I have had a long and terrible relationship with GoDaddy. Until today I have never felt the need to address their misdeeds. However after a recent discovery of how GoDaddy handles 301 redirects I felt it was important to share.

A recently new client came to Neal Advertising asking for us to build them an event page. They had two url’s a .org and a .com which were purchased through GoDaddy. We determined the .com would be the main url and the .org would be permanetly redirected to the .com.

I created the redirect through Godaddy and assumed all was well. Below is a screenshot of the GoDaddy site where you setup the 301 redirect.

As you can see from the screenshot it appears that setting up a 301 Redirect with GoDaddy is rather simple. However if you over look the default Masking settings as I did you can get a rather poor result.

In the below screenshot you can see that the Masking section is automatically enabled.

These defaulted settings are completely misleading. Instead of creating an actual 301 Redirect it actually creates an index file that uses a frameset to pull in the desired site. Below is a third screenshot showing the html code containing the frameset.

If you are unfortunate enough to have to work with GoDaddy make sure you disable the Masking functionality before you setup a 301 Redirect.

Hopefully this has been a helpful tip.  I have experienced a long history of poor service and inferior products with GoDaddy.  Feel free to share your experiences Good or Bad below:

IM Spring Break is just around the corner and now there is a contest that can get you in for free.  The four night stay at the Hilton Deerfield is going to be nice too.  Check out the contest and rules here: http://www.imbroadcast.com/blog/?p=7

Below is a list of the 7 craziest, wildest, insane things I expect to see at IM Spring Break.  I did attend Scary SEO in October and after that experience I think I might have a clue as to what to expect this Spring.

In no particular order:

1. 90% of the attendees will get too drunk to understand English but will have no problem speaking it, which will leave the last 10% wishing they were somewhere else
2. Pamela Lund @pamela_lund will @ and DM me via Twitter while sitting right next to me but not know who I am
3. Jordan Kasteler @utahseopro is going to get drunk and lost in the bushes again.  Only this time we may not look for him
4. Rhea Drysdale @rhea will dress up as She-Ra and the crowd will go nuts.
5. Lisa Barone @lisabarone will beat up @djpaisley for calling her “Lisa Bologna”
6. Everyone will say the $500 to get into IM Spring Break “Was the best money I’ve speant all year” except for me because I’m only going if I win this contest [cough]help me win[cough]
7. You will learn more about SEO and Social Media Marketing in 3 days then you have in _______ years (fill in the blank with how many years old you are)

Ok so they weren’t the craziest things to expect but still pretty good.

Now a list of “Tag You’re It’s”

• Jordan Kasteler
  
• Michael Gray
• Brandy Eddings
• Pamela Lund
• Rhea Drysdale
• Dave Snyder
• Garrett Pierson
• Carolyn Shelby
• Darrell Long
• Casey Yandle
• Ted Graf
• Matt Dionne
• Loren Baker
• @kneesockz
• David Henderson
• Chris Pearson
• Vanessa Fox
• Brian Chappell
• Christina Gayle
• Rae Hoffman
• Jeff Quipp
• Brian Carter
• Brandy Wood
• Chris Hart
• Lisa Barone
• Jill Whalen
• Brittany Turcotte
• Shana Albert
• Eric Lander
• Hunter Satterwhite

I run into this problem with almost every installation of WordPress I do.  I want to limit the HTML in a post because I don’t assume my authors know HTML.  However, my pages are usually much more static and need better written HTML to be styled well. So how do I keep the auto adding of ‘p’ tags in posts but strip them on pages?

It’s a lot easier than you think.  Some people have gone with the super small plugin - “Disable WPAUTOP” but the problem with that plugin is that is strips the ‘p’ tags on all posts and pages.

To solve this problem all you have to do is add the below line of code into your Page Template (page.php).  From this point on WordPress will not add in all those unnecessary ‘p’ tags on your pages.

<?php
remove_filter ('the_content','wpautop');
?>


This is a simple fix to a problem that seems to cause a lot of havoc on WordPress blogs.

[singing] Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, Getting to hope you like me. Getting to know you, Putting it my way, But nicely, You are precisely, My cup of tea.[/singing]

Enough of that, lets get into the good stuff and see what’s going on with Wordpress’s latest install of 2.7.

WordPress 2.7 Dashboard ScreenShot

Right away you can see the UI changes that were made to the dashboard and the overall backend of WordPress. There area several great changes that were made, most of which are discussed below.

