5 Cloud Computing Myths Busted

According to Wikipedia Cloud computing is an expression used to describe a variety of computing concepts that involve a large number of computers connected through a real-time communication network such as the Internet. So what are the myths?

#1. The Cloud is one entity

People often talk about ‘the Cloud’ as if it is just one entity, service or solution housed in one location. There is a common misconception that when you put your data in the Cloud, it is going to sit in one place alongside the data of everyone else who is using Cloud computing.
The reality is that ‘the Cloud’ has almost become a buzz word used by IT people over the last number years. There are many definitions of Cloud computing but in general terms ‘the Cloud’ is a service or pool of services accessed over the internet. Typically Cloud services are run out of large data centres spread across the world. Which data centre your information is stored in depends on the provider and solution you choose, so be sure to do your homework on this.
There’s no definite figure on how many data centres are in the world but some estimates put it at around 500,000.

#2. Cloud means the end of hardware

Although Cloud services can really make a difference to your hardware footprint, you will always need some sort of device to access your applications and data. While Cloud can do away with many things including the need for numerous on-site servers, businesses will still need PCs, laptops, tablets or smartphones to access data.
Hardware is also required even if you are running your entire business in the Cloud. For example, in our own company, all of our phone systems, wireless access points and firewalls are Cloud-based. While these still require some hardware, the management of these systems is done through the Cloud which makes configuration and monitoring of performance much easier.

#3. Cloud Computing is not secure

There is a lot of hype surrounding this myth, particularly in the wake of spying revelations earlier this year. However, it is important to point out security is at the heart of the vast majority of Cloud solutions; this is why choosing your provider carefully is important.
The reality is that most businesses cannot compete with the level of security that is offered by Cloud providers given that they have teams of security experts working 24/7. The amount of time and money invested into securing both the technology and the physical locations is unparalleled.
If a business is particularly concerned about access to their data, private Cloud or hybrid solutions can provide some extra peace of mind. However, the reality is that once the correct policies are in place (necessary encryptions, two-factor authentications, data protection legislation etc.) the level of security you can get with Cloud solutions is often far superior to what would be practical at a local level.

#4. Cloud is cheaper than traditional IT

Many of the arguments in support of Cloud technologies are based on the notion that Cloud is cheaper than traditional IT. I am asked every day whether Cloud can bring costs down and the real answer to this question is: it depends. The price you will pay for Cloud services will vary according to the type of business you run and the solution you need, the amount of users you have and the security that you need in place.
Similarly, moving to the Cloud also brings about a lot of hidden costs such as migration and integration costs, potential bandwidth upgrades and investment in staff training for new systems. While all of this may add up to more than what you currently spend on IT, it is important to remember the added value that Cloud solutions are bringing to your business. This includes increased flexibility for remote working, greater team collaboration and improved back up and disaster recovery.
Cloud should be looked at as a business enabler rather than a simple replacement for traditional IT. And while it could end up being marginally more or less expensive than your current spend, the ability to pay on a per user per month basis makes it easier for businesses to manage and predict costs in the long run.

#5. Cloud is the answer to everything

Many Cloud advocates would have you believe that the answer to every IT problem is Cloud. This is simply not true. In fact, more often than not, Cloud services are the answer to business process issues rather than IT troubles. There are still a number of industry-specific applications and software out there that may not be 100% compatible with Cloud technologies. As Cloud is not an ‘all or nothing’ solution, you can easily move some elements of your business while keeping others on site for the time being.
My advice would be that if you are curious about Cloud technology and want to explore options for your business, do it one step at a time. Keep it straightforward and begin by moving simple systems like email and disaster recovery to the Cloud.  This will allow you to get familiar with the technology and make informed decisions going forward.

What To Look For When Hiring A Webmaster For Your Company Website

A business’s website is a crucial component of their marketing efforts and needs to be updated with the latest information and products that their business offers. When chosen properly, a webmaster can turn a business’s site into a very profitable tool.
The webmaster should be able to look after all the key aspects of a site including the design, its development, server management, and web marketing. If you feel you are spending too much time working on your website and not enough time focusing on the part of your business that you actually enjoy, it may be time to consider hiring a webmaster.

