Dublicator

By Zo Nicholas

Learning Vocabulary

Things change so fast, not only here online in cyber world but also in the real world. We have to keep pace by continually learning, as mentioned in my previous post, by absorbing new ideas, vocabulary and concepts in order to be able to communicate with others.

Vocabulary

This weekend I learnt something new, even at my age!

We all are exposed to and absorb a basic vocabulary in our pre-school years. From then on as we socialise we build  upon that foundation and add more words that we absorb and learn without even thinking about it. Further education and learning increases our vocabulary even more as we often learn technical terms that are required by our careers or jobs.

“ An average educated person knows about 20,000 words and uses about 2,000 words in a week” Johnny Ling – 2001

Language itself evolves as its used from day to day, and if we look back to say the Elizabethan times, (about the time of Shakespeare), the  average vocabulary of an adult was around 500 words although Shakespeare himself had a vocabulary of around 21,000 words. He was a well educated man.

Having grown up children is a real eye opener sometimes. This weekend I felt a if I had dropped in of the moon! When youngsters get together they speak their own language. This language was something I could not understand with ease, as they were using words and phrases I had never heard before. Colloquial english… the language of everyday with its own vocabulary,  phrases, nuances interspersed with slang. Certain words having taken on new meanings as the language evolves. Today ‘gay’ does not have the same meaning it had 50+years ago.  Unless you are versed in this very informal everyday speech it all can almost sound foreign.

I have a few friends who always rib me that I use ‘colonial english’ but then that was the vocabulary, language and pronunciation  I was taught and brought up with. Not exactly ‘colonial english’ as I’m not a dinosaur yet, but certainly grammatically correct. Even in the short span of my life time language has evolved immensely, and just as I don’t understand Chaucer’s 14th century language, nor will future generations understand today’s spoken words so well.

Children Learning Language

Children start learning language from a very early age by listening to adults around, primarily their parents and siblings. They mimic what they hear, not necessarily understanding the meaning of the words they use. They also learn by the tone of voice which words create displeasure and which approval. Today they are also influenced by television, videos, radios etc which they often hear in their environment.  Even at a very young age they are listening intently, absorbing like a sponge, learning. My grandson is less than 6months old but already he recognises and responds to his name, and tries to communicate with you with noises in his own fashion.

Children learn language fast as they are not inhibited like adults, they are happy to give it a go and if they make mistakes they are easily corrected.  Eager to learn, eager to communicate. Encouragement goes a long to helping their linguistic development.

Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves.  ~Abbé Dimnet, Art of Thinking, 1928

Author: Zo Nicholas, Media, Marketing, Publishing. Co-Founder of YORGOO, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader or Subscribe by Email.

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How to Create a professional looking Website

Over the past series of articles we looked into the importance of taking our presence on the Internet very seriously, especially if we own a business that we want to brand and expand, and within this context, especially when it comes to create a professional looking Website.

How to Create a professional looking Website

Many people get a template that appeals to them and start their activities – mainly in posting articles, images, perhaps videos etc – without paying much attention to the ‘behind’ and the ‘visible’ aspect of the website – meaning how efficient it is in terms of Google Top 10 and how much it reflects what the website owner wants to express, thus attracting and keeping the right kind of visitors, readers and potential buyers.

When we develop the concept and create a professional looking website, or when we revive a website that has been neglected in the past, it’s critical to look at ‘what is’ and put it in relation to what we visualize, based on what we know is being wanted either through a thorough briefing – which is rare – or by knowing the customer and his requirements, or the customer knows our work and style and gives us ‘carte blanche’ to go ahead and deliver the product accordingly.

Boruch Rappaport Author Blog

In our case study and uniquely speaking about the visible part of the Web Design, the client wanted a new Look that he could brand for both his Boruch Rappaport Author Blog (on a Semiomantics XO Script) and BRap Chronicle (Semiomantics NewsCast Script), his online newspaper blog.

