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Last Weeks Twitter Updates for 2010-08-30

August 30th, 2010

  • Long distance Phone Calls through gmail… for free WHOA! Watch out skype cause as soon as it's on ipad/iphone!!! http://bit.ly/djtfp5 #
  • So there will never be a Point Click Philadelphia The city wants to charge bloggers tax!? http://bit.ly/almDnR #
Posted in Twitter Updates

Part 1: Preparing Your Website for Advertising

August 25th, 2010

photo credit: carol.am - "Alright, just a little to the left. No! No! Your other left! Perrrfect."

By Matt Cook
Point Click Media

If you’re a blogger, media outlet or any other form of web publisher, you know that one of the most traditional and stable methods of generating revenue is through simple web based advertising. Just like any newspaper, magazine or television show, there is commercial support to keep the product running – and your website is no different.

So where do we start when preparing a website for online advertising?

When putting together the credentials for web advertising there are a few things to consider. The first is to consider your content and where advertising should be placed so that your advertisers can get the biggest bang for their buck. Of course, as much as revenue is important, it’s equally important that the content of your website not be comprised. Remember, it’s content that keeps people returning, not a page full of ads.

Take time and study your website when choosing ad placements and have others use the site as well to get feedback. By doing this you’ll begin to figure out which parts of each page on your website garner the most eyeballs and thus have the most earning power. For example, websites typically charge more for advertising that is placed “above the fold” or “above the scroll” – meaning advertising that is placed high on the page so that a user doesn’t have to scroll down to see it.

Blending advertising in with your content is also an excellent way to combine both content and advertising towards a single revenue goal. Society is growing increasingly immune to the constant bombardment of ad after ad and slogan after slogan. This requires publishers to get a little bit creative. By targeting advertising and incorporating it into your content, you stand a much better chance at having interaction between your users and your advertisers. For example, if your blog or website is about movie reviews, you may want to begin targeting movie theatres or rental stores, etc.

After you’ve identified what portions of your website would be the most appealing to potential advertisers, you’ll need to take the next step and decide what kind of guidelines your advertising will need to follow.

Next week we’ll be looking at choosing ad types and sizes for your website. Is your current website layout not quite ready for advertising? It may be much more ripe than you think. If you’d like some help with the review process, contact Point Click Media.

Posted in Web Tools

Verifying Your Website’s Accessibility

August 18th, 2010

By Matt Cook
Point Click Media

Accessibility includes many functions and many forms. So how can you tell if your website content is indeed accessible to everyone? There are more than a few tests and methods that one can and should take to ensure that their website is not leaving anyone out in the cold.

1. Drop that mouse, mister…

The very first test is the keyboard test. Not everyone has a mouse or it’s quite possible that they may have trouble using one. Try navigating your website with only your keyboard and see how you make out.

2. The screen reader feeder

A screen reader is a piece of software that reads the contents of a web page and provides speech for those with visibility problems. A screen reader can be a costly piece of technology to acquire just for testing your website, but most have free trials that should suffice.

3. Magnify this!

Loading seo etc.

Try viewing your site using the magnification tool. This tool is available on both Windows and Mac. The magnification tool does exactly what it suggests, allowing the user to zoom in on parts of a page like a magnifying glass.

4. Check your website for validation

If you’ve hired a web development firm to design and/or build your website, then chances are this should have been done for you during the process. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, most browsers have additional plug-ins and add-ons that allow you to check for valid website code. You can also try the W3C’s Markup Validation Service. Invalid code can interfere with the ability of assistive technologies to properly interpret your site.

5. Watch your language

Sort of, but not really...

Sort of, but not really...

Not everyone is a Harvard graduate with a 4.0 Grade Point Average. There are a variety of different languages and reading levels among the population so it’s important to take this into consideration. Now, it’s not very realistic to expect your website to have translation for every language on earth, but the main part of this exercise involves identifying your main demographics to make sure they aren’t ignored. If you’re concerned about how your content is written or how it may be interpreted by your visitors, it may be a good idea to hire a copywriter. Often, copywriters are experienced in appealing to different audiences and a good copywriter should have no problem verifying your content or making adjustments for you.

