Microsoft frontpage is one of the most recent versions of the popular all in one professional web design tool kit. Till recent times setting up a web site required not only internet connection, but some pretty specialized knowledge about how the web sites are built and maintained including the ability to create pages of the web site using a language called hyper text markup language. Not only everyone who wanted a web site had the ability, time or desires to acquire that knowledge. This is where frontpage comes in as a solution for all those who wanted to create a web site without a prior knowledge of Hyper Text Markup Language.
Frontpage is actually a member of the Microsoft Office family of products and shares many of the features of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel such as the Microsoft Clipart Gallery, global spell checking and thesaurus and easy table editing which are helpful in professional web design. It also manages hyperlinks created in Microsoft Office documents. It is an integrated site development environment which includes a web creation and maintenance package called Front Page Explorer; a FrontPage Editor which is what you see is what you get web page editor and a fully functioning Personal Web Server that turns a personal computer into a web host machine. With FrontPage one can create a complete Web Site on the personal computer to the World Wide Web and internet. It is not a pre requisite to know Hyper Text Markup Language as FrontPage Editor Works like a word processor. Page can even be groomed in whatever required format.
The software also takes care of generating the Hyper Text Markup Language code together and provides the user with the ability to put together Web Pages that include elements which formerly demanded knowledge of programming. Microsoft Front Page contains three major components namely FrontPage Explorer, FrontPage Editor and Microsoft Personal Web Server that can be used for professional web design. The Microsoft Front Page Explorer is a tool for creating, organizing, administering and publishing Front Page webs. Using the Front Page Explorer one can create the structure or layout of the web site from scratch as it gives wizards and templates to take from no site at all to a site. It also arranges files and folders, imports and export pages and files, tests and repairs hyperlinks, administers, access privileges and launches the Front Page Editor to design and edit the contents of the web pages. Front Page can also be used to publish completed Front Page webs on the computer or on the organization's intranet or on the World Wide Web. In short a Front page is a collection of HTML pages, images, documents and other files and folders that make up a web site in professional web design.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Navigation In Professional Web Design
Navigation is that system that links on your site plays a big role in determining the stickiness of your site. Try giving importance to navigation and linking. The clean layout and neat navigation and using a lot of white space for your site enhances its looks. Always try to keep the focus on your content. It is why all recommend using dream weaver templates for your site as all pages or a group of pages have one basic design and only the content varies - this way even if your site is a little distracting due to necessary effects, your design is noted once and then the visitor focused on the content automatically.
Do remember some useful points so that a web site must be created professionally with no issues. Always prepare your site navigation before designing to prevent cluttering up the site with forgotten links. The clean-cut and uniform navigation system is a must. Drop-down menus or flouts should be used if we have too many links for your main topics. And if we have Fireworks or Dream weaver then macromedia drop-down menus are one of their most popular in-built methods. Or you can use our own copy-paste code for drop-down menus.
Try to maintain a site map or section contents/home pages to help people find what they are looking for with ease. Its navigation should be flexible enough to accommodate any amount of additional links in case you probably will be adding pages periodically. As using this drop-down menus or section home pages is a must. Do keep your main links together as much as possible so that visitors can absorb them at one shot and know what your site conveys about your company.
Always check out how all our major links appear in our top navigation bar and all related section links are listed in the right hand side menu. It is of no harm in showcasing important links (even repeated links) that you think might interest the visitor. Very small boxes describing the link should look good. And if you like a graphic intensive site and find there is not much space for accommodating all your links, you can have a separate home (splash) page and all other pages as content pages. Hence your home page can have visual appeal and your inner content pages can have elaborate navigation structures while focusing on the content.
Always try to use your navigation space efficiently. Apply short, clear and precise words in your links so that your visitors know what the corresponding page will contain. Editors like fireworks and flash you can see the various options in the preview panel to reduce the sizes.
Do remember some useful points so that a web site must be created professionally with no issues. Always prepare your site navigation before designing to prevent cluttering up the site with forgotten links. The clean-cut and uniform navigation system is a must. Drop-down menus or flouts should be used if we have too many links for your main topics. And if we have Fireworks or Dream weaver then macromedia drop-down menus are one of their most popular in-built methods. Or you can use our own copy-paste code for drop-down menus.
Try to maintain a site map or section contents/home pages to help people find what they are looking for with ease. Its navigation should be flexible enough to accommodate any amount of additional links in case you probably will be adding pages periodically. As using this drop-down menus or section home pages is a must. Do keep your main links together as much as possible so that visitors can absorb them at one shot and know what your site conveys about your company.
Always check out how all our major links appear in our top navigation bar and all related section links are listed in the right hand side menu. It is of no harm in showcasing important links (even repeated links) that you think might interest the visitor. Very small boxes describing the link should look good. And if you like a graphic intensive site and find there is not much space for accommodating all your links, you can have a separate home (splash) page and all other pages as content pages. Hence your home page can have visual appeal and your inner content pages can have elaborate navigation structures while focusing on the content.
Always try to use your navigation space efficiently. Apply short, clear and precise words in your links so that your visitors know what the corresponding page will contain. Editors like fireworks and flash you can see the various options in the preview panel to reduce the sizes.
Image Attributes Used In Professional Web Design
Image tags with its source attribute points to the uniform resource locator that is URL of the graphic file to be displayed to add an inline image to the web document. The tag is added to the HTML document at the location in which we want to display the image. Then file name is replaced with the URL of the image we want to display.
When an inline image is inserted in a document along with text by default the text is aligned with the bottom of the image. The default alignment can be changed using the image tags align attribute. To align the text at the top of the image we can use few attributes. Browsers display images inline and text does not wrap around images but an image can be displayed on the right or left side of the document such that the text surrounds the image. Such an image is termed as a floating image in professional web design.
A floating image can be easily created by using the image tags align attribute that is left or right. Hyper Text Markup Language also supports image scaling. Scaling down of an image means that the image would be displayed in a size described by the image tags height and width attributes, irrespective of the actual dimensions of the image. The download time of the image does not reduce if we specify dimensions less than the actual image dimensions. The browser still downloads the actual image and then scales it before displaying it on our web page.
Scaling up on an image can also be done. It is similar to scaling down of the image that we attain by using the height and width attribute. Scaling up an image causes deformation of image that is termed as pixilation. Hence scaling up of an image should be avoided as far as possible in professional web design
Alternative text can also be provided for users who use text based browsers. Alternative text tells the user about the presence of a graphic image and provides a brief description of the same. This can be achieved by using image tags.
Web browsers display images with a border around them. The border attribute of image tag can be set by providing a value for the border thickness in pixels. White space around an image can be provided by using space attributes of the image tag. Space tag is used to add vertical and horizontal space around the image.
These attributes provide the space and pixels. Hyper Text Markup Language uses image maps which are a kind of navigational tabs making work easy in professional web design. An image maps an image to one or several links using regions called hot zones.
When an inline image is inserted in a document along with text by default the text is aligned with the bottom of the image. The default alignment can be changed using the image tags align attribute. To align the text at the top of the image we can use few attributes. Browsers display images inline and text does not wrap around images but an image can be displayed on the right or left side of the document such that the text surrounds the image. Such an image is termed as a floating image in professional web design.
A floating image can be easily created by using the image tags align attribute that is left or right. Hyper Text Markup Language also supports image scaling. Scaling down of an image means that the image would be displayed in a size described by the image tags height and width attributes, irrespective of the actual dimensions of the image. The download time of the image does not reduce if we specify dimensions less than the actual image dimensions. The browser still downloads the actual image and then scales it before displaying it on our web page.
Scaling up on an image can also be done. It is similar to scaling down of the image that we attain by using the height and width attribute. Scaling up an image causes deformation of image that is termed as pixilation. Hence scaling up of an image should be avoided as far as possible in professional web design
Alternative text can also be provided for users who use text based browsers. Alternative text tells the user about the presence of a graphic image and provides a brief description of the same. This can be achieved by using image tags.
Web browsers display images with a border around them. The border attribute of image tag can be set by providing a value for the border thickness in pixels. White space around an image can be provided by using space attributes of the image tag. Space tag is used to add vertical and horizontal space around the image.
These attributes provide the space and pixels. Hyper Text Markup Language uses image maps which are a kind of navigational tabs making work easy in professional web design. An image maps an image to one or several links using regions called hot zones.
Basics Of HTML For Professional Web Design
HTML is a language used for professional web design. Hyper text markup language is full form of html. It is a standard which is used by World Wide Web documents in professional web designing.
A program called browser is used to view the documents. It is not a programming language even though it is termed as a language. The basic element of a Hyper Text Markup Language is page and therefore any document on the web page is in ASCII text.
HTML uses tags and it is represented by angle brackets. All the code is written in between these brackets. Any text which is contained by angle brackets is considered as an HTML tag by the browser and interpreted accordingly. This code can be text, any address, and it supports different type of image formats. Since HTML uses ASCII text, the web documents are delivered over the network such that they are not platform dependent. Hence only a web browser is required which can interpret HTML files irrespective of whether it is running on a machine using windows or UNIX or Macintosh or any other operating system or hardware platform. We can use any browser from Internet Explorer to Mozilla fire fox.
Web pages for professional web design can be easily created using any simple text editor. In Windows 95 one can use notepad or WordPad. All HTML files are plain ASCII text files with .html extension. Web browsers used to view the files are internet explorer or Netscape navigator or Netscape communicator. The first HTML tags that are used are document tags. These tags are required for every HTML page that is created in professional web design. Different parts of the document are defined by them. An HTML document has two distinct parts namely a head and a body. The head of the HTML document contains the title of the page and other commands. To create the head portion of HTML document and to give the document a title specific text is entered into the text editor.
This tells a web browser that information should be included in head portion of the document and by what name should it call the document in the title bar of the browser window. Most of the work is done inside body. The text is entered here; headlines and graphics are also part of body section. Between these two tags one has to enter the rest of the text and graphics for professional web designs.
In order that all web browsers recognize that this is an HTML document one needs to add some tags on either side of the head and body tags which we have created.
A program called browser is used to view the documents. It is not a programming language even though it is termed as a language. The basic element of a Hyper Text Markup Language is page and therefore any document on the web page is in ASCII text.
HTML uses tags and it is represented by angle brackets. All the code is written in between these brackets. Any text which is contained by angle brackets is considered as an HTML tag by the browser and interpreted accordingly. This code can be text, any address, and it supports different type of image formats. Since HTML uses ASCII text, the web documents are delivered over the network such that they are not platform dependent. Hence only a web browser is required which can interpret HTML files irrespective of whether it is running on a machine using windows or UNIX or Macintosh or any other operating system or hardware platform. We can use any browser from Internet Explorer to Mozilla fire fox.
Web pages for professional web design can be easily created using any simple text editor. In Windows 95 one can use notepad or WordPad. All HTML files are plain ASCII text files with .html extension. Web browsers used to view the files are internet explorer or Netscape navigator or Netscape communicator. The first HTML tags that are used are document tags. These tags are required for every HTML page that is created in professional web design. Different parts of the document are defined by them. An HTML document has two distinct parts namely a head and a body. The head of the HTML document contains the title of the page and other commands. To create the head portion of HTML document and to give the document a title specific text is entered into the text editor.
This tells a web browser that information should be included in head portion of the document and by what name should it call the document in the title bar of the browser window. Most of the work is done inside body. The text is entered here; headlines and graphics are also part of body section. Between these two tags one has to enter the rest of the text and graphics for professional web designs.
In order that all web browsers recognize that this is an HTML document one needs to add some tags on either side of the head and body tags which we have created.
Basics Of HTML For Professional Web Design
HTML is a language used for professional web design. Hyper text markup language is full form of html. It is a standard which is used by World Wide Web documents in professional web designing.
A program called browser is used to view the documents. It is not a programming language even though it is termed as a language. The basic element of a Hyper Text Markup Language is page and therefore any document on the web page is in ASCII text.
HTML uses tags and it is represented by angle brackets. All the code is written in between these brackets. Any text which is contained by angle brackets is considered as an HTML tag by the browser and interpreted accordingly. This code can be text, any address, and it supports different type of image formats. Since HTML uses ASCII text, the web documents are delivered over the network such that they are not platform dependent. Hence only a web browser is required which can interpret HTML files irrespective of whether it is running on a machine using windows or UNIX or Macintosh or any other operating system or hardware platform. We can use any browser from Internet Explorer to Mozilla fire fox.
Web pages for professional web design can be easily created using any simple text editor. In Windows 95 one can use notepad or WordPad. All HTML files are plain ASCII text files with .html extension. Web browsers used to view the files are internet explorer or Netscape navigator or Netscape communicator. The first HTML tags that are used are document tags. These tags are required for every HTML page that is created in professional web design. Different parts of the document are defined by them. An HTML document has two distinct parts namely a head and a body. The head of the HTML document contains the title of the page and other commands. To create the head portion of HTML document and to give the document a title specific text is entered into the text editor.
This tells a web browser that information should be included in head portion of the document and by what name should it call the document in the title bar of the browser window. Most of the work is done inside body. The text is entered here; headlines and graphics are also part of body section. Between these two tags one has to enter the rest of the text and graphics for professional web designs.
In order that all web browsers recognize that this is an HTML document one needs to add some tags on either side of the head and body tags which we have created.
A program called browser is used to view the documents. It is not a programming language even though it is termed as a language. The basic element of a Hyper Text Markup Language is page and therefore any document on the web page is in ASCII text.
HTML uses tags and it is represented by angle brackets. All the code is written in between these brackets. Any text which is contained by angle brackets is considered as an HTML tag by the browser and interpreted accordingly. This code can be text, any address, and it supports different type of image formats. Since HTML uses ASCII text, the web documents are delivered over the network such that they are not platform dependent. Hence only a web browser is required which can interpret HTML files irrespective of whether it is running on a machine using windows or UNIX or Macintosh or any other operating system or hardware platform. We can use any browser from Internet Explorer to Mozilla fire fox.
Web pages for professional web design can be easily created using any simple text editor. In Windows 95 one can use notepad or WordPad. All HTML files are plain ASCII text files with .html extension. Web browsers used to view the files are internet explorer or Netscape navigator or Netscape communicator. The first HTML tags that are used are document tags. These tags are required for every HTML page that is created in professional web design. Different parts of the document are defined by them. An HTML document has two distinct parts namely a head and a body. The head of the HTML document contains the title of the page and other commands. To create the head portion of HTML document and to give the document a title specific text is entered into the text editor.
This tells a web browser that information should be included in head portion of the document and by what name should it call the document in the title bar of the browser window. Most of the work is done inside body. The text is entered here; headlines and graphics are also part of body section. Between these two tags one has to enter the rest of the text and graphics for professional web designs.
In order that all web browsers recognize that this is an HTML document one needs to add some tags on either side of the head and body tags which we have created.
Basics Of HTML For Professional Web Design
HTML is a language used for professional web design. Hyper text markup language is full form of html. It is a standard which is used by World Wide Web documents in professional web designing.
A program called browser is used to view the documents. It is not a programming language even though it is termed as a language. The basic element of a Hyper Text Markup Language is page and therefore any document on the web page is in ASCII text.
HTML uses tags and it is represented by angle brackets. All the code is written in between these brackets. Any text which is contained by angle brackets is considered as an HTML tag by the browser and interpreted accordingly. This code can be text, any address, and it supports different type of image formats. Since HTML uses ASCII text, the web documents are delivered over the network such that they are not platform dependent. Hence only a web browser is required which can interpret HTML files irrespective of whether it is running on a machine using windows or UNIX or Macintosh or any other operating system or hardware platform. We can use any browser from Internet Explorer to Mozilla fire fox.
Web pages for professional web design can be easily created using any simple text editor. In Windows 95 one can use notepad or WordPad. All HTML files are plain ASCII text files with .html extension. Web browsers used to view the files are internet explorer or Netscape navigator or Netscape communicator. The first HTML tags that are used are document tags. These tags are required for every HTML page that is created in professional web design. Different parts of the document are defined by them. An HTML document has two distinct parts namely a head and a body. The head of the HTML document contains the title of the page and other commands. To create the head portion of HTML document and to give the document a title specific text is entered into the text editor.
This tells a web browser that information should be included in head portion of the document and by what name should it call the document in the title bar of the browser window. Most of the work is done inside body. The text is entered here; headlines and graphics are also part of body section. Between these two tags one has to enter the rest of the text and graphics for professional web designs.
In order that all web browsers recognize that this is an HTML document one needs to add some tags on either side of the head and body tags which we have created.
A program called browser is used to view the documents. It is not a programming language even though it is termed as a language. The basic element of a Hyper Text Markup Language is page and therefore any document on the web page is in ASCII text.
HTML uses tags and it is represented by angle brackets. All the code is written in between these brackets. Any text which is contained by angle brackets is considered as an HTML tag by the browser and interpreted accordingly. This code can be text, any address, and it supports different type of image formats. Since HTML uses ASCII text, the web documents are delivered over the network such that they are not platform dependent. Hence only a web browser is required which can interpret HTML files irrespective of whether it is running on a machine using windows or UNIX or Macintosh or any other operating system or hardware platform. We can use any browser from Internet Explorer to Mozilla fire fox.
Web pages for professional web design can be easily created using any simple text editor. In Windows 95 one can use notepad or WordPad. All HTML files are plain ASCII text files with .html extension. Web browsers used to view the files are internet explorer or Netscape navigator or Netscape communicator. The first HTML tags that are used are document tags. These tags are required for every HTML page that is created in professional web design. Different parts of the document are defined by them. An HTML document has two distinct parts namely a head and a body. The head of the HTML document contains the title of the page and other commands. To create the head portion of HTML document and to give the document a title specific text is entered into the text editor.
This tells a web browser that information should be included in head portion of the document and by what name should it call the document in the title bar of the browser window. Most of the work is done inside body. The text is entered here; headlines and graphics are also part of body section. Between these two tags one has to enter the rest of the text and graphics for professional web designs.
In order that all web browsers recognize that this is an HTML document one needs to add some tags on either side of the head and body tags which we have created.
