WebDev77

Is the Password field … dead?

Bogdan Enache — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:50:30 +0000

Password field?

You know, the HTML form field that is on almost all the login/signup web forms where you enter your password but you only see some stars instead of characters.

… dead?

Well, yes. I mean, does it still serve its purpose? The purpose of hiding what you type from … err … hmmm … people behind you? While I don’t argue its original purpose, I do argue its purpose in the current times. Initially, there weren’t that many people with computers at home and not all of those that had one at home, also had an Internet connection. Internet cafes were popular and you were standing next to other people or had people walking behind you, therefore when typing passwords it was important to not having to police around first.

However, things have changed and almost everybody has now a computer with an Internet connection at home, so the only people that can steal your password are your kids and your wife … and perhaps your dog if he’s that smart. Even if you access the Internet in public locations, if you feel that someone is breathing down your neck, just turn around and ask for some space. Conclusion? Password field has become useless.

A web developer rant

From a web developer point of view, usually in a sign up form, when you have a password field, you have to put another field called “Re-type your password” or something similar. Why? Because the user doesn’t see what he or she just typed (can only see a bunch of stars) and by asking to type again the password you are trying to make sure that no mistakes have been made (it’s very unlikely that the user does the same mistakes two times in a row)

So, you need to add another field AND do a validation by comparing the two values AND generate the appropriate error message if they don’t match. For what?

Internal SEO (II)

Bogdan Enache — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 01:34:28 +0000

… continued

This is part II of Internal SEO (I)

Internal SEO focuses on the following areas of a website / webpage:

Accessibility

With the robots.txt file you can prevent the robots from indexing specific files or whole directories. However, the name of the game now is: “find and crawl my page”. So, your web pages should be accessible, easy to find and easy to crawl. As the links are the gateways to the web pages, most of the SEO efforts will concentrate on the links:

Accessibility – Pages that are accessible only after you login or that require a session ID or pages that are accessible if you select an option from a drop down menu or enter a term in a search box may not be indexed;
Dynamic links – Although the search engines are improving their crawling robots to read dynamic pages, static pages are “preferred” to dynamic ones. Robots may be reluctant in crawling links with two or more parameters
(i.e. http://www.mydomain.com/page.php?categ=10&id=2&name=%video%cds% );
Deep Links – Pages buried more than 3 links from the main page are often ignored unless the site is very popular;
Links Density – Links in excess of 100 per page are usually not crawled;
Links Name – The actual name of the link is also important as anchor text helps tell the spiders what the linked-to page is about. Use your keywords as anchor text when linking internally;
Internal linking – Refers to the number and importance of internal links pointing to a specific page; internal links can really drive a page but use this wisely. If every page links to every page, the “strength” of the links is diluted;
Outbound links – will help the engines understand what the web page is about. Link to relevant, quality websites;
Clean Code – It is becoming more important to have valid HTML and CSS code. It will make the life “easier’ for spiders and it will make your pages load faster for your visitors;
Sitemap – The crawlers usually start from the website’s homepage. If a web page is not accessible from the homepage, a sitemap (accessible from the homepage), with links to all of the pages, will help your website getting indexed.

So optimizing the title, the keywords, the description, the links structure and the contents is your first step in achieving higher ranking in SERP.

Internal SEO (I)

Bogdan Enache — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:35:28 +0000

Purpose

The purpose of internal SEO is to optimize your web pages for ranking well in organic SERP. However without performing additional external SEO, you should know that no matter how well you optimize your website internally, you will not rank in the first pages for highly competitive keywords. With internal SEO you will rank higher on less competitive terms searches compared with search results with no internal SEO at all.

Internal SEO requires modifications of your web pages, so you need to be familiar with the web development technologies used to develop your website or you can ask someone who knows how to do these modifications. In case your website is still in the development phase, make sure that the programmers team follows the search engine optimization rules presented.

