before you switch your domain on, you need to check that the server is performing properly. So go to www.dnsreport.com, and run the report on your domain “domainname.com”, and it will give you a very detailed report of any problems, and even a short description of how to fix the problems. If all is OK, then you are ready to go live. If your domain name is new, or not currently hosted anywhere then the first thing you should do is re-point the domain at your new server. You will typically do this with the provider who owns the domain, and it will be different with all hosts. But the basic settings are the same. You will be asked for at least 2 name servers and ip addresses to go with them. Just put in “NS0.domainname.com” and “NS1.domainname.com” and put in the correct IP addresses. Make sure you do not mess this up, as changes to your main NS servers could potentially take several days to straighten themselves out. Update these settings, and then sit back and wait. You can do a whois on the main DNS server of your domain provider to check if the settings have worked, but again this doesn’t always work. For the big 3 domains(.com .net .org) you can do a whois on the network associates site to see the changes instantly. You can also track the progress of the domain changes by doing an NSLookup in dos, like this…
c:\nslookup ns0.domainname.com NS0.yourprovidersdns.com
That will give you the entries your domain provider has
c:\nslookup www.domainname.com ns0.domainname.com
And this will tell you if the changes for your domain have gone through to your ISPs DNS yet. It should give you back the IP address of your new DNS server.
You should always make sure your server is backed up, and that you refresh or update the DNS when you are making changes.
A Web Standards Checklist - How to make a proper website
03 Apr
Posted by ProCOM on April 3, 2008 – 12:14 pm - 587 views
(11 votes, average: 5 out of 5) Loading ...A web standards checklist
The term web standards can mean different things to different people. For some, it is ‘table-free sites’, for others it is ‘using valid code’. However, web standards are much broader than that. A site built to web standards should adhere to standards (HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, XSLT, DOM, MathML, SVG etc) and pursue best practices (valid code, accessible code, semantically correct code, user-friendly URLs etc).
In other words, a site built to web standards should ideally be lean, clean, CSS-based, accessible, usable and search engine friendly.
About the checklist
This is not an uber-checklist. There are probably many items that could be added. More importantly, it should not be seen as a list of items that must be addressed on every site that you develop. It is simply a guide that can be used:
- to show the breadth of web standards
- as a handy tool for developers during the production phase of websites
- as an aid for developers who are interested in moving towards web standards
The checklist
1.Quality of code
a. Does the site use a correct Doctype?
b. Does the site use a Character set?
c. Does the site use Valid (X)HTML?
d. Does the site use Valid CSS?
e. Does the site use any CSS hacks?
f. Does the site use unnecessary classes or ids?
g. Is the code well structured?
h. Does the site have any broken links?
i. How does the site perform in terms of speed/page size?
j. Does the site have JavaScript errors?
2. Degree of separation between content and presentation
a. Does the site use CSS for all presentation aspects (fonts, colour, padding, borders etc)?
b. Are all decorative images in the CSS, or do they appear in the (X)HTML?
3. Accessibility for users
a. Are “alt” attributes used for all descriptive images?
b. Does the site use relative units rather than absolute units for text size?
c. Do any aspects of the layout break if font size is increased?
d. Does the site use visible skip menus?
e. Does the site use accessible forms?
f. Does the site use accessible tables?
g. Is there sufficient colour brightness/contrasts?
h. Is colour alone used for critical information?
i. Is there delayed responsiveness for dropdown menus (for users with reduced motor skills)?
j. Are all links descriptive (for blind users)?
4. Accessibility for devices
a. Does the site work acceptably across modern and older browsers?
b. Is the content accessible with CSS switched off or not supported?
c. Is the content accessible with images switched off or not supported?
d. Does the site work in text browsers such as Lynx?
e. Does the site work well when printed?
f. Does the site work well in Hand Held devices?
g. Does the site include detailed metadata?
h. Does the site work well in a range of browser window sizes?
