Many new clients get a project finished and then wonder what the next step is. To get a site from the development environment and into the great World Wide Web requires you to put your site up on a server (which is just a special computer designed to display Web sites). There are lots of different types of hosting accounts to consider, but here are a few.

• Free web hosting service: There are a ton of companies that offer up Free web hosting often with limited services and/or advertisements that you are forced to display on your site.
• Shared web hosting service: This is probably the most common way that people start off in the web hosting world. In shared hosting, one’s website is placed on the same server with many other sites. This could be a few to hundreds or thousands and, often, all domains share a common pool of server resources, such as RAM and the CPU. The features available with this type of service can be quite extensive and it is usually a great place to start when looking for your first hosting service.
• Virtual Dedicated Server: (also known as a Virtual Private Server or VPS) This type of hosting divides the server resources into virtual servers, where resources can be allocated in a way that does not directly reflect the underlying hardware. This setup will frequently allocate resources based on a one server to many VPSs relationship. The users may have root access to their own virtual space and sometimes customers are responsible for patching and maintaining their server.
• Dedicated hosting service: your site gets its own Web server with full control over it; however, the user usually does not own the server. This setup is typically unmanaged meaning the client is responsible for the security and maintenance of his own dedicated server.
• Managed hosting service: this type of dedicated server means that your site gets its own Web server but you are not allowed full control over it. Usually, you are still allowed to manage your data via FTP or other remote management tools. This is done so that the provider can guarantee quality of service by not allowing the user to modify the server or potentially create configuration problems.
• Colocation web hosting service: this is a very common setup similar to the dedicated web hosting service, but the user owns the server and the hosting company provides physical space that the server takes up and takes care of the server. This is the most powerful and expensive type of the web hosting service. Often, the provider may provide little to no support directly for their client’s machine, providing only the electrical, Internet access, and storage facilities for the server.
• Clustered hosting: Clustered Servers are a perfect solution for high-availability dedicated hosting since they are when you take a number of servers and connect them together to increase the power of the server. This is usually only reserved for very popular and highly used sites.

So, the best advice is to analyze your site, determine how much traffic it might get and how much control you want over the management of the hardware. Then it should be as easy as just shopping around and doing your homework.

When working with a website, you’ll sometimes need to store data in order to use it later or do manipulation on it. Beginners with jQuery might store data in the “title”, “alt”, or “rel” attributes of an link, or use hidden varaibles, like

<input type="hidden" name="color" id="color" value="">

and then use jQuery to store a value to that hidden variable:

$('#color').val('red');

But jQuery gives us a more advanced method  called “data(),” and it lets us store a whole slew of data on any element in your page. For my projects, I’ll pick one element to store all my data to–my preference is a big element, like an outer div or something, but you can make it any DOM element you want. You can even create an element just for the purpose of storing data:

<div id="data"></div>

Now, to add data to your element, you can use the following method:

$('#data').data('color','red');
$('#data').data('size','large');
$('#data').data('weight','20');

As you can see, you can store more than one value to your data holder. To retrieve it, you can use the data() method again,

<script type="text/javascript">
alert('The color is: ' + $('#data').data('color'));
alert('The size is: ' + $('#data').data('size'));
alert('The weight is: ' + $('#data').data('weight'));
</script>

jQuery data() is an under-used fuction, I hope you find it useful and see that it brings a certain level of elegance to developing your applications.

We’ve covered programmer types. Now it’s time we flip the coin and pidgin-hole designers.  I’ve come up with four types of designers I’ve come across.  I’m sure there are more so feel free to put your own in the comments.

Pablo Picasso
This first group is made up of artists who like the idea of a paycheck. At heart they are in it for the art, but web design pays the bills. They approach each design as a commissioned piece of art rather than a composite for a working site. Each piece is meticulously crafted into what is often a stunning work that could very well be found gracing a wall somewhere. The designs this group produces display balance, consistency, and visual appeal. However, these designers are artists at heart so as a Picasso painting doesn’t really give you any clue to who it’s a portrait of, their designs favor ascetics over usability and strong conversion points. Also, since these designers view their work as art, they take feedback and criticism personally resulting in a half hearted effort with revisions.

