Web Site Top 10 Things to Consider!

So you are creating a new web site! That's fantastic! But what do you need to make sure you consider when you embark on the project? Below is a list of 10 things that you must consider before you build your site.

1. Browser Resizing
   Does the web site resize nicely in different browser window sizes. What is the target size you are designing your site for? A site can look great on 1024 by 768, but what happens when you put your site on a high resolution 21inch LCD Panel. Your site should look good on any resolution!
2. Background Color
   If you use white background colors, do you actually specify white, or just leave it as default? A lot of people have their default background colors set to grey instead of white. When you load a site up that does not explicitly set the background color to white, it shows up as whatever the user has set up as his default.
3. Site Alignment
   Will the site be aligned on the left, right, centered? Very important decision to make! Ensure you have this question answered before you begin, although it can be changed later, it can be a pain.
4. Will the header and footer of the site resize?
   Does your header need to resize every time the browser window is resized? what about the web page footer? Make sure you speak with the designers if you have any working on the project and get this detail hammered out!
5. Browser Compatibility
   Will the site need to be 100% compatible with all browsers? Opera? Safari? Internet Explorer? Firefox?
6. Dynamic Rollovers
   Does the site require dynamic rollovers for navigation buttons and hyperlinks?
7. No Tables
   Do not use any tables, use DIV tags or SPAN tags for everything.
8. Standards
   What standard will you follow? W3C Valid HTML 4.01, W3C Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional, or W3C Valid XHTML 1.0 Strict.
9. Make sure to use SEO Semantic Coding with complete presentation separation.
   You are probably really familiar with normal HTML coding. SEO Semantic Coding, or Semantic Markup focuses on writing code that is descriptive. It enables search engines and other web site indexers to categorize your site properly, and give it more weight in search results.
10. Web Site Loading time.
    Make sure you know all the basics about saving images. Doing this piece wrong can cause your page load times to increase exponentially! PNG/JPG/GIF... make sure you know which file type to use in the right situation.

Make Your Site Web 2.0

Although Web 2.0 is a buzz word to refer to the "second coming" of the Internet, I thought we would talk a little bit about what exactly a Web 2.0 Site entails. How can you upgrade your site to Web 2.0 today? Below are some of the key things you should do today to make your web site Web 2.0 ready!

1. Add RSS Feeds and Subscriptions.
   Give your users the ability to subscribe to certain sections of the web site. This way they can get notified via email that content has changed, or a new article added. This will keep your visitors coming back for more.
   Web 2.0 Resource: FeedBurner
2. Add some AJAX Content.
   AJAX is great not only because it look cool, but also because it makes it very easy for users to use the site. It makes a site feel more responsive, and more like an actual windows application.
   Web 2.0 Resource: Dojo, Script.aculo.us, Google Web Toolkit
3. Use CSS for all look and feel elements.
   So many of the old Web 1.0 web sites out there still use html tags for fonts and other such things that can all be placed with a CSS file! This adds so much bandwidth waste and really slows down the users’ experience. Switch to semantic HTML with CSS today!
   Web 2.0 Resource: css Zen Garden
4. Use Gradients and curves in your new buttons.
   Look at nearly all the new Web 2.0 sites out there and you will notice that most of them use a lot of gradients, with drop shadows, and curves. This style is critical if you are going to look like a new Web 2.0 site!
   Web 2.0 Resource: Create Web.0 Buttons in PhotoShop
5. Have live active content.
   Nobody wants to visit a site that is always the same and doesn't change! This is extremely boring, and there is really no need to come back to the site. Change your site daily, hourly if possible! The more you update your site, the more visitors you will receive coming back for more!
   Web 2.0 Resource: SharePoint Portal Server 2007
6. Add social networking aspects to your site.
   Social networking is the way to go, if you can afford the development. Build an entire community around your site and you will see the traffic skyrocket.
   Web 2.0 Resource: facebook, myspace
7. Tag your pages instead of creating categories.
   Creating categories for sites is very old school. Create tags instead! This allows users to quickly find related content throughout your web site, without the need to search through countless categories to find something!
   Web 2.0 Resource: WordPress
8. Give users the ability to rate content on your site.
   Digg gave users the ability to rank articles and other content on their site, and look how popular they became! Add a "Rank It" button to your site today, and watch the expression take form!
   Web 2.0 Resource: Digg, Reddit
9. Provide Podcasts or Videocasts.
   Having audio content that your users can listen to is fantastic. Think of all the iPod's that are out there, and how often they are being used. By creating a Podcast, you are making your voice audible across the billions of iPod's and other music devices out there. Videocasts can be even better, if you have the budget.
   Web 2.0 Resource: Apple Podcasting, Podcast Alley
10. Provide users with a Web API using Web Services.
    By providing programmers a Web API, you are giving people the ability to create custom applications to your web site! Sometimes things can be created that you haven't even thought of! Make sure you keep it clean and simple, and try and stick to some standards.
    Web 2.0 Resource: W3C Web API, Google API
11. Make your site extremely simple to use.
    In this day and age, your web site has to be drop dead simple to use, or people will leave! On average if it takes a user more than 8 seconds to figure out what is going on, or what they should click, they will leave your site!
    Web 2.0 Resource: Steve Krug, Jakob Nielson
12. Give users ability to participate with the site and its members.
    Users love interacting with other users. Give them a way of communicating with each other, and expressing their emotions, thoughts, and ideas.
    Web 2.0 Resource: linkedin
13. Let users contribute content.
    It's great that you are adding content to the site, but why not let your users contribute to the content. Everyone wants to be heard, let your visitors do it through your site!
    Web 2.0 Resource: YouTube, Flickr
14. Use Flash or Silverlight to add some interactivity and response.
    Add some interactive applications to your site using one of these tools. I prefer Microsoft Silverlight, as it has a proven structured programming engine to back it up, Microsoft .net! You can use C# or Python to write this bad boy, and it also supports AJAX extremely well.
    Web 2.0 Resource: Silverlight, Flash
15. Let users "Social Network This" instead of "Bookmark This".
    Bookmarking a site is great, but everyone these days is adding their bookmarks to del.icio.us or StumbleUpon. Remove the "Bookmark This" button and add the "Digg This" button. Not only will your users be able to keep track of the site, it will also allow them to share the sections of the site with other surfers, promoting your site for you!

