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Friday, June 1, 2012

W3C and Validation

Who is W3C? W3C stands for the World Wide Web Consortium. The goal of W3C is to provide a set of web standard and guidelines that will help alleviate the problem of code incompatibility in the hundreds of different web browsers in use throughout the world today.

The standards are only a guideline, but smart web designers and web developers pay heed to what the organization has to say. In fact many of the web programming jobs found on web design freelancer job boards, specifically requests that the code used to build a website is W3C validated. Although fairly common for XHTML and HTML it is becoming increasingly important especially if the web site is a total CSS web site.

Tim Berners-Lee who pretty much invented the World Wide Web when he developed the first web browser back in 1989 and other industry pioneers created the consortium to promote the standardization of the technologies used on the World Wide Web. Without some level of standardization, the internet would not be a global medium it is today. Interoperability between different machines requires a standard interface and standardized data communication protocols to carry the information back and forth.

That is the W3C’s mission. To publish the standards necessary so that all computers can speak the same language and communicate and all web browsers render web pages so that look and act the same way. The consortium also engage in efforts to educate web designers and developers so they will work together to build their websites on the W3C standards.

Because of the work of the consortium, someone using a Macintosh in China or a windows XP machine in Canada can access a web page hosted on a Linux server in South America. If that web page was created using validated HTML and CSS code, the webpage should appear very similar and have the same basic functionality on all of the different operating systems and web browsers available.

Why is Using Standardized and Validated Code Important?

Although all web browsers understand and render HTML, they don’t all do it the same way. Each browser has proprietary extensions to HTML and CSS that it uses to create special effects because none of the standardized code can do what they web designers wants to do. The result is that code that looks and works great in Internet Explore may crash Firefox, Opera or Safari and vice versa. Unfortunately, many web designers choose to code for internet explore and ignore the other 35% of web surfers. There are hundreds of different browsers and more appearing as PDAs, cell phones and practically every other imaginable electronic device is being built to be “internet compatible”.

It is impossible to test your web pages on every browser. While testing on the major browsers will probably be sufficient for most people, web designers who want their websites to work on as many different platforms as possible can check the code they write to see if it meets the standards.

Why don’t all the web designers and web developers use W3C validated code?

They don’t use it because none of the most popular HTML editors generate 100% compatible code. The newer the standards, the less likely the code generated meet them. Of all the HTML editors available, Dreamweaver does the best job and Front Page the worst job. It’s not surprising that FrontPage, which is a Microsoft product, writes code almost exclusively for internet explorer. The rest of the popular HTML editors, rank somewhere between FrontPage and Dreamweaver.

Hand coding is no guarantee that the code will meet the standards either unless the person writing the code is well versed in the latest standards. Another problem is that a lot of the fancier and nicer features available are not universally supported by web browsers. Many web designers and web developers choose to ignore the 35% of web surfers so they can use the effects they want to use. In some cases, the site looks ok but doesn’t have all the functionality. Drop down menus are a common element commonly used that don’t work in some popular browsers. A good web designer will add a text link somewhere on the page for the parts of the menu that don’t work in all browsers. That way, the majority of visitors get the cool features while the others can still get where they want to go.

Summary

As the number of web browsers continues to increase, standardized code becomes absolutely essential. If you use non-standard, non-validated code that doesn't work in a particular browser, it is your fault. If you use standard, validated code and it doesn't work, it is a bug in the web browser. The W3C organization offers an official public validator service at http://validator.w3.org.

Aqeel Ahmed Zaman is an Internet Business Consultant and Online Web Marketing Executive for Gexton Pakistan. Gexton Pakistan offers the complete web solution for your websites from web design layout to the Search Engine Optimization services.

Web Page Optimization

We all want to have the most attractive website that leaves a visitor wide-eyed and completely dazzled. Usually an extremely attractive website design involves lots of graphical elements, increasing the overall page size which causes the page to download slowly to the browser. This article will provide some useful tips on how to keep your website design attractive but still downloads quickly.

As the average internet bandwidth rate per computer is raising, more and more webmasters allow themselves to develop complex websites laden with heavy graphic elements. In extreme cases you can find websites that take as much as a few minutes to load their content in your browser. Of course the user will never wait that long for a website to load, and will move on to the next website in his search results.

So why are webmasters still developing slow loading bloated websites? Primarily due to a lack of knowledge of simple graphic optimization techniques that will allow them to maintain an attractive website while keeping the page size smaller.

