WSI

When we develop websites and web applications for our clients here at WSi Doncaster - we have to be super careful about making sure the website, administration and user experience is totally user friendly and intuitive - otherwise the site becomes inefficient.  An inefficient website does not generate the same returns as an efficient one and nobody likes that!

Now, before I launch into this I need to set the scene in terms of my Facebook user profile - and I don't mean the one on Facebook.  I am 45 years old, very computer literate, a total internet/web/cloud convert. I have a lot of offline interests and a family, so haven't got hours every day to spend on social media.  I have a clear understanding of the social media technologies but am just outside that age bracket that has embraced them as second nature!  So Facebook - to me, does not come naturally.

There are a lot of people like me out there so lets look at how Facebook looks from our perspective.

Let's look at the Privacy Settings as an example for you to consider:

 'Privacy Settings' (in settings)...

'Control Your Default Privacy'
This setting will apply to status updates and photos you post to your timeline from a Facebook app that doesn't have the inline audience selector, like Facebook for BlackBerry.

 ...I'm sorry but I have to read this a few times to get my head around it, I then I'm only 50% sure I've got it.

'Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your timeline'...say that again?  According to our Facebook expert here at WSI Doncaster it means 'Nobody can tag you without your permission' - I get that, why don't they write in English rather than Facebook?

 'Who can see posts you've been tagged in on your timeline'...to explain an example of this it takes about 2 minutes, and again for me, it takes a bit to get my head around it.  But then when I say you can choose Friends, Friends of Friends, or even Close friends (Whats that?) to see posts that you've been tagged in, a whole new can of worms opens up in controling who is in what categories?

 All up, to properly configure your Facebook Privacy Settings, you need to be totally on the ball.  Either that or FACEBOOK CERTIFIED (which I define is being such a heavy Facebook user you actually understand it all completely) or, as is likely to be the most common case, you can't be bothered, don't have the inclination to try to work it all out - so you just leave them as they are.

If we built Facebook for a client, I am sure they would be complaining that it was too complicated for the users and needs to be simplified.  I can certainly see where Google Plus are coming from. There has got to be a niche for a totally simple, intuitive, hassle free, easy to understand Social Media tool.

At WSI, our team are constantly growing within each other’s fields of expertise and we’re always looking to not only provide the latest in web standards, but also create new ways of using and displaying them.

Something we would like to introduce to you is called Responsive Design.

Ever heard about having your website be easily viewable and readable on ipad or even mobile devices?

In the past, a web team such as ourselves would have had to create the website a number amount of times, and redirect your domain name where necessary to view. For example, let’s say your website is, “http://www.goodfoodfordogs.com”, when you go there on your computer, you will see the website normally. But, let’s say you’re on the move and want to view the website on your mobile, you would still go to that same address, however, you would then be automatically redirected to something like “http://mobile.goodfoodfordogs.com”, where you will see a shrunken version of the website.

There are a few reasons why businesses choose to have their website mobile ready, one being that your website would be much faster to load on their mobile – which also saves the viewer money on data usage. It would be really quick and easy for them to find your contact information if they are on the move too.

So what is Responsive Design?

Responsive design is new – and it works. Instead of having a web team create multiple versions of your website, which would cost you more money and also then be deployed at different times, we can now do it all at the same time, quicker and easier.

See the example image below. In the design stage of your project, our designers would create the design for the website on desktop viewing, but then also create the design for the ipad and then for the mobile devices. Your website will initially be designed for a desktop browser, but instead of ‘re-designing’ for other devices, we simply alter the widths and positions and image sizes to fit.

More and more companies are choosing to do this and even some big brands have took this on board too, so it is definitely becoming more popular as it is a more efficient way of building your website that works on all devices.

Unfortunately, you can’t simply jump in and change your current website to be responsive, not without many hours / days / months of work. The smartest way to have your website be responsive / performing well on desktop, ipad and mobile devices, is to allow a team to build your website from the ground up, with careful planning to be more structured – precise and efficient.

Good news is we are now confident to provide this to our new and existing customers. Although it is a new and easier way for us to design and develop your website for multiple devices at the same time, it is also less expensive in both money and time.

If you have any questions regarding responsive design or would like to enquire about having us provide this for you, give us a call on 01302 867 949.

