Simplicity is the Heart of Effective Web Design

Simplicity is the heart of effective web design

Keep it simple. Will ya?

Have you ever wondered over the striking commonalities among some of the tremendously functional sites of our time? Just spare some thoughts on the features of sites like Cisco, Marshall , Dell, Amazon, etc., and the answer would not elude you.

Yeah. You have got it. Plain and simple. Friendly and functional. No cosmetics. No facelifts. No fuss. Simplicity matters in web design as it does in other spheres of life. Web design is not a medium to show off your technical prowess. Nor, you are supposed to demonstrate your superb graphic acumen. These are necessary but only in moderation; let them not dominate over your site friendliness and usability.

Here are some useful and rather important tips that will help you– turn on the right track–to establishing a site professional in appearance, and high in quality and usability.
Formulate your mission statement and understand your target audience

A mission statement or statement of direction on where the company intends to go in the foreseeable future is critical. It will definitely provide some stability from which the website can springboard forward. You must pursue some explicit goals to excel on the web. You must be pretty clear on the counts like :

  • What’s the purpose of the site?
  • Who is the site’s audience?
  • How will success be measured?
  • How to gather feedback and involve your audience in your design?

Mere high intentions and a cool design aren’t going to sustain your development and production processes if you are missing out a concrete statement of your goals and how to achieve them. In its sheer absence, a website cannot deliver a consistent, steady message to customers, can hardly be a platform for quality.

Ponder well on your layout and navigation

A clean layout and neat navigation that employs a lot of white space enhances your site’s look and appeal. Be focused focus on your content. You can better use dreamweaver templates for your site – all pages or a group of pages have one basic design and only the content varies. And this will be taken note ofhopefully with an appreciative eye.

  • Make it sure load time on the site is optimal
  • For making load time low on your site, you can choose from the following options.
  • Minimize graphics, flash and scripts: They occupy huge space, and thus need to be minimized.
  • Optimize your HTML & script code: See to it that your site doesn’t have any unwanted tags or unused scripts.
  • Use server side include (SSI) files: SSI files once called from the web server remain in its cache, and on subsequent requests they load faster.
  • While designing take into consideration all screen resolutions

A site that is easy-to-use always encourages visitors to stay on and read your content. If your site doesn’t seem to look good for a particular resolution it is likely that the visitor will close the browser window feeling that the web page is not for their viewing. Therefore, designing stretch layouts that fit any screen resolution will ensure a visually appealing and professional site.

Make your site interactive and rich in content

To make your website stickier you can add a few simple interactive applications like site polls, surveys, a guest book, an event calendar, newsletter sign-up, etc. There are many applications on the net but you need to choose them wisely.

Macromedia Flash is another way to add interactivity to your site. 95% of the world’s browsers have the Flash Player plug-in, so you need to think about compatibility as long as your movie can be played by lower versions of the Flash Player. You may well try having a HTML and Flash Sections “Entry (Splash) Page” if you have a heavy movie to accommodate users on slow connections.

Make your site scalable and cross browser compatible

Making your code and design scalable pays you off well. This is crucial simply because as technology advances and configuration of computers and their monitors keep increasing and varying it becomes impossible to test your site in all screen sizes and platforms.

Also, check your site for Internet Explorer 5+, Mozilla Firefox 1.0, Opera 7.0 and Netscape Navigator 6+ as they constitute 95% of the world’s browsers.

Incorporate consistency all over your website

Consistency is crucial as it could give your site a more professional look and feel, and also makes way for easy navigation. For consistency to pervade throughout your website, try using database templates to create a common look and feel for your site.

Although database template is not commonly the answer for all web sites, and may not be practical for smaller sites, it is a big help for all pages in your site to share common elements, and reflects a high degree of page-to-page consistency. The advantage arising from it is that it is all the more easier to create, and make your site consistent regardless of changes in personnel. Database templates also facilitates you to make changes to your site much more easily, and help you change certain elements without recreating the entire page from scratch

The dividends of simplicity can not be ignored and put at stake

While designing a website it is important that the site is attractive, fast-loading, user friendly, focuses on your content and has a high stickiness factor to it. This is probably what it takes to be professional in appearance, high in quality, and value added in functionality. Any deviation from the cardinal principles of simplicity may well backfire, and energies so spent can go down the drain. So, miss out on the finer points of simplicity, and stay tuned to face the music.

Rashmi Longia is a Web Designer at BlueApple, a Web Design and Development Company with a well connected development infrastructure in India having a strong portfolio of global clients offering superior web services and solutions at competitive costs.

