I found your article while doing a search about sitemaps, so I figured I’d see what your take on it is.
I work at an agency that does small business websites, some as small as 5 or 6 pages, like an online brochure. I know sitemaps are useful, and help with SEO, but it’s part of our standard design to put text links to each page in the footer of each page. I think a sitemap page with 5 links on it is kind of silly, and a waste of space. Should we continue with the sitemaps or do the footer links suffice in those cases?
Thanks a ton!
I agree. Sitemaps are really useful when there is a lot of content in a web site – if you have a really simple site, it is probably overkill.
In the following video I answer this question and more importantly, I go into the broader issue of the importance of learning the code behind the web pages – HTML and CSS:
Trying to build websites without a good understanding of HTML and CSS is like petting your cat’s fur the wrong way … it’s a recipe for disaster!
This is interesting news for web designers as it seems Safari is even getting traction in the Windows world:
Apple said Friday that more than 11 million copies of its new Safari 4 web browser have been downloaded in the first three days of its release, including more than six million downloads by users of Microsoft’s Windows operating systems.
Some interesting points about the new Safari 4:
– It uses the Nitro JavaScript engine that executes Javascript code several times faster than IE 8 or Firefox 3.
– Safari (according to Apple) renders HTML three times faster than Firefox 3 or IE 8.
And for Mac users, this is an interesting point:
With the release of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard this September, Safari will run as a 64-bit application, boosting the performance of the Nitro JavaScript engine by up to 50 percent, Apple claims.
Besides the speed improvements, Safari 4 has some really cool features like the Topsites feature that basically gives you a large thumbnail preview of recently viewed web pages.
In the following video, I go over the two basic ways to insert video into your web pages:
1. Using a site like Youtube.
2. Embedding the videos directly using a Flash video player.
I also get into the video formats you can use to embed video in a website:
1. Flash FLV
2. H.264
3. Quicktime video
4. Windows WMV
For details and pro’s and con’s, watch the video:
As you probably noticed, I am using Youtube to deliver this video as part of an ongoing experiment. If you can’t see the video, it is probably because your work place is blocking Youtube. Let me know and I will release another copy of the video on the killersites.com servers.
These are part of my new growing collection of Javascript video tutorials that aim to teach total beginners how to read and write practical Javascript.
I would like to point out that I’ve invested in making the sound for these videos as clear as possible … so let me know what you think.
Since killersites.com is largely a web learning portal, I figured that I should outline my top 5 learning tips.
Tip #1: Making mistakes is normal. Actually it can be a good thing!
When it comes to web design and web programming (PHP, ASP etc) making mistakes is par for the course. Even old web-nerds are constantly correcting errors, so don’t sweat it. Actually, making mistakes can be a great way to learn. I actually recommend that people ‘break’ things on purpose to see how errors occur in a controlled manner.
… This will soon teach you how to better read errors which in the end, will save you a lot of time in your work.
Tip #2: Be patient
Web design can sometimes be a frustrating process, so one of the most useful qualities of character you can develop is patience.
There are plenty of articles on how to build an e-commerce website. The problem is that they speak to web-nerds and not to the business people who want to build on online business.
This article speaks to those not so tech savvy entrepreneurs.
What we want to do:
The goal is to create an e-commerce website that builds a business using all the cheap and free tools available in the market today. One great thing about the nerd driven computer revolution, is the strong sense of community and desire to give opportunity to the masses.
Because of this freely available cheap and/or free technology, it is just so much easier today to start a business than it was just 15-20 years ago.
These are some of the questions this article will answer:
What are the components of an e-commerce site, and how do you best get those components into your web site?
With the economic crisis is in full swing, many have been laid-off or are about to be laid-off, and are now looking at new ways to make a living. Web design is a great choice.
Why is web design a good choice?
I imagine people could come up with many reasons (don’t be afraid to list them in the comments) but for me, it comes down to a few simple things:
Web design as a profession is growing as quickly as the Web itself continues too grow. The future of business is on the Web, and Web technology continues to evolve as well. That means there will be an increasing need for web designers for the foreseeable future.
Web design is an open market. No corrupt associations and fake certifications are required to jump in. All you need is dedication, a strong portfolio and a touch of talent. You got to love a true meritocracy!
Web design does not require a huge investment to jump into the game. There is no need for expensive equipment or ultra expensive training. Your home computer and some free or inexpensive software … and you’re on your way!
So, how do you land that lucrative web design job?