Hello everybody! This is my first blog post for WSI. I'll try and steer away from any technical jargon, but I do love it so a bit might creep in here and there.

So today I'm going to talk a little about a custom project I've been working on which will help us monitor links that have been built for our clients on an SEO package. The problem faced is that each link we have on the system has a large amount of data associated with it. Anything from the text which is displayed on the webpage (anchor text) to Google's pagerank and when the domain of the website was created, along with a multitude of other data we use to be able to see the quality of any given backlink.

Click on the picture below, it will open a new page. When you view the image make sure that it is scaled to the correct size (you usually have to click on the image in the new window to get to the correct scale). At full size the table is almost 2700 pixels wide! The average full HD monitor is only 1920 pixels wide, and most laptops are around 1280 pixels wide. I can already here you saying, why not just let it scroll horizontally? Well, I hate it when I have to scroll sideways on a website and I'm sure a lot of you do too. It's generally considered to be a user interface faux pas to make a user scroll sideways. Which is why it needs to be looked at and solved.

So, the first way to reduce the width of a table is to only display the most important columns to a user. Take a look at the image below this paragraph to see what this looks like. This is achieved by allowing the user to change their own settings to display only the information they are interested in. It's also possible to allow the user to remove columns on the fly using javascript. Another pretty nifty trick is to use visual data instead of textual data. You will notice that the 'Status' column has been removed. I could argue that it's not necessary at all because if I display a row as red I instantly know that this link was not found.

The second method is to try and reduce the width of visible columns. This can only be achieved by looking at the data being displayed and deciding whether or not it can be contracted while still being useful. In the below image I have reduced the width of the 'Link Address' column by removing the domain name which is already displayed in the 'Website' column. In the first 'URL' column you can see some of the entries have been contracted and an ellipsis added to provide a visual clue to the user that some of the url has been omitted. On the far right of the table I have also reduced the 'Actions' column by turning it into a popup menu. Every pixel helps.

The final method to help display a wide html table is to add any extra information on a separate row that can be shown and hidden as can be seen below. This enables all the extra info which is related to a link to be shown to the user as and when they need it.

With all the above tricks in place, the table is now 1772 pixels wide (this depends on which columns I want to be shown) which displays correctly in a 1080p HD monitor. Further reductions in width are necessary before we release this product, but good progress is being made.

Kirk Docker,
WSI Developer

I have just come back from the WSI Paris Excellence and Innovation conference in Paris. There were 150 delegates which is fairly intimate for a WSI E&I Conference. Keynote speakers Expert Speakers and the themes to come out of the conference were amazing.

The photo of the Eiffel Tower with the light beam coming out of it symbolises the 'light bulb effect' that occurred many times for me on issues to do with Internet or Digital Marketing, Social Media, Search and Content Marketing, Conversion Architecture and innovation on the Internet.

I will bring these themes to you over the next few weeks through this blog so you might want to sign up to the RSS feed. 

So lets look at Social Media for 'Companies where social media is not really relevant.' My colleagues and I were debating the issue. We may have built and designed a website for, say, a Doncaster based Steel fabricator. They build things out of steel and have small workshop in a local industrial estate. The work is all B to B. There marketing activity is a yellow Pages listing and a Web 1 website. DO THEY NEED A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE?

Lets take another example, a larger engineering company, all B2B, their internet marketing consists of a good brochure website and the rest of their sales is through 'industry knowledge' and sales reps. DO THEY NEED A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE? 

Any Social Media Consultant will say Yes. But they would wouldn't they, they sell social media services. Here are a couple of reasons which completely scuppered the NO side of the debate - everytime. 

1. Back in the days when frontiers were being created - people used to 'stake their claim' on land - for FREE! 25 years ago you could still do this in Alaska. In the end the land becomes very valuable and you deserve to reap the rewards because you were there first. You need to own/ 'claim'all the internet real estate you possibly can the relates to you and your business - even if you do very little with it for the time being. 

 2. Social is where your reputation is, whether its personal or corporate. IF somebody decides to checkout your reputation, you need to have it on the relevant social channels (I'm thinking at least Linked in for B2B companies) EVEN if social is consciously chosen as a digital marketing tool you are not going to actively use to drive sales. AND THAT WAS THE light bulb moment for me. 

