Why Use Web Standards

Fundamentally, web standards are conventions and technologies that attempt to provide universal accessibility to web content regardless of the software, hardware, or medium. The standards improve search engine rankings. They attempt to provide backward compatibility (i.e. old browsers), leverage, and future-proof web content for technological advances. In time, they simplify development, improve quality, and reduce maintenance efforts.

In addition to The Web Standards Project (WaSP) website, there are many well written articles on this subject. All be it self-serving, Jeffrey Zeldman’s BusinessWeek article provides a good overview of the subject – He wrote and entire book on the subject. The WaSP mission statement, Fighting for Standards, and Frequently Asked Questions page also provide a good high-level understanding of the subject. Developing With Web Standards – Recommendations and best practices is a more detailed article with practical examples.

As with any standard or rule, many resist for a variety of reasons from limiting creative freedom to simple rebellion; however, resisting web standards is simply bad business practice for web designers. As Dustin Brewer expresses in his blog, your client may be pleased with your design, but once they learn your design limits their web sites’ audience, they will likely look somewhere else for future business. As a practical example, today’s sites thoroughly written using web standards are better positioned to leverage the growing popularity of smart phones and netbooks. These newer devices cannot only access standards written sites today, but the sites content can be more easily repurposed for a better user experience.

The following blogs and articles influenced this blog entry. See ’standards’ tagged entries in my delicious account for additional resources that influenced this reflection.

• Jeffrey Zeldman: King of Web Standards
• WaSP: Fighting for Standards
• Developing With Web Standards – Recommendations and best practices
• Why Web Standards are Important to Web Design

Cloud Computing

There does not seem to be a clear definition for Cloud Computing, but almost all surround the idea of accessing computing services from the Internet atmosphere. These services range from a data storage and computer processing infrastructure to a full-fledged application. Cloud Computing is not just an idea. Cloud Computing may be in its infancy, but it is here. Examples range from Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud to Google’s App Engine and better know mail and Docs applications. According to the BusinessWeek article How Cloud Computing Is Changing the World, Merrill Lynch estimates that Cloud Computing will explode to a $95 billion industry and comprise 12% of the world wide software market in the next five years.

Obviously, the overall success of Cloud Computing depends on the end user experience with the applications and the reliability of the services. Casual users will tolerate some glitches in the services, but medium to large business will not. The demand for reliable Cloud Computing applications and services is bound to increase with the popularity of smart phones and NetBooks. In the perfect Cloud Computing world, all anyone would need is a NetBook with a Web Browser to perform any computing-related task. The browser would simply be the interface to the computing application, processing, and data storage in the clouds. The need for expensive personal computer hardware, and the headache of managing it would vanish to the clouds.

Cloud Computing holds great promise for capital markets and society in large. In the perfect world, it affords startups and small business a reliable technology platform on par with large, well established businesses. It holds promise for education and information access to poor and developing nations. It provides a blue-print for improved information architecture and application deployment for large corporations that insist on governing and controlling their own clouds of computing.

The following blogs and articles influenced this blog entry. See cloud-computing tagged entries in my delicious account for additional resources that influenced this reflection.

• Cloud Computing (In Plain English)
• Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing – O’Reilly Radar
• How Cloud Computing Is Changing the World – BusinessWeek
• The Netbook Effect: How Cheap Little Laptops Hit the Big Time

Twitter Reflection

Prior to researching Twitter, I generally thought of it as a way to socialize personally and professionally, but I learned there is much more to the service, and society is just scratching the service of potential uses.

According to The Wall Street Journal Article Twitter Goes Mainstream, Twitter has grown beyond the narcissistic variety of posts to being utilized by a growing number of business and professionals for a variety of reasons. According to Twitter, the active user base has grown seven fold from August 2007 to August 2008. comScore Inc. states the number of unique visitors has grown from 282,000 to more than a million in the same time period.

Many are flocking to the microblogging service for self-promotion in lieu of a customary blog. Others use it to instantly track targeted news events or conference updates. Companies not only use it for promoting their products or services. They use it to humanize their companies by engaging customers and prospects. They monitor comments concerning their company, competitors and industry in general. This is true for large and small companies alike. J.R. Cohen of CoffeeGroundz credits Twitter for doubling its clientele. Brad Nelson of Starbucks follows 143,040 individuals and has 181,377 followers.