If you ask them to produce a big red button you might get this:

John Wayne
This second group shoots from the hip. They are not artists, they are visual gun slingers who find inspiration and run with it. Like the “Duke” they design with a swagger, using bold ideas that often break the “rules” of design. This blatant disregard for the color wheel often produces designs that are exciting, attention demanding, and innovative. They usually involve more consideration for the user experience and an emphasis on conversion points is second nature. Unlike the “Picasso” designer, this group loves feedback, as it just adds to their arsenal of ideas. However, the designs they produce tend to be cherry picked ideas the designer likes and integrates regardless of whether it fits the design or not. And since they love innovation so much they also tend to try to create a “new” way of doing things, which can be confusing to users. The end result can end up a bit jumbled and inconsistent.

If you ask them to produce a big red button you might get this:

June Cleaver
This designer LOVES it when things are clean, tidy, and in their proper place. They don’t feel a passionate need to create a masterpiece and neither do they worry themselves with re-inventing the rules for how a site should be designed. Their designs are consistent, usable, and easy to navigate. These designers create layouts that enable the user to easily find their way around. The design is pragmatic and almost always fits the type of site being designed to a tee. Ecommerce sites look like an eCommerce sites. Brochure sites dispense information in a no-nonsense manner. All in all there are no surprises and no inconsistencies. They also tend to be boring. While they pass information to the user cleanly and clearly, they don’t inspire them or demand their attention.

If you ask them to produce a big red button you might get this:

The Economics Teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (Ben Stein)
“Bueller… Bueller… Bueller…”, Ben Stein’s ultra dull drone embodies what every high school student has experienced: the dull ecconomics/math/accounting teacher. These teachers have zero people skills and are not looking to gain any. Their design counterparts are not much different… and they are known by another name: programmers. Sadly, many design firms make the home page look good and leave the rest of the design to the programmer who is doing the nuts and bolts of the site. While some programmers excel in the design realm many, many, MANY programmers do not. They are responsible for clunky, boring, and uninspired designs. The only reason I include them in this list is because for some reason they are responsible for so many designs on the internet, many times in rather significant places (go dig down into a large corporate site, the design tends to get worse the deeper you go). There is no upside here. Just dull, unattractive, and hard to navigate non-designs.

If you ask them to produce a big red button you might get this (God help us):

Conclusion:

Every desginer has the place where they pull from to produce a design.  Some pull from the artistic force within, some from the need to innovate, and others choose a pragmatic path.  Some should not be allowed to design… ever.  I’ve found the best designs come from someone who is willing to go beyond their strengths and stretch into new areas.  Most often this takes practice, hard work, and lots of mistakes along the way.  So to all the John Waynes, June Cleavers, and Pablo Picassos out there make every effort to widen those horizons.  To the Economics teachers, make friends with a designer.

One of my favorite things to play with in this creative industry is fonts! There are so many of them out there, thousands I’ve never even seen before, but I try to be aware of as many as I can. Here are a few free resources to use, if you’re looking to expand your font library.

1. 1001 Free Fonts - Simply put, here is a source giving you 1001 fonts, free of charge!
2. Font Freak - Whether you use Mac or PC, font freak has many cool fonts to choose from.
3. Urban Fonts - If you’re into curly, funky, stencil or anything else, they have lots to choose from.
4. Da Font - Many font styles to choose from, such as groovy, horror, medieval and graffiti.
5. Font Squirrel - Choose from their latest features or a slew of other great categories.
6. Abstract Fonts - Looking for different and unique? This the perfect source to step outside the box!
7. Font Space - You’re sure to find what you’re looking for whether it is trendy, spacey, handwriting or anything else.
8. Font Cubes - For the most up-to-date font styles, this should be your first stop. Check out their dingbats collection as well.
9. Fonts 101 - Thousands of more fonts to choose from. Allows you to type in your text, to try out the font before you download!
10. Jabroo - Want to preview your text, choose a color, and background color. This font engine is sure to help you pick the right one.

Do you have any other font sites you frequently visit?

