Facts and Myths of HTML5

HTML5 is simply a new set of standards, semantics and rules for coding website markup that can take advantage of several new “native” browser features such as offline storage, multi-media playback and a small level of interaction. Much of what we see on HTML5 websites that is really cool or innovative isn’t the actual markup, but a combination of CSS3 and jQuery, both themselves new and exciting standards evolving right alongside HTML5.

As designers, we tend not to fuss about with code and semantics and JavaScript this or that, but whether your expertise is in identity and print design or includes a little of web design, expanding your comfort zone to include the fundamentals of these new technologies is necessary to stay competitive and sharp in our crowded industry.

For now, let’s dispel some myths about HTML5 to pique your interest. There are several HTML5 resources at the bottom for those of you who want to learn more.

Myth #1: HTML5 was invented because Apple stopped supporting Flash .

Apple seems to get blamed for everything, but while HTML5 has some amazing solutions for mobile, it was not created to meet the demands of the iPhone.  In fact, Opera and Mozilla got together back in 2004 to try to solve the problem of a messy web, defining seven principles for good design. Their goal was simple – propose these principles to W3C as a roadmap for a sleeker, faster, better HTML standard.

The principles covered aspects such as backwards compatibility, error handling, practicality, open development and avoiding device-specific profiling. It wasn’t until 2006 that the proposal was accepted, and in three short years a new spec was drafted, closed and made ready for use.

Myth #2: HTML5 won’t be ready till 2022.

I’m not even sure how this myth began circulating, but the working draft was closed – meaning nothing more can be added or significantly changed – in 2009. Because it has been driven by Opera and Mozilla from the start, it may even reach W3C’s Candidate Recognition this year, as almost the entire spec is supported by both browsers. Even still, you can use HTML5 right now and rest assured it will degrade gracefully and work in older browsers with the inclusion of some lightweight JavaScript, all the way down to complex Canvas implementations.

All current browsers support HTML5. What you need to be careful of isn’t the markup, it is the CSS. Even with pre-made CSS resets intended to help out older browsers, design built around CSS3 can fall apart in older browsers unless you take care of the details.

Myth #3:  HTML5 requires CSS3.

It makes the most sense to use semantic class names and CSS3 declarations when building something with HTML5, but it isn’t a requirement. HTML5 is just markup, so it gets along just fine with CSS2 styling, but what it does require is complete styling for all presentational elements of your design.

In other words, the HTML5 spec removes attributes and tags that control the look or style of any element, and is no longer tolerant of inline styling. The browser is now the supreme governor of how your site is rendered and what rules you need to abide by when creating layout with your markup. For example, in HTML5 you need a “display:block” declaration for each HTML5 element for them to be understood properly in IE8 and earlier. In short, HTML5 needs styling to look good, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be CSS3.

Myth #4: HTML5 ruins accessibility.

On the contrary, HTML5 is built around accessibility. While drafting the spec, utmost care was taken to ensure each element works with WIA ARIA landmark roles.  These roles are specialized attributes added to your tags that allow accessibility devices such as screen readers to better interpret the site’s flow and content better.

Converting a site to HTML5 may ruin the accessibility if these roles aren’t understood and implemented properly, but that won’t be the fault of the markup! See font accessibility.

Myth #5: HTML5 will kill Flash.

The fact is that Flash is still used by several million websites and developers world-wide. The misconception was born, once again, from the high profile fallout between Adobe and Apple and the rapid adoption of HTML5 audio and video for application and mobile development as a result. However, though HTML5 is great for low volume video playback, full HTML5 support requires two or three times the encoding chores of Flash support and still lacks many critical features currently available in plug-in based technologies. Currently, sites like Vimeo and YouTube use HTML5 technology largely for technology’s sake, and will not be moving away from Flash too rapidly. Developer Viki Hoo points out several other reasons why Flash will be around awhile in her compelling argument here.

But let’s get back to Flash with regards to web design. In that context, we are likely to see a rapid switch from Flash to HTML5 in the coming years. HTML5 is easier to learn and use, even for those of use without a high level of JavaScript mastery. It doesn’t require a 3rd Party plugin to work, loads faster and is extremely mobile friendly. So it isn’t that HTML5 will kill Flash, it’s that it will dominate the mobile design and development market.

Read More: Facts and Myths of HTML5

Infographics About WordPress

1. WordPress Usage Top 100,000 Websites Infographic

WordPress’s popularity is undeniable, from family bloggers to some of the worlds most trafficked websites. It powers a good part of the Internet’s public websites.

