* * Presenting... MY POWER MALL! * *
Hello Friend,
You might be one of the many people who have been turned off by MLM, Network Marketing or Affiliate Marketing. I'm happy to tell you that My Power Mall is completely different! The best way to show you how is to share another letter that our Founder & CEO, Ginny Dye, has written:
_____________________________________
When I first conceived and designed My Power Mall, this is one of the first questions I received. My answer follows.
Q: I am really concerned that this is MLM! If it looks like a rose, smells like a rose and has thorns like a rose, it is a rose! Anything that requires someone to get levels to make any money is MLM.
A. I have done quite a bit of research into just what MLM and Affiliate Marketing is, how they differ and how they are similar. Here is what I have discovered:
MLM vs Affiliate Marketing (AM) - what is the difference?
Affiliate Marketing
- AM is always FREE to join
- AM is typically one tier but can be 2 tiers
- Training and support, if any come directly from the company (not a sponsor or upline)
- AM is selling products or free offers or generating leads
- You get paid commission for the sale or offer or lead
- You do not get paid for recruiting others into a business; you get paid for selling the end product to end users.
- Sometimes you get paid a percentage of commission earned by webmasters you refer, but only one level deep. But it is always for selling the product or service not for bringing them into a business
It is MLM or Network Marketing if...
- you have to buy a starter kit or pay to join
- you have to buy products
- you have to qualify for income
- it is more than 2 levels of pay (you and the person you refer)
- you can not understand the COMP PLAN
- it takes 8 pages to explain the comp plan :)
- you have to recruit, sponsor and/or train others
- the only ones that get rich are at the top
-------------------------------
As I did all the research and pondered what I was learning, I realized what I am proposing is neither MLM nor an Affiliate Program. I have been clear about the pitfalls I see in MLM. While Affiliate Marketing does not have those same pitfalls, it has plenty of its own. The only people who make real money with Affiliate Marketing are those people who are pros in E-Commerce, website development, Search Engine optimization, and other things that the average person simply will not be able to succeed at. Again, if the merchant has enough people out there selling just 1 or 2 things it all adds up to great money for them, but it does not make much for the Affiliate.
As I pondered this during the early hours this morning I realized what I am proposing simply does not have a label. It does not fit under anyone's definitions. I personally love that! Would it not be incredible if we have a system that can be used in a way that has never been used before, creating a program that actually works for people! Something that works... now that is an exciting concept!
I think you can choose to be thrown by the idea that it even smells like MLM, or you can consider the possibility that we are blending the good things from both MLM and Affiliate programs - creating SOMETHING THAT WORKS!
____________________________
One of our own MPM members had another take on this that we absolutely loved:
It seems to me that a good description of this business
would not, as I agree, be MLM or AM or the like but maybe...
WM - (Wealth Marketing).
By this I do not mean Wealth just as in a financial sense
because as we know, there is much more to it here at MPM.
Yes, I was attracted by a much better chance of success
for the 97% of current internet failure's out there.
Yes, I was attracted because there is no financial risk.
Yes, I joined because you do not have to sell, we just give it away.
But:
Wealth can also be measured in a spiritual sense.
The fact that what we are giving away will help change people's lives.
The fact of giving something back to society as a whole.
The fact that identifiable worthy causes and individuals will benefit from
the actions of other's - (Our Membership and Corporate) where they have
possibly not had any recognition from any source in the past.
The bottom line is that My Power Mall simply does not fit any model that is out there. We have the opportunity to lead the way in a business that is truly designed for every single person to be able to succeed. I believe that is something you can be very proud of!
__________________________________________
Take another look at the things that make My Power Mall so powerful...
- MY POWER MALL really is FR*EE. There is no cost to you. EVER.
- There is nothing to SELL. All you have to do is shop in any one of 1000+ stores on your own personal Mall and buy whatever you and your family need and want.
- Give away F*REE Malls and create financial freedom from all the purchases on your team.
- There is no qualifying to receive your income. When you make it, it is yours. Pretty simple.
- There are no meetings. People already know how to shop!
- All tools are FRE*E. You are given everything you need.
My Power Mall has created the perfect system that will harness the Power of Online Spending to Change Lives. In fact, that is their motto. Harnessing the Power of Online Spending to Change Lives!
If you are intrigued and want to know more, please visit my website at http://www.mypowermall.com/biz/home/67916 . You will be able to view a great video and have every question answered.
I look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
Shining_Star
Contact me
humpympm@gmail.com
MY POWER MALL
Friday, October 26, 2007
My Power Mall
My Power Mall is the hottest news to hit the net lately. If you like to shop, like to internet, like helping others, then this company is for you. Not only do we help others realize their dreams, but this company also helps children with special needs. 6.5% of the corporate profits go towards one child at a time. When their financial needs are met, then another childs picture and bio is available for you on your own mall site. The logo is One Child At A Time. Currently, the child on my mall sites name is Regan Hart. I have not read her bio yet, but will do so.
This company pays 9 tiers down. Simply join and start shopping...which is somthing we all have to do anyway The compensation plan can be studied when you join. Companies also give you rebates, some as high as 20% There is just tooooo much to cover in a post like this, so my advice is join for FREE, no gimmicks, study it over, if you like it fine, if not simply cancel as fast as you started. It's the most honest business I have ever come across, truly wanting to help others too. Best of all....the founder and CEO is a woman. Her name is Ginny Dye, and she is a true leader in all aspects of life.
