All about RSS ???

What is RSS?:

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is the main format used to syndicate web content primarily from news sites & blogs. Think of RSS syndication as similar to the news feeds/stock tickers that scroll along the bottom of your television screen when you watch a news channel. Various information is gathered (in the case of blogs, new posts are gathered) then aggregated (or put together) as a feed & displayed in single location (a feed reader).

Why is RSS Helpful?:

RSS simplifies the process of reading blogs. Many bloggers & blog enthusiasts, have a dozen/more blogs they visit on a daily basis. It can be time consuming to have to type in each URL & move from one blog to another. When people subscribe to blogs, they receive the feed for each blog they've subscribed to & can read those feeds in a single location through a feed reader. New posts for each blog a person subscribes to are displayed in the feed reader, so it's quick & easy to find who has posted something new & interesting rather than searching each individual blog to find that new content.

What is a Feed Reader?:

A feed reader is the software used to read the feeds people subscribe to. Many websites offer feed reader software for free & you simply access your aggregated feed content through a username & password on that website. Popular feed readers include Google Reader & Bloglines.

How Do I Subscribe to a Blog's Feed?:

To subscribe to a blog's feed, first register for an account with the feed reader of your choice. Then simply select the link, tab/icon identified as 'RSS' or 'Subscribe' (or something similar) on the blog you'd like to subscribe to. Typically, a window will open asking you which feed reader you'd like to read the blog's feed in. Choose your preferred feed reader & you're all set. The blog's feed will start appearing in your feed reader.

How Do I Create an RSS Feed for My Blog?:

Creating a feed for your own blog is easily done by visiting the Feedburner website & registering your blog. Next, you'll add code provided by Feedburner to a specific location on your blog & your feed is ready to go!

What is the Email Subscription Option?:

There may be a situation where you find a blog that you enjoy so much you want to be notified via email each time that blog is updated with a new post. When you subscribe to a blog by email, you'll automatically receive an email message in your Inbox each time that blog is updated. The email message includes information about the update & directs you to the new content.

How To Increase Earning Potential of Google AdSense

When you include Google AdSense ads on your blog, there is certainly potential to make money, but how? Many beginner bloggers have Google AdSense ads running, but the earnings aren't coming. Follow the steps below to give your blog's Google AdSense program the greatest chance for success & start making money now.


Here's How:

1. Determine your blog's primary focus

Google AdSense ads are most effective when they are served to people who are interested in the products & services those ads offer. With that in mind, Google AdSense tends to work best on blogs that are about niche topics such as a specific product/hobby. Consider how you can make your blog's topic more focused to better attract specific types of readers & specific types of ads.

2. Write consistent & focused content

Google serves ads based on the content on each of your pages. The more focused your content is on each page, the better Google can determine which ads are the most relevant to your readers. Write consistently & stay focused on a specific topic to increase the likelihood that Google will display ads on your blog that your readers are apt to click on.

3. Work to increase your blog's traffic

The more visitors to your blog, the more potential for clicks on your Google AdSense ads. Work to increase your blog's traffic to boost your chances for ad click-throughs. However, keep in mind that if you write focused content, the ads on your blog will be relevant to that content. The traffic that comes to your blog needs to be interested in your blog's topic & your content/they are not likely to be interested in your corresponding Google AdSense ads. Work to drive traffic but make a concerted effort to find traffic that adds value to your blog.

4. Research & test keywords

Google serves ads through its AdSense program based on keywords. Advertisers bid on keywords relevant to their businesses. Some keywords are more popular than others & therefore, drive higher bids. Higher paying keywords also mean higher payouts to you when your readers click on them. The ads served on your site are determined by the content on your site. If you're writing about topics related to higher paying keywords, then you're likely to earn more money from your Google AdSense program than if you wrote about topics related to lower paying keywords.

5. Test Google AdSense ad positions on your blog

You can display Google AdSense ads just about anywhere on your blog. Test a variety of positions on your blog to determine which work best for you in terms of generating click-throughs & maximum revenue.

Tips:

1.Check with your blogging software provider & blog host to ensure your blogging package allows you to place Google AdSense ads on your blog. For example, Wordpress.com doesn’t allow Google AdSense ads.

2. Don't fall victim to the allure of covering your blog in ads to generate income. Blogs that are cluttered with ads are difficult to read & readers typically don't return to blogs where the meaningful content is hidden in between ads.