Quality of Your Text Layout and Design

Why is the quality of your text layout and design important on your web site? For the simple reason that people tends to stay longer on a web site that radiates quality and simplicity.

Why?

Because it gives you a more professional impression and the text is easy to read.

On the web today there are many web sites with a cluttered design. The amount of text that is gathered in one place is too big, therefore it’s more difficult to read and focus on text phrases.

If you separate coherent text in boxes, then you hekp the reader to read more easily. Make space between text boxes. Always use a text font size that is not smaller than 10. Organize the text with headings. Make headings with a bigger font size than the body text and you may use a different font.

It’s recommended that you use borders in black around the text.

It should be easy for the eye to focus from one group of text to another.

If you follow these guidelines, then you will be able to read faster and the eye will be less strained. You will be rewarded by spending more time on the text design and layout of your site.

Lars Nielsen is the creator of a web site with home businesses opportunities and valuable resources for Internet marketing. He has been involved with graphic design 12 years. He also has strong experience with web marketing.

URL: http://www.ultimate-mlm.com

Spy Cell Phone Technology in Russia

In June of 2005, Russia offered up spy cell phone technology for the use of its military, its government and its people. Of course, at $2,500 it is too expensive for most ordinary Russians to purchase. However, the fact that it is on sale is a step forward for Russian technology, as the algorithms used to make this a spy cell phone were not certified by the government, and therefore the technology was illegal. The phone was presented by the Russian Federal Security Service during the International Show of Military Equipment, Technologies, and Arms.

This particular spy cell phone is great because it provides counter surveillance help. It is called the SPM-Atlas and was developed under the direction of the Russian Federal Security Service at the Atlas Research and Development Center. The phone makes use of data encoding algorithms that can help obscure what is being said over the cell phone.

Cell phones are notorious for being intercepted able. Anyone with a cell phone scanner or an interceptor listening device can eavesdrop on your cell phone transmissions. A spy cell phone like this one that is on sale in Russia could allow you to encrypt your transmissions. You can switch into encrypted mode from open mode if you are ready to have your transmission guarded. This means that anyone trying to listen in on your conversation would hear nothing but gibberish.

Russia’s unveiling of this spy cell phone shows that it is back in the business of creating spy devices, and it adds the interesting idea of offering them to the general public. This particular phone is available at most cell phone stores in the country, and anyone with the $2,500 can buy one. The battery is a lithium battery that can run for 75 hours in standby mode. However, it is good for three hours of continuous use when in encrypted mode, which is good for most cell phones.

This phone offered by Russia is a great technological advancement and has the potential to go a long way in efforts of protecting one’s privacy and making use of effective counter surveillance, and it is in the form of a basic spy cell phone.

(c) 2005 Copyright www.spyassociates.com. This article is about: Spy Cell Phone.

To learn more about Spy and Surveillance Products visit www.spyassociates.com Read other related articles at spyassociates.blogspot.com/

Useful Info about Online Video Production & Distribution – Part Two

After the video production is concluded the editing part gets going. In general editing control units stay put within most of the editing studios & the technically trained specialised professionals deliver a high level of resourcefulness all through the editing job. More often than not through the editing job the useful sections of the video recordings are labelled and unnecessary aspects are got rid of. There is a variety of sophisticated software that are in big demand for the purpose. The aim of the video is analyzed and subtle amendments are done too. Audio clips & background music are also used all through editing process. There is also Special Effect Generators (SPG) which helps to make the specific clips more professional. Some of the corporate agencies offer the video production and the editing services.

Today several online video production and publishing businesses operate to satisfy needs of different organisations. In addition to corporate presentations, videography is also made use of to record very important events of life like that of anniversaries, birthdays, special occasions; holidays and so on. Portable camcorders with digital chips are nowadays widely available in the market. Short films have become very popular not counting being very enlightening & funny. In truth online videos allow individuals to relate better with the subject than any other form of communications. If you are searching for corporate video production companies in London then talk to Vidify.

Today, various people are setting up video production & publishing businesses as need of these sorts of agencies are at a rise. It’s also feasible to get heaps info from the internet on the subject of video production and publishing just with a couple mouse clicks. The growth of video industry has increased the growth of short-format commercials and to manufacture beautiful commercials, a good-quality video production company is essential. Online videos play a vital job in carrying out of branding campaigns and at this time online video production is a very popular idea with the internet users. As a result, across the globe online video production plays an important responsibility.

