The Mobile Revolution

There is something new on the horizon of web browsing as we know it. Something that you may have already seen. It’s something that has been at work for a few years. This something is what I like to call the mobile revolution.

This revolution is literally changing the way future (and even current) generations will handle the web. In another ten years, browsing the web on a computer will be old hat. People will quit using computers for browsing the web. Why? With the release of amazing smartphones such as the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and more, people don’t need to use a computer or even a laptop to browse the web. Nope, they can get it all in the palm of their hands!

However, millions of mobile internet viewers are faced with one problem. Only a tiny fraction of websites are optimized for phones! This problem is slowly being fixed thanks to the many websites that have created two versions of their website – one for the home computer, and the other for mobile devices.

Creating a mobile version of your website can be very easy. The idea behind it is simply to create a website with the same color scheme and content, but with a different layout so that mobile browsers can display the entire page without making the viewer pan and zoom. If you would like to get your site optimized, but you aren’t a coder, there are two options.

The first option is definitely the best, and that is to hire a web developer like myself. However, if you are short on cash there is another option. That option is to use an internet tool that automatically creates a mobile version of your current site for you. The problem with this is that your site may not look exactly the way you want it to. There are many of these kinds of tools out there; some are free and some aren’t. Here are a few you might want to look into:

On the other hand, if you would like to hire a web developer to optimize your website, I would be glad to help I can affordably optimize any website to look great on mobile devices. Email me at: tim@prorarity.com if you are interested.

Written by Tim on July 4, 2010
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WordPress.org vs WordPress.com

A few months ago I went over the difference between Blogger and WordPress. At the time, I was still using a remotely hosted blog platform for Prorarity’s™ blog. Since then, I have switched to a self hosted blog platform. If any of you read this post, you will know that I did not recommend using WordPress for your blog.

Ironically, the platform I am now using is WordPress! This seams like a contradiction; however, there are actually two different WordPress’! One is WordPress.com and the other is WordPress.org. While still owned by the same company, the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com is simple. One is a self hosted blog platform, the other is a remotely hosted blog platform. WordPress.org came first and is an open source project for those want to create their own self hosted blog. WordPress.com uses the same software, but is meant for the light user who simply wants a blog hosted on WordPress’ servers.

For those of you who are eager to get a blog up quickly and easily, a remotely hosted blog is definitely what you want. However, if your goal is to make your blog look and act exactly the way you want, a self hosted blog is a must have! There are other self hosted blog platforms out there, but I think WordPress beats them all, hands down.

If, on the other hand, you simply want a blog up fast and do not want to worry about spending much time on it, a remotely hosted blog is the perfect choice. In my post entitled Blogger vs WordPress, I explain why Blogger is a much better remotely hosted blog platform than WordPress.com. If you would like to know why, I suggest you read that article.

Blogging is a great way to promote any business. Although remotely hosted blogs work fine, you will get a much more professional look when you host your own blog. Hosting your own blog means you must pay monthly for a server (if you don’t already), and you will have to spend more time to get it up and running. Which ever you decide, blogging will definitely help market your company!

Written by Tim on June 27, 2010
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5 Killer Photoshop Alternatives

A couple weeks ago I posted that I would write an article on some of the amazing photoshop alternatives I have found over the past few years. I, like many of you, started designing websites long before I could afford Adobe Photoshop. Since images are an extremely important part of any webpage, without a tool that can create them you are in big trouble! Anyway, here are five Photoshop alternatives that I have found over the past few years. All of these are completely free.

1. Paint.net I think this is a really awesome graphic editor. It does require a download but is free and definitely worth it!

2. Splashup Similar to Paint.net, Splashup is a great alternative to Photoshop. It handles layers in much the same way as Photoshop does. Splashup is also online and requires no download.

3. Photoshop.com Online Editor From the makers of Photoshop itself (Adobe) comes this special online editor. While it can’t do near as much as the real Photoshop, it’s still pretty cool and worth a try.

4. GRSites.com While more template driven, GRSites isn’t bad when compared to Photoshop. It is not really an “editor”. GRSites is based more on you picking from their many templates of banners, buttons, or logos and editing them to fit your needs. Most of GRSites is free, however you can pay for more advanced features.

5. Cool Text Similar to GRSites, Cool Text specializes in templates for text, fonts, or buttons. It is free and definitely worth a try.

