December 2nd, 2010

Drawing an outline in Flash

by Roger L. Main

I’m writing this down so that I don’t forget it – I’ve been through this learning curve a couple of times and keep forgetting how to do it.

If you google “drawing an outline of a bitmap in Flash” you’ll come across lots of posts that simply say “trace your bitmap and then …”

Well it’s the tracing the bitmap bit that is the problem – using “modify->bitmap->trace bitmap” gets you part of the way, but isn’t the whole story. I’ve seen people describe the problem as have an outline draw on the screen and then a picture fill in. The response: “trace your bitmap and then …” but “trace bitmap” gives you a vector image with each color as a separate object. So putting a stroke around it will put a stroke around each color, not the whole image.

Instead, try this:

1 – Copy your bitmap. Put it on a different layer using “paste in place” (hide the layer to keep it out of the way if you do it this way) or keep a copy on the clipboard – we’ll use this later).

2 – Trace your bitmap. Hey, I’m not trying to be funny, here. Seriously, use (for CS4) “modify->bitmap->trace bitmap” – set the options to a high color threshold (the default 100 works – doesn’t really matter, this is just a template) but set the minimum area to 1 pixel so that the edges match up (I may be wrong on this, but it worked for me). Leave Curve Fit and Corner Threshold to normal – this is close enough.

read more »

Posted in tutorials | Comments Off

November 28th, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!!

by MaryFrances

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you

– from Roger and Mary-Frances at Widget Inc.

Posted in Announcements | Comments Off

November 7th, 2010

Great article on Social media vs SEO

by MaryFrances

Why Social Media Is a Better Investment than SEO

by Gary Arndt of Everything-Everywhere.com

As a blogger, you probably do not have the luxury of having a staff of people to work for you. As such, your time is very valuable and you need to spend it where it will do the most good. We have reached a point in late 2010 where the work required to generate traffic for a normal blog via search engines is much greater than that required to generate an equal amount of traffic via social media.

My thesis is simple: for the majority of bloggers, the time and effort invested on social media is better spent than time spent on SEO.

This post will probably generate controversy. There are an army of people out there who make a living selling SEO products and services. To use an old adage, when you only tool is a hammer, every problem is a nail. To them, SEO is the beginning and end of traffic generation.

To be sure, search engines do drive a lot of traffic, however, with the increasing pollution of search engines with content farms, Google’s love of big brands/big media, and the increasing amount of work required to rank for ever longer keywords, SEO is no longer worth the effort for most bloggers.

The power of brands

Google loves brands. The reasoning behind this actually makes some sense. An easy solution to the problem of spam websites was for Google to give extra authority to sites that have large, established brands. This doesn’t bode well for bloggers, however.

To given you an example of how much authority brands are given, several months ago I conducted an experiment. I had an article that I had done some link building on. After several months the article ranked #3 for the keyword I was targeting (behind two large media properties). I had an opportunity to put some content on the website of a very large media brand. I put that article, word for word, on their site to see how they would rank for the exact same keyword. Within an hour, they were ranked at #4, just behind my original article. In a day, they were ranked above me, even though the same content had been on my site for months and I had gone through the effort to do link building.

Read the rest of the article here….

Posted in SEO, Social Media | Comments Off

October 28th, 2010

Intranet – what does it mean for your business?

by MaryFrances

I just ran across this fantastic article about Intranet and thought I’d share it (by the way, we do provide this and can customize it for your business):

Intranet Solutions for Small Business

By Megan Watzke
Many Small Businesses are Turning to Web Technology

One solution

For Virtual Vineyards, a California-based on-line wine and specialty food retailer, setting up an intranet was not an option, but a necessity. With almost half of its 13 employees telecommuting and the company’s warehouse and office in separate locations, the company had to find a way to share information among scattered employees. “We absolutely rely on our intranet,” said Cyndy Ainsworth, who handles marketing at Virtual Vineyards. “We started this before the term ‘intranet’ was even used; we just built the tools we needed and went from there.”

Intranets for internal company applications

An intranet—not to be to be confused with its larger, freer cousin, the Internet—allows companies to share information amongst employees, much the way traditional offices use memos or cork boards. Using the same software and other development tools common on publicly-accessed Web sites, intranets take advantage of the point-and-click ease of the Web, but access to the site can be limited to a single company or even a specific group of employees within a firm. Password protections and other methods can be used to ensure that private information remains private.