Working With HTML Text In Professional Web Designing
All the text that is entered on a page should come between body tags. Container tags are body tags that tell a web browser what parts of the HTML document should be displayed in the browser window. The text which we enter in body tag technically should be in another container tag that is paragraph tag.
This tag is used to inform a web browser what text in document constitutes a paragraph. The paragraph container tells the web browser that all the text between the on and off tags is in a single paragraph in professional web design. When we start another paragraph the web browser will insert a line between the two. Break tag is used to end a line. The comment tag is fairly unique in that it is actually used to make the web browser ignore anything that the tag contains. It could be text, hypertext links, image links even small scripts and programs.
We can hide text by using comment tag. The point in hiding the text is that it allows you to create a private message that is intended to remind you of something or to help those who view the raw HTML document to understand what is being done. That is why it is called the comment tag. The comment tag is not the most elegant one in HTML but it works. Anything typed between comments should be ignored by the browser. We can even ignore multiple lines.
In HTML we can differentiate a portion of text from the rest of it by using header tags. These are container tags and range from level one to six. They allow creating different levels of emphasized headlines to help you organize your document and helps in professional web design. But one significant characteristic of a header tag is that it has the same effect as a paragraph tag, in that it creates a new line after it's off tag. The web browser places the header text and plain text on different lines.
Technically larger header tags should be used previously as per the HTML standard that is if header tag two is used, header one tag should be there somewhere before it. Very few browsers actually require it and developers usually use header tags to change the size of text for emphasis. But it is better to use header tags for true headers and only in a particular order for professional web design. There are few explicit tags often called as physical tags which specifically tell the web browser how the designer wants text to appear physically.
The most common ones are those which mark text as bold, italic or underline and are frequently used in professional web design.
This tag is used to inform a web browser what text in document constitutes a paragraph. The paragraph container tells the web browser that all the text between the on and off tags is in a single paragraph in professional web design. When we start another paragraph the web browser will insert a line between the two. Break tag is used to end a line. The comment tag is fairly unique in that it is actually used to make the web browser ignore anything that the tag contains. It could be text, hypertext links, image links even small scripts and programs.
We can hide text by using comment tag. The point in hiding the text is that it allows you to create a private message that is intended to remind you of something or to help those who view the raw HTML document to understand what is being done. That is why it is called the comment tag. The comment tag is not the most elegant one in HTML but it works. Anything typed between comments should be ignored by the browser. We can even ignore multiple lines.
In HTML we can differentiate a portion of text from the rest of it by using header tags. These are container tags and range from level one to six. They allow creating different levels of emphasized headlines to help you organize your document and helps in professional web design. But one significant characteristic of a header tag is that it has the same effect as a paragraph tag, in that it creates a new line after it's off tag. The web browser places the header text and plain text on different lines.
Technically larger header tags should be used previously as per the HTML standard that is if header tag two is used, header one tag should be there somewhere before it. Very few browsers actually require it and developers usually use header tags to change the size of text for emphasis. But it is better to use header tags for true headers and only in a particular order for professional web design. There are few explicit tags often called as physical tags which specifically tell the web browser how the designer wants text to appear physically.
The most common ones are those which mark text as bold, italic or underline and are frequently used in professional web design.
Javascript menus: a couple easy steps towards better webpage organization
Do you think website creation is something interesting, but complicated, skill-demanding and… just not for you? Well, it has its own complications. But what we’ll tell you today is something everyone can use with javascript – but not everyone really does.
A Dynamic HTML menu is a ...-sensitive HTML object with dynamically unfolding submenu items and menu labels. What does this mean? The DHTML menu’s functioning starts on a static page after the page has been fully loaded and during the viewing process. The dynamic characteristic of DHTML is applied to a single object – a menu – which makes the page easier to view and quicker to load.
A Dynamic HTML or DHTML webpage is a webpage available for client-side scripting changes. DHTML menus are made in JavaScript, which was originally created to run on client-side. Now the language is no longer limited to just client-side, because server-side JavaScript (SSJS) is also available. Client-side scripting is manageable even for those who are not proficient in scripting, but would like to create a JavaScript menu or, as it’s also called, a Javascript tree.
One JavaScript menu can look very much different from another, thus the functions are about the same. You can choose from horizontal and vertical menus, dropdown menus and buttons, unfolding menus and linked texts with availability of submenus. Each kind will do the work, but remember that more formal and easy-to-use menus better suit the business purposes, when more interactive and animated objects fit the entertaining sites.
All the JavaScript menus suit the most basic purpose – navigation. The navigation interface is an important piece of any application, especially a site with many parts and single pages included. A correctly designed JavaScript menu lets users find the needed information easily and quickly.
A tree menu control, also called treeview, displays the information is in a hierarchical order, with the main topic at the top and the subordinated menu items and submenu labels underneath.
This type of construction is used in websites because of its main benefits. Beginners like to use a tree of folders because it is easy to learn; experienced users like it because it is reduces the number of clicks involved (and time spent).
The Plain Text Horizontal Style DHTML Menu Bar is probably the most common of all the DHTML JavaScript menus and is one that probably will be used the most frequently.
The Plain Text Horizontal Style DHTML Menu Bar is constructed according to the desired structure with or without additional options added. Then the menu is added to the web page completely independent of all other HTML objects.
Treeview JavaScript is the most popular DHTML tree on the net.
Positioning of the menu on the page is another important choice. A menu can be presented in a number of ways. Some menus consist solely of text with only the addition of a small arrow image to denote that a sub menu is available. The javascript trees are not incorporated into texts, but are also effective and add some more design features. For example, a javascript tree can be an animated figure, adding dynamics to the page and making the website memorable.
The JavaScript API (Application Programming Interface) is a core set of JavaScript functions to make DHTML programming quicker and easier.
The API performs tasks such as moving and hiding page elements (DIVs, layers or images) as well as getting and setting their attributes (such as size/position).
The API does:- Basic Browser Sniffing - Not a complete browser sniffer, it only highlights those browsers that can cause problems in the menu system. - Get Style Object - Returns the Style Object for a given page element. - Change Object Visibility - Hides or shows an element. - Find Image (NS4 only) - Used to find image objects in NS4. - Find object (NS4 only) - Used to find other objects in NS4. - Get Element Width/Height - Gets the width or height of any page element (not images in NS4). - Menus drop down from the menu bar, Submenus hang from other menus.
Are you now sure that JavaScript DHTML menus are absolutely for you?
If not yet, we list the main benefits of it:- layout flexibility - frame-based or frame-less layouts- optional document icons- optional tree-state persistency across page loads- open/close state is tracked separately for multiple trees- fast performance- unlimited hierarchical levels in your tree menu- fast performance even for trees with thousands of pages- expand/collapse does not require much time- cross browser- supports all major browsers/versions/platforms- does not require Java skills- easy configuration- modular design: make only small, localized changes to your page and only when you need them.
A Dynamic HTML menu is a ...-sensitive HTML object with dynamically unfolding submenu items and menu labels. What does this mean? The DHTML menu’s functioning starts on a static page after the page has been fully loaded and during the viewing process. The dynamic characteristic of DHTML is applied to a single object – a menu – which makes the page easier to view and quicker to load.
A Dynamic HTML or DHTML webpage is a webpage available for client-side scripting changes. DHTML menus are made in JavaScript, which was originally created to run on client-side. Now the language is no longer limited to just client-side, because server-side JavaScript (SSJS) is also available. Client-side scripting is manageable even for those who are not proficient in scripting, but would like to create a JavaScript menu or, as it’s also called, a Javascript tree.
One JavaScript menu can look very much different from another, thus the functions are about the same. You can choose from horizontal and vertical menus, dropdown menus and buttons, unfolding menus and linked texts with availability of submenus. Each kind will do the work, but remember that more formal and easy-to-use menus better suit the business purposes, when more interactive and animated objects fit the entertaining sites.
All the JavaScript menus suit the most basic purpose – navigation. The navigation interface is an important piece of any application, especially a site with many parts and single pages included. A correctly designed JavaScript menu lets users find the needed information easily and quickly.
A tree menu control, also called treeview, displays the information is in a hierarchical order, with the main topic at the top and the subordinated menu items and submenu labels underneath.
This type of construction is used in websites because of its main benefits. Beginners like to use a tree of folders because it is easy to learn; experienced users like it because it is reduces the number of clicks involved (and time spent).
The Plain Text Horizontal Style DHTML Menu Bar is probably the most common of all the DHTML JavaScript menus and is one that probably will be used the most frequently.
The Plain Text Horizontal Style DHTML Menu Bar is constructed according to the desired structure with or without additional options added. Then the menu is added to the web page completely independent of all other HTML objects.
Treeview JavaScript is the most popular DHTML tree on the net.
Positioning of the menu on the page is another important choice. A menu can be presented in a number of ways. Some menus consist solely of text with only the addition of a small arrow image to denote that a sub menu is available. The javascript trees are not incorporated into texts, but are also effective and add some more design features. For example, a javascript tree can be an animated figure, adding dynamics to the page and making the website memorable.
The JavaScript API (Application Programming Interface) is a core set of JavaScript functions to make DHTML programming quicker and easier.
The API performs tasks such as moving and hiding page elements (DIVs, layers or images) as well as getting and setting their attributes (such as size/position).
The API does:- Basic Browser Sniffing - Not a complete browser sniffer, it only highlights those browsers that can cause problems in the menu system. - Get Style Object - Returns the Style Object for a given page element. - Change Object Visibility - Hides or shows an element. - Find Image (NS4 only) - Used to find image objects in NS4. - Find object (NS4 only) - Used to find other objects in NS4. - Get Element Width/Height - Gets the width or height of any page element (not images in NS4). - Menus drop down from the menu bar, Submenus hang from other menus.
Are you now sure that JavaScript DHTML menus are absolutely for you?
If not yet, we list the main benefits of it:- layout flexibility - frame-based or frame-less layouts- optional document icons- optional tree-state persistency across page loads- open/close state is tracked separately for multiple trees- fast performance- unlimited hierarchical levels in your tree menu- fast performance even for trees with thousands of pages- expand/collapse does not require much time- cross browser- supports all major browsers/versions/platforms- does not require Java skills- easy configuration- modular design: make only small, localized changes to your page and only when you need them.
Dreamweaver Cs3 And Css
Because of its ability to separate design from content, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) has become an extremely important technology in web development. A single CSS document can contain information regarding the position of elements on all the pages in a web site as well as style information such as font, sizes and colours. In terms of building websites, CSS definitely represents the future.
Adobe Dreamweaver is a very widely used platform for developing web sites and web content and, although used by experienced developers, is also widely used by non-specialists for whom Dreamweaver's user-friendly visual interface takes the pain out of web site creation. The way in which Dreamweaver implements CSS is very important for the casual user, since it will influence the kind of sites they end up producing.
One of the most noticeable changes in this the latest version of Dreamweaver is that users are now positively encouraged to create web pages using CSS for page layout rather than tables. Each time a new web page or template is created, Dreamweaver offers you a choice of basing the page on one of about thirty preset CSS layouts with names like "3 Column Elastic" and "3 Column Fixed".
Instead of using tables to control positioning of web page content, CSS page layout makes extensive using of the DIV element an HTML construct which can contain just about anything, including other DIVs. The preset pages created by Dreamweaver CS3 contain a series of DIV element with the CSS code that controls their positioning. The placeholder text within the DIVs includes useful tips on customising the preset pages for your own use.
The CSS code for pages created using Dreamweaver's preset layouts is embedded in the page itself. If a user creates a series of such pages, each one will have its own CSS code making updating very time-consuming. It is far more efficient to have all of the CSS code in one external file and link each page to this one file. At present, Dreamweaver doesn't really make this clear to new users. However, it does have an excellent feature for moving embedded CSS code into an external file. You simply select all of the CSS definitions you wish to externalise then choose Text - CSS Styles - Move CSS Rules.
This ability to move blocks of CSS is an excellent feature but one has to ask if new users will see its significance and actually use it. The fact is that, given the increasing importance of CSS and Dreamweaver's role as the fledgling developers best friend, the program could use some improvement in the way it handles CSS.
It is also disappointing that Dreamweaver still automatically generates CSS styles called "style1", etc. each time the user applies a font or colour to selected text. Surely it would be easier to simply remove these basic attributes and just let the user either apply a style to the selection or, if no styles exist, create a new one. Perhaps this will be introduced in the next release of this excellent program.
Adobe Dreamweaver is a very widely used platform for developing web sites and web content and, although used by experienced developers, is also widely used by non-specialists for whom Dreamweaver's user-friendly visual interface takes the pain out of web site creation. The way in which Dreamweaver implements CSS is very important for the casual user, since it will influence the kind of sites they end up producing.
One of the most noticeable changes in this the latest version of Dreamweaver is that users are now positively encouraged to create web pages using CSS for page layout rather than tables. Each time a new web page or template is created, Dreamweaver offers you a choice of basing the page on one of about thirty preset CSS layouts with names like "3 Column Elastic" and "3 Column Fixed".
Instead of using tables to control positioning of web page content, CSS page layout makes extensive using of the DIV element an HTML construct which can contain just about anything, including other DIVs. The preset pages created by Dreamweaver CS3 contain a series of DIV element with the CSS code that controls their positioning. The placeholder text within the DIVs includes useful tips on customising the preset pages for your own use.
The CSS code for pages created using Dreamweaver's preset layouts is embedded in the page itself. If a user creates a series of such pages, each one will have its own CSS code making updating very time-consuming. It is far more efficient to have all of the CSS code in one external file and link each page to this one file. At present, Dreamweaver doesn't really make this clear to new users. However, it does have an excellent feature for moving embedded CSS code into an external file. You simply select all of the CSS definitions you wish to externalise then choose Text - CSS Styles - Move CSS Rules.
This ability to move blocks of CSS is an excellent feature but one has to ask if new users will see its significance and actually use it. The fact is that, given the increasing importance of CSS and Dreamweaver's role as the fledgling developers best friend, the program could use some improvement in the way it handles CSS.
It is also disappointing that Dreamweaver still automatically generates CSS styles called "style1", etc. each time the user applies a font or colour to selected text. Surely it would be easier to simply remove these basic attributes and just let the user either apply a style to the selection or, if no styles exist, create a new one. Perhaps this will be introduced in the next release of this excellent program.
How To Use A WYSIWYG HTML Editor To Make Stunning Ebay Auction Listings
What kind of browser are you using for online surfing? Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, Opera?? Sure, all are good programs but I want to talk about an excellent program called Netscape. If you use Netscape, do you know that you also get an amazing WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) web design program called Netscape Composer for free? Basically you don’t need expensive HTML editors anymore. The list of commercially available HTML editors software is endless – and the price tags are enormous. Most people don’t want to spend a lot of money to get started with their eBay business. Fair enough, since the goal is to make money and not to spend money. So it makes perfect sense to use a program to design auction listings which is available for free. And such a program is Netscape Composer.
It has the same professional features like FrontPage or any other similar program. To design stunning and professional looking eBay auction sites with Netscape Composer you need to download Netscape first. If you start up the program, select File->New Composer Page and basically you can start immediately to design your auction listings. You can make you letters in any color, bold, italics, use background colors (or even images) etc. The options are endless. You can save this file on your local hard drive as html file. I used to have one file for every listing I generate. The best thing is that once you have got a nice and professional looking eBay auction listing, you can use it for ever. Just open your last listing in Netscape Composer and edit according to your new item. Amazingly, this takes only a couple of minutes.
But how do you transfer your listing saved as an html file on your local hard drive to eBay? The answer is simple. Once you have logged in into your eBay account and selected your category and starting price you have to type in your “item description”. Did you see that eBay allows HTML format? Have a look when you launch your next listing. That’s the time where you go back to your new listing you just have created with Netscape Composer. Down the bottom of your Netscape Composer page you’ll see a button called: SOURCE - the source code of your listing. Click on that and highlight and copy the entire text. Select then the eBay site and paste this text into the “Item description box”. Make sure that all links are working and that all photos are uploaded to the internet.
When you have finalized your listing you will be surprised. A stunning and professional looking “DIY-listing”. You can always use “ready-to-go” auction templates and edit these according to your item. You’ll see that with a professional auction design you can easily attract more buyers and get higher bids. It’s worth the effort. Keep in mind that professional web design software is highly expensive and does the same job. Alternatively, you can choose from a huge variety of third party auction services doing the job for you. But hey, there are incredibly expensive too. Don’t you think that the eBay fees are high enough and you can easily do it yourself without spending any additional dollars? It’s really simple!
It has the same professional features like FrontPage or any other similar program. To design stunning and professional looking eBay auction sites with Netscape Composer you need to download Netscape first. If you start up the program, select File->New Composer Page and basically you can start immediately to design your auction listings. You can make you letters in any color, bold, italics, use background colors (or even images) etc. The options are endless. You can save this file on your local hard drive as html file. I used to have one file for every listing I generate. The best thing is that once you have got a nice and professional looking eBay auction listing, you can use it for ever. Just open your last listing in Netscape Composer and edit according to your new item. Amazingly, this takes only a couple of minutes.
But how do you transfer your listing saved as an html file on your local hard drive to eBay? The answer is simple. Once you have logged in into your eBay account and selected your category and starting price you have to type in your “item description”. Did you see that eBay allows HTML format? Have a look when you launch your next listing. That’s the time where you go back to your new listing you just have created with Netscape Composer. Down the bottom of your Netscape Composer page you’ll see a button called: SOURCE - the source code of your listing. Click on that and highlight and copy the entire text. Select then the eBay site and paste this text into the “Item description box”. Make sure that all links are working and that all photos are uploaded to the internet.
When you have finalized your listing you will be surprised. A stunning and professional looking “DIY-listing”. You can always use “ready-to-go” auction templates and edit these according to your item. You’ll see that with a professional auction design you can easily attract more buyers and get higher bids. It’s worth the effort. Keep in mind that professional web design software is highly expensive and does the same job. Alternatively, you can choose from a huge variety of third party auction services doing the job for you. But hey, there are incredibly expensive too. Don’t you think that the eBay fees are high enough and you can easily do it yourself without spending any additional dollars? It’s really simple!