5. Basic Usability
a. Is there a clear visual hierarchy?
b. Are heading levels easy to distinguish?
c. Does the site have easy to understand navigation?
d. Does the site use consistent navigation?
e. Are links underlined?
f. Does the site use consistent and appropriate language?
g. Do you have a sitemap page and contact page? Are they easy to find?
h. For large sites, is there a search tool?
i. Is there a link to the home page on every page in the site?
j. Are visited links clearly defined with a unique colour?
6. Site management
a. Does the site have a meaningful and helpful 404 error page that works from any depth in the site?
b. Does the site use friendly URLs?
c. Do your URLs work without “www”?
d. Does the site have a favicon?
1. Quality of code
1.1 Does the site use a correct Doctype?
A doctype (short for ‘document type declaration’) informs the validator which version of (X)HTML you’re using, and must appear at the very top of every web page. Doctypes are a key component of compliant web pages: your markup and CSS won’t validate without them.
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/doctype/
More:
http://www.w3.org/QA/2002/04/valid-dtd-list.html
http://css.maxdesign.com.au/listamatic/about-boxmodel.htm
http://gutfeldt.ch/matthias/articles/doctypeswitch.html
1.2 Does the site use a Character set?
If a user agent (eg. a browser) is unable to detect the character encoding used in a Web document, the user may be presented with unreadable text. This information is particularly important for those maintaining and extending a multilingual site, but declaring the character encoding of the document is important for anyone producing XHTML/HTML or CSS.
http://www.w3.org/International/tutorials/tutorial-char-enc/
More:
http://www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html
1.3 Does the site use Valid (X)HTML?
Valid code will render faster than code with errors. Valid code will render better than invalid code. Browsers are becoming more standards compliant, and it is becoming increasingly necessary to write valid and standards compliant HTML.
http://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/sit2003/06.htm
More:
http://validator.w3.org/
1.4 Does the site use Valid CSS?
You need to make sure that there aren’t any errors in either your HTML or your CSS, since mistakes in either place can result in botched document appearance.
http://www.meyerweb.com/eric/articles/webrev/199904.html
More:
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
1.5 Does the site use any CSS hacks?
Basically, hacks come down to personal choice, the amount of knowledge you have of workarounds, the specific design you are trying to achieve.
http://www.mail-archive.com/wsg@webstandardsgroup.org/msg05823.html
More:
http://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=CssHack
http://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=ToHackOrNotToHack
http://centricle.com/ref/css/filters/
1.6 Does the site use unnecessary classes or ids?
I’ve noticed that developers learning new skills often end up with good CSS but poor XHTML. Specifically, the HTML code tends to be full of unnecessary divs and ids. This results in fairly meaningless HTML and bloated style sheets.
http://www.clagnut.com/blog/228/
1.7 Is the code well structured?
Semantically correct markup uses html elements for their given purpose. Well structured HTML has semantic meaning for a wide range of user agents (browsers without style sheets, text browsers, PDAs, search engines etc.)
http://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/benefits/index04.htm
More:
http://www.w3.org/2003/12/semantic-extractor.html
1.8 Does the site have any broken links?
Broken links can frustrate users and potentially drive customers away. Broken links can also keep search engines from properly indexing your site.
More:
http://validator.w3.org/checklink
1.9 How does the site perform in terms of speed/page size?
Don’t make me wait… That’s the message users give us in survey after survey. Even broadband users can suffer the slow-loading blues.
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/
1.10 Does the site have JavaScript errors?
Internet Explore for Windows allows you to turn on a debugger that will pop up a new window and let you know there are javascript errors on your site. This is available under ‘Internet Options’ on the Advanced tab. Uncheck ‘Disable script debugging’.
2. Degree of separation between content and presentation
2.1 Does the site use CSS for all presentation aspects (fonts, colour, padding, borders etc)?
Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-style-sheets
2.2 Are all decorative images in the CSS, or do they appear in the (X)HTML?
The aim for web developers is to remove all presentation from the html code, leaving it clean and semantically correct.
http://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/benefits/index07.htm
3. Accessibility for users
3.1 Are “alt” attributes used for all descriptive images?
Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-text-equivalent
3.2 Does the site use relative units rather than absolute units for text size?
Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values’.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-relative-units
More:
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-relative-units
http://www.clagnut.com/blog/348/
3.3 Do any aspects of the layout break if font size is increased?
Try this simple test. Look at your website in a browser that supports easy incrementation of font size. Now increase your browser’s font size. And again. And again… Look at your site. Does the page layout still hold together? It is dangerous for developers to assume that everyone browses using default font sizes.
