If you Google ‘recession proofing‘, you’ll find everything from recession proofing your job, life, diet, vacations, finances, wedding, retirement, etc. And, unlike other recession proof industries like healthcare, food, debt collection, tax filing, career services, energy, and tobacco, booze, porn, and gambling, high tech is not one of the recession proof industries. Most of us manage web sites, work on sites, and run businesses on sites. So, we are about to or are already walking a virtual tightrope. But before we all rush for the nearest exit, lets think about this for More»

Labels: recession, sem, seo, social media, usability 2.0, user experience, web 2.0, websites

According to the Founder and CEO of the largest usability consultancy, Human Factors International, Inc. (HFI), usability is no longer enough as a measure of a successful Web site. Dr. Eric Schaffer states that “We’re nearing the end of the time when usability is a key differentiator. Websites must now be designed for Persuasion, Emotion, & Trust (PET) in order to stay ahead.” He believes that companies and their sites whether it’s an e-commerce, informational, or a transactional site, need to influence and deepen their interactions with online customers through persuasion, emotion, and trust.
Understanding More»

Labels: usability 2.0, user experience, web 2.0, websites

The owner of an opposition Internet news site in Russia’s volatile Ingushetia region was shot and killed Sunday after being detained by police.
Magomed Yevloyev, owner of the www.Ingushetiya.ru Web site, was arrested at Nazran airport in southern Russia after disembarking a flight, according to a statement by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders. Yevloyev was later found dumped on the side of the road, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, the news site’s deputy editor, Ruslan Khautiyev, told the Associated Press. Yevloyev later died at a hospital, Khautiyev said.
Yevloyev had angered the More»

Labels: websites

Spending on total U.S. advertising and marketing will grow 3.9 percent in 2008 to reach $412.4 billion, with the advertising portion reaching $249.1 billion, according to a report by Outsell. The report covers five key media types: online, print, events, TV/radio and others. Outsell surveyed 1,088 U.S. advertisers on their spending plans for the year. Among the significant findings:

Companies More»

Labels: Online Advertising, websites

Have you ever wanted to edit the web pages of another website? This simple line of code makes it possible.
javascript:document.body.contentEditable=’true’; document.designMode=’on’; void 0
Here is how it works:
1. Go to the any web site eg. http://www.webguild.org.
2. After the web site comes up on your screen copy and paste the above code in your web browser address bar and hit the Enter button.
3. Select images or texts and move them around, cut and paste, delete or edit as you like.
*tested in Firefox & IE7
The edits are only visible on your screen. The More»

Labels: code, javascript, websites

Time.com has come out with their list of the 50 Best Websites for 2008. In what can be considered a reflection of our time, Gasbuddy appears to be high on the list. Also, making the cut of their picks are Penny Arcade, Gaia Online, Kongregate, Free Rice, Petfinder, Urban Dictionary, TinyURL.com, Geni, and ProFootballTalk. If you’ve never heard of some of these sites, you are not alone. A lot of these are likely the result of huge PR pushes. Not sure I would necessarily call some of the sites on the list the More»

Labels: web 2.0, websites

The digital divide is not just in far off places but right here in our backyard. The survey conducted by Parks Associates revealed the following:
1) about 20 percent of all U.S. household have never sent an e-mail
2) about 20 million households, are without Internet access
3) about 20 percent respondents also indicated that they had never looked up a web site or information on the web
4) half of those who have never used e-mail are older than 65 and 56 percent had no formal education beyond a high school level
5) nearly one out of More»

Labels: email, websites

A landmark one million dot-ca (.ca) domain names have been registered in Canada. According to the Canadian Internet Registry Authority, the dot-ca represents Canada on the internet and is a means to verify you are dealing with a Canadian or Canadian business online. Dot-ca now reportedly ranks seventeenth in the list of internet domain name registry. Would be interesting to know how many of those domain name owners also registered dot-com (.com) versions of their sites and redirect to their .ca counterpart.
Domain name registrations, in general, are on the rise. As of Dec. 2007, More»

Labels: Google. Search, Search, websites

Yahoo has launched a web site called Shine targeted at women between ages 25 and 54. The site brings together content from other smaller sections of Yahoo, with original content and syndication deals with the likes of Conde Nast, Hearst, Rodale, Time Inc and others. The content will be focused in nine specific categories: Fashion & Beauty, Food, Healthy Living, Work & Money, Love and Relationships, Parenting, At Home, Entertainment & Culture, and Astrology.
Yahoo reports 40 million women come to the their web site each month and Shine presents an opportunity to serve More»

Labels: niche, Online Advertising, websites, Yahoo

I recently met Tariq Krim, Netvibes Founder and CEO. The company has just come out with the next gen of their personalized homepage Netvibes Ginger. This is a private beta release of the service; general availability for all users is expected in mid-Feb.
As described on the site, with the beta, users can “create and personalize a netvibes Universe page just for yourself or publish one for your friends, family, everyone! A Universe is your very own personal dashboard that’s updated live directly from all your favorite Web services (email, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, More»

Labels: personalization, web 2.0, websites, widgets