Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Layout / Wireframe: A Guide on Layout Types in Web Design
http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/a-guide-on-layout-types-in-web-design/
Consider which layout to use.
Fixed Layout - absolute-unit elements like images are best suited (due to maintaining without distorting)
Elastic Layout (em) - work best when flexible content (such as text blocks) takes the front seat (though there are ways to have images scale elastically as well). Using an elastic solution is perfect if you want the layout to be determined by the content, but it can have issues if the text scales beyond the viewport (causing unwanted horizontal scrolling).
Liquid (or Fluid) Layout (%): the total opposite of a fixed layout where the content will simply take whatever space is available to it.
Equated Layout (calc): equated layout allows you to mix a fixed and relative value by using a calculation like width: calc(50% - 200px). The calc CSS3 function, which has not been widely adopted yet (but is part of the CSS3 spec) may just be the thing you are looking for. While the function still isn’t widely supported by existing web browsers, this can be a future-forward option for building layouts with an added layer of pliancy.
Fluid-Min/Max Layout: Using minimum and maximum widths (or heights), you can set limits on how much the design can scale so that you can still have flexibility — but only to a certain extent. Rather than spanning the viewport like a liquid layout, this layout type flows only up to where it’s told (’atta boy). The benefits of the CSS min-width, max-width, min-height and max-height properties are most widely noticed when you want your layout to be confined within certain dimensions (like within a fixed-width design) but don’t want to suffer the wrath of horizontal scrolling.
Conditional Layout (for mobile phones) The ability to serve a unique stylesheet based on the device or viewport width and height (through CSS3’s media queries) gives rise to an even more flexible and friendly way to represent your site’s content. This layout type is something I’d like to call "conditional layout." Of all the methods of laying out information that have appeared recently, this is by far the one with the most promise (once the browser compatibility issues are ironed out).
The downside of this is that it means you will need to develop and maintain stylesheets for particular devices
Hybrid Layout: most popular layout method of all — the hybrid layout pretty much stands by its name in that the design ends up using a mixture of various layout types. This includes mixing and matching various units and concepts to ensure that the design adapts to the browser’s viewport only when it needs to and still be able to retains a certain level of control over parts of a website that need more fixed structures.
Which layout type you utilize to produce your website is something that deserves as much attention as the fonts you use or the color theme you put together.
It’s also worth highlighting that there’s no perfect way to deal with every situation and therefore there’s no one type that is universally the best for all situations.
Consider which layout to use.
Fixed Layout - absolute-unit elements like images are best suited (due to maintaining without distorting)
Elastic Layout (em) - work best when flexible content (such as text blocks) takes the front seat (though there are ways to have images scale elastically as well). Using an elastic solution is perfect if you want the layout to be determined by the content, but it can have issues if the text scales beyond the viewport (causing unwanted horizontal scrolling).
Liquid (or Fluid) Layout (%): the total opposite of a fixed layout where the content will simply take whatever space is available to it.
Equated Layout (calc): equated layout allows you to mix a fixed and relative value by using a calculation like width: calc(50% - 200px). The calc CSS3 function, which has not been widely adopted yet (but is part of the CSS3 spec) may just be the thing you are looking for. While the function still isn’t widely supported by existing web browsers, this can be a future-forward option for building layouts with an added layer of pliancy.
Fluid-Min/Max Layout: Using minimum and maximum widths (or heights), you can set limits on how much the design can scale so that you can still have flexibility — but only to a certain extent. Rather than spanning the viewport like a liquid layout, this layout type flows only up to where it’s told (’atta boy). The benefits of the CSS min-width, max-width, min-height and max-height properties are most widely noticed when you want your layout to be confined within certain dimensions (like within a fixed-width design) but don’t want to suffer the wrath of horizontal scrolling.
Conditional Layout (for mobile phones) The ability to serve a unique stylesheet based on the device or viewport width and height (through CSS3’s media queries) gives rise to an even more flexible and friendly way to represent your site’s content. This layout type is something I’d like to call "conditional layout." Of all the methods of laying out information that have appeared recently, this is by far the one with the most promise (once the browser compatibility issues are ironed out).
The downside of this is that it means you will need to develop and maintain stylesheets for particular devices
Hybrid Layout: most popular layout method of all — the hybrid layout pretty much stands by its name in that the design ends up using a mixture of various layout types. This includes mixing and matching various units and concepts to ensure that the design adapts to the browser’s viewport only when it needs to and still be able to retains a certain level of control over parts of a website that need more fixed structures.
