Archive for December 2002

In In the Future, We’ll All Be Harry Potter, Jakob Nielsen writes that we’ll be like the world of Harry Potter where inanimate objects are brought to life. [Link Webreference]

The newest issue of eNewsletter Journal explores an undiscovered El Dorado in newsletters and you don’t need horses to do it.

Meet or beat your deadlines only to have the boss mess it all up? See how readers responded to the dilemma of dealing with a boss who is a bottleneck.

Next month’s question for readers to answer is on the origin of Spam. If you have something to share, write in your best advice and get a chance to win a digital camera.

Copywriting guru, Nick Usborne, drops by to share his expertise.

Before your eyes glaze over at the thought of reading a white paper… the hot topic is determine the ROI for a Web site. We know that usability earns customer trust… a user interface is part of the whole Web site development package and needs to be figured into the cost. Return on Investment for UI Design and Usability from AM+A.

Danny Sullivan says that META is not critical for sites to use them to get indexed on search engnies. In Death of a Meta Tag, Sullivan quotes Altavista’s director Internet search, “In the past we have indexed the meta keywords tag but have found that the high incidence of keyword repetition and spam made it an unreliable indication of site content and quality.”

Yep. Blame SPAM and those who abused the tag with keyword repetition. What next? Outlawing newsletters because of SPAM? OK, OK, this is a little extreme, but many newsletters are kicking out because of perfectly innocent words like “remove me&#148 and “unsubscribe&#148. Plenty of reputable newsletters use these and actually follow through on their promise. [Link GUUI]

jarmin.com Accessibility Guide is “A collation of tips, guidelines and resources for web designers, who wish to make their websites accessible to visitors with disabilities and older or assistive technology. Focuses on techniques but includes chapters on evaluation, legislation, usability, writing for the web and more” [Link LucDesk]

We’re still a long way from dumping dial-up, however, a report from Broadcasting & Cable forecasts that nearly one out of four online households will subscribe to a broadband service by the end of this year. Dial-up is expected to remain the prmiary method of consumer access through the year 2006.

Remember those three out of four consumers that are on slow speed. Unless you know your users have access to fast connections (businesses mainly), design for a quick loading experience. An easy way to make this happen is go XHTML with CSS and use tables for data only.

When I researched the topic of creating successful Web sites, one mantra popped up… continuously: Know your users. But what exactly should we know about our users? 5 Things To Know About Users goes to the bank with a user to see what happens.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been reviewing many sites. A common problem with many sites the font. Either it’s not readable or it’s too small and can’t be made larger. Understanding web typography – an introduction examines the pitfalls with typograph and explains how to create accessible and readable Web pages. [Link Webreference]

Unlike today’s generation, I didn’t grow up with HIV/AIDS. It began to get noticed while I was in high school. Though I grew up a "good girl," I can’t honestly say that I would not have done something stupid while in college if I hadn’t settled down with the guy who has been by my side since.

The first time I showed my support was through Broadway Cares. We lost talented artists to complications of AIDS much too soon. Who knows what they would’ve created if we had a cure at the time.

As a parent of children in which HIV/AIDS has existed before their time, I appreciate resources like those from the National PTA on World AIDS Day 2002. Parents struggle talking with their children about sex, so no doubt, it’s just as hard to discuss HIV/AIDS. There is no substitute for education and a good resource to start with is Talking with Kids about Tough Issues.