Cheap Webhosting - Is It For You
There's an old adage which states that "You get what you pay for".
In most areas of life, and business, this holds true. Not necessarily so, however, in the webhosting industry. Often, you pay too much, and don't get what you pay for.
Several weeks ago I got a call from a web designer friend of mine.
"John," He said "You won't believe this".
He went on to tell me about a Plastic Surgeon he was redesigning a website for. This client was paying $600.00 per month for his webhosting account.
"The incredible thing is" He related, "I can't get the current host to return my phone calls or emails".
After looking at these clients needs, I was shocked to find that there was nothing special about his site that justified his being on anything other than a basic shared webhosting plan. We quoted him a monthly rate of under five dollars.
In this case, the client was being raped by an unscrupulous host who was not only overcharging him, but not even providing the basic support he needed.
This is an extreme example, no doubt, but it all too often characterizes the poor deal which most website owners fall into.
Several years ago, there was no such thing as a webhosting industry. Nearly all websites were hosted by local ISP's. The average monthly cost for hosting a website was $20.00 per month. Often, if you called the ISP with a technical question, they would tell you to buy a book or take a class.
Around 1996, we saw the emergence of a few "webhosting" companies. These were companies which were strictly committed to hosting websites. Using the economy of scale, they were able to offer incredibly useful webhosting packages for around $10.00 per month. What's more, some of these companies provided useful tech support which was geared towards meeting a website owners needs.
Fast forward to 2005 and we now see the emergence of a new type of web host - the cheap webhosting provider. These are companies which offer hosting for less than $5.00 per month.
Generally, cheap webhosting providers are newer companies. There's a reason for this. It's extremely difficult for the older companies to lower their prices when they already have a large customer base which pays higher prices. They'd be slashing their gross, and most companies just can't afford that.
So how do cheap webhosting providers offer such a low price to begin with?
Part of it is that servers, hard drive space and bandwidth are much, much less expensive than they were several years ago. Cheap webhosting providers capitalize on this.
Another part is that cheap hosting providers use a different business model than the older providers. Webhosting is a very competitive business. Until recently, web hosts attempted to compete by providing the most tools and features. The problem with this model is that not everyone needs everything. Most web hosts provide free backup services to all of their clients. Backups are costly, and not everyone needs or wants them, but everyone pays for them because they're built into the cost of the package.
A cheap webhosting provider, on the other hand, might give you the basic features that everyone uses, but offer weekly backups as an available add on feature, putting the cost of backing up websites on only those customers who want that service.
This all sounds great, I know, but what about service? Will I get competent and fast customer support from a company which charges me $4.00 per month?
The answer, surprisingly, is usually yes.
Obviously, not all cheap webhosting providers will give you great service. But not all expensive webhosting providers will give good service either. Our Plastic Surgeon friend couldn't get his $600.00 host to return his emails.
But, with a cheaper provider, the key for the providers success is customer retention. A savvy web host will endeavor to please his existing clients by providing the best support possible.
In most areas of life, and business, this holds true. Not necessarily so, however, in the webhosting industry. Often, you pay too much, and don't get what you pay for.
Several weeks ago I got a call from a web designer friend of mine.
"John," He said "You won't believe this".
He went on to tell me about a Plastic Surgeon he was redesigning a website for. This client was paying $600.00 per month for his webhosting account.
"The incredible thing is" He related, "I can't get the current host to return my phone calls or emails".
After looking at these clients needs, I was shocked to find that there was nothing special about his site that justified his being on anything other than a basic shared webhosting plan. We quoted him a monthly rate of under five dollars.
In this case, the client was being raped by an unscrupulous host who was not only overcharging him, but not even providing the basic support he needed.
This is an extreme example, no doubt, but it all too often characterizes the poor deal which most website owners fall into.
Several years ago, there was no such thing as a webhosting industry. Nearly all websites were hosted by local ISP's. The average monthly cost for hosting a website was $20.00 per month. Often, if you called the ISP with a technical question, they would tell you to buy a book or take a class.
Around 1996, we saw the emergence of a few "webhosting" companies. These were companies which were strictly committed to hosting websites. Using the economy of scale, they were able to offer incredibly useful webhosting packages for around $10.00 per month. What's more, some of these companies provided useful tech support which was geared towards meeting a website owners needs.
Fast forward to 2005 and we now see the emergence of a new type of web host - the cheap webhosting provider. These are companies which offer hosting for less than $5.00 per month.
Generally, cheap webhosting providers are newer companies. There's a reason for this. It's extremely difficult for the older companies to lower their prices when they already have a large customer base which pays higher prices. They'd be slashing their gross, and most companies just can't afford that.
So how do cheap webhosting providers offer such a low price to begin with?
Part of it is that servers, hard drive space and bandwidth are much, much less expensive than they were several years ago. Cheap webhosting providers capitalize on this.
Another part is that cheap hosting providers use a different business model than the older providers. Webhosting is a very competitive business. Until recently, web hosts attempted to compete by providing the most tools and features. The problem with this model is that not everyone needs everything. Most web hosts provide free backup services to all of their clients. Backups are costly, and not everyone needs or wants them, but everyone pays for them because they're built into the cost of the package.
A cheap webhosting provider, on the other hand, might give you the basic features that everyone uses, but offer weekly backups as an available add on feature, putting the cost of backing up websites on only those customers who want that service.
This all sounds great, I know, but what about service? Will I get competent and fast customer support from a company which charges me $4.00 per month?
The answer, surprisingly, is usually yes.
Obviously, not all cheap webhosting providers will give you great service. But not all expensive webhosting providers will give good service either. Our Plastic Surgeon friend couldn't get his $600.00 host to return his emails.
But, with a cheaper provider, the key for the providers success is customer retention. A savvy web host will endeavor to please his existing clients by providing the best support possible.
Choosing A Web Designer: A Plan To Guide You Through The Minefield
Choosing a web designer can seem like a daunting task. They come in all shapes and sizes – from freelancers working at home to glossy new media agencies, and there is as much variation in prices and service as there is in size.
So how do you choose the right one for your business?
Select Your Marketplace
Firstly, decide what market you would like to select from: local, national or overseas.
If you would feel more comfortable meeting your designer, and running through your project face to face (maybe it’s the kind of project that needs to “evolve”) ,and your ethos is “quality of service” rather than “Pile ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap” then a local web designer is for you. They can usually provide better back up, and be able to meet face to face to discuss your project and iron out any problems should they occur.
If you are a bit more budgeting conscious, then it makes sense to select from a “wider pool”. Getting quotes from designers across your country will usually obtain a more competitive quote. What you lose in face-to-face service is made up for in cost savings, and all but the largest web projects can usually be sorted out via telephone and email these days.
For the extremely cost conscious and value for money orientated (some would even say “brave”!) there is the overseas market. If you know exactly what you are looking for and can explain your project thoroughly and clearly in writing, then there are huge savings to be made. But what you save in price is invariably countered by having to do a little more work on your side – particularly when it comes to communication!
Finding Web Designers
To find a list of local web designers consult your Yellow Pages (or equivalent) or does a web search for “web designer “ “your area”.
Draw up a shortlist
Draw up a shortlist of 3 or 4 designers to speak to. You can do this by visiting their websites, getting a feel for the type and size of business they are and looking at their online portfolio. Then call them – ask them questions about the type of clients they work for, timeframes and any other technical questions you have. Get a feel for how they communicate – whether they are on the same wavelength as you.
If you opted to go overseas, the websites already mentioned have ratings systems which can help you decide, and you can also send and receive private messages to ask questions.
Get Quotes
Once you have your shortlist, you can get quotes. For a straightforward website this can be a simple fixed price – for a more complicated project that is likely to evolve, you may just want to get a budget price at this stage, and then pin down details and a fixed price with your preferred bidder later. Always specify your expected timeframe for completion when obtaining quotes as this can affect prices.
Get References
Once you have your preferred bidder, get references. Any established web designer will be able to provide details of satisfied clients. Email them and ask if they were happy with the service received, if the job was completed on time, how unforeseen problems were dealt with etc.
Remember to trust your instincts: If you are not entirely happy with the references you obtain, walk away and select another designer.
Appoint your web designer
You now have a fixed price, references, and confirmed timescale for your project. Now appoint your designer!
Most have standard agreements –read them carefully, and if in doubt get your legal adviser to look them over. Make sure timescales and project milestones are specified, as well as payment terms. Find out how alterations to your project are dealt with – in terms of cost and delays – and how disputes if they arise would be settled.
Finally, when you are completely happy, sign on the dotted line and look forward to a productive working relationship with your web designer!
So how do you choose the right one for your business?
Select Your Marketplace
Firstly, decide what market you would like to select from: local, national or overseas.
If you would feel more comfortable meeting your designer, and running through your project face to face (maybe it’s the kind of project that needs to “evolve”) ,and your ethos is “quality of service” rather than “Pile ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap” then a local web designer is for you. They can usually provide better back up, and be able to meet face to face to discuss your project and iron out any problems should they occur.
If you are a bit more budgeting conscious, then it makes sense to select from a “wider pool”. Getting quotes from designers across your country will usually obtain a more competitive quote. What you lose in face-to-face service is made up for in cost savings, and all but the largest web projects can usually be sorted out via telephone and email these days.
For the extremely cost conscious and value for money orientated (some would even say “brave”!) there is the overseas market. If you know exactly what you are looking for and can explain your project thoroughly and clearly in writing, then there are huge savings to be made. But what you save in price is invariably countered by having to do a little more work on your side – particularly when it comes to communication!
Finding Web Designers
To find a list of local web designers consult your Yellow Pages (or equivalent) or does a web search for “web designer “ “your area”.
Draw up a shortlist
Draw up a shortlist of 3 or 4 designers to speak to. You can do this by visiting their websites, getting a feel for the type and size of business they are and looking at their online portfolio. Then call them – ask them questions about the type of clients they work for, timeframes and any other technical questions you have. Get a feel for how they communicate – whether they are on the same wavelength as you.
If you opted to go overseas, the websites already mentioned have ratings systems which can help you decide, and you can also send and receive private messages to ask questions.
Get Quotes
Once you have your shortlist, you can get quotes. For a straightforward website this can be a simple fixed price – for a more complicated project that is likely to evolve, you may just want to get a budget price at this stage, and then pin down details and a fixed price with your preferred bidder later. Always specify your expected timeframe for completion when obtaining quotes as this can affect prices.
Get References
Once you have your preferred bidder, get references. Any established web designer will be able to provide details of satisfied clients. Email them and ask if they were happy with the service received, if the job was completed on time, how unforeseen problems were dealt with etc.
Remember to trust your instincts: If you are not entirely happy with the references you obtain, walk away and select another designer.
Appoint your web designer
You now have a fixed price, references, and confirmed timescale for your project. Now appoint your designer!
Most have standard agreements –read them carefully, and if in doubt get your legal adviser to look them over. Make sure timescales and project milestones are specified, as well as payment terms. Find out how alterations to your project are dealt with – in terms of cost and delays – and how disputes if they arise would be settled.
Finally, when you are completely happy, sign on the dotted line and look forward to a productive working relationship with your web designer!
Principles Of HTML Code Optimization
Just like spring cleaning a house, the html code of your web pages should get periodic cleaning as well. Over time, as changes and updates are made to a web page, the code can become littered with unnecessary clutter, slowing down page load times and hurting the efficiency of your web page. Cluttered html can also seriously impact your search engine ranking.
This is especially true if you are using a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) web design package such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver. These programs will speed up your web site creation, but they are not that efficient at writing clean html code.
We will be focusing this discussion on the actual html coding, ignoring other programming languages that may be used in a page such as JavaScript. In the code examples I will be using ( and ) characters instead of correct html so that the code examples will display properly in this newsletter.
Up until recently when coding a page in HTML we would be using tags such as the (font) tag and (p) paragraph tags. Between these tags would be our page content, text, images and links. Each time a formatting change was made on the page new tags were needed with complete formatting for the new section. More recently we have gained the ability to use Cascading Style Sheets, allowing us to write the formatting once and then refer to that formatting several times within a web page.
In order to speed up page load times we need to have fewer characters on the page when viewed in an html editor. Since we really do not want to remove any of our visible content we need to look to the html code. By cleaning up this code we can remove characters, thereby creating a smaller web page that will load more quickly.
Over time HTML has changed and we now have many different ways to do the same thing. An example would be the code used to show a bold type face. In HTML we have two main choices, the (strong) tag and the (b) tag. As you can see the (strong) tag uses 5 more characters than the (b) tag, and if we consider the closing tags as well we see that using the (strong)( strong) tag pair uses 10 more characters than the cleaner (b)( b) tag pair.
This is our First Principle of clean HTML code: Use the simplest coding method available.
HTML has the ability of nesting code within other code. For instance we could have a line with three words where the middle word was in bold. This could be accomplished by changing the formatting completely each time the visible formatting changes. Consider this code:
(font face=”times”)This(font) (font face=”times”)(strong)BOLD(strong)( font) (font face=”times”)Word(font) This takes up 90 characters.
This is very poorly written html and is what you occasionally will get when using a WYSIWYG editor. Since the (font) tags are repeating the same information we can simply nest the (strong) tags inside the (font) tags, and better yet use the (b) tag instead of the (strong) tag. This would give us this code (font face=”times)This (b)BOLD(b) Word(font), taking up only 46 characters.
This is our Second Principle of clean HTML code: Use nested tags when possible. Be aware that WYSIWYG editors will frequently update formatting by adding layer after layer of nested code. So while you are cleaning up the code look for redundant nested code placed there by your WYSIWYG editing program.
A big problem with using HTML tags is that we need to repeat the tag coding whenever we change the formatting. The advent of CSS allows us a great advantage in clean coding by allowing us to layout the formatting once in a document, then simply refer to it over and over again.
If we had six paragraphs in a page that switch between two different types of formatting, such as headings in Blue, Bold, Ariel, size 4 and paragraph text in Black, Times, size 2, using tags we would need to list that complete formatting each time we make a change.
(font face=”Ariel” color=”blue” size=”4”)(b)Our heading(/b)(/font) (font face=”Times color=”black” size=”2”)Our paragraph(/font) (font face=”Ariel” color=”blue” size=”4”)(b)Our next heading(/b)(/font) (font face=”Times color=”black” size=”2”)Our next paragraph(/font)
We would then repeat this for each heading and paragraph, lots of html code.
With CSS we could create CSS Styles for each formatting type, list the Styles once in the Header of the page, and then simply refer to the Style each time we make a change.
(head) (style type="text/css") (!-- .style1 { font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 24px; } .style2 { font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; } --) (/style) (/head) (body) (p class="style1")Heading(/p) (p class="style2")Paragraph Text(/p) (/body)
This is especially true if you are using a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) web design package such as FrontPage or Dreamweaver. These programs will speed up your web site creation, but they are not that efficient at writing clean html code.
We will be focusing this discussion on the actual html coding, ignoring other programming languages that may be used in a page such as JavaScript. In the code examples I will be using ( and ) characters instead of correct html so that the code examples will display properly in this newsletter.
Up until recently when coding a page in HTML we would be using tags such as the (font) tag and (p) paragraph tags. Between these tags would be our page content, text, images and links. Each time a formatting change was made on the page new tags were needed with complete formatting for the new section. More recently we have gained the ability to use Cascading Style Sheets, allowing us to write the formatting once and then refer to that formatting several times within a web page.
In order to speed up page load times we need to have fewer characters on the page when viewed in an html editor. Since we really do not want to remove any of our visible content we need to look to the html code. By cleaning up this code we can remove characters, thereby creating a smaller web page that will load more quickly.
Over time HTML has changed and we now have many different ways to do the same thing. An example would be the code used to show a bold type face. In HTML we have two main choices, the (strong) tag and the (b) tag. As you can see the (strong) tag uses 5 more characters than the (b) tag, and if we consider the closing tags as well we see that using the (strong)( strong) tag pair uses 10 more characters than the cleaner (b)( b) tag pair.
This is our First Principle of clean HTML code: Use the simplest coding method available.
HTML has the ability of nesting code within other code. For instance we could have a line with three words where the middle word was in bold. This could be accomplished by changing the formatting completely each time the visible formatting changes. Consider this code:
(font face=”times”)This(font) (font face=”times”)(strong)BOLD(strong)( font) (font face=”times”)Word(font) This takes up 90 characters.
This is very poorly written html and is what you occasionally will get when using a WYSIWYG editor. Since the (font) tags are repeating the same information we can simply nest the (strong) tags inside the (font) tags, and better yet use the (b) tag instead of the (strong) tag. This would give us this code (font face=”times)This (b)BOLD(b) Word(font), taking up only 46 characters.
This is our Second Principle of clean HTML code: Use nested tags when possible. Be aware that WYSIWYG editors will frequently update formatting by adding layer after layer of nested code. So while you are cleaning up the code look for redundant nested code placed there by your WYSIWYG editing program.
A big problem with using HTML tags is that we need to repeat the tag coding whenever we change the formatting. The advent of CSS allows us a great advantage in clean coding by allowing us to layout the formatting once in a document, then simply refer to it over and over again.
If we had six paragraphs in a page that switch between two different types of formatting, such as headings in Blue, Bold, Ariel, size 4 and paragraph text in Black, Times, size 2, using tags we would need to list that complete formatting each time we make a change.
(font face=”Ariel” color=”blue” size=”4”)(b)Our heading(/b)(/font) (font face=”Times color=”black” size=”2”)Our paragraph(/font) (font face=”Ariel” color=”blue” size=”4”)(b)Our next heading(/b)(/font) (font face=”Times color=”black” size=”2”)Our next paragraph(/font)
We would then repeat this for each heading and paragraph, lots of html code.
With CSS we could create CSS Styles for each formatting type, list the Styles once in the Header of the page, and then simply refer to the Style each time we make a change.