Internal SEO focuses on the following areas of a website / webpage:

Web Page Content

Content is (still) king. Original, rich content is the search engines’ robots preferred “food”. It’s logical that if you want to rank high in SERP for specific keywords you need to have relevant content for those keywords. But forget about search engines robots! The main reason you should have interesting content is your visitors; the robots will not buy your products and read your articles and they will not link back to your website from other websites. Your visitors will do that! So, your SEO efforts regarding content should focus on:

Page Titles – The title of a webpage should be relevant to page’s content. Don’t use the same title for all your website pages;
META Tags – These are HTML tags used in “the past” to provide information about the web pages. Google and other search engines disregard them, but there are a few search engines that still use them in ranking the pages. And with search engines continuously changing their algorithms, you never know when they might become important again. The most important meta tags SEO wise are: name=”keywords” and name=”description”;
Format Tags – The text format tags like (bold, italic, h1, h2, h3) are used for titles, sub-titles or to highlight a word or an idea. Search engines know this and add more weight to those words or phrases;
ALT Tags for Images – For an image, the ALT tag represents a description of that image that will appear in case the image source is no longer available or the visitor is using a text-only web browser (i.e. Lynx). Provide a description for all the images on your web pages;
Keywords Density – Write original content, but make sure you have a good keywords density. The recommended average keyword density is 3-5%. Remember to count singular and plural versions as the same word. Start by writing for your visitors and edit the text afterwards so that it has the right keywords density. If you can not manage to get your keywords in, then they might not be the right keywords for your web page;
Links Neighborhood - Some search engine weight the text surrounding a link with greater importance so links inside the paragraphs are more relevant than, let’s say, links in the footer navigation of the page.

To be continued …

Enable PHP GD2 library in Windows

Bogdan Enache — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:45:14 +0000

Need PHP GD2 library enabled in Windows?

Follow the steps:

Open the php.ini file (usually found in the PHP installation directory), search for ;extension=php_gd2.dll and uncomment it (remove the “;”). Don’t close the php.ini file yet.
Search for the directive “extension_dir”. Your extensions directory is usually /ext so if it says “./” then you need to add ext/ to point PHP in the “right” direction. So the “extension_dir” directive should now point to “./ext/”. Save and close php.ini.
Run php.exe. If you get an error like this: Unknown(): Unable to load dynamic library ‘…\PHP\ext\php_gd2.dll’ – The specified module could not be found. it means you don’t have the dll file in the /ext folder. Download it from the Official PHP Website Downloads page. If no error, proceed to the final step.
Restart Apache. You now have GD enabled.

Loosing PHP Session Variables

Bogdan Enache — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:45:58 +0000

Loosing Session Variables (PHP $_SESSION)

PHP $_SESSION is a PHP “super-global” that can store variables across multiple PHP pages/scripts making it a perfect choice for writing “members area” code for example. However, the topic of the post is not about what you can do with the PHP session, but what can you do when it doesn’t work (you are loosing the session variables across pages). See below a few possible situations:

What to check and how to fix it

Session Initialization. – Check to make sure that your session initialization session_start() appears on the top of every page where session variables are needed. On the top doesn’t necessarily means first thing after the < php? tag, but make sure it appears before any HTML output and before actually using the session variables in whatever data processing you're doing.
Session Closing. – How are you moving from page to page? Are you redirecting the user in the middle of a script? I’m asking this because when a script ends or die()s, the session is automagically closed and data saved. If a redirect is in place the script might not have a chance to die naturally so the session data is not saved. Fix? Make sure the data is saved before doing the redirect by calling session_write_close() .
php.ini Configuration. – It’s a less common situation but it drove me crazy for about one hour before figuring it out. If you modify stuff in your php.ini make sure you know what you’re doing. Before learning about PHP sessions I was fooling around and in the [Session] section of the php.ini file and I un-commented this line: ;session.save_path = “/tmp” (took the ; away). No harm done, right? The session will be saved in the /tmp folder, right? Wrong! The session no longer worked (I was loosing session variables when changing pages). So, check your php.ini file …

CSS tags – id vs. class

Bogdan Enache — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:35:37 +0000

The `tags war`

To class or not to class? This is the question … for this blog entry. Let’s try and find the answer with the help of an analogy to OOP.

