You will no doubt be aware that Apple have launched another product onto the market; The iPad.
Unless you are one of Apple's clan of geeky followers that purchases everything as soon as Apple launches it (Yikes! That now includes me) you probably won't have rushed out and got one, so it's likely that you are blissfully unaware that your website may not be working correctly (or even at all!) when viewed on an iPad.
What websites are affected?
Any website that uses Flash to display all or part of its page content is affected.
Flash is typically used wherever movement or visual effects are required, typically this would be image slide-shows and "call to actions", but Flash may also have been used for key elements such as Menus. Some websites are even developed completely in flash.
On the iPad Flash is not supported, so any object in flash will not display. If your menu is made of Flash no-one will be able to navigate your website. If your website is made completely of Flash it will not display at all!
Here's the techy explanation about Flash!
When you view a website you are using a browser, typically this is Internet Explorer or Firefox if you are on a PC and Safari or Firefox if you are on a Mac.
The browser contains most of the instructions that are required to display your website, however the instruction to display Flash is provided through a "plugin" which is not part of the browser. Flash is the proprietary software of Adobe (the Flash plugin is pre-installed on most computers, but you may remember being instructed to update it at various intervals in the past) and Apple have indicated that they will not allow the plugin to be installed on the iPad. No plugin - no Flash! Apple are adamant that they will never support Flash on the iPad and without going into details there is no reason to disbelieve them.
What can be used instead of Flash?
All modern browsers support JavaScript and over the last few years Javascript functionality has improved rapidly to the point that it can now provide an alternative to flash whenever a similar effect is required. As Javascript works within the browser and not a plugin it will work fine on an iPad.
Will the iPad be big?
YES. Sales have been extraordinarily fast already (even for Apple products) and as more people become aware of the advantages of owning an iPad, sales will continue to soar.
For most people the iPad will replace the need to own a laptop. The iPad provides users with access to websites (not flash ones!) , email, music, digital books, photos, films and "apps" (applications extend the way information is presented - such as digital newspapers) and there are already apps being written specifically for the iPad - the BBC launched a news app for the iPad just a few days ago. Add to this the fact that it is small (similar in dimensions to a page of A4), it's light, it has a battery that lasts in excess of 9 hours and is so easy to use that even your granny will get on with it!
But even instant successes take a time become mainstream, not everyone will rush out and buy them - they're certainly not cheap, but they will be particularly popular with certain audiences such as frequent travellers, others will wait until they can justify the purchase but they will end up being used by a sizeable amount of people within a relatively short space of time. I also feel that Apple's refusal to support Flash will be viewed as a defining moment in how websites are developed in the future.
What should I do?
If you don't have flash on your website, you are not affected by this issue and don't need to worry.
If you do have flash, your website will have display issues when viewed on the iPad. Your first consideration should be to decide how many of your website visitors may use an iPad and how will they be affected. If the flash elements are just images, you may decide that it is not important to do anything at this stage. If Flash has been used for menu's or your whole site is developed in Flash I would suggest that you start considering a re-design/re-development of your website for some time in the foreseeable future. Certainly this year. If your target audience is unlikely to be the early adopters of iPad's, there is less of a rush, but I would still suggest planning to move away from flash by the end of next year.
If you have any questions at all or you are unsure how your website will be affected and would like me to take a look for you, feel free to get in touch
Monday, 26 July 2010
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Free Training under the Train to Gain Funding scheme.
How would you like your company to have £500 worth of free training?
The Train to Gain scheme offers funding for the training of UK business owners and managers. The scheme guarantees £500 absolutely free, and if required a further £500 will be matched pound for pound with your contribution.
for example;
First £500 of training is free
Total of £800 training will cost you: £150
Total of £1500 training will cost you: £500
This is too good an opportunity to miss and I want as as possible to benefit, therefore It is very important to register as soon as possible as this guarantees the funding - there is a likelihood that this scheme will not be available for much longer!
What training can you offer?
I can tailor courses to suit your individual needs on any Internet related topics. Here are a few areas to consider; Website Content Management, Search Engine Optimisation, Email Marketing, Social Networking, eCommerce. The money can be used either for one-to-one training (on-site or at my office), or for any of my "Workshops for Website Managers" group sessions.
Do I qualify?
Your company must have 5 or more full time employees. (Directors can be included in this number and companies with part time employee's, should still be eligible if the time worked by part-time employees is equivalent to that of 5 full time employees)
Training is for business owners and managers (other members of staff can be present as long as they are in addition to the owner or manager being trained). The scheme must be used for training and cannot be used for design or development work (ie: I can train you how to use your current website but you cannot use the funds toward the cost of a new website)
What do I do to register?
Contact me to express your interest straight away.
I will then pass your details to Iain Stevenson of Business link who will get in touch. Registration involves a telephone call/visit from a Business link manager who will explain the scheme and complete the paperwork.
Once qualified, you are guaranteed the money and can organise training for a time that suits you. Ideally this will be between September and December.
How do I get the money?
Business link will reimburse you after receiving your receipt for training from me.
The Train to Gain scheme offers funding for the training of UK business owners and managers. The scheme guarantees £500 absolutely free, and if required a further £500 will be matched pound for pound with your contribution.
for example;
First £500 of training is free
Total of £800 training will cost you: £150
Total of £1500 training will cost you: £500
This is too good an opportunity to miss and I want as as possible to benefit, therefore It is very important to register as soon as possible as this guarantees the funding - there is a likelihood that this scheme will not be available for much longer!
What training can you offer?
