Sitepro Blog - Entries by author 'Benjamin Stroinski'http://blog.sitepro.comLearn how to get the most from your website with tips on SEO, Design, Marketing, Internet trends and more with Sitepro's blog. It's Official: Microsoft and Yahoo! team up to fight Googlehttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/168/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/168/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2009 09:26:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/168/Benjamin StroinskiCNN Money is reporting that Microsoft and Yahoo have reached an agreement to integrate search technologies and share revenue in their ongoing battle for search supremacy. Both companies trail Google, who currently enjoys a 65% market share. Even though Microsoft attempted to purchase Yahoo last year, this is a somewhat surprising development in the world of search advertising.

Read on past the break for more details about this new deal!

 

]]>Google Enters the OS Warshttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/158/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/158/#commentsThu, 16 Jul 2009 13:59:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/158/Benjamin StroinskiNot content with Chrome browser for desktop platforms and the Android OS on mobile devices, Google is planning to release Chrome OS later this year. Beyond that, it has plans to partner with hardware manufacturers to include the new OS as a standard install on netbooks.

 

According to the news posting on their blog, "Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks. Later this year we will open-source its code, and netbooks running Google Chrome OS will be available for consumers in the second half of 2010. Because we're already talking to partners about the project, and we'll soon be working with the open source community, we wanted to share our vision now so everyone understands what we are trying to achieve."

 

Read Google's blog here, or read some additional thoughts about Google's Chrome OS after the break.

]]>Go Viral: Office Depot and the Recession Aggression Baghttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/131/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/131/#commentsMon, 06 Jul 2009 15:03:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/131/Benjamin StroinskiIf you spend any amount of time on sites like Hulu or YouTube, you may have come across this clever new ad targeting small business owners. Advertising the "Recession Aggression Bag," a phony bean-bag style product that a small business owner can physically abuse and verbally demean to feel better about the economy, the ad does no promotion of Office Depot until you visit the intriguing URL promoted at the end of the ad: thesurvivalofthesmartest.com.

 

Recession Agression Bag

 

Click past the break for the full video.

]]>Firefox 3.5 First Impressionshttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/123/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/123/#commentsThu, 02 Jul 2009 07:58:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/123/Benjamin StroinskiFirefox

 

After months of release candidate testing, Mozilla released Firefox 3.5 just days ago. If you're a current Firefox user, upgrading is as easy as clicking Help>Check for Updates up there in the menu. And if you're on a different browser all together, you can download the Firefox installer here, or stick around to read more about some of Firefox 3.5's features and newfound speed past the break.

 

]]>July Blog Survey: Your Opinion Matters!http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/121/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/121/#commentsWed, 01 Jul 2009 14:35:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/121/Benjamin StroinskiThanks for visiting the Sitepro blog. Every month or so we like to open the floor to try to get your feedback on how you think we're doing. Please, take a few minutes and leave us a comment! We'd love to hear what you have to say about our articles and our direction. Are you a Sitepro client, or considering a future project with Sitepro? Do you want to learn more tips and ideas of how to get more out of your website? Do you work in web industry and want to hear more about our technology and process? How did you find our blog?

 

We want to know how we can improve our blog to meet your needs! What topics are of interest to you? What do you want to read more about? Click below to comment and let us know! W appreciate your input, and thanks for reading the Sitepro Blog!

 

*Don't panic! We currently moderate our comments prior to posting, but any comment you post on the Sitepro blog should appear within 24 hours.

 

]]>Not subscribed to Sitepro emails? Here's what you're missing!http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/114/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/114/#commentsWed, 24 Jun 2009 08:30:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/114/Benjamin StroinskiInsite LogoSitepro Shopper Logo

 

The Sitepro team wants to make sure you're getting the most out of your website and the technology we have available for our customers. To meet those goals, we send out two free monthly emails to provide value both to our existing clients and those interested in web tech and trends. Read past the break to sample some of what you're missing - we hope you'll decide to subscribe!