Track your results to see what's working, particularly as you test keywords& ad positions. This will allow you to develop the best advertising mix to maximize your blog's income while staying consistent to your blog's brand image & overall message to readers at the same time.

4 actions to publish your own blog for free

This day is web 2.0 era where the content generated by user and user freely interact to the application with no limitation. In this post, i'll show you how to publish your blog using free service available on the net. Not only the existence of your blog on the net but i also give you the way how to make your blog to make money from ad service and trackable so you can know how many people visiting the blog.

1. Choose one of free services avalilable on the net, here are the big 3 of popular free blog service:
Blogger.com, owned by google. This engine is massive and the availability is guarantted. Many people use this blog. If you have already google account, so you just signed to blogger.com using google account.
Wordpress.com, this site is outstanding service where the founder just only created blog engine writen in php an acctualy this engine is simple to create but they first so they become millionare now. This blog engine is user-friendly.
Vox.com, owned bye the famous blog publisher sixapart.com. This blog featured with social network.

2. Put ads service on your blog. Your blog can make money from this services. I recommend you use google adsense services. You just put script generated by google.

3. Your blog must be trackable. You can see how many peope visiting your blog and how many people are loyal to visit your blog. I recommend you use google analytics.

4. Tell your friend ablout your blog you have published. And don't forget to do marketing your own blog by registering on search engine or directory service.

8 actions to promote your new website or blogs

Below, 8 actions to promote your new website or blogs for free:

1. Ask visitors to bookmark your site. A quick, low-cost strategy is to simply ask your visitors to bookmark your site, or save it in a "Favorites" list. Visitors who've bookmarked your site can find it faster and are more likely to visit again. The best way to get these visitors to return is to make regular updates to your site.

2. Take advantage of others' forums and blogs. There are innumerable forums, discussion lists, blogs and news groups online. These are comprised of people with specialized interests. As such, you'll be able to find quite a few that are dedicated to what you're selling. Register and post about your online business.

3. Start a blog. Weblogs give you the opportunity to provide your visitors with new -- perhaps more personal or pointed -- content. Let your visitors know what's going on with your store. Or, if you're interesting (or even if not), let them know what you're doing. (Just don't write about the weather that day.)

4. Exchange banners and links with complementary sites. Contact others whose sites are related to yours, and exchange banners and other ads. Remember that there is a difference between competition and complementary sites. Competitive sites aim to take your visitors and your business. Complementary sites sell products that complement the ones you sell -- they do not sell the same products you do. These help you reach a new audience. For example, if you run a DVD store, think about contacting sites that sell DVD players. Customers buying DVD players are going to need DVDs at some point.

5. Get visitors to subscribe to a mailing list. Visitors who sign up to receive e-mails from you are already interested in what you have to offer. It's up to you to entice them to come back and become customers.

6. Send promotions, coupons, updates and offers to your customers. Existing customers are a valuable market for you. Solicit your customers to return by rewarding them with coupons and offers. Keep them interested with updates. You've already reached them -- it's up to you to give them a reason to come back.

7. Tell your friends. Word spreads quickly. Word of mouth is the most effective way to promote and advertise your store. It's as easy as it sounds. Tell your friends -- they're the most difficult customers for your competition to take away from you.

8. Send out online press releases. Press releases are a great way to get some low-cost exposure on your Web site and build up your reverse links for search engine optimization. While purchasing media lists is a consideration, it is not a necessary expense. With some good, old-fashioned detective work, you can find the right contacts. Read your target publications to find appropriate contacts. Their e-mail addresses are usually listed beneath their byline. For follow up, you can usually find the main number on the publication's Web site. If you're following up with a local publication, just pick up the yellow pages.

Tips using RSS on ur Site

RSS stands for "Rich Site Summary" or "Really Simple Syndication", and is another exciting internet marketing method that can help you boost web traffic and skyrocket your sales. When a web site owner wants to share content with other web sites, the content can be placed into an RSS document and registered with an RSS publisher. This content can include articles, press releases, blog postings, headlines, web content, and any other information that the web site owner wants to allow others to read.

Because of the ease of distribution and the potential for unique web traffic, you can use this technique to improve your online marketing efforts. The key to using RSS as a successful marketing tool is to have useful content that engages and informs your intended audience. No one will want to read boring or useless information, and they certainly won't want to pass it on to others. Use the following tips to make your content sizzle so that your target market will keep coming back for more.