3.4 Does the site use visible skip menus?
A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.
http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=12
Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-group-links
…blind visitors are not the only ones inconvenienced by too many links in a navigation area. Recall that a mobility-impaired person with poor adaptive technology might be stuck tabbing through that morass.
http://joeclark.org/book/sashay/serialization/Chapter08.html#h4-2020
More:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/websmith/508/o.htm
3.5 Does the site use accessible forms?
Forms aren’t the easiest of things to use for people with disabilities. Navigating around a page with written content is one thing, hopping between form fields and inputting information is another.
http://www.htmldog.com/guides/htmladvanced/forms/
More:
http://www.webstandards.org/learn/tutorials/accessible-forms/01-accessible-forms.html
http://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-form-builder.asp
http://accessify.com/tutorials/better-accessible-forms.asp
3.6 Does the site use accessible tables?
For data tables, identify row and column headers… For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-table-headers
More:
http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/webpublishing/ada/resources/tables.asp
http://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-table-builder_step1.asp
http://www.webaim.org/techniques/tables/
3.7 Is there sufficient colour brightness/contrasts?
Ensure that foreground and background colour combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having colour deficits.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-colour-contrast
More:
http://www.juicystudio.com/services/colourcontrast.asp
3.8 Is colour alone used for critical information?
Ensure that all information conveyed with colour is also available without colour, for example from context or markup.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-colour-convey
There are basically three types of colour deficiency; Deuteranope (a form of red/green colour deficit), Protanope (another form of red/green colour deficit) and Tritanope (a blue/yellow deficit- very rare).
More:
http://colourfilter.wickline.org/
http://www.toledo-bend.com/colourblind/Ishihara.html
http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckURL.php
3.9 Is there delayed responsiveness for dropdown menus?
Users with reduced motor skills may find dropdown menus hard to use if responsiveness is set too fast.
3.10 Are all links descriptive?
Link text should be meaningful enough to make sense when read out of context - either on its own or as part of a sequence of links. Link text should also be terse.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-meaningful-links
4. Accessibility for devices.
4.1 Does the site work acceptably across modern and older browsers?
Before starting to build a CSS-based layout, you should decide which browsers to support and to what level you intend to support them.
http://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/process/index_step01.cfm
4.2 Is the content accessible with CSS switched off or not supported?
Some people may visit your site with either a browser that does not support CSS or a browser with CSS switched off. In content is structured well, this will not be an issue.
4.3 Is the content accessible with images switched off or not supported?
Some people browse websites with images switched off - especially people on very slow connections. Content should still be accessible for these people.
4.4 Does the site work in text browsers such as Lynx?
This is like a combination of images and CSS switched off. A text-based browser will rely on well structured content to provide meaning.
More:
http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview
4.5 Does the site work well when printed?
You can take any (X)HTML document and simply style it for print, without having to touch the markup.
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/goingtoprint/
More:
http://www.d.umn.edu/itss/support/Training/Online/webdesign/css.html#print
4.6 Does the site work well in Hand Held devices?
This is a hard one to deal with until hand held devices consistently support their correct media type. However, some layouts work better in current hand-held devices. The importance of supporting hand held devices will depend on target audiences.
4.7 Does the site include detailed metadata?
Metadata is machine understandable information for the web
http://www.w3.org/Metadata/
Metadata is structured information that is created specifically to describe another resource. In other words, metadata is ‘data about data’.
4.8 Does the site work well in a range of browser window sizes?
It is a common assumption amongst developers that average screen sizes are increasing. Some developers assume that the average screen size is now 1024px wide. But what about users with smaller screens and users with hand held devices? Are they part of your target audience and are they being disadvantaged?