Dashboard Show On Screen Options

You now have the ability to easily change what widgets or windows are available on your dashboard

Help Tab

The help tab is available on every screen. On the dashboard there is some helpful tips and a link to Wordpress Documentation and Support Forums.

Left Navigation

The top navigation have been replaced with a left nav. You can see the left nav and all the available options in the images to the left.

New Post Drop Down

A “New Post” drop down has been created. Allowing quick and easy access to post new content on the fly.

Direct Plug-in Search & Install

GREAT NEWS!!! You can now search and install plug-ins directly from your wordpress backend. I found a bug though, if you have the Wordpress Auto Update plugin you won’t be able to directly install plugins. You’ll be ok though, read below.

Direct Wordpress Upgrading

MORE GREAT NEWS!!! You can now upgrade your wordpress install directly from the backend without the use of a 3rd party plug-in.

Bulk Editing

EVEN MORE GREAT NEWS!!! Now you can edit Posts, Pages and Comments as bulk items!

Posts Page Views

Two post views. The standard view we are all used to and an excerpt view that shows some content from your post

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I hope this post was helpful in adjusting you to the new WordPress UI.

Forget about all the other concerns that we all may have with the country right now, and lets look at who is the best Presidential Candidate for our industry.  Everyone has their own reasons for voting or in too many cases not voting but there is one thing that the readers of this blog and myself have in common.  We all work in the web industry.  Whether we are web developers, designers, seo’s, markerters, etc…  The internet is our ‘domain’ (get it) and we have to protect it, do what’s best for it, and promote it.

Let’s start off with a very important topic, Net Neutrality.  Net Neutrality is supported by Obama and it’s designed to keep YOU in control of what you see and do on the internet.  Broadband Carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, etc…) are attempting to take that control away from us and start charging website owners for preferential placement.  Essentially the broadband carriers want to create a highway where sites will be delivered to your computer much faster then other sites.  If you can’t afford to pay the extra fees to be on this highway your website will be left out and be delivered at much slower speeds.  This will limit what we can see and do and literally discriminate against smaller companies. Net Neturality is VERY serious, it’s the way the internet has worked since it started and we have a responsibility to protect it’s integrity.

For more information on Net Neutrality follow these links:
http://www.google.com/help/netneutrality.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality
http://www.savetheinternet.com/=faq

If you haven’t guessed by now this post is promoting Barack Obama and while the following topics may not be a threat to our industry like Net Neutrality is, they do bring up some solid points.

For the first time in presidential history we have an opportunity to vote someone into office who really gets US (see what I did there, us and U.S.).  Obama is the first presidential candidate to really utilize the internet, social media, and viral marketing to deliver his message.  Obama has a website dedicated to delivering his message and raising money by blogging, podcasting, and streaming his speeches live to everyone who wants to listen. He has 1,904,236 supporters on Facebook, 83,783 followers on Twitter, and 545,756 friends on MySpace.  Even Michelle Obama has 116,469 supporters on Facebook. McCain has a presence in social media as well but it’s much smaller and more retalitory then innovative with 539,224 supporters on Facebook, ??? followers on Twitter and 101,740 friends on MySpace. Obama is on countless more sites and has also accumiliated 16,432,938 views on his YouTube channel. I can continue down this road for days, but I’ll save you from that.

We need to invest in infrastructure, we gotta rebuild our roads, our bridges. We have to build broadband lines so that every community in rural America can get the internet at high speeds. We gotta invest in new electricity grids so we can get that new energy from wind farms to population centers from solar panels to places that need them. - Barack Obama at the Jacksonville Florida Rally 9/20/08

So what’s the point?  The point is that Obama is apart of the internet community, he utilizes it for his message, and his fundraising but he also uses it to connect.  The connection he has made with his supporters through online media is revolutionary for a Presidential Candidate.  Obama understands the importance of internet freedom and online communication.  He’s backing Net Neutrality and will continue to support the web industry as President.

Hopefully this post will convince you to go out and vote for a candidate that will protect the integrity of our industry and will continue to support our growth in the future.  I have a surplus of examples why Obama is the best candidate for President but this website is not the correct forum for them, but I welcome any and all of your opinions via comments.

How do you have time for it all?

This is a question I tend to get a lot and it’s because I appear to stretch myself very thin. I work full time for Neal Advertising which results in 40+ hours on average per week; I am a professor at Johnson & Wales which includes teaching, grading, running clubs, counseling students and meetings. I co-own a freelance web development firm called Seed Seven. I’m in the process of developing a blogging community called WFABI and I run this website. Not to mention conferences, rss feeds, magazine articles, twitter and other social sites. These jobs and responsibilities don’t even include my personal life.