]]>Get Followed on Twitter!http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/95/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/95/#commentsTue, 09 Jun 2009 13:05:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/95/Benjamin StroinskiRegular readers and my colleagues know that I'm quite the Twitter junkie. It's been particularly great to use Twitter to speak in an open conversation with local businesses, get tips and news from design colleagues, get quick texts about upcoming area events, and even to send myself RSS feeds of great local shopping deals within a few minutes of being posted. I don't have a ton of followers, but that's ok - my goals for Twitter are mostly personal/professional communication, and to dialog in an interesting way with people I might not meet otherwise. Are you happy with who's following you?

 

So let's assume you've read the article I keep posting regarding 50 uses of Twitter for business (heck, why not browse all of our Twitter-related articles), and you've started your Twitter account. But what's this? No one will follow your tweets? What do you do? I have some suggestions about getting those elusive Twitter followers, so read on past the break to learn some simple ways you can encourage followers and gain that Twitter audience you crave!

]]>Privacy and Social Networkinghttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/89/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/89/#commentsMon, 08 Jun 2009 15:24:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/89/Benjamin StroinskiStill not sold on facebook, twitter, linkedin, and similar web applications? The most common reason I hear from people as to why they won't try social networking is the loss of their privacy. Well, if that's all that's keeping you from connecting with friends, colleagues, and potential customers, I'm here to share some simple things you can do to participate and maintain whatever level of anonymity you choose!

 

Read on for ideas for guidelines you can set for yourself, and settings relevant to several of the more popular sites to keep your personal information private.

]]>Chippewa Valley Tweetup Recaphttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/90/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/90/#commentsWed, 03 Jun 2009 16:23:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/90/Benjamin StroinskiTweetup Pic


Kregg Knox and I checked out VolumeOne's Chippewa Valley Tweetup last night. It was a good opportunity to meet the people behind the twitter avatars, and link new people into my twitter network! Hi to Daisy (@phdaisy), Wendi (@Bibliomom), John (@johnthemember), Ben (@statetheatreguy) and the V1 staffers (Nick, Mike, and Kate) - it was great to meet you! Somehow I ended up on the front page of VolumeOne's site today, too... see the screencap after the break. (I'm the guy sitting at the corner of the bar on the right)

 

All in all a good time, and I'd definitely attend a second. Read Mike Paulus's writeup on the V1 blog!

 

]]>IE6 Holding Groundhttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/88/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/88/#commentsWed, 03 Jun 2009 07:18:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/88/Benjamin StroinskiIE6 LogoLove it or hate it, it looks like Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 is stubbornly clinging to browser market share. According to recent stats published by StatOwl.com, IE6 still clings to a 3rd place share, or 18.23% of all web users. This month, Firefox 3 took over the 2nd place position with 18.58%, and IE7 remains firmly atop the chart with 43.51%. The case for continued IE6 compatability becomes even more interesting when looking at the usage trends for corporate entities: In this case, IE6 leads the pack with over 41% , followed by IE7 at around 39%.

 

Want to know why the continued survival of IE6 is such a big deal? Read on to learn how not all browsers are created equal, and why IE6 looks to be sticking around for a bit longer.

]]>June Blog Survey: We want to hear from you!http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/87/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/87/#commentsMon, 01 Jun 2009 14:51:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/87/Benjamin StroinskiAre you reading the Sitepro blog? Leave us a comment! We'd love to hear what you have to think about our articles and our direction. Are you a Sitepro client, or considering a future project with Sitepro? Do you work in web industry? How did you find our blog?

 

We want to know how we can improve our blog to meet your needs! What topics are of interest to you? What do you want to read more about? Click below to comment and let us know! Thanks for your input, and thanks for reading the Sitepro Blog!

 

*Don't panic! We currently moderate our comments prior to posting, but any comment you post on the Sitepro blog should appear within 24 hours.