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SEO Video Strategy

Time changes and accordingly everything in the nature redefines itself. So, the latest magical marketing innovation or SEO (search engine optimization) are also upgrading itself. We already are enough aware about traditional bookmarking, link building, submission, etc sorts of stuffs but recently introduced video SEO work is gaining tremendous response and almost all premier SEO service providers have welcomed it.

Video on internet was not a new concept and a many people substantially cashed it. Even, it is obvious to understand that people love to watch video instead of reading books and reports on internet. Initially, low internet speed was a great hurdle but now it is gradually being removed. So certainly in coming season, there may be chances that television also would be replaced by internet. In concluding words, it must be quoted here that video market is hot and in every following day, it is being hotter. So, competition is simply heating upwards amongst all video websites and they feel need of search engine optimization.

SEO Meta tags and titles play crucial role in the optimization of video. The real video SEO action begins with the shooting of video. After shooting of spicy and catchy video, you have to look for proper video sites. However, there are hundreds of websites that may offer you video uploading service as an ad but each one can not be worthy. On the contrary, they will consume huge amount of time. So, save your time and choose good PR website. If video website is relevant with your target than it is damn good. For instance, if you have uploaded video on ‘youtube’ then start posting in links in forums and blog. You can even bookmark video. A press release is also good idea for the promotion of video.

Recent market reports are quite encouraging for video marketing and video SEO work. New York Times estimated that more than 70% traffic on internet is attributed to video. Google was so much concern towards this issue that it has purchased youtube for a whopping 1.65 billion dollar. There are speculations or we can say rumor that Google has prominently formed a team of best minds to analyze keywords from audio that are digitized. It would be just like an analysis of keywords in written roman scripts.

Summary:- You Tube take over by Google and market report of New York Times has certainly encourages video SEO work. In fact it was predicted as video websites were already extremely popular amongst internet users. So, this article explores different aspects of video SEO work.

Freelance Contracts: Do’s And Don’ts

In the world of freelancing, the entrepreneur has to take on a number of tasks for themselves that would normally be handled by a separate department at a bigger company. Most of these tasks are not part of the creative processes that freelance workers are used to, but rather are more tedious, left-brain paperwork. Right-brain creatives often shudder at the thought of these forays into linear domains. Such detail-ridden tasks would strain any freelancer who wears multiple hats, but they must be completed.

One such task is contracts. Drafting a contract that covers you, and doesn’t just enumerate information, is more than important: it is a must. Freelancers do not have the benefit of a legal department dedicated to protecting their interests with a watertight contract. Nevertheless, a freelancer’s contract must be comprehensive, concise and clear. It should outline the scope of the job, scheduling demands, the expectations of both parties and more.

 

In this post, we’ll help you identify the information that should be included in your contract and make sure you have a concrete agreement that leaves little chance of things getting out of hand… as can sometimes happen to those of us in the freelancing crowd.

These do’s and don’ts will hopefully remove a lot of the headache and guesswork that comes with drafting a contract. By understanding the rationale behind various contractual elements, you will be able to better customize your contracts to fit the specific job you have been hired for.

The Basics

Include the basic information, obviously. The “who” and the “what” of the project. Who is contracting you to do what kind of work? This is standard stuff included in every contract that defines the job as a whole. While this information is probably well known by both parties, put it in the contract anyway so that everyone is on the same page about their roles and responsibilities. Because it is such basic information, freelancers often overlook how important this section is for establishing the framework of the project.

Do’s and Don’ts

K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Simon (your name may not be Simon, but it is nicer than the traditional “S” in the phrase.) Do be sure to clarify your role in the project from start to finish and exactly what it entails, so that the client doesn’t try to put a hat on your head that you do not want to wear (for example, trying to make you switch from designing to providing tech support once the project has launched).

You know who you are and what your strengths are; don’t leave room for the client to change your role in the project for their convenience. Be specific about what roles you are and are not willing to play.

Time Frame

 

This simply establishes the time that the project will take and the duration that the contract covers. Sometimes a freelancer has to leave time open after a project’s completion to help integrate the product into the client’s existing media stream. But not always. Determining that time frame at the beginning and formalizing it in the terms and conditions of the contract will ensure you are not taken advantage of.

Do’s and Don’ts

Many people do not like deadlines, and some freelancers are no different. Whether you love or hate them, including deadlines in your contracts is important. Don’t overlook this detail simply because of the pressure it may bring. Give yourself enough time to properly complete your tasks, while keeping the client’s timetable in mind.

Being vague about how much time the contract covers will give your client room to find things for you to improve after the project has launched. Also, do be sure to include time frames on when the client needs to respond to your submissions with their questions and concerns, so that you are not endlessly strung along waiting to hear back on how to proceed.

