Keyboard shortcuts when internet browsing

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

When using Firefox, I've found it to be great timesaver to use keyboard shortcuts e.g. ctrl-t to open a new tab, ctrl-tab to hop to the next tab and ctrl-shift-tab to hop back a tab.

However, until today I didn't know how to get to the address (location) bar, or the search engines in the top right (ctrl-l and ctrl-k respectively).

Onto Google I went and found the helpful people at the Mozilla Foundation have put together a very comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts for FireFox, Internet Explorer and Opera. See their 'Keyboard Shortcuts' page for the full list and give your mouse (and wrist) a rest!

Labels: browsers, resources

Why the web isn't the same as paper

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

The web is not paper - it's a relatively new medium and in fact, it's often referred to as just that, "new media". Practical graphic design on the web is still less than ten years old really and this means that plenty of so-called web designers are really just print graphic designers trying to transfer their methods onto a computer screen. What you have to remember though, is that the web is not paper so these methods do not always transfer well:

1) Paper Doesn't Scroll:

If you design a site to fit onto one sheet of A4, you are doing your visitors a disservice. Text on the web has a potentially infinite amount of space. Why make your visitor press a button to go to your next page? Stick to the rule of one page for one article, and you'll do much better in retaining your visitors (as long as you provide useful content!)

2) Paper Has No Bandwidth Issues:

You can cover a sheet of paper with all the pictures and backgrounds you like, and it doesn't take any more time to pick it up and read it. That's not true on the web - despite most people being on bandwidth and being able to download large animations and high numbers of graphics easily, there are still plenty of people out there using the web on dial-up. It's a surefire way to lose your visitor if they have to sit and wait while your design loads, when all they wanted to do was read some text.

3) Columns Work on Paper:

One of the biggest issues for print designers is that they find it difficult not to use columns. The web is a different type of media from print and columns do not work. Reading left-to-right in a narrow column on a computer screen is difficult - using full widths means that text selection and browser resizing is far easier for your visitors.

4) Paper Isn't Linked:

One of the easiest ways to spot a site designed by a print designer is the lack of links and notes like "go to our downloads page to see..." Links make the web what it is, and make it easier for your visitors to navigate your site.

5) Paper Will Only Be Seen One Way:

Web pages will be seen in a variety of web browsers, in all sorts of screen sizes and on many different devices. You can't control the way your website looks to every visitor; what you're doing is offering a set of guidelines, for their software to interpret and display. If they choose to make all their fonts larger because they have visual difficulties, who are you to set your page to override that?

The web designer's role isn't to make sure that everyone sees the design exactly as they intended rather to let as many people as possible see the site as close to the intended design as possible.

How not to buy antivirus software

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

If your PC hasn't got anti-virus and firewall software, you may notice some flashing icons in your system tray (next to the clock). These will look official and tell you that you have viruses on your computer and to get rid of them to follow their instructions. These will lead to a website where you can pay for antivirus software. DON'T DO IT!!!

These messages are on your system in the first place due to your lack of anti-virus software and come from unscrupulous programmers trying to either take your credit card details or from unethical anti-virus software sellers. There are plenty of places to buy reputable anti-virus software which doesn't put your credit card at risk.

www.antivirusdownload.com shows reviews of some of the different Symantec anti-virus programs and lists the latest virus threats.

For how to protect yourself with a firewall and anti-spyware software see our previous post "get safe online"

Labels: pp, security

An alternative webmaster glossary

Friday, January 12, 2007

If you want to know the meaning of geek-speak, an amusing site to stop by is "The alternative webmaster glossary."

With definitions such as:

404: Not found. Lost. Disappeared down the pan. Clueless. Like making a Usenet posting of rabbit recipes on rec.pets.rabbits. Like as in "George Bush is a 404 dude". It's also the reply your website gives a browser or SE bot when the page they are trying to reach is not available.

the site certainly puts a twist on the dry definitions you find elsewhere. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly brought a smile to my face!

Labels: internet, pp

New ways to stop email spam

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

E-mail spam is becoming more sophisticated - many spammers now use images rather than text itself to try and circumvent the spam filters that sit between your inbox and the internet.

According to BorderWare MXtreme image spam currently accounts for at least 35% of all spam. They describe image spam as "a technique where the spam message consists of an image and a small amount of text that looks like it is 100% text-based, when in fact it is an image that looks exactly like a regular email message."

They have developed "Intercept Image Analysis" which looks at over 30 different variables per image, to adapt, learn and defeat new image spam campaigns.

Labels: email, pp, spam

YouTube helps catch murderer

YouTube recently made the headlines when it was bought for a staggering 1.65 billion dollars by Google. It's a video sharing website where people can upload their videos for others to view and comment on. New and established bands use it for video promotion and you can find videos on almost any subject. People are coming up with new ways to use the site all the time.

More recently, police in Canada posted CCTV footage on YouTube to enlist the help of viewers in identifying possible suspects in a murder case. Almost 16000 people viewed the video and thanks to this, a man turned himself into the police. Seems the YouTube possibilities are endless...

See the full story on ABC Online.

Labels: internet

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Keyboard shortcuts when internet browsing

Why the web isn't the same as paper

How not to buy antivirus software

An alternative webmaster glossary

New ways to stop email spam

YouTube helps catch murderer

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