• Free Live Chat Software

    Updated: 2009-10-01 05:18:03
    In the first of a two-part series on press releases, Alyssa tells you how a press release can help you promote your business and generate visibility with very little investment.

  • Why You Should Be Using Press Releases to Promote Your Business

    Updated: 2009-10-01 05:18:03
    In the first of a two-part series on press releases, Alyssa tells you how a press release can help you promote your business and generate visibility with very little investment.

  • 3 Ways Google Can Show What Your Readers Want

    Updated: 2009-09-30 20:04:25
    Guest Post by David Godot. All bloggers secretly wish that their readers would just tell them what to write about. But selecting new topics is seldom so easy. Well, what if I told you that Google has devised a system that allows you to tap into your readers’ psyche and magically predict which topics will interest [...]

  • Website Navigation Then and Now

    Updated: 2009-09-30 05:07:59
    Smiley Cat Weblog Web design thoughts and . commentary Home About Portfolio Elements of Design Contact 29 Sep 2009 Website Navigation Then and Now I recently came across a collection of website navigation bars from a few years ago . I couldn't help but wonder how those navbars looked today , and how the impact of site growth , redesigns , branding updates , etc . have affected . them Here's a comparison of the old versus the new click on an image to view a larger version Old Navy Old Navy : then Old Navy : now Shopping.com Shopping.com : then Shopping.com : now Adobe Adobe : then Adobe : now Weather Channel Weather Channel : then Weather Channel : now REI REI then REI now Amazon Amazon : then Amazon : now Apple Apple : then Apple : now Google Google : then Google : now Netflix Netflix : then Netflix : now Expedia Expedia : then Expedia : now Walmart Walmart : then Walmart : now Pogo Pogo : then Pogo : now All Recipes All Recipes : then All Recipes : now Bank of America Bank of America : then Bank of America : now it hasn't changed Buy.com Buy.com : then Buy.com : now Posted on : September 29, 2009 3 Comments Recent Entries in Web Design Two Schools of Thought to 404 Error Page

  • Understanding Web Site Analytics

    Updated: 2009-09-29 14:44:18
    If you work on your own, you may consider masking that fact by presenting an image of being a larger company. Alyssa talks about some of the benefits of doing this...do you think it's worth it?

  • Are You a One-Man Show or the Man Behind the Curtain?

    Updated: 2009-09-29 14:44:18
    If you work on your own, you may consider masking that fact by presenting an image of being a larger company. Alyssa talks about some of the benefits of doing this...do you think it's worth it?

  • Increasing Blog Readership

    Updated: 2009-09-29 01:04:41
    Picking a domain name can be a tiring task, so why not use some of these tools to help you find the perfect one for you?

  • 11 Domain Name Generators & Search Tools

    Updated: 2009-09-29 01:04:41
    Picking a domain name can be a tiring task, so why not use some of these tools to help you find the perfect one for you?

  • Online Shopping Cart Scripts Review

    Updated: 2009-09-27 16:29:12
    OsCommerce is an open source software to create online shops. Many hosting providers include osCommerce into their Fantastico bundle. Even the default version is full of various features while add-ons may expand the script abilities to an enormous extent. While osCommerce is positioned as easy to install and configure, this is not always true. In [...]

  • Hosted Blog vs Blogspot

    Updated: 2009-09-26 04:34:58
    Alyssa explains how she uses each mistake she makes as a learning experience and a reminder...and when she does that, mistakes aren't all bad!

  • Submit Websites, Ads, Videos for Webby Awards

    Updated: 2009-09-25 21:17:39
    Now you can submit websites, advertising campaigns and videos for the 14th Annual Webby Awards, which honor the best in Websites, Interactive Advertising & Media, Online Film & Video and the Mobile Web. This the best time to get early bird pricing and enter your best online work to be judged by the 650-member IADAS [...]

  • Support Blog Action Day 2009 for Climate Change

    Updated: 2009-09-25 18:49:03
    Blog Action Day 2009 is back on October 15, 2009 and the theme is Climate Change this year. Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. [...]

  • How You Can Maximize Your Social Media Time in Only 15 Minutes Per Day Part 2

    Updated: 2009-09-24 06:06:20
    Continuing from her previous post, Alyssa explains how she uses Twitter and Facebook on a tight time budget with great results.

