WEB DEVELOPMENT BLOG

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June 18, 2008

Tips for installing Google Analytics on Case and other Web servers.

There comes a time in every Web maintainer's life when the boss or client asks to see the Web stats for the past 6 months/year/5 years or what have you. Ideally you or your server administrator set this up long ago; you—being equally keen to understand the usage patterns of your site, and to use that knowledge to improve your content—check them on a regular basis, and can provide the information immediately. Then again, if you've been busy building and updating sites, this may be one of those projects that has been patiently waiting on your to-do list. If your server doesn't have analytics software pre-installed, and you've not yet installed any yourself, now—before the boss asks—is the time to do so.

June 08, 2008

Plurk: Social Media Marketing in Action

Something interesting happened last Sunday. Plurk, a new social network, grew it's subscriber base from a handful of beta users to over 2,000 in one day. Since then they've continued to grow exponentially. As a marketer, and one of the 2,000+, I think it's been a fascinating process to watch. In this one week we've seen some very effective marketing strategies in action. Back in March I shared my reflections on social media networking and marketing, but that was more a tale of slow growth. Plurk's rapid growth gives us a chance to look at some of the techniques they used and see how effective they can be.

May 28, 2008

Meme: How has blogging impacted your work?

While driving home tonight I began pondering this week's blog entry. As I considered various topics, my mind wandered back to the events of the day—events that included more than the usual number of e-mail and phone calls, many of which included some mention of the blog. Sitting in traffic I started thinking about how this blog has impacted the work I do here at Case Western Reserve. This in turn made me wonder how blogging impacts others. To find out I'm starting this meme.

May 20, 2008

Things we can learn from del.icio.us—for use in our marketing endeavors

Last week, while catching up on podcasts, I listened to Can Social Networking Build Your Brand?, Jason Schwartz's presentation from SXSW Interactive 2007 (View his slideshow). Jason crammed a lot of interesting ideas into his 25 minute presentation (to which you should listen), but his references to de.licio.us, similicio.us and Technorati got me thinking about what a tremendous resource de.licio.us can be.

May 18, 2008

Uploading files with Dreamweaver (WebDAV)

If you've been using Dreamweaver to upload files to a Web server using FTP, and you're about to start using WebDAV—either because of the Case Web server upgrade or because you're looking for a more secure protocol than FTP—you'll find that using WebDAV with Dreamweaver is quite similar to using FTP. Simply follow the directions below to configure your sites.

Uploading files with the WebDrive WebDAV client for Windows

Whether you're about to start using WebDAV because of the Case Web server upgrade, or you're just looking for a more secure protocol than FTP, you may have heard that it can be tricky to use on Windows XP or Vista. WebDrive, available to Case faculty, staff and students on the software center, simplifies the process. Those of you in the habit of using stand-alone clients like WS_FTP for transferring files will find this a convenient and easy-to-use alternative.

Uploading files with the WebDrive WebDAV client for Windows

Whether you're about to start using WebDAV because of the Case Web server upgrade, or you're just looking for a more secure protocol than FTP, you may have heard that it can be tricky to use on Windows XP or Vista. WebDrive, available to Case faculty, staff and students on the software center, simplifies the process. Those of you in the habit of using stand-alone clients like WS_FTP for transferring files will find this a convenient and easy-to-use alternative.

May 15, 2008

Introduction to WebDAV

Here at Case Western Reserve University, we're about to upgrade our primary Web server. Part of this upgrade involves changing the way we upload content to the server. Where in the past we've been using FTP, beginning Monday, May 19, 2008, we'll be using WebDAV. WebDAV has been growing in popularity over the last few years and is now provided as an option by many Web hosting providers. Those of you using FTP on Case or other Web servers may wish to check with your network administrator or Web hosting provider to see if other protocols such as WebDAV are available.

May 13, 2008

The Web server upgrade happens May 19, 2008. Are you ready?

The main Case Web server, Aurora, will be upgraded on May 19th. If you're an end user you shouldn't notice a thing, but if you maintain a Web site on this server there are a few things you should prepare for. If you maintain a Case site and have not read about the upgrade in Case Daily and received email notifications from the Aurora managers, please read the following.

