ZX spectrum in the loft

I never bought a ZX Spectrum but I did geet one when a friend had had enough. Very quickly I had as well and the thing ended up in the loft. It turned up the other day when we were gutting the loft - strange how it's keyboard was clearly unusable and yet we all persevered with it.

I've notice though that cost cutting with PCs these days is introducing very flat looking keyboards - not as bad as the ZX - but far from ideal.

Newsletters for marketing

As our email inboxes fill up with junk it's easy to forget that most of the information we get is through that medium.

We've seen our marketing been positively impacted by the use of a regular and informative newsletter system. As software developers we built the system ourselves and promote it through our web development site - Web Wise Business.

It's fascinating to see readership levels and interest in the news we publish and a relief that not everyone junks email.

Business Events in Scotland

With Techcrunch soon coming to Edinburgh (May) I thought I would run through the events site we run to see what else was coming up - Whats On Central - a lot going on and some interestng events from the University of Edinburgh as they bring in expert speakers to motivate aspirational businesses.

The site is free to use if you a business or academic event to promote.

1 in 10 people understand binary

From time to time this joke still makes me chuckle - "only 1 in ten people understand binary, the other 50% don't".

A software renaissance

There seems to be a renaissance in Software Development these days and the credit (in large part I think) has to go to Apply and their iPhone. The beauty of the iPhone is the interface and the way in which is has forced software developers like us to think more about the way in which a user uses their product.

Our background is in automated retail banking software so we know more than most about simple to use interfaces - but hats of to the iPhone guys - a work of genius.

Software development an early indicator of returning economic activity

It's been a tough couple of years for most businesses - I dont think many have escaped the downturn in the economy. Even though we've been pretty busy throughout its been a time of continual concentration and attention to every aspect of the software development business that we are growing.

Now as the economy begins to think about turning itself around we're seeing increased enquiries and as a result we've been recruiting. Good to see the team expand.

Hopefully the demands on us are because business generally is on the up - doing web development and sofware systems I guess we would tend to see the first since of a return of confidence. Fingers crosssed.

Techcrunch heads to Edinburgh

Techcrunch is coming to Edinburgh in May - should be good - more info here .

Techcrunch are a good source of info, comment and gossip and it will be interesting to see who heads along. The entrepreneurial community in Scotland is starting to build into it's own wee eco-system so the arrival of techcrunch can only help.

As we bob about promoting our software development services it's clear that there are a lot more techy events popping up - interesting trend - hopefully one that continues. Maybe see you at techcrunch.

DRM - protecting us all

Digital Rights Management - or put more bluntly the stuff that stops you copying files illegally - is a great thing and a bad thing all in one.

One of my recent frustrations was trying to share files across two accounts on one PC. Spent ages fighting with iTunes so that whoever was logged in could share the same music that we have previously bought for the family. Gave up in the end and decided to opt for one account.

If there is a simple solution - let us know.

We know DRM is a big issue - we've built software systems that help some of our clients protect their material - but ultimately you cant stop photocopying or CD copying.

Web development in Scotland – flash

Flash can produce some great looking sites but it can be expensive to put together and it is not very SEO friendly at the moment. By all means use flash but use in sparingly and don’t blow the budget. As web developers we can come up with decent features without resorting to flash.

Web developers in Scotland – fashion

One of the things we notice in web development world is fashion. Images can look dated fast, styles of presentation can look old within months and glitzy animation can suddenly look old hat. We’d recommend holding back on too many expensive whiz bang things and encourage good solid functionality.

Web development in Scotland – shopping carts

A reliable shopping cart is pretty important if you are adding ecommerce. They come in a variety of formats – some free and some expensive. As web developers we build our own – sometime based on others base implementations. We do that so we can stay in control.

Web developers in Scotland – ecommerce

Ecommerce is the quickest way to turn interest into business. So if you have the option to add a shop, then check things out to see what is feasible. Paypal can be a good way to get things started on a limited budget. A decent web development company will help out.

