websites

There are 42 posts tagged websites (this is page 4 of 7).

Is HTML 5 Real?

I found a link to HTML5 demos through Twitter. I lost track of the original link to whoever posted it on Twitter.

The post says:

So you’ve heard all rumors about HTML5 would take over Adobe Flash. While most web community argues that it’s possible or not, you must be wandering what makes HTML5 so powerful that even giant company Apple wants to use it to replace Flash.

So, does this mean HTML5 is all about making graphical presentations and not about new and useful code which can be used in other ways? This is what I would like to know. Sure, I’d like to see less Flash and other things which have been run on plugins for years, but – is there a practical use for HTML 5? I don’t see fancy visuals as something we really need more of. (However pretty or fascinating, they can only add so much to the content).

Wikipedia says:

HTML5 is currently being developed as the next major revision of HTML (HyperText Markup Language), the core markup language of the World Wide Web. HTML5 is the proposed next standard for HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.0 and DOM Level 2 HTML. It aims to reduce the need for proprietary plug-in-based rich internet application (RIA) technologies such as Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight[citation needed]. In common usage, HTML5 may also refer to the additional use of CSS3, as both technologies are under development in parallel.

So it looks like HTML 5 is going to be the new standard for HTML. Won’t that cause a lot of change in software and the publishing of new books. How quick will you be to find out about changes to HTML code? I think I will let it work itself out in software before I start looking into it very much. After all, it’s been quite a while since I last typed in any HTML beyond the basics like adding a link to something. I am still interested to read about the changes and I will be really glad to have websites that can load without hanging on plugins.

For more information and resources:

Hand Drawn Web Design

I made this list for myself a few weeks ago. I love the hand drawn element added to web designs/ site templates. I was doing some myself, posting drawings I had done to my personal blog. I would like to get back to that.

Anyway, here for your viewing pleasure… my list of resources for creating your own hand drawn web template or for adding elements of the hand drawn to what you already have. Best wishes!

Flickr: Hand Written Blogs – Not just the template but the whole blog.

Tutorials:

We are Not Freelancers has a video tutorial: Technique for creating a hand drawn website.

Talk Mania created a hand drawn template and has a guide to what they did to get there.

Web Designer Wall also shows their process in making the current hand drawn template.

Go Media Zine shows how to turn a hand drawn sketch into a vector illustration.

Resources: (Most are geared to using PhotoShop).

Webitect has links to resources and a few tips for designing.

1st Web Designer has resources for using PhotoShop as well as fonts anyone can use.

My Ink Blog has examples of templates and resources for making your own.

Design M.ag has template examples and resources.

Design Reviver has doodling and other resources for making hand drawn templates.

Snap 2 Objects has sketches, doodles and other hand drawn elements.

Hongkiat has 40 hand drawn fonts.

Examples:

Smashing Magazine writes about the trend to hand drawn websites and shows their top picks.

Hongkiat has 50 hand drawn template designs picked out as favourites.

Outlaw Design Blog showcases 30+ hand drawn websites.

Blog Spoon Graphics has 50 Inspiring Illustrations in Web Design.

Create Who You Are Blog has a few more designs reviewed.

Hand Drawn Web Design Resources

Hand Drawn Web Design – Making a list of sites I have found regarding hand drawn web site templates.

Flickr: Hand Written Blogs – Not just the template but the whole blog.

Tutorials:

We are Not Freelancers has a video tutorial: Technique for creating a hand drawn website.

Talk Mania created a hand drawn template and has a guide to what they did to get there.

Web Designer Wall also shows their process in making the current hand drawn template.

Go Media Zine shows how to turn a hand drawn sketch into a vector illustration.

Resources: (Most are geared to using PhotoShop).

Webitect has links to resources and a few tips for designing.

1st Web Designer has resources for using PhotoShop as well as fonts anyone can use.

My Ink Blog has examples of templates and resources for making your own.

Design M.ag has template examples and resources.

Design Reviver has doodling and other resources for making hand drawn templates.

Snap 2 Objects has sketches, doodles and other hand drawn elements.

Hongkiat has 40 hand drawn fonts.

Examples:

Smashing Magazine writes about the trend to hand drawn websites and shows their top picks.

Hongkiat has 50 hand drawn template designs picked out as favourites.

Outlaw Design Blog showcases 30+ hand drawn websites.

Blog Spoon Graphics has 50 Inspiring Illustrations in Web Design.

