Commentary & Society

by Marcel Feenstra |

I'm a little confused. As an internet consultant specializing in search engine optimization, I believe that it is a good idea to submit your site to DMOZ (a.k.a. ODP or the Open Directory Project) --in fact, Google even encourages you to do so! However, being an ODP editor myself, I can tell you from personal experience that perhaps only 10-20% of all the site suggestions we receive actually follow our guidelines...

Read More »

by malistudio |

When you're working commercially, being great at what you do is about 25% of the task. Too many times I see the sad example of someone walking in to a situation with noble intentions and then getting royally screwed, because what they see as an opportunity and a labor of love, the other party sees as something else entirely, not at all romantic or idealized, but raw and simple.

You are going to be dealing with people who are unlike yourself. Their motivations are their own and their attitudes are probably different than yours. When you're in education, you may have tough teachers and think that it can't be worse, but wait until a business person has a hundred grand riding on your work! Then you will know what demanding means.

This list wasn't meant to make anyone crazy or paranoid, but is designed to inject some reality into the fantasy.

Read More »

by Vladimir |

The new WCAG 2.0 standard draft sparked a hot discussion around web accessibility and the standard direction. The main issue is how to make it simpler and easier to understand for web developer community. The author investigates some WCAG 2.0 success criteria and explains, why they should be solved by improving technology of user agents.

Read More »

by Douglas Clifton | A brief article on the topic of user-agents. An introduction to the term, some examples of agents that perhaps developers haven't thought of as being agents, and a discussion of malicious agents. Read More »

by ideahamster | Accountability is a good thing — as long as it's based on sound objectives. ROI objectives can represent tangible things such as cost savings and intangible tings such as the projected impact your Web site will have on customer perception and behavior. They identify how you plan to use the Internet recover your financial investment and to achieve some specific communication goals and marketing efforts. Read More »

by ideahamster | While consumer confidence in advertising is at an all-time low their confidence in search engines is growing. Read More »

by ideahamster | Instead of thinking of your web site in terms of flowcharts and site maps, consider these five reasons your web site is like a pinball game. Read More »

by ideahamster | Finding online information about your competitors is easy - The difficult part is finding meaning. When researching the competition, you can avoid pitfalls by seeking 'intelligence' instead of 'information'. Read More »

by salvatore | A common dilemma facing businesses large and small alike is how best to equip their staff to deliver the largest amount of productivity, weighed against the increasing costs of the technology necessary to deliver that productivity. Here are some pointers to help you build a case for the most useful options. Read More »

by ideahamster | Search engine text ads can outperform most banner ads, even when users aren't clicking. Read More »