Which layout type you utilize to produce your website is something that deserves as much attention as the fonts you use or the color theme you put together.
It’s also worth highlighting that there’s no perfect way to deal with every situation and therefore there’s no one type that is universally the best for all situations.
Information Architecture 101: Techniques and Best Practices
http://sixrevisions.com/usabilityaccessibility/information-architecture-101-techniques-and-best-practices/
Best Practices:
Best Practices:
Don’t Design Based on Your Own Preferences
Research User Needs - Once you know what your users actually need — rather than just your perception of what they need — you’ll be able to tailor your information architecture to best meet those needs.
Have a Clear Purpose
Word Press or Joomla:
http://designmess.com/article/wordpress-vs-joomla-vs-drupal-what-cms-best-you
Some Comments:
Wordpress does what you need. Another extremely important aspect of WP is client training. You have to spend hours, days sometimes weeks to get clients up to speed in Joomla or Drupal. With wordpress they just 'get it' instantly.
With Joomla vs Drupal its more or less same same. But they both need serious changes to their interfaces.
So Wordpress for me in most cases. If I need something a little more customisable I build it using CodeIgniter or get a license of ExpressionEngine where I can go nuts and do just about whatever I want.
---------------------------
Some Comments:
Wordpress does what you need. Another extremely important aspect of WP is client training. You have to spend hours, days sometimes weeks to get clients up to speed in Joomla or Drupal. With wordpress they just 'get it' instantly.
With Joomla vs Drupal its more or less same same. But they both need serious changes to their interfaces.
So Wordpress for me in most cases. If I need something a little more customisable I build it using CodeIgniter or get a license of ExpressionEngine where I can go nuts and do just about whatever I want.
---------------------------
I've used both Wordpress and Joomla and have found them to be both very capable. Wordpress is certainly more user-friendly and has a larger installed user base, but Joomla is more powerful and there's so much you can make it do that Wordpress could never touch.
With both communities there are thousands of extensions out there and the quality varies widely from extremely crappy or broken to excellent.
I build simple sites using Wordpress, and more complex sites (especially community-based sites) in Joomla. Both are great, and both have their quirks.
----------------------------
Just wanted to say something about this comment: "Joomla is not XHTML Complaint". Yes, it is. And In fact, if you don't like the way the HTML output is done you can override it. You can even override 3rd party extensions, right from the Joomla template itself.
----------------------------
I am using Drupal after going through Wordpress , Joomla etc .
As I am a developer the most promising one that I see is Drupal . Its due to many reasons
As I am a developer the most promising one that I see is Drupal . Its due to many reasons
1 ) As you told Drupal can be used to develop a small blog to a big corporate website, newsportal, e-commerce
2 ) Multi user functionality
3 ) Multiple website with same code base ( So easy to maintain any number of websites with out upgrading all the websites when newer versions and security updates are available )
4 ) Extending Drupal is easy than Joomla ( Eg: with the powerful modules like Views, CCK etc )
5 ) Strong community
6 ) Security is not the last but the first to be considered . Drupal has a powerful security team which monitors and reports when some security updates are available
2 ) Multi user functionality
3 ) Multiple website with same code base ( So easy to maintain any number of websites with out upgrading all the websites when newer versions and security updates are available )
4 ) Extending Drupal is easy than Joomla ( Eg: with the powerful modules like Views, CCK etc )
5 ) Strong community
6 ) Security is not the last but the first to be considered . Drupal has a powerful security team which monitors and reports when some security updates are available
Though in the first design and look you may not love it with Joomla or Wordpress, but when you knows how it works you will jump to it . I am damn sure about it .
There are lots more :) . These are some I think at present .
There are lots more :) . These are some I think at present .
---------------------------
I've created few sites, but none of them with Drupal (though I wish to).
As a user and designer, my FIRST CHOICE is Wordpress. Even client catches a good speed with it.
As a user and designer, my FIRST CHOICE is Wordpress. Even client catches a good speed with it.
