Came across a great online Web Magazine yesterday - http://www.digital-web.com/

I’ve been facinated at the number of magazines dedicated to the industry coming out. It really just proves the need for experienced professionals across all things web related, and what a great way to keep up. It currently looks like they’ve dealt with everything from Web contractors, to AJAX, to CMS systems etc…

Looke like a great read and I look forward to reading on…

It seems that most major technology companies are turning to large content delivery companies to optimize the speed of their messages to users. Right now, there is none bigger than Akamai Technologies. I’ve used Akamai’s services at a couple of the agencies I’ve worked for and find them constantly as the silent partner for most of our larger clients.

In short, Akamai Technologies is a tech company that is a prime example of the rich profits that can be made on the Web’s plumbing — the data centers, servers, and services that keep rising levels of data traffic moving smoothly.

Perusing BusinessWeek today, I noticed they published a great article detailing the history and general workings of the company. Overall it seems like they are the true cash cow of the previous and current internet boom. While companies are experiencing almost more success online than ever, you cant help but make the connection to the hardware and IT services needed to push that content to the consumer. Furthermore, as broadband has exploded - Akamai’s services are more necessary than ever.

Check out all about them and their services in the BusinessWeek article here.

Stumbled across an interesting web resource today outlining a few color schemes. Whether you are looking for inspiration, or need someone to dictate a color pattern to your narrowing colorblind eyes - this site could be for you.

Check out the Color Schemer here.

If your working on projects like I am, you’ll likely think they have a great collection of eye-catching color, but there if a definite lack of more subdued corporate brands colors. Also, Im not clear if they are all Web-safe?

We are reaching a point in history where using the internet is becoming a crucial part of living a normal life. Pay your bills, reach out to firends, research local businesses, even store and invest every dime to your name.

There came a point in history where the courts mandated that all businesses must pay attention to the handicapped becuase of the necessity for them to live a normal life with parking, bathrooms, firecodes etc… Are we now hitting that point in history where that is becoming necessary for the internet?

It certainly appears that way. Target Corp. is now being sued because their site was not accessible to the blind. I say good for the blind, but for those other interactive project managers out there, its time to brush up on the accessibility standards!

Article: Court Denies Target Corp. Request to Dismiss Suit

Interesting new tracking tool that provides a heatmap of your page in indicating where users are clicking. I’ll be interested to see if this is a fancy new method of “site overlay” that comes with most metric tools these days. Either way, simply looking at things in new ways can help to spark new ways of thinking. Should be cool.

Check out http://www.crazyegg.com/ for more info.

As modified from AMA:

Interactive marketing is the presentation of information through mediated technological means and mutual, relatively immediate, interaction between consumers and marketers.

The Jist:
Instant Marketing Gratification (relatively speaking of course)

Well, its finally here - the new Jakob Nielsen book. If you’re in the industry of Web design and anything like me, his last book - Designing for Web Usability was the first thing you read. Back in early 2000, Nielsen books were considered THE standard to Web design.

I have to say the fundamental principles of his books haven’t changed and I feel are very relevant to today’s market. However, his old examples simply don’t hold water anymore with too many holes. The websites of the past 6 years are just that, the past. Websites today have whole new focus on user interactivity and technologies that are allowing us to do just that.

I for one, am glad he’s come out with a new relevant book and am looking forward to reading it.

On a side note, if you haven’t subscribed to his newsletter at useit.com, I would highly suggest it. Take it as you will as some of the findings are interpreted opinion, but its usually pretty good stuff.

I recieved this comment to a previous post I made about some of the analytic tools I preferred. While I cannot certify its content as wholey accurate, I can tell you it makes a WHOLE lot of problems with that tool over the last 5 years make sense and thought it was interesting enough to bring to the front page. Thanks Robert!

Robert writes:

As a former webtrends employee, I agree with your prediction that they will continue to slide downhill - hopefully accelerating madly.

Their root problem is that they lost their way and forgot who they were. Thefounders wrote a cool little applet, brought in some other people they worked with to provide support, and then were damned by their success.

WT had built up great customer loyalty by 2000 when I was hired by them as a support engineer. By that time the pieces were in place for their demise. Instead of Eli driving the ship, he handed the reins off to the PR flacks, who were given authority to dictate release schedules, basing them on key marketing events rather than on product readiness.

For that matter, they discouraged actually documenting errors in the analysis - or anything else that might impede their marketing schedule - in favor of offering some tortuous explanation to placate customers.

Oh, in fairness, I am a disgruntled employee - my performance was found to be substandard 18 months after I started. I’m sure it was due to my gross incompetence and not the fact that a couple of weeks previously I accidently discovered that Kristi Reagan was involved in a scheme to falsify Webtrends’ income.

Came across this article today surfing a few online publications on “What users hate the most about websites.” - Infoworld in particular… While most readers might utter the word “duh” in while reading this article, I think its a great reminder to help us re-evaluate the obvious.

Their top five were:

1. Invasive advertising: Cunnington says users widely despise ads that cover content, ads that flash wildly and ads that chew broadband.

2. Re-inventing the wheel: people do not want to have to learn how to use a site before they can browse it, Cunnington said.

3. ‘Leap of faith’ links: that means disclosing information on content and file size.

4. Attention-deficit Web sites: “Users have a special hatred of flashing icons and banners, because they draw the eye away from what is important and hinder their progress,” Cunnington said.

5. War and Peace length: “A common mistake in Web design is to just [convert] a brochure to the Web. But the Web is its own medium, and communication has to change to reach users. Users are known to read 25 percent slower on the screen than on paper, read fewer words and don’t like long pages which require scrolling down,” she said.

For more information, and to read the whole article visit Infoworld at:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/06/14/79274_HNhateaboutwebsites_1.html

Yesterday CNN announced that “All Websites are Alike.”

Yea, yea, in the words of “The World is Flat” the web is one of the great “flatteners”. However, I can’t help but be a little insulted that they persist in saying:

All Web sites are alike. Regardless of their owners, they can all do the same set of things. In that fact lies the profound crisis facing all aspects of the media industry.

It doesn’t matter whether a Web site’s owner once focused on publishing newspapers or magazines, broadcasting television or radio, making music or producing movies, or even selling soft drinks. Any Web site can host text, audio and video, it can facilitate connections and communication between users, and it can enable those users to create and display their own text, audio or video.

Why yes it can. Thats one of the great things about the web. Even those funny start-ups can put together a banging site and dazzle the world. The real question is, using these content types and functions, how do you choose to do something new and interact with your audience? What value does your website provide?

In the mind of a marketer, maybe all websites are alike. However in the mind of a consumer, your website has a very specific purpose - thats why they are there. Provide and understand that value and you’ll meet success. Make that customer happy, and regardless of your site “functions”, the right customers will always continue coming back.