Articles for RSS

When you write articles for use in RSS feeds, put yourself in the shoes of your intended audience members. As a busy professional, do you want to read long articles with large blocks of text, or would you rather read short how-to articles and checklists? Write your articles to be long enough to provide at least one important piece of information, but short enough to capture the attention of even the busiest professional.

Consider breaking longer articles into one article series. Instead of writing one 2,000 word article, you can write ten 200-word articles that are more likely to be read. These shorter articles are also perfect for submission to online newsletters and e-zines. In addition to considering length, consider the topics you can write about.

Make sure that your articles are appropriate for your intended audience in terms of subject matter and depth. A beginner audience will get discouraged with overly technical articles and an advanced audience will not want to read simple tips and how-to articles.

RSS Press Releases

Press releases can easily be distributed with RSS, much like other types of content. Your press releases need to be targeted and contain information that presents your business in the best light. You can send press releases out for many reasons including changes in ownership, special events, charitable donations, the addition of new staff members, and an increase in the number of products and services you provide.

If you write just one press release a week, you can see a startling improvement in your web site traffic due to all the one-way links your submission efforts can generate. Using press releases is also a great way to encourage other people to post your information on their web sites.

RSS Blog Postings

Blogs are one of the most effective internet marketing tools currently available. They're also relatively inexpensive and easy to maintain. Blogs allow you to post information about your company, optimize your web site for the search engines, and have customers leave comments so that your web site becomes interactive. When you write blog postings that will be used for RSS, keep the same principles of article writing in mind. Shorter posts are better because people can read them in between major projects or when they want to take a quick break from their work.

You should also be sure to write for your intended audience. Don't overly promote your business in your postings. Instead, give people information and resources that they can use and they'll be encouraged to keep visiting your web site. This can help you build solid customer relationships and improve your sales conversion rate.

RSS Content

There are many other types of content that can be used to promote your business through RSS. You can turn all of your knowledge into tip sheets, special reports, question and answer listings, and almost any other type of content that can be used with RSS. Keep in mind the rules for writing content for a target audience and you can successfully use your content to develop your web traffic and help to improve your sales conversion rate.

Setting Up an RSS Feed

Setting up an RSS feed requires a small investment of your time that can help you see a phenomenal return. If you want to set up your own RSS feed, you'll need to have a server, a database with descriptions of your content, and the ability to use scripting. If you're not able to use scripting or you don't have a server or database set up, you can hire a freelancer to do the technical work for you so you can concentrate on finding ways to make your content available all over the Web.

Once you have everything ready to go, you can find an aggregate, or RSS publisher, to submit your content to for syndication. Many of these aggregates are available and allow you to submit your site under a specific category.

Categorizing Your Feed

When you submit your content to an aggregate, you need to make sure you submit it under the right category. This helps you to make sure your intended audience can access your information.

If you own a sporting goods business and accidentally categorize your content under a home furnishings category, people will wonder why your content is listed and will not be interested in visiting your web site. Review your content and make a list of categories that it might fit into. If you are a freelance writer, you can categorize your content under small business, home business, marketing, web content, search engine optimization, or publishing depending on the type of writing you do.

The important thing is not to pigeon-hole your content into one category. If your content can be used by many different audiences, submit to several aggregates under different categories to see the best return on your investment.

Some ways 2 publicize your blog.

Here are some sites 2 market your blog.

www.blogcatalog.com
www.bloggerforum.com
www.technorati.com
www.blog4info.co.cc
www.mammuonline.tk
www.indiblogger.com

Some ways 2 publicize your blog

1. Answer question in yahoo with signature as your blog link.

2. Participate in maximum number of blogs with signature as your blog link.

3. Register in blogger communities or blog communities (ex. indiblogger)

4. R u an orkut user. Here is another way. Register in blogger communities in orkut and publish your blog link.

5. Mail 2 all your friends and relatives.

6. Register in maximum number of site so that searh engines give more results for your keyword.

Error while editing templates in Blogger???

Hi Friends,

I noticed an error while changing templates in blogger.
I thought that I shall share my experience to you.
When u change a template you will said that many widgets
will be deleted and to confirm that. When you press confirm
it may show an error page.

If this error ouccurs just do one thing.
Change your template to the default templates
given by blogger. Then after that upload your
new template. Its fixed.

Hope this was informative and useful.

