In part one of this blog we discussed predevelopment documents and the value such diligence adds to the overall product. Developing this documentation will improve every aspect of the project, including customer satisfaction, code stability, time management, and overall quality of work. With a clear project direction, developing a technical roadmap becomes a much more possible and manageable task.

The traditional processes and frameworks of building websites differs little from any software development. In both cases, the project needs to be divided first into layers and then into units. These are units of work which need to be built. Units have dependencies upon each other and varying levels of difficulty or complexity. Both of these factors are considered when writing an action plan. The standard of software logical layers is the classic model, view and controller. MVC refers to the data store, interface code and application code. Typically a team would begin at the database layer.

Armed with the pre-development documents discussed above, it is important get the database schema on paper. Getting your design onto paper opens up communication between developers, expresses problematic areas and at the very least adds to a team’s growing collection of site documentation. This is a great example of measure twice, cut once. The database schema is literally the brain of the website.

Application code is at the minimum the adaptor sitting on top of the database retrieving from and updating it. Application layer is where business logic gets enforced. Server resource consideration and effectiveness are factors at this layer. Designing this layer is defining the technical architecture of the project. The level of documentation sophistication varies greatly here. There is a coding syntax, called UML, which can be employed to define this layer. In practice, UML is little more than diagramming. Typical diagrams are simply boxes and arrows with brief description of what’s happening on those little arrows. An example might be: user clicks order button, check is user, check stock level, verify no holds, add order to queue, update stock, etc. No detail is too small to document. Next, the development team overlay these diagrams with the literal class names or functions required to accomplish the actions laid out.

As this process is continued, the mosaic of the software finally begins to emerge. In a sense, this step is taking the user case flows made earlier and upgrading them to a new level of complexity and relevance. Just as the user case flow allows a team to discover issues with features or usability, this analysis will expose issues in programming that are better dealt with here than later in the thick of coding with the danger of dark side of the moon syndrome. That is to say, once a programmer has gone so far in programming only to discover a problem. They might be tempted to add more code to mask the problem rather than delete existing code. If the same developer has gone into programming mode with a clear strategy, such issues would have all ready been circumvented typically resulting in more concise and effective code.

Even once programming has begun documentation should continue, now in the form of logging. Proper logging is basically making notes. Each time a unit is completed the developer would log a note stating so and any complications encountered. These logs will become invaluable in the final development stages. Project managers can review the logs and check items off their feature list. Reviewing the amount of time each unit required will aid immensely when assessing future project risk. Often, documentation produced at this stage is kept internal to be reused in future projects. However, if the client is large and technical enough, the application design too might be a welcome addition to the overall site documentation.

Interface development has changed incredibly in the last ten years. A decade ago, interface consisted of simply laying out tables and graphics while applying styles and page properties. We simply plugged in variables produced from the application code and called it done. Contemporary web technology has taken interface to a whole new level as the market demands a rich user experience. We can use our previously created wire frames as a jumping off point for developing the interface strategy. As before we list all external libraries and justify their inclusion. Some type of scripting language will likely be employed on the front-end. Whether Javascript, VBScript, or Actionscript, it is critical to get down on paper what functionality each is going to provide. What functionality is required while assessing each unit’s difficulty level? This is a technical list that should refer to specific function or class names. A complete list would be such that once completed so is the interface

In any successfully managed project should be an abundance of documentation. Some of these documents will be highly sophisticated polished products unto themselves while others might not be much more than rough notes. Regardless, they are evidence of professional diligence. At each iteration along the way we stated on paper what we intended to do, discussed the strategy with the contributors, and then did exactly what we stated. The secret to creating a quality strategy and unlocking its value is communication.

Developing a website and building a house aren’t really so different.

Both cases start with nothing, yet through the methodical, strategic placement of different materials, and labor, a new even cooler product is created. If a general contractor brought a team of experienced builders, roofers and electricians on site with ample materials and instructed them to just start building, they would likely think him crazy, jump back into their pickups and drive off as fast as possible.

Yet many pre-development teams fall into the temptation of doing just that, often armed with only the equivalent of exterior concept sketches. In small projects this is acceptable or even advisable. There would be no need to draw a blueprint or to map out the electrical for a backyard playhouse. However, buildings such as a new symphony auditorium may undergo years of planning before the first shovel ever hits the dirt.