All you have to do is GIVE away mall sites for FREE. No money down and no monthly qualifications. Just shop till ya drop
Hope this answers some of your questions. Trust me, I have been a part of everything known to man, and you won't go wrong with this FREE company.
This company pays 9 tiers down. Simply join and start shopping...which is somthing we all have to do anyway The compensation plan can be studied when you join. Companies also give you rebates, some as high as 20% There is just tooooo much to cover in a post like this, so my advice is join for FREE, no gimmicks, study it over, if you like it fine, if not simply cancel as fast as you started. It's the most honest business I have ever come across, truly wanting to help others too. Best of all....the founder and CEO is a woman. Her name is Ginny Dye, and she is a true leader in all aspects of life.
All you have to do is GIVE away mall sites for FREE. No money down and no monthly qualifications. Just shop till ya drop
Hope this answers some of your questions. Trust me, I have been a part of everything known to man, and you won't go wrong with this FREE company.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Web Hosting/Servers.
UK2 is one of the UK’s biggest hosting companies. We provide outstanding value services such as Domain Name Registration and Hosting, Web Hosting, E-Commerce, Dedicated Servers and E-mail. We are committed to providing excellent products, competitive prices and first class levels of support to help our customers grow, improve and profit in their businesses. Domain Names – Customer can now take advantage of the UK2 Buy one get one FREE Offer! Buy a .com, .co.uk, .mobi, .eu Domain Name and get One FREE. We offer all major top level domains such as .com, .co.uk, .net, .org and other new top level domains such as .mobi. All our Domain Names are competitively priced and include many free features. Web Hosting Packages – Our Web Hosting packages are designed to cater for diverse customers, whether they are new to the web or they are savvy developers. Customer can choose from our Starter, Small, Medium, Large or X-Large Web Hosting packages. All our Web Hosting packages come with HUGE Webspace and bandwidth, FREE features and a massive 25% discount on all annual contracts. Dedicated Server – Customer can now take advantage of the UK2 Buy one get one FREE Offer! Buy a UK2 Dedicated Server and get One FREE. We offer 100% Power Uptime, 99.9% Network Uptime and 24/7 support to all our Dedicated Server Customers. Customers can choose from the Value, Blowout, Medium, Large or X-Large Servers.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
A Web Standards Checklist, How to make a proper website
A web standards checklist
The term web standards can mean different things to different people. For some, it is 'table-free sites', for others it is 'using valid code'. However, web standards are much broader than that. A site built to web standards should adhere to standards (HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, XSLT, DOM, MathML, SVG etc) and pursue best practices (valid code, accessible code, semantically correct code, user-friendly URLs etc).
In other words, a site built to web standards should ideally be lean, clean, CSS-based, accessible, usable and search engine friendly.
About the checklist
This is not an uber-checklist. There are probably many items that could be added. More importantly, it should not be seen as a list of items that must be addressed on every site that you develop. It is simply a guide that can be used:
* to show the breadth of web standards* as a handy tool for developers during the production phase of websites* as an aid for developers who are interested in moving towards web standards
The checklist
1.Quality of code1. Does the site use a correct Doctype?2. Does the site use a Character set?3. Does the site use Valid (X)HTML?4. Does the site use Valid CSS?5. Does the site use any CSS hacks?6. Does the site use unnecessary classes or ids?7. Is the code well structured?8. Does the site have any broken links?9. How does the site perform in terms of speed/page size?10. Does the site have JavaScript errors?
2. Degree of separation between content and presentation1. Does the site use CSS for all presentation aspects (fonts, colour, padding, borders etc)?2. Are all decorative images in the CSS, or do they appear in the (X)HTML?
3. Accessibility for users1. Are "alt" attributes used for all descriptive images?2. Does the site use relative units rather than absolute units for text size?3. Do any aspects of the layout break if font size is increased?4. Does the site use visible skip menus?5. Does the site use accessible forms?6. Does the site use accessible tables?7. Is there sufficient colour brightness/contrasts?8. Is colour alone used for critical information?9. Is there delayed responsiveness for dropdown menus (for users with reduced motor skills)?10. Are all links descriptive (for blind users)?
4. Accessibility for devices1. Does the site work acceptably across modern and older browsers?2. Is the content accessible with CSS switched off or not supported?3. Is the content accessible with images switched off or not supported?4. Does the site work in text browsers such as Lynx?5. Does the site work well when printed?6. Does the site work well in Hand Held devices?7. Does the site include detailed metadata?8. Does the site work well in a range of browser window sizes?
5. Basic Usability1. Is there a clear visual hierarchy?2. Are heading levels easy to distinguish?3. Does the site have easy to understand navigation?4. Does the site use consistent navigation?5. Are links underlined?6. Does the site use consistent and appropriate language?7. Do you have a sitemap page and contact page? Are they easy to find?8. For large sites, is there a search tool?9. Is there a link to the home page on every page in the site?10. Are visited links clearly defined with a unique colour?
6. Site management1. Does the site have a meaningful and helpful 404 error page that works from any depth in the site?2. Does the site use friendly URLs?3. Do your URLs work without "www"?4. Does the site have a favicon?
