Monthly Archives: February 2008

Ever wanted to be a security guard?

SurveillanceSaver is a Windows and Mac compatible screensaver I recently discovered from the blogosphere that actually shows a live feed from 400+ network surveillance cameras located all around the world. The images even show city, location, and latitude/longitude so you know exactly where you’re “spying”! Whether this is voyeuristic and creepy or simply technology at its best, it’s amazing that you can literally watch something transpire in real time on a Saturday afternoon in your den, with your Mac plugged into live security cams around the world. It reminds me …
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[EssentiaList] Search Engine Optimization Toolkit Edition

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the necessary art and science of positioning your website as relevant in the eyes of search engines. Often overlooked because of the time it takes to get results, SEO can be a very valuable marketing tool if used properly. The following tools cover several SEO aspects that most websites require and are perfect for search engine optimizers, search engine buffs in general, or the overachieving website owner willing to take the extra step to make their site that much better. SEO Analyzer Grades your website’s …
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What makes a good site map?

What is a good Site Map? There’s a debate going on about whether site maps will remain necessary with the advent of sites that do not immediately gain much from generating a site map (blogs, media sites, etc… ). While the debate about what will happen rages on, reality reminds us that this is today, and in today’s web, you need a site map. What is a site map anyway? A site map is simply, “a visual representation of a web site’s structure,” with the site map items typically arranged …
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99%

99% of your social network’s current and/or future users are what I call “reactive users.” This group is content to read and accept, but isn’t the group that is going to customize their profile to an extreme, contribute blog posts, upload videos, spread the word virally, etc… I’m not saying that this group won’t do these activities, just that they will approach these activities with a limited amount of energy and commitment as well as a different paradigm. The 1% left are the “proactive users.” Seth Godin in his new …
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Dollar, Dollar Bill

Why do you elude me when I need you the most? Is it because I spend more than I save? Or is it because I have champagne taste but a beer pocket? Maybe I can just use the economy as my scapegoat? You probably have an array of reasons why you or your business is cash poor. Maybe you spend too much, make too little, went through a rough patch, or simply don’t know how to say no. What it probably boils down to, though, is poor (or no) financial …
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It’s All In The Eyes

There are a lot of questions to be answered during the design phase of a web development project: What is the most effective homepage layout? When and where is multimedia beneficial? Should you use Flash? Where should ads be placed and how does that affect the eventual design? Should ads even be used? The findings of this eye-tracking study conducted by the Poynter Institute reveals some interesting insights on how users read web copy. Although conducted with print media in mind, the study also has valuable advice on how to …
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“Generation mySpace Is Getting Fed Up”

Interesting recent article in BusinessWeek on how users are spending less time on social networks (despite a still strong 11.5% growth rate) and are getting frustrated with advertising.  All of this while more and more companies are spending more and more money on ads. It will be interesting to watch the next breed of social networking websites that aren’t over-funded and over-valued do a better job at monetization then their gargantuan brothers in Palo Alto.  IMO, the recipe for monetizing a social networking website can’t simply be ads or another …
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Content is King

People don’t read online content. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but think back to the last time you were on a website. What percentage of the content did you actually read? Exactly. It’s easy to think that you have five to ten minutes before readers lose interest. Even my father, despite the pride & joy he gets from his son’s writing, will not take the time to fully read my articles and blog posts. Truth is, visitors to your website won’t spend a couple minutes trying to figure out how …
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