In the web development world, the shovel breaking ground is the first lines of code being put to a text editor. Experienced IT managers understand that writing code is paramount to nailing in rafters or installing insulation, and in some instances just as immovable as the concrete foundation. “Measure twice, cut once” is a fundamental wisdom amongst builders and a philosophy also adopted by successful web developers. Going back and changing features or functionality within software is eerily similar to tearing back the plaster because someone forgot to add a pipe to the kitchen sink. You are going to have to replace the plaster, you just made a big mess on the carpet – and it’s unlikely that pipe will be installed in the ideal manner.

That’s probably enough convincing and metaphors.

Presuming a job is big enough to warrant diligent planning, where does one start?

There are numerous techniques that break the ice.

• User case flows
• Features matrix
• Wire framing
• Composite mockups
• Style guide

While a developer or project manager might loosely follow this order, he or she is really working on all of them at once. It is common to fall back and update one document as a later one illuminates some new thought, idea or most often a requirement. In fact, every recommendation in this article can be done in parallel to some degree.

Let’s explore these documents more closely.

Creating an initial user case flow can serve as a great brainstorming session. Start with a single square, usually labeled “Homepage” and from there begin asking, “Where can the user go from here?” Continue asking that question until satisfied that every page, no matter how inconsequential, has at least been noted on your case flow. A finished user case flow can become a very sophisticated document that identifies not only what pages exist but profiles the types of users and the various paths user types will use. From this user analysis the functionality required to satisfy such usage starts becoming apparent. What becomes crystal clear is the number of distinct pages a project will consist of – a handy thing to know.

This exercise sets us up for creating a soft list of site features, written out in outline format and organized by page. The more minute detail the better, as writing text into a word processor is much less expensive for the team than writing code into a code editor. This is the document both the client and the team should become extremely familiar with. Rather than revising functionality once the site is developed, it’s preferable to argue, discuss and modify within this outline. Eventually the goal of project manager and account executive is to freeze this list.

Only two documents in and we have all ready learned a great deal about the project. For an enterprise scaled project, mocking the site up would still be premature. Instead, start simply with wire frames. It is quite literally a basic mockup of every page that contains functionality. Graphic assets, such as a logo, would likely be represented by just a box with the word “LOGO” in it. However, it’s dimensions should be to scale with the rest of the page and all graphical elements noted in the same manner. Input fields, links or any page element offering interaction should be expressed. It is important to compare the feature set list with the wire frames and verify that everything from the list has been addressed by these basic illustrations.

Once wire framing is complete we not only see a roadmap beginning to develop, but can derive a list of graphic assets needed based on the previous analysis. A team that has come this far has reached a valuable milestone, creating a technical blueprint of the website. This blueprint can be communicated with the client and discussed in depth, focusing on the feature set. Do you have any additional suggestions for formulating a development strategy? Perhaps other useful types of documentation or any cool team exercises?

Emails can easily be ignored, probably even easier than fast forwarding though commercials while trying to catch up on your 100 hours of DVR back log. However the power of email marketing cannot be ignored if there is a perceived value in its content or purpose. Informative, beneficial, concise, simple but useful, are just a few of the adjectives that should describe what you are or should be sending out to your consumer base.

Here are a few powerful reasons what and/or why you should be effectively using an email marketing campaign.

Targetization - Yes, that is a made up word similar to George Bush’s “strategery”. But that doesn’t detract from its effectiveness. Not only can you simply target your respective customer base but you can segment your market into different demographics whether it be age, sex, interest, etc. Most quality email campaign service providers, such as Constant Contact or Campaign Monitor, allow you to create different mailing lists. Thus you can customize different campaigns to the needs of those various demographics.

Personalization - Most effective marketing strategies today given the rise of social media are about personalization. Have your email campaigns be more than a few lines of text from a do-not-reply@dontevertalktous.com address that people cannot identify with. Whether it is from your CEO, PR Manager or someone else within your company, give it personification and a direct message. This will only increase the effectiveness and likewise show that there is a person behind the curtain and not just a sterile company.

Consistency - Whether its annual (not recommended), weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. You need to do it consistently. If its an information based email campaign, then consistency is even more important so readers can begin to look forward when they will receive your interesting piece of email magic. Sales/Ad campaigns need to be done regularly but are not quite as necessary to be on a rigid schedule.

