Warmest Greetings,
:: Friday, September 26, 2003 ::
This week's High Rankings Advisor newsletter runs an article on one of my favorite topics by one of my favorite author's and SEO companies, Shari Thurow of Grantastic Designs. Scottie Claiborne of Right Click Web Services, moderator for two forums, owner of 5 websites and a busy mother, had time to interview Shari about Digging Deeper into Search-Friendly Design
Along the same thought track is Improving Web Site Usability (Source: Practical Internet)
Site-Report.com has announced the £10 Summary Visitor Review (approximately $16 US) which identifies 10 possible problems and solutions with your web site. These problems could relate to:
usability
accessibility
ecommerce regulations
web design and branding
search engine optimisation
The Summary Review will be delivered via email as a PDF document within 5 working days of ordering. With the review, you will receive a 5% discount on your next Site-Report order. and they enter you into a drawing for a free Business Report!
I can't believe how inexpensive these website checks are. If you've told yourself you can't afford to get quality feedback on your website, or don't trust your friends to give you an honest appraisal, this offer is unbeatable!
Whoa! Watch you say about Microsoft! Company disowns author of critical Microsoft report
or what you say about Google News...Google News Creator Watches Portal Quiet Critics With 'Best News' Webby
"Bharat's tool has taken flak for how it defines news -- including press releases, for example, and excluding many blogs -- and for the mistakes his algorithm can make in playing or selecting news."
A hijacked thread gone wild. Google Tests begs the question. If Doug locks you out, is it okay to run to Kim's forum to continue the debate?
May we all be Addicted To Love and Simply Irresistible. In memory of Robert Palmer, who has passed from the life but not without first leaving us with dance music, great videos and a chance to sing with friends in your car with the windows down and stereo blasting, I've pulled back and slicked my dark hair into a ponytail and am in search for some ugly red lipstick and a short mini-skirt.
Congratulations to Keyword Ranking.com and their prestigious two awards! (It was nothing really, Andy.)
:: posted by Kimberly Krause on 9/26/2003 10:19:58 AM
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:: Thursday, September 25, 2003 ::
This is too hot to hide underneath your Internet rug. Eolas v. Microsoft - What is it about?
"Q. What changes will there be to browsers and other Web software?
A. Microsoft have indicated to W3C that they plan to make near-term changes to their Internet Explorer browser software, and that these changes may affect a large number of existing Web pages. W3C does not yet have any indication of what action, if any, other vendors of Web tools might take. In the longer term, should the court decision be upheld in its current form, some vendors have suggested that other action might be required."
It's interesting how more and more companies with websites are interested in making them usable. One of the ways I learn how people use websites is by studying the research of others who have paid mucho bucks for major testing. It's helpful to learn from the mistakes others make, as well as what works well for them (Amazon's dedicated to their customers comes to mind here.)
You might glean insights from a study done for Bank of America's website >>> Bank of America Web site tops usability survey
"The study also found that banks miss out on online cross-selling opportunities. Customers felt banks should provide them with customised recommendations, but Vividence says several of the largest banks performed the worst at generating customers' interest in additional offers.
Vividence also stressed that banks should ensure that existing technology meets customers needs. The research found that users on average experience a problem on a site almost every two minutes. Common problems include difficulty accessing customer service and unclear instructions for online bill payment."
Every two minutes!
Only in America can 50 million people ask for something and be overruled by one person >>> (and I'm not just talking about the War our President jumped into against many of our wishes). Telemarketers Get Their Way
Feeling Fazzled? - This meta search engine is pretty cool. I typed in "usability and search engines" and my website, Cre8pc.com, came in #6. But even better, it displays how my website ranks in Alta Vista, Lycos, Teoma, Yahoo!, MSN and Netscape for that search term. That was a nice surprise, both the tool and Cre8pc's high rank in other engines!
Material for your "Back when I was your age!" speech >>> Crazy Fads
Still another usability study that included search engine optimization results. (This is what we do at Site-Report.com by the way, only most likely for a fraction of the cost of studies that make the news. )
The article, called Usability experts say Ontario political websites fall short of US standards caught that "The review also said that the sites are difficult to find and navigate. Finding the sites using search engines is difficult and none of the sites' pages appear to be optimized for search engine rankings. The PC site in particular may not be fully indexed because of some unfriendly search-engine aspects of its design."