How many of you are aware of the fact that a box with rounded corners can be achieved using CSS code only, without the need for any graphic image. Well it is possible! Before those of you familiar with CSS say that it cannot be done for every type of browser and a relatively high level of programming is required, I say that dealing with the most common mistakes web designers make regarding optimization can have simple solutions.

Never limit the web designer by placing any restrictions that impact the final outcome. You might make the claim that what a web designer can do with graphic software is impossible to implement by code. I disagree. When the design is finished and you are ready to slice it into small images to be used in the html code, your creativity is been tested. Everything you do at this stage will affect the total page size. If your design contains rounded shapes that overlap each other or areas with color gradients, then you must slice it carefully so the outcome is a small file size.

Let’s look at what efficient slicing means:

Do not make large slices that contain lots of different colors. Use a small number of slices where each slice contains a limited number of colors.
Do not make a large slice that contains the same graphic structure. Slice a small portion of it and duplicate it in your code. This is a very common mistake that webmasters/programmers make when dealing with gradient color background.
Do not use JPEG file format all the time. In some cases a GIF format will be much smaller in size. A rule of thumb – a slice with high number of colors will be smaller in size using the JPEG format rather than the GIF format, and the opposite is also true. Check each option separately. Every 1KB that you reduce from the image file size will eventually add up to a significant reduction in page size.
If you have text on a solid color background, do not slice it at all. Use code to create the background instead. Remember that you can define both the font style and background color of the area using CSS.

Advanced Techniques

Graphically optimizing a website is more than just knowing how to do image optimizations. There are some advanced techniques that required a high level of programming. CSS2 has much more to offer then CSS does. Although not all browsers have adopted this standard yet you should be ready for when they do. JavaScript also gives you a set of options to create some cool effects without needing to overload the page with Flash. Using limited tools like JavaScript compared to an advanced application like Flash to create the desired effects can be difficult. However think about the outcome. For a onetime effort you can differentiate your website from others. You will have an attractive professional looking website that loads quickly.

Back to the Future

As PDAs, smart mobile phones and mini laptops are used with wireless internet connections for internet browsing, publishing fast loading web pages will enhance the browsing experience not only for those using wide bandwidth connections but also will make the browsing experience user friendly (or may I say, bandwidth friendly) to the wireless clients.

For those who insist that web design optimization is not necessary because everyone will have high bandwidth connections eventually, I agree up to a point. However, the software companies are creating applications that use more bandwidth because they know it is available for them to use. Get used to writing well optimized web pages because this cat and mouse game will never end, and it is better to learn the rules of the game then it is to be bitten.

eCommerce Website Design

eCommerce websites have their own unique character that is designed to lead the visitor to one simple task – make an online purchase. A web designer needs to consider a variety of online selling principles while designing an eCommerce website. In this article we will try to take a look at some of the major design aspects that you must have in an eCommerce website.

Many of you are probably already asking why eCommerce website design is different from any other website design. They all need to be attractive, well organized and use the right colors that fits the website spirit and so on. Your instincts are good. However a close look at some successful eCommerce websites will reveal the conceptual differences that are typical in a successful eCommerce website.

An eCommerce website needs to follow certain selling principles:

Give the user a pleasant experience during his online shopping.
Make certain you provide sufficient information on who owns the website and why they should be trusted.
The website must be easy to use. If it isn’t, the visitor will go to your competitor.

Those principles are not new. We all know those basics from our day to day experiences in the mall, shopping center and every other market place that is waiting for us to open up our wallets. The big challenge for a web designer is how to translate those conventional marketing techniques to the virtual world of the internet. I’m sure you’ve all noticed that in most supermarkets the bread stand is placed at the far end of the building, yet you can smell the fresh bread at the entrance (sometimes they even use a special air duct to carry the smells). That has been done deliberately. Marketers use our sense of smell to draw us through the store where we are exposed to all sorts of tempting goodies as we go to get our loaf of bread.

How do you draw an imaginarily path in a web page? A path designed to lead the visitor to do what you want him to do…make an online purchase. Unlike the supermarket our website has no smell. In a website the distance from one point to the other is pretty much the same, so the exit is always right there. In a website you can try to order the “shelf” in the way you think will best expose the visitor to many of your products, but there is always a chance that he will find a short cut to another page that can also be the way off your site.

As can be see, although putting your products on the web is much easier than renting space and opening a supermarket. However, selling your products on the web can be difficult.