Action - Any effective email should involve some type of action. Even if you are just providing information what is the call to action to get someone to take the next step. Depending upon your type of business this can either be subtle or very obvious.

As a final thought always remember that no one wants to be sold therefore you must always show value in what you are sending to people. Determine what your “email value” is and stick to or find ways to tweak until you see the ROI you are looking for. Always remember that it will never be perfect.

While Twitter is still in its infancy stage, it has already made quite a splash in the media and within the social marketing community. Let’s face it, when the President of the United States is sending oval office tweets, well then, it’s been officially cemented in the American socioplex. It’s now estimated that over 14 million in the US are Twitterers (according to Nielsen Online). But what does this mean to you? Here are the top 5 reasons Twitter will change the way some companies do business as we know it.

1. New, faster way to collect consumer data
   Previously it was time consuming, often difficult and extremely expensive to gather consumer data. Large corporations will pay thousands, even millions, for market research and it is very effective in determining how the public views your product as well as the competition and much more. With Twitter, a company can get real time opinions and feedback from its consumers. For example, when Apple came out with the new iPhone in June 2009 people flocked to Twitter to share their thoughts about the new product. It was impossible not to notice it while on Twitter that day. When Firefox released its latest upgrade people looked to Twitter to voice how they felt about it. It has been reported that companies, such as Apple, Ford and Southwest Airlines, are among some of the corporations following and gathering consumer data from Twitter and listening to what the public is saying, their gripes and concerns. I boldly ask, why not make use of this free, real-time information? While you may not be a household brand, it can still be an effective way to communicate to the public – but more importantly, to let them communicate to you.
2. Unlike Most Social Media, It Actually Helps TV and Print
   Media outlets such as CBS News, TIME and NBC News are on Twitter and are not afraid to use it. CNN has over 1.5 million followers, which ranks third among all the people or companies who use Twitter. It’s undeniable that people have access to news faster. It’s only been eight years since 9/11 and you can probably remember how the story developed over the course of 24, 48 and 72 hours – just imagine the coverage of that fateful day if onlookers and people inside the towers had Twitter at their fingertips. Not long ago, however, with the growth of the web and social networks were on display during the massacre at Virginia Tech which took much less time to reach the masses. Twitter has provided an outlet for TV and print to grab more viewers and provide information faster. Normally social media takes away from traditional media, as people are watching less TV and reading fewer newspapers and magazines while devoting their energy and time to their Facebook wall and profile.
3. Extreme Local Marketing
   If used correctly, Twitter can be utilized as a wonderful marketing tool. Before, it would take a hefty advertising budget and creative genius for a local business to grab the attention of potential consumers. Twitter has changed all that. Now a local business can target people living in their area to alert them of special offers, merchandise, sales and upcoming events. Where traditional marketing might have cost hundreds or thousands, marketing on Twitter is completely free. In the future, I would not be surprised if Twitter users followed local businesses to find the best deal on an oil change or the cheapest movie tickets.
4. A New Way To Drive Traffic To A Blog
   In business, if your company has a blog, it is important to post interesting and insightful content but without an audience to notice and read the content, your efforts are futile. Twitter provides a free way to drive more traffic to your site. Quickly post a link to the latest blog entry, which will alert your followers new content has been posted to your blog.
5. New Ways To Get Quick Data
   Twitter gets information to people fast. Now that people have Twitter on their mobile devices, they can get information faster than ever before.

Twitter began as a social media tool and is quickly gaining speed as an absolute marketing weapon to compete in the marketplace. If used properly and creatively companies can tap into information they only dreamed of before. How is Twitter helping your business?

Do you know when the revolutionary war ended? Think twice. Is it:

1. December 16th, 1773
2. April 18th, 1775
3. July 4th, 1776
4. October 19th, 1781
5. September 3rd, 1783

What may have crossed your mind at first glance was choice 3, July 4th, 1776. Some may have thought it the date we won our freedom. Most Americans would recognize July 4th, 1776 as the date the Declaration of Independence was signed. As to the end of the Revolutionary War, for most of us it’s a crap shoot.

Now, most internet savvy readers have either “googled” the answer or are planning to do so just after finishing this article. For those who are feeling lazy, here’s a nice Revolutionary War timeline. Notice that July 4th, 1776 is near the beginning of the war, not the end.