These features (you listed on Drupal) are present in Joomla
* 1. Registering and Maintaining user accounts
* 2. Creating and Handling menus
* 3. RSS feeds
* 4. Customization of a layout
* 5. Internet Forum
* 6. Single or multi User blog
* 7. Powerful template system
* 1. Registering and Maintaining user accounts
* 2. Creating and Handling menus
* 3. RSS feeds
* 4. Customization of a layout
* 5. Internet Forum
* 6. Single or multi User blog
* 7. Powerful template system
Can't believe? Checkout my local community site here-http://dinajpurinfo.com
-------------------------------------
60 Questions to Consider When Designing a Website
60 specific questions that web professionals should ask before taking their website public.
http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/60-questions-to-consider-when-designing-a-website/
http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/60-questions-to-consider-when-designing-a-website/
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Java Script to solve slow loading when scripts are added in head element.
http://headjs.com/
The HEAD section is the worst place to load scripts. It's painfully slow. The more and the bigger the worse it gets. Move scrips to the bottom and you run into dependency issues and you cannot safely use HTML5 and CSS3. Enter Head JS. A compact solution to these universal issues
Thursday, December 2, 2010
SEO: Increase Website Page Loads to Under 1 Second
http://daverupert.com/2010/06/web-performant-wordpress/
The goal is to make sure that everything is as small as possible.
Reduce Filesizes
Reduce Requests
and Enable Caching.
The goal is to make sure that everything is as small as possible.
Reduce Filesizes
Reduce Requests
and Enable Caching.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
7 Free Useful eBooks That Every Blogger Should Read
Deep Secrets of Successful Blogging
the free eBook contains encouragement, advice and guidelines for the aspiring blogger. Download http://chitika.com/blogbash.php
279 Days to Overnight Success
the free eBook is a must-read for any writer, artist or modern entrepreuner who wants to create an online presence for themselves. Download at http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/overnight-success/
Viral Copy
From the art of writing headlines to link baiting to how to use humour in your writing, Clark leaves no stone unturned, on how to drive traffic to your blog. Dowanload at http://www.copyblogger.com/viral-copy/
Make Money Online With John Chow dot Com
John Chow gives you an outline on how to drive traffic to your site, as well as giving specific recommendations on ad networks, and most importantly, how to monetize your blog. The book is best suited for beginners who are just getting started and don’t know much about how to make money in the blogging world. Download at http://www.johnchow.com/make-money-online-with-john-chow-dot-com-e-book/
Traffic Roots
Jens Berget covers important topics like Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing, Keyword Search and much more in over 130 pages of advice, tips and tricks. Download at http://www.trafficroots.com/
Beginners Guide to Search Engine Optimization
The guide covers the basic terms, explains how it all works, and tells you what you need to do to make use of these concepts on your own website. Receive it by email at http://guides.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-search-engine-optimization
Viral Marketing
Viral Marketing by David Meerman Scott has been available for a couple of years but is a good place to start to understand what viral marketing is and what it takes to get in on the game. Download at http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/products_ebooks.htm
Friday, November 26, 2010
Designing By Numbers: Data Analysis for Web Designers
http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/designing-by-numbers-data-analysis-for-web-designers/
Asking "What?" will yield to a lot of information that will help you make optimal design decisions.
What do site users need?
What things frustrate site users?
What can I do in this design to accomplish the site’s objectives?
What’s wrong with the site?
What’s right about the site?
What can be made better?
Asking "What?" will yield to a lot of information that will help you make optimal design decisions.
Why?
Next on the list of list of determining factors is the question of "Why?"
Knowing what needs to be done is one thing — knowing the justification to why it needs to be done is another.
- Why are people not using the comments?
- Why is the community participation on the site low?
- Why are users having trouble finding what they need?
- Why do we need to support Internet Explorer 6?
How?
The last single-word question is "How?" which makes sense in that once you know what needs doing and why it’s required, the method of actualizing the "What" is important.
- How should I go about increasing user engagement?
- How can this design improve community participation?
- How can I fix the issue of users not finding the product they need?
- How can I create a design that works in Internet Explorer 6?
Fat Free Web Design
For web designers, coming across an awesome WordPress or jQuery plugin can be a lot like opening up an awesome gift on Christmas morning. But once that initial burst of joy wears off, we realize that we may not need this junk at all; it’s just a burden and another thing we need to deal with.
It is imperative that we move from an outlook of wants, to one of needs. We can no longer afford to want that real-time Twitter feed, that large header graphic, or that (oh, please stop this already) Flash menu. Sure, many of these site features can enhance the user experience, but just as likely, there are web designers who are packing on pounds of weight on their web pages with irrelevant junk.
As a web designer, it is your job to be the health coach. Be sure that things you’re made to create have a purpose.
http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/fat-free-web-design/#more-4467
It is imperative that we move from an outlook of wants, to one of needs. We can no longer afford to want that real-time Twitter feed, that large header graphic, or that (oh, please stop this already) Flash menu. Sure, many of these site features can enhance the user experience, but just as likely, there are web designers who are packing on pounds of weight on their web pages with irrelevant junk.