CSS and OOP?

I reckon most of you already know what OOP stands for but for those who don’t, OOP stands for Object Oriented Programming – the classes-objects-inheritance concepts used in code writing and code design with the ultimate goal of maximizing code reuse. So, what do CSS tags and Object Oriented Programming have in common? And most important, how can OOP concepts help us decide which tag is better suited for the job. At a first glance, class is a reserved word in both languages, so maybe we can start from there.

So, class is class?

Coincidence or not, the CSS class has similar behaviour with the classes from OO programming languages. Let’s say you want all the h3 tagged text on the page to be underlined. You could write a CSS class for h3 and specify “text-decoration: underline;”. Each time you will use the h3 tag the text formatting will include an underline. So basically you are using the CSS class “template” to create multiple instances of h3 text and that is exactly what OOP classes are (among other things): templates for objects.

Then id is an object?

The CSS id tag is still used as a class in order to define the “shape” of the element that will have the id assigned. However, the id tag is usually used to pinpoint an unique object on the web page. Tracking elements by unique ids is a useful technique (i.e. when using Javascript methods to update or modify elements, when parsing POST form variables in PHP, etc.). Think of the id tag as a class with a single object or the class/object concept merged. It’s like that philosophical question: what is the shape of a chair? When you think of a chair you think about the shape or the object itself?

Conclusions

The answer to our initial question is now simple: use the CSS class tag when you need to tag or modify the format of more than 1 element in the web page and use the CSS id tag when you need to pinpoint to a specific element in the web page (something like the “You are here!” signs in the shopping malls).

The market for Smartphones vs. … lap-phones?

Bogdan Enache — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:57:36 +0000

Smartphones

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 10 years, you know what an iPhone or a BlackBerry is. Or at least you are familiar with the enhanced functionality of the latest models from some of the phone manufacturing companies in the market, the so called “smartphones”.

Wikipedia defines the smartphone as “a mobile phone offering advanced capabilities beyond a typical mobile phone, often with PC-like functionality”. That means the phone has a complete operating system on which a platform for applications runs (i.e. Java virtual machine/environment, allowing developers to write Java applications). Simply put, a smartphone is a phone with advanced features like e-mail and Internet capabilities, and/or a full keyboard.

vs. lap-phones?

Don’t bother looking into the English dictionary for lap-phone. It’s just something I made up trying to define the combination of a laptop and a mobile phone. If we would follow the same logic from Wikipedia’s definition, a lap-phone would be “a laptop offering advanced wireless communication capabilities similar with mobile phone-like functionality”.

Why would anyone want to build such a device? A simple answer will be: because there might be a market for it. Or if you want to answer it with another question: if mobile phones are embedding more and more PC-like functionality why shouldn’t PCs “borrow” phone-like functionality?

Well, I guess only time can tell if there will be a lap-phones market but in the meantime here are several PRO lap-phones arguments:

The current trend in the mobile phones industry: phones resemble more and more with mini-PCs. Unless all the big phone companies are crazy or receive fake market research data, I strongly believe this kind of phone behaviour is what the consumers (will) want.
The future of wireless communications is 4G – a fully IP-based integrated system capable of providing between 100 Mbit/s and 1 Gbit/s speeds both indoors and outdoors. It is so much easier for laptops to add wireless communication capabilities (i.e. add a radio module) than for phones to add a fully PC-like suite of applications.
The size handicap. Just to be clear, the size handicap that I’m referring to is not the difference between a mobile phone and a 17″ laptop. A lap-phone size will be the size of a Nintendo DS or a PSP. In fact there are already a few mini laptops in the market that fit into that category (i.e. Acer Aspire One, Asus Eee PC). While the lap-phones will definitely not fit the back pocket of your jeans they will fit in a larger jacket pocket or a purse. Therefore, lap-phones can initially target the female segment of the market. Blue tooth devices can also be a great “ally” to overcome the size handicap.