Create Who You Are Blog has a few more designs reviewed.

Anonymous Confession

What is the fascination with confessions? Do people lie so much and so easily that they have to take a moment of time to ease their conscience and blab all anonymously or to a religious person sworn not to tell all? I’ve seen magazines about True Confessions, I’ve come across websites with online confessions and I know about the Catholic thing with confessing in church. Wouldn’t life be easier if you didn’t make choices you would need to confess later?

Do you read confessions? Maybe you’re just curious, wonder if you might find someone you know or thrive on gossip but don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings? Go all out and write a phony confession. Confess to doing or thinking something you would never actually, ever even dream of doing. It doesn’t even have to be something bad or really very sinful.

Evangelist Marketing: Using the Buzz!

I stumbled on the term evangelist used in a job description. It was a first for me. I went on to read more and look it up as a career option too. I did find a job which wanted someone to create buzz for their company using all the social media and other online options. I also read about how some companies embrace the buzz about their products/ services and others intentionally ignore and downgrade it even. (I think they must be stuck in the mud). I also read more about the idea itself, evangelist marketing theory.

From Wikipedia: How to Create customer evangelists?

In their book, Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force, Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba outline six steps to creating customer evangelists:

  1. Customer plus-delta (Continuously gather customer feedback)
  2. Napsterize knowledge (Freely share your knowledge)
  3. Build the buzz (Create intelligent word-of-mouth networks)
  4. Create community (Encourage communities of customers to meet and share)
  5. Make bite-size chunks (Devise specialized, smaller offerings to get customers to bite)
  6. Create a cause (Focus on making the world, or your industry, better)

WebProNews: The Power of Customer Evangelist Marketing

AimClear: The Respectable Social Media Marketing Evangelist

FastCompany: Buzz without Bucks

For that job.. The company wanted someone to run the corporate blog (including creating podcasts), keep an eye out for any mention of the company and it’s products in any kind of web media and then play it up, cater to it. You would be involved in customer feedback and beta testing offline as well.

The right candidate:
• Has a deep knowledge of and passion for technology
• Is one of those “connectors” that makes other people want to follow them
• Has experience with, and passion for, creating and consuming new content types: websites, blogs, podcasts, wikis, etc.
• Is an active blogger (This is a must! – be prepared to show me your stuff)
• Will be the go-to person when it comes to what’s hot and what’s not on the Web.
• Is a self-starter with the willingness, and desire, to “roll up your sleeves” and get the job done
• Has masterful interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills with a juicy Web 2.0 style
• Has the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• Might have past experience as technology evangelist- this is a plus!

Word of Mouth Marketing Association

Hair Tan Lines and Other Useless Stuff

My hair has a tan line. Like an expiration or best before date where the dye stops and the old colour (my natural colour) begins. I love my natural colour, I’m not too fond of those insolent grey hairs that started coming in along with my natural colour.

People tend to say I look a lot younger than I am. I feel my age in some ways. But, really, what is your age? It’s just a number. A number of years. I don’t feel 80 yet and I don’t feel 20 still. So, somewhere in there, is where I am.

I’ve given up TV for now at least. It is all just a fuzzy mess if I forget and switch it on. I’ve gone without TV for a few years before. The only thing I missed were The Gilmore Girls but I caught up a lot in re-runs the past year or so. These day I like Being Erica. CBC runs it on the web, so I don’t have to miss anything. I just open up their site each week and watch it, commercial free even.

I was wondering if going back to dial up Internet would really be all that noticeably slow. My high speed isn’t fast. Firefox hangs frequently. But, then I remembered that it isn’t the websites and blogs we wait to load, it’s the frugging ads! If you wonder why it costs so much for Internet, now you know. The ads take more time to load than the text or image content on the page. In nearly every case. Web designs work to keep page load time quick and simple. Ad companies don’t give a flying squirrel how long you sit there and wait for everything to load. Bastards!

I want a web browser that I can censor out some of the worst offenders. Like the old pop up window blocker. Now we need one to block out ad domains like doubleclick.net/ com. That one fouled up my browser this morning. I had to restart the whole computer. I had just reformatted the whole PC last night so it began with a clean drive, no junk and no cookies and nothing else that could have caused a jam up.

That is about all I am going to blab right now. I still have to take out the garbage tonight. I’m still stalling cause it is cold. 🙁