May 04, 2008

5 reasons your blog should have an editorial policy

While the medium is different, blogs have much in common with magazines. They're published periodically, can accept subscriptions (via RSS feeds), may (or may not) accept advertising and typically focus on a particular topic or niche. If you blog, you have some notion of your topical area in your head, but have you defined it for your readers? If not, it may be time to take a page from the magazines and define a clear editorial policy for your blog.

April 20, 2008

Embedding YouTube Videos the Standards Compliant Way—SFWobject 2.0

As video becomes easier to produce, more and more people are creating and sharing videso online. Whether you are a professor demonstrating your research, a student working on a film project, or me creating how-to instructions, you've realized that there are times when video can enhance your Web content. Back at the turn of the century, embedding video was complicated. Streaming required a special server, you had to decide what format(s) you wanted to stream, then you had to provide links to whatever software users might need to view your video—in case it wasn't already installed on their computers. With YouTube, that's all changed. Now you can just go to the YouTube page for the video you wish to embed, copy the coding they provide, paste it into your html file or blog entry and publish the page. It's just that easy—unless, like me, you care about adhering to Web standards. In that case, it requires a few more steps, but don't worry, they're not that complicated.

April 15, 2008

Maximize your marketing through blog networks and aggregator sites

Lately I've noticed that I've been subscribing to more and more blog networks/aggregators. As a reader I like these because they help me discover blogs I might not have heard of otherwise. As a blogger and marketer I like the aggregators of which I'm a part or a similar reason; they put my blog in front of new readers -- readers who already have shown an interest in my topic.

April 03, 2008

How did I get by before Firefox Add-Ons?

Last night, whilst catching up on my RSS feeds, I discovered Paul Fenwick's video, "How to Fix the Web with Greasemonkey in 3 minutes." The video offers some clever tips on how one can use the Firefox add-on, Greasemonkey, to make Web sites (not just yours) behave the way you wish. I was particularly amused by the way he made MySpace content disappear. But it also reminded me of just how dependent I am on Firefox add-on's.

March 17, 2008

Reflections on social media networking and marketing

These days everyone seems to be talking about social networking and/or social media marketing. Until fairly recently these were topics for tech nerds and Web marketers, but now more and more people are wondering how they can use Facebook to market their programs or products, or how Twitter can be leveraged as a tool for campus communication. I don't have an immediate answer to such questions, but I thought this would be a good time to reflect a bit on what I've learned about social media.

February 26, 2008

Wayfinding within your Web site

In Your home page is NOT your index; it's your store front, I discussed some of the goals of homepage design and navigation. Today we'll consider how users navigate within the site. As Wayne correctly surmised when commenting on that entry, the pages inside your site are like the aisles or departments within a store. Each page needs to be identified so that users know both where they are and where they can go.

February 14, 2008

Common Craft's Plain English Video Series

Alas, I've not yet finished the article I had planned for this week. In the meantime I highly recommend the amusing and informative videos produced by commoncraft. These easy-to-follow videos cover a variety of Internet related topics and provide a great introduction to everything from RSS to photo sharing.

February 01, 2008

Social media opportunities for Web Developers at Case

Do you ever wish you could network more easily with your fellow Web developers at Case, and beyond? If so, how would you would you want this to work? Would you want to communicate by listserv as the writers do with wordnerds@case.edu? Would you follow discussions on the Case Forums? Or would you want something more robust?

January 16, 2008

Your home page is NOT your index; it's your store front

Space. Designers want to preserve it and clients want to fill it up. Whether you're a designer, a writer or a client you've all participated in this debate. What goes on the home page and what does not?

January 11, 2008

Tips for Nonprofits Meme

Elizabeth Able, of Able Reach Arts and Web Development, recently started a blog meme in support of nonprofits that have an online presence. She asks that we write one tip on ways nonprofits can benefit from having an online presence and have others do the same.

Our new addition

The Office of Marketing and Communications is pleased to welcome Gina Prodan, to our Web development team.