(head) (style type="text/css") (!-- .style1 { font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; font-size: 24px; } .style2 { font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 12px; } --) (/style) (/head) (body) (p class="style1")Heading(/p) (p class="style2")Paragraph Text(/p) (/body)
Web Hosting Provider Reviews From Webhostingadvice.net
Webhostingadvice.net offers advice to people of all levels to assist in the process of choosing the best web-hosting provider. Given the large amount of companies offering similar web hosting services, choosing a web host can be hard.
Webhostingadvice.net has conveniently selected the TOP 10 most affordable web hosts and placed them in a comparison chart for your benefit.
There are so many different web hosts in the market today, finding a web hosting provider that suits your site's specific needs can be much harder than you think.
If you are starting a website or choosing a web host for the first time, there are a number of factors that you should take into account.
One of the most important factors is bandwidth or transfer. Bandwidth or transfer is measured by multiplying the size of your site with the number of visitors you get a month. Our experience with web hosts is that even cheap web hosting services will provide you with more than enough bandwidth or transfer.
Disk space is a key factor, which you will encounter right at the beginning of your journey onto the web. Bigger sites that contain heavy files (sound files, images etc.) will require more disk space than smaller, simpler sites. Most sites are between 10-20kb which is more than enough for nearly any web hosting provider.
Probably the most important concern for a beginner is support. Before choosing a web host, make sure that you are comfortable with level of support provided. A cheap web host may only offer email support whilst a more sophisticated yet affordable web-hosting provider will provide live chat, online tutorials, 24-hour phone support and forums. For those intending to conduct business online, immediate support is crucial – it can make or break your online business.
In addition to the above factors, you cannot avoid doing your own research. We encourage you to visit each host and analyze their services carefully. Many hosts offer a 30-day free trial period. This is a great way to test their service and make sure that it suits the needs of your website. Another suggestion is to speak to them personally and ask them the right questions about their service. You will be able to tell pretty quickly whether the particular host is responsive enough to your needs and is willing to accompany you in your online experience
Webhostingadvice.net has conveniently selected the TOP 10 most affordable web hosts and placed them in a comparison chart for your benefit.
There are so many different web hosts in the market today, finding a web hosting provider that suits your site's specific needs can be much harder than you think.
If you are starting a website or choosing a web host for the first time, there are a number of factors that you should take into account.
One of the most important factors is bandwidth or transfer. Bandwidth or transfer is measured by multiplying the size of your site with the number of visitors you get a month. Our experience with web hosts is that even cheap web hosting services will provide you with more than enough bandwidth or transfer.
Disk space is a key factor, which you will encounter right at the beginning of your journey onto the web. Bigger sites that contain heavy files (sound files, images etc.) will require more disk space than smaller, simpler sites. Most sites are between 10-20kb which is more than enough for nearly any web hosting provider.
Probably the most important concern for a beginner is support. Before choosing a web host, make sure that you are comfortable with level of support provided. A cheap web host may only offer email support whilst a more sophisticated yet affordable web-hosting provider will provide live chat, online tutorials, 24-hour phone support and forums. For those intending to conduct business online, immediate support is crucial – it can make or break your online business.
In addition to the above factors, you cannot avoid doing your own research. We encourage you to visit each host and analyze their services carefully. Many hosts offer a 30-day free trial period. This is a great way to test their service and make sure that it suits the needs of your website. Another suggestion is to speak to them personally and ask them the right questions about their service. You will be able to tell pretty quickly whether the particular host is responsive enough to your needs and is willing to accompany you in your online experience
Choosing A Web Designer: A Plan To Guide You Through The Minefield.
Choosing a web designer can seem like a daunting task. They come in all shapes and sizes – from freelancers working at home to glossy new media agencies, and there is as much variation in prices and service as there is in size.
So how do you choose the right one for your business?
Select Your Marketplace
Firstly, decide what market your would like to select from: local, national or overseas.
If you would feel more comfortable meeting your designer, and running through your project face to face (maybe it’s the kind of project that needs to “evolve”), and your ethos is “quality of service” rather than “Pile ‘me high, sell ‘me cheap” then a local web designer is for you. They can usually provide better back up, and be able to meet face to face to discuss your project and iron out any problems should they occur.
If you are a bit more budgeting conscious, then it makes sense to select from a “wider pool”. Getting quotes from designers across your country will usually obtain a more competitive quote. What you lose in face-to-face service is made up for in cost savings, and all but the largest web projects can usually be sorted out via telephone and email these days.
For the extremely cost conscious and value for money orientated (some would even say “brave”!) there is the overseas market. If you know exactly what you are looking for and can explain your project thoroughly and clearly in writing, then there are huge savings to be made. But what you save in price is invariably countered by having to do a little more work on your side – particularly when it comes to communication!
Finding Web Designers
To find a list of local web designers consult your Yellow Pages (or equivalent) or do a web search for “web designer ““your area”. Looking further a field, you can do a web search or check out directories such as . For overseas designers, go to web sites such as or, the latter offering the benefit of escrow and arbitration services.
Draw up a shortlist
Draw up a shortlist of 3 or 4 designers to speak to. You can do this by visiting their websites, getting a feel for the type and size of business they are and looking at their online portfolio. Then call them – ask them questions about the type of clients they work for, timeframes and any other technical questions you have. Get a feel for how they communicate – whether they are on the same wavelength as you.
If you opted to go overseas, the websites already mentioned have ratings systems which can help you decide, and you can also send and receive private messages to ask questions.
Get Quotes
Once you have your shortlist, you can get quotes. For a straightforward website this can be a simple fixed price – for a more complicated project that is likely to evolve, you may just want to get a budget price at this stage, and then pin down details and a fixed price with your preferred bidder later. Always specify your expected timeframe for completion when obtaining quotes as this can affect prices.
Get References
Once you have your preferred bidder, get references. Any established web designer will be able to provide details of satisfied clients. Email them and ask if they were happy with the service received, if the job was completed on time, how unforeseen problems were dealt with etc.
Remember to trust your instincts: If you are not entirely happy with the references you obtain, walk away and select another designer.
Appoint your web designer
You now have a fixed price, references, and confirmed timescale for your project. Now appoint your designer!
Most have standard agreements –read them carefully, and if in doubt get your legal adviser to look them over. Make sure timescales and project milestones are specified, as well as payment terms. Find out how alterations to your project are dealt with – in terms of cost and delays – and how disputes if they arise would be settled.
Finally, when you are completely happy, sign on the dotted line and look forward to a productive working relationship with your web designer!
So how do you choose the right one for your business?
Select Your Marketplace
Firstly, decide what market your would like to select from: local, national or overseas.
If you would feel more comfortable meeting your designer, and running through your project face to face (maybe it’s the kind of project that needs to “evolve”), and your ethos is “quality of service” rather than “Pile ‘me high, sell ‘me cheap” then a local web designer is for you. They can usually provide better back up, and be able to meet face to face to discuss your project and iron out any problems should they occur.
If you are a bit more budgeting conscious, then it makes sense to select from a “wider pool”. Getting quotes from designers across your country will usually obtain a more competitive quote. What you lose in face-to-face service is made up for in cost savings, and all but the largest web projects can usually be sorted out via telephone and email these days.
For the extremely cost conscious and value for money orientated (some would even say “brave”!) there is the overseas market. If you know exactly what you are looking for and can explain your project thoroughly and clearly in writing, then there are huge savings to be made. But what you save in price is invariably countered by having to do a little more work on your side – particularly when it comes to communication!
Finding Web Designers
To find a list of local web designers consult your Yellow Pages (or equivalent) or do a web search for “web designer ““your area”. Looking further a field, you can do a web search or check out directories such as . For overseas designers, go to web sites such as or, the latter offering the benefit of escrow and arbitration services.
Draw up a shortlist
Draw up a shortlist of 3 or 4 designers to speak to. You can do this by visiting their websites, getting a feel for the type and size of business they are and looking at their online portfolio. Then call them – ask them questions about the type of clients they work for, timeframes and any other technical questions you have. Get a feel for how they communicate – whether they are on the same wavelength as you.
If you opted to go overseas, the websites already mentioned have ratings systems which can help you decide, and you can also send and receive private messages to ask questions.
Get Quotes
Once you have your shortlist, you can get quotes. For a straightforward website this can be a simple fixed price – for a more complicated project that is likely to evolve, you may just want to get a budget price at this stage, and then pin down details and a fixed price with your preferred bidder later. Always specify your expected timeframe for completion when obtaining quotes as this can affect prices.
Get References
Once you have your preferred bidder, get references. Any established web designer will be able to provide details of satisfied clients. Email them and ask if they were happy with the service received, if the job was completed on time, how unforeseen problems were dealt with etc.
Remember to trust your instincts: If you are not entirely happy with the references you obtain, walk away and select another designer.
Appoint your web designer
You now have a fixed price, references, and confirmed timescale for your project. Now appoint your designer!
Most have standard agreements –read them carefully, and if in doubt get your legal adviser to look them over. Make sure timescales and project milestones are specified, as well as payment terms. Find out how alterations to your project are dealt with – in terms of cost and delays – and how disputes if they arise would be settled.
Finally, when you are completely happy, sign on the dotted line and look forward to a productive working relationship with your web designer!
Adding Videos To Your Blog Or Personal Space
These days, people are interested in building their connections thereby increasing the number of people or friends in their circle. This could help them make more friends with people who are from other parts of the world. Ever since the internet was introduced, it has taken over our lives and we now carry out every possible activity on this platform. If a person creates a personal space on the internet or is into blogging, they can promote work and use to browse for funny images and watch funny video clips. Not only do they make you popular among your peer group, this is a way to share new websites with each other.
Blogging has become a rage these days with almost everyone owning a blog URL, which is like a personal diary, except it is maintained online. For some it is a way to express their inner feelings and jot them down on a daily basis. Others it’s a platform that allows them to showcase their talent and invite new business opportunities and these people are referred to as Bloggers. When we surf the net, we look for humor related sites or those that have funny pictures and videos in them. This is a way to break the monotony of the busy day and enjoy those few moments of laughter. There are many sites that have funny videos in them, and if a person desires, he can embed these videos into personal blogs. All they have to do is copy the html tag given with the video and post it on their blog and it will remain up there for all visitors who stop by and enjoy a good laugh.
Among the many networking sites that have come about, MySpace is the third most popular in the United States and the sixth in the world. A place where you can make friends, get to know people from across the world, impart information about you and look for job options is what this is. You can put up your blog URL, any pictures and funny videos you wish to share with others and they would get noticed instantly. It is a way of drawing attention to oneself through which the member can leverage on the features offered at MySpace.
The Flash videos available on various sites, are videos created as Windows Media or MPEG files, and later converted to flash. The reason flash players are the new wave in video media, is that they offer more GUIs than the old players. GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. Simply put, the controls you see in flash players are created in flash, and are unlimited. Flash players are also very popular because most computers have a built-in Flash player, making these videos available to everyone online.
Once you have embedded the code onto your page, you can watch your favorite funny video clips by simply clicking on the screenshot on the page. The flash player also enables the viewers to navigate to the source link to watch more funny videos. The same applies to those crazy funny pictures that capture hilarious moments in time. Why not share your crazy pictures with groups all over the world by uploading them to your blog or favorite social networking site? Venues like MySpace and blogs allow the users to join groups based on subjects of their preference and share their funny images and videos with their friends. It is human nature to want to share, especially good, funny things and that is exactly what these sites offer. It only takes a few minutes to leave your impression of humor on thousands of people online.
Blogging has become a rage these days with almost everyone owning a blog URL, which is like a personal diary, except it is maintained online. For some it is a way to express their inner feelings and jot them down on a daily basis. Others it’s a platform that allows them to showcase their talent and invite new business opportunities and these people are referred to as Bloggers. When we surf the net, we look for humor related sites or those that have funny pictures and videos in them. This is a way to break the monotony of the busy day and enjoy those few moments of laughter. There are many sites that have funny videos in them, and if a person desires, he can embed these videos into personal blogs. All they have to do is copy the html tag given with the video and post it on their blog and it will remain up there for all visitors who stop by and enjoy a good laugh.
Among the many networking sites that have come about, MySpace is the third most popular in the United States and the sixth in the world. A place where you can make friends, get to know people from across the world, impart information about you and look for job options is what this is. You can put up your blog URL, any pictures and funny videos you wish to share with others and they would get noticed instantly. It is a way of drawing attention to oneself through which the member can leverage on the features offered at MySpace.
The Flash videos available on various sites, are videos created as Windows Media or MPEG files, and later converted to flash. The reason flash players are the new wave in video media, is that they offer more GUIs than the old players. GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. Simply put, the controls you see in flash players are created in flash, and are unlimited. Flash players are also very popular because most computers have a built-in Flash player, making these videos available to everyone online.
Once you have embedded the code onto your page, you can watch your favorite funny video clips by simply clicking on the screenshot on the page. The flash player also enables the viewers to navigate to the source link to watch more funny videos. The same applies to those crazy funny pictures that capture hilarious moments in time. Why not share your crazy pictures with groups all over the world by uploading them to your blog or favorite social networking site? Venues like MySpace and blogs allow the users to join groups based on subjects of their preference and share their funny images and videos with their friends. It is human nature to want to share, especially good, funny things and that is exactly what these sites offer. It only takes a few minutes to leave your impression of humor on thousands of people online.
Use your bookmarks anywhere with Google Browser Sync - Firefox plugin
Google Browser Sync for Firefox is an extension that continuously synchronizes your browser settings – including bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved passwords – across your computers. It also allows you to restore open tabs and windows across different machines and browser sessions.
With this tool i’m saving a lot of time because i access the internet from 2 computers and i don’t need to save all my passwords in my agenda, and o don’t need to write down all websites i want to visit.
In addition to the mentioned features, when you close firefox, google sync saves all opened pages. When you open firefox again, you will be asked if you want to re-open those pages. This is similar with Firefox 2 feature “Restore Session”, but it is working for different computers too. If you are at work and you are viewing some pages, but it is time to go home, you can close your browser and open it from the home computer with the same pages opened.
With this tool i’m saving a lot of time because i access the internet from 2 computers and i don’t need to save all my passwords in my agenda, and o don’t need to write down all websites i want to visit.
In addition to the mentioned features, when you close firefox, google sync saves all opened pages. When you open firefox again, you will be asked if you want to re-open those pages. This is similar with Firefox 2 feature “Restore Session”, but it is working for different computers too. If you are at work and you are viewing some pages, but it is time to go home, you can close your browser and open it from the home computer with the same pages opened.
The return of banner advertising
The simple banner has morphed like a chameleon on plaid into several different colors, flavors, shapes and sizes. Remember, the ad part of banner ad stands for advertising. Ads as an entity on the Internet have proliferated to the point of saturation. You can rarely visit a web site which does not have some form of advertising on it.
Let's look at a few forms of the new, improved, banner ad. Pop-up and pop under windows. Not withstanding the annoyance they cause, these things seem to be everywhere. Someone had to purchase that space in the first place, so they must think they work? Personally I've -never- clicked on one out of sheer principal. I don't want to encourage this type of marketing, but nonetheless, they seem to be popular, even CNN uses them. The point being, people are buying them.
Another new form of banner ad has the advantage of being disguised in a box shape. Google Adwords and other similar 'little boxes' are everywhere. These type of banners are designed to show up when someone types in a key term relevant to the text chosen for the ad by the advertiser. e.g. I buy a Google Adword (banner) that only pops up when someone visits the Google search engine or one of its affiliate partners, of which there are thousands, and types in the word widget. Up pops my ad. If you click on the ad it costs me money and directs you to my web site so I am taking the chance that you will buy something once you visit.
Another form of Banner Ad is cleverly disguised as a mere text link. Oh yes, it's true. Some come right out and tell you that they are "sponsored" links, which is a nice way of saying someone is paying for that link, while others simply show up near the top of listings with a small disclaimer underneath stating links supplied by widgetsearch.com. Very sly and slick. In the background however, someone has either bought that link space outright or bid like an auction sale to get the highest placement... Literally buying their way to the top. This can prove to be a highly expensive proposition, but some swear that the targeted traffic it brings is worth the coin spent. Discussing the Return on Investment (ROI) for various ad programs is an entirely different subject for a future article. For better or worse let's say that banner ads, in all manner of persuasion, are here to stay. So why not capitalize on this aspect of Internet marketing?
One way to do this is by joining affiliate programs. There are thousands from which to choose and if you select one which enhances or is related to the subject matter on your site, you stand to make some income merely by having a small clickable banner on your site. Each time someone clicks on it, you may either get a penny or two or a commission if the visitor then goes on to purchase something on the linked site. Either way, you earn revenue. Some sites on the web specialize in finding and listing affiliate programs. I won't mention any specific sites here but visit any search engine and type in "Affiliate Programs." You'll be swamped.
Multilevel marketing programs abound on the web. You join, get a downline and everyone above you gets a piece of the action. I would not classify these types of programs as true affiliate programs, but rather multilayered. I would not recommend these types of programs. They are often a lot of work and provide a very slow return for your time and efforts.
A true affiliate program allows you to stand alone. Putting an affiliate banner on your site and hoping for the best is one way to do it, but the more effort and marketing you put into the program, the greater your chance of rewards. Let's assume you've signed up for a program where you earn revenue by redirecting people to a car dealer. Tell your friends about it. Join a chat or newsgroup where cars is the subject. A few moments a week can bring more traffic to your site and a few more clicks on that affiliate ad. Spend some time marketing your affiliate program. You only reap what you sew, when it comes to affiliate programs and the new and improved banner ads. Try one on for size. Hey, if you can't lick them, join them! Why let everyone else earn all the money?
Let's look at a few forms of the new, improved, banner ad. Pop-up and pop under windows. Not withstanding the annoyance they cause, these things seem to be everywhere. Someone had to purchase that space in the first place, so they must think they work? Personally I've -never- clicked on one out of sheer principal. I don't want to encourage this type of marketing, but nonetheless, they seem to be popular, even CNN uses them. The point being, people are buying them.