Being a Better Salesman

I’m writing with over 35 years selling experience. I’ve been in advertising all my life
and began with my own advertising agency. Later, I joined the Bell System Yellow
Pages and did private consulting. Today, I’m retired and run a home-based business
along with my wife called, ‘The Nurse’s Choice,’ a health information and doctor
referral website. I’m still technically a salesman, but I didn’t set out to be one. I
began as a designer and eventually, art director for a small East coast agency. When
I was hired by the Yellow Pages, I had almost no sales experience. But I had always
taken care of my clients and discovered it was virtually no different. Now I took care
of the customer.

That’s not to say that the customer is always right: far from it. But it was my job,
albeit, my responsibility, to tell them when they were mistaken and put them back
on the proper path. I was the advertising expert and they expected me to help them
make the right decisions that would benefit them or their business, Along the way, I
learned how to be the best salesman possible and made many friends in the
process. These ideas will work for any salesman whether you’re selling cars, homes,
or anything of value. Now I’ll pass on these tips in no particular order.

(1) Be honest. It sounds easy, but sales people sometimes have to sell products
that they don’t believe in or aren’t needed by certain clients. In those cases, I would
present the item and let the customer decide. Which leads me to number two.

(2) Don’t be high pressure. A good salesman doesn’t need to be. Just do the job
and allow the product to sell itself while expounding on the features and benefits.

(3) Smile and be friendly. You’re there to do them a favor and help them or their
business. Let them feel that through your words, actions, and attitude.

(4) Recommend what they need. There is no use bypassing what they asked for
simply to meet some quota. They’ll pick up on you ulterior motives soon enough.

(5) Along with the previous, ask what they need. Allow them to explain what they
are seeking and why. Learn about their situation.

(6) Answer all their questions. It’s your primary job. Pass on your knowledge so
they may feel secure with you and your understanding of the product or service.

(7) Give them options. There are probably several decisions and choices to make.
Explain the pros and cons of each and sit back, allowing them time to digest the
presentations.

(8) Shut up. Let them do the talking. Many new sales people will eventually talk
themselves right out of a sale. Know the value of silence.

(9) Ask for the sale. When the time is right, pull out the contract. Sense when it’s
time to have them make a commitment. Don’t be afraid to do so.

(10) Overcome their objections. That’s when the sale actually takes place.

(11) Thank them for their business or time, even if they don’t buy right away.
They may still come back and be your customer. Don’t burn any bridges.

(12) Follow up. Call them and reminder them you are available to answer any
addition questions. Thank them again.

It’s an easy road to follow but many sales people forget these basic rules. Be
smart and you’ll make plenty of money, good clients, and good friends along the
way.

Jeffrey Hauser - EzineArticles Expert Author

Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for
nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising
and has a Master’s Degree from Monmouth University. He had his own
advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design
firm, ABC Advertising. He has authored 6 books and a novel, “Pursuit of the
Phoenix,” available at amazon.com. His latest book is, “Inside the Yellow
Pages.” Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com,
a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.

3 Mindset Changes To Increase Your Sales And Profits

Consumers Are Individual Customers

The idea of mass marketing to consumers is outdated. Consumers are individuals and deserve to be called customers. The days are gone when marketers can think of consumers as a mass audience to “push” advertising out to. In fact, wise marketers will remove the word “consumers” from their vocabulary all together. You can’t have a relationship with a consumer, you can with a customer. Customers are individuals. The fact is that these days they’re more demanding than ever.

They expect more from you. They deserve your respect and expect to be treated like equals. The old fashioned general store knew how to look after their customers. The trick for the modern marketer is to take those old “values” and use the new technology to build a relationship that treats each customer as an individual.

Be First In The Mind Or The Marketplace?

It is better to be first in the prospects mind than to be first in the market place. Once somebody else gets into your prospects mind you can’t take away their position with money alone. We’re all quick to pass judgement and it’s difficult to change a mind once a mind is made up. You have to blast your way into the mind because people don’t like to change their minds.

Once they perceive you one way, that’s it. They put you into a category and file you away in their minds as a certain type of person or business. The only way to change that perception is to become a different kind of person or business in someone else’s mind so that the majority overwhelms the minority. You haven’t changed their mind, somebody else has.

Marketing is not a battle of products, it’s a battle of perceptions. It does not matter if you have the best product or service, it’s what people think that counts.

Think Of Your Product As A Service These days there’s no shortage of “me too” products and short lived technological advantages. It can be difficult to find a point of difference for your product to own in your customers mind.

So, here’s a thought. When thinking about competitive differentiation for your product don’t consider only the physical aspects of your product. Instead think of your product as a service. What is the service it provides? What are the “experiences” it offers to a customer? The answers to these questions will be more fruitful in developing your marketing strategy than just focusing on the physical aspects.