It can be a great research tool. The blog entry The Value of Twitter As Compared To Google gives a good analogy of Google and Twitter where “real people can give better recommendations and explanations that an automated query on Google”.  How to Demo Twitter and Twitter for Academia are two of the most interesting articles I read because they give concrete examples of Twitters power and reach. Twitter has its challenges including user retention of a small but rapidly growing user base mainly due to the lack of understanding of the service, but without question, it will thrive and provide a valued service to the many that understand how to leverage the knowledge of its user base.

The following blogs and articles influenced this blog entry. See my delicious account for additional articles I read for this reflection.

• Twitter Goes Mainstream
• Twitter To Go
• The Value of Twitter as compared to Google
• Twitter for Academia
• How to Demo Twitter

Community of Practice

This week we were asked to research Communities of Practice (CoP) and provide a reflection on how they influence the Interactive Media and Design (IMD) domain. As outlined by Etienne Wenger, communities of practice are a process of collective learning with three crucial characteristics: a shared domain of interest; a community to engage in activities and share opinions and experiences related to the domain without repercussion; and members of the community practice in the domain.  As Wenger states “Communities of Practice enable practitioners to take collective responsibility for managing the knowledge they need”. This can range from problem solving to mapping knowledge and identifying gaps. Often CoP are voluntary, informal and have no organizational or geographic boundaries.

 

In the article “Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice” Ray Oldenburg is quoted as calling CoP “neutral places” separate from the everyday work pressures. Based on my experience this is key. CoP provide an environment to explore and learn outside of the politics and confinement of the work environment. CoP are paramount in any career. They are especially vital in a technology related domain such as IMD.  The domain is too broad and ever changing for anyone to know, let alone excel, in every area. From day-to-day interactions to planned events with those that have the drive and ambition to participate in a CoP even on the peripheral will broaden our domain understanding and perspective. CoP often drive the advancement of the domain.  The opinions expressed in this blog entry came from the following:

• Communities of practice – a brief introduction
• Communities of Practice: turning conversations into collaboration
• What is a “Community of Practice”?
• Seven Principles for Cultivating Communities of Practice

My Blogging Research Reflection

This week we were asked to deepen our understanding of the blogging practice and how successful bloggers accomplish this process. I settled on sixteen diverse blog entries and articles. They ranged from the typical “how to blog” to “corporate blogging” to “marketing your blog” to “making money from blogging”. Surprisingly I gained insight from each of them.

Content choice was the most cited means to success. Obviously, the content topic must provide value to gain readership. It should be original, fresh, and stand out from the crowd. Original and unique Pillar Articles such as white papers or how-to guides are a great way to attract readers and more importantly links from others. They should be timeless and produce repeat visits. Often they have a viral effect. Aside from Pillar Articles, blogs should usually be short. Numbered lists such as the 5 Types of Blog Posts for More Traffic were often cited as being very effective. The entries should engage the reader in conversation as opposed to merely imparting information. This practice provides valuable input and can often drive traffic to your blog especially if you have comments from recognized sources. Title choice and keyword selection are vital content components.

Somewhat surprisingly, consistency was the second most cited subject. This ranged from posting frequency to the content itself – don’t contradict yourself. Trust and perception are keys to gaining and retaining readership. You have only a few seconds to make an impression. The blog should have and convey a goal, purpose and target audience. Well thought-out graphics and illustrations hold attention. The blog should be well designed and maintained. It must reveal you and your content as trusted resources. You should: write about what you know and insure the information you provide is accurate; network and build relationships with likeminded people; read and comment on other respected bloggers blogs; post links to sites you want linked to your site; and soft sell – don’t be too commercial.

Generally speaking, successful blogs take a lot of planning and require hard work. This includes self-publishing and money-making blogs. The content must be credible, consistent, and valued. In 5 Content Strategies That Top Bloggers Use + 3 Things That Set Them Apart, Skellie notes that no one blogging habit or style is required for success but consistency, tenaciousness, and a natural fit are common traits of her most admired bloggers. This is consistent with my research.

The following blogs and articles influenced this blog entry. See my delicious account for additional articles I read for this reflection.

• 5 Content Strategies That Top Bloggers Use + 3 Things That Set Them Apart
• 5 Types of Blog Posts for More Traffic
• How To Write Great Blog Content – The pillar Article
• 21 Tips to Earn Links and Tweets to Your Blog Post
• What Makes A Good Blog Entry?
• Starting a Blog
• Blogging tips: growing an audience
• Blogging for Money