Another new form of banner ad has the advantage of being disguised in a box shape. Google Adwords and other similar 'little boxes' are everywhere. These type of banners are designed to show up when someone types in a key term relevant to the text chosen for the ad by the advertiser. e.g. I buy a Google Adword (banner) that only pops up when someone visits the Google search engine or one of its affiliate partners, of which there are thousands, and types in the word widget. Up pops my ad. If you click on the ad it costs me money and directs you to my web site so I am taking the chance that you will buy something once you visit.
Another form of Banner Ad is cleverly disguised as a mere text link. Oh yes, it's true. Some come right out and tell you that they are "sponsored" links, which is a nice way of saying someone is paying for that link, while others simply show up near the top of listings with a small disclaimer underneath stating links supplied by widgetsearch.com. Very sly and slick. In the background however, someone has either bought that link space outright or bid like an auction sale to get the highest placement... Literally buying their way to the top. This can prove to be a highly expensive proposition, but some swear that the targeted traffic it brings is worth the coin spent. Discussing the Return on Investment (ROI) for various ad programs is an entirely different subject for a future article. For better or worse let's say that banner ads, in all manner of persuasion, are here to stay. So why not capitalize on this aspect of Internet marketing?
One way to do this is by joining affiliate programs. There are thousands from which to choose and if you select one which enhances or is related to the subject matter on your site, you stand to make some income merely by having a small clickable banner on your site. Each time someone clicks on it, you may either get a penny or two or a commission if the visitor then goes on to purchase something on the linked site. Either way, you earn revenue. Some sites on the web specialize in finding and listing affiliate programs. I won't mention any specific sites here but visit any search engine and type in "Affiliate Programs." You'll be swamped.
Multilevel marketing programs abound on the web. You join, get a downline and everyone above you gets a piece of the action. I would not classify these types of programs as true affiliate programs, but rather multilayered. I would not recommend these types of programs. They are often a lot of work and provide a very slow return for your time and efforts.
A true affiliate program allows you to stand alone. Putting an affiliate banner on your site and hoping for the best is one way to do it, but the more effort and marketing you put into the program, the greater your chance of rewards. Let's assume you've signed up for a program where you earn revenue by redirecting people to a car dealer. Tell your friends about it. Join a chat or newsgroup where cars is the subject. A few moments a week can bring more traffic to your site and a few more clicks on that affiliate ad. Spend some time marketing your affiliate program. You only reap what you sew, when it comes to affiliate programs and the new and improved banner ads. Try one on for size. Hey, if you can't lick them, join them! Why let everyone else earn all the money?
Why Firefox is better than Internet Explorer
I want to make some quick comparison to show the differences between Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
1. Memory usage. I heard many times: “Firefox is using too much memory”. I have opened 9 tabs in Firefox, and 9 tabs in Internet Explorer, the results:
This image shows that Internet explorer is using more memory than Firefox.
2. Pop-ups. Firefox has an integrated pop-up blocker, when you enter a website with pop-ups, firefox tell you that a pop-up for that website was blocked, but if you want to see that pop-up, it have option to allow pop-ups for that website. Why you need to use 3rd party pop-up blockers or other softwares, when you can have it with firefox ? I don’t have to mention that Internet explorer don’t have integrated pop-up blocker.
3. Browsing speed. On internet explorer, all page elements are loaded before the page is displayed, so if the page have a lot of images and elements in it, will be displayed with some delay after you type the address in the address bar. Firefox shows the page elements and images immediately after they are loaded, and you will see first the header, then the menu. You don’t need to wait to see the header until the footer is loaded.
4. Loading speed, there isn’t too much difference between the two browsers, the experts demonstrated that firefox is a little faster that internet explorer, but the difference is too small to include this in comparison.
5. Restore Session. If your operating system crashes while you are browsing, you will not loose anything. Probably you heard many times: “Your computer needs to be restarted to complete the installation, please save all your work and close all programs before continue”, but with firefox you can ignore these messages, if you shut down or restart your computer without closing firefox, next time you want to start it you will get a message asking you if you want to restore session or open a new one.
6. Plugins. In firefox you can quick install plugins to do different things. Go to Tools -> Add -ons to manage plugins. To find plugins, follow the “Get Extensions” link. It will forward you to mozilla plugin directory. There are about 2000 plugins, all free and all kind, some or them are made to improve browsing, others are for programmers, for designers, for webmasters, etc. To see a list with best plugins for firefox you can go to The best plugin in my opinion is Google Browser Sync. I’m using different computers to access the internet, and this helps me to keep bookmarks and passwords synchronized.
If you are already using firefox, you should know that firefox is much better than internet explorer and you don’t need to check yourself the differences.
1. Memory usage. I heard many times: “Firefox is using too much memory”. I have opened 9 tabs in Firefox, and 9 tabs in Internet Explorer, the results:
This image shows that Internet explorer is using more memory than Firefox.
2. Pop-ups. Firefox has an integrated pop-up blocker, when you enter a website with pop-ups, firefox tell you that a pop-up for that website was blocked, but if you want to see that pop-up, it have option to allow pop-ups for that website. Why you need to use 3rd party pop-up blockers or other softwares, when you can have it with firefox ? I don’t have to mention that Internet explorer don’t have integrated pop-up blocker.
3. Browsing speed. On internet explorer, all page elements are loaded before the page is displayed, so if the page have a lot of images and elements in it, will be displayed with some delay after you type the address in the address bar. Firefox shows the page elements and images immediately after they are loaded, and you will see first the header, then the menu. You don’t need to wait to see the header until the footer is loaded.
4. Loading speed, there isn’t too much difference between the two browsers, the experts demonstrated that firefox is a little faster that internet explorer, but the difference is too small to include this in comparison.
5. Restore Session. If your operating system crashes while you are browsing, you will not loose anything. Probably you heard many times: “Your computer needs to be restarted to complete the installation, please save all your work and close all programs before continue”, but with firefox you can ignore these messages, if you shut down or restart your computer without closing firefox, next time you want to start it you will get a message asking you if you want to restore session or open a new one.
6. Plugins. In firefox you can quick install plugins to do different things. Go to Tools -> Add -ons to manage plugins. To find plugins, follow the “Get Extensions” link. It will forward you to mozilla plugin directory. There are about 2000 plugins, all free and all kind, some or them are made to improve browsing, others are for programmers, for designers, for webmasters, etc. To see a list with best plugins for firefox you can go to The best plugin in my opinion is Google Browser Sync. I’m using different computers to access the internet, and this helps me to keep bookmarks and passwords synchronized.
If you are already using firefox, you should know that firefox is much better than internet explorer and you don’t need to check yourself the differences.
Manipulate Your Myspace Layout
One of the best things that you can do in any of the social websites, especially in myspace.com is to create the way you really want it to look. You can change the background color, the things that will appear and the information that you will provide. It’s a perfect place to be yourself through the things that you like and love. Now you don’t only have something that can connect to the online community, but you have something very personal that people that don’t even know you can connect to you. A classic example is that you can easily personalize your wallpaper. You can change the color, the shade or even place a picture of yourself or your favorite character in a movie or just about anything. There are some that even place music once their webpage goes up.
How do you do this? Website coding. Of course, since you have a webpage, the only thing that will enable you to manage your webpage is through proper coding. If you’re not familiar with it, try to look for some information on how a website is created. You will encounter a bunch of information about HTML. Just think of an HTML as a formula in creating a website. Since your myspace.com page is a website, it will also require some knowledge about HTML and know how it works.
But don’t be afraid or feel intimidated by this. Even an eight year old girl can change their myspace.com webpage into something really fancy. If you know where to place the right button and enter the right information, you’re on your way. A kid can place powerpuff girls in her webpage and make it look really, really good so why can’t you. You don’t even have to research that much to get the best background or personalization in your website.
What can you do to make your website really look good? You just have to go to sites like getonmyspace.com or layoutgirl.com to get some ready made myspace layouts, and you’ll be presented with hundreds and hundreds of layouts that you can place in your webpage. You don’t even have to create a complicated HTML code for months. You just copy and paste the information and then it will be placed in your webpage before you know it.
Here’s a word of caution though. There are so many things that are placed in the codes that sometimes, they are embedded with a formula that can access some of your personal information. There are codes that are quite complicated that it can become a spyware for your computer. Though it rarely happens it could happen to anyone. Of course the virus that will be placed in your computer which you should watch out as well. To prevent this, all you need to is to take a look at the code. I know that you’re now familiar with it but all the code should have is a source, a number and some letters, there are some sentences that you will understand and it will be helpful.
That’s the only thing that you have to watch out. Other than that, you’ll have a very personal page that you can flaunt around.
How do you do this? Website coding. Of course, since you have a webpage, the only thing that will enable you to manage your webpage is through proper coding. If you’re not familiar with it, try to look for some information on how a website is created. You will encounter a bunch of information about HTML. Just think of an HTML as a formula in creating a website. Since your myspace.com page is a website, it will also require some knowledge about HTML and know how it works.
But don’t be afraid or feel intimidated by this. Even an eight year old girl can change their myspace.com webpage into something really fancy. If you know where to place the right button and enter the right information, you’re on your way. A kid can place powerpuff girls in her webpage and make it look really, really good so why can’t you. You don’t even have to research that much to get the best background or personalization in your website.
What can you do to make your website really look good? You just have to go to sites like getonmyspace.com or layoutgirl.com to get some ready made myspace layouts, and you’ll be presented with hundreds and hundreds of layouts that you can place in your webpage. You don’t even have to create a complicated HTML code for months. You just copy and paste the information and then it will be placed in your webpage before you know it.
Here’s a word of caution though. There are so many things that are placed in the codes that sometimes, they are embedded with a formula that can access some of your personal information. There are codes that are quite complicated that it can become a spyware for your computer. Though it rarely happens it could happen to anyone. Of course the virus that will be placed in your computer which you should watch out as well. To prevent this, all you need to is to take a look at the code. I know that you’re now familiar with it but all the code should have is a source, a number and some letters, there are some sentences that you will understand and it will be helpful.
That’s the only thing that you have to watch out. Other than that, you’ll have a very personal page that you can flaunt around.
Be Famous in Myspace
If you have a knack for singing, dancing acting or just about anything that people may love, why don’t you share them online? The internet is a another world of possibility that anyone can now do anything and be heard if the thing that they do best is interesting to other people. The internet could be anyone’s stage and you can easily show your talent and be known in the internet. Others are so good; they have used the internet to become famous.
They don’t just create a website tell their friends to look at their video. Even though it will spread, it’s going to be really slow as it will just pass through the word of mouth. How do you do it? Social networking websites and the best in the US is Myspace.com. Just create an account and sign yourself up as an artist and you’re on your way to popularity.
The only excuse of not knowing the popularity Myspace.com in this country is if you’re living in a bomb shelter for more than 15 years. This social networking website has become the hangout of some people that is has become short of an addiction to them. Don’t just count thousands but millions.
Social networking website connects you to other people even though you don’t know them personally. You can share how you feel and what you would like them to see or hear. Since it can be shared to one person to another, there’s a chance that you will be recognized and in no time you’ll have friends from all over the country.
As we have said this is one of those sites that you can use as a platform to be quite famous for some time. There’s a page there dedicated for artists where you can sign up and be part of the great pool of artists that you have there. Once you’ve sign up, people will naturally browse through your songs and before you know it, people will acknowledge your work and you become famous.
On the paper that’s really easy as one, two, three. But if you’re half committed to being famous either by music or film, you won’t get anywhere. There are hundreds of wanna bees in the internet that doesn’t even get close to be recognized by a hundred of people online. What they just do is create some silly music and from there try to impress people by being quite crazy in their songs. If you’re really an artist, you might get recognition but if not, people will just scorn you since you’re just wasting their bandwidth.
Here’s a tip: if you want to break out in myspace.com you have to consider who goes there often and who are most likely to be looking for things online. If you’re creating music for the people of 40-60, you’re in bad shape since most of the people that are using online are way below that age. The famous people that can be launched to fame are those that create music for age group 16-30. If you can do something to entertain them you’re on your way.
They don’t just create a website tell their friends to look at their video. Even though it will spread, it’s going to be really slow as it will just pass through the word of mouth. How do you do it? Social networking websites and the best in the US is Myspace.com. Just create an account and sign yourself up as an artist and you’re on your way to popularity.
The only excuse of not knowing the popularity Myspace.com in this country is if you’re living in a bomb shelter for more than 15 years. This social networking website has become the hangout of some people that is has become short of an addiction to them. Don’t just count thousands but millions.
Social networking website connects you to other people even though you don’t know them personally. You can share how you feel and what you would like them to see or hear. Since it can be shared to one person to another, there’s a chance that you will be recognized and in no time you’ll have friends from all over the country.
As we have said this is one of those sites that you can use as a platform to be quite famous for some time. There’s a page there dedicated for artists where you can sign up and be part of the great pool of artists that you have there. Once you’ve sign up, people will naturally browse through your songs and before you know it, people will acknowledge your work and you become famous.
On the paper that’s really easy as one, two, three. But if you’re half committed to being famous either by music or film, you won’t get anywhere. There are hundreds of wanna bees in the internet that doesn’t even get close to be recognized by a hundred of people online. What they just do is create some silly music and from there try to impress people by being quite crazy in their songs. If you’re really an artist, you might get recognition but if not, people will just scorn you since you’re just wasting their bandwidth.
Here’s a tip: if you want to break out in myspace.com you have to consider who goes there often and who are most likely to be looking for things online. If you’re creating music for the people of 40-60, you’re in bad shape since most of the people that are using online are way below that age. The famous people that can be launched to fame are those that create music for age group 16-30. If you can do something to entertain them you’re on your way.
The Evolution towards Myspace.com
Since the dawn of the internet, people have been trying to communicate with people faster and better. At first all we just wanted to talk to someone we know but chat or email. We go an extra mile to create an e-mail and since we’re really neophytes in the internet, we may take sometime to create an account and from there we may be able to send and receive e-mail with our friends. Now there’s a better alternative to sending snail mail; its faster and definitely cheaper.
But then we don’t want to create an e-mail, review and send them all over again and wait for someone to respond and do the process all over again. It’s becoming a tiring process that we wanted something faster. Chat was then invented. Instead of logging in and sending an e-mail and then wait for a response, it has now become faster for us to talk in real time by keying in the message that they want to use. Using the same software, you can easily communicate to the person you wanted to talk to. Then it continued to voice, sending files, and currently is video calls. Instead of just keying in the words that we wanted to tell them, we can now talk to them directly and even see their reactions in real time.
At the same time, something is also brewing in the world of internet. Aside from the sites that we can visit, there’s now the idea that we don’t just talk to the people online that we know, why don’t we increase our friends and the people we know online? We can do this by chat but people wanted to express their opinion and like more. They wanted a website that can really tell who they are. They wanted something of their own, they wanted space.
Thus myspace.com is born. Most of the members of this community are from this country. It’s just proper that in our country, the only thing that we need right now when everything is getting to complicated or crazy, we look for our own space. Some can literally go for a leisure time but there are people who even get lonelier when they realize that after all the time and space they have in the real world, they can’t find a single soul who is interested in this place. Luckily you can use the internet and look for people who have the same problem that you would like.
Thus social networking is born. But don’t think that only people that doesn’t have anything good to do only uses MySpace.com. Everyday there are thousands of people that are joining the community looking for friends. Because the website is really easy to use and signing up for this website is relatively easy, we can now connect to millions of people in other parts of the globe.
The evolution of simple plan ideas of creating really long email to the ability go talk for persons live has become the precursor of creating a something better, a social networking website and Myspace.com is one if not the best site there is.
But then we don’t want to create an e-mail, review and send them all over again and wait for someone to respond and do the process all over again. It’s becoming a tiring process that we wanted something faster. Chat was then invented. Instead of logging in and sending an e-mail and then wait for a response, it has now become faster for us to talk in real time by keying in the message that they want to use. Using the same software, you can easily communicate to the person you wanted to talk to. Then it continued to voice, sending files, and currently is video calls. Instead of just keying in the words that we wanted to tell them, we can now talk to them directly and even see their reactions in real time.
At the same time, something is also brewing in the world of internet. Aside from the sites that we can visit, there’s now the idea that we don’t just talk to the people online that we know, why don’t we increase our friends and the people we know online? We can do this by chat but people wanted to express their opinion and like more. They wanted a website that can really tell who they are. They wanted something of their own, they wanted space.
Thus myspace.com is born. Most of the members of this community are from this country. It’s just proper that in our country, the only thing that we need right now when everything is getting to complicated or crazy, we look for our own space. Some can literally go for a leisure time but there are people who even get lonelier when they realize that after all the time and space they have in the real world, they can’t find a single soul who is interested in this place. Luckily you can use the internet and look for people who have the same problem that you would like.
Thus social networking is born. But don’t think that only people that doesn’t have anything good to do only uses MySpace.com. Everyday there are thousands of people that are joining the community looking for friends. Because the website is really easy to use and signing up for this website is relatively easy, we can now connect to millions of people in other parts of the globe.
The evolution of simple plan ideas of creating really long email to the ability go talk for persons live has become the precursor of creating a something better, a social networking website and Myspace.com is one if not the best site there is.
Security in Myspace.com
MySpace.com is the most popular networking site in the country. From kids to adults as old as 60 years old, people update their information online. They use it to express themselves through weblogs, look for friends, tell them of their hobbies and form or join a group based on the hobbies and their favorites. Joining is very easy and in no time, you can easily join any network and look for friends online.
Since it’s online, theres a possibility that people can always cloak themselves of their identity. It’s as easy as creating a simple profile where you can create and imaginary person and use another picture where millions are available online. From there they can create a circle of friends as another person.
This can be good for the kids to protect themselves online. After all it’s a dangerous world out there and anyone can just pretend to be someone. Creating a profile is really easy as long as you have the imagination. You can just tell them that you’re 17 but in fact you’re already 25 and worst you’re already 40!