Get Women’s Cut out Swimsuits Online

In today’s world loads of people prefer acquiring their swimwear online; shopping online is a trouble-free & suitable way to shop in the comfort of your own home. Find eye-catching and sexy embroidered open thongs, rio bikins and beautiful g-strings from Lola Luna.

It’s vital to make sure whilst getting swimwear online that it fits you perfectly. When you acquire swimwear on the Internet always ensure that the shop provides a decent quality sizing diagram that gives all of the sizes you could need. With the use of a sizing diagram one can make sure to acquire a swimsuit or bikini that fits correctly, therefore reducing the need to exchange for an alternative size. The Majority of the swimwear stores don’t provide an exchange of goods with this in mind it is typically always better to pick a shop where exchanges are allowed. Several retail stores will accept the returns of swimwear if the tags and the original wrapping are also returned along with it.

Swimwear is an inevitable element of the summertime; although a significant majority of full-figured females feel daunted at the ideas of shopping for swimsuits & bikinis that fit properly. These women even ponder over wearing caftans by the swimming pool or at the beach rather than looking unpleasant. Designers and shopkeepers have recognized the fashion problems of the larger woman, & are at last featuring a wide range of stylish bathing suit designs in larger sizes, & the best place to uncover such swimwear is to buy swimwear online.

Ten Rewards for Building Longterm Relationships with Editors and the Seven Things You Need to Do to

The Rewards

1. Trust. Trust is earned over time. A lot of mistakes or misunderstandings that might make an editor wonder about a writer they don’t know will all be water under the bridge in a trusted relationship. 2. Strong Lines of Communication. Another benefit of trust is openness. You’re more likely to know just what your editor needs and be better prepared to please her or him with strong, open communication between you. 3. Ongoing Work and a Regular Paycheck. An editor who has learned to count on you will do so, time and again, assignment after assignment. 4. Growing Relationships = More Work and Raises. The more an editor trusts you, the more she or he will entrust to you. Maybe twice the work each month as when you started. To keep you, as the relationship grows, your paycheck will often grow also. 5. Growing Clip Files. An editor who assigns you work every month is good for a dozen new clips a year, as opposed to the editor who only calls on you once or twice. 6. Great References. The longer and better they know you, the more likely they are to gladly recommend you, and in just the right way. 7. Word of Mouth Advertising. Those recommendations will often come without you even asking for them. 8. Consistent Style and Other Expectations = Easier, More Familiar Work. The better you know an editor and their expectations the more it will be second nature to do just what it takes to keep them happy. 9. Insights and an Inside Track on What’s Happening in the Industry. Editors will not only entrust you with more work, but more information as part of those tried and true relationships. 10. Momentum. One of the best ways to build momentum in this industry is to work with people longterm. Rather than always digging up new work and building new relationships, ongoing relationships and work can carry you while you add to them.

Building Editor Relationships

1. Study the Markets. Magazines with the same bylines month after month use the same writers longterm. Build relationships with these editors first. 2. Know Them so They’ll Want to Know You. If you are familiar with the magazine’s thrust, needs, expectations and working style and deliver that first article in a way that demonstrates that it and you are a perfect fit for the publication, it’s easier for the editor to envision a longterm relationship with you. 3. Make Your Intentions Known. Let editors know you are interested in building longterm relationships that produce a win for everyone. 4. Don’t Rest on Your Laurels. Though it should get easier to satisfy your editors, they will also expect growth from you. 5. Protect Growing Relationships. The longer you work for an editor, the more important it becomes to never miss a deadline, never turn in a bad piece, never let them down. The more you have invested, the more this relationship is worth. 6. Follow Editors to New Publications. If an editor goes to another magazine, try to preserve both your relationship with your editor and the current magazine if you can. If they aren’t directly competing, this may be a way to double your work. To this end, build relationships with others at the magazine, as well. Become a source of articles the publication can’t do without, no matter who the editor is. 7. Make Conversation. There will be moments when it is appropriate to just be human. When they come, talk, make conversation, inquire, get to know your editors as people as well as professionals.

What Everyone Needs to Know about Exercise and Blood Pressure

Although regular aerobic activity is important to the health and wellbeing of everyone, far too many people make the crucial mistake of assuming painful, strenuous workouts are the most productive way to exercise.

The startling fact is that moderate exercise – with the prime example being walking – may be an even more effective way to exercise, especially if you need to lower your blood pressure, and definitely if you’re just beginning your fitness program.

Before starting any new fitness program – especially if you haven’t exercised in a while or if you have medical problems – you should always consult your doctor first. Your doctor might even suggest you change some of your lifestyle habits such as your diet or medications in addition to starting an exercise program.