9 ways to improve a site

"Your website reads well and you're proud of it. But, you've tried and tried to create something that looks good too, and you can't seem to get it together. You're waiting for rave reviews but none have come your way. Your website is a flop. Not to worry. You're not alone. You want to fix it but you don't have the big budget you need to hire a great web developer. Check out some simple ways you can improve your website and get it into better shape, now!
1. Balance your page

When users enter a website, their focus first starts at the top left of the page, and hovers there before slowly tracking to the right. Contrary to what many think, the web user is focused more on the text of the page, rather than images or graphics. This is where balance comes into place.

Balance will not only make your page more visually appealing, but it will make your page easier to read and items easier to find. A good layout will help the objects on your page to flow.

2. Keep it simple

Less is more. Clean your website up by removing all the unnecessary visual elements. This will allow important items to stand out. Leave some white space on the page. The illusion of space is visually pleasing, as well as easier to navigate. Otherwise, your visitor will get whiplash by darting their head from left to right in an attempt to look at all the information crammed on your screen. Or worse, they'll click out of there in a hurry.

3. Fix your fonts

The size and type of font you select will have an effect on how your reader takes in your information. What font should you use? San-serif fonts such as Arial and Verdana are popular choices for on-screen reading. And keep the size in mind too. The font size should be no smaller than 10 points and no largër than 14 points. You don't want the reader to be able to read the information from across the room, but you don't want them squinting and leaning closer to the monitor either.

4. Clean backgrounds

Go subtle. The background textures and colors you choose have the ability to gauge the overall appeal of the website. Lots of texture and graphics in the background can be distracting, and the more texture you add to the background, the less noticeable your text and images become.

If you're going to use a color on the background, make sure there is a significant contrast between the background color and the text. Strike a good balance, or you may compromise the readability of the text. Make good choices. You will rarely go wrong with black text on a white background. It's crisp, clean, and easy to read. Be cautious when using darker and brighter colors such as red or yellow. They cause visual fatigue and the reader will lose their focus on the text.

5. Graphics

Graphics are often overused on webpages. We often clutter the pages with objects that look cool but serve no purpose other than to increase the download time. Here are some instances where you can use graphics to enhance your pages:

Logo – Your logo is your brand recognition and it adds visual appeal to your webpages.

Title bars – The title bar lets your visitors know which page they are on.

Horizontal rules – Graphic lines are often used to separate categories or sections of a webpage.

Background images – Are used to add visual appeal or make a web site easier to navigate.

Photos – Personalize a website and make it inviting.

Navigation icons, such as `home' and 'back' enhance a page because they are familiar and users anticipate seeing them.

6. Easy navigation

Create a toolbar with links that are easy to navigate. Position the toolbar in an area that makes sense. Web users often look for the toolbar across the top or down the left hand side of the page. Going with the norm will create a sense of familiarity and facilitate the ease of navigation. And don't forget a link to your homepage. It's often forgotten but very important to point your users to your home page. Check out www.invesp.com for an example of easy and well structured website navigation.

7. Text readability

You have great copy, but are you displaying it effectively? Make your pages easy to read. Break up blocks of text and create short paragraphs.

Consider the key points on each page and create headings and subheadings.

Only use one or two fonts. Select one font for your headings and subheadings and another for the body text.

Highlight key words and phrases by emboldening or using a different color. Be careful when selecting colors, and don't use every color in the rainbow. Many, such as yellow and pink, don't stand out well if you've selected a white or black background.

8. Scrolling

Horizontal scrolling? Yikes. That needs to go, now! Users hate, hate, hate to scroll left to right. It's disorienting and annoying, so if you've got it, lose it. Vertical scrolling is ok if you have to have it, but consider moving larger blocks of information to another page and providing links. There's also the danger of missing vital information that falls below the screen if a user decides not to scroll down to view it. So if you've got to have a scrolling page, try to keep all your important information above the fold.

9. Make it quick

We all get impatient when it takes more than 5 seconds to connect to a website. Users want to make contact, and make it quick. Ensure that your pages load as quickly as possible. Eliminate unnecessary graphics, especially 'Flash' graphics... they can be time hogs. You need to make an immediate impression, and the only impression you're leaving as your page slowly grinds in to view is "this page sucks"...if they're still there to see it at all."

How To Submit Your Blog To Google

Remember one thing that the main source of traffic to your blog is search engines,and the most famous search engine is Google Search Engine.So submitting your blog to Google Webmaster will not only increase your blog traffic but will increase your Page Rank also.


To submit your blog/website to Google visit this link.

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/home?hl=en

Login into your Gmail account and you will be asked to enter your site URL.Enter your blog/website URL and click “Add Site“.

