One Versus the Rest

Technology companies gave the name (gTLD) market when they named .org as one of their gTLD's domains in October 1984. Schools, open-source projects, and communities has increased from fewer than one million in the 1990s, to ten million as of June, 2012, with solid indication that .org is here to stay. But of course following the vote to expand the gTLDs if you have $180,000 you could probably get new top-level domain and call it whatever you like otherwise I am firm believer that .org is here to stay second to the leader .com.

If you are looking to grow your business through networking, buying a .NET domain could be the next step.

The name is derived from network and is most commonly used by networking technologies such as Internet service providers, Web-hosting companies or other businesses that are directly involved in the infrastructure of the Internet. Additionally, less businesses choose domain names with a .net extension for their intranet Websites. Originally intended for use by domains pointing to an arranged network of computers, or "Cinderella" sites that act as the portal to a set of smaller websites. There are absolutely no ball and chain on .NET domains. This means that anyone in the world can register a .NET domain and can include any type of content on the website associated with that domain.

Branding Your Business Online

Are you considering or in the process of starting a new business? Do you propose to use internet to market and advertise your company? If so their are a few things that you need to consider and steps you must take to make certain you give your business the best opportunity to get professionally branded. Hopefully you have not yet settled on a business name and if you have I hope you have taken unto consideration what I'm about to tell you. If you are counting on getting a significant amount of your business and or publicity from the internet then you might strongly consider picking a business name that contains a keyword or two that people will use on the search engine to find a business like yours.

For example, you might consider a name like "Kim's Customized Graphic Design" if you are a graphical designer instead of a name like "The Designs Unique". And if your fortunate you might then be able to get a website name, url; using your business name. This approach will strengthen your online brand and presence as well as assist with helping your potential customers finding your business.

The next thing you want to do is design or have someone design your business logo. It is important that your logo looks professional if you want your business to be taken seriously. If you are small business with a limited budget and cannot afford to purchase graphic design software like Photoshop and you cannot afford to pay to have your logo professionally designed initially, you may try your hand at designing your own logo using Microsoft paint, PowerPoint and or some the free applications available on the internet.

Next were going to subscribe to some social media platforms to let the world know your business is online available and ready to satisfy them. Sign up for Twitter and YouTube using your business name as your account name. You may have to shorten or abbreviate your business name due to space limitations allowed for accounts names. Sign up for a personal account on Facebook and then create a fan page using your business name. Facebook Terms and Use prohibits using a non-personal name for a personal individual Facebook account. Enter the required information to complete the profile section and use the write up you did to complete the description section. If you are the founder or principle person for your company try and include a picture of you and a profile picture your logo on your social media sites. One way you can do this is by creating a customized background for your sites with a picture of your logo and then upload a profile picture of yourself. Remember its social media so people want to see and interact with other people and not logos and facades.

Congratulations, your business is now equipped with branded tools that you will use to advertise and promote your product and service. Provide relevant information and content and to interact with those who are interested in your industry.

Let me help you brand your business today.

Typography Design: Typefaces

Yeah no surprise right? Well recently I've noticed that a lot of people want to be the en-lightener  So rather than answering your questions, they tell you, " I want it like this", "I want it like that". So I decided to dedicate this post to enlighten you on the basic font typefaces.

Fonts come in many different varieties. From Fancy to Foreign and to the most popular Script. With the most basic font typefaces being Sans Serif Fonts and Serif Fonts. Your probably wondering what is Serif and its infamous predecessor Sans Serif when you should be asking yourself what are Sans Serif's and Serif fonts.

(In typography, serifs are the small details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up the letters and symbols. A typeface without serifs is called sans serif or sans-serif, from the French sans, meaning “without”. Some typography sources refer to sans-serif typefaces as "Grotesque" (in German "grotesk") or "Gothic", and serif typefaces as "roman".) (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans-serif)

Still skeptical? This really goes along the lines of give a man a fish. Feed him for a day, or teach him to fish and feed him for life. The problem with this is that the visual approach to typography design always determines final appearance whether you choose a sans serif or serif font.

Colin Wheildon published a book called Type and Layout: How Typography and Design Can Get your Message Across - Or Get in the Way. Berkeley*. Quoting page 57; "Serif fonts are widely used in traditional printed material such as books and newspapers. Many magazines employ sans serif typefaces, as some editors state that they are "cleaner", regardless of any impact on readability from the lack of serifs".

Numerous studies have been done on the readability of serif vs. sans serif typefaces. One in particular Study on Wikipedia indicates that serif typefaces may be more readable in print. Studies of on-screen use are more ambiguous, suggesting that low screen resolutions make serifs more difficult to discern, with a resulting erosion of readability compared to sans serif fonts.