At WSIpowerontheweb, I have to confess, we had conciously chosen not to work the Social Media Channels to generate business - we are fortunate to have a good client base and our work comes by word of mouth. Consequently our Social presence was always below any client work in terms of priority - and because we are busy, the Social Media work did not happen. The plumbers tap syndrome! 

So now we have to re-allocate our priorities. Our clients are still our top priority, but Social will no longer fall to number 10 as it is.  

Here's the challenge I throw out to ANY person or business reading this blog - if you don't think you need to plan your Internet Presence (which includes your Social Strategy).   If you think you need website but that's really it for now.  If you dont think you need to bother with ANY of the Social Media channels - lets have the discussion - leave a comment - you will be surprised what happens. ...and as for our Social Activity - this here plumbers tap will no longer be leaking!

Great News! - our web application http://anymessagesforme.com has just been nominated for the CSS Winner - CSS site of the day.  Why not go an give us a vote :-)  http://www.csswinner.com/details/any-messages/886/


Any messages is a web application to replace the old carbon copy telephone messaging pad.  It is designed to ensure user gets consistent, timely messages with ALL the information they need (too often I have had messages like 'Fred Rang', 'Fred Who?' , He said you know him'...etc.)  The telephone messaging system works with any browser and sends messages by email and text.  You can view the message history and manage all the users in your organisation.

You can start with the free account today just here - http://anymessagesforme.com/signup.php
 

Right now the thing thats blowing me away with the internet is what Google is doing with Google Apps.  Everybody's heard of Google but whats Google Apps I hear you ask?  Its just a system that google have created to enable you to manage email addresses @yourdomain........and a shed load more.

Once you get your company email onto Google Apps, Say hello to a whole world of new opportunities to use web technology in ways you never imagined, either because you didn't know you could do those things with the internet OR you thought that it would be too complicated and expensive.

A keyword is collaboration.  There is, (and you can quote me) no more cost effective or better platform for providing a means for collaboration (ie: people working together on projects, tasks, day to day business management etc.) amongst colleagues, customers and suppliers than Google Apps and the suite of tools that Google have provided including , Google mail, Google chat. Google, docs. Google calendar, Google video, Google site builder, Google analytics....that'll do for now.

I guarantee I could provide you with at least one amazing new idea for collaboration in your business using Google tools - I know because it happens to us every week - in our own business.

Anyway - the message for today is Google Apps and cloud computing - get stuck in, its great stuff that WILL save you £££'s.

Here are some links:

http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/business/smbs.html

for information from Google about Google Apps

http://wsipowerontheweb.com/googleappsbusinessstarterpackage

See you in the cloud :-)

(I am not a commission with Google by the way - its just good stuff!)

Hello again,

We can help you with nearly anything internet related - websites, search marketing, web based software etc etc.

If anyone can help me get my kids to put things away I would be deeply appreciative.

Cheers Richard.

All those who have attended the 'How to Establish your Internet Presence Quickly and Easily' Seminars with business link will hopefully remember that in the second part of the session we talk about creating an Internet Strategy or plan.  We do this because success on the internet is an ongoing process, we build and develop our internet presence over time in order to leverage more benefits from it.

Anyway, in this session I suggest to attendees that they should review their business plans to help determine what key elements of the Internet Strategy might be - and at this point I usually get the impression that at least 50% of the attendees do not have a business plan, or at least an up to date one.  So, I then suggest that they talk to the business link rep to help them in that area.

I stumbled across this video the other day courtesy of John Edmonds.   I think this could be really useful for people who need some insight into creating or bringing their business plan up to speed.  Why not check it out, create or refine your business plan - THEN, set out what your Internet Strategy needs be to help deliver the business plan.

Hi, Well this is the first of posts for the WSI blog and it has been inspired byt the many requests from attendees at the Establish Your Internet Presence seminars that have been held with Business Link.

In case you lost your handout here is a link to the course materials http://labs.hostingpowerontheweb.com/businesslink/

I am planning to add updates on how to use/what you can do with the google site builder and other google services in future posts so why not sign up for updates with Google reader?

Anyway thats it for now.