Simplify the Web

There seems to be an ongoing movement of people admitting what only ten years ago people would never say in public...I'm a geek. I guess it's cool now...here are five great geek shirts that we found:

So, to a geek, this is fun and quite a debacle most of the time.

While working to solve an issue I had with updating a TextArea with html code, (WySiWyG), I came across I think fifty ways to do this, and they just weren't working, IE vs FireFox...blah blah blah...I could get the text, but I couldn't update just that text correctly...until now. So, for those that want a simple way to update it:



if (document.selection)
{
var str=document.selection.createRange().text;
var sel=document.selection.createRange();
sel.text=newvalue;
}else if (typeof tArea.selectionStart != 'undefined'){
var $before, $after, $selvalue;
$before= tArea.value.substring(0, tArea.selectionStart)
$selvalue = tArea.value.substring(tArea.selectionStart, tArea.selectionEnd)
$after = tArea.value.substring(tArea.selectionEnd, tArea.value.length)

tArea.value= String.concat($before, , $selection, , $after)
}
tArea.focus();


When looking for a solution to a website, many people come across two decisions:

• High volume service providers
• Custom designers for web sites

So, which is better? Overall it really comes down to preferences and cost. If you go with a high volume provider, sites like Prosites; which offers solutions specifically to the dental industry, you will most likely get a cut and copy package that has been designed to fit most everyone. While that may be good from a pricing up front standpoint, it could still lack overall ability to alter the site and make changes easily.

Most high volume providers will develop a system that allows them to create a structure specific for sites to be developed, then they simply alter the style and images and you have your site...probably won't be exactly what you're looking for or like, but it'll be a relative facsimile and hey, for a cheap price, beggars can't be choosy.

The other solution is to find a custom web designer that can make a site for you from scratch. While this tends to be a bit higher in cost, the solution usually renders a better facsimile to what you wanted and will most likely lead to a bit more of a customized look and feel for you, and not you with a somewhat closely styled site.

So, which is best? Which works best for you? The answer is still: have a good idea of what you want your site to do for you.

If you decide that you would like to do some SEO work on your site in the future, or paid search, or any online marketing efforts, going with a custom designed site will probably work best in the long run. Most designers will charge more up front for the design, but then the design becomes yours and you can do what you will with it.

If you go with a high volume provider, you usually don't have much say in the design nor do you own the design in the end. Thus, if you decide that you would like some custom landing pages, or you don't like how the design of the site has extensive code and would like it cleaned up...then the high volume provider will take you to the cleaners in hourly fees and custom development.

So, in the end, ask yourself simply...do you want to spend more up front for flexibility down the road, or do you want quick easy and less money up front with the potential of a complete redesign down the road? It all comes down to your preference and goals.

Seth Godin is widely considered the #1 marketer in the US. His insights into both marketing and web culture are read by tens of thousands every day, and Seth's blog is worth every minute you could spend there.

In this 6.5 minute video, Seth talks about both Web 2.0 and Web 4.0. Yes, he skipped right over Web 3.0...as we all should.

He makes two points that caught my attention. First, that 'permission marketing' is the only marketing that really works; and second, that the best thing a company can do to promote itself is to blog.

That's why Thomas and I built DotBlogOnomics: we want everyone to have easy access to a blog system...and we want it to look EXACTLY like their own website.