As we went into BRap Chronicle earlier, here now is a ‘before’ and ‘after’ screenshot of “Boruch Rappaport Author Blog”.

Boruch Rappaport Author Blog Before

In this ‘before’ screenshot of Boruch Rappaport’s Author Blog we see a rather boring background, nothing sexy as a header and many different colour nuances (which may not be too visible here even on the enlarged picture, but the colour codes were dancing!)

We had already published daily in the last 10 days or so and added specially created pictures to go with the basic colours, the chosen font and with the topics.

The important point here is that through the process of editing and publishing I could familiarize myself with the content and the target audience Boruch had in mind. Having produced quite a number of catalogues – especially in the fields of Architecture and Fine Arts – as well as Artist Portraits and Documentaries for the German and European Television in the past, and wanting to serve my clients as well as I can, I believe in taking the time in the beginning to ask all the relevant questions, dig into the material, get a good understanding and from there develop a concept that stands up to expectations – and ideally beyond.

Boruch Rappaport Author Blog After

Here’s the screenshot of “Boruch Rappaport Author Blog After“!

If you followed the progress on this project, you see how things fit together. Also, by chosing our pictures that accompany the articles wisely – or creating them accordingly from scratch – there is an interesting and attractive tension between the background, the Judaica Art on the Slide Show … and the thumbnail in the article.

To underline what I mean, see the harmony of the slide and the thumbnail on today’s post:

Maybe it’s taking things a bit far. . . however, I firmly believe that a sensitive mind picks up finesse in detail and care – and finally it reflects on the Author. It will solidify his reputation and he has peace of mind: his investment was right and it will grow and benefit him… provided there is good daily content (posts) and regular maintenance (updates etc).

Browser Issue

Finally, an important and widely unknown issue is that when we design a professional looking Website we need to ensure that this website or blog displays properly on both say Firefox and Internet Explorer.

The frustrating ‘browser issue’.

As we are on a Semiomantics XO Script here, we have to simply adapt the header.php and voila! all is fine. When doing this don’t become a victim of the cache as I did. . . change the code, then delete the cache in your blog and finally check the blog or website in Internet Explorer. I wish I had had this Tip before. . .

For more information especially on the specific setup we have in mind for 2010… very exciting and you want to know for sure. . . please join us today, Monday, at 9 pm London time in our brand-new MS Conference Room!

. . .

by Bianca Gubalke

Design a professional looking Website

Over the past series of articles we looked into the importance of taking our presence on the Internet very seriously, especially if we own a business that we want to brand and expand, and within this context, especially when it comes to design a professional looking Website.

Design a professional looking Website

Many people get a template that appeals to them and start their activities – mainly in posting articles, images, perhaps videos etc – without paying much attention to the ‘behind’ and the ‘visible’ aspect of the website – meaning how efficient it is in terms of Google Top 10 and how much it reflects what the website owner wants to express, thus attracting and keeping the right kind of visitors, readers and potential buyers.

When we develop the concept and design for a professional looking website, or when we revive a website that has been neglected in the past, it’s critical to look at ‘what is’ and put it in relation to what we visualize, based on what we know is being wanted either through a thorough briefing – which is rare – or by knowing the customer and his requirements, or the customer knows our work and style and gives us ‘carte blanche’ to go ahead and deliver the product accordingly.

Boruch Rappaport Author Blog

In our case study and uniquely speaking about the visible part of the Web Design, the client wanted a new Look that he could brand for both his Boruch Rappaport Author Blog  (on a Semiomantics XO Script) and BRap Chronicle (Semiomantics NewsCast Script), his online newspaper blog.

As we went into BRap Chronicle earlier, here now is a ‘before’ and ‘after’ screenshot of  “Boruch Rappaport Author Blog”.

Boruch Rappaport Author Blog Before

In this ‘before’ screenshot of Boruch Rappaport’s Author Blog we see a rather boring background, nothing sexy as a header and many different colour nuances (which may not be too visible here even on the enlarged picture, but the colour codes were dancing!)