Below are a few things to look for in a webmaster for your company website.

# 1. Impressive portfolio

Look for someone who has experience with building websites from the ground up. Make sure to take a look at their level of design and programming functionality.

• If their portfolio doesn’t impress you, chances are, neither will they.
• Ensure that all potential candidates are at the very least, equipped with an updated and impressive portfolio.
• Go for a professional who is well-versed with the latest techniques and trends in graphic design, website building, and coding.

# 2. Timely delivery

A great webmaster is able to consistently deliver projects within the given time-frame. Even if the webmaster is expensive to hire, your company will save money in the long run if he or she is capable of doing more in a given period of time.

• Your webmaster should also be able to implement changes in a timely manner.
• Whether you’re updating property information on your main website or simply adding product photos to a blog, you need it done quickly.

# 3. Responsiveness

Another important quality of great webmaster is their ability to handle request submissions in an efficient manner. A good webmaster should be able to respond to submitted requests on time.

• A complex website project may involve an entire team of professionals including web designers, web developers, coders, copywriters etc. A good webmaster should be proficient in getting on well and acting responsibly with the team working on the project.
• Hire someone that does webmaster work as a full time profession rather than a part time hobby. Your turnaround time will be much quicker with someone who is available during regular business hours.

# 4. Knows your business

You may not find a webmaster that has an expert understanding of your industry, but strive to find someone who will take the time to understand your business. It is important they know what you are trying to accomplish with your site so they can implement your ideas effectively.

5. Technical expertise

Having someone that is accountable and can take care of all the technical aspects of running a website can save you a lot of headaches. Experience with servers, databases, and domain configurations are essential for any webmaster.
Your webmaster needs to understand about keyword research and integrate the words your customers are using into the copy and the coding of the website. This will again result in more visitors, more customers and more sales. Take these suggestions into consideration the next time you find yourself looking for a webmaster for your company website.

15 Ways To Win The SEO Battle

SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” Search Engines use processes to identify content to match a user’s search query. Website owners use SEO in order to be identified by these Search Engines, and so increasing the traffic to their website and potentially escalating sales and profits.
All major search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing have such results, where web pages and other content such as videos or local listings are shown and ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users.

Google

Google is the most popular Search Engine at present, Google logs 2 billion searches a day. However, it has never released full details of its SEO Algorithm (the actual process by which Google searches through websites). Below is a useful You Tube clip of Google’s Webmaster explaining how Google search works:

So, from experience and vast research over the last few years I have compiled a checklist which I use regularly (almost daily at this stage).

SEO Checklist

This SEO checklist includes the most essential checks that one should make before publishing a website online and should be updated regularly. SEO is a constant battle and requires constant monitoring and updating and so this check list will help to focus on the most important aspects.

 Keywords

• Complete an extensive keyword analysis to find words relevant to the industry/product/niche.
• Create high quality content which will be searched by search engines.  However, remember that this content must benefit your website’s users in some way. Pointless content dilutes your brand’s message. Ensure that content is added regularly – a blog/latest news section on website would aid this.
• Add unique titles and descriptions to each page of the website.
• Add important keywords to page titles, meta-descriptions and the HTML headings (H1-H6) Again remember that these will be seen by users to it is important to write these to entice the users further into your site.
• Ensure all images on site have a descriptive ALT text included

URLs, Links and SiteMap

• Include important keywords in URLS
• Ensure links are SEO friendly. Use dashes as opposed to underscores in URLS
• Create links from homepage to each page and vice versa.
• Check that all links work, and bring the user to the correct page. Remove all broken links.
• Registered domain name should contain relevant keywords if possible
• Create XML and/or HTML sitemaps. Submit these to search engines and ensure these are updated regularly.

Analytics

• Ensure Google Analytics account (or other web analytics package) set up and integrated with site by adding the tracking code on all pages of the website. To get full details of how to obtain the tracking code are, click here.
• Develop a strong Link building Strategy for inbound and outbound links.
• Monitor competitor websites
• If using Social Media, make sure these are included on website.

