The Non-Written Disciplines of Writing: Reading
Reading is the first of what I call the non-written disciplines of writing. There is no writing without reading. Or, maybe better said, there is no good writing without reading. If you want to write, or need to write (and the two don't have to be in agreement), you've got to read...
Another Small Step Toward Web-Enhanced Devices
This stuff sure does move quickly. A technology we're likely to experience, apparently sooner than I even imagined, is the extension of web-enhancement to everyday objects—turning them into more sophisticated devices that relay data in a much more advanced manner than today. I imagined this as part of my series last year on the future of the web, that in the future, you'll access the web everywhere, not just from your desk (though I probably should have said "not just from your desk, phone or tablet") and included a few examples like web-enhanced thermostats, bank cards, and retail customer VIP cards. I expanded this idea slightly in my article last April in Smashing Magazine on holistic web browsing...
How Will Google Instant Affect SEO Best Practices?
Today Google announced Google Instant, a predictive search results feature they have just added. This is not a re-working of the Google algorithm at all, it is just a very smart and logical feature addition. So, how will Google Instant affect best practices for SEO
Bounce Rate Recap
Back in May, I wrote a newsletter on measurement with the goal of going back to the basics in order to properly understand the foundational web metrics and make sure we're measuring what really matters. If you haven't read that yet but are interested in web analytics, I recommend taking some time to sit down and give it some attention (it's only two pages). In it, I focus mostly on the process of gathering data, understanding bounce rate, and measuring the value of referrals. A few comments that I received after I published the article clued me in to something: we're still not getting bounce rate...
A Human Content Strategy
"Readability" goes beyond the design and user interace of a site. It is also about the content you are delivering. Are you writing long, drawn-out copy targeted at the search engine robots, or are you writing, concise and useful information for your target market?
Justin Kerr’s 10 Year Anniversary
Justin is one of Newfangled's elders. By that, I don't mean that he's old (necessarily :) ), but that he is a keeper of the Newfangled tradition that has been slowly but consistently developed over the past 15 years. He has as deep an understanding of who we are as a company, and of what our core values are, as anybody.
One more year of human progress…
...or maybe a human's progress. As of today, I've been with Newfangled for six years. The passage of time creates all kinds of illusions; sometimes it seems as if I've been here much longer, other times as if I just began...
Designing for Attention
Designers, instead of continuing to create confused, unclear and unfocused pages—pages that include more information than is necessary and in a way that undercuts their core purpose—let's adopt a new standard, following a very simple rubric: enabling attention...
Questions for Tom Diederich, Community Manager at Ninety Five 5
Two years ago, I had just written a blog post appreciating the design and content strategy for Cadence Design Systems's website, when Tom Diederich, Community Manager at Cadence, noticed it and left a comment. From there, Tom and I connected and eventually set up an interview to get to know each other better and for me to learn what he was up to at Cadence. Just recently, Tom answered a question I asked on LinkedIn, so I thought now was a good time to check back in with him...