To Facebook, or not to Facebook ...

... Actually, that is not really the question. Whatever else one may think of it, Facebook is, hands down, one of the most efficient online tools for people who run small businesses or work as independent professionals. Its ability to to automatically find and suggest contacts on the basis of shared friends, shared interests, or a shared work history, is incredibly useful especially for those who are operating in a niche market, or a particular local environment.

There are two different types of profiles one can set up on Facebook. The personal profile is intended for private, personal interactions. Access to it is restricted to those people who are on your "friend" list. Users can send friend requests to another user, and these need to be individually, and mutually approved. As per Facebook rules, personal profiles are required to be registered under your real name - though this is a rule that gets bent quite a bit. I admit that I myself have registered two profiles, one under my real name, which I have set to private, and strictly limited to people I actually know in real life, or from other online forums. My other profile is registered under my stage name, and this has turned out really useful for making contact lots and lots of other harpists. My sheet music sales have gone up noticeably since I started posting on Facebook!

Ideally, this second Facebook profile should have been a "page" - but I admit that when I first joined Facebook, it took me a little while to get my head around how to best set it up, and by that time my second profile had already accumulated a sizable friend list! I do have a page as well, but have found that people are more likely to send me friend requests to my personal profile. Perhaps it feels less one sided? Or perhaps it is simply a snowball effect. There are several other musicians on that friends list who also use their stage name on their profile, so I don't feel too bad about it. Personally I think it should be a person's choice if they want to share their real name on the internet, particularly given the recurring issues about Facebook privacy policies.

The other option is to set up a Facebook "page". These are specifically intended for promoting your business or service, art, music, or personal or public interest. There are "Community pages", which can be created by anyone, and "Official pages", which may only be created by an official representative of the business, organization or person in question. Official pages come in three different flavours: "local business", "brand, product or organization", and "artist, band or public figure". It is necessary to register a personal profile first, which is used to administer the page.

Unlike personal profiles, pages can usually be seen by anyone browsing the internet - you need not be logged in to Facebook to access it (though this depends on the privacy settings you choose). They are also more one-sided than profiles: people can decide to "like" a page, which means that anything posted on the page will appear in their news stream. This does not require approval from the owner of the page. Also, unlike becoming "friends" with someone, the things that the users who have subscribed to your page post on their profiles, will not appear in your news stream! If you have ever managed a profile with more than a couple of hundred users - each of whom may be promoting their own pet cause or interest - you will instantly grasp the advantage of this. ;)

Two other useful features on Facebook deserve at least a short mention: "Events" can be created either on your official page or your personal profile. Creating an event allows you to send invitations to the people on your friends list, and to update them with posts on the events page. People can also respond to say they are attending, or not attending. A very economical way to inform and update your core audience about anything from opening and launches, to special offers or new websites.

"Groups" are in some ways similar to community pages, and can be used to interact with other people who share a common hobby or interest. If your business operates in a niche market, this may be a good way to get the attention of people who may be interested in your service or product! However, bear in mind that groups are not primarily intended for self promotion - it really is all about the interaction, on Facebook.

Asni: Multimedia Art & Design:: http://webdesign.asni.net :: http://www.asni.net

Introducing: www.margarethiley.com

This month has been mostly busy with proper paid web design work, which is just how it should be. I've already introduced the Wellington Yoga Centre website in my latest - it is now properly online and live, and can be admired here: www.wellingtonyogacentre.co.nz

Next up was a business website for a client in the UK, Margaret Hiley. She is the sister of a fellow budding illustrator friend I met online, and a specialist on Tolkien and music! A little while ago she asked me if she might cite from my Travels in Middle-earth CD booklet for a review she was writing, and things sort of developed from there. Incidentally, her father is a professor of Musicology, and the author of a big fat scholarly study and reference on Medieval Plainchant, which has been gracing my bookshelf long before I ever met either of his daughters. Such is the smallness of the planet.