* Wheildon, Colin (1995). Type and Layout: How Typography and Design Can Get your Message Across - Or Get in the Way. Berkeley: Strathmoor Press. p. 57. ISBN 0962489158.

Wouldn't it have been something if you could have just set it all up inside a good old shed with a corrugated metal roof and order those parts like you want them and not have to smuggle all that copper and all that sugar and all that everything out here in the field and be a coppersmith and a plumber and a copper and carpenter and a pack horse and every other goddammed thing God ever saw in the world, all at once. And live decent hours.

Welcome To The World's #1 Website Templates Provider!

TemplateMonster.com is by far my favorite template website provider. The vast majority of web site templates is prefect for either your professional business sites, online community or web based applications. TemplateMonster.com has everything you need in a template website provider. It has worked for me and it can work for you. It's reliable, it has super fast performance and the price is so affordable. What else do you need in a template website provider? So go and checkout the TemplateMonster and everything it has to offer which, is a lot of things so I promise you will not regret this.

Let me help you put your business online today!

Just Another WordPress Blog...

Originally I thought I would have to write a blog post to pound into your heads what WordPress is all about again. Nonetheless I already have written a blog dedicated to just that for many other reasons. Besides what is the fun in that? WordPress is not as complicated as it sounds. As a matter of fact WordPress is easy to manage and operate once installed. Its as easy as icing a cake.

Much like other Content Management Systems (CMS's) the core software package is also built by hundreds of community developers around the world. and when you’re ready for more there are thousands of plugins and themes available to transform your site into almost anything you can imagine. According to WordPress over 60 million people have chosen WordPress to power the place on the web they call “home” — we’d love you to join the family.

Ready to get started? Download the latest version of WordPress and search for a template below with the keyword "WORDPRESS". We look forward to hearing from you in the near future and hopefully to schedule an interview in which we hope to learn more about your company. It's goals and plans and how we may be able to contribute to its continued success and growth.

Professional Service Templates

Professional Service Templates, a set on my Flickr.

Professional services must establish credible experience, provide an offering relevant to the potential client's needs and motivate these potential clients to action. When you are developing a Web site for a professional practice, it is important to communicate your message and keep the interests, questions and concerns of the potential client in mind. A webpage can be your face to the world, defining your values and motivating potential clients to seek consultation.


Template Price: $40
Template + Installation: $100
Buy Out Price: $80

General Business Templates

General Business Templates, a set on my Flickr.

The mission of each business is to offer products and services based on skills, competencies, and expertise. The general business templates were designed around fictitious companies and serve to showcase different types of businesses with different messages and marketing requirements. Understanding the specifics of each business type --and how your business type fits a template -- can help you to more effectively select the template best for your purpose and frame the content you use to carry your message.


Template Price: $40
Template + Installation: $100
Buy Out Price: $80

Countryside Property Management (countrysidepm.com)

Countryside Property Management

www.countrysidepm.com

Countryside Property Management project was developed on WordPress 3.2.1's platform. The theme is compiled with a Cherry Framework. Also 16 plug-in's makes up the overall functionality of the website.

Wordpress, say hello to the beautiful, simple, full screen editor and forget about everything else.

Like the majority of open source Content Management Systems, WordPress is free to use anything from your cat’s home page to a Fortune 500 website without paying anyone a license fee and a number of other important freedoms.

It's as easy as 1,2,3.

1. Find a Web Host and get great hosting while supporting WordPress at the same time.
2. Download & Install WordPress with our famous 5-minute installation.
3. Feel like a rock star. Read the documentation and become a WordPress expert yourself, impress your friends.

WordPress suggests "Over 25 million people have chosen WordPress to power the place on the web they call “home."  We would love you to join the family".

As of July 18, 2008 following some major redevelopment a new theme directory opened at http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/.  As of today 1,411 themes have been downloaded 35,021,720 times, and still counting. Ready to get started? Download the latest version of WordPress and search for a template below with the keyword "WORDPRESS". We look forward to hearing from you in the near future and hopefully to schedule an interview in which we hope to learn more about your company. It's goals and plans and how we may be able to contribute to its continued success and growth.

Finally, WordPress was awarded 2011 Open Source Web App of the Year this week at The Critters, a web development and design awards show that launched just this year.

Let me help you put your business online today!

Netiquette

The Net right now is a little like New York in the late 19th century-waves of immigrants imposing themselves upon an established society. Not surprisingly , the newcomers don't always behave according to local custom, and members of the old society are sometimes suspicious and resentful.

.CO Reaches The One Million Mark

This week the .CO registry announced that it passed the one million registration mark , less than one year from its global launch in July 2010. The one millionth domain name was officially registered at GoDaddy.com, the largest retailer of .CO domain names globally.