SEO is a cost-effective method to acquire customers. There is no payment to the search engines for being indexed. SEO is useful for generating visitors to your website and so, boosts brand visibility and awareness.
Engaging in SEO forces website owners to have better websites because search engine crawlers recognise errors in code and so correct, valid code is a must, making a better website for search engine crawlers and users alike.
The constant battle of trying to get your website ranking highly in Search Engine results is eased if the basics of SEO are implemented. If your website isn’t search engine optimised, you are missing out!
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door” ― Milton Berle.

Take The Hassle Out Of Tweeting With Twitterfeed

Most businesses are now on Twitter, and many of those are running multiple accounts.
While Tweet Deck is certainly an excellent programme for making the job of multi-Tweeting substantially easier, Twitter Feed, an automated RSS-to-Twitter service that saves you the painstakingly

Twitterfeed: simple to use, and can save you a lot of repetitive Tweeting.

boring and time-consuming task of manually Tweeting your latest posts or other content entries, is another tool in the Twitter arsenal that doesn’t seem to be used nearly as much.
The service works very simply.
You simply enter the RSS feed you want to see Tweeted, authorize the service to access your Twitter(s) by logging in, add a few bells and whistles in the ‘advanced options’ area, and hey presto, you have a fully automated and timely service that will send all your content as shortlinks to your Twitter feed (there’s even an option to let you choose what type of shortlinks you’d like the service to use, but bit.ly links, the gold-standard link-shortening service, is probably the safest option.)
The ‘advanced options’ entry screen allows you the option of adding up to 20 characters before or after the main part of the entry (that is, the link’s title and/or a brief description of what it contains), which is conveniently just long enough to include a mention of your main Twitter username, or a hashtag that you think would be relevant to the post.
This is obviously extremely useful for bloggers and news sources, but can be used to great effect by just about anyone churning about content on a frequent basis.
The service is completely free of charge and also allows you to add an unlimited number of ‘feeds’ to the one, or multiple, Twitter accounts.
One feed can be piped on to multiple Twitters (e.g. a blog that you want Tweeted to a few Twitter accounts you run: personal, business, PR, etc), or multiple feeds can be piped onto the one account. It even lets you choose how many items you’d like added to the account each time the service checks for new items on the feed (the choice is from one to five; three may be a safe bet to both get the posts out while also not spamming followers’ news-feeds).
It’s also useful even if you or your business doesn’t blog/post/add content all that frequently, as even then you can easily forget to add something from one feed to a certain account.
Just about the only downside is that the automated Tweets can’t be customized beyond the generic settings you programme for each Tweet in that feed — custom hashtags and mentions can’t be added to increase a Tweet’s popularity, though you can, of course, simply repeat the same Tweet twice, the second time with all the things you want included after the link.
Overall, no matter what you’re business or industry, you stand to save a lot of time by going through the five minute process of registering and setting up your Twitterfeed at TwitterFeed.com.

Summary: the steps

1 – Register for a free account at TwitterFeed.com.
2 – Find your blog/content’s RSS feed (ask your IT guy or look for the familiar ‘RSS’ logo anywhere around your post or blog homepage).
3 – Click on ‘add a feed’ from the dashboard (the homescreen when you log in) and copy and paste your content feed’s RSS address into the box.
4 – Click on ‘advanced options’ if you’d like to impute certain customizations like mentions after or before the link. Also select whether you’d like to display the title only, description only, or both, and choose a link shortening service to use.
5 – Move on to step two and choose Twitter as your service to pipe the updates to.
6 – Click on the authorize button. If logged in you’ll be taken to Twitter and then automatically redirected to the Twitterfeed setup screen you were on; if not simply log in to Twitter and the same thing will happen.
7 – Click done, and once you’ve hit step three the service is set up.
8 – To cancel or modify the current service, log back in to Twitter Feed and make the changes. Just about any modification is possible: deleting the service, changing the feed, changing the advanced options, etc.
9 – Once content is added to the source (then the RSS feed), Twitterfeed should automatically send the Tweet to your chosen accounts in about five to ten minutes.