How the big boys are capitalizing on intranets

Many large companies, particularly those with good computer support teams, have been building intranets to keep internal phone directories up-to-date, introduce new policies, publicize staff accomplishments, and share databases or other information. “The value of the intranet is letting you work asynchronously.”—Steve Telleen, Intranet Partners

Click here for the rest of the article…

Posted in Business Solutions | Comments Off

September 30th, 2010

The Compatibility Game

by Roger L. Main

[Musical Introduction]

Announcer: It’s time, once again, for America’s favorite game show! Yes, it’s The Compatibility Game. Now,  let’s meet our eligible bachelorettes:

Announcer: Bachelorette Number One, although, the most popular is not easy even though she’s been with 51 percent of users. Please welcome Internet Explorer!

[applause]

Announcer: Bachelorette Number Two is a traditional girl who likes to do everything the old fashioned way. But when you know how to play her she’ll guarantee you a good time. Give it up for Firefox!

[applause]

Announcer: And finally, Bachelorette Number Three is the shy type. She only holds 5% of users in the palm of her hand while she loves everyone, she’s mostly seen with a certain type, but those who love her really love her. Give a warm welcome to Safari!

[applause]

Announcer: And who’s the lucky guy who gets to choose one of our charming Bachelorettes? Why it’s none other than Your Website! So, get ready, Website to play The Compatibility Game!

[applause]

Your Website: Bachelorette Number Two, if I were to read a script with you, where could I expect it to go?

Bachelorette Number One: Well, you know I looove to get all scripty. I love it sooo much that I have my own. I just love to do things my own way and, well, you know, I can do that because everyone loves me.

[Innuendo induced oos and aahs]

Your Website: Bachelorette Number Two, it sounds like you have a lot of style. Do you think you have the same kind of style as the other girls?

Bachelorette Number Two: I don’t think so – well, maybe like Bachelorette Number Three, but I’m like so totally different to Bachelorette Number One. She has her own style and it’s the wrong style!

[mrreow, hiss]

Your Website: Bachelorette Number Three, I just love to flash. Do you like to flash?

Bachelorette Number Three: You know, I used to love to flash, just like everybody else. It used to be something that all of us used to all do the same way, but now I’m not into it so much anymore. In fact I’ll never flash at my pad.

[aaaawwww]

Announcer: So, Website, what’ll it be – choose your eligible bachelorette: will it be Bachelorette Number One, the versatile and popular Internet Explorer, Bachelorette Number Two, the traditional girl next door, Firefox or Bachelor Number Three, the exclusive and alluring Safari?

Your Website: Can’t I have all three?

read more »

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Tags: , , ,
June 24th, 2010

The basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

by MaryFrances

Is it so hard to improve your search engine ranking that you can’t do it yourself? No.

Time consuming, yes.

It gets harder if you’re in a competitive area “Top Rankings of Realtors in Denver, Colorado” – however, if you have a niche, you’re good. (if you don’t, I’d suggest developing one).


What is Search engine optimization? SEO consist in optimizing a website to make it more visible for search engine as Google, Yahoo, or Bing and therefore to appear in the first pages of pertinent keyword search concerning the thematic of the website. For example, your search keywords for an Mid Century Furniture store website could be “mid century furniture, Denver, Colorado”. The website would be well-optimized for the search engine if, after having typed these keywords, it would appear amongst the first search pages of Google, Yahoo or Bing.

The first step is to choose the most suitable search terms for your site. Then allocate one or two of them to each suitable page within the site. One search term per page is preferable, but two per page is not so bad. Sometimes it is useful to split a largish page, that covers several closely related topics or several aspects of a topic, into two or more smaller pages so that a different search term can be targeted on each of them. Matching search terms to a page’s content is essential.

Smaller pages are better than larger ones because it is easier to target a search term when there is less text on the page to dilute the focus. They are also more user friendly and easier to read.

So, how do I do this?

read more »

Posted in SEO | Comments Off

May 19th, 2010

Small Business and the Internet

by MaryFrances

In these uncertain financial times, it may seem like a great idea to start a home business or second job by marketing yourself (or company) or creating an e-commerce site on the Internet. However, I am still amazed at how often I run across people who have overspent and over planned on their website in the excitement of getting started. As amazing as spending way too much money upfront seems, it’s a common pitfall in web work-simply because most people have no idea what they’re getting into.