Margaret is a professional academic and keen folk musician, and - having grown up bilingual - has recently set up a business offering English/German translation, editing and proofreading services for academics, writers, and the cultural and creative industries. Her areas of specialist expertise include fantasy and science fiction literature, music and musicology, myth and mythology, media studies, and breweries … so we do have quite a few interests in common!

This site has been a real pleasure to work on - not least because I could play with the beautiful cartoons created by Margaret's sister Catherine, an illustrator and print maker currently residing in Edinburgh.

I am really pleased with the look of this site, and even more pleased with some of the behind-the-scenes functionality, which is based on some smart and economical application of PHP scripts: for instance the "testimonials" page, where new referrals can easily be added by uploading a text file to the appropriate folder on the web server. This task is easy to do even for the not so computer initiated, and it is a much more simple and streamlined solution than setting up a complex content management system requiring a database.

Have a look at my latest brand spanking new website! Proudly introducing: www.margarethiley.com

Some feedback from the client: "Well, what can I say - I love it!!! Very clever what you have done with the watercolour image - thanks!" :: "I can't wait till the site is up and everyone can see how great it looks!"

Asni: Multimedia Art & Design:: http://webdesign.asni.net :: http://www.asni.net

Introducing: www.wellingtonyogacentre.co.nz

The other day when I was having my exhibition at Thistle Hall, I got into a chat with one of the visitors, who asked me about my web design work. She told me she was having a bit of grief with her website. Apparently she had gotten a young person who had offered to do the job for very cheap, for the sake of the experience (really, *very* cheap - in fact, on hearing the price, it was quite apparent to me that this poor person probably did not know what she or he were doing, though unfortunately, I am also aware that quite a few potential clients seem to actually expect that they can get a decent site built for that amount of money) - but she was now getting the impression that this person was not really up to the job.

When I looked up the site, it was quite apparent that indeed, whoever had set up those pages, had not the first clue how to write a proper CSS layout. The paragraph text was floating awkwardly next to the main navigation menu in a way that was clearly not intentional. There were no proper page margins, one link in the main navigation menu was not functional, and what layout elements there were, were plain to say the least, and somewhat oddly proportioned. The logo and existing branding elements that were available had not been integrated at all, apart from the general colour scheme.

The owner of the site was understandably concerned that this would not give a good impression of her business - but she had also noticed that the website was definitely doing the trick, in that she had already been getting some enquiries through the site. She was quite anxious to get it fixed up and looking professional as soon as possible.

At first I thought this would be a matter of simply turning what existing design there was into proper HTML and CSS, but as we got talking, she decided to invest in a proper redesign of the site. The result went online earlier this week: www.wellingtonyogacentre.co.nz

The main thing I concentrated on was to create a simple, calm and functional design with pleasing proportions and a clear structure, and on making the site look good regardless what screen size, resoluation or browser is being used. I was fortunate to be able to base this design on the excellent logo and branding done by another design studio - I really do love the colour scheme they came up with, and decided to stick with it throughout, apart from introducing a couple of matching shades for the graphics on the home page.

The "rising sun" logo gives a calm yet structured background for most of the pages, and works well in that it does not distract from the main content and images. For the home page, however, it did seem a bit dull, so I introduced the yoga silhouettes in their concentric circles. After a bit of initial resistance (not uncommon when one sees something that is a bit different from what was expected for the first time), my client ended up loving them.

In terms of functionality, it was important to enable my client to create news announcements on the home page, and to be able to update the timetable. To this end, I set up a couple of PHP includes which can be edited without having to actually change the code of the respective pages. It does require an understanding of simple HTML, and an ability to upload pages via FTP, but the site owner assured me that she was confident to be able to learn those skills. It is a far more simple and streamlined - not to mention less pricey - solution than setting up a full database integrated content management system for what are, in effect, only a couple of items that need to be regularly updated.

As a bit of an extra, I also created a PHP script that builds the image gallery on the gallery page, which will make it easy for the site owner to upload additional images without having to change the page code at all.

Here is what my client said: "It looks really terrific, Astrid (i'm not just saying that)" -- "The site is really good, thanks Astrid" -- "It is a lovely site Astrid. Do you want to make up a flier for me now??"