While .CO extension has it flaws I predict it will increase redundancy amongst the bigger internet competitors but at the same time add a competitive edge. Strategically the .CO will help target a new group of internet research adding reasonable appeal to .CO extension well into the 21st century.

According to .CO Internet S.A.S. (www.Opportunity.CO), the official registry operator for the .CO domain, customer penetration is currently greatest in North America (which accounts for approximately 50% of .CO domain registrations), and throughout Europe, (which accounts for approximately 25% of registrations).

Joomla, Make Your Website Over Night

Serving 7297 Extensions to the community.

There are preconceived notions that people have when the word 'free; is mentioned. Cheap comes to mind, however Joomla is far from being cheap by any means. In fact, because Joomla! is free it is able to offer so many features. Joomla! is one of the most powerful Open Source Content Management Systems on the globe. It is deployed all over the world for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications. Joomla! is easy to install, simple to manage, and reliable.

Joomla is a flexible, powerful website management application; 1,000 times more powerful than any website created with HTML because it requires two components: HTML/PHP code and Database. Like Drupal, Joomla is also a free-to-use open source software program with an extensive developer community and unending array of features. In contrast to Drupal and other free open source software programs, Joomla operates under the General Public Licenses (GNU); you can do just about anything you want to do with your website.

Joomla is designed to be easy to install and set up even if you're not an advanced user. Many Web hosting services offer a single-click install, getting your new site up and running in just a few minutes. If your clients need specialized functionality, Joomla! has thousands of extensions (most for free under the GPL license) available in the Joomla Extensions Directory.

What are some examples of what Joomla can do?

Joomla! is used all over the world to power Web sites of all shapes and sizes!

• Corporate Web sites or portals
• Corporate intranets and extranets
• Online magazines, newspapers, and publications
• E-commerce and online reservations
• Government applications
• Small business Web sites
• Non-profit and organizational Web sites
• Community-based portals
• School and church Web sites
• Personal or family homepages

For more tips subscribe to my blog at: http://markalves.blogspot.com/

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Are the keywords in your website dull? Is your website not showing up in Search Engines results? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will get your website ranked at the top of search engine results.

So how does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work? Search Engine Optimization works within your browser and uses a variety of proprietary technologies to respond to a search request and navigate through the millions of Web pages on the Internet and locate sites that match that request. Given the number of pages on the Web and the 10 or 25 hits that typically show up in the initial results page of a search, it is often difficult to have your site located and featured near the top of the list.

It is possible to add additional markup information in the form of text tags, called meta-data, to your site that serve to connect with search engines indexes and make your site more prominent in the search engine. Search Engine Optimization refers to metadata placement strategies used to improve your visibility on the Web. The fundamental goal of SEO is to move your site up in the priority ranking of the search engine so it appears closer to the top of the list. The higher your site places on the search engine list - such as in the top two or three results pages - the more likely it is you will be found and your site will be accessed.

Search Engine Optimization is beyond the reach and scope of Web templates because the metadata tags are based in your specific content and on the key words or concepts you want to associate with your site. Web hosting services often offer some form of optimization services, and many independent providers provide specialized methods and techniques for optimization as well.

A big buyer beware is called for here. Despite the many claims providers make, no magic bullet or surefire strategy exists to increase the visibility of your site on the Web. Note further that optimization techniques that are targeted to the search patterns of one engine, such as Google, might not be effective for another, say, Yahoo!. So before you consider using optimization services, be very clear about what each provider offers.

For more tips subscribe to my blog at: http://markalves.blogspot.com/

Web Development 101

The World Wide Web is the least expensive and most efficient way to communicate content anywhere - from around the world, to across the street. Sure, there are other media you could use but they have very distinct limitations when it comes to communication power, cost, and access. A book has to be printed and distributed, a television show has to be broadcast ( or cabled), a DVD has to be packaged, email needs to be addressed to the audience you want to reach, and sending information through.

The Web uses computer technology and a vast worldwide network to overcome many of the limitations and costs associated with other communications media. Electronic transfer of words, pictures, music, and moving images enables you to bypass the physical media (such as paper and discs) that make other media so costly, while allowing you the ability to reach out and find audience just like broadcast media networks do.

At the outset, the Web was a play thing for technical experts and an area of experimentation for forward-looking business. Today the Web is a fully fledge medium - global and university used in the worlds of business, culture, news, and information. Unlike other media, such as broadcast television, the price of access and use for the Web is low and easily affordable by individuals and small businesses.

The singular power of the Web is that it enables other people find you. Putting up a site allows you to tap into the network and create a Web presence. At the most basic and simple level, you can create a Web presence by having a URL - for example, www.mywebsite.com - opens a home page with whatever information or messages you want to include. Once people have connected with your Web presence, they can interact with you and share your web presence with others in their own network.

