This video is footage of me riding for my son. This is the first time he has ever seen me ride my unicycle. His Nana is holding him up and he appears bewildered. The link is on my website. Click here to view it. Note that it is a Quicktime movie that is not streamed, so it might take awhile to load. I should put this on YouTube.
February 15, 2007
Web 2.0 sites are not linear places to visit; rather, they are online services that enable users to get something accomplished. Businesses can harness web 2.0 technology to increase productivity, enhance associate communication and improve vendor relations.
- Improving online communications - Experiment with a growing array of collaborative services to maintain corporate intranet communications. For example, use of wikis to create meeting agendas and post training videos.
- Using AJAX applications – The use of dashboard and document management apps using AJAX technology have improved browsing, viewing and search, capabilities. Many online retailers use this technology to improve customer experience while browsing. As a shopper, I find it convenient to see what I’ve looked at just in case I want to make a purchase.
- Podcasting and RSS feeds - target customers with clearly defined interests and keep them current on the companies services and news.
February 9, 2007
Standards
All content is placed into Vignette and must meet the following criteria.HTML
- HTML code cannot exceed 43k.
- Client-side image maps are acceptable and must be provided by the client.
- Forms tags in HTML code must use “get” in the method.
- CGIs referenced in the HTML code must be active at the time of submission for validating/testing the ad HTML code, and able to handle the traffic load.
- Ads with CGIs which are not active and/or cannot handle the projected traffic will not be accepted.
Images
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Users must use the standard photo library. Any deviations from that library must be approved by web services.
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2 images maximum per the assigned template. Additional photos must be approved by web services.
Documents
- All documents must be stored in your library. All MS Office documents and Adobe PDFs are acceptable.
Linking URL
- Linking URLs must be relative and cannot be an IP address (i.e., http://192.168.27.45)
- 30KB download and up to 4 additional download streams upon user click are permitted. Each additional stream may not exceed 100KB.
- Frame rate may not exceed 18 frames per second. Banners that exceed 18 frames per second will not be accepted. 12 frames per second is preferred.
- If the browser does not support Flash 6.0 and above, the alternate image will be served (see submission guidelines). Our standard is now Flash 9.0 on the corporate intranet.
- Loading files from cross domains is not permitted for security reasons.
Applications
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All applications must be processed through our online project form. The traffic manger will review each application with web services and you will be contacted to schedule a preliminary meeting.
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All departments must use our assigned vendors that are approved by IS.
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Applications are prioritized on a patient care critical basis.
February 7, 2007
When I worked for a local children’s hospital in the IT department, I had a lot of stress. This was commonplace for all associates. We had a lot of work and tight deadlines with short staff. Sound familiar? To help alleviate the stress for myself and my co workers, I put an easel with a whiteboard outside of my cubicle and drew a new cartoon on it every morning. Before long, my co workers stopped by everyday to see what was new. The humor was similar to the Farside and Dilbert in a dry, deranged way. You can view some of the drawings at WebDiva’s Whiteboard Cartoons
February 7, 2007
My little troll was a late walker. He didn’t start toddling until he was 14 months old. The best shoes I found for beginner walking types are Stride Rite Stages shoes. I am not sure what makes them better than Keds, but he had traction and stability. Before long he was running.
February 7, 2007
Have you ever caught a nasty cold complete with cough and referred to it as “the croup?” I certainly have. It was a term I picked up from my mom when she referred to a cough and cold.
I didn’t learn that it is a real viral infection until my toddler caught it from another rugrat in daycare. My next door neighbor is a nurse practitioner, so I got the scoop on what the croup is and the best treatments.
Croup is a viral infection that little folks catch from their friends and share with other little friends. The main symptom is a bronchial like cough. It goes away in about 5 days if the case is mild. My son had a mild case and the best thing I could do for him was bundle his little self and sit on our porch in the cool moist air. It was raining the day I discovered he had croup, so we were lucky to have perfect treatment weather. I put a humidifier (cool mist) in his room that night and it helped lessen the nasty coughing.
Who knew that this generic term was a real virus? Wow.
January 30, 2007
For your entertainment and/or education
January 30, 2007
WebSite Strategic Planning Guide
- Planning
- Client fills out online Project Inquiry form
- Project Inquiry Form Questions
- What is the purpose of the website?