Web development in Scotland – selling

Whatever you are writing for your website the chances are that you want to generate sales. So make sure that all your copy has the benefits of what you offer made obvious. As web developers we often recommend to put call to actions in numerous and multiple locations to help with the chance of converting a visitor to a customer.

Web developers in Scotland – interest

Keeping the interest fresh on your site can be pretty tricky, so regular news and new features are important. Systems like that need good timed content and steady management.

Web development in Scotland – registration

Many CMS systems will provide the ability for visitors to create user accounts. This helps create loyalty if you have resources or information hidden behind the scenes. If you are building customer loyalty via registration type benefits then you will probably need web development help to take care of the tricky areas.

Web developers in Scotland – mobile

As browsers on mobile phones become more sophisticated (Safari on the iphone) then it becomes more important to think about usability on small screens. So if mobility is a factor then consider simple interfaces – good web developers can help.

Web development in Scotland – browsers

When developing your website its important to check it’s behaviour on the various browser – IE, Firefox, Safari etc. Each browser has its own way of handling certain things such as determining widths – so check and double check as web developers we have to.

Web developers in Scotland – width

It’s often just a question of taste but sometimes it also depends on how much you have to say. Some websites will expand their width automatically to ensure they use all the screen available while others are fixed width to either allow the web developer to stay in control of layout or if there isn’t really much info to display.

Web development in Scotland – html

Behind all websites is HTML but thankfully CMS helps web developers avoid that as much as possible. Nonetheless good HTML skills will ensure you get the most from the CMS package you want. As web developers obviously our HTML skills are put to good use often.

Web developers in Scotland – social bookmarking

As you add interesting news and articles to your website a simple way to promote your site is to add the news to a social bookmarking website such as Digg. If you are lucky and have something that appeals then you may attract increased traffic. Social Bookmarking can be a help in website promotion and as web developers we have added bookmarking facilities to much of what we do.

Web development in Scotland – micro sites

If you have a site with a great deal of information and diverse products you may decide to build one or more Micro Sites. This helps with customer focus and to some extent can also help build the back links that can influence SEO and Pagerank. In the world of the web an extra website might be worth the effort.

Web developers in Scotland – promotion

Once you have your website you will want to promote it. As web developers we also offer SEO and marketing advice. In short the best way to promote your website is through Word of Mouse – so use blogs, social bookmarking, online PR and PPC. And of course get your SEO act together.

Web development in Scotland – taglines

As you pull your website together you may suddenly realise that you need a tagline ie XYZ Limited for the best Mutton Pies in Scotland. Makee sure that when you add it to your website that it goes in as a piece of text – not a graphic. If you put it in as an image then google will miss it. We tend to add our own taglines to the breadcrumb trail for the menus.

Sharepoint support in Scotland for enterprise Search

The Enterprise Search facilities within Sharepoint allow users subject to their permissions to look deep into the organization records and data sets. Searches can look into libraries, email folders and as you would expect websites as well.

Web developers in Scotland – timed content

One of the great features of a good CMS is the ability to load up copy and then release it gradually over time article by article. This means that marketing campaigns can be set up and executed in an extremely planned manner. Within our DNN CMS we have such facilities all part of being DNN web developers.

Sharepoint support in Scotland for blogs

Blogs may have grown up as part of the wider internet but are now seen as an effective and easy to implement way of spreading information across the organisation. Sharepoint allows for the easy creation and management of blogs ensuring information can flow easily.

Web development in Scotland – background music

Many CMS packages allow web developers to add background music that automatically starts when the website page is loaded. We don’t encourage this – it can be a bit of a surprise in a quiet office.

Sharepoint support in Scotland for Business Intelligence

Sharepoint provides a range of tools and services to keep your team informed of the latest information. Excel spreadsheets can be exposed as can all manner of reports and charts.

Web developers in Scotland – resources

If you want to add something interesting to your website then a collection of online resources is a good idea. Documents normally in PDF format that give handy and easy to read facts are always welcome. So think about what you can give away – givers gain!

Sharepoint support in Scotland for survey management

Sharepoint plays up the feasibility of using web based forms to gain feedback and survey information. Typical uses could include customer or workforce satisfaction surveys to help you business maintain and improve its performance.