Top-Ranking Success: Inside Security

This is an industry-specific site designed for security guards. The province of Ontario Canada has new training and testing requirements for all guards, private investigators, and bouncers, and everyone needs to learn what it's all about, both current employees and new applicants.

The site was designed to provide straightforward facts about the new training course and test, and has tons of specific links to important information (mostly government acts and regulations). The layout is simple, using solid neutral colors for extended reading without eye strain.

There's an Ontario security industry overview, specific security course and test information, and a page explaining private security work for new guards.

This site achieved top-10 ranking because of a huge amount of detailed 100% original information, a very targeted audience, and focused SEO elements. It's getting a ton of traffic. A top-ranking success.

One Major Prediction For 2011

I believe there will be one major sweeping change in 2011 that will drastically affect computers, similar to the disappearance of the floppy drive.

... the disappearance of hard disk drives with moving parts.

Already there are larger and larger USB thumb drives (also called jump drives, flash drives, USB keys, and memory sticks) available, yet they are very expensive. For instance, Tiger sells a 256GB model for $1000 (256GB Kensington flash drive).

Many netbooks have already eliminated hard drives, using flash memory similar to that of thumb drives. Prices will drop significantly in 2011 as more and more of this type of memory is manufactured and it becomes the new standard for more devices like cell phones, laptops, and external drives. It is smaller, faster, noiseless, shock resistant, not prone to wearing out, uses little power, and doesn't get hot. This type of memory will eventually replace today's hard disk drives, and I think 2011 will be the year it begins to be shipped in place of standard spinning drives.

We'll see how much a 256GB thumb drive costs in December of 2011.

P.S. This leads to other questions too, like whether today's HDD manufacturers will shift succesfully into this new media or be left in the dust of the current leaders in flash memory. And whether recordable DVDs will continue to have any purpose at all.

Other Solid State Drives:
- 480GB internal drive, PCIe mounted - $1637.99
- 256GB external flash drive - $749.99

2010 Year-End Look At Email

First, here's my all-time favorite spam email of the year, from early December 2010...


Hotmail
Hotmail is now one big Microsoft Silverlight object, like their Webmaster Tools. Silverlight is a Flash-like plugin used on some sites for playing videos. Some browsers handle it better than others, to put it nicely. Sad. There was a massive Hotmail account hijacking over a few weeks in November, which sent spam to all contacts, with links to malware sites. There may have been password theft from elsewhere. My account wasn't hacked. Hotmail works fine if you are gentle.

Gmail
Google continues to merge every product they have into one. No longer can you just have a Gmail account, you now have a "Google Account" that instantly sets cookies to log you into everything Google owns, from Blogger to YouTube, whether you like it or not. They thrust Buzz right into the mail interface, and insist you create a public "Google Profile" so they can continue brutal attempts at building a "social network" for some reason. Gmail itself is decent, I wish they'd leave it alone. Google already reads the actual content of your emails in order to show you ads. And while they may not directly "rent, sell or share" that data, they don't seem to care about the theft of it. I'll have no problem dropping Gmail in 2011 if it gets any more intrusive.

Yahoo
Yahoo has a simple and fast email system. When Hotmail was redesigned into the current Silverlight interface it basically stole the clean look of Yahoo Mail. Not much to say, other than Yahoo is struggling financially. There are rumors Yahoo may sell Flickr and/or other businesses it owns, but it's unlikely anything will change with their email. It's not like an email platform is worth money in itself.

Excite
I've been using Excite email for many years. It's been through overhauls, outsourcing, and some scary interface changes, but has come through it intact. (Parent company IAC Media also owns Ask, Dictionary.com, Vimeo, and a ton of others.) A bit slow to load, but an acceptable free email service.

Other
Will Facebook messages kill email? Nope.

Five Last-Minute Gift Ideas - Under $50

1) USB stick (thumb drive) - Here's the idea: how about personalizing the gift by pre-loading with music, movies, and/or pictures? 8GB drives have recently been on sale for around $10. Good for backing up data, moving files between computers, or swapping stuff with friends, 8GB is a real bargain for just $10.