At home I’m a Dad, a husband, a homeowner, a handyman and dog walker. My son is 10 months old and he is fantastic but he’s also a lot of work. So how do I get it all done?

Well first off I don’t get a lot of sleep. As I write this I see the time is getting closer and closer to midnight. I’m probably going to hit the sack around 2 am tonight. As much as I like to avoid working late I still do it because I enjoy it. The web industry is very unique and I think that web professionals are a special breed. We continue to strive to improve our selves in an ever changing industry. The technologies change more frequently then in the medical industry. As a web professional slowing down leaves you at risk of being left behind.

The second piece of the puzzle is setting priorities. My priorities dictate exactly what I’ll accomplish on a daily, weekly and annual basis. It’s very important to take the time to sit down and evaluate everything you need and want to accomplish and then literally list them in order of importance. By doing this I’m able to logically and accurately decide on what to do and how long to spend on it. The highest item on that list is being a father and husband. I tend to my families needs first after that is my full time job at Neal Adv and so on down the list. This may sound extremely anal but I even add tv, and video games to the list. It really helps me make the choice between going back to work or playing Star Wars Unleashed on the Wii.

As a web professional I have to find the time to continually improve my skills, contribute to the community and learn from other professionals. At the same time I have to make time for my family and private life. It’s very hard to do it but setting priorities is a great way to accomplish that goal.

How do you find time to accomplish all of your goals?

I became very aggravated with the fact that I couldn’t find this skit anywhere on YouTube or other sites. Every clip I saw was of a news station covering the skit. I finally stumbled upon the video here “The Huffington Post”.  I put it on my site to offer it to anyone who wants it.  I don’t want to write a post that has nothing to do with web building so… “Meta Tag!” that’s webby enough… Enjoy.

Does Adobe release versions of their software too often?

It’s hard to answer this question and in some cases it may not even seem worth a post. My concern is the extremely high cost of software and the inability for freelancers and small firms to stay up to date. It may just be “Darwinism” at work where the stronger design/ad firms will prosper because they have the client base to fund the best computers and software but where does this leave the little guy?

Adobe CS4 is rumored to release in October which is just around the corner and only 18 months after CS3 was released in April 2007.  The cost of a the web suite will be over $2,000 and in most cases that’s more then the computer it’ll be running on.  This means that everytime a small firm wants to add an employee not only are they paying for salary and benefits but they have to pay close to $5,000 if not more just to get them started.  This can make it very hard for a small company to expand and grow not to mention an aspiring designer.

I am a Professor at Johnson & Wales University and one of the biggest problems my students face is the inibility to work on their projects from their dorm or home.  They can’t afford the cost of a Creative Suite along with tuition and other expenses.  This leaves them with two options, one they only work in the school lab or two they download an illegal version.  Student copies are available but at about half the cost but Adobe doesn’t allow you to publish the work.  We all know that an aspiring designer or developer needs to spend every waking minute perfecting their talent.  As it is I’m up to about 2am most nights working on deisgns, writing code or improving my techniques.  The second option of downloading an illegal version is done much more frequently then I would like to think.  I absolutely do not endorse the downloading of illegal copies of Adobe Software but some of these students are left with no choice.

There is a balance that can’t be reached between the rising costs of Adobe Software and the increased downloading of illegal copies.  Adobe will continue to increase the cost of their software to counter the loss of sales through distribution of illegal software and downloads will continue to increase because individuals are not able to afford the rising cost of Adobe Software.

On top of the current problems Adobe may be releasing versions of their software too frequently.  Adobe may be intentially leaving features out for future versions and increased sales.  Most firms and web/design professionals will want to purchase the latest version of Adobe to ensure their ability to stay “on top” of new technology.  I think Adobe should spend more time perfecting their security features to prevent further downloading of illegal copies and offer some free feature updates.  Loyal customers who have spent thousands of dollars on Adobe software definitely deserve some free upgrades to their software and shouldn’t have to continue to spend a great deal of money every 18 months.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Browsershots, a fantastic tool worth mentioning. It’s probably a tool that most of you use already but I still think it’s worth the post. For those of you not using Browsershots or other tools like it (Browsercam, Browsrcamp, or, Netrenderer) after entering a web address it returns screen shots of what your design looks like in pretty much any browser on the market.

What is Browsershots?

