Everyone wants to jump in with both feet and get their site up to snuff, but walk before you run, take it in phases - From design, and hosting, to marketing and beyond. Where do you start?

Start here, with the list below. Use these ideas as a catalyst for your first round of fixes, changes, and updates:

1. Ease of use / access to deliverable

a. Organized and Intuitive Navigation
b. Easy, comprehensive information access
c. Priority information within two-to-three clicks

2. Evoke unique and positive user experience

a. Unique & captivating style
b. A working, functional website - seems like an obvious starting point but often it’s missed…
c. Proper mark-up: HTML / CSS design and standards compliance
d. More universal: cross-browser / cross-OS consistency

3. Get Found - Marketing / Promotion

a. Search Engine Optimization - Organic? Pay-per-Click? Both?
b. Start with establishing some back links (a.k.a. one-way links) from topical / relevant 3rd party sites

4. High quality, Relevant, topic-specific content

a. Give people what they came looking for
b. Not too little, not too much information
c. Promote and even encourage contact with a company rep when relevant (e.g. on sales & service sites)
d. minimize contact when relevant (e.g. efficiency-driven sites, information output)

5. Actively differentiate your site from other similar sites (those are your competitors folks!) utilizing various aspects of items 1-4.

Perhaps you have heard about the next new version of Microsoft Windows, called Vista? The Vista operating system has many promises to one great, stable and dynamic operating system. Not only will this operating system have the .Net framework built into the core of the operating system it will also feature some other key communications, user interface and security breakthroughs.

For instance Vista will utilize the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) which will greatly increase the aesthetic value of each application. Perhaps you may be familiar with a website developed with Flash animation software. Now picture the same type of functionality and aesthetics however instead of being restricted to a website format having the freedom to develop the interface so it is a true Windows application. Further, this WPF will allow for much easier and faster deployments of these applications through the use of “one click deployment” technology. If you are familiar with the updater application block and the BITS service then you are already familiar with innovation. However, instead of being some cumbersome application block you will be able to easily deploy these applications with just a few clicks from your development environment.

Secondly the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) will provide a secure and reliable messaging platform which will allow for a new era in the creativity of application developers. This WCF will bring in a new time when true service oriented applications will become commonplace. This will make it much easier to connect businesses to each other and their customers.

The in built security mechanisms will make for a much more secure platform as well. Since this operating system is built around the .Net framework Code Access Security will be much easier to enforce and maintain. Code access security is when the author of the program can specify exactly what the program is allowed to do based upon the role of the user who is accessing the software. This will allow for a much finer grained security mechanism which will make software much more trustworthy by the end user.

Another feature of Vista is called SuperFetch. SuperFetch seems to be a caching mechanism for frequently used files so that the end user experiences fast response times and is not hindered by the background tasks that the operating system is performing. This will greatly speed up and perhaps cause less system crashes thereby making the OS much more stable.

One other great feature of Vista is its use of the sidebar and gadgets. Gadgets are small programs that either you or someone else has created that performs some frequently used task such as viewing the latest weather or traffic information from your desktop. Now this might seem to be a small feature but I am sure the general public will eat this feature up and it is one place where some new innovative software inventions might take place. It might even make managing your life that much easier.

Perhaps the best feature of Vista is its new ability to easily search through and organize your files for later retrieval. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to search my own hard drive for a file that I knew I created but could not remember where I stored it.

Let’s face it Windows XP and Windows 2000 are by now old fashioned. The public needs a new operating system simply because the other’s are beginning to show their age. It is time for an upgrade.

by: Richard Callaby

Often times we get so caught up in marketing our site and making it aesthetically pleasing, we forget one of, if not THE most important part of SEO. Content. The search engines can not see pictures, so the only way to tell them what your site is all about is to provide that information to them via text. But why is it so difficult to put text on our sites?

During the creation of a site, we often care more about how it looks than how it functions. Flash, in my opinion, can be used to create some of the most beautiful sites out there. We get so drawn into making nice layouts with neat animations, we completely neglect the fact that we are building a site for the world, not just us.

The content on your site should actually be the first thing you think of when optimizing it. You need to convey to the search engines that your site is worthy of ranking, and that you are here to offer something to the masses. I often give this advice to customers, and get a great deal of fearful feedback. I hear a lot of “I don’t even know what to write.” Well, your site is an extension of your business/service/whatever, and as such you are likely to be well versed in that area. But I think people get caught up in the idea that the text is going to be placed on the site, promoting the attention to variables such as what font to use, what color, how it will look, etc.