MCIT, you gotta be kidding me!

If you’re an ADSL (aka “high speed”? internet) subscriber located in Egypt and have the least knowledge about what’s going on in the world out there, I would be sure that you had a heart attack when you read that announcement, which is NOT the rumored reduction in the current ADSL subscription prices as we have been fed by the government and ISPs during the last months, but brilliantly offering low priced and limited packages, in a press release that had been removed within few days from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology website due to the outrage in the general internet user base (check Mesh-Gayeb), and replaced by a smarter one, but who they’re kidding.

Should I now bow on my knees for that they’ve kept the unlimited packages untouched instead of cutting the prices down for like 50% at the very least? the truth is that I wont, I’m being ripped off every month paying LE. 190 ($44) for a 512Kbps connection, while a buddy of mine living in Netherlands is paying €30 ($41) for 20Mbps, and that’s just one example.

The thing I’m sure of is that these guys (ISPs) are either just plain stupid, or they’ve studied marketing very well but the type which is not applicable in the third world! Marketing says that when there’s a commodity with no substitutability characteristic (in our case, ADSL service, you can’t replace it for anything else, say like mobile connections “it’s not yet as convenient”, we need ADSL), so in the eyes of ISPs there’s no reason to bring prices down, people will still pay for it either it’s for LE 10 or for LE 1000. But then say hello to illegal connection sharing world where more than 30+ individual in a neighborhood can share a single internet connection, now wont it be better if these individuals are subscribed to 30 different cheaper connections instead of a single expensive one? you do the math! In this particular case I’d throw away any marketing I’ve learnt and find creative solutions (and gathering public outrage isn’t one).

I wont go paranoiac like mesh-gayeb’s folks, but all I’m asking is to be respected! I know that I live in a poor third world developing country, but the government shouldn’t treat public as fools and promise something they can’t keep, and when they’re ripping me off for a low speed internet, with nonexistent reliability, they should admit it too, then we will be all slow but happy internet users!

Joke of the day: go to the ministry voting page, the result speaks for itself.

Source: Mohamed Tantawi's blog

Design Principles: 5 Easy Steps to Design a Website

If you want to design a website for business or personal reasons it might seem like a tough task. Fortunately, there are many resources and tools online today to help you get a website up and running quickly on the World Wide Web.

Below are the five steps to creating your own website.

1. Decide on a Website Theme. Choose a website theme that will flow with your business or personal goals. If you're selling search engine optimization services (SEO), choose a theme that fits well with SEO. Perhaps you'd like a website that offers training in a particular field or that provides useful information or services in fields such as health, insurance, marketing, finance, family, home and garden, web design, etc.