As a web designer, it is your job to be the health coach. Be sure that things you’re made to create have a purpose.
http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/fat-free-web-design/#more-4467
Plugin: jQuery Bubble Popup
Requirements: jQuery
Compatibility: All Major Browsers
Website: http://www.vegabit.com/jquery_bubble_popup_v2/
Demo: http://www.vegabit.com/Examples/different-elements.html
Download: http://plugins.jquery.com/project/jqBubblePopup
A tooltip's design can easily be customized with the help of a template system and the plugin is very well-documented.
Compatibility: All Major Browsers
Website: http://www.vegabit.com/jquery_bubble_popup_v2/
Demo: http://www.vegabit.com/Examples/different-elements.html
Download: http://plugins.jquery.com/project/jqBubblePopup
A tooltip's design can easily be customized with the help of a template system and the plugin is very well-documented.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Security: 4 Steps To Make Sure You Have Secured Your Hosting & Domain Account
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-steps-secured-hosting-domain-account/
1. Private Domain Registration.
Private domain registration is your first wall of defense against domain hijacking. The problem with the early days of domain registration is that you had your private contact information tied to the Whois record – meaning anyone that searched for the registration records of your URL could identify where you lived, your phone number and your email address. With your email address, hackers may start to send phishing emails with the hopes that you’re gullible enough to bite.
2. Passwords
* Never use the same password for your host account as you used for your domain registration.
* Never use the same password for domain registration as you use for your email account.
* Use a unique, strong password on all three systems – just make sure they are all different.
By avoiding the same password on different accounts, you significantly reduce the risk that if one account is ever hacked, the hacker will not have access to your other systems.
3. Check folders within your public_html folder to ensure that they are either 755 or 644 for www readability. You should not find any folders that are set with 777 for permissions.
4. Check out the security tools that your web host offers.
5. Finally, go into your admin panel for your MySQL databases and double check all of the passwords there too. They shouldn’t match any of your other passwords, and they should be ultra-strong passwords, just like all of your others.
IMPORTANT: the ultimate security in protecting your domain from being hijacked comes from the private domain registration service. For a small additional fee, you’ll have tremendous peace of mind knowing that scammers, spammers and other criminals can’t see or even hope to access your personal information. Beyond that tool, make sure to lock down your hosting and email accounts as well, and you’ll enjoy years of trouble-free website ownership.
1. Private Domain Registration.
Private domain registration is your first wall of defense against domain hijacking. The problem with the early days of domain registration is that you had your private contact information tied to the Whois record – meaning anyone that searched for the registration records of your URL could identify where you lived, your phone number and your email address. With your email address, hackers may start to send phishing emails with the hopes that you’re gullible enough to bite.
2. Passwords
* Never use the same password for your host account as you used for your domain registration.
* Never use the same password for domain registration as you use for your email account.
* Use a unique, strong password on all three systems – just make sure they are all different.
By avoiding the same password on different accounts, you significantly reduce the risk that if one account is ever hacked, the hacker will not have access to your other systems.
3. Check folders within your public_html folder to ensure that they are either 755 or 644 for www readability. You should not find any folders that are set with 777 for permissions.
4. Check out the security tools that your web host offers.
5. Finally, go into your admin panel for your MySQL databases and double check all of the passwords there too. They shouldn’t match any of your other passwords, and they should be ultra-strong passwords, just like all of your others.
IMPORTANT: the ultimate security in protecting your domain from being hijacked comes from the private domain registration service. For a small additional fee, you’ll have tremendous peace of mind knowing that scammers, spammers and other criminals can’t see or even hope to access your personal information. Beyond that tool, make sure to lock down your hosting and email accounts as well, and you’ll enjoy years of trouble-free website ownership.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
SEO: Day 13: Is PageRank Important?
http://www.seobook.com/learn-seo/is-pagerank-important.php
Does PageRank matter? When I first got in SEO it was crucially important, but over the years other pieces of the relevancy algorithms (like domain age, domain name, domain trust, domain extension, link anchor text, searcher location, search query chains, word relationships, search personalization, other user data, result re-ranking based on local inter-connectivity, input from 10,000+ remote quality raters, and even a wide array of penalties & filters) have been layered over the top of the core relevancy algorithm.