5. Basic Usability
5.1 Is there a clear visual hierarchy?
Organise and prioritise the contents of a page by using size, prominence and content relationships.
http://www.great-web-design-tips.com/web-site-design/165.html
5.2 Are heading levels easy to distinguish?
Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-logical-headings
5.3 Is the site’s navigation easy to understand?
Your navigation system should give your visitor a clue as to what page of the site they are currently on and where they can go next.
http://www.1stsitefree.com/design_nav.htm
5.4 Is the site’s navigation consistent?
If each page on your site has a consistent style of presentation, visitors will find it easier to navigate between pages and find information
http://www.juicystudio.com/tutorial/accessibility/navigation.asp
5.5 Does the site use consistent and appropriate language?
The use of clear and simple language promotes effective communication. Trying to come across as articulate can be as difficult to read as poorly written grammar, especially if the language used isn’t the visitor’s primary language.
http://www.juicystudio.com/tutorial/accessibility/clear.asp
5.6 Does the site have a sitemap page and contact page? Are they easy to find?
Most site maps fail to convey multiple levels of the site’s information architecture. In usability tests, users often overlook site maps or can’t find them. Complexity is also a problem: a map should be a map, not a navigational challenge of its own.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020106.html
5.7 For large sites, is there a search tool?
While search tools are not needed on smaller sites, and some people will not ever use them, site-specific search tools allow users a choice of navigation options.
5.8 Is there a link to the home page on every page in the site?
Some users like to go back to a site’s home page after navigating to content within a site. The home page becomes a base camp for these users, allowing them to regroup before exploring new content.
5.9 Are links underlined?
To maximise the perceived affordance of clickability, colour and underline the link text. Users shouldn’t have to guess or scrub the page to find out where they can click.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040510.html
5.10 Are visited links clearly defined?
Most important, knowing which pages they’ve already visited frees users from unintentionally revisiting the same pages over and over again.
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040503.html
6. Site management
6.1 Does the site have a meaningful and helpful 404 error page that works from any depth in the site?
You’ve requested a page - either by typing a URL directly into the address bar or clicking on an out-of-date link and you’ve found yourself in the middle of cyberspace nowhere. A user-friendly website will give you a helping hand while many others will simply do nothing, relying on the browser’s built-in ability to explain what the problem is.
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/perfect404/
6.2 Does the site use friendly URLs?
Most search engines (with a few exceptions - namely Google) will not index any pages that have a question mark or other character (like an ampersand or equals sign) in the URL… what good is a site if no one can find it?
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/search-engine-friendly-urls
One of the worst elements of the web from a user interface standpoint is the URL. However, if they’re short, logical, and self-correcting, URLs can be acceptably usable
http://www.merges.net/theory/20010305.html
More:
http://www.sitepoint.com/article/search-engine-friendly-urls
http://www.websitegoodies.com/article/32
http://www.merges.net/theory/20010305.html
6.3 Does the site’s URL work without “www”?
While this is not critical, and in some cases is not even possible, it is always good to give people the choice of both options. If a user types your domain name without the www and gets no site, this could disadvantage both the user and you.
6.4 Does the site have a favicon?
A Favicon is a multi-resolution image included on nearly all professionally developed sites. The Favicon allows the webmaster to further promote their site, and to create a more customized appearance within a visitor’s browser.
http://www.favicon.com/
Favicons are definitely not critical. However, if they are not present, they can cause 404 errors in your logs (site statistics). Browsers like IE will request them from the server when a site is bookmarked. If a favicon isn’t available, a 404 error may be generated. Therefore, having a favicon could cut down on favicon specific 404 errors. The same is true of a ‘robots.txt’ file.
Start an Online Auctions Business
03 Apr
Posted by ProCOM on April 3, 2008 – 8:19 am - 195 views
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...If you have ever wondered how you can earn just a bit of extra cash, you might want to consider online auctions. Everyone has heard of EBay these days and hundreds of people are earning a decent living just selling items on auctions like it.