A good eCommerce website design will lead the visitor to the right page in one click or two at the most. Sometime web designers will use techniques that would never be considered for non-eCommerce websites. Everyone has seen at least one sales letter website. On these web pages the only link is to the order form. Sales letters are not the most typical eCommerce website because they usually sell only one product. That allows the web designer the ability to exaggerate the one click principle and make it an advantage. All the facts about the product have been presented to the user is a smart way while every few lines he has the option to click on the order form. If he is not yet convinced he will have the option to continue to read more facts and testimonials about the products. Believe it or not, those sales letter websites are actually selling.

“What about online shops?” Online shops have to deal with more than one product. Of course, the greater number of products increases the complexity of the website. Sophisticated eCommerce websites use a variety of personalization technologies in an effort to determine the best selection of products to offer to the visitor. Personalization technologies are a major part of advanced eCommerce websites. However this topic is beyond the scope of this article. The cleverness of an eCommerce website’s personalization technology has a major influence on its design. The first to use such technology was Amazon.com who decided to push their client’s books to a visitor based on that visitor’s past orders combined with the statistics they had collected on all visitors used to predict what someone looking at a specific book might also be interested in reading. Today the goal is to try to predict what to offer the user on his first visit as well.

An eCommerce web design is also about the layout. One important aspect is where the user’s eyes look first when accessing a web page. Lots of research has been done on this topic. Most research showed that the middle left side area will attract the most attention followed by the center of the page. By using these techniques web designers try to draw the “walking path” for the visitor’s eye, much like what was done at the supermarket. An experienced eCommerce web designer will know how to create designs to meets those demands.

If you are about to open an eCommerce website or you are already own one, make sure you understand the web design principles for online selling. Consider consulting with an experienced website designer preferably someone who has experience with eCommerce websites. Good luck with your sales.

Banner Design Success Techniques

Banners have been a major part of the World Wide Web world since its early days. Copywriters burn the midnight oil looking for new designs that will grab the visitor’s attention and compel him to click on their banner. This article discusses some of the most successful banner designs.

Teasing your curiosity

“Do Not Click Here”. How many of you have seen this slogan in a banner? What did you do when you first saw it? If you are like most people, when you first saw it, you clicked on it. What makes this simple sentence so powerful that it compels the visitor to click on it? The answer is curiosity !!!

Copywriters and web designers are always looking for ways to arouse the website visitor’s curiosity. As banner designers their goal is to attract the visitor to the banner, usually completely ignoring the other elements on the web page that are more important to the website owner. However, because the “Do Not Click Here” slogan tells us nothing about what is on the next page, it arouses the visitor’s curiosity and makes it almost impossible not to click on this banner to see what’s behind it.

Simple integrated design

When Larry Page and Sergey Brin first introduced their product, “Google”, to potential investors, they mentioned Adwords as a backup option in case they didn’t make any money. We all know how lucky they were that they eventually needed to use that backup plan. What made these “boring” ads such a great success?

Unlike other ads, Adwords neither arouse the visitor’s curiosity nor disturb the main flow of the web page. In fact, the opposite is true. Adwords are meant to look like part of the search results giving the user the feeling that those ads are there because he asked for them. No one has any doubt that this simple design helps Google to promote both their search engine and the Adwords advertising program.

Take part in the action

Banner designers wisely used interactive technologies like Flash to develop type of banners that invite the user to take part in the action. Drawing the user into the action can be accomplished in many creative ways. Some web designers use popular old games elements as part of the scene. You all know the famous game pacman. One of the banners that I like the most is the one where the user is allowed to let pacman “eat” few dollar signs. At the successful completion of this mission, a nice slogan is revealed asking him to open a saving account that will earn money with a fixed interest rate. The idea behind those interactive banners is simple: Let the user take part in the action and then at the right moment when his mind is less resistant, show him the sales message. Those interactive banners proved to be very efficient. Their biggest disadvantage is that most webmasters will not allow that kind of banner because it distracts too much from the web page content.

Back to Black and White

Website designers are always seeking to be different with their design ideas. One banner fashion trend that can be found lately is Black and White banners. Although research shows that blue and yellow are the most efficient color to use in a banner, Black and White banners have been seen a lot lately. It’s probably something that will eventually vanish, but the idea behind it is to be different and to make the user wonder what’s up and hopefully click on the banner to find out.

Get Out of the box

Have you heard about the www.gexton.com? If not, check out this website before continuing to read this article. This website has proven that creative thinking not only can bring you money but also create a whole new trend. Right after the milliondollarhomepage.com got the internet community’s attention, many designers used this idea to design a banner on which they sell a 10x10 pixel area. Like the original concept, this banner design had its impact. Advertisers are investing money on these ad spaces while at the same time visitors are curious enough time after time looking at those unorganized pixel banners to click on them.