We had already published daily in the last 10 days or so and added specially created pictures to go with the basic colours, the chosen font and with the topics.

The important point here is that through the process of editing and publishing I could familiarize myself with the content and the target audience Boruch had in mind. Having produced quite a number of catalogues – especially in the fields of Architecture and Fine Arts – as well as Artist Portraits and Documentaries for the German and European Television in the past, and wanting to serve my clients as well as I can, I believe in taking the time in the beginning to ask all the relevant questions, dig into the material, get a good understanding and from there develop a concept that stands up to expectations – and ideally beyond.

Boruch Rappaport Author Blog After

Here’s the screenshot of “Boruch Rappaport Author Blog After“!

If you followed the progress on this project, you see how things fit together. Also, by chosing our pictures that accompany the articles wisely – or creating them accordingly from scratch – there is an interesting and attractive tension between the background, the Judaica Art on the Slide Show … and the thumbnail in the article.

To underline what I mean, see the harmony of the slide and the thumbnail on today’s post:

Maybe it’s taking things a bit far. . . however, I firmly believe that a sensitive mind picks up finesse in detail and care – and finally it reflects on the Author. It will solidify his reputation and he has peace of mind: his investment was right and it will grow and benefit him… provided there is good daily content (posts) and regular maintenance (updates etc).

The Browser Issue

Finally, an important and widely unknown issue is that when we design a professional looking Website we need to ensure that this website or blog displays properly on both say Firefox and Internet Explorer.

The frustrating ‘browser issue’.

As we are on a Semiomantics XO Script here, we have to simply adapt the header.php and voila! all is fine. When doing this don’t become a victim of the cache as I did. . . change the code, then delete the cache in your blog and finally check the blog or website in Internet Explorer. I wish I had had this Tip before. . .

For more information especially on the specific setup we have in mind for 2010…  very exciting and you want to know for sure. . .  please join us today, Monday, at 9 pm London time in our brand-new MS Conference Room!

. . .

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

This page is wiki editable click here to edit this page.

Read more...

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• Creating a new Look for a Website

by Bianca Gubalke

Creating a New Look for a Website

While in the process of Creating a New Look for a Website for our valued customer – or rather for a series of blogs in this particular case – I have been documenting part of the evolution and developments on my Author Blog to give you, my dear readers, some valuable insights as well as share recent knowledge and experience for the benefit of everybody interested in Web Design, Web Graphics and Art especially when developing websites and blogs.

Semiomantics NewsCast

Creating a new look for a website is one thing – but editing and publishing it correctly so search engines find, list and rank the article accordingly is yet another.

As explained previously, the REAL challenge finds place behind the scenes. . . that’s where today’s REAL horsepowers are: on the computer and in your script. Of course, and as on the Internet we are sort of moving on ’shifting sands’ all the time, you want to add to this knowledge and skills that have to be updated and improved on a daily basis.  In online business there’s no standstill. . . there are just two directions: forward with the trend or getting off the Internet alltogether.

I don’t know what results we would be achieving without Semiomantics… I am grateful that I work exclusively on Semiomantics Scripts myself and so do my customers. Once used to Semiomantics and its outstanding performance – if correctly researched, targeted and published – one doesn’t really want to look elsewhere. If investing money and time plus a considerable amount of effort one expects results – results means visibility on Google Top 10. It may take a while to build the trust of Google – but there is no other way. Yes, Social Networks are powerful and can no longer be ignored and that’s why they were the topic of the past Ycademy November Seminar … but our first focus must be Google.

In our example yesterday we worked on Semiomantics NewsCast – which is basically a very comprehensive online Newspaper script.

Creating a New Look for a Website on Google Top 10

I almost forgot about it . . . to check whether I could find yesterday’s extensive post Creating a New Look for a Website on Google Top 10?

