The SitePoint TRIBUNE #306 Copyright (c) 2004 November 5th, 2004 PLEASE FORWARD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - News, Rants and Case Studies for Web Design Professionals by Matt Mickiewicz ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Note: This newsletter is supported solely by advertisers like the one below. We stand 100% behind every ad that we run. If you ever have a problem with a company that advertises here please contact us and we will try to get it resolved. -- Matt Mickiewicz IN THIS ISSUE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Introduction: Happy Birthday, Banner Ads! - Editor's Perspective: Cut Costs, Improve Service - What's New on SitePoint! - Hot Forum Topics - New Blog Entries SPONSOR'S MESSAGE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The PHP Anthology Volume I & II The PHP Anthology Volume I and Volume II by Harry Fuecks provide best practice object oriented PHP solutions to over 100 commonly encountered Web development problems, including: - Send and parse emails using PHP - Build an online calendar - Create a user-authentication system including permission levels - Prevent SQL injection attacks - Back up your database tables using automatic scripts - Code professional error handling routines - Use sessions to authenticate and track visitors - Convert HTML documents to PDF on the fly - and much more... it's the ultimate reference for serious PHP Developers! Buy the books, download Sample chapters, view the Table of Contents at: -> http://www.sitepoint.com/books/phpant1/ <- INTRODUCTION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Happy Birthday to the banner ad! It's been 10 years since the first banner ad was used. There is debate over who actually used the first banner, but HotWired have claimed their place in history. Banner ads have had their ups and downs, but seem to have performed better recently as designers figure out that, like any ad, a banner has to be relevant. In this edition of the Tribune, we'll consider the key focus of businesses around the globe. Any smart business person will try to do 2 things on an ongoing basis: 1. Cut costs 1. Improve the quality experience for their customers I'm trying out a Voice Over IP (VoIP) phone at the moment that's achieving both. I always know when the latest technology is about to move into the mainstream -- it's when a fairly non-tech person like me can figure it out. My thinking is "If I can do it, anyone can!" Google is the Holy Grail for many Website owners and marketers, and for good reason. My own experience over the past years tells me that a site's success can be won or lost on the back of either a high Google ranking or an Adwords campaign. And there's nothing worse for Web owners than for a previously high-ranking site to be wiped from Google. But there is a way to get back those rankings. For details, keep reading. The Firefox browser is on the move in some high-profile ways. Today, we take a look at the latest strategy the Firefox team has used to get their product to the masses, as well as growing blog phenomenon. Happy Reading! Brendon Sinclair mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] EDITOR'S PERSPECTIVE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - GET REINSTATED ON GOOGLE Given the power of Google, it's no wonder so many site owners and marketers devote all their time, energy and resources to ensuring a high ranking. On some occasions, the site owner will outsource the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) work on the assumption that the so-called experts can gain higher rankings. But that's not always the case. Some unscrupulous SEO companies have used techniques for initial high rankings that have resulted in sites being removed from the Google database -- always a big shock to the unsuspecting site owner whose business is wiped out. Google Answers have some great threads going on how to get reinstated. They're well worth a look: http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=378789 [1] http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=365207 [2] But, like my mother always says, "Prevention is better than cure!" So, on her behalf, here are my top 3 tips for finding a top Search Engine Optimisation firm: - Look at previous results - Results are everything! - Talk to previous clients - Is the company easy to deal with? Do they work within timeframes, etc.? - Do they guarantee to use only search engine-compliant strategies in the optimization process? The Search Engine Buyers Guide [3] ($149 USD) has useful pricing charts for 121 world-wide SEO Firms, a survey of tactics they use, a list of prominent clients for each firm, and much more. CUT COSTS, IMPROVE SERVICE A few of my own ecommerce Websites focus on the US market, and, recently, I've toyed with the idea of providing a US phone number to make it easier and cheaper for site visitors to contact us. If it's easy and cheap, the likelihood that the visitor will call is greatly increased. And, if the visitor calls, the likelihood of a conversion increases. After a bit of searching, I signed up with www.sipphone.com [4], a US-based company that has provided me with a virtual number (for about $6 US a month) and calls, which can be purchased in blocks based on your business's needs). I also bought a phone from top Australian provider www.ozvoip.com [5] (for $160 Australian dollars). Now, my ecommerce Websites offer a New York number to prospects who have support/sales questions. That number diverts to the IP phone sitting on my desk here in Australia. The solution means better service for our customers, and increases our sales. An added bonus is that now, our long distance and mobile (cell) phone calls are about 50% cheaper than those we'd have made over traditional phone line. This saves us about $2,500 per year. The increased quality of these solutions, and the movement of VoIP technology towards plug-in-and-go functionality, will see the popularity of these kinds of services explode. Cutting costs is a huge issue for most businesses, and VoIP promises some substantial savings. THE POWER OF INSTANT COMMENT The recent US election demonstrated the power and popularity of Web logs (blogs), some of whose online audiences rival those of traditional media organizations. According to ComScore Media Metrix, The Drudge Report (http://www.drudgereport.com/ [6]) pulled almost 1 million visitors on Tuesday -- 30,000 more than the New York Times on the Web! People want interesting, exciting and up-to-date content. As blogs provide that, they're set to become