  • YouTube and SEO

    Updated: 2009-09-24 02:21:39
    It's completely possible to effectively use social media sites in a mere 15 minutes a day. In the first of a two-post series, Alyssa explains how she does it.

  • WordPress MU and BuddyPress Plugin Contest 2009

    Updated: 2009-09-23 00:27:13
    As in last year, following our own Plugin Competition (results are on the way), WPMU.org is holding their own plugin competition. But this time they are adding BuddyPress plugins into the mix as well. You can visit the WPMU Plugin Competition Homepage for more information. The rules for the competition remain the same as last year.

  • Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook

    Updated: 2009-09-22 03:25:29
    Alyssa reviews a soon-to-be-released book on social media; a great read for social media beginners and pros alike.

  • Keywords Meta Tag Useless for Google SEO

    Updated: 2009-09-21 18:46:43
    How often do you stuff keywords on the META keywords tag on your html pages? Now Google officially says that Googlebot pays no consideration of META keywords tag for your search engine rankings. This is how typically a meta keywords tag would look like <meta name="keywords" content="keyword 1, keyword 2"> Matt Cutts, the famous Google engineer clarified the [...]

  • Ignite Marketing Strategies

    Updated: 2009-09-20 17:20:12
    We would like to share with our readers the unveiling of our sister company called… Ignite Marketing Strategies works with business owners, executives, and marketing professionals who want to grow their business and need measurable results out of their marketing and sales investments. We help you fix your marketing process and maximize marketing efforts. we help [...]

  • Green Practices For a Green Business

    Updated: 2009-09-17 10:12:36
    , , Search posts Categories Design Articles 10 Design Business 1 Ecommerce 9 General Articles 30 General Business 6 General News 6 Going Green 7 Graphic Design 1 JV Media News 10 Marketing 51 Multimedia 5 Online Marketing 29 Quick Tips 3 Social Media 5 Software 5 Technology 7 Tutorials 12 Web Design 36 Website Content 7 Boomark Us del.icio.us Digg it reddit Google StumbleUpon Add to Onlywire Add Our Feed Resor Feed Button Help Latest posts Green Practices For Converting Your Smal Easy and Affordable Simple Guide to Maki An Intro to Social M Do You Follow Everyo Blogging For Busines How to Secure WordPr Archive September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005

  • Converting Your Small Business Into a Gr

    Updated: 2009-09-17 10:09:24
    , , Search posts Categories Design Articles 10 Design Business 1 Ecommerce 9 General Articles 30 General Business 6 General News 6 Going Green 7 Graphic Design 1 JV Media News 10 Marketing 51 Multimedia 5 Online Marketing 29 Quick Tips 3 Social Media 5 Software 5 Technology 7 Tutorials 12 Web Design 36 Website Content 7 Boomark Us del.icio.us Digg it reddit Google StumbleUpon Add to Onlywire Add Our Feed Resor Feed Button Help Latest posts Green Practices For Converting Your Smal Easy and Affordable Simple Guide to Maki An Intro to Social M Do You Follow Everyo Blogging For Busines How to Secure WordPr Archive September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005

  • Easy and Affordable Going Green Business

    Updated: 2009-09-17 10:06:41
    , , Search posts Categories Design Articles 10 Design Business 1 Ecommerce 9 General Articles 30 General Business 6 General News 6 Going Green 7 Graphic Design 1 JV Media News 10 Marketing 51 Multimedia 5 Online Marketing 29 Quick Tips 3 Social Media 5 Software 5 Technology 7 Tutorials 12 Web Design 36 Website Content 7 Boomark Us del.icio.us Digg it reddit Google StumbleUpon Add to Onlywire Add Our Feed Resor Feed Button Help Latest posts Green Practices For Converting Your Smal Easy and Affordable Simple Guide to Maki An Intro to Social M Do You Follow Everyo Blogging For Busines How to Secure WordPr Archive September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005

