Web Technology and Design SIG

March Meeting-Tuesday, March 26

It was not so long ago that web designer’s biggest challenge was whether our sites should span 800px or move up to 1024px wide. As monitors and screens continued to grow and increase in pixel resolution, decisions were necessary on how much of the full screen we should use.

However, the speed of technology continues to increase exponentially. The rise of mobile devices means that screens are also shrinking. Now we don’t only need to think “big”, we also need to think “small”.

Users now have a plethora of devices to use to access the web and theire only concern is if your applications works on their devise or if it takes a lot of energy to make it work. It is because of the multitude of devices connecting to the web causing our applications to evolve that resulted in the need for RWD, an approach to web design that places the user needs foremost.

RWD allows the user to the user to have the best possible experience when visiting your website despite the devise they use, be it a laptop, netbook, or a phone. By using RWD techniques you can save time by avoiding the hassle of creating of creating a unique user experience for each user and every device.

Join us Tuesday, March 26 when we discuss RWD and how you can use some of these techniques to make visiting your website a pleasurable experience no matter what devise your visitors use.

Rita Trelewicz
Web Design Co-SIG Leader

February Meeting-Tuesday, February 28

Do you have a content strategy? What is a content strategy? Join us this month as we discuss developing a content strategy and how you can use it to plan your next site or improve you current website.

The chapter also received an inventory of new t-shirts which are available for purchase. You can pick up one of these fashionable shirts to show your support for HAL-PC and promote the organization for $15 each at the HAL-PC suite.

Kojo Idrissa
Web Design Co-SIG Leader

January Meeting-Tuesday, January 22

This month we will talk about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It has been a long time since we touched on this topic. While many things have stayed the same there are a few changes that are worth considering. One thing that has not changed though; the SEO hide and seek game is a never-ending project.

In many ways the Internet has leveled the playing field for businesses. Physical location in not an issue. However, landing at the top of a search engine’s search result result page (SERP) takes work and is still a good ticket to generate more business.

That’s why the practice of improving a web site standing on the search engines is a critical element of any marketing plan. An understanding of what search engines are looking for and how they look for it will help get you to the top. Social media is now also a player in this game.

Get a refresher on SEO as we discuss practical tips and techniques that you can implement to optimize your web site and boost your search ratings. Keep in mind that search engine optimization is a never-ending story.

Rita Trelewicz
Web Design Co-SIG Leader

October Meeting-Tuesday, October 23

We will continue with on our discussion on HTML5 this month building upon last month’s discussion. We will focus on the how, why, and when to use some of the HTML5 changes we discussed. Why should we use these new methods instead of the methods we already know? What are the benefits?

Hopefully this discussion will give you some things to work on during our break through November and December.

The October presentation is the last for 2012. We will pick up again in January.

Kojo Idrissa
Web Design Co-SIG Leader

September Meeting-Tuesday, September 25

HTML5 is the new web standard. It may still be a work in progress, but that does not mean that you have to wait.  There are some aspects of this new version that you can start implementing right now on your websites.

This new standard simplifies the opening code on all your web pages. No need to decide if you want strict or transitional, you just want html.

A few of the tags are perfectly suited for CSS. No longer do you need to create a header, nav, sidebar, or footer div. New tags specific to these website sections now exist as HTML5 tags. This makes your CSS styling a litle bit easier.

This month we will cover what elements can be used today.

Rita Trelewicz
Web Design Co-SIG Leader

August Meeting-Tuesday, August 28

One of the best ways to get familiar with some of the more complex web environments (like Drupal, WordPress, or Joomla) is to run them on your own computer. If you want to run a version of Drupal, WordPress, or other PHP-based web software on your local computer, you’ll need to install an *AMP stack.

We’ll look at what an *AMP stack is, other reasons you’d want to install one and how to install one. We’ll briefly look at a couple of different options, including Acquia Dev Desktop, MAMP, and WAMP. We’ll then go through an installation of Acquia Dev Desktop and Drupal. If you’ve got a laptop with WiFi capabilities, bring it and you COULD leave with your very own *AMP stack installed.

This session will be very beginner friendly. Even if you’ve never heard of any of the things mentioned above, you should leave with a much better understanding of what they are and how they fit into the web development picture.

Kojo Idrissa
Web Design Co-SIG Leader

July Meeting – Tuesday, July 24

Last month we were supposed to have SIG elections. Since we did not have a meeting last month, we will have elections in July.

Michelle and I spoke about the SIG and she will no longer be holding sessions and although the thought was that if we shared responsibility it would make it easier for both of us. However, it is not working out.

So, if any of you want to become more active in the SIG, let me know. The future of the SIG is in your hands.

Rita Trelewicz
Web Design Co-SIG Leader

May Meeting – Tuesday, May 22

Last month we discussed the Drupal content management system and the various types of websites that use this platform. Hopefully, some of you visited Opensource CMS and played around with the back end.

While it is possible to set up a Drupal site on your testing server, not everyone wants the hassle of setting up a testing server. This means you need to install Apache, PHP, and mySQL. Invariably, your operating system will need tweaking making this a mission.

This is when a web service develped by Acquia, Drupal Gardens, is fabulous. It allows you to create a Drupal website on their servers, free for 6 months. This should give you enough time to learn the ins and outs of Drupal. They do offer web hosting at reasonable costs if you want to keep your masterpiece up and running.

I set up our WebTechSig test Drupal site that we will use for the next six months as a platform for us to learn more about Drupal. You may decide to set up one for yourself so you can learn at your own pace.

Rita Trelewicz
Web Design Co-SIG Leader

March Meeting – Tuesday, March 27

At our March meeting we will discuss the Drupal content management system (CMS) which is an open-source program written in PHP.  According to Wikipedia, 1.5% of all worldwide websites, ranging from blogs to corporate, political, and government sites including, whitehouse.gov, use it as a back-end system.

Basic features include user account registration and maintenance, menu management, RSS-feeds, page layout customization, and system administration. There are more than 9,800 free community-contributed add-ons available to customize the Drupal CMS. Although it offers a sophisticated programming interface for developers, no programming skills are required for basic website installation and administration.

So whether you are looking to develop a simple brochure website or launch a large site with user-generated content, the Drupal CMS may be worth considering.

I look forward to seeing you all Tuesday as we discuss the basic set up and some of the standard features.

Rita Trelewicz
Web Design Co-SIG Leader

June Meeting – Tuesday, June 28

June is election time for HAL-PC. The general election is June 18th, during the annual meeting. Following the election, there is a celebration in honor of HAL-PC’s 30th birthday. Let’s party! Please attend and bring a snack.

At our monthly SIG meeting, we will continue to address marketing your web site. Our focus will be on keywords and how they relate to search engine optimization (SEO) and Pay Per Click (PPC).

Effective SEO efforts and PPC campaigns take time to develop. Like many things related to a website, it is a never ending effort. PPC campaigns can be very expensive and not just a drop in the bucket. You need to develop a long-term strategy and monitor your results to make sure you get your money’s worth.

Keywords are critical to SEO and PPC. SEO is a necessity but a PPC campaign is optional. Is it something that would be effective for your website marketing efforts? Join us and find out more.

I look forward to seeing you all Tuesday.

Rita Trelewicz
Web Design SIG Leader