July 2009
1 post
I just came across this video which is about the different technology based user groups in Manchester from Andrew Disley’s blog. I’m a part of a GeekUp and the North West Ruby Users Group (NWRUG), both of which are mentioned. I find these groups really useful to meet other techies and to keep up to date with the latest developments in my industry.
March 2009
12 posts
Google Street View
Google released their Street View service in the UK yesterday, covering 25 Towns and Cities, including Manchester.
Click here to see in in action near the Printworks!
Aside from the privacy issues, this tool can help direct people to locations or meetings more accurately or easily. Instead of just a map of your location on your Contact page, you could also embed the Street View image of your...
YourLogoMakesMeBarf.com →
Logo design can be tricky, it’s a real art and large companies pay tens of thousands of pounds for them. But they are definitely important.
Follow the rather blunt advice at this website and avoid the mistakes it points out in the terrible logo’s it has found and you won’t go far wrong!
A programmer is just a tool which converts caffeine into code
– (source unknown)
menbehavingdadly.wordpress.com →
I created this website recently for a local Dads group I’m part of - Men Behaving Dadly!
The aim is to inform other local Dads about when we meet with all the kids, trips we’ve planned and other thoughts, advice, and fun stuff about being a Dad.
A Decade Of Web Design In Pictures - 1997 to 2009 →
This takes me back! I’m glad the trend is that these websites are getting better looking and easier to use over time. It encourages me about the future of the web and is a reminder about how important the design of your website is.
creative:
Like some of the clothes we wore in the 1990’s, website’s from that decade can be pretty scary! Just take a look at what whitehouse.gov looked like...
The Universe in 09 →
I love the visualisation of this information!
Most of the people I chat to about Twitter ask “What’s the point?” This video helps explain.
Twitter Notes from Speak To A Geek
bobop: 43folders.com or inboxzero.com give tips on dealing with email faster so you have more time to engage through social networks
bobop: You need to engage with the people you want to reach where they are on the web
bobop: Twitter helps spread your message and engage with people easily in real-time
bobop: Ping.fm spreads your updates across many web applications, but interacting on these web applications is still crucial
bobop: "Social Media" is something that gets better when people are in it
bobop: Other recommendations: Getting Things Done, Ta-Da lists, Writeboards, iPhone, Twitter, Paper and Pen!
bobop: Other online tools: Drupal, Wiki's, WordPress.org, RSS, BaseCamp, Google Apps for your domain, Gmail, PhpBB forums
bobop: UserVoice let's your users easily tell you what they want on your website
bobop: Google Analytica allows you to see how many visitors have come to your site, which pages are popular, and more information
bobop: Let your, or your organizations, personality shine through when you interact online, don't use the same reply everytime
bobop: Google Alerts can help you discover content and people relevant to your work who you can then interact with or promote
bobop: Linking to similar or helpful websites, commenting on articles or forums will help raise your profile
bobop: Search Engine Optimisation helps people find your website and content more easily
bobop: "Getting Real" is a very good book, well written, on building web projects
bobop: Iterative or Agile development (shorter time limits on goals) allows for better communication and more accurate results
bobop: Communication with web developers is extremely important to achieve your aims. Developers are often not good at communicating!
bobop: Having an "evangelist" of personality is very useful to attract attention and keep conversation and interaction going.
bobop: To attract attention to your content/information it needs to be spread widely: Blog RSS, Twitter, Ning Google Groups, etc.
bobop: Community websites need a community already to succeed, you can't force community
Speak To A Geek Twitter Notes
I attended Speak To A Geek on Friday. It was a great opportunity for non-profit organisations to quiz North West technology experts about using the internet and social networks better.
I Twittered through the session. Here are my Tweets: http://tinyurl.com/dh2tkh
The Ultimate Website Launch Checklist →
creative:
Excellent and thorough list of pre-flight checks.
February 2009
6 posts
www.bobop.co.uk →
This is the Bobop website where you can see some of my latest work!
Creating a custom theme for bobop.tumblr.com