Creation-1

The Genus online business system has initiated a massive improvement over it’s “Sitewalk” feature.  In Sitewalk the user can edit the website without going in to the back end WYSIWYG editor; essentially editing the site from the front end.

Utilizing Abobe’s InContext editing, the process is much more intuitive and robust.  There are no more pop up windows for text fields.  You are actually editing the content directly into the website!  Sitewalk will be phased out in 12 weeks after the current beta trial is completed.  Give it a go on your own by logging in to your site and going to Website–> InContext Edting.

If you don’t have a Genus site you can always try a no obligation free trial and see for yourself here.

Take your spell check to the next level with After The Deadline for Firefox.  If you are like me, you type fast and often.  I don’t have much time to proofread my material between the blogging, coding, meetings, and family activities that make up my day.  After the Deadline doesn’t just spell check your work, it considers the context of your phrases and even helps you avoid common writing mistakes.

I just read a Great Article at Problogger.net about 30 Valuable Lessons Learned Using Social Media For Small Business.  The article reiterates a lot of the advice that I personally give to small business owners.  Especially the advice about blogging and focusing on the outlets that will be the most powerful for your business.

We have started a new user group on the popular social networking site Biznik.  The group  Basecamp users is for new and experienced Basecamp users to help each other collaborate more effectively.   The plan is to have discussions around the subject of Basecamp as well as other 37 Signals products such as Highrise and Campfire.  We will publish articles and in the future hold events revolving around the use of Basecamp and how it can help you work more effectively.  Join now and participate in the conversation!

I recently published on Biznik about spam prevention on your wordpress powered website. Take a look here!

If you are a design agency or webmaster with a lot of clients using WordPress this is a great plugin.  The plugin allows your clients to contact you for support inside the Wordpess admin.  This is a great way to stay connected with your clients and encourage a line of communication with them!

This post serves as a reference for how to set up your email on several different devices and email programs wether your website is hosted on Media Temple or with Creation-1.

Set Your Email up With:

• Outlook 2007

• Windows Live Mail

• Apple Mail

• Iphone Mail

• Blackberry

• Entourage

I recently published an article on Biznik titled How To: Choose a Web Host. Take a look and hopefully it will help you make a more informed decision!

This runs right in line with the previous post about how mobile devices will soon be the primary way people connect to the internet.  You can now maintain and blog on your WordPress site using your mobile device.  If you have an Android powered phone, a Blackberry or an iphone you can conveniently use an app to add posts and edit content on the fly!  Watch the videos to learn more.
WordPress for Android:

WordPress for iphone:

Wordrpress for Blackberry:

I have been hearing a lot of clients, project managers, art directors and even designers refer to the “fold” of a website. Besides the most obvious fact that you cannot fold a monitor (yet), I think there are a lot of misconceptions created when you apply the concepts of print design to web design.

1. The UI is completely different. You cannot scroll down a newspaper.
2. Unlike a newspaper you cannot control the location of  “the fold” due to the diversity of devices.
3. The way people interact with a newspaper is completely different than a website.  Multimedia is approached differently by the brain- we tend to scour it more aggressively.

While as a guideline it is good to put some essential information at the top of the page, it does not mean you need to put ALL of the information at the top of your page.  While you want the user to know who you are and what you do; you also need to have them look around your site for more.

To read more about this subject I recommend taking a look at the Iampaddy blog article Life below 600px which also gives an interesting perspective on the issue.