There is no reason why you can’t be earning as well through online auctions. All you need is a product or two to get started with and you are in business! Your first auctions items can come from your own attic or garage.
Look around your house and see if there is anything that you don’t use anymore that you could get a few bucks for. A digital camera is invaluable in online auctions. In order to maximize your bids, you need to have a photo of the object you are trying to sell. People like to know what they are getting. So take at least one shot of the item in its best light and put that up with your listing.
It really pays to shop around. While EBay is the biggest and best known auctions site, it is far from the only one. Big and powerful also means expensive, as many sellers have noticed in recent months. The prices to list your item have gone up drastically since the beginning of the popular auctions site, while other websites offering the same services will still let you post for free. Check out if the websites charge you for selling and how much. That will help you make your final decision. You could also try posting auctions on several different sites and see how they turn out.
When you have reached a conclusion as to which websites are best for your purposes, you will probably have run out of items to sell from your own home. Now it is time to start looking for more sources. There are several ways to go about this.
Garage sales, yard sales and the like are good places to find great items that just need a cleaning in order to sell well on auctions sites. However, it takes time to travel from one garage sale to the next and unless you really enjoy it, the hunt is not worth it. You will spend more time traveling, buying and cleaning than you will be paid. As they say, “time is money”!
Another option is to buy wholesale. There are dropshippers all over the world who will happily give you photos that you can post on your auctions site and when you get paid, you pay the dropshipper and give them the address of the buyer so they can send the item. The big disadvantage here, although you save time, is that dropshippers sometimes run out of things and you have no control over when an item goes out. If things go wrong, it is not your fault, but you’ll end up paying!
You could also buy several items packaged together from one auction, separate them and resell on an individual basis. This is probably the best way to go if you want to have full control and earn well.
It really is possible to earn with online auctions, you just have to know what you are doing. So get started today and start learning!
Blogs We Read
Recent Articles
Recent Comments
- black jack online on Introducing the Google Maps API
- 55 Beautiful And Rare WWII Propaganda Posters (Vintage) ~ HERE THERE NOWHERE on 55 Beautiful And Rare WWII Propaganda Posters (Vintage)
- Strange But True Facts (Part 5) | ProgramimiCOM on Strange But True Facts (Part 1)
- How To Create Various Redirects | ProgramimiCOM on How To Force www (or no-www) In Domain Name
- Strange But True Facts (Part 3) | ProgramimiCOM on Strange But True Facts (Part 1)
Tag Cloud
awoid build business create CSS design earn engine firefox free fun google guide help how How To HTML income increase Internet make Make Money mistake money mozilla navigate online pages Quick Tips revenue search Security server site ssh strange facts tempates tips to traffic true tutorial WEB website Windows
Options
Categories
- Advertising
- AJAX
- Apache
- Apache Derby
- APIs
- C++
- C++ Tutorials
- cPanel
- CSS
- CSS Advanced
- CSS Beginner
- CSS General
- CSS Intermediate
- CSS Tutorials
- Digest Dump
- Digital Photography
- Free Time
- Freeware
- fun
- Funny
- General Coding
- Graphic Art
- Greetings
- Hardware
- How To
- HTML
- HTML Advanced
- HTML Beginner
- HTML Intermediate
- HTML Tutorials
- Informix
- Informix Tutorial
- Internet
- Java
- Javascript
- Javascript Tutorials
- Jokes & Fun
- Life Style
- Make Money
- Marketing
- MS Access
- MySpace Tutorials
- MySQL
- News
- Opinions
- Oracle
- PHP
- PHP Tutorials
- Politics
- Poster
- Privacy
- Quick Tips
- Review
- Ruby-On-Rails
- Security
- SEO
- Social
- Social Networking
- Software
- Sports
- SQL
- strange facts
- T-SQL
- Tapestry Framework
- Tech & Business
- Technology
- Travel Destinations
- Tutorials
- Uncategorized
- Vintage
- WEB
- Web Authoring
- Web Design
- Web Resources
- Windows
- Windows Vista
- XML