It’s almost 2010, only five more years until we are in the time equivalent of Back to the Future Part II with hover boards, flying cars, and food hydrators. One thing they did not highlight in BTTF II is the Web. So let’s get back to the fact that it is 2010, and lets face it, if you don’t have a website as a business you are hurting for dozens if not thousands of potential leads. So where does your website stand on the chronological equivalent of keeping up with the times?

• Business w/ No Website = Beginning of Time
• Business w/ Just a basic website = Early 20th Century
• Business w/ a Website that works for them (aka a web marketing tool) = 2010 and beyond.

What is a website that works FOR you? Let’s first change our nomenclature. A website that works for you is a web marketing tool or web application, a website that doesn’t is just a website. So now let’s talk about web applications. How does one make a website become a web marketing tool? This actually takes quite a bit of intellectual thought, especially for some businesses that don’t have the capabilities to sell their product online, or so they think. My goal today is to provide some thought provoking questions so one can assess where a particular business might stand on the pillar of web application or just a website.

1. Can the product or service be purchased directly online?

If yes, then great, this is now the easiest path to make your web application work for you. If not currently today, is their a way for you to? I have had the luxury and the opportunity to work with a few clients that were looking for creative ways to turn their product into an online sales mechanism…and it does work! The hard part is now your ability to direct traffic. This is certainly an effort that takes a lot of ground work to get started, but once you build a solid foundation through some good PPC and Search Engine Marketing (SEM), the rewards will be online sales while you are counting sheep. PPC and SEM are about 983 blog posts themselves to try and educate even the average savvy user. With that being said you have 3 options: hire a professional (hey, lifeBLUE does that), do it yourself (not a bad way to get started when you are cash conscious, but very time consuming), or don’t do it all and just let your site sit there in the vast junkyard of ROI-less websites (I may be biased but I don’t recommend the last one).

2. Can your website obtain leads directly online?

Whether you are consumer direct or B2B, is it feasible for visitors to submit their information to you via some type of contact form, chat system, or call back function? This is probably the category where most businesses go wrong. You have seen the sites w/ Home, About, Services, Contact Us. There is nothing wrong with the actual navigation per se, short, direct…sweet. However, most websites don’t use dynamic contact and multiple connection points to integrate their website into a working web application. A few things you should think about and/or check for in this category:

• How often are you updating your content and is it relevant? Or does it just look like the site was built 3 years ago and the HTML dust is so thick you can barely see your monitor? Having a tool that allows you to keep your content fresh and current gives users the satisfaction that there actually is a man behind the curtain and serves as credibility. News updates, blog posts, or any other ideas that give chronological relevancy to your business is key. Make sure your content is attractive and shows the value of conducting business with you. Think of it as if you had 30 seconds to gain someone’s attention (and its not even that long) what would you say knowing you would not have any opportunity for a rebuttal?
• How are you attracting potential leads? Does your site have conversion points on every page that funnel your traffic to the desired goal? Are you using a variety of methods such as short forms, live person technology, brochure requests, call requests, and a plethora of other metrics to ensure that you have done everything possible to attract their attention and give them the opportunity to do business with you? The answers to these questions speak for themselves.

3. Your company doesn’t sell directly to end customers and there aren’t really leads to be attracted online.

This category is a catchall that regardless of what category, a business can gain some benefit from these ideas. At the LB we occasionally come across a business that only has 2 or 3 large clients and aren’t necessarily seeking new business but would welcome it if the right client came along. Regardless there are many ways to make your website work for you that is not necessarily sales or web based, or even if it is, you can still profit by providing value added services by making it a web application. You can save costs, man/woman hours, and headaches by using a variety or all of just a handful of the following ideas:

• Online support system for current clients.
• Login functions where clients can manage their account information and communicate w/ customer service.
• A way for clients to login and obtain information only suitable for clients.
• Create a network for your customer base to communicate and interact with each other (Very good for niche
  industries).
• A login control where customers can actually manage their product, shipments, and other details.
• I could go on and on…have more ideas, call us or comment!

Hopefully this post has electrified some light bulbs or at least gave you some thinking material for your next restroom break. The bottom line is that everyone with a website or a web application has the opportunity to expand their product, service, lead generation, or value added services online, the possibilities are limitless.