1. Quality of code
1.1 Does the site use a correct Doctype?A doctype (short for 'document type declaration') informs the validator which version of (X)HTML you're using, and must appear at the very top of every web page. Doctypes are a key component of compliant web pages: your markup and CSS won't validate without them.CODEhttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/doctype/
More:CODEhttp://www.w3.org/QA/2002/04/valid-dtd-list.html
CODEhttp://css.maxdesign.com.au/listamatic/about-boxmodel.htm
CODEhttp://gutfeldt.ch/matthias/articles/doctypeswitch.html
1.2 Does the site use a Character set?If a user agent (eg. a browser) is unable to detect the character encoding used in a Web document, the user may be presented with unreadable text. This information is particularly important for those maintaining and extending a multilingual site, but declaring the character encoding of the document is important for anyone producing XHTML/HTML or CSS.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/International/tutorials/tutorial-char-enc/
More:CODEhttp://www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html
1.3 Does the site use Valid (X)HTML?Valid code will render faster than code with errors. Valid code will render better than invalid code. Browsers are becoming more standards compliant, and it is becoming increasingly necessary to write valid and standards compliant
HTML.CODEhttp://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/sit2003/06.htm
More:CODEhttp://validator.w3.org/
1.4 Does the site use Valid CSS?You need to make sure that there aren't any errors in either your HTML or your CSS, since mistakes in either place can result in botched document appearance.CODEhttp://www.meyerweb.com/eric/articles/webrev/199904.html
More:CODEhttp://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
1.5 Does the site use any CSS hacks?Basically, hacks come down to personal choice, the amount of knowledge you have of workarounds, the specific design you are trying to
achieve.CODEhttp://www.mail-archive.com/wsg@webstandardsgroup.org/msg05823.html
More:CODEhttp://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=CssHack
CODEhttp://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=ToHackOrNotToHack
CODEhttp://centricle.com/ref/css/filters/
1.6 Does the site use unnecessary classes or ids?I've noticed that developers learning new skills often end up with good CSS but poor XHTML. Specifically, the HTML code tends to be full of unnecessary divs and ids. This results in fairly meaningless HTML and bloated style sheets.CODEhttp://www.clagnut.com/blog/228/
1.7 Is the code well structured?Semantically correct markup uses html elements for their given purpose. Well structured HTML has semantic meaning for a wide range of user agents (browsers without style sheets, text browsers, PDAs, search engines etc.)
CODEhttp://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/benefits/index04.htm
More:CODEhttp://www.w3.org/2003/12/semantic-extractor.html
1.8 Does the site have any broken links?Broken links can frustrate users and potentially drive customers away. Broken links can also keep search engines from properly indexing your site.
More:CODEhttp://validator.w3.org/checklink
1.9 How does the site perform in terms of speed/page size?Don't make me wait... That's the message users give us in survey after survey. Even broadband users can suffer the slow-loading blues.CODEhttp://www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/
1.10 Does the site have JavaScript errors?Internet Explore for Windows allows you to turn on a debugger that will pop up a new window and let you know there are javascript errors on your site. This is available under 'Internet Options' on the Advanced tab. Uncheck 'Disable script debugging'.
2. Degree of separation between content and presentation
2.1 Does the site use CSS for all presentation aspects (fonts, colour, padding, borders etc)?Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-style-sheets
2.2 Are all decorative images in the CSS, or do they appear in the (X)HTML?The aim for web developers is to remove all presentation from the html code, leaving it clean and semantically correct.CODEhttp://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/benefits/index07.htm
3. Accessibility for users
3.1 Are "alt" attributes used for all descriptive images?Provide a text equivalent for every non-text elementCODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-text-equivalent
3.2 Does the site use relative units rather than absolute units for text size?Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values'.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-relative-units
More:CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-relative-units
CODEhttp://www.clagnut.com/blog/348/
3.3 Do any aspects of the layout break if font size is increased?Try this simple test. Look at your website in a browser that supports easy incrementation of font size. Now increase your browser's font size. And again. And again... Look at your site. Does the page layout still hold together? It is dangerous for developers to assume that everyone browses using default font sizes.3.4 Does the site use visible skip menus?
A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.CODEhttp://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=12
Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-group-links
...blind visitors are not the only ones inconvenienced by too many links in a navigation area. Recall that a mobility-impaired person with poor adaptive technology might be stuck tabbing through that morass.CODEhttp://joeclark.org/book/sashay/serialization/Chapter08.html#h4-2020
More:CODEhttp://www.niehs.nih.gov/websmith/508/o.htm
3.5 Does the site use accessible forms?Forms aren't the easiest of things to use for people with disabilities. Navigating around a page with written content is one thing, hopping between form fields and inputting information is
another.CODEhttp://www.htmldog.com/guides/htmladvanced/forms/
More:CODEhttp://www.webstandards.org/learn/tutorials/accessible-forms/01-accessible-forms.html
CODEhttp://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-form-builder.asp
CODEhttp://accessify.com/tutorials/better-accessible-forms.asp
3.6 Does the site use accessible tables?For data tables, identify row and column headers... For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-table-headers
More:CODEhttp://www.bcc.ctc.edu/webpublishing/ada/resources/tables.asp
CODEhttp://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-table-builder_step1.asp
CODEhttp://www.webaim.org/techniques/tables/
3.7 Is there sufficient colour brightness/contrasts?Ensure that foreground and background colour combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having colour deficits.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-colour-contrast
More:CODEhttp://www.juicystudio.com/services/colourcontrast.asp
3.8 Is colour alone used for critical information?Ensure that all information conveyed with colour is also available without colour, for example from context or
markup.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-colour-convey
There are basically three types of colour deficiency; Deuteranope (a form of red/green colour deficit), Protanope (another form of red/green colour deficit) and Tritanope (a blue/yellow deficit- very rare).