Mission accomplished. :D

Asni: Multimedia Art & Design:: http://webdesign.asni.net :: http://www.asni.net

How to Choose a Web Host

One of the first things to think about when planning a new website, is where to host it. Unless you have the technological know-how and equipment to host your site on your own computer or dedicated web server, you will likely end up choosing a web hosting service.

There are half a gazillion of those out there - so what should one look for when choosing a host?

Don't be tempted to simply jump for the cheapest package. The first decision should be the location of your server - search engines take geographical location into consideration for their search results, so if your business mainly operates locally, choosing a New Zealand based server is definitely a good idea.

If you are aiming for a global market, it might make sense to host your site in the US - web hosting contracts there tend to offer more bang for your buck, but do make sure you read the fine print. One web hosting company I have been dealing with in the past, kept sending me "upgrade offers" which I had to opt out of within a certain timeframe, to avoid being forcibly upgraded to a more expensive contract. Not a good look - and definitely not a company I would consider ever dealing with again!

Another thing I have come across a few times are "budget" web hosting packages which do not enable PHP. These days, one should be able to expect that PHP is enabled as a matter of course - while it is possible to work around it as long as no interactive features are required, it does mean more work for the web designer, and a lot less flexibility when it comes to keeping the site up to date. PHP 5 is the standard that should be expected - make sure your web server enables PHP 5, and at least one MySQL data base.

It always pays to compare features such as the amount of data storage, bandwidth, email accounts, number of parked domains that are allowed, and any other limitations that the hosting contract might impose. Having access to your own web statistics is also vital - make sure your hosting service offers a decent package of applications.

This said, most small business sites do not require vast amounts of bandwidth - unless you plan to upload large amounts of images, video, audio or other multimedia files, you will be fine with a smallish space and bandwidth.

If in doubt, it is probably a good idea to talk to your web designer before signing up for a hosting contract - they will be able to tell you exactly what features they will need to pull of the site of your dreams, and how much bandwidth and disc space this will require.

Asni: Multimedia Art & Design:: http://webdesign.asni.net :: http://www.asni.net

HTML Basics 5: Lists

In previous blog posts, I have introduced some of the basic HTML tags that format a web page: paragraphs, headers, the tags that make up the page <head>, links, and images: HTML Basics 1*** HTML Basics 2: The Head Tag *** HTML Basics 3: Links *** HTML Basics 4: Images

The next most important tag is the List tag - which comes in three different flavours: Unordered lists, Ordered lists, and Definition lists.

An unordered list is a list of items in no particular order. Unordered lists can have bullet points or various other symbols that mark each new list item, or no particular list symbol at all. The default formatting for lists is to have them indented from the main text, and list items separated by a line break - this is called a block list. But with a Style Sheet (CSS), a list can be formatted whichever way you want! Lists offer a lot of flexibility in that respect. This is because for each type of list, there are at least two different tags. All the more opportunity to define a variety of styles.

One of the main uses for unordered lists are navigation menu. In this blog, all three main navigation menus are unordered lists - the navigation at the top which says "Home - Shop - Look - Listen - Read - Interact - Join", the one on the right side linking to the various subdomains and main sections of the site, and the subnavigation menu on the left, which allows you to navigate to the other parts of the "webdesign.asni.net" subdomain. (Remind me that I should write a blog about domains and subdomains sometime soon!) As you can see, they all look completely different, even though they are built using exactly the same tags.

The tags for an unordered list are <ul></ul> which encloses the entire list and marks it as an unordered list, and <li> </li>, which encloses each separate list item. So the code for the navigation bar at the top looks more or less like this:

• <ul>


• <li>Home</li>


• <li>Shop</li>


• <li>Look</li>


• <li>Listen</li>


• <li>Read</li>


• <li>Interact</li>


• <li>Join</li>


• </ul>

As you can see, even though the code is written as a block list, with line breaks between each list item, the navigation menu is displayed as an inline list. This has been defined in the style sheet - if you view the page without the style sheet (if you're browsing with Firefox, go to "View" "Page Style", then choose "No Style" - or equivalent in other browsers) you can see thebare bones of the page navigation, without all the fancy formatting.