2) Webcam - The totally free Skype version 5 now includes 10-way video calling (update - this is a PAID service), and other sites like Ustream and Livestream offer live video broadcasting or private chats with virtually unlimited numbers of people. Most laptops have built-in cameras, but quality webcams go on sale incredibly cheap this time of year as well, around $20 to $30 (regular about $50 to $80).

3) Antivirus - Norton and McAfee internet security & antivirus software has been on sale for around $40, good for installing on three computers. If you know anyone using (horribly slow) free software, do them a huge favor. Or just pitch in with 2 friends and split the cost, a great deal.

4) Car power adapter - Most 12v to 120v car adapters now also have a USB charging port. They can be used for powering laptops, GPS units, and charging cell phones & mp3 players. Not meant for large appliances, but perfect for most electronics. Get a 100-watt or higher model, usually about $30 to $50.

5) Laptop stand - You can get a mesh or plastic laptop stand for around $20 to $50. Overheating is one of the most common causes of laptop failures and crashes. A stand that lifts the laptop off the surface allows better airflow to prevent overheating, because most laptops draw air in through the bottom. For a few extra dollars you can get one that has a fan(s) built in for even better air circulation. Some models are also adjustable, tilting to make the laptop more comfortable to use.

(For any of the above products, compare prices at Tiger.ca, Staples, Walmart, etc.)

Best Digital Camera Ever - Fuji Finepix S1600

I don't even know where to begin, because there are so many reasons you should buy this camera right now, either for yourself or as a gift. But there are two things you should know: 1) I don't write product reviews, and 2) I spent a lot of time comparing features and prices before buying this camera. It has impressed me so much that I genuinely want to tell you about it.

The Fuji FinePix S1600 Digital Camera is the most amazing digital camera you'll ever get for a couple hundred bucks. It has features found in professional SLR (single lens reflex) cameras costing thousands, yet an amateur like myself can turn it on and start taking pictures. (Other cameras at this price have none of these features.)



This camera is perfect for beginners not only for the price, but for the simplicity. The Fuji S1600 is like a photography course in the palm of your hand. I just wanted a decent camera and ended up with a powerhouse that makes photography really fascinating.

You can use the point-and-shoot mode if that's all you need, but if you mess around with other settings you can learn tons about photography without even trying. As you explore various settings you'll discover fun things to try. Of course the manual explains everything in detail, but if you're like me then much of the language is meaningless until you start taking pictures and see the results. Then you'll be stunned to realize what you're holding.



Here's the deal:
- standard point-and-shoot mode
- 12.2 megapixels, giant 3" display
- panorama mode, dual image stabilizer, tripod mount
- face detection, blink detection, red eye removal
- "micro" mode lets you take clear pictures as little as 2cm away
- true HD video with sound (choose from 1280, 640, or 320)
- true 15x optical zoom for amazing close-ups
    (avoid "digital zoom" - that just stretches your picture)
- shutter speed up to 8 seconds (take pics in total darkness)
- 16 automatic modes for situations like night, snow, fireworks, etc.
- if you dare: full control of shutter speed, aperture, white balance...
- use any SD or SDHC card
- software for Windows 7, Vista, and XP

I'm going to stop talking now because this could go on forever. This is the most brilliant camera under $1000, period. If you need a camera for yourself or a gift for someone else, this is it.

You can get the Fuji FinePix S1600 Digital Camera at Tiger Direct dirt cheap. Shipping is normally 2-3 days.

URL Expander Add-on For Firefox

We all know that the shortened URLs found on Twitter and other sites can sometimes lead to malware, spamware, trojan, and hacking sites. Most of the time it is intentional, but it can also be accidental. By way of example, an official city tourism site that I follow on Twitter recently posted a bit.ly link that took me to a porn site! They were stunned when I brought it to their attention, and thanked me profusely.