The key to building and maintaining a useful Web presence is capturing and holding the attention of your readers or target audience. In dozen years since the Web made its debut, accessible Web pages have flowered into billions, with no end in sight. In other words, there is considerable competition for fans attention.

High quality Web design is the key to holding and maintaining attention. A successful Web presence creates a unity of impression between the design of the screen, the name and the key message you have chosen, and the key ideas or actions that you have selected to draw your fans to click through and participate in your content.

With high quality Web design and the low cost of access, the Web can be your face to the world for whatever purpose you have in mind. Use the Web to create a presence for your existing business or startup venture. Publish your resume or build a creative personal site to help network yourself professionally. Create a site on your personal interests or build a community of interest around ideas or activities you find interesting. Set up an interactive photo gallery to share family pictures across the country or around the world. Whatever the reason, your Web presence gives you the ability to reach out, generate impact, and build an ongoing dialog with other people.

For more tips subscribe to my blog at: http://markalves.blogspot.com/

Why do you need web programming and custom web design?

If your website is in need of consistent updating, dynamic content, or drawing information for interactivity then you will benefit from web programming. Programming allows you to enhance the experience of the user in the form of your choosing. A Custom Web Design provides your business or organization with a clean, effective and customized web presence. Here are some of the custom web design benefits:

• Greater design flexibly sets you apart from the rest.
• Offline marketing will be complimented and enhanced with a site that is built " to fit" your needs and personality.
  
• Dramatically reduce costs associated with print marketing (brochures, reports, postcards, etc.) and distribution.
• Search engine optimization and online marketing services tend to be easier, and produce more favorable results with custom built Web sites.

My Philosophy

• Websites must be regularly updated with relevant content, without incurring costly maintenance fees
• Websites must be easy to browse and grab the attention of your potential clients
• Websites must enhance productivity and serve as a powerful business tool to grow your business
• Potential customers and repeat visitors must be able to find your website easily, and be able to get to the relevant information quickly and easily

My Mission

• Cater exclusively to the needs of small and medium sized businesses in terms of establishing and expanding their online presence through customized, cost effective online
• Design web solutions that allow business owners to increase their ROI
• Offer 360 degree online solutions to my clients, from design and consulting to effective internet marketing strategies
• To stay ahead of competition by being constantly updated and fresh in this dynamic, rapidly changing business scenario

My goal is to achieve 100% customer satisfaction. And my ultimate reward is to web-enable small and medium sized businesses to help them achieve their business objectives.

From Prebuilt Packages to Custom Design Solutions. I offer a range of services and products to help you maintain the best web presence possible. This service dramatically increases your web site ranking. Your website traffic will be much higher.

For more tips subscribe to my blog at: http://markalves.blogspot.com/

The New .TV and .ME Extensions Idea!

I think .tv is starting to get some traction, but .me's appeal is more immediate and a lot more obvious to people…It should sell well into the millions. And it has corporate appeal not just for TV stations, which are limited in number. In contrast, .com names cost around $10 per year, and .tv names cost around $18 per year.

The Facts of Developing A Website

As opposed to living in the past we live in an era where technology is important in our everyday lives. If you don't have a website or some type design on the web you should think about purchasing one.

Believe it or not in today's society you need a website to practice creating an engaging and efficient user experience. Twelve years ago, companies reached their consumers through trade shows, print advertising, and other traditional marketing methods. Today, people start their research by looking on the Internet and, more specifically, search engines, especially Google. In order to remain competitive, businesses' websites need to be found on the web and in search engines.

Realistically you might have to make a compromise here and there because of the time or expense involved in creating a better solution. The biggest reason your fans experience should matter to you is that it matters to your fans.

Websites are complicated pieces of technology and something funny happens when people have trouble using complicated pieces of technology. if you don't provide your fans with a positive experience , they won't use your site. And without fans all you've got is a dusty web server somewhere, idly waiting to fulfill a request that will never come.

For users who do come, you must set out to provide them with an experience that is coherent, intuitive, and may be even pleasurable - an experience in which everything works the way it should. No matter how the rest of their day has gone.

That's why a Web Content Management System works so well. The elements of your fans experience remain consistent no matter how big your site is. but putting the ideas behind the elements into practice can sometimes seem like a challenge all by itself. it's not just a question of time and resources - it's often a question of mindset.

Building websites in a Web Content Management System has numerous benefits for you and your clients and is the direction in which website design is trending.Many think using a Web Content Management System adds too much complexity or makes a site too expensive however with the appropriate tools it doesn't need to be complex or expensive.

The advantages outlined above provide a basic understanding of why you and for clients should move to building websites in a Web Content Management System. I would be glad to help you make that transition too.

For more tips subscribe to my blog at: http://markalves.blogspot.com/