Here's a post where I think I can offer some resources to my fellow classmates.
Assignment 3 in Web Design Tools didn't take me very long to complete. I feel pretty comfortable with HTML, because I learned it this summer. I don't consider myself proficient by any means, but I have a solid understanding and can work my way through HTML and CSS with a little bit of reference material.
Here are my suggestions for anybody that wants to learn HTML (and I think everybody should):
Notepad++
There are several notepad applications that are better than what comes with your OS. For Windows, I really like Notepad++. The best thing about it is that if you open an HTML document (right click the .html and select "Edit in Notepad++") it maintains the HTML structure and colors your tags to make everything easier to read.
Codecademy
This is an awesome place to learn HTML and CSS (and other languages!). This is where i learned HTML and CSS this summer, and have learned a little JavaScript. Everything is broken down into easy lessons with immediate feedback. They've made it feel like a game so that you stay interested in what you're doing. I think it took me a week or so to complete the HTML and CSS tracks. I highly recommend people do this.
W3Schools
This is a great reference for HTML and CSS. Anytime I forget something and need a refresher, I go to w3schools. The site also has several tutorials, but I like Codecademy more for learning and w3schools for reference.
W3C Markup Validator
I love this validator. It will validate your HTML and tell you if it's broken or if it doesn't adhere to standards. The link above leads you to the Direct Input Validator, so you just paste your code into the box and hit the "Check" button. This can help you catch mistakes in your code.
These are my top tools and resources. I hope that someone out there finds them useful!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
I've gotta stop working for free
My title is only a joke, of course. I enjoy helping my friends and family to strengthen their digital presence. It also gives me a chance to practice what I'm learning in Professor X's class.
My newest side-venture is helping my buddy's brother to promote his new arcade. Kevin owns a retro arcade and he wants to get younger people to come check it out. Unlike Sam, Kevin doesn't have much time to manage his website, so he needs to keep it simple.
We decided on an approach similar to the one Sam took, except Kevin will only be using a Google+ business page. We decided on Google+ over Facebook for a few reasons. One of the big reasons is to integrate the business with Google Maps and Search results. If anybody searches on their computer or smartphone for a video arcade in Dallas, Kevin's Google+ business page will show in the results.
Google+ is also heavily integrated into Android smartphones and it's popular among young nerds (Kevin's key demographic!).
With the Google+ business page, we've already been able to create an event for Kevin's grand opening and post a video of his arcade. It's very easy for Kevin to add videos and pictures or chat with his customers on this page.
I created the initial page for Kevin and showed him how to update it. Google makes it very simple to update the page and see information like how many visitors you've had.
I created the initial page for Kevin and showed him how to update it. Google makes it very simple to update the page and see information like how many visitors you've had.
Feel free to check out the site here.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Already dishing out advice
So my brother, Sam, just bought a bar. Sam knows that I'm pretty savvy with computers, and that I'm taking a class on web design. He has come to me for advice on creating a digital presence.
The first thing we did was sit down and discuss what he hopes to get out of his online presence and what his options are. We had to take into consideration Sam's return on investment, as well.
To help guide Sam along, I showed him a list of online presence options from my Web Design Tools class and we discussed each.
Types of Digital Presences:
Brochure - This is just a simple web page that can help people find his bar. It would offer basic details about his bar, like how to get there and when they're open. This kind of information needs to be on Sam's site, but I think he needs more.
Informational - This site would keep people updated with frequent information, like a blog. I don't think most people want to hear what their local bar owner thinks, so this isn't much help to Sam on its own. It sure would be nice to keep people updated on ongoing events, though.
Media - This kind of site displays video, audio, or pictures. I think this could be a good complement for Sam's site, but doesn't do much for him by itself.
Data Gathering - These sites want you to sign up just so that they can learn information about you and try to sell you something, or sell your information to someone else. Sam wants people to buy his food and alcohol, so our goal is getting them into the bar. Sam has no use for a data gathering site, although collecting certain data can be very helpful. If Sam knows a customer's birthday, why not invite them to celebrate their birthday at his bar?