I've always felt that posting links on Twitter and blogs is very helpful, and try to do it often for my followers. Knowing the risks of shortened URLs, I actually make special efforts to post links that I can embed directly without having to shorten. I want my readers to see clearly exactly where any click will take them. Of course the problem is sometimes I want to link to something with a web address that's a mile long. Blog posts are definitely annoying to link to. Most blog platforms turn the entire blog title into the corresponding URL for that post, resulting in extremely long addresses full of dashes, and sometimes adding the date to make it even longer.

There isn't really a solution to the underlying problem - some sites have short URLs and some have long ones. The best you can do is protect yourself when clicking on someone else's link.

Thus I recently installed a Firefox add-on called Long URL Please. It automatically reveals all shortened URLs on every web page, with no need to do anything. It works with all the typical shortener services. Some comments from users on the Firefox plug-in site mention slow load times and system hangs, but I haven't encountered either in the week I've been using it. It works fine, and has removed any concerns I used to have about shortened and masked links. I can finally tell which links go to affiliate sales pitches and which ones go to news stories and blogs, it's fantastic.

I recommend it or a similar add-on to make your online travels safer. (... and I naturally assume you are using Firefox in the first place!)

Credibility Checklist For Business Web Sites

1) Eliminate All Typos And Poor Grammar: Spelling mistakes, incorrect use of punctuation, incorrect use of words, and other grammatical errors are more than embarrassing. Don't minimize the importance of this. Visitors who are literate can find this almost unbearable, regardless of the industry you are in. This sort of thing is particularly inexcusable because fixing this type of mistake should take a webmaster just minutes.

2) Correct And Up-To-Date Content: Your site must be accurate and current. Any changes, updates, or redesigns can easily be created offline and posted in one shot. You should never have to say "Sorry, we no longer offer that product/service", or "We just haven't put up the new prices yet", or "We're in the process of updating our site".

3) Prove You Are Real: Have photographs of key employees, photos of your office or facility, photos of products, photos of you with clients. Give real contact info, phone numbers, and street address. (Never reveal too much personal information about your people or your other clients.)

4) Prove You Are Legitimate: Make prominent use of client testimonials, employee credentials, courses, awards, community endeavours. Mention past accomplishments of employees and/or management. Tell how you created specific tangible results for a previous client.

5) Educate Visitors/Potential Clients: Giving free advice, free articles, free videos, useful internet links, and/or a routinely updated blog are all good for establishing credibility. If you can help your visitors learn or discover something new, it will stick in their mind and set you apart as an authority on the subject.

See our Articles page at Second Glance Digital Media for more good stuff.

Our Three Latest Web Design Clients

Like most web design companies, we get some clients who have thoughtful ideas for their sites, and others who give us raw material and tell us to call them when it's done. It's the variety that makes it interesting.

Sometimes we get clients who are just fun to work with. Our latest three web design clients were actively engaged in the design of their sites, and all three were fun in their own way. (And of course each one of these is now a top-10 ranking site in their market, since that is our specialty at Second Glance Digital Media.)

Robin Walton, freehand illustrator and artist (RobinWalton.ca) - Being a freehand artist, Robin had given much thought to the look of her site and had made some custom drawings for it. All we needed to do was translate her ideas into a functioning site. This was fun to build for a few reason: she's an independent freelance artist, and we love putting people on a small budget in the top-10 search results; she came prepared with great ideas and custom content for the site; and she asked good questions about what could be done, what might look best, and responded immediately to mock-up approvals.

Inside Security, about the new Ontario security guard course and test (InsideSecurity.ca) - Inside Security also came prepared with tons of content. There's nothing better than good content. It makes site design easy and search engines love heaps of real information. We spent some time acquiring images to supplement the predominant text, but much of it was simply building the site and getting layout approvals from the client. It's a straightforward design, very clean and easy to read. There's nothing cute or artsy to distract from the solid text content of this informative site.

Heritage Natural Beef, drug-free local beef (HeritageNaturalBeef.com) - Another case where it was rewarding to put a small business in the top-10 search results. They actually had a site for several years but it couldn't be found in searches, and I mean you couldn't find it no matter how hard you intentionally tried. It hadn't been banned or anything, it was basically just lacking every possible element of correct design. When we were done they ranked number two, only behind the long established industry leader.