  • Redesigning the Mint.com Bugeting Screen

    Updated: 2009-09-12 22:46:03
    Smiley Cat Weblog Web design thoughts and . commentary Home About Portfolio Elements of Design Contact 12 Sep 2009 Redesigning the Mint.com Bugeting Screen Not too long ago , Mint a popular online service for managing your finances , redesigned a great feature which enables you to set a monthly budget and track your progress against . it My wife , who is the main Mint user in our household has been struggling with it ever . since One of the main issues is that the redesign of the budgeting page for some reason they call it Planning' which makes no sense to me is now much longer . Consequently , it now requires much more scrolling up and down the page in order to get an complete picture of your current budget . status A comment in the support forums echoes this : view The budget section is nice but takes up too much space make this smaller so that it is more usable and concise the old view was much better . Sample from the Mint budgeting page : before However , with a few CSS tweaks , I was able to reduce the length of our budget screen by 20 In the example below , you can see that 6 budget items are now visible in the same space that could previously only fit 5. Sample from the

  • Building Powerful and Robust Websites with Drupal 6

    Updated: 2009-09-10 22:50:57
    Everybody knows that a business needs a website for its growth and customer interface. However, building a website can be a difficult as well as time consuming process if you do it yourself. Simple website builders do not give you access to modern functionality and can be difficult to maintain. Paying a website designer to [...]

  • Splatter and Watercolour Brushes For Photoshop

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:09
    Another day — another fresh freebie. Today we are glad to release Splatter and Watercolour Photoshop Brushes, 3 sets of 21 high-quality brushes, with the average size of 2500px or 2200px. These brushes were created for Adobe Photoshop CS, CS2 and CS3 and also work with GIMP 2.4. The sets are created by Abdullah, the creator [...]

  • Creative User Interfaces in Modern Web Design

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:08
    The whole may be more than the sum of its parts, but without the parts, there is no whole. Lest that sound like some weird philosophical meandering to you, take comfort in observing the finer aspects of creative and appealing user interface design. The following list bucks tradition by not being tied to one particular theme; [...]

  • The Importance of a Sitemap

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:07
    A sitemap is often considered redundant in the process of building a website, and that is indeed the fact if you made a sitemap for the sake of having one. By highlighting the importance of having a well constructed sitemap, you will be able to tailor your own sitemap to suit your own needs. 1) Navigation [...]

  • Gmail themes — colourful mailing

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:06
    I was surprised to login into gmail today.The surprise was the new themes option.Just a couple of days earlier they had released the new Video chat feature and today its the Gmail themes. It is no surprise that google is trying hard to get its free mailing service look uniqu e with more visual enhancements as [...]

  • Heart: A Free Social Icon Set

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:05
    Another day — another fresh freebie. Today we are glad to release Hearting Social Icon Set, a set of 22 social icons in .png and in resolutions 16×16, 32×32, 64×64. This set was designed by Aravind Ajith, the creator of TheDesignSuperHero.com Related Posts: Worth A Read Splatter and Watercolour Brushes For Photoshop Creative User Interfaces in Modern Web Design 40 [...]

  • DressUp! Avatars Icon Set

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:04
    DressUp! Avatars Icon Set, is a set, with sixteen original avatar icons in .png. This set was designed by Dante Michael Afrondoza. The icons were created from scratch using Adobe Fireworks — the .png-sources are also available for free downloadl. The icons are available in 128×128px. You can use the set for all of your projects [...]

  • 40 Beautiful Grunge Photoshop Tutorials

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:03
    Grunge is a popular trend that attempts to give designs a more organic and realistic look. It also provides a stark contrast to the simplistic, polished, and rigid “web 2.0″ trend, opting instead for a less uniform and more elaborate form of design. We’ve discussed grunge style in modern web design before, [...]

  • Is It Easy to Create our own Website? What is HTML?

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:02
    Creating a website is not so much a feat, if we compare it to the education of other technical skills. Most people tend to give up and pack their bags as soon as they hear the word “programming” and “technical”. They think it‘s too much of a hassle to actually learn a whole computer “language”. [...]

  • Web Design Elements You Should Avoid Having on Your Site

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:01
    As a web designer, you should design your websites to give your visitors the greatest ease of use, the best impression and most important of all a welcoming experience. It doesn’t matter if you had the greatest product in the whole world — if your website is poorly done you won’t be able to sell [...]

  • Who Is Your Audience?

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:19:00
    Understanding the type of people who visit your site is a very important task because you can use that information to enhance your site to suit them. As a result, you will gain more loyal returning visitors that come back again and again for more. What is the age level and what kind of knowledge does [...]