 

]]>Chippewa Valley Tweetuphttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/84/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/84/#commentsTue, 26 May 2009 09:33:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/84/Benjamin StroinskiChippewa Valley Tweetup

 

Looks like next Tuesday, June 2 from 6-8pm, there's going to be a "Tweetup" (a meetup of Twitter users for the less web-savvy) held at the Livery (Downtown/Wisconsin St) and hosted by VolumeOne. Check out their site for more information. I'm planning to be there, so DM or @tweet me if you want to meet up!

 

In the meantime, check out my Twitter feed! (@benstroinski) This weekend I linked Twitter up to my mobile, so I'm more active on the service than ever. As always, feel free to Tweet me your web/design related questions, comments, or just to say hi.

]]>50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Businesshttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/78/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/78/#commentsMon, 27 Apr 2009 14:37:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/78/Benjamin StroinskiSeveral weeks ago I posted an article about joining Twitter. If you haven't yet, give it a try! It takes just a few minutes, and can be adapted for a variety of different business purposes. Still not convinced? New Marketing Labs President Chris Brogan has written about 50 ways you can use Twitter as part of your business.

Check out the complete article here!

]]>Fear of Blog? Don't Run from New Web Techhttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/75/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/75/#commentsMon, 20 Apr 2009 14:27:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/75/Benjamin StroinskiBeing a self-proclaimed web junkie, new ways of using the medium always fascinate me. When blogs became popular a few years back, I operated a personal one on LiveJournal for several years as a way to stay in touch with friends and family. This was early social network days, prior to Facebook and Twitter, and having a network of peronal blogging friends was the best way to stay in touch.

 

Around 2005 or so, blogs took an evolutionary step, growing from a tool for "personal journaling" into an accepted communications method for businesses and news organizations.

 

Still, working in Northwest Wisconsin with clients less familiar with web tech, I find that the common misconception of a blog existing only as a "dear diary" sort of personal journal is still prevelant. Clients frequently react negatively to hearing the word "blog," and don't always understand what a blog can do for them.  Read on to see how flexible a good blog can be a key part of your professional communication!

]]>Simplicity: The key to good designhttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/61/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/61/#commentsWed, 08 Apr 2009 12:01:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/61/Benjamin StroinskiThe old cliche Keep It Simple Stupid applies to website design as well.  Though it's certainly my job to design whatever will make the client happiest, I always do my best to explore options and explain to clients how visitors might get lost on their site based on the overwhelming amount of information they feel is needed on one page or another.  Recently, one client had me build in widgets on the home page summarizing and linking to nearly every part of their site over the course of several revisions instead of keeping the home page simple and building a flow through the site to ensure critical information was highlighted on the appropriate page.

 

I touched on some of this briefly in a previous article, but I'd like to take some to review why it's so important to keep things simple for your site visitors.  Read on after the break to learn some of the benefits to bringing focus and simplicity to your site.

 

]]>April Blog Survey: Reading the Sitepro Blog?http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/60/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/60/#commentsWed, 01 Apr 2009 07:33:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/60/Benjamin StroinskiAre you reading the Sitepro blog? Leave us a comment! We'd love to hear what you have to think about our articles and our direction. Are you a Sitepro client, or considering a future project with Sitepro? Do you work in web industry? How did you find our blog?

 

We want to know how we can improve our blog to meet your needs! What do you like? What do you want to read more about? Click below to comment and let us know! Thanks for your input, and thanks for reading!

 

*We currently moderate our comments prior to posting, but any comment you post on the Sitepro blog should appear within 24 hours.

 

]]>Rethinking the Sitemap pagehttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/58/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/58/#commentsMon, 30 Mar 2009 11:51:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/58/Benjamin StroinskiThe sitemap page is a critical addition for SEO and allowing search engines to crawl your site. Over the last year or so, sitemaps have been evolving. Once the standard stand-alone page that simply linked to every page, designers have found clever ways of integrating a sitemap into the framework as a usable site tool. Learn more about this new trend after the break.