It’s quite unfortunate that the ability to be anonymous is used for the advantage of wrong doers and instead of protecting the kids especially the underage. The kids when they go online can be as honest as possible and they don’t have any restrictions in telling the online community what they feel and what they really want. Because of this, some people exploit this vulnerability of the underage and try to lure them into their den and thinking.
And who are these people? Sexual predators. They can always create something online. They can create an imaginary person and from there create a string of friends online. They might be targeting only men or women and worst only kids and teenagers who are really vulnerable. It’s not really hard for these people who wanted to lure someone. It’s really easy to get the affection of the people especially when kids wanted to blurt out and finds someone that will console and give them what they wanted to listen. From there they become at ease with their online friends and tell them really personal information and the rest is a really bad and horrifying history for the victims of the predators.
If you have kids or teenagers that are fond of using the website, as a parent it’s always important to monitor the activity of your kids. This may come across as intrusion to the privacy of your kids but you have to talk to them that you are just protecting them from these things. For sure they will understand. For teenagers, protect your privacy always. Create a separate e-mail account for your Myspace.com and create a username and profile that’s quite ambiguous, from such sites as getonmyspace.com. Yes you can always write what you think, and what you like in life but never mention a name a place or any activity that will be happening in that time.
Above all, personal security should be emphasized for you and your children. Be cautious with what you write as they will stay there unless you don’t check and remove them.
Since it’s online, theres a possibility that people can always cloak themselves of their identity. It’s as easy as creating a simple profile where you can create and imaginary person and use another picture where millions are available online. From there they can create a circle of friends as another person.
This can be good for the kids to protect themselves online. After all it’s a dangerous world out there and anyone can just pretend to be someone. Creating a profile is really easy as long as you have the imagination. You can just tell them that you’re 17 but in fact you’re already 25 and worst you’re already 40!
It’s quite unfortunate that the ability to be anonymous is used for the advantage of wrong doers and instead of protecting the kids especially the underage. The kids when they go online can be as honest as possible and they don’t have any restrictions in telling the online community what they feel and what they really want. Because of this, some people exploit this vulnerability of the underage and try to lure them into their den and thinking.
And who are these people? Sexual predators. They can always create something online. They can create an imaginary person and from there create a string of friends online. They might be targeting only men or women and worst only kids and teenagers who are really vulnerable. It’s not really hard for these people who wanted to lure someone. It’s really easy to get the affection of the people especially when kids wanted to blurt out and finds someone that will console and give them what they wanted to listen. From there they become at ease with their online friends and tell them really personal information and the rest is a really bad and horrifying history for the victims of the predators.
If you have kids or teenagers that are fond of using the website, as a parent it’s always important to monitor the activity of your kids. This may come across as intrusion to the privacy of your kids but you have to talk to them that you are just protecting them from these things. For sure they will understand. For teenagers, protect your privacy always. Create a separate e-mail account for your Myspace.com and create a username and profile that’s quite ambiguous, from such sites as getonmyspace.com. Yes you can always write what you think, and what you like in life but never mention a name a place or any activity that will be happening in that time.
Above all, personal security should be emphasized for you and your children. Be cautious with what you write as they will stay there unless you don’t check and remove them.
Top three tricks of getting more website traffic
There are many tactics that we can use to get free traffics. We have to do some kind of research on which kind of tactics that suit us best in order for us to promote our website. But the top 3 of the tactics are by writing and submitting articles, exchanging links and by joining on line community and forum. By using this free traffic tactics, we can get a long term traffic. You can get traffic after few days and you still can get traffics after a month or two or even after a year.
1) Trade Links
Nowadays you almost cannot see a site where there is no link to another site. As a webmasters, we have to trade links with one another so that we could create more public awareness about our sites. This is a sure and proven method. You’ll soon see and feel the sudden upsurge of the traffic coming in to your site from other sites.
By trading links, you can also boosts your chances of getting a high ranking in search engine results. It is common knowledge that search engines ranks high sites that have inbound and outbound theme-related links. With a good ranking position in the search engines, you will generate more traffic in your website without the high costs.
2) Write and Submit Articles
This is another a sure and proven method. You have to write articles that cater the niche of your site. You can write something that you have expertise on so when your reader read your articles they can feel your knowledge and eager to go to your site. If you have no budget to hire a writer, you can write the articles by your self. Try to write and submit 1 article per day and you will see a steady flow of traffics will come to your site.
3) Join Forums
Share your knowledge and expertise with many on line communities. Share your two cents and let them see how knowledgeable you are with the subject. You can build your reputation as well as you build the reputation of your site and build it as a reputable and honest business that could be frequented and trusted by many people. You can get free advertising when you go to forums that have the same subject or niche with your site.
You also can boost your chances of getting a high ranking in search engine results if there is your link in the forums or online communities. As you can see, there are a lot of free tactics in getting traffics. It requires a little bit more effort than paid advertising. Now it’s your turn to use free traffics tactics to work wonders for you. Act now and reap the benefits of free traffics tactics will provide for you and your sales figures.
1) Trade Links
Nowadays you almost cannot see a site where there is no link to another site. As a webmasters, we have to trade links with one another so that we could create more public awareness about our sites. This is a sure and proven method. You’ll soon see and feel the sudden upsurge of the traffic coming in to your site from other sites.
By trading links, you can also boosts your chances of getting a high ranking in search engine results. It is common knowledge that search engines ranks high sites that have inbound and outbound theme-related links. With a good ranking position in the search engines, you will generate more traffic in your website without the high costs.
2) Write and Submit Articles
This is another a sure and proven method. You have to write articles that cater the niche of your site. You can write something that you have expertise on so when your reader read your articles they can feel your knowledge and eager to go to your site. If you have no budget to hire a writer, you can write the articles by your self. Try to write and submit 1 article per day and you will see a steady flow of traffics will come to your site.
3) Join Forums
Share your knowledge and expertise with many on line communities. Share your two cents and let them see how knowledgeable you are with the subject. You can build your reputation as well as you build the reputation of your site and build it as a reputable and honest business that could be frequented and trusted by many people. You can get free advertising when you go to forums that have the same subject or niche with your site.
You also can boost your chances of getting a high ranking in search engine results if there is your link in the forums or online communities. As you can see, there are a lot of free tactics in getting traffics. It requires a little bit more effort than paid advertising. Now it’s your turn to use free traffics tactics to work wonders for you. Act now and reap the benefits of free traffics tactics will provide for you and your sales figures.
Build a high traffic web site or blog by following these simple steps
Here are 10 of my best suggestions for building a high traffic web site:
1. Create valuable content.
Is your content worthy of being read by millions of people? Remember that the purpose of content is to provide value to others. Do you provide genuine value, and is it the best you’re capable of providing?
When I sit down to write, I sometimes imagine myself standing on an outdoor concert stage before an audience of a million people. Then I ask myself, “What shall I say to this audience of fellow human beings?” If a million people each spend five minutes on this site, that’s nearly 10 person-years total. I do my best to make my writing worthy of this differential. I don’t always succeed, but this is the mindset that helps me create strong content.
Think about the effect you want your writing to have on people. Since I write about personal growth, I want my writing to change people for the better. I want to expand people’s thinking, to raise their consciousness, and to help them eliminate fear from their lives. If my writing doesn’t change people’s thinking, actions, or awareness, then my value isn’t being transferred well enough.
When you focus on providing real value instead of churning out disposable content, your readers will notice. And they’ll refer others to your site — in droves. I typically see at least 10 new links to my site appearing each day (mostly via trackbacks but also via vanity feeds). I’m not going out and requesting those links — other bloggers just provide them, usually because they’re commenting on something I’ve written. Many fellow bloggers have also honored StevePavlina.com with a general recommendation for the entire site, not just links to my individual blog posts. It’s wonderful to see that kind of feedback.
Strong content is universally valued. It’s hard work to create it, but in the long run it generates lots of long-term referral traffic. I’d rather write one article I’m really proud of than 25 smaller posts. It’s been my experience that the best articles I write will outperform all the forgettable little posts I’ve made. Quality is more important than quantity. Quantity without quality, however, is easier, which is one reason so many people use that strategy. Ultimately, however, the Internet already contains more quantity than any one of us can absorb in our lifetimes, but there will always be a place for good quality content that stands out from the crowd.
If you have nothing of genuine value to offer to a large audience, then you have no need of a high-traffic web site. And if there’s no need for it, you probably won’t get it. Each time you write, focus on creating the best content you can. You’ll get better as you go along, but always do your best. I’ve written some 2000–word articles and then deleted them without posting them because I didn’t feel they were good enough.
2. Create original content.
Virtually everything on this site is my own original content. I rarely post blog entries that merely link to what others are writing. It takes more effort to produce original content, but it’s my preferred long-term strategy. I have no interest in creating a personal development portal to other sites. I want this site to be a final destination, not a middleman.
Consequently, when people arrive here, they often stick around for a while. Chances are good that if you like one of my articles, you may enjoy others. This site now has hundreds of them to choose from. You can visit the articles section to read my (longer) feature articles or the blog archives to see an easy-to-navigate list of all my blog entries since the site launched.
Yes, there’s a lot to read on this site, more than most people can read in a day, but there’s also a lot of value (see rule #1). Some people have told me they’ve read for many hours straight, and they leave as different people. I think anyone who reads my work for several hours straight is going to experience a shift in awareness. When you read a lot of dense, original content from a single person, it’s going to have an impact on you. And this content is written with the intention that it help you grow.
Although I’m not big on competing with others, it’s hard to compete with an original content site. Anyone can start their own personal development web site, but the flavor of this site is unique simply because no one else has had the exact same experiences as me.
While I think sites that mainly post content from others have the potential to build traffic faster in the beginning, I think original content sites have an easier time keeping their traffic, which makes for a more solid, long-term foundation. Not everyone is going to like my work, but for those that do, there’s no substitute.
3. Create timeless content.
While I do occasionally write about time-bound events, the majority of my content is intended to be timeless. I’m aware that anything I write today may still be read by people even after I’m dead. People still quote Aristotle today because his ideas have timeless value, even though he’s been dead for about 2300 years. I think about how my work might influence future generations in addition to my own. What advice shall I pass on to my great grandchildren?
I tend to ignore fads and current events in my writing. Wars, natural disasters, and corrupt politicians have been with us for thousands of years. There are plenty of others who are compelled to write about those things, so I’ll leave that coverage to them.
Will the content you’re creating today still be providing real value in the year 2010? 2100? 4000?
Writing for future generations helps me cut through the fluff and stay focused on the core of my message, which is to help people grow. As long as there are people (even if our bodies are no longer strictly biological), there will be the opportunity for growth, so there’s a chance that at least some of what I’m creating today will still have relevance. And if I can write something that will be relevant to future generations, then it will certainly be relevant and meaningful today.
In terms of traffic building, timeless content connects with people at a deeper level than time-bound content. The latter is meant to be forgotten, while the former is meant to be remembered. We forget yesterday’s news, but we remember those things that have meaning to us. So I strive to write about meanings instead of happenings.
Even though we’re conditioned to believe that news and current events are important, in the grand scheme of things, most of what’s covered by the media is trivial and irrelevant. Very little of today’s news will even be remembered next week, let alone a hundred years from now. Certainly some events are important, but at least 99% of what the media covers is irrelevant fluff when viewed against the backdrop of human history.
Ignore the fluff, and focus on building something with the potential to endure. Write for your children and grandchildren.
4. Write for human beings first, computers second.
A lot has been written about the optimal strategies for strong search engine rankings in terms of posting frequency and post length. But I largely ignore that advice because I write for human beings, not computers.
I write when I have something meaningful to say, and I write as much as it takes to say it. On average I post about five times per week, but I have no set quota. I also write much longer entries than most bloggers. No one has ever accused me of being too brief. My typical blog entry is about 1500–2000 words, and some (like this one) are much longer. Many successful bloggers would recommend I write shorter entries (250–750 words) and post more frequently (20x per week), since that creates more search engine seeds for the same amount of writing. And while I agree with them that such a strategy would generate more search engine traffic, I’m not going to take their advice. To do so would interfere too much with my strategy of delivering genuine value and creating timeless content. I have no interest in cranking out small chunks of disposable content just to please a computer. Anyone can print out an article to read later if they don’t have time to read it now and if the subject is of genuine interest to them. Part of the reason I write longer articles is that even though fewer people will take the time to read them, for those that do the articles are usually much more impactful.
Because of these decisions, my search engine traffic is fairly low compared to other bloggers. Google is my #1 referrer, but it accounts for less than 1.5% of my total traffic. My traffic is extremely decentralized. The vast majority of it comes from links on thousands of other web sites and from direct requests. Ultimately, my traffic grows because people tell other people about this site, either online or offline. I’ve also done very well with social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us, digg.com, and reddit.com because they’re based on personal recommendations. I’ve probably had about a dozen articles hit the del.icio.us popular list within the past year, definitely more than my fair share.
I prefer this traffic-building strategy because it leaves me less vulnerable to shifts in technology. I figure that Google ultimately wants to make it easy for its visitors to find valuable content, so my current strategy should be in alignment with Google’s long-term strategy. My feeling is that Google would be well-served by sending more of its traffic here. But that alignment simply arises from my focus on providing value first and foremost.
5. Know why you want a high-traffic site.
I write because my purpose in life is to help people become more conscious and aware — to grow as human beings. I don’t have a separate job or career other than this. Because my work is driven by this purpose, I have a compelling reason to build a high-traffic web site, one that aligns with my deepest personal values. More web traffic means I can have a bigger impact by reaching more people. And over the course of the next few decades, this influence has the potential to create a positive change that might alter the future direction of human civilization. Most significantly, I want to help humanity move past fear and for us to stop relating to each other through the mechanisms of fear. If I fail, I fail. But I’m not giving up no matter how tough it gets.
Those are big stakes, and it might sound like I’m exaggerating, but this is the level at which I think about my work today. Everything else I do, including building a high traffic web site, is simply a means to that end. Today I’m just planting seeds, and most of them haven’t even sprouted yet. A high traffic web site is just one of the sprouts that came about as a result of pursuing the purpose that drives me. But it is not an end in itself.
What will you do if you succeed in building a high-traffic web site? If you someday find yourself in the privileged position of being able to influence millions of people, what will you say to them? Will you honor and respect this position by using it as a channel to serve the highest good of all, or will you throw that opportunity away to pursue your own fleeting fame and fortune while feeding your audience disposable drivel?
Although I launched this web site in October 2004, I’ve been writing articles since 1999, and feedback has allowed me to understand how small slices of my writing have affected certain people in the long run. After reading something I’ve written, people have quit their jobs, started their own businesses, changed religions, and ended relationships. While some people might find this level of impact ego-gratifying, for me it intensifies my feeling of personal responsibility for my writing. I’ve seen that I’m able to have an impact on people, so I damned well better make it a good one.
This “why” is what drives me. It’s what compels me to go to my computer and write something at 3am and not stop until 10am. I get inspired often. The #1 reason I want more traffic is that it will allow me to help more people. That’s where I direct my ambition for this site, and consequently I’m extremely motivated, which certainly plays a key role in taking action.
6. Let your audience see the real you.
My life and my writing are intricately intertwined, such that it’s impossible to separate the two. When someone reads this web site, they’ll eventually come to know a great deal about me as a person. Usually this creates a skewed and inaccurate impression of who I am today because I change a lot over time — I’m not the same person I was last year — but it’s close enough. Getting to know me makes it easier for people to understand the context of what I write, which means that more value can be transferred in less time.
I’ve told many personal stories on this site, including my most painful and difficult experiences. I don’t do this to be gratuitous but rather because those stories help make a point — that no matter where you find yourself today, you always have the opportunity to grow in some small way, and no matter how small those changes are, they’re going to add up over time to create massive lifelong growth. That’s a lesson we all need to remember.
When I find ways to turn some of my darkest experiences into lessons that might help others in similar situations, it actually transforms those painful memories into joyful ones. They take on new meaning for me, and I can see that there was a positive reason I had to endure such experiences, one that ultimately serves the highest good of all. Oddly, I now find that it was my darkest times that help create the most light for others.
With respect to privacy, I don’t really care much for it. I do respect other people’s right to privacy, so when people tell me personal stories via email, I don’t turn around and re-post them to my blog. But I’m OK with being rather un-private myself. The need for privacy comes from the desire to protect the ego, which is a fear-driven desire, and fear is something I just don’t need in my life. My attitude is that it’s perfectly OK to fail or to be rejected publicly. Trying to appear perfect is nothing but a house of cards that will eventually collapse.
I think allowing people to know the real me makes it possible to build a relationship with my audience that’s based on intimacy and friendship. I dislike seeing people putting me on too much of a pedestal and using labels like “guru” or “overachiever.” Such labels create distance which makes communication harder. They emphasize our differences instead of our similarities. Communication between equals — between friends — is more effective.
More genuine communication means better connections with your audience, which means more repeat traffic and more referral traffic. This isn’t a manipulative game though, and excessive or overly dramatic self-disclosure for the purpose of linkbaiting will only backfire. Your reasons for storytelling must be to benefit your audience. The traffic benefits are a positive side effect.
7. Write what is true for you, and learn to live with the consequences.
If the stuff I’ve written on this site means I’ll never be able to run for a political office, I can live with that. I’m willing to write what is true for me, even if it goes against my social conditioning. Being honest is more important to me than being popular. But the irony is that because bold honesty is so rare among civilized humans, in the long run this may be the best traffic-building strategy of all.
People often warn me not to write things that might alienate a portion of my visitors. But somehow I keep doing the opposite and seeing traffic go up, not down. I don’t treat any subjects as taboo or sacred if they’re relevant to personal growth, and that includes diet and religion. It’s no secret that I’m a vegan ex-Catholic. Do I alienate people when I say that torturing and killing defenseless animals for food is wrong? Perhaps. But truth is truth. I happen to think it’s a bad idea to feed cows cement dust and bovine growth hormone, to pack live chickens into warehouses where the ammonia from their feces is strong enough to burn their skin off, and to feed 70% of our grain to livestock while tens of thousands of people die of hunger each day. I also think it’s a bad idea to pay people to perform these actions on my behalf. It really doesn’t matter to me that 999 people out of 1000 disagree with me. Your disagreement with me doesn’t change what went into producing your burger. It’s still a diseased, tortured, chemical-injected cow, one that was doomed to a very sad life because of a decision you made. And you’re still responsible for your role in that cow’s suffering whether you like it or not.