Create a diagonal rotation with CSS transitions and jQuery

This article shows us how to turn an unordered list into a rotating diagonal portfolio with CSS3 and jQuery.

One of the hardest tasks any designer undertakes is the creation of his or her own site. It has to be interesting, informative, unique and show the work well. All this while satisfying the toughest critic, yourself.  What set it apart for me was a combination of simple design, extreme focus and technical interest.

I wanted to spend some time on an element that had some technical challenge and integrated well with the site. The diagonal rotating portfolio brought the excitement of taking on a new challenge and paired it with an overall fun way to display content without sacrificing usability. One of the restraints removed from a personal site is dealing with older browsers. Your past work speaks to your ability to code for the IE7s of the world, so your site can really experiment with what’s fresh.  So, let’s dig in and create a diagonal rotation with CSS3 and jQuery.

Semantics and setup

We start with minimal markup. Always make your markup as simple as possible; don’t duplicate elements unless absolutely necessary. Markup should be a semantic outline of your content. With that in mind, here’s all the markup we need:

1. <ul class="portfolio">
2.         <li><img src="img/portfolio-1.jpg" alt="Image 1"></li>
3.         <li><img src="img/portfolio-2.jpg" alt="Image 2"></li>
4.         <li class="feature"><img src="img/portfolio-3.jpg" alt="Image 3"></li>
5.         <li><img src="img/portfolio-4.jpg" alt="Image 4"></li>
6.         <li><img src="img/portfolio-5.jpg" alt="Image 5"></li>
7. </ul>

There is one simple unordered list of images for the portfolio. A class of “feature” is applied to the list item housing the current highlighted image. That’s it for the HTML, let’s give this list some style.

Create only the large form of your images and use CSS to scale down. In this case all the images are 600 x 300.

15. }
16.  
17.         ul.portfolio li.feature img{
18.                 height: 300px;
19.                 width: 600px;
20.         }

This is applying a series of styles to the list item with the “feature” class to override the inherited styles, and also create the other end of the transition. The negative rotation is canceling out the initial rotation of the list. Setting a high z-index will place this image above the other images in the list, don’t forget the relative positioning to help z-index. We’re also increasing the opacity and size. The result is a really unique list of images ready for action.

Scripting

Now that we have everything set up and looking nice, it’s time to get moving. Take time to set up jQuery, then we’re ready to go. Since the transitions are already coded into the CSS, we only need a small amount of jQuery to make this work.

Our transitions are dependent on the feature class, so we use jQuery to switch classes on click. Here’s the code:

1. $(document).ready(function(){
2.        
3.         $('.portfolio li').click(function() {
4.                
5.                 var new_feature = $(this);
6.                
7.                 if (!new_feature.hasClass('feature')){
8.                
9.                         $('li.feature').removeClass('feature');
10.                
11.                         setTimeout(function(){
12.  
13.                                 new_feature.addClass('feature');
14.  
15.                         }, 500);
16.                 }
17.         });
18. });

We start with the click function. Once a list item is clicked, we want to make sure it isn’t already the current li. After we know it’s a new one, we remove the feature class from the old list item. This causes a transition to occur shrinking and rotating the element back into the structure of the list.

The setTimeout function allows the transitions to occur sequentially as opposed to simultaneously. Once the first event is complete, the clicked li begins to grow and rotate into the values of the feature class. The change in features is complete.

Once you get the basics of the transitions down you can experiment with other properties. You can fade in information about the feature elements or add in next and previous buttons, even apply keyboard shortcuts. The combination of jQuery and CSS3 is a strong partnerships that leaves the door for creativity wide open.

This is just a small step into the world of CSS transitions. Just in the past week I’ve seen amazing examples like beta.theexpressiveweb.com. It’s a great time to be involved in front-end development. I would love to see what you come up with, don’t hesitate to email your experiments.

50 Stunningly Creative Interactive Flash Websites

In the world of Flash-based web applications, there are an endless number of possibilities. Flash is a platform which allows for creativity to flow into a website. Interactivity is one factor that sets Flash websites apart from the rest. Here are 50 amazing interactive and creative Flash websites for your inspiration.