- Who does the work? In house or outsourced?
- Who maintains the site? Who pays for that maintenance?
- Who are the website’s primary audiences and what do they need, want, and desire?
- Any multimedia aspects? Video, audio, tutorials, etc.
- Any technical requirements? Database apps, forms, etc.
- Any language translation requirements? Specify language
- Web Services sets meeting with client to determine feasibility
- Web Services provides client with Project Plan (see figure 1)
- Sign off by client
- Implementation
- Budget and timeline – cost and resource analysis
- Revenue Generators – banner ads, google adsense, etc
- The site content – information architecture (see figure 2)
- Sign off by client
- The look of the site – creative brief, creative spec, accessibility tests
(see figure 3)- Sign off by client
- Site functionality – technical brief, functional specs
- Sign off by client
- Draft site for client review
- Sign off by client
- Usability and Accessibility testing – focus groups to try new site
- Search Engine Optimization
- How the site will be marketed -marketing plan
- Final site review
- Sign off by client
- Launch – soft launch before announcements to public to work out bugs
- Public Launch
- Post Launch Analysis
- Site review and assessment
- Success/Problem analysis – what worked and what did not
- Search Engine Optimization review
- Change Request Forms provided to client for maintenance purposes.
- Long
Range Planning- Path tracking analysis – are your users doing what you want them to do? (based on WebTrends reports)
- Revenue review and assessment for placed media (if applicable)
- Website ROI analysis
January 30, 2007
What implications do Web 2.0 technologies and concepts have on developing and managing customer facing content on your site?
Posted by wallan37 under web 2.0[2] Comments
What implications do Web 2.0 technologies and concepts have on developing and managing customer facing content on your site?
What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0 is the name given to a collection of technology that is changing how we work with the Web, whether as consumers, software developers or businesses. Instead of presenting content/information/knowledge in a linear sequential manner, customers are provided with a rich array of tools and resources to create a productive learning experience.
Web 2.0 allows more touchpoints between businesses and customers earlier in the cycle than traditional methods (e.g., email). Using product review applications that are openly available to all and allow customers to provide feedback on products can be captured immediately.
Some examples of Web 2.0 include:
- Instant feedback, rapid evolution of offerings through co-innovating with the people actually using the products (e.g., package tracking information via mobile devices)
- Custom product recommendations (e.g., product suggestions based on shipping history)
- Product ratings and reviews by customers
- Really Simple Syndication or RSS, a common format for Website syndication. RSS allows browsers or RSS aggregators to “subscribe” to feeds and to provide up-to-date content to the user. (FedEx News and Events via podcasts)
Forms of Web 2.0 Technology
- Ajax - application groups
- Podcasts/RSS Feeds
- Mashers – data portals
- Blogs – journals
- Social Networks/Enterprise Management Systems
- Wikis – interactive content sites
- On-Demand commerce services
What’s in it for your company?
- Provide an interactive experience for the customer
- Improve business value
- Provide significant competitive advantage
Current sites offer
- Linear instruction-based design
- PDF documents
- Package Tracking application
- Customer login applications
How does this affect developing and managing customer facing content on your internet site?
- Content will change from inventories of linear information to an online interactive, community-based business
- New mechanisms will be created to track what products customers are using, saving particularly popular data sets and making them shareable and reusable
- RSS feeds will enable customers to receive package updates in real-time.
- Use of enterprise social networking services such as LinkedIn and Visible Path to locate sales leads and prospects from the collective contacts of employees
- The corporate intranet will become more collaborative with the introduction of Wikis and social networks to improve training and communication
How do we integrate Web 2.0 technology into your site?
- Open our marketing processes to the experiences of outside participants
- Actively listen to where and how they participate
- Harness that collective intelligence to create products, services and brands
- Focus on finding out how these tools work with the actual users
- Gather valid/reasonable data to verify that these tools are achieving business goals
January 30, 2007
Structural leaders emphasize rationality, analysis, logic, facts, and data. They are likely to believe strongly in the importance of clear structure and well-developed management systems. A good leader is someone who thinks clearly, makes good decisions, has good analytic skills, and can design structures and systems that get the job done.