Use search engine optimization tools such as wordtracker.com to determine popular keywords in your field. This will help you narrow your theme and find a niche market. The more specific you are, the more likely you'll reach your targeted audience.

2. Choose a Domain Name. You can visit almost any web host to find out what domain names are available. Your domain name is the web address people will type in to find your website and it is completely unique to you. It could end in .com, .net, .org, or a variety of other suffixes. Example: www.domainname.com Choose a domain name that meets the following criteria: 1. Not too long. 2. Easy to spell - even for kids. 3. Simple and easy to say. 4. Fits your website theme. 5. Easy to remember. Remember, your domain name will be used in all advertising campaigns whether in print or online, so keep it simple.

3. Choose Web Hosting. Web hosting is a must for a website. This is the "web space" you'll buy so your website can appear on the World Wide Web. You can choose from thousands of web hosts today, but be aware of the pitfalls if you choose the wrong host. Choose a web host that is dependable, affordable, offers excellent customer service, and offers the features you need for your website. Free web hosting services are available if you're starting a personal website, but are not recommended for business websites.

Be aware that not all hosting services offer special add-on features such as PHP or MySQL capabilities. Not all hosting services offer a reliable control panel for site management and following your website's visitor statistics. So, be sure to choose a web hosting provider that offers what you need for now and future growth.

4. Design Your Website. Once you choose a domain name and secure web hosting, it's time to design your website. You have two options:

1. Learn web skills such as HTML and PHP so you can design your own website.
2. Hire a web designer.

If you choose to learn web design, there are many tutorials and courses online to help you learn. You don't have to spend thousands of dollars taking a college course. Or, you can find a website that has the same features you want and ask who designed it. This will help you find a dependable designer who already has the skills needed for your project.

Either way, determine what type of programming language you will use beforehand. This will be based on the features your website will have.

5. Get Your Website Noticed. It's time to promote your website. You can promote in many different ways: search engine optimization, paid search engines, free search engine submission, e-zine advertising, and even off-line advertising. Include your website address on everything you print such as business cards, newspaper ads, letterhead, envelopes, etc.

Probably one of the most effective ways to promote is by adding content articles to your website. Articles get noticed by the search engines because they are informational and useful. The more information you offer, the better your search engine rankings will be. If you sell insurance, write many articles about insurance for your website or hire a writer to write them for you. Whatever your theme, provide plenty of content for your users.

Use these five steps to get your website going. You're on your way to web success!

Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV (also known as GTA IV or GTA 4) is the upcoming eleventh installment, and first in the fourth generation, of the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, announced for release by Rockstar Games in 2007 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game is set in a redesigned Liberty City in the year 2007. GTA IV has been nominated for a 2006 Golden Joystick Award in the One To Watch For 2007 category.
For more information please visit GTA's official website: http://rockstargames.com/IV/

Also take a look at the following official trailers:
Trailer #1


Trailer #2

Creativity & Innovation conference 2007

Tony Buzan is coming to Egypt!! :)

Awareness has brought one internationally-renowned expert in mental literacy and Radiant Thinking, Tony Buzan, to appear LIVE in Cairo on 26th - 28th August 2007.

Come and join other professionals at this one of a kind opportunity! Take part in discussions about developments in creative thinking applied to different disciplines, concentration as a function of time, memory performance during and after assimilation of information, the art of communication for memory, and the effect of our modes of thought on habit patterns and change. Listen to advice on now to improve these procedures in your environment.

Tony Buzan, author of 90 books on Mental Literacy and the brain will present an entertaining discussion on his powerful visual thinking tool, Mind Mapping developed by him, Speed and Range Reading and Brainsmart Leader.

Tony Buzan's work and applications on brain are now used by hundred's of millions of people around the world who wished to use their brains more effectively!

These 1-day workshops invite you to EXPERIENCE learning in areas you previously believed to be impossible! You will discover the skill of Mind Mapping, learn how to learn, and improve planning, thought organization, memory, creativity, and productivity. You will see how these new skills can be directly transferred into your business and life. Get ready to revolutionize your thinking during these mind-expanding seminars!

The creativity & innovation Event is your opportunity to ensure that your organization's mind is maximized, for accessing your range of intelligence, improving all thinking skills and dramatically improving your leadership and creativity.

I look forward to welcome you to the guru event in August.