Well, I almost fell off my chair just now – here’s the screenshot of the result – click to enlarge it and see it clearly – . . . a whopping spot 3 ahead of 238 MILLION search returns. . . and there are many Google Ads, meaning this is a hot topic!

A fantastic result – and although I should have gotten used to it . . . it still surprises me!

And by the way. . . the article just below. . .  “Criteria for a Successful Website” . . .  made it to Google Top 10 as well – on two positions that is.

There is a lot hype out there and lots of promises – often at a steep price – to get your website or blog to the top of Google. . .  but who actually does?

I made the exercise a few days ago… following some promises in that respect by ads on the right side of Google. But the question I ended up with was: why didn’t I find them at the top of Google on the left side then?

Again, this is a matter of giving ourselves the right means byinvesting wisely and then it’s all about a consistent focus and regular activity. . .

I will continue to inform about Web Design and Online Publishing.

. . .

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Bianca Gubalke Design

In my last article on “Creating a New Look for a Website” by Bianca Gubalke Design I explained some of the important issues to be looked at in terms of Web Design when setting up a new Blog or Website from scratch or – as in the current real situation – resurrecting an existing Blog – or rather a series of Blogs – and giving them a new Look.

Over the first 10 days, I concentrated on Editing and Publishing good original content provided by the author and his chosen contributors to get the search engines – namely Google – to notice some serious activity and consider sending us flowers again. This intense process also allowed me to familiarize myself with the complex project at hand where I had to wear both my own ‘hat’ as well as that of the owner, Boruch Rappaport. Together that’s quite a headful. . .

The next step was to find a way to dramatically improve the visual aspect of the Web Design – meaning what people see, recognize, get to trust and enjoy coming back to over and over again… the Brand.

The result is a completely New Look for BRap Chronicle.

Bianca Gubalke Design

Creating a ‘New Look for BRap Chronicle’ by Bianca Gubalke Design as part of the project as a whole meant to firstly establish what we had, what we wanted to keep and listing all that had to be changed or built from scratch.

Besides going through the configuration first and adding what was missing – like a Privacy Policy for instance or a selection of visible Categories to name just what comes to mind immediately – it meant developing a visual image first and then translating it into the final product.

Here are a few snapshots of the original “background image in progress” … with the original colours, banner and ad… but newly created post defaults already in place as we have been posting heavily over the past week.

Attractive Web Graphics

It meant creating attractive web graphics – such as:

> the original background image,

> completely new targeted banners and ads,

> practical default pictures in various sizes and more -

all following the same concept, color scheme and font decisions…

Style Sheet

And then it meant going through the entire stylesheet, step-by-step, and implementing each item.
It meant experimenting, testing, evaluating until the desired result was achieved… at least in Firefox. Bearing in mind that browsers display differently, this issue still has to be looked at.

Time Sheet

It’s absolutely imperative to keep track of what we are doing using a Time Sheet. Firstly we need a plan to keep us on track and secondly our client needs to know his money is well invested.

So how long did this process alone take?

A good day. . . all of it. . . bearing in mind there was some ‘incubation time’ already.
Yes – things of value take time and they are not done in a rush. It’s up to us as Web Designers and Artists to decide how far we can and want to take it – it’s about our reputation, our name, our brand.

Most importantly, however, it’s about being satisfied and happy with what we deliver… and then seeing the sparkle in the customer’s eyes because he got much more than he expected and paid for.

The new BRap Chronicle

Have a look at the new BRap Chronicle HERE.

by Bianca Gubalke

New Look for BRap Chronicle

In my last article on “Creating a New Look for a Website” I explained some of the important issues to be looked at in terms of Web Design when setting up a new Blog or Website from scratch or – as in the current real situation – resurrecting an existing Blog – or rather a series of Blogs – and giving them a new Look.