Delivery Details

Putting this in the contract further clarifies expectations at the outset. The client knows up front what the final product will be and how you will be delivering it to them. This frees you from having to guess later on things like what file types they can access, and it gives the client peace of mind knowing that you are both on the same page.

It also gives you an indication of the depth of the client’s knowledge in this area of work and how well they will be able to work with the product once you hand it over. And being able to anticipate the client’s need for assistance in accessing and integrating your product will help you formulate other parts of the contract.

Do’s and Don’ts

Once again, keep it simple. Once you’ve assessed the client’s needs, don’t send them more files or file types than are needed to satisfy the project’s requirements. Don’t try to impress them with a ZIP file full of extras that show how professional you are. This will overwhelm clients who are not design-savvy and encourages needless pestering. Keeping it simple will move your client happily along their way, not only giving you peace of mind from a job well done but freeing you from future distractions as you move on to your next client.

The Financials

 

For most design work, billing by the job, rather than by the hour, is easier for everyone. You may have already come to an agreement on financial matters, but include them in the contract anyway for good measure. Just because you have an understanding about payment, the client could always conveniently “forget” the amount or change the terms.

Do’s and Don’ts

Agree on an initial deposit (whatever seems fair) before doing any work, to protect both parties if either wants to back out. Make sure the client understands that this deposit protects them as well by committing you to the project and keeping you from being sidetracked by other clients. Also include a Cancellation Clause in the financial section of the contract. This isn’t Santa’s less famous brother; it actually protects you, the freelancer, in case your client backs out by stating the financial obligations of both parties should the project terminate before completion.

Revisions And Alterations

You can also protect yourself by including a clause that states how many alterations and revisions to the product are covered by the fee. You can set the pricing for changes requested by the client that go beyond the number specified in the contract, thus preventing the client from abusing their privilege.

Be clear that this is not a commentary on either party; by including this, you are not implying that the client will be hard to please or that you will need multiple attempts to get it right. It simply recognizes that we sometimes need time to fully process something before making a decision and that we should have the freedom to change our minds about whether an idea works or not once we actually see it in action.

Do’s and Don’ts

Remember that professionalism should win out at all times, so don’t let this part of the contract be any different. Yes, it can be aggravating how some clients come back to you over and over with requests as a result of every whim that moves them, but do be reasonable. Don’t punish all of your clients because of one that burned you in the past. And don’t let pride keep you from accommodating a modest amount of revision by the client, even if they don’t suit your taste. After all, the design may be yours, but they are paying you to create it for them.

The Fine Print And Bottom Line

 

In the end, make sure the contract is professional and clear throughout, and be as detailed as possible in defining the roles of both parties in the project.

Types of E-Commerce

Types of E-Commerce

E-commerce is the use of Internet and the web to transact business but when we focus on digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individuals involving information systems under the control of the firm it takes the form of e-business. Nowadays, ‘e’ is gaining momentum and most of the things if not everything is getting digitally enabled. Thus, it becomes very important to clearly draw the line between different types of commerce or business integrated with the ‘e’ factor.

There are mainly five types of e-commerce models:

1. Business to Consumer (B2C) – As the name suggests, it is the model involving businesses and consumers. This is the most common e-commerce segment. In this model, online businesses sell to individual consumers. When B2C started, it had a small share in the market but after 1995 its growth was exponential. The basic concept behind this type is that the online retailers and marketers can sell their products to the online consumer by using crystal clear data which is made available via various online marketing tools. E.g. An online pharmacy giving free medical consultation and selling medicines to patients is following B2C model.
2. Business to Business (B2B) – It is the largest form of e-commerce involving business of trillions of dollars. In this form, the buyers and sellers are both business entities and do not involve an individual consumer. It is like the manufacturer supplying goods to the retailer or wholesaler. E.g. Dell sells computers and other related accessories online but it is does not manufacture all those products. So, in order to sell those products, it first purchases them from different businesses i.e. the manufacturers of those products.
3. Consumer to Consumer (C2C) – It facilitates the online transaction of goods or services between two people. Though there is no visible intermediary involved but the parties cannot carry out the transactions without the platform which is provided by the online market maker such as eBay.
4. Peer to Peer (P2P) – Though it is an e-commerce model but it is more than that. It is a technology in itself which helps people to directly share computer files and computer resources without having to go through a central web server. To use this, both sides need to install the required software so that they can communicate on the common platform. This type of e-commerce has quite low revenue generation as from the beginning it has been inclined to the free usage due to which it sometimes got entangled in cyber laws.
5. m-Commerce – It refers to the use of mobile devices for conducting the transactions. The mobile device holders can contact each other and can conduct the business. Even the web design and development companies optimize the websites to be viewed correctly on mobile devices.