January 03, 2008

CaseLearns: 2008 Spring Semester Classes

Registration is now open for spring classes at CaseLearns. Whether you're building your first Web site, adding a podcast to your blog or just want to learn something fun, CaseLearns has a number of options available.

December 26, 2007

Web Content: Not just YOUR words and pictures

If they read what you write, they may also want to read what you read. Webmasters and bloggers know this. That's why we'll embed links within our text, build pages with links to recommended sites and/or add linkblogs to our side bars. In a world where most of us don't have the time to research and write everything we'd like to share, such resources add value to our existing content and give readers guidance on where to look for additional information.

December 10, 2007

Voice and Tone: Writing to reflect your personality as well as your message (Part 2)

When I first broached this topic in October, I wrote about tone. Today, I'll focus on voice, that certain aspect of writing that conveys the personality and/or style of the writer. Unlike tone -- which is geared to your goal and audience -- voice is about you, the writer. Just as your speaking voice remains recognizable under different circumstances -- whether you're reading stories to small children or arguing about the gift return policy at the mall -- so, too should your written voice.

December 05, 2007

Copy Writing: Long vs. Short, Does it Matter?

Torc waterfall, Killarney National Park Today's my third day back at work after my vacation in Ireland. I have a number of ideas for upcoming entries, but as I started cleaning up the blog comments that came in while I was gone, I saw an interesting question that had been posted on the Web writers: What are we? entry. Mike asked: What role does long form copy writing have in writing B2B copy for the internet? I must say I am confused. The 'weight' (if not quality) of opinion from largely self-proclaimed internet guru writers is that long form...

November 17, 2007

Out of Office

I'll be out of the office until December. If you have questions related to content development for your Case Web site, event postings, news stories or announcements in Case Daily feel free to contact the Office of Marketing and Communications. If you have questions regarding the username and password for your account on the main campus Web server (Aurora) contact webmaster@case.edu. If you need to transfer your account to a new maintainer, fill out an account application form and indicate that it is a transfer. If you have questions about uploading files to your account, review the entry on Uploading...

November 14, 2007

A picture is worth a thousand words, but that's not always enough

How to add captions to images in Photoshop On the Web it is preferable to place your caption in the HTML. If that won't work and your captions are long, you should also link to a place providing a description of the image and an alternative rendering of the text. Colleagues of mine are involved in a project that involves adding captions to photographs. Like many of you, they aren't full-time designers and haven't spent a great deal of time using Photoshop. While they know how to crop and resize photos, they've not yet worked with type. For those...

November 08, 2007

Usenet Newsgroups: Anachronistic Service or Useful Communication Tool?

Earlier this week ITS announced that it would be taking down the Usenet news server as of December 5, 2007. In a fit of nostalgia, I opened up my newsreader (Mozilla) to leave a farewell message on cwru.general. Oddly enough, my message got a response; others (not many) were still using Usenet! This led me to wonder what had happened to newsgroups. Did the generation that grew up on the Web not know about newsgroups, or did they know about them but prefer the Web? In this age of Web 2.0, where some update their Facebook status by the hour, users pose questions on discussion boards such as http://forum.case.edu, and writers merge their Twitter, Pownce and Jaiku posts into central RSS feeds that can be shared on their Tumblr blogs, is there still a place for Usenet news?

October 30, 2007

Don't build your Web site in a vacuum

This is the fifth in a series of posts that discuss Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and other Web marketing strategies. This week we'll go beyond the Web.

October 11, 2007

Voice and Tone: Writing to reflect your personality as well as your message (Part 1)

Last week someone posted a question to the WordNerds group regarding the importance of voice and tone in writing. In particular she wanted to know how to convey the importance of voice and tone to colleagues who aren't professional writers. Not having covered this topic previously I thought I'd give it a go.

October 01, 2007

CSS Tip: Positioning photos with floats

In the past I've discussed how the use of photos can enhance a Web site, but I've not discussed the code one uses to incorporate them. On campus, and elsewhere, Web designers use a variety of techniques to include their photos.