More:CODEhttp://colourfilter.wickline.org/
CODEhttp://www.toledo-bend.com/colourblind/Ishihara.html
CODEhttp://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckURL.php
3.9 Is there delayed responsiveness for dropdown menus?Users with reduced motor skills may find dropdown menus hard to use if responsiveness is set too fast.
3.10 Are all links descriptive?Link text should be meaningful enough to make sense when read out of context - either on its own or as part of a sequence of links. Link text should also be terse.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-meaningful-links
4. Accessibility for devices.
4.1 Does the site work acceptably across modern and older browsers?
Before starting to build a CSS-based layout, you should decide which browsers to support and to what level you intend to support them.CODEhttp://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/process/index_step01.cfm
4.2 Is the content accessible with CSS switched off or not supported?Some people may visit your site with either a browser that does not support CSS or a browser with CSS switched off. In content is structured well, this will not be an issue.
4.3 Is the content accessible with images switched off or not supported?Some people browse websites with images switched off - especially people on very slow connections. Content should still be accessible for these people.
4.4 Does the site work in text browsers such as Lynx?This is like a combination of images and CSS switched off. A text-based browser will rely on well structured content to provide meaning.
More:CODEhttp://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview
4.5 Does the site work well when printed?You can take any (X)HTML document and simply style it for print, without having to touch the markup.CODEhttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/goingtoprint/
More:CODEhttp://www.d.umn.edu/itss/support/Training/Online/webdesign/css.html#print
4.6 Does the site work well in Hand Held devices?This is a hard one to deal with until hand held devices consistently support their correct media type. However, some layouts work better in current hand-held devices. The importance of supporting hand held devices will depend on target audiences.
4.7 Does the site include detailed metadata?Metadata is machine understandable information for the webCODEhttp://www.w3.org/Metadata/
Metadata is structured information that is created specifically to describe another resource. In other words, metadata is 'data about data'.
4.8 Does the site work well in a range of browser window sizes?It is a common assumption amongst developers that average screen sizes are increasing. Some developers assume that the average screen size is now 1024px wide. But what about users with smaller screens and users with hand held devices? Are they part of your target audience and are they being disadvantaged?
5. Basic Usability5.1 Is there a clear visual hierarchy?Organise and prioritise the contents of a page by using size, prominence and content relationships.CODEhttp://www.great-web-design-tips.com/web-site-design/165.html
5.2 Are heading levels easy to distinguish?Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-logical-headings
5.3 Is the site's navigation easy to understand?Your navigation system should give your visitor a clue as to what page of the site they are currently on and where they can go next.CODEhttp://www.1stsitefree.com/design_nav.htm
5.4 Is the site's navigation consistent?If each page on your site has a consistent style of presentation, visitors will find it easier to navigate between pages and find informationCODEhttp://www.juicystudio.com/tutorial/accessibility/navigation.asp
5.5 Does the site use consistent and appropriate language?The use of clear and simple language promotes effective communication. Trying to come across as articulate can be as difficult to read as poorly written grammar, especially if the language used isn't the visitor's primary language.CODEhttp://www.juicystudio.com/tutorial/accessibility/clear.asp
5.6 Does the site have a sitemap page and contact page? Are they easy to find?Most site maps fail to convey multiple levels of the site's information architecture. In usability tests, users often overlook site maps or can't find them. Complexity is also a problem: a map should be a map, not a navigational challenge of its own.CODEhttp://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020106.html
5.7 For large sites, is there a search tool?While search tools are not needed on smaller sites, and some people will not ever use them, site-specific search tools allow users a choice of navigation options.
5.8 Is there a link to the home page on every page in the site?Some users like to go back to a site's home page after navigating to content within a site. The home page becomes a base camp for these users, allowing them to regroup before exploring new content.
5.9 Are links underlined?To maximise the perceived affordance of clickability, colour and underline the link text. Users shouldn't have to guess or scrub the page to find out where they can click.CODEhttp://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040510.html
5.10 Are visited links clearly defined?Most important, knowing which pages they've already visited frees users from unintentionally revisiting the same pages over and over again.CODEhttp://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040503.html
6. Site management
6.1 Does the site have a meaningful and helpful 404 error page that works from any depth in the site?You've requested a page - either by typing a URL directly into the address bar or clicking on an out-of-date link and you've found yourself in the middle of cyberspace nowhere. A user-friendly website will give you a helping hand while many others will simply do nothing, relying on the browser's built-in ability to explain what the problem is.CODEhttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/perfect404/
6.2 Does the site use friendly URLs?Most search engines (with a few exceptions - namely Google) will not index any pages that have a question mark or other character (like an ampersand or equals sign) in the URL... what good is a site if no one can find it?CODEhttp://www.sitepoint.com/article/search-engine-friendly-urls
One of the worst elements of the web from a user interface standpoint is the URL. However, if they're short, logical, and self-correcting, URLs can be acceptably usableCODEhttp://www.merges.net/theory/20010305.html
More:CODEhttp://www.sitepoint.com/article/search-engine-friendly-urls
CODEhttp://www.websitegoodies.com/article/32
CODEhttp://www.merges.net/theory/20010305.html
6.3 Does the site's URL work without "www"?While this is not critical, and in some cases is not even possible, it is always good to give people the choice of both options. If a user types your domain name without the www and gets no site, this could disadvantage both the user and you.