Quite often, the client’s inexperience with websites, terminology, and other pitfalls gets them into trouble. So, let’s look at some of the questions you should be asking yourself and your potential designer:

Do I need e-commerce and, if so, how much?
If you are selling a lot of items and you know you are going to have an amazing first month, you have advertising lined up and customers beating down your door to buy online then “yes.” Otherwise, my motto is to take baby steps.

Put a few items up and have them call or email you to order, then add PayPal buttons. When you know your revenue will be enough to support it, put up a shopping cart. Not before then. I have had many customers come to me who have put thousands into sites that never get used. Start slow and build. Websites can always be changed but you’ll never get back money that was poorly spent.

Do I need flash?
Flash is a favorite tool of Internet users and designers. It’s a fabulous tool – turning basic images into something, well, “flashy”!

However, there are some huge pitfalls to Flash. Flash is basically a dynamic image file, so there are no quick and easy text edits. The cost of having your Web site developed in Flash easily doubles the cost of the website. It’s costly and time consuming to update; you almost always have to go to the designer to redo a page when you need an update. Some Internet users still refuse to install the plug-in, which renders your website useless if it’s all in Flash.

Finally, search engines can’t “see” anything on a Flash graphic. So if your entire site is in Flash, it appears as a big nothing to most search engines. This will lower your ranking on Google and most other major search engines.

I only recommend Flash for high tech companies, anyone needing to appear cutting edge or with a clientele that is more technically savvy. Think about your user, not just what looks great on your computer screen or what a designer loves to create their Web site in.

Can I update the Web site myself?
Many clients come to me with the idea that they will update their Web site once it gets up and running-if you have plenty of time and the desire to learn html, this can be great. Changes can be simple if they are just updating lines of text and other simple links.

However, I often find that the time it will take clients to figure out what they’re doing isn’t worth the time away from their business. Be realistic, just because tutorials are all over the internet, doesn’t mean you have the time to learn enough to update your own Web site.

There are Content Management programs, but most are quite costly to implement and it can be easier to just pay someone.

Should I use the latest trendy programming language?
For most small businesses (and even a lot of large companies), html (and a few flavors thereof) is all they really need to have a professional and informational Web site.

If you need to have databases where information is stored, or dynamic content (something that’s going to change onscreen as you watch) then you might need to hire a programmer. Be careful of what language they are programming your site in. Many programming languages are trendy or outdated. Either can be a nightmare to have updated later in the Web site’s life.

We have even made the mistake of experimental programming with sites and kicked ourselves later. The only way to update them is to completely redo the site later.

Will there be ongoing fees?
Yes! No matter how you design what goes on your page, you will need to register a domain name and then have it hosted. Many people get these two things confused. I compare the domain name to a trailer. You own the trailer, but you still need a lot to park it on-that’s the hosting! So pay for your trailer and then find a spot to park it. That should be all you need. Registering your domain name will cost you yearly (although you can pay several years ahead at a cost savings) and then it costs you money to host the site.

read more »

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

April 16th, 2010

The Gilliam House

by Roger L. Main

So today’s the big day. You’re finally out of college and you’ve already got yourself a good job that promises a high paycheque. There’s only one thing left to do: find somewhere to live. So you go to the newspaper and you see an ad that says “House for rent” and there’s a price which sounds reasonable, a picture of a cute girl in a racing outfit and a phone number. So of course, you pick up the phone and say “I’ll take it!”

Well, naturally there are other costs involved in moving into a new house. You need electricity (it used to be phone and electricity but you don’t need a phone because you have that really neat, albeit virtually obsolete, cell phone that your daddy bought for you in your junior year). So the realtor selling you the house tells you that you can only get power from “Esoteric Utilities Incorporated”. Then you find out that the “Esoteric Utilities Incorporated” only provides electricity. No gas, so bummer about that ten thousand dollar, multi-burner, professional grade stove that your mommy bought you for a house warming gift.

