Fundamentals – What is RSS?

If you’ve ever thought “Wouldn’t it be nice if my favorite website told me when it changed?” then you’re aware of the need for RSS.

Despite being “Real Simple Synidcation” RSS hasn’t quite entered into the non-techie consciousness. It’s unfortunate. It’s probably one of the most important things to happen to the internet in recent history. At its most simple, RSS is a list of items formatted in a special way. The list most often applies to a frequently changing section of a website, but can apply to nearly any content delivered via the internet.

RSS provides a way to “push” content to your subscribers.

Knowledge of RSS is increasing with the adaption of more modern web browsers. If you have a Mac, or run Firefox as a web browser you might already have some limited exposure to RSS. If you’re still running Internet Explorer 6, you’ll have more immediate access when you upgrade to 7. There are many freely available feed readers, but if you’re inexperienced you’ll likely find your browser is the best way to access RSS.

For more information on rss
To subscribe to the RSS feed for recent projects in our portfolio

Recent updates August

On Quality

From Daring Fireball

Most people, I suspect, can tell the difference between a $500 bicycle and a $1000 bicycle – most don’t think the differences are worth the extra money, but they can perceive the differences (lighter-weight frames, visibly superior components, etc.). I doubt, though, that most non-expert-cyclists are able to distinguish between, say, a $1000 bike and a $5000 bike. This holds true for many realms; it’s generally pretty easy for most people to perceive the difference between the mediocre and the good, but it often requires expertise or finely-honed sensibility to perceive the difference between the good and the great.

It’s actually part of an article on the virtues of the Macintosh OS, -but it’s a rather perfect justification of the design industry as a whole…

Fundamentals – Things to ask…

When you’re choosing somebody to partner with to develop a website, it can be tough to know the right questions to ask. If you’re not fluent in technology, -how do you know what your priorities should be?

We’ve prepared a short list of some useful questions that might help you separate out the bad eggs.

• If I challenged you to create a website for $xxx, what would you do?
• What does your average client spend with you in a year? per project?
• What is the quickest development time you have had for a site of this size?
• What is the longest development time you have had for a site of this size?
• Do you have a past track record of success with this particular demographic?
• What programming languages do you prefer? Why?
• Which language would you recommend for this project? Why?
• Do any other sites or projects come to mind that are similar to the way you imagine this site?
• What is the best Google page rank you have achieved for a site you have built?
• Are you going to be using ready-made pieces, or building from scratch?
• How much of the programming you develop for my site, am I free to leave with, if I am displeased with your service?
• Is your firm capable of doing more than just developing a website? -Can you help build an audience?
• What techniques have you used in the past to build traffic for a website?
• What is your opinion of having a client handle copy writing, photography, and other web production?
• If I was to handle some facets of the production process, how would you be available to assist me?
• How do you currently handle most of your clients’ hosting?
• Can you help me to transfer my existing site to a new server until my development is complete?
• Will you handle email setups, domain transfers, SSL, and other features of my hosting for me?
• Explain a time when your current hosting solution was inadequate for one of your clients, and you were able to quickly create a new solution.
• In what ways do you provide support to customers as an ongoing process?
• Can you explain an instance when you progressively addressed an industry in a way that was technologically advanced?
• Can you illustrate a time when you advised your client against excessive technology when it was inappropriate for their needs?
• Are you aware of any current web services or open source software that would be adequate for this task?
• Can you explain how a custom built solution would better suit my needs than other alternatives?
• Are focus groups included in the process that you are proposing to us?
• In what ways would the target audience for this website influence your decisions in building this website?
• Can you describe how you have empowered your clients to send their message to a wider audience through email?
• What experience do you have with data collection?
• How does your system collect and display the results of data collection?
• What things have you learned through the years to make website launches more successful?
• What thoughts do you have about how to make complex interfaces easy to understand?

recent updates

If you haven’t checked our portfolio recently, we’ve posted a few new projects.

• EngineMaxx website
  EngineMaxx provides after-market products that increase fuel efficiency.
  Online: http://enginemaxx.com [This website is no longer active.]
  In our portfolio

• The Original Bundle website
  The Original Bundle sells unique gift items that can be combined to create gift bundles.
  Online: http://theoriginalbundle.com [This website is no longer active.]
  In our portfolio