That last paragraph is a good example of the kind of stuff I write that makes people want to put me in a cage, inject me with hormones, and feed me cement dust. It wouldn’t surprise me terribly if that ends up being my fate.
I write what is true for me, regardless of public opinion. Sometimes I’m in the majority; sometimes I’m not. I’m fully aware that some of my opinions are unpopular, and I’m absolutely fine with that. What I’m not fine with is putting truth to a vote.
I take the time to form my own opinions instead of simply regurgitating what I was taught as a child. And I’m also well aware that there are people spending billions of dollars to make you think that a burger is not a very sad, diseased, tortured, chemical-injected cow. But I’m going to keep writing to help you remain aware of things like that, even though you may hate me for it. That defensiveness eventually leads to doubt, which leads to change and growth, so it’s perfectly fine. I’m good at dealing with defensiveness.
I don’t worry too much about hurting people’s feelings. Hurt feelings are a step in the right direction for many people. If I’m able to offend you so easily, to me that means you already recognize some truth in what I’ve written, but you aren’t ready to face it consciously yet. If you read something from me that provokes an emotional reaction, then a seed has already been planted. In other words, it’s already too late for you.
My goal isn’t to convince anyone of anything in particular. I’m not an animal rights activist, and I don’t have a religion to promote. My goal is to awaken people to living more consciously. This requires raising people’s awareness across all facets of their lives, so they can make the big decisions for themselves. It requires breaking social conditioning and replacing it with conscious awareness and intention. That’s a big job, but someone has to do it. And if I don’t do it, then I have to admit I’m just part of the problem like all the other hibernating bears.
A lot has been written about the importance of transparency in blogging, and truth is the best transparency of all. Truth creates trust, and trust builds traffic. No games, no gimmicks… just plain old brutal honesty. Even the people that say they hate you will still come back, and eventually those people will become your most ardent supporters. Even if they don’t agree with you, they’ll learn they can trust you and that your intentions are honorable, and trust is more important than agreement.
8. Treat your visitors like real human beings.
Even though I’m sitting at my computer writing this, seemingly alone, I know you’re a real human being reading it on the other end. My apologies to sentient androids who may be reading this years after it’s been written. You aren’t just a number in my web stats. Despite the technology involved and the time-space differential between my writing and your reading, there’s still a human-to-human connection between us that transcends time and space. And that connection matters to me. I feel its presence whenever I do my best writing.
While I imagine being on a stage in front of a million people when deciding which topic to write about, once I actually get going, I imagine having a one-on-one conversation with a friend. This means revealing some of myself and being honest, as the last two points already addressed, but it also means genuinely caring about you as a person. And that’s perhaps one of the best kept secrets of my success as a blogger. I actually care about helping you grow. I want you to become more conscious and aware. I want you to experience less fear in your life. And my concern for your well-being isn’t conditional upon you liking me.
I happen to think we have a lot more similarities than differences. Based on what I know about myself, I imagine you’d like your life to be better tomorrow than it was yesterday. I imagine you’d like to be happier, more fulfilled, and more at peace with yourself. I also imagine you’re living below your potential and could use some help overcoming fear and solving certain problems to enable you to tap more of that potential. And finally, I imagine you wouldn’t believe me if I said you can have it all for only $19.95 (as well you shouldn’t).
The reason I work so hard to create original content and then give it away for free is because I want to help as many people as possible. I genuinely care what happens to this beautiful planet and to the people who live here. It’s possible I actually value your life even more than you do. This is the kind of motivation that never wanes. I sometimes lose sight of it when I get caught up in the details, but the connection is always there, waiting for me to tap into it whenever I want. This provides me with a wellspring of creative ideas and an inexhaustible passion for contribution.
I don’t need to play stupid marketing and sales games with you. There’s nothing for you to buy here. Even if I add some products in the future, I’m not going to try to manipulate you into buying something you don’t need with a slew of false promises. I might make more money in the short-term by doing that, but it would sever our genuine connection, create a wall between us, and reduce the level of impact I’m able to have. Ultimately, that approach would lead to failure for me, at least in terms of how I define success. I can’t help you grow if I violate your trust.
I cannot force anyone to grow who doesn’t want to. But there are a lot of people on this planet who are now ready to let go of low-awareness living and start pushing themselves to the next level of human existence. And they need help to get there because it’s a difficult journey, and there are strong forces working against it.
Real human beings helping real human beings is ultimately what traffic growth is all about. That’s precisely what a link or a referral is. If you align yourself with the intention of genuinely helping people because you care, you’ll soon find yourself with an abundance of traffic.
9. Keep money in its proper place.
Money is important. Obviously I have bills to pay. Money pays for my computer, my high-speed internet connection, my house, and my food. I just returned yesterday from a vacation that money paid for. My wife and I had a great time partly because we didn’t have to worry about money at all on the trip. We did everything we wanted to do without being hampered by a lack of funds. And this web site paid for it.
It’s important that I generate some money from my work, but it’s not necessary that I extract every possible dollar. In fact, relative to its traffic levels, I’m seriously under-monetizing this site. But money is only a means to an end, not an end in itself. Making a positive contribution to the world is a lot more important to me than money. Money can be useful in achieving this objective, but human relationships are far more important. The funny thing is that the less I rely on money, the more of it I seem to have.
I’m already making more money than I need to pay my bills, and my income from this site keeps going up each month. If I simply keep doing what I’m doing, I’ll probably end up becoming fairly wealthy. But money is an extremely weak motivator for me. Very little of what I do today has a profit motive behind it except to the extent that money will fuel more important goals. That tends to confuse certain people because some of my decisions align with earning money, but many don’t. While I do consider myself an entrepreneur (at least it’s less isolating than “guru”), I only see money as a tool for enhancing and expanding my contribution.
While many entrepreneurs pursue money for the purpose of becoming wealthy, I chose a different route. I sought to earn money for the purpose of increasing my freedom. I don’t want to get myself stuck in a pattern of working for money, so I’m constantly turning down opportunities to make money that would restrict my freedom. For example, I don’t do any consulting or coaching. Consequently, my calendar contains very few fixed appointments. This doesn’t mean I’m idle. It just means I spend my time doing what I freely choose to do instead of what others would have me do. I require this level of flexibility to do my best work.
By paying close attention to how I earn money and not just how much I earn, I keep money in its proper place. This allows me to stay focused on my purpose without getting wrapped up in less important concerns like building a brand, closing sales, or doing phony marketing.
I dislike it when other people use one-dimensional sales and marketing tactics on me, so I avoid using these techniques on this site. I’ve sort of unplugged myself from the current capitalistic system and set up a side system of my own that I find much more congruent with conscious living. I would love for other people to have the same level of freedom I enjoy each day. I’m sure I’ll continue to improve my approach over time, but it’s working wonderfully so far. Imagine having a business with no products, no inventory, no sales, and no customers, but still generating an abundant positive cashflow.
Since the income generation is largely on autopilot, I can focus my time and energy on creating content instead of on doing marketing or trying to sell something. And being able to devote so much time to content creation without worrying how I’ll pay my bills makes it a lot easier to build high traffic.
Some business models make it very challenging to build traffic. You have to spend a lot of time and energy just on lead generation, and then maybe you try to monetize those leads by selling a product or service. It’s always an uphill struggle.
I give all my best content away for free. Word of mouth does the rest. So my traffic building strategy is more like flowing downstream. It hasn’t been a struggle for me at all. And once you have sufficient traffic, it isn’t that hard to monetize it without becoming an ogre.
We’ve all heard the expression, “Build a better mousetrap, and they’ll come.” And we’ve also heard marketing and sales people say that this is just plain wrong — you have to market and sell that mousetrap effectively too. I say they’re all wrong. My approach is the equivalent of, “Build a better mousetrap and give it away for free, and they’ll come — and they’ll bring friends too.”
10. If you forget the first nine suggestions, just focus on genuinely helping people, and the rest will take care of itself.
One thing that turns me off about typical self-help marketing is that authors and speakers often position themselves as if they’re the opposite of their audience. I’m successful and you’re not. I’m rich and you’re not. I’m fit and you’re not. You need me because something is lacking in your life, I have exactly what you lack, and if you pay me (and make me even richer and you poorer), I’ll show you how you can have it too. And if it doesn’t work for you, it just means you’re even more of an idiot than the people who provided my testimonials.
I’m sure you’ve heard this sort of nonsense many times before.
All of this I’ve-arrived-and-you-haven’t stuff is stupid. It suggests that life is about destinations and that once you’ve arrived, you’re done growing and can just relax and sip fruity drinks for the rest of your life. But there’s more to life than border crossings. If you go from single to married or from non-millionaire to millionaire, that’s fine and dandy. Crossing the border into parenthood was a big one for me. But that’s only one day of my life, and to be honest, I didn’t have much control over it except for a decision made nine-months earlier (and it seemed like a pretty attractive idea at the time). What about all those other days though?
Growing as a human being is something I work on daily. I’m deeply passionate about my own growth, so naturally I want to share this part of the journey with others. If I start marketing myself with the “I’m successful and you’re not approach,” I hope someone will come put me out of my misery, since that would mean I’m done growing and ready to die. I don’t expect to ever be done growing as long as I exist as a human being. There are always new distinctions to be made and new experiences to enjoy. And yes… plenty of mistakes to be made as well.
One of the great benefits of focusing on helping others is that it gets fear out of the way. Without fear you become free to just be yourself. You’re able to take intelligent risks and remain detached from any specific outcome because the journey is more important to you than the specific stops along the way. Personally it’s not the destinations that excite me but rather the unfolding process of discovery. I love the anticipation of wondering what lies around each new bend.
If we are to help each other, we need to be partners in the pursuit of growth, not opponents. So it makes no sense to put up fake walls between us. The ego needs walls to protect it, but if we can get past the fear-based needs of the ego, we’ll make a lot more progress.
There are plenty of things I could do with this site that would make me more money or grow traffic faster in the short-term, but I won’t do them because they’ll just put more distance between us. I’ll be on my side, you’ll be on your side, and we’ll each be slightly afraid of the other. I’ll be worried that maybe you won’t buy what I’m selling, and you’ll be worried about getting ripped off or taken advantage of. We’ll just be drinking yet another round of fear, which is exactly the opposite of what we need to grow.
One of my biggest challenges in life right now is figuring out how to help enough people switch their primary polarization from fear to love. Our emotions are an energy source for us (they drive our actions), and most of the world is still driven by fear energy. Watching TV news is a good example; we can actually feel energized by watching others suffer. Hurting animals is another example; we eat their fear for breakfast. But there’s another fuel for human consciousness, and perhaps the best way to describe it is unconditional love. This isn’t the squishy emotion of romantic love — it’s a sense of connection to everything that exists and a desire to serve the highest good of all. Unconditional love, when it becomes one’s primary fuel, cultivates fearlessness. In this state you still have the biological fight-or-flight response, but you aren’t driven by emotional worries like fear of failure or fear of rejection. You feel perfectly safe regardless of external circumstances. And when you have this feeling of unconditional safety, you’re truly free to be yourself, to embrace new experiences, and to grow at a very fast pace.
Personal growth is not a zero-sum game. If you grow as a human being, it doesn’t harm me. In fact, ultimately if all of us grow as individuals, it’s going to make this whole planet better for everyone. When enough people switch their primary polarization from fear to unconditional love, this planet will become a true paradise. That’s a good thing for all of us, one that’s more important than all the money in the world.
Perhaps you have a less ambitious goal for building web traffic than raising human consciousness and working towards world peace. That doesn’t matter. You can still make helping others your primary focus, and if you do that, you’ll find it relatively easy to build a high-traffic web site. If you align yourself with serving the highest good of all, you’ll receive plenty of help along the way, and best of all, you’ll deserve it.
Do your best to help your visitors out of genuine concern for their well-being, and they’ll help you build your traffic and even generate a nice income from it. It’s as simple as that.
Not yet Rated
1. Create valuable content.
Is your content worthy of being read by millions of people? Remember that the purpose of content is to provide value to others. Do you provide genuine value, and is it the best you’re capable of providing?
When I sit down to write, I sometimes imagine myself standing on an outdoor concert stage before an audience of a million people. Then I ask myself, “What shall I say to this audience of fellow human beings?” If a million people each spend five minutes on this site, that’s nearly 10 person-years total. I do my best to make my writing worthy of this differential. I don’t always succeed, but this is the mindset that helps me create strong content.
Think about the effect you want your writing to have on people. Since I write about personal growth, I want my writing to change people for the better. I want to expand people’s thinking, to raise their consciousness, and to help them eliminate fear from their lives. If my writing doesn’t change people’s thinking, actions, or awareness, then my value isn’t being transferred well enough.
When you focus on providing real value instead of churning out disposable content, your readers will notice. And they’ll refer others to your site — in droves. I typically see at least 10 new links to my site appearing each day (mostly via trackbacks but also via vanity feeds). I’m not going out and requesting those links — other bloggers just provide them, usually because they’re commenting on something I’ve written. Many fellow bloggers have also honored StevePavlina.com with a general recommendation for the entire site, not just links to my individual blog posts. It’s wonderful to see that kind of feedback.
Strong content is universally valued. It’s hard work to create it, but in the long run it generates lots of long-term referral traffic. I’d rather write one article I’m really proud of than 25 smaller posts. It’s been my experience that the best articles I write will outperform all the forgettable little posts I’ve made. Quality is more important than quantity. Quantity without quality, however, is easier, which is one reason so many people use that strategy. Ultimately, however, the Internet already contains more quantity than any one of us can absorb in our lifetimes, but there will always be a place for good quality content that stands out from the crowd.
If you have nothing of genuine value to offer to a large audience, then you have no need of a high-traffic web site. And if there’s no need for it, you probably won’t get it. Each time you write, focus on creating the best content you can. You’ll get better as you go along, but always do your best. I’ve written some 2000–word articles and then deleted them without posting them because I didn’t feel they were good enough.
2. Create original content.
Virtually everything on this site is my own original content. I rarely post blog entries that merely link to what others are writing. It takes more effort to produce original content, but it’s my preferred long-term strategy. I have no interest in creating a personal development portal to other sites. I want this site to be a final destination, not a middleman.
Consequently, when people arrive here, they often stick around for a while. Chances are good that if you like one of my articles, you may enjoy others. This site now has hundreds of them to choose from. You can visit the articles section to read my (longer) feature articles or the blog archives to see an easy-to-navigate list of all my blog entries since the site launched.
Yes, there’s a lot to read on this site, more than most people can read in a day, but there’s also a lot of value (see rule #1). Some people have told me they’ve read for many hours straight, and they leave as different people. I think anyone who reads my work for several hours straight is going to experience a shift in awareness. When you read a lot of dense, original content from a single person, it’s going to have an impact on you. And this content is written with the intention that it help you grow.
Although I’m not big on competing with others, it’s hard to compete with an original content site. Anyone can start their own personal development web site, but the flavor of this site is unique simply because no one else has had the exact same experiences as me.
While I think sites that mainly post content from others have the potential to build traffic faster in the beginning, I think original content sites have an easier time keeping their traffic, which makes for a more solid, long-term foundation. Not everyone is going to like my work, but for those that do, there’s no substitute.
3. Create timeless content.
While I do occasionally write about time-bound events, the majority of my content is intended to be timeless. I’m aware that anything I write today may still be read by people even after I’m dead. People still quote Aristotle today because his ideas have timeless value, even though he’s been dead for about 2300 years. I think about how my work might influence future generations in addition to my own. What advice shall I pass on to my great grandchildren?
I tend to ignore fads and current events in my writing. Wars, natural disasters, and corrupt politicians have been with us for thousands of years. There are plenty of others who are compelled to write about those things, so I’ll leave that coverage to them.
Will the content you’re creating today still be providing real value in the year 2010? 2100? 4000?
Writing for future generations helps me cut through the fluff and stay focused on the core of my message, which is to help people grow. As long as there are people (even if our bodies are no longer strictly biological), there will be the opportunity for growth, so there’s a chance that at least some of what I’m creating today will still have relevance. And if I can write something that will be relevant to future generations, then it will certainly be relevant and meaningful today.
In terms of traffic building, timeless content connects with people at a deeper level than time-bound content. The latter is meant to be forgotten, while the former is meant to be remembered. We forget yesterday’s news, but we remember those things that have meaning to us. So I strive to write about meanings instead of happenings.
Even though we’re conditioned to believe that news and current events are important, in the grand scheme of things, most of what’s covered by the media is trivial and irrelevant. Very little of today’s news will even be remembered next week, let alone a hundred years from now. Certainly some events are important, but at least 99% of what the media covers is irrelevant fluff when viewed against the backdrop of human history.
Ignore the fluff, and focus on building something with the potential to endure. Write for your children and grandchildren.
4. Write for human beings first, computers second.
A lot has been written about the optimal strategies for strong search engine rankings in terms of posting frequency and post length. But I largely ignore that advice because I write for human beings, not computers.
I write when I have something meaningful to say, and I write as much as it takes to say it. On average I post about five times per week, but I have no set quota. I also write much longer entries than most bloggers. No one has ever accused me of being too brief. My typical blog entry is about 1500–2000 words, and some (like this one) are much longer. Many successful bloggers would recommend I write shorter entries (250–750 words) and post more frequently (20x per week), since that creates more search engine seeds for the same amount of writing. And while I agree with them that such a strategy would generate more search engine traffic, I’m not going to take their advice. To do so would interfere too much with my strategy of delivering genuine value and creating timeless content. I have no interest in cranking out small chunks of disposable content just to please a computer. Anyone can print out an article to read later if they don’t have time to read it now and if the subject is of genuine interest to them. Part of the reason I write longer articles is that even though fewer people will take the time to read them, for those that do the articles are usually much more impactful.