September 25, 2007

Podcast Recommendation: Boagworld

As many of you know, I have something of a podcast addiction. My iPod contains everything from the video mischief of Mr. Deity to the probing intellectual discussions of In Our Time--which returns from summer hiatus this week. I listen to these while walking about campus, driving around town or when trying to fall asleep at night. Alas some of these podcasts are ill-suited to the fight against insomnia. Instead of lulling me into slumber, they taunt me with ideas that I want to tinker with right away. One such Podcast is Boagworld, "the podcast for those involved in designing, developing and running Web sites."

September 07, 2007

Linkbait: Tasty morsels to entice readers

It sounds nefarious doesn't it? Makes one think of "bait and switch" or that run-down old bait store by the lake—the one where they store the containers of nightcrawlers in the same cooler as the egg salad sandwiches. Blech.

August 28, 2007

An Introduction to Web Standards

I've recently come to the conclusion that a great number of Web developers either don't know about Web standards, or simply don't care. For those who aren't already aware of the standards I'll offer a brief introduction along with resources for additional information. For those who don't care, or who are anti-standards, I'll offer some examples as to why I feel they're important.

August 09, 2007

Enhance your reputation & increase traffic by joining discussions on other blogs

As you know from my earlier post on commenting, people (and robots) like to leave comments on other people's blogs in order to provide links back to their own Web site.

July 27, 2007

Using blogs and Web pages to raise your professional profile

Yesterday Jeremy Smith and I gave a presentation to faculty entitled, "Using blogs and web pages to raise your professional profile."

July 23, 2007

Web 2.0 & Social Networking can enhance "findability"

I do not profess to be an expert on either Web 2.0 or social networking, but last week I was involved in some discussions that made me want to learn more, so I decided to jump in and do some exploring.

July 13, 2007

An Introduction to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Part 1

This is the first in a series of posts that will discuss SEO and other Web marketing strategies. Before we dig into our first discussion of SEO, it is worth remembering that search engines are not the only way visitors get to your site.

July 06, 2007

Image Formats 101: From Bitmaps to Vector Art which do you use when?

Since we released the logos on Monday, I've received a number of questions regarding file formats. The .gif files I made for the Web are pretty easy to use, but many of you are also incorporating logos into your print projects, and aren't sure which version to use when. To help you choose the best format for your project, here is a bit of background on the differing file formats and some recommendations on their use. Follow the links within the text to learn more about each of these formats.

July 02, 2007

The logos are here! Updating the logo on your Web site

Since the new logo was announced many of you have been asking when the new files will be available and what will be involved. Well today is the day!

June 17, 2007

My Web Development Tools

Aaron Shaffer recently posted a link it up of the tools he uses in his business, so I thought I'd share a list of the tools I use most often in Web development and related projects.

June 12, 2007

When one image just won't do; incorporating slideshows on your Web site. Part 2: Flash

ast week, I showed you one way to make a slideshow for your Web site using an existing javascript. Today we'll build a slideshow in Flash.

June 06, 2007

When one image just won't do; incorporating slideshows on your Web site. Part 1: Javascript

It's funny how people get the same idea at the same time. Last week I had two different people ask me how they could use a slideshow instead of a still picture on their Web site.

May 08, 2007

The Comments Conundrum

One of the cool things about blogs—in comparison to regular Web sites -- is the opportunity users are given to comment on the material. Instead of merely reading the marvelous things you have to say, readers can react to your ideas by sharing their own opinions and insights.

Kevin has left the building

Kevin Adams has recently left the university to take a Web development position in the corporate world.

April 25, 2007

Converting Word documents to HTML

While I write my own copy for this blog, and some of my other sites, much of what I post on the Web is written by others. This material comes to me in a variety of formats, from Open Office to .pdf files, but most of it is in Microsoft Word, and all of it needs to be converted to HTML. There are a variety of ways to do this, but I'll just review three, two common approaches and my preferred method.

April 19, 2007

Embedding Flash Objects for Internet Explorer

Due to a lawsuit between Microsoft and Eolas, Internet Explorer no longer processes