I can tailor courses to suit your individual needs on any Internet related topics. Here are a few areas to consider; Website Content Management, Search Engine Optimisation, Email Marketing, Social Networking, eCommerce. The money can be used either for one-to-one training (on-site or at my office), or for any of my "Workshops for Website Managers" group sessions.
Do I qualify?
Your company must have 5 or more full time employees. (Directors can be included in this number and companies with part time employee's, should still be eligible if the time worked by part-time employees is equivalent to that of 5 full time employees)
Training is for business owners and managers (other members of staff can be present as long as they are in addition to the owner or manager being trained). The scheme must be used for training and cannot be used for design or development work (ie: I can train you how to use your current website but you cannot use the funds toward the cost of a new website)
What do I do to register?
Contact me to express your interest straight away.
I will then pass your details to Iain Stevenson of Business link who will get in touch. Registration involves a telephone call/visit from a Business link manager who will explain the scheme and complete the paperwork.
Once qualified, you are guaranteed the money and can organise training for a time that suits you. Ideally this will be between September and December.
How do I get the money?
Business link will reimburse you after receiving your receipt for training from me.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
.CO Domain name released today
There's a new domain name extension being released today and I think it's important that you know about it.
The domain extension is .co (www.yourname.co) will be freely available to all from today - 7pm to be exact.
Will .co be big?
Nobody can say for sure but here's my view. It could take a year or two (depending on uptake) before website users become familiar with .co website addresses and in this time you may find yourself explaining to customers that it is not a .com or .co.uk domain name that you have.
There is no absolute guarantee that this domain name extension will fully catch on - but because of it is memorable and universal appeal (Associated globally with the words “COmpany,” “COrporation” and “COmmerce” ), I suspect it will.
Is it for you?
A bit of advice
For existing websites, it is better to stay with your current domain name than to change to a new one, purchase the domain name as an additional domain name for your current website or to use on a new website.
For the foreseeable time, most people will associate .co.uk domain names as being UK based companies and .COM as being from anywhere. Depending on who your target audience are, I would still advise .co.uk and .com as your primary choice.
The .co domain name has been available for pre-registration at a premium price, so you may find that your perfect domain name has already been reserved.
The domain extension is .co (www.yourname.co) will be freely available to all from today - 7pm to be exact.
Will .co be big?
Nobody can say for sure but here's my view. It could take a year or two (depending on uptake) before website users become familiar with .co website addresses and in this time you may find yourself explaining to customers that it is not a .com or .co.uk domain name that you have.
There is no absolute guarantee that this domain name extension will fully catch on - but because of it is memorable and universal appeal (Associated globally with the words “COmpany,” “COrporation” and “COmmerce” ), I suspect it will.
Is it for you?
- If you missed your chance to get the .com or .co.uk domain name you wanted because it was already registered, this domain launch gives you another chance.
- If you are looking for a shorter domain name or an additional domain name to give to customers or to promote a separate product, get it.
- If you are worried about a competitor purchsing it and using it, get it.
- If you are not sure, get it just in case, you can always let it go in a years time. Once registered by someone else you will have missed your chance - possibly forever.
- Google puts some importance on keywords in domain names, so for example if you sell cars and cars.co is available - get it!
A bit of advice
For existing websites, it is better to stay with your current domain name than to change to a new one, purchase the domain name as an additional domain name for your current website or to use on a new website.
For the foreseeable time, most people will associate .co.uk domain names as being UK based companies and .COM as being from anywhere. Depending on who your target audience are, I would still advise .co.uk and .com as your primary choice.
The .co domain name has been available for pre-registration at a premium price, so you may find that your perfect domain name has already been reserved.
Saturday, 10 July 2010
The £105 million website
It has recently come to light that the HMRC website has cost £35 million per year over the last 3 years!
As a developer of websites, it is fair to say that I am more aware that the larger the website the more complex the technical requirements, non more-so than for a government operated site. Cost would naturally be high because of operational considerations such as content management, security implications, site reliability and visitor traffic on scales that most sites do not have to cope with. But even allowing for all of this, I am absolutely staggered at the cost.
I'm also pretty sure that if the costings were analysed closely, a dispraportionate amount of money would have been spent on the decision making process compared to the actual development or management of the website. If the layer after layer of bureaucracy that accompanies government projects was stripped back, vast amounts of money could be saved, but unfortunately, departments would much rather talk about what is going to be done and then refer to someone else than to actually make a decision - just in case at a later date, the decision could be deemed to have been wrong.
In my industry we call this process "death by committee", but whatever you want to call it, this stalling process delays projects and increases the end price.
This is one of the first areas that needs tackling if the government is to be more cost effective in future.
Read BBC blog entry "The £105 Million website"
As a developer of websites, it is fair to say that I am more aware that the larger the website the more complex the technical requirements, non more-so than for a government operated site. Cost would naturally be high because of operational considerations such as content management, security implications, site reliability and visitor traffic on scales that most sites do not have to cope with. But even allowing for all of this, I am absolutely staggered at the cost.
I'm also pretty sure that if the costings were analysed closely, a dispraportionate amount of money would have been spent on the decision making process compared to the actual development or management of the website. If the layer after layer of bureaucracy that accompanies government projects was stripped back, vast amounts of money could be saved, but unfortunately, departments would much rather talk about what is going to be done and then refer to someone else than to actually make a decision - just in case at a later date, the decision could be deemed to have been wrong.
In my industry we call this process "death by committee", but whatever you want to call it, this stalling process delays projects and increases the end price.
This is one of the first areas that needs tackling if the government is to be more cost effective in future.
Read BBC blog entry "The £105 Million website"
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