 

]]>Browser Wars Revisited: Microsoft tells a different storyhttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/47/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/47/#commentsThu, 12 Mar 2009 10:58:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/47/Benjamin StroinskiLast week I discussed a ZD Net report that indicated Safari 4 was found to be the "world's fastest" browser, particularly at tasks involving rendering JavaScript.  Microsoft has responded, completing their own study of IE 8, and now say that it's faster than both Chrome and Firefox.  See more of their results after the break.

]]>Twitter wants to know: What are you doing?http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/46/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/46/#commentsTue, 10 Mar 2009 13:16:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/46/Benjamin StroinskiToday's the day.  Are you ready to get started with social networking?  Let's start up your very own Twitter account!  Click past the break to see how easy it is.

]]>Safari 4: King of the (Browser) Junglehttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/43/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/43/#commentsWed, 04 Mar 2009 08:51:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/43/Benjamin StroinskiSafari Logo
ZDNet News reported test results last week indicating Safari 4 is the fastest browser available, both on PC and Mac.  While the data ultimately comes down to a matter of milliseconds, Safari still clocks in more than three times faster than Firefox 3 and more than five times faster than Internet Explorer 8 (release candidate 1).

 

 

These are results from a PC with a 2.1GHz Intel Core 2 Duo:

1) Safari 4 (Total time: 910ms)
2) Mozilla Minefield 3.2a1 (1,136ms)
3) Google Chrome (1,177ms)
4) Firefox 3 (3,250ms)
5) Opera 9.6 (4,076ms)
6) Internet Explorer 8 (5,839ms)
7) Internet Explorer 7 (39,026ms)

 

Bottom line, this may or may not mean much to you.  Everyone likes a browser for a particular reason.  If you're up for a new flavor of Internet, why not give Safari a try?  You can download it for free here.

]]>Make It Interactive – Design for how People Use the Web!http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/41/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/41/#commentsWed, 25 Feb 2009 11:27:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/41/Benjamin StroinskiSince the Internet went mainstream a little over 10 years ago, having a website has been an important part of a business marketing plan. You operate a website to communicate your message to the rest of the world, to encourage purchases, or maybe even to sell products online. Your site exists for visitors to visit, read everything they want to know, and then become a customer.  It’s that simple, right?

 

Not exactly. A website must go beyond one-way communication, meet definable customer needs, and achieve company goals. Most websites are too wordy, asking viewers to read the site like a book instead of finding ways to use the site as an interactive branch of the business. Text-heavy sites are built with the incorrect assumption that visitors will patiently click one page after another and read every word, eventually finding what it is they are looking for. These sites fall short of quickly directing visitors to critical information, and fail to encourage an actionable goal out of their visitors. Read past the break to learn how your site can avoid the same fate.

 

]]>Have you thought about your logo lately?http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/40/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/40/#commentsMon, 23 Feb 2009 10:24:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/40/Benjamin StroinskiYour company’s logo is a symbol representing your business.  It serves as a visual representation of your place in the industry, your company’s culture, and your attitude to clients.  Have you thought about what your logo says about your company?  Read on to learn just how critical a clean, well-designed logo is the cornerstone to a solid brand.

 

]]>Keep Things Consistent - Basic Brand Managementhttp://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/26/http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/26/#commentsWed, 26 Nov 2008 10:25:00 -0500http://www.sitepro.com/index.cfm/blog.entry/entryId/26/Benjamin StroinskiHaving worked for several years with small-to-mid size companies on a daily basis, the most common issue I find is lack of consistency in their visual identity. These businesses all have reasons for not developing consistent brand marketing ranging from belief that doing so would be cost prohibitive, to not believing the scope of their business is large enough for consistency to matter.

]]>