Ordered lists are lists where items are listed in a particular order - they are typically preceded by numbers, or letters of the alphabet. A list of the days of the week might look like this:

1. Monday


2. Tuesday


3. Wednesday


4. Thursday


5. Friday


6. Saturday


7. Sunday

(unless you prefer to count Sunday as 1)

The tags for an ordered list are very similar to the unordered list - the main list tag is <ol> </ol> (instead of <ul> </ul>), and the individual list items are enclosed by the same <li> </li> tags as the unordered list - this makes it easy to convert an ordered list into an unordered one, or vice versa, if you change your mind - it is only the main list tag that needs to be changed, not every individual list item. The list tag automatically inserts a bullet point or the correct number for the item, and if you need to insert a new item in the middle of a numbered list, the numbers of the following items will automatically increase by one. Handy, eh?

The third kind of list, the Definition list, is a little bit different in that it consists of three parts. A definition list is a list such as can be found in a dictionary, consisting of a word or expression, and a definition of the meaning of that word or expression. For instance:

Monday:

The first day of the week

Tuesday:

the second day of the week

Wednesday:

the third day of the week

etc, would be a definition list.

By default, the word or expression to be explained (the "definition topic") is formatted differently from the explanaition, for instance it could be bold, or a different colour. The tags for the definition list are <dl></dl> as the main list tag, <dt></dt> for the definition topic, and <dd></dd> for the definition. In code, the list above would read as follows:

<dl>

<dt>Monday:</dt>

<dd>The first day of the week</dd>

<dt>Tuesday:</dt>

<dd>the second day of the week</dd>

<dt>Wednesday</dt>

<dd>the third day of the week</dd>

</dl>

Asni: Multimedia Art & Design:: http://webdesign.asni.net :: http://www.asni.net

Fantastic Journeys

These last eight weeks I have been taking a bit of a break, and exchanged my funky web designer's hat for a more exuberant artist's head gear. "Fantastic Journeys - Paintings and Music inspired by Ursula Le Guin" at Thistle Hall in Wellington was my first solo exhibition, and an opportunity to dig out the old harp and showcase my musical talents as well. The good news that the space at Thistle Hall was available came at very short notice, leaving me all of seven weeks to put together the show, do all the publicity and advertising, as well as finish a few more paintings! Which explains the recent gap in my blogging.

Being an online promotion expert comes in handy when planning such a show on a shoestring budget. One of the first and most obvious things to do was to set up a dedicated page with information about the show, and downloadable press material, on my website - I even created an appropriate CSS layout for the purpose!

Once I have had time to catch a breath, I will expand this page into a little self contained section of the site, with photos and feedback, and perhaps even a bit of video. That way all my overseas friends who have posted on my Facebook event page that they would love to come, if only they could get the teleporter to work, can at least share some of the experience!

I have also made good use of my monthly newsletter, and dedicated the last two issues mainly to the show.

New Zealand in general, and Wellington in particular, are quite well endowed with sites which provide free events listings, and I have availed myself of that that opportunity very systematically. The Eventfinder website is a relatively new site which offers the great advantage that a whole host of other sites pull their content from there - so with one listing, one can get a plethora of adverts all over the net.

The Big Idea is considerably less streamlined - I had to upload my information in three different places and fill in a lengthy upload form each time to do it - but offers the advantage of a large and dedicated readership of people involved in, or interested in the arts sector in New Zealand. I also managed to find a couple of wonderful volunteers to help me with the preparations for the show, and with making things go smoothly at the opening!

Wotzon, Feeling Great and WellingtonNZ.com are sites which are dedicated to events in and around Wellington - I found the last site to be particularly well presented, and they even showcased my show, which was very kind of them!