Browsershots makes screenshots of your web design in different browsers. It is a free open-source online service created by Johann C. Rocholl. When you submit your web address, it will be added to the job queue. A number of distributed computers will open your website in their browser. Then they will make screenshots and upload them to the central server here. - http://browsershots.org/

I recently started working on a Mac for the first time [slow getting off the pc/windows train]. While I love the new system and getting used to it was a little difficult the one thing I can’t do is test my websites on the most popular browsers on the market. From my own analytics I have IE7 at about 36%, IE6 at 28%, Firefox at 26% and Safari & Opera make up the remaining ~8% (Check Out: Using your own Data). Resulting in an inability to test my design for over 64% of my users. Running from room to room got old fast. I do have a laptop with Vista on it which gives me IE7 but the only machine I have with IE6 is my wifes older tower pc (I have phased out IE6 testing until recently when several clients have projected demographics showing high usage of IE6).

Browsershots allows me to save a lot of time, space and energy by showing my design in any browser I choose. To the left is a screen shot of a site I’m currently developing for Herb Chambers. It’s in IE7 and shows me that the css is working properly and everything is in place. After inputting my url it takes a few seconds (usually about 20 - 30) to show my shots. The great thing is I don’t have to keep inputting my url. Every time I make a change I can can just ask it to refresh my shots with out having to go to another page or make a second request. It also gives me the ability to turn on/off or choose versions of flash, javascript and java. You can also choose what screen resolution and color depth will be used for the shot.

The other sites out there have similar capabilities and features as browsershots but so far I prefer it over the others. It gives you way more browsers to choose from and so far it’s the most reliable I’ve seen. If your in the same situation as me take browsershots out for a spin. If you have any alternatives I’d love to hear them.

With the recent release of Google’s Chrome I began to think more about Cross-Browser Compatibility, screen resolution, enabled codes and operating systems and how far we really need to go. Is it necessary to test for outdated versions of Internet Explorer, build for 800 x 600 resolutions, or provide an html alternative to a flash site? The answer is yes, no and maybe. Sorry not definitive enough? Maybe if I throw some numbers at you it’ll make more sense.

Internet Explorer Global Market Share: 60.65% - 83.27%
Firefox Global Market Share: 13.76% - 29.68%
Safari Global Market Share: 1.9% - 6.4%
“Usage Share of Web Browser” - Wikipedia

Screen Resolution higher than 800×600: ~82.73%
Screen Resolution higher than 1024×768: ~42.88%
“Screen Resolutions” - Market Share

Screen Resolution higher than 800×600: 86%
Screen Resolution higher than 1024×768: 38%
“Browser Display Statistics” - W3 Schools

Users with Javascript Enabled: 95%
“Browser Statistics” = W3 Schools

Still confused? Good, cause you can throw it all out the window. As a web developer, designer, marketer or seo you have to rely on your own statistics in your industry. This may be hard to do because you might not have any data (I may have a solution for that) but it’s important not to rely on other organizations statistics. First of all they can be very inaccurate. The statistics on screen resolutions were in a similar range but the numbers on Browsers Market Share can be wildly different. W3 Schools has Firefox Market share at over 40%. Second the statistics you are using may relate to an very different audience then your site will be built for. Browser Market Share for Opera is much higher in Europe then it is in the US, where do your users live?.

It is very important to plan the functionality and design of your site around your demographic. A few years ago I designed and developed a site for a client that provided an online course to recently bankrupt individuals called eDebt Class. We determined that many of the users on this site are going to be using computers in libraries and other public facilities. This meant I had to test for much lower screen resolutions, older browser versions and operating systems. The opposite goes for WFABI an online resource and blog designed to empower web designers, developers, seo, and marketers to teach other industry professionals best practices when working with the web. WFABI’s projected statistics look like this:

Browsers

• Firefox - 83%
• IE - 7.8%
• Safari - 7.8%
• Opera - .78%

Resolution (excluding iPhone)

• Higher than 800×600 - 100%
• Higher than 1024×768 - 92%

Obviously WFABI.org will not need to be compatible in IE6 or be able to fit into a 1024×768 screen. I’m making these choices from intelligent data from similar demographics. Using this method allows me to be much more efficient because I’m not spending time developing sites that work in unused browsers or limiting my designs to smaller resolutions to cater for non-existent users.

Relying on a sites own data allows you to make better decisions that will affect your users not other sites users. You know who your users are, what they use to view your site, and what their capabilities are. Why limit yourself to Flash 8 because generic statistics say penetration is only at ~90% when 99% of your users may be using Flash 9 or higher?

What do I do if I have no data on my demographic?
Use the internet… Utilize social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc… to connect to other web professionals who would be willing to trade statistical data on sites.