Web Development PM

Bogdan Enache — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:52:31 +0000

Managing Web Dev Projects – The “Market” Requirements

The beginning of every (web development) project consists of info/data gathering from the market/clients (aka “client’s specifications”). The more complete the data is, the less scope change requests we will encounter later on. So, what kind of info/data are we interested in? As there are a lot of resources on the web, I stumbled upon one that has a well built web design survey related to data/info gathering for web development projects:

- Web Design Survey -

Note: The link is a (c) PDF file from ClockTower Media, please use it only as inspiration.

Project Management – Type of Clients

Bogdan Enache — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:07:49 +0000

Not all the clients are the same

Each project is somehow unique and I reckon it’s safe to affirm that each client (the person benefiting from the project’s outcome) is also unique even if is the same person that did another 10 projects with your team. This “rule” applies to almost all the projects in technical areas such as IT, web development, etc. because of the asymmetry of information between the developers and the clients.

It is important to know, as the developer/project manager, what kind of client you’re dealing with, in order to have a smooth client-development team communication:

The type that does not know and does not want/is not capable to learn. He just wants things to get done.
The type that does not know but does want to learn. He listens and welcomes your explanations.
The type that “thinks” he knows and does not want to learn. He knows that modifying that database table should take no more than 1h, so why are you telling him that it will affect the whole database structure and will have major impact on time and budget?
The type that knows what he wants but does not know how it can be done. He can tell you how the thing should work but not how to make it work that way.
The type that knows what he wants and knows how it can be done. He’s just a web developer like you.

Handling different types of clients

Identifying the type of client you’re dealing with its just the first step. What you do with that is up to you! Here are some “DoNot”s:

Don’t bother the #1 type with a lot of technical explanations about the project. You need to decide how things are to be done, so keep communication simple and to a minimum.

Don’t keep #2 in “the dark”. He finds the new information interesting and he wants to know more about the project

Don’t take type #3 clients … just kidding. Just make sure you can back up your arguments with the usual technical mambo-jambo, err, I mean scientific data.

Don’t confuse #4 with #1. Although they both don’t know about the technical part of the implementation, #4 knows exactly what needs to be implemented, so don’t go too creative with the features

Don’t try to fool the #5 type into agreeing to a bigger than “normal” budget and project time frame. He’ll smell inefficiency right away.

Do you know other types of clients and/or ways of handling them? Share with us!

Factors Affecting the IMC Tools

Bogdan Enache — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:25:09 +0000

What are the factors that affect the shifts in the weights of the various IMC tools?

The continuously shifts on the emphasis placed on the various IMC tools are an attempt to increase efficiency and maximize the impact of the IMC campaign. There are a few factors that affect these shifts:

Changes in technology. Technology is one of the main catalysts for today’s changes in how marketing is done. Traditional media channels (newspapers, television) not only face competition from the new, emerging media channels (i.e. social media) and new sales channels (i.e. e-commerce) but they are affected by technological changes in other markets and industries. For example, the increasing popularity of personal video recorders that allow customers to “zap” the commercials has affected the coverage of television advertising.
Increased number of information sources for consumers. Easier access to more and more information and the possibility of people to network with each other has put the customer “in control”. People value other people’s opinions. With social media anyone can set up a website and voice their views. Anyone can visit online meeting places like Digg and Reddit and promote the voices and opinions of others, and anyone can mobilize a group around a common cause on Facebook or elsewhere.
Changes in customers’ behavior, lifestyle, wants and needs. With all the clutter and the increased competition, analyzing the cycle of customers activities that lead to the sale or are related to the product can provide useful insights on “new” channels that can be used to deliver the message. Changes in the behaviour (i.e. a good percent of young people spend more time online than watching TV) can influence the choices of IMC tools used.
Avoid competition and clutter. In North America for example, a Canadian is exposed on average to 1800 ads per day and an American to over 3000. The “ad-fatigue” and clutter has reduced substantially the efficiency of the advertising campaigns. By choosing a less-cluttered channel an advertiser can avoid competition and deliver his/her message more efficiently. However the channel should still be able to deliver the message effectively.