an even more significant part of the Web landscape. [1] <http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=378789> [2] <http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=365207> [3] <http://www.sherpastore.com/c/a.pl?1136&p.cfm/1759/> [4] <http://www.sipphone.com/> [5] <http://www.ozvoip.com/> [6] <http://www.drudgereport.com/> SPONSOR'S MESSAGE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Flash Anthology: Cool Effects & Practical ActionScript * Want to learn Flash or upgrade your skills? The Flash Anthology will teach you how to: - Create & customize dozens of Flash effects - Validate Flash forms - Use CSS in Flash - Work with external data - Produce graphs & charts - Build a simple blog reader application - Debug your code quickly and easily - ... and much more! Download three free sample chapters at: http://www.sitepoint.com/books/flashant1/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FIREFOX ON THE MOVE Firefox, the browser attracting users at a rapid rate, continues to gain pace. The folks at www.spreadfirefox.com [1] have just finished a campaign that called for donations to fund a full-page ad in the New York Times to celebrate the approaching release of the full Firefox browser. All donors will be listed in the ad. With that sort of exposure -- and what appears to be a more organised marketing strategy -- Firefox looks set to be a major contender in the browser wars. To take a look at Firefox, visit http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ [2] THE PERFECT SALES LETTER The link for the Interactive Sales Letter I mentioned in the last edition of the Tribune was incorrect -- sorry about that! Here's the correct link: http://www.interactivesalesletter.com/discount_code/salesbooster/ [3] [1] <http://www.spreadfirefox.com/> [2] <http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/> [3] <http://www.interactivesalesletter.com/discount_code/salesbooster/> WHAT'S NEW ON SITEPOINT! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - How To Code HTML Email Newsletters by Tim Slavin Browser idiosyncracies, spam registers, and various mail clients are just some of the pitfalls that must be faced by email marketers. Make sure your HTML email gets through with Tim's essential how-to. http://www.sitepoint.com/article/1422 Build A Simple Style Switcher in CSS by Laurence Veale Allow users to see your site the way they want! With CSS and your favourite server-side language, you can build a functional, cross-browser compatible style switcher that improves accessibility and the user experience overall. Laurence shows how it's done. http://www.sitepoint.com/article/1420 The Four Essentials of Modern Web Design by Jason Foss Web Essentials 04, a 2-day conference held in Sydney, Australia, invited speakers such as Dave Shea, Douglas Bowman and Russ Weakley to explore the four key pillars of Web design. Jason was on-site, and provides a snapshop summary in this review. http://www.sitepoint.com/article/1417 Product Strategies To Boost Your Web Business by Andrew Neitlich Products overcome the fundamental flaw of services: they aren't limited by time. Augment your service offering with resalable products and watch your profits grow. Andrew explains why - and how - to do it! http://www.sitepoint.com/article/1416 HOT FORUM TOPICS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Norton blocking ads on my site! <http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=205421> Smack! 9 Year prison sentence for spammers! <http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=207612> Questions about Google's AdWords Conversion Tracking System <http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=207272> Working for Equity <http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=207211> 1-800 Numbers... <http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=205499> NEW BLOG ENTRIES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Selling Web Design Services Blog: DOWN TO BUSINESS Back to the THREE fundamental principles of a sound marketing and sales strategy (5 comments) <http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=207696> The best gigs to get, and how to get them (8 comments) <http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=207189> Two other lessons from the panel of top producers (1 comments) <http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=206773> Lessons from a panel of top producers (7 comments) <http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=206194> Java/J2EE Blog: THE DAILY GRIND The Grand Tour: Servlets <http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=207676> Flash Blog: GO FLASH GO! Macromedia Releases Latest Installation of the DevNet Series (1 comments) <http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=207445> PHP Blog: DYNAMICALLY TYPED A Development Infrastructure for PHP (14 comments) <http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=206854> Open Source Blog: OPEN SOURCERY Messaging Anti Abuse Working Group <http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=206899> Design Blog: PIXEL PERFECT Artist-in-Action (5 comments) <http://www.sitepoint.com/blog-post-view.php?id=206941> ADVERTISING INFORMATION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Find out what thousands of savvy Internet marketers already know: email newsletter advertising works! (You're reading an email ad now, aren't you?) Find out how to get YOUR sponsorship ad in this newsletter and reach 78,000+ opt-in subscribers! Check out http://www.sitepoint.com/mediakit/ for details, or email us at mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] HELP YOUR FRIENDS OUT - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - People you care about can take charge of their Website by effectively using the information and resources available on the Internet. Help them learn how - forward them a copy of this week's SitePoint Tribune. ADDRESSES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Send suggestions and comments to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, send a blank email to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] The Archives are located at: http://www.sitepoint.com/newsletter/archives.php SitePoint.com is hosted by Rackspace and VenturesOnline: http://www.rackspace.com http://www.venturesonline.com The SitePoint Tribune is hosted by SparkList: http://www.sitepoint.com/newsletters/sparklist/ The SitePoint Tribune is (c) 1998-2004 SitePoint Pty. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 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