Apparently my media release did the trick this time - apart from scoring two radio interviews, on RadioActive and VBC (both also streamed on the net), and having one of my images printed with the events listiing in the Dominion Post's Thursday Arts Supplement, I was particularly pleased that the staff at Wellington City Library took the opportunity to write a blog post recommending Ursula Le Guin's books, with a mention of my show and a big picture of the bright yellow dragon which also graced my posters and flyers for the show.

Last but not least, the show offered an opportunity and and excuse to send out nicely designed html email invitations featuring some of my work, to all the publishers and gallery owners in Wellington, along with a great bunch of friends, business contacts and fellow artists. Over the six days, I had a total of 246 visitors come through my show, which, for a little self promoted first show at Thistle Hall, strikes me as a fairly solid number. :)

Fun was had, and valuable lessons learned. But now, back to web design!

Asni: Multimedia Art & Design:: http://webdesign.asni.net :: http://www.asni.net

Planning your Site: The How

In my last blog, I talked about two of the most important questions you ought to ask yourself when planning your website: "Who will this site be for?" and "What do I want them to do?"

In this blog, I will look at some of the most obvious tasks a website can perform for you, and the technologies that are needed to make those tasks possible.

Most professional or business websites fulfill one or more of the following functions:

• present information about your work or your products in an easily accessible manner that can conveniently be kept up to date - the "brochure" website
• sell things, either directly through a shopping cart system, or by enabling people to place orders from a product catalogue - the "online shop" website
• offer user interaction: guest books or message boards to leave feedback, search functions to find targeted information, forms to request quotes, online booking systems, online help desks - the "interactive" website
• inform and entertain: blogs about topics relevant to your industry, collections of helpful or fun links, image galleries, online video or flash presentations, interactive games - the "brand building" website

Different technologies are needed to fulfill these different functions: a brochure type site may only require straightforward html/css - though it may be advisable to include features like a search function, login system, or catalogue type features, which would require Php/MySql, or another programming language that works with a database. And unless you are comfortable to update your own html, by using an html editor or even writing your own code, you may wish to have a content management system included, which also requires some programming.

Shopping carts can be installed either as ready made packages - Zendcart or Cubecart are popular systems, though it requires some programming expertise to set them up - or they can be custom programmed. Security is an important issue when it comes to e-commerce applications: you would want to make sure that your client's credit card information will be well protected! The simplest (and free) solution is using the Paypal system. This is only really advisable for shops with relatively few products, but it is a feasible solution if for one reason or another, you cannot run Php/MySql on your web server.

If you would like to interact with your clients via message boards, have "members only" features on your site, enable visitors to do site searches, or even upload content themselves, you will not get around using Php/MySql or one of the other web programming languages, such as ASP. All these features work with an online database, where information can by uploaded, by yourself or even by visitor to the site, depending on how it is set up. The Php scripts then pull this information from the database and automatically write the html code that is at the base of what your site visitors see. Not only does this make site maintenance and updates much faster and more painless, it also allows for all sorts of customizations - to the point where no two people will see exactly the same content when they visit your site! It does require a bit of setting up and programming, and the price tag for an interactive site is therefore quite a bit higher than that for a simple brochure type site or even an online shopping cart.

Flash is another technology which is very prominent on the web. Flash has got a bit of a bad name in some web design circles: not just because of the infamous (and once so popular) "Flash intro" that takes fifteen minutes to load and is a surefire way to make most prospective visitors click on to the next site - but mainly because sites which are built entirely in Flash, cannot be indexed by search engines. Obviously, this is not good for your search engine ranking! A Flash site essentially is a self contained file that is embedded in an html page. Search engines only read html, they do not read Flash - so any keywords you display within your Flash site will be invisible from the search engine's point of view.

The beauty of Flash, however, lies in using Flash components within an html context. Flash also comes with its own very powerful programming language, Actionscript 3.0. It is an essential technology if you wish to include rich multimedia content in your site: music clips, video, slide shows, animations, little interactive games or even just a few cool buttons that do interesting things.

Asni: Multimedia Art & Design:: http://webdesign.asni.net :: http://www.asni.net