  • Why You Should Use Graphic Templates

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:18:59
    When it comes to graphics, most Internet marketers shy away from using graphic templates whether it’s ebook covers, website layouts or promotional banners because they firmly believe that by using graphic templates, they are tarnishing their own business. They want to own a unique identity and hence will always find a professional graphic designer to [...]

  • Search Engine Friendly Pages

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:18:58
    There is no point in building a website unless there are visitors coming in. A major source of traffic for most sites on the Internet is search engines like Google, Yahoo!, MSN, Altavista and so on. Hence, by designing a search engine friendly site, you will be able to rank easily in search engines and [...]

  • Smashing Pumpkins: A Free Halloween Vector Icon Set

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:18:57
    As the Halloween is approaching, it’s best time to spice up your design with some quick Halloweenish icons. And since we are, apparently, smashing and the Halloween is all about pumpkins, we are glad to release Smashing Pumpkins: A Free Halloween Vector Icon Set. This set includes 14 exclusive Halloween icons (.png, up to 512×512px) as [...]

  • Website Customization: What can we do?

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:18:56
    Nowadays, in this trendy world, people get very uptight when they do not look entirely presentable. This would also be the case in web designing. Every individual would definitely want their website to look good, if not, to the best they can. Here are a few things we could look out for when wanting to create [...]

  • Make It Easy To Buy From Your Site

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:18:55
    Convincing your prospects to purchase from you is a hard job, but have you ever thought that you’re making the process twice as difficult for both parties if your prospects are convinced but don’t know how to buy from you? No matter how good you are at convincing your prospects, they won’t buy if they [...]

  • How To Build / Create A Website Using Open Source Software (for Free)

    Updated: 2009-09-10 16:18:54
    How to Build/Create a website. The webpage shaman is just a man, with one goal in mind. He wants his actions to cause you to build the website that you want. The website Shaman has been an internet… Related Posts: Worth A Read No Related Posts

  • Rotating Text with CSS

    Updated: 2009-09-10 03:18:56
    Smiley Cat Weblog Web design thoughts and . commentary Home About Portfolio Elements of Design Contact 09 Sep 2009 Rotating Text with CSS If you look up you'll notice I made a small update to the way dates are presented in my headings . It's not a big change , but I wanted to include the year without increasing the height of the date . stamp Rotating text to the rescue Following Jonathan Snook's article it was easy to implement the few lines of CSS necessary to make this . adjustment Getting it to look right in IE7 and IE8 was a different matter . In the end I used the first-child+html hack for IE7 and the 9 hack for IE 8. I realize that I should replace these hacks with conditional comments should I but for now they'll suffice . Also , with a little more research it looks like this IE7 8 hack would have been more . elegant Posted on : September 9, 2009 8 Comments Recent Entries in CSS Future-Proof Your Web Site Design by Planning Your CSS In Advance Create Resizable Images With CSS Quick Fix For IE7 Display Issues 8 Comments Posted Add Yours Doesn't work in Opera . unfortunately 1 Posted by John Faulds on September 09, 2009 Sweet . I like the effect . Somebody asked last week

  • Fresh Job Openings On Smashing Jobs

    Updated: 2009-09-06 17:15:29
    The web-industry is a fickle environment. Projects come and go, clients make promises and never return, raising hopes and breaking deadlines. Hence, it’s always worth to check out our job board Smashing Jobs. You can just click on “Jobs” in the horizontal navbar at the top or use the widget in the sidebar. As an additional [...]

  • Adding A Contact Form In Joomla

    Updated: 2009-09-06 17:15:28
    With it’s built-in contact component, adding a contact form to your Joomla site is a very easy process. You can even create multiple contacts so that you can allow your visitors to contact multiple people. Using this tutorial will show you the proper steps to add new contacts and categories.The first thing to do is [...]

  • Five Simple Ways of Marketing Your Blog

    Updated: 2009-09-05 11:30:58
    This article has been reprinted with permission from Webmedia Solutions. Are you thinking of some quick tips for marketing your blog? This is the right place, we share five simple tips to increase your presence and attract traffic. If your blog does not have too many readers or followers, read this article to find out some quick [...]

  • Fake Firefox Adobe Flash Player

    Updated: 2009-09-04 19:52:51
    Be careful downloading and installing anything from a source that you do not completely trust. There is a fake version of Adobe Flash player circulating which will install malware on your computer.

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