Written by Tim on June 19, 2010
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Mayday Google Algorithm Update

Sound like Greek to you? Well, I must admit that it did to me!! I’ll break it down a bit for you. The term “algorithm” is simply the formula used by search engines to determine how to rank your site. So, this is simply an update by Google that will change the way your site is ranked. The update, as you might guess, is called “Mayday”.

Googler Matt Cutts stated that “this is an algorithmic change in Google, looking for higher quality sites to surface for long tail queries. It went through vigorous testing and isn’t going to be rolled back.” It seems as though Google is trying to make more relevant search results for longer queries. For instance, someone searching “rubber ducks” in Google would probably get more relevant results than someone searching “where to find good rubber ducks that will last a long time and are fun to play with”. Google is trying to change this through the Mayday update.

Google is also going to give less attention to pages that are several clicks away from their site’s homepage, don’t have many links pointing to them, and don’t have unique, value-added content on them. For those of you who have a website with pages such as these, I would experiment with ways to get more links and add some unique content to them.

Some believe that Google changes indexing or ranking algorithm as often as once a day! This is just another one of these sorts of updates – maybe a more important one, but still just an update. The worst thing you, as a website owner, could do, is panic! If you feel like your ranking has been impacted by this update, I would recommend trying to get more links and unique content on your sub pages. Make sure you don’t do anything ‘shady’ as you try to acquire more links. Avoid automated link exchange and pages specifically dedicated to links. Other than this, the best thing to do is to simply continue with your SEO efforts like you always have. Get on social media like Facebook and Twitter and keep acquiring links!

Written by Tim on June 13, 2010
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My Cool Button

For those of you who are trying to design a website but can’t afford Photoshop to make shiny buttons that look cool, you’re in luck! I, like many of you, started out designing websites long before I could even think about purchasing the $500+ Adobe Photoshop. During that period of time, I found some many cheap and even free Photoshop alternatives. (Eventually, I will put together an article specifically dedicated to all the Photoshop alternatives I found – so stay tuned!)

Anyway, My Cool Button is one of the neatest ways to create buttons online. It costs a mere $5 a year and is definitely worth it! With My Cool Button you can create shiny buttons, web 2.0 buttons, ribbons for your buttons, and even 3D buttons. And here’s the best part – My Cool Button is an online system and requires no download! These buttons can be easily customized with icons or text and are all downloadable in transparent PNG formats.

Written by Tim on June 6, 2010
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Top 10 Website Designs

As a designer, I am always on the lookout for cool websites so I can steal ideas and keep up with the going trends in web design. Over the years there have been a few sites that I absolutely love and would like to share with you.

I have titled this article “Top 10 Website Designs” but I hope you realize that this is just based on what I’ve seen and what I like best. I know that, as with any “Top 10″ article, there will be lots of debate as to what really are the top ten best looking websites. Nevertheless, I will take the risk of giving you my opinion on the subject.

10. Facebook Yes, to all you MySpace lovers, I think Facebook looks a whole lot better than it’s inferior competitor: simple, and easy to navigate. Is it perfect? No, that’s why it’s not number one!

9. Twitter OK, maybe Facebook looks slightly better than Twitter; however, I like the logo better than Facebook’s.

8. Web Design Blog I do realize that this is one of my competitors and I do think my site looks better However, I will not post my own website on this list (despite my temptation to do so). I also think that they did a very good job of making everything simple, and maintaining the cool dark look.

7. IconBuffet This website puts gradients to a very good use and has a beautiful color scheme.

6. Adobe I personally think Adobe’s site is slightly too busy. However, they are advertising flash and other amazing web tools, so I think they can get away with being slightly crazy in their designs! Other than that, their website is super cool!!

5. Google OK, I do have to put everybody’s favorite website on here! (Well, almost everybody’s.)

4. Bing Although I personally like Google better as a search engine, the design of Bing’s site is truly amazing!

3. Mozilla I love the many cool backgrounds on their site that are constantly changing!

2. M&Ms After all, don’t we all just love that snack??

1. Apple Besides making the best computer products in the world, Apple made no mistake when it designed this gorgeous website. The color scheme is simple and it is very well balanced.

Well, that’s the end of my opinions on website design. I hope, after you comment with your opinion, this list will help you out, and maybe even inspire you to start a project of your own!

Written by Tim on May 30, 2010
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