As my profile states, before I became a PHP developer I was a pastor. I’ve asked many congregations to identify the date the Revolutionary War ended. Not once has anyone been able to provide a date, much less the last two dates in the list above. I got this little exercise from another minister who has also asked this same question of many more audiences. Not even his son in law, an American History major, was able to accurately answer the question. Why is that?

Because we value the day we decided to be free more than the day our oppressor said we were free.

We value the freedom in our heart more than the freedom a peace treaty provides us.

Ideas, such as the concept of freedom that pervaded the atmosphere during the Revolutionary War, pack more power than any bomb, weapon, or technology that has been or will be invented. Ideas drove the Continental Army to take on the British Military, the most powerful standing army and navy of the time. Ideas inspire men and women to take a dark and twisted view of the Islamic faith and kill themselves and their fellow man in suicide bombings. Ideas empowered Mother Teresa and Ghandi to fight oppression without ever picking up a weapon.

But it is not the ideas themselves that have the real power, it’s the belief in the idea that makes the idea powerful. If the idea is a bad one, it can cause a great deal of damage. If the idea is a good one, it can change the world if passionately heralded by it’s proponents.

Your idea may not be on par with world peace or the end of poverty. However, if you are able to passionately pursue your idea as the participants of the American Revolution did, you can accomplish a great deal. Here are some suggestions to help you get started.

1. Have a good idea. Without an ideal to pursue, passion dies a quick death. If you don’t have a good idea, find someone who does and follow them.
2. Believe in the idea when things are bad. Anyone can be a standard bearer for an idea when things are going well. If the idea is sound, stand by it when times are tough.
3. Let the Idea Grow. The United States government as it is described in the Constitution was not the original intention of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Their first try, the Articles of Confederation, was a flop. However, they allowed the idea of freedom to grow and change as they hammered out the U.S. Constitution, paving the way for the longest standing purely democratic government in the world.

Most important, if you don’t believe in your idea, no one else will either. If you believe in your idea and pursue it with passion, you may find people willing to follow you through thick and thin to see it come into reality.

Everyone does it; if you are sick you go to a doctor. If you have a question about money you ask your financial advisor. If you want to sell your house you contact a real estate agent. What do all of these people have in common? They are all experts. They are who people turn to when they want to know more about that particular subject or field. Are you an expert? Do others in your industry turn to you for answers? How do you become an expert? The answer is in the internet, of course. Here are seven tips to use the internet on your quest to become an expert in your industry.

1. Publish content that is of interest and newsworthy.
   This is one of the biggest things you can do. Just writing about your day, how you feel and what you did last night does not help. Write about topics that affect your co-workers and topics that effect your industry.
2. Have an opinion.
   More than just writing about industry topics it is important to take a stance. A great way to get noticed is to say what you think and back it up with facts and reasons.
3. Keep up with current subjects.
   Writing about “old news” will not get you noticed. People want to read about what is happening now. An industry expert is always informed on the latest news and has an opinion worth listening to.
4. Dress the part (online, of course).
   Even if you have all of the above checked off if your blog, Twitter (wherever you are publishing information) does not look credible it will take away from what you are saying. Just think about it, even if a restaurant has the best tacos in the city, if the building and parking lot look run down and shady it will not be considered the “best place to go” or the “city’s hot spot”. It might still get visitors but they will not be what they could if the place looked nice.
5. Follow other experts.
   A good tip is to listen to what other industry experts have to say. Whether this is checking their blog frequently or following them on Twitter, find out what are they talking about.
6. Comment on blogs/articles.
   While reading what other experts are saying leave comments and thoughts. You could ask a question or present another side to the story.
7. Join social communities with groups pertaining to your industry and contribute.
   This is a great way for your name to get recognized and remembered. Connecting with others is an invaluable experience and the internet is a free, quick and easy way to do so.

A decade ago you had to publish a book or speak at a large conference to become an industry expert. With the advancement and popularity of the internet it is much easier to make a name for yourself within your industry.. Keep in mind, experts have a voice and they are not afraid to share it. What is stopping you from becoming the next expert in your field?