What about the next trends

What the next trends of banner design will be is something that probably no one can accurately predict. It’s up to some web designer to come up with a new concept that proves to be efficient. There is no doubt that in the future we will see new ways of designing banners, especially when more and more advertising budgets are being spent on the internet instead of commercial TV and other types of advertising media. I guess we will just need to be patient.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

How Great Technical is your Plumber?

A water program engineer plays a significant role in society as the services rendered by these tradesmen provide potable water to residents. A water program engineer is also responsible for maintaining drainage and sewerage plumbing. Nowadays water program is a relatively well paid trade that requires training, licensing and certification. Experience counts as the professionals build up a rapport with their clientele and are able to forge a bond of trust and mutual respect with their clients.

For faster and more effective results, plumbers are relying more and more on the use of high tech equipment. In-line digital cams to perspective the duration of sewerage plumbing when investigating a clog, hydro flying, leak detection and tube locating as well as trenchless sewage alternative are some of the top tech ways to deal with water program emergencies.

By inserting digital cams in your water program water program installers are able to perspective the duration of the program and locate any blockage or other problem. If you need to replace plumbing on your grounds, your contractor would normally have to excavate the soil or dust. This conventional technique would cause damage to surfaces like sidewalks, floors, driveways, parking lots or roadways. Porches and landscaping would get spoilt and electrical, gas and water lines could be disturbed. The conventional tube alternative would involve a lot of problem and disruption. An advanced option that provides an alternative to full scale tube alternative is trenchless technology. Instead of digging up your garden, driveway or flooring, your installers or water program engineer can avail this leading edge new age strategy that provides an efficient and eco-friendly solution to your sewage problems. The strategy employs new PVC suffused smooth coating to reline your current sewage interior.

Any clogs, dust, leaves, origins and other debris are first blown clear with questionable hydro flying. An eco-friendly epoxy resin is then applied under questionable from a minor entry way to range the entire current sewage. To seal the new coating in place, a bladder is then introduced and filled with pressurized hot steam to mold the duration of the new coating to fuse with the inside of the current coating. This process seals all current leaks and makes it water and air tight with a smooth new coating that is highly resistant to any future intrusions by tree origins.

If the sewage is too fragile and damaged to be relined, it can be replaced by a technique of trenchless tube bursting by your water program engineer. Burbank home owners can ask local installers for top tech water program solutions.

PIPER PLUMBING

HEATING & DRAIN CLEANING INC.

12329 Mount Lawn RD NW

Edmonton, AB T5B4J3

http://www.piperplumbing.ca

service@piperplumbing.ca

Phone: (780) 934-1626 - (780) 203-0088

Fax: (780) 756-4493

Selecting a Babysitter or Nanny For Your Kids – Important Tips!

How to find the best babysitter, or nanny in your area. Finding the best babysitter or nanny is important – you need to have overall believed in the person you depart your kids with. But, never be daunted! Discovering a nanny or babysitter can be done online from work or home, it’s simple to do and it is much cheaper than interesting a recruiting organization. Just keep these Top Guidelines in mind:

· Protection – when you get ready your narrow your search of kid carers create sure each nanny or babysitter has a present working with can suffer Examine (WWC or Pink Card) or a Law enforcement Examine or is ready to get one just before beginning with you. A WWC analyzes the level of danger an individual creates to the protection of kids and is more focused and wider than a Law enforcement Examine.

· Phone Screening – this will help you narrow your search and will preserve you a lot of time in the long run! Use telephone testing to confirm each nanny / babysitter’s encounter and specifications, talk about beginning time frame, necessary days/ hours, particular responsibilities and on per hour basis rate of pay. Try and get an experience for the carer’s individuality. If you like them, ask them to deliver their CV and organize a encounter to deal with appointment.

· CV evaluation – a CV is a conclusion of the nanny/ babysitter’s knowledge, abilities and encounter. Ensure you study it! Examine for specifications (if this is one of your requirements) and qualifications (WWC, Law enforcement Examine, First Aid etc). Recognize the places you want to adhere to up with concerns.

· Face to deal with interview – are crucial! It’s awesome how many times you listen to that someone has employed a nanny off the durability of a trip or suggestions without first conference them! You need to satisfy the carer to confirm whether this is THE individual you want looking after your kids. Use the appointment to talk about your common concepts about the part to create sure that the selection is of a like thought. Ask start finished concerns to get more than a ‘yes/no’ response. Pay attention properly to the solutions and observe the applicant's gestures.