Then there’s the shock of moving day. It turns out that your dream home has only one room and that one room is too small to fit your bed. The realtor can make the room bigger by knocking down a wall and building out, but, of course, that costs even more. There is a garage, but for some odd reason only a 2002 Toyota Prius will fit into it which is not very practical for that spanking new, Mazda Miata that your daddy bought you for a graduation present. The neighbors come over to welcome you to the neighborhood, including the local mailman (who informs you that you need to pay extra to get your mail) and in the course of your “housewarming” it’s pointed out that your plans to paint your house a 50s retro green will not be permitted by the local neighborhood association as all houses must be painted a particular shade of gray – unless you pay extra, in which case you should use their approved (and more expensive) paint supplier. This isn’t mandatory, but you don’t know that.

Oh, and you can’t have pets unless you pay extra. And your pets will run away from home on a routine basis. And you can’t get any insurance for this house – it’s a condition of renting.

I’m kidding, aren’t I? Surely this is some weird, surrealistic nightmare that is better suited to a Terry Gilliam film rather than to a serious discussion. But I haven’t gotten to the really weird thing yet, so here it is: people do this every day and never question it!

That bears repeating – let me say it again: people do this every day and never question it!

read more »

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

January 24th, 2010

What is RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and why do I care?

by MaryFrances

According to Wikipedia:


RSS is is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works-such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video-in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a “feed”, “web feed”, or “channel”) includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place.

As one of our clients put it, “you lost me at ‘web feed formats’ can you start over?”.
If you have a blog, this is all fairly important and if you use our services here at Widget, you’ll end up calling us to ask “where is my RSS feed” at some point, so pay attention!

Think newspapers. Syndication is quite simply broadcasting (an article or cartoon) for publication in many magazines or newspapers at the same time. Ironically, now this term is more often used regarding the content of websites than it is for newspapers.

Really simple syndication comes set up and ready to go on most blogs. On Blogger, for instance if you type in http://blogname.blogspot.com/atom.xml the “feed” will usually automatically come up. That is, if you haven’t changed settings, but we’re assuming here you’re a beginner and you don’t go regularly mucking around in your publishing settings in the back end.

read more »

Posted in SEO | Comments Off

Tags: , ,
November 22nd, 2009

How sad for you

by Roger L. Main

So I took my car over to my mechanic the other day and I said to him, “My car’s broken. Fix it.” And then I left. Imagine my frustration when I went back two hours later and found that he hadn’t done anything – my car was the only one in the garage and the mechanic hadn’t done so much as pick up a screwdriver. I found him in the office, on the phone to a friend organizing a fishing trip.

What lousy service!

Okay, this didn’t really happen. I completely made it up to highlight a point. I wouldn’t be able to leave the mechanic without a barrage of questions – simply saying “it’s broken” wouldn’t give him any direction – he just wouldn’t know where to start looking. What’s broken? The brakes? The transmission? The engine? The automatic windows? That little thingy on the dashboard that tells you how much gas you’ve got? And for the mechanic to try to diagnose a problem not knowing where to begin would require checking everything, resulting in much wasted time (and expense).

But we’re about computers and websites, not cars, so it’s different, right? Nope, it’s exactly the same. And, with the advent of email, it’s entirely possible for someone to come out of the woodwork, dump an “it’s broken” message on the doorstep and then disappear, only to be disgruntled later when they find that the problem has not been resolved.

I’ve done technical support and it is, at times, crucial to hold the person’s hand and walk them step by step through the program to try to resolve the issue. In fact, it’s a necessary part of the whole support process. I’ve never come across the “too stupid to own a computer” scenario (http://www.snopes.com/humor/business/wordperfect.asp – for a little light humor at a pervasive tech support myth) but I have received my fair share of customers complaining “it’s broken” and then promptly leaving the shop.

My first response to an “it’s broken” message (apart from a cynical “how sad for you” muttering under my breath) is “what’s broken?” Remember that many of our clients have come to us with pre-existing sites and I don’t know the ins and outs of these sites like I do with the ones that I’ve developed (and even then it may have been months or even years since I looked at that particular part of the site – do you remember what you had for lunch on the 21st of May, 2002?). Sometimes the site has a third party component (like an Ecommerce add-in, for example) that I don’t know back to front, either. So sometimes I need a little hand holding. Here are a couple of tips for reporting problems to help us to help you (after all, that’s what we’re about: we make time for small business).

read more »

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Tags: , ,
« Older Entries Newer Entries »