Zune Journey

A mind-blowing and beautiful website with amazing interaction and illustration.

AgencyNet Interactive

This is a very impressive portfolio, made by AgencyNet Interactive. The site acts as an interactive office floor, each room containing information.

The Corona Beach

This is a quite exceptional website and very beautiful. It is based off Papervision3D interaction.

National Grid Floe

A visually stunning site with shocking detail nice colors.

Coca-Cola Happiness Factory

This site has beautiful illustration and a very creative story board which makes for an interesting experience.

Quit Doing It Labs

This site incorporates real characters, with a green screen technique, into a surreal environment.

The Eco Zoo

This site has amazing 3D graphics and a uniquely awesome style.

Help th Honey Bees

This is a fun and interactive marketing portal from Haagen-Dazs.

Naked

The portfolio of Naked, this site is very inspirational as it takes on the 3D environment of a house.

M Studio

This layout is quite unique and well-though t out. It is clean and creative at the same time, and is very easy to navigate through.

Carlos Polo

This portfolio is absolutely stunning. It mixes huge typography, interactive but usable navigation, and character movement for a very cool user experience.

Sprite Test Laboratories

A marketing portal from Sprite, this site is very user oriented and fun to navigate through.

Hope Garden

Hope Garden uses colorful illustrations based on simple shapes in a visually elegant layout.

Own Your C

The OwnYourC campaign has a cool website with unique content navigation and great transition effects to accompany it.

Pink Floyd

This layout effectively displays the albums of the band in a very interesting an uniqe layout that works for the theme of the band.

White Void

This interactive 3D layout makes good use of the Papervision3D interface.

Spectra

This awesome interactive application from MSNBC is a great user experience and a unique content organization tactic.

Halo 3

A mind blowing visual experience that portrays the story.

Get The Glass

A playful interaction that entertains the user.

Patagonia – Tin Shed

An extremely creative and smart layout with great transistions.

Grand Palais

This site is built off a pre-rendered video, but still contains interactive features. Web-based graphics don’t get much better than this!

XBox 360

A playful application with colorful illustration and a well-structure theme.

Janek’s Favourite’s

Very creative and interactive content navigation.

&Co

An amazing corporate website with amazing navigation.

Speak Visual

Extremely creative and flowing navigation and a layout that fully represents that purpose of the site.

BK Design

A cool and seemless floorplan interactive environment.

SectionSeven Inc.

A great horizontal layout that moves very smoothly.

Dave Werner

Good visuals, an interesting colouge layout, and nice interative layout.

Ford Flex

An interesting application with good illustration and a creative visual esperience.

Epsonality

A clean visual representation of information and content.

C-Ville

A micro-site that is fun to explore and very creative.

Sport Chalet

A cool interactive mountain layout with illustration based on simple shapes and a good color pallete.

Base X

A realistic interactive environment with a good layout.

Got Milk?

An action-packed layout with very skilled paper style illustration and moving objects.

Nokia Evolve

A seemlessy flowing interaction that efficiently represents the product through visuals.

American Airlines

This site “shows the user” through graphical elements instead of “telling the user” through text.

Lowe’s Sunnyville

A visually stunning interface and a story board that the user has full control over.

Starbucks at Home

Another site with beautiful graphics that work harmonously to form a seemless layout.

Red Interactive Agency

An original portfolio where the user has complete control.

Bad Luck-O-Meter

Information turned into a fun and user-involved game.

M&M’s Join the Hunt

Beautiful and smooth, this site is also fun to explore.

Malibu Rum

Cultural and colorful, this site is a great representation of the company’s purpose.

Let Your Worries Go

This site is visually pleasing and is a very realistic outdoor environment.

Nokia Music Almighty

An all around well-done and interactive interface.

JBL

A very unique layout that goes perfectly with the theme.

Navy Lifestyle

A large and complex site with lots of interactive area to navigate through.

Happy Greenville

A creative hand drawn style with nice colors and a welcoming theme.

The Albion Group

An awesome board layout with clickable objects.

Jeremy Levine

An excellent navigation with great graphical elements.

General Electronics

Beautifully detailed illustration and excellent user interaction.