Web design blog

“Today WordPress powers one of every 6 websites on the Internet, nearly 60 million in all, with 100,000 more popping up each day. Those run through its cloud-hosted service, which lets anybody create a free website online, attract 330 million visitors who view 3.4 billion pages every month.”

Given the ubiquity of WordPress, why isn’t [WordPress founder Matt] Mullenweg, now 28, a billionaire? Since its founding in 2005 Automattic has chosen scale over scratch, giving away much for free. Only 1% of WordPress.com devotees pay. Not among them: users of WordPress.org (the open-source version), who run servers and implement the software themselves. A small percentage has only recently been coaxed into paying for additional features like file backups. Automattic implemented an ad-sharing service–on a limited basis–just last year.

… a massive community of developers and consultants make a living directly off of WordPress. In a recent survey, the company found 20,000 people across the globe hosting blogs, designing websites and offering maintenance services for WordPress users.”

[Source: forbes.com]

Examples of advertising and design agency websites:

Advertising and Web Design Agencies always portray themselves as the best when it comes to creativity. While doing so, they are required to keep their own websites really creative and beautiful. Clients always see the agency websites to see how creative these companies could get. The website has to be such that it could attract new clients, navigation should be simple. Every web agency needs to understand one simple mantra that first impression matters a lot in this business.

— Link

A screenshot a digital image of a computer display, like a photograph of what you see on a monitor.

You might make screenshots for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the desire to impress potential clients with pictures of web sites you have created.

For inspiration, see: 23 Examples of Screenshots in Web Design.

• Type of project
• Content of the Website
• Scripting and Multimedia
• Meeting Deadlines
• Your Experience Counts
• Maintenance of the Website
• Consider the Contemporary Rates
• Structuring the Prices
• Set Prices or Quotes

The article concludes — and I heartily agree — that “whatever price you decide, you need to make sure that you are honest with your client.”

— Arfa Mirza @ designzzz.com

Alexander Dawson writes:

Every portfolio needs to explain three fundamental job related skills to a client …

• Web related technologies are you tooled in
• Services can (or are you willing) to provide
• Visual examples of your previous work which inherently showcase the true skills you possess

This is much like analysing the abilities of an artist: the technologies represent the tools you can use (like a paintbrush), the services represent your forte (like portraits) and the visuals are the end result.

— Alexander Dawson @ One extra pixel

“A pro linkspammer (“social networking specialist”) … was running up to 20 Reddit identities at once and using them to game the outcomes.”

New technologies solve old problems, while introducing new problems:

A Reddit user noticed an odd pattern of upvotes for stories related to G4 TechTV and various other game-related companies. After a little investigation, the firms in question came clean (or at least, accounts seeming to belong to them came clean), and admitted that they had a relationship with a pro linkspammer (“social networking specialist”) who was running up to 20 Reddit identities at once and using them to game the outcomes. The linkspammer (or at least, an account seeming to belong to the linkspammer) has admitted it ….

The comment threads in question are a fascinating glimpse into the corrosive effect of astroturfing on social relationships — a kind of social media reenactment of The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street — as Redditors rage against the house of mirrors and wonder who among them are simply sock-puppets for the wrongdoers.

… Meanwhile, the spammer’s account of his own actions is so far in denial, so wounded and broken, you get a picture of some kind of savant psychopath festering in his begrimed underwear in a basement somewhere, plaintively mourning the loss of his make-believe “friends” who always showed up to agree with everything he said.

— Cory Doctorow @ Boing Boing

..

Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to reload their browsers …

Internet explorer is a bit like Ghenkis Khan and the Mongol Empire. Perhaps not the most obvious comparison, but give me a chance. So, Internet Explorer was launched in 1995 and by 2003 had a market share of close to 95%. Between the year 1206 and 1280 the Mongol Empire grew to stretch from Korea to Moscow.

The rapid expansion of the Mongol Empire is much like Internet Explorers rapid growth in popularity. The development of Internet Explorer was also fairly rapid and progressive. The Mongols were also progressive and introduced new technology and new thinking into a medieval Eurasia.

However like all Empires, over time cracks begin to appear. For the Mongols, their days of power were numbered and to make matters worse the epic trade routes that were built up now helped spread the Black Death which decimated both Mongol and other populations.

— Greg Jacobs

From a series of articles on logo design:

We’ve consulted a panel of web design and logo experts about the basics and not-so-basics of creating a great logo for new and not-so-new web-based companies. In this three-part series, we’ll share their insights on trends, hiring designers, typography and more.

— Mashable.com

What is a logo?

A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition.

— Logo @ Wikipedia

Thank you, countrysidecabinetsinc.com, for clicking through my affiliate link when signing up for a Bluehost account.

News from the Search Engine Wars:

Bing has overtook Yahoo for the first time worldwide in January and increased its lead in February according to web analytics company, StatCounter. Its research arm StatCounter Global Stats finds that globally Bing reached 4.37% in February ahead of Yahoo! at 3.93%. Both trail far behind Google’s 89.94% of the global search engine market.

— Slashdot