Over the first 10 days, I concentrated on Editing and Publishing good original content provided by the author and his chosen contributors to get the search engines – namely Google – to notice some serious activity and consider sending us flowers again. This intense process also allowed me to familiarize myself with the complex project at hand where I had to wear both my own ‘hat’ as well as that of the owner, Boruch Rappaport. Together that’s quite a headful. . .

The next step was to find a way to dramatically improve the visual aspect of the Web Design – meaning what people see, recognize, get to trust and enjoy coming back to over and over again… the Brand.

The result is a completely New Look for BRap Chronicle.

New Look for BRap Chronicle

Creating a New Look for BRap Chronicle as part of the project as a whole meant to firstly establish what we had, what we wanted to keep and listing all that had to be changed or built from scratch.

Besides going through the configuration first and adding what was missing – like a Privacy Policy for instance or a selection of visible Categories to name just what comes to mind immediately – it meant developing a visual image first and then translating it into the final product.

Here are a few snapshots of the original “background image in progress” … with the original colours, banner and ad… but newly created post defaults already in place as we have been posting heavily over the past week.

Attractive Web Graphics

It meant creating attractive web graphics – such as:

> the original background image,

> completely new targeted banners and ads,

> practical default pictures in various sizes and more -

all following the same concept, color scheme and font decisions…

Style Sheet

And then it meant going through the entire stylesheet, step-by-step, and implementing each item.
It meant experimenting, testing, evaluating until the desired result was achieved… at least in Firefox. Bearing in mind that browsers display differently, this issue still has to be looked at.

Time Sheet

It’s absolutely imperative to keep track of what we are doing using a Time Sheet. Firstly we need a plan to keep us on track and secondly our client needs to know his money is well invested.

So how long did this process alone take?

A good day. . .  all of it. . . bearing in mind there was some ‘incubation time’ already.
Yes – things of value take time and they are not done in a rush. It’s up to us as Web Designers and Artists to decide how far we can and want to take it – it’s about our reputation, our name, our brand.

Most importantly, however, it’s about being satisfied and happy with what we deliver… and then seeing the sparkle in the customer’s eyes because he got much more than he expected and paid for.

The new BRap Chronicle

Have a look at the new BRap Chronicle HERE.

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

This page is wiki editable click here to edit this page.

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How to create a New Look for a Blog

In recent posts we discussed the criteria one has to consider when planning a brand-new website or blog – be it from the website owner’s perspective or that of a client, who may or may not have any clue about what a professional web designer actually does respectively what this complex task actually entails.

How to Create a new Look for a Website or Blog – meaning to work on something that already exists but that doesn’t live up to the expected standards, that is outdated, was never completed or whatever – brief: it is not high on the owner’s ‘likeability list’ and needs a thorough makeover to reach out for the Internet stars… well, while it may not appear thus in the beginning, the fact is that it is even more challenging and definitely time-consuming.

How to create a New Look for a Blog

In this article I share with you some of the considerations and experience regarding how to create a new look for a blog – or several blogs in fact – one of our eminent partners on YORGOO has entrusted me with and that he certainly agrees to given the benefit for our readers to learn from other peoples’ experiences and sincere report.

Remember: the Look comes second on our priority list – so as the corresponding blogs had been neglected over a period of time, they first needed some thorough thought to reestablish their purpose and subsequent targeting… followed by some serious technical updating and corrections here and there… and finally real life injected in form of regular original posts – properly edited and published – to start flirting with Google again and remind the online world of their existence and definite renaissance!

This having been said, what did we have to start with as concerns the ‘look’, the visual impact – and how could it be improved and further customized to reflect the author, his intent and valuable writings. . . and from there attract and subsequently convert more visitors and readers?

The Layout of the Blog

In our example, the layout of the blog was previously established and there was no need for any major changes. Once posts, images and widgets had made their way onto the Homepage, things started looking better every day. However, there were various items we were not too thrilled about, like headers and banners namely on the Author Blog.