Interaction - This is a site that allows users to interact with each other or the site. I think we could do something with this. We want customers to feel like everybody knows their name at Sam's bar.
eCommerce - This is a website where you buy stuff. Right now Sam doesn't sell anything but alcohol. He can't sell that online.
Promotional - We're all about promoting Sam's bar, so this is a must.
After going through our options, we decided it was best for Sam to set up Business pages on Google+ and Facebook. Both of these sites are free to setup and maintain. Because Sam is family, I told him I would create both for free. He's a busy bar owner, but he's single, so he can update the sites in his free time. With their robust content management systems, even Sam can update these pages.
Using Google+ will ensure that people searching Google or Google Maps for a bar close to them will get plenty of information about Sam's bar. Facebook allows people to "like" his bar, spread the word to their friends, and interact with each other online.
Sam can post the same content on both sites, so that it doesn't matter where someone finds the bar, they'll get plenty of information!
Between these two websites, we cover all of the digital presences Sam and I discussed, except for the eCommerce, which wasn't important to Sam.
The last thing I recommended to Sam was to purchase a domain name and setup a redirect. Sam purchased www.cheers.com (wow, it wasn't taken!) and I will help him redirect it to his Facebook business site. If his web presence needs to expand in the future, he can always build a site of his own.
Overall, Sam is spending very little money on his web presence (just the cost of his domain), so his return on investment is high. Sam and I agree that this is the best approach for his bar.
The first thing we did was sit down and discuss what he hopes to get out of his online presence and what his options are. We had to take into consideration Sam's return on investment, as well.
To help guide Sam along, I showed him a list of online presence options from my Web Design Tools class and we discussed each.
Types of Digital Presences:
Brochure - This is just a simple web page that can help people find his bar. It would offer basic details about his bar, like how to get there and when they're open. This kind of information needs to be on Sam's site, but I think he needs more.
Informational - This site would keep people updated with frequent information, like a blog. I don't think most people want to hear what their local bar owner thinks, so this isn't much help to Sam on its own. It sure would be nice to keep people updated on ongoing events, though.
Media - This kind of site displays video, audio, or pictures. I think this could be a good complement for Sam's site, but doesn't do much for him by itself.
Data Gathering - These sites want you to sign up just so that they can learn information about you and try to sell you something, or sell your information to someone else. Sam wants people to buy his food and alcohol, so our goal is getting them into the bar. Sam has no use for a data gathering site, although collecting certain data can be very helpful. If Sam knows a customer's birthday, why not invite them to celebrate their birthday at his bar?
Interaction - This is a site that allows users to interact with each other or the site. I think we could do something with this. We want customers to feel like everybody knows their name at Sam's bar.
eCommerce - This is a website where you buy stuff. Right now Sam doesn't sell anything but alcohol. He can't sell that online.
Promotional - We're all about promoting Sam's bar, so this is a must.
After going through our options, we decided it was best for Sam to set up Business pages on Google+ and Facebook. Both of these sites are free to setup and maintain. Because Sam is family, I told him I would create both for free. He's a busy bar owner, but he's single, so he can update the sites in his free time. With their robust content management systems, even Sam can update these pages.
Using Google+ will ensure that people searching Google or Google Maps for a bar close to them will get plenty of information about Sam's bar. Facebook allows people to "like" his bar, spread the word to their friends, and interact with each other online.
Sam can post the same content on both sites, so that it doesn't matter where someone finds the bar, they'll get plenty of information!
Between these two websites, we cover all of the digital presences Sam and I discussed, except for the eCommerce, which wasn't important to Sam.
The last thing I recommended to Sam was to purchase a domain name and setup a redirect. Sam purchased www.cheers.com (wow, it wasn't taken!) and I will help him redirect it to his Facebook business site. If his web presence needs to expand in the future, he can always build a site of his own.
Overall, Sam is spending very little money on his web presence (just the cost of his domain), so his return on investment is high. Sam and I agree that this is the best approach for his bar.
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