6.4 Does the site have a favicon?
A Favicon is a multi-resolution image included on nearly all professionally developed sites. The Favicon allows the webmaster to further promote their site, and to create a more customized appearance within a visitor's browser.CODEhttp://www.favicon.com/
Favicons are definitely not critical. However, if they are not present, they can cause 404 errors in your logs (site statistics). Browsers like IE will request them from the server when a site is bookmarked. If a favicon isn't available, a 404 error may be generated. Therefore, having a favicon could cut down on favicon specific 404 errors. The same is true of a 'robots.txt' file.
The term web standards can mean different things to different people. For some, it is 'table-free sites', for others it is 'using valid code'. However, web standards are much broader than that. A site built to web standards should adhere to standards (HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, XSLT, DOM, MathML, SVG etc) and pursue best practices (valid code, accessible code, semantically correct code, user-friendly URLs etc).
In other words, a site built to web standards should ideally be lean, clean, CSS-based, accessible, usable and search engine friendly.
About the checklist
This is not an uber-checklist. There are probably many items that could be added. More importantly, it should not be seen as a list of items that must be addressed on every site that you develop. It is simply a guide that can be used:
* to show the breadth of web standards* as a handy tool for developers during the production phase of websites* as an aid for developers who are interested in moving towards web standards
The checklist
1.Quality of code1. Does the site use a correct Doctype?2. Does the site use a Character set?3. Does the site use Valid (X)HTML?4. Does the site use Valid CSS?5. Does the site use any CSS hacks?6. Does the site use unnecessary classes or ids?7. Is the code well structured?8. Does the site have any broken links?9. How does the site perform in terms of speed/page size?10. Does the site have JavaScript errors?
2. Degree of separation between content and presentation1. Does the site use CSS for all presentation aspects (fonts, colour, padding, borders etc)?2. Are all decorative images in the CSS, or do they appear in the (X)HTML?
3. Accessibility for users1. Are "alt" attributes used for all descriptive images?2. Does the site use relative units rather than absolute units for text size?3. Do any aspects of the layout break if font size is increased?4. Does the site use visible skip menus?5. Does the site use accessible forms?6. Does the site use accessible tables?7. Is there sufficient colour brightness/contrasts?8. Is colour alone used for critical information?9. Is there delayed responsiveness for dropdown menus (for users with reduced motor skills)?10. Are all links descriptive (for blind users)?
4. Accessibility for devices1. Does the site work acceptably across modern and older browsers?2. Is the content accessible with CSS switched off or not supported?3. Is the content accessible with images switched off or not supported?4. Does the site work in text browsers such as Lynx?5. Does the site work well when printed?6. Does the site work well in Hand Held devices?7. Does the site include detailed metadata?8. Does the site work well in a range of browser window sizes?
5. Basic Usability1. Is there a clear visual hierarchy?2. Are heading levels easy to distinguish?3. Does the site have easy to understand navigation?4. Does the site use consistent navigation?5. Are links underlined?6. Does the site use consistent and appropriate language?7. Do you have a sitemap page and contact page? Are they easy to find?8. For large sites, is there a search tool?9. Is there a link to the home page on every page in the site?10. Are visited links clearly defined with a unique colour?
6. Site management1. Does the site have a meaningful and helpful 404 error page that works from any depth in the site?2. Does the site use friendly URLs?3. Do your URLs work without "www"?4. Does the site have a favicon?
1. Quality of code
1.1 Does the site use a correct Doctype?A doctype (short for 'document type declaration') informs the validator which version of (X)HTML you're using, and must appear at the very top of every web page. Doctypes are a key component of compliant web pages: your markup and CSS won't validate without them.CODEhttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/doctype/
More:CODEhttp://www.w3.org/QA/2002/04/valid-dtd-list.html
CODEhttp://css.maxdesign.com.au/listamatic/about-boxmodel.htm
CODEhttp://gutfeldt.ch/matthias/articles/doctypeswitch.html
1.2 Does the site use a Character set?If a user agent (eg. a browser) is unable to detect the character encoding used in a Web document, the user may be presented with unreadable text. This information is particularly important for those maintaining and extending a multilingual site, but declaring the character encoding of the document is important for anyone producing XHTML/HTML or CSS.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/International/tutorials/tutorial-char-enc/
More:CODEhttp://www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html
1.3 Does the site use Valid (X)HTML?Valid code will render faster than code with errors. Valid code will render better than invalid code. Browsers are becoming more standards compliant, and it is becoming increasingly necessary to write valid and standards compliant
HTML.CODEhttp://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/sit2003/06.htm
More:CODEhttp://validator.w3.org/
1.4 Does the site use Valid CSS?You need to make sure that there aren't any errors in either your HTML or your CSS, since mistakes in either place can result in botched document appearance.CODEhttp://www.meyerweb.com/eric/articles/webrev/199904.html
More:CODEhttp://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/
1.5 Does the site use any CSS hacks?Basically, hacks come down to personal choice, the amount of knowledge you have of workarounds, the specific design you are trying to
achieve.CODEhttp://www.mail-archive.com/wsg@webstandardsgroup.org/msg05823.html
More:CODEhttp://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=CssHack
CODEhttp://css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=ToHackOrNotToHack
CODEhttp://centricle.com/ref/css/filters/
1.6 Does the site use unnecessary classes or ids?I've noticed that developers learning new skills often end up with good CSS but poor XHTML. Specifically, the HTML code tends to be full of unnecessary divs and ids. This results in fairly meaningless HTML and bloated style sheets.CODEhttp://www.clagnut.com/blog/228/
1.7 Is the code well structured?Semantically correct markup uses html elements for their given purpose. Well structured HTML has semantic meaning for a wide range of user agents (browsers without style sheets, text browsers, PDAs, search engines etc.)
