5 Benefits of CSS Layout

When re-designing an existing web site, or starting a new one, clients often want to know why CSS based layouts are better. I faced such situations, and it was quite challenging to explain what benefits the client could get from the use of CSS. I definitely knew that it's the right way to code and it's more web standard compliant, but thinking about client's benefits I couldn't offer more than the argument that it's more Google-friendly.
So, I decided to make a little bit of research and brainstorming, and came out with 5 reasons why CSS layouts are better and smarter.

Google friendly
I'll start my list with the argument that CSS layouts make your web site more Google-friendly. This is because the CSS layout will contain only semantic information, and wouldn't be flooded with table elements. That makes it easier for Google to spot the truly important content without having to read 100 rows of useless code before it gets to the content. Benefit: Visitors will be able to find easier your web site.

Accessibility
As CSS permits to separate the content part, from the visual one, it makes the CSS web sites more accessible to web reading devices for disabled people. Also, it improves the experience of CSS designed web sites on different mobile devices and other types of media. Another important benefit will be the ability to switch different style sheets for various types of media. This is achieved without JavaScript, which makes it again easier and more accessible for the user. Benefit: CSS makes it easier to access your web site from mobile and special devices.

Easier maintenance and redesign
It is way much easier to maintain, modify or even completely redesign your web site, if it has a CSS based layout. This will cut your cost and save a lot of time on performing all the necessary changes. That's why I consider CSS a cutting cost technique. Benefit: CSS allows to saves time and cut cost.

Faster loading time
Statistically, CSS web sites have twice lighter code. They don't make the browser to pass twice through all the code, as it happens with table-based layouts, when the browser parses the code once for determination of the table structure, and then the second time for reading the content inside the table cells. Plus, CSS offers to choose the order of loading of all the elements. Benefit: CSS layouts offer better user experience, faster loading time and less server traffic.

Modern technologies and professionalism
Table based layouts are becoming history. It's like not using a mobile phone nowadays, or using always the usual mail service, instead of the electronic email. To be honest, I'm ashamed of the fact that some designers and developers still create table based layouts. There are tons of CSS web site galleries and showcases that show the beauty of CSS designs. On the other hand, I can't recall any of the table-based layout showcases. I strongly believe that every web designer who is more or less professional should create only CSS layouts. Benefit: Modern, clean, and smart structure of the site.

Comparing Photoshop with Fireworks

It's a challenge to say anything about it, but i will dare to do it.

Comparing Photoshop with Fireworks is a little like comparing apples and oranges. Both are delicious but are different in a number of ways.

Photoshop is the bitmap editor, and was designed for artists working on images for print. Fireworks is the top of the line, software for creating images for the Web.
Fireworks is vector based, so it actually has more in common with Illustrator than Photoshop. If you are comfortable with vectors, you'll love it.

Cheers!

What is page rank, when it gets update?

What is PageRank?
PageRank is a patented method to assign a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents, such as the World Wide Web. Google runs on a unique combination of advanced hardware and software. The speed of google search we experience can be attributed in part to the efficiency of their search algorithm and partly to the thousands of low cost PC's they've networked together to create a superfast search engine.
The heart of their software / search algorithm is PageRank, a system for ranking web pages developed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University. And while they have dozens of engineers working to improve every aspect of Google on a daily basis, PageRank continues to provide the basis for all of our web search tools.

PageRank Explained
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important." Important, high-quality sites receive a higher PageRank, which Google remembers each time it conducts a search. Of course, important pages mean nothing to you if they don't match your query. So, Google combines PageRank with sophisticated text-matching techniques to find pages that are both important and relevant to your search. Google goes far beyond the number of times a term appears on a page and examines all aspects of the page's content (and the content of the pages linking to it) to determine if it's a good match for your query.