The Colour Scheme of the Blog

Further to this, while the colour scheme of the blog was quite harmonious at first view – soft beige and rich maroon tones plus white and black – , there was room for improvement. And clearly for reduction. . . and as we are in that exact process right now we know: less will be more :)

Clearly, what guides me is the elegance, light and preciousness exuded by the Judaica Art on the Slideshow – something that’s very close to the author’s heart and expresses a lot about him – and which in my view sets the tone. It determines my adapted colour scheme. . . the way I visualize and translate it. . .

The Fonts of the Blog

While Semiomantics Scripts come with two practical presets of fonts – serif and sans-serif – I had introduced a specific font previously on his NewsCast Script, that I now also applied to the web graphics I specifically created for the various posts over the past 2 weeks, their particular style forming a new visual theme or thread throughout the Blog. Voila an example:

The Background of the Blog

A simple colour never hurts, but it’s not exciting either with the great possibilities a Semiomantics XO theme allows us in terms of creating new original backgrounds and integrating them into the css stylesheet.

As for some reason I cannot access the stylesheet right now, I decided to integrate the background on my own Author Blog for a limited time to test it. I chose it from a number of designs created from a digital photo I took which I then manipulated artistically in Photoshop to get the result I wanted.

Various versions were necessary as I had to bear in mind that if we work with a transparent background we have to ensure the readability of the text. Also, I do like the vertical lines in degrades as I show in the example at the top, but they are too dominant if I work with total transparency – they may be just fine if I don’t. It’s all a matter of doing, experimenting, testing and evaluating.

So I did have to make some compromises and am looking forward to seeing this version at its designated place and decide from there whether or not I continue on a transparent journey!

Visual Expression

Imagery is the most powerful visual expression, touching, stimulating and influencing our senses and subconscious mind in direct and indirect ways. It is therefore extremely important to have a good understanding of what the Blog is all about in general and particularly if it’s an Author Blog – to create a distinctive look and feeling for the personality behind it, the product, service or whatever is to be branded. It’s this look that will create empathy, recognition value, branding, trust – once properly established it will remain!

An important conclusion from this exciting example so far – meaning to change something that had been started and has already left a mental mark in the client’s brain that is not that easily ‘released’ – this is a process that requires trust and understanding on both sides. I believe that the best way to get a feeling for what it needs when approaching such a complex and responsible task is to dig into the articles, categories, keywords to get the knowledge from within… which obviously comes when editing and publishing as well… but my point here is that to create a look that ‘talks’ an in-depth feeling for the topic at hand needs to be developed and then translated into the Web Design and Web Graphics.

As said before: this is work in progress and to be continued. . .

by Bianca Gubalke

Creating a new Look for a Website

In recent posts we discussed the criteria one has to consider when planning a brand-new website or blog – be it from the website owner’s perspective or that of a client, who may or may not have any clue about what a professional web designer actually does respectively what this complex task actually entails.

Creating a new Look for a Website or Blog – meaning to work on something that already exists but that doesn’t live up to the expected standards, that is outdated, was never completed or whatever – brief: it is not high on the owner’s ‘likeability list’ and needs a thorough makeover to reach out for the Internet stars… well, while it may not appear thus in the beginning, the fact is that it is even more challenging and definitely time-consuming.

Creating a new Look for a Website

In this article I share with you some of the considerations and experience of creating a new look for a website one of our eminent partners on YORGOO has entrusted me with and that he certainly agrees to given the benefit for our readers to learn from other peoples’ experiences and sincere report.

Remember: the Look comes second on our priority list – so as the corresponding blogs had been neglected over a period of time, they first needed some thorough thought to reestablish their purpose and subsequent targeting… followed by some serious technical updating and corrections here and there… and finally real life injected in form of regular original posts – properly edited and published – to start flirting with Google again and remind the online world of their existence and definite renaissance!

This having been said, what did we have to start with as concerns the ‘look’, the visual impact – and how could it be improved and further customized to reflect the author, his intent and valuable writings. . . and from there attract and subsequently convert more visitors and readers?