I know Kalena's going to love seeing that! (PS - She and hubby have learned they're expecting a boy! Being the mother of both a boy and a girl, I can vouch that both genders will try your patience and give back your love a thousand times more than you can ever imagine.)
Here's a new search engine with a golden goal >>> Gold-Pages.net offers "listings of internet merchants, retailers, financial agents, vendors, banks, debit cards and a wide assortment of retail businesses which all accept e-gold and other popular e-currencies as payment for goods and services."
If you want me to study your website and offer constructive feedback with suggestions, I'm here to help. Best of all, I have more time! One of my biggest contracts has expired and I'm available for projects big or small. I can help you alone, or you hire me as part of the bigger team at Site-Report.com The gem here is that if you need help implementing anything we might suggest, we have a large team of designers, programmers and marketers at the ready.
Wise Words:
"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." Mahatma Gandhi (Source: Ma'at Foundation
:: posted by Kimberly Krause on 9/25/2003 10:27:03 AM
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:: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 ::
I knew if I complained publically in my Blog, Comcast would fix the problem with seeing websites with Google Ads in the Philadelphia area. At around 3pm or so they sputtered back into existence and I can now view all the websites I visit every day that host Google AdSense ads. I wrote and thanked my cable provider for fixing it and this is what they said,
"Dear Ms. Krause, Thank you for letting us know you were able to resolve the issue."
*I* didn't resolve it, but it's nice to know they think I fixed it for them.
Serif-thingys and leaning close to flowers >>> Choosing the right font and font size...
If you visit DMOZ, expect weird things to happen >>> DMOZ access errors?. Cre8asiteForums moderators report errors. Jean says it's growing pains.
56k is still the majority Internet speed in the US. This means you still need to test web pages using dial-up. Don't assume everyone is waiting patiently to see your cool stuff. See >>>September 2003 Bandwidth Report . Keep in mind that most high-speed access is available at work, meaning casual surfing at home, games, entertainment and school projects are more likely done at slower speeds.
Digitalmag.com has some new stuff. I LOVE that website. See Jeff Lash's Soft Skills for Information Architecture. He writes,
"As an information architect, you will occasionally need to put your foot down. A large part of the IA role is convincing others that your recommendations are sound and should be followed, or persuading others that IA is important and you should be allowed to perform your duties."
Today's idiot prize goes to www.searchenginwatch.com. Notice it's mis-spelled, missing the "e" in the word engine. Omegafind.com bought the domain and uses it for their own purposes. And they call themselves "clean, genuine search". Stealing someone's brand to sell you own stuff isn't clean or genuine.
I didn't see the answer to the question in this article >>>How Can Google's Gold Be Inktomi's Spam? but it does a nice job of blasting link farm networks. So. Is Google rewarding them or what?
If you haven't seen it yet, Andy Beal has a great SEO blog >>> SearchEngineLowdown.com. Watch how you spell that thing.
Here's another example of why spam email should be outlawed and the sender's prosecuted.
Here's how the email goes:
Subject: You credit card has been charged for $234.65
Body:
Important notice
We have just charged your credit card for money laundry service in
amount of $234.65 (because you are either child pornography webmaster
or deal with dirty money, which require us to layndry them and then
send to your checking account).
If you feel this transaction was made by our mistake, please
press "No".
If you confirm this transaction, please press "Yes" and fill in the
form below.
Enter your credit card number here:
[ pretend this is a form field ]
Enter your credit card expiration date:
[ pretend this is a form field ]
[ YES ] [ NO ]
The "form" is an email. It doesn't ask for the type of card or the cardholder name. The email writer can't spell and uses fear to get a response. Feel free to use the spam and scam resources here to fight back.
Now we know there's no QA Department at Apple >>> Apple pulls 10.2.8 update; cites Ethernet problem. One day after launch, "Some Mac users complained that their Ethernet networking connectivity was deactivated following the software update's installation."