Then you will have to verify your account.There are two methods to verify your account :

Adding a meta tag
Uploading a HTML file
If your are a blogger you can use “add a meta tag option” and if not you can use second option also.

For Bloggers :

Click on Add a meta tag and you will be give a code.

Copy the code given by google and open Blogger.After that click on Layout>>Edit HTML.

Search for and paste that meta tag code after .Save your template.After saving go back to Google webmaster and click on verify.

After verifying go to Sitemaps in the left sidebar.



Then click on Add A Sitemap.In the drop down menu it will ask you 4 options,but you just select “Add General Web Sitemap“.

After that it will ask you to Add Sitemap URL.There are only two ways to add a sitemap and they are :

http://yourblogname.blogspot.com/rss.xml

OR

http://yourname.blogspot.com/atom.xml

Just enter your desired option and click Add General Web Sitemap

Congratulations ! You have submitted your blog to Google Webmaster

Create your own Youtube-type site for free!

Hey everyone at AGeniusBlog.com

I was browsing the web for youtube scripts (to make my own youtube-like site)
Problem was that these scripts didn’t work on most hosts, because It needed this database installed into the server.
A month later (now) I found a great website which allows you to make this for free, no uploading scripts required! This is called Fliggo

Fliggo allows you to build your own video sharing website like Youtube.
Fliggo is extremely easy to use, comes with a host of features and most importantly is free.
You can use Fliggo to create video blogs, private video networks or a niche video site - the choice is yours.
The service is beautifully designed and Fliggo allows you to customize the look and feel of your video site so it can be beautiful too!

So go on and make your site now! It’s free, fun and easy to use!

AGeniusBlog.com

Top 5 ways to make a SEO friendly website

1] Clean code: Clean code is king. But how to keep your website designing code clean?
Use css instead of html. Nested html tables used to design a websites layout increases the websites markup code.
Nested html tables also reduce the speed of the search engine bots to scan your website.
With the use of css the web designer can completely differentiate between content (HTML) and design (CSS)
Dont use inline css to design your website.Instead use div based layout with css to design your website.
A div based css layout highly reduces markup code as the website structure is built using the mighty div tag and the styles reside in an external css file. This leads to more space for your content and links which is very important for a search engine friendly website.
Use of css div reduces your pages weight which increases page download time.

2] Relevant content: Relevant content means content useful to your target audience. While writing about your target audience keep two things in mind. First, the services you are offering and secondly, the need of the target audience.Now write the features and advantages of your products and services and how your product/service is going to help your target audience.

3] Properly organized and structured layout: This point includes human psychology, artistic sense of the designer and a bit of science. A properly organized and structured website layout must satisfy the following criteria:
Simplicity: A simple and clean web design is always a pleasure for the user. It makes an impact. This does not mean the design has to be minimalist, but it should not be crowded either. A crowded and congested website pains the human eyes and gives a sense of irritation to the website visitor.
Easy navigation: Easy navigation means the links in your website should be clearly visible and understandable to the site visitor and the site visitor should not face any problems to move from one page to another page of your website.
The site visitor should not find it tough to find any piece of information in your website.
The background color, font colors and styles should match each other with the overall theme of the website.

4] Dont design a website completely using flash. Even if you have to use flash and java scripts for your website try to keep them as minimum as possible.

5] Dont use unneccessary or irrelevant badges, images, ads, links and other useless other stuffs to fill in your website.

How to Increase your websites’ traffic

Try these optimizing tips


Fully Optimize Your Site for the Search Engines

Before beginning the little known secrets to increase website traffic free, spend some time tweaking your website, using basic search engine optimization techniques.
Using a Keyword Rich Title - This is a carefully researched term or key phrase people would search for in the search engines that would lead to your website. Generally, you would not use the name of your business unless it happens to be an effective keyword for your topic.

Use the Title Tag Correctly - You have seen pages scattered throughout the search engine results that have not inserted the title tags correctly. The page was picked up as, "Untitled" or "New Page."

Focus Your Content - Don't try to cram 10 different topics in on just one page! Concentrate on one topic per page, using your keyword rich content.

Use Text Links - Fancy menus look great, but usually the k.i.s.s. idea is best. (Keep it simple stupid!) If you want the search engines to find you, use text links. Add a site map to your website, along with a link to it on every page!

Include a Resource Page of Links - If you want people to link to your site, don't hide the links resource page. Make sure your "home" page is linked directly to it.