The best advice that I can give in reference to thinking of text, is to close your site, use notepad (not Word. This creates problems when deciding to copy and paste), or a pen and paper (these do exist you know), and just put your thoughts to reality. Just write. Write about your business, yourself, your products, the history of your company, whatever. Just write. Before you know it, you will have well over 800 words of cryptic information all about your industry. As I write this, I am not thinking about my blog or my site, but only what I am trying to convey to you, the reader. Once you have all that information, organize it. Make it mean something, and make sense. Given enough thought, it will not be too difficult to come up with at least 500 words, which is a good amount of text to be placed on a website.

Once the content is on the site, you can obviously tweak it here and there to make proper use of your search terms (this will most likely happen anyway. You are writing on or about the same subject as your site, right?). And once that is done, you can then figure out what the layout, spacing, font, and all the other wonderful cosmetics the online world can offer will be.

As with all things online, this is easier written than done. But try this method out and see if it helps. To me, writing is my very weakest point, and this helps a great deal. Content is so very important to search engine optimization, and should be treated as such.

by: SEO Factor

Praxis co-founder and CEO, Dean Sauls was recently invited to have a logo he developed for Raleigh, NC restaurant Five Star included in the design anthology LogoLounge 3: 2,000 International Identities by Leading Designers. Advanced copies of the book, by Bill Gardner, Catharine Fishel, arrived here at Praxis Design Studios last month, and the book is available online and in stores now. This is the third volume in the best-selling LogoLounge series. The tome provides 2,000 totally new logos from the best designers worldwide and was compiled in association with LogoLounge.com, a website dedicated to logos and branding. The authors endeavor to further explore the depth of talent required to achieve success in modern identity development, which must traverse a variety of media equally well.

Author Bill Gardner is president of Gardner Design and has produced work for Learjet, Thermos, Nissan, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, among others. He is founding president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Wichita chapter. Author Catharine Fishel runs a full-service editorial company that specializes in working with designers, advertising agencies and related industries. She is the author of numerous books and writes for many international design magazines.

Praxis Design Studios is proud to announce the launch of an all new web site design, developed on behalf of Raleigh, North Carolina business success story, Hereghty patisserie and cafe. (www.hereghty.com/).

This cafe got a new design that is more user-friendly and better reflects the tasty experience you get when you walk into Hereghty, a pastry and dessert cafe located in Raleigh, NC. The website provides information on the many confections and coffees they offer. Naturally, this dynamic, new website is an important marketing tool for this wonderful business. Praxis has also developed MODUS, a custom content management system that enables clients, like Hereghty, to quickly and easily add, edit and delete content without having to know complex programming languages. This exclusive backend interface gives website control back to the client.

Praxis, which is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, develops cutting-edge websites and high impact graphic design for local and national clients of every size. Owned by designers and fine artists Dean Sauls and Tricia Sauls, Praxis Design Studios has been in operation as a Graphic Design and Web Development company since 1997.

Recent clients of Praxis Design Studios include: Boston Scientific, Live Nation, Special Olympics NC 2007, Rouge, Integrian, Ambiente Furniture, and Primp Salon and Bar.

Visit http://www.hereghty.com
Praxis Design Studios: http://www.praxisstudios.com

The answer - or answers even - isn’t difficult to fathom. There are quite a number of common mistakes that seal the fate on internet marketers and their dreams. Here are 6 of them, which hopefully, you’d try to avoid at all cost.

1. A slow loading website. There is nothing more irritating than a website that tales forever to load. Granted that most internet users these days have high speed connections, a great percentage are still hooked up to the World Wide Web via slower 56K access. This percentage should not be taken for granted. In building your website, try to stay away from the humongous graphic files. No, you don’t need a high number of pixels. No, you don’t need fancy movies or flash animation. No, you don’t need catchy music. You need a website that will deliver the information it promises at an instantaneous rate, and for this reason, you have to choose functionality over design.

2. A navigation system that is very difficult to understand. If your menu bar is too complicated, you’ll just end up driving away a lot of your visitors. You don’t want your visitors to get stuck in just one page. You need to make it easy for them to explore your website. Your pages must be interlinked in a logical way, and this connection should be easily navigable through an intuitive interface that even a 7 year old will be able to understand. Again, this is a matter of functionality over design. Place your navigation links either at the top of the page right below the header, or at either side of the page in a separate column. This is where your visitors’ eyes will wander once they want to discover the other pages in your website.

3. Low quality content. Content is king on the internet. People log online to find information they need, and information is conveyed through your content. If your content is poorly written, who will have the patience to read the same? If your content is not unique, why will people choose your website over others? Indeed, there are two requisites for good quality content: excellent presentation and originality. Minus either of this, your entire website will be in jeopardy.

4. Poor choice of keywords to focus on. Keywords drive traffic to your website. Keywords are the terms that people search for when they’re looking for information. If you targeted the right keywords, quality visitors will come aplenty. If you targeted the wrong keywords, visitors will be scarce. So make sure you discover the right keywords even before you start building your website.