False or spoofed PageRank
Pagerank shown in Google's Toolbar can easily be manipulated by a fake pagerank number. While the Pagerank shown in the Toolbar is considered to be accurate for most sites, this value is also easily manipulated. Any low PageRank page that is redirected, via a 302 server header, to a high PageRank page causes the lower PageRank page to acquire the PageRank of the destination page. In theory a new, PR0 page with no incoming links can be redirected to STATCOUNTER Homepage - which is a PageRank 10 - and by the next PageRank update the PageRank of the new page will be upgraded to a Page Rank of 10. This is called spoofing and is a known fake pagerank.

Manipulating PageRank
For search-engine optimization purposes, some companies offer to sell high page rank links to webmasters. As links from higher-PR pages are believed to be more valuable, they tend to be more expensive. It can be an effective and viable marketing strategy to buy link advertisements on content pages of quality and relevant sites to drive traffic and increase a webmaster's link popularity. However, Google has publicly warned webmasters that if they are or were discovered to be selling links for the purpose of conferring page rank and reputation, their links will be devalued (ignored in the calculation of other pages' page ranks). The practice of buying and selling links is intensely debated across the Webmastering community. Google advises webmasters to use the nofollow HTML attribute value on sponsored links. According to Matt Cutts, Google is concerned about webmasters who try to game the system, and thereby reduce the quality of Google search results.

When Does Google Updates Pageranks?
It varies. There is no definite time interval for page rank updates. Google usually updates page rank at interval of 3 months.

What is Web 2.0?

Design patterns and business models for the next generation of software.
Web 2.0 has numerous definitions!

Web 2.0 is a feature through which applications and services are made around the unique feature of Internet rather than making applications and expecting the Internet to be feature around it.

The technologies of Web 2.0 tend to bring the creative and innovative ideas and the features of different developers together. The hierarchy of Web technology 2.0 has 4 Levels. Each level has its different usage and advantages.

The applications that are only web based i.e. they work only when they are connected to the Internet. They are mainly in the Level 3 of Web 2.0. For example, websites like e-Bay, Skype, AdSense and many more than can only work when online.
There are certain features which are available in Web 2.0 which gives us the advantage of working offline also. These are mainly in the Level 1 and Level 2.

For example:

• Website like Flicker, ITunes which gives us the advantage of sharing music and photos on the net.
• Personal websites turned into Blogging.

These websites can work without being connected to the Internet but once connected gives additional advantages like live photo sharing, music sharing and many more. Certain applications of Web 2.0 give us the feature of total offline working advantages. Websites like MapQuest, Google Maps and many more gives us this facility.

Web 2.0 has changed the scene of the World Wide Web. It allows the users to do more than just to retrieve data and information. It allows the user to rather own the data than to just retrieve it from the source. It also encourages the user to add values and information to the application which is in contrast to the old traditional websites which lets only the selected users to access the data and information and allows only the site Administrator to add or edit the data. Technologies such as weblogs, forums, podcasts, wikis, social software and web application programming Interfaces provide enhancement over read-only websites.

The idea of Web 2.0 can also relate to a transition of some websites from isolated information based applications to interlinked computing platforms that function like locally-available software in the view of the user. It also includes a social element where users generate and distribute content, often with freedom to share and re-use. This can even help in the rise of economic value of web to business, as users can perform many more activities online.
It has many more features like it is a rich user experience as it is developed on a rich user friendly interface like AJAX, FLEX or similar rich media. It gives user participation. It even gives open ness and freedom of use to all the users. By user participation it contributes to collective intelligence which helps the further user of the data.

Web 2.0 applications can be brought to the user by rich user friendly Internet Application techniques like Adobe Flash, Java, AJAX, Flex and many of such kind. These have the potential to improve the user-experience in browser-based applications. These technologies allow a web-page to request an update for some part of its content, and to alter that part in the browser, without needing to refresh the whole page at the same time.
The extra functionality provided by Web 2.0 depends on the ability of users to work with the data stored on servers. This can come about through forms in an HTML page, through a scripting-language such as Java script / Ajax, or through Flash or Curl. These methods all make use of the client computer to reduce server workloads and to increase the responsiveness of the application.