· Fulfill the kids – ALWAYS have the kid carer meet your kids before you create a recruiting choice. If the carer cannot manage your kids when you are there, they have no opportunity when you are not! Watch everybody's gestures and let your kids ask concerns to see how the nanny communicates with them.

· Instinct – At every step of the way believe in your intuition and thinking. If it does not experience right then it probably is certainly not, and seriously it’s just not worth taking the danger.

North Edmonton Family Day Home Agency Ltd.

http://www.nefdhkids.com

12710 101 Street Edmonton, Alberta

T: 780 478 3376

T5E 4E5

Freezing Climate Seafood Care

Power breakdowns any season present a risk for your fish. If you live where it gets cold, a energy failing can confirm deadly for your container fish. Here are ways to get ready for, and deal with the worst-case situation - a energy failing in the deceased of winter.

Maintenance In Freezing Weather

A package in ideal shape will work out much better during a energy disruption. Keep the package well cleaned, clean the narrow press regularly, and execute frequent water changes. If you use an air push, create sure it is fixed with a examine device so it won't siphon water during a energy disruption. Keep a temperature gauge on or in the package so you can observe the warm range during a energy failing.

Prepare an urgent situation kit and keep it near the container so you don't have to search for it in the darkish. If you are going to be away from the house for an extended time period, arrange for a next door neighbor to tend your fish during a energy disruption.

The Emergency Kit

First and major be prepared to move around in the house. You can't do much for your fish if you are groping around in the darkish. Have a torch close by with new battery in it. In addition to your torch, get ready a simple urgent situation kit for your container. There are only a few items you need, but they could create all the difference in the world for your fish. Here is what you'll need:

Flashlight with clean batteries

Pencil and paper

Blankets or wide towels

Rope or durable tape

Small plastic-type material package with lid or zip secure bag

Battery managed aerator and batteries

1 to 2 cup plastic-type material package with a add spout

Hand warmers

Fish net

(A copy of this article would be helpful too)

During a Power Failure

If the energy goes out, your container will lose three important elements: warm, air (from lack of water movement), and filtering system. At first the package is not in immediate danger. However, if the energy is not returning in twenty to 30 minutes, believe the toughest and take steps accordingly.

Maintain Heat

Jot down the initial warm range, so you have a measuring stick to go by. Fill the plastic-type material package or zip secure bag with hot tap water, then close off it and position it in the container. Even though your hot water heaters no more have energy, the water will still be warm enough at this point to be of benefit.

To maintain as much of the warm as possible, place the package with wide shower or heavy bedding. Use line or durable record to secure them as carefully as you can against all sides of the package. Lay at least one cover over the top of the package.

Aerate Water

Place a battery-operated aerator in the package to keep the water moving while the narrow is off. You can purchase aerators at a pet store or even a lure store. If you have more than one package, move the aerator for ten moments at the same period in each package. If you do not have an aerator, and the energy is out for more than a time, you'll have to side aerate the water. Use the little plastic-type material package to eliminate a cup or two of water, then hold it well above the level and add it returning in (the concept is to aggravate the surface of the water when doing this). Do it again this process for five moments out of every time.

Now all you can do is delay for the energy to come returning on. Do not nourish the fish during the disruption. It will cause them to produce more waste, which cannot be removed easily without the narrow operating. If the energy is out more than two times, eliminate the narrow press from the narrow device. Otherwise it will contaminate the package with deceased harmful bacteria when the energy comes returning on.

Monitor the warm range, and continue aerating the package. In the event a fish passes away instantly, eliminate the body instantly so it does not impact the chemistry of the package. As the warm range constantly fall, eliminate the package positioning hot water and renew it with hot tap water. The water in your protected hot water heaters will stay hot for many times. If your tap water is no more hot, close off a hand-warming device in the package and position it in the package.

When the Power Comes Back

Check the warm range of the septic tanks. Modify the heaters so the warm range gradually goes up at the rate of a half a degree every several time (the concept is to gradually adjust the fish to the return to regular temperature). If the narrow has not been operating for more than two times, substitute the narrow press with clean press. Do not nourish the fish instantly. Choose the warm range has come back to regular. After 24-48 hours, analyze the water for ammonia and execute a water change if any ammonia is recognized. A week later, analyze the water again to be sure that everything is regular again.

For more information:

Aquarium Illusions Inc.

http://www.aquariumillusions.com/

Phone: 780 483-7027

Fax: 780 483-7081

Toll Free: 1-800-559-6546 (In Canada)