CODEhttp://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/benefits/index04.htm
More:CODEhttp://www.w3.org/2003/12/semantic-extractor.html
1.8 Does the site have any broken links?Broken links can frustrate users and potentially drive customers away. Broken links can also keep search engines from properly indexing your site.
More:CODEhttp://validator.w3.org/checklink
1.9 How does the site perform in terms of speed/page size?Don't make me wait... That's the message users give us in survey after survey. Even broadband users can suffer the slow-loading blues.CODEhttp://www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/
1.10 Does the site have JavaScript errors?Internet Explore for Windows allows you to turn on a debugger that will pop up a new window and let you know there are javascript errors on your site. This is available under 'Internet Options' on the Advanced tab. Uncheck 'Disable script debugging'.
2. Degree of separation between content and presentation
2.1 Does the site use CSS for all presentation aspects (fonts, colour, padding, borders etc)?Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-style-sheets
2.2 Are all decorative images in the CSS, or do they appear in the (X)HTML?The aim for web developers is to remove all presentation from the html code, leaving it clean and semantically correct.CODEhttp://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/benefits/index07.htm
3. Accessibility for users
3.1 Are "alt" attributes used for all descriptive images?Provide a text equivalent for every non-text elementCODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-text-equivalent
3.2 Does the site use relative units rather than absolute units for text size?Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values'.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-relative-units
More:CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-relative-units
CODEhttp://www.clagnut.com/blog/348/
3.3 Do any aspects of the layout break if font size is increased?Try this simple test. Look at your website in a browser that supports easy incrementation of font size. Now increase your browser's font size. And again. And again... Look at your site. Does the page layout still hold together? It is dangerous for developers to assume that everyone browses using default font sizes.3.4 Does the site use visible skip menus?
A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.CODEhttp://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=12
Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-group-links
...blind visitors are not the only ones inconvenienced by too many links in a navigation area. Recall that a mobility-impaired person with poor adaptive technology might be stuck tabbing through that morass.CODEhttp://joeclark.org/book/sashay/serialization/Chapter08.html#h4-2020
More:CODEhttp://www.niehs.nih.gov/websmith/508/o.htm
3.5 Does the site use accessible forms?Forms aren't the easiest of things to use for people with disabilities. Navigating around a page with written content is one thing, hopping between form fields and inputting information is
another.CODEhttp://www.htmldog.com/guides/htmladvanced/forms/
More:CODEhttp://www.webstandards.org/learn/tutorials/accessible-forms/01-accessible-forms.html
CODEhttp://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-form-builder.asp
CODEhttp://accessify.com/tutorials/better-accessible-forms.asp
3.6 Does the site use accessible tables?For data tables, identify row and column headers... For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-table-headers
More:CODEhttp://www.bcc.ctc.edu/webpublishing/ada/resources/tables.asp
CODEhttp://www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-table-builder_step1.asp
CODEhttp://www.webaim.org/techniques/tables/
3.7 Is there sufficient colour brightness/contrasts?Ensure that foreground and background colour combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having colour deficits.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-colour-contrast
More:CODEhttp://www.juicystudio.com/services/colourcontrast.asp
3.8 Is colour alone used for critical information?Ensure that all information conveyed with colour is also available without colour, for example from context or
markup.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-colour-convey
There are basically three types of colour deficiency; Deuteranope (a form of red/green colour deficit), Protanope (another form of red/green colour deficit) and Tritanope (a blue/yellow deficit- very rare).
More:CODEhttp://colourfilter.wickline.org/
CODEhttp://www.toledo-bend.com/colourblind/Ishihara.html
CODEhttp://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckURL.php
3.9 Is there delayed responsiveness for dropdown menus?Users with reduced motor skills may find dropdown menus hard to use if responsiveness is set too fast.
3.10 Are all links descriptive?Link text should be meaningful enough to make sense when read out of context - either on its own or as part of a sequence of links. Link text should also be terse.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-meaningful-links
4. Accessibility for devices.
4.1 Does the site work acceptably across modern and older browsers?
Before starting to build a CSS-based layout, you should decide which browsers to support and to what level you intend to support them.CODEhttp://www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/process/index_step01.cfm
4.2 Is the content accessible with CSS switched off or not supported?Some people may visit your site with either a browser that does not support CSS or a browser with CSS switched off. In content is structured well, this will not be an issue.
4.3 Is the content accessible with images switched off or not supported?Some people browse websites with images switched off - especially people on very slow connections. Content should still be accessible for these people.
4.4 Does the site work in text browsers such as Lynx?This is like a combination of images and CSS switched off. A text-based browser will rely on well structured content to provide meaning.
More:CODEhttp://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview
4.5 Does the site work well when printed?You can take any (X)HTML document and simply style it for print, without having to touch the markup.CODEhttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/goingtoprint/
More:CODEhttp://www.d.umn.edu/itss/support/Training/Online/webdesign/css.html#print
4.6 Does the site work well in Hand Held devices?This is a hard one to deal with until hand held devices consistently support their correct media type. However, some layouts work better in current hand-held devices. The importance of supporting hand held devices will depend on target audiences.
4.7 Does the site include detailed metadata?Metadata is machine understandable information for the webCODEhttp://www.w3.org/Metadata/
Metadata is structured information that is created specifically to describe another resource. In other words, metadata is 'data about data'.
