Articles, commentary, tips, and thoughts... relating to web design for small businesses and organizations.

A Regularly Updated Browser is a Happy Browser

May 3, 2010 – 2:48 pm by Kenric

Posted in Commentary, Software, Tips for Businesses

First of all, what is a web browser? You’re using one right now. It is a program used to access and change information on the World Wide Web. Some of the most popular ones are Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Chrome. You may even be using one on your iPhone or other cell phone.

A browser is like any other program. It is usually best to keep it updated with the latest free patches and updates. Unlike other programs like Microsoft Word or Photoshop, any self respecting browser will never require you to pay to switch to the most recent major version (switching from version 2 to 3 perhaps), or even updates (upgrading from 2.3 to 2.4 for instance) . You can feel free to update all you want without having to shell out money. Read More »

Be different!

April 23, 2010 – 9:58 pm by Nathan Lyle

Posted in Humor, Tips for Businesses

I’ve long believed that it’s GOOD to be different. When I was a teenager, my mother bought me a book with a picture of several apples and one orange on the cover, called “Dare to be Different.” I laughed when I saw it because being different had never been an issue for me. I was one of those odd children who enjoyed being odd.

In marketing, being different is the way to stand out above the noise. Along those lines, I have to give give props to this Germany company who obviously succeeds in getting attention…

(The sound effects are obviously that, since any fly making that noise would have to weigh 10 pounds.)

We are by nature an imitative creature. It’s good to have the ability to learn from other successful people by imitating them. However, I think there’s more value in knowing when to break from the path that others have made. What you REALLY want to be is the person other people are wanting to imitate.

Back when I was your age…

April 21, 2010 – 1:31 am by Nathan Lyle

Posted in Commentary

It’s inevitable, though I would like to have thought it would never happen to me. I get older, and things change faster and faster. I’ve often commented on how my career didn’t exist when I graduated from high school. I started college with a typewriter. A mechanical one, for crying out loud. But the thing that got me on this kick tonight was phones.

Anyone in their late thirties should be able to remember a time when cell phones were not as common as wallets. I remember when people would call you, and if you didn’t answer they just tried back later. No harm no foul. Nowadays, everyone cops an attitude if you don’t pick up the moment they call. People really are starting to expect other people to always be available. You can tell I’m getting older because I said “pick up” the phone. Since you practically have the cell phone in your hand all day that’s not really an accurate phrase anymore. Though I do take a geeky old-person pleasure in hearing when people leave a message on their voicemail box like “hi, I’m away from my phone right now” or “I can’t get to the phone right now”… when you know with 95% certainty that the thing is right there in their pocket. (Or even better, “I’m on the other line”.) Read More »

The Sincerest Form of Flattery

March 11, 2010 – 10:09 pm by Nathan Lyle

Posted in Code/Design, News

My wife owns (and at the time of this posting is selling) a dog training business in Negaunee township called Tandem Dog Training. A new-to-the-scene competitor (or her designer) apparently felt that my wife’s website was worth copying. Take a look….

My wife’s website (that we built):

The ripoff:

While the main difference is that the copy is of lesser quality (yes, I’m biased, but still)… if you’re not seeing the plagiarism, the main points are:

Colored background with rounded content corners
Dog with drop shadow laying on the top right corner
Two-tone menu with a thin border underneath
Content: text on the “about” page – sentences are the same in many cases with a single word “changed”
Content: classes are almost identical, just slightly different prices

February 25, 2010 – 2:47 am by Nathan Lyle

Posted in Commentary, Tips for Businesses

Things change. Don’t be afraid of letting your website evolve and grow better with time. Often, once a website is completed, it’s left alone for years. This might be because it was such a hassle getting it finished in the first place, or maybe no one can find the password and the last web guy seems to have disappeared, or it might be just that you don’t see anything wrong with it. However, you should periodically reassess your website in terms of whether or not it’s doing anything for you. What do you and your business need from your website? Read More »