Some more Tips to get traffic for your blog

Use lists.

Write posts that are useful to people

Learn enough to become the expert in your field.

Write long posts

Be the first with a great blog on your topic.

Announce about your blog

Encourage your readers to comment for suggestions

Don't write useless posts like "about your dog,cat,kids"

Write definitive posts.

Express your content in such a way that fellow bloggers can link their posts to your content

Include polls, meters and other eye candy.

Tag your posts. Use 'Delicious'

Do email interviews with the well-known.

Answer your email

Be anonymous

Encourage your readers to digg your posts.

Post your photos on flickr

Encourage your readers to subscribe by RSS.

Include comments

Assume that every day is the beginning, because you always have new readers.

Highlight your best posts on your squidoo lens.

Write about stuff that appeals to the majority of current blog readers

Write about Google.

Have relevant ads that are even better than your content.

Write posts that each include dozens of trackbacks to dozens of blog posts so that people will notice you.

Keep tweaking your template
Write about blogging.

Invent a whole new kind of art or interaction.

Post on weekdays, because there are more readers.

Write about a never-ending parade of different topics so you don't bore your readers.

Don't interrupt your writing with a lot of links.

Dress your blog as well as you would dress yourself for a meeting with a stranger.
Be patient.

Give credit to those that inspired, it makes your writing more useful.

Ping technorati.

Write about only one thing, in ever-deepening detail, so you become definitive.

Write in English.

Don't be boring.

write stuff that people want to read.

Increase free visitors for ur site easily

just created a new website?
do you have quality contents?
But no loyal readers or no visitors?

if you answer yes for above questions then you have got to right place.
First understand the basic thing .......
when u create a website it is one among the ONE BILLION+ .Among those how do you expect those visitors to come to your site....Because u have created a website and know one knows about it.
ADDS
So u have to make necessary things for advertisement .there are lots of websites that offer free advertising like linkreferral.com


Join others website and from there u can get enough visitors.
Do comment on others blog along with Backlinks.Those who read your comment will be attracted by your comment and visit your site.
Join referral sites
Join social networking sites like Twitter,Facebook..... make many friends and tell about your website[remember not to spam]

Have open contacts with your visitors regularly and answer their Questions.
Last but not least give them something valuble to them for free.

your not far away for getting enough visitors for your website. 

Web Services>>Web Services Tutorial

Web Services can convert your applications into Web-applications.
By using Web services, your application can publish its function or message to the rest of the world.

Web Services can be used by other applications.
With Web services your accounting department's Win 2k servers can connect with your IT supplier's UNIX server.

The basic Web Services platform is XML + HTTP.
Web services uses XML to code and decode your data and SOAP to transport it.

Learn how to create Web Services from an ASP.NET application.
This tutorial converts an ASP.NET application to a Web Service.

Start learning about Web Services now!
Table of Contents

Web Services Introduction - An introduction to Web Services.

Why Web Services? - Why and how to use Web Services.

Web Services Platform - What lies behind the Web Services Platform?

Web Services Example - An ASP.NET example of a Web Service.

Web Services Summary - A summary on what you have learned in this tutorial and a recommendation on what subject you should study next.

Redirect a URL using PHP>>

Redirecting to a new URL in PHP is done with the header() function. You must call this function before you output anything, otherwise the server automatically generates a header for you and the function won't execute. The command is used as follows: header("Location: http://www.redirecturl.com/");
?>

Redirect a URL using HTML>>

You can redirect a visitor to a new URL using simple HTML. It'd done with a meta tag in the HTML header:




Redirecting you now...

6 ways to add interactivity to your website>>

Interactivity is what makes the web such a powerful medium and can be one of the most effective ways of engaging your visitors. Call it a form of online ‘bonding’. Just as importantly, having your visitors contribute is an ideal way to produce new content on a regular basis. Here are some ideas on how to make your website more interactive. I illustrate some of the ideas with real life examples I've used in my cartoon website, Sev Wide Web.

Subscription
People like to belong. You can offer this kind of experience by having them join a ‘club’ of some sort, along with certain privileges that come with membership. This may take the form of an email newsletter, entrance to an exclusive part of your site or just to be part of your online community.