4.8 Does the site work well in a range of browser window sizes?It is a common assumption amongst developers that average screen sizes are increasing. Some developers assume that the average screen size is now 1024px wide. But what about users with smaller screens and users with hand held devices? Are they part of your target audience and are they being disadvantaged?
5. Basic Usability5.1 Is there a clear visual hierarchy?Organise and prioritise the contents of a page by using size, prominence and content relationships.CODEhttp://www.great-web-design-tips.com/web-site-design/165.html
5.2 Are heading levels easy to distinguish?Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification.CODEhttp://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-logical-headings
5.3 Is the site's navigation easy to understand?Your navigation system should give your visitor a clue as to what page of the site they are currently on and where they can go next.CODEhttp://www.1stsitefree.com/design_nav.htm
5.4 Is the site's navigation consistent?If each page on your site has a consistent style of presentation, visitors will find it easier to navigate between pages and find informationCODEhttp://www.juicystudio.com/tutorial/accessibility/navigation.asp
5.5 Does the site use consistent and appropriate language?The use of clear and simple language promotes effective communication. Trying to come across as articulate can be as difficult to read as poorly written grammar, especially if the language used isn't the visitor's primary language.CODEhttp://www.juicystudio.com/tutorial/accessibility/clear.asp
5.6 Does the site have a sitemap page and contact page? Are they easy to find?Most site maps fail to convey multiple levels of the site's information architecture. In usability tests, users often overlook site maps or can't find them. Complexity is also a problem: a map should be a map, not a navigational challenge of its own.CODEhttp://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020106.html
5.7 For large sites, is there a search tool?While search tools are not needed on smaller sites, and some people will not ever use them, site-specific search tools allow users a choice of navigation options.
5.8 Is there a link to the home page on every page in the site?Some users like to go back to a site's home page after navigating to content within a site. The home page becomes a base camp for these users, allowing them to regroup before exploring new content.
5.9 Are links underlined?To maximise the perceived affordance of clickability, colour and underline the link text. Users shouldn't have to guess or scrub the page to find out where they can click.CODEhttp://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040510.html
5.10 Are visited links clearly defined?Most important, knowing which pages they've already visited frees users from unintentionally revisiting the same pages over and over again.CODEhttp://www.useit.com/alertbox/20040503.html
6. Site management
6.1 Does the site have a meaningful and helpful 404 error page that works from any depth in the site?You've requested a page - either by typing a URL directly into the address bar or clicking on an out-of-date link and you've found yourself in the middle of cyberspace nowhere. A user-friendly website will give you a helping hand while many others will simply do nothing, relying on the browser's built-in ability to explain what the problem is.CODEhttp://www.alistapart.com/articles/perfect404/
6.2 Does the site use friendly URLs?Most search engines (with a few exceptions - namely Google) will not index any pages that have a question mark or other character (like an ampersand or equals sign) in the URL... what good is a site if no one can find it?CODEhttp://www.sitepoint.com/article/search-engine-friendly-urls
One of the worst elements of the web from a user interface standpoint is the URL. However, if they're short, logical, and self-correcting, URLs can be acceptably usableCODEhttp://www.merges.net/theory/20010305.html
More:CODEhttp://www.sitepoint.com/article/search-engine-friendly-urls
CODEhttp://www.websitegoodies.com/article/32
CODEhttp://www.merges.net/theory/20010305.html
6.3 Does the site's URL work without "www"?While this is not critical, and in some cases is not even possible, it is always good to give people the choice of both options. If a user types your domain name without the www and gets no site, this could disadvantage both the user and you.
6.4 Does the site have a favicon?
A Favicon is a multi-resolution image included on nearly all professionally developed sites. The Favicon allows the webmaster to further promote their site, and to create a more customized appearance within a visitor's browser.CODEhttp://www.favicon.com/
Favicons are definitely not critical. However, if they are not present, they can cause 404 errors in your logs (site statistics). Browsers like IE will request them from the server when a site is bookmarked. If a favicon isn't available, a 404 error may be generated. Therefore, having a favicon could cut down on favicon specific 404 errors. The same is true of a 'robots.txt' file.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Website Usability - How to Make Your Website User-Friendly
In this article we'll cover some basics of website usability, in other words, making your website user-friendly. This article in no way covers everything you should keep in mind prior to designing your website - there is much more. I have listed five questions you should initially consider. I will be brief with each question just to give you a few tips to get you started. Keep in mind that testing is the most important task and should be conducted frequently.
a. Do visitors know which page they are viewing?
The best way to ensure your visitors don't get lost on your website is if you title your pages. Make sure this title is the title in your navigation area too. On your home page, or the one that is your "index.html" or "index.htm", you don't have to title the page "HOME PAGE". It could be titled "About Us" or a page you want your visitors to see as soon as they open your website. If your "index.html" page is your "About Us" page, then put the header/title "About Us" at the top of the page. In other words, every page should have a heading so that your visitors will know what page they are currently viewing.
b. Can your visitor easily get to other pages using your navigational area?
Make sure that if you have 5 main pages in your website, there are 5 links in your navigation area with the exact titles as the titles on your pages. With this in mind, don't make your titles too long. If you have articles on your website, make one link titled "Articles" in your navigation area. On the "Articles" page, list your article titles in the body of that particular page because the article titles will be longer.
c. Does my background color and text color make a good combination?