Do you know what is all the rage for bloggers? Top ten lists. Surfers love to read them and bloggers love to give surfers what they desire. Based on this assumption I set out to make a list of my own. Being a professional web developer working for a classy outfit like lifeBLUE Media, it’s logical that my list should be technical in nature. A list of my top ten oatmeal toppings might be fascinating and all - but is kind of irrelevant. Maybe next time around I’ll explore my breakfast habits in detail but for my first top ten list ever, let me introduce you to some products that every developer should know about.

Nick’s top ten web developer products:

10. Smarty
The world’s leading caching and templating engine. I have seen Smarty deployed on projects ranging from a few hundred dollar hobby sites to multi-million dollar enterprise applications. Implementation of this project provides unlimited scalability and enforces clear separation between application layers. Smarty is extremely well documented and a feature rich. Adding plugins is a snap, plus it comes standard with a range of powerful plugins and modifiers. Providing even more power is the fact that any standard PHP function can be tacked right on to your template variables. Read more about this world class open source PHP template engine in Smarty’s Crash Course.

9. Wimpy
I love multimedia. Without streaming audio and video, the Internet would be about as popular as your neighborhood branch library. Over the years I have tried numerous media players and the undeniable best quality for the price is this awesome little flash player known as Wimpy. I would be hard pressed to find a product in existence with more skins available or a more convenient way to make your own. With great documentation, it’s a simple product that is easy to scale and deploy. It’s something of a treat every time I get to recommend this feisty little media player. Have a peek at some great examples.

8. XSPF Player
When thirty dollars is too serious an investment or for developers who are all about the open source, the XSPF player is an open source super lightweight flash player and the leading XML playlist format for audio. It is a standard that developers should at least be aware of. What RSS is to news, XSPF is to playlists. Like most standards that rise to the top of the open sourced fray - this one is rock solid in it’s simplicity.

7. jQuery
In the web development world Javascript is something of a prodigal son. It’s practically impossible to develop a rich user experience without it (unless using Flash), but there is a learning curve. Over the last five years some incredible javascript frameworks have been taking the Internet by storm. As the availability of products such as YUI and prototype increase, the end-user distrust of Javascript has been decreasing. Out of these numerous Javascript frameworks emerging, my product of choice is this css selector styled library known as jQuery. The initial attraction is it’s filesize. Once minified and gzipped the core library is a very lightweight 18kb. At that size why not include it everytime? Also, it’s syntax and chaining abilities just make sense. Experienced developers clearly remember the gyrations and acrobatics required when armed with only getElementbyId(); jQuery takes the guess work out. Page effects that would have required many a sleepless night filled with frustration are being accomplished in five seconds when taking advantage of many user-created jQuery plugins available online. If you are a developer, odds are you are all ready using this. And know how much it rocks.

6. class.upload.php
I wanted to have at least one PHP class in this list. And the first one that comes to mind is this feature rich image manipulation script. The convenience and power of this script makes it a pleasure to work with. Simply instantiate it with the file pointer and it’s ready to go. Besides the basic ability to move files, this free class allows you to apply filters, borders, text, watermarks, etc and convert, resize or crop your images. The only server side requirement is GD2 which is standard on any new PHP deployment. Writing those functions on your own is not super complex, but why bother when this script exists? Obviously using class.upload.php would be overkill for simply uploading files - but next time your project calls for batch processing of images, keep this jewel in mind. Read more about it here.

5. WAMP / XAMP
What can I say, my job would much more difficult without WAMP. Yes, I am a Windows user. At some point aren’t we all? But I am also a developer who wants a lamp stack running locally and deploying Linux can be a major pain in the gnads. That’s where WAMP steps in. It takes about five minutes to install and setup - and just like that you are literally running a virtual server inside Windows. You localhost is Apache, mysql is running and is accessible through the included phpMyAdmin. I at least get a warm fuzzy feeling of security and freedom being able to build and test at home. Granted if you are a developer and reading this, odds are you’re totally familiar with this product all ready. But on the off chance you came this far without using it, be joyful cause this free application rocks the Kasbah.

4. Ultraedit
What kind of developer tools list would be complete without mentioning my favorite code editor? I have tried most of the popular editors out there and keep coming back to good old UE. It has all the regular goodies you might expect such as code folding, macros, smart color coding, and built in FTP. Plus, it also has some really slick regex search functionality and though a minor thing, the ability to switch tabs with your search box open makes me happy. If I had to choose one editor to work with between Zend IDE ($300.00 for a one year license), Dreamweaver ($400.00) and Ultraedit ($39.99), I would choose the most lightweight of those three, Ultraedit.