Contests
An entertaining way to involve users is to offer puzzles, quizzes, contests or trivia games. Having them tie in to your website's topic of interest is recommended. APPLICATION
Cartoon caption contests are the backbone of my cartoon website Sev Wide Web, running 3 weekly contests at contests.sev.com.au. Receiving hundreds (or sometimes thousands when I draw Lord of the Rings parodies) of submissions each week is a great source of content but reading all the entries proved an arduous chore. I was saved from early insanity when I created Ratsy, a punchline RATing SYstem that allowed readers to rate all the submitted punchlines. This added another level of interactivy, a new level of regularly updated content as readers tuned in to see how the punchlines were scoring and saved me over an hour of punchline reading each day.


Feedback
Offer surveys, feedback forms, questionaires and always a link to a 'contact us' page. User feedback is very important to maintaining and improving your site. I recommend you don't actually display your email address anywhere as it will inevitably be spidered by spam companies.
Discussion Forums
If you can build a community around your website, half your battle is won. This is achieved with online forums. Online communities are self-maintaining organisms - they visit your website regularly, they produce their own content, friendships are formed all within the context of your website. In this situations, it's a case of "come for the content, stay for the community". APPLICATION
The Sev Forums have been a revelation for me. Starting out as the Discussion Board, it quickly grew in popularity to the point where we had to split it into two forums, adding a new Ideas Board where sci-fi fans could suggest what shows and movies they'd like to see parodied next (another wonderful source of new content). The Discussion Board continue to grow out of control until it was split again, adding a new Sevilian Board. Most importantly, a strong-knit community (called 'Sevilians') spanning the globe has developed with the forums as the foundation.

Help
Give the visitors an opportunity to ask questions. This can be handled in feedback forms (or even better, in your discussion forum), but a help desk designed specifically for that purpose encourages more interaction. A help desk is a good place to post your FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).

Search Engine
You want to make navigation as easy and intuitive as possible - a search form on each of your pages gives the user a one click option to any part of your site they're looking for (in theory). It also encourages the visitor to actively interact with your site rather than more passive hyperlinking.

How to find a Good Web Host>>

There are a few things to watch out for when looking for a web host. Follow these simple guide lines, and things should be fine.

1. Know the lingo.
When you first venture into the murky water that is web hosting, you will be immediately be inundated with terms such as web space, transfer, CGI-BIN, Unix/Windows, Apache, IIS, PHP, MySQL, etc. KNOW what they mean so that you don't fall prey to offerings which really don't exist. Do your research here!

2. Avoid unlimited/unmetered web space/bandwidth/transfer like the PLAGUE
As the old adage goes ... if it seems too god to be true, it often is. Lets look at it logically. Unlimited hosts basically offer all you can eat. Take as much as you want - you only have to pay a set price.
Seems perfect? Hardly. Such hosts count on you using little bandwidth and space - start using too much, and they will cancel your account.
And how do they do this? In their killer terms of service.
Usually hidden and mostly not paid attention to, the terms of service outlines what you can do or not do n their server. In order to keep their very false promises, such unscrupulous hosts usually do not allow any downloads, and CGI programs, allow 'unlimited' only to a certain value (which of course goes against the entire principal), and suspend your account for excessive use (in which they hold the right to claim what is excessive and what is not).

3. Your own Gut
Checking out the website is very important. If you have troubles navigating the website, if it is very slow, if you just don't have a good feeling -- what makes you think you will be happy with their service if you do sing up? Web hosting is a satisfaction thing.

4. DO THE RESEARCH
The internet is a hug repository of information. If a host is bad, it likely has angry customers that want their voice heard!
There are lot of places to check. First of, check web hosting directories . Do a search on the specific host. If the host isn't listed, it isn't all bad - they could be just new and not built a reputation. Alternatively, if they are listed don't have any reviews, that could not be bad either - the reputation factor comes in. Do understand that angry people are morel likely to voice their displeasure than content ones will voice their pleasure.
Next, check out webhostingtalk.com Do a search on your host, and post asking for opinions. Many small and mid-sized hosting companies frequent that place, and maybe even the owner of the host you are inquiring about can be found there! Be careful though. ... it can become a jungle and solicitations might come flying. The forum and its search function is one if THE richest resource on web hosting.
Lastly, hit ht newsgroups. Using groups.google.com, do a search on the host you are looking for.
Remember one thing ... due to the intense competition, some hosts do post negative things about other hosts. Remember to carefully read what is written.

5. Contact them!
The final test - there is no better text in service than by actually contacting them. Find their contact info, and shoot them an email with some questions. If you cant find their contact information easily, run FAR AWAY from them. Such hosts can be trouble if you need urgent assistance and you can't even get a hold of them
Judge the host by the timeliness and manner in which they reply. If they are rude to you now, or don't know what they are talking about, what makes you think they will be kind to you if you sing up? Also, taking more than 24 hours to purely can be a bad sign, and more than 48 hours is UNACCEPTABLE.