You will need to take this into serious consideration. If your color scheme is unappealing, visitors will leave no matter how good your subject matter may be. If the combination causes eye strain or headache, your visitors will leave your website and may not return. Examples: blue background with red text, lime green background with yellow text, red background with yellow text, etc. One other background I would like to mention: patterned/tiled backgrounds. These can be overwhelming to the eye. No text will be readable on these types of backgrounds - at least not without difficulty. If you must have a patterned/tiled background, make it look like a watermark - full color patterned/tiled backgrounds will send your visitors away quicker than ice cream melts on a hot stove.
d. Are my photos too big or do I have too many on a page?
If it takes longer than a few seconds for your webpage to load, then your images are too big or you have too many on a page. It is not necessary for a photo to take up the space of an entire browser window. Too many photos, without a doubt, will slow your website down to a crawl, even on a high-speed connection. Most people will leave your website before the images finish downloading. You can make the images small enough for a slideshow or create thumbnails so that your visitors can select which images they want to see. Once your visitors click on the image to see a larger view, make even that image small enough to see all the details, but not big enough to slow down your website. There are quite a few image editors out there to use - some are even free. I use Macromedia's Fireworks to optimize my images. They have a tool where I can make my images smaller without losing clarity.
e. How do I test my pages for errors and user-friendliness?
Have a few other people look at your website. If you don’t think that friends and family will want to hurt your feelings, find a site with your color scheme; tell them that this website is not your website, but you would like their opinion on the color scheme and if it is difficult to read. You can also post your URL to various forums to ask them for a critique of your website. If this is your first time testing, you can ask for feedback so that you can get a variety of comments. Keep a copy of the answers you get so that in the future you can refer back to what people have said about certain features. Later on, you can put together a checklist to go by for every website you design. I wouldn't use just one checklist to check all websites, but a checklist would be a good start. Whether you are a beginner or expert website designer, you will always need to test multiple times. You have a great deal of choices to check for errors on your site. I like to use W3C's validators to check for errors and to bring my websites up to standard.
Making your website user-friendly is one of the best things you can accomplish for yourself and your visitors. Taking the time to ensure usability is nothing compared to how many visitors you will lose if you have a not-so-friendly website. Ensuring readability, fast downloading, and performing multiple tests will get you started in the right direction of designing user-friendly websites. Good Luck! Send me a link if you want me to critique your website.
a. Do visitors know which page they are viewing?
The best way to ensure your visitors don't get lost on your website is if you title your pages. Make sure this title is the title in your navigation area too. On your home page, or the one that is your "index.html" or "index.htm", you don't have to title the page "HOME PAGE". It could be titled "About Us" or a page you want your visitors to see as soon as they open your website. If your "index.html" page is your "About Us" page, then put the header/title "About Us" at the top of the page. In other words, every page should have a heading so that your visitors will know what page they are currently viewing.
b. Can your visitor easily get to other pages using your navigational area?
Make sure that if you have 5 main pages in your website, there are 5 links in your navigation area with the exact titles as the titles on your pages. With this in mind, don't make your titles too long. If you have articles on your website, make one link titled "Articles" in your navigation area. On the "Articles" page, list your article titles in the body of that particular page because the article titles will be longer.
c. Does my background color and text color make a good combination?
You will need to take this into serious consideration. If your color scheme is unappealing, visitors will leave no matter how good your subject matter may be. If the combination causes eye strain or headache, your visitors will leave your website and may not return. Examples: blue background with red text, lime green background with yellow text, red background with yellow text, etc. One other background I would like to mention: patterned/tiled backgrounds. These can be overwhelming to the eye. No text will be readable on these types of backgrounds - at least not without difficulty. If you must have a patterned/tiled background, make it look like a watermark - full color patterned/tiled backgrounds will send your visitors away quicker than ice cream melts on a hot stove.
d. Are my photos too big or do I have too many on a page?
If it takes longer than a few seconds for your webpage to load, then your images are too big or you have too many on a page. It is not necessary for a photo to take up the space of an entire browser window. Too many photos, without a doubt, will slow your website down to a crawl, even on a high-speed connection. Most people will leave your website before the images finish downloading. You can make the images small enough for a slideshow or create thumbnails so that your visitors can select which images they want to see. Once your visitors click on the image to see a larger view, make even that image small enough to see all the details, but not big enough to slow down your website. There are quite a few image editors out there to use - some are even free. I use Macromedia's Fireworks to optimize my images. They have a tool where I can make my images smaller without losing clarity.
e. How do I test my pages for errors and user-friendliness?
Have a few other people look at your website. If you don’t think that friends and family will want to hurt your feelings, find a site with your color scheme; tell them that this website is not your website, but you would like their opinion on the color scheme and if it is difficult to read. You can also post your URL to various forums to ask them for a critique of your website. If this is your first time testing, you can ask for feedback so that you can get a variety of comments. Keep a copy of the answers you get so that in the future you can refer back to what people have said about certain features. Later on, you can put together a checklist to go by for every website you design. I wouldn't use just one checklist to check all websites, but a checklist would be a good start. Whether you are a beginner or expert website designer, you will always need to test multiple times. You have a great deal of choices to check for errors on your site. I like to use W3C's validators to check for errors and to bring my websites up to standard.
Making your website user-friendly is one of the best things you can accomplish for yourself and your visitors. Taking the time to ensure usability is nothing compared to how many visitors you will lose if you have a not-so-friendly website. Ensuring readability, fast downloading, and performing multiple tests will get you started in the right direction of designing user-friendly websites. Good Luck! Send me a link if you want me to critique your website.
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