The Layout of the Blog

In our example, the layout of the blog was previously established and there was no need for any major changes. Once posts, images and widgets had made their way onto the Homepage, things started looking better every day. However, there were various items we were not too thrilled about, like headers and banners namely on the Author Blog.

The Colour Scheme of the Blog

Further to this, while the colour scheme of the blog was quite harmonious at first view – soft beige and rich maroon tones plus white and black – , there was room for improvement. And clearly for reduction. . . and as we are in that exact process right now we know: less will be more :)

Clearly, what guides me is the elegance, light and preciousness exuded by the Judaica Art on the Slideshow – something that’s very close to the author’s heart and expresses a lot about him – and which in my view sets the tone. It determines my adapted colour scheme. . . the way I visualize and translate it. . .

The Fonts of the Blog

While Semiomantics Scripts come with two practical presets of fonts – serif and sans-serif – I had introduced a specific font previously on his NewsCast Script, that I now also applied to the web graphics I specifically created for the various posts over the past 2 weeks, their particular style forming a new visual theme or thread throughout the Blog. Voila an example:

The Background of the Blog

A simple colour never hurts, but it’s not exciting either with the great possibilities a Semiomantics XO theme allows us in terms of creating new original backgrounds and integrating them into the css stylesheet.

As for some reason I cannot access the stylesheet right now, I decided to integrate the background on my own Author Blog for a limited time to test it. I chose it from a number of designs created from a digital photo I took which I then manipulated artistically in Photoshop to get the result I wanted.

Various versions were necessary as I had to bear in mind that if we work with a transparent background we have to ensure the readability of the text. Also, I do like the vertical lines in degrades as I show in the example at the top, but they are too dominant if I work with total transparency – they may be just fine if I don’t. It’s all a matter of doing, experimenting, testing and evaluating.

So I did have to make some compromises and am looking forward to seeing this version at its designated place and decide from there whether or not I continue on a transparent journey!

Visual Expression

Imagery is the most powerful visual expression, touching, stimulating and influencing our senses and subconscious mind in direct and indirect ways. It is therefore extremely important to have a good understanding of  what the Blog is all about in general and particularly if it’s an Author Blog – to create a distinctive look and feeling for the personality behind it, the product, service or whatever is to be branded. It’s this look that will create empathy, recognition value, branding, trust – once properly established it will remain!

An important conclusion from this exciting example so far – meaning to change something that had been started and has already left a mental mark in the client’s brain that is not that easily ‘released’ – this is a process that requires trust and understanding on both sides. I believe that the best way to get a feeling for what it needs when approaching such a complex and responsible task is to dig into the articles, categories, keywords to get the knowledge from within… which obviously comes when editing and publishing as well… but my point here is that to create a look that ‘talks’ an in-depth feeling for the topic at hand needs to be developed and then translated into the Web Design and Web Graphics.

As said before: this is work in progress and to be continued. . .

Author: Bianca Gubalke, Art, Media, Publishing. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

Read more...

• Creating a New Look for a Website
• Flash Fonts for a Personal Look
• Graphic Design Services
• Design a professional looking Website
• Design a professional looking Website

By Yorgo Nestoridis

Organize your Business with Microsoft Office

The most complete and best integrated Office suite of programs is Microsoft Office. The Ycademy Online Seminar in December will help participants to install, set up, configure and get started with MS Office 2007.

The Seminar addresses basic issues walking through the various programs from the Office Suite.

Microsoft Office 2007 for your Business

For the purpose of the Seminar we will base the Workshops on Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007, the most complete Office Version which builds on the strength of Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007, adding Microsoft Office Groove and OneNote, enabling people to collaborate and create, manage and use resources more efficiently.

Check out the main benefits from Microsoft’s description.