5. Cookie cutter websites. Again, this is a matter of originality - or the lack of it. Why would people choose your website over thousands of others sharing the same layout and boasting of the same content? What makes your website special? If these questions cannot be answered positively, then your online business is doomed. Worse, search engines penalize duplicate content, and your website will have a lower position in the search engine results.

6. A website that lacks focus. Focus is key in designing a website. It will be difficult for a website to focus on several, unrelated topics. Why would visitors who are interested with dogs be interested with astronomy? There’s no connection between the two subjects, and if your website caters to these topics, among others, then prepare for some rough sailings ahead.

These are the things you should try to avoid. Your online business depends on how well your website fares. So take some time to think about how you can properly build your website.

by: Mike Spence

Vista is coming soon to a computer near you, are you ready? Unlike past editions of Microsoft Windows this new version seems to be generating a lot more pre-launch buzz. Maybe it has to do with all the new improved browsing and computer features that the Vista will supposedly deliver.

What is Vista?

Vista is the new version of Microsoft Windows, which will offer users a greatly improved browsing and computer experience mainly through more dynamic ‘live’ windows and faster presentation. It will offer a more robust security (direly needed!) and more business features in its corporate OS with encryption, Unix services, and virtual machine capabilities.

You will be able to use different graphical tools to more efficiently manage your information and applications on your desktop. If you read the information on the official Vista site, you may come away believing your desktop will never look or feel the same again. Vista Homepage: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/

There is one underlying reason why this may just be the case. According to the Longhorn Statement of last year, RSS will play a major role in these applications and in the OS itself. Longhorn is the name for the Microsoft Windows Server code. RSS stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’ and Microsoft should be applauded for bringing RSS to the forefront. Many believe RSS will change the very nature of how we use the Internet and our computers.

Regardless of what it may contain, the new Windows Vista has many consumers delaying the purchase of their next PC or laptop until the new Windows arrives. Many were hoping for a pre-Christmas release but…

When Will Vista Arrive?

According to Microsoft’s own official site on Vista, Windows Vista will be available in early 2007. However, Vista (as of Sept.22, 2006) is already in Beta testing with over 30,000 testers from around the globe. Read more about this at the Windows Vista Team Blog: http://blogs.technet.com/windowsvista/default.aspx

Vista will have TWO Interfaces

Vista Windows will have two interfaces, Basic and Aero. The Basic Interface will be similar to Windows XP and will run on most current PCs and Laptops. The Aero Interface is more advanced and you will need higher system requirements to take advantage of all the new features. (See Below)

Actually, Vista will have six versions in all. According to the Vista web site these versions will range for the very basic up to the highest performance level.

• Windows Vista Starter which runs only on 32-bit systems and will be so on new machines in India, Thailand and other emerging markets.
• Windows Vista Home Basic which is very comparable to XP Home which will not offer the high-end graphics and media features.
• Windows Vista Home Premium which will offer these graphics and media.
• Windows Vista Business which is similar to the current XP Professional.
• Windows Vista Enterprise will be only available to those customers with volume licenses - will offer Unix service, encryption and virtual machine capabilities.
• Windows Vista Ultimate will combine Vista Enterprise and Vista Home Premium which will give customers the highest version of Windows.

There will also be “N” versions of Vista Business and Vista Home Basic for the European market that will have Window Media Player removed. Microsoft is catering to all levels of the marketplace and its a prudent business move because many current PCs and laptops don’t have the system requirements to take advantage of the highest version of Vista Aero.

Your System Requirements for Vista?

Your system requirements for the new Windows Vista will depend on which version of Vista you’re buying. For the basic Vista you will need a modern processor (800MHz or more) with at least 512 MB of system memory. Your graphics processor should be DirectX 9 capable.

For the fully loaded Vista you will need a little more robust system with at least 1 GHz processor with 1 GB of system memory. This should be supported with DirectX 9 graphics with 128 MB of graphics memory. A premium graphics card like ATI or NVIDIA is recommended and you will need a 40 GB hard drive with 15 GB free space. In order to watch and record live TV you may have to add additional hardware.

Still not sure your current system will support Vista, just run the free Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor RC found here.

This program will tell you if your system can currently run Vista or if you will need to upgrade your computer.

What Noteworthy Features Will Vista Give You?

If we get over the improved features like better organizing of information, better security, and more reliability - what new features will the Vista deliver?

One that really jumps out - INSTANT SEARCH

Instead of using the slow cascading “All Programs”, you can just type in a file name or task and you will find what you’re looking for. The new instant start menu will be a lot quicker, saving you time.