Dr. Nader Nada
Chairman
Egypt Buzan Center

For more information about the program of the seminar, registration and any other information you may need, please visit the official website of the organizer, Awareness, and download the event brochure.

Microsoft Photosynth

Microsoft is awesome!! That's all I can say :)

Design Principles: Keys to Effective Website Design

Website design is becoming an increasingly important topic for all businesses. The online community is growing at a rapid pace each day. As more businesses establish their storefront online, competition is expanding from a local to global market. Now, almost every product is available to research and buy online. This only heightens the need for every business to have an online presence. While the Internet community is expanding, users are also evolving.

Today, the consumer is savvy and time conscious. While some consumers are looking to research products, many also want the option to buy online. As any business steps into the Internet community they need to ask themselves, "What can I do to entice consumers to buy from my website?"

It's no secret that building a website is no simple task, but the trick is to set your business apart from the competition. The most important thing to remember is make your site usable and customer friendly. A time conscious consumer will not expend effort trying to figure out a difficult or complicated website. If you can keep your site usable, customer friendly, and aesthetically pleasing your business will see increased revenue and return on investment.

Listed below are tips to creating an effective, efficient, and profitable website design.

1. Limit graphics: Glitzy graphics are great, but putting too many in a site can slow downloading time for the consumer. While you may have Cable or DSL Internet connections, many customers still use dialup. Also, putting too many graphics in the site can clutter a page and cause confusion.

2. Use casual language: When designing your site, use everyday conversational language. The more relaxed the customer, the greater chance of them buying from you.

3. Make paragraphs short and use bullets: No one likes to read long paragraphs of text. Break up paragraphs and long sentences with lots of bullets. Make the reader's eye flow down the page instead of across. Also use captions to showcase important information. People's eyes are drawn to text that is set apart from the rest.

4. Change the site often: Rotating your content is very important. It not only gives customers a fresh look at your site, but a reason to come back. In addition, rotating content also helps search engine rankings.

5. Place important information at the top of the page: Grab the customer's attention by placing promotions or other key information on the top half of the page. People should never have to scroll to find or read this information.

6. Have contact information visible: It should be easy for customers to contact you with questions or to order products. If they can't find your contact information they will continue shopping but with a competitor. Put your contact information in a visible place such as the navigation bar and header.

7. Don't put too much information on a page: People want to read information about products, but don't provide them with so much they get lost. Give the important facts, features, and benefits in a concise format.

8. Navigation should be visible and simple: Make sure that any customer can easily find what they want to buy. Make section names obvious and descriptive. The more options a customer has to segment products the better. For example, you can allow people to shop by product, brand, price, etc.

9. Online ordering should be simple: Give the customer an easy, fast, and secure way to order products. Make ordering screens simple and only collect necessary information.

By using these guidelines of website design you are sure to have an effective, efficient, and profitable site. It will be effective by giving customers a usable and friendly site to buy from. The site will be efficient by allowing customers to buy online, freeing you to pursue other opportunities to further your business. Lastly, it will be profitable by providing you not just a local but global customer base.

Microsoft Surface Computer

The Surface Computer has arrived. No keyboard, no mouse, no track pad! The digital table is all you need (include your fingers!). There's nothing more I can say about this 'THING'! I'll just leave you with the video:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4217348.html

Thanks Seif for the link :]

How to Download a YouTube Video to your computer

Ever wanted to save that favorite YouTube video to your local computer? Although some people might have you believe this is a difficult task, it’s actually very simple. Below is an outline to the easiest way to rip a YouTube video to your local computer.

1. Load your favorite YouTube video.
2. Copy the URL from the address bar.
3. Go to RipZor.com
4. Paste the URL into the textbox and click "Get Video".
5. The website will generate a flash file for you to download.
6. Click on the "Click Here" link to download the flash file, it will save as an flv file.

At this point as long as you have a flash viewer on your computer, you will be able to play this saved file, without having to connect to the internet, or having to go to the YouTube website! What if you want to play them in Media Center? You will need to convert this file to sometime of video format that is supported in Media Center.

The simplest way to do this is to download this zip file. It includes a program that will convert your newly created flash file to mpg format. Here are the easy to follow steps.

1. Download the zip file here.
2. Extract the zip file to a folder on your computer and run flvconverter.exe
3. Click Add Files and Browse to the location of your flv file you just converted.
4. Choose an output folder by clicking the browse button.
5. Click "Process"

You should now have a mpg file on your computer that you can play at any time! Most importantly, you can add this to your video library on your Media Center without having to load YouTube!