Because of these decisions, my search engine traffic is fairly low compared to other bloggers. Google is my #1 referrer, but it accounts for less than 1.5% of my total traffic. My traffic is extremely decentralized. The vast majority of it comes from links on thousands of other web sites and from direct requests. Ultimately, my traffic grows because people tell other people about this site, either online or offline. I’ve also done very well with social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us, digg.com, and reddit.com because they’re based on personal recommendations. I’ve probably had about a dozen articles hit the del.icio.us popular list within the past year, definitely more than my fair share.
I prefer this traffic-building strategy because it leaves me less vulnerable to shifts in technology. I figure that Google ultimately wants to make it easy for its visitors to find valuable content, so my current strategy should be in alignment with Google’s long-term strategy. My feeling is that Google would be well-served by sending more of its traffic here. But that alignment simply arises from my focus on providing value first and foremost.
5. Know why you want a high-traffic site.
I write because my purpose in life is to help people become more conscious and aware — to grow as human beings. I don’t have a separate job or career other than this. Because my work is driven by this purpose, I have a compelling reason to build a high-traffic web site, one that aligns with my deepest personal values. More web traffic means I can have a bigger impact by reaching more people. And over the course of the next few decades, this influence has the potential to create a positive change that might alter the future direction of human civilization. Most significantly, I want to help humanity move past fear and for us to stop relating to each other through the mechanisms of fear. If I fail, I fail. But I’m not giving up no matter how tough it gets.
Those are big stakes, and it might sound like I’m exaggerating, but this is the level at which I think about my work today. Everything else I do, including building a high traffic web site, is simply a means to that end. Today I’m just planting seeds, and most of them haven’t even sprouted yet. A high traffic web site is just one of the sprouts that came about as a result of pursuing the purpose that drives me. But it is not an end in itself.
What will you do if you succeed in building a high-traffic web site? If you someday find yourself in the privileged position of being able to influence millions of people, what will you say to them? Will you honor and respect this position by using it as a channel to serve the highest good of all, or will you throw that opportunity away to pursue your own fleeting fame and fortune while feeding your audience disposable drivel?
Although I launched this web site in October 2004, I’ve been writing articles since 1999, and feedback has allowed me to understand how small slices of my writing have affected certain people in the long run. After reading something I’ve written, people have quit their jobs, started their own businesses, changed religions, and ended relationships. While some people might find this level of impact ego-gratifying, for me it intensifies my feeling of personal responsibility for my writing. I’ve seen that I’m able to have an impact on people, so I damned well better make it a good one.
This “why” is what drives me. It’s what compels me to go to my computer and write something at 3am and not stop until 10am. I get inspired often. The #1 reason I want more traffic is that it will allow me to help more people. That’s where I direct my ambition for this site, and consequently I’m extremely motivated, which certainly plays a key role in taking action.
6. Let your audience see the real you.
My life and my writing are intricately intertwined, such that it’s impossible to separate the two. When someone reads this web site, they’ll eventually come to know a great deal about me as a person. Usually this creates a skewed and inaccurate impression of who I am today because I change a lot over time — I’m not the same person I was last year — but it’s close enough. Getting to know me makes it easier for people to understand the context of what I write, which means that more value can be transferred in less time.
I’ve told many personal stories on this site, including my most painful and difficult experiences. I don’t do this to be gratuitous but rather because those stories help make a point — that no matter where you find yourself today, you always have the opportunity to grow in some small way, and no matter how small those changes are, they’re going to add up over time to create massive lifelong growth. That’s a lesson we all need to remember.
When I find ways to turn some of my darkest experiences into lessons that might help others in similar situations, it actually transforms those painful memories into joyful ones. They take on new meaning for me, and I can see that there was a positive reason I had to endure such experiences, one that ultimately serves the highest good of all. Oddly, I now find that it was my darkest times that help create the most light for others.
With respect to privacy, I don’t really care much for it. I do respect other people’s right to privacy, so when people tell me personal stories via email, I don’t turn around and re-post them to my blog. But I’m OK with being rather un-private myself. The need for privacy comes from the desire to protect the ego, which is a fear-driven desire, and fear is something I just don’t need in my life. My attitude is that it’s perfectly OK to fail or to be rejected publicly. Trying to appear perfect is nothing but a house of cards that will eventually collapse.
I think allowing people to know the real me makes it possible to build a relationship with my audience that’s based on intimacy and friendship. I dislike seeing people putting me on too much of a pedestal and using labels like “guru” or “overachiever.” Such labels create distance which makes communication harder. They emphasize our differences instead of our similarities. Communication between equals — between friends — is more effective.
More genuine communication means better connections with your audience, which means more repeat traffic and more referral traffic. This isn’t a manipulative game though, and excessive or overly dramatic self-disclosure for the purpose of linkbaiting will only backfire. Your reasons for storytelling must be to benefit your audience. The traffic benefits are a positive side effect.
7. Write what is true for you, and learn to live with the consequences.
If the stuff I’ve written on this site means I’ll never be able to run for a political office, I can live with that. I’m willing to write what is true for me, even if it goes against my social conditioning. Being honest is more important to me than being popular. But the irony is that because bold honesty is so rare among civilized humans, in the long run this may be the best traffic-building strategy of all.
People often warn me not to write things that might alienate a portion of my visitors. But somehow I keep doing the opposite and seeing traffic go up, not down. I don’t treat any subjects as taboo or sacred if they’re relevant to personal growth, and that includes diet and religion. It’s no secret that I’m a vegan ex-Catholic. Do I alienate people when I say that torturing and killing defenseless animals for food is wrong? Perhaps. But truth is truth. I happen to think it’s a bad idea to feed cows cement dust and bovine growth hormone, to pack live chickens into warehouses where the ammonia from their feces is strong enough to burn their skin off, and to feed 70% of our grain to livestock while tens of thousands of people die of hunger each day. I also think it’s a bad idea to pay people to perform these actions on my behalf. It really doesn’t matter to me that 999 people out of 1000 disagree with me. Your disagreement with me doesn’t change what went into producing your burger. It’s still a diseased, tortured, chemical-injected cow, one that was doomed to a very sad life because of a decision you made. And you’re still responsible for your role in that cow’s suffering whether you like it or not.
That last paragraph is a good example of the kind of stuff I write that makes people want to put me in a cage, inject me with hormones, and feed me cement dust. It wouldn’t surprise me terribly if that ends up being my fate.
I write what is true for me, regardless of public opinion. Sometimes I’m in the majority; sometimes I’m not. I’m fully aware that some of my opinions are unpopular, and I’m absolutely fine with that. What I’m not fine with is putting truth to a vote.
I take the time to form my own opinions instead of simply regurgitating what I was taught as a child. And I’m also well aware that there are people spending billions of dollars to make you think that a burger is not a very sad, diseased, tortured, chemical-injected cow. But I’m going to keep writing to help you remain aware of things like that, even though you may hate me for it. That defensiveness eventually leads to doubt, which leads to change and growth, so it’s perfectly fine. I’m good at dealing with defensiveness.
I don’t worry too much about hurting people’s feelings. Hurt feelings are a step in the right direction for many people. If I’m able to offend you so easily, to me that means you already recognize some truth in what I’ve written, but you aren’t ready to face it consciously yet. If you read something from me that provokes an emotional reaction, then a seed has already been planted. In other words, it’s already too late for you.
My goal isn’t to convince anyone of anything in particular. I’m not an animal rights activist, and I don’t have a religion to promote. My goal is to awaken people to living more consciously. This requires raising people’s awareness across all facets of their lives, so they can make the big decisions for themselves. It requires breaking social conditioning and replacing it with conscious awareness and intention. That’s a big job, but someone has to do it. And if I don’t do it, then I have to admit I’m just part of the problem like all the other hibernating bears.
A lot has been written about the importance of transparency in blogging, and truth is the best transparency of all. Truth creates trust, and trust builds traffic. No games, no gimmicks… just plain old brutal honesty. Even the people that say they hate you will still come back, and eventually those people will become your most ardent supporters. Even if they don’t agree with you, they’ll learn they can trust you and that your intentions are honorable, and trust is more important than agreement.
8. Treat your visitors like real human beings.
Even though I’m sitting at my computer writing this, seemingly alone, I know you’re a real human being reading it on the other end. My apologies to sentient androids who may be reading this years after it’s been written. You aren’t just a number in my web stats. Despite the technology involved and the time-space differential between my writing and your reading, there’s still a human-to-human connection between us that transcends time and space. And that connection matters to me. I feel its presence whenever I do my best writing.
While I imagine being on a stage in front of a million people when deciding which topic to write about, once I actually get going, I imagine having a one-on-one conversation with a friend. This means revealing some of myself and being honest, as the last two points already addressed, but it also means genuinely caring about you as a person. And that’s perhaps one of the best kept secrets of my success as a blogger. I actually care about helping you grow. I want you to become more conscious and aware. I want you to experience less fear in your life. And my concern for your well-being isn’t conditional upon you liking me.
I happen to think we have a lot more similarities than differences. Based on what I know about myself, I imagine you’d like your life to be better tomorrow than it was yesterday. I imagine you’d like to be happier, more fulfilled, and more at peace with yourself. I also imagine you’re living below your potential and could use some help overcoming fear and solving certain problems to enable you to tap more of that potential. And finally, I imagine you wouldn’t believe me if I said you can have it all for only $19.95 (as well you shouldn’t).
The reason I work so hard to create original content and then give it away for free is because I want to help as many people as possible. I genuinely care what happens to this beautiful planet and to the people who live here. It’s possible I actually value your life even more than you do. This is the kind of motivation that never wanes. I sometimes lose sight of it when I get caught up in the details, but the connection is always there, waiting for me to tap into it whenever I want. This provides me with a wellspring of creative ideas and an inexhaustible passion for contribution.
I don’t need to play stupid marketing and sales games with you. There’s nothing for you to buy here. Even if I add some products in the future, I’m not going to try to manipulate you into buying something you don’t need with a slew of false promises. I might make more money in the short-term by doing that, but it would sever our genuine connection, create a wall between us, and reduce the level of impact I’m able to have. Ultimately, that approach would lead to failure for me, at least in terms of how I define success. I can’t help you grow if I violate your trust.
I cannot force anyone to grow who doesn’t want to. But there are a lot of people on this planet who are now ready to let go of low-awareness living and start pushing themselves to the next level of human existence. And they need help to get there because it’s a difficult journey, and there are strong forces working against it.
Real human beings helping real human beings is ultimately what traffic growth is all about. That’s precisely what a link or a referral is. If you align yourself with the intention of genuinely helping people because you care, you’ll soon find yourself with an abundance of traffic.
9. Keep money in its proper place.
Money is important. Obviously I have bills to pay. Money pays for my computer, my high-speed internet connection, my house, and my food. I just returned yesterday from a vacation that money paid for. My wife and I had a great time partly because we didn’t have to worry about money at all on the trip. We did everything we wanted to do without being hampered by a lack of funds. And this web site paid for it.
It’s important that I generate some money from my work, but it’s not necessary that I extract every possible dollar. In fact, relative to its traffic levels, I’m seriously under-monetizing this site. But money is only a means to an end, not an end in itself. Making a positive contribution to the world is a lot more important to me than money. Money can be useful in achieving this objective, but human relationships are far more important. The funny thing is that the less I rely on money, the more of it I seem to have.
I’m already making more money than I need to pay my bills, and my income from this site keeps going up each month. If I simply keep doing what I’m doing, I’ll probably end up becoming fairly wealthy. But money is an extremely weak motivator for me. Very little of what I do today has a profit motive behind it except to the extent that money will fuel more important goals. That tends to confuse certain people because some of my decisions align with earning money, but many don’t. While I do consider myself an entrepreneur (at least it’s less isolating than “guru”), I only see money as a tool for enhancing and expanding my contribution.
While many entrepreneurs pursue money for the purpose of becoming wealthy, I chose a different route. I sought to earn money for the purpose of increasing my freedom. I don’t want to get myself stuck in a pattern of working for money, so I’m constantly turning down opportunities to make money that would restrict my freedom. For example, I don’t do any consulting or coaching. Consequently, my calendar contains very few fixed appointments. This doesn’t mean I’m idle. It just means I spend my time doing what I freely choose to do instead of what others would have me do. I require this level of flexibility to do my best work.
By paying close attention to how I earn money and not just how much I earn, I keep money in its proper place. This allows me to stay focused on my purpose without getting wrapped up in less important concerns like building a brand, closing sales, or doing phony marketing.
I dislike it when other people use one-dimensional sales and marketing tactics on me, so I avoid using these techniques on this site. I’ve sort of unplugged myself from the current capitalistic system and set up a side system of my own that I find much more congruent with conscious living. I would love for other people to have the same level of freedom I enjoy each day. I’m sure I’ll continue to improve my approach over time, but it’s working wonderfully so far. Imagine having a business with no products, no inventory, no sales, and no customers, but still generating an abundant positive cashflow.
Since the income generation is largely on autopilot, I can focus my time and energy on creating content instead of on doing marketing or trying to sell something. And being able to devote so much time to content creation without worrying how I’ll pay my bills makes it a lot easier to build high traffic.
Some business models make it very challenging to build traffic. You have to spend a lot of time and energy just on lead generation, and then maybe you try to monetize those leads by selling a product or service. It’s always an uphill struggle.
I give all my best content away for free. Word of mouth does the rest. So my traffic building strategy is more like flowing downstream. It hasn’t been a struggle for me at all. And once you have sufficient traffic, it isn’t that hard to monetize it without becoming an ogre.
We’ve all heard the expression, “Build a better mousetrap, and they’ll come.” And we’ve also heard marketing and sales people say that this is just plain wrong — you have to market and sell that mousetrap effectively too. I say they’re all wrong. My approach is the equivalent of, “Build a better mousetrap and give it away for free, and they’ll come — and they’ll bring friends too.”
10. If you forget the first nine suggestions, just focus on genuinely helping people, and the rest will take care of itself.
One thing that turns me off about typical self-help marketing is that authors and speakers often position themselves as if they’re the opposite of their audience. I’m successful and you’re not. I’m rich and you’re not. I’m fit and you’re not. You need me because something is lacking in your life, I have exactly what you lack, and if you pay me (and make me even richer and you poorer), I’ll show you how you can have it too. And if it doesn’t work for you, it just means you’re even more of an idiot than the people who provided my testimonials.
I’m sure you’ve heard this sort of nonsense many times before.
All of this I’ve-arrived-and-you-haven’t stuff is stupid. It suggests that life is about destinations and that once you’ve arrived, you’re done growing and can just relax and sip fruity drinks for the rest of your life. But there’s more to life than border crossings. If you go from single to married or from non-millionaire to millionaire, that’s fine and dandy. Crossing the border into parenthood was a big one for me. But that’s only one day of my life, and to be honest, I didn’t have much control over it except for a decision made nine-months earlier (and it seemed like a pretty attractive idea at the time). What about all those other days though?
Growing as a human being is something I work on daily. I’m deeply passionate about my own growth, so naturally I want to share this part of the journey with others. If I start marketing myself with the “I’m successful and you’re not approach,” I hope someone will come put me out of my misery, since that would mean I’m done growing and ready to die. I don’t expect to ever be done growing as long as I exist as a human being. There are always new distinctions to be made and new experiences to enjoy. And yes… plenty of mistakes to be made as well.
One of the great benefits of focusing on helping others is that it gets fear out of the way. Without fear you become free to just be yourself. You’re able to take intelligent risks and remain detached from any specific outcome because the journey is more important to you than the specific stops along the way. Personally it’s not the destinations that excite me but rather the unfolding process of discovery. I love the anticipation of wondering what lies around each new bend.
If we are to help each other, we need to be partners in the pursuit of growth, not opponents. So it makes no sense to put up fake walls between us. The ego needs walls to protect it, but if we can get past the fear-based needs of the ego, we’ll make a lot more progress.
There are plenty of things I could do with this site that would make me more money or grow traffic faster in the short-term, but I won’t do them because they’ll just put more distance between us. I’ll be on my side, you’ll be on your side, and we’ll each be slightly afraid of the other. I’ll be worried that maybe you won’t buy what I’m selling, and you’ll be worried about getting ripped off or taken advantage of. We’ll just be drinking yet another round of fear, which is exactly the opposite of what we need to grow.
One of my biggest challenges in life right now is figuring out how to help enough people switch their primary polarization from fear to love. Our emotions are an energy source for us (they drive our actions), and most of the world is still driven by fear energy. Watching TV news is a good example; we can actually feel energized by watching others suffer. Hurting animals is another example; we eat their fear for breakfast. But there’s another fuel for human consciousness, and perhaps the best way to describe it is unconditional love. This isn’t the squishy emotion of romantic love — it’s a sense of connection to everything that exists and a desire to serve the highest good of all. Unconditional love, when it becomes one’s primary fuel, cultivates fearlessness. In this state you still have the biological fight-or-flight response, but you aren’t driven by emotional worries like fear of failure or fear of rejection. You feel perfectly safe regardless of external circumstances. And when you have this feeling of unconditional safety, you’re truly free to be yourself, to embrace new experiences, and to grow at a very fast pace.
Personal growth is not a zero-sum game. If you grow as a human being, it doesn’t harm me. In fact, ultimately if all of us grow as individuals, it’s going to make this whole planet better for everyone. When enough people switch their primary polarization from fear to unconditional love, this planet will become a true paradise. That’s a good thing for all of us, one that’s more important than all the money in the world.
Perhaps you have a less ambitious goal for building web traffic than raising human consciousness and working towards world peace. That doesn’t matter. You can still make helping others your primary focus, and if you do that, you’ll find it relatively easy to build a high-traffic web site. If you align yourself with serving the highest good of all, you’ll receive plenty of help along the way, and best of all, you’ll deserve it.
Do your best to help your visitors out of genuine concern for their well-being, and they’ll help you build your traffic and even generate a nice income from it. It’s as simple as that.
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