Websites
Web sites are like new cars… everyone want’s one SOMEDAY.
Well SOMEDAY small business owners will grasp the power of internet marketing.
August 14, 2007
July 13, 2007
OK I Give Up
I specialize in sites for small businesses.
Over time I have argued that, for small businesses, the most important elements of thier sites are:
1) the ability of prospects to find them using generic search terms (SEO),
2) the ability of users to navigate and find information easily,
3) the ability of site owner to do updates without paying the developer a second time,
4) in the case of shopping carts, the ability of the user to purchase items easily.
However, the value of all that functionally seems to be lost upon the client if someone suggests that the site isn’t “pretty enough”.
Now, while my latest sites: http://larimar-jewelry.info and
http://beauty-Pros.us are graphically o k, (even some Flash) they are not exciting …. they lack the wow factor.
So….I am now recommending Template Monster or employing a graphic artist to do the inital layout. If clients are willing to pay extra for “wow” why should I object.
Jack
February 18, 2007
February 9, 2007
The Mechanics of Web Sites
It all seems simple enough: type in or click a link and a web page displays.
But what you are seeing is actually the result of the interaction of the browser software you use, the information being presented to that browser by the server software and the “screen settings’ on your local computer.
Understanding Web Page Development:
1) Computers are very fast, but extremely stupid. The do not know what you are thinking, but, only what you input; hence the phrase, “garbage in, garbage out.”
2) The Internet is a physical & electronic connection between computers separated by distance. (Your office network is called an “intranet”, but same ides).
3) Each computer connected to the Internet has an individual address identifier assigned to it called an IP Address. (e.g. 216.5.70.204) This assignment may be permanent or temporary.
4) Cute names (domain names) may be assigned to this IP Address, similar to names and addresses assigned to a phone number. These are Domain Names and must be assigned to a permanent IP Address.
5) Web pages physically reside on some Internet connected computer as a set of files. These files are written in a language called “html” or some derivative. (This is similar to the language newspapers use to layout your daily paper.) The computer that holds these files is called a server.
6) These pages may display information located in other files (even located on different servers) and/or have “clickible links” (html code) that causes other web pages to be displayed. (if depicted graphically, a chart of these connections would look like a web, hence the name “world wide web”.
7) These files are originally created on the client side (the machine in front of you) and are then “uploaded” to the server.
While there are several methods to accomplish this upload, the most common is FTP, a program that resides on the client side computer and connects to the server to transfer files.
9) Because this server is a computer, it can and does run programs. Additional programs can be added to this server to add additional functionally. These programs may be written using a number of different “languages”, so the kind and version of “interpreters” resident on the server will determine the programs that it can run.
Note: This is where “make your own web page” programs like Dreamweaver or Internet based “site builder” programs like “Yahoo Site Builder” fall short.
They can be used to make pretty displays but not to add interactivity without additional coding.
10) In order to locate, read, and display server files, the client side computer must have a “browser”. All browsers are not created equally. Fortunately, about 80% of the browsers used are some form of Internet Explorer, so pages created to display in I.E. will display properly on most local computers.
11) Servers too, are not created equally. There are two general types, Unix based, and Windows based. This resident software determines the kind of programs these servers will run. (Note: The most common and most stable are Unix based)
12) The model graphic usually used to display the client/server relationship is that of two computers exchanging information. While this is true, it is oversimplified. The statement:” my browser program is exchanging information with your server programs causing some result to display on my screen based on my screen settings is much more correct.
13) It is the interaction between client-side and sever-side programs (AKA “scripts”) that create the final display. Changes in client-side and/or sever-side scripts WILL MOST LIKELY AFFECT THE FINAL DISPLAY.
14) This resultant display is “stateless”, it exists only while it is on your screen. Web pages are not like old photos that have a separate existence; they are dynamically created by client/sever interaction each time that they are “called”.
15) In order to “store” information from one page when going to another either special sever side scripts and/or “cookies” are employed.
16) Cookies are small pieces of information placed and stored (usually by a “JavaScript”) on the local computer, which may be recalled to a new page usually using a sever-side script.
17) Thus, if the client-side browser has disabled use of JavaScript and/or cookies, the page may not display properly.
18) Additionally, if the server-side scripts are not properly formed or available, the display will also be affected or not display at all.
19) This has implications for all interactive features, shopping carts, calendars, guest books mailing lists, mass mailing programs etc.
20) The server-side programs that store information do so by creating a server-side database. There are two kinds, flat-file and interactive. Interactive retrieves information much more quickly. If your want to store a lot of information always use an interactive database. MYSQL is usually available on most servers.