Office Enterprise 2007 includes:

Microsoft Office Access 2007
Microsoft Office Communicator 2007
Microsoft Office Excel 2007
Microsoft Office Groove 2007
Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007
Microsoft Office OneNote 2007
Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007
Microsoft Office Publisher 2007
Microsoft Office Word 2007

Expression Web

If you have known FrontPage in the past, be assured, Expression Web 3 has not much do do with FP. Expression Web is a modern, efficient editor supporting all popular technology standards, such as HTML, php, XML, CSS, java script and many more. Expression Web lets you create websites with a few clicks and load them to server.

See the 10 top qualities of Expression Web HERE.

Windows Live

The use of Microsoft Office Tools together with Windows Live features allows for modern online collaboration and streamlining of work-flows to increase productivity. We will install and implement Live features in as much as possible with Windows 7 (or Vista) and Windows XP platforms.

Materials

All materials will be sent to participants previous to the Seminar on a CD. Therefore, the deadline for registration is  Monday, November 30, 2009.

Registration

Please register from HERE.

Venue

For the first time we will use the Live Conferencing platform from Microsoft for our Seminar. This program allows for more interactivity and better presentation and demonstration due to desktop sharing and managed display.

Author: Yorgo Nestoridis, Media Marketing & Publishing, Founder of YORGOO Publishing, YORGOO Press and Semiomantics. If you enjoyed reading the above, please consider following future tips and strategies by RSS reader, Email delivery, or Kindle subscription.

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Best Website Criteria

While in my previous posts I went through the best website criteria for a successful website or blog, be it for setting up one’s own online presence or seen from a customer’s perspective, we deepened the understanding in last night’s Info-Call in the sexy new Microsoft Conference Room we are currently testing! WOW! Life and Learning online will never be the same again. . . especially since I no longer stared into and communicated with a “black hole” after doing yet another update of my Adobe Flash Player… all those who were present know what I am talking about and in case you get the ‘black hole syndrome’ you now know what to do :)

Best Website Criteria

The ‘Best Website Criteria’ and their practical application and implementation were the basic driving force behind what was taught over the past 2 – 3 years in the monthly Ycademy Business Building Seminars – strictly online.

Not surprisingly, many loyal and ambitious seminar attendees have meanwhile applied what they learned and start harvesting the sweet financial fruits from their efforts, courage, consistency and investment in terms of time and money.

Customer Statisfaction

Money is one thing, however, what counts even more is the personal reward and recognition we obtain from sincere, enthusiastic customer satisfaction, meaning people who entrusted us with creating and setting up a website or blog for them, respectively for their company – and who suddenly see their webpages emerge from the amorphous mass of nobodies. . . climbing steadily to Google Top 10 and positioning themselves to stay.

“Customer Satisfaction means all to me” said Hanno Coetzee from the famous Gardenroute along South Africa’s beautiful Southern coastline, at last night’s call.

Hanno Coetzee – aka Lalakoi and from good old Namibia as I am – knows his customers and the business they are in since many years – and they trust him. Armed with the knowledge and skill he has attained with Ycademy plus of course the high performing Semiomantics NewsCast Scripts he readily goes the extra mile. . . preferably on a fishing boat or flirting with Miss Gardenroute 2009 in the Mosselbay Casino. . . to find a smart and cost-efficient solution for each client – hand-tailored to his or her requirements.

Success leaves clues and Hanno is happy and proud to provide his customers with the very best: meaning visibility on Google Top 10 where potential clients hang out and look for solutions for their urgent needs.

If the website creates empathy and the product is what they want – why should they look further? With a few products sold the initial investment is covered and from there it’s all profits!

Fortunately for his customers, Hanno also provides an ongoing and essential Maintenance Service at very fair prices to ensure the race horse keeps performing at top speed and his clients have their backs free to focus on what their business is: selling products and services without being bothered by sometimes highly frustrating upgrades, server hickups and other hassles that noone right in his mind would like to even start getting involved with.

Good luck to Hanno and his family Team. . . we wish you many happy customers!