There you have it. The lowdown on the business. Follow these steps, and you should have no problem finding a good host.

Web Designing (Build Your Own Website)

Web Site Development Information

Try these Web authoring resources and tips and our three-pronged Pitchfork Approach to Web authoring:

choose a design standard for your pages like 'world wide accessibility' versus something less universal.
test, test, test.. to make sure your design features degrade gracefully in diverse web browsing environments and screen configurations.
use commonly accepted good site design practices Topics include HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Design & Style, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Accessibility, Usability, and Web Standardization.

(If you write articles on Web authoring and need a stable storage location for your articles, GoodPractices will publish/archive qualifying articles here at no charge. Please contact the editor.)

Top Ten Resources

Designing For Multiple Browsers Without Being Bland
A concise, sober, and BRIEF description of a good Web authoring strategy. Other fine articles by the author include What You See is Not What Others Get and Widen Your Web Site's Audience. Stephen Traub.
Getting Started with HTML
A primer to Learning HTML 3.2 by Examples, this is a comprehensive and succinct guide to writing standard HTML. Jukka Korpela.

Web Site Design Tips

Web site design tips for the beginner to the expert. A great collection of classic web site design tips that will build a strong foundation for any new web designer.

The Web Design Group Reference Section

Excellent background information and technical details on HTML authoring. Web Design Group.

Designing for The Web

A series of informative articles on Web site design, including A Web Site is a Harsh Mistress & Rules of Thumb. The special focus is on complementing Web design skills with competence in interface design. Don't miss Web Site Design. Diane Wilson.
Usable Information Technology
An expansive resource on usability and user interface issues -- featuring several extremely challenging and well-researched essays on Web design and style. Jakob Nielsen.
Understanding HTML
An outstanding presentation of HTML basics by an Australian with a fine writing style. Dianne Gorman.

Hints for Web Authors

A short yet insightful historical analysis of conventional vs. Web publishing, Hints for Web Authors is replete with solid recommendations on how to succeed with the latter, including a few pragmatic suggestions mixed in there for good measure, "...in hopes that others may find 'em useful." Warren Steel.

Dan's Web Tips

This huge resource contains a balanced summary review of most of today's important Web authoring topics. Daniel Tobias.
HyperText Markup Language
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) home page for HTML. Here you will find pointers to specifications for HTML, guidelines for how to use HTML to the best effect and pointers to related work at W3C. W3C.

Web Site Tools

All the tools you need to create a Web site of your own. Web site hosting services, Web site creation software, graphics and photo editors, audio and video tools. With the right tools, creating your personal Web site will be easy.
Hosting
Web Site Editors and Creators
Graphics Editors
Audio and Video
Free Web Site Tools
Hosting

Whether you're creating your own personal Web site, social networking site, blog, photo sharing site or something else, you'll still need to have your site hosted online. Without a Web site host you're Web site will be nowhere.
Personal Web Site Hosting
Social Networking Sites
Blogging Sites
Photo Hosting and Sharing
Wiki Hosting
Web Site Editors and Creators

If you want to build your own personal Web site, you'll need software to help you build your Web pages. There are two basic kinds of Web editors; HTML editors and WYSIWYG editors. HTML editors help you design your site using code such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and others. WYSIWYG editors let you see your site as you design it. Some of these are drag and drop and others are fill in the blank.
Desktop Editors
Online Editors
Upload Your Page To the Net Tool
Graphics Editors

Crop and resize your graphics and photos before you upload them to your Web site. Graphics that are too large can slow down your Web pages. Crop them down and make them smaller, then upload them. These graphics editors will help you do that, and much more.
Graphics and Photo Software
Create, Edit & Add Graphics, Clip Art and Photos
Add Graphics and Photos to Social Networking Sites
Audio and Video

Adding audio and video to your Web site can add another level of interactivity and give your readers something fun to do while they're there. These tools and tutorials will help you add audio and video to your Web site, blog, wiki or social networking site.
Adding Audio and Video
Finding Free Videos
Free Web Site Tools

A lot of times software is offered for free or as a trial version to get your attention and have your try out their product before you buy it. Here's some freeware and shareware that you could use to help you create and build your Web site. Creating a personal Web site really can be completely free.