There are other types of e-commerce business models too like Business to Employee (B2E), Government to Business (G2B) and Government to Citizen (G2C) but in essence they are similar to the above mentioned types. Moreover, it is not necessary that these models are dedicatedly followed in all the online business types. It may be the case that a business is using all the models or only one of them or some of them as per its needs.

Twelve Mobile Predictions for 2012

In case you hadn’t noticed, 2011 was the long-awaited “year of mobile.” It was the year that consumers made the mobile internet mainstream and marketers finally made mobile a priority (at least in terms of their rhetoric). In 2012 most of the trends and developments that we saw this year will only accelerate.

Those who didn’t fully pay attention this year will begin to realize in 2012 that mobile is not merely a small-screen extension of the PC web, but a parallel universe that increasingly operates as an alternative to the “fixed internet” for many people.

So without further ado here are my 12 mobile predictions for 2012. See whether and where you agree.

1. Smartphone share sails past 60 percent: By the end of 2011, 65 percent of US mobile subscribers will have smartphones and 35 percent will own feature phones. That would mean more than 150 million smartphones in the US market.
2. Android continues ascent: In a kind of cosmic convergence moment, Android’s smartphone share in the US will be almost identical to Google’s search share on the PC by Q3 or Q4 next year. Globally, Android’s market share will also exceed 50 percent. This creates additional anti-trust headaches for Google at home and internationally.
3. Siri evolves; Google debuts its version: Apple’s Siri gets access to more APIs and begins tying in to more third party apps and services, enabling more voice-driven “transactions.” Google introduces its version of an “intelligent assistant” which tries not to appear as a direct copy of the Apple product. Microsoft beefs up voice services on Windows Phones. Voice becomes a highly mainstream and in many cases a primary navigational and search tool on smartphones.
4. Apple Maps appear: Apple releases its long-awaited mapping replacement for Google on iOS. This might coincide with the release of iPhone 5 in Q3 of next year.
5. Inevitable arrival of iPhone 5: Speaking of which, the iPhone 5 will likely be announced in late Q2 or early Q3. It will have a larger screen, LTE support and support for near field communications (NFC).
6. RIM’s co-CEOs get the boot: RIM’s co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are both replaced before the end of 1H 2012. RIM tests a BlackBerry using the Android OS by the end of 2012. Many people believe that RIM will be acquired in 2012. I think there’s a 50/50 chance. Potential acquirers include Microsoft, Amazon and private equity.
7. Windows Phones see only modest success: Microsoft and Nokia have some success with Windows Phones in Europe and Asia; however the phones fail to generate enthusiasm in the US. Nokia tests prototype Android devices by the end of 2012.
8. Major smartphone security (hacking/virus) event: 2012 will see the first major smartphone security calamity involving a hacking incident or major virus. The Android OS will become the repeated target of viruses and hacking attempts because of its Microsoft-like smartphone market share.
9. NFC and mobile payments: Mobile payments see continued growth but 2012 isn’t the “breakthrough” year in North America. Marketers start to test NFC as a marketing tool and alternative to QR codes.
10. Apps & HTML5 live side-by-side: Most firms build HTML5 web apps as their primary mobile strategy but native apps continue to flourish. Consumers expect specialized mobile experiences and publishers without mobile-optimized sites suffer in mobile search rankings and generally through consumer rejection.
11. Tablets established as PC alternative: In 2012 the PC (including most laptops) loses whatever “sex appeal” it had left and becomes a utilitarian box in the consumer’s mind. Tablets (and smartphones) are preferred for a wide range of leisure, shopping and entertainment activities. By the end of 2012 there will be a cumulative 100 million tablets in market globally. The iPad will own about 65 percent of the market and Android about 35 percent. Android tablet sales will be dominated by Amazon, followed by Samsung. Google’s branded “Chrome” or “Nexus” tablet is a wildcard. The Android tablet universe will be highly fragmented (by screen size and OS version).
12. Google announces mobile ads “run rate” of $4 billion: At some point in late Q3 or Q4 Google will tell the world it now sees an annualized “run rate” of roughly $4 billion in mobile ad revenues (globally).

Here are a few bonus predictions:

• Augmented reality best practices emerge: Finally moving beyond novelty, concrete and more definitive marketing use cases for augmented reality appear in 2012.
• Big (mobile) data makes big impact: In-store visits, coupons and check-ins on smartphones generate huge amounts of data that connect digital marketing initiatives with in-store events. Mobile also connects real-world ads (print, TV, outdoor) with digital. The data from consumer response provides a much clearer picture of marketing and channel effectiveness than was previously available.
• Facebook mobile ads: Facebook introduces mobile advertising in 1H 2012, which becomes a major new source of mobile ad impressions.

Source: Search Engine Land