Web Management

Have you noticed those funky square pixellated graphics that are starting to appear on products, id tags and print advertising?

These odd blocks are called QR codes and are a way to embed information such as web address, contact info or text message in a way that can be read by a smart phone scanner or even by a website.

Fast Company had an article about them called “What Business Card, Just Scan my QR Code” about how QR codes are used on nametags at SXSW to provide instant access to attendee social sites, share contact info and web urls. The article links to the blog post below with more specifics about how to use them and what they are:

The Three Rules of QR Codes

This post is an extension of three previous posts in which using a mobile device friendly landing page, QR Code size and content were discussed. If you see any additional examples, good or bad, please share them in a comment below.

With support in Chrome, Firefox 3.5, Opera, and Safari, HTML 5 is coming at you like a runaway train. Here are some suggestions to help you prepare to get on board rather than be left at the platform or tied to the tracks.

via A List Apart: Articles: Get Ready for HTML 5.

Just when we thought the dust had settled in the move to accept XHTML as the standard for clean, compliant code, up pops HTML 5. I have been curious about the new tags and how to use them, so this article from A List Apart is very handy in outlining the differences and offering suggestions on experiments to try on your own.

It’s a great feeling when you finally see your new website online. You send an email to your family and friends, maybe even do some print marketing or a press release about the new site.

Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the world to find you… among the other billions of websites out there. How do you reach the many potential web visitors who have never heard of you? By using the power of search engines.

A search for your website by name on Google is one way to measure how well your site is being recognized, but it actually just measures how effective your business name is as a search term.

The key to attracting new visitors is to have your website show up when people don’t search for it by name. When the your site is optimized for search engines, your website will appear when searches are made that include words about what you do, where you are, skills you offer, professional jargon, descriptive phrases and slang terms. These terms are called keywords.

Start collecting a list of keywords for your business and add to it as you go along. Look for opportunities to use keywords on your website as often as possible.

Search engine optimization has evolved into a science of its own, with formulas and strategies unique to the specialty. Consultants and specialists abound. But you can get your website off to a good start by following these 10 basic rules.

1. Review site statistics to find the keywords people use to find your site and build on them.
2. Be consistent – navigation names should match destination page headlines. Page titles should match page headlines as well.
3. Use alt tags to describe each image. This also meets accessibility requirements.
4. Use a title on each link that describes the destination page.
5. Include keywords in links, titles and copy
6. Include misspellings of all keywords, terms and names. Allow for sloppy typing.
7. Link between pages in the website
8. Link to other websites about the topic
9. Provide a site map (Google loves them)
10. Update content frequently.

The discussion of why the City wants free work from aspiring designers rages on. I am delighted to see that our Creative community is standing up for itself. Good job team!

• Twitter discussion on No Spec Work
• Twitter discussion on Spec Work
• On open letter to the City from the Portland Ad Federation
• Discussion on the topic at the Silicon Florist
• The Ass Redesign 09: Design contest for a well-used posterior
• An example of web design you get for free