Does PageRank matter? When I first got in SEO it was crucially important, but over the years other pieces of the relevancy algorithms (like domain age, domain name, domain trust, domain extension, link anchor text, searcher location, search query chains, word relationships, search personalization, other user data, result re-ranking based on local inter-connectivity, input from 10,000+ remote quality raters, and even a wide array of penalties & filters) have been layered over the top of the core relevancy algorithm.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Create your online card.
http://card.ly/
Make your "tiny" portfolio online in which you'll be able to integrate your networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), a little about you and how to contact you. Choose between many nice skins and features.
Make your "tiny" portfolio online in which you'll be able to integrate your networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), a little about you and how to contact you. Choose between many nice skins and features.
Friday, November 19, 2010
SEO: Day 10: Your Suite of SEO Tools
http://www.seobook.com/learn-seo/suite-of-seo-tools.php
SEO Toolbar. A free Firefox extension that saves you time and money every day by giving you access to a dozen keyword research tools, and dozens of other useful features.
SEO Toolbar. A free Firefox extension that saves you time and money every day by giving you access to a dozen keyword research tools, and dozens of other useful features.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Weblog Usability: The Top Ten Design Mistakes
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/weblogs.html
Summary:
Blogs are often too internally focused and ignore key usability issues, making it hard for new readers to understand the site and trust the author.
Usability Issues:
To reach new readers and respect your existing readers' time constraints, test your weblog against the following usability problems.
1. No Author Biographies
2. No Author Photo
3. Nondescript Posting Titles
4. Links Don't Say Where They Go
5. Classic Hits are Buried
6. The Calendar is the Only Navigation
7. Irregular Publishing Frequency
8. Mixing Topics
9. Forgetting That You Write for Your Future Boss
10. Having a Domain Name Owned by a Weblog Service
Summary:
Blogs are often too internally focused and ignore key usability issues, making it hard for new readers to understand the site and trust the author.
Usability Issues:
To reach new readers and respect your existing readers' time constraints, test your weblog against the following usability problems.
1. No Author Biographies
2. No Author Photo
3. Nondescript Posting Titles
4. Links Don't Say Where They Go
5. Classic Hits are Buried
6. The Calendar is the Only Navigation
7. Irregular Publishing Frequency
8. Mixing Topics
9. Forgetting That You Write for Your Future Boss
10. Having a Domain Name Owned by a Weblog Service
Write Articles, Not Blog Postings
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/articles-not-blogs.html
* Variability of Blog Posting Quality
* In-Depth Content Is Value-Add Content
* Expertise vs. Content Usability
* Variability of Blog Posting Quality
* In-Depth Content Is Value-Add Content
* Expertise vs. Content Usability
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
SEO: Day1, PPCblog - The 5 Secret Keys to Understanding PPC
http://ppcblog.com/learn-google-adwords/getting-started.html
The 10 Commandments of Profitable Google AdWords Campaigns
Google AdWords Tax Calculator
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
4 Advanced WordPress 3.0 Cheat Sheets
http://creativeoverflow.net/4-advanced-wordpress-3-0-cheat-sheets/
TEMPLATES & TAGS <VERSION 1.0>
http://www.hpvorlagen24.de/UpLOads/2010/06/wodpress30-template-tags-v1.pdf
Wordpress 3.0 Cheet Sheet (All Short Codes)
http://ranjith.zfs.in/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/wordpress3.pdf
TEMPLATES & TAGS <VERSION 1.0>
http://www.hpvorlagen24.de/UpLOads/2010/06/wodpress30-template-tags-v1.pdf
Wordpress 3.0 Cheet Sheet (All Short Codes)
http://ranjith.zfs.in/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/wordpress3.pdf
Monday, November 15, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Responsive Web Design
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/responsive-web-design/
One of the interesting developments is the emergence of responsive web design, in which fluid grids, flexible images, and CSS media queries are used to create more adaptive layouts and hence more elegant user experiences.
One of the interesting developments is the emergence of responsive web design, in which fluid grids, flexible images, and CSS media queries are used to create more adaptive layouts and hence more elegant user experiences.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Things You Should Do Immediately After Launching a Website
http://sixrevisions.com/website-management/things-you-should-do-immediately-after-launching-a-website/#more-4362
Here are a few guides and tutorials to read for getting up to speed with Google Analytics:
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Increase Your Website’s Results with Less Work
http://webdesignledger.com/tips/increase-your-websites-results-with-less-work
What do you want the website to accomplish?
Are you trying to get more users to sign up and start using your service?
Do you want readers to share or perform some other call-to-action (such as donating, filling out a form, or going out into the world to do something)?
Are you looking for qualified leads to sign up to your mailing list?
Do you want more sales of your product or service?
Or something else entirely?
What do you want the website to accomplish?
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
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