If your website can stand up to the above tests then you should remain confident that your site is quite accessible. Of course, how far you take your usability study is up to you. There are no definitive checklists that outline exactly what you need to do to be labeled “certified accessible”. All one can really do is take the proper precautions to ensure that every user gets the most out of their visit to your website.

If you’d like to chat more about accessibility and how you can improve your website, contact Point Click Media.

Posted in Web Tools

An Introduction to Accessibility

August 11th, 2010

By Matt Cook
Point Click Media

What do you think about when you hear the word ‘accessibility’? Is it just another web buzzword that sounds important? Let’s break it down into its two parts – Access and Ability, or to sum it up in a phrase, the ability to access.

The web is great for so many reasons. I mean of course besides the abundance of lolcats and fail blogs.

Yes really. On the web everyone can essentially be treated as equals regardless of location, ethnicity, physical disability or social background. For business purposes you can communicate or sell to a deaf, wheelchair-bound person in Cameroon just as you could to the guy standing at the cash in your physical store right now. The web breaks down so many barriers that otherwise make the world a pretty socially awkward place.

Hi Screech, great party!

photo credit: dno1967 - kind of like the 1980’s

As the web evolves though, new challenges keep popping up with regard to accessibility. In the early days of the internet, web pages were quite simply text with a few images used sparingly. Accessibility was pretty simple, so long as you could afford the equipment to do so. Now, with the majority of people owning some sort of device that connects to the internet, it has grown into an information hub for our everyday lives, incorporating text, imagery, sound, video and more. But with the addition of these new features comes accessibility problems. The hearing impaired will have difficulty with audio clips. Those with vision problems may have trouble reading smaller text or watching videos. Granted, technologies are constantly being developed to ensure worldwide accessibility to the web, but until worldwide web accessibility becomes a reality, it’s up to each of us as independent website owners to make sure our content is accessible.

Why should I care about such small demographics?

For starters that’s a pretty narrow-minded statement. Accessibility doesn’t lend itself only to the physical features of the people using your website. It extends even to the products we use to visit the web. Are you aware that your Mac reads even the simplest of web pages different than a PC? Suddenly our demographic isn’t so small.

Second, if you have any sort of social conscience at all, you certainly don’t want to discriminate. It’s good business to open your doors to everyone.

Third, it could very well become the law. Just as in most municipalities it is a law to have a wheelchair ramp or some other form of entry to your location for the disabled, such laws could very well make their way to the web. In 2006, retail giant Target was locked in a 2-year court battle over website inaccessibility to the visually impaired. They ultimately ended up settling the case but the precedent exists for more of these cases to pop up in the future. Do you want to take that kind of risk? By planning out your website beforehand  to contain accessible information, you avoid the much more costly solution of jury-rigging a solution down the road.

Next week we’ll examine what to look for on your site to ensure accessibility.

Posted in Web Tools

Last Weeks Twitter Updates for 2010-08-09

August 9th, 2010

Posted in Twitter Updates

Dealing with Negative Comments on Your Website

August 4th, 2010

By Matt Cook
Point.Click Media

The old adage that there’s no such thing as bad press isn’t entirely accurate in today’s world. Look no further than Apple’s recent antenna problems with the iPhone 4. Just ask Steve Jobs and the Apple shareholders what the cost of bad press is. You thought you were insane for remortgaging your house to buy an iPhone? Just wait until the next version is released and you have to sell your family and both kidneys to help recoup Apple’s losses. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Branding Tips

Last Weeks Twitter Updates for 2010-08-02

August 2nd, 2010

  • Should almost make this required reading before we take on a new client! http://bit.ly/9iwDGJ #
  • Finally launching a sneak peak at our new Branding today, Checkout our twitter page or this post on the site http://bit.ly/dsISRT #
  • Can you tell the difference between Arial and Helvetica? harder then you think! http://bit.ly/p8BFX #
  • Wow! Bristol Group is going into receivership! Always sad to see an institution go down! http://bit.ly/9eqQ8e #
  • Yay Netflix is coming! Although from the looks of things Rogers would rather they didn't! http://bit.ly/9cd2nV #
Posted in Twitter Updates