This also jumps out - DYNAMIC WINDOWS

Perhaps, one of the major improvement will be in the appearance and use of the new desktop with transparent “glass-like” windows and animated windows on the taskbar. It will have live thumbnails on the taskbar, place your mouse over these and you will see the live contents without having to bring it up on your screen. You will also be able to create a three-dimensional stack of open windows on your desktop and you will have smoother performance in dynamic content or windows such as video.

And this one - SPEECH RECOGNITION

Speech Recognition will play a major role in the new Windows Vista which promises to feature all the latest Microsoft speech technologies with ‘unparalleled voice recognition accuracy’ supported with multiple languages and a more human-sounding synthesizer - step aside Stephen Hawkins!

Plus, you will be able to control your computer by using your voice. It will provide you with a list of smart choices, whether it’s selecting a word or choosing an application. Mouseless and hands-free computing tasks - might be worth seeing.

And this - WATCH AND RECORD LIVE TV

You will be able to watch and record live TV with Vista. You may have to use additional hardware to access this feature. It is only a matter of time before the union of the Internet and full TV broadcasting services. Windows Vista may help in furthering this rather slow process. Integration, Integration Integration.

Also this - BETTER SECURITY AND ENCRYPTION

The new Window Vista offers improved security and has a few new encryption programs. There is something called the Windows BitLocker™ Drive Encryption which help protect the sensitive data on your hard drive - especially important in our ever increasing mobile lifestyles and workforces. This program will encrypt your entire Windows system and protect your information in the case of a stolen or lost PC or laptop.

Then there is the Encrypting File System (EFS) which will protect user-level files and folders. This is important when two or more people share the same computer as in a company network. Companies will be able to use smart cards with EFS keys to allow employees or workers to access only the content that’s appropriate for them to access. In addition, companies or users will be able to restrict use of USB keys and other removable storage devices, thus hampering the quick removal of data from your computer.

Wildcard - What role will RSS Play?

For interested techies and web watchers, the role RSS will play in the new Vista is an intriguing question. What about all those new RSS applications? The list extensions? What will it bring? Read more here

Will RSS (via Vista) be given the means to finally turn the Internet into a Billion Channel Universe? Turning every web site into its own mini-broadcasting system sending out its content to all interested parties. Don’t come to us, we will deliver. Changing static content into dynamic content. Furthermore, will speech recognition turn this dynamic content into a fully interactive hands-free browsing experience. Might give a whole new meaning to the expression ‘Look Ma - no hands!’

All kidding aside, Windows Vista does offer some unique features that will change how we use our computers. It offers greater security and more integrated networking and applications. It does promise to make our desktop interaction more responsive and smoother with ‘live’ social bookmarks and windows. One can only hope Vista lives up to its name and gives us a whole new viewing experience.

Copyright (c) 2006 Titus Hoskins

So, how do you think your business could be better served by professional web design? Could it be one of the following reasons:

• Content Management System, CMS update your own web site
• Flash Design, dynamic and eye-catching
• CSS Design, optimized for search engines
• Search Engine Optimization
• E-Commerce Development, online store
• Sales Inquiry Forms, acquire new business
• Video Presentations, flash video
• Product Launch, press releases
• Recreating a Professional Look, beat out your competition

Praxis Design Studios, realizes the importance of professional web development and what it means to your business in terms of deadlines. That is why we strive to complete your professional website design in weeks instead of months. After gathering the necessary information to complete your website, we give ourselves a deadline. This helps us ensure that your professionally-designed website is completed in a timely manner.

Praxis Design Studios is proud to announce the launch of two all new sites, developed on behalf of Raleigh, North Carolina business success story, Paul Sedaris: Sedaris Hardwood Flooring and You Can’t Kill the Rooster. (www.SedarisHardwoodFloors.com/
and www.YouCantKillTheRooster.com/).

With a stylized design that is functional and user-friendly, the new Sedaris Harwood Flooring site provides information about the company while also educating the viewer about the craft of installing hardwood flooring. The addition of sample displays, a photo gallery of past work, and an online store selling Sedaris tee-shirts, combine to make the new website a vital marketing tool as well.

Paul Sedaris also commissioned the creation of YouCantKillTheRooster.com. With a good natured view of his role in the stories that made Sedaris a household name, the site gives life to Paul’s alter ego, “The Rooster.” This semi-biographical character was made famous by brother and renowned humorist, David Sedaris, in several best selling books. “The Rooster” was also famously voiced by Sedaris’ sister and Strangers with Candy comedienne, Amy Sedaris, in the corresponding audio books. With all that in mind, the site is an amusing exploration and satirical journey into the mind of “The Rooster,” complete with a Flash-based rooster-hunt game and an online novelty shop.

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