3. AgentRansack
I think we can all agree that the Windows Search isn’t that great. Simply searching for files by name can bog down or even lock up your system and it’s not even worth trying to search inside the actual files for text. And then I discovered the beauty of Agent Ransack. It can parse every file type known to man, including graphics, and does so with blazing speed and low overhead. This free application has helped me solve many a programming mystery as I trace variables or functions back to their source. The only thing that could make this app better is if it also had search and replace functionality. But for what it does, it’s the best one on the block.

2. CSDiff
Another free tool great for uncovering developer mysteries, CSDiff simply compares files or directories and walks you through variances in a convenient and simple manner. Like all good programs, it has a very small footprint and works like a champ. It’s surprising how often this tool comes in handy during debugging or troubleshooting. When knowing the difference between two scripts, documents or directories is required this app is the de facto standard.

1. Subversion
Subversion is a next generation versioning control software. I never really used CVS, which was the standard, therefore it’s impossible for me to really compare the two. I do however know Subversion, and will gladly call it perfect in it’s simplicity and crazy useful. It has the obvious benefits of enabling collaboration and protecting developers from stepping on each other’s toes as well as the security of being able to revert changes regardless of how much time has passed or how many changes are made. But the convenience of keeping your code centralized too is a real pleasure. With a publicly accessible Subversion server I can work on the same project from four different computers without the need for a zip drive or trying to merge changes on my own.
Deploying the server can be a pain in the neck - but hey, that’s what your server admin gets paid to do right?
A word of advise, commit often and commit early.

I hope you have found this list helpful. There are many tools and products out there and just as many opinions about each. What are your “must have” tools?

Targeting your audience is arguably one of the most important elements of a business. Not clearly understanding who your core audience is can often be an elementary but detrimental mistake to your company. In an article found in BusinessWeek, they simply argue the old saying, “You can’t be all things to all people.” However, all too often, people try to do just that in business. By trying to appeal to everyone you end up isolating and turning away your “core” audience.

To establish who exactly your core audience is, BusinessWeek suggests doing a quick exercise: Take a minute and jot down three types of customers your company doesn’t want. Oh, and this is important: You can’t choose people like shoplifters or “sale-hoppers” – the kind of customer that no business wants. If you find it difficult, especially in this current economy, to think about customers you don’t want, try to describe your best customer in terms of some key demographics or attitudes. Next, take that profile and turn it inside out, revealing a customer type with the exact opposite characteristic. Odds are they are the kind of customer you do not want to chase.

This same concept should be applied to your website. Everything from design to the content should specifically appeal to your target audience. If your main demographic is business men, ages 25-50, that are career minded, driven and informed citizens… a simple, strait-forward site will specifically appeal to them. This age group will want information quickly at their fingertips without having to search. However, if your target demographics are teenagers with a disposable income, who are technologically savvy… a funky, cutting-edge, bold website would be appropriate.

With this in mind, it is extremely important to consider details like font size, content, images and the use of other technology, like videos, audio, and social networking in terms of your target demographic. For example, a site targeting older adults, such as AARP will have text that is larger than normal, with a clean, probably white background. It will side with a more simplistic theme, making the hierarchy of information clear and concise. On the other side, a website like MTV whose target audience is teens, has a provocative, bold, changing background with a quickly rotating main image. One big element to consider or compare is content. AARP has much less content on the home page than MTV, and gives more information on the articles it features. These are small, but important details that can turn viewers or customers away from your website.

Another example of the importance in understanding your target audience is the difference in ESPN and E!Online. While it is probably very clear that ESPN targets males and E!Online targets females, it is important to note the differences in how content is displayed on both websites. ESPN has loads of information displayed in quick, short sentences, as men usually want the information quickly with only the main points. The visitor is hit with over 20 scores or stories in just the top of the site, where as E! Online is very image intensive; each story has a photo that enhances the story. Women tend to enjoy looking at photos, as well as reading every detail of a story.

Whether your core audience is technologically savvy men and women or children under ten years old, it is important to make sure your business, brand and website target them. Remember, by trying to appeal to everyone, you will separate the brand from your target audience.