A doctor’s prior approval is especially important since some activities can cause your blood pressure to rise to potentially dangerous levels. Recent research shows that vigorous exercise in unfit individuals may actually be harmful and should be avoided unless tolerance to the exercise has been built up over a reasonable period of time.

On the other hand, numerous studies have proven people who exercise moderately and regularly are more likely to have blood pressures in the healthy ranges.

Different types of exercise obviously depend on your fitness levels, but cycling, walking, swimming, are excellent choices for starting a fitness program. For each of these options, you can easily control your work level and your progression so that you keep your blood pressure within a healthy range during the activity and eventually lower your resting blood pressure, too.

Progression is vital to the success of your fitness program. Start slowly so that your body has time to adjust and adapt. Remember, one of the main reasons people give up and quit new fitness programs after just a few weeks it that they try to work too hard, too soon.

If you decide to start a walking program, for example, start slowly by walking two or at most three times a week for ten to fifteen minutes at a time at a leisurely pace. Gradually increase either your pace or time each week. After a couple of months, you can increase the number of weekly sessions, too.

If you decide to join a health club, you should start with a qualified personal fitness professional who will take all medical history into account and help you design an appropriate fitness program.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure leads to many different medical problems such as stroke, coronary disease, and kidney disease, so it’s crucial you do everything you can to control your blood pressure. Gradual progression is the key to keeping your blood pressure under control, maintaining your weight loss, avoiding injury and ensuring long term success.

Baby Boomer Fitness Expert, Stephen Holt, was named “2003 Personal Trainer of the Year” by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and AllExperts.com’s first ever “Expert of the Year.”

Make sure you get Stephen’s FREE special report, “The Routine That Worked Wonders,” his chapter from the book compilation book, The Power of Champions. Go to BabyBoomerFitnessExpert.com

Let Your PLR Articles Stand Up And Be Counted!

There’s a simple underlying truth in the world of PLR article publishing: articles that get noticed get read, and articles that get read get AdSense clicks.

So how do you get your articles noticed when many others are using essentially the same articles – all purchased form the same group of PLR article sites?

A lot has been written lately on Private Label Rights articles. Many website publishers have joined PLR sites offering regular niche content packages, and are now getting into the rhythm of building new niche content sites.

The main purpose of all this frenetic and exponential site building activity is of course AdSense revenue!

The underlying strategy is this: build many small niche sites with a very small monthly overhead, and AdSense ads can probably bring in a dollar or two, three of profit a day, leaving you with a tidy monthly sum on each of your little sites.

Throw all those separate little profits together, and you may end up with a useful monthly check courtesy of the good people at Google!

The nice thing is of course that all those little sites quietly generate their profits on their own, with the PLR articles taking on a life of their own, spreading your links wider and wider.

All of this means you have time to build yet more sites…

So where’s the catch? It sounds too easy and too good to be true…

Well, actually it isn’t nearly as easy as it sounds. As with anything worthwhile in life, building niche sites with good content, and making sure that they get traffic – and AdSense clicks – does require quite a bit of effort!

However, the main effort lies in creating the content, and this is why PLR articles are so useful – if you use them correctly!

Most PLR articles on offer have been written expertly, and will add real value to your sites. If you realize how much time and effort goes into just one 400-word article of good quality (90 minutes, 2 hours, or even more) it is clear that PLR article sites can offer you excellent value for your money.

Typically you may pay less than 50 cents per article!

The downside is that the same good quality article you bought will likely have been acquired by quite a few other eager website publishers, and they will often follow the same routes as you to get exposure for their sites.

In addition, many other articles on the same topics or in the same niche categories – and linked to the same search phrases – will compete for attention wherever you go.

How to get noticed in the crowd?

Well, it is a fact that tall people stand out in crowds, as do those with interesting headgear – and with that clumsy little metaphor it is time to get back to the beginning of this article: how to get your articles to attract attention.

Your PLR articles will get noticed if you use interesting, catchy and original titles. The title remains the first thing anyone notices, be it in search engine listings, in article directory listings, in ezines where they are published, in ebooks or wherever.

And if you go one step further and also add an original, catchy introductory paragraph (nothing worthwhile comes easy, remember?) you will stand a much, much better chance at getting the click to your site where the AdSense ads are lurking…

The bottom line – the headline! – is this: take those purchased PLR articles and spend a few minutes to give them a new, catchy title, even if the existing one looks good enough.

Then add an original, catchy introductory paragraph, preferably including the search phrase on which the article is based.

You should be pleasantly surprised by the… well, outstanding results!

For more information visit www.Article-Alert.com