:: posted by Kimberly Krause on 9/24/2003 01:19:45 PM
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:: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 ::
Still no Google AdSense. Not sure if the folks at Comcast realize that some of their customers who have websites (like me) can't access any website on the Internet that contains Google Ads. The customer service contacts I've had so far leave me feeling ignored and wondering if they know what's happening at all, despite assurances they're "working on the problem".
Add this to your pile of "We're Gonna Do Search Engines Better" >>> IBM unveils super search engine. "The company rolled out the new platform, dubbed WebFountain, while announcing a major deal with top content provider Factiva to exploit and develop the text tracking and retrieval system that it says is revolutionary."
Pandia's news updates offer some interesting tidbits, such as Gigiblast's new type of meta tags in an age where most search engines, including Google, ignore them. Pandia also writes about the new localized search in Google and AltaVista test local search
My thanks to the owner of the Ma'at ((May-ah-t)) Foundation website, who found Cre8pc due to "destiny". I had asked Spirit for help in finding inspirational quotes and words that fit in with my peaceful nature. So, in today's email in-box I found a friendly email from someone who found my site, liked my story about how I got started and who connected with my passion, which is creating peace. The Ma'at Foundation offers links and quotes to peace oriented places and content.
Wise Words:
"If you want to build a ship, don't herd people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery (Source: MA'AT Foundation)
If you own a pet, or simply like new ideas no matter how insane or far-fetched, you'll love this one. It's a device that allows you to feed your pet, remotely via the Internet, while you're away from the house. AlphaOmega Soft iSeePet
My daughter just emailed me from her computer class at school, using the "contact me" form on the Cre8pc.com site. She writes: "hi mom! i'm in computer class and i don't know if i am supposed to use this on your website so bye."
She forgot to tell me if the field hockey game is on or off due to the rain we had this morning. I live in suspense like this every day. They do it on purpose, don't they?
:: posted by Kimberly Krause on 9/23/2003 11:11:18 AM
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:: Monday, September 22, 2003 ::
I WANT MY GOOGLE BACK!
The oddest thing happened when Hurricane Isabel came raging into town. Google.com disappeared! Seems as though many households in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area can't get to Google.com or pull up many sites that contain Google's Ad Sense ads. Comcast Cable says they're working on it, (it's a DNS issue) but ok, it's been since last Friday and an email from their helpdesk and a conversation with them around midnight last night brought no hope that resolution is anytime soon.
If you're proud to be a WYSIWYG webmaster, don't go here.
My puppy got rave reviews from his vet today. Seems as though he's "well trained, and I'm not just saying that." Dakota is doing great, although he's losing his baby teeth and bleeding all the time. I took the advice I read somewhere that you should take a Golden Retriever puppy everywhere and expose them to everything. It's apparently paying off. We take Dakota everywhere and are very firm with him around children and other dogs (all of whom he loves and wants to knock over when he sees them.) The socialization of our dog has made him adaptable, not-clingy and happy. Every day is another adventure as far as he's concerned. It's sorta fun looking at the world through the eyes of a puppy.
This is helpful. US States Select Option List
If you're a girl, you may like Girls top of the class worldwide. There's nothing like a battle of the sexes to brighten up one's day.
Last week I was released from a 2 year sub-contract (my choice), so that I can pursue new opportunities which I couldn't do while locked into that contract. This article is a nice reminder on why I work from home. The "Real" New Economy?
Findings of a 10-study show:
Work has become more demanding on employees.
Employer-employee relationships have become less hierarchical and more transactional.
Employers are moving away from long-term employment relationships.
Employees have less confidence in long-term rewards and greater expectations for short-term rewards.
Immediate supervisors are now the most important people in the workplace.
Supervising employees now requires more time and skill on the part of managers.
MSN and Google blab:
"While MSN may have the history of being the "next big thing", Yahoo has the stronger Internet brand." -- Search Engine Blog updated by Andy Beal
Microsoft goes after Google
:: posted by Kimberly Krause on 9/22/2003 01:05:44 PM
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